I considered that. It made a certain amount of sense. “Elias wanted to enslave demons and use them as a private army. But not with a normal bond. He wanted those slave runes. That might have drawn the attention of a demon lord, or several. So a cult started infiltrating his operation.” I reasoned.

“What about the other two high inquisitors?” Lucy asked.

“I am not sure. I never saw Peter or Carolin. But I was just a pawn.” Minerva said.

“Who bound you? Who exactly was your master?” I asked. “We killed Elias so you should have been free if it was him.”

“I do not know. I had orders to follow my superiors without question. I am not sure who gave the original order. My memories directly after the enslavement are blurry.”

“Could Elias have been controlled as well?” Lucy wondered.

“I doubt it. The enslavement weakens you. I don’t think he could have unleashed that last spell in our fight while being controlled. What I don’t understand is why he attacked Iron Rock before he managed to properly enslave the demons.”

“Politics.” Lily suggested. “Remember he had dealings with Beira. The emperor also likely knew that he was meddling with demons. Maybe he needed an excuse for his summoning and proposed an invasion? He could use the attack as a cover-up for his experiments. It even allowed him to have troops outside of the country, where he could easily hide his own plans from rivals.”

Lily’s theory sounded plausible. If Elias was working in secret he needed something to keep the emperor distracted. Something to make sure his true plan remained hidden. But what if he wasn’t working alone? Who was running things now?

“Were any non-humans enslaved?” I asked. We knew it did not work on demons. Maybe they needed a different formula for every race?

“I do not know, sorry.” Minerva answered.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I can see why this drew your attention.” Thessia addressed me. She had been quiet for a while. “And I can see why you came to my temple. Enslaving people with their own mana, their own body, is very unnatural. Sylphania is not happy about this and her clergy will help you.”

“Thank you.” I said.

“We can send a representative to your court to coordinate.” Thessia offered.

I looked at her, confused. “Uh, I don’t have a court.”

Thessia stared at me. “You are telling me an archfey,” Minerva gasped. The dryad ignored her and pointed at Lucy. “Accompanied by the most powerful warlock I have ever seen.” Minerva gasped, again. Thessia pointed at Lily. “And a fully bonded knight, something that needs an elemental lord's assistance, has no court?”

“Yes.” I suppose I had a county in the Dominion. I might even have staff there, somewhere. But nothing resembling a court. I assumed she was talking about the faerie realm anyway.

Thessia opened her mouth but said nothing. She kept staring at me. Her eyes became unfocused. It looked as if her mind was suddenly busy with something. Was she having a mental conversation? Doing something with her tree? It only lasted a moment and she was back.

“I… I see.” She said, “Forgive my inquisitive nature. I am more than happy to be your contact with the church, if that is acceptable.”

I had no idea what just happened but I had no objections. “Sure.”

Minerva seemed shocked by the revelation. “You are an archfey? Not just a powerful sorceress? I… I fought with a fey knight?”

“They did not tell you who your target was?” Lucy asked. “Who gave the order anyway?”

“Prince Alexander. He ordered me to kill you. I was only told you are a sorceress from the Dominion.”

“What?” I was surprised. And confused. “But he is not part of the inquisition?”

“He is not but the enslavement compelled me to follow his orders. I do not know why.”

“He is too dumb to be part of any plot.” Lucy said.

“I would agree. Unless he is a very good actor. It’s more likely that someone used him for his influence. Or money. I assume a 3rd prince has access to a lot of resources. Maybe someone wanted him as a puppet? They could have bribed him with slaves. Gave him control over a few of their people. And maybe they planned to control him as well in the end. Put a slave on the throne and rule from the shadows.” I suggested.

“Could be.” Lucy admitted.

“All the speculation aside, we need a way to identify anyone who is controlled. And we need a way to make sure they are not captured again.” Unfortunately I did not have a great idea so far. “Any suggestions?”

“Could they complete the ritual themselves? Be their own master?” Lucy suggested.

“That… maybe? I think there could be some problems though. A random thought might command their body to do something. Thinking ‘I would like to punch that person’ might be seen as a command by their body. That is assuming the ritual would even work.”

“What about a bond?” Lily suggested.

“It could work, depending on the bond. But I am unsure if I could easily replicate yours. It was built upon an existing one that I can’t just form with a human. I would have to give it some more thought. But if the problem is on a large scale we need something different.”

“If they were changed by alchemy we should consult an alchemist.” Thessia said. “I know one that we can trust.”