Chapter 7 #4
“Of course, I do!” he exclaimed, seeming genuinely offended. “These women were all under my care. Some of them are almost daughters to me. Do you think I enjoy having the Curia breathing down my neck and their envoy bossing me around while I’m trying to keep this place sane and functioning?”
“Then start acting accordingly by cooperating instead of creating unnecessary obstacles. I’m here to solve the problem and then be on my way. The less headaches you give me, the sooner you’ll be rid of my presence. Now, where are the women?”
His shoulders slouched as he ran a nervous hand through his hair. “They’re over here. Please follow me,” Ewan replied in a tired voice.
He led us to the same meeting room where I previously met Elliot’s so-called ‘parents’ when I first got here.
My chest constricted, and another wave of anger swelled within me when I laid my eyes on the two women.
They were both sitting on cushioned chairs.
Vivian was staring at a candle either as a meditation focus or as part of some form of candle magic.
The poor woman was an emotional mess. I couldn’t begin to imagine what kind of mental damage the recent events did to her.
A couple of meters away, a green witch was working on Sienna.
She still bore visible traces of the brutal way in which Elliot handled her.
“Sienna still has many bruises and even a few scars left from the horrible ordeal she faced,” Ewan said, guilt and anger audible in his voice.
“Our healers haven’t been able to focus on those just yet as many of her bite marks became infected.
If not for the phenomenal work of our green witches, she would have gone septic. ”
I glanced at the Prefect. The distressed look on his face as he gazed upon the two Inquisitors in turn struck me hard.
In that instant, the anger I felt towards him gave way to something akin to sympathy.
Although still annoyed by his poor handling of the situation, I realized that he truly cared for the clerics under his leadership.
He had simply enjoyed an easy ride for such a long time that the real challenges of the crisis plaguing his town were overwhelming him.
A sliver of shame reared its head in light of how harsh I had been with him. It didn’t absolve him of his failures, but I no longer believed that he was deliberately negligent or worse, an accomplice in whatever Elliot was up to.
The Prefect then excused himself to go supervise the placement of new wards specifically targeting Onis.
I turned my attention back to the women who were looking at me with shame and a hint of worry. I locked eyes with Vivian.
“Why?” I asked her in a soft voice.
Her shoulders slumped, and tears welled in her eyes.
“I don’t know. I was obsessed with Elliot. There was nothing I wouldn’t have done for him,” she replied, defeated. “I would have killed and betrayed anyone, so long as it earned me his approval.”
“As an Inquisitor, you’re trained to detect mind control,” I argued in the same non-confrontational tone. “When the Onis attempted to influence me in the crematorium, I sensed it right away.”
She shook her head with an air of pure confusion.
“I know, but this was different. In the crematorium, I heard them try to use their compulsion on you. But I’m certain I never experienced something like that.
Even after this happened, we tried some recall spells to expose what my subconscious might have buried, but I’ve seen nothing.
How they got to us is a complete mystery. ”
I frowned and pinched my lips as I reflected on her words. “What did he promise you? What future was he dangling before you to convince you to throw away the life you had dedicated yourself to and for which you sacrificed so much?”
She gave me a sad smile, full of self-derision. “Simply his endless and undying love. Contrary to what everyone here—and probably you as well—thought, I wasn’t seeking power or any other such things, despite what I might have said in the crematorium. I just wanted his love.”
My heart constricted once more for how broken and defeated she looked. It made it all the harder for me to ask the next question. I hated picking on someone who was already down, but I needed answers and to better understand how he was manipulating them.
“I hear what you’re saying and believe you. However, I’m confused as to how you thought this was going to work out. After all, he had Sienna and is also holding the other ten missing clerics. How can he promise you his endless love while building a harem that he intended to bring me into as well?”
The pain that flashed over her features heightened the guilt I felt at asking her such cruel questions. But they were necessary, if only to further help her fight her way out of the compulsion that had robbed her of any rational thinking.
“I hated it,” Vivian confessed angrily. “Whenever I was away from him, I would think about how much I resented it. But the moment I saw his face or heard his voice, none of that mattered anymore. Sharing him was a small price to pay to bask in his presence. The hardest part is that, even though I am now fully aware that I’m being mind-controlled, I still want to go to him.
If he was standing before me right this minute, I cannot swear that I wouldn’t attack you just to be with him. ”
Her voice broke down on that last sentence, and she started sobbing, her face buried in her hands. A wave of pity crashed over me. I closed the distance between us and caressed her hair in a soothing fashion.
“Do not blame yourself for what was done to you. You are the victim. Indoctrination takes a while to fade away. Even down the road, certain events could trigger a relapse if not properly reverted. But we will make sure you get the best treatment possible so that you can go back to being the staunch protector of the realm that you have been up until this nightmare found you. We all stumble and fall at one point in our lives. But you aren’t alone. The Order will help you get back up.”
She looked at me with a sliver of hope that also gave me a glimpse into the strong woman she used to be before this entire mess. I wanted to believe she would emerge even stronger afterwards.
“Is there anything more you can tell us?” I asked gently. “Any places he has taken you? Places you’ve seen? Things he asked you to do for him?”
Vivian shook her head looking even more dismayed by the situation.
“No. The craziest part is that today was our first time meeting. Of this, I’m certain. And yet, I have such vivid memories of having sex with him. But that’s impossible…”
“They’re illusions to reinforce the indoctrination,” Lyall suddenly interjected, surprising us both.
“By convincing you that you were already long-time lovers, you would have far less qualms acting accordingly. This means they’ve been brainwashing you for quite a while.
It is disturbing that you cannot remember when those events occurred.
Until we figure it out, all of you might still be at risk.
The question is why did Elliot imply that you had been charged to bring him Eleni? Did you know this was going to happen?”
Vivian hesitated before nodding. “I didn’t know when Eleni would show up, but only that the day she came to the Sanctum, I was to bring her to Elliot, as foreseen by an Oracle.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine. A terrifying memory attempted to rear its head, and I immediately clamped down on it.
“Are you saying that you were tasked to bring me specifically?” I asked, flabbergasted.
Vivian nodded again, this time with an apologetic look. “He said that they needed the Senior Inquisitor from the Curia for a ritual.”
“So that didn’t necessarily mean me, Eleni Stavros. It could have been any of my peers who might have been assigned in my stead,” I said, slightly relieved.
“Yes, I guess,” Vivian said, uncertain. “Your name wasn’t specifically stated.”
“What ritual did they want to perform?” Lyall demanded, his voice hardening, although his blossoming anger wasn’t aimed at her.
“I don’t know,” Vivian replied sheepishly. “In one of the vivid sex dreams I had with him, we were lying in each other’s arms, and he said that once the ritual was completed, he and I would be one forever.”
“That sounds more like you were going to be used as a sacrifice, not kept as his mate,” Lyall countered.
Vivian blanched, and I groaned inwardly. While the same thought flashed through my mind as soon as she spoke those words, I would have shared that suspicion in a far gentler fashion.
“Do you know whether the other clerics who have gone missing are still alive?” I asked softly.
“Elliot said they were,” she replied in a subdued voice.
“Do you know where they are?” I insisted.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
Fighting back my growing frustration with the lack of lead, I prodded further. “Has he shared anything else? His future plans? A specific location? A date when the final ritual was to take place?”
Vivian hesitated again and chewed her bottom lip as she pondered. I couldn’t tell whether she was scanning her memory or debating how honest she wanted to be.
“I don’t know anything specific. However, yesterday, he was to take us home if I brought you with me.”
“Home?” I repeated, perking up. “Where is it?”
“I don’t know,” she said, defeated. “Elliot called it his sanctuary and claimed that it was nearby.”
“What were you going to do there? Although, I should probably say we, if I needed to be there as well,” I amended.
“He was going to prepare us for the ritual that would fix his health problems and allow us to finally be one,” Vivian replied.
I stiffened. “Health problems? You mean his clubfoot?” I asked.
Vivian recoiled and gave me a confused look. “What clubfoot? Both his feet are normal.”