Linn waited outside on the balcony as she waited for the cookies to cool. Baking over a fire instead of in an oven was a daunting experience. If the Tranquil staff hadn't decided to help her, then she would probably still be in the kitchen, burning another batch. It was likely that they had decided to help her just to get her out of the kitchen, but Linn was still grateful for the help. Through an open downstairs window, she could hear two of the apprentices gossiping. Linn leaned against the wall and listened carefully.

"I'm just curious! That templar, Cullen, said it was the quickest, cleanest Harrowing he'd ever seen!" one of them said excitedly. "He says she's very talented and very brave."

"Well, he would, wouldn't he?" the other retorted with amusement.

Linn stopped listening and made a coughing sound. The girls made a loud squeak of embarrassment, and Linn assumed that they had left as she could no longer hear them talking. Linn let out a sigh of frustration. A rumor had circulated among the mages that Cullen was "in love" with her. Despite her best attempts to stop the rumor, it had continued. Linn had avoided Cullen for the past couple of days, but the rumor had survived. Now she just needed to let it go. People were going to talk regardless, and besides… she'd be gone before long.

A flutter in the distance caught her eye. A blue butterfly floated on the wind before landing gently in the palm of her outstretched hand. The butterfly's shape shifted as it transformed into a note. After peeking around to make sure that no one had seen the butterfly, Linn opened the note with a small smile.

"Congrats on not dying!" the note read with a picture of a cat on the side. "If you decide to make a run for it, don't leave me behind!"

Linn let out a small chuckle as she flipped the note. Her pen pal was a mage that had tried to escape the Circle about six or seven times now. After his latest attempt, he had been sentenced to solitary confinement. After hearing about this "Anders" from the other apprentices, Linn had sent a note disguised as a butterfly to the confinement cells at the top of the tower. At the time she had simply been curious about how he had escaped so many times, and it was information that she may need to know soon. Her fingers gripped the note tight before she tried to smooth it back out. Could she help him escape? And how was that any different than what Jowan had asked of her?

With a frustrated sigh, Linn carefully touched the pan to discover that it was finally cool to the touch. Gently taking the cookies off the pan, she placed them into a soft cloth bag and tied it shut. As she carried the pan and bag back into the kitchen, one of the Tranquil had outstretched her hand for the pan. Linn quickly thanked the woman before fleeing the kitchen. While she wanted to be considerate of the Tranquil, she had to admit that they creeped her out. No emotion in those eyes… Like uncanny valley creepy… But it wasn't their fault. Some of them had the procedure forced on them. Linn looked back to the kitchen with a look of pity before taking the stairs.

As she opened the door and turned, she nearly bumped into an apprentice mage. Jowan. Before she could apologize, he quickly darted into the hallway.

"Well, then…" Linn whispered angrily before going in the opposite direction.

Jowan had been one of the few apprentices to take her under his wing when she'd arrived. He had said it was unusual for someone to enter the Circle at her age. Most mages were taken as soon as they showed magic potential. Linn had made up some nonsense about being a "late bloomer", and Jowan hadn't bothered to ask her any more questions. After the Harrowing, Jowan had asked her to meet him privately… and then he had admitted to being in a relationship with Lily from the Chantry. While Linn didn't know much about this world's religion, she knew that the Chantry sisters were similar to the nuns of her world. Not wanting to piss off the top religious authority in the world, she had declined to help, but after she had told him that she wasn't going to help him escape, he had given her the cold shoulder.

A part of her understood his anger. Linn had shown up and within a few months had been put through the Harrowing. He had been here since he was a child, and they still hadn't tested him. What were they waiting for? Were they really going to make him a Tranquil? Linn felt goosebumps go up her arms as she imagined a Tranquil Jowan, and her anger faded.

Jowan had every right to be concerned. However, as she thought about it more and more, she realized that he may not have her best interests at heart. He had only told her about Lily because Lily's plan had seemed to need a mage, not an apprentice. What would happen after Linn helped them escape? Surely, she'd be on the list of suspects as one of Jowan's friends. Considering the templars strict views on mages, would they kill her on suspicion alone? Or would she be made Tranquil?

Anders had told her that it was illegal to turn a mage that had passed their Harrowing into a Tranquil, and it was true that Anders had made quite a few escape attempts without being harmed. However… Considering that he had spent about a year in solitary, Linn wasn't too sure that was a good thing. If Linn got caught, then she could very well end up as Anders' new neighbor. Had Jowan even considered the risks for her? The more Linn thought about it, the angrier she got. Not just for herself as Jowan clearly hadn't thought about what could happen to the other mages. And would Jowan try to talk someone else into helping them? Maybe she should talk to Irving…

"Oh, um, h-hello," a familiar voice said, and Linn stared at Cullen in surprise. Her feet must have been on autopilot.

"Hello, Cullen."

"I- I'm glad to see that you're feeling better."

Linn felt the guilt weigh on her. She had told the other mages that she wasn't feeling well for the past couple days to avoid any questions from them about Cullen or the Grey Warden that she had shown around yesterday.

"Thank you… I appreciate it," Linn said before quickly looking around. The other mages seemed to be busy elsewhere. Linn extended the bag of cookies to him. "For you. As a thank you for helping my stubborn ass get back to my room after my test."

"Y-You didn't have to-"

"But I did. Do you not like cookies?"

"No! I r-really like- Um. Thank you," Cullen said as he gripped the bag with a smile.

"It's no problem. But I should probably get going… I wouldn't want to distract you from your duties."

"Oh, you're not distracting. I mean, you are, but… well, you're not. I mean, you can talk to me anytime you want. Uh… uh, yes. Maybe we can talk another time."

Linn couldn't help but smile as she replied, "Sure thing. I'll talk to you later."

Linn waved her hand as she walked away. Cullen gave her a small, shy one in return. As she walked to Irving's office, she noticed that the anger was once again tamed. She stopped and wondered why that was. None of the other templars had yielded similar results, but they hadn't said much more than that they couldn't really talk. And with the rumor about her and Cullen circulating through the tower, she didn't really want to be seen talking to another templar anyway.

And now that her anger had cooled, she hesitated in front of Irving's office. If she told the First Enchanter about Jowan's plan, then Jowan would likely be turned into a Tranquil. But if she didn't… Jowan could possibly get someone else involved. In Jowan's desperation to escape, he hadn't thought about the possible ramifications for anyone who helped. One mage escaping didn't seem to be much of a threat, but becoming a Tranquil could be the least of their problems if the templars thought that the mages were working against them.

"Is someone there?" Irving's voice came from inside the room, refocusing Linn on the task at hand.

"Um, yes, First Enchanter," Linn answered and walked into the office. "I was wondering if I could speak to you privately."

Irving gestured for her to close the door behind her. Linn quickly shut the door to prying eyes and ears before walking closer to the elderly mage.

"I… uh… I wanted to ask about Jowan. When is he going through the Harrowing?"

"When he is ready," Irving said matter-of-factly.

"And what if he's ready now?"

Irving sighed and responded, "I'm sure you think so, but it is not your place to decide."

Linn watched the old man's face for a moment before she said, "So it's true… He's going to be made tranquil."

"Did Jowan tell you that?" Irving asked, and Linn did her best to keep a straight face. "I suppose the young initiate he dallies with revealed it to him."

Linn stood in silence. Her shock was now clearly evident on her face despite her best effort to conceal it.

Irving gave her an amused half-grin as he continued, "You think I didn't know? I did not become first enchanter by keeping my eyes and ears shut."

"Is this because someone said that he's using blood magic? Because there's also a rumor that Cullen and I are together, so am I going to be punished for something just because people like to make up stories?"

Irving let out a sigh and replied tiredly, "Greagoir says that he has proof, and eyewitness testimony, that Jowan has been practicing blood magic. I cannot say more."

Linn bit her lip and looked away from Irving. She could feel that familiar hum of rage bubbling up inside of her. Irving's voice was soft as he asked if she knew about any of Jowan's plans, and Linn did her best to stifle the seething anger inside of her.

"No, I wouldn't listen to his plan. It seemed like it would put us all in danger… But he said something about destroying his phylactery."

Irving ran his fingers absent-mindedly through his beard before he asked, "Would he tell you if you asked?"

Linn took a step back and said, "I don't know. He hasn't been talking to me the past couple of days… Why?"

"Because this is a matter of safety for the Circle, child. Should a blood mage escape with a Chantry Sister… How do you think the Chantry will react? They will announce that one of their own was kidnapped, and it will be Jowan who will face the full force of the templars' retribution. The templars will catch Jowan, and he will become tranquil… or be executed. However, Lily… she must be caught in the act."

Irving's voice contained anger that she had not expected from him, and it served as fuel for her own. He was going to use Lily to get to the Chantry.

"Then send another mage to sympathize with Jowan… Maybe they'll have better luck."

"But the one Jowan turned to was you. Speak with him and tell him that you have learned that he will be turned tranquil. Learn the plan, and offer to help carry out their scheme. You felt comfortable enough to bring this to me. Do not shy from your duty now."

Her vision blurred, and she desperately tried to hang onto her reason. As the mark on her shoulder throbbed, her own dark thoughts whispered to her that she could save Jowan and Lily. She would just need to get rid of one old man… and then the templars that came to kill her. Their enchantments and armor would mean nothing to the blade. She just needed to summon it to her hand. But Cullen… he would be one of those templars. Linn gripped her head as she desperately tried to regain control.

"Are you alright?" Irving asked, and Linn barely managed to contain herself.

"I… I haven't been feeling well," Linn explained. "I thought that it was just from nerves because of the Harrowing… But I haven't felt any better."

"I would ask Wynne to see you, but she has already left for Ostagar," Irving said with concern. "I hate to ask this of you, but we likely do not have much time. Jowan may very well have found someone else to help with his plan. Should they succeed, the entire Circle may very well be punished."

Now that the dark cloud had cleared, Linn could see the truth in his words. If Jowan successfully escaped with Lily, it was the other mages that would suffer. At best, they would likely have all traces of privacy taken away, and at worst…

"I… I want to try to convince him first. Maybe… maybe he just hasn't thought this through."

Irving hesitated for a moment before he said in a gentle tone, "Child… I know that Jowan was kind to you when you arrived, but… it would seem that he may have had motives of his own for doing so. In order for Jowan to truly be free from the Circle, he would need to destroy his phylactery, which is stored right in this very place. Yours… Yours was shipped to Denerim. Young Jowan was clearly not thinking about your safety when concocting his scheme."

Linn played with her sleeves and said, "I still want to try… Lily and Jowan aren't bad people. Just…"

Irving let out a long sigh but said, "Very well. But I doubt that Jowan will be convinced to abandon his plan so readily. When he doesn't, learn his plan and inform me. Make sure that he believes that you will help him. I fear what he may do if he believes that you will report him."

Linn nodded and left the room. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself before she made her way to the chapel where she could at least find Lily. Cullen gave her a small wave, which she returned with a smile. It was good to know that there was at least someone here who didn't have ulterior motives toward her. Despite Irving's "concern" for her, she could tell that he was truly invested in catching Jowan and Lily. If she had refused outright, then he likely would have pulled rank on her.

The doors to the chapel were closed as Linn approached. She opened the door and peeked inside to see Lily and Jowan talking in hushed tones at the far corner of the room. Linn closed the door quietly behind her while checking to see who else was in the chapel. There was only one other mage praying on the other side of the room. As Linn made her way across the chapel, she saw Lily nudging Jowan to announce Linn's presence.

Jowan's looked at her with half-hopeful eyes as she walked to them. Linn quickly double-checked the room before she said, "Okay… I want to help, but there are some things we need to discuss first."

Jowan still seemed guarded as he asked, "What do you want to ask?"

"If you're certain that you want to escape… Listen, Jowan, I know it's scary, but-"

Jowan interrupted her in an angry whisper, "You know nothing! You were only here for a few months before they allowed you to take the test. Being a tranquil was never even an opt-"

"Exactly, Jowan. I either passed the test or they killed me. They were willing to put me down if I failed that test… I'm not the favorite like you seem to think I am. And I need to ask this before I help you… Are you actually using blood magic?"

"No!" Jowan replied angrily. "Of course not! I'd never use blood magic." Jowan's fists clenched in anger but relaxed as soon as Lily put her hand on his. With a small sigh, Jowan admitted, "I've been sneaking around to meet Lily in secret. Maybe others have seen me and assumed I must be doing something forbidden. I suppose we are, but… they think it's blood magic, and it isn't. Maybe if it were Irving, he'd spare me." Jowan paused, and the guilt inside Linn started to pile up. "But he has to keep the peace between the Circle and the Chantry. If he stirs up too much trouble, they might replace him. They could wipe out the entire Circle if they wanted. The Chantry abhors blood magic. That's why they're willing to pay attention to this stupid rumor!"

Linn waited for him to finish as her blood began to boil. Jowan knew. He knew that the possible outcome would be the destruction of the entire Circle, but he was willing to risk the lives of all these people just so he could escape. Linn took a moment to calm herself enough to speak.

"I… I see your point. Very well. Then what's our next step?"