Chereads / earth orc / Chapter 537 - 13

Chapter 537 - 13

"Just try it, boy," Sevinc says, fingers twitching above her sword.

Ward shakes his head. "Your mind has been tampered with, Agad the Imperishable. I know you've felt it in your dreams—all false memories have a way of slowly unraveling. I can fill in the gaps."

"You're wasting your time," Sevinc says. "He'll betray you the moment you turn your back. The Camarilla are all the same."

Ward frowns. "The Camarilla used to say the same about the Banu Haqim. I remember the stories they told me about the Assassins when I was a fledgling. Assamites hiding in the dark to suck your soul right out of your body. Stereotypes based in history, sure, but they left no room for nuance. Your people deserved better. So does Agad the Imperishable."

A Banu Haqim Anarch? You think quickly, trying to process every bit of information revealed to you as if your existence depends on it. The Assassins' alliance with the Camarilla is tenuous at best, at least in Ottawa. A defector to the Anarchs would be bad news for those toeing the line like Kashif Salik.

The Brujah turns his attention back in your direction. "You can stay in the Ivory Tower as a comfortable pet, or you can learn the truth and stand beside us against the self-righteous licks who took your free will. It's your choice to make, and you're free to leave whatever you decide."

You've heard this kind of speech before, of course. It's Anarch dogma to believe that everything a Camarilla vampire says is a lie, and that stands doubly true for those in positions of power like Corliss. Recruiting the childe of a Seneschal would likely be considered a significant win in Ward's eyes, and you don't doubt he'd twist the truth to bring you over to his side. But what if he's telling the truth?