Narinder did not handle Aym's abandonment well. The Bishop had been enraged when his wife gave him the grave news. He seriously considered an attack against the Lamb. To kill her and her unborn children before Aym's eyes so he may truly suffer the consequences of his treason. He dared not mention these ideas to Nykka, he kept his silence even in his infuriated state. She would surely interfere, and that was more trouble than he wanted to deal with. He had originally planned to attack the Lamb in the night, when Nykka was back in her Domain and blissfully unaware of his brutal punishment. Even though he did not confess his plans to her, she could sense his rage as anyone could have, he could not properly conceal it. She begged him not to do anything rash, and insisted that he was above it. In desperation, she did the only thing she could to prevent him from inflicting his rage upon her friends, she gave herself to him. In a state of raw fury, he had been much rougher with her than he had ever been in the past. Yet, she took it without hesitation, without fear. He had been pacified by the satisfaction this gave him. He agreed not to harm them in the end. Nykka's obedience was far more pleasing than a simple revenge would have been anyway. As long as he did not harm her friends, he knew he would have full control of her. That she would not retaliate against him for fear of their safety. She was too brave, too selfless. The infernal Lamb and her would-be children were being held hostage without their knowledge.
Baal had returned to him on his own as Narinder expected. The servant walked purposefully through the cathedral to kneel before the God who sat in his throne beyond his altar. Narinder did not waste time on pointless greetings.
"You will go on crusades for me, Baal. I require more Followers so I may properly fill this cathedral."
"Yes, Master. How many shall I recruit?"
"I need at least one-hundred-and-sixty Followers for now." Baal seemed surprised by this, the Bishop could see him raise his brows despite remaining with his head bowed.
"I will allow you to take this mission in segments. You may return to rest whenever you feel it is necessary, and for as long you need. You have my word that I will not punish you regardless of how long these crusades take you. However, you will not be permitted to visit anyone outside of this Domain until you have completed your quest. I will consider it an abandonment of your mission, and you will be punished for it. Understood?"
"Yes, Master. I thank you for such graceful leniency." Narinder chuckled softly, and waved a hand.
"Very well, go now." Baal stood without question and left to begin what would surely be an extremely lengthy mission.
Two months passed, and Baal had only managed to recruit eighty Followers. Narinder did not punish him for the sluggish pace, he had no intentions to break his stipulations. Though, he could not help but wonder how much faster he would move if he had the aid of his brother. The thought caused him to grow irritated. Not with Baal, but with Aym. The reminder that one of his most devoted servants had left him forced a rage to bubble beneath his surface. He had been on the cusp of summoning Nykka when she appeared before him by her volition. She entered his cathedral looking concerned, striding up towards him with a purposeful glint in her eyes.
"Is everything alright, darling?"
"Where is Baal?" She asked, her tone was tired. He was sure she had not slept in quite some time.
"He is on a crusade." Narinder answered simply. "Why? Do you require his assistance?"
"No, Aym expressed his concern to me. He has not seen him in two months now, and was rightfully worried for his safety."
"I see… As I said, he is on a crusade. He will be permitted visitation once he has completed what I have asked of him."
"And what have you asked of him?" She asked, her brow furrowed. Narinder watched her carefully, unsure if it would be wise to reveal the truth. He decided he might as well be honest, she would find out soon enough.
"I requested that he recruit Followers for me, I would like to have two hundred in total."
"Two-... Narinder, you cannot do that." She spoke warily.
"Why shouldn't I? You have well over a hundred now, I assumed you would expect me to match you."
"You are already more powerful than me, love. I cannot keep up with you." She admitted and reached forward to take his hand. "Darling, we are supposed to be equal in power. You need to give me a chance to catch up to you."
"I waited to increase my Follower count for some time. I mean no offense, but if you cannot keep up with me, that is a problem you will have to solve on your own. I will not stagnate my progress for your convenience."
"I have been trying… You insist that I visit you often-"
"Because I love you." He feigned sadness, reaching up to feel her cheek. "We are married, I will not go without seeing you…"
"I love you too, Nari." She sighed, casting her gaze downward. "I enjoy spending time with you, but I have to tend to my Domain. I have to grow my power, I cannot do that when I am here."
"I put my duties aside to see you, it is not as if I am keeping you here to make you falter." He lied, "I do not continue my rituals while you visit."
"Yes, I know, but it hardly matters when I am so far behind. Please just give me time, a month or two, then I can create rituals, gather Followers, and finally match you again."
"Darling, I am sorry, but I will not do that."
"Why not?" She frowned. "I will come back to see you just as often once we are matched." Narinder was running low on both excuses and patience.
"Nykka…" He began, careful to keep his tone in check. "My role, my Crown, they mean a great deal to me. I do not want to stop. I will not halt my progress." Nykka did not appear as if she were willing to accept this. Her tired expression shifted to one of irritation. She took a step away from him.
"Then I will not visit again until we are matched as we should be."
"That will take a very long time, darling. I am not willing to be without you for so long."
"I do not want to be without you either, Nari. I am sorry, but I have to. If you are unwilling to wait, it is the only other choice I have." She turned to leave, but Narinder grabbed her by the arm. The anger that had flared within him had reached a pitch he could no longer deny.
"You will not ignore me, Nykka." He spoke in such sternness that she appeared startled. "I see no reason we must be equals aside from your skewed preconceptions of me."
"It is meant to be that way, fate-"
"I will not be bound!" He cut across her with a growl, "Not by fate, and certainly not by you. I will continue to grow my cult as I please."
"You- You are distracting me on purpose, aren't you?"
"It is a mere coincidence. A symptom of my desire to see my wife." Nykka winced a bit as his grip tightened on her arm.
"You lie." She said as she pulled her arm away. She took a step back, watching him warily. "You do not want me to match you, you fear I will be able to feel your heart once more."
"You will continue to visit me." He glared. "Or I shall find other uses for my time." His words were a warning that he would direct his rage elsewhere. For the first time, she seemed to understand the situation she was in. Fully understand. Her golden eyes widened as horror welled within her.
"I- Very… Very well." She agreed quietly. Narinder eyed her appraisingly before the ghost of a smirk twitched over his lips. He turned, walking towards the hallway at the back of his cathedral, where his bedroom lay in wait.
"Come, I had planned to summon you anyway." Without a word, she followed.
Nykka was either too stubborn, or too afraid to confront him again. Narinder rarely bothered to feign his affection as it hardly mattered. She was intelligent, she understood her position perfectly well, there was no need to lie to her about it anymore. She was woefully aware that she had become yet another pawn in his game. A mere tool to gain power. He was not surprised that she had also quit her act. She no longer pretended to enjoy the way he treated her during their intimacy. Though she still did not ask him to stop, or even to be more gentle. He understood why, of course. It was the only method she had left to ease his temper thus protecting the friends she held dear.
Whether, or not, she had continued her feeble attempts to gain power the following two months, he did not know. He did not bother to ask, as he knew it was impossible with his frequent interruptions. Baal had, by that point, finished his mission at long last. Narinder's cult had grown to two-hundred. Plenty to pray, plenty to attend his sermons, and plenty to sacrifice. Satisfied with his servant's efforts, he allowed him to leave. He granted him one week of freedom to spend however he liked.
