Amparo, please tell me you sent someone this way…
The dragons would fly low in search of her, so if they were close, she should hear their familiar wing beats. For now, however, all she heard was her own frantic breathing and the soft sound of her feet on the mossy forest floor.
Krath caught her sooner than she expected, appearing right in her path. Dulcea shrieked at the impact and tried to throw herself away from him, but his arms came around her and trapped her against him. He was immovable like a rock, and she kicked and struggled in vain. Krath flipped her around so that her back pressed against his chest. His left arm snaked around her waist, and he grasped her chin with his right, tilting her head backward against his shoulder.
“Shh, quiet now.” His mouth hovered over her ear. “I’ve caught you. Your little game of hide-and-seek is over.” There was no anger in his tone, and his manner remained unfazed despite her squirming resistance.
“This isn’t a game!” Dulcea tried to wiggle out of his steel grip. “Let me go!”
“It is to me. You’ve seen what I can do; you had to suspect you could not get away. I could have stopped you right there on the wall walk, but where would have been the fun in that?”
Fun? Dulcea’s mind reeled with disgust.
“I hate you!” She stomped her foot. “You’re a monster! I don’t care how powerful you are, if you think I’m just going to let you have your way with me, you are mistaken!”
“I know, I know.” He chuckled. “You need to try your limits. Well, you’ve tried them now, and this is as far as you will get. We are going back to the castle, and you will be quiet and behave like a lady again, do you understand?”
“So that you can torment me further with your vile tricks? Forget it!”
Krath’s grip of her tightened in warning.
“This little frolic is over, I said. It is time for you to go back to your cage.”
“No!” Dulcea stared up at the dark sky, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. “Please let me go! You can’t do this! I want nothing to do with you or your dreary castle!”
His response was immediate, and unlike she expected, laden with perfect calmness.
“I reckon I will put you in the dungeons for a change. What do you say? A few days in the cold and dark without company ought to reconcile you to the luxury of seeing me again.”
She gasped, her voice breaking. “No…”
“Insufficient, I see. Let us make that a fortnight instead then.”
Dulcea stilled, swallowing a whimper. This was not an empty threat. He meant every word he said. She ought to consider herself lucky Krath even wanted to take her back on his earlier terms. Her ridiculous escape attempt had not made him angry. He seemed to consider it a refreshing diversion, but she was not a fool. Patience had its limits, and Dulcea knew the vampire would get irritated if she did not stop her struggling soon.
“All right.” Her shoulders sagged. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
“Good.” He tapped her shoulder before stepping back and releasing her. “We shall walk back. You may talk to me if you wish, but you will keep your voice in check. These woods are not free of danger.”
Dulcea hesitated. He raised an eyebrow at her, swishing his hand.
“After you, my lady.”
Dulcea turned and started walking. She did not make any further attempts to run as they journeyed back toward Gwyndoorn. Where would she even go? Krath would catch her again in a heartbeat. He could have caught her on the wall walk before she even jumped into the river. Dulcea frowned, feeling disgusted. He thought it amusing to chase her and make her think she had a chance. But why argue with her afterward? Why not just use his mind control powers to make sure she obeyed?
“Why do you do this?” She tried her best to sound quiet and submissive.
“What exactly, my lady?” He strode beside her, his tone neutral and almost friendly again.
“All of this,” she said. “Why chase me when you could have prevented me from leaving in the first place? Why threaten me instead of just taking over my mind to ensure my obedience? And now you walk me back when you could just take me through the Netherworld like you did before.”
“Very good, my lady, you are at the heart of the matter,” Krath said. “I suppose it looks to you like I enjoy doing things the hard way?”
“That is right.”
“The answer is more complicated than that. Firstly: why use an elaborate method when a simple one will do the trick? We will get to Gwyndoorn just fine by walking: there is no need to disturb the Netherworld for that. I made us phase through before because we were inside an enemy base, and there was no other way to ensure your safety. I am not blind though: the experience was traumatizing to you, and I will not do that again if I can avoid it. Secondly: using mind control to subdue you would not yield a lasting effect. You would rebel again as soon as I released you. It is far more effective to appeal to your mind: you are someone with whom I can reason. Also, I have no illusions about what it must be like to have your will robbed from you. I do not use that skill unless I must. And thirdly: it was out of sheer curiosity that I let you run as far as you did. I wanted to see what you would do.”
Dulcea scoffed. She did not wish to refer to what had transpired between them the previous night. It was distasteful and felt like she was admitting defeat, but she could not help latching onto his words.
“If you only use mind control when necessary, then how do you explain what you did to me earlier?” She fisted her hands, her stride lengthening. “That was nothing but a—”
“A demonstration,” he said. “You wondered about what I am, so I obliged. Mind control powers are easiest to grasp when one has experienced them firsthand. Remember, I only did it with your consent.”
Her footfalls came harder, and she crossed her arms. “I did not understand to what I was consenting!”
“I warned you.” Krath sounded amused. “I said you might not like it. It was well within your power to say no, but you took the risk.”
“You tricked me!”
“No, my lady: you tricked yourself.”
“… You took advantage of me! You… you didn’t—”
“I am sure one little kiss didn’t topple your world.”
Dulcea blushed. She looked away, her arms falling back to her sides. A trail-side bush full of violet flowers recalled her attention to an action she loathed.
“What about the roses?” Dulcea wrinkled her nose in distaste, her voice hardening. “You deliberately terrorize me with them. Is that your idea of courtship? I already told you I disapproved of it, and now I woke up all but covered in them. What else can I conclude but that despite your fine speeches, smooth manners, and fancy clothes, you are nothing more than a vile, twisted creature!”
Krath shrugged. “That may be so. I am aware the roses distressed you, and no, it was not my idea of courtship. The purpose was, like you said, to terrorize you. I can explain, if you will consent to hear me out.”
The audacity with which he admitted his cruelty was stunning. Dulcea bristled.
“I’m listening,” she said, her eyes flashing.
“As a scholar, I owe this world an impartial record of my time in it. Eras come and go, and you are the most significant figure of this era, Lady Dulcea. It has been an unexpected pleasure to get to study you so close. My motivations are complex, and you do not know me well enough to understand them. The purpose of everything I have done has been to assess you. How we behave in unexpected and life-threatening situations says a lot about us…”
Dulcea felt overwhelmed. She blinked and said nothing.
Krath grinned. “I thought you might try to escape. It was just a question of time before you would make some attempt, but I pushed it on purpose. The roses were there just to make you uncomfortable. I gave you access to the garden and the baths, both of which can serve as escape routes. You chose the garden and made a rather impressive leap into the river. You must have known you did not st
and much of a chance, but a person of your nature does not submit to captivity with ease.”
“So… this was all… some kind of test?” The revelation dismayed her.
“After a fashion,” Krath said. “I did not plan to save you from the Saruseans, and I did not know what I would do with you when I brought you to Gwyndoorn. I did not even mean to collect your Golden Staff of the Suns. Your own actions have guided my hand quite a lot.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that?”
“I need not lie to you. It would gain me nothing. I have seen famous heroes before, many of whom lose their courage as soon as someone plucks them away from their own element. Isolate them from their followers, and they do not know which way to run anymore. They are strong only at the head of a large army.”
He smiled. A slow, smug smile she did not like.
“And you, my lady?” His tone was almost teasing. “I placed you in frightening situations, and your choices impressed me. Your reputation is not undeserved.”
She snorted. “So now that you’ve reached that conclusion, how about you let me go?”
He gave her an unkind, possessive grin. “I do not think so.”
“Why not? Why do you continue to hold me prisoner? What do you want from me?”
“I am not sure what I want, and while I consider it, you will stay with me.”
“How can it be so difficult?”
“What do you think, my lady? I am a vampire; I drink blood. Most of my victims die because of it. I doubt you can grasp how attractive your blood is to me. You are not the common peasant, highwayman, or soldier who are my usual fares.” He glanced at her before fixing his gaze back on the road ahead. “I could seduce you, bed you, and enjoy the heightened taste arousal lends to your blood, but I doubt I need to go to the trouble. The thought of your blood excites me even now more than anything else has in centuries. You cannot fathom how hard it is for me to not sink my teeth into you.”
Dulcea paled and stopped in her tracks.
“Why don’t you then?” The words left her in a breathless whisper.
If she was to die, she would do it on her own terms. The night wind was whispering in the ancient woods, and the thick fir trees stood dark and lofty over the mossy forest floor. An occasional firefly made its way amongst the woods, brief golden glimmers in the dark. It would not be so terrible to die here.
Krath turned to look at her.
“Is that an offer?” His voice was dark with so much passion it made her weak.
Dulcea swallowed. “A question.”
He stepped closer until he stood right in front of her, his chest almost touching hers. Dulcea did not back away although it made her heart thrum with fear. Fear, and the seductive memory of last night’s kiss. She looked him in the eyes, and the look in them made her tremble. The vampire raised his hand and ran his fingers on the side of her neck in a featherlight caress. Dulcea did not flinch. She needed to see what he would do. Krath considered her for a moment before dropping his hand.
“You fascinate me, my lady.” He held her gaze without effort. “I like you alive, but there are other options as well. Your fate is in my hands. There are so many paths to take, and I can only ever choose death once. It is not… easy.”
“Why don’t you just do what’s right?”
Krath smiled down at her.
“That, my lady, is the crux of my dilemma. I wish I could do what is right, but what is right for you is not the same thing as what is right for the rest of the world. I understand that may be difficult to grasp. Wisdom like that is not born in a few centuries.”
She stared at him with wide eyes. “Are you saying it might be better for the world if I remained your prisoner? Or that you drank my blood and killed me?”
“You sound incredulous, and yet you kill the Saruseans thinking the world is better off without them. Who gets to decide what is better for the world?”
Dulcea shrugged. “Solorion and Lunara? The Four Gods?”
Krath let out a brief, surprised laugh.
“My lady, you ought to know better than that. Gods can be just as cruel and foolish as mortals. Their carelessness and petty ambition have caused much misery. I dare say the world might be a prettier place without them.” He sighed. “The point I was attempting to make is that there are no simple answers, not for the one who seeks to do what is right.”
“And I’m to sit and wait while you consider this?”
“Like I have said. Shall we continue?”
They resumed their walk. Dulcea took a deep breath, her strength returning to her.
She glanced at him. “Why would a vampire care about right and wrong?”
“That shows how little you know about what I am, my lady. My will is my own. I can care about whatever I choose, and it just so happens that ethical questions interest me. It would be well within my rights to ask you the same: why do you care about the distinction between right and wrong?”
Dulcea thought about his answer. It was solid; there was no way to refute it.
She pursed her lips. “When we get back to Gwyndoorn, am I to go to a dungeon?”
The thought was no longer as frightening as before. Lord Krath seemed to have complicated reasons for his actions but understanding him better made her less terrified of him. It was a relief to know he had left the roses in her room as a deliberate attempt to upset her. It had been his way of testing her resolve. Dulcea was not pleased about it, and it did not change the fact he had manipulated her, but she rather he toyed with her for study than for amusement.
“That depends on you,” he said. “I have no great desire to put you in chains. If you assure me you will behave, I will let you stay in your room and visit the baths and the garden as before.”
“You mean, things would be just as they were before I tried to run away?”
“Yes.”
“Including your visits to my room while I sleep?”
She wondered if her continued impertinence annoyed him, but she could not keep silent.
He gave a sardonic smirk. “It is possible.”
Dulcea considered her options. She knew she would never stop hoping for an escape. Never, no matter how well he treated her or how well she enjoyed her stay. The prize was worth the risk. She made a quick calculation in her head. She had been gambling a lot more than she liked these past couple of days, but her luck had to improve at some point.
“My lord?” She hurried her steps to match his. “Please, wait.” Her fingers brushed the black cloth of his sleeve, drawing his attention.
He stopped, wearing a look of mild surprise on his countenance. It was the first time she had touched him of her own accord. Dulcea drew her hand away, pressing it flush against her side to stop its trembling.
“I would like to go to my room again,” she said. “Thank you for allowing me that option. Thank you for not punishing me for my attempted escape. I appreciate your kindness, but I also have a request for you, if you would humor me once more.”
“You want me to stop visiting your room without your knowledge?” He grinned.
“No, my lord.” Dulcea shook her head. “I will learn to live with that. I want… something else. When we reach Gwyndoorn, I would very much like to sit down with you and play a game of Dominion.”
And this time, she stared unflinching into his eyes, she would win.
Chapter 10
High Stakes
Lit by silver moonlight, the castle of Gwyndoorn came into view. Dulcea stared at it with wide eyes, her mouth parted in impressed wonder. Had she not looked at pristine walls a few hours earlier, the eerie ruin before her would have convinced her. Dulcea frowned, realizing the illusion seemed to be as powerful as the one that hid the enchanters’ White Tower in Sraeyn from the eyes of the world.
The main keep had all but collapsed, perhaps in a storm, and the roofs were missing everywhere. The windows were mere black holes punched to the sides of the weathered stone wall, overgrown with vine. Only half of the
curtain wall remained. The main gate was still there, but it was hanging off its rusted hinges, rotten and half ajar. Nothing grew on the castle grounds except the sinister vine itself, which slithered over the courtyard and the castle walls like a many-tentacled sea monster. Even the edge of the surrounding forest seemed to hold back out of its own volition. A thick layer of low-lying fog hung over the entire scene, but rather than a natural phenomenon, it seemed to sit there like a sentient being. Dulcea shuddered. The mist was like an evil miasma, waiting for prey to come to its reach so that it might suffocate its victims by curling its tendrils around their unsuspecting throats.
The eerie sight awed as much as it terrified her, but Dulcea could not help but admire the craftsmanship of whoever had cast this spell. Even though the scene was but an illusion, she felt true reluctance to approach the ruin. The chill of the fog clung to her skin as they walked into it.
“This is remarkable.” Her voice wavered a little. “How often do you need to refresh this illusion?”
The illusion magic hiding the enchanters’ tower-city in Sraeyn from view required daily recasting. Dulcea was familiar with many types of enchantments, but she had never seen an enchanted castle before; the effort and skill required were just too great. Even with her powers and her Staff to enhance them, Dulcea would never have been able to create such a seamless barrier on her own. She would have needed the help of at least one other master enchanter, and even then, the effect would have been short-lived.
“I need not refresh it,” Krath said.
She blinked. “How is that possible? How have you created this in the first place?”
“The day may yet come, my lady, but it is not today that I part with my secrets.”
“Do you have the powers of an enchanter?” Dulcea gave a nervous swallow.
She had deemed it impossible once already, but could she have misjudged him?
“I will say no more on this topic, my lady,” Krath said. “I understand your curiosity, but you are no stranger to how the arcane world works. It would not be advisable for me to tell you how my castle’s protective enchantments work, and who has cast the spells. Should you one day regain your own powers, I will not hand you the keys to undoing what I have spent considerable effort building.”
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