Blood Ties, Part 37

Already thinking ahead to your next move, you quickly come up with a scheme, taking advantage of the elements in Nevati's dream. You focus, mentally nudging the figment representing Alicia in the wizard's thoughts. Putting words into her mouth.

"There is one cause for hope," the paladin's image says. "Even when she had you unconscious, Ceriss didn't harm you in any way. That suggests that she's still herself, even if she's being... influenced."

Nevati frowns, not sure what to make of that. You press on. "If that's the case... then the reasons this demon used to convince her might be key to figuring out why she did this. Tell me, have you made any progress on the matter I asked you to research? About whether the Witch Queen herself has something that Melca is holding over her?"

"No..." Nevati admits, hanging her head again. "No, I'm s-sorry. I j-just... there w-wasn't anything about it I could find. I'm so sorry."

"Don't blame yourself..." you have Alicia say. "If it's a closely guarded secret, then it's possible the only place that knowledge of it even exists is in the Kovoran archives themselves. Very unfortunate, as far as our chances of getting Ceriss back safely are concerned. But if the truth is locked away there... what more could you have done?"

You wonder if you aren't laying it on a bit thick. But in this particular case, you decide that it's necessary. It's not as though you're even trying to mimic the real Lady Alicia, per se. You're trying to craft a dream pointed enough that Nevati will remember even on waking, a dream that she can take as her subconscious pointing her in a certain direction.

So long as it raises the idea in the wizard's mind of path you want, it'll be a win.

Even now, you can see the gears turning. "I... I could try to sneak in and f-find the information!" she says, clenching her fists as she looks up at her leader. "If you think it might be that important..."

You have Lady Alicia shake her head. "No," she says. "I won't allow you to risk yourself that way. Even if it would save Ceriss... you shouldn't think of your own safety as unimportant. I don't want to send you on such a dangerous venture, with the outcome so uncertain. We'll just... have to hope we can find another way. Somehow."

Nevati, however, flinches in consternation. Clearly, she does not agree. She does not feel that her own safety is worth anywhere near that of Ceriss.

And with that, you've accomplished both of your objectives. You've implanted the idea that the research Lady Alicia assigned her might have crucial significance for why Ceriss is acting the way she is. And you've also implanted the idea that Lady Alicia would try to stop her, if Nevati let her know that she was thinking of infiltrating Kovora.

Which, to be fair, the real Lady Alicia almost certainly would. You're goading this sheltered young gnome toward making an extremely reckless and ill-considered decision, for an uncertain hope of gain. However, it's your best shot at getting her out of her secluded tower.

And considering how sheltered, naive and unworldly Nevati seems—to say nothing of how frantic she is to save Ceriss, and how much she blames herself for letting her be taken—this is exactly the kind of foolish mistake you feel she's ripe for making.

Leaving her isolated and vulnerable in enemy territory.

The dream is already starting to come undone. But you can see that "Alicia's" words have affected the heroine. She's torn, uncertain, conflicted over what to do. But more than anything else you can see the desperation in her eyes. Desperation to fix what she sees as her failure. Desperation to save the woman she pines for, from the torments her mind is even now imagining.

And with that, you awaken.

The rest of the journey to Kovora passes without incident. Unfortunately, you don't succeed in making contact with any further Dreamwalking attempts. During the day you continue conversing with Ceriss as the two of you ride, answering her incisive questions. Discussing your plans for the future, discussing the nuances of your views on lust, discussing the true nature of the demonic heritage you both share. Discussing the danger of those loyal heretic incubi who have turned their backs on it.

During the quieter moments, you also spend some time studying the brand with your newfound intellect. As well as the seal that Ceriss placed on it. You can see that some aspects of the spell that are clearly born from her own personal study into the specifics of demonic magic, special techniques that probably no one else besides her could have used.

However, with your new, vast reservoir of knowledge, you can also identify possible improvements of your own. Given enough time, you feel certain you could tinker with the seal, improving its protection even more. Of course, the more protection it gives, the harder and more costly it will become to use the powers it grants. So you'll need to decide if and when you want to take that step.

Apart from those improvements, however, the only other way that you can see to protect yourself would be to increase the seal's raw power. It's already immense—the full might of a heroine behind it—and you suspect that there's not much more Ceriss could pack into a single casting. However... if Lily were to contribute her power to the spell, while she might not have anywhere near the skill of Ceriss or Nevati, you suspect that her unmatched reserves of arcane might could help shore up the seal as well.

Of course, as with your own tinkering, that too would make it more costly to use your powers as well.

Those are the only two methods you can currently think of for staving off the Incubus King's influence on you, as it grows with each rune that activates. You'll need to balance the steadily-increasing risk that an uncontrolled outburst could compromise a mission—or worse—over and against the burden that greater and greater seals will place on you.

As it stands, you don't feel as though the curse's influence has yet grown to the point it was when you nearly lost control with Janessa. The current seal is still holding it off from those heights... for now. But it still could cause more minor complications... and there are still many more runes left to go. Including that unique rune Nevati warned you about.

While you ponder such grim thoughts, you and Ceriss catch sight of the walls of Kovora in the distance. She doesn't visibly react... but you can feel the sorceress tense slightly in your arms at the sight. Wondering in spite of everything if she's making the right decision. You give her a reassuring squeeze that sends a thrill of pleasure through her, and then urge the horse to increase its speed.

Soon enough, you reach your destination. The gates open for you, and you ride through them with panache. You can hear the orcs manning the battlements mutter yet again, at the now-almost-routine sight of yet another one of their feared enemies fallen to your wiles.

You ride straight for the fortress, and the guards there allow you in as well. You head straight for Lily's chambers, Ceriss following behind you, clinging tight to your hand. By now the way is long-familiar to you, and soon you open the door, ready to deliver the good news.

"...and if the attackers have already breached the fortress?" Khaytala asks, while sitting cross-legged on the floor of the room. It's not said in the tone of someone expecting difficulty with the answer... but rather to spur repetition. Practice.

"I head for the secret passage in the north wing, and wait for you to reach me there." Lily is kneeling behind Khaytala, reaching up so she can comb the half-orc's long, roughly-kempt black hair. Which is currently hanging loose, freed from its usual ponytail.

Even seated as she is, Khaytala's muscular frame seems to tower over the young queen. But Lily just hums a soft tune as she works tenderly with her protector's hair. Pausing only to answer Khaytala's periodic questions, designed to drill her charge on all their plans to keep her safe.

Khaytala looks up upon your entry, and blushes a little at how you've caught her in such a girlish scene. But she doesn't try to hide it, allowing Lily to continue even as she calls up to you. "Talavar!" she says, then glances over to the woman behind you. "Ceriss!"

Ceriss raises an eyebrow. "Khaytala. I must admit, even knowing what to expect ahead of time... seeing you here is..." Her voice trails off, and she shakes her head. The she gives the other heroine a small, wry smile. "Well. If he can even seduce someone as loyal as you away from us, then the pact of heroines really is doomed."

Khaytala flushes. "I... I haven't stopped caring, not for any of you!" she protests urgently. Even though she knows Ceriss said it in jest, merely the thought that her friends might see it that way clearly distresses her. "I... I just..." She swallows, then reaches back to take Lily's hand in her own, her larger, rougher fingers interlacing with the Witch Queen's delicate ones. "I just... realized how many more people need protection."

The teasing smile on Ceriss face softens to a more compassionate one. "Of course. I'm sorry, Khaytala. It's certainly not as though I can point fingers."

It's interesting to watch these two heroines interact. There is a degree of camaraderie there... but it's not nearly so personal as it was between Khaytala and Verika.

Not that they seem to dislike each other, not exactly. No... it's more that they simply don't understand each other very well. They're creatures of very different worlds. One of dresses and courtly manners and intrigue and arcane sorcery. The other of steel and blood and earth and the harsh, lonely road. For as similar as their ideals and goals are, there's still a vast gulf between their ways of life that makes them strangers to each other.

Next, Ceriss turns to Lily, looking her up and down. The Witch Queen rises to her feet, meeting Ceriss gaze. You realize that the heroine is sizing up Lily as a peer. As a fellow sorceress.

Compassion and worry due to the heroine knowing Lily's situation are still present... but in Ceriss' case, they're hidden skillfully enough that you're probably the only one to whom it's obvious. Outwardly, she's evaluating the Witch Queen to see how she will respond. To try and get a glimpse of what she's truly made of.

When Ceriss finally speaks, it's to prod her new mistress a bit. "Greetings, your majesty," she says, with a small bow of the head... a barely-detectable undercurrent of teasing in her voice. "Your newest conquered slut is here to offer you her fealty."

Lily flushes, glancing away, unable to meet Ceriss' eyes for a moment. But she doesn't shy away from the essence of what she's done. "I am grateful," she replies quietly. "I am... only sorry that it was necessary to go this far."

The tiny, sultry smile returns to Ceriss' face, and she approaches, until she's standing directly in front of the girl. "Don't apologize," she says warmly, placing a finger under Lily's chin and turning her head to look back up at her. "You were fighting for your life against us. And you won. With a clever method, one that is kinder than any could have expected. I, at least, am not complaining."

Lily flushes a little, then nods. "So, ah, how did it go?" she finally asks, changing the subject. "What happened in Vekmar? Were there any complications?"

That question causes Ceriss to flinch, almost imperceptibly. You quickly speak up. "We don't have to do this right now. I could fill her majesty in later, in private."

But the sorceress shakes her head, her expression resolute. "No," she says. "This will be important for everyone to hear. And I may be able to offer insights of my own. There is no reason to postpone it."

And so... the two of you relate the story. Of the killer's reign of terror. Of your hunt for him across the city, tracking down piece after piece of information about his true nature. Eventually learning that he was, in fact, a demon. Eventually learning of his tie to your brand.

Eventually learning that he was, in truth, Ceriss' father.

Lily's eyes widen in shock, and she sucks in a quick breath. It's Khaytala, though, who has the most profound reaction, looking at Ceriss with stricken empathy.

Once the tale has been told, there is silence for a moment. Eventually, you break it. "Well," you say. "That's a great deal of worry for the future. But we shouldn't let it distract it from the steps we can take in the present. Is Kelissa around? I'm sure she'll be able to fit Ceriss with a new wardrobe that simply radiates depravity, for when we reveal our latest victory to the citizens."

Lily opens her mouth to reply, but Khaytala beats her to it. "I'll show her the way," she says. Her words are urgent, and you can tell that she very much wants to speak to the tiefling alone. "Come on, Ceriss. I'm sure you'll like her."

Not even waiting for any response, Khaytala takes Ceriss by the hand, the two of them quickly departing. Which, in turn, leaves you alone with Lily, giving you another chance to have some private interaction with her. Absent the distractions of the countless other duties you both have, without anyone else watching.