by Sarah Hawke
“Are you actually going to give him what he wants?” Maxos asked as the carriage came to a stop just inside the gate.
“We’ll see how grateful he is first,” Torelius replied with a grunt. He flashed me a dark smile as he stepped out of the carriage and closed the door behind him. I had to lean back slightly, but from this angle I could see Master Kristoff striding across the courtyard with a pair of his house guards. Even from this distance, my keen faeyn ears allowed me to overhear them without any trouble.
“Welcome back to Sanctum, General,” Master Kristoff said. He didn’t bow or even nod. “I heard you have something that belongs to me.”
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Your Excellency,” Torelius sneered. “I must admit, you look a bit…out of sorts.”
Kristoff’s eyes were so cold I actually had to repress a shiver. The two men had never gotten along, I knew, and the total collapse of the Imperial Legion in Glorinfel had only soured their relationship further. Kristoff blamed Emperor Lucian for the war, but he blamed Torelius for the incompetence of the men and women fighting it.
“Where are my soldiers, Antione?” Kristoff demanded. “Where is my property?”
The general snorted. “I don’t know why I expected you to be more gracious. After all, you’ve never truly appreciated the contributions of the Legion or its stewards. Perhaps that’s why your men were routed so thoroughly at Stormcrest. Never underestimate the importance of morale.”
Even without telepathy, I could feel Master seething from here. He had never concealed his contempt for Torelius, not even in the presence of the other Grand Dukes or High Generals. If his plans to overthrow Emperor Lucian ever came to fruition, one of his first decrees would be to string up Torelius and everyone who served with him.
“Curiously, your slave seems to appreciate you much more than your soldiers,” the general went on. “Like I said in my missive, she brought your guard-captain to one of our camps on the border of the Wreath. If she’d waited any longer, he would be dead.”
“But you’re certain he’ll survive?”
“Nothing in life is certain, Your Excellency. But my healers believe he’ll recover as long as he wakes soon. If not…”
“What about Elara?”
Torelius chuckled softly. “You even call her by name, how charming. She served me well—so well that I intend to keep her as payment.”
“Unacceptable. You will return her immediately.”
I couldn’t actually see the general’s face from this angle, but I could perfectly visualize the smug grin on his fat lips. “I knew I shouldn’t have expected gratitude from you. You’ve never appreciated the contributions of the High Generals.”
“I will the instant any of you actually contribute anything,” Kristoff replied tartly.
Torelius took a step forward. “If you ever want to see your precious castle again, I suggest you change your attitude, Your Excellency. I’m the one Lucian trusts—I’m the one who determines when and where the Legion will strike.”
“And you’re doing such a wonderful job of it so far.” Kristoff glanced over to the carriage and caught my eye. “Return my property. Now.”
For a moment, I feared Torelius might actually refuse. According to Imperial law, the High Generals were appointed by the Grand Dukes and not the Emperor, which meant that Kristoff could theoretically have Torelius demoted, especially with the aid of Duke Arland or Duchess Farrow. In principle, of course, politics were almost always more important than the law, and Master Kristoff was in a weaker position than half the landed gentry. Torelius could probably refuse and drag this out for some time…
“Look at Kristoff squirm,” Maxos whispered next to me. “Pathetic. You must have gotten tired of fucking a broken man.”
I couldn’t respond with the gag in my mouth, but he wasn’t actually interested in my opinion anyway. I closed my eyes and swallowed, wishing once again that I’d had the courage to kill Torelius and his lackeys when I’d had the chance. I could have engulfed them in flame just like the Inquisitor outside Lakewatch, and it would have been worth watching them burn even if the Tel Bator channelers had killed me just a few moments later…
“Perhaps a compromise is in order,” Torelius said eventually. “I propose an exchange: you can choose any one of my other girls, but I wish to keep yours for a bit longer. I’m not finished with her just yet.”
“No,” Kristoff replied. “Hand her over, and you’ll be duly compensated.”
“Compensated with what? Coin you no longer possess?”
“You’d rather I involve the magistrate? Or the rest of the Quorum?”
“I would, actually,” Torelius said. “I’d love to see you explain to them why one pitiful elf cunt is worth so much trouble. What’s so special about her, Gabriel? Why do you protect her?”
“She’s mine,” Kristoff declared, his voice so cold it sent another shiver down my spine. “This is your last chance, Antione. Hand her over.”
Again, I found myself wondering if Torelius would actually refuse. The man’s pettiness knew no bounds, and he was right that none of the other nobles would understand why a Grand Duke would make such a fuss over a single slave, even a trained avenari.
“Very well,” Torelius said. “As a loyal servant of the Empire, I respect the property of my hallowed peers. You will find she is unharmed…more or less.”
Chuckling under his breath, Maxos abruptly pushed open the carriage door and grabbed my leash. My ankles were bound so tightly I could barely walk, and I nearly collapsed face-first to the ground as he dragged me forward. But thankfully I managed to keep my balance, and Master Kristoff’s eyes lit up when he saw that I was all right.
“What about my guard-captain?” he asked.
“Ah, yes.” Torelius made a gesture with his hand, and several of his other soldiers escorted Larric’s stretcher towards the mansion. “A weaker man would have already died. His Inquisitor training must be keeping him alive.”
The jab was clearly intended to annoy Master Kristoff and reveal that Torelius knew about Larric’s past. It just as clearly didn’t have any discernable effect.
“Thank you, General,” Kristoff said. “That will be all.”
Torelius smiled thinly. “Just remember that you owe me a favor, Gabriel. And I always collect on my debts.”
He signaled to his men, and without any further theatrics he stepped back into his carriage and rode away. Several of the house servants rushed up to take Larric inside the mansion while Master Kristoff turned his attention to me.
“Merciful Triad,” he breathed, cupping his hands around my chin and removing my gag. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, my lord,” I breathed.
He started at me for several long seconds, his eyes boring into mine. I had imagined this moment dozens of times during the journey from the Wreath, and I genuinely hadn’t known how he would react. After the bandit attack near the Infintium, I had naively expected him to be joyous. Instead he’d been relieved but cold; mere moments later he’d offered my body to Larric in exchange for protection such a valuable investment. Looking back, that moment more than any other had finally shattered any illusions I’d harbored about his true affection for me. I wasn’t his lover or his partner—I was a tool. And tools could easily be discarded once they had served their purpose…
“Thirty men,” he said, his mouth twisting like he was chewing nails. “I send thirty men to protect you and still they weren’t enough.”
“We reached Skyfall safety,” I told him. “But on the return—”
“I know,” he interrupted. His hands squeezed at my shoulders, but he didn’t unclasp my wrists or remove my collar. “I received a missive from Baron Vilmark of Reskin the day after you disappeared. He found half your guards in the tavern and the other half dead outside of town. His men tried to pursue but lost your trail.”
I bit down on my lower lip, wondering what specifics Master Kristoff had already learned. I knew I needed t
o choose my words carefully. “We were attacked by Faedari rebels and forced to flee,” I explained. “Larric and I barely escaped. He thought we’d be safer moving quickly down the road rather than returning to town. We made it into the Wreath before they caught up with us.”
Kristoff’s cheek twitched slightly. “How did they even know you were there?”
“I-I don’t know, my lord,” I lied. “Duke Darkstone gave Larric a vaeyn prisoner as a gift. The attackers seemed more interested in freeing her than anything.”
Kristoff glanced back over his shoulder to the door where the servants had carried Larric inside. “You should have left him to die in woods.”
I blinked in confusion. “My lord?”
“I grow tired of failure,” he said, his jaw clenched. “All around me, those I trust with vital tasks prove their incompetence time and time again. It’s maddening.” He sucked in a deep breath and finally swiveled his head back around to face me. “I already asked Baron Vilmark to hang the surviving guards. Thankfully, most of them were slaves.”
I opened my mouth to reply but remained silent. Watching Larric cut down his fellow house guards in front of me had been difficult enough, but now our escape had cost even more lives. The slave soldiers, human and orc alike, had been born into servitude just as I had…
“What about Darkstone?” Kristoff asked. “I’ve received no envoys or missives from Skyfall since you left. Were you able to slip into his mind? Did you convince him to send troops?”
“N-not exactly, Master,” I stammered.
“What do you mean, ‘not exactly?’ Did he agree to join the Quorum or not?”
His tone was so cold, so venomous, that I struggled not to cower in fear. I had seen him angry before, but never with me…and never like this. What had happened in the weeks since we’d left? What had changed so dramatically?
“I wasn’t able to enter his mind,” I rasped. “His magic was too strong.”
“So you gave up? You learned nothing?”
“No, I…he tried to penetrate my mind as well. He wanted to learn about you and your plans.”
“Did he succeed?”
“No, my lord. I blocked him out, but I thought it was too risky to try and charm him.” I forced myself to swallow again. “There’s more you need to know. Duke Darkstone has made a secret pact with the vaeyn. There was already a shadow knight at Skyfall when we arrived.”
Kristoff’s entire body froze in place. “What?”
“Apparently Darkstone had been negotiating with the dark elves for some time. He promised to aid them in overthrowing the Covenant, ending slavery through the Empire…and even killing the Emperor.”
This time, Master Kristoff was the one who couldn’t find his voice. His eyes flickered between confusion and rage. Out of habit, I was tempted to try and share everything with him telepathically…but in this case I knew that wasn’t an option. I couldn’t take the risk that he’d learn the truth about Larric or the Faedari.
“Darkstone isn’t planning on honoring his agreement,” I went on. “But he believes the vaeyn can be useful allies in the short term. He wants their help to overthrow Emperor Lucian and weaken the Covenant, but when the time is right he plans to use the chaos and take the throne for himself. If you aid him, he pledged to restore all your lands and liberate Stormcrest.”
Kristoff released his grip on my arms and paced off to the side. “That fool,” he spat. “He has no idea what he’s doing. He has no idea who he’s dealing with!”
“He seemed confident.”
“Of course he’s confident! The Vale is shielded by mountains on all sides. The rest of the Empire could burn to ashes while he sits there smirking on his bloody throne.”
I watched in silence for a moment as he continued stomping back and forth. “Larric can tell you more when he awakens,” I said. “He was present for all the negotiations.”
Kristoff’s head abruptly whipped back around. “You weren’t there with him?”
“I-I wasn’t usually allowed in the room, Master. As I said, Duke Darkstone was able to block my intrusions and—”
“I sent you there with one goal, Elara,” Kristoff interrupted as he stepped back in front of me. “I told you to get me Darkstone’s support by any means necessary.”
“I’m sorry, Master. I did everything I could, I swear!”
His eyes continued boring into me for several long, uncomfortable moments. “Did you?” he asked, placing his hands on my shoulders again. “Did you really?”
“Yes, Master!” I pleaded. “Please…please, forgive me.”
“Then show me what happened,” he said, shifting his hands up to cup my cheeks. “All of it.”
The Aether surged between us, and he thrust into my mind. Whether out of submissive habit or raw shock, I wasn’t prepared to resist him. I unwittingly shared everything I’d learned about Darkstone, including the details of his bizarre orgy and my telepathic manipulation of his son, Varyl. Memory by memory, he relived every second of my experience in Skyfall…
But there were some things I absolutely needed to conceal. Larric’s knowledge of my condition, his relationship with Karethys and the Faedari…if Master Kristoff learned the truth, I didn’t know what would happen. But Larric would almost certainly never wake up again…
“You’re holding back,” Kristoff whispered. “Why?”
“I don’t know what you mean, Master. I—”
“Don’t lie to me,” he snapped. “Never lie to me!”
With that, he reared back and slapped me across the face so hard I toppled over. For a few seconds, my brain couldn’t even accept what had just happened…but then the pain burned across my cheek and I knew it was real. Kristoff had never struck me before. He had never hurt me at all except as part of a greater lesson. Until this instant, I didn’t even think he was capable of such a thing…
“You disappoint me, Elara,” he breathed, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. “I expected more. I expected better.”
I couldn’t have replied even if I’d wanted to. Tears blurred my vision and sobs choked my throat.
“It’s my fault, I suppose,” Kristoff murmured. “After all your accomplishments, I assumed you were ready for a greater challenge. I assumed you’d be able to handle yourself even without my supervision. Obviously, I was mistaken.”
He balled one of his hands into a fist, and I feared he might strike me again…but then he grabbed my leash and roughly hoisted me back to my feet. He pulled on the leather so hard it began to choke me, and he brought his free hand up to my cheek.
“Show me everything,” he demanded. “Now!”
He sliced through my mental barriers so forcefully, so completely, I could have sworn he’d just hammered a nail through my forehead. My mouth dropped open and I cried out in equal parts fear and pain. I could feel him probing around searching for the truth, and images of Larric and Karethys suddenly flashed in my mind…
“What?” he gasped, his voice hoarse. “What the hell is going—?”
Kristoff froze in place, and the words died on his lips. His body began convulsing like he’d just been struck by lightning. His fingers clawed into my cheek hard enough to draw blood, and he threw his head back as if he might scream…
And then suddenly, inexplicably, I had control. Not just over his mind, but over his whole body. My consciousness had become intertwined with his…and I could do absolutely anything I wanted.
I have no idea how long I stood there frozen in place, but eventually I realized what was happening. Like an expert swordsman, I had parried his attacks out of sheer mental muscle memory, and my mind had performed a masterful riposte. Master Kristoff had taught me almost everything I knew about telepathy and the Aether in general, but he wasn’t Unbound. He had limits. He had weaknesses.
I did not.
I gasped and sucked in a deep breath. We were still standing outside in the middle of the estate courtyard, but mercifully no one else was nearby. The guar
ds were far enough away that it probably just looked like he was holding onto my face. With my wrists and ankles shackled, I would have appeared completely helpless.
But I wasn’t. In a very real sense, I never would be again. The Aether was a far more powerful weapon than chains or swords. It could kill as well as control. I could have made Kristoff kneel at my shackled feet. I could have even made him set me free. But instead I forced myself to take a calming breath and consider my next few actions very carefully…
You can’t escape without Larric, I reminded myself. If you leave him here, he’ll be as doomed as if you’d left him bleeding out at Lakewatch. You have to hold on until he wakes up.
Biting down on my lip, I slowly but surely relaxed my control over Master’s mind. Despite the voraciousness of his attack, he still hadn’t learned anything particularly threatening. All he’d seen was Larric and Karethys speaking, and all he knew for certain was that they’d been acquainted before Skyfall. By itself, that knowledge probably wasn’t dangerous…and it would give me the leverage I needed to let him believe he’d at least learned something I’d previously been holding back.
“Shit,” Kristoff hissed as he abruptly pulled away. He blinked in rapid succession as his consciousness slowly reasserted itself. After a few more seconds of confusion, he glanced back up at me and shook his head.
“Master, I’m sorry,” I blubbered. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes and wetting my cheeks. “I did everything I could. Please…”
“I know you did,” Kristoff said, straightening his back and composing himself. For an instant, I could see a faint glimmer of the man I remembered from Glorinfel—the man who had treated me more like his partner than his slave. “Like I said, it’s my fault. I should have known you weren’t prepared for a task like this. I should have prepared you better.”
He swore again and glanced around the courtyard to see if anyone was watching. “The situation in Sanctum has deteriorated rapidly. I need the armies of the Vale now more than ever. But if Darkstone won’t help us….” His eyes lost their focus for a moment, but eventually they fixated back upon me. “There may still be a way you can make this up to me. But perhaps I need to approach your training differently.”
