The morning was cold and crisp. There was still some frost on the stone gargoyles of the estate from the night. In the courtyard people were getting the black-and-gold carriages of Duke Valmont ready to leave. To anyone watching it just looked like a visit from a royal person was ending.
But for me standing at the window of my private study the world looked like a big web of glowing violet threads.
[System Notification: Eye of the Overseer Active.]
[Syncing with 'Lady Seraphina'...]
[Syncing with 'Countess Elena'...]
Through Elenas eyes I saw Duke Valmont. He was sitting at the breakfast table looking really tired and confused. He kept looking at Elena with a mix of desire and confusion. The Seductive Aura had worked on him. The strong warrior duke was now a man who couldn't remember the night but he really wanted to.
"You look tired Valmont " Elena said softly pouring him a cup of wine with a special herb in it. "Maybe the air up north doesn't agree with you like the air in the Capital does."
"Maybe " the Duke said, rubbing his temples. "I feel like I fought a ghost all night.. The business is done. Alaric signed the papers though I still don't understand how he got better quickly."
"Miracles happen in the dark Your Grace " Elena whispered, looking at me through our shared link.
I then focused on Seraphina. She was standing by the carriage, her straight and her face cold and calm. To her father she was still the Light Prodigy. He didn't see the flicker in her eyes nor did he feel the Abyssal Flare under her skin, which I was controlling.
Seraphina I said to her in her mind.
Her shoulders stiffened for a moment. "Master " she replied, her voice. Cold.
"When you get to the Capital I want you to sneak into the Royal Library. There's a record of the Void Shards hidden in the forbidden archives. Find them.. Make sure your father stays distracted. He needs to think that Alaric is a sickly prince who is no threat."
"It will be done. My father is already under my control. He just doesn't know it yet."
I stopped focusing on the link. Came back to my own body. It was tiring me out. With the little bit of Divinity I had gotten back controlling many puppets from far away was hard. I needed tributes. I needed to make the Bedchamber bigger.
There was a knock at my door. Isabella came in carrying a tray of medicine and rare mana-stones she had taken from her fathers private vault.
"The Duke is leaving, Master " she said, kneeling beside my chair. "My father is in the counting room trying to balance the books you've used up. He's scared that the Kings tax collectors will come before he can hide the losses."
"Let him struggle " I said, taking a mana-stone and feeling its energy. "It keeps him busy.. We have something more important to deal with. The King is sending a person to check on the land transfer. A man named Baron Vane."
Isabella looked up her brow furrowed. "Vane? He's a known inquisitor. He doesn't just check papers. He checks peoples souls. If he senses a little bit of the Bedchamber..."
"Then we'll make sure he senses exactly what I want him to " I said, a dark spark in my eyes. "Vane is a man of virtue.. Men of virtue are the most fun to break."
"Baron Vane is not like the Duke " Isabella whispered, her voice shaking. "He doesn't care about wine, women or gold. They call him the Iron Censor. He serves the Church of Solus first. The King second. If he finds a little bit of the Void..."
"The more rigid something is, the easier it is to break " I replied, tracing the surface of a mana-stone.
I turned my chair to face her. Isabella was already mine. She was still soft. To face an Inquisitor she needed to become stronger.
"Isabella, look at me."
She raised her eyes. I saw my reflection in them. I didn't use the System to force her this time. I used my presence, the Kiyotaka aura that made people feel like they were standing on a floor over a deep hole.
"Vane will look for darkness in the shadows. He will look for corruption in the Counts books.. He will never expect to find it in someone who seems pure. If you are to survive his gaze your devotion to me must become so deep that it looks like holiness to those who don't know better."
[System Notification: Training Protocol Initiated.]
[Target: Isabella.]
[Skill to be Seeded: 'Pious Deception' (Rank:.]
"I will do anything Master " she breathed, her knees on the floor.
I stood up. Grabbed her chin making her look into my eyes. "The Bedchamber has rooms, Isabella. You've only seen the Chamber of Submission. Tonight I will take you to the Vestibule of Penance. There we will teach your body to lie while your soul screams."
I snapped my fingers. The room changed.
We were standing in a part of the Bedchamber. The floor was marble and the walls had statues of saints with black tears. In the middle was a white altar with thin silk on it.
"In this room " I said, my voice low and dangerous "pain and pleasure are the same. To fool an Inquisitor you must learn to turn your sins into a mask of sacrifice. When Vane touches your hand he must feel the light of a martyr even as your heart beats for the Void."
I went to her tearing her dress off. In the Vestibule of Penance the ritual was more intense. It was a way to condition her nerves.
[System: Initiating 'Nerve-Hardening' Ritual.]
[Current Progress: 5%... 15%... 30%...]
As I took her on the altar the feelings were stronger because of the rooms magic. Isabellas arched, her cries echoing off the statues. Every touch of my hand felt like a brand of devotion. I wasn't just taking her mana; I was changing how she felt.
"When Vane looks at you " I whispered in her ear my movements strong and dominating "he will see a girl who has suffered for her family. He will see a saint of the Valerius house.. Underneath every nerve in your body will be screaming my name."
"Ah, Master! Yes rewrite me!" she gasped, her eyes rolling back as the Pious Deception skill started to grow in her soul.
The ritual lasted for hours in the distorted time of the Bedchamber. By the time I was done Isabella lay on the altar, her skin glowing with a fake Aura of Purity.
[Skill Acquired: 'Pious Deception' (Stage 1).]
[Effect: Hides all signs of Dark Magic from Inquisitors of Level 20 and below.]
I looked down at her satisfied. Baron Vane was coming to hunt a demon. I was going to give him a saint to worship.. Once the Iron Censor was on his knees the Church would be my playground.
"Get up Isabella " I said, my voice. Sharp. "The Iron Censor arrives tomorrow. Lets get ready, for him."
The morning the atmosphere of the estate changed from the heavy lustful feeling of the Dukes visit to a sharp cold feeling. The Church of Solus was. With them the threat of being burned at the stake.
Chapter 6: The Poisoned Envoy (Part C)
Baron Vanes arrival was not announced with carriages or fanfare.
A single black horse pulled a iron-bound coach into the courtyard. Vane got out wearing the white-and-silver robes of the Inquisition. He looked like he was carved from stone
I stood on the balcony watching everything that was happening. My heart was beating at a pace. Isabella was standing beside me. Her hands were folded together in front of her. The Vestibule of Penance had changed her in a way. Now she looked like a different person. She seemed sad and innocent.
"Count Valerius " Vane said in a voice. He did not sound excited or upset. He did not even bow. "The King is worried. Usually people transfer land after someone has died not when they're still sick. I need to make sure the Prince is okay... In his mind and his soul."
The Count was shaking as he led Vane into the Great Hall. I gave Isabella a signal with my mind. "Go ahead " I told her. "Be the hurt person I know you can be."
Isabella walked down the stairs slowly. She looked like she was floating. When she got to Vane she curtsied perfectly. "Hello, Holy Father " she said. "My name is Isabella. I have been taking care of my cousin Alaric. It has been very hard. My faith is keeping me strong."
Vane looked at her closely. He reached out. Lifted her chin with his gloved hand. I felt a surge of energy coming from his fingers. This was the Detection Pulse. It would feel like a needle to most people.
Isabella was not like most people. The Pious Deception filter was working well. It hid the empty feeling inside her and replaced it with fake sadness and holiness. Vanes eyes softened a bit.
"You seem like a religious person " Vane said to Isabella. "That is rare in a family like yours, which is known for caring more about money and power. Take me to the Prince."
They went into my study. I was lying on a lounge chair covered in a blanket. My face was very pale. I was breathing slowly. My eyes were almost closed.
"Baron Vane " I said in a voice. "I am sorry I did not get up to greet you. I do not have a lot of strength now."
Vane did not say anything. He just walked towards me his boots making noises on the floor. He opened the Codex of Purity. A bright golden light filled the room. This was the Truth of Solus. It was a test to see if someone was possessed by a demon.
The light was very hot. It felt like standing close to a fire.. I did not move. I let the light wash over me. Hid its energy in the shadows inside my mind.
"I do not see anything here " Vane said after a while. He sounded a little confused. "I just see a boy and a girl who cares about him. Maybe the King was wrong to be suspicious."
"It is natural to have doubts " I said, still speaking in a voice. ". The Light always knows the truth."
Vane closed the book. The room did not feel as tense anymore. He looked at Isabella, who was crying softly. She was doing a job of acting tired and emotional.
"I will stay here for three days to finish the paperwork " Vane said. "I want Isabella to help me with my prayers during that time. She seems like a special person."
I looked at Isabella for a moment. Behind her tears I saw a spark of triumph in her eyes. Vane thought he had found a student.. Really he had just invited danger into his life.
"She is, at your service, Holy Father " I whispered.
As Vane turned to leave I let a small smile appear on my face. The Inquisition had come into my home.. By the time they left Vane would be the one begging for mercy.