Chapter Twenty-Five
Drained
“—fuck?” Varic’s voice breaks through the thick fog of waking. “Does he always make her murder others before an audience without giving them any opportunity to explain themselves?”
“It varies, though he usually makes her torture them longer before he has her kill them,” Lars explains. “The audience depends on if he is hosting anyone or not.”
“If you dislike this so much, then you’re definitely going to disapprove of what he usually makes her do down there,” Fray says.
“What does he usually make her do?” Varic asks, voice clipped.
“Gods, Fray,” Lars says, followed by the sound of him rubbing his hand across the back of his neck.
“What? She’d want us to warn him when she’s unconscious. I think she’d combust if I were to broach this when she was awake, or Gods forbid, the Emperor command her to do so in front of him without us preparing him ahead of time. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t make her—”
“Tell me. Now,” Varic commands.
“He, uh,” Fray says, “makes her stand close by and pay even closer attention to the individuals engaging in their orgies so she can use her magic to amplify the intensity of their release.”
“This isn’t funny,” Varic says.
“We know,” Lars sighs. “He’s telling the truth.”
“You’re not just saying this to fuck with me.”
“No. But I wish I were,” Fray confirms.
“What do they need her magic for when they already infuse their drinks with luss essence?” Varic asks, while the rest of my Guards remain quiet.
Varic’s boots clomping along the marble prove his agitation as he rapidly paces at the foot of the bed.
“Fuck!” Varic screams, as tears line the seam of my eyelids.
“I could obliterate every single one of you for allowing him to abuse her like this.”
“I understand this must be distressing,” Cirrin says, “but can you please keep your voice down? She needs the rest.”
A heavy breath bursts from Varic’s chest. “You have all broken your vow by not protecting her from him.”
Malin is the next to expel a heavy breath. “‘Burn her,’ they say.”
“I don’t follow,” Varic says.
Cirrin clears his throat before his slow and steady steps lead him away from the bed frame.
“I think what Malin means is that those who rely on her powers only care about her utility, without recognizing the toll it has on her. They’re all seemingly ignorant of the fact they require the overuse of her magic, all while expecting her to stand for hours without an opportunity to recuperate.
Even going so far as to prevent her from engaging in leisure activities, citing how they would be a distraction from her duties.
They are burning her magic faster than it can replenish, while failing to notice they have tossed her into the pyre in the first place, leaving us to douse the flames as well as we can.
All the while, His Majesty and the citizens seem to think her magic is increasing, as it should—were it tended to properly. ”
“It’s not okay.” Varic’s voice cracks, and I have to restrain myself from reaching for him, giving away that I am eavesdropping. “She deserves so much better.”
“You’re right. It isn’t okay, and she does deserve significantly better,” Fray agrees.
“But the Emperor has become increasingly erratic, making it nearly impossible to guess his next move. He used to be far more predictable, requiring her to stand off to the side while he carries on mysterious conversations with Wyrth—which one might think would be ideal, but without the ability to truly rest while worrying what he may require in the next moment, it’s worse. ”
“On top of the Emperor’s change in behavior,” Malin begins.
“They all view her as being impervious. As if she is capable of using immense power forever without the need to recharge her energy, when it is something we all require. The vow you speak of is intended to keep her alive by protecting her health and well-being as best as we can without angering the Emperor. Because that act alone would spell the end for us all—with the Empire, and possibly the Continent, included. The only reason we appease him is because we must.”
“The fuck we do,” Varic argues.
“We must endure for the citizens to have a better life,” Malin adds. “Like Hendry always reminded us.”
“We do this for them,” the rest of my Guards recite in unison.
“And it has been her wish every time we try to convince her otherwise,” Cirrin adds.
“Explain.”
Cirrin draws in a deep breath. “Back when we first vowed to protect her, she would occasionally refuse to comply with one of the Emperor’s commands.
She would either sabotage the outcome, or outright refuse to attempt whatever he demanded, embarrassing His Majesty, which he deems the biggest offense. ”
“Go on,” Varic encourages.
“Regardless of whether he withheld food, sleep, or even struck her with his own hand—it did not matter. She continued to fight him whenever she vehemently disagreed with his decree, so long as her doing so did not endanger anyone else.”
The urge to peek at Varic’s expression takes over me, and I almost give in.
“So,” Cirrin continues, “since the Emperor must have compliant servants, and as he is perfectly incapable of tolerating any outward appearance of weakness, he began threatening to punish others. First, he tried threatening us, and that didn’t work since we told her we could take it.
Then it was other servants. So on and so forth, until he uncovered her true weakness: threatening to punish innocent children. ”
“More specifically, orphans,” Malin adds, casting a suffocating sort of silence over the room and conjuring the memories of that day to float to the surface—
The young witch on her knees, spine curved and sobbing. With long black locks so thick and curly they obscure her sallow visage as fear takes over, shaking her frame harder every time our ruler describes the way in which he will make her pay should I refuse to listen.
“It broke her.” Fray’s voice wavers, piercing through the dark cloud around us.
“Seeing that young witch shiver with fear, knowing it was entirely plausible he would use the anguish of a child found to be weak in every form of inborn magic—the very same he would never deem worthy of the right to Ampara Deicran citizenship once they came of age—just to ensure her compliance.” Fray drags in a deep intake of breath.
“A veil fell over her that day. We all saw it. He explained how he planned to do so much worse than punish one child before her for each offense, needing her to feel as entrapped as possible with the contingency he created, which he claims will activate in the event she ever tries to escape. Explaining how he had to create such due to her failure to prove her fealty to the Dragons and the Empire. How if there ever were so much as a whisper of an escape plan, the local orphanages would be reduced to rubble.”
Malin’s deep voice explains the rest. “He blamed her prior obstinance for being the reason he had to ensure she would remain in his service, forcing her to dutifully perform her role in serving the Ampara Deicra citizens.”
“She hasn’t been the same since,” Lars adds.
“That vibrant energy she once exuded? Doused.” Fray sighs.
“When was this?” Varic asks, voice ticking up in volume.
“It had to have been…” Cirrin thinks out loud.
“Shortly after we arrived back from your encampment,” Malin confirms.
“After she returned from rehabilitating me?” Varic asks, voice distant.
“Yes,” Fray confirms.
“What commandment did she refuse?” Varic asks.
“Nothing memorable. Just another overreaction on the Emperor’s part,” Cirrin explains.
“You’re sure she wasn’t emboldened by anything I did?” Varic asks.
“No matter how much you wish to control this,” Malin begins, “it had nothing to do with you, and everything to do with his need to control her and the rest of us Anomalies by proxy.”
A lull in the conversation allows me to catch my breath until Varic says, “Or it is his need to regain control over her after being parted for so long, and to reestablish dominance. To remind her of her place after months of not having commanded her once.” His voice trails off with a distant quality, most likely recalling the actions of his father, as he often recounted how his own parents lived this same dynamic.
“That is a sound theory,” Malin says.
“He does love to be extreme when it comes to proving his power,” Fray adds.
“But why would she risk harm to innocent children by taking possession of the item I hid for her?” Varic asks.
“Hope,” Cirrin sighs.
“Sal claimed to have found a historical text, which seemed to be of great importance, based on how it was preserved and where it was hidden,” Fray explains.
“He preyed on her curiosity, while vying for a way to get in her good graces, knowing she believes there must be records which might refute what we are told, with the hope it could convince the citizens to question everything and the broader potential to create an uprising.”
“She was willing to create such a high level of disturbance, even when her magic is waning?” Varic asks, to which I must assume there was an inaudible response as he pauses before adding, “What if he found out? What about the orphans?”
“We were promised the Emperor would never learn of her plan or the book,” Lars says.
“And you trust Sal to keep this secret?” Varic’s voice rises the moment he utters the General’s name.
“Should we not?” Cirrin asks.
“It’s too late now,” Varic says. “I still wonder if something occurred when we were together which led to His Majesty treating her worse.”
“She did worry the Emperor might find out how physical you two were.” Fray clears his throat, and I yearn to witness Varic’s expression.
“Not like that. I just mean he never would have approved of her sleeping in the same bed, regardless of how innocent. Luckily, we were able to keep that bit of information from reaching him, though it’s difficult to believe no one witnessed her visiting your tent each night after Drusilla left. ”
That’s enough.
I swipe the back of my hand over my mouth to cover a yawn while stretching, pretending to have only just awoken. “What happened?”
“You lost consciousness,” Malin says as my eyes fly open.
“What did His Majesty do in response?”
“Played it off,” Lars says.
“Acted as if it was all normal and fine to the audience, then dismissed us,” Fray adds.
“What did he do with the victims?”
Malin lets out a breath, and I stare at him until he admits, “I took care of it.”
My eyes fall closed as he steps around to my side of the bed.
“My magic is the only undetectable—”
“I understand why, Malin.” I look him in the eyes as I deliver the rest. “I am just sorry you were put in that position. You shouldn’t have needed to—”
“We operate as a unit.” He peers down at me with meaning. “When any of us are out of commission, another takes over.”
“It’s what we do,” Lars adds, stepping in beside Malin.
“I just hate that it’s on your conscience.”
“And it is somehow better if it weighs on yours instead? Or that I might feel it less when it is you who does the killing?” Malin’s brow furrows and he turns to look to the wooden doors. “Someone is coming.”
I stare over in anticipation of Drusilla striding in, but all the blood drains from my face when it is Wyrth instead, medical bag in hand.