Leliana arranged the meeting, and Cassandra, Leliana, Barris and Vivienne all met together.
“Madame de Fer, this is Ser Barris,” Cassandra gestured to him. “Barris, this is Madame Vivienne de Fer.”
“A pleasure, my dear,” Vivienne said with a smile.
“Good to meet you, Madame de Fer,” Barris said.
“Now, why did you wish to meet with me?” Vivienne asked.
"We need your help,” Cassandra said.
“You are already receiving my aid.” Vivienne raised her eyebrows.
“We suspect that there is...no, there is a poisonous element within the Chantry itself,” Cassandra said in a hushed voice.
Vivienne frowned and inclined her head. “I feared this might happen.”
Leliana's gaze was sharp. “Why?”
“Why would the Divine order the College dissolved, if she is apparently sympathetic to the Circles?” Vivienne asked. “Her position clashed with her actions. And with the Blight, with the various dreams of scryers and dreamwalkers--”
“Dreams?” Leliana interjected.
Vivienne nodded. “None of Montsimmard are well-versed in dreamwalking,” she said, tilting her head up. “Far too dangerous. But even we have heard...unusual things from the spirits and demons who attempt to speak to us.”
“Unusual things?” Barris said. “What do you mean?”
“Ill omens,” Vivienne said. “Demons saying the same things, over and over. A repeated pattern.”
“You put stock in omens, Enchanter?” Cassandra asked, her expression calculating.
“Hardly.” Vivienne gave a disdainful little sniff. “All that is in dreams, however, is symbolic, and influenced by the waking world in some way. If the spirits all speak one name, and one that is associated with such bad tidings, it cannot mean anything good.”
“One name? What name?”
“It is...rather difficult to describe without it sounding completely asinine, my dear.”
“Try, Madame,” Cassandra was rapidly losing patience.
Vivienne looked at her. “There is a white wolf,” she said. “Seen over and over. And the spirits talk about it, and darkness, and disease.”
“And you connected this to the problems within the Chantry?” Barris asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Not precisely. I suspected that such talk of demons and bad omens, if it was a problem across multiple Circles, would make the Seekers and the Templars more paranoid. The Templars of Montsimmard are well-behaved, but even they have grown more nervous. The business with the Blight and that problem with Enchanter Surana was only the start of it—they grow so paranoid of magic that they ignore the real threats.”
“And those are?” Cassandra asked.
“Take the Lord Seeker's own example. He was willing to let Gaspard's army flatten Val Royeaux because he did not want mages protecting it.”
“So if we told you that the Lord Seeker plans to kill the Divine, this would not come as a shock to you?” Leliana asked.
Vivienne froze. She raised her eyebrows. “You are certain of this?”
“He attempted to ally with General Dubois. He wanted her to help him kill the Divine.”
“I see.” Vivienne was quiet for a moment, thinking. “This Dubois—have you contacted her? She cannot be allowed to assist the Lord Seeker in this endeavor.”
“We have,” Leliana said, and explained what they planned to do. Vivienne pursed her lips.
“You will have no chance of any alliance until the College reconvenes,” Vivienne said. “As it stands now--”
“If we reconvene the College, it's likely Lambert will know what we know and change his plans,” Cassandra said.
“Exactly. And of course, my Circle will lend its aid, but I cannot say the same for the others.” she shook her head. “The Lord Seeker and his Templars have done a great deal to destroy the trust between mages and Templars. And what they have not done, Kirkwall certainly did.”
“I am sure it will be possible to get the mages on our side should we explain the stakes,” Ser Barris said. “The mages are reasonable people--”
“My dear, if you are not a mage, you do not know mages as mages do,” Vivienne said with a sigh. “No, this requires a great deal of care and effort, and we need to be cautious. Have you been able to meet with Dubois in person yet? Perhaps that might help.”
“Not yet,” Leliana said.
“What do you suggest we do to secure a mage alliance?” Cassandra asked.
Vivienne considered, tapping one elegant nail against her cheek. “One strength of the Circles, and one weakness, is that they are all unique in their ways. They are all different. I could not tell you what will win over all mages because there is no one way to do so. At best, we could get the Grand Enchanter to ally, which would likely sway many of the others, but it is just as likely any military alliance would be rejected by those of us who are not warriors.” she shook her head. “No, you must find a way to reconvene the College, or else there will be no alliance.”
Before Lambert could do anything, Wynne and her entourage returned to the city, with a new companion in tow. Vivienne saw their approach and greeted them at the Sun Gate before Lambert or any of his people could do so.
“Enchanter Wynne, my dear,” Vivienne smiled warmly. “What a pleasant surprise. We hadn't been expecting you for some time.”
“Madame de Fer,” Wynne gave a smile. “Might I introduce Adrian and Rhys, from the White Spire, and Pharamond, of Adamant?” Wynne gestured to the two of them.
Pharamond, Adrian, and Rhys stared openly at Vivienne. None of them had ever met her before.
Vivienne looked over their heads, gave a tiny tutting sound, and waved a hand. The Veil rippled, and several flares shot up nearer the battlements, indicating hexes being laid.
“What are you doing?” Rhys wanted to know.
Vivienne gave a tinkling laugh. “I am here to help protect the city, of course, my dear,” she said. “I need to renew my spells every so often, before they lose effectiveness.”
“Why you?” Adrian asked.
“Because I am the one most suited,” Vivienne said. “I came to appeal to the Divine, and found this rather unpleasant affair occurring right outside the walls. So I intervened.”
Adrian stared at her. “They let you do that?”
“My dear, there are precious few people protecting this city besides mages,” Vivienne said.
Evangeline looked at her sharply. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that when Gaspard's forces began attacking the city, there were very few warriors here to protect it,” Vivienne explained. “The Templars and the city Guard could only do so much, and her Majesty's army is split in two besides. We mages had to do something.” she smiled, and Evangeline seemed surprised.
“That doesn't match with what I know of the mages,” Evangeline said, and Adrian glared at her.
“Why, darling, all mages are different,” Vivienne said. “Simply because some are fools does not mean we all are.”
“I suppose,” Evangeline said, blinking.
“We need to see the Divine as soon as possible,” Adrian cut in.
“Of course, my dear,” Vivienne said. “I am told that you came here on a matter of some importance.”
Adrian nodded.
“We must see the Lord Seeker,” Evangeline said.
“If you must report to the Lord Seeker, you may do that, my dear,' vivienne said. “But if those you are charged with protecting have information that needs to go to the Divine, they must go to her first.”
“But—Madame de Fer, didn't the Lord Seeker say--” one of the guards started, but Vivienne gave him a look, and he quieted.
“What did he say?” Evangeline asked.
“The Lord Seeker and Her Holiness are having a disagreement over the best ways to handle the situation,” Vivienne said. “The best decision would to be to go to the highest authority, that is, the Divine. So that is what you will do.” her tone brooked no argument.
Evangeline bristled at being addressed in such a way, and opened her mouth to protest, but Vivienne gave her a similar look to the one she had given the guard, and she immediately went quiet.
Adrian stared at Vivienne, then Evangeline, and then stared at Vivienne again, her expression awestruck. She elbowed Rhys, who ignored her.
“Go on,” Vivienne said, gesturing them inside. “Someone will meet you. I must stay here to guard the gates.”
Inside the city, Seeker Pentaghast came to find them.
“The guard let us know you'd arrived—good,” she said. She looked at Pharamond, who quaked at her scrutiny. “This is the man you were sent to rescue?”
Wynne nodded. “This is Pharamond.”
“Good. Most Holy will want to see him.”
“The Lord Seeker--” Evangeline began.
“Will be at the meeting as well,” Cassandra cut her off. “Come, this way.”
Evangeline hurried to catch up with Cassandra. “Pentaghast, what is going on?” she hissed. “That rabble outside the city—Enchanter de Fer at the gates--!”
“We were laid siege by General—by Duke Gaspard's forces,” Cassandra said, heaving a sigh. “The mages have been able to protect us, and Pharamond's arrival may prove very fortunate.” she shook her head. “Things are becoming...unstable.”
Evangeline slowed and fell back into step with Rhys and Adrian.
“I think there's something wrong,” she murmured.
“What, aside from everything we can already see?” Adrian exclaimed.
Evangeline nodded. “Seeker Pentaghast is her Holiness' left hand,” she said. “And the Divine wanting to see us before anyone else...?”
“Is the Seeker worried?” Rhys asked.
Evangeline looked back at Cassandra and bit her lip. “I'm not sure,” she said. “She might be. It's a little hard to tell with her.”
“I am sure it will be fine,” Wynne said, implacable as always.
“How can she not be worried?” Pharamond piped up. “I'd be worried. Oh, I can't stand crowds!”
Evangeline bit her lip.
“We're all going to see Most Holy?” Adrian asked.
“I suppose we must be,” Rhys said.
“Yes,” Cassandra appeared to have overheard them. “This is important enough that Her Holiness must see you all.”
The Grand Cathedral was locked tightly, and more people guarded the entrance. Two mages, one of the city guard, and a Templar who nodded at Cassandra as they passed. Inside, the Grand Cathedral was dark, until they came to the chamber where they met the Most Holy.
The meeting was small, the chamber almost empty. The Divine sat upon the Sunburst throne, her expression drawn and serious. A redheaded woman stood at her right side, and to the right of her was the Lord Seeker.
Somehow, Enchanter de Fer had gotten there ahead of them, and stood on the Lord Seeker's other side. It looked almost as if the redhead and Enchanter de Fer were flanking him. Cassandra went to stand on the Divine's left, one hand on the hilt of her sword.
Lambert glared at Evangeline, who looked away.
Rhys suspected Cole was somewhere in the shadows, but he hoped he wouldn't be there long. He suspected that Enchanter de Fer would notice and, from what he knew of her, she wouldn't take kindly to him being there.
“Let us be quick,” the Divine wasted no time. “The state of the city means we have no more time to spare. “Several years ago I asked someone to investigate the Rite of Tranquility for me. I felt that it might be worthwhile to investigate if we could remove a mage's power without crippling their mind as well. I understand that you have been somewhat successful in this endeavor,” she nodded at Pharamond.
“Why?” Lambert demanded. “Why would you do this? The Rite--”
The Divine cut him off, her tone cold. “I do not have to answer to you, Lambert.”
Rhys and Adrian glanced at each other, shocked. Pharamond bit his lower lip, eyes riveted on Lambert's furious expression. The tension in the room was so heavy it felt hard to breathe.
“Wynne, we received your report,” the Divine said. “It was fairly detailed, but I still have some questions.”
“Of course, Most Holy.” Wynne stepped forward to speak.
“What happened to the people of Adamant?”
Wynne hesitated. “They are dead.” she whispered at last.
“What?” Lambert demanded.
“They are dead,” she repeated, louder this time.
The Divine's shoulders slumped, and she closed her eyes for a moment. “Maker guide them,” she murmured. She opened her eyes again. “How?”
“The Veil was already thin,” Wynne explained. “Pharamond's experiments weakened it further.”
At that, Leliana and Enchanter de Fer shared an inscrutable look.
“Because of the weakening, demons and spirits began to push through at will--”
“Some were pulled through,” Pharamond interjected suddenly, his voice tight with emotion. “It was an accident—some were just curious—but the Veil--”
“So the spirits possessed people, and the Veil weakened further, and they began to tear each other apart,” Lambert growled.
“You don't understand!” Pharamond burst out “You didn't hear—it's not their fault they were like that, it's ours!”
“Pharamond,” Wynne said soothingly, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Peace,” Justinia raised a hand. “I simply need to know—was there promise to the experiment? Is it an accident that the Rite was reversed in this case, or could it be replicated again?”
“Of course it could,” Pharamond said in a rush, and everyone stared at him. “I mean—I—I didn't mean to be possessed,” he said. “But—you—Your Holiness--” he seemed to choke on his words, stumbling over himself in frustration. He took a deep breath. “Your Holiness, with the things the spirits have said—to unmake a Tranquil, all anyone ever had to do was ask.”
“What are you talking about?” Lambert demanded.
“Spirits and demons are reflections of us,” Pharamond said. “And we're connected to them—for Andraste's sake, the Fade is part of our dreams! They want to be closer to us—not just to possess us, but to try and help us, to enrich us! All a Tranquil has to do to stop being Tranquil is to connect with a spirit. That's all.” he looked straight at Lambert. “The demons don't come into play until we invent them.”
Lambert stepped forward, livid, and Pharamond flinched again.
Justinia tilted her head to one side, examining Pharamond. “Is it possible to remove a mage's magic without also damaging their mind?” she asked.
Pharamond looked away. “No,” he said, more quietly now. “No, it isn't.”
“Then this research was a failure,” Lambert snapped. “Pointless. Your Holiness, I fail to see what we are all doing here.”
“Why, Lambert, I thought you wished to be informed of the goings-on,” Justinia said, her tone edged in ice.
“This is pointless,” Lambert insisted. “Even now, there are rumors in the White Spire of making all Tranquil mages again!”
“And so you should!” Adrian exclaimed suddenly, moving forward, despite Rhys putting a hand on her arm. “They should never have been mutilated in the first place.”
“My dear, what would you have us do instead?” Enchanter de Fer spoke up for the first time. “Execute them?”
“Yes!” Adrian shouted. “Do you think it's kinder to turn us into automatons, into your servants?”
“I believe it is kinder to have any life than none at all,” Vivienne's voice was as cold as the moon. “Once someone is dead, they are gone forever. If they are alive, something can be done.”
“Ripping out everything that makes us a person is the same thing!”
“No. It is not.”
“Regardless,” Lambert said through gritted teeth. “This is pointless. By the elf's own admission, this research cannot be indulged further.”
Justinia pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath.
“Your Holiness, pardon me, but the decision is out of your hands,”
Everyone turned to stare at Wynne.
She smiled in a very calm and placid way as she said “You see, I have already sent the information on to the White Spire.”
The Divine was quiet for a long moment, her staring match with Wynne going on for an uncomfortably long time.
“Very well,” she said at last. “If this information cannot be hidden, then we must reconvene the College.”
“Your Holiness--!” Lambert exclaimed.
“If we don't do this now, there will be more rumors, more instability,” Justinia informed him. “The mages are our charges, as much as anyone else, and they must have the right to say what happens to them. Cassandra—” she looked to Seeker Pentaghast, who stepped forward. “See to the arrangements. The Conclave shall be held here, in the Grand Cathedral, instead of in Cumberland.”
“Yes, Most Holy,” Cassandra said.
“Many of the enchanters have already arrived,” Vivienne said. “Would you have me locate them--?”
"Yes, thank you, Enchanter,” Justinia said.
“Fine—if we are truly to reconvene the College, it will be allowed on one condition,” Lambert looked at Pharamond. “That mage be made Tranquil again.”
Adrian and Rhys both cried out in protest, and Pharamond let out a heartbroken wail. He sunk to his knees and Wynne put a hand on his shoulder.
“Please, Your Eminence, you can't--!” Wynne said.
“Murderer!” Adrian shouted at Lambert.
Lambert sneered.
“Enough!” the Divine got to her feet, and her voice was enough to get everyone to immediately quiet down. She glared at Lambert. “Lord Seeker, do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot do,” she snapped. “The last I looked, I was Divine here, and not you. In any case, we hardly have the lyrium to spare for the Templars,” she said. “We certainly don't have enough for the rite of Tranquility. In addition to this, he already knows how to undo the Rite,” she said, an implied 'you idiot' on the end of her sentence. “If someone else told him to, he would perform whatever was needed to undo it again. It would serve no purpose.”
“No purpose?” Lambert spluttered. “He is a clear candidate for possession--!”
“My dear Lord Seeker, if you could point us to a surplus of lyrium supplies, I would be quite happy to locate Templars willing to perform the Rite,” Vivienne said. “Unfortunately, we have none. If I were to deprive other Templars of their lyrium, I would be weakening the city's defenses. Unless that is your aim, I suggest you leave Pharamond be.”
“It will damage the city if he is possessed by a demon!” Lambert snarled, and Pharamond flinched.
“I will protect him,” Evangeline spoke up suddenly. “He is one of my charges. I will make sure he does not become possessed.”
Lambert glared at her, but she didn't look away this time. “Why not simply execute him?” he demanded of the Divine.
“I do not want to execute those who have done no wrong,” Justinia said. “Ser Evangeline has declared herself to be his protector. So she will protect him.”
“Ser Evangeline has no right to decide that,” Lambert said. “She has acted independently and--”
“Do you mean to question my orders another time, Lambert?” Justinia's tone was utterly icy, and Wynne looked a bit shocked. “You are testing my patience.”
They stood, watching each other, for a moment.
“As you wish, Most Holy,” Lambert growled.
“The Conclave will convene in a week's time,” Justinia said. “Many Enchanters are here already, and the attacks on the city mean we have no time to spare.” she looked at Wynne and the others. “A week's time,” she repeated. “I would urge you to be there.”
“Yes, Your Holiness,” Wynne inclined her head, and the others did the same. Justinia dismissed them.
“What do we do now?” Adrian asked. They were collecting themselves in a small antechamber a little ways away from the meeting room.
“The College reconvenes, of course,” Wynne said. “The Grand Enchanter and the others will be able to come together again.”
“What a delightful display, darling,” they all turned to see Vivienne striding towards them. “A fascinatingly bloodless way to reconvene the College. Commendable.”
“Madame de Fer,” Wynne smiled. “How nice to see you again.”
“A pleasure, my dears,” Vivienne said, and her own answering smile was as sharp as a razors' edge. Adrian and Rhys glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes. “And what do you think to accomplish with this meeting?” she asked Wynne.
“With luck, we can come to an accord with the Chantry,” Wynne said.
Vivienne's face fell just a bit. “My dear, I am unsure how likely that is, with the Empress still missing,” she said. “Part of the reason we are in this mess to begin with is because of her absence.”
“Nothing will be accomplished by the College being disbanded and our feelings being made to fester,” Wynne argued.
“True enough, in a sense,” Vivienne said. “Of course, one other problem is the forces of Gaspard's being on the doorstep.”
Wynne laughed at that. “I'm that you've done quite a good job at keeping them away yourself!”
Vivienne gave her own tinkling laugh. “Of course, my dear! I cannot let a mob of unruly mercenaries despoil our fair city, can I?” she took a breath. “Of course...there are some things you must be aware of.”
“What is it?”
“Seeker Cassandra or Sister Leliana will most likely want to meet with you before the Conclave to discuss it,” Vivienne said, her expression serious.
"What's going on?” Adrian demanded.
“Something very...untoward.” Vivienne's expression was sour. “In any case, I should not be speaking of it at the moment. I urge that you prepare yourselves for the Conclave.”
“Thank you, Vivienne.” Wynne said.
“Of course.” Vivienne turned to leave, but then looked at Evangeline. “Oh, and Ser Evangeline—it is quite magnanimous of you to devote yourself to protecting Pharamond,” she smiled at Evangeline, and her smile seemed genuine. “Pharamond, my dear, if you need assistance with magical control, I am something of an expert. I would hardly want anything to happen to you, or the people around you.”
Then she left.
“That woman is terrifying,” Rhys said.
“That is certainly her reputation,” Wynne agreed.
Adrian rounded on Evangeline. “Why did you say you were going to protect Pharamond?” she demanded. “You were going to kill him back in Adamant!”
“I thought--” she looked at Pharamond, then looked away. She sighed. “I didn't think. I just—I didn't think it would be right.” she glanced at Rhys out of the corner of her eye.
“Not that I'm ungrateful,” Pharamond said. “But...what made you change your mind?”
“You...” Evangeline shook her head. “Did you see the way Most Holy spoke to the Lord Seeker?” she asked.
“She was angry.”
“She was. My loyalty is to her, above all else. And if she was angry with him then maybe...maybe his decisions aren't the ones I should be listening to.” again, she glanced at Rhys. “And hearing what you've all said about it...I...” she closed her eyes. “I said that you mages are protected, sheltered in your Circles,” she said.
Adrian scowled.
“But Enchanter de Fer was at the gates, defending the city—and she said so many other mages were helping as well, I--”
“Realized you were being an idiot?” Adrian raised her eyebrow.
“Adrian!” Rhys hissed.
Evangeline fell silent.
“Well,” Pharamond said at length. “I'm happy, anyway.”
Later, Wynne was by herself, and Vivienne came to see her.
“Wynne.”
“Vivienne,” Wynne smiled. “How nice to see you. What is it?”
“There are--” Vivienne sighed. “There are many things in motion, my dear, and I feel we must be prepared.”
“Prepared for what?” Wynne narrowed her eyes. “What is the matter?”
“When the other Enchanters arrive, there will be those who, when they hear of what is happening, will demand we secede,”
“Of course. Fiona and the others have made their feelings quite clear.”
Vivienne shook her head. “In this case, they will have far more evidence than simple complaints.”
Wynne widened her eyes. “Why?”
Vivienne closed her eyes, and for a moment looked terribly exhausted. “Wynne, you cannot have ignored the words of spirits and demons as of late,”
“Of course not. But I thought that you would never have--”
“And I would not have, except for how they are all speaking the same thing, over and over.”
“The wolf.”
“Yes. The wolf. And the Elder One.”
Wynne sighed. “And you believe these might be the push the College needs to secede?”
“My dear, you are aware of how many civilians number among us—most of them simply want to be left alone, and the Templars and whatever is happening in the Fade will make them more likely simply to want to isolate themselves.”
Wynne's expression grew grim. “There is something the matter with the Templars, then.”
“Yes,” Vivienne frowned slightly. “I had hoped that the tensions within the Chantry would have resolved themselves—we need unity now more than ever. But...”
“It has only become worse?”
“Worse than you know,” Vivienne said. “I should not tell you everything. Even now, some secrets must yet be kept.”
“Oh, dear,” Wynne murmured.
“Exactly. When Her Holiness decides to divulge the information she has given me, then you might know, but until then...”
“I understand. I...do not like to hear this, Vivienne.”
“Neither would I, were I in your place. No matter how one looks at this situation, it is a poor one on all sides.”
“What do you plan to do?'
“I plan to attend the Conclave and urge for allegiance with Her Holiness,” she said.
“Allegiance?” Wynne frowned. “Why? We are already bound to her--”
“No, we are particularly beholden to the Templars. I believe our ties to the Chantry have become...muddied over time,” Vivienne said. “The Templars have become afraid of magic, rather than those who protect and advise in its use. Her Holiness understands these things better than they do.”
Wynne tilted her head back and regarded Vivienne with a curious gaze. “I see,” she said. “And what do you wish me to do?”
“Stand against those who would urge secession,” Vivienne said. “We cannot afford it. With the army marching upon Val Royeaux and things threatening to completely fall apart, we cannot be divided.”
“I agree,” Wynne said with a nod. “Fiona may not like it, but I agree.”
“It is fortunate that Pharamond yet lives, and is still not Tranquil,” Vivienne added. “If he had been made Tranquil, I suspect that those who wished to secede would be given a great deal more cause to do so, in their minds.”
Wynne nodded. “Absolutely,” she said. “That is one of the more significant reasons behind the idea of secession, I believe.”
Vivienne gave a tiny, derisive smirk. “Yes. One of the reasons.”
Cole had not made an appearance for several days, and was beginning to fade somewhat from Rhys' memories. Evangeline had taken to writing his description down, and could only hope that he would be able to look after himself.
Evangeline was constantly expecting the Lord Seeker, but he appeared to be ignoring her. She did not know whether to be relieved or worried. All she had to do at the moment was watch Pharamond. Apparently her Holiness had taken Evangeline's promise to protect the former Tranquil to heart, and they had both been assigned a room in the Grand Cathedral to share.
The more she watched Pharamond, the more she grew ashamed of herself for even thinking of raising a sword to him. Though they had traveled on the road together, she had not had much time with him.
He proved to be a gentle man, exuberant and passionate, and with outbursts of laughter or sobbing that were perhaps inappropriate or unwarranted, but he was by no means a danger. He hardly appeared to know any battle magic at all, and simply delighted in learning things. He shuddered at the thought of battle, and was constantly worried for the safety of those who went into it.
Right now, Evangeline watched Pharamond thumb through a book. Occasionally he murmured to himself or made a note, marking a page.
“If you think too hard about demons, they'll come, you know,” Pharamond told her, not looking up. Occasionally he did this, appearing to notice her eyes on him without looking at her.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” Pharamond nodded and finally looked up. “The Fade reflects the thoughts and minds of the living. Therefore, if you think about demons, demons will come.”
Evangeline snorted. “You have told me this theory of yours before. I don't believe it.”
Pharamond laughed. “Oh, come now, are you really not going to believe someone who's made a study of it?” he waved a hand. “Why do you think they made me Tranquil in the first place?”
They both froze, and Pharamond seemed to realize he'd said something uncomfortable. He fell silent.
“Why did they?” Evangeline asked at length.
Pharamond shrugged, not looking at her. “I was always an odd child,” he said, avoiding her eyes. “Didn't look at teachers, didn't listen, laughed at the wrong things...listened to spirits.”
“Oh.” that must have been it, then. Odd behavior alone didn't merit a Rite. Or it wasn't supposed to, anyway. “You shouldn't have done that.”
“There's nothing wrong with most spirits,” Pharamond insisted. “The way they are is the way we made them.”
“How can you say that? After seeing what happened at Adamant?” Evangeline demanded, staring at him.
He flinched, and she sighed.
“Pharamond,” she said, more gently. “Please...tell me why you think that. If that were so, why would we have imagined demons? I hardly want to run into a demon.”
“Ah, but everyone has fears, don't they?” Pharamond pointed out. “Whether you want to or not. And see, in the Fade, that's reflected. Everyone gets angry, sad, fearful—all those bad things that you might not want to feel, but you do.”
“And...that makes demons?” Evangeline raised her eyebrows.
Pharamond nodded. “Exactly. A negative emotion will create a negative spirit. I think...somewhere along the way, we became frightened of these things we created by accident. And when we became frightened of them, they became stronger and more twisted, and then it happened again and again—and now we have what we have now.”
Evangeline sighed and leaned her head back on the wall. “If good thoughts were all that were needed to stop demons, wouldn't they be stopped now?”
“How easy is it for you to stop being angry at someone you hate?” Pharamond asked her. “Say...a murderer. Could you stop being angry at them so easily? It's much easier to hate than it is to forgive. Or, could you be happy if you were hungry and cold? Maybe that's part of the idea behind the Circles.”
“I don't know,” Evangeline said. “I would think that someone would've thought of it before now.”
Pharamond laughed, his voice echoing loudly in the small room. “Oh, Ser Evangeline, let me tell you, it's hard enough for people to figure their own minds out—how are we supposed to work out the minds of spirits?”
Evangeline gave a slight smile. “I suppose,” she said. “That is entirely possible.”
“If we stopped being afraid, this would all stop,” he said. “So much of the terrible things in the world are caused by fear.”
“How do you know this?” Evangeline asked.
“Oh, being a Tranquil, you're in a unique position to examine the emotions of others,” Pharamond explained, his expression more downcast now. “And what I saw was that a lot of people were afraid, and when they were afraid, then they became angry. That's why so many young mages are hurt by peasants or their families—people are afraid of magic.”
“With good reason,” Evangeline muttered.
“I don't think so,” Pharamond said.
“No? What about a young mage who sets a house on fire by accident, or summons a demon? Aren't they worthy of being afraid of?”
Pharamond shrugged. “I don't know. I just don't think you can help anything by making people afraid of their own children.” at this, he gave her a quick glare, then looked out the window. “So many people get on just fine,” he said. “The Dalish, the Avvar, the Chasind—they do just fine with their mages.”
That was blatantly wrong, Evangeline knew that for certain. “The Dalish cast their mages out.”
Pharamond laughed. “Oh, Evangeline, you best not say that to one of them,” he said. “At Adamant, a Dalish woman came through one time. She'd gotten separated from her Clan in a storm, and the Lord Mayor let her stay for a little bit while she searched for them. More fool I, I asked her about that. She hit me so hard it made my teeth rattle.”
Evangeline gaped at him, shocked. “Why?”
“Well...” at that he was abashed again. “I think I frightened her, being Tranquil, and on top of that offended her with the question. She shouted quite a bit about how magic was a gift from the Creators, and how dare I accuse her people of abandoning their children, and quite a lot in Dalish that I didn't really understand.”
“Oh,” Evangeline raised her eyebrows. “I suppose I'll remember that for the future.”
“You really should,” Pharamond nodded sagely. “Did you truly not know that?”
“No. The Circles have many Dalish come to them.”
Pharamond knitted his brows together. “Did you never serve in a Circle?”
“Not retrieving apostates, no. Only guarding.”
“Oh. You see, the Dalish woman—Zalis was her name—told me that Templars attacked their Clans, and took mage children away. That idea that the Dalish abandoned them—well I don't know where it came from. Templars who didn't want to admit to kidnapping children, Dalish who just wanted Templars to leave them alone...whatever it is, it isn't true.”
“Templars don't kidnap children,” Evangeline said.
“Evangeline, you should know better than that,” Pharamond informed her. “Many children came to the Circle afraid, terrified because as far as they knew, Templars had stolen them away from their families. Did you truly never see that?”
“I...” Evangeline trailed off. “I...” the sound of someone crying could easily be heard in any of the Circles she had been at. Children, babies, adults. She had...always tuned it out. She thought it was just...dramatics.
He just watched her.
“The Circles aren't...” her own voice was weak. “They aren't...like that.”
“Ser Evangeline.”
She flinched at his tone. “It's for your own safety,” she said. “Mages cannot be free. They will...they will hurt people.”
“Is that really true?” Pharamond said. “Or, because you are afraid of them, and you hurt them, they only want to stop themselves from being hurt?”
Evangeline was silent.
Pharamond opened his book again. “You hurt them, they hurt you, and you hurt them back,” he said. “It won't stop until one of you stops being afraid.”
“I am not afraid.”
“You can't fool someone who has spent decades watching scared people and not being one himself, Evangeline,” Pharamond said.
“Enough,” she decided. “Why don't we speak of something else?”
He shrugged. “Alright. Do you know about the different kinds of plants that grow near Val Royeaux?” he asked eagerly. He flipped his book around to show her that he had been reading a botanical guide. “I've never seen them before! Have you?”
She managed a weak smile and leaned closer, to see which ones he meant.