Because I went a little nuts writing this chapter bit by bit everyday on my way to school—I am changing the rating to M. *shudders*

Chapter 6:

Fade and Blood Magic ahead

Kiera

The Fade smelled funny, and the air tasted coppery when I breathed in. It never did before, the two sensations were those that I had never felt when I was unconscious. It would seem that the demons were a lot stronger in this part of the Fade; they had more control over the illusions I felt. None of them approached me yet, all were preoccupied; too busy to notice little old me. I saw no pride demons as of yet; those were all desire, sloth and rage. These were easy to manipulate—their loyalties to the Tevinter mages had to be wearing thin.

When I awoke, I found myself with a collar around my neck, my hands rendered useless by cold irons behind my back, my armor gone. The underclothes that were left on me were my familiar shirt and leathers, but I felt even more exposed than I ever had before, stripped of both mana and platemail.

It was almost dark, I had been out for more than six hours- a troubling sign indeed. What had these people done to me? It was then I saw a troupe of qunari taken in similar chains, but imprisoned a ways from where I was, isolated in magically enhanced cages. The metal was a strange glowing red—most likely maintained by the demons I saw, the shimmering runes on the ground specifically for linking the demons' power in the Fade to our world.

These weren't impossible to break, but would require some serious concentration and power—not to mention that I would have to use blood magic, since my mana reserves were all but gone. The battered bodies on the ground seemed almost lifeless, and my eyes strained in the darkness, seeking the rise and fall of their chests. I needed to get closer. Were these the ones that I knew?

At length, a man approached my cage, the light from his torch illuminating his face—it was him—Romulus, a smug grin as he saw my obvious discomfort.

"Your qunari friends are just as incapacitated as you are, Warden, although if we had a little more time to get to know each other… you might be on the other side of these bars." He stroked the metal with a little more interest than was necessary, watching me the entire time.

I rolled my eyes. "Really? You think that I'd be on your side?"

"I think that's still an option you might want to keep in mind, given that you have absolutely no power here—the least you could do would to be to offer an exchange of something for your freedom?"

"…I'll pass."

"What about their freedom?" He turned slightly, gazing out at the qunari prisoners.

This I had to admit, I hadn't thought out too well. I only needed one small distraction to free them, but I had to make it count. Demons it is.

Romulus (how I hated him) studied my crestfallen expression with a tiny smirk before walking away, leaving me in the darkness—his voice an oily sneer, "I'll leave you to think about it. You have till dawn to come up with a satisfactory reply."

xOxOx

The demon was enticed, just as I thought it would be- having myself as a bargaining chip was too good to pass up, few fadewalkers made it past puberty. It would be tough to plan a coordinated attack against magisters, but thankfully there were few in the camp, the slavers and their Imperium guards will suffer dreadfully.

I sat upright, the sleep spell was wearing off, and the taste of blood lingered. Inside my mouth there was a deep wound, a result of having bitten my tongue, a desperate attempt at the forbidden magics which had succeeded but left me feeling just a bit guilty. A spell on darkspawn was one thing, but it was another when it came to this...choice. Choosing to keep my dignity and pride were rather selfish reasons.

I called him over, the mage who had been so interested in my...assets- he would know pain (and quite possibly death) today.

Sten
I watched as the kadan was released from her cage, unmistakably female even from this distance, following a man into the large tent. Bonds still restricted her hands behind her back, her bare feet leaving slight trails on the dirt ground— she was planning something and it was weighing on her mind, her hesitance exhibited in her actions—strange.

The flames that shot and ate its way through the thick material was of a purplish hue, a beginning of the destruction that tore the camp apart; whilst leaving the prisoners, namely us, untouched. It would seem that her actions would have been thoroughly successful, had the magisters not intervened.

Kiera
When Romulus screamed it signalled the beginning of the demon's plan, one that sacrificed the man to his own desires, one that I had somehow came up with in the short time I had; its ingenuity had attracted the demon. Was it wrong to have done so?

Only the taking of his blood was a little difficult to accomplish, I had no idea that actually biting someone to the point of tearing out flesh took this much effort, or was this revolting, but blood had gushed from the opened vein, spraying out like a fountain when the demon materialized and tore him into bits.

The area would now suffer from a sundered veil, and these portals from the fade will have to be sealed before we left the area. Shades attacked the guards, forcing many of them to flee, running straight into the purple flames that now surrounded the perimeter of the camp, undoubtedly dooming them.

I felt the barest hint of remorse, for two wrongs did not make a right, but I was willing to live with the consequences.

As long as they lived, there was meaning to my blood magic.

Oh, and slavers must die.

The shackles fell away from my hands and I stepped amid the burning debris- even as the two magisters tried their hardest to control the worsening situation. They dismissed the demons I had unleashed with relative ease, but with so little time to prepare their sacrifices they unwittingly gave autonomy to the demons which have lusted for the opportunity, and several turned on these 'masters' with nary a pause.

The sloth and pride demons still opposed the offer I made, preferring the magisters' side in the fray. This meant war, and I was ready- my mana was regenerating well in this heightened state of awareness.