“Perhaps you’re finally willing to relinquish your soul bound items?” I continued when she only glared back at me in response.
“No, I didn’t think so,” her silence answered my question quite clearly.
I cast See Truth, and then Compel before asking my next question. The duplicate magics weren’t strictly necessary, but seeing the color of her words when she spoke offered me some additional assurances of the truth in her replies.
“I’ve already killed Zedd and Drogan, but tell me, how many other Deathless serve your Mistress?”
“There are five more of us,” hatred filled her eyes as the words were drawn out against her will.
I smiled at the information. Five was still a lot of very powerful Deathless arrayed against me, but I’d feared that there might have been many more than that. With their numbers as a starting point, I began pulling even more out of her.
It took a while, and I was forced to cast Compel many times to learn everything she knew about her associates, but when I was finished with her, Aimee had told me all I needed to know. Then, before leaving, I asked her one more question without bothering to cast Compel. She could answer, or not—I didn’t care, and See Truth would let me know if she’d been honest.
“Why?” I stared into her brown eyes. “Why would you serve such evil?”
Aimee actually smiled at me for a moment before she replied. Not a warm or friendly smile, but a cruel and vicious grin that spoke of her true nature.
“You shouldn’t have to ask me that question, Empress,” she spoke my title with a clear, jealous desire for its power. “I can tell how much you like inflicting pain on me—how much you enjoy it. We’re no different, you and I—I’m just more honest with myself than you are.”
There was a certain amount of truth in what she’d said. Part of me did enjoy hurting her, but not simply for the sake of causing pain. There was a sense of satisfaction that came with delivering justice to someone as despicable as she was, and I was more than happy to give her the punishment her vile deeds had earned. But my shadows were nothing like the pitch black of her heart. I could never unleash such pain on an innocent, or even anyone guilty of only some lesser offense. My fury was reserved for only the most depraved criminals; the scum like her who preyed upon anyone weaker than themselves. They disgusted me in a way that I could not even put into words. My soul itself cried out to avenge those that people like her had victimized, and the comparison she’d made between us made me sick to my stomach.
“We’re so very different, Aimee,” I brushed aside the front of the rough dress she’d been given to wear and placed my hand over her heart as I spoke. “Let me show you.”
Aimee’s eyes widened in fright as she recognized the gesture that meant she was about to feel one of my tendrils again. But instead of sending another wide band of my rage, I slid a thread of my deepest emotions into her instead.
The strand that filtered into her was woven from my own righteous anger, along with my utter dismay at some of the sights I’d seen. I conjured up my memories of Seera and the poor woman we’d found mutilated by the side of the road, as well as many of the other innocent victims I’d come across during my time in this world. The combination of my revulsion at the barbarity I had witnessed, and my desire to avenge it should have made my position very clear to her, but empathy and compassion were clearly beyond Aimee’s ability to experience.
When I withdrew my hand, she stared back at me for just a second before breaking out in a bout of near maniacal laughter. I let her go on, finally sensing her almost psychotic nature for the first time. She was far worse than evil, I understood at last—she was a sociopath, unredeemable in her maliciousness.
“I thought you were strong,” a broad, sickening smile remained plastered on her face as she spoke to me in a mocking tone. “But you’re only a weak fool, protecting the sheep of this world when you should be culling the herd.”
“You call me weak,” I rattled the restraints around her wrist. “Yet you’re the one in chains.”
“Not only that,” I fingered the links around her throat next. “But you’re wearing this fucking collar, like a dog on a leash.”
She didn’t like being reminded of either of those facts, the collar seemingly least of all. Aimee raged at me, issuing a stream of curses, each more vile than the one that proceeded it. I briefly considered responding to her somehow, perhaps with a tendril of my own rage, but discarded the idea almost immediately. Instead, I merely replaced her gag and left her to stew in her own venom for the rest of the day. After all, I’d gotten what I came for, and there was nothing more to be gained by wasting any more of my breath on her—at least until we found some way past those damn links around her neck.
“Did you learn much?” Venna asked when I met her in the hallway outside Aimee’s cell.
“Enough,” I replied. “There are five more like her still out there. Let’s get everyone together so we can decide what to do about them.”
It didn’t take long to gather all my advisors in our conference room. My summons made it clear that there was an urgent matter to discuss, so they willingly put off their other duties and came as quickly as they could.
“We haven’t solved the problem of the links around her neck,” I began once we were all seated. “So, I was unable to learn anything about her Mistress, nor have I been able to get her to relinquish her soul bound items, but what I have learned is important enough to call you all here.”
“Two of our enemy’s Deathless are already dead, and a third is in in the cells below us,” I recounted the tally for them. “There are five more still out there, but now we know who they are.”
I then told them what I’d learned about each of our foes. Aimee knew their names and classes, and I’d even been able to get a brief description of each, but none of their levels or talents—unsurprising, considering how closely most held those secrets.
First was Aish, a female human Shadow, the equivalent of a thief or rogue in this world; blond with brown eyes. Next came Logan, a male human warrior with red hair, a bulky build, and piercing blue eyes; Aimee’s words, not mine—she’d clearly had a thing for him. Then there was Thorgil, a dwarven warrior with hair and eyes both of dark brown. Finally, there was an elven couple who apparently were married back on the other Earth. Laerik was an Evoker, silver-haired with eyes to match, and his wife Jaide, a Shadow who mimicked her husband’s features. It wasn’t much, but getting these descriptions out would certainly help track down the Deathless.
“Probably not,” Líann threw a bucket of cold water on my hopes. “Aimee was captured trying to escape into the Dark Lands. I think it most likely that the others have already found their way back there.”
Thanks a lot, I glared at her. Although she’d made an excellent point, and I couldn’t be too upset with her for speaking the truth.
“I’ll have my people get word of this out,” Khorim quickly offered. “Just in case any of them haven’t slipped away yet.”
“Perhaps we should increase security around our Fortress in Olóra,” Talína suggested. “There are two Shadows among the Deathless, and they may very well be spying on what we’re doing there.”
That outpost was the key to our invasion of the Dark Lands; a fact we hadn’t bothered to hide from our enemies. The Deathless Shadows were the perfect tools for the Mistress of the Dark Lands to use as she sought to learn of our plans.
We’d already required our troops patrolling the region to do so only in large groups since the increasing presence of greater numbers, and more powerful monsters from across the border made it the only safe way to scout the area. Providing those soldiers with a description of the enemy Deathless seemed like a reasonable precaution as well.
“There’s a supply caravan heading that way in the morning,” Evans jumped in. “I will see that these descriptions are passed along to the Fort’s commander.”
“Very well,” I rose as I prepared to bring our meeting to its conclusion
. “Make sure all our soldiers know to look for these people, not just the links. I don’t have to tell you how important this is; every single one of them we capture weakens our enemy significantly.”
I spent the rest of that day alternately slinging Fireballs and black orbs in my hidden training field. The Spell was the only one I could work on safely, while the orbs helped not only pass the time while my Aura regenerated but also calmed the anger that was rising inside me. Aimee and her Deathless cohorts were a stain on the face of this Earth, and the very fact that they still breathed its air burned a hole in my conscience. If she hadn’t held knowledge I needed, I might very well have snuffed Aimee’s life out already—her vile crimes demanded no less. But the black links around her neck not only protected the secrets of her dark Mistress, they also shielded Aimee from the justice I so desperately wanted to unleash on her.
It was growing dark by the time I finally quit and headed back home. My frustration had been obvious, and no one, not even Saibra, was willing to interrupt me as I cast my magic and orbs with the Shadow Armor writhing around me. The one bright spot of the afternoon had been when I’d focused on controlling the arms of my Shadow Armor and succeeded.
I’d been able to manipulate one of the misty projections before, but that was the first time I’d tried to direct two of them at once. It hadn’t been easy, and my mind had trouble keeping up with the demands of controlling my own body, plus the two vaporous arms. Still, I was able to learn that it was possible, and also knew that would be the limit of my control—the rest of the projections were not subject to my manipulation, no matter what.
I skipped dinner that night, managing to grab a quick bite from the kitchens before heading up to my chambers. Although I’d vented a great deal of my frustrations during my practice, they still lingered with me. Bane was waiting when I entered his room, as he almost always seemed to be, and I huddled against the warm side of his body as he coiled around me.
You are troubled once again, my Sintári. His deep voice echoed inside my head.
‘It seems that I am always troubled these days.’
True enough—and you have reason to be. But this is something more.
‘I want to kill her, Bane. I want to kill them all,’ I sent back to him, and my eyes flared involuntarily at the thought of crushing Aimee’s throat between my fingers.
‘But I can’t. The links around her neck prevent me from discovering all her secrets, and I can’t kill the bitch until I know everything she does.’
Patience was never your strong suit, my Sintári. Bane’s amusement was clear in my mind.
‘No, it never has been,’ his subtle rebuke tempered my frustration.
I would have to be willing to play the long game if I wanted the information I needed from Aimee. As difficult as it was for me, I would have to simply wait until Aaden and Emilda found a way past the protection of the collar she wore. Until they did, it would probably be best for me to simply ignore her; to let the bitch rot in her cell rather than frustrate myself by asking her questions she could not answer. It wasn’t the resolution I’d been hoping for, but it would have to do.
I must have drifted off with those thoughts on my mind, because the next thing I knew it was morning, and I awoke alone, wrapped in Bane’s coils. Once I ventured back into my own chambers, I finally found Líann sleeping by herself in our bed. She’d obviously returned after I’d fallen asleep and decided not to disturb me. I would have preferred to have her with me, even if she’d woken me up, but I appreciated her consideration. I wanted to wake her so that we could at least start our day together, but Líann looked so peaceful and serene as she slept that I simply couldn’t bring myself to disturb her, so I only kissed her softly on the cheek before I left.
After a quick breakfast, Saibra and my guards accompanied me as I made my way outside to the space within the Imperial Fortress that we’d given Aaden for his research. This was the third day since I’d sent Emilda to help him unlock the secrets of the dark links, and although it was still quite early, I wanted to see just how much progress the two of them were making.
Aaden and Emilda were hovering over a stack of books, deeply engrossed in their research when Saibra and I entered his workshop. Our entrance roused the two from the discussion they were having, and they rushed to greet us.
“I wasn’t expecting you, Empress,” Aaden spoke, clearly out of sorts.
“Tell me about the progress you’ve made,” I replied, getting straight to the reason for my visit.
“I… We’re still working on it,” he responded nervously. “We haven’t solved the problem, but there are still a few things left to try.”
“What he means to say,” Emilda looked me in the eye as she calmly spoke. “Is that there is no way to break the magic of the links without killing the person wearing them.”
I’d given her three days to solve this problem, but even before that time was over, she was basically confessing her total failure to me—a failure that I’d told her would come with certain consequences.
“You’re telling me that we won’t be able to find out anything about the one who holds her leash?”
Emilda shook her head slowly in response.
“Then there’s no reason to keep her alive any longer,” my words flowed out coldly as I held Emilda’s gaze. “Come with me.”
Aaden would sever the links’ connection if I wanted him to, and even though he recognized the need to end the Deathless, I knew that witnessing the horrific death that the collar inflicted troubled him. So, rather than force Aaden to perform the distressing task, I intended to give Emilda a second opportunity to redeem herself.
“You failed me, Emilda,” I told her bluntly as we walked towards the prison cells. “But it seems as if the task I assigned you may have been an impossible one. If you’d like, I’m willing to offer you one more chance.”
“Whatever it is,” she replied with a look of determination in her eyes. “I will do my best to atone for my actions.”
“We captured this Deathless, but there are still more out there,” I told her my intentions. “I don’t want you to just help me put an end to her. I want you to help me kill the rest of them as well.”
“When my Army marches into the Dark Lands, you will accompany us,” I made sure she understood just what would be required of her. “I’ll need you with us to put an end to any Deathless we capture during our battles there.”
“I have very little to live for, Empress,” Emilda replied after a short pause. “I’ve already passed into the last stages of life, and my only daughter was taken from me by the very Deathless you seek out. Nothing would please me more than to do this for you.”
I had no trouble recognizing the glint in Emilda’s eye as she spoke to me. It spoke not only of her resignation but also of the depths of her desire to avenge Ineth’s death. The fire of it burned deep within me as well, although those flames were also sheathed in darkness.
I’d sent one of my guards ahead to find Venna for me, and she was waiting for us as we reached the door to Aimee’s cell. After a quick check to ensure that her Spell was still in place, I let Venna return to her duties, which she did without objection. The sense of foreboding hung unmistakably in the air, and Venna had recognized what was about to take place.
“You can stay with the others until it’s time,” I told Emilda as I gestured back to the guard station down the hall where Saibra and my protectors waited. Saibra herself would have remained with me, but I’d ordered her to stay with everyone else. Although she’d come a long way, I was still reluctant to stir up any memories of Insleí’s interrogation.
“I’d rather watch,” Emilda’s response was cold and devoid of emotion.
“No. After I finish asking a few questions, I intend to make her pay for her crimes,” I informed Emilda, “at least as much as I can. You’ll be able to see what’s left of her when I call you in.”
With obvious reluctance, Emilda retreated back down the hallway to joi
n Saibra and the others. I entered Aimee’s cell alone, only to find her lying right where I’d left her the day before. As I sat down on the edge of the narrow bed, I pulled out her gag and began asking her the few questions I had left.
“What was your name here, in this world?”
“You speak as if I’m already dead,” her thin smile of amusement sickened me.
I had no stomach for her games, so I cast Compel before asking again.
“You are,” I replied with deadly seriousness. “Now tell me your name.”
“My name is Jazmine Aurafyre.”
Interesting choice—very gamer-like. I really didn’t care what stupid name she’d picked, but her fellow Deathless likely only knew Aimee by the name she’d chosen, so I thought that it might be useful to know.
“Do you know how your Mistress plans to defend against my invasion?”
“No,” Compel forced the truth of Aimee’s ignorance from her. I also hoped that by asking somewhat indirect questions, I might avoid invoking the power of her links.
“Do you know how many troops she commands?”
“No.”
Despite how little I was able to get out of her, Aimee’s face was a mask of rage as I forced her to answer my questions. Her impotent anger seemed like a very fitting way for her to spend her final few moments.
“It seems that there is nothing else for you to tell me,” I replaced her gag as I spoke before rolling the hem of her dress up over her knees.
“Do you remember telling me about the village you razed?” I asked as I wrapped my fingers around her flesh. “You know, the one where you and your ‘friends’ killed everyone, even the little children?”
Aimee’s muffled screams began the instant I sent the dark tendril into her and only increased as I wrapped it around the joint in her leg. With a quick thought, I yanked the thread back, shattering her knee while simultaneously slamming my hand down into the ruined mess. Her shin shot skyward as Aimee’s leg bent at a disturbing angle, and her strangled cries of agony filled the tiny cell with her misery.
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