Bethany didn't want to admit it, but as she stepped off the train, she was a walking bundle of highly strung nerves. Tensions were high in the city, with everyone looking over their shoulders, muttering anxiously to themselves, and Bethany felt some of that tension transfer to her as she made her way through the station. It was just after noon, which meant that the lunchtime rush was well underway, and Bethany took full advantage of the crowd. Her first port of call was the hospital, but when she exited the station, she ran right into a very angry Jaiden, who glared at her. "You've some nerve returning here, traitor," he spat. "I've half a mind to shoot you dead for what you did!"
Jorel's wards went active, and Bethany was surprised at how seamlessly the transition went. "I did you a favour," she said, painting what she hoped was a disdainful enough sneer on her face. "That brat and his grandmother were no good to use, so I killed 'em and dumped their bodies in the river."
Jaiden frowned, and Bethany endured the agonising wait as his mind skimmed over hers. But Jorel's bindings were woven in far too seamlessly, and Bethany let out an imperceptible sigh of relief as Jaiden withdrew his probe, his face thoughtful. "You may be of some use to us," he said, seizing her arm. "But you must pass muster with Navi, and he is very keen on learning more about the ... fate you have subjected Saanvi and the child to."92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHWAmiu6rJ
Bethany felt her heart sink at the pause before the word "fate", and as Jaiden led her into the city, she realised that Jorel's bindings might not be as effective when confronted with a very angry sun elf leader bent on revenge.
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After an agonising hour, during which Bethany felt as if she'd been turned inside out, Navi sat back. "I'm not convinced," he said, gesturing for Bethany to finally take a seat. As she practically gulped down a glass of water, the sun elf tapped his fingers together as he studied her. "In fact," he said, "I'd be tempted to accept your well-rehearsed lies, if not for the fact that those bindings in your mind were spells we taught the pixies in the first place!"
Bethany swore under her breath. I'm sorry, Jorel, she thought, and for a moment, she could almost hear her friend use some very filthy language. Then the sensation was gone, and Bethany set her glass down before she broke it. "So what are you going to do to me?" she challenged. Since she'd been exposed as a fraud, there was no sense going softly now - it was time to take the bull by the horns.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FKMVCe3e3
Navi raised an eyebrow. "You're nothing if not blunt," he said. "Very well. This the part where I tell you that you will be bound to the will of the council, just as your co-conspirators were, and you will be watched 24/7. Your dreams will not be safe, and your very minds will be laid open at all times. Should the council be displeased with anything they feel from you, they will take those emotions and turn them into positive ones." His smile was not reassuring. "And any stray thoughts will suffer the same treatment, should the council decide those thoughts are not in line with their directive."
"So go ahead and do it," Bethany snapped. "Might as well rip the fucking bandaid off, right?"
"As I said, this is the part where I should be telling you your fate," Navi said sharply. "According to the wishes of the council, you are to be bound over to their whims. I disagree."
"What the hell do you mean?" Bethant demanded.
Navi rose. "What I mean is that I do not agree with the council," he said, approaching the shell-shocked woman before him. "The council serve at our pleasure, but they have lately deviated from our path in their never-ending quest for their perfect bloodline that will enable them to conquer the known universe."
Bethany could hardly believe her own ears. "Then you agree that they're idiots," she said hopefully.
That hope was dashed when Navi took her head in his hands. It was not a harsh grip, but there was enough leashed strength in those hands that warned Bethany to hold still, and Navi smiled again. "I agree that they have gone about this entirely the wrong way," he said. "But I also agree with their directive. And I disagree with their plans for you. I am changing those plans. The council will never know, and when you are presented to them, you will be malleable, ready to bend to their every will." His hands tightened to the point of pain, and Bethany bit back a scream as his mind sliced through hers, dissolving Jorel's bindings in an instant. Before she had time to register if the faint scream in the back of her mind was the pixie's, Navi's bindings slammed over her mind, eradicating her very sense of self, until she felt as if she'd been smothered in sunlight, drowning her senses until she lost hold on reality and blacked out. Her last thought was one of dire vengeance, before it was snuffed out, darkness overtaking her completely.
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