The Feast

by Rowan Bree

  You ask him why he would agree to such a thing.

  “I barely escaped the Order with my life. The hold that Vale had over me was powerful, and I was never quite able to get free of it. I knew that agreeing to his little game was the only way I’d survive to fight him. He could have killed me years ago, but what he loved more than anything was playing with people. And he knew he could play with me.”

  You let Jasper’s words sink in. The stars seem too bright, scattered across the heavens without a cloud to darken them. Should you be mad at Jasper? Forgive him? Despite his mistakes, you know in your heart that he would never do anything to hurt you.

  “It’s okay,” you say, kissing him on the cheek.

  The past is behind you. What matters now is the road ahead. The fight is not nearly over.

  Epilogue.

  You ask Jasper about what Vale said, if it’s true that Jasper used to be part of the Order.

  “I was never part of the Order,” he replies. “But I was employed by them. I used to only care about was money. My family never had money, but I learned at a young age that it could be earned with very little effort on my part. Vale paid me to find young women for him. He told me he was looking for young converts to his religion. I didn’t really care, only that he paid me for each one. It was only later I found out what he was really doing.”

  Jasper’s hand closes into a fist as tears form in his eyes.

  “He was using them in his dark rituals, trying to open a portal between this world and that of his ‘gods’. As far as I know he never succeeded, but the women didn’t survive his trying. He made me burn their bodies to ashes to make sure no one found them.

  “I got out, but only after Vale had taken everything from me. He owned a part of me that I could never get back. But I escaped and vowed to destroy the Order and everything they stood for.”

  You squeeze his hand.

  “There’s something I need to tell you,” he says.

  His voice is barely above a whisper and it is hard to hear him over the clatter of the wagon wheels.

  “I know who you are,” Jasper tells you. “I knew all along. But Vale made me promise not to tell you.”

  You can see the pain in his eyes. He must be worried of your reaction. You allow him to explain.

  He says, “You are from Doria, and you fled your home to come warn the capital of the Order. But you were captured by Dorian guards before you could arrive. You were transferred to a prison convoy to be tried for treason back in Doria.

  “We had heard about you and knew you were a valuable ally. We tried to rescue you from the prison convoy, but the Dorian guards were prepared and put up a good fight. I saw you fall off the back of the cart and hit your head. But I couldn’t take you with me. I had to flee for my life. I went back later to look for you, but you were already gone.

  “That’s when I met Vale. He had heard rumors that you had lost your memory, and made me promise not to tell you who you really were. We were to let fate decide which side you would choose. I did what I could to steer you towards us without breaking my promise. But now that Vale’s dead, the promise doesn’t matter. We’ve won.”

  You ask him why he would agree to such a thing.

  “I barely escaped the Order with my life. The hold that Vale had over me was powerful, and I was never quite able to get free of it. I knew that agreeing to his little game was the only way I’d survive to fight him. He could have killed me years ago, but what he loved more than anything was playing with people. And he knew he could play with me.”

  You let Jasper’s words sink in. The stars seem too bright, scattered across the heavens without a cloud to darken them. Should you be mad at Jasper? Forgive him? He did what he could to keep you safe, to make sure you ended up where you were meant to be.

  “It’s okay,” you tell him.

  The past is behind you. What matters now is the road ahead. The fight is not nearly over.

  Epilogue.

  You ask Jasper about what Vale said, if it’s true that Jasper used to be part of the Order.

  “I was never part of the Order,” he replies. “But I was employed by them. I used to only care about was money. My family never had money, but I learned at a young age that it could be earned with very little effort on my part. Vale paid me to find young women for him. He told me he was looking for young converts to his religion. I didn’t really care, only that he paid me for each one. It was only later I found out what he was really doing.”

  Jasper’s hand closes into a fist as tears form in his eyes.

  “You were the only one to ever survive one of his attempts at the ritual. I don’t know what made you so different, but it saved your life. It also created all this.”

  He gestures out towards the dark countryside. You can’t see any of the monsters but you know they’re there.

  Jasper continues, “I got out too, but only after Vale had taken everything from me. He owned a part of me that I could never get back. But I escaped and vowed to destroy the Order and everything they stood for.”

  You squeeze his hand.

  “There’s something else I need to tell you,” he says. “I’ve always known who you are. I mean, who you were before all this. But Vale made me promise not to tell you.”

  You can see the pain in his eyes. He must be worried of your reaction. You allow him to explain.

  He says, “You are from Doria, and you fled your home to come warn the capital of the Order. But you were captured by Dorian guards before you could arrive. You were transferred to a prison convoy to be tried for treason back in Doria.

  “We had heard about you and knew you were a valuable ally. We tried to rescue you from the prison convoy, but the Dorian guards were prepared and put up a good fight. I saw you fall off the back of the cart and hit your head. But I couldn’t take you with me. I had to flee for my life. I went back later to look for you, but you were already gone.

  “That’s when I met Vale. He had heard rumors that you had lost your memory, and made me promise not to tell you who you really were. We were to let fate decide which side you would choose. I did what I could to steer you towards us without breaking my promise. But I had no idea that Vale would try to force fate like that. I should have expected it from him.”

  You ask him why he would agree to such a thing.

  “I barely escaped the Order with my life. The hold that Vale had over me was powerful, and I was never quite able to get free of it. I knew that agreeing to his little game was the only way I’d survive to fight him. He could have killed me years ago, but what he loved more than anything was playing with people. And he knew he could play with me.”

  You let Jasper’s words sink in. The stars seem too bright, scattered across the heavens without a cloud to darken them. Should you be mad at Jasper? Forgive him? He did what he could to keep you safe, to make sure you ended up where you were meant to be.

  “It’s okay,” you tell him.

  The past is behind you. What matters now is the road ahead. The fight is not nearly over.

  Epilogue.

  You ask Jasper if everything was true that Vale said before he died.

  Jasper nods. His lip quavers. He breaks your gaze to look out at the darkened countryside.

  “My family never had money,” he says, “but I learned at a young age that it could be earned with very little effort on my part. Vale offered me money to work for him first, then something more. I was his. And maybe he cared for me too in his own twisted way. It’s the only way I can explain why he didn’t just kill me. He had plenty of chances.”

  “And the women?” you ask.

  Jasper’s hand closes into a fist as tears form in his eyes.

  “He was using them in his dark rituals, trying to open a portal between this world and that of his ‘gods’. As far as I know he never succeeded, but the women didn’t survive his trying. He made me burn their bodies to ashes to make sure no one found them. When I
finally escaped, I vowed to destroy the Order and everything they stood for.”

  You squeeze his hand.

  “There’s something else I need to tell you,” he says.

  His voice is barely above a whisper and it is hard to hear him over the clatter of the wagon wheels.

  “I know who you are,” Jasper tells you. “I knew all along. But Vale made me promise not to tell you.”

  You can see the pain in his eyes. He must be worried of your reaction. You allow him to explain.

  He says, “You are from Doria, and you fled your home to come warn the capital of the Order. But you were captured by Dorian guards before you could arrive. You were transferred to a prison convoy to be tried for treason back in Doria.

  “We had heard about you and knew you were a valuable ally. We tried to rescue you from the prison convoy, but the Dorian guards were prepared and put up a good fight. I saw you fall off the back of the cart and hit your head. But I couldn’t take you with me. I had to flee for my life. I went back later to look for you, but you were already gone.

  “That’s when I met Vale. He had heard rumors that you had lost your memory, and made me promise not to tell you who you really were. We were to let fate decide which side you would choose. I did what I could to steer you towards us without breaking my promise. But now that Vale’s dead, the promise doesn’t matter. We’ve won.”

  You let Jasper’s words sink in. You don’t need to ask him why he agreed to such a wager. It’s obvious that the mage kept a powerful hold over Jasper until his last breath.

  The stars seem too bright, scattered across the heavens without a cloud to darken them. Should you be mad at Jasper? Forgive him? He did what he could to keep you safe, to make sure you ended up where you were meant to be. You know in your heart that he would never do anything to hurt you.

  “It’s okay,” you say, kissing him on the cheek.

  The past is behind you. What matters now is the road ahead. The fight is not nearly over.

  Epilogue.

  You ask Jasper if everything was true that Vale said before he died.

  Jasper nods. His lip quavers. He breaks your gaze to look out at the darkened countryside.

  “My family never had money,” he says, “but I learned at a young age that it could be earned with very little effort on my part. Vale offered me money to work for him first, then something more. I was his. And maybe he cared for me too in his own twisted way. It’s the only way I can explain why he didn’t just kill me. He had plenty of chances.”

  “And the women?” you ask.

  Jasper’s hand closes into a fist as tears form in his eyes.

  “He was using them in his dark rituals, trying to open a portal between this world and that of his ‘gods’. As far as I know he never succeeded, but the women didn’t survive his trying. He made me burn their bodies to ashes to make sure no one found them. When I finally escaped, I vowed to destroy the Order and everything they stood for.”

  You squeeze his hand.

  “There’s something else I need to tell you,” he says.

  His voice is barely above a whisper and it is hard to hear him over the clatter of the wagon wheels.

  “I know who you are,” Jasper tells you. “I knew all along. But Vale made me promise not to tell you.”

  You can see the pain in his eyes. He must be worried of your reaction. You allow him to explain.

  He says, “You are from Doria, and you fled your home to come warn the capital of the Order. But you were captured by Dorian guards before you could arrive. You were transferred to a prison convoy to be tried for treason back in Doria.

  “We had heard about you and knew you were a valuable ally. We tried to rescue you from the prison convoy, but the Dorian guards were prepared and put up a good fight. I saw you fall off the back of the cart and hit your head. But I couldn’t take you with me. I had to flee for my life. I went back later to look for you, but you were already gone.

  “That’s when I met Vale. He had heard rumors that you had lost your memory, and made me promise not to tell you who you really were. We were to let fate decide which side you would choose. I did what I could to steer you towards us without breaking my promise. But now that Vale’s dead, the promise doesn’t matter. We’ve won.”

  You let Jasper’s words sink in. You don’t need to ask him why he agreed to such a wager. It’s obvious that the mage kept a powerful hold over Jasper until his last breath.

  The stars seem too bright, scattered across the heavens without a cloud to darken them. Should you be mad at Jasper? Forgive him? He did what he could to keep you safe, to make sure you ended up where you were meant to be.

  “It’s okay,” you tell him.

  The past is behind you. What matters now is the road ahead. The fight is not nearly over.

  Epilogue.

  You pull Jasper to you, kissing him deeply. The cart jostles making your bodies bump together. You can feel his heat through his thin tunic. It’s not nearly enough.

  You hike up your dress and straddle him. Though you know Sybil is just on the other side of the tower of crates, you don’t care. All you care about is Jasper. And you know he wants you too.

  You shove Jasper backwards and kiss him hard. He pulls your dress up further and you can feel the cool night air on your wet pussy. Jasper’s fingers are cool too, but warm quickly as he touches you. You reach into his pants and stroke his cock.

  Jaspers soft moans fill your ear.

  “I love you,” he whispers.

  You whisper it back to him. It’s all you need to say to each other as you flee into the night, your bodies seeking each other out for comfort and pleasure.

  “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  Exhausted, you lie with your head on Jasper’s chest as he strokes your hair. You feel as if all your muscles have turned to butter and you can’t even muster the willpower to speak.

  “I know who you are,” Jasper says. “I knew all along.”

  You sit up. How could he keep something so important from you?

  You can see the pain in Jasper’s eyes. He must be worried of your reaction. You decide to let him speak first to explain himself.

  “I met you once before all of this,” he says. “You fled your home in Doria to come warn us of the Order, but were captured by Dorian guards on your way here. You were transferred to a prison convoy to be tried for treason back in Doria.

  “We knew you were a valuable ally and tried to rescue you from the prison convoy, but the Dorian guards were prepared and put up a good fight. I saw you fall off the back of the cart and hit your head. But I couldn’t take you with me. I had to flee for my life. I went back later to look for you, but you were already gone.

  “That’s when I met Vale. He had heard rumors that you had lost your memory, and made me promise not to tell you who you really were. We were to let fate decide which side you would choose. I did what I could to steer you towards us without breaking my promise. But now that Vale’s dead, the promise doesn’t matter. We’ve won.”

  You ask him why he would agree to such a thing.

  “I barely escaped the Order with my life. The hold that Vale had over me was powerful, and I was never quite able to get free of it. I knew that agreeing to his little game was the only way I’d survive to fight him. He could have killed me years ago, but what he loved more than anything was playing with people. And he knew he could play with me.”

  You let Jasper’s words sink in. The stars seem too bright, scattered across the heavens without a cloud to darken them. Should you be mad at Jasper? Forgive him? He did what he could to keep you safe, to make sure you ended up where you were meant to be. You know in your heart that he would never do anything to hurt you.

  “It’s okay,” you say, kissing him on the cheek.

  What matters now is the road ahead. The fight is not nearly over.

  Epilogue.

  It’s a risk, but you
pull Jasper to you, kissing him deeply. He kisses you back with equal passion. The cart jostles making your bodies bump together. You can feel his heat through his thin tunic. It’s not nearly enough.

  You hike up your dress and straddle him. Though you know Sybil is just on the other side of the tower of crates, you don’t care. All you care about is Jasper. And you know he wants you too.

  You shove Jasper backwards and kiss him hard. He pulls your dress up further and you can feel the cool night air on your wet pussy. Jasper’s fingers are cool too, but warm quickly as he touches you. You reach into his pants and stroke his cock.

  Jaspers soft moans fill your ear.

  “I want you,” he whispers.

  You whisper it back to him. It’s all you need to say to each other as you flee into the night, your bodies seeking each other out for comfort and pleasure.

  “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  Exhausted, you lie with your head on Jasper’s chest as he strokes your hair. You feel as if all your muscles have turned to butter and you can’t even muster the willpower to speak.

  “I know who you are,” Jasper says. “I knew all along.”

  You sit up. How could he keep something so important from you?

  You can see the pain in Jasper’s eyes. He must be worried of your reaction. You decide to let him speak first to explain himself.

  “I met you once before all of this,” he says. “You fled your home in Doria to come warn us of the Order, but were captured by Dorian guards on your way here. You were transferred to a prison convoy to be tried for treason back in Doria.

  “We knew you were a valuable ally and tried to rescue you from the prison convoy, but the Dorian guards were prepared and put up a good fight. I saw you fall off the back of the cart and hit your head. But I couldn’t take you with me. I had to flee for my life. I went back later to look for you, but you were already gone.