Chapter 34:

When they walked into the tower, Sylina's heart stopped. The antechamber was crowded with templars running around. She could feel fear and despair thick in the air as the templars looked toward the barred large double doors. She saw Greagoir standing in the middle of the room shouting orders to his men. Alistair came up beside her, looking toward the doors. "Are they keeping people out? Or in?" He glanced down at her and she felt fear wash over her. What had happened?

She walked up to Greagoir and he turned to scowl at her. "As if I didn't have enough problems," he said, glaring down at her. He crossed his arms and regarded her as she looked frantically about the room. She needed to know what was happening, but the words wouldn't come to her throat, try as she might. His eyes scanned her company. "A Grey Warden then and one that still lives, I see. Good."

Sylina blinked and looked up at the old Knight-Commander. "You're glad I'm not dead?" she asked incredulously.

He examined her, pursing his lips. "Perhaps." His eyes glanced back at the barred door. "Now, I am dealing with something that doesn't involve you, or the Grey Wardens."

"W-" Sylina gulped down air and tried again. "What's happened?"

Greagoir examined her with a critical eye and folded his arms. "The tower is no longer under our control. Abominations and demons stalk the halls." He pointed at her with his gauntleted hand. "First Jowan. Now this. Don't think I've forgotten what you did. We have been too complacent!"

Alistair shifted beside Sylina and she looked at the ground. She had never told him about Jowan. She had told him that Duncan merely recruited her because she wanted to go. She had never told him the circumstances in which it came up. "That's not important now," she said, looking back up at the commander. "Where is First Enchanter Irving?" She felt fear coil in her stomach. There were no mages in the antechamber, but surely they could not all be dead?

Greagoir frowned at her and sighed. "I don't know. I saw only demons, hunting templars and mages alike. I realized we would not defeat them and told my men to flee. Then we sealed the doors. We were prepared for one or two abominations, not the horde that fell upon us."

She couldn't believe it. She shook her head. Surely this was a nightmare. A horrible nightmare that she would wake up from any moment. She would go across the lake to the tower and find everything just the way she left it. She looked back up at the Commander. "What are you going to do?"

His tone turned cold. "There is only one thing to do. I have sent word to Denerim, calling for reinforcements and the Right of Annulment. Everything in the tower must be eliminated."

She felt sick. Her heart was pounding and she felt cold sweat break out. Annulment. A story told to frighten mages. Always the last resort. The idea. She blinked back tears and bit her lip. "No," she said, turning hardened green eyes back to the commander, "No, there are survivors. There must be." She took a step toward him. She was no longer thinking, no longer seeing him. She only saw the man who would murder her. The man who had called for her death so many years ago. "You believe mages are helpless. You think we would roll over and die. Make it easy for you. You know better than anyone that we are not defenseless!" She opened her palm to fire and the Knight-Commander narrowed his eyes.

"Sylina." Alistair stepped up beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. "The man is right. The mages are probably dead..."

"You don't know that!" she shouted, rounding on Alistair. "I will go in there. I will defend my home." She turned back to the templar. "I will defend those you would condemn."

The Knight-Commander sighed and she blinked. A moment of vulnerability? "These are not the mages you remember. If any still live the Maker himself has shielded them." He looked from her to the doors. "If you plan on going in there then you must remember that it is the innocent folk of Ferelden that matter now. No abominations can cross this threshold. Harden your heart, Warden." He nodded and spoke to two of his men about letting her through then he turned back to her. "Once you go inside, there is no turning back. The doors will remain barred until I have proof that it is safe. I will ONLY believe it is safe if First Enchanter Irving stands before me and tells me it is so." He raked a hand through his grey hair. "If Irving has fallen...then the Circle is lost and must be destroyed. You understand this Warden?"

Sylina nodded. She turned to Alistair who was staring at her like he had never seen her before. "If we are going in, I need you to go get everyone else...except Shale...and Hesper." She didn't want to endanger her dog with abominations and Shale wouldn't be able to ride the boat over to the tower. She knew what they faced. Any mage did. "Especially Morrigan."

Alistair frowned. "Aren't you coming with me?" He fiddled with a clasp on his armor.

"No. I am going to stay here. Go quickly and return." Alistair looked like he wanted to protest, but seeing her hard expression he stopped, nodded, and made for the doors.

"Maker watch over you all," Greagoir said and nodded to his men to open the doors. Sylina just stared at him. Her mouth was set in a grim line. When Alistair had returned she was making lyrium potions. She knew they would come in handy and the quartermaster had had some lyrium dust with him. Now they walked into oblivion. She felt her stomach clench. She was so afraid and yet so determined. She refused to believe that no mages survived. She refused to believe that her mentor, First Enchanter Irving, would be taken down so easily. She would find them. She would save them all.

They walked through the hallway of the apprentice quarters. Sylina stopped when she saw the first body. It was a boy. He looked like he couldn't have been more than ten years old. He had a slash across his body and she fought back the tears. She wondered if he had died by a demon's hand or a frightened templar's. She heard Morrigan scoff behind her. "Pathetic."

Sylina rounded on her, her eyes alight with fury. "You dare mock these mages?!" The group grew still and Morrigan looked at her, shock in her eyes for an instant before being shielded by indignation. Sylina felt Alistair and Leliana move beside her. Zevran raised an eyebrow and seemed to lounge against the wall.

Morrigan waved her hand around. "These are pathetic excuses for mages. They allow themselves to be corralled. Surely you see this?"

Sylina took a step toward the witch, gripping her staff. She felt fury replace the sadness. "I was one of these mages! You think it is easy?! You think they want this?! You think they have a choice?!" She took another step toward Morrigan and the witch took a step back, clearly thinking Sylina had gone insane. "What would you do if you had been caught? You think you would escape so easily? You think they would not be able to track you down, find you again, kill you?" Her staff touched the witch above the heart, drilling in every point. "These mages didn't have old abominations for mothers. Their mothers gave them up. Were they to escape, where would they go? Who would protect them? Count yourself lucky, Morrigan. But don't ever judge them. Never again!" She was inches from the witch. She saw the faintest flicker of fear in her eyes. Sylina shook her head. It wasn't worth it. She took a step back and pointed back toward the door they had gone through. "You want out? Go ahead. See how easy it is to leave when you are locked in here." She glared at Morrigan, but the woman made no instance to move. Sylina nodded and turned around. She saw her companions all looking at her incredulously, except Sten, who was frowning at her. "Come on. We have a tower to save." She said, leading the group through the halls. No one made a sound.

As Sylina walked down the rest of the hallway she avoided looking at the bodies. A part of her wanted to rush at every one and see if she knew them, but she was afraid she would. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to keep going if she kept seeing the faces of those she knew around every corner. When she saw a templar body she froze for the briefest of seconds. No, she thought. No. I won't think about him. I can't. I have to get through this. At least Jowan is gone. Though the thought helped a little, it didn't make her feel any more able to walk through this tower.

Around the bend, she heard voices and felt magic being cast. She grabbed her staff, prepared for friend or foe, and walked ahead. As they entered the room, Sylina saw several mages battling a demon. There were children huddled in the corner and in the center of the room, killing the demon, Wynne. When the creature had sunk back into the ground, Wynne turned to see them approaching. The old woman's eyes went wide at the sight of Sylina and she quickly scanned her company. "Sylina? What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Wynne was walking toward her.

Sylina smiled. She couldn't help it. She was so happy to see Wynne. So happy to see a mage alive. She recognized several of the other mages with Wynne including Petra. She smiled shyly at the older mage and saw Petra smile at her. "I can't believe you're alive!" she said, meeting Wynne halfway. "Greagoir was convinced everyone would be dead, but no I told him...I told him that some would live. Ignorant man." She saw Wynne give a shy smile.

"He is in a difficult position," the elder mage sighed. "So he thinks the Circle is beyond hope. And I assume he is preparing to invoke the Right?" Sylina nodded. "Then we do not have much time. We must find Irving. If anyone is able to survive what happened, it would be him." Sylina smiled at the confidence Wynne was showing. The same confidence she had felt when Greagoir had tried to tell her they were all dead. Because Irving was the strongest mage she knew. He would survive. He had to survive. Wynne pointed toward a magical barrier at the other end of the room. "I erected a barrier to protect the children. I will dispel it if you come with me to save the Circle."

Sylina smiled and walked up to Wynne. She held out her hand and the older mage clasped it. "Then we will save the Circle," she said, smiling confidently at her old teacher.

"Still confident then?" Wynne chuckled and shook her head. "Don't let it blind you, my young friend."

Sylina laughed. She grinned at the mage. "Still trying to lecture me? Save it until we find Irving, then you both can. It'll feel like old times." Wynne laughed and headed in the direction of the barrier.

Sylina headed towards the barrier when she felt a tug on her arm. She turned to see Petra looking at her. She smiled and raised her eyebrows at the mage. "Yes?"

Petra looked toward Wynne who was slightly out of earshot and said in a low voice. "Just look after her Sylina. Please."

Sylina's eyebrows furrowed. "Is something wrong?" She glanced toward the old mage, Wynne had always seemed invincible when Sylina had known her in the tower.

Petra bit her lip and glanced towards the older mage again. Finally, she turned her back ever so slightly to Wynne and whispered to Sylina. "When the attack happened I was running toward the library. A demon appeared. I thought I was going to die. I think I screamed…I was so afraid I couldn't cast. Next thing I know Wynne is there, shielding me from the demon. When the battle was over the demon was dead and...Wynne wasn't moving." Sylina glanced toward the moving old mage who was looking back curiously at them.

"Well she is alive...right?"

"When I reached her she stirred and coughed. I was just so afraid...she was gone. But I am worried she didn't come away totally unharmed."

Sylina smiled and patted Petra's arm. "I will take care of her." She knew fighting a demon wasn't something easy. At least not a demon that had a foothold outside the Fade. She would not lose a mage. She would not lose Wynne.

As they made their way up the tower Sylina felt despair in every step. More bodies, more demons – there was always more death awaiting them. She would have said it took only a few hours to reach the top of the tower, but it took them a full day to reach Irving's study. By the time they reached it, Sylina and her companions were exhausted. They cleared a space in the study, locked the door, and settled in. They gathered some of her old mentor's furniture that was already broken and started a fire. Sylina saw Morrigan try to make herself invisible in the small room and she sighed. She felt bad for snapping at the witch earlier. Morrigan had been helpful in several battles since then including one particularly nasty one with a demon and possessed templar. Though she refused to speak to anyone and wouldn't even look at Sylina or Wynne. Sylina sighed and shook her head. She got up and made her way over to the witch.

Morrigan glanced up at her and her mouth thinned. "Come to yell at me again?" Sylina almost smiled at the childish hurt the witch had in her voice.

"No," Sylina said, sitting down on the ground across from the witch. "I wanted to apologize for my tone earlier." She looked around the room. "You just don't seem to understand that these mages didn't have the same opportunities you had. And for some this is a better life than what they would have had outside the tower." Sylina had known a few elves who had spoken of life before the tower in an alienage and she suspected having a bed and regular meals was much better for them.

Morrigan looked at her. "But you did not want to be here either. Why do you not all revolt against your oppressors?"

Sylina laughed and Morrigan scowled at her. "Well that seems to have worked this time right?" Wynne had told her that the abominations were due to a senior enchanter named Uldred. Sylina remembered hearing about him. A nasty man. And he had done this with the intention of freeing the mages from Chantry control. "The truth is that many mages wish they could live outside the tower, but this –" she gestured around the room to indicate what they had been dealing with, "is not the way to do it. The only way to make people see that mages aren't dangerous is to prove it to them. By doing good. Not by doing evil."

Morrigan glanced around the room at their companions then back at Sylina. "It is such a...difficult idea to grasp. That mages would stay here. That some would like it here. But...perhaps you are right. Not every mage can be an apostate." The corners of her lips twitched. "But I think 'tis safe to say you would do fine."

Sylina smiled. "You honor me Morrigan."

The witch shook her head. "Now perhaps I could ask you something?" Sylina raised her eyebrows and the witch continued. "My mother was once divested of a particular grimoire by a most annoying templar hunter." Sylina smiled and Morrigan shook her head. "With your Circle in such a state, it may be a good time for me to recover the tome."

Sylina's brow furrowed. "What makes you think it is here?" She had certainly never been told of Flemeth's tome residing in the tower.

"Flemeth is a sorceress of legend. Her grimoire would be valuable, no? No doubt 'tis considered dangerous and locked away from prying apprentice eyes. Though, 'tis no harm in looking, surely."

Sylina thought for a moment. "No there is no harm in looking, but..." She looked at the witch. "If we find it I want something in return for giving it to you."

Morrigan's eyebrows rose. "My eternal gratitude is not enough? Fine, what do you want?"

Sylina smiled. "Teach me shapechanging."

Shock came over the witch's face. "You wish to learn to change your shape?" Sylina nodded and Morrigan looked like she was contemplating. "Then I shall teach you...should you find the tome."

Sylina grinned and got up. "Then we have a deal." She glanced around the room. "Now, I think it is safe to say the best place to start looking for a dangerous grimoire is in the First Enchanter's study, no?" Sylina chuckled slightly and went over to the nearest bookshelf, pulling books off and looking at the covers.

Morrigan glanced curiously at the younger mage and got up. "Why so many books anyway? Why does someone need so many? Surely he hasn't read them all."

Sylina laughed again. "Oh, I don't know. He is pretty old. It's possible." Sylina flipped through a tome that ended up being on helping plants grow and threw it onto the intact table behind her. "Do you know what the grimoire looks like?" Sylina asked as she put another book of healing arts next to the book on plants.

"It will be a black leather bound book, and it should have a tree etched into the cover." Morrigan told her as she scanned a pile of books on the table.

"Ah, are we stealing from the First Enchanter?" Zevran asked swaggering over to them, grinning.

"We are looking for a book." Sylina said matter-of-factly.

Zevran laughed. "Well that is less fun, no? Shouldn't the old man have more interesting things hidden than books?"

Sylina shook her head at the assassin. "Just help. It will make it go faster."

Zevran wiggled his eyebrows. "And what do I get if I do, my dear enchanting Warden?"

"How about I don't set you on fire," Morrigan said dryly.

Zevran laughed and started to help, occasionally leaning a little too close to Sylina as he grabbed books. She rolled her eyes, but let him get away with it. There was something about the assassin that was oddly comforting. At least he was true about his intent. Or at least, she thought he was.

Eventually they had exhausted one whole bookshelf to no avail. Wynne kept shooting their trio dirty looks, no doubt disapproving of them going through Irving's things.

"'Tis useless," Morrigan said, throwing up her hands. "Clearly if he has hidden it, it will not be sitting on a bookshelf." She walked over to the First Enchanter's desk and started rummaging through his drawers.

Sylina looked around and saw an unbroken chest in the corner. She walked over to it and found it locked. "Hey Zev, can you unlock this?" She turned to find the assassin surprisingly close to her.

"Yes, Warden?" he asked sultrily leaning in close to whisper. "Is there something you need of me?"

Sylina blushed and took a step away. "Open it."

The assassin chuckled and bent down to examine the chest. "It cannot be done," he said standing again and frowning.

"What? Why not?" Sylina said pouting slightly. If the book was anywhere it would clearly be in a locked chest.

"Here," Morrigan walked up and thrust a key in Sylina's hand.

She grinned and bent down to open the chest. There were a few supplies and some trinkets that Sylina could feel a faint hum of magic from, meaning they were enchanted. And at the bottom of the chest was a large black leather bound book. Sylina grinned and pulled it out, turning to look at the witch. "And a deal is made," she said, a sparkle in her eyes.

Morrigan gingerly took the grimoire from her as if expecting it to disappear at any moment. The witch glanced up at Sylina and the ghost of a smile crossed her lips. "A deal we have. Once we are out of this place I will begin teaching you." Then the witch abruptly walked away to the other side of the room.

Sylina grinned and she and Zev went back to the fireplace.