by Rowan Bree
The fingertips of his leather gloves glisten in the candlelight. You try to swallow back the jealousy raging inside you.
You apologize for not doing what you were supposed to.
“It’s no matter,” Vale says. “Sybil’s been quite busy. And I’ve already got a way for you to make it up to me.”
He shouts something in Dorian and the guests clear to the edges of the room, revealing a large circular symbol carved into the center of the stone floor. The king shoes away the woman sucking his cock and tucks himself back into his robes.
Vale stands in the center of the circle. “Dear guests, it’s time for the main event.”
Two order members escort a shirtless man into the circle. It’s the same one you thought about recruiting earlier. He looks like he’s in an immense amount of pain. They force him to kneel before Vale.
“As a gift of good faith from Doria to Tyven, I have offered the king that which he most desires in this world. I will give him his wife, the very queen who sadly passed away years ago.”
There are a few murmurs in the crowd, but not nearly as many as you would have expected. It seems the people of Tyven have come to accept the existence of dark magic ever since the creatures were let loose on their city.
“She will return to life as if she never left. She will not remember the suffering of death, only a long and peaceful sleep. The laws of magic are strict, however, and for every life we bring back we must sacrifice another.”
Vale removes a long dagger from the folds of his robe. He holds it out to you. The jewels on the pommel shine as if alive.
“Go on,” he says. “Let his blood flow free. Give Tyven back its queen.”
Sacrifice the man.
Refuse the dagger.
You take the dagger and stand before the man. He doesn’t seem aware of what is happening. You cleanly slice his throat with a fluid motion, letting his blood flow down onto the stones. It runs into the carvings to complete the spell.
The room goes cold and a dark fog floats up from the floor. Amidst the fog is a figure, a woman with blonde hair. She approaches the king.
“My love,” she says falling into his lap.
The king hugs her tightly. He tells her how much he missed her, how he waited for her return.
With tears in his eyes, the king addresses Vale. “The Order has shown itself a true ally of the kingdom. Tyven welcomes you with open arms and bids its friends do the same.”
One by one the nobles bow to pledge their allegiance to the Order. Vale looks smug as he watches them. He has finally gotten what he has always wanted.
Vale bids them to stand. “Now I believe the king must go back downstairs to announce the return of his queen, but for the rest of us the night is young and there is much pleasure to be had.”
The king and his wife leave while the mages clear away the sacrifice’s lifeless body.
Vale puts his arm around your waist, smiling. “Not a moment’s hesitation. I have to say I’m impressed. As a reward I want you to enjoy yourself tonight. Don’t worry, I’m not the jealous type.”
You wonder if this is a test to see how loyal you are to him.
Vale reassures you. “I can’t touch you, can I? It would be wrong of me to deny you such pleasures. Go, have fun. You are my kitten. I trust you.”
Go have fun.
Tell Vale you only want him.
You take the dagger and stand before the sea chief. He doesn’t seem aware of what is happening. You cleanly slice his throat with a fluid motion, letting his blood flow down onto the stones. It runs into the carvings to complete the spell.
The room goes cold and a dark fog floats up from the floor. Amidst the fog is a figure, a woman with blonde hair. She approaches the king.
“My love,” she says falling into his lap.
The king hugs her tightly. He tells her how much he missed her, how he waited for her return.
With tears in his eyes, the king addresses Vale. “The Order has shown itself a true ally of the kingdom. Tyven welcomes you with open arms and bids its friends do the same.”
One by one the nobles bow to pledge their allegiance to the Order. Vale looks smug as he watches them. He has finally gotten what he has always wanted.
Vale bids them to stand. “Now I believe the king must go back downstairs to announce the return of his queen, but for the rest of us the night is young and there is much pleasure to be had.”
The king and his wife leave while the mages clear away Hawke’s lifeless body.
Vale puts his arm around your waist, smiling. “Not a moment’s hesitation. I have to say I’m impressed. As a reward I want you to enjoy yourself tonight. Don’t worry, I’m not the jealous type.”
You wonder if this is a test to see how loyal you are to him.
Vale reassures you. “I can’t touch you, can I? It would be wrong of me to deny you such pleasures. Go, have fun. You are my kitten. I trust you.”
Go have fun.
Tell Vale you only want him.
You take the dagger and stand before the duke. He doesn’t seem aware of what is happening. You cleanly slice his throat with a fluid motion, letting his blood flow down onto the stones. It runs into the carvings to complete the spell.
The room goes cold and a dark fog floats up from the floor. Amidst the fog is a figure, a woman with blonde hair. She approaches the king.
“My love,” she says falling into his lap.
The king hugs her tightly. He tells her how much he missed her, how he waited for her return.
With tears in his eyes, the king addresses Vale. “The Order has shown itself a true ally of the kingdom. Tyven welcomes you with open arms and bids its friends do the same.”
One by one the nobles bow to pledge their allegiance to the Order. Vale looks smug as he watches them. He has finally gotten what he has always wanted.
Vale bids them to stand. “Now I believe the king must go back downstairs to announce the return of his queen, but for the rest of us the night is young and there is much pleasure to be had.”
The king and his wife leave while the mages clear away the duke’s lifeless body.
Vale puts his arm around your waist, smiling. “Not a moment’s hesitation. I have to say I’m impressed. As a reward I want you to enjoy yourself tonight. Don’t worry, I’m not the jealous type.”
You wonder if this is a test to see how loyal you are to him.
Vale reassures you. “I can’t touch you, can I? It would be wrong of me to deny you such pleasures. Go, have fun. You are my kitten. I trust you.”
Go have fun.
Tell Vale you only want him.
You refuse to take the dagger.
Vale sighs. “Dear kitten, why must you be so difficult? It’s only a life. It’s nothing compared to what you’ve already done for the Order. Or are you hoping for a punishment?”
A sudden jolt of pain brings you to your knees. It is as if your nerves are on fire, each one screaming out for the agony to stop.
Vale smiles and strokes your tear-streaked cheek. “Now will you take the dagger like a good girl? Or do I have to hurt you again?”
He puts the dagger into your open hand. You are too weak to resist.
“Now do what needs to be done,” he says.
Perform the sacrifice.
Refuse.
You refuse to take the dagger. The duke might not be the most chivalrous of men, but he doesn’t deserve to die.
Vale sighs. “Dear kitten, why must you be so difficult? It’s only a life. It’s nothing compared to what you’ve already done for the Order. Or are you hoping for a punishment?”
A sudden jolt of pain brings you to your knees. It is as if your nerves are on fire, each one screaming out for the agony to stop.
Vale smiles and strokes your tear-streaked cheek. “Now will you take the dagger like a good girl? Or do I have to hurt you again?”
He puts the dagger into your
open hand. You are too weak to resist.
“Now do what needs to be done,” he says.
Perform the sacrifice.
Refuse.
You refuse to take the dagger. Vale didn’t say anything about a sacrifice.
Vale sighs. “Dear kitten, why must you be so difficult? It’s only a life. It’s nothing compared to what you’ve already done for the Order. Or are you hoping for a punishment?”
A sudden jolt of pain brings you to your knees. It is as if your nerves are on fire, each one screaming out for the agony to stop.
Vale smiles and strokes your tear-streaked cheek. “Now will you take the dagger like a good girl? Or do I have to hurt you again?”
He puts the dagger into your open hand. You are too weak to resist.
“Now do what needs to be done,” he says.
Perform the sacrifice.
Refuse.
You may have done worse things, but they were always for a reason. You can’t bring yourself to kill an innocent man no matter how you might feel about Vale.
“I can’t,” you tell Vale.
“So be it,” the mage replies. There isn’t even a hint of regret in his voice and you realize how little he cares for you. You were never going to be his no matter what you did.
A tremor of pain rumbles through your body, growing until you are in agony again. You fall on your hands and knees, your fingers tightening painfully around the dagger’s pommel. You wish you could take it all back and be a good little kitten. Anything to stop the pain. But you can’t even beg. All you can do is grit your teeth and let the pain flood through you.
Sybil steps from the crowd looking pleased. “I’ll do it,” she says.
Even over the pain you feel revulsion for the woman. She must love watching you suffer like this, knowing that Vale is all hers now. She crouches down next to you and holds out her hand.
“Kitten, give her the dagger,” Vale commands you.
You feel the pain lessen, allowing you to relax your death grip on the dagger. You could easily drive it into Sybil’s gut right now. But you have a feeling it wouldn’t end well for you.
Sybil leans close, whispering into your ear. “Trust me,” she says. “Give me the dagger and I’ll make sure Vale can never hurt you again.”
Her expression betrays nothing. She could be tricking you, or her offer might be sincere. But why would Sybil want to help you all of a sudden?
Trust her.
Don’t trust her.
“I can’t,” you tell Vale.
“So be it,” the mage replies. There is regret in his voice.
A tremor of pain rumbles through your body, growing until you are in agony again. You fall on your hands and knees, your fingers tightening painfully around the dagger’s pommel. You wish you could take it all back and be a good little kitten. Anything to stop the pain. But you can’t even beg. All you can do is grit your teeth and let the pain flood through you.
Sybil steps from the crowd looking pleased. “I’ll do it,” she says.
Even over the pain you feel revulsion for the woman. She must love watching you suffer like this, knowing that Vale is all hers now. She crouches down next to you and holds out her hand.
Give her the dagger.
Tell her to choke on it.
You can feel Vale’s pain like a heartbeat inside you, compelling you to act. You take the dagger and stand before the man. He doesn’t seem aware of what is happening. You slice his throat with a fluid motion, letting his blood flow down onto the stones. It runs into the carvings to complete the spell.
The room goes cold and a dark fog floats up from the floor. Amidst the fog is a figure, a woman with blonde hair. She approaches the king.
“My love,” she says falling into his lap.
The king hugs her tightly. He tells her how much he missed her, how he waited for her return.
With tears in his eyes, the king addresses Vale. “The Order has shown itself a true ally of the kingdom. Tyven welcomes you with open arms and bids its friends do the same.”
One by one the nobles bow to pledge their allegiance to the Order. Vale looks smug as he watches them. He has finally gotten what he has always wanted.
Vale bids them to stand. “Now I believe the king must go back downstairs to announce the return of his queen, but for the rest of us the night is young and there is much pleasure to be had.”
The king and his wife leave while the mages clear away the sacrifice’s lifeless body.
Vale puts a hand on your shoulder, his fingers clenching tight. “I trust kitten’s learned not to test my patience?”
You tell him you won’t disobey him again.
He seems satisfied. He says, “I want you to enjoy yourself tonight. You won’t get another chance like this for a while.”
You wonder if this is a test to see how loyal you truly are.
Vale reassures you. “Don’t worry, I’m not the jealous type. I know you belong to me. Consider it an apology for having to hurt you.”
Go have fun.
Tell Vale you only want him.
You can feel Vale’s pain like a heartbeat inside you, compelling you to act. You take the dagger and stand before the sea chief. He doesn’t seem aware of what is happening. You slice his throat with a fluid motion, letting his blood flow down onto the stones. It runs into the carvings to complete the spell.
The room goes cold and a dark fog floats up from the floor. Amidst the fog is a figure, a woman with blonde hair. She approaches the king.
“My love,” she says falling into his lap.
The king hugs her tightly. He tells her how much he missed her, how he waited for her return.
With tears in his eyes, the king addresses Vale. “The Order has shown itself a true ally of the kingdom. Tyven welcomes you with open arms and bids its friends do the same.”
One by one the nobles bow to pledge their allegiance to the Order. Vale looks smug as he watches them. He has finally gotten what he has always wanted.
Vale bids them to stand. “Now I believe the king must go back downstairs to announce the return of his queen, but for the rest of us the night is young and there is much pleasure to be had.”
The king and his wife leave while the mages clear away Hawke’s lifeless body.
Vale puts a hand on your shoulder, his fingers clenching tight. “I trust kitten’s learned not to test my patience?”
You tell him you won’t disobey him again.
He seems satisfied. He says, “I want you to enjoy yourself tonight. You won’t get another chance like this for a while.”
You wonder if this is a test to see how loyal you truly are.
Vale reassures you. “Don’t worry, I’m not the jealous type. I know you belong to me. Consider it an apology for having to hurt you.”
Go have fun.
Tell Vale you only want him.
You feel Vale’s magic creep slowly back into you, threatening to overwhelm you again. You give Sybil the dagger.
She winks at you and stands. You hear Vale gasp and turn to see him clutching his stomach, the dagger thrust in to the hilt.
“Kitten,” he moans. His eyes are wide with fear.
“Let’s go!” Sybil shouts, hauling you to your feet.
You smell smoke and see flames climbing up the curtains all around the room. The guests go into a panic. Sybil drags you to the exit.
You duck under the flaming doorway and out into the hall. Sybil seems to know exactly where she is going. You follow her out of the castle, wanting badly to ask her what the hell is going on. You can hear the faint tolling of bells as the alarm is sounded. The king’s guards will be looking for you.
The city streets themselves are quiet, but Sybil keeps to the shadows nevertheless.
“Who are you?” you ask her when she stops briefly at an intersection.
“Let’s just say you’re not the first one to have a change of heart about the
Order.”
Sybil cuts on to the main thoroughfare and leads you to a cart parked there. It’s packed to the top with crates and barrels and there’s a man standing beside it. He has dark wavy hair and piercing green eyes.
You recognize the rogue Jasper from the forest, the man you met just before Vale found you. Before you joined the Order.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” Jasper says with a smile.
You feel the air grow heavy with enchantment and your heart thuds in your chest. But you’ve learned to be wary of magic and keep your distance.
“What happened?” Jasper asks Sybil.
“Vale’s dead,” she replies.
The enchantment dissolves as a dark look crosses Jasper’s face. “We’d better hurry. They’ll be closing city gates.”
You are desperate to know what is going on but there isn’t time to ask now. Sybil climbs up to take the reigns and Jasper joins her. You have to sit in the back of the cart amongst all the cargo.
You watch as the castle grows smaller. Tyven’s streets give way to rolling countryside as you pass through the city gates. The wind shifts and bits of Jasper and Sybil’s conversation drift towards you. They seem to be talking about you but it’s hard to hear them over the jostling of the cart.
