Where the Heart Is, Part 7


"I... could reach out to my contacts," you say. "That would be one way to get a warning to Mockingbird. It might take a few days... but it's better than nothing, right?"

Lady Alicia nods. "That's true. And considering that it could take a while, it would make sense to put the word out as soon as possible. In the meantime, we can hope that she checks in of her own accord."

It's hard for you to believe that Alicia isn't feeling any frustration at the young rogue's stubborn insistence on acting as a lone wolf. But her expression, at least, betrays no sign of anything beyond worry. Either way, your response is the same. "Then I'll look into that angle," you say. "And... thank you. For giving me this second chance."

With that, you start to wind the conversation down, getting ready to leave. Before you can, however, Lady Alicia speaks up. "Wait, Kavia. It's late, and this incubus knows who you are. If he decides to tie up loose ends, then you could be in danger. I suggest that you spend the night here, under my protection."

You raise your eyebrows, surprised at her offer. "Are you sure? If he does come looking for me and he sees me here, he'll know that I'm helping you."

"Yes," the paladin acknowledges. "But if he comes looking for you and catches you sleeping alone, the result would be even worse. For all of us. I would prefer to err on the side of keeping you close."

It appears that she's intent on this, and it doesn't look like you'll be able to wriggle out of it. At least not without raising more suspicion than you're comfortable with. You're already walking a tightrope as it is. So instead, you give the paladin a grateful smile. "That's a good point," you say. "I'll be in your care, then."

"I must return to the orphanage," says Elianna. "The hour is growing late, and I still have duties to perform. But please, tell me as soon as you can if you hear from... from Mockingbird."

It's obvious to you that she almost said "Polly". But in front of others, it seems that Elianna is honoring the wayward girl's desire to keep her identity and past hidden, even if she doesn't agree with it. And with that the cleric departs, vanishing out into the night.

Leaving you alone with Lady Alicia.

Acting the part of Kavia, you fidget nervously in the silence, under her implacable gaze. "Well..." you say at length, glancing around the tiny, run-down room. "What should we do for sleep? I suppose I could curl up on the floor..."

The paladin shakes her head. "You can use the bed," she says, instead sitting down on the room's single chair and leaning it back into the corner of the room, with her sword across her lap. "I'll be fine like this. I've had to sleep in far less comfortable circumstances while on campaign."

You glance over to where she indicates. As expected of the spare furnishings of this hideaway, the "bed" is barely worth the name, little more than a cot. Still, it's better than nothing. You walk over to it, making yourself as comfortable as you can, before pulling the worn blanket over yourself. Only then do you glance back to Lady Alicia, who snuffs out the candle, plunging your surroundings into darkness.

A hush falls over the small room, creating an oddly intimate moment with your nemesis. Just the two of you, opposite paragons of the respective sides of this conflict, brought together unexpectedly for this simple, wordless moment under cover of night. With your demonic darkvision, you can see Alicia close her eyes. And, as the minutes pass one after another, the rise and fall of her chest slowly becomes more regular.

You watch the woman's face relax, her features taking on a more relaxed expression, as the relief of sleep unburdens her—however briefly—from the weight she carries. For several minutes you simply lay there, looking at the holy warrior. As you do, you feel a surge of lust burn in your chest, hot as Hell itself, at the thought of how easily you can imagine staining her while she lies there, vulnerable.

You don't do it, of course. Because you have to assume that this is another test.

In fact, you wouldn't be surprised if this is another, unspoken part of the reason why Alicia was so insistent that you spend the night here. If you were a seduced agent of the incubus, drowning in supernatural lust, you might have been foolish enough to try something while the paladin was "helpless". But you'd bet all the gold in your possession that if you actually did make a move on her, she would detect your attempt long before you could accomplish anything, even from a light doze.

Instead you simply study her, looking across the room to where she holds her resolute guard, protecting someone she's probably not even sure she can trust. Part of you considers dreamwalking her... but you aren't sure if she's sleeping deeply enough for her soul to truly make the journey to the Plane of Dreams. And besides, you spent a great deal of the night already on this late-night meeting. You wouldn't have time to accomplish much anyway, especially if you want to get some true sleep of your own.

And so you eventually allow yourself to drift off as well, resting with what remains of the night.

You must have been more tired than you realized, since it doesn't take you long at all to fall into a deep slumber. Without using your power beforehand to exert any direct control, it eventually settles into the incoherent, half-aware haze in which most dreams comfortably reside, random fragments of memory and fantasy and desire all jumbling together one over another.

It doesn't remain vague for long, however. Not once the nightmare starts.

You find yourself back home. The Second Circle. But it is not the Second Circle as you remember it. The familiar surroundings are ravaged by violence, the pleasure houses broken and burning, as screams rise into the smoky air. You stalk through the devastation like a predator, closing in on one particular young succubus, who is trying desperately to crawl away, despite an injured leg.

"Stop." It only takes a single word, uttered casually, but with the force of the Demon Lord's geas, to freeze her in place. Her own limbs betray her, despite her terrified desire to flee. She can do nothing as you walk up behind her, step by step, your eyes drinking in every flinch of her trembling form.

Despite the muddled haze of the dream, you still try to wrench yourself away, to change your course. But in this nightmare, you're no more in control of your body than she is of hers. Both of you prisoners to the unfolding horror. Your body stops just behind her, before speaking again, the spiteful words of another coming out in your own voice. "Face me. And kneel."

The young succubus is hyperventilating now. But she cannot do anything other than what you command. Despite the pain of her injury, she turns back into a kneeling position, frantically shaking her head in a hopeless plea while tears run down her cheeks.

You feel your lip twist into a sneer, and you reach down for her throat. But you do it slow, to make sure that she can see it coming. She knows exactly what you're going to do to her. But she can't even run, despite being under no physical restraints whatsoever. All she can do is obediently wait, as your hand slowly encircles her neck. Then you hoist her up into the air and constrict your grip, cutting off her air.

She thrashes in a blind panic, her legs kicking ineffectually. You scream at yourself, willing your hand to move... but it only tightens all the more, as you look right into your victim's terrified eyes.

No! your mind howls silently, your revulsion and horror cutting through the haze of the nightmare. No, no, no, I won't do this! I won't let you win, you demented piece of shit! No! No!

"No!"

With a raw effort of willpower, you wrench yourself free of the nightmare, and with a dizzying lurch you find yourself back in the Material Plane again. For a moment you're still disoriented, gasping for breath, thrashing blindly about as you try to fight off the control that no longer affects you.

Then you feel a comforting hand on your shoulder, holding you steady. "Easy..." says a feminine voice. "Easy, easy. You're safe. It was just a dream."

You blink, your senses acclimating as the last vestiges of sleep lose their disorienting hold on you, and you pull your thoughts back into coherency. You look up into the worried eyes of Lady Alicia as she kneels next to you in the darkness. And just like that, any remaining confusion is replaced by urgency. You search your recent memories, trying to determine if you let anything slip while your guard was down.

But despite the frantic half-second of examination, you don't recall doing or saying anything that you couldn't plausibly pass off as from Kavia. You look down at the hand that was strangling the young succubus in your nightmare, and note that it is still trembling slightly.

You feel Alicia's hand on your shoulder start to rub your back, offering you her quiet support. Whatever suspicions she might or might not harbor... you can see that she genuinely is worried for you regardless. And while you're able to regain your composure very quickly, you allow yourself to look shaken for a while longer. Kavia, after all, wouldn't be made of such supernaturally-stern stuff.

Alicia kneels with you in comforting silence for all of it. Only when it's obvious that you've pulled yourself together does she inquire any further. "Do you wish to talk about what was frightening you?"

You can't help but let a mirthless laugh escape your lips. And really... there's only one thing you can say in a situation like this.

"I... was dreaming about what I could end up doing..." you tell Alicia. "...if I fell under the control of an incubus."

The paladin nods understandingly. "Don't worry," she says, her voice full of conviction. "We're going to do everything we can to make sure that never happens to anyone else."

Of course, you're fully aware that the promise she just made is as much of a danger to you as it is to the incubus you were actually talking about. And yet... the compassion in her voice is so strong and magnetic that even you feel a tiny bit comforted by it, despite knowing that intellectually.

Alicia stays right by your side for the rest of the night. You even manage to get a bit more sleep, this time without any nightmares. When the morning comes you rise with the dawn as it seeps in through the shutters on the window. You thank Lady Alicia... but you make sure to do it in an uncertain voice, playing Kavia as unaccustomed to such kindness, not knowing exactly how to respond.

The paladin smiles, accepting your clumsy gratitude with grace and understanding. Then, once you've said your goodbyes to the leader of the heroines you set out into the streets of the capitol once again, with a new day ahead of you.

You've already decided to seek out the ratfolk for your morning task... but what exactly do you want to request that they do first, once you find them?

Do you want them to specifically look into the mysterious interloper who was also expressing an interest in your prey? Or do you want them to throw a wider net, keeping an ear open for anything out of the ordinary that could bear on your efforts? Or do you want them to take a more proactive role, putting information out into the world that might serve your own designs?

What request will you make of the ratfolk?