"But the memories that hang heaviest are the easiest to recall. They hold in their creases the ability to change one's life, organically, forever. Even when you shake them out, they've left permanent wrinkles in the fabric of your soul."
― Julie Gregory
The Wardens set out for the Circle just before the sun came over the mountains. They made another hard trek along the imperial highway, not coming upon the outline of the tower until just before dusk.
The group had been relatively silent the whole way, Alistair eyed Nicolai, receiving hostile responses from mostly Nennet.
Zevran suggested resting their libs at the little shanty on the beach, but both Nani and Eshne seemed uneasy.
"Where are the Templars?" Nani asked Eshne, not hearing Zevrans question.
Eshne looked to the group.
"Templars cross the lake regularly, even on our way from the Tower they had at least five of them by the dock." She shook her head, "If they piss Greagoir off that day they get stationed here."
"There's someone on the dock right now." Nennet pointed out.
Without a second thought Eshne went down to the water, Nani followed close behind. Sure enough there was a blonde templar standing there, clearly bored.
Nani helped Eshne up onto the docks. Eshne proceeded to the Templar, who was mumbling something unintelligible.
"Carroll?" Eshne asked, "What are you doing here?"
Her voice startled the Templar, and he started at her for a few moments. His eyes darted back and forth between Eshne and the group gathering behind her. He shook his head before he finally spoke.
"I hope you're not looking to get into the tower," Carroll said, "I've been given strict orders not to let anyone pass."
"Carroll, we're with the Grey Wardens," Eshne told him, "We need to speak to Irving."
"Prove it."
Nani rolled her eyes, "Carroll, you idiot, you saw us leave with the Grey Wardens not too long ago."
"Well that doesn't mean anything." Carroll said matter-of-factly, "I could tell you I was the Queen of Antiva and it would mean just the same."
"I can assure you, my fine friend, the Queen of Antiva is much more beautiful...and a great deal plumper." Zevran pointed out, looking Carroll up and down.
Carroll waved him off, "So you say."
"Carroll, darling," Eshne changed her tone of voice, "I really need to get into the tower."
Carroll lowered his voice, "It won't work again, Eshne."
Eshne frowned, "Don't be like that. We just need help across the lake."
"I can't." Carroll shook his head.
"Remember the stairwell?" Eshne asked, making Carroll blush.
"I-I really shouldn't." Carroll said, "Greagoir was really angry when you left. He wouldn't want to see you…" Then he asked himself, "Or would he?"
"He'd be very upset if you didn't let us in." Eshne added.
Carroll thought for a moment, "I suppose I should. Come along then…"
As Carroll was readying the boat, Zevran came up beside Eshne.
"The stairwell?"
Eshne laughed, "I needed a few materials for an experiment. I can afford two second of my time."
Zevran chuckled, following her into the boat.
The ride across the lake to the lone island was an arduous one, and once they reached the shore Thackery was the first one to leap off the boat. He looked away from the water, holding his throat.
Nicolai set his hand on Thackery's shoulder.
"Are you alright?"
Thackery nodded, "Don't like the water much…"
Nennet called to them.
"We're heading inside, let's go."
Nicolai gave Thackery a sip from his waterskin.
"Take a deep breath, I'll walk with you."
"Thank you." Thackery said, wiping away the sweat from his face.
They stayed outside a little longer so Thackery could compose himself. Then the two of them entered the tower, not expecting the catastrophe. Nani was being held back by Alistair, chewing out who Nicolai assumed to be the Knight-Commander. Nennet was holding Eshne, stroking her hair and trying to keep her from crying.
"What's going on?" Nicolai asked.
Zevran was the one to answer.
"It seems the tower is under attack. The Knight-Commander said abominations and well...you can imagine why Alistair is holding our sweet Lady Surana back from tearing him limb from limb. A fantastic creature I admit…"
"What is Melia suggesting we do? We need the mages." Thackery said.
"I am unsure. But knowing your cousins endearing compassion, I think we may be the dashing rescuers." Zevran smirked.
Eshne pulled herself away from Nennet and went to Thackery. Her face was grey and she had seemed to have aged in just those few moments.
"They sent for the Templars in Denerim." She said to him, "When they get here they'll enact the Right of Annulment. They're going to kill everyone behind that door." She pointed to the closed off entrance into the main part of the tower, "Melia is talking to them now about going in."
"Do we know if there are survivors?" Zevran asked.
Eshne wiped away fresh tears, "No. But when we go, Nicolai, you should stay behind."
"Why?" Nicolai furrowed his brows.
"There are, without a doubt, demons in this tower. Once whiff of blood magic and they will try and take you. Not to mention the fact the Templars are on edge more than ever." Eshne explained, "We can't risk losing you."
"The second that any of you cross that threshold I'll be right beside you. I can control myself." Nicolai defended himself.
Eshne started at him for a long time, then let out a long sigh.
"As you wish."
"Eshne!"
Nani turned her around, "Redd isn't here."
"What?"
"Greagoir said he sent Redd out to find Jowan, but he isn't here." Nani said, tears of relief falling down her face.
"And Cullen?" Eshne asked.
Nani shook her head, "I don't know." She hugged Eshne, "And they won't tell me if Niall is alive."
Eshne stroked her head, "We'll find them." She assured her sister, though unsure of her own words.
Melia summoned all of the Wardens together.
"Anyone who wants to go into the tower with me is welcome to. Anyone who doesn't must stay here with the Templars." She said.
"I don't think any of us are staying here, Melly." Thackery said.
"Very well," Melia nodded, "Our ultimate goal is to get the First Enchanter out. Greagoir will continue with the Right of Annulment unless we can prove that Irving is alive." She looked to the Templars by the tower entrance, "Open the doors."
The Wardens proceeded to the door, pretending not to notice the Templars shaking their heads as they unsealed their barricade. Once through, the doors were shut, and Melia knew they might not ever open again.
There was a long silence as they all stood there in the hall. Eshne and Nani took the front, knowing the tower better than the rest.
"Keep your head up, Esh." Nani told her sister, "Don't look down."
"I know." Eshne's voice faltered when her foot hit the body of an initiate.
"Hold onto your staff," Nani said, "Focus on that."
Eshne had to close her eyes when she stepped over the next corpse. Her knuckles turning bright white as she gripped her staff.
The others didn't keep their eyes on the end of the hall. Bodies were strewn about haphazardly. Melia felt a lump in her throat when she saw a child hand sticking out from the closest room.
The sound of the struggle at the end of the hall sent Nani and Eshne running. The others ran after them, coming upon three mages fighting back abominations. A group of children were huddled in the corner, screaming.
Before they could reach the fight, it was over. A young woman ran to the older one, concern lined her face.
"Wynne, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Petra."
"Wynne?" Eshne dropped her staff, running over to hug her mother.
"Oh, Eshne," Wynne held her tightly, "My darling girl why are you here?"
"Greagoir said he contacted Denerim, there isn't much time." Eshne told her, "What happened here?"
Wynne let go of Eshne.
"So Greagoir thinks the Circle is beyond help...I should've known." Wynne shook her head, "I put up a barrier to keep out the abominations. I needed to save the children." Then she sighed, seemingly exhausted, "It was Uldred. After we came back from Ostagar he called a council. He was screaming about untapped potential...then the abominations just swooped down upon us."
"Wynne," Nani came up to her, "Did you see Niall?"
"He was at the council." Wynne said, "I ran to the children before the fighting really started. But I did hear him shouting orders."
"Niall was?" Nani seemed taken aback.
Wynne nodded, "I don't know what else happened. This is all I've been able to do to contain the attacks."
"You should stay here and rest then, mamae." Eshne suggested, "You've done enough."
"Eshne Sylvia Surana, I will not stand idly while my tower is being rampaged by demons." Wynne said.
Eshne looked at Melia, who was whispering with Thackery.
"Melia, please don't make her go." Eshne begged.
"Do not speak for me, Eshne. I'm not as old as you think." Wynne scolded, then she looked at Melia, "Greagoir will not open those doors without Irving. You need my help, especially if Uldred is alive. I know Greagoir is not unreasonable, but he will not budge once he's made up his mind."
"Then we should set out right away." Melia said.
"Wynne, you were hurt, you should stay." Petra chimed in.
"No, you and Kinnon take care of the children. We'll return." Wynne was adamant.
She turned back towards the barrier. Eshne set her hand on Wynne's shoulder.
"It took all of my strength to keep this up," Wynne admitted, "But it kept us alive."
"You did what you had to do, mamae."
Wynne nodded, then waved her hand to dissipate the barrier.
"Be on your guard," Wynne said to everyone, "There's no telling who is on the other side."
It seemed to take hours for them to get to the entrance to the library. Hearts were beating, palms sweating…
When they finally entered the library, the abominations there immediately set upon them. Nani pushed her way to the front, using her rage to fuel her lightning magic. Wynne pulled her away before one of them exploded, consequently killing the other two beside it.
"Na'Nalia, do you not remember what Irving told you? Rage is not the answer." She scolded, "Channel your anger into a different outlet before it gets you killed." She walked on.
Nani shook her head, pulling away when Eshne patted her back.
"It's been years since I've been an apprentice and she still treats me like a child." Nani grumbled.
"Her heart's in the right place." Eshne said.
"Whatever." Nani followed behind Wynne.
The group followed in silence, horrified by the mutilated corpses littering the ground. Before they left, Eshne made sure to nonchalantly grab one of the books that had fallen to the ground. She stuck it under her robes, then quietly followed behind Thackery.
Wynne opened the entrance that let to the stairs. She stopped when she reached the strewn desks. She began to laugh hysterically.
"Mamae?" Eshne pushed her way to the front, "What's wrong?"
Wynne just kept laughing, wiping away her tears.
"Do you remember your sixteenth birthday?" Wynne asked.
"Why?"
The others listened in.
Wynne shook her head, "Greagoir knew it was you when Hadley realized his shield had gone missing. Imagine our surprise when we found you sliding down these very steps, poor Jowan screaming behind you." She laughed, "I told him you were just a child, no harm was done. Redd was the one who convinced him Hadley needed a new shield anyway."
She cleared her throat, "I know I scolded you. But now I wish it could only be that simpler now. So much death all at once...I long for the days I can go back to scolding you for stealing Chantry property."
"Don't go longing for it now. I might do it out of spite." Eshne smiled, then she gave Wynne a quick embrace, "Let's go find Irving."
"Right." Wynne nodded, "We shouldn't dally any further."
Eshne turned back to the rest of the group.
"Next floor is the mages quarters, there's no telling how many of them became abominations." She warned.
The Wardens followed her forward, but Melia held Alistair back.
"You told me you are a Templar." She said.
"Never officially...why?" Alistair furrowed his brow.
"I care about Eshne and Nani," Melia said, "But if one of them slips up I need you to do what you have to do."
Alistair shifted his stance, "Wynne will kill me."
"We have to protect them however we can...it breaks my heart to even ask this of you." Melia said, "Please, watch them closely."
"I will." Alistair relented.
"It might not even come to it," Melia said, "But we have to be careful."
"I understand."
Alistair motioned her to move in front of him.
The Wardens fought their way to clear the second floor. True to Eshne's statement, there were an exceedingly large amount of abominations, and what bodies weren't taken were thrown on the floor like garbage.
Nani ran into Irvings office, hoping to find him sitting there like he always had. She was distraught when she found everything turned over, books strewn on the floor, and parchments scattered around.
She and Eshne searched for anything they could find useful, and when Wynne wasn't looking, Nani slipped a black book with an engraved tree into her robes.
Wynne ushered them out quickly, leading them to the third floor.
They came up to the Great Hall where the mages had usually stayed to study or eat. Eshne had to look away, one of the dead mages on the ground sending shivers up her spine.
"Are you alright?" Nennet asked quietly.
Eshne didn't look back down, "She used to pull my hair when I first got here. Nani kicked the shit out of her the next day. Since then we've never been apart...funny how stuff like that brings people together." Then she added, "Even people like her don't deserve to be abominations."
"I reckon you know a lot of these people." Nennet said.
"Some more than most. And then some…" Eshne trailed off, "Nani was more social with the mages. It's hitting her a little harder I think."
"And you?"
Eshne only looked up from the floor, not saying a word. Nennet pursed her lips, but didn't push the matter.
The moment the wardens and Wynne crossed the room, the bodies on the floor began to twitch. Nicolai nudged Zevran.
There was a low groan coming from the corpses. Everyone stopped in place, watching in horror as the bodies on the ground began to rise.
Nani was the first to send out bolts of lighting, shocking the first few that came close. Thackery and Zevran stepped back to avoid the spell.
Alistair was about to join the fight, but Eshne burned the walking corpses around him, her eyes blazing with orange flame.
It felt to the others that Eshne and Nani put their all into attacking, out of stamina when they finished. Eshne fell to her knees trying to catch her breath. Wynne quickly walked over and set her hand over Eshnes chest. She made a motion like she was pulling something from her, and suddenly Eshne could feel the air return to her lungs.
"Quit exerting yourself, Eshne." Wynne said, shaking her head.
"Leave the elementals to me, Eshne." Nani said.
"You know I'm better at them, Nani," Eshne spat, "Stop treating me like an apprentice."
Wynne stopped Nani before she said anything.
"Girls, now is not the time. Save your bickering for later." She snapped.
Eshne stood up, dusting off her robes. She glared at Nani before walking on.
It was clear that Eshne was more on edge the further they walked around the third floor. Nani shook her head, and Nennet asked why.
"Templars quarters." Nani scoffed.
Almost as soon as she mentioned it, a few Templar burst forth from one of the rooms, one threw Eshne to the wall, using his powers to stunt her magic. He landed one punch to her jaw before Thackery pounced on him to break his neck.
The other two went for Wynne, not getting a chance to reach her before Nennet and Alistair ran them through.
"The demons got to the Templars." Eshne said as Wynne rushed over to her, "How?"
Wynne shook her head, "I don't…"
"Blood magic." Nicolai said, looking over the dead Templar, "It can control even a Templar."
"Yes…" Wynne suddenly remembered, "Uldred mentioned...but I never thought. Some of the mages that became abominations were using blood magic. Oh Maker…"
"They wanted to control the Templars. Years of being watched, harassed...I can understand why." Zevran said.
"You shut up!" Nani pointed her finger at him, "What gives you the right to speak for mages-" Her voice fell.
"The Templars are more or less here for protection." Wynne said.
"A lot of good that did." Eshne hissed, "You know what they've done. No of course I don't agree with how it happened, but you can't say the Templars didn't deserve it."
"Does Redd deserve it?" Wynne asked.
"Don't bring him into this! He isn't even here!" Nani shouted.
"Alright, let's just keep our heads on," Melia spoke up, "We're here to try and rescue people. Not tear each other apart. It's clear that none of us are safe from this point on, blood magic is at play and we need to be careful. It's hard to break a hold once they get into your mind, please watch each others back."
"Melia is right, we have to be more vigilant than ever." Nicolai said, "This takes no small amount of mental resolve."
There was a somber air around them, the information slowly sinking into each and every one of them until Wynne reminded them that they needed to keep going.
They kept especially quiet walking the rest of the third floor, until they saw the entrance to the fourth. They quickly raced up the steps, making sure no one had followed them.
The Wardens came to the center of the floor. Nani felt the air leave her body when she saw a grotesque being standing over Niall.
"Creators help us." Eshne whispered to herself.
"Ah, visitors," The demon spoke to them, his voice languorous and uncomfortably soothing, "I'd entertain you, but that's just too much effort for me."
"Good, then we can just kill you quickly." Nennet glared.
"Aren't you tired of this world? So much violence...so much death. It's all too much." The demon said, "Come, rest. You deserve it. Leave it all behind…"
"Don't listen to him." Wynne warned the Wardens, "He speaks lies. Resist."
Alistair had to steady himself on Nicolai.
"I can't...keep my eyes open." His legs wobbled.
"You have to fight it, Alistair." Nicolai said, trying to stop himself from succumbing to sleep.
"You deserve rest, the world will go on without you." The demon said.
Zevran fell to his knees, his head crashing to the floor. Thackery was the next to follow, then Nennet and Alistair.
The last thing Nani saw before she succumbed to the spell was Eshne falling right next to her, her violet eyes fluttering to sleep.