The air is cold when I awaken. I'm kneeling on a stone ground, my wrists bound in heavy iron chains.
Am I in a cell? Did I steal one too many sweets from the kitchen? Surely not, Mother would never chain me.
Metal bars surround me, the only light coming from a few small candles mounted on the wall. Above me, more metal bars. I blink, visions of the glowing figure and the spiders come floating through my mind.
What had happened? Where am I now?
My wrist is throbbing and I turn it palm up. A large cut is on the skin of my palm and I swallow back bile. But, it just doesn't seem like a normal cut…
That's when green light flashes from my palm. I grunt in pain, clenching my fists, trying to make it stop.
The door in front of me is kicked open, figures standing in the door way. The pain in my hand stops and the light fades.
Three guards surround me, their swords drawn.
I'm not at home… I realise with sudden fear.
A woman, hooded behind her light armour watches me. A strand of orange hair falls into her face and she quickly tucks it behind her ear.
The other woman, with short black hair walks towards me. Her sword is also drawn—an obviously trained warrior. A scar runs down her cheek and I can't help but wonder how she managed to get that. She's dressed in heavy armour, ready to fight by the looks of her.
Her unblinking grey eyes travel along my facial tattoos. Something that the Trevelyan family take pride in. We're not as good as the Dalish Elves, but we certainly have a skill with ink.
A simple faded black ink that dotted under my right eye with a line travelling from the bridge of my nose to my collar bones.
The woman stops behind me and I can't see her anymore.
"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now," comes a voice. Her Nevarran accent is strong.
I jerk her voice startling me, the chains on my wrists clinking together.
Her lips are a few centimeters from my ear, her breath against my cheek. I turn my head slightly and see her straighten.
"The Conclave… it's destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead," she faces me again, inches away from me, as if to scare me. Her eyes are still burning. "Except for you."
I blink, unable to understand what is happening, "What…" my throat is dry. I cough and try again. "What do you mean? Everybody's dead?"
The warrior reaches down and yanks my hand up, "Explains this."
My hand explodes in a green light, my palm itching again. She throws my hand away and the glow disappears. Just like before.
"I don't know what it is. I can't explain it," I say.
"What do you mean?" she hisses.
My eyebrows furrow, "I don't know what it is and I don't know how it got there." My voice is raised slightly and it echoes throughout the cell.
The woman grabs hold of my armour, "You're lying."
There's nothing I can do, the crazy warrior looks pissed. And in the light, I see how pronounced her jaw line is. And how high her cheek bones are. She looks as though she's about to slap me, when the hooded woman pushes her away.
"We need her, Cassandra." I can't see her face behind her hood. She looks back at me, the warrior standing close behind her.
I swallow, trying to get my voice back, "All those people are dead?"
The orange-haired woman looks down at me, her eyes pleading, "Do you remember anything? What had happened? How all this began?"
I shake my head, "All I can remember are these things chasing me. And then a woman appeared… but that's all."
No matter how hard I try, I can't reach the memories of what happened before that. Searching my thoughts, I try clutching at the wisps of memories, but they fade when I will them to become clearer.
"A woman?"
I nod, "She reached out for me but then…" I swallow. "Everything turned black."
The armoured woman—Jaw Line— turns back to the orange-haired one, "Go to the Forward Camp, Leliana."
"But what will you do?"
"I'll take her to the Rift."
A silent understanding passes between the two women and I shift uncomfortably. The one called Leliana turns and leaves the cell, with one last glance at me.
Jaw Line bends down and grabs my chains, unlocking them.
I watch her, "What did happen at the Conclave?"
The woman glances at me. I rub my wrists, the skin raw from the cuffs.
I see her eyes cloud over, "It will be better to show you." She holds out her hand and I take it. With surprising strength, she helps me to my feet. Wrapping rope around my wrists, all hopes of freedom banish from my mind.
We walk from the cell and I shield my eyes from the brightness. After being in the dark cell for Maker knows how long, the sunlight is blinding.
Blinking away the spots in my eyes, it's only now that I notice the sky is tinged with green. My mouth opens in shock as I take in the hole. Like the sky itself has been ripped open, a massive hole swirls in cloudy sky. Green light spews from it, twisting down behind the mountain ranges. Giant rocks float in the air, some twirling in the wind.
"We call it the Breach," comes the woman's voice. She stands next to me, watching the sky. "It's a massive Rift into the world of demons. It grow larger if every passing hour." She looks at me, "It's not the only Rift. But it's the biggest. And… and all were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."
"An explosion did that?"
"Well, this one did. And unless we act now, the Breach will grow until it swallows the whole world."
An explosion rocks the ground and we both turn to see the Breach lighting up, green mist spreading from the hole like lightning.
A stab of pain cuts through my palm and I scream as my hand is pulled towards the Breach. My knees give out and I crumble to the snowy ground, trying to stop my hand from moving. I clench my fist shut, cursing.
The pain slowly ebbs away and Jaw Line kneels down in front of me, eyes as cold as her blade, "Each time that Breach expands, the mark on your hand spreads. It's… it's slowly killing you."
"Killing me?"
She looks away for a split second, "It may be the only way to stop all this. But there isn't much time."
I try to grasp this whole situation, but everything is happening too fast. I feel my lip quiver, "I understand. I'll do what I can."
The woman's face softens and she stands, helping me to my feet again. With a firm hand on the small of my back, she ushers me through a small encampment. Various people mill around the village, refugees maybe, or just people looking for protection from that Breach. When we walk past, they all stop and stare. If the woman's hand wasn't on the small of my back, I would have run back to that cell.
I blink. It's not that I'm not used to having people stare at me—being a Trevelyan was no small spotlight. I attended many parties and meetings with other noble families.
But it's the way everyone here is looking at me. Like I'm some kind of monster… and maybe I am the monster.
"They've… decided your guilt for themselves," says Jaw Line. "They need it."
I glance at the soldiers, the elves, the mages. Everyone has already decided I'm guilty. But for what exactly? I don't remember.
"The people of Haven mourn the loss of our Most Holy, Divine Justinia. She was Head of the Chantry, the Conclave was her idea." There is a deep sadness in her voice and I can't help but feel my heart swell in sadness. "It was a chance to make peace between the mages and Templars."
I walk in silence beside her.
"She had brought the leaders together. But… but now they're dead."
Jaw Line takes me to a huge wooden gate. The soldiers standing guard nod their heads at the woman and open the gate. The wood groans and slowly opens.
We walk along a bridge, busy with activity. More soldiers take guard, some watching the Breach is wonder, others in fear.
There is a tense air about this place. Everyone seems to be on edge, grabbing at their weapons for every noise. More soldiers pack supplies into barrels, stocking up. None glance our way.
Jaw Line stops me with a hand on my wrist and pulls a knife from her back pocket. Sliding the sharp blade across the ropes tied around my wrists, they're finally free.
I flex my fingers and roll my wrists.
"Come, it is not far," says Jaw Line, turning to continue across the bridge.
"Where are you taking me exactly?"
"Your mark. It must be tested on something smaller than the Breach, so we know it works." She keeps walking and I run to catch up to her.
We reach the next set of gates, "Open the gates, we're headed into the valley," yells Jaw Line. Shouting seems to be something she enjoys doing. Probably because of her massive jaw line.
And with that thought swirling in my already muddled mind, we head into the unknown.