Life had a way of turning in directions that one least expected. On agreeing to transfer away from Kinloch Hold Cullen had done so because it was the right decision. The towers corridors constantly triggered the memories of nightmares best forgotten. Although the nightmares still haunted his sleep the daylight hours had become easier since the transfer. He no longer walked dark corridors that sent his heart racing uncontrollably. He no longer walked past the door that always blurred his vision and made his chest clench as if a dozen bricks had suddenly broken loose from the walls and fallen on him. He no longer saw the faces of the dead flash before his eyes, other than in his dreams. He had also no longer been required to deal with the constant ache in the pit of his stomach every time she crossed his path.

The demons had made it worse.

In the beginning it had been but a small flame that ignited and flickered when he was near her. They were gentle tugs that had drawn him towards her and compelled him to speak with her when no other templar would. Gentle enough that they could be ignored and resisted when he found himself tempted further.

Then the demons came.

They forced him to the ground and fed him lyrium in large doses, the mages that summoned them. The effect had been a strange sensation of being in between both wakefulness and the fade. Then the hallucinations started, only they were real, vivid and every touch could be felt as easily as seen. They came to him in her image and tried to seduce him. The fire that burned within ignited and grew. He felt fingers that were hers but not hers against his bare skin, lips against his lips, soft, taunting, enticing and almost irresistible. He did resist but only barely and the damage had been done. He knew the warmth of her touch, the softness of her lips, how his skin would burn under her administrations. It made resisting her real self in the months after, a constant battle within that he felt he was loosing. It had been a relief to put that distance between them, to have the temptation far out of reach.

Only now she was in Kirkwall. A Mage running around the city unchecked, a danger to them all. Somehow it was difficult to see her as anyone but the shy, quiet, bookish young lady she had been in Ferelden.

After he had seen to it that Berton was securely back in his own quarters, sleeping off his latest stint with too many ales, Cullen had returned to his room. Whilst laying awake in the dark he worked out a story to take to the Knight-Commander the next morning. The story was to go along with the information about the latest apostate now roaming the streets. He couldn't very well tell her he had been out to sneak Berton back in. Coming up with the story had taken no time at all. Convincing himself that he had no choice but to inform her of Jayde's presence in Kirkwall, took somewhat longer and only happened after he had come up short in trying to find a reason not to inform her.

He paused outside of the Knight-Commander's office for a moment before he raised his hand, curled his fingers into his palm and knocked on the door.

A muffled sounding, "Come in," came from somewhere on the other side of the door. As he turned the handle and gave to door a light push, it opened to reveal Meredith huddled over her desk studying a parchment intently.

He cleared his throat, "Knight-Commander."

After a slight delay she broke her eyes away from the parchment and looked up. She was distracted at first until her eyes registered recognition, "Ahh Knight-Captain. I've been meaning to find a moment to speak with you. After having a chance to read the full missive I am afraid it is a matter of some urgency."

Cullen nodded and cupped his hands behind his back as he waited patiently for her to continue.

"I have received word from Kinloch Hold about an escaped mage who they believe might have been heading for Kirkwall," as Meredith paused for a moment Cullen cut in.

"Jayde Amell," he said quietly.

"So you are aware then and you know her?" Meredith's eyes narrowed as she studied him closer.

"That was the purpose of my visit. I was out walking last night. As you are aware I often have trouble sleeping, when I spotted someone who I am fairly certain was her speaking with Hawke." As determined as he was to remain loyal to the Templars and no matter how dangerous he knew mages to be, he still could not keep the slight hitch out of his voice. He knew, more than likely, he had just condemned Jayde to a life of being Tranquil. Should they manage to catch her. "The one part of this that doesn't make sense is, why Kirkwall?"

Kirkwall didn't make any sense to him at all in fact. It was like escaping the circle in Kirkwall and running straight for the Ferelden Circle, only to be caught. No mage in their right minds would risk going near another circle like that without a good reason once they had managed an escape.

"The missives found in her room suggested communication between herself and her family. They expected that she would reach out to them for assistance and it appears as if she has done exactly that," Meredith answered as if the answer should have been obvious to him.

"The last I heard, she had no family." His brow furrowed in confusion, had she lied to him about her family? If that was true what else had she lied about?

"Ahh, Kirkwall history. It is easy to forget sometimes that you are new here. Leandra Hawke was originally Leandra Amell, she fled Kirkwall some years ago to marry an apostate. They returned during the blight and retook control over the Amell Estate. It would appear as though Jayde Amell intended to join them, at least for a while." Meredith moved out from behind her desk to stand in front of Cullen.

"You also need to read the reports of her escape, I will see to it that they are made available to you." Her eyes appeared to bore straight through his, "All of our Templars will need to be on alert. She is dangerous."

Cullen swallowed hard. He had not wanted to believe she may have changed that much but he did know all mages to be capable of it. "What of her phylactery?" He asked. "It would make tracking her exact location faster."

Meredith shifted a little, it had to be the first time Cullen had ever seen her appear uncomfortable. "It seems as if hers was overlooked. It never arrived with the others to begin with."

"That would suggest her escape was planned for some time," Cullen mumbled under his breath. He had still been there when the phylacteries had been moved, she must have been planning an escape all along. Had her sweet, innocent shy act all been faked?

"I have a meeting with the Grand Cleric, I am already late. Read those reports and watch your back," Meredith breezed out of her office, leaving Cullen standing there lost in his own thoughts.

The room in the Gallows was a simple one that served only the most basic needs. Two beds resided on opposite sides with a small set of wooden drawers in between. The drawers served as both a bedside table and a place for underwear to be stored. Beside the door was a small wooden closet barely large enough to hold the most basic clothing for off-duty hours. The remainder of the room was bare and decorated in drab greys that did little to inspire. Normally Cullen spent so little time in the room that he never really thought to be bothered by the lack of space or decor. In addition he rarely saw his roommate, that also suited him well enough. Although the man was friendly Cullen had no real interest in close friendships. He would only lose them again to the next abomination assault, when a few mages decided to go awry.

As he sat in the middle of the bed holding the missive that contained the recount of Jayde's escape. It was one of those moments when he was grateful to be alone. The paper was shaking so violently that reading the written words had become impossible but, he had read enough. His breathing quickened as his throat constricted. His heart was thumping in his chest hard enough he thought it would burst out of his chest and land on the bed at any moment. Cullen closed his eyes and carefully took in a few longer more steady breaths to calm himself. His heart rate and breathing normalised but, the paper in his hand continued to shake. He didn't want to believe her capable of the things the report had said and yet she was.

The report read that there had been a group of mages within Kinloch Hold that the templars had begun suspecting were practising blood magic in secret. They had a list of those believed to be part of that group. Fifteen mages all up, the most blood magic users the circle had ever seen at the one time. The very idea of so many at once made Cullen shudder. One morning during inspection they had found vials under Jayde's mattress that contained recent blood traces. As was standard procedure whenever a blood mages activities were proven, the Templars drained the magical power from her and placed her in solitary. At least that's what they had set out to do. Somehow she was prepared. She had taken a large dose of lyrium right before, so when they thought her power was drained it had not been. The first victims of her escape were the Templars tasked with putting her in the cell. Three all up. After that it appeared as if she had additional help from the outside, a back door had been broken through which allowed her to leave the tower. Over all, nine Templars had been killed as she made her way through the tower to the waiting, open door.

Cullen would never have thought her capable of taking on even one Templar, let alone three at once. He had always believed her to be a healer with perhaps some minor elemental spells she had learned early. It was normal for young mage students to be taught a wide variety of spells until it became more clear which magical art they had an affinity for. What was written in the reports was not the work of any healer, it spelled destruction. The only other magic capable of that much damage at once, was blood magic.

Cullen ripped the missive that was in his hand, screwed it up and threw it across the room.