Seven - A False Guilt

A soft, cool breeze woke Corvo up. He slowly sat up and looked at the was a blue fog hovering in the air, and the gentle breeze felt soothing against his warm skin. He looked at the clock.

4:00.

It was time. He got onto his feet and hastily pulled the black robe from the wardrobe. He walked out of his room, tying the robe at his waist, looking around to make sure that none of the guards could see him. He went upstairs into the Fireplace room, where him and Jessamine had spent a lot of nights talking and joking around. He closed the door gently behind him and looked back at the dark room, and saw the dark figure of a man standing up from the sofa.

Captain Geoff Curnow.

'Did you finish the job?' Corvo asked him in a low voice as he walked towards Geoff Curnow.

'Good to see you too, my friend,' He smiled, slapping Corvo on the shoulder. Corvo gave him a meaningful look.

'Yes I did,' Geoff answered immediately, 'I went upstairs to visit that pretty young lady in the safe house, took the package from her and delivered your message.'

'What did she say?' Corvo asked, feeling a faint relief.

'Well, she seemed really surprised at first when I showed her your telegram, and she even refused to give me - whatever the hell was in that package. I had to convince her. She seemed really hesitant about the whole idea.'

'Did you deliver the package to Samuel?' Corvo asked, after giving a hasty nod.

'Yeah, of course I did. He wasn't surprised at all,' Geoff answered. He looked like he had a million questions, but before all that stood the thought that Corvo had once saved his life. He did not know if he was upto good or bad, but he was certain that he would help him out as much as he needed to, because his debt could never be repaid.

Corvo closed his eyes for a moment and sighed in relief. 'Good. Thanks,' he mumbled, resting his hand on top of the sofa.

'Corvo,' Geoff uttered, 'I know I should probably not be asking you this, but I have to. Did helping you put me in some kind of danger? With the Overseers, perhaps?'

'Not unless you shared this secret with someone else,' Corvo said, looking at him carefully.

'Oh. Well then, I guess I'm in trouble,' Geoff mumbled to himself, looking at the floor. Corvo's eyes widened as he looked at the short man standing in front of him, and he opened his mouth to say something, but he was at loss for words.

Geoff grinned boyishly and slapped him on the shoulder again. Corvo closed his eyes and took a deep breath in relief.

'Don't worry, Milord. All's well,' He said to him. His neatly combed hair was swept back, not a strand out of place. He settled his scabbard once and laughed again. 'If those Overseer bastards even dare to look up at you with suspicion, I swear I'll piss in every cup of holy wine shit that they make before The Fugue Feast.'

Corvo couldn't help but laugh. That was something he would pay to watch instead of the incredibly boring Act they put on stage. 'I appreciate your help. Thanks,' Corvo said once again.

'Can I ask you what was in that package?' Geoff asked.

'You can,' Corvo nodded slightly.

'Will I get an answer?'

'No.'

'A clue?'

'No.'

'Never mind then,' Geoff nodded once. 'Good luck to you my friend. Especially with that interrogation you have today.'

Corvo gave a slight nod and looked at him as he walked out of the room. A band of light illuminated the dark room as Geoff opened the door, but quickly dwindled as he closed it behind him. Corvo walked forward and used the small torch and match stick to light up a serene blue flame in the fireplace, and grabbed an old cigarette from the cigar box on top of the tea table in front of the sofa. He lit it up and sat back in the sofa, staring at the golden ribbons of light that the flame cast

on the maroon colored carpet. Bringing the cigarette back to his mouth, he was reminded of all the times he had spent in the same place with Jessamine.

He looked to his right, and saw the empty sofa, the flames making a golden border on the turquoise material of the cushion.

He could almost picture Jessamine, sitting beside him, robed in layers of white satin and chiffon, her black hair cascading down her shoulders. He could recall the image of her, holding a cigarette in her hand, speaking, occasionally laughing, and sometimes lost in thought as her dark eyes reflected the embers of the fire.

There were times when he wanted desperately to embrace her, to comfort her, to feel like he was just a normal man hugging the woman he loved, to pretend like there was no pressure on him at all. But of course, he never did. He never felt a desire to touch her or bring her to his bed.

His love for Jessamine was pure, unconditional, unadulterated - he saw her as a Goddess, an angel that was meant to be in her own space, a pure form that nobody could stain, and he was more than proud that he had the responsibility of keeping all evil away from his Goddess.

Even though, in the end, he had failed.

Corvo shut his eyes tightly for a few seconds, and stood up, taking a last draw from his cigarette. He then tossed it into the flames, and put out the fire. By the time he was back in his chamber, it was five in the morning. He took a long shower and put on his clothes. He looked down at his mark, and sighed. He knew that there was a high risk of getting caught, if the Overseers ever asked him to take off his gloves. It would be worse if it started burning and glowing during the interrogation. He sat at the edge of his bed for a minute, thinking about an effective way to hide the symbol.

An idea crossed his mind. He pulled out his dagger and in a swift movement, he made a shallow cut on his palm, just enough for the blood to ooze out from the incision. He then wrapped his hand in layers of bandage, carefully covering the symbol. The blood made a red taint on the bandage. He flexed his fingers with ease, because this kind of pain meant nothing to him.

He then put on his black gloves and walked out of his chamber. As he walked past Emily's room, she suddenly swung the doors open and looked at him. She pulled him inside and locked the doors hastily.

'Whats wrong?' Corvo asked, slightly surprised.

'What are you planning about that mark of yours?' she asked him, taking his left hand in hers. She pulled out the gloves, and examined the bandage. Corvo couldn't help but notice how mature she looked. It wasn't her physical appearance that had changed, but her manners, her expressions. She didn't hold that childish look on her face anymore, and the sparkle in her eyes was dim. She looked like she had suddenly aged a ten years, like the innocent playful child in her had suddenly been replaced by a boring Professor.

Corvo felt a sting in his heart.

'Did you cut yourself Corvo?' she asked, looking up at him.

'Yeah,' He answered looking away from her.

'Well. . .' She slowly loosened the bandage and took it off. 'That's smart, but it might still not work. Come here,' She led him to her dressing table, where there were three life sized mirrors behind a golden table full of exotic perfumes, colorful ribbons, ornate laces and a few cosmetics. She uncapped a small beaded box, in which was a skin colored dense liquid.

'It's called foundation cream or something,' Emily explained to him, using a brush and dabbing it in the liquid. She looked hesitant and doubtful, and Corvo knew well that she had no experience of using it before.

'Anna Maria used to put it on me before those boring balls and parties. I saw mother using it a lot of times too. This might help?' She looked more doubtful than him, and her fingers trembled as she dabbled the liquid on his hand.

'Emily,' Corvo spoke, 'Here, let me do it.'

She nodded hastily and gave him the brush. Corvo roughly covered up the mark, and after a while of broken tries, it covered the mark well. It was almost convincing from a short distance.

'Not bad,' Emily breathed, playing nervously with a ribbon. She looked up at Corvo for a while, her eyes pleading, begging for help. Then she threw her arms around him and burst into tears.

'Promise me, nothing will happen to you,' She pleaded. 'If you leave, Corvo , I-I'll die!'

'I promise,' Corvo nodded, as he gently stroked her hair. He pulled her back, knelt down and gently kissed her forehead. 'I promise I won't leave you, Emily. Ever.'

She threw his arms around him again, sobbing.

Willow looked at herself in the mirror, and slowly combed her long black hair. She remembered the Overseer from yesterday, who had visited her and informed her of the interrogation. She had said nothing, and simply nodded. She had almost expected it.

She turned back to look at the chest in the corner of the room, and once again hoped that wherever Corvo had sent the book of hypnotism, it was safe. She quickly tied her bun and put on her vest.

The interrogation would begin at eight, and it was only six in the morning. Even though a faint, weak sunlight was gushing through her window, she felt dark, depressed, like there was someone else in the room with her. She shook her head and walked to the window, and looked out at the colorful sky, at the shades of orange, yellow and blue that spread across on top of the city. The long metal pillars of Kaldwin's bridge gleamed brilliantly in the first rays of the sun, and the waters of the river sparkled in bright golden flashes, flowing at a calm pace.

She felt like nature was making a mockery of the situation, by choosing this day in The Month of Rain to show off its beauty to the world. She pulled the curtains close and walked out of her room. A knock sounded on the door, and she walked downstairs. It was the servants, who were assigned by the Overseers to clean the place for The Empress and The High Overseer. Willow left the place to them and went down to the lab to perform her duties.

Surprisingly, she found that the door had already been unlocked, and Sokolov and Piero were inside, seated in the main room on the experiment table.

'Good morning, sir,' she wished gently as she walked towards them.

'It's outrageous, isn't it? Simply outrageous!' Sokolov exclaimed in reply. 'Just because some hooligan in noble shoes make a completely irrational statement, they want to interrogate MY apprentice. Why not simply accuse my whole academy then?! I'm telling you, Willow, that bastard Earnest will pay for this. He won't be getting away so easily now!'

'Calm down, Sokolov,' Piero said. 'We all know that Willow is innocent in this matter. Just think of this as another of her tests in the academy.'

'Hmm. I suppose,' Sokolov stood up and put both his hands on Willow's shoulders. 'And you will fare in this test with flying colors, just like you did in the academy. Don't you worry, Ride. I have a strong influence on all these idiots.'

'Thank you, sir,' Willow gave a small smile.

'You don't have to work until the questioning is done with,' Piero said to her. 'You should eat well. Have a nutritious breakfast to avoid any signs of nervousness or false impressions during the interrogation. Trust me, the Overseers will pressure you a lot. If you're physically weak you might break.'

'Yes sir. I will, thank you.'

'And throw the answers in their faces, Ride!' Sokolov exclaimed. 'Those religious bastards ought to know their place before they can point a finger at MY apprentice!'

'I will try, sir.'

'If they cross their limits, do not hesitate to bring up my name!' Sokolov continued. 'They will shut up then and there, those snooping bitches!'

'I will, sir.'

'Good!' Sokolov sat down once again, grumbling under his breath and occasionally cursing them, with loud 'Can you believe it?!' at Piero.

Willow simply walked upstairs to the roof again, and waited at the compound wall, looking at the early sunrise.

She couldn't help but think of the book, because if it was lost, there would be no meaning to her goal. She wanted the interrogation to be over fast.

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder, a simple, light touch.

She looked back to find Corvo. He with drew his hand gently and rested his elbows on the wall, looking at the sunrise.

'What about your mark?' Willow asked him, in a low voice.

He pulled out his glove and turned his palm over to reveal the bandaged cut. Willow looked up at his face.

'Is the book -'

'It's safe. It's with an old friend of mine,' He answered. 'Don't worry.'

'Where's The Empress?'' Willow asked.

'She's with the Overseers. I was told to get to the safe house because they had to discuss something. I left a bunch of my guards with her.'

Willow nodded and turned to him. 'Thank you,' she said. 'I am truly grateful for your help, sir. I don't know how I can repay you.'

'Call me Corvo,' He said as he looked back at her. 'And there is a way to repay me.'

She looked at him for a few seconds, and the words sank in. 'You want me to do the hypnotism on you.'

'I want you to try,' He said. ' Once. If I cannot know why this is happening to me, I might as well forget all those things and concentrate on Emily.'

'What if something unspeakable happens?' she asked. 'What if you go mad?'

'I won't,' He answered plainly. 'I believe you're smart enough to not let that happen.'

'You don't know that.'

'Simply, Ride, what I mean is that - I trust you.' He looked at her dark eyes, the sudden flash of surprise, and then the warmth that made them shine, reflecting the light of the morning sun. 'It's not everyday that I say that to someone. And I'm not saying it to convince you either. I helped you for a reason - you're worth it.'

She didn't know what to make out of his words. They seemed so neutral in every way, and yet he had convinced her.

She knew from time and experience that Corvo wasn't the kind of person who could talk to people and make them laugh. He preferred to be alone, and barely spoke to anybody. He was also not the kind of person that would say false things to others in the hope of convincing them.

If he said something like that, he must have meant it, straight forward.

'Okay then,' she almost whispered, lost in thought. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, and opened them once again to look at his deep brown orbs. 'Only once. And then you abandon the idea forever and never mention it to a soul.'

He nodded.

He wanted to look away from her, look back at the sunrise, at the orange hues that spread across the sky - but he couldn't.

His gaze was fixed on her. He felt a strange warmth, watching her standing before him, looking at the sunrise. The light made a soft golden border on her wheatish skin, and her eyes were the color of pure chocolate. She had no strange aura at all, unlike so many other women that he usually saw. She didn't have a sexual appeal, or anything in her personality that would send off any sort of sexual vibes to any man.

And yet, he knew he was drawn to her.

He wasn't struck by her, or any other heavy emotions that they usually used to describe a man's romantic side in plays and novels. He was attracted to her, surely - but not captivated. He didn't think of her every moment of the day. He thought of her only when he was alone, even though the thoughts were usually intense. The feelings that he had for her simply made him more curious, because he couldn't point out why and when he had sprouted those feelings.

'I hate this city,' She suddenly whispered. Corvo said nothing. He gazed at her for a few seconds, and then looked back at the sky, where the sun was already up.

The interrogation began at eight. The Overseers set up a whole scene in the planning room, with every equipment they could possibly use - including blue lamps, red velvet ribbons, a slab with the strictures carved on it and also the music box. There were seven books in the center of the table, aligned horizontally on top of a deep blue running cloth. There were four blue lamps on the table, one in each corner. The whole room smelled of incense and burning wax. There was one big wooden chair with red cushions, placed at the far end of the table towards the wall - The seat of The High Overseer. Beside it was another big luxurious chair with navy blue cushions, more ornate that the first, decorated with long, thick ribbons of deep blue, with royal looking embroidery, The seat of The Empress.

Looking at the whole arrangement, Corvo felt sick. He was the first to go, and his seat was a plain wooden chair placed on the opposite end.

There was only one Overseer in the room, and he held the music box that Corvo hated so much. He was playing it, but at a very low volume and intensity, mainly to set up the "Overseer mood" in the room, and so it didn't affect Corvo much.

'Good morning, Corvo,' High Overseer Sturgess wished him grimly as he entered the room. Corvo bowed to him, and then to Emily before taking his seat.

'Make the vow, please,' The High Overseer said, showing the seven books on the table.

Corvo put both his hands on the table, palms facing up.

'Your gloves, sire,' The Overseer with the music box reminded him humbly.

Corvo took a deep breath and removed his gloves carefully, placing them aside. He could almost feel Emily tensing up.

Neither of the Overseers seemed to mind his bandaged wound, which gave him a little relief.

'May I?' Corvo asked in a low voice. The High Overseer gave a nod.

Corvo cleared his throat, and spoke:

' I shall hereby speak nothing but the truth, and the truth only. I shall humbly submit to the greatness of The Divine Power, The Lord Almighty. I shall not give in to weakness and cowardice under the influence of evil and darkness, but face it and do what is right, carrying out the Seven Strictures with pride. I, Corvo Attano, make this Vow in the presence of His Eminence, The High Overseer, and shall fully accept the consequences of being a heretic, if so declared by him.'

Most of that vow is shit anyway, he thought.

Then the interrogation began, and most of the questions were predictable to Corvo, so he had no trouble. It went on for an hour, at when it finally ended, he felt a little dizzy because of that music box.

High Overseer Sturgess looked convinced, and the relieved smile on Emily's face made Corvo feel better.

' The subject, Lord Corvo Attano, is pure and good willed, and is in no way committed to any form of heresy. I, The High Overseer, hereby declare him clean and righteous.'

If only you knew, Corvo thought to himself.

The final ending of the interrogation was marked by The High Overseer cutting a black thread held on both ends by the subject, which, according to them, represented any form of heresy during the "interrogation".

Corvo bowed , gathered his gloves and left. He was escorted downstairs by an Overseer at the door, and flashed a wry smile at Willow as she looked at him.

Willow walked upstairs, her heart pounding faintly.

When the door closed behind her, she bowed twice and took her seat.

'Your vow, Miss Ride,' High Overseer said. Willow looked at him, confused.

'Pardon me,' she said, 'I would like to read it out from a paper.'

The High Overseer seemed a little displeased, but gave her the permission. The Overseer with the music box gave her the scroll with the vow, and she read it out loud.

The questions were simple, but when it went to her family, she was forced to lie and tell them that her mother and father had died at sea in a terrible storm, and that the boat or their remains were never found. She could tell by his expression that he did not fully believe it. When they went further into her life, at all the years she had spent in the Academy, High Overseer Sturgess seemed a little impressed. She told him about all the years in the Academy, and how she had been the first student in most of the subjects.

By the end, he didn't look very happy, but not very suspicious either.

Downstairs, Corvo was waiting among the bookshelves, watching the planning room intently. Willow seemed to be fine by herself. He was about to leave the safe room - when he heard a familiar sound.

It was faint, barely audible, but if he shut out the chatters of the Overseer guards and the voices from the planning room, he could hear it, like a thin trace of smoke.

A very, very familiar sound.

He suddenly knew what was about to happen. He walked to the center of the room, looking up nervously. He felt like every part of his body had suddenly heated up, and he could even feel a drop of sweat trickling down his temple. He looked around in confusion.

'Well, Miss Ride,' High Overseer said, 'I suppose you are clean.'

Willow exhaled in relief and smiled to herself.

'But there is still more,' High Overseer continued. 'Please excuse my guards as they search your room.'

'Sure,' Willow nodded, realizing at that moment how grateful she really was to Corvo.

Two Overseers entered the room, bowed, and went into Willow's bedroom. They worked fast, simply glancing around, moving a few things and looking into drawers. Willow watched them carefully, when she felt a sudden light hit on the back of her shoe. She saw that the High Overseer was busy looking in her room, and Emily was reading a small book.

She slowly looked back, and through the banister, she could see Corvo, alone downstairs, looking up at her. He looked panicked and angry. She looked down at her shoe, and pretending to buckle them, she discreetly unfolded the crumpled piece of paper.

'DON'T RUN. DON'T WORRY. I'LL SAVE YOU.'

It was scribbled across roughly, and it immediately drowned her in confusion.

'My lord,' One of the Overseer guards spoke. Willow hastily shoved the paper into her shoe and sat up straight.

She found the two Overseers whispering to The High Overseer, and Emily looked at Willow, her expression a mix of surprise and pain.

'Who would have thought,' High Overseer said, holding something in his hand, something small. He looked at Willow coldly.

'I hereby declare Willow Teagan Ride unclean! She is a branch of evil, and ought to be hanged within a period of Seven days. No form of heresy shall go unpunished!'

Willow felt like time had suddenly frozen. And then there was a sudden outburst of events, all of which happened too fast for her to fathom - but there was one thing that she had seen and recognized, and it was in The High Overseer's hands.

A Bone Charm.

Greetings, reader!

I know this chapter was kinda late, but I was so lost with Watch Dogs. Yes, I finally bought it!

It was a great game, but was it worth one whole year of waiting? No. Knowing Ubisoft, they could actually do better, but anyway, it was fun.

Not as fun as Dishonored lol.

Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews people, it means so much to me! I'm so glad you guys like this story!

So until next chapter!

xoxoxoxo