{Secret missions, betraying commanders, shipwreck, Blight storm, Dalish, forest ...and love. what could be better? He's a mage, she's a Templar, how can it ever work?}

Chapter 19: Spirits in the Dark, part 1

We said nothing after our kiss, afraid perhaps that words would break our fragile reconnection. He kissed the tears on my skin away with a gentleness that further melted my heart. Only then did he reluctantly reach for clean bandages, layer the poultice over the hole in my shoulder, and wrap it with neat efficiency. I studied him as he worked, wishing I could see better in the dark.

Taking my hand and gathering a blanket, he moved us backwards a few feet to where his bedroll was unfurled beside a ruined half-wall. He seated himself, drew me onto his lap, and leaned against the stone behind him. We wrapped the blanket around us and I settled against him, my head on his shoulder.

For a long time we rested this way, reveling in warmth and touch. There were thoughts, though, which gathered weight, coalesced into words, and needed to be spoken.

He broke the silence first.

"I was wrong to see only what I wanted to see. I know there is a deep wound in your spirit, Talita, but I thought …" he sighed. "It was stupid of me. Will you forgive me?"

I struggled to understand. "My …spirit?" I asked.

He nodded, and explained, "We are not just physical beings. We have spirits, which are shaped by the events, the emotions of our lives."

I nodded. I had read that the Chant of Light said as much. It was our spirits who returned to the Fade to dream.

"Your spirit, bonita, is full of silvery blues and other lovely colors-"

"Wait – I don't understand. You can –"

"Yes. I can see your spirit. Well, some would call it your aura."

I struggled with the idea. Too much Templar training, perhaps, but I shook my head. "How can you see this? Is it something you can teach?"

"It…is a talent, born in those who have Seer bloodlines."

A Seer?!

It was dark and I could not see his face.

"So…you're a Seer?" I asked. Dumbly.

He chuckled. "No, Talita. Males who are born with the Talent become Warlocks." I felt his arm move as he held up a hand. "But before you ask, no. I am not a warlock either. I trained under one for six years, but then left for the Circle of Magi."

"But that is why your magic feels …different."

He nodded. "Seers connect with spirits. Desperate Seers will seek the same dangerous paths that desperate mages do, and find demons. But demons are not the only spirits in the Fade."

I hadn't heard this. Trainees, apparently, were not to be trusted with such knowledge. "What else is there besides demons?" I asked.

"The immortal spirits of the Fade are called the First Born of the Maker, according the Chant of Light," he explained. "Yet even they are not the only spirits to be found in the Fade. Far less powerful, but in far greater numbers, are the spirits that used to be mortal, and are no longer here in the physical world."

"Dead people?"

"Yes."

I thought about this. It was, to my simple Templar mind, creepy. I said as much.

"The Chant of Light explains that, as the Maker's second born, we are made of both physical and spiritual natures. Does it not make sense that, once the physical is done, the spiritual lives on?"

I had to accede to that. It led to my next question. "So…what do Seers …DO…exactly?"

He chuckled then and hugged me. "It isn't exactly an organized thing, like the way the Circle teaches. It is chaotic and free, Seer magic. If one is strong enough, one may attract wise spirits who can help you guide your people. One may also simply invite groups of lesser spirits to gather at your will, causing confusion or sleepiness, depending on who you have attracted to your call into the Fade…"

I interrupted. "If you are too strong? Then…"

He did not avoid my question. "If you reach too strongly…yes, a demon may answer. Learning to sense a demon's approach and closing your mind to the Fade quickly is one of the first skills one must master."

I thought of the magic Juca had used in our…my battle with the Dalish. A shiver traversed my spine. "Juca…"

He waited for my question.

"Juca, when we fought the Dalish…did you..I mean. Your magic seemed strong to me. Was…was there a demon?"

He waited several heartbeats before he answered. I felt like I could not breathe for the fear which was gathering inside me.

He began slowly, as if choosing the words with extra care, so that I could understand. "The death in that place had already attracted dark spirits….I felt their influence when I reached for power. My mind was closed to them, Talita, but perhaps not my heart. It is my weakness. I would never make a deal with a demon. At least – " he quickly amended, "I can't imagine anything that would convince me to make such a deal. Demons can give one nothing, it is an excellent fact to remember. Yet, my use of magic is shaped by my years as a warlock, so when I use my powers I am always aware of the spiritual qualities of it. Hate and Rage are powerful spirits who beg to be used to kill. They revel in it. It leaves …a residue, if you will."

I frowned. So he wasn't becoming an abomination, yet, it wasn't the clear-cut answer I was looking for. "Juca, this sounds dangerous..."

"Magic IS dangerous, bonita. I wish it were not so. I wish I could conjure butterflies for your hair and magic carpets so we can ride the winds at our leisure…but it isn't so."

He sounded so wistful.

I hugged him, and put my head back down on his shoulder. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be born with power like his.

The Dalish on the beach had not stood a chance against him.

Yet, it was power he did not want to use. THAT, at least, sounded perfectly sane and wonderful to me.

I reviewed everything I knew about him; save for one questionable tweaking of the Knight-Captain's nose, his actions had been decidedly wise. And as for the other, it was pure heroism, to my mind. Crazy and stupid heroism, but there it was all the same. That he would risk himself to save me…

He held me as if I were precious to him, and waited. Open and honest, he waited for me to…to judge him.

I was terrified.

(the other shoe falls next: Juca deserves to hear the truth from Talita.)...

(Introducing the warlock is purely my idea, it is NOT DA canon anywhere. Comments/debate welcome!)