We moved at a swift pace, and I became wary of every shadow, each snap of a branch, and the screeches and squawks of unseen animals as we travelled. We kept to the main road, heading in what I thought was a southerly direction though we spied only a couple of travellers.
As the heavy red sun dipped low in the sky, taking a barely felt heat with it to leave us to a damp evening, they struck.
They burst out of the trees with a wild fever, armed to the teeth- four squat creatures with green tinged skin that looked infected and two tall monsters with their thin skin so rotted their heads were almost exposed skulls. The taller ones smiled as they attacked and in their ghoulish amber gazes, I saw an almost human intelligence and it terrified me.
I ran in a panic, not fleeing but dodging as I glanced about for something, anything that I could defend myself with.
I heard a crackle as lightning bolts darted through the air and struck out at one of the short beasts, causing it to yelp in pain and stumble back.
I spied a large, sturdy looking tree branch and hastened towards it. Metal clanged off metal as Wardlow and Graham attacked, their swords meeting armour as crudely made axes beat off their shields. I reached out for the branch and grabbed it tightly with both hands as I heard movement behind me.
I turned just in time to whack one of the shorter monsters hard, smacking the branch against its vulnerable head. Again and again, I beat out at it relentlessly, refusing to give it a chance to retaliate. I thought, against the odds, I might have victory as I saw it stumble and a thick, sticky blood begin to spatter out of it.
Without warning my whole flesh seemed aflame as I was struck from behind. It burned and I shrieked in horror as I felt the fires of Highever bite at my flesh again. I screamed out my agony as I collapsed to my knees and felt the branch drag my hand down to the ground. There was a sensation of liquid soaking my flesh and a dim realisation that this was not fire but something else.
"Duck!" I heard Niall yell from behind me and I obeyed.
Lightning crackled overhead, narrowly missing the top of my skull before finishing off my foe with a satisfying shock. My eyes began to water with pain as I smelled the beast's singed flesh and drying blood and felt a mouthful of vomit trickle up my throat before I forced it back down.
"How can it have magic?" Wardlow shrieked in alarm from behind me.
I heard a horrid, deep throated chuckle as the beast mocked him, then he too screamed, louder than I had.
Something whizzed through the air before it seemed to explode, chips of wood and debris from the ground darted through the air with the impact and I felt another rush of poisonous heat as my body sagged to one side with the force of the blow.
There was a loud roar of fire and then more crackling as the mages fought back. I heard more steel against steel as I forced myself to stand, the fight was not yet done, and I would not die on my knees! I used my branch for support, forcing myself up against it before I wiped my eyes with my free hand and turned to face the remaining foes.
I saw one rushing towards Niall, in a couple of seconds it was upon him, knocking him to the ground with a terrible, taunting snarl. His staff clattered free from his hand as his face was forced down to the ground with a painful bang.
I made myself run though my body cried out in protest and my back roared in pain. I had to move; I had to prove the swiftness I had boasted of and help Niall. There were two other squat monsters remaining, one for Graham and one for Wynne. I saw it now out of the corner of my eye, one wielded a crude looking staff of wood and iron, an evil mockery of the mages' staffs. A shriek from the right and a nervous yell told me that Wardlow had a remaining foe too.
I rushed forward, putting all my strength and weight into one blow. I had one chance, one moment of surprise that I had to pray would be enough.
The branch struck true, its pointed end sinking hard through the beast's skull, it went in with a painful crunch and I felt the force ring through my hands and carry on up my arms causing them to stiffen and shudder with the effort. I heard the blood spatter from it as a hundred splinters jabbed viciously into my palms. I released the branch only when I heard the monster give a final rasp and it sagged beneath me.
I stumbled to one side before forcing myself to move once more and clumsily help Niall up. I smiled at him as my vision blurred again and I found myself doubling over in pain.
Niall stood up quickly, catching me before I fell. He steadied me on my feet before releasing me to grab his staff.
"Time for a healing spell I think," I heard Wynne comment wearily.
I realised the battle was done, there were no more whooshes of fire, crackles of lightning or clanging of steel, our foes were defeated.
"Quickly now, gather close," Wynne commanded.
Niall grabbed my right hand and pulled me towards Wynne. She stood tall; her staff raised high in one hand as she prepared to cast a spell. She was unscathed, barely a hair out of place and not even breaking a sweat.
I was bumped, bruised, bloodied and battered, as were Graham, Wardlow and Niall but we were alive, though judging from the whites in Wardlow's eyes he was not so sure about that.
A blast of blue tinged white light erupted from the top of Wynne's staff and bathed us all briefly. I felt slightly rejuvenated, my pains lessened but not gone as the deep wound in my back was cleansed and shrunken. A sigh of relief escaped me, and I looked to Wynne with gratitude as I finally saw some tiredness slip into her cool blue gaze.
"Let's keep going," she instructed as she lowered her staff.
How was it that Graham and Wardlow should seek this woman out for aid yet guard her out of a fear over that same power? It was not fair. I thought again of Flynn, punished because my father was able to say the word 'apostate', and no one questioned it or thought to ask for proof.
"We'll set up camp in an hour," Graham said stiffly as he sheathed his sword at last, "before the sun goes down."
The sun had become a large, burning, red orb that had begun to bleed out on the yellowing sky, as if it were a boil burst upon infected skin. Had I been superstitious I might have thought it an ill omen, as it was, I just thought it a rather poor looking sunset that indicated bad weather in the future.
We travelled slower though it was obvious that we all wanted to go faster but Wynne's spell, though helpful, was not a divine miracle and it had not cured us entirely of our wounds, we remained in pain and sapped of our strength, moving out of fear more than anything.
When we lost most of the light to sundown, we were forced to admit it was time to set up camp. Graham chose a spot beside the main road, the trees were far from it and only on one side, we naturally chose to camp on the other.
As I helped Niall reconstruct his tent I watched as Wynne conjured a few strange looking blue symbols in circles about our camp.
"They're glyphs," Niall explained as he saw me looking, "if the wrong person steps on them they will be paralysed."
"Forever?" I pondered as I watched enviously, what a handy talent it would be to set up traps like that.
"No," Niall answered humorously, "just long enough for us to react and deal with them."
Once camp was set up, Graham offered to take first watch and Niall kindly invited me to share his tent. I did not bother to wonder why Wynne should not offer as the other woman in camp. Tired, with little other options, and no fear that Niall might do anything untoward, I accepted his offer gratefully.
As I settled myself on the small blanket opposite Niall, I realised I had the perfect opportunity to ask about Flynn. "So, you're from the Circle, right?" I queried bluntly.
"Yes, I told you this already." He gave a small smile. "I thought Graham and Rodney surely gave us away as Circle mages."
"Well yes, though I don't quite understand that. I mean I've heard something of it but not a lot."
"Ah, I see. They aren't just guards, they are templars, and their job is to guard us, or, as some might see it, keep us under guard."
"How do you see it?" I pried quietly.
He shrugged. "It's complicated," he admitted, "but they are handy to have on the road as you just witnessed, and I have no intentions of running away and trying to cast off the yolk of the Chantry. I did volunteer to go to Ostagar with Wynne after all and it was not a pretence, I mean to go there."
"Right, so you don't mind having guards then," I said dryly.
"Well, yes and no," he said softly. He glanced briefly at the tent door as if one of the guards were eavesdropping there. "I mind the choice; it would have been nice to have a choice in it. It's easier to fight alongside someone because you want to than it is because you must."
"I agree." I smiled then, realising the irony of our conversation. "And here we speak after being thrust into a battle without choice, for people who fought alongside each other without the choice we did well."
Niall smiled back at me; it made his fair face light up and the twinkle in his eyes seem brighter. "Yes, we did. So, you know where I'm from, do I get to know where you're from?"
"Why, were you born in the Circle?" I queried sharply as I resisted his intrusion.
"Well no...no one is."
"Then I don't know where you are from," I pointed out. I realised I was being unfairly rude and that my brash and closed off attitude was unlikely to win me any information about Flynn, but I could not talk about Highever or the Couslands, I could not have anyone know who I was while I was alone and vulnerable. Once I found Fergus and the Cousland soldiers I would speak my name once more.
"I'm sorry," I said sincerely, "that was unworthy of me, especially after all you have done to help me. It is just, I don't wish to speak of my past, it's complicated."
"Alright, fair enough," he agreed quietly before looking at the ground awkwardly.
He glanced back up at me. "I understand." I realised that he meant it and that he did understand the need for secrets, it made me even more curious about him, but I knew if I wanted him to respect my privacy then I would have to respect his.
"Can I ask you something, about the Circle?" I questioned carefully. "Specifically, about someone there?"
"Go ahead," he replied as his gentle brown eyes burned with his own curiosity.
"Do you know a mage called Flynn?"
I saw the spark of surprise in his eyes before he could banish it, he did know him! I felt my heart flutter with excitement and worry, was he a tranquil as Arl Howe had once suggested? The idea of it had tormented me for many nights as it sounded like a fate worse than death and all for the sin of loving me.
"Flynn is quite a common name," Niall said calmly, though I could hear the nervous unease in his voice. He was hiding something but what and why?
"He's about five and twenty, tall with golden hair and blue-grey eyes," I blurted out anxiously, unable to hold back my eagerness. "Please Niall, do you know of him?" I asked pleadingly.
"The tower is big, there are so many mages there," he dismissed quickly with a shake of his head, "I mean it's possible he's there, but I don't know him. Why, why do you seek him?"
I knew Niall lied to me, but I had no reason to accuse save instinct, so I only hung my head in despair.
I was alone now. Highever was gone and even if Fergus could take it back our home had been burned, rooms destroyed by ransacking soldiers, our servants and remaining soldiers tortured and murdered, and our family slaughtered with him. I had nothing and it made me heartsick to find the one man who had loved me, to see if in this madness he might console me. Let Fergus take back Highever as was his right, but I had no desire to return there.
It had been six months, but my heart still belonged to Flynn, my parents had thought time would make me forget him but how could I? He had made me laugh, conjured sparks for my amusement, shown me secrets previously unknown to me in my own castle, such as the small room hidden in the basement of a tower full of marvellous paintings showing Tevinter nobles and Orlesian knights, and the pool concealed by low willow trees just out the back of the castle where a tiny waterfall bubbled into a small pool near which a family of rabbits had made their home. Everything about Flynn had been magical and wonderful, he had been the light of my world and now that I was in darkness I needed that light back.
I had not told Niall my name and yet now I had to be foolish and risk him knowing something personal of myself. "I love him, Niall."
"Ah. Well..." I heard the pause in Niall's voice as he contemplated telling me the truth but then he cruelly chose to deny me. "Well, I hope you find him again and I'm sorry I cannot help you."
Liar, I thought viciously as I refused to look at him. I had confessed the truth of my devotion to him and still he had refused me the truth about Flynn. My first real chance to finally find Flynn and I was denied. I vowed that once I made it to Fergus and ensured he knew of Arl Howe's betrayal then once the opportunity presented itself I would go to the Circle myself and find Flynn.