The Way Of The Champion

Chapter One: "The City Of Chains"

GARRETT

I hated being on the ship. Everyone was either sick, scared, or both. I tended to be the first. People rarely spoke, and it was deathly quiet the whole time. For those two weeks, all I thought about was my guilt over Bethany, and how worried I was of how people would react if I revealed I was a mage.

Eventually, our boat made it through the black cliffs, and we got off at Kirkwall's docks. However, the minute we arrived, things were already starting to fall apart again.

Hundreds, maybe even thousands of other people were exiting off of boats, and crowding into small spaces along the docks. Templars stood guard at the gates, and no one came in or out.

"They're not letting anyone into the city," Aveline noticed as well.

"What? That can't be!" Mother protested.

"It's true," I said, gesturing around us, "Look at them all. Some of them look like they've been waiting for months."

"Are we really surprised?" Carver asked, "Everyone's fleeing the Blight, just as we are."

"We need to find Gamlen," Mother spoke, referring to her brother, mine and Carver's uncle, "Our family has always been highly regarded in Kirkwall. He can do something, I'm sure of it."

"Let's hope he received your letter," Carver agreed.

Aveline pointed out one of the templars whom the others seemed to be reporting to, and I headed towards him, hoping to ask some questions. It was tricky, pushing through an already gathered group of people.

"Get back to the crowd, you lot," The guard told the group around him, "Trying to bully your way through won't get you into Kirkwall any faster."

"But you do intend to let us in?" Aveline asked.

He laughed at her, "We have enough poor of our own in the Free Marches. We don't need you refugees piling up here in a heap. If it were up to me, I'd bar the gates and let you find somewhere else to beg. But its not. Some of you lot might have legitimate business in the city. So Knight Commander Meredith wants us to sort you all out. Most of you are getting right back on your ships, though."

"Knight Commander is a templar title," I stated cautiously, "Do all of you guardsmen seriously answer to a templar?"

"We don't answer to her...but she's the power in Kirkwall. Don't know what would happen if the viscount went against something she wanted, but he's sure never taken the chance."

Having seemingly hit a dead end with that question, I asked something a little more related to my personal curiosity, "I overheard someone call this place the Gallows. Is it a prison?"

"Used to be," He answered, "Back in the Imperial days. They kept the slaves here until the rebellion. Now the templars use it to lock up their mages. Guess not much has changed."

"Wait, mages are imprisoned here?"

"Well, no more than anywhere else. Its a Circle of Magi now. Magic is to serve man, not rule him, and mages are better locked up where they don't hurt anyone."

I clenched my fist tightly, wanting to punch him directly in his smart mouth, but relaxing myself. It wouldn't do me any good to reveal what I was in the middle of a crowd of people. I sighed and asked him one more question, "There must be someone I can speak with?"

"Yes, yes, always the same story," The guardsmen rolled his eyes but pointed, "You want in, talk to Captain Ewald. I'm just here to keep you refuses from climbing the walls."

I led the group in the direction he pointed, up two flights of stairs and towards an archway. Much closer to the gate than before, but still not through it. A man who must have been Captain Ewald was there, but he was surrounded by a group of hostile men.