by Rowan Bree
You tell Vale to take you instead.
Jasper’s cry breaks your heart, but it’s the only thing you can do.
You kneel before Vale, preparing to take his blade. You close your eyes.
“You can’t,” Jasper says. His voice cracks with the effort of holding back his emotions. “She’s special, isn’t she?”
Vale stays the blade. You open your eyes.
“She’s the only one who survived the ritual,” Jasper says. “How many women died before her? You might need her in the future. There’s no guarantee you’ll find another who can be as useful to you.”
Vale smiles, his violet eyes taking on a slightly redder hue. “You’re right, my dear Jasper. It would be foolish to waste such a resource. I’ll kill you after all.”
You see what needs to be done. You grab the dagger from Vale and hold it to your own throat. “Let my friends go and you can keep me,” you say.
“You wouldn’t,” Vale shakes his head.
“I would,” you reply, letting the tip of the blade draw blood.
Vale backs up and tells one of his followers to escort Eli and Jasper out of the room. Jasper keeps his eyes on you until he is out of the room. You can see the longing and pain there, but there is nothing you can do.
“What about my wife?” the king asks.
Vale looks confused, as if he had forgotten his promise to the king. “We’ll sacrifice one of the prisoners from your dungeon. The gods aren’t picky.”
You let Vale take the dagger from your hand. He strokes your cheek with a gloved finger. “Sweet kitten, you’re finally back where you belong.”
Epilogue.
Vale takes you to the guests chambers that the king has provided for him in the castle. An open space has been cleared at the foot of the bed and a large circular symbol is carved into the wood, the same as the one upstairs. Red candles are melted at intervals into the design. There is a pool of what looks like blood in the center. A large book lies open on the bed. Its pages are covered in illustrations of demonic beasts. Vale must have been practicing for tonight. You shudder at the thought of what he was planning.
He closes the door and locks it tightly. “Please remove your clothes, kitten,” he says.
You stand there in shock. Surely he is not so base as to want your body in exchange for the lives of your friends. You ask him what he really wants from you.
“I’m glad you asked,” he says, approaching you. His gloved hands slide up your arms to rest on your shoulders. “Together you and I are going to perform a very important ritual. One that will change the world forever and ensure that the Order will remain strong for aeons to come.”
He slips your dress off your shoulders. You push him away.
“Now now,” he says. “I can still gut Jasper. You’d best play nice.”
He mutters something in your ear that does not sound like any language you know. Your body grows heavy and you sink down into his arms. He drags you backwards to the bed.
Candlelight dances against the walls as Vale undresses you. You mumble a weak protest but the words won’t come out.
He puts a finger to your lips. The smell of leather fills your nose.
“Don’t try to talk, kitten. It will only frustrate you. Words are not important. What is important is your soul, and your body. Those are what the Old Ones need to enter the world of the living and work their spells.”
His words make little sense to you.
Vale slides your panties down your legs. You comply, unable to command your body otherwise. You feel like a zombie. He parts your legs with his hands, the leather of his gloves sliding easily up your thighs.
“That’s it, kitten,” he croons. “Let me take care of you. The less you fight it, the better chance the ritual has of succeeding.”
He parts your legs and slides a finger along your slit. He smiles when you flinch at his touch. He teases you until you are wet, your body covered in a sheen of sweat.
“It’s finally time for us to be together.” His voice is much deeper than it was before, and you swear his irises have gone several shades redder. It is as if he has been possessed by something demonic. He stands from the bed and lets his starched black robe fall to the floor, revealing his smooth, pale body and erect cock.
He gets on top of you and you can smell the scent of his skin, like incense and lavender and the sharp tang of blood. He thrusts into you violently, blocking your screams with a gloved hand.
“Remember what I said about fighting, kitten,” he whispers.
You close your eyes and feel like you are sinking into the bed, going deeper and deeper into a trancelike state. Hallucinations fill your mind of horned beasts and burning spires. Vale’s cock fills a primal desire inside of you, and as much as you try to fight it you can’t deny the immense pleasure he is giving you. Your screams turn to moans and you rock your hips against Vale’s. It is a good thing Jasper can’t see what Vale is doing to you. You don’t think he would ever forgive you.
Epilogue.
You have to trust that Jasper has a trick up his sleeve.
As he enters the circle, Vale lets you go. Eli pulls you close and puts a protective arm around you. You can feel the elf shaking.
“So this is finally the end,” Vale says.
Vale beckons Jasper to kneel, but Jasper refuses.
Vale shrugs. “I don’t care if you want to die standing. It will just be messier.” He grasps Jasper’s shoulder and readies the dagger.
Jasper leans close, whispering something to Vale. The mage looks surprised, and Jasper takes advantage of the lapse in concentration to take the dagger. He plunges it into Vale’s stomach.
“I’m sorry,” he says to the mage. You can see tears in both their eyes.
You smell smoke and see fire. The room erupts into chaos as the black curtains burst into flames all around the room. Suddenly Sybil is there grabbing your hand and pulling you from the room.
“Hurry!” she shouts.
You take Jasper’s hand as the four of you flee the burning room. Sybil must have created a diversion to get you out safely. She seems to know exactly where she is going as she navigates the castle halls. You don't see a single guard. They must be too drunk from the feast to be patrolling the halls.
You make it out of the castle grounds just as the alarm bells start ringing through the courtyard. The city streets are quiet, but Sybil keeps to the shadows nevertheless. After a while she cuts on to the main thoroughfare and leads you to a cart parked there packed to the top with crates and barrels. She climbs up to take the reigns with Eli. Jasper joins you in the back. There is barely room for the two of you among all the supplies and you wonder how long of a journey Sybil has planned for.
As you watch the castle grow smaller you begin to wonder about what Jasper whispered to Vale, and why he looked almost sad to have killed him. When you look at Jasper you can see that his eyes have lost their spark.
Ask him about Vale.
Kiss him.
You have to trust that Jasper has a trick up his sleeve.
As he enters the circle, Vale lets you go. Eli pulls you close and puts a protective arm around you. You can feel the elf shaking.
“So this is finally the end,” Vale says.
Vale beckons Jasper to kneel, but Jasper refuses.
Vale shrugs. “I don’t care if you want to die standing. It will just be messier.” He grasps Jasper’s shoulder and readies the dagger.
Jasper leans close, whispering something to Vale. The mage looks surprised, and Jasper takes advantage of the lapse in concentration to take the dagger. He plunges it into Vale’s stomach.
“I’m sorry,” he says to the mage. You can see tears in both their eyes.
You smell smoke and see fire. The room erupts into chaos as the black curtains burst into flames all around the room. Suddenly Sybil is there grabbing your hand and pulling you from the room.
“Hurry!” she s
houts.
You take Jasper’s hand as the four of you flee the burning room. Sybil must have created a diversion to get you out safely. She seems to know exactly where she is going as she navigates the castle halls. You don't see a single guard. They must be too drunk from the feast to be patrolling the halls.
You make it out of the castle grounds just as the alarm bells start ringing through the courtyard. The city streets are quiet, but Sybil keeps to the shadows nevertheless. After a while she cuts on to the main thoroughfare and leads you to a cart parked there packed to the top with crates and barrels. She climbs up to take the reigns with Eli. Jasper joins you in the back. There is barely room for the two of you among all the supplies and you wonder how long of a journey Sybil has planned for.
As you watch the castle grow smaller you begin to wonder about what Jasper whispered to Vale, and why he looked almost sad to have killed him. When you look at Jasper you can see that his eyes have lost their spark.
Ask him about Vale.
Kiss him.
You have to trust that Jasper has a trick up his sleeve.
As he enters the circle, Vale lets you go. Eli pulls you close and puts a protective arm around you. You can feel the elf shaking.
“So this is finally the end,” Vale says.
Vale beckons Jasper to kneel, but Jasper refuses.
Vale shrugs. “I don’t care if you want to die standing. It will just be messier.” He grasps Jasper’s shoulder and readies the dagger.
Jasper leans close, whispering something to Vale. The mage looks surprised, and Jasper takes advantage of the lapse in concentration to take the dagger. He plunges it into Vale’s stomach.
“I’m sorry,” he says to the mage. You can see tears in both their eyes.
You smell smoke and see fire. The room erupts into chaos as the black curtains burst into flames all around the room. Suddenly Sybil is there grabbing your hand and pulling you from the room.
“Hurry!” she shouts.
You take Jasper’s hand as the four of you flee the burning room. Sybil must have created a diversion to get you out safely. She seems to know exactly where she is going as she navigates the castle halls. You don't see a single guard. They must be too drunk from the feast to be patrolling the halls.
You make it out of the castle grounds just as the alarm bells start ringing through the courtyard. The city streets are quiet, but Sybil keeps to the shadows nevertheless. After a while she cuts on to the main thoroughfare and leads you to a cart parked there packed to the top with crates and barrels. She climbs up to take the reigns.
Sit in the back with Jasper.
Sit in the back with Eli.
Eli jumps up next to Sybil and Jasper joins you in the back of the cart. There is barely room for the two of you among all the supplies. You wonder how long of a journey Sybil has planned for.
As you watch the castle grow smaller you begin to wonder about what Jasper whispered to Vale, and why he looked almost sad to have killed him. When you look at Jasper you can see that his eyes have lost their spark.
Ask him about Vale.
Kiss him.
Eli jumps up next to Sybil and Jasper joins you in the back of the cart. There is barely room for the two of you among all the supplies and you wonder how long of a journey Sybil has planned for.
When you look at Jasper you can see that his eyes have lost their spark.
Ask him what he's thinking.
Kiss him.
Jasper jumps up next to Sybil and Eli joins you in the back of the cart. There is barely room for the two of you among all the supplies. You wonder how long of a journey Sybil has planned for.
The cart jerks and you tumble back against Eli. You push yourself back to sitting expecting a snarky comment from the elf. But instead he is quiet. The ragged edge of his ear looks brutal in the moonlight, and for a second you think you can see the bruised little core of his heart usually hidden by his attitude.
“What’s wrong?” You ask him.
Eli shrugs. “I liked Tyven.”
That can’t be all that’s bothering him, but you don’t pursue it. He doesn’t seem in a mood to talk.
He smiles a little to himself and looks at you. “How was it being Jasper’s date?”
“Besides almost watching you get killed and becoming an accomplice to murder?”
Eli laughs and leans in to kiss you. His breath smells like herb smoke and whisky.
Kiss him back.
Stop him.
You ask Jasper what he said to Vale before he killed him.
Jasper glances at you, then quickly breaks your gaze to look out at the darkened countryside.
“My family never had money,” he says, “but I learned at a young age that it could be earned with very little effort on my part.”
You wonder what this has to do with Vale, but let him continue.
“There was a time when Vale used to offer me money to do small jobs for the Order. Then he started to offer more until eventually I belonged to him. I think he cared for me, in his own twisted way, because even after I escaped he never tried to kill me. He could have, but he didn’t.”
Jasper’s hand closes into a fist as tears form in his eyes.
“I did what I had to, killing him. He was using women in his dark rituals, trying to open a portal between this world and that of his ‘gods’. As far as I know he never succeeded, but the women didn’t survive his trying. I was the one who was supposed to bring these women to him. At first I didn’t know what he was doing with them, but after I found out I knew I had to leave. When I finally escaped, I vowed to destroy the Order and everything they stood for.”
You squeeze his hand.
“I told Vale I loved him,” Jasper mutters. “Stupid, right? But it worked.”
His eyes shine as he laughs. You’re glad to see a bit of the old Jasper coming back. You miss his cheesy lines and easy charm.
“There’s something else I need to tell you,” he says. “I know who you are. I knew all along, but Vale made me promise not to tell you.”
He explains, “You are from Doria before all of this, and you fled your home to come warn the capital of the Order. But you were captured by Dorian guards before you could arrive. You were transferred to a prison convoy to be tried for treason back home.
“We had heard about you and knew you were a valuable ally. We tried to rescue you from the prison convoy, but the Dorian guards were prepared and put up a good fight. I saw you fall off the back of the cart and hit your head. But I couldn’t save you. I had to flee for my life. I went back later to look for you, but you were already gone.
“That’s when I met Vale. He had heard rumors that you had lost your memory, and made me promise not to tell you who you really were. We were to let fate decide which side you would choose. In exchange he would keep my past a secret and not tell you the role I had in helping the Order. I did what I could to steer you towards us without breaking my promise. But now that Vale’s dead, the promise doesn’t matter. We’ve won.”
The stars seem too bright, scattered across the heavens without a cloud to darken them. Should you be mad at Jasper? Forgive him? He did what he could to keep you safe, to make sure you ended up where you were meant to be. You know in your heart that he would never do anything to hurt you.
“It’s okay,” you say, kissing him on the cheek.
The past is behind you. What matters now is the road ahead. The fight is not nearly over.
Epilogue.
You ask Jasper what he said to Vale before he killed him.
Jasper glances at you, then quickly breaks your gaze to look out at the darkened countryside.
“My family never had money,” he says, “but I learned at a young age that it could be earned with very little effort on my part.”
You wonder what this has to do with Vale, but let him continue.
“There was a time when Vale used to offer me money to do small j
obs for the Order. Then he started to offer more until eventually I belonged to him. I think he cared for me, in his own twisted way, because even after I escaped he never tried to kill me. He could have, but he didn’t.”
Jasper’s hand closes into a fist as tears form in his eyes.
“I did what I had to, killing him. He was using women in his dark rituals, trying to open a portal between this world and that of his ‘gods’. The other women weren’t as lucky as you. They didn’t survive his attempts.
“I was the one who was supposed to bring these women to him. At first I didn’t know what he was doing with them, but after I found out I knew I had to leave. When I finally escaped, I vowed to destroy the Order and everything they stood for.”
You squeeze his hand.
“I told Vale I loved him,” Jasper mutters. “Stupid, right? But it worked.”
His eyes shine as he laughs. You’re glad to see a bit of the old Jasper coming back. You miss his cheesy lines and easy charm.
“There’s something else I need to tell you,” he says. “I’ve always known who you are. I mean, who you were before all this. I knew all along, but Vale made me promise not to tell you.”
He explains, “You are from Doria before all of this, and you fled your home to come warn the capital of the Order. But you were captured by Dorian guards before you could arrive. You were transferred to a prison convoy to be tried for treason back home.
“We had heard about you and knew you were a valuable ally. We tried to rescue you from the prison convoy, but the Dorian guards were prepared and put up a good fight. I saw you fall off the back of the cart and hit your head. But I couldn’t save you. I had to flee for my life. I went back later to look for you, but you were already gone.