The Cultists drew long knives from their belts, and Garfiel reluctantly put his hands in the air.
He looked around. Garfiel was lying near some old ruins in the jungle. There were a dozen small stone huts nearby that looked like they had been partially repaired.
Part of Garfiel wanted to leap to his feet and go down fighting. The thought of trying to negotiate with or expect any kind of mercy from the Witch Cult was laughable.
But before he could attack, Garfiel heard Felt 's voice crackle in his head.
Don 't move, fleabag! These fuckers don't have any idea how strong you really are. That's your advantage. Don't waste it.
If you play your cards right, they might let their guard down and give you an opening. They may not give you one, but you need to be ready if they do. And pretending to be weak and helpless is the best strategy to coax one out.
"Search him," The huge man ordered.
A slender young cat-girl in a green skirt took the satchel off Garfiel 's shoulder. She wasn't much taller than Felt, and had long white hair streaked with black stripes. Her only demi-human features were her ears and tail, which were also white with black stripes.
She took the satchel and began to rummage through it.
"Who are you?" A towering man whose face was hidden behind a hood demanded.
"Garfiel Tisdel," He answered before Felt's voice in his mind even had time to call him an idiot for giving away his real name.
"What are you doing here?" The man asked.
Garfiel hesitated, trying to figure out a reasonable explanation for being in the jungle that wouldn 't immediately get him killed.
Garfiel saw the cat-girl standing behind the cultists pull something out of the satchel with an expression of stunned horror. She quickly stashed it away inside her skirt pocket.
The cat-girl put a huge smile on her face. "Wait!" The cat girl cried out exuberantly. "Garfiel? Is it really you?"
Garfiel blinked.
"Oh, my God! It is you!" The cat girl said, running over to Garfiel and throwing her arms around his neck exuberantly. With Garfiel down on his knees, she was just about his size. "Oh my! You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you!" She hugged him tight.
Garfiel was dumbfounded.
"Play along," The girl said in a deadly whisper.
"Isabel," The huge man rumbled. "Do you know this boy?"
Isabel stopped hugging Garfiel and looked at the others. "Of course! This is Garfiel Tisdel. He's my cousin," Isabel explained. "He's one of us."
The crowd all looked astonished by this.
"What the hell are you doing out here?" A stocky middle-aged man with bear ears asked Garfiel in confusion.
"Deacon Sheen probably sent him to help us," Isabel answered at once with a sharp look at Garfiel.
Garfiel swallowed hard.
Gods, I so wish that the shrimp was here right now! I don 't know how to scam people!
"Yeah. The Deacon sent us," Garfiel muttered. "But… we ran into problems from the word 'go.' We were… waylaid by Vollachian troops, and we had to make a break for it. We got mauled by mabeasts in the swamp, and then we got lost in the jungle. As far as I know, I'm the only one of my party still alive."
Garfiel fought to look calm and impassive while desperately trying to see if the cultists were buying any bit of his hastily concocted story.
The huge man in the Cultist robes considered Garfiel 's story gravely. Finally, he sighed, "Well. I suppose you've got good timing, at least. We were headed back to the tomb tomorrow. You joining us after that would have been… complicated . Do we still have enough time to make papers for him, Arthur? "
"I'll make sure that they're ready," The bear demi-human growled. "But I won't be sleeping much tonight, Davit."
"We should all get some sleep," Davit agreed. "We'll need to be on our toes tomorrow. Garfiel, we're leaving at first light for the tomb, so there's not much point in fixing up one of these huts for you-"
"He can stay with me tonight!" Isabel said brightly. "It'll be just like our old sleepovers!"
Davit grumbled something under his breath. "Fine. But don't stay up all night! We have actual work to do in the morning," He said in exasperation. "Alright. Let's all get some kip."
Isabel grabbed Garfiel 's hand and tugged him along as she headed toward one of the little stone houses.
"This will be fun!" Isabel declared in an overly enthusiastic voice. "I haven't seen you in forever! How are your parents?"
"Fine," Garfiel struggled to respond as they entered the stone cottage. He groped for something to say. "Actually, Fredericka found a job recently. She's working as a maid."
Isabel pulled Garfiel into the stone hut. "Oh my God! That is hilarious! Fredericka, working as a maid! I 'd pay good money to see that!" Isabel slammed the door shut behind him and her smile fell off instantly. "You are an absolute idiot, " She said venomously. "Do you know that?"
"Alright. At least this feels familiar," Garfiel said without thinking.
Isabel pulled something silvery out of her dress. "What were you thinking traveling around the countryside with this sitting right out in your bag?! " She demanded. "Don't you have any sense at all ?! If anyone except me had seen this, you 'd already be dead if you were lucky! If you were unlucky, they 'd drag you back to Lady Capella to be punished."
Garfiel studied the silver medallion that Isabel held. It was carved with a graven image of the rising sun.
Wait a second. Isn 't that the medallion that the Captain got in Girali? The one that the Witch Cultist dropped?
If it 's a Witch Cult medallion, why is she mad at me for carrying it?
Hang on. The Captain said that the cultist was some kind of renegade, right? Somebody who was at odds with the rest of the Cult?
Maybe this medallion is how those renegades identify one another?
Garfiel coughed. "I wasn't thinking," He hedged. "I've been through hell and back over the past few days, so concealing myself wasn't my top priority."
Isabel sighed. "Well, you got really lucky, " She said sternly. "In fact, I dare say that you used up several decades ' worth of luck on that stunt. Now, why are you really here? Not the story that you told them, the real reason. "
Oh shit. What the hell do I do now? I 'm no good at making up stories. Especially since I have no idea who Isabel really is or what she's doing here!
Garfiel hesitated for a split second and then made a blind leap of faith. "Actually, the story that I told them was pretty close to the truth. My best friend taught me to always hide a lie inside of the truth."
"Good advice, but what are you doing here?"
Garfiel took a deep breath. "Well… We heard… that you were in trouble on this mission," He said vaguely, struggling to come up with something coherent, "So a team of us made our way down here to help you. But that's really all the information I have. I'm too low on the proverbial totem pole to ask too many questions."
Oh, man. I have no idea if that story even makes sense in this situation!
Isabel 's face lit up. "Then my message did get through! It 's been weeks! I thought for sure it'd been lost or intercepted."
Garfiel slowly started to relax. "I… don't know about that," He said hesitantly. "I just know that we were sent down here to contact you, but like I said, things went tits up from the word 'go.'"
Isabel nodded. "I wish that there were more of us," She said morosely. "Two heads are already better than one, but we're still in a desperate situation here…"
Garfiel coughed. "Can you fill me in? They didn't tell me much."
Isabel stared at him. "Wait a second. Daggenforth didn't tell you what was going on down here? " She asked incredulously.
"No," Garfiel said, hoping his third bald-faced lie tonight wouldn't break his lucky streak. "He seemed to get pretty mad whenever I asked him a question about anything."
Isabel sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Well, that's Daggenforth, alright," she admitted, her short tail lashing with agitation.
Isabel took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Alright. Putting it very briefly, I'm assuming that you've already heard how all of the seals are weakening? Well, one of the Goddesses is entombed in this jungle."
Goddesses? What Goddesses? And seals … Wait a second. Is she saying that a Witch is sleeping inside this jungle?!
Garfiel swallowed hard. "Really?" He asked, hoping he sounded excited and not sick to his stomach.
Isabel nodded. "The seal is starting to weaken. That's why the Deceiver sent us all down here to break open the tomb by any means necessary," Isabel said the word 'Deceiver' with a sneer of contempt. "Capella was supposed to come and oversee us weeks ago, but for whatever reason, she never came. Obviously, the Elders sent me to work undercover to try and stop the others from reaching the Goddess."
Garfiel 's eyes brightened. "Of course! You're trying to stop them!"
Isabel stared at Garfiel as if he was an idiot. "Well, obviously ! " She rolled her eyes. "You know what will happen if they reach the Goddess. With the seal already this brittle?"
Garfiel nodded. "Were you able to keep them out of the tomb?"
Isabel sighed. "Sort of. I managed to stall them for a lot longer than I expected, to be honest," She started to pace around the cramped cottage. "If Capella had come, I 'm not sure if I would have dared do anything, but with her M.I.A., I was able to sabotage the rituals and cause a number of setbacks without anyone being the wiser.
"Unfortunately, I was only one woman. And eventually, the tomb was opened. That was when Sphinx attacked."
"Sphinx?" Garfiel asked in surprise.
Isabel nodded, her expression coldly furious. "She'd been watching us the whole time, and I never even realized it! If Capella had been here, Sphinx never would have dared to make a move, but Sphinx brought an army with her, and there were only a few dozen of us. She killed most of the Order except for those of us who just happened to be on a trip out to this storage site to resupply. Ironically, the few of us who missed the massacre were mostly demi-humans, so we came up with a plan to falsify some papers proving that we belonged to the Alliance, and then we'd just walk into Sphinx's compound. That's the plan for tomorrow."
Garfiel gave Isabel a skeptical look. "And then?"
"I don't know," Isabel admitted. "Sphinx is watching the tomb like a hawk. The Goddess's power is starting to leak out of the tomb, and Sphinx is leaching off it to fuel her magic and build her army of the dead. I don't think that Davit really has a plan, but he is desperate to complete his mission. You know that the Deceitful Witch doesn't take kindly to failure," She added ominously.
Garfiel nodded. "…So I've heard," He said hesitantly.
Aren 't all the witches still sealed away? Who is this 'Deceitful Witch?'
Isabel sighed. " Our mission, on the other hand, is simple. We have to keep everyone away from the tomb at all costs, especially Davit and his people. But Sphinx is a threat, too. I don 't know what she's doing to the seal by siphoning off all that magic, but it's too dangerous to let her keep meddling with it."
Garfiel nodded. "If one of her spells misfires…"
"Exactly. Anything could happen," Isabel said ominously. "So, that's the plan. We need to keep everyone away from the tomb. Close it up completely if we can."
Garfiel digested that. "And… we would do that how exactly? "
"Hey. I said that the plan was simple. I never said that it would be easy," Isabel said with gallows humor. "I actually do have a fall-back plan, but I'm not sure how to put it into motion."
"What is it?"
"There's a lever just inside of the tomb that will seal it again if we can reach it."
Garfiel blinked. "That… sounds like problem solved."
"Not quite," Isabel sighed. "I mean, I guess it is, but whoever seals the tomb will be trapped inside."
"…Oh," He said shortly.
"Yeah. 'Oh,' is right," Isabel snorted. "I actually considered sacrificing myself to keep everyone out of the tomb. It wouldn't be my first choice, but if I have to…" She trailed off and shook her head. "Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be able to get anywhere near the tomb!"
"Why not?"
"Because Sphinx has a full legion of the draugr guarding it," Isabel said sharply. "She doesn't want to risk anything cutting off her new power source."
"A legion?!"
"At least twelve draugr are all standing there and guarding the tomb," Isabel sighed. "We'll need to find a way to distract them so I can slip inside and reseal the tomb. Then Davit and Sphinx will be cut off, and the tomb will be safe."
"Won't they just try to reopen it again?" Garfiel asked.
"Not for a long time," Isabel smirked. "Only a few people in the Order have knowledge of the rituals to reopen the tomb, and Sphinx killed most of them. Of course, the Deceiver might always come here and do it herself, but that's not really her style."
Who is this 'Deceiver' that she keeps talking about?
"Hang on. You don't have one of the Wisp Lanterns, do you?" Isabel frowned.
Garfiel hesitantly shook his head, groping for something to say. "Ours… broke in the jungle," He lied.
She stared at him. "Then how the hell did you even get here without getting stuck in the Black Morass? "
"The what?"
"The swamp full of mabeasts at the center of the jungle," She said with exaggerated patience.
Garfiel snorted. "We did get stuck there. I came straight through it before I wound up here. "
Isabel 's eyes widened. "Wow. You're not too bright, but you sure are brave."
Garfiel chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"If you like," She shrugged.
"So… what exactly are we doing tomorrow? Just… walking up to Sphinx's fortress and hoping that they don't question our forged papers?"
"Pretty much," Isabel shrugged. "It should be easy. The Demi-Human Alliance is eminently infiltratable. They'd never even consider the possibility of one of their 'brothers' working against them."
Garfiel made a face. "I guess they live in a better world than we do."
"They live in a dream world," Isabel countered. "And one day, they'll have a very rude wakeup call."
Garfiel thought for a moment. "You know, we might have another problem. I didn't know that Sphinx was here."
"So?"
"I met her once on assignment," Garfiel said meaningfully. "She might recognize me."
Isabel 's eyes widened, and then she nodded slowly. "Well…I doubt that we'll see much of her… Just wear a hood or something and keep your head down if you see her crossing the courtyard. We should be fine."
Garfiel nodded. "Alright. But we still have no real plan for the tomb. We need a way to distract the draugr so we can reach it. And even then, our only strategy is to let someone bury themselves alive to seal the tomb. That 's not much of a plan."
"I know," Isabel sighed. "We need to come up with a diversion. Some way to get the draugr away from the tomb so we can seal it again."
"Like what?"
"I don't know," She admitted.
Isabel started to pace around the room. "I can hold off one draugr while I make a dash for the tomb. Maybe two, " She said slowly. "But that's it."
"No, you can't," Garfiel told the tiny girl flatly. "I've seen these things fight. Just one is enough to crush you instantly."
Isabel raised an eyebrow. "I guess Daggenforth didn't tell you. I'm a Wildkin. That's why I was selected for this mission," She said archly.
With that, Isabel resumed her pacing as if this had fully answered his comment. "I can't fight them. I know that. But maybe I could draw them off for a minute, " She said, her brow furrowed in deep thought. "Then… you could reach the tomb and seal it shut …"
"Wait. You're a what?" Garfiel asked.
Isabel blinked. "I'm a Wildkin. You know what that is, right?"
Garfiel started to shake his head and then hesitated.
Something tells me I 'm supposed to know that term.
"Yeah! No, I just… I wouldn't have guessed," Garfiel laughed weakly.
Isabel smirked. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Even in the Order, most people don't look at a cute little catgirl and assume that I can turn into a monster whenever I want. I've used that to my advantage more than once."
Garfiel stared at her.
She can do what ?!
"Even… so," He said awkwardly. "Do you really think you can handle a draugr?"
Isabel made a face. " One yes. At least I hold it off for a minute while I run to the tomb, but I can 't fight twelve . "
Isabel took Garfiel 's hand and inspected it closely. "You look like you'd have some good affinity," She murmured. "And that's a rare thing these days. Did anyone ever try to train you?"
"Train me in what?"
Isabel gave him a puzzled look. "Train you to transform!"
Transform into what?! How can I make up a believable story if I don 't know what she's talking about?!
"No," Garfiel said slowly. "Maybe they tried to train Fredericka but not me…"
"That's too bad," She sighed. "Two werebeasts would be really helpful right now."
Wait. 'Werebeasts?' What the hell is a 'werebeast?'
"Yeah… it might work," Isabel whispered. "If you could transform, then you could distract the draugr. Then I could dash in, avoid whatever draugr didn't take the bait, and then seal the tomb!"
"Uh. But I can't… 'transform,'" Garfiel reminded her awkwardly.
"But maybe I can teach you!" Isabel said excitedly. "I'm not authorized by the elders to share the secret, but this is an emergency. We could find someplace quiet in the compound to practice. Even if you could only transform for a minute or two, you could still distract the draugr while I get to the tomb!"
"Uh… I don't know if that would work," Garfiel said slowly. "Maybe we should try it the other way around. What if you distract the draugr and I run into the tomb?"
"I'm trying not to do it that way, Garf," She said patiently. "Remember, whoever seals the tomb will end up trapped inside of it."
"Oh. Right."
Isabel sighed. "Well. We'll have to see what our options are when we get to the compound. Look, I know that you weren't properly briefed, and if by some miracle I actually survive this mission, I plan to give Daggenforth a serious chewing-out because of that, but … the fact remains that there was always a very good chance that I wasn't going to survive this assignment. And now… the same thing applies to you. You need to understand that our lives are completely expendable as long as it means closing the tomb and keeping all these meddlers away from the seal, " She said somberly.
Garfiel swallowed hard.
If the Witch breaks free … it will be an apocalypse….
With that in mind … Yeah. I guess my life really is expendable if it means that we keep the witch right where she is…
Garfiel couldn 't trust his voice not to shake, so he simply nodded.
Isabel gave him a small smile of approval. "Here, brother," She murmured, handing him the medallion. "You'll want this back. And try to find a safer place to keep it! "
Garfiel flushed. "Um. I don't really have a safer place to keep it," He admitted.
Isabel stared at him incredulously. " Seriously ?! Garfiel, that 's not just some trinket, you know! It's a symbol of the King's Authority! You should treat it more respectfully."
"I'm sorry!" Garfiel said, wishing he knew what the hell she was talking about. "I'm not used to being out in the field!"
"And yet you're the only one who survived," Isabel sighed and shook her head.
Garfiel looked offended. "Well, excuse me! Next time, I'll try to die with the others!"
Wait, what am I talking about? There were no others! I 'm not on any mission. I'm making all of this up!
Isabel stared up at him with a serious expression.
She sighed, "Garfiel, you know that wasn't what I meant," She said in a more conciliatory voice. "Look, I'm just saying that we all need to be careful. There aren't a lot of us left. Even if the Elders are right and the Dawn is coming, we still need to survive until it gets here. Nothing would make the folks in the Archbishops ' faction, or even some of the fanatics in the Witch's faction, happier than dragging one of the Faithful up in front of everyone and killing them slowly. I don't want to see you get hurt."
Garfiel hesitated. I don 't even know what to say to that.
"Alright," She said brusquely. "Let's get some sleep. The next few days promise to be long ones."
Isabel lay down on the crude bed. "Sorry, there's only one bed, so you're going to have to take the floor tonight," She said.
Garfiel looked crestfallen. "I feel like that bed is big enough for both of us," He complained.
"I don't think we know each other that well, Garf," She said in a serene voice.
"Come on!" He complained. "This floor is cold stone!"
Isabel flexed her fingers, which ended in a set of wickedly sharp claws. "Try to climb into this bed tonight, and you'll be neutered by morning," She said sweetly.
Garfiel sighed as he lay down on the cottage floor. Isabel blew out the candle, and the cottage became completely dark.
Felt would be proud of all the lying that I did today.
Damn. Is she OK? Are Frosty and the Captain OK?
I 've been stuck inside the jungle for days, ever since Regulus attacked. I don't even know if they managed to escape-
No. Knock it off. Don 't think like that.
The Captain dealt with Regulus before, and he 'll do it again. He'll keep the girls safe. I just need to stay alive until he comes to find me. No way that the Captain and the shrimp forget about me in here.
But it might be a while before they figure out a way to come and get me. The enchantment on the jungle is powerful stuff, and the Captain 's not stupid. He knows that there's no point in 'rescuing' me only to end up trapped in here beside me. He won't come into the jungle until he thinks he has a way out.
Isabel suggested that those lamp-things she mentioned would let me bypass the enchantment. I might be able to steal one of the lamps from the Alliance. There must be a lot of them lying around. Folks must come and go from Sphinx 's compound all the time.
But escaping is really a secondary concern right now. Isabel is right. The threat of an honest-to-god witch escaping needs to trump everything else. We have to keep the witch sealed away.
Even if it really does cost us our lives.
Emilia jerked awake when a hand touched her shoulder.
Emilia bolted up in bed to find 128 looking calmly down at her.
"Come along," 128 murmured. "We need to dress and prepare for the day. It's almost time for morning prayers."
Emilia looked up through the small skylight with a morose expression. It looked like dawn was still some ways off.
128 turned and walked out of the room.
Emilia wearily followed. It felt like she 'd barely gotten six hours of sleep last night. Her mind and body were utterly exhausted, and her stomach gnawed at her after a full day with no food.
As Emilia started to close the door of her room, she looked up at the skylight and frowned.
Maybe that skylight could give me a way to escape? If Sylvie is right and Regulus never sleeps, then trying to sneak downstairs and out the front door seems utterly foolhardy. Opening a window on the first floor to escape into the gardens might be a possibility, but that still brings me close to Regulus and all of the wives still working downstairs at night.
If I could get through that skylight and out onto the roof, maybe I could slip away without anyone noticing until morning. That would give me a long head start.
But once I get onto the roof, what would I do? We 're four stories up.
If only this horrible collar wasn 't wrapped around my throat. I could conjure an icicle hanging from the roof to the ground and just slide down…
Stop it. That kind of thinking does nothing to help the situation.
But escaping through the skylight might still be a workable idea. I just need to prepare. I 'll need to find a rope to get me from the roof to the ground, and I'll need to find a ladder to reach the skylight.
I think I saw a ladder in the storage closet yesterday while I was scrubbing floors with 246. But where would I find a rope? Do they even have one in the mansion? What would they use ropes for?
"Acolyte," 128 said with an edge in her voice.
Emilia started and looked down the hall. 128 was waiting for her with a cold expression.
Emilia bowed her head contritely and closed the door to her room.
I 'll need to figure this out later.
Early that morning, Garfiel, Isabel, and the other cultists marched through the vast ruins that filled the swamp until they reached an enormous walled compound that surrounded the massive stone pyramid. Demi-humans and armored Vollachian soldiers both stood watch outside the great gate.
Davit had removed his cultist robe before they departed, revealing that he was a towering boar demi-human with short blond hair and large tusks curling up from his mouth.
When they arrived at the compound, Davit quickly scanned the gate and found a demi-human guard to present themselves to. The guard was a young man with wolf ears rising out of his grayish hair. Davit presented a handful of papers to the wolf demi-human who studied them intently as well as matching up their faces with the charcoal sketches found in the documents.
The sentry gave Garfiel a long, skeptical look.
Garfiel risked a furtive glance at the paper and saw that the resemblance between him and the drawing was crude at best, probably because Arthur had only had a single night to work on it.
Eventually, the sentry shrugged and waved them all in. "Welcome, brothers," He said in a friendly tone, writing something down quickly and handing it to Davit. "A new day dawns for us all!"
"You don't know how right you are," Davit said with amusement.
The guard laughed, and the group silently entered the massive compound.
The walled compound was enormous and full of countless brick buildings and crude tiny wooden shacks. The courtyard was swarming with soldiers and laborers, both human and demi-human, who were all hard at work, cleaning, training, working on construction, and building weapons.
In the center of the courtyard, there rose an enormous pyramid. A long stairway led to the very top of the pyramid, where a great open gate led inside. A dozen towering figures covered in dirt and years of plant growth stood motionless on the stairs like statues.
Draugr , Garfiel thought.
Garfiel cast a worried glance at Isabel, who met it stoically.
"Alright," Davit said quietly as they walked across the courtyard. "We've been assigned housing during our stay here. We're going to need to double up."
"Garfiel and I can stay together," Isabel said at once.
Garfiel nodded agreeably.
"Yeah, I figured you would say that," Davit grumbled. He studied the directions that the guard had given him. "Alright. You two are in that one, D-17," He pointed at a crude hut in the distance. "…I think," Davit added. "The map that he drew for us isn't that great. If you find someone already living there, let me know so I can recalibrate my positioning. Get settled, and then meet back up out here. We're supposed to find someone named Sergeant Grecious to get our work assignments."
"You got it, Davit," Isabel said brightly as the pair walked across the courtyard.
Garfiel leaned over Isabel 's shoulder. "Now what?" He whispered in her ear.
"Not in public," She warned him. "Wait until we're inside, and we're sure we won't be overheard."
Garfiel nodded.
The ground underfoot was gritty and uneven. Garfiel looked down and stopped dead in his tracks.
He was walking on bone .
The entire courtyard was covered in a field of half-buried bones. The bones were enormous, bones bigger than any human or even demi-human. Bones of …
"Dragons!" Garfiel whispered in awe.
"Garf!" Isabel hissed. "On the steps! Sphinx!"
Garfiel spun around and his eyes narrowed.
Sphinx stood halfway up the immense pyramid. She looked down at a massive pile of bones that had been gathered in front of the pyramid steps.
At first glance, Sphinx looked just like the other Ryuzus, with the same tiny elven body and the same long pink hair. But as Garfiel looked more carefully, he realized she was a flawed copy.
Sphinx 's eyes gleamed yellow, lit by some sulfurous fire deep inside. While all of the Ryuzus were pale, Sphinx's flesh was an unhealthy gray, and her face was marred by thin scars that looked like cracks in the finest porcelain.
Garfiel instantly jerked his head back around, trying to conceal his face, but Sphinx was clearly paying no attention to Garfiel or any of the other people in the courtyard. She stood chanting on the steps, her hands raised high over her head. She moved her hand in small circles, and with each rotation, a strand of some strange pink energy was drawn out of the gateway at the pyramid 's apex and wrapped around Sphinx's hands as if she were winding thread.
Garfiel kept walking, trying not to attract attention as Sphinx finally finished her spell and clapped her hands together. The pink magic she had gathered threw itself forward and landed on the bone pile like a bolt of lightning.
Garfiel almost swallowed his tongue when he saw the pile of bones begin to rock back and forth, slowly pulling themselves together until they had combined into a great draconic beast.
Only a few scant shreds of flesh were left on the bones, and there was no webbing between its wings, but the monster was as big as a house, and it dwarfed most of the buildings in the compound. An eerie blue fire burned in its empty eye-sockets.
The creature opened its maw and let out a terrifying roar that made everyone in the compound cringe and cover their ears. The undead dragon 's shriek was all hate and anger, but underneath all that, it was a wail of agony. Garfiel could see that the monster had been cobbled together from a random set of unrelated bones, and the monster's skeleton didn't fit together properly. Each movement was awkward, and the monster often stumbled as it walked. It was an abomination that should not be: its unnatural life was nothing but misery and pain.
"Garf! Hurry up!" Isabel hissed.
Garfiel realized that he 'd been standing there and watching the birth of the monster, frozen in disbelief. He quickly shook off his paralysis and hurried across the enormous, bone-strewn courtyard.
Emilia submissively followed 128 down the hall to the showers. The other wives were already naked and scrubbing themselves in the showers.
Emilia flushed and then walked into the enormous shower room with a sigh. Emilia walked all the way down to the very end of the row of showers. She paused to make sure that no one was looking at her, and then she quickly stripped off her dress and laid it on a nearby bench that held shampoo and soap for the wives.
Emilia quickly slipped under the water and turned her body toward the wall, trying to preserve her modesty.
As Emilia scrubbed off yesterday 's grime and washed her hair, she suddenly noticed that the girl standing next to her was the brunette 14 who Regulus had beaten last night. The marks of her abuse were still all over her face, but thanks to Sylvie's magic, today she looked like a woman who had gotten into a bad fight, not a woman who had been beaten half to death by an insane tyrant.
Emilia realized that 14 was pointedly trying to ignore her. Her eyes kept flickering nervously to Emilia as she washed hurriedly, trying to get away from Emilia as fast as possible.
Emilia bit her lip, wondering if she should try to say something.
As 14 reached up to shut the water off and turned to go, Emilia whispered, "I'm sorry."
14 turned to Emilia in surprise.
Emilia guiltily bowed her head. "I'm sorry," She said again. "I… I didn't think… I didn't know…"
14 studied Emilia for a moment. A weary smile broke through her bruised lips. "It's not your fault," She admitted, sounding as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "You didn't choose to have somebody get punished. The monster was going to beat somebody, and you had to pick one of us. I … I couldn't believe that you tried to volunteer yourself."
"It was only fair," Emilia shook her head. "It was my fault that he was going to hurt somebody. It should have been me."
"Yeah. It should have," A voice sniffed.
Emilia looked past 14 and saw that the bunny-girl 42 had just finished scrubbing herself in that next stall. She glared daggers at Emilia as she turned off the water and walked away.
"Don't mind 42," 14 whispered to Emilia. "She's just… really protective of me. She says I remind her of her little sister," She said fondly.
Emilia actually smiled as she finished washing her hair and turned off the water. She turned to grab her dress but discovered that it was gone.
Emilia looked around frantically and saw that one of the wives had already gathered up all the dresses in a laundry cart and was pushing them out of the room. The women all lined up naked at the doorway, where one of the wives was handing out clean dresses.
Emilia swallowed hard and followed 14 down to the door, trying to cover herself with her hands.
14 noticed what she was doing and looked at her sympathetically.
Emilia sighed. "Do you know what's for breakfast?" She whispered plaintively to 14, "I'm starving . "
"We're not eating breakfast yet," 14 whispered. "First, we have to go downstairs for morning prayers."
Emilia cocked her head. "Prayers?" She asked.
14 was handed a dress, and she started to pull it over her head. The wife with the laundry cart started to give one to Emilia, but she snatched it out of the wife 's hands and quickly pulled it on, her cheeks flaming.
The laundry cart wife raised an eyebrow but didn 't say anything.
Emilia followed 14 out into the hall. The wives all walked downstairs in a long, silent line.
"Every morning, we gather for prayers at dawn," 14 whispered. "The monster likes to watch us grovel while we pray to him and the Witch of Envy."
"What?!" Emilia asked in a strangled gasp. She vaguely remembered 128 mentioning the Witch last night but the words had barely penetrated Emilia's exhausted mind.
14 gave her a sharp look and stopped Emilia in her tracks. She waited patiently while the other wives went ahead of them.
"Be very careful," 14 warned. "Especially around the faithful wives."
"…The faithful?"
"The faithful wives are 128, and her posse like 246 and 17," 14 said darkly. "They're all either true believers, or they at least find it expedient to act like they are. If they ever hear you speaking disrespectfully of the monster or the Witch, they'll rat you out instantly. Some of them seem to be doing it just to secure the monster's favor and get better treatment for themselves. But some of the wives, like 128, are true believers, and she really scares me. 128 won't only make sure that you get punished. She'll explain how she sincerely thinks she's doing you a favor by making you a better and more obedient wife for the monster. She freaks me out," She confessed.
Emilia swallowed hard and violently nodded in agreement.
The wooden hut in Sphinx 's compound was nothing more than a single large room, but it was positively luxurious by the standards of Vollachian serfs. There was no furniture in the shack and only one window, but it looked like it would be snug and dry even in hostile weather.
Isabel scrutinized the hut, searching for any sign that all was not as it appeared.
"Can we talk now?" Garfiel asked.
Isabel considered for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah. It doesn't look like we can be overheard here."
"Great. Any theories about what's going on here?"
"I think that's pretty obvious. I already told you that Sphinx was stealing the Goddess's power to enhance her magic. That's what you just saw."
"She's creating zombie dragons?!"
Isabel shrugged. "Well, you've got to admit, they'd make a hell of a weapon in a war. They obviously can't fly, but they might still be able to… spit fire or something. Not to mention, they can just smash through any legion they please."
Garfiel rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, but what are we going to do now? You were right. Those draugr are standing guard, and I don 't know what it would take to get them to move. And Davit and the others are in the compound now. They could find a way to reach the pyramid at any time."
Isabel smirked. "Relax!" She said easily. "Davit thinks that we're on his team. If he does come up with a plan, we 'll be the first to know."
"Alright. But what about Sphinx?"
Isabel 's smile fell off. "That… is a different story. I don't know what effect her stealing magic from the Goddess could have on the seal. It's already unstable."
"Have you got any ideas about stopping her?"
"Give me a break, Garf! I just got here!" Isabel complained.
Garfiel leaned back against the wall and slid down to the floor, his fast twisted in thought.
Garfiel suddenly had a brainstorm. "Hey, Isabel, you were better prepped for this mission than I was, right?" He asked casually.
"Well, it'd be really hard to be worse prepped than you," Isabel said sweetly.
Garfiel snorted with laughter.
Isabel cocked her head. "What?"
"Nothing," Garfiel said fondly. "You just… reminded me of a friend for a second there."
"Who's that?"
"It's not important," Garfiel sighed. "Anyway, did your bosses expect you might run into draugr? Do they have any weaknesses?"
"None that we can take advantage of," Isabel dismissed.
"What does that mean?"
Isabel chuckled. "Garf, unless you happen to be one of the Blessed Ones and you neglected to tell me, the draugr are invincible as far as we 're concerned."
Garfiel opened his mouth to tell her that he did have a Divine Blessing but then he closed it again.
I have a feeling that 's not what she means.
"Well, we better come up with an idea soon!" Garfiel pointed out. "I don't know how well those forgeries we gave the guards will hold up, but sooner or later, somebody is going to wonder where we came from and what we're doing here."
"I know," Isabel admitted. "We are definitely running out of time here. Let's hurry up and see what kind of assignments the Alliance wants to give us. If we're lucky, we'll have enough downtime for me to try and train you to transform. But we'd still need a place to practice."
"What about right here?" Garfiel asked.
Isabel smirked at him. "Garf," She said playfully. "If I transformed in here , there would be no room left for you. " Then Isabel turned and walked out the door.
Garfiel looked at the spacious room around them with wide eyes before following Isabel back out into the courtyard.
"…And our devotion to keep the faith until the holy Dawn once again banishes the night of ignorance. Amen," 128 intoned.
"Amen," The other wives echoed, and Emilia hurried to follow suit.
The wives all knelt on the cold floor with their heads bowed in Regulus 's vast sitting room. He reclined on a massive throne with a cup of wine in his hand, watching with a smug smile as the wives abased themselves before him and praised his glory.
Emilia kept her gaze resolutely on the floor. She sensed that Regulus was watching her closely, and she was determined not to give him any excuse for punishing anyone because of her.
"Sisters," 128 went on, "We offer our thanks to our Great Rescuer, the Benevolent Keeper of Greed: you who have saved us from the chaos of the world and led us into your hallowed sanctum. We thank you for the light of your wisdom, which pierces our own unworthy ignorance and shelters us within the safety of these walls.
"Lord Regulus, Anointed Hand of the Goddess, you who are strength personified, you who in your infinite mercy have saved us, we are your humble vessels. We beg you to fill us with your spirit as a cup is filled with water. May our imperfections fade away until we are nothing but reflections of your glory. Only through your guidance can we reach salvation. Lord Regulus, please grant us your wisdom so that we might serve you with the utmost fervor and devotion. And so that we never forget the sacred debt that we owe you. Amen."
"Amen," The wives intoned.
Emilia struggled to keep the shocked look off her face.
14 was right. 128 isn 't just acting. She really believes that Regulus is some kind of living god! How could anyone ever think that a monster like Regulus is holy? He 's nothing but selfish and cruel!
"Now, sisters, we shall show our reverence to the Goddess Satella," 128 continued in rapture.
Emilia heard a soft snort, and she dared to look up.
Regulus 's face had become twisted in resentment and sullen boredom. Now that the prayers were praising someone else, he clearly found them intrusive and frustrating.
"Merciful Goddess of the Night," 128 said. "O, Silent Shadow, she who moves amongst us unseen yet whose will guides us all, we give thanks for your eternal grace. Though distant, we respond to the pull of your design as the oceans bow to the moon. We devote ourselves to the order that only you, in your wisdom, could weave and we offer up our humblest thanks for the chance to serve your living hand in this world.
"We, your humble followers, pray that we might serve our Lord Regulus with all of the fervor and devotion that you would wish. May your veiled gaze fall upon us, and may we be found worthy of your designs. To you, Lady Whose Justice extends across the wide world, we give thanks for those Blessed with the Authority to act as our guardians and sovereigns in your name. Amen."
"Amen," The wives echoed.
The wives slowly got to their feet and silently left the sitting room, heading for the kitchen.
Emilia dared to glance back at Regulus, but his gaze was elsewhere. His expression remained sullen, seemingly brooding over the prayers that he had tolerated being directed at the Witch of Envy and not at himself.
The previous night, Subaru and Felt had pitched their tent inside the camp. Then, the pair slept through the night and well into the morning.
Subaru thought that he 'd fail to get any sleep at all, considering how worried he was about Emilia, but he'd barely slept in two days, and exhaustion quickly pulled him under.
That afternoon, Subaru stood behind Priscilla as Vincent 's heavy golden sarcophagus was born through the camp on the shoulders of a dozen soldiers.
The entire army stood at attention as the Emperor 's body was slowly carried in a great circle through the camp.
Once the formal procession was over, the sarcophagus would be placed into an ornate carriage for its final journey.
The camp was overflowing today. Vollachian aristocrats of all kinds had come to see the Emperor laid to rest and the crowning of the new Empress.
Subaru watched them all with a wary eye. There was no way to tell how many of them might have been in Octavian 's employ.
"Empress," Morin had whispered in his rusty voice. "When shall we schedule your coronation?"
"Let's push Octavian off our doorstep first," Priscilla replied firmly. "I wouldn't care to have him attend."
Subaru stood a pace behind Priscilla on an elevated dais in the camp. Priscilla stood still as a statue, her back ramrod straight as her brother 's coffin was paraded before her.
Despite the situation, Subaru did feel terrible for Priscilla. He stood there attempting to be supportive but also diffident and unobtrusive.
Just once, as the coffin was carried past her, Priscilla trembled briefly.
Subaru looked at her with sympathy and raised his hand to squeeze her shoulder.
"Do not touch me," Priscilla whispered in a voice of venom.
Subaru blinked in surprise.
Priscilla 's face was smooth and even. Her lips barely moved when she spoke. She didn't even appear to be paying any attention to Subaru, but her voice could cut glass.
"I am the Empress, Subaru Natsuki," Priscilla whispered. "And the Empress must be made of steel. I will not break down publicly for the entertainment of Octavian and his traitors. My brother would rise from his grave in disgust if I did."
Subaru nodded slightly and fell back, watching and waiting as the procession continued.
Emilia helped the wives prepare breakfast, although even Emilia had to ruefully admit that she was more of a hindrance than a help when it came to cooking. As before, the wives had prepared countless delicacies for Regulus while a large pot of gruel was to be the wives ' reward.
When breakfast was ready, Emilia and the other wives gathered inside the dining room. They all stood in front of their chairs, waiting for a signal to sit down.
Emilia struggled to contain herself.
I can 't be that desperate to eat, can I? I went hungry in the forest before.
Well, yes, I often went hungry, but there is a significant difference between 'not enough food' and 'no food,' she realized . I might have gone hungry, but I could usually find at least a few winter berries or herbs to eat. Right now, I 'm starving, and even a bowl of that disgusting gruel that we made sounds wonderful at the moment.
A moment later, all the wives stiffened as Regulus entered the room.
Emilia quickly copied the other wives, lowering her eyes submissively and clasping her hands together as Regulus slowly walked across the room and sat on his ornate throne.
A moment later, all the wives sat down, and Emilia hastened to copy them. She saw the other wives keeping their hands clasped as if in prayer, and she did the same, trying to give Regulus no excuse to focus on her or to torment the other wives.
Out of the corner of her eye, Emilia saw two of the wives enter the dining hall from the kitchen, carrying two huge pots. The two women walked slowly around the table, serving breakfast.
Emilia licked her lips.
The woman to Emilia 's left was served, and she quickly lowered her hands into her lap.
As the woman started to serve Emilia, she hastened to lower her hands as well. The woman put … nothing in Emilia's bowl and then moved on.
Emilia was baffled. She surreptitiously glanced at the wife to her left, but her bowl was empty, as was the wife 's bowl to her right.
Emilia realized in disbelief that only one of the serving women had food in her pot. The other one didn 't. That wife was just going through the motions of taking 'nothing' out of the pot and putting 'nothing' in the wives' bowls.
Emilia struggled to keep her face expressionless as her mind whirled, trying to figure out what was going on.
When the servers finished their task, half the table had gruel to eat, and the other half did not.
"Eat up, my wives," Regulus said in a kindly voice.
To Emilia 's shock, the wives on either side of her took their spoons and started to 'eat' the nonexistent food. Emilia's entire side of the table was engaged in a pantomime of eating food that wasn't there.
Is he punishing this entire side of the table because of me? Emilia thought in shock.
She discretely glanced at the other wives and saw that even 128 was on Emilia 's side of the table, patiently feigning to eat. Her serious expression revealed that she viewed this as some manner of spiritual lesson that she must study.
Emilia glanced across the table and noticed Sylvie and 14 on the other side. They were eating real food. 14 's face looked sympathetic and miserable as she caught Emilia's eye.
"Acolyte," Regulus's voice chilled Emilia's blood. "Don't you like the food?" He asked ominously.
Emilia swallowed hard. "Yes, Master. It looks delicious. Thank you," she said, taking her spoon and pretending to eat.
Emilia was forced to choke back a whimper as her stomach cried out in protest.
Regulus chuckled. "Eat up, my beloved wives," he says, his tone mockingly indulgent. "In my infinite benevolence, I've provided you with a magnificent feast. Remember, you do not live by bread alone. It is only through my grace that you can thrive. It pleases me to give you such luxuries when you merit them. Remember to work hard to earn my favor, and you will find salvation."
Emilia put the empty spoon in her mouth. She would have felt utterly ridiculous putting on this performance if not for the insane monster staring at her and waiting for the smallest slip-up to grant him an excuse to punish her and these poor, unfortunate women again.
"246," Regulus said in a silky voice. "Do you enjoy the flavor?"
Emilia saw the red-headed 246 tremble with her empty spoon halfway lifted to her mouth. "Oh yes, Master!" 246 said with desperate cheerfulness. "I don't know how you manage to treat us so well! Every bite is like a taste of heaven! We are so blessed by your generosity, Master! "
Regulus considered that and then turned his attention elsewhere. "And you 42?" He murmured.
Emilia saw that 42 was sitting on her side of the table and was engaged in a pantomime of eating nonexistent food.
"It's amazing, Master," 42 said in a thick voice. "Why can't I cook food so well? Why is the food always so much better when you provide it? Oh, please! Teach me, Master!" 42 begged.
Emilia 's heart stopped, certain that Regulus would see through 42's weak performance, but the Archbishop only laughed.
"42, do you really believe you could ever do anything as well as my divine self?" Regulus smirked.
42 slumped. "No, Master," She confessed. "I just wanted to be better for you. I owe you so much, Master. We all do. We could serve you for a thousand years and never even begin to repay the kindness you showed in rescuing us from the outside world."
The other wives all murmured in agreement. Emilia closed her eyes and bit down hard on her empty spoon. For a second, she felt like crying.
It 's not bad enough that he kidnaps and tortures these people… they have to love him for it, too?!
"But was the outside world really so terrible to all of you?" Regulus said reflectively. "Surely there must be something in the outside world that you miss?"
The wives all grew tense, sensing a trap.
"Perhaps it would be good to go around the table once and ask. Tell me, ladies. Each of you name something that you miss about the outside world."
The wives trembled. Emilia saw the looks of terror on each of their faces as they struggled to find a way to satisfy Regulus 's request without simultaneously enraging the Archbishop by suggesting that they missed their old lives.
"128," Regulus murmured, "Do you miss anything about the outside world?"
128 gave the question careful thought. "Sometimes I miss the Order's festivals. Occasionally, one of the Blessed Ones would come among us and teach us. But now, Master, I have the opportunity to serve one of the Blessed Ones every single day. No, there's nothing I miss about the outside world."
Regulus smirked. "Very good. And you?"
The wife sitting next to 128 quivered. "I had a friend once, someone that I trusted as a sister… but now I understand that she was only hurting me. She was trying to keep me from my perfect life here. I used to miss her kindness, but now I see her for what she truly was: a distraction, a weakness." She bows her head. "Thank you, my lord, for freeing me from her deceptions."
Regulus chuckled. "Yes. Everything in your lives before me was nothing but an illusion. You would all do well to remember that."
The next wife said quietly, "Master, I used to miss my family. At first, it was difficult living away from them, constantly worrying about them, constantly burdened by their needs. But you freed me from those attachments, and I see now they were only weighing me down. I'm so grateful to you for helping me realize that my true family lies here, with you. "
Emilia heard the wife next to her swallow hard. "I… once loved singing, the sounds of festivals and songs in my village. But that was a childish love for noise, I see now." She glanced quickly at Regulus. "Thank you, my lord, for showing me the wisdom of silence and reflection."
What do I say?
"And you, Acolyte?" Regulus asked coldly.
Emilia shuddered. "I… I used to miss the green trees and the green grass in the forest," She said uncertainly, "But… I destroyed those things. I'm grateful that you rescued me, Master, and brought me to a place where I couldn't hurt anyone else ever again."
Regulus gave her a stony look.
Emilia fought hard not to blink.
"Hurt anyone else?" Regulus echoed. "You're grateful that I keep you from hurting others? Is there anyone in particular?"
Emilia quivered. "No. No one… specific."
"Not even Subaru Natsuki?" Regulus hissed.
"Who?" Emilia asked with a nervous titter. She instantly regretted it as Regulus's face darkened at her transparent lie. "Oh, he was just… a mistake," Her voice broke.
Regulus stared at her. "So. You don't miss him anymore? "
"Of course not," Emilia whispered, knowing how fake she sounded.
Regulus 's scowl deepened. "Then why do you sound so unconvincing? Say it again! Say it like you mean it this time!"
"I don't miss him," Emilia said loudly.
"How reassuring," Regulus rumbled like a gathering volcano. "But it seems so unfair that he's still out there, roaming around and causing trouble. This must bother you greatly."
"Oh, yes," Emilia whispered.
"Perhaps you'd like me to resolve the matter for you so as to not divide your attention. Would you like me to hunt him down and kill him for you?"
Emilia 's heart stopped, and her eyes widened in horror.
Regulus 's face was flat as a fist. This time, there was no malicious amusement in his expression, just rage and sullen resentment.
"I…" Emilia's voice broke.
"Show me how little he means to you, Acolyte," Regulus snarled. "Beg me to kill him for you."
Emilia could only shake her head helplessly.
I can 't do it… Even if Regulus was already looking for an excuse to attack Subaru. I can't do it. This… This would be an unforgivable betrayal.
I can 't. Not if it costs me my life.
"No."
The room was silent enough that even Emilia 's faint whisper felt as loud as a shout. The other wives cringed back into their chairs, desperately trying to move away from Regulus.
Regulus started at Emilia, her expression thunderous. "What. Did. You. Say?"
Emilia trembled, and then the words burst forth like water from a damn. "I said, No ! Leave Subaru alone! " She screamed.
The wives all gasped and shivered.
I don 't care what he does to me! I won't do it!
Regulus 's eyes glittered insanely. He raced over to Emilia's chair. The other wives scrambled away as he simply knocked their chairs over and flung to the ground any wife too slow to get out of his path.
Emilia started to get up, but Regulus caught her by the neck, and he pulled her half to her feet. Her chair fell over underneath her, and Emilia started to fall to the ground, supported only by Regulus 's painful grip around her neck.
"Did you just say 'no' to me?" Regulus whispered.
"I love Subaru!" Emilia shouted, knowing full well that these would be her last words.
Regulus 's face twisted in fury. He dragged Emilia to her feet and then slammed her face against the hardwood table with enough force to knock over all the glasses.
"Ah!" Emilia felt something break in her cheek from the impact.
"You love me," Regulus hissed in her ear. "You love only me. You have no past. You have no future. You have no identity apart from me. Your purpose is purely to please me."
"I'll never love you! I love Subaru!" Emilia wailed.
Regulus 's eyes blazed. "We'll just see about that!" He thundered.
Emilia tried to struggle, but Regulus was an immobile object.
"Ahh!" Emilia screamed as Regulus seized her right arm and wrenched it painfully up behind her back.
"You love me, Acolyte!" Regulus whispered, twisting Emilia's arm sharply. "Say it!"
"I don't! I love Subaru! I-Ahh!" Emilia screamed in pain as she felt her arm twisted past what she had ever imagined the limb was capable of.
The Archbishop grimly twisted her arm, the pressure steadily building. " Beg me to kill him, " Regulus grated.
A sharp pain raced up her arm. "No!" Emilia wailed, uncertain if she was refusing Regulus or trying to deny the terrible pain engulfing her slender arm.
"Yes. You will," Regulus said in an icy voice more frightening than his rages. "No one says 'no' to me. I own you. I am your only reason to exist. You do whatever I say."
"Stop!" Emilia cried out. She started to arch her back, desperately fighting to relieve the pressure on her arm, but Regulus slammed her face back down on the table, and Emilia felt cracks of pain radiating across her face from the point of impact.
"Beg," Regulus grated.
Emilia writhed against the table. Her muscles and bones screamed in protest. Her arm quivered, and she thought that cracks were starting to form in the trembling bone.
Emilia thrashed in pain, but she forced herself on. "I love him! " She shouted defiantly. "I won 't let you hurt him! "
Regulus ground his teeth, and he twisted even harder.
"Ahhh!" Emilia shrieked. The pain flared up into white-hot agony. She felt the tendons in her arm, already stretched beyond their limits, begin to tear. She felt the bones in her arm grinding against each other as Regulus kept the pressure steady, trying to inflict the maximum pain possible.
Emilia bit her lip until blood ran down her chin.
Just do it! A part of Emilia cried out. We can 't take it! Just give him what he wants! He's going to break us!
No! It 's just pain! It doesn't matter! Sylvie will heal me. It's just pain! Don't give in! I have to protect Subaru!
"Beg!" Regulus snarled.
Emilia 's whole body stiffened as she heard a sharp cracking sound.
Emilia listened to the sound in disbelief, unable to fathom what she could have heard.
A moment later, the pain came crashing down over her. It was a pain unlike anything that Emilia had ever imagined. It engulfed her like a tidal wave. The fracture was in her arm, but the waves of pain engulfed her entire body. Her arm felt like it might simply explode into bone fragments from the sheer pressure that Regulus was putting it under.
Emilia realized that she was bleeding. Blood was running down her arm. The razor-sharp bone splinters had cut through her skin from the inside.
Help! Please! I need to escape!
"Please!" Emilia screamed. "No more!"
"Beg me to kill him," Regulus grated in an implacable voice.
Regulus twisted her arm even harder, and Emilia felt lines of fire dig into her arm as the tyrant tore the fractures open wider.
Emilia let out a piercing scream that made the other wives shudder.
Suddenly, the words were pulled out of her as if by a hook. " Please ! " Emilia screamed in desperation. She was barely aware of her own words. Her mind was blank. All that she cared about was escaping the pain.
"Say it!" Regulus thundered.
Emilia bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood. She held herself back with every ounce of strength that she had left.
Regulus growled and twisted harder.
Emilia felt her elbow break . She almost threw up. The entire world dissolved in a crimson haze of agony.
"Please! Kill Subaru!" Emilia screamed in a raw voice, the words physically torn out of her core, leaving her heart ripped and bleeding.
"You love me!" Regulus demanded.
"Yes!" Emilia screamed, unable to stop herself.
"Say it!"
"I don't love Subaru! I love you!" Emilia screamed, her body twisting and thrashing. Her mind was blank except for the agony that engulfed it.
"Do you hate him?" Regulus hissed.
"Yes!"
"Did he force you to be with him?"
"Yes!"
"Did he rape you?"
"Yes!"
"Tell me!" Regulus roared directly into her ear. "Convince me you want him dead!"
Emilia realized that her arm had been twisted impossibly high behind her head.
Her entire body felt like it was on fire. She dug the fingernails of her free arm into the wooden table until they cracked and splintered.
Emilia howled. "Please, Master! Please kill Subaru! I hate him! He's awful! He's not my lover, never again! He forced me to be with him! I hate him, and I want to see him dead! Please!" She screamed out in a raw, desperate voice.
The pressure on her tormented arm lifted slightly. Emilia caught her breath and looked up at Regulus in terror.
Regulus 's face twisted in savage satisfaction, and he loomed over her with a grin.
"Of course, Acolyte, of course," He whispered into her ear. Emilia flinched away, but Regulus held her firmly, forcing her to submit to this forced intimacy. "If he really hurt you so terribly, then of course I will kill him for you."
Emilia 's eyes widened in horror as she realized the full gravity of what she'd said, and her face twisted in despair.
Regulus grinned maliciously, and he gave her arm a final savage twist.
"Ahh!" Emilia screamed again, but this time, her voice was choked off. This time, the pain had a cold, stabbing feel to it that took her breath away. It was as if she'd been punctured by something sharp.
Regulus abruptly let go of Emilia, and she slid limply to the floor, sobbing as the searing tongues of pain licked at every inch of her body. Her arm flopped onto the ground, completely shredded. Emilia stared at it without recognition. It looked like a chewed-up piece of meat with bone shards sticking through the flesh.
Emilia lay on her face weeping. She sensed something wet pooling around her. Through her weeping eyes, she realized that she was lying in a spreading pool of her own blood.
Regulus staggered back a step, his face shocked and frightened.
Regulus hesitated and then whirled on 128. "Why are you just standing there? Heal her! "
128 blinked in surprise. A moment later, she snapped, "78!"
Emilia 's fuzzy brain heard a flurry of footsteps as someone raised to her side and pulled her head into her lap. Emilia looked up and saw Sylvie, her expression horrified as her hands glowed bright green, and she struggled to repair the horrible damage to Emilia's mangled arm.
"Heal her!" Regulus thundered again. "If she dies, so do all of you!"
The wives all shuddered, but they just stood around helplessly, unsure of what they could do to help while Sylvie fought to save Emilia 's life.
As Emilia 's blood flowed out of her body, she grew lightheaded. This was her only refuge from the agony as Sylvie fought desperately to save her life and mend her shredded arm.
The pain still gnawed at her body like great rusty teeth, but now it felt hollow to Emilia. A degree of pain completely inadequate to justify the depths of her unforgivable betrayal.
I can 't believe I did it… What kind of person am I becoming?
This is the ultimate betrayal. I begged a monster to murder the man I claim to love.
I didn 't even do it to save someone else! I did it because I was too weak to take the pain!
Regulus is right … I am disgusting. I'm a pathetic coward.
I betrayed Subaru. I prayed for him to die.
I 'll never forgive myself…