Ilska stays between Cia and everyone else, and isn't growling by sheer force of will, and a desire to not mess things up for Cia.

Cia keeps eir chin high, and does a remarkable job of not looking any more scared than any other child separated from their guardian would. It helps that Ilska's right there, and Cia knows Ilska won't let anything happen to em.

They're lead into a wide, open area surrounded by thick, iron fences. There is thrumming to them that Cia can probably tell as magic suppressant. 

"All right, girls on the left, boys on the right," a bored sounding Templar calls. One near Ilska immediately starts pulling her away from Cia.

She hisses and struggles to pull free of his grasp.

-Cia hates this, but they need to be invisible. "Ilska," ey says quietly. "S'okay. Just- just do as they say."

“Get in line!” The Templar barks, trying to throw Ilska behind a crying boy. 

Ilska snarls angrily, but catches sight of Cia, who's silently imploring her to just behave, be invisible. She still looks a little like a ruffled cat, but she doesn't fight back.

Once the two sides are lined up, Templars walk down, casting...something. A few kids flinch and try to run, they get captured and led behind a portcullis. 

Soon the Templars are in front of Cia. One casts a field, draining her of magic. They look for a reaction. 

Ey stares blankly at them, knees locked tight. Ey's shaking, but ey's been shaking since they pushed em into this line, so that's nothing peculiar.

“Anything?” One asks. The one who cast the anti-magic on Cia shakes his head, and they move on. 

“Any family we can notify?” A bored man walks up to Cia, writing board in hand. 

"We came with- Anders. A Warden. We're conscripts."

“We have no way of contacting the local Wardens, though you can leave a message with the guard.” The man writes something down. “Otherwise you’re free to go. Ferries into Kirkwall proper are back at the docks.”

With that he walks up to the next non-mage child, asking her the same question in the same bored voice.

Cia looks to see whether Ilska's been checked, and they can...figure out what to do from there.

Ilska has been checked, and no Templars are paying them any attention. 

Cia immediately latches back onto Ilska. "We should- the ferries into Kirkwall proper. We need to-"

Ilska nods, and steers them back towards the docks, hissing at any Templars that get too close. Or anybody who gets too close.

There’s a steady flow of people heading there, and plenty of ferries. They should have no problem heading into Kirkwall. 

On one boat, they can see Lirene’s husband. He seems to be looking for someone. 

Cia flags him down. Maybe he can help them find Anders.

He spots them, looking relieved, and fights his way through the crowd to get to them. “Kids! Thank the Maker. You all right?”

"I- Yeah. Yeah, we're fine. I-" Stops emself immediately asking after Anders. "Lirene? Your little one?"

“Yeah, yeah, all fine. Headed into the city no problem, to my cousin’s. She came over during the Blight, ‘bout a year ago.”

He starts showing them towards a boat, not touching them, but keeping close. 

Yeah, Cia can follow that, even if Ilska is eyeing him a little suspiciously. "-Why aren't you with her?"

“Your...boss? Yeah, he asked me to stay behind in case you got out today, and after everything you did for Lirene and me, I wouldn’t turn that down. Ever. We got your back.”

Once all of them are on, the ferry pushes off, heading into a city seemingly chiselled onto the side of a cliff. 

"-Oh." Somehow, Cia hadn't quite expected Anders to actually care that much. Even if everything he'd done suggested that he would. "I- thank you. We- we're grateful."

“It’s nothing, kid. Really. Lirene might’ve died if you and the lanky one weren’t there. I mean...Warden?”

The ferry ride isn’t long, and soon they’re touching against the docks. These ones have merchants set up all along the breadth and there seems to be giant horned men watching all along a section of wall. 

“All right, Lowtown should just be up those stairs. Follow me.”