BioWare owns all but my character's name, her dog's name, and any other names and tidbits that are my story and not part of the game. : )
So we have an unexpected ally, and we have missed our Antivan heart breaker as the nasty Master Vimaro has absconded with him. Hope you are having as much fun reading this as I am writing it. : )
Oh and my shameless reference to The Princess Bride, for all you fans, like me, "To the Pain!"
: )
And I know I do this every chapter, but it bears repeating, thanks, you all make my day. Each time I see the traffic graph go up. Each email, telling me I have another person putting me on their favorite story or author alert just thrills me. And for those taking time out of your busy day to review, a special thank you! Please continue to tell me what you think. : )
Blessings!
Naseel agreed to position herself on the bed which faced the secret entrance to the room. She would be the first thing Concha saw when she came in, which Kai hoped would prevent her from noticing her and one of the other Scath waiting on either side of the door.
The unfortunate part of this ambush was that Concha could apparently spend hours shopping. Kai eventually sent most of her group, all but Wynne and Sten, back out to wait on the rooftops and inform the other Scath whom they were watching for, having gotten a description of the woman in question. They were all to cover the exits in case the woman should bolt for it, Sten, Morrigan and Wynne were waiting outside the room. Several times Kai almost found herself dozing, with the adrenaline rush gone, her body wanted to recharge. Naseel was having a harder time, lying on a soft, comfortable bed.
Finally, Maker be praised, a bookshelf slid back and an auburn head peeked around the opening, "My darling, I have found the most exquisite dress maker, despite this being a backwater country, and her shop didn't even smell of wet dog, imagine that!" The woman stopped in her tracks, staring at Naseel who posed herself on the bed, "What are you doing here in our bed you little piece of elven trash?"
Kai waited until the woman had come all the way through the doorway, "You forgot the smell of rotting garbage." Kai put her dagger under the woman's chin, "Allow me to introduce myself, I am The Scathach." Kai smiled a cold smile, "Naseel, where does she hide her daggers?" Naseel came forward with a small smile and carefully removed the daggers strapped to the Crow's leg, her forearm, and tucked in the cleavage of her bodice.
"You little elven whore of a traitor, Vimaro and I will make you beg for death, and we shall make love over your cooling corpse!" Concha hissed at the girl. Naseel only smiled and walked over to open the door.
Kai yanked Concha's head back by her waving auburn tresses. "It is not well done to talk like a sniping gutter wench to those in my employ," Kai purred in the woman's ear. "You forget yourself, this is my party. As I said, I am The Scathach, I run the group called The Scath here in Ferelden. Your Master Vimaro has taken a man under my protection, I want him back, and you are going to help."
"You mean that little Antivan son of an elven whore?" Concha laughed, "You would do better to find another lover, dear, I hear The Pearl has plenty to choose from." Kai watched the rosy lips pull back in laughter over perfect white button teeth. She whirled Concha around by her hair and gave her an open handed slap across the face, hard enough to make her pitch towards the bed. The woman showed feral anger at first then posed seductively while licking the blood from the corner of her mouth, "Really, this is foreplay, all you are doing, bitch, is getting me excited," Concha laughed, "You'll have to do better."
Kai smiled a tight little smile, considering Concha's tastes, she had figured it would have to get ugly, but Naseel had provided some insight into this nasty little piece of trash. Kai figured her plan would work, rather, it had better work, or Zev was as good as dead.
Kai worked on shutting off that part of her mind which was horrified at what she was thinking of doing, screaming at her that she couldn't be serious; and tapping into that abyss, the penumbra of her soul, she walked forward and grabbed the woman by that lovely, long, auburn hair and dragged her from the bedroom. Once out in the hallway, she picked her up and once again put her dagger to a smooth creamy throat, walking her back up a small set of stairs and through other rooms until they came to the room with the torture devices.
"You like this room don't you, Concha? I think you and I are going to have a really good time in here together, don't you?" Kai pushed the woman to her knees and then kicked her into the room causing her to fall face forward in the blood on the floor, "Oops, sorry about the dress." Kai gave her a cruel smile from the doorway before turning to Sten, Wynne, Naseel and the Scath with her. "Wynne, I want you to stay out here, no matter what you hear behind that door, do you hear me?" Kai grasped Wynne's arm. Wynne opened her mouth in protest, but shut it abruptly. Kai nodded to Sten, Morrigan, and the Scath, then at Concha, and cocked an eyebrow. Sten merely nodded and went into the room to stand over the woman followed by the Scath.
Kai took Wynne around the corner where Concha couldn't overhear. "Wynne, I need you to trust me, and to stay out here."
"Why, child, you aren't thinking of doing what I think you are doing? You have always been against such things, how could you...now?" Wynne's voice was rising in decibels.
"I am not thinking of it! Wynne, torture is unreliable, but if you know what buttons to push, intimidation isn't. Concha doesn't know what I am willing to do or not do, but if she sees your face, the game is up. You may know beer but, my dear mage, but I could beat you at Wicked Grace easily," Kai smiled to take any sting out of her words.
"I will stay here, then; I trust you, child." Wynne stroked her cheek. "We have been through too much for me not to."
Kai turned back towards the room, opened the door and stepped inside. "Follow my lead," Kai whispered to Sten and Morrigan.
"Really, princess, you think this room holds any terror for me? This room only makes me squirm in delight with all the fun Vimaro and I have enjoyed here." The tip of Concha's pink tongue darted over her lips, "Oh yes, this room is so delicious. Including what we did to your Antivan lover." Concha let out a low, seductive laugh.
Kai only paced toward the woman, touching that cold abyss inside herself, she put her face into Concha's and smiled a grin that was all snow and ice. She ran her finger down the perfect and flawless skin on Concha's face, running it down her throat and to the tops of her breasts peeking out over the neckline of her dress. Kai took her time, like a lover, smiling her cold smile, shutting off the part of her brain that was wanted to throw up again. She then whipped her hand out and gripped Concha by her hair again, dragging her to a chair with the shackles.
Kai grabbed the front of her bodice and slammed her into the chair, keeping one hand on her chest while shackling first one hand then the other, her feet came next, and then Kai grabbed Concha's chin. "Torture is so crude and ineffective, really, Concha, allow me to prove how much more inventive I am. I know we haven't known each other long, but I am hurt that you think me so crass," Kai purred at her.
Kai went to the brazier and used a poker to stir the live coals in it to the surface and then employed the bellows to blow them into life. Kai placed a saw-toothed sword in the coals so it could get red hot, while she did all this, she spoke over her shoulder in a perfectly conversational tone, "Concha, someone as beautiful as you are, and all you can think is that I might whip you or cut you. Such wounds can be healed easily by any mage with the skills, if you have enough gold, and I am sure you have used such talents before. Wounds can be made to disappear as if they never happened, and I am not here to give you pleasure, which is all torture would do for you, considering your tastes. What I have in mind is so much more about pleasing me." Kai smiled over at Concha while continuing to use the bellows.
Morrigan let out a quiet chuckle while keeping her golden eyes trained on the woman in the chair. "Oh, this should be fun."
Sten, being Sten, simply crossed his arms and arranged his already intimidating features into a harsher look, his silence rolled off of him in waves.
"Naseel told me you aren't much of a fighter, and from our little interlude, that much is true. She said you prefer to use seduction and poison." Kai walked back over to stand in front of Concha with the now red bladed sword. "I intend so much more for you, first, I am going to cut off your feet below the ankles, next, your hands at the wrists. Then I am going to cut off your nose and cut out your tongue. Finally, I'll put out your left eye followed by your right eye, but your ears, your ears I am going to let you keep, Concha. I want every scream of every person who looks at your hideousness to sing in those perfect, pink ears." Kai allowed a slow, sinister chuckle to escape her lips while she grabbed Concha's chin and brushed her lips over hers. "I am sure the seduction of your contracts will be so much easier with my... modifications, no?" Kai pulled back so Concha could see the abyss looking out from her eyes.
Concha's eyes widened in fear, "You whore, you bitch, you can't do that, Vimaro will hunt you to the ends of Thedas!"
"Oh, he won't have to hunt me to the ends of Thedas, I won't be running, so he won't have far to go. I want him to find me. I figure if I damage his favorite toy, he will want to find me sooner. It is really a simple stratagem, don't you think? You might want to answer now, I am about to get started, and I don't think you and I will be doing much talking." Kai merely gestured casually with the sword. "No, nothing else you want to say? Well then, I guess we should get started, this could take a while." Kai swung back with the sword aiming at one of Concha's delicately slippered feet.
"NO, don't...you...I can tell you how to contact him, we have a code and a way of relaying messages! If you want your little Antivan bastard, you need me as I am!" Concha was squirming in the chair, tears running down her beautiful face.
Kai could almost feel sympathy, except for the knowledge that Concha only felt bad for herself at this moment. Once she was released, she would be the same soulless abyss walking on two legs that she was before. Kai shoved her own abyss back into place behind all that made her human. She looked at Concha with a cold smile. "Well, we shall see, if what you tell me doesn't work, then I am afraid we go back to Plan A, my dearest Concha." She threw the sword back into the brazier, turning to the door to fetch Wynne and her supply of parchment, pen and ink. They had a message to deliver, the hunt was still on.