Broken Circle

Chapter 2: A New Life

Mahalla:

I awoke to the feeling of my body being tossed around on a hard surface. As my eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight, I realized I was in the back of a large wagon. My body ached and I licked my dry lips, parched and in dire need of water. I looked around and realized I was not alone. A woman clad in shiny armor sat across from me watching me with a look of disdain. This armor seemed different than that of the shemlen who attacked my clan.
"Don't even think of trying to use your magic on me, apostate." She warned with a snarl. I looked at my hand in awe. So it wasn't a dream it really had happened. My clan was attacked. Where is my sister? My parents? I panicked. I wanted to speak but as I opened my mouth all that came out was a terrified, unintelligible whisper. I had never been this close to a shemlen before, aside from almost being slain by one, and here she was just glaring at me and watching me sleep. I mustered up what little courage I had and tried again.
"Where is my sister? What happened to my family?" I managed to squeak out, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. I did my best to keep them in and try to appear brave. I could tell she saw right through my facade and for a moment I saw a glimmer of sympathy flash across her face. Or maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.
"We were traveling back to the tower when we came across the bandits who attacked your clan. We did what we could to help, but we would rather not get entangled in Dalish affairs. That would not bode well for our order." She responded dismissively. "We know nothing of who you are, we saw you use magic then collapse. In our eyes that makes you an apostate and your magic must be contained. No one claimed you and we cannot allow a wild mage to roam around, therefore we are taking you to a circle tower."
"You must be mistaken, my sister was right there! She wouldn't have let you take me! I belong to the clan and I-I can train with the Keeper," I responded, stumbling over my words, "I don't belong in your prison!" I spate back, angry at the world for this turn of events.
"By the time we got to you most of the other Dalish were either killed or had escaped. That is the hard reality of it. I do not have the answers you seek," she responded while handing me a waterskin, "Now hush and drink some water. We still have a bit of a way to go." By her harsh tone and demeanor I could tell that she was not up for any more conversing. Still having no answers, and just as confused as before, I drank the water and tried to make sense of the information I received. The harsh reality set in that my family could possibly be dead, and that my efforts to save Mihthra were all for naught. My soul mourned for my family and my home.
Trying to remind myself to stay strong and get whatever information I could. I glanced around at the surroundings in the wagon. We seemed to be surrounded by many supplies and I saw some chests with a faint blue light peaking through. I wondered why it took me so long to feel the hum resonating from the boxes. It was lyrium. Then I glanced at the woman sitting across from me and noticed the emblem on her armor. I had been caught by a templar. It should have been obvious since she mentioned taking me to a circle. I guess part of me did not want to admit that this was truly happening.
All I knew of the Circle of Magi and the Templars were the scary stories told at camp. Some of our clan were elves that abandoned the shemlen cities they lived in and came to rejoin their people. They were the ones that informed us the most on what happened at the towers. They say that the Templar's swear an oath to protect people from the dangers of magic. They hunt down and capture what they call apostates, mages who are not affiliated with the Circle. Then they take them back and teach them "proper" uses of magic. The templars enforce the teachings and make sure the mages don't accidentally, or purposely, turn themselves into an abomination. Apparently when mages use magic they draw on power from the Fade. The Fade is the realm of spirits and demons. The Veil is what separates them from our world. Mages have a connection to the Fade which makes them an easy target for demons, and they are always trying to find ways to manifest themselves into our world. The easiest way is to take over the body of a mage when they are accessing the Fade. Dalish keepers have different ways of teaching magic than the shemlen.
This is as far as my knowledge on the matter goes. The only people who need to worry about learning the ins and outs of magic in my clan, are the ones who possess it. I had a feeling that I was about to learn more though. While I didn't approve of the way it was happening, I felt guilty that a small part of me was excited. Here I was alive and my family possibly dead, and I was excited about magic. Shame overtook me as I took another swig of water.
The journey was long and tiresome. The procession of wagons was not too long. The woman watching over me did not speak much, so most of the journey was spent in silence. The only times she had spoken to me was to offer me food and drink. She seemed to not care for my company, but understood I had no idea how to even try and use my powers against her. Which seemed to make her both relieved and fearful at the same time. She treated me as a ticking time bomb, worrying I may try to use magic and accidentally attract the attention of a demon that I would not be able to outsmart.
After a few days we arrived at the Circle. I would be lying if I said the building wasn't magnificent. The architecture was unlike anything I had ever seen. I had never even seen shemlen cities to compare it to, but even so I knew that this place was very luxurious. This I knew just seeing it from a distance. In order to get to the tower we had to cross a large lake. I think I heard the shemlen call it Lake Calenhand. We climbed into one of the boats and headed towards the prison, I mean my new home. I needed to try and stay optimistic. Maybe if I played my cards right and played my role I would be able to escape someday and rejoin my clan. The best way to play the part is to remind myself even in my head to say the right things, that way I won't accidentally slip up in conversation. I had to gain their trust and play the part of good little elven girl eager to reform to their Andrastian ways.
We docked the boat and stepped out towards the front door of the tower. Many of the templars started carrying in the supplies, while the woman who watched over me told me to follow her so I could introduce myself to "First-Enchanter" Leofric, whatever that means. The second we walked through the doors I realized they spared no expense to make this place seem as hospitable as possible. Probably to help make the mages feel more like students and less like prisoners. But I could still see this place for what it truly was. In a trance looking at the lavish decor, I did not realize the templar stopped in front of me and I ran straight into her back, hurting my nose on the hard armor. As I looked forward stunned and held onto my nose to try to ease the pain I heard a wholesome sounding laugh echo through the hall. I spotted the man who produced the calming sound. He was an elderly man, most of his hair already grey, with a warm welcoming face. He peaked around the templar to see me more clearly.
"I see I have received a clumsy new apprentice," he said with a gentle smile, "Tell me little one, what is your name?"
I stared at him for a moment, too nervous to answer. Finally after what seemed like ages I found it in me to quickly introduce myself to the old man.
"My name is Mahalla." I replied, barely above a whisper.
"Ah what a beautiful name. 'One who is like the halla' they are very intelligent creatures. Let us see if you truly live up to the name."
I spent the rest of the day following First-Enchanter Leofric while he explained exactly what my role would be here and what classes I would be taking. We went over my schedule and he showed me each designated place in the tower. My favorite place was the library. I never knew so many books could exist. The stacks seemed endless. All this knowledge at my fingertips. I would need to catch up on my reading skills, they were not of much use to us in the clan.
After the long journey and information overload with the tour of the tower I was finally shown to the chambers where the female apprentices slept. Though these rooms were not as fancy as the quarters of the higher ups, I had never seen a bed so fancy. I was used to sleeping on bed rolls made of fur. The second I flopped onto the feathery, plush bed I felt as if I was floating on a cloud. I pulled the silk blanket over me and yet again was met to a new sensation from the feel of the material. I felt myself slipping into slumber moments after climbing into bed. Thoughts of my mother combing and braiding my hair while my father cooked turnip stew, my favorite, entered my mind and a tear slipped from the corner of my eye as I fell asleep.