The Arboreal Maiden marched to the detention cells as soon as she found it acceptable to leave. She knew where it was, she could 'see' where Nemo was taken by the enforcers, and she had the Great Csillacra to guide her. Naturally, nobody got in her way. There were salutes and bows and other gestures of respect which she returned when necessary, but for the most part she ignored them. Now was not the time for pleasantries, and her attitude made that abundantly clear.
She didn't bother to restrain herself on the use of split. Doors would open in her path, a disconnected light guided her path, and her words, rarely spoken, betrayed her rage in a way that her face never could. She was a tyrant, absolute ruler of her surroundings, and nobody felt the need to question why.
This fury was the result of an unholy mixture of factors. There was the matter of her authority as the Progenitor, the eldest member of her species, questioned by the actions of her kind. Then the laws she set in place as the Steward of the Great Csillacra, enforcer of its will, were almost violated, stopped only by the rapid actions of a few key individuals. Finally, there was her tolerance as a Velar. This, by all rights, was her 'territory'.
"You are dismissed." The enforcers standing on either side of the cell saluted before leaving, cowed by her gaze.
Nemo was down on both knees, back straight up, and staring at the wall opposite the door. She had likely not struggled, the Progenitor's word made it so, so there wasn't the need to kill her. Not yet at least. Her cell, bright only because of the Arboreal Maiden's light, was much wider than one might normally expect.
"Turn around."
Bending down to use her hands, Nemo slowly slid herself to face the door. She maintained that prostrated state once finished.
"Look me in the eyes."
Slowly, her head turned up to meet her imperious jailor. Her pupils were dilating, she was terrified of the Arboreal Maiden. She didn't dare make a sound.
It was a silence that continued for some time, the only sound being the Arboreal Maiden's exaggerated breathing.
"Give me one good reason I shouldn't separate your head from your neck."
Nemo convulsed slightly, her mind suddenly moving into overdrive in order to think of something that would save her from a meaninglessly painful death.
"I-" her words got stuck in her throat. "I believed it would be less embarrassing for Titanyana to suffer a defeat by poison instead of being defeated by running out of split!"
The Arboreal Maiden's staff slammed into the stone tiling, shattering it to the wood underneath. "So you thought it better to KILL her?" The door to the cell shattered under the sudden wave of split. "I have lived a long life, but I have never, never, met someone dumb enough to come up with such a stupid idea!" The Arboreal Maiden paused for a second, her rage churning. "No, that's wrong. I'm talking to a Velar. You people only think in murder."
"B-but," an instinctual response, "are you not also a Velar!?"
"Do you think I WANT to be one?" The Arboreal Maiden snapped at Nemo, the force of the split in her voice knocking her backwards. "I have done everything in my power to be less like you! I hate you!"
Nemo's expression crumbled into one of deep sorrow at her words. There was still fear, but her morale had taken a big hit.
"Why do you think it is that Velar don't rule the universe, hm? Do you think that humans were the ones to get rid of you? The Skwiven? We both know that neither of them like our ilk. Velar are by nature scummy, vile, disgusting creatures unworthy of air they breathe. Every part of our bodies is meant to kill, to steal, to destroy, and our natures reflect that fact. I am a reflection of that. I am the scummiest, vilest, most disgusting one of you. I know better than anyone else how dangerous you people are. I am the reason there are only a few clans of you left. I was the one who pushed you to extinction. I personally slaughtered all of you, because it was the only way I could solve the problems you mongrels kept making."
The Arboreal Maiden grabbed her kin by the neck and slammed her up against the wall.
"Why shouldn't I kill you right now? After all, it's just another body on the pile isn't it? A few more drops of blood on my hands doesn't mean much at this point, right? You broke the rules, almost at least. Rules I put in place not for the safety of others, but so that I don't exterminate what's left of you."
Nemo wasn't breathing, but that was okay. A lack of oxygen wasn't enough to kill a Velar. Staff stuck in the stone next to her, The Arboreal maiden ripped off one of Nemo's 'sleeves', revealing an arm with long, thick hairs. The patchiness described that some were missing.
"It wasn't just your blood. You went so far as to use your quills too. I believe I made it abundantly clear that no part of your body was to be used to harm others. You are lucky that Titanyana only collapsed because of the after effects. Had the Great Csillacra been unable to completely remove that poison from her body I would have cut your guts open for the world to see right then and there."
With that the Arboreal Maiden let go of Nemo, but she didn't let her hit the ground. She kicked her right in the ribs, shattering more than just a few of them. The force from the kick sent Nemo off to the side, sliding across the smooth stone and stopping in the corner. Slowly, the Arboreal Maiden walked to catch up. The time this took was all she would have to recuperate, as the Arboreal Maiden slammed her foot down on Nemo's ankle as soon as she caught up, shattering it like she had her chest.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
As Nemo screamed in pain, the Arboreal Maiden continued.
"I want to kill you right now, I really do, but that would make me no better than my blood. So right now I am not asking you, I am begging you. Give me a reason not to kill you." She placed the tip of her stave on Nemo's stomach and pressed down, the tip of the staff piercing through the robes and into her skin. "I suggest you hurry."
Nemo's heart was beating faster than it had ever done before, and there was a good chance that it would never beat like this again. There was no way for her to fight back, not with her blades, not with her body, not with her blood. She had to satisfy her Progenitor's desires, but how? What did she want her to say? Nothing surface level would save her now, not with the eyes of the Arboreal Maiden peering into her.
"Time's running out." A trickle of blood was running down the staff, the Arboreal Maiden had punctured her own skin. "I'm sure you know what happens if this reaches you, right?"
Rising fear dominated Nemo's thoughts. Nemo was immature by Velar standards, the control she had over he blood was as poor as the concentration of toxins. The blood of the Progenitor could kill her without issue. In a panic, she coughed something up.
"The Emperor!"
The Arboreal Maiden did not stop twisting her staff.
"Emperor Donovan! I have to serve the Emperor!"
The staffed twisted once more before being lifted from her body. The Arboreal Maiden's gaze was still cold, but Nemo could no longer feel the desire to kill her. She had spoken correctly.
"Right now, he is the only reason you still live." The staff made contact with the ground, Nemo's blood shaken off as if it wasn't there to begin with. "That said ,I cannot imagine he is pleased with you. That girl is his primary source of manpower, and you came incredibly close to ruining many of his plans." Nemo's heart fluttered, she was not aware of that.
The Arboreal Maiden began to walk out of the cell. "Remember this, Nemo. You and your kin exist only as tools, tools to be used by Donovan and Donovan alone. Should he find you undesirable, I will have no qualms killing you. Should he die, I will finish what I started. You will live by his orders, you will die by his orders. Those contracts you find yourself bound by? Void them."
"But, Trebar-"
"You may stay by his side, for now, but his orders are no longer your top priority. I expect you to dispose of him as you would any other should Donovan desire it."
"Yes! Yes my lady!"
"Remain here until your wounds have sealed, I don't want any more casualties. The Great Csillacra will clean this cell up."
- - - - -
Donovan was sitting in a very familiar place, Titanyana's head resting on his lap. She was, unsurprisingly, asleep. The stress of her fights, the crowds, and her near death experience took a major toll on her mentally. This was probably a good thing though, considering what she was about to go through.
"Kwi?"
A Skwiven approached Donovan from behind, a jug and cups fastened to it.
"Thank you. I have been feeling thirsty." Donovan accepted the drink and poured two glasses, one for himself and one for Titanyana. He downed his in a few gulps, taking a look around once he finished. He was in the Inner Sanctum, on the Great Csillacra's core, waiting for the Arboreal Maiden.
A vine emerged from the surface of the core, winding around his ankle.
You performed admirably today, that child would still be in a coma if you did not keep her blood flowing.
Donovan didn't respond, he didn't quite remember how to.
What I am going to do to her is similar to what I have done to you and your mate. It will not be a complete rebuilding, but the toxins that found their way into her blood dealt a large amount of damage to her. I will also see what I can do about her core. Is there anything else you wish for me to have a look at?
Donovan shook his head while thinking 'I wouldn't know'. He vaguely remembered this being how to communicate.
Very well, please begin to strip her. I know you may find it uncomfortable, but the sooner you do so the better.
Donovan cringed, but nodded as the vine unfurled and returned to the core. Gently placing her head on the ground, he got to work. There were no longer any buttons on her outer shirt, the top half at least, so he wasn't going to have much issue there. Manhandling her to get her undershirt and pants off was a little harder, but the biggest problem was going to be her undergarments.
He wasn't a pervert, and he was definitely fine with removing clothing for medical and emergency reasons, but after his experience with Diana there was just something different about it. It absolutely did not help that Titanyana wasn't awake to defend herself or give him permission. The style of her undergarments certainly wasn't setting a mood, very much utilitarian to the point of being cheap, but still. Titanyana was a princess, a princess. She deserved some sort of decency, didn't she?
It was only when she was completely naked did Donovan find he was . . . excited. She was beautiful, definitely a grown woman, even if she didn't look the part on the surface. Neatly folding her clothes off to the side, he admonished himself for subconsciously being unfaithful to Diana.
Then, just as had happened to him and Diana, Titanyana became covered in a web of vines. It covered her private bits (praise be) so he could afford to look at her without feeling like a sex offender, but he still sat down with his back to her to be safe.
How long will you be able to stay here? You only need to think your response.
Donovan felt the vine around his ankle, but it was still surprising to have his thoughts interrupted like this.
'I will not leave until she is healthy. I've told my subordinates to head back and inform Diana, so I should be covered in that regard, but I feel responsible for her safety.'
As you should, as you should. I was planning to have what you might call a 'chat' while fixing her up, there is some thing you need to know about your future. For now though, I am going to need you to feed that fruit to the girl, chewing it for her if need be, and make sure the seed is in her mouth.
Donovan sighed and dropped his head, he was expecting something like this. Slowly he turned around and moved towards the once again naked Titanyana, plucking the sweet smelling green skinned fruit and putting it close to his mouth. Once he felt comfortable with how he was positioned next to Titanyana, he took a bite, chewing it until it was fluid and putting his lips to Titanyana's. A kiss? Would this count as a kiss?
As he pushed the liquid out of his mouth and down into hers, the thought vanished from his mind, at least until most of it was gone. He hadn't given it much thought because of how serious she normally was, but Titanyana's skin was very smooth. Perhaps it wasn't on the level of Diana, but it was close wasn't it?
He shook his head, taking another bite, chewing and continuing until the flesh was gone. Done with the fruit, he placed the seed in her mouth before turning away and sitting down some distance away.