(Everyone, thank you for all the feedback, particularly the constructive criticism. Fight scenes are one of my great weaknesses, so the more help I get on how to keep them interesting, the better!

uchiha jinrai: It will come.)

62. Desire's Deal

The first time she had disappeared, he'd been confused. The second time, he'd been annoyed. Now, he was just plain furious.

Kazar planted himself in the middle of the Fade island, letting magical fire crawl up his arms in clear threat. "Come out, demon, or I burn this entire place down, and take the kid with it!"

"As you wish, little mage," cooed the creature's sultry voice. The Desire Demon appeared in front of him in a rush of smoke, a pout on her face. "You're no fun."

"Fun? Maybe I was unclear about how this works the first three times. I fight you. You die. No more of this blasted poofing to a different spot when I'm about to deliver the killing blow."

"Must it really be so?" she sighed. The fingers of one hand idly ran down her bare breast. "There are so many more pleasant ways to handle this confrontation, don't you think?"

He forced his eyes back up to her face, and scowled, insulted. "Is everything about sex, with you creatures?"

"Not carnal pleasures, then." The Desire Demon glided past him, her hand brushing his cheek as she passed.

He jerked back and spun, not wanting to lose sight of her again. Not after chasing her halfway across the Fade island. Three times.

"Certainly, there are other things you desire. Things that may be in my power to grant." She studied him for a long moment, her eyes digging deep into his psyche. Then, her sultry smile turned sly. "Yes, I see that there is one thing."

"If you think you can extort me-"

She laughed, a musical sound. "Extortion? Such a strange word when faced with Desire!" She glided up close enough that he could smell the brimstone of her skin, and he hurriedly stepped back. "No, what I propose is an exchange. Something I desire more than anything… for something you desire more than anything."

He should blast her now. He really, really should just throw out a lightning bolt and be done with this whole ordeal. The others were waiting for him.

"Power, little mage," she whispered, reaching forward to wrap a talon-like hand around his chin. "And all the freedom and joy that comes with it. You crave it. You burn for it."

The words twisted inside him, wrapping around him like a spell. But it wasn't a spell. He swallowed.

"I can give you such power... more than you've ever dreamed. No one will dare to challenge you. No one will ever again tell you what to do. No one will ever be able to do as he did." One of her hands skimmed his throat. He shuddered but he was too entranced to think about pulling away. She stepped behind him and whispered into his ear with a voice like nectar: "Would it not be utterly delectable, to return and ensure his demise by the very same magic he once used to control you?"

"Blood magic," Kazar breathed, though there didn't seem to be enough air. All he smelled was brimstone. "You're offering to teach me blood magic."

She pressed against his back, running her hands leisurely up his sides. A ripple of goosebumps followed in her hands' wakes. "If your incompetent friend is made so powerful through the art as to send other mages into the Fade and knock Templars unconscious, then imagine what you, the most talented mage of your generation, will become." Her hand caressed his face, and he found himself pressing into the touch.

"Unstoppable," he whispered, and he sounded possessed, even to himself. He tried to shake her off and gather his wits, but the demon's words made his heart patter and his head spin. "No... this is a trick. You're trying to possess me."

"Mm… if only," her voice cooed in his ear. Her grip loosened, and she came around in front of him again, her eyes appreciative. "A mage of your power and beauty would certainly bring… delicious results. But no, a Pride Demon has already staked a future claim on your soul, and I am in no position to fight him."

Keep your wits about you, mage. True tests never end. "Mouse."

"But even a Greater Pride Demon would be no match for you," the demon purred, "were you to take me up on my offer."

Kazar's wits seemed to be returning, though he still shivered with the rush of powerlust she'd invoked. "What do you take me for? You think I'd sell my soul for... for power?" His mouth was dry, though, and his voice had an uncertain quaver in it.

"Not yours," she said. "The boy's."

"No deal." The words were not nearly as forceful as they should have been.

"Why so hasty?" she cooed, unperturbed, and began circling him again. "Think of what you're giving up. What you desire, more than anything, is to be seen as the great asset that you are. You wish for nothing more than the opportunity and tools to defeat your foes... which as a Grey Warden, happens to involve this Blight. Do you not owe it to your order, Grey Warden, to take a tool of such utility as the one I offer? When it means that, should your companions fall, you will have the strength to destroy an entire horde? Is that not worth more than one child?"

He was slipping. He could feel his will scrabbling for purchase, as if the floor were tilting and there was nothing to hold onto. "And what would you demand in return? The kid?"

"Eventually, yes." She pouted. "I can see that you would have no interest in my offer were I to continue as I have been. Your companions would immediately notice something amiss. But we spirits can be… very patient."

"You're saying you'd leave Connor and come back later?"

"Yes. Long after your Blight is finished. Long past the point when anyone would suspect you. You leave me with my life today, and vow not to interfere when I finally do claim my host… and you will have all the power you have ever desired."

Once again, her words were intoxicating, but more from the promise in them than any actual spell. He took a shaky breath. "The others would never forgive me."

"They need not know." Her smile was enticing, and he found himself taking a step closer to her.

Power. Unlike anything he'd ever imagined. He'd be able to move mountains… to call storms upon anyone who stood against him. No one would be able to use him like a puppet… a doll. All he had to do was sign away the soul of some dumb kid who had dealt with a demon to save his father's life.

They needed power, didn't they? They needed every advantage to stop the Blight. No one else but him could provide this sort of firepower, so didn't he have a responsibility to take it? Kazar licked his lips, and he felt the demon's claws twining through his hair. He leaned his head back into the touch.

"You will be free," she whispered, her breath hot against his throat. "The most powerful mage in the world." Her hands tugged, and a throaty groan escaped him. "Unstoppable."

"Yes," he gasped breathlessly. "I accept, yes. Teach me."

Her chuckle was molten against his throat, and he shivered in something that he could only assume felt like lust. Her talons glided down to caress his cheeks, guiding his face forward so that he looked into her deep, ageless eyes.

She smiled and Kazar could see all his old dreams and secret yearnings fulfilled in her gaze. "I knew there was a way this could end pleasurably," she purred, and leaned in to press their lips together.