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For Isabela and her crew, surviving the storm seemed to be the main focus. My eyes were however at the qunari dreadnought that was closing in dangerously fast. There was no time to write an explanation for the captain about my past and why I knew the qunari were chasing her. I doubted that the Arishok would waste resources to capture me again just to skin me alive, but if we couldn't shake them off, he was going to get both the Tome and an escaped Saarebas.

I still found it hard to believe that Isabela would have stolen the holy scripture. The tribe had traveled to Orlais just for the book. The exchange was supposed to be an easy task and we were ready to go back home after having stayed for a week. Then the Arishok had returned, furious and ready to kill anything on his path. A chaos had erupted, my Arvaarad had fallen on the ground and I had heard the massive collar around my neck click.

Not for a second had I stopped to think about the qunari, yet here they were again, like restless spirits that refused to give up what belonged to them. A book, a slave, it didn't matter. The qunari were too proud people to accept a defeat, especially if it had been a 'lesser race' that had bested them.

"How long do you reckon we have, Reneka?!" Isabela shouted as her hands clasped the steering wheel.

As long as the qunari were in my sights, I was never safe. The fact that they had set sail in the storm had already decreased the time of my freedom. How could I feel free with bloodthirsty men right behind me?

I raised my hands and spread all my fingers, showing them to the captain.

"Ten hours?" Isabela had a hopeful smirk.

My mind was in no mood for jokes and I shook my head.

"Ten minutes..." Isabela snorted. "They are faster than I thought then."

I wanted to tell her how mercilessly deadly an underestimated qunari dreadnought could be and that she should at least know her enemies, but remained in eternal silent and bit my lip instead. My life was in the hands of a cheerful pirate.

The sound of low boom startled me and I spun around, glaring at the huge shadow in the distance.

"I'd say that was a cannon," Isabela stated. "What kind of cannon makes such a loud noise?"

I touched my pocket, sensing the lyrium through the cloth. The other mages of my tribe were on the ship and with their help, the qunari would catch with us in no time, especially if their Arvaarads were pushing them almost over their limits. I was certain that the Arishok was willing to sacrifice a couple of Saarebas to retrieve the Tome of Koslun.

It had been only some hours since I had eaten red lyrium. My body wouldn't be able to handle another dose so soon and despite my strength, I didn't trust my skills enough to face the whole tribe even while drugged.

I could have concentrated my magic to give us more speed, but that would have lasted only for a while. The storm made it even more impossible.

Pressing my lips together, I climbed to the command deck and grabbed Isabela's shoulder. She gave me an irritated leer for interrupting her, but her expression softened when I showed her my hand, holding two fingers up.

"What?" she gasped. "Where did the eight minutes go?!"

Her question was answered when I heard another loud boom and water splashing near the Siren's Call. Both of us turned to see the dreadnought clearly. Flashes of lightning confirmed my suspicions as I spotted at least three qunari Saarebas on board, their arms lifted and surrounded by clouds of energy.

I refused to panic, although our only chance to avoid an encounter was either lose or sink the enemy ship. My eyes gazed at the gray reinforcements attached to the dreadnought with spikes that could tear Isabela's ship if it got too close. If the Saarebas' aided with the cannons, they could have shot more accurately and with greater speed. It was a war ship unlike any other and I hoped that if our ship couldn't damage it, the storm would.

"Prepare the cannons!" Isabela commanded and squeezed the handle of the wheel even tighter. "Distract them, aim at their weapons and the deck!"

An idea washed over me. If the qunari could empower their cannons, who says I couldn't?

Wiping my wet face, I located the men who were heading to the lower deck after Isabela's orders, believing that they would lead me to the armory. The captain's voice vanished into the wind when she attempted to get my attention as I ran towards the door. I didn't know whether I should have been more angry with Isabela, especially for not warning me in what kind of volcano I would be jumping in by staying on her ship.

The pirates had the duty of protecting their craft and I was as unseen as a winter weasel in snow. People were aware of me, but weren't looking closely enough. I kept trailing behind the two men who hurried forward in front of me and could already smell the gunpowder. There were bound to be some terrified stares aimed at me, but all I cared about was getting rid of the qunari.

I spotted a cannon that no-one was using at the moment and sought for ammunition. The pirates had practically spread all the cannonballs around so they wouldn't have to stop even for a second to dig them out of containers. I thought back to the couple of times I had loaded a cannon, although they had been massive compared to the ones at hand currently. Having faith in my magic, I grabbed one heavy ball and began to load the cannon. Someone asked me if I needed help, but I shook my head, glad of the fact that I didn't move my lips by mistake. Under pressure, I sometimes found myself doing so and would try to remember how my voice had sounded in the past.

I wiped my hands to the wet trousers and prepared to fire. When I was offered a torch to lit the fuse of the cannon, I acted like I hadn't noticed and put my hands against the base, closing my eyes. I began to feel heat in my palms and I let my energy flow into the cannon and the ball within. It took all of my focus, but I was quite certain that it had become awfully quiet around me. While I had been leashed, the probability of me causing harm had been almost zero so I couldn't fully understand why the crew was gradually growing nervous. I supposed it was just another human thing I had forgotten about and would get used to it.

My lids arose and I checked the angle of the cannon. It was targeted right at the hull of the dreadnought. The sturdy wood had always been impermeable by its foes and it was as if the ship itself taunted others to try and attack it, certain of their failure.

My desire to show the tribe how ferociously I was prepared to utilize my powers against them stirred the spirit of a fighter inside me. The corner of my mouth rose up a little and the base of the cannon turned almost pink. I could feel how the cannonball trembled and was ready to charge. In a flash, it all became personal.

I inhaled, held my breath and fired the cannon. It released a louder sound than the qunari weapons had and the whole cannon slammed against the wall and would have fallen into the ocean if the hole on the hull had been any larger. A red ball straight from hell flew in the air, leaving a trail of flame behind it and when it finally hit the dreadnought, it caused an explosion that tore a massive hole in the middle of the qunari ship. I saw men being knocked off board and soldiers jumped into the sea willingly when the fire began to swallow the destroyed areas. I was quite certain that some the pieces that flew in the air before splashing into the water were severed limbs and maybe heads.

All around me I could hear the words 'holy Maker' or 'sweet Andraste'. I still didn't see the Arishok but as the leader he had to be on the dreadnought. When I noticed one of the Saarebas' falling into the flames I had created, it saddened me. They had been my only comrades at the tribe, only because I hadn't been allowed to show myself to anyone else without my Arvaarad. Regardless, I had to swallow the bitter pill of considering them as my enemies too. If I wished to leave my past, I couldn't save even tiny fragments of it.

The sound of familiar clatter of heels stomping the floor behind me made me think of Isabela and I wasn't shocked to see her approaching me.

"What in the name of Maker's ass was that?" she huffed.

Innocently, I pointed at the cannon that was probably useless from the damage it had taken.

Isabela looked at me and chuckled. "Well whatever you did, it got them really angry. I suggest you do it again soon before they will counterattack."

I gulped, thinking about the Saarebas that seemed to have fallen. My mind couldn't focus and I couldn't remember if he had actually cast a barrier and headed to the cannons to continue the work of the killed qunari. Isabela was giving me a weird leer when I spun around, walked a bit forward and then stopped to think what was it that I had intended again.

"Captain!" a man's voice screamed from the door to the upper deck. "The head of the dreadnought just turned! Their weapons are aimed at us!"

While Isabela blinked her eyes in confusion, I gazed through the exit hole of the cannons and caught a glimpse of a qunari with a heavy collar like I had worn and he was attempting the same trick I had done. His powers were being drained due to a magical shield that protected him from the flames and I was sure the Saarebas was going to sacrifice his life by giving all of his magic, blood and energy to sink us. His arms were wrapped around the pipe of a cannon on his ship and the weapon was so hot I could see how it burned his skin.

My mouth opened as the Saarebas was shrouded in bright light. As a reflex, I tried to shout the crew to take cover, but produced only a panicked noise. With no other alternative, I threw myself at Isabela and we both collapsed a second before the boom of a cannon being fired. I had barely enough time to wiggle my fingers in order to create a strong barrier and close my eyes tightly before the cannonball hit the Siren's Call.

#

My concentration broke when I hit the ocean. I had suppressed all my senses and didn't move a muscle to keep the barrier tough enough to protect me and Isabela. The magic was released when I sunk underwater however and I was forced to face the reality again.

The first fact that alarmed me was not that I couldn't breathe, but that I couldn't find Isabela. I had held her since the cannonball was fired at the ship, but at some point something had separated us. When I saw no trace of her anywhere nearby, I started to swim towards the surface, ignoring the floating bodies and debris.

I gasped as soon as air filled my lungs again and stared at the wrecked Siren's Call that had both guided me away from the qunari and brought me back to them. The masts had crumbled from the fire and the ship was split in two. Pieces of timber surrounded it, as if they had gathered to witness the death of their parent. I glanced around but couldn't spot the dreadnought. The storm hadn't eased significantly and I had no idea where the waves had led us. The qunari had most likely managed to steer their ship a bit further after the Saarebas' attack, but I assumed the dreadnought would not take them far in its current condition. Because it seemed we were in the middle of nowhere, my hope of the tribe meeting their final fate was lit once more.

My voice was still strong, although it couldn't form any clear words. Despite that, I shouted and scanned around if someone had heard the call. I tried to swim in the raging waters and continued to yell. Thunder competed against my voice and I had to be careful not to drink any of the salty water. If I had survived a qunari dreadnought attack with people who had ruined my life, I wasn't going to submit to a death by drowning or choking on anything else than red lyrium. That I still would accept, because the whole idea was stupid to begin with and I still chose to do it.

I coughed and shouted again, sensing how the cold water was making me weak. No-one answered me and the Siren's Call disappeared below the waves, leaving only timber and dead members of its crew to remind of a lost battle.

I had heard of a human saying that the captain always went down with the ship. Among the qunari, the whole tribe followed the commander of a dreadnought and if he fell, the others had to sacrifice themselves too to honor his death.

Taking a deep breath and holding it in for a while, I let out the loudest shout yet that was stronger than the wind and the thunder. I felt how my body wanted to give up but I was saving my magic until I could confirm that I was the only one alive.

Just when I was about to grab an empty barrel floating next to me to rest, I saw a glittering light not too far away from me, like a treasure. When I thought of gold, I was reminded of the jewelery around Isabela's neck and I began to swim forward with greater determination than ever.

There was a person on top of a thick plank that turned out to be the door of Isabela's cabin. The captain herself was lying on it and I swam even faster to her. When I reached Isabela, I checked her pulse and sighed when my fingers felt the blood flowing inside her wrist. She had probably hit her head when the ship had received its death blow. The impact could have been the reason why I had lost grip of her. Either someone of her crew had helped her on the door or she had climbed by herself just before losing consciousness.

The storm relentlessly warned me of its presence and lightning struck the grave of the Siren's Call which was uncomfortably close. I eyed in every direction, desperately seeking for a solution. If we didn't drown, the cold was going to kill us anyway.

I gently shook Isabela, testing if I could get her awake but got no response. I touched the back of her head and shivered when my palm was smeared in blood. Isabela still had the blue bandana, so I lowered it a little and tied it firmly. I presumed that she wouldn't mind buying a replacement if the old one ended up saving her life.

As I carefully laid her down, a dark massive shadow in the horizon appeared in my vision. I squinted and held my hand above my eyes to block the rain, waiting for the thunder to provide me some light.

When my wishes were heard, the shadow turned out to be land. I couldn't recall the last time I had sincerely believed in miracles but had no other explanation. Out of all the possibilities, Isabela's ship had sunk so near to the coast.

For me it was near. No average man could swim the distance in the storm. My magic heated my body and told me to act now if ever.

I tilted the piece of wood on which Isabela was and caught her when she rolled into the water. Using red lyrium under the circumstances was out of question and even though I trusted my strength to carry both of us, I had never before taken extra passengers with me while teleporting. There was nothing to rest on between us and the coast, which meant that I needed enough power to get us to the land with a single casting of the teleportation spell.

An idea popped into my mind that regrettably was the only choice I had to ensure our survival. I unsheathed one of the two daggers Isabela still had strapped on her back and glared at the sharp blade before I brought it to my right arm that wasn't wrapped around Isabela's waist. With a quick movement, I cut a deep wound and clenched my teeth from pain. The dagger dropped from my fingers and I began to cast the spell, drawing couple of circles in the air.

The ocean swirled around me as I gathered my energy and for a moment it felt like I was pushing the water away. I mumbled the correct words in my head and lifted my bloodied arm, both disgusted and thankful for the forbidden art. I promised myself that it was going to be the last time I would resort to such a miserable decision and those thoughts stayed with me as we got sucked into the space of nothingness.

#

When the teleportation was over, I held my breath, certain that we would fall into the ocean but it was dry land that greeted my feet. I slumped on the ground and put Isabela beside me with trembling hands. I couldn't sense the tiniest bit of mana inside me and chills ran through my spine. There were no trees or anything that would burn and keep us warm. Just stones, sand and wind. Had I not promised myself not to use blood magic, I would have given a few drops more to start a fire.

But as I looked at my bleeding arm, the thought of dying from blood loss after everything I had experienced since my escape made my lips curve into a pathetic grin.

Suddenly, I heard Isabela groan and her fingers twitched. I moved closer and called her name only in my thoughts, little surprised that her eyes started to open.

"Ugh, what..." Isabela's pupils went from left to right until they focused on mine. "Reneka?"

I smiled and helped the captain to sit up, making sure that the bandana didn't come off. She tried to touch her wound, but I stopped her, shaking my head.

Isabela snorted and rubbed her shoulder. "I guess it's pointless to ask about the Siren's Call and my men?" she sneered.

I glanced at the ground and looked at the sea behind us. Isabela had certainly lost almost everything she had owned, unless she had a home somewhere. While I understood what it felt like to have freedom deprived of you, my possessions at the tribe had been so minimal that I couldn't comprehend what was going on in Isabela's mind. The ship had obviously been important to her, otherwise she wouldn't have taken such a good care of it and bothered to decorate her cabin.

Isabela gave me her usual girlish look. "Well, after I have relocated an item that was on the ship, you will have to write your name on a paper again and I'll put that on the wall of the new cabin of the new Siren's Call. And you'll be the first member of my new crew."

Her words stunned me. The qunari relic had gone with the ship, there was no point in searching for a ruined book. Instead of making senseless gestures, I wrote my question on the sand but didn't reveal that I knew what the item was. Isabela was reading my message as I proceeded and she was proudly smirking.

"Ah, that's the most intriguing part," she said. "You see, the item was magically sealed in a box that could only be opened by a powerful mage. It wasn't heavy, so I assume the box will eventually find its way to the shore. The wind is blowing in our direction and all."

I didn't understand her. Why was the Tome worth so much trouble? She had angered the qunari by stealing it and she should be safe now that it wasn't in her hands anymore. If anyone from my tribe was alive, they had to be aware of the magical seal too and could take another dreadnought to the site of our encounter and start searching for the relic. Isabela had nothing to worry about as long as she wasn't found next to the Tome, so why endanger herself when there was no need?

I was truly annoyed that I couldn't talk to her. She cocked her head and looked at me, like I was something to be wondered about. Perhaps what I couldn't understand was that she was purposely staying close to the qunari people by wanting the Tome. I would be happy if there was a law that banned all the qunari from the lands not controlled by them.

"Your turn, sweetie," she leaned forward. "How on earth did we end up here? I'm no fool, so don't you dare to lie that you swam all the way through the storm."

You are the one who's lying here, I thought and frowned. Isabela already knew that I was a mage, so rather than describing what kind of spell I had used, I simply wrote 'magic' on the sand.

"Hah, I knew it," she snickered. "Hell of a thing you did there, nothing like I've ever seen."

I still didn't wish to tell her about my past, so I wrote how my skills are not normally taught to other people like me.

"What a shame," Isabela replied. "Would be quite handy to have more like you."

The thought of others suffering my fate made me shudder. My real family had hidden me from the Circle, the place for mages, in fear of what might have happened to me there but I was ready to bet that it couldn't have been worse than being a Saarebas. When the qunari abducted me, I had been to young to seriously ponder about the consequences of me being born as a mage.

Isabela's eyes targeted my wounded arm for the first time and she grabbed it faster than I could react. "By the Maker, that looks painful!" She glanced at me. "Can't you heal it?"

The truth was that I had never cast a healing spell in my life, but for her I wrote an explanation that I had no magic left after saving us.

The captain tapped her chin with her index. Then she untied a blue cloth around her waist and used it to bandage my arm. "That should do for now," she didn't sound cheerful. "We have to get a move on, you will need a proper doctor or a healer."

She drew a simple map next to my writings. "That ocean is called the Waking Sea," she gestured at the area on her map and the sea that had almost been our doom. "We sailed to the east, away from Orlais so we are either in Ferelden or Free Marches. We'll know for sure after few hours of walking, I believe we'll find some people soon."

Ferelden had been my home but I knew that if we were on the north coast, then my hometown Lothering would be far away. My knowledge of the world was limited and it seemed like Isabela had a plan figured out, so I smiled at her and gestured her to lead the way.

"We'll be fine, I swear it," she winked and scrambled on her feet.

I aided her to keep her balance until she was able to walk on her own. Only then I realized how the wound stung on my arm, but I made every effort to concentrate on following Isabela. I was like a newborn puppy in an enormous new environment, eager to explore and learn but still required guidance. A pirate captain with more exposed skin than cloth wasn't what I had expected to meet first after so many years living among the qunari, but the time to complain had run out when I became free.

This time, I was the one in control. I made my own decisions and I chose how to punish myself for my mistakes.

"Oh and Reneka," Isabela turned and grinned at me. "Thanks for saving me. Are we even now?"

I nodded and let out an amused laugh.