บท 10: Chapter 10: The Wrath Of Heaven
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One of Lord Hector's men was just finishing telling Cullen that they had begun to engage Sampson's forces when the Temple of Sacred Ashes exploded. The concussive force of the explosion tore through the valley bending trees and leveling everything in its path. He braced for impact as the ominous cloud of snow and debris closed in on him. The horse of the soldier he was talking to whined and reared as the cloud engulfed them. Not more than two seconds later, the shockwave hit. The force was such that it toppled the horse, who rolled onto his rider. Cullen was thrown landing on his back at least six feet from where he had been standing. As the dust cleared, he groaned and got himself to his feet, feeling as if he had been charged by a Pride demon. Off to his side was the fallen horseman, clutching his broken leg. He winced in pain, but his attention was turned skywards in shock.
"By the Maker…" his words trailed off at seeing an enormous swirling green vortex above where the temple once stood. He watched hypnotized until a flash of twisted green lightning struck down from its center followed by fiery green balls of some kind. He could hear their impact off in the distance followed by the distinct sounds of screaming. Glancing up again he saw one of the fireballs was headed toward them. It hit the ground with such force that the earth shot ten feet in the air. From the crater, a demon appeared and he now knew the reason for the screams. Seeing the wounded soldier as easy prey, it charged at him, but Cullen ran it through before it could get close. "Soldier, can you ride to Lord Hector?"
"I've rode with worse injuries, ser." The man whistled a specific few notes for his horse, who returned a minute later. Cullen would've been impressed if his mind wasn't scrambling to forge a plan for battle. "I may just need help getting up." The soldier was heavy in his Silverite armor, but it was still no challenge for him. Using his good leg, the soldier got himself up in the stirrups and with a deep breath threw the broken leg over the horse. "What shall I tell my Lord?"
"I need him to cut a path for us through the demons to the temple, rather its ruins. By the time he gets here I'll have a company following to help the survivors. We need to get all civilians back into the village for protection." With that, the soldier galloped off. He was quite amazed by the soldier's fortitude to ride with a broken leg, but there was that stout loyalty to the Trevelyans again - that and he was sure riding on a horse was the best way to not get killed by a demon when suffering from a broken leg.
Cullen looked back to the scene that was unfolding all around him as time seemed to slow. For fleeting moment he thought, Andraste preserve me, not again. Let it not be another Kirkwall. More demons landed within the camp and he realized it was not like Kirkwall - it was something worse. The most prominent sight was that of people running towards Haven's gate which he was standing beside. He barked at the gate guards to let everyone through and ordered a few more to remain at the gate and help the wounded inside. Above the tree line, Leliana's ravens were erratically flying in circles, swooping and diving in attempts to find their mistress. Every scout she had must've been sending reports in. One nearby raven cawed and flew directly at his head. He went to block the bird by holding up his forearm, but it grabbed onto it instead. It had a hastily written message tied on its leg.
Cullen,
If this message finds you, Cassandra and I are headed to the Temple. Reports will follow.
-- L.
Thank the Maker they're in one piece. With the bird tucked under his arm, he ran into his field tent and penned a short, 'Understood,' on the back of the parchment, and sent the raven back so they'd know he was alive. Several of his officers had made their way back to Haven with their men and he rallied them to march to the ruined temple. As they awaited Lord Hector's cavalry, more demons fell and he did his best to instruct his men on how best to dispatch them with the help of a few Templar veterans. Most of his men had at least a few weeks of hard training under their belt, but that was focused on fighting mages and Templars, not demons. He remembered his first time facing a demon after first joining The Order and knew nothing in their lives up until now would frighten them as much as what they were about to encounter. There would be casualties, many, many casualties today.
"Knight-Captain Henley!" he roared over the men.
"Ser!" his voice came from his right and he hustled forward.
"I need someone familiar with overseeing the wounded, so I place you in charge here. Every building within the walls will now be used to treat the wounded. Find Ambassador Montilyet and Enchanter Ilara and have them help you. Have your men set up defenses, Haven cannot fall, I'm headed to the temple to look for survivors."
"Understood, ser!" The Knight-Captain was off and barking orders without a second thought. With Henley taking care of Haven, he moved the rest of the men in preparation to follow Lord Hector's riders who had arrived finally. Bloodied, yet having only lost a few men, the Trevelyan cavalry rode to meet him.
"Commander, we received your message. We'll cut you a path to the temple." He nodded, but Hector still lingered looking to Owayne.
"We wondered if you had word of our sister?" Owayne's face was one of desperation. Cullen felt a cold chill in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't had time to think of those who they may have lost in the explosion. Another raven caught his attention as it hovered to land on him. Giving it his arm again, he quickly unrolled the message from Leliana and read it aloud.
"No survivors."
***
He had forgotten how much he hated fighting demons as his latest kill drenched him in fiendish ichor. It had been two days since the explosion which leveled the temple and killed everyone who had attended. Since then, Cullen had only slept a few hours in the past two days. Half of his men were dead or wounded. He and what veterans he had left had committed themselves to holding the forward camp they established at the temple's ruins where a number of what they called "rifts" had opened spewing demons forth. The apostate, Solas, had informed them that the hole in the sky, or "breach," was caused by a tear in the veil made by the magic of the explosion. Several others had appeared, but he was at the center of where the fighting was the worst.
There was a break in the fighting and he took the opportunity to regain his bearing. The sun had risen maybe an hour or two ago, but already snow clouds were blowing in. Snow was preferable to him at this point as the continuous fighting kept him in a lather of sweat and his breathing heavy. He took off his lion helmet and rubbed some snow over his head and the back of his neck. It had been at least eight hours since supplies such as healing potions, lyrium, food and drinking water had been sent from Haven. He assumed the supply cart had been attacked and was now left abandoned somewhere between them and the village. Sure, he was tired and hungry, but he had endured worse. He had no choice but to keep fighting until Cassandra, Leliana and Solas figured out a way to stop the demons from coming through the rifts.
He hoped by now Josephine had written to King Alistair and Empress Celene for aid, for he wasn't sure his forces would last the week. They were at the epicenter of a world crisis with no answers still as to who caused the explosion or why. Was it an assassination attempt on The Divine? But why would they kill everyone? That's very unlike the various assassin's guilds throughout Thedas. Did something go wrong? He couldn't allow himself to speculate now. He was trying to keep a mental image and count of his forces in his head as ravens continued to accost him from above with messages.
He dropped his shield for a moment to stretch out his sword arm. Pressing his fingers to his shoulder joint, he moved his arm in a circle listening to it pop and crack. Soreness was settling into his muscles and he was wishing he had those supplies.
"Cullen, take this." he looked over his shoulder to Owayne who had opted to stay with him after his horse was killed by a demon yesterday. He held out a healing potion to him, "I have one more, but it looks like you could use it." His tone was flat and grave, so unlike the man he'd become acquainted with.
"If you can spare it, thank you." He threw back the potion quickly not knowing how much time he had before the next wave of demons would appear. He, Rylen, Cyrus and Owayne had worked out their own system for killing the demons, but whether they could keep this up for much longer without supplies was questionable. Owayne and Cyrus were fueled by grief and rage over the loss of Evelyn. He had seen Owayne with glassy eyes more than once between waves and he threw himself without thought for himself at the demons. Cyrus was all but incinerating demons with his lightning spells. He was worried the mage was going to burn himself out before more lyrium reached them. All the faces he had come familiar with over the past weeks who were at the Conclave flashed through his mind, including hers.
The next wave of demons appeared with a flash of green light. He felt like he needed to say something so they didn't hurt themselves.
"Steady, she wouldn't want you two to throw your lives away here." He might not have known her as well as they had, but he knew that much. The slump in their posture told him he got through to them, even if they didn't look at him.
Thinking of the Trevelyans made him think of his own family. He still hadn't summoned the courage to write to them. It occurred to him that he could die here, fighting the endless hordes of Fade demons, and they may never know. He couldn't help but think that his life was characterized by the word "endless." The never-ending responsibilities, the ceaseless bad dreams, the constant migraines, the unrelenting feelings of guilt, and the persistent inner demons all seemed to go on forever. He needed a miracle.
The sound of hoofbeats grew closer as Hector and a few of his men ran their horses at a full sprint before skidding to a stop.
"Seeker Cassandra sent us to collect the survivor and bring her back to Haven. Do you know where she is?"
"She?" Owayne questioned after pulling his daggers from a demon. Hector just gave him a look that said 'don't get your hopes up,' but that didn't deflate him.
"We've seen no one come this way. If they're anywhere, they must be down at the temple." Without further delay, they galloped off down the path.
No sooner had it felt like they just talked, the riders came into view coming up out of the crater that used to be the temple. Hector held tight to who he assumed was the survivor. As they drew closer, not sparing the horses, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He heard Hector call out to Owayne who recognized the woman in his arms immediately and ran towards them. There was no mistaking the hair that was whipping about under Hector; that rich brown fading to tips of cool blonde. She looked unconscious, but a flash of green lit her face in synchronization with the Breach causing her to cry out in pain. The rider behind Hector held an arm out, not slowing his horse at all, and in one swift move, Owanye grabbed it and was atop the horse. Sorin ran a few paces after them before stopping to turn back. The three stood in shock for a moment trying to process what they saw. Rylen stepped up beside Cullen, a small smile beginning to grow on his face.
"Was that…?"
"Merciful Andraste, that was Evelyn Trevelyan."
***
Evelyn awoke in a familiar place - the Chantry's dungeon. As she stirred, she felt hands on her shoulders hulling her out of the cell. Her head lulled back and side to side as they knelt her down on the cold stone.
"Ahh!" A sharp pain emanating from her left hand seized her. A bright green light sparked in her palm then dimmed once the pain subsided. Before she could begin to process what it was, the Seeker and Nightingale arrived.
"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now. The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead, except for you." It was then her vision came back in full so she could see she was surrounded by guards pointing their swords at her. The woman questioning her was starkly different than the one she'd come to be acquainted with. "Explain this." She grabbed her shackles lifting her left hand into view between them.
"I don't know what that is or how it got there." A growing panic began to set in as she tried to remember what she was doing before she woke up here.
"You're lying!" The Seeker set her hand for a punch, but Sister Leliana quickly jerked the warrior back.
"We need her Cassandra." She turned her sharp gaze back to Evelyn. "Do you remember what happened?"
"I remember running, things were chasing me and then… a woman."
"A woman?"
"She called out to me and then…" Nothing. She couldn't remember. As she closed her eyes trying to delve deep into the recesses of her memory she could not for the life of her recall what happened after leaving her tent to attend the Conclave. The sound of the two women's conversation and the mention of her name brought her out of her search for answers. Sister Leliana had left, but Cassandra stayed behind. She stood staring at her looking both enraged and dumbfounded. "Cassandra, you said everyone died, does that include… The Divine?"
"Yes."
"And you think I'm responsible? What motive would I possibly have to want her dead? You know me, Cassandra! Why…"
"Because you are our only suspect! Someone… must pay! There will be trial. I can promise no more than that."
"So I'm to be the scapegoat, is that it?" Evelyn's voice grew venomous at the sheer stupidity of her logic. She could see the Seeker was at a loss of what to say and do. Even though she only knew Cassandra for a few weeks, she knew she was not unreasonable. "What did happen?"
"It will be easier to show you."
***
Cassandra spared no detail as they made their way to the forward camp. She learned for three days demons have been pouring from the Breech and nearby rifts. She, the only survivor, had only appeared this morning when she stepped out of a rift and fell unconscious for a few hours. A mysterious woman was seen in the rift behind her, but no one knew who she was. With no memory of what transpired at the Conclave, Evelyn's survival only added to their questions. As if things couldn't get any worse, she found herself accused of causing The Divine's death and facing calls for her execution. Paradoxically, she was also the only one known to possess the power to seal the rifts that threatened their world.
With all the casualties from the explosion and the fighting of the past three days, she was more than grateful that her brothers, Ilara, Sorin and Henley were all safe. They had been busy far away from the Temple, helping to defend the Conclave against Sampson's forces. Before leaving Haven, Cassandra let her see her brothers briefly before they left to catch up with Solas and Varric who were waiting at the first rift. They headed out after fetching her armor and staff on foot while her brothers took their remaining men and rode to retrieve lost supplies for the Commander, who she was glad to hear was still alive as well.
The trail to the rift was treacherous for more reasons than one. The first, was the demons that were falling from the sky. She and Cassandra made short work of them, but it was the sheer number that they encountered which made it difficult at times. She couldn't imagine that they had been fighting this many for three whole days. A credit to the Commander and his training, she thought. The second, was the fact the Veil was torn and she could feel the Fade bleeding through from above. It was a constant pull on her mind, wanting her to give into the Void for a demon to inhabit her body. The third and final reason was how her mana reacted to the mark on her hand. As she clutched the anchor with her hand, she could feel the scorching heat radiating from it, as if it was a fiery ember embedded into her flesh.
They were approaching the first rift when in the distance, she heard the ominous rumble of thunder from the Breach. The time spanning between the pulses were becoming shorter as the day wore on. The sound echoed across the horizon, rolling towards her like an approaching doom. The anticipation of the impending encounter made her heart race, pounding against her chest like a wild beast trying to break free.
Suddenly, the mark on her hand began to glow with a vibrant green light, pulsating with otherworldly energy that surged up from deep within the Fade itself. The green flames burst forth from the mark, enveloping Evelyn's entire hand in an emerald fire. As the flames licked at her skin, she felt a searing pain shoot through her body. She tried to scream, but the sound was choked off in her throat, replaced by a guttural, animalistic growl. The intensity of the flames was almost too much to bear and she dropped to her knees fighting the magic that was trying to consume her. A natural reflex to resist the mark's magic, made her body a battlefield. The green tongues of veil fire danced around her, twisting and writhing in a hypnotic display of power over shadowing the reds and oranges of her Phoenix wings. She gasped for breath, her body wracked with pain, and she wondered if she would survive the onslaught.
She counted it a small blessing that she had already now mastered her own all-consuming magic twice now, but there was one big problem - the mark was not her magic. She closed her eyes trying to find insight into the strange energy by feeling it within her. Why in Andraste's name did it hurt so fucking much? That's when she felt it. She was fighting the pain from the mark with her own magic. It was exhausting and she could feel the strain it was taking on her lifeforce. The mark's magic was strong, and just as her mana reacted against the red lyrium, it was fighting the new threat. She wondered if the red lyrium hadn't broken her and made her mana more powerful if she'd be laying dead now. After the pain subsided, Cassandra, as she had done many times before on their trek, put a hand to her shoulder and held out one for her to take. She helped her up and looked down at her glowing hand.
"Each time the Breach grows your mark spreads, and it is killing you. You understand we have no choice but to…"
"I told you, I'll do whatever I can to help. I know my duty." Cassandra nodded her head solemnly. What she didn't say was that she was having a hard enough time as it was just trying to hold herself together. She could think beyond the inevitable next wave of pain knowing it could be her last.
After reaching the rift and dispatching the demons, it was time to test her mark on the rift. Solas, who she had only ever seen a handful of times around Haven, grabbed her wrist and forced her palm up to the rift. The mark reacted instantly to it, shooting forth a twisting green stream of magic. She felt the incredible drain of her mana, pouring everything into it to seal the rift. With one final painful crack, the rift disappeared as it repelled her hand backward. Not expecting the sudden push from the rift, Solas released her wrist as Evelyn fell back on her bottom. Solas knelt down next to her hovering his hand above the mark. She looked up into his eyes searching them for a reaction, but he was as hard to read as Sorin.
"How do you feel?"
"Drained." She felt her eyelids drooping as she slouched on the ground. Solas began rummaging through his satchel eventually pulling out a small vial of lyrium.
"Take this, you need to keep your strength up." She usually never had to take lyrium, but after the toll sealing the rift took on her, she'd need it to bolster her magic against the mark. As soon as the vial touched her lips and the liquid flowed down her throat she felt her strength returning and was able to stand. She pushed her hair out of her face having put it up in a high messy ponytail. When she had left for the Conclave, she had kept the same few small braids on either side of her hair, but left the rest down. She was already missing her single thick braid to keep it from sticking to the sweat on her neck and face, but then remembered she had bigger problems than her hair.
At the forward camp, Sister Leliana was waiting with a rather agitated Chantry official, who she introduced as Grand Chancellor Roderick. From what she gathered the man was trying to step in to fill the void of authority left in the wake of Divine Justinia's death. The man was posturing calling for Evelyn to be sent to Val Royeaux to face execution. Of course, rather than deal with the crisis at hand, the Chantry bureaucrats would be trying to seize whatever scraps of power they could. They may answer to a higher authority but were no better than the nobility. He argued with The Hands wanting to call a retreat from the valley to cut their losses, but the women wanted to do the opposite and charge with the rest of their forces to get Evelyn to the Breach.
Ultimately, The Hands won out and they headed for the temple with all haste. With all the men and women they could muster, they pushed in one more desperate effort to reach the temple. She watched helplessly as they fell to the demons, all the while being prodded along to keep pushing forward. There was an instance or two where she fired a spell off as a mercy rather than leave the soldiers to the slow torture of being devoured by a demon. She couldn't remember the last time she silently prayed so much.
In the distance, they could see another rift and its eerie glow. One more rift stood between them and the Breach. There were already a number of soldiers engaging the demons pouring from the rift. She heard her name being shouted by two distinct voices over the gurgled growls of the demons. She first spotted Sorin providing protective magic to those engaging the enemy.
"Could really use some firepower here E!" She was happy to oblige firing off firebolts at anything that moved. Sorin seemed exhausted, as did his companions. Owayne, Cullen and Rylen were all there hacking away and spraying demon blood about the battlefield freely. The ground was saturated in the black ichor, so much so it looked like a swamp. The men were covered in it as well. It covered Owayne's face like war paint with each swipe of his hands adding to the look. Cullen and Rylen's faces were dotted with it, but the sweat from their effort was washing most of it away. Dents, scratches and tears adorned their armor and clothing. It was clear they had been fighting for the three days she had been in the Fade. Even though they all executed their moves perfectly, they weren't as quick or sharp as she had seen them move in the past. Each pause after defeating an enemy allowed them time to stretch and loosen tense muscles. She became increasingly angry with whatever happened in the Fade that delayed her from returning, making her friends suffer so. When fire exploded around them heralding her arrival and that of reinforcements, hope reinvigorated them against the endless onslaught.
When Solas took over the role of supportive mage, Sorin added his Storm magic to her Inferno. When casting together, the two brought death in the image of apocalyptic fury. The ground burned, lightning struck shattering the earth and smoke from heavy fireballs choked the air out its victims. Evelyn called for the men to withdraw as the two mages finished off the last of the demons.
As if magnetized, her left hand flew up with fingers splayed. With a sharp sting, the magic of the mark snapped to life as did her own. The fire of the Phoenix pushed at the foreign magic as it sealed the rift. Having had the practice of dealing a rifts previously, she was ready for the sudden pushback from the healing Veil. While it didn't knock her on her arse this time, it did end up sailing her hand back behind her smacking the breastplate of the Commander with a clunk. She cried and growled at the extra pain of her knuckles hitting the metal, bending over and squeezing her hand between her thighs for comfort.
"Ahh! Why were you standing there?" She groaned out standing back to full height.
"Sorry, I was-- uh, watching. I didn't know it was going to throw you back like that, and you looked as if you were about to fall." She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Curly, we barely got her here in one piece. Try not to damage our one hope of survival." He ignored Varric, though threw him one of his glares before turning back to her. Evelyn thought to make a joke about how many more times he was going to hurt her while trying to save her, but decided now was not the time.
"Seems I found myself more trouble," showing him her palm, "glad you weren't there though." He shook his head at her in wonder as Owayne crashed into her with a bear hug. Cassandra and Solas both cringed as if it was going to cause her to explode. "Where's Hector?"
"He's around cleaning up stray demons. How are you?"
"I'm just taking it one--," the Breach pulsed dragging her to the ground screaming. Tremors shook her body and she felt Owayne's hands grip her hard. He pressed his forehead to hers moving his lips, but the ringing in her ears made it impossible to hear him. Solas was now grabbing for her hand, and there was another person behind her lending more power to Solas' spell. Sorin had his one arm casting and the other around her side helping her up. Through everything going on around her, she heard Cassandra's commanding voice.
"We must get her to the temple! Even if we must carry her."
"I can walk!" As the pain subsided, she pushed everyone away from her. With a deep hissing inhale through her teeth, she felt her body gradually shutting down. She was going to die. She looked up to see them all staring at her as if they knew it too. There was a frozen puddle on the ground in front of her that drew her to it. She saw herself with pale yet dirty skin, dark circles under the eyes, tense facial muscles from the crippling pain and her hair…
"Oh," she said with a disappointed tone smoothing down her hair, "to think that if this is the last time you see me, all you'll remember is how awful my hair looks." She elicited chuckles from the somber onlookers. As if on cue, Sorin added his 'such a girl' comment to laughter. "Well let's go before more demons stick their claws in it." Time was short, they all knew it but the momentary break of the tension seemed to help everyone get back to the task at hand dispelling momentarily the looming feeling of doom.
Cullen let them know that the path to the Temple was clear. He and Rylen were going to regroup with the soldiers to buy them as much time as they needed and to prepare for any fallout after she attempted to seal the Breach. She steeled herself for whatever was to come knowing that no matter the cost, she'd pay it if it meant protecting her friends and family. There was certainly going to be a price for her to pay, whether now or later. She just prayed to have strength to face it with dignity in the end.
***
Everything happened so fast, Evelyn could barely comprehend what was happening. She had sealed the rift at the base of the Breach, but after a blinding light and shockwave hit her from its closing, she was flat on her back again. She lay there staring up at the Breech as the whirling mass of clouds slowed to a stop.
Did I do it? They were yelling her name. I think I did. More frantic yelling of her name. Why do they sound panicked?
"Hold her!"
Hold who? It can't be me, I don't feel anything. It's about time the pain stopped. Flashes of green illuminated the faces of those looking down at her against the bright sky. Solas and Sorin were casting spells again, though Sorin looked more distressed. That's odd. The next flash revealed Cassandra with an even graver look of distress, but she stood and started yelling at people, pointing in every direction. She felt as though her ears were clogged only hearing them as if they were much farther away. She saw the silhouette of Owayne and fixed her eyes on him. What she saw on the next flash began her panic.
"Sorin, I need all the power you can give me."
"Are there any other mages here?!"
Owayne was tearing up and his mouth was moving a mile a minute. She tried to concentrate on the sound of his voice alone, but there was too much other noise to decipher his words. He was shaking his head and caressing her face. Maker, what's wrong with me? She began to try to move but couldn't or at least she couldn't feel herself moving. Upon trying Owayne's moved closer to her and she could see him shushing her and trying to calm her.
"Keep breathing!"
Her vision began to bounce and move erratically. She heard another 'hold her' being shouted. It didn't seem to be working as she continued to bounce around. Her vision began to fade on her as the black of sleep beckoned to her, though there was much protesting from those around her.
"Can we move her?"
"Don't you dare leave me!"
I'm sorry, she tried to say not knowing if they heard as the Fade claimed her yet again.
***
Cullen was summoned to the newly dubbed 'war room' at the back of the Chantry for a meeting with the rest of the Inquisition's advisors. To deal with the Conclave's fallout, the Hands had called for the reformation of the Inquisition of old. He was asked to continue his duties as the Inquisition's Commander, which after everything that had happened, was a cause he was glad to serve. He was in formidable company with both Hands of the Divine leading the way along with Ambassador Montilyet's experience and connections. He felt a bit out of place having no title outside of the Inquisition, but what he lacked he made up for in experience. Not to mention he was the only male. He felt his counsel would go over as brash or blunt lacking the articulation of the women, but then again, it was his job to make recommendations from a military perspective. He supposed he couldn't be worse than Cassandra, who was about as subtle as a dragon. He liked to think growing up with two sisters prepared him for dealing with the intricacies of female emotions, but that was a lifetime ago. He was used to giving orders without worrying about how they came across to the men, only that his orders were followed. The coming weeks would prove interesting as the group worked to find their dynamic with no one leader. Now it was time to decide what was to be done about everything: the Breach, the Divine's death, the ongoing Mage Rebellion and the 'Herald of Andraste.'
"I would appreciate it if someone would provide me with details on our Herald, as you all seem to know her better than I." Josephine began, "Already word has spread of the woman people are calling the
"Herald of Andraste," and with it are rumors and conflicting accounts that I would like to try and control before they get out of hand."
"Lady Evelyn Althea --"
"I'm well aware of Lady Trevelyan's family background, Leliana. I'm less familiar with Knight-Enchanter Trevelyan and her time in the Circle. And," she paused briefly to indicate a delicate subject, "if she has any history we need to protect ourselves from." Cullen felt a bit uneasy when Leliana started shuffling through her papers. Glancing over to his right, he could see the seal on the paper she pulled - the Circle of Ostwick's seal. He knew it to be her official record as he had read through many of them and written statements for them in his time as Knight-Captain. The records were extremely sensitive in nature, so much so, only the Knight-Commander and Knight-Captain of the Circle had access to them. Annually, an updated copy was sent to the White Spire where all the records and the phylacteries of mages who passed their Harrowing were kept. All of her accommodations, test results, citations and secrets were in that document.
"She has an exemplary record with many accommodations for her work outside the Circle. She hunted demons, blood mages, rooted out illegal lyrium operations, and escaped Circle mages. She scored well on all her exams as a Novice and by the age of seventeen, she passed her Harrowing. Three years later she was sworn in as a Knight-Enchanter." She scanned further down the record becoming bored by the basic facts. "Looks like her father paid handsomely for her to live in comfort - best quarters, clothing, armor, a horse for her travels and some other comforts from home. He secured permission for her to come home periodically - he paid quite the sum per visit." She paused briefly squinting at something towards the bottom of the long scrolling parchment. "Well, well, her perfect record has a spot on it." Unlike Leliana, Cullen did not find other people's secrets entertaining. In fact, he felt like he was crossing some line.
Leliana raised an eyebrow after reading it to herself first. "It would seem the Knight-Enchanter made an enemy of a Templar - Ser Aeron. Their first altercation was a physical one. She claims he attempted to assault her whilst on a mission, and she hit him." He couldn't imagine anyone stupid enough to try that with her, and thought that the man was lucky that was all she did to him. "Later she reported that she believed he was stalking her, but since no proof was found it was dismissed. The last entry is dated the week prior to the fall of the Ostwick Circle. The incident was reported by another Templar who witnessed it. He reports, Ser Aeron, unprovoked, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her against the wall repeatedly to the point blood was drawn. Trevelyan didn't fight back, she submitted to the punishment."
"Why would that be of any consequence?" Even though it was uncharacteristic of Evelyn to submit, he wanted to know why this incident was so fascinating to her. He knew the abuses mages suffered at times under Templars - under him.
"Because the rumors were that she began the uprising in the Circle after she was beaten publicly by a Templar."
"She told us she didn't start the uprising." They didn't have proof that said otherwise, but he knew Leliana did have a point.
"And you are just going to take her at her word? We had her cornered in a cell and we know she can play The Game."
"Leliana," Josephine sounded slightly annoyed, "may I remind you that she is one of us now. Let's try to give her some benefit of the doubt."
"My job is to detect threats and take them out before they can hurt the Inquisition, even if the threat is coming from within. Besides, she's still unconscious, how do we know when she does wake up if she'll willingly stay and help?" He was about to speak, but was glad Cassandra now spoke on her behalf.
"I know you are grieving for The Divine, we all are, but I truly believe she is innocent and will help us. Before she closed the Breach she was well aware she may die and tried anyway. Then in the memory we saw at the temple, The Divine called out to her for help while the one who killed her also called for the Knight-Enchanter's death. I agree with the Ambassador, we trust her until proven otherwise and hear what she has to say about her involvement in the uprising one more time." Cullen was quick to agree, hoping they could move on to other pressing matters.
"Fine. Then she can also explain why the Knight-Commander was found burnt to death in her room."
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