"I would not complain if the competition thinned. And it might get the templars to ease back."

"How does one find a blood mage?"

"Follow the corpses. Look for unexplained disappearances, demon sightings, cults that have grown too quickly."

"Perhaps easier when you're established in a place. But an interesting challenge regardless." She mentally directs her dwarf-watching clone to keep an ear open for rumors potentially related to blood mages.

The two elves return, with wine and drink and little breaded fish. They place the trays on the table between the chairs, then withdraw to stand quietly at the side of the room, heads down.

Hisame drinks and eats in moderation, though she's complimentary on the tastes.

"What do you do here, besides experiments?"

"Theoretically I represent the Imperium's political and economic interests to the Viscount's court. In practice, since the outlawing of the slave trade a century and a half ago, such interests are practically nonexistent and my duties are primarily social, a reminder to the southern barbarians that the Tevinter Imperium still exists."

She laughs. "It must be hard, keeping that in their minds."

"I have a lot of time to myself."

She nods. "And how do you pass the time?"

"By doing this and that. Currently I am investigating rumors that one of the Forbidden Ones is bound somewhere within the city."

"What are the Forbidden Ones?"

"Ancient desire demons, purportedly the first ever encountered by Tevinter mages. It is said the art of blood magic was learned originally from them. There are three whose names are known: Gaxkang, Imshael, and Xebenkeck."

"Somebody thought I might be a desire demon once, before he decided I was a death demon. They sound interesting."

"Desire demons are the second most powerful type of demon commonly summoned, after the pride demon, but they're easier to deal with. It is already in their nature to offer what you want, after all. There's no such thing as a death demon, by the way."

"He was adorably dumb. What do desire demons want in return?"

"It varies. Usually some flavor of fleshly experience. This usually ends with the incautious mage possessed and made an abomination."

"Not something to play lightly with, then."

"Demons rarely are."

"What would you do, if these great desire demons could be found?"

"Take whatever power and secrets they have to offer and use that to cement my position in the Magisterium against any who would challenge me. Satisfy my own curiosity on a few points of history they may have been witness to. And either bind or banish them, as seems expedient."

"That's all?" Her voice is somewhat teasing.

"Only someone truly idiotic looks to a desire demon for the fulfillment of physical pleasure."

She laughs. "Not actually what I meant! But duly noted."

"Sadly, most mages are that stupid. To what were you referring, then?"