Late at night Fenwick sits in the study of his manor, clenching the sides of his armchair with two women standing over him. Pepper stands alongside a woman with short blue hair in a long black dress. He turns to the two with Pepper keeping her eyes shut, with the other woman looking over at her.
“Pepper, have you heard from Lika? I haven’t heard from her since she set out this morning?”
Pepper shakes her head. “I have not.”
“The Knights have not returned from their exertion to Jubert Island and, with Lika missing, our forces are down.” The woman shakes her head and turns to Fenwick. “Something is going on. Someone is here dismantling our forces!”
Fenwick nods. “I know. I know it’s Glyn.”
“The Half-Elf? How and why would he be doing this?”
Fenwick sighs. “He’s undermining me. He set up some ambush on Jubert Island and drew in my Knights. And he’s taken out the Rooks in the mines.”
“The Golems?”
“With Lika gone, that just leaves you two. Pepper, Jenna, I’m relying on you to find and end Glyn before it’s too late.”
Jenna bows to him. “Of course, my Lord.”
“Yes Sir,” Pepper says.
Fenwick eyes Pepper. “Pepper, how goes the reports on the rebels? Glyn likely teamed up with them and took Lika hostage.”
“Hostage?”
“It’s not in his nature to kill someone. He’d rather leave them alive, even if it costs him in the long run.”
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Jenna pauses. “He didn’t seem that way at school.”
“That’s because you never got close to him. He gives off an air of not caring, but I know he cares too much. I’ve seen what he does for the people he cares for.” Fenwick laughs. “Maybe trying to tie him down with his sister was a terrible decision in the long run?”
“Fenwick.”
“Well, no matter. Jenna makes retrieving Lika your top priority. Pepper, make killing Glyn yours.”
“Of course, Sir. But first, we have to locate them.”
“The rebel base was already discovered. Of course, you should already know that.”
“Huh?”
Jenna wraps her arms around Pepper and grins. “Pepper, you should know we were onto you from day one. We already knew what you were up to with the rebels, but it was cute, so we let it slide until now.”
“What?”
“It’s easy to tell where my Queen is at all times. You’re are one of my most valuable pieces after all.”
Pepper struggles against Jenna as her hand raises to her chest. “It’s going to hurt more if you struggle. Just relax and it’ll be over soon.”
“No, stop!”
“Pepper don’t worry. I’m going to look past your betrayal. We’ll move past this together in the end.”
Magical energy rises around Pepper as it coats her body, with Jenna breaking through it and shoving her hand into Pepper’s chest. Black tendrils grow from her fingertips into Pepper’s chest as she screams out in pain.
“Subjugation!” Jenna yells out.
In a flash of light Jenna steps to Fenwick’s side as Pepper collapses to her knees, a large black spike protruding from her chest. After a moment Jenna moves her fingers and Pepper rises in a trance, the spike glowing with an ominous pale light.
“Your subjugation magic improves every day, Jenna,” Fenwick says with a smile.
Jenna smirks. “Of course. Once we’re ready, I’ll unleash my sleeper agents in the rebels and have their dear Lady Pepper used as a weapon against them. Not to mention my monsters.”
Fenwick smirks. “You’re reveling in your sadism.”
“Come now, you know that’s the part you love about me.” Jenna leans in to him and the pair share a brief kiss. “No playtime tonight?”
“Sadly no. With Glyn here, we’re going to have to be more serious. I want to see him dead before nighttime tomorrow.”
“Understood my Lord.”
“Good. Now Pepper, just put up with that discomfort for just a little while and all will be forgiven.”
Pepper nods, still in a trance as her fingers twitch randomly. Fenwick laughs with Jenna joining him and all Pepper can do is watch on inside her mind. Staring at the two, relenting to her powerlessness.