“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Astra asked. “I thought you just told me that you wanted to resume the literal torture training I had put you through earlier.”
Darian faced Astra, his arms crossed over his chest. She hovered in the air in front of them. The two of them were in the secret realm’s training courtyard. It was about mid-morning, and Darian had just finished his cultivation practice for the day, and had just been about to head out for Astra’s special training. It had been about a week after their conversation in the woods. During that time, Astra had eased up on Darian as she had promised. The distance between them remained, but time was slowly bridging that gap.
Astra still hadn’t made up her mind on whether to give him a new magical item or not, to Darian’s disappointment.
“Yes, I do,” Darian said, frowning.
Astra stared at him, before looking at his father.
“Do you hear this, Cultivator Darren?” she asked. “I think your son might be a masochist. He wants me to torture him.”
Darian’s father was also using the training courtyard. He had started exercising his body in order to speed up his recovery, though he limited himself to avoid aggravating his injuries. Progress was slow, but promising. Right now, he was in the middle of some basic exercises. He wore nothing but a pair of trousers. Sweat coated his body.
Elliot and Ellen were off somewhere else, either focusing on their own training or performing their duties.
“Considering what I’m doing right now,” Darren said, his voice strained. “I’m the last person you should ask for help. I feel like I’m torturing myself right now.”
Astra stared at him, before shaking her head. Darian watched all this, keeping his arms crossed.
“So he gets his masochistic tendencies from you,” Astra muttered, before looking at Darian again. “Okay, why? Why do you want me to torture you? I won’t even call it training at this point.”
“My cultivation progress had slowed down by about a quarter,” Darian answered. “This is unacceptable. If it means resuming my previous speed, I’m more than willing to endure a little torture.”
Darian would have been close to opening his Ear Aperture if he had continued with his previous course. As it was now, it would take him longer than he cared for in order to do it.
Astra stared Darian the same way she had stared at his father.
“In response to your cultivation speed slowing down a little, you resort to torturing yourself,” she said slowly, as if speaking to a dull child. “You must be insane.”
“As I’ve said before, I need to catch up with Lucius and Vera,” Darian said. “You know how far behind I am.”
At that, Astra and his father shared a look. It was the same look they gave each other whenever he said something like this.
“One of these days you’re going to have to tell him,” Astra said.
“I think it’s best if he figures it out on his own,” Darren responded. He paused his exercising. “Darian does have a point. From what I’ve learned, The Nine Gates of Destruction technique is more of a body refining technique than an energy one. Darian is quite literally rebuilding himself, little by little. Physical and mental trauma speeds this up. Isn’t that why you put him on this ‘special training’ in the first place, as well as that ‘Will Strengthening’ training?”
Astra flew over to Darren and started swatting at him with her paws. He took it with good humor.
“Will you stop blurting out my secrets like that?” she admonished him. “If you don’t, I’ll be forced to kill you, and I was just starting to like you too.”
Darian looked between the two of them.
“Wait, is that why these trainings you keep coming up with are so painful?” he asked.
Astra swatted at Darren one last time.
“Yes,” she said in a grumpy tone. “The will strengthening training is standard for the Dawn and Dusk Sect, but because of the technique you practice, it has the added benefit of speeding up your progress in cultivation. Like your father said, trauma in general speeds it up, though pressure might be a better word for it. Physical, mental, spiritual. It doesn’t matter. Think of it like reforging yourself. A blacksmith has to hit the iron several times before it takes on the right shape.”
“Hmm,” Darren said, holding his chin. “This reminds me of something a blacksmith cultivator once told me during my travels. ‘The hotter the fire, the stronger the steel.’”
“That’s exactly it,” Astra said, before shivering. “You have no idea what Senior Sister Nova put me through when she taught me The Nine Gates of Destruction.”
The cat spirit beast remained silent for several moments, as if lost in thought.
“Wait, if that’s the case, why did you stop with the torture?” Darian asked. “If you had told me all this earlier, I would’ve been fine with it.” He paused. “Okay, maybe not. It was quite painful.”
Astra looked away, her expression filled with shame.
“That’s because I wasn’t doing it to help you, but to take my anger at Senior Sister Nova out on you,” she said. “Intent matters.”
She looked so pitiful in that moment, that Darian walked over to her and started petting her.
“What are you doing, young Darian?” she growled at him.
“You looked sad, so I thought this might cheer you up.”
Astra gave him a scornful look.
“So you thought petting me with your sweaty and grubby hands would help?”
“Oh. Sorry.”
Darian stopped petting her.
“What are you doing?” Astra demanded. “I didn’t say stop.”
Darian gave his father a helpless look. Darren just shrugged and walked away to resume his own exercises. At that, Darian just started petting Astra again. She purred.
“If trauma, or pressure as you call it, would help speed up my cultivation progress, does that mean the more pressure I endure, the faster my speed?”
“Darian…” Astra said, a warning in her tone.
“You just admitted that was why you put me through that ‘special training’.” Darian raised his free hand and formed a fist with it. “It also strengthened my hands. Wouldn’t I get the most benefit if I put my entire body through something like that?”
“You see what you did?” Astra asked, yelling at his father. “You gave the boy strange ideas.”
Darren ignored her and continued with his exercises.
“Well?” Darian asked.
Astra sighed.
“Yes,” she said. “Putting your entire body through intense trauma would speed up your cultivation progress and toughen it up at the same time. I had been planning to start this stage of your training after focusing on your hands.” She glared at him. “Your martial technique is called Fists of the Mortal Flame after all.”
Darian shrugged.
“Would it hurt to jump ahead?” He paused. “Let me rephrase that. Would it hurt my progress if we jumped ahead?”
“Yes and no,” Astra said. “It would slow down progress with your hands, but in exchange, your entire body would benefit.”
“In that case, let's do that instead.”
Astra looked him straight in the eyes, a serious expression on her face.
“Young Darian, do you understand what you’re asking for?” she asked. “You called what I did to you before torture. This would be like that, but much worse.”
“I’ve endured beatings before,” Darian said in a soft voice. “That was how we met in the first place.”
“What you endured would be a pleasant memory compared to what I would put you through.”
Darian returned her look, his expression as serious as hers.
“I am a cultivator walking on the path towards immortality. No one said it would be easy or painless. You’re the one who told me not to embarrass you or Master Nova. Why would I let a little bit of pain stop me?”
Astra studied him for several long moments.
“Very well. I want you to remember that I warned you.” She looked thoughtful. “We’ll need the twins’ help with this. I’m not sure if I can hold back my strength enough. I might accidentally kill you. Your father can’t help, given his current condition.”
Darian grimaced.
“Can we exclude Ellen?” he asked. “I fear she might enjoy it too much.”
He felt a rush of wind from behind, before a pair of arms pulled him into an embrace.
“You wound me, Young Master,” Ellen whispered right in his ear, her voice seductive. “I only wish to serve you and bring you pleasure, not pain.”
She licked the side of his neck. A shiver ran through Darian’s entire body. He tried to get away from her, but couldn’t break free of her hold. A reminder that though she was his nominal servant, she was much stronger than him.
“Let go, Ellen!”
“Ellen, you go too far,” Astra said in a cold voice. “I tolerate your teasing and your flirtation, since I find it amusing, but don’t cross the line. He is Senior Sister Nova’s disciple. Remember that, or I will remind you.”
Ellen let go of Darian right away. He put some distance between himself and the snake woman.
“Apologies, Guardian Astra,” she said in a contrite tone. “I let my emotions get the better of me.”
Astra snorted.
“I’ll forgive you for now, but don’t expect leniency next time.”
Darian looked between the two of them and sighed with envy. He could only dream of being as powerful as Astra, able to command respect from cultivators like Ellen. Master Nova was even more powerful. Just a look around the secret realm was enough to remind him of the gap between Immortals and other cultivators. A wistful expression crossed his face as he imagined himself achieving that level of strength.
“Remember, Ellen,” Astra said, putting her paw on the snake woman’s shoulder. “You need to wait for him to make the first move. Be patient. That way it’ll be more satisfying when he forces you to submit and makes you his woman.”
“Astra!” Darian sputtered. “Stop giving her weird ideas! She’ll think you’re being serious!”
Astra gave him a pitying look. For some reason, it reminded him of the look Elliot had given him all those weeks ago. She then faced Ellen again.
“Are you sure you want him?” Astra asked. “I can’t tell if he’s blind and dense, or just in denial.”
Ellen nodded and her eyes sparkled.
“Yes, Guardian Astra,” she said. “I made my decision a long time ago.”
Darian cleared his throat while glaring at the both of them.
“To get back on topic,” he said in a pointed tone. “Ellen, will you and your brother help me with my training? I’m not sure how much you heard, but it involves putting me through intense physical trauma.”
“Of course,” Ellen said without hesitation. “My brother and I will serve you in any capacity you require, just as we did for Master Nova. We are at your disposal.” She gestured to herself. “In fact, my skills would be quite beneficial here.”
“What do you mean?” Darian asked.
Astra put a paw on Ellen’s shoulder before the latter could answer.
“Hold on, Ellen,” the cat spirit beast looked at Darian. “Before she tells you, I feel that I should warn you of something, young Darian. Elliot and Ellen lived hard lives before they joined the Dawn and Dusk Sect. Keep that in mind, and don’t judge her too harshly.”
Darian frowned at them both. It worried him that Astra felt the need to warn him like that.
“What does she mean, Ellen?” he asked the snake woman.
“It’s simple, Young Master. I am a monster,” she said without hesitation. “My brother is the good twin. I am the wicked one.”
Darian slumped at that.
“Ellen, how am I supposed to respond to that? Either I believe you’re teasing me again, which would make me angry, or I take your words at face value, which…I’m not sure how I would feel about them.”
Ellen stepped forward.
“I am not teasing you, Young Master. I would never joke about this part of myself. I have done things that would make you hate me, should I ever tell you about them.” She looked worried at this. “Please don’t ask me to elaborate, because I would be duty bound to obey and I would rather not.”
Darian held up a hand, the palm facing Ellen.
“No. I don’t want to hear. That is a conversation I am not ready for right now. Just tell me about the skills you mentioned earlier and how they would help with my training.”
If he focused on that, he could ignore how uneasy Ellen’s words made him.
“Very well, Young Master,” Ellen said. “I learned many arts from my first Master, the one I had before my brother and I joined the Dawn and Dusk Sect. Among these arts were several used for extracting information from people.”
“You mean torture.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Not just torture, though that was included. However, my education also involved seduction, how to make various drugs and poisons, and soul scouring techniques. To put it simply, I was taught how to break people physically, mentally, and spiritually. I am confident that I can use my skills to aid in your training without causing permanent damage to you.”
Nope. If anything, Ellen’s words just made him even more uneasy.
“Ellen, I-…” Darian started to say, but Ellen rushed over to him and silenced him with a finger to his lips.
“Forgive my impudence, Young Master,” she said. “Let me say one more thing before you speak.”
Darian gave her a long look, before nodding.
“I learned all these arts, and more, to better protect the people I care about.” She leaned in closer. “This includes you, Young Master. I am a monster, but I am your monster.” She tapped him on the chest. “You have a soft and tender heart, Young Master. Don’t deny it. My brother is similar in this regard. There are many who would mistake your kindness for weakness. I am not one of them. However, those same people would seek to hurt you and take advantage of you. Monsters, who would harm the innocent simply because they can. One of my duties is to protect you by any means necessary. After all, who better to fight other monsters than one of your own?”
Darian stared at her, not sure what to say.
“Have you ever used these…skills of yours on an innocent person?” he asked after a while.
“No, Young Master,” Ellen said, shaking her head. “Only those who deserved it, and not since we came to Silverwood Vale.”
At that, Darian sagged. While he didn’t like any part of this, what could he do? Send Ellen away? He supposed he could, but that wouldn’t benefit anyone. Besides, despite these revelations, Darian still liked and trusted Ellen. Master Nova had chosen her and her brother, Elliot, for a reason. He had to trust in that. Otherwise, why was he even here?
“I understand,” Darian said, before shaking his head. “No, that’s a lie. I don’t understand. But I trust Master Nova’s judgment, and I trust Astra. They wouldn’t have brought you here without good reason.” He grimaced. “Just don’t use any of that stuff on people without my permission, okay?”
Ellen nodded.
“I promise, Young Master.”
After she said that, Astra landed on Darian’s head.
“Very well then,” she said, her voice filled with sarcasm. “We will let our resident assassin and torturer work her magic on you Darian, quite literally in some cases.” She tapped his forehead, reaching down from her perch. “You’ll have to find a healer before we begin, however. There is only so much the Medicine Pills I have on hand can do, and they will lose their effectiveness if you take too many within a short amount of time. I was already worried about that, given how many you’ve taken this past month. Find a healer, or forget about going through with this stupid idea.”
Darian almost asked what Astra meant when she called Ellen an assassin, but let it go.
“The only healers I know are Vera and her older sister,” Darian stated.
Astra hunched over and grinned right in his face.
“Yes, I know,” she said, her grin widening. “Which means that if you want to put yourself through intense training and speed up your cultivation progress, you’ll need to return home and have an actual honest conversation with your friends.”
Darian heaved in a deep breath, before sighing.
“I figured,” he said. “I was already planning to go back. My stash of Spirit Energy Pills is running low, and I imagine Father needs some more supplies for his experiments. Isn’t that right, Father?”
He looked at his father, who was in the midst of exercising.
“Correct,” Darren said, his voice strained. “I’ll write up a list, as well as a note authorizing you to use my merit points to purchase the resources we need. I have more than enough to cover everything, including more Spirit Energy Pills for you.”
It was at that moment that Darian truly understood just how blessed he was. With the resources his father and Master Nova were pouring into him, his cultivation was progressing much faster than it would have otherwise. Maybe, just maybe, it would be enough to catch up to Lucius and Vera.
“Thank you, Father,” Darian said, hoping his sincerity showed.
Darren smiled at him, before returning to his own exercises.
“First, I need to open my Ear Aperture,” Darian said. “And then, I return to Mt. Wind Dance.”
It looked like he would be seeing his friends much earlier than he had expected.
***
Jaime kept hold of the young servant’s body as it slumped forward, the head twisted at an odd angle. The servant was a young woman, just out of girlhood, who had the rest of her life to look forward to. At least she had, until Jaime targeted her. Now that life had ended with a twist of the neck.
If the disciple of the Pit Viper Sect felt any remorse, she kept it buried deep inside her heart. She was willing to do worse, and had done so, in order to achieve her goals. Nothing and no one would stand in her way. She would do what she needed to, pay any price, in order to achieve the level of power she desired, no matter how cruel and depraved it was.
Jaime, and the now dead servant girl, was in a flowering meadow along the outskirts of Valeheart, the town that sat at the foot of Mt. Wind Dance. The meadow was within the Silverwood, albeit just barely. It was nighttime, with the sun having set hours ago. The moon was a sliver in the sky, providing little light. For Jaime, this didn’t matter. She was in the Core Shaping Stage, so this level of light was more than enough for her. The wind blew through the meadow, warm despite the late hour, rustling the leaves of the trees. The smell of the flowers reached Jaime’s nose. It was quiet, except for the occasional sound of a wild animal calling out in the distance.
She had to admit, the servant girl, whose name was Cassandra Blakely, had chosen a good place for a romantic rendezvous. Secluded, but still close enough to town to minimize the risk of wild animals and dire monsters appearing. Unfortunately, the girl hadn’t considered that there would be a monster in human shape after her tonight. Otherwise, she might have been more cautious. It wouldn’t have helped her, however. Sooner or later, Jaime would have gotten to her.
Jaime and her fellow disciple, Darrell, had arrived in Silverwood Vale some time ago in order to fulfill their mission from their Master, Augustine, who was the Sect Leader of the Pit Viper Sect. They had been tasked with infiltrating Clan Wind Dance in order to find out more about their alliance, or potential alliance, with Clan Stone Pillar.
Traveling to Silverwood Vale had been easy. They had borrowed one of the few immortal boats their sect owned, and used it to fly across the Myriad Rivers region, reducing their travel time. Unfortunately, the boat had been too big to fit into a holding bag, so Jaime and Darrell had hidden it before they approached Silverwood Vale.
Sneaking into the heart of Clan Wind Dance’s power had taken more effort on their part. The only way in and out of Silverwood Vale was Valegate, which served as Clan Wind Dance’s point of contact with the rest of the world. While Clan Wind Dance didn’t forbid foreign cultivators from entering Silverwood Vale, they kept a close eye on them. Since this would hinder their plans, Jaime and Darrell wanted to avoid this at all costs. Thankfully, they had come prepared.
The Pit Viper Sect specialized in the use of poisons. One of those poisons was called Mortal Coil, which suppressed a cultivator’s cultivation and made them appear mortal. Even one at the Golden Core stage wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. The downside was that the poison effectively turned a cultivator back into a mortal. They couldn’t sense or use spirit energy, it reduced their strength, and it dulled their senses.
Jaime shuddered at the memory. Ever since she became a cultivator, she had never felt so weak and helpless. As someone who strove for power at all costs, she had hated it. It achieved its purpose, however, so at least there was that.
After taking the Mortal Coil poison, Jaime and Darrell had sneaked into Silverwood Vale without issue. Clan Wind Dance focused on cultivators, and didn’t see mortals as a threat. An attitude most cultivators shared, including the Pit Viper Sect. Jaime and Darrell had then spent the next few weeks scouting the area and coming up with a plan in order to sneak onto Mt. Wind Dance. Both of them had decided to impersonate one of Clan Wind Dance’s mortal servants by killing them and taking their place.
The two of them had then spent some time observing potential targets. They had been limited to servants that often left Mt. Wind Dance, since they hadn’t wanted to risk discovery by sneaking onto the mountain itself. Any clan, sect, or school worth the name always protected their home with sentries and several layers of formations. Even from Valeheart, Jaime could feel the number of cultivators and spirit beasts Clan Wind Dance had at its disposal. In an open fight, they could beat her sect with ease. However, the Pit Viper Sect specialized in trickery and deceit. If they had been caught in an open fight, then something had gone wrong.
Jaime had decided to impersonate Cassandra Blakely for a number of reasons. The first was that the servant girl often sneaked off in order to meet her paramour, a farm boy from a nearby village. Cassandra’s family didn’t approve of the match, so the two had to meet in secret. This worked out perfectly for Jaime’s purpose.
The second reason was that Jaime and Cassandra had similar builds and features. Both were petite women with pale skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. They also had plain, uninteresting faces. A useful trait for someone who wanted to remain unnoticed and in the background. It amazed Jaime that someone like Cassandra managed to find someone like that farm boy, who was as handsome as sin. Then again, the girl had been sweet, if shy. Some men liked that sort of personality for their partners.
The third reason was that Cassandra was the newest servant of one Vera River Heart. Jaime had overheard this bit of news by pure luck, and had celebrated her good fortune. From what Jaime had learned, Vera River Heart was the not so secret love of Lucius Wind Dance, the young genius of Clan Wind Dance. Jaime figured that if anyone would know anything about the alliance with Clan Stone Pillar, it would be one or both of those two.
Jaime hadn’t shared any of this with Darrell, of course. While the two were both disciples of the same Master, and worked together to accomplish their Master’s orders, they were also rivals. All disciples within the Pit Viper Sect were rivals. There were only so many cultivation resources to go around, and only those who had proven themselves would receive any. Alliances were made and broken within hours, and betrayal was common.
While Jaime and Darrel wouldn’t sabotage each other, and risk failing their assignment, they wouldn’t help each other look good either. Those who performed the best and contributed the most received the biggest rewards after all. After they had come up with their respective plans and split, Jaime and Darrell were both on their own except in the most dire of circumstances. They had to rely on their own skills, luck, and whatever preparations they had made beforehand.
In this, Jaime believed she had the advantage. Master Augustine had given them leave to take whatever they needed for this mission from the sect’s repository. While she had skimmed some resources for herself, like anyone in her position would do, she had picked up a powerful magical item that would ensure her success.
Jaime laid Cassandra’s cooling corpse on the ground, and pulled said item out of her holding bag. It was a porcelain mask with a small slit for a mouth and the barest impression of eyes. Otherwise, it was plain and unassuming. Despite emanating the barest hint of spirit power, the mask was quite powerful. Jaime didn’t know where her sect had gotten it, but it must have been made by a powerful expert, one who specialized in illusions and transformation.
It was the Mask of the Mortal Face.
Like the Mortal Coil poison, it suppressed one’s cultivation and hid it. Unlike the Mortal Coil poison, the cultivator still had access to their basic abilities. Sensing spirit energy, their strength, and full access to their senses. This was a secondary function, however. The mask’s main function was to mimic a mortal’s physical, mental, and spiritual form. It would copy the mortal’s body, their memories, personality, and the signature of their aura. By using this to impersonate Cassandra, Jaime would effectively become the servant girl to any outside observer.
There were a few downsides of course. The mask could only mimic one mortal at a time, and the attunement period took about an hour. It was made for long-term infiltration, and took time to use. Another downside was that the longer a cultivator wore the mask, the more they became like the person they impersonated. They would become the mortal they pretended to be, at least somewhat, though they would retain their cultivation. Jaime wasn’t too sure how this worked. The research she had done on the mask was vague about this part. All she knew was that it was dangerous to wear the mask for too long.
Jaime put the mask on Cassandra’s face and waited. In the hour it took for the mask to become attuned to the servant girl, a few wild animals came by to inspect the corpse. Jaime discouraged them with a few well placed throwing knives. She would have flashed her intent to scare them off, but that would have given her away to the nearby sentries on Mt. Wind Dance.
When the hour was over, the Mask of the Mortal Face no longer looked like a plain porcelain mask. Instead, it looked like a perfect replica of Cassandra’s face. The similarities were so uncanny that it made Jaime uneasy, which wasn’t an easy thing to do.
Taking a deep breath, Jaime put on the mask. It was an odd sensation. It was as if she were covering her entire being in some kind of soft, malleable substance. It affected her body, her mind, and her spirit. Her body changed in subtle, and some not so subtle, ways.
Jaime also became aware of Cassandra’s memories and personality. The latter became like a mask that covered her real personality, while the former became like a library that Jaime could access on a whim. Just to test it out, she recalled one of Cassandra’s most recent memories. In that memory, Cassandra and her love were trading pointers, so to speak, with passionate vigor. Jaime felt her body heat up, and her face flushed. She even felt what Cassandra would have felt, which was a mix of lust, longing, and embarrassment. This made her uneasy, and it took a considerable amount of willpower to keep the mask on.
The biggest change, however, was to her aura. While Jaime was adept at concealing her aura, what the mask did was even more profound. It mimicked Cassandra’s weak, mortal aura and used it to cover Jaime’s like a thick blanket. Jaime’s aura was still there, but it was deep below the surface. Thankfully, that’s all the mask did. If it had actually made Jaime weaker, she didn’t know if she would have resisted ripping the mask off. However, the mask did prevent her from using any of her techniques.
Once the transformation was complete, Jaime took out a mirror and examined herself. Despite the almost non-existent lighting, she could tell that it had worked. Cassandra’s face looked back at her, not her own. That would take some getting used to. She grinned, before she turned to the grim business of stripping the servant girl of her clothing. Cassandra hadn’t soiled herself in death, thank the ancestors, and Jaime had just snapped her neck, so there was no bloodshed.
After stripping Cassandra’s corpse, Jaime took off her own clothes and put on Cassandra’s. She then put her clothes, as well as Cassandra’s body, into her holding bag. The body wouldn’t rot, and she might need it later on. Holding bags, and other storage type items, kept the items inside them under some kind of stasis effect. This prevented rot and decay, which was quite convenient when carrying large amounts of perishables.
When she was done changing, Jaime made her way back to Valeheart. The town was a small, quaint place by her standards. Crescent Moon City was several times larger, and filled with millions of people. However, Valeheart was cleaner and felt less dangerous to be in, which Jaime could appreciate. At this time of night, there were few people around. Even the drinking crowd had started to wander home. Lamps with light crystals inside them provided illumination.
An unthinkable luxury to be wasted on mere mortals, at least to Jaime’s sensibilities, but Clan Wind Dance was odd in that regard. They cared too much about the mortals in their territory, a weakness Jaime did not hesitate to exploit.
While in Valeheart, Jaime stashed her holding bag in a secure location she had prepared beforehand. A mortal with a magical item was suspicious, and she needed to avoid as much attention as possible.
As she approached Mt. Wind Dance proper, Jaime grew more and more nervous. While she was sure the Mask of the Mortal Face would fool the formations protecting the mountain, she could be wrong. She would know for sure when the formations reacted, or didn’t react, to her presence. Each step felt heavier than the last as she approached the invisible boundary. When she reached it, she stepped through and…nothing happened. Jaime let out a sigh of relief.
While she kept a calm expression on her face, or Cassandra’s face, internally, she celebrated. This was perfect. She now had a means to enter Mt. Wind Dance with impunity. Even the sentries that watched over the mountain dismissed her. She felt them glance at her with their mind sense, but otherwise ignored her presence. Oh, she wished she could meet the creator of the mask. She would have loved to become their disciple.
Following Cassandra’s memories, Jaime went up the mountain path leading to Young Mistress Vera’s home. When she passed one of the houses near the foot of the mountain, however, a wave of uneasiness washed over her. She stopped to look around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Rather than linger, and perhaps attract attention, she continued on her way. Soon, the uneasiness faded away.
Jaime frowned. She would have to investigate that. If something, or someone, became aware of her presence, that would jeopardize her mission and her life. The sooner they were dealt with, in whatever way was necessary, the better.
It didn’t take Jaime too long to reach Young Mistress Vera’s home. The house was dark. No one else was awake. She made her way to Cassandra’s personal quarters, another luxury mortal servants in other locations never received, but a voice stopped her in her tracks.
“What do you think you’re doing awake at this hour?” a sharp voice said in a low volume.
A light turned on and Jamie started when she saw a beautiful young woman standing off to the side. Jaime had been so focused on reaching Cassandra’s quarters that she had missed the young woman’s presence. Jaime chastised herself. This was a mistake worthy of a novice, or even a mortal. Thanks to Cassandra’s memories, she knew who the woman was. Bella Thorburn, Young Mistress Vera’s handmaiden.
From what Cassandra remembered, Bella was an arrogant and condescending woman, who thought her position as Young Mistress Vera’s handmaiden gave her leave to order the other servants around. It didn’t, but Cassandra had always capitulated to Bella’s demands. The servant girl had been conflict averse, and always gave in. Jaime gritted her teeth. She would have to act the same way if she wished to blend in.
“I-…I,” Jaime stuttered, mimicking Cassandra’s mannerisms.
Bella smirked at her.
“Well, well, well,” she said. “It looks like we have a little sneak in this household. I’m sure the Young Mistress would love to hear about how one of her servants had been out late at night doing ancestors know what. Meeting a certain farm boy, perhaps?”
Jaime blanched at this, or pretended to at least. On the inside, she sneered at Bella’s attempt at being clever. She wanted to teach this uppity mortal a lesson, both for her sake and for Cassandra’s. Having access to the poor girl’s memories and personality had given her a newfound sympathy for Cassandra. Jaime had murdered her, yes, but she had done so painlessly, and for a purpose. Bella had been cruel and demeaning towards Cassandra just for the sake of it. Cruelty had its place, yes. Pointless cruelty, however, just angered Jaime.
“How do you know about that?” Jaime asked in a meek voice.
“Oh, I have my sources, Cassandra,” Bella said. “I know you’ve been seeing that farm boy for a while now. I’ll admit, I was surprised when I learned this. I didn’t think you were that type of girl. Once the Young Mistress learns about your outings, I’m sure she will dismiss you. I wonder how your family will react when they find out.”
Cassandra’s family would punish her, and maybe even disown her. Young Mistress Vera, however, probably wouldn’t care. Jaime didn’t know much about the woman, because Cassandra hadn’t, but from the little she did know, Young Mistress Vera wasn’t overbearing or demanding. Jaime couldn’t risk being dismissed, however.
“Please don’t tell anyone, I beg of you,” Jaime pleaded, her voice thick with tears.
“Hmm, well, since you asked so nicely,” Bella said, a malicious smile on her face. “I suppose I can keep my mouth shut. However, I expect to be compensated for my silence. Give me a quarter of your wages every month, and I won’t tell a soul about what I saw. I’ll even be generous and help you meet up with your little beau.”
Greedy little bitch.
“A quarter?” Jaime squeaked.
“Is that too little? You could always give me half.”
Jaime gritted her teeth. This arrogant mortal dared to blackmail her? Oh, Jaime was going to kill Bella before she left Mt. Wind Dance. It was going to be painful too. Jaime had several poisons that took a while to kill their victim, and made their last moments a living hell. All it would take was a single drop, and her problems would go away.
That was for later, however. For now, she needed to play along.
“A quarter is fine,” Jaime said.
“Good. Now, go to bed. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”
With that, Bella left. Jaime watched her go for a moment, before she headed towards her own quarters. Tomorrow would indeed be a busy day indeed, and Jaime no longer needed to sleep, she would spend that time sorting through Cassandra’s memories.