For a moment Jacquelyn just stood at the top of the steps, looking down at a rather normal looking man with nondescript brown hair and rather tired looking eyes standing in the centre of what looked to be a courtyard. Giant crystals of red lyrium crackled around the edges of the courtyard, some on pillars around the place as though it had become some kind of shrine. The largest of the lyrium crystals stood on a pedestal in the centre. Perhaps once upon a time it was a fountain or a statue. Now, though, there was nothing remaining of what it used to be, the red lyrium crystal stretching high up as though it could touch the sky. The ground was cracked and uneven, bricks missing from places. It was not an ideal surface for fighting on, even for someone who hadn't just been fighting their way through many red templars and even giants.

Though Jacquelyn did her best to hide it, she was feeling quite tired. They'd had to fight more foes than they had thoughts they would, and fighting multiple lyrium infected giants hadn't helped them to save their strength. Cole had received a nasty blow to the side of his head, a dark bruise already forming there, and Cassandra had a bandaged upper arm. Thankfully Vivienne and Jacquelyn were, so far, unharmed. But that didn't mean they weren't starting to suffer from fatigue.

The man in the courtyard smiled warmly at Jacquelyn as she slowly walked down the steps, being careful not to slip on the snowy ground.

"Ah, the hero arrives," he greeted, not seeming phased at all by the sword in Jacquelyn's hand. "But is it hero? Or murderer? It's so hard to tell."

"You are the demon Imshael."

The man cleared his throat as though irritated at the accusation.

"Choice. Spirit."

"Maker give us strength," Cassandra said, settling into a better position to fight Imshael.

"Wait, wait, wait!" the demon said, holding his hands out. "These are your friends? They're very violent. It's worrying."

"You should be worried," Jacquelyn told him, her grip tightening on her sword.

Imshael just smiled slightly, leaning his head to the side ever so slightly.

"Well, true to my name, I will show you that you have a choice. It doesn't always have to end in blood."

There was something in his voice that made Jacquelyn want to listen to him, though she couldn't figure out quite what it was. It was as though his voice was working its way into her head, gently caressing her mind with soft fingers.

"What choice?" she found herself asking, even as another part of her screamed not to listen to what this demon had to say. It was a demon, after all. Nothing good could ever come from listening to it. She found her eyes gliding around the courtyard as she waited for Imshael to speak. She hadn't seen them before, but there were various lyrium-infected templars standing around the edge of the courtyard, just waiting for the order to strike. She had been hoping that they would have a relatively simple battle against Imshael, but clearly that would not be the case.

If there was even going to be a fight.

"Simple," Imshael said, cutting through Jacquelyn's thoughts, "We don't fight, and I grant you power. Or shower you with riches. Or maybe virgins. Your we all live happily ever after. Well, not all of us. But who's counting?"

Jacquelyn's head snapped around once more to look at Imshael. Riches didn't interest her in the least. She'd come from a well off family, and she was pretty well off herself. Virgins were less than interesting to her, even if she wasn't already in a serious relationship with Cullen. And she supposed she already had power, given she was the Inquisitor. But there was a little voice in her head whispering that maybe there was something that Imshael could give her.

"What if there was something else that interested me?" she asked, hearing the quick intake of breath behind her.

"What are you doing?" Cassandra hissed at her. "We should be killing this demon, not bargaining with it!"

"This is what he wants," Cole added in his usual, almost whimsical way. "They whisper words into your head until it's all you can think about."

"Don't do this, Inquisitor."

Jacquelyn half looked around at her comrades, then back to Imshael. There was a sly smirk on his face, one that she hated to the centre of her being. And yet she couldn't bring herself to attack him. Instead, her feet took her a step closer to him, seemingly without her telling them to.

"What is it you desire?" Imshael crooned. "I can give you anything you want."

"What if what I want is someone gone?"

She should be sending him after Corypheus. He was the logical choice. If Imshael was as strong as he claimed to be, then the threat Corypheus posed would be gone. If Corypheus proved to be stronger than Imshael, then it was still one less demon to deal with. If Imshael would even agree to those terms. The red templars around the place would suggest there was some form of alliance between Imshael and Corypheus, but if it was his life on the line, perhaps Imshael would change his mind.

That would be the logical deal to make, if a deal was even to be struck. But Jacquelyn couldn't bring herself to ask it. She had someone else in mind, a thorn she'd had in her side since the beginning.

Imshael's smile widened slightly.

"What would you ask of me?" he leaned forward slightly, almost conspiratorially. As though he and Jacquelyn were old friends.

She paused, debating what she was about to say. She should be killing this demon, not bargaining with him. But he could be useful. He could remove Siara from the equation. He could make Jacquelyn more powerful, could help her to achieve any goal she had.

"Inquisitor," Cassandra's voice once more cut through her thoughts, "don't do this. You have always wanted to be a templar, have you not? This goes against everything they stand for."

Jacquelyn's eyes didn't wander from Imshael's as she pondered the situation she was in. What damage could going against this belief be, if Imshael could rid her of her enemies? What was one concession if it meant protecting everything and everyone she loved? The power that Imshael offered shouldn't be brushed aside lightly, should it? She could see the smile growing on Imshael's face. He thought he was winning her over. And maybe he was. He'd said he was a spirit of choice. Maybe Michel had gotten it wrong and Imshael really wasn't a demon? What if Imshael was telling the truth? Spirits weren't bad, Jacquelyn knew that. She had experienced first hand the help that spirits could provide. A spirit of duty and what was likely a spirit of faith had helped her to escape the Fade, after all. What harm could a spirit of choice do her?

He could rid her of Siara, could rid her of the threat that Corypheus posed. If she had Imshael at her side, no one could hurt her or her loved ones again. Cullen would be hers, and Siara wouldn't pose any threat to them. Not as a partnership, and not as individuals.

"It's a lie," Cole said, and she could feel him step next to her. "He wants to force you to make a mistake. He wants to hurt you, like Envy did."

He wasn't looking at her, his eyes fixed on Imshael. Jacquelyn's fists clenched so tightly that her nails would have dug into her palms if she hadn't been wearing gloves. Imshael wasn't like Envy, was he? Envy had wanted to become her. All Imshael wanted was to make a deal, he just wanted to live. Imshael was a spirit of choice. Or was he? She shut her eyes, trying to concentrate on the weight of her sword in her hand, her shield on her arm. She concentrated on her breathing, trying to shut out the words swimming around in her head. The temptation to ask Imshael to end her enemies for her. Cole was right. Imshael was just trying to manipulate her, trying to get her to make a mistake. His pretty words were simply that. He would never make a move to help her, he would simply continue to manipulate her.

Jacquelyn raised her sword, getting into a fighting stance.

"Your words mean nothing to me, demon," she said. "Now it is time for you to die."

"Oh for… Choice! Spirit!" Imshael ground out between his teeth, scowling at her. "If you won't be smart, be afraid." He vanished, and in his place was a monstrosity that was definitely not a spirit. Jacquelyn took half a step back. She knew she had made the right call, though there was a part of her that couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

A/N: Sorry I didn't update at the usual time! I forgot on the day (busy making preparations for a weekend trip), then when I remembered about it, I didn't have access to my computer. And then I got stuck an extra night. I will be doing my best to update at the normal time again this week. Again, really sorry for the delay!