The Unyielding Lord

"Loyalty!" screamed the man, his head collapsed against his chest as his chained arms supported all of his weight.

Dietry nodded with a crooked smile.

"Yes. This was made very clear to all those I bring into my trust, Carl. The most important trait indeed. Vans, what is the most important trait a man should have?"

"Loyalty, sir," answered the brute, standing idle next to the tortured prisoner.

Dietry theatrically shook his head.

"How can I save all the people in the land if I have to worry about rats?" retorted Dietry, disgusted at the thought. Vans lifted the man's head by his hair, clearly unconscious.

"How rude!" replied Dietry, leaving the small dungeon and going back upstairs.

He emerged from a back door that was cleverly disguised as a bookcase but Dietry made no attempt to hide it. There were actually a few people waiting for his return, pretending they had not heard the torturous screams minutes before.

He ignored them and made his way to his desk, looking for some paper he had left up here.

"Sir..." started one of the petitioners, but Dietry silenced him with a wave while searching for the paper. He looked up and smiled at his discovery only to frown.

"Bah," he said dismissively, going back downstairs, secret door still ajar.

Racing down the stairs, he waved the parchment triumphantly only to find his victim still blacked out.

"Vans..." he warned patiently. The man was staring at the ground. His gaze drifted upward before he grunted and nodded. The slap that followed was surely heard upstairs and was enough to wake Carl up.

"Here, look," he gloated as he shoved the note in Carl's swollen face. It would be impossible to see anything, not that it mattered. Could Carl even read?

"The discrepancy is small, but I am a man of detail. You see here?" He pointed grandly.

"This is where you... Carl? Are you listening?" asked Dietry. Vans took it as some signal and pulled on the man's ear so hard he ripped part of the lobe. Dietry's shoulders dropped in disappointment.

"Vans, be careful with our guest," reprimanded the man in charge. He gave him one more look and sighed.

"Very well, you do not wish to give him up..." he said dismissively. The poor soul whispered something but it was difficult to understand. He gestured for Vans to get closer.

"Vanessa," said Vans, shrugging. That gave Dietry pause, he was not used to being surprised. He turned and climbed the stairs, signaling to Vans over his shoulder. He did not even register Carl's dying scream.

His fingers drummed on the table after the last of the townsfolk had left. Jed was standing at attention next to him, used to his master's musings. Use your internal voice, his mother would caution.

Father never did appreciate the strong discussions he would have with himself. He would beat it out of me, he would promise. Once mother was gone, he discovered his inner voice and could safely scheme and plan.

Vanessa would be a problem. She was immune to his tactics, she knew the affection he had for her. Drum, drum, the rhythm sustaining his inner dialogue. He never thought she would dare oppose his ambitions. Did it matter if she managed to gain some power for herself?

Don't worry, Dietry, she'll be busy taking care of the orphans. Don't be concerned, Dietry, feeding the poor will distract her enough. Dietry, stop. She helps the needy. He mocked himself as he revised every decision she had convinced him he needed to make.

His fist slammed the desk as he frowned and startled Jed. She wasn't helping his cause, she was gaining power.

"Get Vanessa for me, would you, Jed?" ordered Dietry and he turned to face the opposite wall, hands clasped behind his back.

He tried a hundred different scenarios in his mind. Intimidation? No. Threats? Laughable. Pleading? Disgusting! He was so close to securing the whole city, most of his enemies were dealt with. The people feared him, yes, but the city was safe and productive. Surely they knew their lives were better for it? What other choice did he have but to rule with an iron fist? Did they not remember what it was like under Count Varimir?

"You called for me, my Lord?" came the sweet voice, buckling his knees. Why did she have this effect on him? It was not lust, his ambitions had never allowed him such distractions. He took a breath and locked his eyes on her.

"Vanessa, thank you for coming," he replied, gesturing for her to sit. Once she did, he sat carefully in his own chair.

"Do you know why I do... this?" he said, sweeping a hand around the office.

"My Lord?" she asked with a frown.

"My city, my people, do you know why I govern?" he rephrased the question patiently. She thought a moment before answering, her smile covering her thoughts.

"So people are safe, so the city can prosper." The answer almost seemed recited. He did tend to lecture folks a lot, perhaps these were his exact words thrown back at him. Another breath, his lips tightened and he closed his eyes for barely one moment.

"I have goals... ambitions, really, to make the world, not just this city, a better place. There is so much ugly in the world, so much suffering, don't you think?" he said. Was this pleading? Huh, careful Dietry, he cautioned himself.

"Of course, my Lord," she said flatly. Damn her, she was the only one that could use that title and make him feel this way.

"Vanessa, I promised your brother..." he did not have time to finish. She rose, eyebrows raised, drawing in a deep breath.

"No, you do not get to bring him up!" Tears welled up and she turned from him. This was it, the gut-wrenching feeling he kept locked away. He had to deal with this, he had to make her see!

"Vanessa! You must understand!" he insisted, pushing the boundaries, testing, feeling…

"NO!" She turned back, the smile gone, tears vanished. No more games, no pretense. They had not confronted this in years and he was regretting it already.

"I do everything you ask of me. I adjust to your whims, I sacrifice just so you can feel better about all of this!" he yelled back, shocking himself at the flood of emotions escaping him.

She was taken aback, unable to hide the surprise on her face. It lasted only a moment. He saw his tactical error before she could.

"Sacrifice? You dare speak of sacrifice?" she replied with such venom.

"He was my brother too, the only one who believed in my vision..." he countered, the bravado gone from his words now.

"HE WAS MY BROTHER! YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME WITH YOUR SCHEMING AND YOUR LIES AND YOUR DAMN NARCISSISTIC GOD COMPLEX!" He did not remember standing up but must have at some point, because he now collapsed in his chair, defeated.

She stormed out against his meek calls of her name. He hated this feeling, but all he could think about was addressing this weakness within himself.

“JED!” he yelled for his assistant, a report clenched in his hand. The thin man trotted in and stood at attention without saying a word.

Dietry drew a breath, trying to calm himself. He was still reeling from his encounter with Vanessa.

“Jed, what in all that is sacred is this report?” He slammed it onto the desk, then drew another breath and smoothed the parchment flat.

“My Lord?” He picked up the report and winced.

“Two young travelers claim that Ashgrove and Morvane have fallen to some sort of strange army,” answered the assistant patiently.

“That is not possible. I spoke to William Warpbane in person recently to coordinate trade. Ashgrove’s defenses and military are among the best in the land,” Dietry said dismissively.

“My Lord, one of the young men is Sir Warpbane’s son…” replied Jed.
Dietry frowned. He did not know the boy, but he knew the family.

“Have him brought here. I’d like a word with him and his companion,” Dietry said, continuing to scan the other reports.

“My Lord, they did not stay. They continued on their way,” replied Jed. Dietry rubbed the back of his head. First Vanessa, and now this.

“Dispatch some runners. We need to know what is going on. If the cities were attacked, how the hell did no request for reinforcements reach us?” He looked at Jed and realized he would not get answers from him, so he dismissed him.

It would take time for his men to get word back, and he still had the Vanessa situation to deal with. She was working against him. He did not need her to accomplish his ambitions, but having her as an obstacle…

His driver brought him to the orphanage.Children were singing as he stepped from his carriage, and he paused to listen.

“Witches are born of witches and must sacrifice to gain.
Witches are torn from witches and must all suffer from pain.
Sight to feel.
Deaf to see.
Taste to smell.
Touch to hear.
Smell to taste...
While none are free.
Some are born good to do evil, but none become what they wish they could be.
Deliver me.
Deliver me.”

The children burst into laughter.

“Master Dietry, Master Dietry!” yelled the children as soon as they saw him. He smiled at them, reaching for his pocket. Rachel, a small child with dirty blond hair and green eyes, was first in line with her hands extended.

“What’d you bring us, Master Dietry?” she asked expectantly.

“Rachel, my dear, what makes you believe I brought anything?” he replied sternly, though his smile betrayed him.

She hopped from foot to foot, and the others quickly joined her. He counted the children, making eye contact with each one.

“There are only four of you? Where is Janice?” he asked.

“My Lord, I did not hear you come in. My apologies,” said a plump woman making her way to them from the kitchens. Dietry motioned for her to wait a moment.

“Okay, okay, here you go!” He handed each child a piece of candy, calling them by name as he did. He made sure to look each of them in the eye. They thanked him politely, one at a time, as though following a practiced ritual. Dietry laughed and ushered them along, briefly placing a hand on each small back.

“Mistress Bella, may we speak in the parlor?” His gentleness made her smile.

“Of course, my Lord.” She led the way down the hall.

“Has Vanessa been to see the children lately?” he asked as they sat down. Tea was already waiting on the table, still steaming. How had she known?

“Every day, my Lord, you just missed her. They love her almost as much as they do you,” she said, smiling.

“Ah, good, good. Has she brought anyone by? Left anything here in your care?” he asked, a slight betrayal of urgency in his voice.

She shook her head. That made him pause.

“Nothing off in her behavior at all?” he pressed.

She seemed uncomfortable as she took a sip of tea. He waited.

“No, she comes in every day, checks on the accounts and reports. No new child has been brought in for quite some time. She only remarked this morning that it was a good thing,” she explained.

Something was nagging at the back of his mind, but he could not pinpoint what it was.

“Oh! She has taken an interest in Janice lately!” she said before lowering her voice.

“The kids have been mean to poor Janice because she cannot bear to be touched. They poke at her to see if she notices and sing that awful song about witches,” she said, as if spreading gossip.

Interesting.

“Where is Janice right now?” asked Dietry, his politeness vanished. It took the mistress by surprise and she swallowed nervously.

“Miss Vanessa took her out for the afternoon,” she answered.

He nodded. This was not new information. He knew of Janice's affliction. A child that could not be touched or hugged or even kissed…

This was a dead end, just as he had expected. He had started here only to eliminate the possibility. Vanessa was not as ambitious as he was; she would never use the children.

As he entered his carriage, waving goodbye to the children, he told his driver to take him to the Sinks.

The Sinks was at the bottom of the sloped city where everything bad seemed to slither towards. He had let Vanessa convince him to help the people here, but he avoided it at all costs. There was no benefit for someone in his position to visit, yet she spent a lot of time here, helping those in need, bringing food and supplies. He suspected she was a hero around these parts.

The smell alone made him regret his decision, but he pushed on. There was an old tannery he had requisitioned some time ago. Vanessa now ran it, employing locals and distributing supplies.

It took all his willpower not to take his handkerchief out to cover his mouth and nose as he approached the entrance. This time, his driver followed him, doubling as an escort. He looked down, discouraged, at the mud on his boots…

There was no door, just an entranceway into the shadows. He walked in as if he owned the place, which of course he did, but was stopped short when a stocky fellow bellowed for him to stop.

“There is nothing left for today, come back tomorrow,” he said without looking up from his ledger.

Dietry cleared his throat.

“I said…” started the man before finally looking up. He flushed as he rose and bowed.

“My Lord, please forgive me, I did not…” he stammered before Dietry cut him off.

“Please, maybe you can help with… a request?” suggested the prefect.

“Of course, my Lord, what do you need?” asked the man nervously.

“Is Vanessa here?” he inquired.

“No, my Lord,” he replied curtly.

“Has she been here today with a small child?” pressed Dietry.

He paused. Dietry did not. He motioned for his driver to move to him.

After the man spent some time with Vans back at his offices, Dietry learned Vanessa had brought the child to some man named Garrick. He had some hideout in the Sinks. He told Jed to gather a crew of men together for a small raid.

“Make sure they know I will be coming as well,” he ordered, which made Jed hesitate. Dietry looked at him until he accepted it.

Twelve men showed up, mercenaries all of them, and they sized up Dietry in less than the time it takes to blink. They seemed annoyed, but Dietry had made sure the payment was worth it.

“I am Mave, I’ll be taking point on this… expedition. Do you have any questions or requests before we get going?” he said.

“You may defend yourselves as you see fit, but I will not tolerate any actions against Vanessa or any children present,” he replied.

“No one said anything ‘bout damn kids, what the hell Mave?” answered someone in the back. Mave silenced him with a wave of his hand.

“Sure thing, your man described Vanessa to us already, should not be a problem. You ready?” he asked again. Dietry nodded.

The small trek to their destination was uneventful. The men looked formidable and everyone gave them a wide berth. Once they got there, Mave turned to Dietry to confirm it was the right building and they burst in.

They could hear strange retching sounds coming from the back room. Mave waved his men forward, with Dietry following close behind. Mave seemed annoyed that Dietry had not stayed back.

The scene they arrived at was so alien that they all stood in astonishment. There was a child sitting in a chair crying, her hands covering her face. There were half a dozen men on the ground, vomiting continuously, their eyes bulging as they did so. Some were no longer alive, others were now projecting blood onto the walls. Mave shared a look with Dietry and immediately ran, but his men did not move. Dietry saw Janice crying and he could not leave her.

When the last of the sick men finally stopped, no one moved. The crying girl slowly peeked and saw Dietry and she smiled. Dietry could not force himself to smile back. Everyone seemed frozen into a trance until one man finally decided to move, a sharp step forward that startled Janice. The smile vanished as she looked at the perceived threat and Dietry’s small escort started clutching their stomachs, spitting bile.

The stench turned his stomach but Dietry was not sick, he only saw the others empty their bodies onto the ground, finishing with splashes of blood while Janice covered her eyes again. This time though, there were no tears.

Dietry’s mind was blank, even his inner dialogue had gone silent. After what seemed an eternity, he finally found the courage to call out to her.

“Janice, Janice my dear?” he whispered, avoiding all sudden movements.

“Are the bad men sleeping now?” she asked, refusing to look down at all the bodies around them.

Dietry hesitated, he did not know how to act in such a situation.

“Janice, come dear, we should go back home,” he suggested, holding out his hand. The look Janice gave that hand made him withdraw it immediately.

“Janice, I have some candy at my office, have you ever seen my office?” he offered.

“No,” she said as she shook her head.

“Come dear,” he offered again, but she was now staring at a corner to his left.

“Mommy,” she said, tears flowing again.

“Do you want me to look there?” he asked and she shook her head violently, running towards him. He opened his arms to receive her but she ran past him, towards the entrance. He needed to chase her, but his curiosity got the better of him and he moved closer to see into the shadows.

A woman was lying on the ground, a pool of blood spread beneath her, an arrow protruding from her throat.

He found Janice outside, overwhelmed by all the people passing by. He briefly wondered if everyone around her would just drop and start being sick all around the street. No one would probably notice around here. He went to take her hand, then caught himself. Instead, he lowered himself to her level and beckoned her to follow him.

She did so as they climbed back to his office. It was a long walk, but she did not complain and kept her head down.

Jed met them at the door, concerned at seeing his master alone with a girl. He did not have a chance to say anything as Dietry brushed past him.

“My Lord, my Lord, please wait…” he pleaded, trying to keep pace. Janice seemed to find the whole scene amusing. It was a strange reaction from a girl who had just lost her mother and witnessed a massacre.

Dietry looked back with a scowl.

“Don’t mind him, he’s just trying to warn you about me,” came a voice from inside Dietry’s office. The prefect sighed and Jed gave him an apologetic look. Janice ran into the room, ducking beneath Jed’s outstretched arm. Dietry pushed him back, stopping him from getting into contact with the child.

“Ow, does that hurt?” asked the child. Dietry entered to see a man sitting in a chair, slicing an apple to take a bite. Two huge crisscrossing scars ran across his face.

“No, sweet one,” he said, smiling, which caused her to wince.

“Where is my candy, Lord Dietry?” she asked patiently, having lost all interest in the stranger in front of her. Dietry motioned for Jed to get the child some candy from his drawer. He whispered to his assistant to take her to his private quarters and not let anyone touch her.

He turned his attention back to his visitor.

“My dear sir, I am sure you have urgent business, but if you could perhaps return tomorrow, now is not a…” started Dietry until the man interrupted him.

“Funny how that is, urgent business…” he said as apple juice escaped the side of his mutilated mouth.

“It’s not my urgent business, I would reckon it’s yours,” added the stranger before his host could interrupt. Dietry paused. All of this irritated him.

“Sir…” he started again.

“Lok,” corrected the guest.

“Lok, please tell me why you are here,” said Dietry curtly.

“I need to cross the Reaches,” said the scarred man as he rose to his full height.

Dietry let out an annoyed sigh when he noticed the weapons.

“How did you get weapons in here?” he asked, suddenly uneasy.

“These? Don’t worry, I made sure the girl did not see them,” he answered with a wink, the scar warping the gesture into something unsettling.

“What? That isn’t the point…” replied the prefect.

“Right. You look busy, so with your blessing I will be on my way,” offered Lok, finishing another bite of apple.

“Blessing? What are you talking about?” asked Dietry as he rubbed his face. Then he remembered.

“The Reaches are closed, no one can enter without a permit,” dismissed Dietry.

Lok gave him a steady look.

“No. What possible reason… no! Permits take time, there will be approvals,” said the administrator, gesturing wildly.

“Yes, time, and with the army coming, we don’t have much of that,” nodded Lok.

Dietry leaned back.

“Army?” he asked, suddenly regaining his senses. He wondered how this man had managed to cause so much chaos with his mere presence.

“I don’t think I beat them here by much, so a piece of parchment with your seal should do,” offered the man, looking around for a place for the core of his apple.

“For your own safety…” started Dietry, using his bureaucratic voice.

“For your men’s safety…” corrected Lok, letting the threat hang.

Dietry had no time for this. He hated bypassing rules. Too many things were happening, so he turned, grabbed something to write on, scribbled a note and stamped it. He handed it to Lok with a fake smile.

Lok took the document and handed the core to his host. Dietry stood there for a moment, apple core in hand, before calling for Jed.

Taking a moment to himself, Dietry sat at his desk. Reports were scattered everywhere. It was a mess. He was about to call for Jed when he realized his assistant would never dare…

Only one report was perfectly centered in the mess before him. Did Lok go through his things and leave that one report for him to find? It mentioned witches. Several folks were spreading rumors about witches. Witches involved in battles. Witches bewitching whole populations and moving them like puppets. Witches dancing and sacrificing folks every night. They all had one source, those young men from Ashgrove.

Dietry sighed. He had no time for this. He was a master at combing through hundreds of reports to extract what he needed, but he could not find anything else here. Common folk loved a good story, those two young fools probably didn’t have to pay for a single drink during their stay.

He had been bullied enough as a boy that he knew witches were basically an excuse for girls to bully other girls. Any girl that was different was a target. A remnant from a time when all girls with afflictions were burned at the stake, terrible times.

Now that the idea was planted, his curiosity pulled at him. He hated not knowing about a subject and he knew so little about witchlore.

“Jed!” he called, getting Janice’s attention. He smiled at her and she resumed her playing.

“My Lord?” asked the assistant as he arrived.

“Call Commander Grieves for me and fetch Vans and find every book you can on witches,” he ordered as he pondered more reports.

“Witches, my Lord?” questioned the slight man. Dietry gave him a look and the man bowed to leave.

Dietry felt the walls closing in on him. The documents Jed had brought back did not answer any of his questions. An old lullaby, inquisitions, mothers and daughters burned. These were all things he knew. If witches ever existed, it was centuries ago. Only two people were not afflicted in that room, Janice and himself and he knew it didn’t come from him. There was Mave but he ran away…
Magic? Come on, Dietry! Think!

He gave Janice more candy without even realizing it. Something was nagging at him and he could not figure it out.

“My Lord, Commander Grieves has arrived.” He glanced toward Janice, reluctant to leave her. Still, he stepped outside. He would only be a few feet away.

“Commander, prepare the defenses of the city, it is possible an army is advancing against us,” Dietry ordered.

“Army? From which direction?” asked the Commander.

“Ashgrove. I cannot be certain they are headed here but we should be ready nonetheless,” Dietry said.

“I will see to it,” answered the Commander, dismissing himself.
Everyone that could have answers was gone. He turned back to look at the entrance of his private quarters.

“Janice dear?” he said as he entered.

“Yes, Master Dietry?” she replied, happily chewing her last bit of candy. He cautioned himself. One wrong word and she might lose control. He was thinking of that passage, the one in the lullaby about sacrifice and suffering. There was something else he found about witches only inheriting their power once their mother passed. Careful Dietry, careful…

“Do you remember Vanessa?” he prodded and did not see a reaction, she was nodding as she enjoyed her bite. He felt foolish. He had spent his life manipulating and extracting information from the hardest of men…

“Good, good little one. Do you know where she is? Where she went?” His voice was barely a whisper, as if the softness could fool her.

“Went Master Dietry?” she answered, seemingly confused.

“Why yes, because I am looking for her and I can’t find her,” he suggested.

“Like she’s playing hide and seek?” she asked, to which he nodded, not understanding how her young brain was connecting all this.

“Miss Vanessa told me, count to 10 just like hide and seek and to close my eyes. When I was ready, I would find my mommy,” she said, nodding, as if she was trying hard to remember. She seemed satisfied with herself.

“Very good dear, and then?” he continued.

“Well then she was hiding silly. That’s when the bad men came.” The last sentence carried what he assumed was meant to be a frown, though her delicate features barely showed it.

He took a breath. Why would Vanessa leave the child to be found by ‘bad men’? He knelt next to her now, making sure not to touch her as she flinched a bit at the closeness.

“Darling, you are doing so great, do you remember what happened after?” he pried. He could almost feel the mystery beginning to unravel.

“Their tummies hurt real bad. They hurt mama when she ran for me. So I wished for them to have a really bad tummy ache, like we do when we have too much candy.” Her words chilled him.

He remained there speechless. None of this helped him figure out Vanessa or what the hell was going on. All these different events were interconnected somehow. The little girl took his silence as a sign to continue.

“Then you showed up with more men and I was so happy to save you from them, Master Dietry,” she offered, as if to reassure him. He realized his eyes were wide and he told himself to calm down.

The little one eventually fell asleep, so he got a blanket to cover her.

Exhaustion finally claimed him as well.

“My Lord,” came Jed’s voice, “the commander requests your presence on the ramparts.”

“What? Why?” replied an annoyed Dietry.

“The army is here, and he says you should see for yourself,” replied his assistant, shrugging that he had no other information. Dietry turned back to Janice.

“Do you want to go on a quick adventure with Master Dietry?” he suggested, and she nodded enthusiastically.

Janice had her head out of the carriage the whole ride, laughing and waving to people. Everyone seemed to have heard about the army at their door by now. She did not get many waves in return.

He used the ride to think about this new information. Vanessa basically left her with those men. She had been taking the children out on playdates to do what, sell them? Did Vanessa suspect Janice had this… power? Janice being a witch fit the legends, her missing sense was obviously touch. Was her ability to make men sick? And if that was her mother in the other room, her death unlocked her power. Dietry couldn’t believe his logic was bringing him to this conclusion. Why would the mother not use her power? Was she killed before she had the chance to?

They arrived, and Janice ran up the stairs. Dietry hurried after her. She was excited to see over the wall.

“Woah!” she yelled with glee, staring at the horizon but unable to see what was below. The captain and the commander shared a look but said nothing.

Dietry looked down. There was a little girl twirling and dancing in front of an army. Dietry sighed impatiently at the display. What kind of nonsense was this? Janice was trying to climb to see over the ramparts, a guard reached to help her and Dietry intervened.

“No one touch the girl, no exceptions!” he cautioned. She finally made it and looked down. Her hand was bleeding, and Dietry noticed a nail had pierced right through. She did not seem to notice. Before he could say anything she yelled.

“Found you, hahaha!” She was pointing, smiling triumphantly at Dietry, he followed her gaze. His old eyes had failed him and he recognized that now.

Vanessa.

She was on the rampart to the right, held back by some guards.

Dietry motioned to let her through. They stared at each other until a familiar voice called to Dietry.

“Dietry, brother, open the gates!” said the commanding voice from below. Dietry broke his gaze from Vanessa with a look of confusion.

Marcus? He looked back at Vanessa, she seemed to be ignoring the voice. He scanned the men in the army, only the child was moving, who was calling to him.

“Identify yourself!” yelled back Dietry as Vanessa reached him, saying nothing.

“You know me! Spare your city brother and we can reunite.” Desperate, the recognition of the voice haunting him, he turned to Vanessa.

“Don’t you hear him?” he asked, not able to say her brother’s name.

Her face contorted in confusion.

“All I hear are her demands, which you should meet.”

Her? He looked at Janice who was smiling at Vanessa and he understood.

The doors of the city were creaking open. Someone had been bewitched. They only had a few minutes. His eyes darted from Janice to Vanessa and she gasped.

“Dietry, don’t. The best outcome is to give in, they promised me everyone would be spared…” she pleaded, tears welling her eyes.

“Promised… YOU?” he accused, pointing at her.

“If you love the people as you claim, love your city, save everything and resign,” she suggested.

“NO ONE CAN PROTECT THIS CITY BUT ME!!!” he yelled back, turning back to the army as he finished his scream. The scream unsettled Janice. She looked up, concerned.

“Don’t” pleaded Vanessa but he was breathing heavily. The weight of what he was considering was crushing him.

In a few precious moments, that army would be in his streets, taking over his city, hurting his people. He looked at Janice and his eyes welled up. Marcus had sacrificed himself so Dietry could stand here now to make the hard choices. The bad men, he repeated to himself. He could almost see his younger self begging him not to do this. She is but a child, he pleaded. So were you, he answered himself. The crazed girl below kept twirling and skipping. He felt his world descend into madness.

“Yes Janice, it seems the bad men have found us.” Those words were all it took for her to close her eyes fiercely. Within moments the men that were advancing towards the open doors dropped to the ground and started to be violently ill.

The dancing child stopped, looking at the scene with a frown before shrugging and starting to skip away. Only then did he notice the men retching and coughing. He recognized some of them. Not them directly as his poor eyesight failed him but rather by their uniforms.

“OK, Janice dear, I think the bad men have had enough,” he said with a mock smile as those around them also started to cough and hold their stomachs. She was concentrating hard. She could not hear him.

“Janice my dear, please,” he begged but still more bodies dropped around them.

“Dietry, what have you done?” cried Vanessa, covering her mouth.

“JANICE!” he yelled as he grabbed her to shake her out of her trance. Too late did he catch himself. The touch shattered her, she collapsed to the ground as if on fire. She kept yelling something he could not make out, over and over again.

“Oh dear, I am sorry, Janice, please, I am so sorry,” he pleaded, keeping others at bay as he heard the city gates closing back up. The men outside were dying, or close to it. He wondered if he had saved any. As men stopped being sick, he could finally hear her words, barely a whisper now, he recognized them from what he had read before. Over and over she said.

“Deliver me, deliver me.”