"Death is not the greatest loss. The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live." ~ Norman Cousins

Chapter 3

Beware to All You Pear Shaped Beings and Forgotten Creatures

The icy winds wiped across Emel's face as both she and Cole rode out into the night. Emel knew what she was doing was wrong. With things as they were now, the mages nerves were so frayed it was hard to make any logical decisions. The thought of regret was so high that Emel let her emotions get the better of her. If they executed it properly they could make it to Redcliff before the nights end and it wouldn't take long for them to reach Skyhold early the next day. Sore and tired Emel whipped the reins for the beast to go faster but regretted it as Cole whispered into her ear about the horses physical state.

"Heart beating, white hot pain flashes through him, signaling him on. But he can only go so fast, Emel."

"I know," the Inquisitor spoke, "but if we don't make schedule."

"Than they will know." Cole finished hugging the Inquisitor tighter causing Emel's hear skip a beat. "I understand."

The rest of the journey felt far from the hours long trek it had been the first time she made it across the Hinterlands. Dennet's stallions were indeed the best in Ferelden, probably even in all of Thedas, for their speed. By the time the duo saw the gates of Redcliff it had been well into the night. Their ride was all but spent so Emel immediately removed it's saddle and led it to the towns stables to rest and eat. Dennet would kill her but chances were Emel would either have to trade the horse in or push the poor thing hard to get back before anyone noticed they were gone. The mage didn't know the chances of getting the local stable master to cooperate this late at night but they had no choice.

"Why are we here?" Cole asked for the umpteenth time.

"We're here because whatever is here will help you."

"But how? How will this stop me from getting bound to blood mages?"

Emel sighed her hands shaking as she threaded them through honey locks.

"I don't know." Trying to find the right words without telling the man beside her the truth Emel turned to Cole and reached for his hand. "Cole, you trust me don't you?"

Cole fidgeted for a moment, watching his feet kick up a cloud of dirt as he nervously fidgeted. The spirit wasn't looking her in the eyes and Emel worried that he might know what she had done. What had really caused this but knew it couldn't be that or else Cole wouldn't have asked Emel to bind him to her. With her other hand the blonde gently steered his face so compassion was staring at her.

"You do, don't you?" For a long time she watched as he stared at her intently. He had to be looking into her thoughts. It felt as though Emel's heart had fallen into her feet before Cole made any move. Removing the mages hand from his face Cole gently embraced her. It wasn't for very long but it was probably the most intimate act Emel had ever shared with the spirit and when it was done Emel was left wanting more.

"I trust you." Cole answered his voice soft, gentle and unusually even for the emotional creature. It wasn't until he squeezed Emel's hand reassuringly that she realized they were even still linked. The mage knew she should probably be feeling remorse, bitter guilt that should be tearing her up from the inside but instead she felt courage. An undeserved comfort for someone as foul as she. Taking in a deep breath of air to clear her head Emel tried to remember what the demon told her.

A man making a deal, with a dwarf from the merchants guild, would be outside Redcliff.

The instructions were simple if not vague. The only issue was where to look first? The demon had told her that Cole was connected to this man in some way. Perhaps Cole was the compass that would lead them north...?

"Cole, I need you to focus. Is there anything here that pulls at you? Something that calls to you more than the hurting or helping of others."

"I don't know." Cole answered bewildered

"I need you to try. Can you do that for me? Tell me if you can sense something- well, wrong."

"I don't know if I can but I'll try." Compassion closed his eyes in concentration and Emel waited patiently. "I do sense something."

Letting go, Cole stumbled about with his eyes closed as he seemed to be trying to find the right direction. It almost reminded Emel of when hound dogs tried to find a specific scent but aside from looking cute the Inquisitor hoped he wouldn't fall on his face. As Emel fretted she began to hear the cryptic mumblings that assured her that perhaps her plan on having the spirit search out their mystery man wasn't such a bad idea. "Warm, soft blanket covering but it catches tears. I'm the wrong shape. There's something-" Emel knew they had found their man as Cole pointed out to a statue a hundred yards away. "There, that way."

Willing their feet to move both comrades moved towards the griffon statue as quietly as possible. Neither knew what to expect but when they saw the man in the light Emel's breath hitched. There they were, the dwarf and the man, talking in secrecy as the man excepted a little wooden box.

"There, that should get me through the month." As the man handed money to the dwarf to finalize their transaction Cole shot up from the dark marching towards the pair.

"Give me a moment." The said in hush tone as he dismissed the dwarf who seemed all to eager to leave. "May I help you?" The man called unsure of what to expect. Emel raced to catch up with Cole and could see the man more clearly. He was nothing but thick dress and a large mustache. Perhaps he looked good beneath all the clothes and hair but Emel couldn't tell as his garb seemed to cover most of him up.

"You-" Cole spoke shakily, his words carrying rage. Before Emel could react the spirit grabbed the mustached man by his head dress and forced him on his knees. "You killed me!"

The Inquisitor was shocked at her friends sudden display of aggression. "Cole!"

"What?" The man laughed. "I don't- I don't even know you." Playing it calm the man raised his hands in the air to show he was unarmed but Cole didn't ease up.

"You forgot! You locked me in the dungeon in the spire and you forgot and I died in the dark!" Cole cried startling both Emel and the stranger.

"The Spire-" the man whispered out as though recalling some long forgotten memory.

"Cole, stop!" Emel said grabbing his shirt and pulling him off the man. Giving the stranger time to break free and escape; Cole's eyes followed the man as he ran into the forest. "What are you doing?"

"He killed me! He killed me and now I have to kill him back!" Cole said turning his rage on Emel who was too emotionally drained to react.

"Before anyone kills anyone, Cole! I need to know what's going on!" Emel said trying to sooth her friend. "I can help, but you need to make more sense."

Rubbing his face in his hands Cole searched for the proper words. "A broken body, bloody, banged on the stone cell. Guts gripping in the dark dank. A captured apostate. They threw him into the spire at the dungeon of Val Royeaux. They forgot about him. He starved to death. I came through to help and I- I couldn't. So I became him. Cole."

"Cole, I-" Emel was at a loss for words. Torn between tears and rage, Emel had heard of what happened to Cole before he joined the inquisition. Little, cryptic tidbits of who he was and knew he was afraid of becoming a demon. That was why he had nagged her about killing him if he became a demon. That was why he wanted Emel to bind him. That was why he followed the Templars despite his fear of them and if that man belonged to the spire it meant he was either a Templar or a Mage. Painfully so, it was clear it was the first of the two choices.

"So if that man was a Templar. Than that would make that wooden box in his hands smuggled Lyrium." Emel spoke more to herself than her companion.

"Let me kill him. I need to-" Cole walked away into the shadows of the tree line out of Emel's sight. "I need to."

The Inquisitor let out a long breathe. Suddenly the pieces fell into play and all cards were shown. The demon was right, it hadn't been bluffing.

"If a final decision is to be made; now would be the perfect time to make it." The demon laughed as it sprawled out across the griffon statue.

"You!" Emel cried at the base of the stone griffon. "You messed with the amulet! You broke it! You bitch, I'll enjoy ripping your head off from the rest of your body!"

The demon cackled enjoying itself. "Of course I did, you fool! You should have seen the look of horror on your face as that elven mage failed." For a moment it looked like the demon would fall off it's perch but quickly gained control over itself. "After all, who would really expect the Inquisitor to turn on her beloved pet and loyal friend."

"Than why give me a choice?" Emel called out. "Why tell me to break it if it didn't work!"

"Because that's the fun of it!" The demon cooed. "It's a part of the game. I show you some of your cards and see what your next move is. Sadly, your first move was rather poor so I merely shuffled the deck."

Emel's face went red as she shook uncontrollably. "You little-"

"Uh-ah" The demon chided. "You will attract a rage demon with a temper like that young lady and no one gets between me and what's mine. Besides you weren't so resistant when compassion stared you in the face and all but asked you make him your slave." Emel looked away face flushed as the demon stroked herself, moaning with spread legs, in such an indecent fashion.

"Oh maker, this is my demon?" Emel mumbled under her breath both disgusted and embarrassed. She heard the demon let out a throaty chuckle as she continued her menstruations.

"You should go find the boy." The demon half moaned. "By now he's probably already done the dead." The demon let out a cry of ecstasy that left Emel all to happy to run after her friend.

Rushing through trees and ducking from branches Emel could hear the muffled cries of a man in terror. It didn't take long for her to find him and his prey trapped between the spirit and the cliff face. For a brief moment Emel caught the eye of the Templar and he looked at her with hope of salvation. That was of course before the final moment when Cole grabbed the man by the front of his heavy coat.

"I came through the veil to help him. He starved to death and when you disposed of him I was helpless. I'm not helpless anymore."

The man pleaded for his life and for a moment Emel didn't recognize this "Cole." This was a manic, volatile creature with singular purpose and want. Just like a demon.

"Look into my eyes!" Cole commanded and when the two made eye contact Cole shoved the man back watching as he fell to his death.

"No!" Emel cried all but too late. "Cole, what did you." Running up to his side Cole turned as he stared at his hands.

"I-I did it." Dropping to his hands and knees the spirit rolled onto his back dangerously close to the cliffs edge.

"Cole," Emel questioned as she inched towards him

"I avenged the real Cole." Compassion laughed as he brushed his hat fell off. Looking towards the Inquisitor, his friend, he laughed. "Free, listless, light enough to float. I killed him, now he can't hurt anyone ever again, even himself."

Emel felt her heart sink for the second time that night. "Cole?" The mage crawled up to Cole as he smiled at her. The first time she had ever seen him smile and it was disturbing to say the least. "Are you?"

"I'm me, Emel. Now I can be bound to you without any more pearls, weighing me down, letting me sink into shadows." Sitting up Cole grabbed her hand and placed them on his chest. "The strings are cut and now we can be bound, forever."

It was like some sick proposal from her nightmares and yet Emel didn't fight as he dragged them both up from the ground. Slowly the two made their way down the cliff face to where the dead Templar lay.

The two stood hand in hand and looked at the dead man without any remorse, which in turn made Emel feel worse. Worse that she didn't personally feel anything for the dead man at all.

"It's alright" the sprit soothed, "He was a bad man and he deserved to die. Now he can't hurt anyone. I stopped him and now all the scars can fade."

Emel nodded her head, for once at a loss for words. The sun would rise in a couple of hours and the two had a very short amount of time to complete the ritual. The Templars body would do as blood gushed from the mans corpse.

"I've never done this before." Emel admitted.

"Neither have I." Cole chimed in, squeezing her fingers. "So we can do it together."

Emel nodded as she guided Cole to stand in front of her. Neither of them broke their hold of each other as they stood over the corpse.

"Good," Emel sighed. "Now close your eyes."

A/N: Wow this was so much fun to write. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't worry another one is on the way because this one wasn't exciting enough, right?

So what do you think will happen next? How will Cole change and what will happen now that Emel has Given into her desires (or at least was tricked by them.)

I also want to give a special shout out to my reviewers.

Rae: I wish he was a romance option to. Hopefully in the next game he will be. For some reason Cole almost reminds me of a Garrus type character. Something bad has to happen in the next game and he will be there- seeing as there is no option to "kill" him or permanently get rid of him. I imagine that this is just one stepping stone for the blonde spirit and soon we will see what makes him companion worthy and maybe even romance worthy. Lol.

CashmereNinja: Thank you. Your review really got me writing this chapter. I was so pumped when I saw how much you liked my story. Thank you. And of course the Inquisitor wouldn't do that, she's too paragon. But it seems that at the end of this chapter she easily went to the renegade side of the whatever it's called in Thedas. The Fade, maybe? Lol.

Pandoralily: I am sorry I didn't reply last chapter. I am glad you are getting some kind of Cole fix out of my story. Hopefully I didn't disappoint after the second chapter.

Kimikk777: I'm so a cited that you're so excited. XD

Well thank you everyone for the favs and follows! Remember, read and review! Attentions whores and multi-poppy-cock and such!