The True Place for a Just Man - Chapter 4

[miri1984]

Title: Harrowing
Words: 1300
Characters: Anders, Maggie
Summary: All mages have to go through it, or choose the less savoury option.
Art by: jessicajones
Beta by: amhran_comhrac

 

Anders is fifteen when Karl disappears. He is in the library, waiting for him, for over an hour. They were meant to work on his fire spells.

Anders has trouble with fire spells. More trouble than any other spell. Lightning and Ice and Entropy all come almost as easily as healing to him now; his destructive force is on a par with the most experienced apprentices. Only some of the elves do better - Alim Surana, of course, and Margaret Amell, who he's overheard has the potential to reduce the entire library to ashes with one wave of her hand. With Alim it's a cause for praise. With Margaret, suspicion. She's a bewitching thing - a couple of years younger than he, usually closeted with Alim and Jowan instigating trouble. Big green eyes and deeply dark hair. But where Alim is charming and open, Margaret is sly and sarcastic. Where Alim can get away with bending rules, Margaret more often than not is stuck on pot scrubbing duty, or something worse. Anders feels sorry for her.

But today, he is meant to be meeting Karl, and Karl hasn't shown. He knows, in the back of his head, what that means. He's seen enough of the older apprentices disappear, heard enough from the older mages.

Karl's gone for his Harrowing. Which means he's a full mage now, or…

…he's dead.

There's an unspoken rule, among the apprentices, that you don't talk about someone who's gone to their Harrowing. Not until it's known for certain what's happened to them. If they don't acknowledge that the person is missing, there's a chance they can believe he's just been transferred to another circle, or passed his Harrowing and is too proud to come downstairs to visit - or the Templars don't want them associating with the apprentices any more (this is true enough, anyway - the only full mages Anders gets to see are the ones who teach his classes and they leave as soon as their lessons are done).

But the news always filters down eventually. Some of the Biffs are friendly - or stupid. Hubert is an arsehole, but he's an honest one, and if you get him on a good day he'll let you know if your best friend is alive or dead. Some of the older templars will answer your questions, or if you can snag a tranquil they will always give you the information you want, not having imagination enough to lie.

Not many people have the stomach to talk to the tranquil, however. Although this time, Anders thinks he might try.

Marchon will tell you, if you can stomach being in the same room with him for more than a few seconds alone, which is something Karl has told Anders to never, ever do. There's a reason he's always paired with another Templar. The man takes delight in describing the failed Harrowings he has attended, although he's very careful never to go into detail about what the ritual actually entails.

There's a rumour that Greagoir is going to reassign Marchon, but it never actually happens. As it is he's forbidden in the apprentice quarters. Niall told him that Marchon was related to the Arl of Denerim - a younger son, or a bastard who was palmed off to the Templars to keep him out of trouble. Anders realises it may well be his job to warn any new apprentices about him, if Karl is really gone.

He chokes a little on that thought.

"Anders, what are you doing here?" He turns to see Maggie Amell, books clutched in her arms, big green eyes blinking at him over the leather covers. She's so pretty, Maggie, and Anders wants to give her his best smirk, but worry over Karl has him distracted.

"Karl's gone," he blurts out. Maggie's eyes narrow and she looks troubled, but the unspoken rule stands between them and she bites her lip on whatever she was going to say.

"Here," she says finally, shoving her books at him. He holds up his hands to avoid taking them, stepping back a little, and she sighs in exasperation. "Enchanter Leorah tells me I have to improve my healing. You're the best in our class, help me."

He frowns at her. "Why should I help you?" he says.

She looks angry. "Jowan says you're going to fail primal unless you learn how to cast a proper fireball. Help me with healing and I'll help you with fire."

He folds his arms. "What does it matter any way?" he says, smiling a little bit now. "It's not as though they're going to kick me out or anything."

Her eyes shift to the corner of the room and Anders follows her gaze to see Owain, sorting and shelving books. Methodically. The shining red of the brand on his forehead catches the light briefly, and Anders' shudders, smile fading, heart constricting.

Harrowings are all well and good, but you have to be good enough to get to one. Tranquility isn't likely for Anders, not really. He's too good at healing, and healing is the marketable skill, the safe skill. But Maggie… Maggie is more dangerous. Without someone like Irving backing her, like he's backing Alim, she could be in a lot of trouble in a few years. The thought of those green, lively eyes going blank makes him catch his breath a little in fear and he reaches out a tentative hand to take the book she's holding. "Fine," he says, forcing his voice rough. "But you better be able to teach me to do a proper fireball."

She grins, suddenly sunny, and he realises he likes her, almost as much as he likes Karl. When they're sitting next to each other a bit later, he feels her small hand on his arm and a gentle squeeze.

"He'll be ok," she says under her breath.

He suspects, then, that Maggie likes him too.

He gets word from Hubert a week later that Karl passed his Harrowing and is teaching some of the younger mages - the fives and sixes. Anders never quite manages to cross paths with him. It makes him sad. He begins looking for ways to sneak around the Tower. He doesn't admit it, but he's looking for two things - a way to get up to the mage quarters that the Templars won't notice…

…and a way out. Karl going for his Harrowing has brought it home to him that in a very few years he could be facing his own death.

He doesn't want to die. He wakes in cold sweat some nights, remembering Enchanter Marian. Since he found her there have been three more suicides, one of them an apprentice.

His explorations get him into trouble. Templars drag him to the senior Enchanters every second or third day and he ends up with extra duties. More often than not when he makes his way to the kitchens after meals for pot scrubbing duty Maggie is there with him. Her transgressions are more imaginative than his - icing the stairs just before Templars are about to go down them is a personal favourite of hers. Although she's helping him with his fire spells, it's her ice magic that is exceptional.

One night, nearly a year after Karl has disappeared, they finish the last big, smelly pot and Anders manages to press her up against the kitchen sink and kiss her, to find out that despite being two years younger than him she's definitely been practicing with something other than her hand. When he raises his head, breathless and red-faced and clumsy, she's grinning an evil grin at him that makes him laugh.

A metal hand descends on his shoulder shortly afterwards and he's spun around to face Ser Maron, who cuffs him as Maggie runs off and gives him two more nights pot scrubbing duty.

News gets around and he's always alone on extra duties after that. Anders chalks it up as another thing the Templars need to pay for.