Accursed Ones: Chapter 98
AO3 Link: Abstention and Absolution
Fandom: Dragon Age (Dragon Age Origins: Awakening & Dragon Age 2)
Main Pairings (M/M): Anders / Hawke & Anders / Amell & Anders / Justice Side Pairings (M/F & M/F/F): Nathaniel Howe / Velanna & Fenris / Isabela / Merrill
Story Word Count: 555992
Story Summary: “Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him. Foul and corrupt are they who have taken His gift, and turned it against His children. They shall be named Maleficar, accursed ones. They shall find no rest in this world, or Beyond.” Anders knew the verse. Every mage did. But Anders was a runner. He ran from the Circle. He ran from the Templars. He ran from relationships. So what did he care? He was never going to rest anyway.
Chapter Summary: In which there is no abstention and no absolution.
Chapter Word Count: 8513
Chapter Snippet: It was mid-day, and the market was making use of the light that breached the sunken quarries. Marchers flooded the streets, an undulating mass of cutpurses and customers. Shopkeeps moved like serpents, snatching up any who strayed too close to the edge. Stalls blended seamlessly with shacks, making it impossible to tell which was which, save for the vendors that burst out of them. Each one was worse than the last.
