IMPORTANT: Varys is now called Vyras. Yes, in the whole work. Took me 3 hours. :P
Following my loathing of GoT (before it was cool, mind you :P ) I decided to remove all references. So, the song in chapter 4 is gone now too.
Also, I reworked some things in chapter 1, 2 and 3. Nothing major, just some weird sentences and mistakes. Corrections in 4-7 are still coming up.
Also, I had to take a litte bit out in this one too, too explicit for M rating. But it's not as bad as in the last chapter.

The BIGGEST thanks go to Maladrax, who honoured me with fanart and their own, alternative shortstory for Lisbeth. This makes me SO PROUD and honours me so much, that I am an INSPIRATION for somebody else! You gave me so much creative boost, you deserve a special place in my thanks and in my heart!
If you wanna see their fanart, check out my (new!) Twitter account! As usual, I can't post the link here, but you find me under "akularzshati".
And while you are there, why not follow me? :D I'm honest, I shitpost a lot. But ain't that Twitter? :P

Also, I now started a CuriousCat account, so go there and ask me anything! Nickname stays the same.

I have been wondering - would you guys be interested in listening to me reading my own work aloud? If you are, let me know, via reviews or PM (on )! I love to read to other people, might have to wrangle with Youtube for this one!

The usual, yet not in any way less important, thanks to go my lovely beta, who always makes time for my shenanigans, no matter how busy she is. Thank you!
Aaaand, of course, a big thank you to all my lovely reviewers! You always make my day! Thank you so much!

Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and as always, please let me know your thoughts!

Chapter 26

Double Standards

"Ready another pair-bond, Syiin, your last ones failed me."
— Archon Nyos Yllithian of the White Flames

HIS VOICE HAD left its marks on me.

I remembered dreaming for probably the first time ever since I was in Commorragh, and I had dreamt about my master whispering to me, but there had been no horror attached to the dream. In fact, it had felt comforting and pleasant, even though I could not remember what the dream had been about.

Yesterday's horrors now were strangely dim, like they were shrouded in fog that eased the pain. I had not forgotten the lesson I was to learn, but most of all, I remembered how kind my master had been to me in the end.

I felt lucky. It could have been a lot worse.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, my senses waking, and I felt utterly well-rested. It was interesting that I was alone in bed. Had my lord even rested at all?

Knowing that slacking off was forbidden, I stretched luxuriously and then sat up. I was in a good mood. Things were good with the Overlord. I could not wish for better.

I did not see Vect, but there was a slave in here that currently set the table. Since I knew that the usual service slaves had it anything but easy, I thought that a little kindness would not hurt. "Good morning! Let me help you with that," I said, about to get out of bed.

He looked at me with wide eyes and stuttered, "N… no, that's not n...necessary, m...my l...lady."

What the hell? Why was he so scared of me? I had done nothing to him.

Then it hit me.

Of course, I had doomed the other slave yesterday. Word probably got around about that. It was no surprise that he was afraid of me, scared of what I would do to him if anything he did displease me.

It shook me because it made clear to me how far apart I stood from the other slaves. Would I ever be able to reconnect with them?

I… pitied him, even though I knew it was futile and damaging. There was nothing I could do to help. He had nothing to hope for. I, at least, knew that the Overlord held me in high regard.

However, I managed not to let my feelings overwhelm me. Pitying one slave was bad enough. Pitying all of them was deadly.

As the slave did his work, I got out of bed - much more gracefully than yesterday - and put on my clothes. If my master wanted to have breakfast with me, I better be ready for it.

Since I had to wait for orders anyway, I strolled aimlessly to the windows, hopping over the carpet and then looked outside. It was a view that never grew old. The vastness and twistedness of Commorragh was something that could be explored anew each time one beheld it.

I heard the sound of a door behind me and turned to look. It was indeed my master that had entered the room from the bathroom, clad in the cloth he had worn yesterday.

Something was off. He had a strange, tense expression on his face and a sheen in his eyes I had not seen there before. Without further ado, he stormed to the slave, grabbed him with his left by the throat and hurled him effortlessly through the room, making him hit the metal stairs with a yelp.

I had not forgotten how unbelievably strong Vect was, but this display baffled even me.

Vect then... ripped the slave apart. There was no better way to describe it. All that was left of the young man after the Overlord was done, was a disfigured, dismembered, bloody husk, that lay broken on the floor.

I had sunken against the windowed wall behind me and now cowered on the floor, hands in front of my nose and mouth. Even though I had seen equally violent deaths before, it shook me that it came from the otherwise so refined and restrained hand of my master. This was so unlike him. This was such a random display of violence.

His gaze found mine. It shone with madness and… hunger.

Oh no.

This was not over.

Baring his bloody fangs with a wide, mad grin that did not reach his cold eyes, Vect marched towards me, drawing sharp breaths through his teeth. His face and hands were almost completely covered in blood, and it ran down on the white skin of his torso.

Was this what happened when he did not feed enough?

Would I die here and now, ripped apart by him in a sheer fit of hunger?

"Come out, come out, little morsel," he chanted, now slowly pacing towards me. He chuckled as I crawled away from him until my back hit one of the bookshelves.

Vect came to me, still locking gazes with me, and towered over me for a short while, obviously enjoying watching me huddle helplessly against the shelf and trembling all over. Never before had I so feared for my life when I was with him.

Then, he crouched before me and with a relished inhale, his bloody hand reached for my face.

I closed my eyes, trembling and nauseous. I whimpered, "Master, please…"

As the expected touch did not come, I opened my eyes to an utterly strange view.
Vect still was crouching in front of me, but the mad grin was gone from his features. His expression was blank, his jaw so tense that his muscles were visibly trembling. The corners of his mouth were slightly twitching. And slowly, incredibly slowly, he drew back his hand and the insane sheen in his eyes subsided.

He closed his eyes, took a deep, long breath, then leant against the wall, resting his hips on the floor. After that, he looked at me again, and chuckled again, this time it was one of his scornful chuckles I knew so well.

"It is alright, Temira," he said, smiling. "I am not going to hurt you."

I just nodded. I was still shaking.

"You are my special girl. I would never end you like this. You know that, right?" my master continued gently.

I nodded again. For the life of me, I could not speak, I was still in shock.

Smiling, he got to his feet again. Before he stood up, though, he leaned over me and kissed my forehead, inevitably smearing some blood onto it.

I stood it as quietly and still as I could.

It seemed to be enough because when he stood up, he said, calm and controlled again, just like I knew him, "Now, get someone to clean up the mess, will you."

Still out of sorts, I nodded once more and got to my feet too. I hurried to the door, eager to leave his presence, but careful not to insult him.

"And, Temira?" he called after me as I was at the door. He did not even look at me, his gaze was directed out of the window.
"Yes, master?" I managed quietly.

"Come back once you are done and let us have breakfast together. I always enjoy it so much…" he said as he slowly smeared some random patterns onto the window he was leaning against with his bloody fingers. His voice trailed off as if his mind was far away.

I bowed and then fled the room.

Once I was out in the corridor, I ran.

I ran until I had reached the middle of the ornate corridor. Then, I fell against the wall there, shaking and sobbing.

What the hell had that just been all about?

It had been so… senseless.
If he was so starving for souls, why did he want to have breakfast with me? Why the random kill? Why…?

"No," I breathed. This was precisely what he had meant yesterday. It was not my place to know. If he decided to kill, he would. I was not allowed to question it. The 'why' was of no matter to me. I had to stop thinking like that.

What mattered, was that he had held himself back and not killed me next.

Had it been hearing my voice that had snapped him out of it? He was only calming down once I had talked to him. I could not help but believe that our connection was so rare. It had been pretty clear.

My emotions were so tumbled that I could not perceive my surroundings, which was why I jumped with fright as someone gently touched me on my shoulder and said, "Temira? What's wrong?"

As soon as the door had shut behind Temira, Vect began to laugh. Yes, that certainly had been a brilliant display of his, making her believe that he was about to kill her for a quick repast.

The truth was, she had never been in any real danger.

Nonetheless, he had longed for a quick kill, even though it was not as satisfying as a slow one. The quick rush of it and the taste of adrenaline-laden blood was a nice diversion though, time and again. Since he wanted to fool her even more into believing in their 'special connection', the opportunity had been perfect for it. She had, once more, believed it. No doubt that her mind was racing right now.

But, this had to be the last scare for quite a while, otherwise, she would lose faith in him. Opportunities to strengthen their bond would arise pretty soon. After all, a meeting of Circles was no small thing and especially dangerous for her, as she won the Carnival and expectations of her were as high as ever. Because of that, he could be the benevolent master once more, saving her from some unnecessary punishment, which some of the Archons would surely go for. It would not hurt his reputation too much, and, after all, binding Temira was more important than his image right now. When he got her where he wanted her, which meant giving her soul willingly to him, his image would not matter anymore, because then, he was a god and none could touch him. And then, they would have to bow to him, no matter his reputation.

Smiling contentedly to himself, he went into the bath to wash the blood off. That slave had been bland, it was good that he had dispensed with it the way he had. An extended demise would just have been a waste of time and skill.

After he was done, he went back into the main room and seated himself at the table. He already looked forward to Temira's reactions and the mind-numbingly sweet sips of her suffering.

Hearing my name snapped me back into reality and out of my pained pondering. I looked up and my face lit up with surprise and happiness. "Lisbeth!" I exclaimed happily and flung my arms around her neck.

She laughed, coughed and said in a stifled manner, "Hey! Careful! I'm barely whole again!"

I backed off immediately and murmured, "Sorry." This was when I had my first, actual look at her now. She certainly had been patched up and looked a lot better than two days ago. Even though I could see in her expression that she still was afraid and unsure, she looked a lot more alive again. Her eyes were not dim anymore and she no longer looked like she was about to lose it. Also, she was not naked anymore but wore the usual slave attire.

If what Vyras had told me was true, it was a true testament to her willpower. If Vect actually had tortured her daily, it was a miracle that she was standing here, with her mental faculties intact and not cowering and drooling in a corner somewhere.

Of course, I had to consider the possibility that Vyras had lied to invade me.

Yes, that made sense.

"What the hell! Have you always been that strong?" Lisbeth wondered with a frown.

"Oh, sorry, no. Vlokarion did his thing for the Carnival on me. I sometimes forget about it," I gave back.

Lisbeth looked a bit weirded out but seemed to brush it aside. "So, you wanna tell me what's wrong?" she asked calmly, and gestured at the blood on my forehead.

I tensed up, stared into nothingness and said sombrely, "The Overlord just killed a slave in front of my eyes." I took a deep breath. "I figure he was hungry. He barely kept himself from making me his next meal."

Pain had moved into Lisbeth's expression. "Count yourself lucky. The Overlord did not have that restraint with me." She pressed her lips together.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to remind you," I said quietly.

Lisbeth shook her head. "It's alright. You couldn't know." Tearing her mind visibly away from the topic, she said, "So, what are you doing out here in your morning gown, then? I doubt the Overlord let you run away."

I looked at myself and realised she was right. "Oh. Well, he sent me to get someone to clean up the mess. I didn't think about anything else."

"Ah, I see. Come with me, I think the cleaning crew is in the official quarters right now," Lisbeth said. Sighing, she added, "Let's ruin their day."

We went through the hidden door, the torture chamber and into the official quarters. As I entered, I was reminded of the first time I had stepped in here. I had been so intimidated and awed. I smiled at my naiveté back then. These quarters were impressive, but nothing to write home about, really.

Also, Lisbeth had been right. The cleaners were here. I broke the unhappy news to them, and they immediately changed their schedule to accommodate the Overlord's wishes.

After they were gone, I washed my face in the basin in the main room. It felt good to get that blood off.

While I did this, I could not shake the feeling that something was off with Lisbeth. When I thought back about the mess she had been two days ago, she seemed far too stable and calm. Also that the Overlord now suddenly had eased up on her and had her healed made me suspicious. Was she a means to an end, to lead me into another trap?
I asked, "Even though I hate to ask, I have to: I mean, two days ago, you seemed to almost lose it, and now, you are feeling so much better? I know, you probably don't know yourself, but I'm wondering."

Lisbeth sighed. "You've guessed correctly. I really don't know. It all seems so… hazy right now. I remember little of quite a while, hell, I barely remember that you were there."

"Smells of some kind of drug," I commented.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Then again, I can't help but feel grateful for it. I'm sure there is a lot I don't want to remember," she said and shivered.

"Can't blame you," I gave back, drying my hands.

"And there is too much I do remember," she added with a sinister inflexion.

I came to her and hugged her gently. "I don't even want to imagine what you went through the past year. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you," I said.

I was surprised that it actually hurt me. I had felt so… empty until now. I now realised that I had been afraid to not have any feelings towards her anymore.

"Hey. It's not like you had a choice," Lisbeth answered.

I drew back. "True. Still, I feel like I once more lucked out."

Lisbeth scoffed. "On this one? Probably. Before? I don't think so."

I sighed. "I don't know." Straightening myself, I said, "Well, back to our master. Let's not keep him waiting."

"Yes," Lisbeth agreed, her tone sombre. A shade of fear crept over her features. I could not blame her.

"Just one more thing: he lets you run around on your own? That privilege took me quite a while to get," I said.

It puzzled me. If Vect truly held Lisbeth in such low regard, this was weird.

Lisbeth smiled sadly. "Yeah. I got that privilege after I tried to flee once. The Overlord… made sure that I… never do it again. And now the Overlord lets me go around by myself, to prove that I am good."

That statement hit like a bomb. She had tried to flee? She had been so desperate that she was ready to abandon me? My stomach felt cold all of a sudden. What was going on here?

I would have never abandoned her. Never.

But now was not the time to elaborate on that.

"Oh," I just uttered.

Anything more I had to say Lisbeth probably would not understand.

I had a good picture of what this reminder had looked like. But if she indeed had tried to flee, as stupid as that was, she deserved it. Yes, one did not cross the Overlord like that. In fact, now I was surprised that she was even still alive.

I also realised that she solely referred to Vect as 'the Overlord'. It made her sound repetitive and unnecessarily wordy, but I had a good idea why she talked that way. He probably had hammered into her so hard that she was to call him this and this alone, until she did not dare to say anything else, afraid of punishment. Hell, she even used his title when 'he' would just do the job.

Vect had not been as relentless with me.

But then again, he had made clear on several occasions that I stood far higher in his esteem than Lisbeth ever would.

"Hey, but at least we get to be together until the next Circle meeting," Lisbeth said.

"We do?" I said, my face lighting up.

"The Overlord did not tell you?" Lisbeth asked, apparently confused.

"No, he didn't. Then again, we were… occupied... otherwise," I answered.

Her face darkened. "I see."
I shook my head. "Let's go."

And so we did.

I led the way, and it was necessary because I did not want Lisbeth to see my face right now. I was so torn.

On one hand, I was sure that Vect had me and Lisbeth back together for a specific reason. A reason, which was not favourable for me.

On the other, I could not deny his benevolence with this move, especially because he had Lisbeth patched up and mentally stabilised. It would have fitted my recent failure far better to let her in her damaged state to remind me what would happen to me if I disappointed him further.

Considering how he had ended yesterday's correction, I liked to believe that the latter was more the case than the former. I needed to get my paranoia under control. A little bit of it was useful, too much destructive.

No time for that now. I had to deal with the Overlord now, whatever state he might be in and that alone was challenging enough.

I felt Lisbeth behind me tense up and hold her breath as we entered the hidden quarters again. Once more, I could not blame her, for I was tense too.

I deliberately did not look at the mess that was still perceivable, since the cleaners were still at it. Judging from the retching sound behind me, Lisbeth was not that wise. Also, she clearly was not used to sights like that.

'Lucky' me.

I focused my attention on the Overlord, who was already sitting at the head of the table. He had washed in the meantime and nothing on him even hinted at what he had done a shy ten minutes ago. The hungry sheen in his eyes was gone, no mad grin could be seen on his features, just his usual, slightly disdainful demeanour. He was currently taking a sip from a cup, all while fixating me with his ebon eyes.

As etiquette demanded it, I bowed to him.

He scolded me, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Temira, how inappropriate to storm out with your morning gown on! There are clothing regulations you have to observe, hmm?"

I jumped as I heard him speaking in Low Gothic. This scolding I took calmly, I knew that he was not entirely sincere. He did not care since slaves got to wear what their masters chose for them. All too often, that was nothing but their skin. And sometimes not even that.

I stopped the thought process with sheer willpower.

I heard a soft thud behind me and looked to see Lisbeth drop to her knees beside the slave cage that was closer to the door, head lowered. What the hell…?

"Oh, do not mind little Lisbeth. She does not have the same privileges as you," Vect explained. Chuckling, he took another sip. "Then again, no slave does," he added with amusement in his voice.

I understood the gambit he played here just fine. He talked in Low Gothic so the slaves understood him and he made clear how far above them I was. He wanted to single me out.

Did it make much of a difference? I already stood apart from the rest.

"I understand, Overlord. Thank you for your trust in me," I gave back, careful to also speak Low Gothic.

Vect smiled sincerely. I would never get used to this facial expression of his. It was like a shark grinning. "And you deserve it! Now, come, sit, child! Let us eat!"

I did as bidden, walked over the carpet, clenching my teeth, remembering all too well how it felt to fall on it and moved to take the place to his left, as he had not said anything against it the last few times.

Before I could sit, however, Vect gently took me by my forearm and said, "Enough of diminishing your position. Sit to my right, Temira."

It was always so intimidating that he was still as tall as me when he was sitting. I did not know why the thought hit me right now, but staring so closely into his cold eyes and realising that he did not have to look up, pierced me today.

His words honoured me, but it also meant that I would have to walk over the carpet again. Passing behind his back was not a viable option.

I just nodded, throat too closed up to say something, as his presence choked me - for the life of me, I could not remember if it always had been like this - and turned to go after he let go of me.

Some teeth-gritting and a few seconds later, I seated myself to his right.

He grinned, teeth flashing, "Better, even though I have to say the place to my left is not occupied anyway."
I wondered what he meant with that, even though I figured it had something to do with Lisbeth, who had not moved from her place. I was so confused. How much had she fallen from grace?

Absent-mindedly, I started to eat. There was so much for me to process. And yet, I felt uneasy about letting my mind wander, but I could not help it.

The beginning of the day.

Lisbeth now being with me again.

Finding out that she would have left me alone if she had the opportunity.

How different she had to behave from me.

How calm Vect now was after his outburst.

" a," my master's voice reached my ears, and his inflexion was of the beckoning, yet warning kind.

I started with fright, ducked and said, "I'm sorry, Overlord!"

Too much thinking. It was so hard to get it under control!

He scoffed. "Keep at it and you will be sorry."

I was not out of the woods, as it seemed. I needed to be better. I wondered why I got more privileges than Lisbeth right now. I was such a terrible slave recently.

The rest of the breakfast time went in silence, with me silencing my thoughts violently. I could not enjoy the meal, I was too concentrated on keeping my mind blank.

As he was done eating, Vect chuckled. It was one of the darkly humorous sorts. "Ah, Temira, you trying so hard is always so entertaining. I will be back in the evening - do try to not have too much fun with Lisbeth, and forget all about your behaviour, hmm?" The slaves were gone by now, and he used the Drukhari language again.

Gambit, as I had feared.

"I will behave, Overlord," I reassured him, fluently switching languages too.

Vect got up and gently ran his fingertips through my hair as he passed me. He dressed for the day in robes and took his sceptre.

Before he left the room, he halted shortly, shot a weird side-glance at Lisbeth, then said, in Low Gothic once more, so Lisbeth understood, "I also allow you both in the garden... If you dare."

With an evil chuckle, he left the room.

Mind game or fact, that was the main question here. I remembered the horror of paralysis all too well, so I decided not to gamble.

Lisbeth exhaled audibly once he was out of the door.

I was still sitting at the table, turned sideways and said to her, "Do you wanna join me now?"

Lisbeth looked at me as if I had told her that I would kill her now. With a flabbergasted expression, she said, "I'm not allowed to eat at the table!" Fear and outrage rang in her voice.

I frowned. "Sorry. When I left, you were. I didn't mean to lead you into a trap." That was odd.

She shook her head. The movement was more than physical, she also shook off emotions with it. "No, I'm sorry, Temira. There is much you don't know about my situation. I was wrong in assuming that you knew."

"Don't worry about it. I know how paranoid you can get around here. So, I take it you have already eaten?" I asked.

I froze as Lisbeth shook her head. With a pained tone in her voice, she said, "I'm not allowed to eat more than once per day."

My appetite was now gone altogether.

"Wow. Fuck. I'm so sorry, Lisbeth!"

There was no way I could help her with that. If I disobeyed by feeding her additionally, Vect would know. And I was on too thin ice right now to misbehave.

Lisbeth got up and said, "So, what did the Overlord say to you?"

I told her.

"Ah," she uttered, "By the way, I wouldn't gamble with the garden."

My face darkened. "My thoughts precisely."

"So, you have been shown the paralysis effect too?"

"Yeah. Yesterday."

Lisbeth paused shortly. "I see. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Better not. I just managed to wrangle it down in my head," I gave back.

She nodded, then walked over the carpet, her expression twitching, and sat down on the floor at the wall under the windows and leant against it.

"Why not hop over it?" I asked.

"Because I'm not…"

"...allowed," I finished for her. "What the hell, Lisbeth? What have you done that he is pinning you in a chokehold?"

She shrugged. It looked helpless.

"Nothing," she sighed, staring into thin air. "Everything," she added after a few seconds. "I'm not even sure anymore. Was it my failure? Did the Overlord make me believe that it was? Did the Overlord simply not give me a chance? I can't tell anymore."

I sighed deeply. That was not much of an answer, but I believed her. After what she had probably gone through, it was surprising that she was as intact as she was.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked her, hopelessly.

Lisbeth just shook her head. "Not without getting into trouble yourself. And one of us has to keep her strength up to deal with the Overlord. We both know it has to be you."

I nodded. She was right, even though I hated to admit it. I was privileged, that much was clear.

With a hoarse voice, Lisbeth said, "God, Temira, I'm so fucking happy that you made it out alive. I wasn't sure, for the longest time. After I heard about Vyras's assassins, I wasn't sure whether I'd ever see you again."

"I'm grateful to be here too," I said.

Then it dawned on me.

"Wait. You knew about Vyras's demise and his assassins in the Carnival?"

Lisbeth was confused. "Yeah? I was there when they brought Vyras in, he talked about it with Vect and the translator seemed to be on, hence, I understood everything."

That shook me. Even Lisbeth, who was nothing but a nuisance to Vect, knew about the whole situation surrounding Vyras and the assassins even before I did. Why did Vect let me run into this open blade? Sure, he had sent Sakh'ur'lath to help me with the assassin, but I had been given no warning about it at all. I knew that I was not allowed to ask why, but maybe I could drop it indirectly, without phrasing a question, to get something out of Vect.

It dawned on Lisbeth too. Her eyes widened.

"Wait. You didn't know? You ran into the trap without anybody telling you?"

I nodded.

What did it mean? This information put a huge dent into the view I had about my specialness. Why did Vect not have me warned about it at all, if he had known in advance? It made no sense!

No. No thinking. No asking questions.

Trust.

It was hard. But I had to do it. And most of all, I now needed to think.

"I gotta shower," I simply said after some silence. I got up and left for the bath.

It had been half a lie. I needed to shower, yes. But most of all, I needed to think.

Never before had rummaging around in my head been so dangerous.

I sighed deeply as I was alone. This would be a lot harder than I had hoped. Since our privileges were so different, I already knew that I would have a tremendously hard time not feeling bad about mine when I knew Lisbeth was suffering because of her missing ones. I dreaded a lot of things I would have to witness now. The one that came to my mind first, was sleeping. I was sure that Vect would not allow her in the bed. The dire question was, whether she would sleep in the cage. I was not sure how to handle that.

I stepped into the shower and meditated to relax. I let go of my raging thoughts and feelings, breathed deeply and just let it all pass. It calmed me down, as usual…

...but something also hit me.

Of course!

Lisbeth being here with me, was a test. A test of my obedience. Whether I would behave and not try to help her, even though she was suffering right in front of my eyes.

Vect knew how to pick my trials. It fitted the crime. I had been disobedient, I would have to show him that I was not anymore. As he had told me - the more often I failed, the harder the test became, so I learnt the lesson.

I would not fail him again! He deserved better than my weakness!

At the same moment, I was aware that it would be probably the hardest thing he had ever forced me to do. Never before had he made me watch when Lisbeth suffered at length, as he knew how much it chipped my mind. But, it seemed, with my failure, I had lost that privilege.

Enough.

I had to get my head under control again.

I stepped out of the shower and did the rest of my hygiene routine. After all, one of my prime functions was to always look at my very best. There was no telling whether the Overlord would take me with him. Not being presentable would be a prime failure of my duties. I did not want to find out what he would do to me if I failed him that severely. Hell, I did not want to fail him that severely at all. He deserved my best, and a mistake like this was hardly that.

Then, I went back to the main room and Lisbeth. I walked to her, enduring the carpet, for I would have felt shitty hopping over it, and sat down beside her on the floor.

"There's really no need for you to sit here with me," Lisbeth said.

I shook my head. "It's not an issue for me and I would feel like shit lounging in a comfortable chair while you have to sit on the floor."

She sighed. "Thank you. But you really should keep your strength up."

I smiled warmly. "Don't you worry. I'm fit as a fiddle!"

Lisbeth giggled, then eyed me from head to toe and said, "Damn, you are. You have never been so muscular before!"

I shrugged. "Well, this is what one year of hardcore training does to you. That, and certain Haemonculi doing their thing."

Her face darkened. "It was horrible, wasn't it."

I looked away and nodded. "Yeah. Sometimes, being with the Overlord seemed like child's play compared to what Lady Hesperax and the Maester did to me."

"I guess I really don't wanna know," Lisbeth said flatly.

"I guess not," I gave back.

"Still, I have a favour to ask," Lisbeth said.

"Anything!"

"As I told you… the Overlord showed me a lot of things that happened to you that were not real, as I now realise. For example, he showed me that you... got showered with acid and severely maimed by it. Clearly, you are too immaculate for that."
I found her naiveté disturbing. Was she not aware that even such grave injuries could have been fixed by Vlokarion without much effort? I decided it was best not to correct her, so I kept quiet and listened.

"Would you… mind greatly... to tell me what actually happened in the Carnival?" Lisbeth asked.

My jaw tensed. "I don't mind for my sake," I said.

She looked confused.

"But I'm scared of what you might think of me when I tell you what happened. How many I've… ended," I said, lowering my gaze.

Lisbeth put her hand on my shoulder. "I know you had no choice. Please, don't worry about that!" she pleaded.

I nodded but felt cold. "Alright. But I have to warn you: it's grisly."

She nodded. "I figured."

So I told her.

Lisbeth's expression had become blanker the longer I had talked, and she paled visibly. I had known she was not ready for it, but she had insisted and I would not patronise her.

"...and that's how I got out," I closed my gloomy tale.

She sat there a while, quiet, but then shortly buried her face in her palms, rubbed it briefly and then said, as she looked up again, "I… see. I'm sorry you had to go through all that," she said, but the words seemed empty. Sighing deeply, she added, "And now I know that nothing he showed me was actually real." Lisbeth sounded defeated.

I could not cast a stone at her. Finding out that you had been lied to most of the time was neither easy nor pleasant. With Vect, however, it was to be expected. That brought me back to my question of how much he had lied to me. I did not expect all his words to be true, but so far, I had uncovered little in that regard. That meant I had to believe what he told me. I figured it was better this way.

I tried to loosen up the whole situation with a joke, "Now, fair's fair, Lisbeth! I told you how fucked up I am - what about you?"

I failed miserably, because she said, still with that blank expression, "Forgive me, but I really don't want to think back about it. I have forgotten a lot about it recently, and I prefer to keep it that way."

I understood, yet it still rubbed me the wrong way. It would be easier for me if I knew what had happened, to understand why Vect treated her this way. Also, I could prepare for things he would do to her if I knew what rules were set up for her…

Oh no.

"Lisbeth," I said, alarm ringing in my voice, "has he forbidden you to talk to me about it?"

She looked at me, pain in her eyes. "I just don't want to talk about it!"

She lied, that much was clear. But it was not a lie out of malice, but out of desperation. I had my answer. Vect had forbidden her to talk about it. He wanted me unprepared for the things he would do to her.

Yes, it was certainly all a test. And I intended not to fail it.

Also, it now hurt even more to know that she could not relieve the burden on her psyche by talking about the horrors she had faced. She needed to talk about it but was barred from it by Vect's decree. It was obvious to me that a very simple fact did apply here: Vect did not care whether Lisbeth broke or not.

The realisation shook me. It seemed as if I had to deal with the fact that I would lose her far sooner than I had hoped.

If she died, I was all alone, right?

However…

"Say, how did you fare with the other slaves?" I asked.

Lisbeth gave back, "Very good! I made some friends. They've helped me."

I froze. That was the answer I had feared. Lisbeth had taken to the other slaves, showing Vect clearly that she was nothing special and behaved just like all the others he had before. It made me realise why he had deemed me something special because I never had tried to fraternise with them, as I had known that it would not help me.

Lisbeth would perish, sooner or later. That I was now direly sure of.

"I see, good to hear," I forced myself to lie.

A look into her face told me she was none the wiser. Had I become that good of a liar too?

"Say, maybe you could introduce me to some of them? Maybe help me get a fresh start with them? It never really worked between them and me," I said.

Even though I still would not fraternise with them - now even less so, considering how much above them I stood - it would still make working with them easier.

Lisbeth sighed. "We can try. But they really don't like you and are afraid of you, you know that?"

Oh, I knew. I had made sure of that.

"Yeah. I figured," I said.

She shook her head. "I don't know how you did it, Temira."
"What?"

"Punishing them. You know, I was given the rings too. But I couldn't. How did you do it?"

It was a question I did not want to answer. But I was stronger than running away from it.

"I already told you. They betrayed me. I was angry. And I used that anger to do what was expected of me," I said calmly.

That was not what Lisbeth wanted to hear. Had it always been so easy to read her?

"I… see. But…" she broke off, taking a deep breath.

"It's ok, just ask," I said. It was clear she struggled.

"But… did you… enjoy… it?" she pressed out.

Oh, I had to lie to her now. I remembered all too well that I had enjoyed it. That bitch had deserved it! But Lisbeth would not understand. Everything about her made clear that she was afraid to ask the question and even more afraid of the answer. If I gave her the truth now, she most likely would lose all faith in me. And I needed her faith. At least, for a little while longer.

"No, I didn't. I did what I had to do," I said flatly.

Lisbeth obviously bought it and was happy to do so.

"Good. I was so afraid that you would say otherwise."

All of a sudden, I felt incredibly sad. I realised what was happening here. Our friendship was breaking. It was not strong enough to survive all this horror.

Was it surprising? No.

Was it painful? Hell, yes.

But Lisbeth and I had developed so far apart from each other, we barely knew each other anymore. Additionally, considering that she would most likely die soon, it would not be wise to refresh this friendship.

It ripped my heart out, but probably the wisest way here was to distance myself emotionally from her.

Exactly.

The assurance rang strongly in my head. Was it the same voice I had heard in the Carnival? I found that I had somehow… missed it.

Was I so insane that I now had such a rich, inner monologue?
I could not tell, of course. But it also mattered not.

It was the state of mind I was in and as long as it stabilised and comforted me, it was fine that way.

Still, I felt cold. I should not be able to look at it so calmly and distantly. Had I already accepted a long time ago that it all would eventually be like that? I could not tell. But I realised this was who I was now. Carefully calculating the next steps, ever-wary to not make a mistake and always considering how my actions would impact my future.

I had become utterly egotistical. But there was no other way in Commorragh.

And that was why I came out on top.

You understood it.
This rational voice had never misled me before. Yet, this time, it scared me a bit. It seemed to support everything that nurtured my cold killer attitude. Then again, this was precisely what distanced me so much from everybody around here. Having human feelings in Commorragh was not a winning move.

Then I realised the smell.

Lisbeth's scent had not impacted me so far, because I knew it so well, even though until now, it had been subliminal information. She always had a mineral and milky smell on her, which was also what I could perceive now.

However, it was almost drowned in the sharp musk of adrenaline and chemicals. It became clear to me that, even though she seemed calm on the outside, she was under immense stress and almost scared out of her skull, barely somehow holding it together.

A dire idea formed in my mind.

Did she not remember or had she lied to me again? I had been so tumbled when I had asked her that I had not watched her closely enough to sense a lie.

Was she just sedated enough to be able not to show that totally crazed and terrified side of hers? Of course, I could not tell which chemicals she had in her body, only that she was severely drugged.

I was doubtful. Since I knew that she wanted to talk about how Vect had treated her, but could not, it made more sense that she remembered and had lied in that regard, to shield herself from punishment.

I wanted to know, but I knew that she would not answer me anyway. Therefore, I decided not to add to her suffering and kept my mouth shut.

I smiled warmly at her and said softly, "Hey, since you seem to be still terribly stressed - no wonder - why don't we get you into the tub and I massage you a bit? You look like you need some relaxation. Direly."

Lisbeth smiled too, and I feared that she would tell me that she was not allowed to bathe too, but to my surprise, she got up and said, "That would be incredibly nice of you! I can't deny that it would be great for me."

I got up too, feeling relieved, and gave back, smiling, "See? I told you that there was something I could do for you."

We went to the bathroom door.

Alas, just as we had passed the carpet, the entrance to the quarters opened and back came the Overlord.

I was pretty sure that Lisbeth and I had not talked for that long. Or was my sense of time so disoriented from the days I had spent in utter darkness in the Sprawls?

Instinctively, I hurled around, ready to fight, as I felt a slight whiff in my back.

However, there was no danger, as I should have expected. But the trained reflexes I now possessed had kicked in and there was nothing I could do against them.

It was just Lisbeth, who had dropped to her knees again behind me, head lowered. Was that how she was forced to behave in Vect's presence?

My stomach turned to ice.

Adding to the humiliation she had to suffer, she now got stressed additionally by witnessing my trained killer reflexes. If I had not been as restrained, I would have kicked her head in. My body had already curled up for the attack, but I had held myself back in the last millisecond.

Vect chuckled. "I see, Lelith has trained you well." Our conversation was actually private again, since he used the language of his kind.

I relaxed, bowed to him and gave back, "Indeed, she did, Overlord. I am grateful." I really was.

He smiled indulgently - a facial expression that still induced more fear in me than any other - came to me, gently stroked my cheek with his thumb, and said softly, "How fair-spoken." Then, he went to lay off his sceptre and dress in more comfortable clothing.

While he did so, he said, "Oh, children, do not let me disturb you. I still have to finish some work. Go, play!"

His false benevolence was crushing.

It was typical that he would not say so first. He demanded to see that show of subservience from Lisbeth.

Nonetheless, letting him see my disapproval was not wise, hence, I bowed to him and then made way for the bath.

Lisbeth crawled after me.

My throat felt crushed. I felt Vect's gaze all too clearly on me, as he, without a doubt, studied and relished my reactions to what I was witnessing. I did not say a thing and did not look at him, sure that it would get me into trouble if I did. I just patiently waited until Lisbeth had passed me, as I held the door open for her. I did not look at her either. I just stared into thin air. I could not keep the thoughts from coming, as I slowly realised that I would see some of those levels of humiliation I knew nothing about.

I felt relieved as I had closed the door behind me and Lisbeth got to her feet.

After walking to the other side of the bathroom together, I mouthed to her, "Seriously?"

She just nodded silently, looking sad.

I sighed and squeezed her hand shortly to reassure her that she should not feel bad for what he forced her to do. What it did to me should not matter to her. I could handle it. I still had some capacity left for that, she had not.

Right now I was pretty happy that we had not forgotten how to nonverbally communicate with each other. With Vect in the other room, it surely was smarter for us to not talk much because he would hear it all.

When I saw Lisbeth naked for the first time, I almost let my consternation show, but I kept my face calm and blank. Even though I had seen most of her skin, it once more hit me how terrible she looked. Her body was littered with scars now, some fresher, some older and the fresh cuts barely had closed, held together by some of the gel patches I knew so well. I also saw some injuries on her privates. The math was not hard. My stomach froze.

How had she not snapped?

Or maybe she had and was just held together by the chemical cocktail.

The thought scared me to the core. Even though she could not help me much, knowing that I was not alone was still a comforting thought.

Showing nothing of that, I waited until she was in the tub, and then positioned myself accordingly to massage her. As I touched her, I realised quickly how extremely tense she was. I did not even find one muscle that was relaxed. No surprises here.

We did not talk as I massaged her, due to the circumstances. I felt blessed by my upgrades right now, as I had the strength to knead her as long as it was needed to loosen up her muscles. Before my upgrades, I was sure I would not have been able to do it.

Nonetheless, I also felt how good it was for her. I had the feeling with each strained muscle I unstiffened, she started to look more… alive. It was hard to describe, like she breathed deeper and her skin got some of its colour back.

I just hoped that this would not anger our master since I undid his work on her, or - worse - would make her more appetising to him. Time would tell.

Then again, he probably would have forbidden it in the first place. Or had it been another trap? It wore me down greatly not to be able to foresee his behaviour anymore. Not that I ever truly had been, but I, at least, had some feeling about what he might like or not.

The whole Vyras incident had shaken me deeper than I liked to admit.

As I was done, Lisbeth thanked me quietly. Then it was time to return to the main room and our frightening and capricious master.

I could not bear looking at Lisbeth as she got down on all four again and while I held the door open for her.

I also could not bear looking at the evilly smiling Overlord, but this, I had to do. This look on his face told me everything I needed to know about the situation. Yes, I was right. Lisbeth being here was a test. Naturally, he fed on our emotions.

Only then, as I got my emotions under control again, I noticed where he was sitting.

The chair.

Of course.

It was so creepy because numerous hands gently stroked and massaged him. Of course, Vect did not mind, in fact, enjoyed it, from what I could read from his expression.

The twisted part was that I understood it. If I had somehow been able to get over the design and my memories with it, I figured it was nice to sit in it and get caressed. And yet, that thing still creeped me out like nothing else around here. Also, I found out that the creepy bookrest beside the chair was more than just that. A crystal had been inserted into the downside of the skull and it projected some text below. It was one hell of a workstation, as I realised.

Also, this was the next test, if I had to hazard a guess.

"My lord, are you done working or should Lisbeth and I leave for the garden to not disturb you?" I asked, purposefully giving him options that would not have me getting close to the thing that reminded me the most of the horrors I had endured yesterday. It was weird that it was the chair and not the garden.

"I am not. Yet, I want you both close, in case I need something fetched," Vect said, now looking at a dataslate in his left. Fluently switching to Low Gothic, he said to Lisbeth, "You know your place." Then, in the Drukhari tongue again, he said to me, "Temira, you come to my side. And keep quiet."

Something was odd about the picture. It took me a second to realise it.

His switching of tongues was not the work of a translator. It only now hit me that when the translator kicked, the mouth movements did not fit the language I heard, like a dubbed movie. Right now, though, his mouth movements fitted the words, hence, I was sure that it was Vect himself who switched languages fluently, not some work of technology doing it for him. I wondered why, as he had told me that he did not like to speak Low Gothic. Another gambit I would not get behind, as it seemed.

So, there we had the test. I had to show my obedience by willingly moving into grabbing distance of the chair and not utter a single sound when it touched me.

I would not fail.

Lisbeth crawled back to her place beside the slave cage, where she remained sitting on her heels. I had no pity to spare now, I needed all my willpower to obey him without hesitation.

Knees weak, but keeping my chin up, I walked towards the Overlord. To my surprise, he did not pin me with his gaze but kept reading. I was relieved that it was so, yet, it also showed me how much he expected me to get over what had happened yesterday. He had said it before - lingering on the past only had merit if I wanted to learn from it.

Easier said than done.

Swallowing, I stepped beside the chair and sat down on my heels. I gritted my teeth as one of the waxy arms gently stroked my back, but I did not utter a single sound.

I figured I had to do well enough since the Overlord did not react to what I was doing. It was strange… he never had ignored me so much before. Either the read was really important, or gripping, or… he stopped caring.

No.

I had to get it together. I was rambling again.

Vect chuckled. "If you bite down any harder, you are going to crush your teeth," he just said, without looking up. As to underline his words, the dead hand that had touched my back now gently stroked over my tense jaw.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the darkness, blocking out my surroundings, taking in the emptiness.

The absurdity of the situation hit me. I kept myself from laughing out loud.

It was not so horrible after realising something.

The irony was almost crushing. I felt more disgusted by and was more afraid of a mindless (?) thing than of the Supreme Overlord of Commorragh. The way I felt made no sense, yet, I could not help it. However, realising the absurdity of it helped me with tolerating it, not entirely, but enough to not be shivering with fear anymore and suppressing a gag when getting touched by the chair.

Better.

Yes, this voice inside me surely guided me well. I welcomed it like an old friend. Maybe I was not as alone as I thought.

The Overlord worked for quite a while still, and I managed to not disrupt him, even though I constantly got touched by the dead hands of the chair. The acceptance helped, but the horror would not leave me altogether.

Since Vect did not complain or scold me, I figured I managed well enough.

It also did not surprise me in the slightest that he did not have us fetch something even once. It had all just been another test for me. I was afraid that this testing would not stop anytime soon. I had fucked up - and he would make sure that I did not forget that. I did not mind it, after all, it was his total right to see whether I had learnt my lesson.

What I did mind was that Lisbeth would suffer for those tests.

My master put the data slate aside, turned off the crystal in the skull and stretched luxuriously, like a cat after a long nap. Rubbing his eyes with the thumb and index finger of his left hand, he said, "I require one of your massages, Temira. I will shower first, though. Let us meet up in the garden."

He had never looked so… human to me before. Just like someone after a long workday at the desk. Normalcy was a weird sight to behold.

"Yes, master," I gave back dutifully, trying not to show him how terrified I was to set foot in the garden again.

The lopsided smile he shot at me from over his shoulder as he left for the bathroom, told me that my efforts were futile. However, he did not comment on it and just left.

I got up, happy to leave the vicinity of the chair. I stretched too, since sitting on my heels for a long time was taxing. I passed Lisbeth and gestured to her whether there was something I could do for her, but she just slightly shook her head.

I nodded, gritted my teeth as I walked over the carpet and then took a deep breath as I opened the door to the garden.

Had the stairs down always been this long? I plodded them down tensely.

I gulped as I stepped into the garden, the memories immediately hitting me. Sweat was on my forehead. My whole body was tense.

I walked to the island with the cushions, heart beating fast, to prepare them for my master.

Every breath was a cliffhanger. More than once my mind played tricks on me, as my tense muscles did not heed my commands immediately. I was terrified to get paralysed again. There was no telling whether the effect took hold every time at the same time. Poisons were such complex things, especially those found and designed in Commorragh. It was a curse that I knew quite some things about them.

I sat down cross-legged and put a cushion in my lap, as I already guessed that my master would require a head and shoulder massage. I only now noticed that some different bottles with massage oil were already here - had they been here the last time too? It was not like I had the attention for such details back then.

I opened several of them and smelt the contents, to decide on the right one. I realised in these seconds how naturally I did these things, without thinking about them greatly. Yes, I had indeed accepted my place as a slave. And I knew I was good at it, whatever good this would do for me. The really interesting thing was that this realisation did not shake me anymore.

It has to be that way.

"Indeed," I whispered. It was either that or losing it. Again, I decided to roll with it, as it made me more stable. And mental stability was something I fought for right now because it was so very vital.

I still had a while alone, which I used for meditating and keeping my raging emotions under control. I felt grateful for every minute of it, and that each of those minutes did not start with paralysis taking hold of my body.

Still, I winced visibly as vicious, yet soft, laughter reached my ears.

I opened my eyes and, of course, saw my master walking towards me, clad once more only in a cloth around his hips, falling all the way down to his ankles.

Obviously, he was laughing at me.

"Ah, Temira…" he chuckled, trailing off.

Vect came to me, sat down in front of me and gently ran his fingertips over my cheek.

"You truly make this easy, you know?" he said, still amused.
I could just stare at him confusedly.

My stare amused him even more, because he chuckled harder for a while. Eventually, he calmed down again.

With a soft expression and caressing my cheek some more, my master said, "I thought we already established yesterday that I do not punish you more than you deserve, hmm? Tell me: do you think you deserve to be punished today?"

Careful, since I did not want to stumble into some kind of trap, I gave back, "Since I don't have your perspective, master, I can't be completely sure."

"Come now, Temira. Drop the false humility," Vect purred gently.

I gulped. He would not let me off easy. I pushed myself to say, "I can't think of a reason."

A sincere smile graced his features. I wished he would not smile like that. It unsettled me so.

"Was that so hard?" he cooed. "I have told you: I only hurt you when you deserve it. So, calm down! And, as I told you too, your tenseness is no good when I want to relax." His inflexion showed me that I was in no danger.

I was relieved. So his remark about the garden had just been a cruel joke. His words indeed calmed me down considerably.

"Thank you, master," I said, not out of a sense of duty, but out of true gratitude.

"Good girl," he whispered softly. Finally, he took his hand off my face, then continued, "I see you have already hazarded a guess about the massage and I am pleased to see that you did so correctly." He sighed delightedly. "I have missed your insight, I have to admit. Having to spell out everything for an incompetent slave is so tedious."

"I'm glad to be of service, my lord," I replied dutifully.

"Yes, you indeed are," he chuckled, then placed himself on the cushions and his head in my lap.

I got to work immediately.

I kept my mind from wandering by concentrating intensely on the massage. I realised the last time I had massaged him had been before the Carnival. Strangely enough, my hands found all the right spots immediately, without me having to think about it.

It sounded weird to phrase it like that, but I was a professional slave now. And I was good at my job.

The Overlord enjoyed my work for a long time and I found once more with great pleasure that it no longer bothered me. Before my upgrades, massaging him had become painful after a time, since my weaker muscles had started to cramp from exhaustion. No such thing happened now. I did not know how long he had me do it, but it was at least an hour.

After this time, he sighed pleasedly and said, "Yes, I definitely missed that. You have lost nothing of your touch in that regard." Opening his eyes and smiling, Vect added, "In fact, all those upgrades make you even more enjoyable."
Then he frowned, and I ducked subliminally.

"Which is why I wonder why you waste your talent on Lisbeth," the Overlord scolded me.

Oh no. He had not liked that.

Yet, there was no backing out of it. "I figured she needed it, master. There is even less use for you in her if she is half dead and scared stiff. Literally," I gave back.

Vect uttered one hard chuckle. "Good answer." He sat up. "Nonetheless, she does not deserve your skill and energy, Temira. You might want to think carefully about how you distribute it."

"Do you forbid me to support her?" I asked him outright. I needed a clear answer here.

"No, child. I just demand you to be sharp enough to figure out where to better put your strength," he gave back.

Not an outright interdiction, but a clear warning.

"I see, master. I will never dare to leave you wanting, I hope you know that," I said.

"No, child," he gave back. I froze for a second, before he continued, "That, I expect."

Of course.

"Naturally, Overlord," I replied carefully.

"Now that we have resolved that issue, let us have dinner together," he decreed and got up.

I jumped to my feet too and followed him closely.

Brace yourself.

I almost halted mid-pace. What?

I tensed up subliminally. This guiding voice always had been right. I did brace myself, whatever for.

As I entered the quarters behind my master, I knew what to brace for.

Lisbeth… was in the cage.

I suppressed a sharp breath, almost coughed, but somehow managed to keep quiet, drawing some stifled breaths. So much for relaxing her muscles.

I made it a conscious effort not to look too closely at her, because I knew what I would be seeing anyway and it would only make it harder for both of us.

I gulped as I walked over the carpet to get to my seat. I had to know, even though I was so afraid of it.

After I sat down, I asked, "Has she done something wrong, my lord?"

Calmly, Vect replied, "Privileges, Temira. She spends her nights in the cage. There is not more to it."

"I see," I gave back blankly. It was how I had feared.

While filling his plate, he remarked, "You are taking this pretty calmly, I have to say. Why is that, I wonder?"

There was no lying to him. "It.. well…" I cleared my throat. "It is hard to describe, master. But since the Carnival, I… I don't know… feel very guided, as I told you before. Like somebody whispering to me and warning me in advance."

"You are not developing psychic powers on me, hmm?" Vect stated coldly.

Fear crushed my innards. If he thought that…

I pleaded, "No, my lord, I'm sure, I…"

His chuckle made me halt. Vect ruffled my hair and assured me, "I am just toying with you, Temira. I know that you are too old to spontaneously develop psychic powers. After all, you are past your teenage years, even though barely." He tilted his head. "Still, this is curious. Since the Carnival, you say?"

I nodded.

Another cold chuckle. "It is pretty obvious, is it not?" Vect asked.

I could just shake my head in confusion.

The Overlord sighed. "Temira," he shook his head, "it is called intuition. Congratulations, you are finally developing it!"

I let my gaze wander contemplatively. Could it just be that? I had a hard time believing that. However, if my master thought so, it was enough for me, since I did not want him to get suspicious about it. If he did not give it much thought, so should I.

Also, this was an opportunity I could not let slide. Calmly changing the subject, I said casually, "I was surprised to hear that I was the last one to know about the attempt on my life in the Carnival."

My heart pounded. Would this go through?

Vect's lopsided smile assured me it did. "A calculated risk and means to an end, my dear. I know I put you in danger, but as you saw, I already had things set in place to make sure you survive. You should feel honoured because you helped me show Commorragh once more that even the most devious scheme is nothing but child's play compared to my intellect," he explained to me. Scoffing, and pointing at me with a piece of bread in his hand, he added, "Do not think that I did not notice what you did there. However, I will not punish you for your cleverness. In fact, I encourage it."

I could not help but notice that he was very playful with me today, especially after all the harshness he had shown me yesterday. I guessed that meant that I did something right.

And he was right, I should feel honoured. After all, helping him with his schemes was one of the highest honours I could ever get from him.

Yes, it certainly felt good. If I was useful to him, it was good for me.

"Thank you, master," I gave back.

"You know, some Archons really could use a slice of your courage, child. I call you out, you do not try to wiggle out of it," Vect stated, head tilted, eyes narrowed.

"I guess they think they can wiggle a bit more out of it than your personal slave," I stated calmly.

"Precisely," he smiled. A grinning cat with its prey cornered probably looked the same. "I see you have learnt that lesson very well."

"I try to learn well, master."

"Indeed, you do."

The rest of dinner was resolved in silence, for which I was grateful. I again had a hard time eating, with the chokehold of his presence and the smallest whimpers I could hear from Lisbeth.

It tore me apart.

Yet, I did not show it, for he just had commended my calmness. I would not let that go to waste. I needed him to think better about me.

As we finished eating, I felt that I was tired. Vect had been right, as always. Giving two massages and the constant stress had taken a lot of my energy.
"Tired, child?" my master asked me.

I nodded truthfully.

"Well, then. Go ahead, I will be with you in a minute," he ordered me.

I stood up and put the chair back under the table. As I turned towards the bed, he answered a very important question, "You may sleep on the right side, away from the cage. You did well enough for that."

"Thank you, master," I said and my voice broke under relief. Not having to stare at Lisbeth in the cage certainly would make this easier, even if I had the image in my head and it would haunt me.

I did not hesitate then to undress and climb into bed. Once I had realised that the blades and spikes at the side of the bed offered some twisted staircase into it, it was not hard to get into it without injuries.

Feeling tense and uneasy, I lay down. I felt so guilty. Lisbeth did not deserve to be in that cage, especially while I was lying in this comfortable bed. I felt terrible about it, even though I knew it was not my fault and there was nothing I could do about it.

The Overlord now also slipped out of his clothes and then joined me in bed. With ease, he dragged me against him and kissed me.

By now, I could stand it as calmly as before the Carnival, since I had had ample opportunity to get used to him and the newfound taste. Ice, herbs, blood and chemicals greeted my tongue, and now that I was able to look at it from a distance, I realised that the mixture of these tastes combined into the springwater-esque one I had tasted before my upgrades. Only now I slowly was able not to have my senses overshoot and to dim them down so much that I only got to feel the essentials.

Vect was gentle this time with me, he did not sink his fangs into me, just enjoyed some tenderness between our lips and tongues.

How casual kissing him had become.

I had not forgotten the first time he had kissed me.
It was true, a human body could adjust to anything, if exposed long and often enough, even being hanged. I thought that was one of the reasons why humans were found so often as slaves in Commorragh.

As he was done, he tenderly stroked my hair and said, "Good night, Temira. Rest - you know you are going to need your strength."

"Good night to you too, master. I will," I gave back.

As usual, he let go of me, so I could curl up the way I wanted it before he touched me again. Even though I still felt eaten up by guilt and mental pain, his cool body brought me comfort this time. It was twisted, but I accepted it, as my mind needed comfort.

Though the quiet expressions of pain from my best friend made me feel horrible, exhaustion at some point won over my mental pain and I fell into a deep slumber.

This had not gone too well, but it could have been worse. The assurance rang hollow in her head and she snarled angrily.

Vyras, that fucking idiot. Letting himself be caught like that. It had ruined so much they had worked for!

Luckily, it mattered little. Back-up plans were already set in motion. She always had more than one plan.

Archon Aurelia Malys sighed deeply, nonetheless. She had to let go of that setback.

Then again, ultimately, Vyras had been nothing but a pawn in her plans. He had been convenient, as close as he was to Asdrubael, and he had eaten up the outdated info about Asdrubael destroying Commorragh for his ascension nicely. Fear was one hell of a motivator, even for one of the most powerful Archons in Commorragh.

She smiled. Yes, Vyras had only known half of it.

To be fair, so had she, for quite a while. The truth had become clear to her once the girl was in the picture. Yes, Asdrubael's original plan had been the fall of Commorragh and everything that bound him to it, but, of course, in his insufferable sense of self-grandeur, he eventually had found a way to circumvent it. How, Aurelia did not know, she could just suspect. As haughty as Asdrubael was, he was no fool. He had outside help. Maybe the Masque of the Veiled Path? She had heard reports of them coming to Corespur time and again. But why would they collaborate with him?

All those questions, and they boiled down to one simple fact: the girl was the key to it all. If she died willingly for him, this was it.

And Asdrubael had her on the best way to that, she had seen it once she had lain eyes on the girl for the first time. Muses knew how he did it! He had never displayed such a gentle hand before! That old bastard!

Cursing him would not help the case.

The girl needed to die, still. Before she willingly gave her life for him.

However, getting to her now would become a lot more complicated. For one, she was now trained and for two, with Vyras gone, getting into Corespur was annoyingly hard.

Then again, Asdrubael had invited her to Corespur, to watch Vyras's execution from the first row. This was the perfect opportunity. Why not sow some dissent then? She would have to be flexible - there was no telling what she would find there.

Also, there still was the bitch Lelith in the way. She needed her gone, too. As long as the Cult of Strife blindly supported Asdrubael, there was no way in hell he could be taken on.

Aurelia smiled.

Oh, yes, why not? Fear also worked on Wyches. Why not play the outdated info into Lelith's hands? If she thought Asdrubael was mad enough to bring down all of Commorragh, she would flee for sure.

It had to be timed rightly, though. The reckoning was coming, that much was clear. If Lelith only found out about the outdated info shortly before it came, without the means and time to double-check it, there was a chance she would run for it.

One problem less.

Enough of that now, though.

Now, she had to prepare herself for her visit to Corespur. Aurelia was perfectly aware of why Asdrubael wanted her there. It was not a courtesy, oh no. He would make her look like she sold Vyras out in the first place and not out of necessity, and weaken her ties to her allies. She would lose some, that much was clear, if she looked like she collaborated with Asdrubael still.

All the goddamn ploys of the old monster!

Well, she had gotten herself into that, now she had to face the consequences. And she would be damned if she let Asdrubael see that.

A cold smile was, after all, not so hard to manage.

Vect's being a nasty again. Malys is plotting. Who would have guessed.

Let me know what you think!

Also, don't forget to leave me a comment about whether you are interested in listening to me reading my story aloud!

Stay safe, healthy and warm out there!

Love,
Shâtî