The Lost Temple Dragon Age: Inquisition

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Lady Anya visited me in the next morning, decided that I was well enough to be up and about, and dragged into a legendary Council meeting. After a proper breakfast, of course. I hadn't realised how famished I was until Heidi had plopped a tray full of food in front of me on the bed.

The council room was somehow less intimidating than I'd expected. It was circular, and a table in the shape of a half-moon was pushed close towards the end. The walls were decorated with various trophy heads of snarling monsters, and the floor was pure marble, green veins running on its surface like a thousand slithering snakes. Besides those, there were no furnishings in the area, save for the single chair I was now sitting upon.

Rather, it was the Council itself that frightened me. There were five of them, seated behind the table, expressions grim and judgmental. I was the sole recipient of their disapproving gazes. I fought very hard to stay still, trying not to scream and bolt out of the room under the sheer pressure in the atmosphere.

"Lady Klaudia," began the dark-haired man whom I'd run into yesterday, "according to the esteemed Lady Anya, Lord Himmel is the Pied Piper. Is that correct?"

I took in a deep breath before replying, "Yes, milord." I wasn't expecting any of them to come to the point so easily.

"So, if you would so kindly tell us everything from the beginning," said Lady Anya. She was seated in the centre of the Council, looking far from the bedraggled mess who had been attacked by Lord Himmel. She was poised, graceful, completely in her element. In fact, I'd say that the person I'd met before was a mere substitute, and this woman here was the real Council member. She gave me an encouraging nod; I finally found the courage to speak up.

It was far easier than the first time I'd told my story to Heidi, surprisingly. I kept my eyes on Lady Anya, refusing to meet the faces of the other Council members. At least the steely eyes were somewhat familiar; I would find absolutely no comfort outside them.

And so I finished my narration. They all had their elbows on the table, hands clasped together as though in prayer, their mouths drawn into thin lines. "All this time, and we never knew..." muttered Lady Anya.

"No use mulling over past mistakes," said the Council member to her right. He was thin and awkward, and his mousy brown hair was stuck up at the ends. The only thing that probably kept people from disregarding him was probably his eyes-they were very wide, very blue, and very bright. He gave me the impression of an owl. "Question is, what do we do now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said the dark man. "We march on Heidelberg and make Lord Himmel pay for his crimes!"

"You really think it'll be that easy, Konrad?" snapped the Owl. "Lord Himmel already knows that we're coming. Besides, we can't just...invade Heidelberg like that!"

"Which is why we need to plan the attack out. And soon, if we hit him when he expects us not to-"

"And then what? Give him a chance to rid the Council once and for all? You know what he did to Anya, and that was just a fraction of his power. If Lady Klaudia hadn't intervened, we might not even have her today!"

"Enough! Arguing will get us nowhere," said Lady Anya. She spoke in monotone, but there was an undeniable frostiness in their words. The two men shut up.

She turned her attention upon me. "You have been inside the castle. Do you know the extent of Lord Himmel's magical ability?"

I startled, taken aback by the levity of the question. "I--I don't know, milady," I stammered. "He never showed his true magical prowess in front of me."

"Looks like even our only witness cannot help us," the woman sitting to Lady Anya's far right piped up. I placed her outward age to be thirty odd. Her dark hair swept back from her arching brow and cascaded down her back. She was beautiful, like Lady Anya. But where the memory-sifter was all ice and glacial tones, she was vivacious and fiery. "How can we be sure that she isn't a spy?"

"I hardly think that a spy would allow herself to be drained so thoroughly of energy, Gertrude," said Lady Anya. "If you really want to be sure though, you can always cast a truthteller spell."

Lady Gertrude frowned uncertainly, eyes flicking back and forth between me and her comrade. Despite myself, I was smothering an amused grin. This was a Council, yes, but Lady Anya was the clear leader here.

"Perhaps I shall. However, there's another issue we need to address." Lady Gertrude fixed a smouldering gaze upon me. "Your Affinity is mind control. You are aware of its rarity?"

"Yes, Your Grace." No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't tear my eyes away from her.

"Then you know that we cannot let you go so easily."

What on earth did that mean? I wondered. But I bobbed my head and murmured a "Yes".

"Lord Himmel must had suspected her Affinity a long time ago," said the Owl. "That was why he wanted her in the first place."

"How old are you, girl?" asked Lord Konrad.

"This upcoming harvest season shall be my seventeenth, milord."

"How did she managed to escape detection for so long?" said the last Council member, a podgy man with a scratchy beard and kindly eyes. At least, the wrinkles at their corners indicated that he smiled often. He wasn't smiling now, however.

"Could a veil have been thrown over her?" asked Lord Konrad.

"It could, but it would have to be a mighty powerful veil to have lasted her that long," said Lady Gertrude.

"Mind control..." muttered Lady Anya. "Klaudia, do you know who the last wielder of this Affinity was?"

"Lord Adolf Weilsterhein," I answered automatically, recalling the tale of the fallen city. Or so Elise had said.

She shook her head. "No. The Pied Piper."

A profound silence fell the room. After what was an agonising minute, the Owl said, "How had he managed to evade us for so long?"

"Alonzo, I think the real question you have to ask here is if the Lord Himmel we know is even the Lord Markus Rufus Caligaius Himmel we have in our records," said Lady Gertrude.

More silence. The Council members slowly digested all of this information. The way they operated was odd. I'd thought that they'd brought me in to pass some sort of judgment onto me. I didn't expect them to be actually discussing anything when I was present.

I cleared my throat; everyone seemed to only just remember that I was listening to every word they said. "If I may be so bold, it should be reminded that Lord Himmel had been draining the children of their youth in order to sustain him."

"Ah yes. That." The Owl-Lord Alonzo considered this. "But then...did Lord Himmel even exist in the first place?"

"Oh he did," said Lady Anya. Her tone was as dry as the summer air. "Remember how the whole Himmel family suddenly died?"

"Not really." A frown creased the podgy man's face.

"Carriage accident. Or something like that." Lady Anya waved her hand dismissively. "The point is, they all died, leaving Lord Himmel as the sole heir to the Heidelberg estate."

"But he was the original heir."

"Doesn't matter. In the end, Lord Himmel alone inherited everything."

Lord Alonzo uttered a sharp exclamation. "Saints above, Anya! Are you implying..."

"That everyone in the family had actually died? Yes. Remember, the Himmel family had no relations outside their estate. It would be exceedingly easy to take over their place once they were wiped out."

"Impossible," whispered Lady Gertrude. All the colour had been drained from her cheeks. "The previous Lord Himmel was an extremely powerful Magus. To just kill him like that..."

"But you agree that it's the only explanation, no?" interjected Lord Alonzo gently.

"And-and Haydn," she continued. She seemed to be lost in a trance. "He was one too."

"Gertrude," warned Lady Anya.

The atmosphere suddenly seemed so moist. It grew dense, almost suffocating me. It was like I was drowning in air. I gulped, but my lungs were filled with nothingness.

A resounding crack sounded across the room.

Everything reverted to its original state. Lady Gertrude looked slightly dazed, an angry red print of a hand on her cheek. Lord Konrad was glaring at her, arm slightly raised.

The lady finally regained her senses, and her face turned red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Remember that we have a guest here," said Lady Anya. Her expression remained impassive. "Control yourself."

"All right, now where were we?" The podgy man spoke with forced lightness. "The original Himmels, I believe?"

"Yes. Thank you for reminding us, Hugo. Now, what if the current Lord Himmel had somehow eliminated the whole family and installed himself as the new lord?" continued Lady Anya, as if the previous scene had never taken place. It was disconcerting, to see one of the revered Council members throw a fit of hysteria, get slapped by another, then have the meeting resumed without another moment's hesitation. For a brief second, I pondered on what had triggered Lady Gertrude emotions.

"He'd have to be extremely strong. Gertrude"-Lord Konrad nodded at his fellow Council member, a subtle apology for the slap he gave her-"was right. They had powerful Magi. If anything, I don't think our dear Markus was an ordinary Magus."

"Are any Magi ordinary, honestly?" snorted Lord Alonzo.

"I rephrase my previous statement: Our dear Markus must be much more powerful than we give him credit for."

"True. Even arranging an accident for the family couldn't have been easy." Lord Hugo tapped his beard thoughtfully.

"Then who is he, exactly?" Lady Gertrude massaged her cheek ruefully, but she seemed to not hold any grudges.

Lady Anya's grey eyes focused upon me. I wanted to shrink back and fade into the background. I couldn't, of course. I wasn't even sure if my Core had fully recovered yet. It was humming inside me, but it was less jovial than usual. "That will be something you can help with."

"Me? But I know nothing!" I protested. "At least, I already told you everything I know."

"I didn't mean in the memory sense," she retorted coolly. "My dear friends, doesn't her face strike you as familiar?"

"It does," said Lord Alonzo. Meanwhile, the other three mumbled incoherently to themselves, scrutinising me. "Don't tell me you daft fools never noticed it the moment you saw her?"

"Her features do strike a chord in my memory," admitted Lord Hugo. "Only, I can't be too sure why."

"Look closer. Do you truly not remember?"

They all obeyed Lady Anya's instructions. I wasn't sure how to react, so I kept my expression neutral, hoping that they wouldn't take it as a sign of disinterest.

Eventually, Lady Gertrude's brow cleared. "Anton. She looks like Anton," she said, her voice filled with awe.

The name echoed strangely in my head. "You are not a relation of Anton's?" I recalled Lady Anya's question.

"Saint Gwayrin's arse, so she does!" bellowed Lord Hugo. Lord Konrad, on the other hand, simply stayed still. His mouth was open, but he couldn't manage any words.

"Precisely," concluded Lady Anya. In an instant, the scrutinising gazes gave way to something akin to hopefulness. I actually preferred the scrutiny. "Last we knew, Anton was hunting down the Pied Piper. Well, now we found him. However, that is because Klaudia managed to escape and report this to us. In Anton's case, he'd probably have to trace Markus' trail from the very beginning, back to his origins..."

"So you think that before...whatever happened, he might have transferred his memories to his daughter?" Lord Alonzo's eyes glimmered with doubt.

"It's a long shot by half, but it's worth trying."

"Excuse me, but who is Anton?" My question came out a few pitches higher than usual, and I sounded like a squeaking mouse. The phrase sounded a lot better in my head, that was for sure.

The Council members gave me long, hard looks. I scrunched my hands on my lap, praying that they would forgive me for whatever insensitive topic I had approached. "I think we have discussed enough for today," Lady Anya said slowly.

"You will conduct the necessary tests?" asked Lord Konrad. He got an irritable glare in return.

"Of course. Meanwhile, the rest of you will see to fortifying our defences."

"Anya, surely you don't think-"

"Lord Himmel has declared war upon us, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Best we prepare for the worst, no?"

Lord Konrad clearly had a lot more to say, but he bowed his head and replied, "But of course."

"Good. Then I believe that this meeting is over."

Lady Anya was the first to stand up and walk towards the front of the table. The rest followed suit, albeit reluctantly. There seemed to be plenty of unspoken matters still left threading in the air. Their leader, apparently oblivious to the tension, waved a hand at me by the door. I took it that I was safe to leave now.

I stood up, curtsied, and walked towards Lady Anya. Her expression was a shade more detached than usual. "Follow me," was all she said as she headed out of the room.

I ducked after her, head bowed meekly. She didn't say a single word as we walked. I didn't bother to break the silence. I wouldn't know how to, anyway.

Eventually, we entered another room: the place where all the records of sorcerers were kept. I craned my neck to get a good look; it was still as mesmerising as the first time I'd seen it. Cautiously, I held a finger up, watching a name float past, break up when it met my flesh, and reform after. It felt like a caress of the wind.

Lady Anya cupped her hands together. "Anton Reinlich," she breathed.

I felt the air ripple-change. A few words were plucked out from the sea of light and drifted towards her. This particular set was rather dim, not blazing with light like some of the others. My brow puckered in curiosity.

"This, Klaudia, contains the memories of one Anton Reinlich." She moved closer towards me, holding her hands up so that I could take a closer look at the words. "He was one of our best Magi, and as has been mentioned in the Council, he was on the trail of the Pied Piper when he suddenly disappeared ten years ago."

"Ten years ago..." I whispered. Ten years ago, Lord Markus Himmel as the Pied Piper had come to Hamelin. Ten years ago, this Anton Reinlich had vanished. Ten years ago, my life had changed forever.

"Indeed. It's too much of a coincidence we cannot ignore," said Lady Anya, as though she were reading my thoughts. "I'd explain everything to you, but I think it's best if it was shown to you instead."

"How-"

Before I could say another word, Lady Anya blew the words into my face. They slammed into me, and magic overwhelmed my senses.

My vision went dark.

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