The room is dark, the only light source available being a singularly lit candle. The weak flickering of the flame bounces off the stained glass behind the priest, illuminating the lines and furrows on his gaunt face.

Eben slumps in the plush chair, wounds smarting as he attempts to adjust his position. He hadn’t been given an opportunity to treat the slashes and cuts all over his body. The priest had commanded his guards to take Eben to his office immediately.

Being brought here again made him anxious, his heartbeat seeming to flutter in tandem with fat raindrops beginning to splatter against the window. What punishment could be awaiting him? Would Sheppard really object to Eben protecting Adder?

Still, being here was probably a good sign his punishment wouldn't be too severe. He can’t say the same for Fern, who had been towed away as she screamed and sobbed, begging for forgiveness.

The half-elf jolts as a boom of thunder outside shakes the office, followed by a flash of lightning that eerily illuminates the priest's dead eyes in the dark.

Finally, Sheppard begins speaking, breaking the uneasy silence.

“Eben, can you explain what exactly has occurred, tonight?”

Eben clenches the armrests. “My… former companion came back to rob the town again, this time with reinforcements. Fern and I fought them off and prevented more carnage...Can I ask why she was taken away in restraints?”

Sheppard leans forward on the desk, hands clenched. “What awaits sister Fern is no concern of yours. Your concern is the gorgon. Why wasn’t he here tonight?”

Eben tenses, baring his teeth. “Because he got shredded by chimeras! He was in no condition to fight!”

Sheppard smirks. The look freezes Eben’s heart with icy fear. “I’m quite surprised to hear such… concern in your tone, my child. Have you really come to care for our serpent that much? Even after you attempted to run away from him?”

Eben blanches, how did he know?

“No, I— I didn’t mean—“

Sheppard interrupts, voice lowering to an almost inhuman rumble. “Make no mistake, half-breed, the magic that binds you to Adder also binds you to me. I will be able to tell if you tamper with it or attempt to escape.”

The half-elf glares defiantly. “Don’t worry. It won’t happen again. It wasn’t exactly pleasant to endure.”

Sheppard laughs cruelly, the look of amusement on his weathered face illuminated by the sickly glow of lightning streaking through stained glass.

“Is it the curse keeping you here, or your growing affection for the gorgon?”

Eben can’t help the flush that rises in his cheeks. “So what if we get along? Shouldn’t you be glad his servant likes him?”

Sheppard leans back, wrinkled hands straightening the blood-red stole. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing. Only, it’s a bit concerning considering what he did to the last person who got too attached.”

Eben scowled. “You mean Helia, right? Adder did nothing wrong, she asked him to do it!”

Sheppard nods, face mimicking a sorrowful expression. “Yes, did Adder explain why?”

At the shake of Eben’s head, the priest continues. “Helia had been assigned as Adder’s servant for her crime of practicing witchcraft. She was committed to redeeming herself to the church through her service.”

The priest pauses just before a crack of thunder reverberates in the room, sending a chill down the half-elf’s spine.

“However, she came to view Adder as more than just her duty. She began to see him as her son.”

“So what? What's wrong with that?”

Sheppard grimaced, seemingly showing true emotion for once. “The issue is Adder isn’t human. He wasn’t her child, he is a monster. When she couldn’t accept the fact I couldn’t change that, she chose to end her life.”

The priest’s eyes burn into Eben’s. “Don’t forget; you are not here to be Adder’s new toy. You are here to make sure he keeps Nǣdre Tor safe. Do not make the same mistake Helia did, or there will be consequences. Do you understand?”

Eben meets the priest’s eyes, stubbornly refusing to respond.

“I said—” The priest snaps his fingers, causing the snake around Eben’s throat to constrict. “Do you understand?”

Eben chokes, hands scrabbling at his neck as he finally gives in. “gkk— yes!”

The pressure releases. Eben coughs as he gasps for precious air.

Sheppard grins smugly. “Good.”

The priest reaches over to the wall where Eben can see a set of servant bells on the wall. A few minutes after ringing, a set of nuns appear.

“Take this one to the infirmary. Inform Sister Daisy to report to me come morning.”

The women nod demurely, picking up Eben by his armpits and roughly dragging him to his fate. Eben sighs, recognizing an eerie sense of deja vu. How many times can one man tolerate being manhandled by nuns?

The nuns carry Eben through a winding corridor, lit only by the light of their lanterns. The pain in his side throbs with each jostle, and he bites his cheek to suppress a groan.

As they enter the infirmary, Eben takes a glance around the room. He observes that he is in a large, sparsely furnished room. There are quite a few cots that line the infirmary as if they were prepared at any moment to house a crowd of injured townsfolk.

A single oil lamp on a nearby table casts a dim glow around the room. Eben watches it as he turns over the night’s occurrences in his mind. One of the women, a greying elder, begins to treat his wounds

“So is Fern really going to be punished? She was only protecting the town, she didn't attack any of the villagers.”

The nun gives a quick tug of Eben’s wrappings, causing the half-elf to gasp in pain. “It’s not my place to say what will happen to Sister Fern, but she did break one of Father Sheppard’s most important rules.”

Eben’s hand comes to rest over his injury, now wrapped securely under layers of gauze. He was definitely missing the vampire’s impeccable bedside manners.

“What rule did she break?”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The other woman speaks up, eyes downcast. “She intentionally resisted suppressing her vampiric nature, and exposed the villagers to her darkness.”

Eben huffs in disbelief. “Surely there should be an exception for saving lives or self-defense? Are you really afraid of her now?”

The old woman’s eyes shine a luminous green in the dim infirmary. “It’s not me who is afraid— it’s the villagers who will be. If they come to fear us, it will ruin all we have built here in Nǣdre Tor”

Eben blinks, surprised. “I know there are inhumans who live here, are they all members of the church?”

The woman nods, face stern. “Yes. The pantheon provides a place of safety and community for our kind. Fern jeopardized everything with what she did last night.”

This new information made a lot of things slot into place. Eben had wondered how the Priest was able to cast such powerful spells as a human. But he’d heard things about the power of ingredients sourced from monsters. Sheppard not only had access to the abundance of nature that surrounded the village, but also easy access to any of his devoted church members.

The thought makes Eben’s stomach roil, remembering the scales Sheppard had used to curse Eben. Did Adder give those willingly, or did Sheppard take them by force?

Still, Eben had never seen a curse like the one around his neck. Just how was Sheppard able to so quickly cast his spells with such ease? Eben had not been exposed to many wizards, but most he’d seen tended to need some prep to mix their potions or draw their runes.

“Get some rest.” The older woman commands. “You will need it for your journey back tomorrow.”

Eben lies back on his cot as the nun extinguishes the lantern and leaves with her younger companion, leaving him in the dark. His thoughts wander to Adder as he attempts to drift to sleep.

Worry for his friend clouds his mind. The gorgon had seemed okay when Eben had left, but he was still severely injured. Would he be okay without the half-elf there?

There was also the terrifying fact that Eben had apparently used magic on Adder unintentionally. What if there were side effects? Or what if the gorgon never woke up? Eben had no idea how magic worked or how to use it safely.

Eben closes his eyes, hands rubbing over his face with anxiety. He wished he could just wake up back at the cave already.

The night progresses slowly, with the half-elf being denied even a wink of sleep. All he can do is lie there listening to the storm outside, the howling wind and pounding rain seeming to mimic his internal turmoil.

When the first weak rays of dawn stream through the stained glass windows, Eben sighs with relief. Soon he will be reunited with his friend.

As if to confirm his belief, the echoing footsteps of shoes on stone tile announce that Daisy has come to retrieve him.

The blonde woman is surprisingly silent as she helps Eben walk to the cart awaiting them outside. Eben collapses into the back, grateful to finally be free of the oppressive atmosphere.

Daisy snaps the reins, spurring Fairy onward through the muddied streets. With a jolt, the cart begins to move forward, the humid air breezing through Eben’s messy hair.

As they travel through the town, Eben observes the glistening wet stone cottages and buildings that lined the paths. As they bump along the cobblestone paths, he warily notes the number of villagers who have come to watch them.

“What are they looking at?”

Daisy glances behind her at the sound of Eben’s voice. “I suspect they’re interested in you, Eben.”

Eben glares at the crowd. “They live in a town filled with creatures, they seriously can’t handle a pair of pointed ears by now?”

Daisy shakes her head. “It's not that. You saved lives last night. You and Fern both prevented more bloodshed... I think they’re grateful.”

Eben doesn’t believe her, but as they approach the slightly charred cottage from the previous night's chaos, he’s caught off guard. The half-elf blinks in disbelief as a small family of three emerges from the rubble and waves at them, genuine smiles on their faces.

Eben scoffs, slumping back into the cart. “We save the day and what do we get? Shipped off back to work and toted off to a jail cell?”

Daisy stiffens, the leather of the reigns seeming to creak under her grip. Eben expects to be called a heretic again, but the insults never come. Instead, Eben is surprised at the wetness gathered in the blonde's eyes.

“She broke the rules, Eben. The others are mad… You are getting off easy. Be glad you aren’t one of us.”

Eben is shocked at the pain in the woman’s voice. The sudden show of vulnerability tugs at his heartstrings. “Surely she won't endure anything too bad, right?”

A tear tracks down Daisy’s cheek as she stares ahead. “At best, she will be outcasted from the village…But it's a very real possibility they will execute her.”

Eben’s heart drops like a stone. Sure, he didn’t really consider the nuns his friends but they didn’t really seem like bad people. They were just two women stuck in a terrible situation, unaware of the danger that lurked.

And now, that danger had struck, taking sweet Fern…

“They won’t execute her. You just said the townspeople are grateful, right?”

Daisy shakes her head. “It’s not up to them. It’s up to Father Sheppard.”

Eben frowns. That didn’t bode well for the young woman. His stomach churns at the thought of her facing Father Sheppard's wrath… He knew firsthand how much of a bastard the priest could be.

“She doesn’t deserve this,” Eben murmurs under his breath.

Daisy just wipes the moisture from her eyes, refusing to comment.

As they finally reach the gate to the home he and Adder share, his heart leaps in his chest with anticipation. The rugged bandit in him tells him Eben is being pathetic, worrying so much for someone else like that.

But a newly formed part of him doesn’t care. Adder has sunk his claws in deep, and Eben knew ripping him out would hurt more than it was worth.

He expects Daisy to leave him at the gate, but he’s surprised when she steps down and grabs his arm to steady him.

“I’ll be fine… I’ve already healed a lot. You can head back now.”

Daisy’s face tightens. “I’m coming with you. Father Sheppard has decided that I need to… Keep an eye on you and Adder for a while.”

“What!?”

Eben groans into his hand. That will certainly complicate things. But there's no use in arguing, so Eben allows the nun to hold him up as he slowly limps to the cave.

As they enter, Eben glances around, eyes searching frantically for a sign of the gorgon. He was dreading coming back to find his friend trapped in the spot they left him, but somehow it's worse to come back and find the living area empty.

“Adder?” he calls out.

His voice echoes off the walls, bouncing back to him with an eerie echo. Eben's heart nervously flutters in his chest, wondering if the gorgon had wandered out into the storm and gotten hurt.

“Shh!” Daisy chides. “Don’t summon him here for God’s sake! I’ll help you to your room and the—”

The nun is interrupted by the gorgon erupting from under the pile of blankets. She gives a squeak of fear as Adder charges at Eben, pulling the half-elf into a constricting hug that irritates his wounds.

Eben smiles through the pain, returning the embrace. “Ow, Adder. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

Adder gives a rumbling growl the half-elf can feel in his entire body. “You ignorant fool! I thought you died! I told you to let me handle it!”

Eben is not intimidated at all. It's hard to be when the gorgon is holding him so gingerly now. “You can just say you were worried, Adder. The growling and insults are unnecessary theatrics.”

There's a shuffling beside the pair that reminds Eben that they have an audience. He tilts his head to look at Daisy, who looks completely flabbergasted at the affectionate scene before her.

Eben flushes, gently pushing his friend away. “Um, Adder, Daisy is going to stay here for a while.”

Adder turns to Daisy, who flinches and shuts her eyes immediately. “Ye— Yes. Father Sheppard decided that with both of you injured, you might need extra help…”

Eben rolls her eyes at the disproportionate amount of fear. “Would you quit it? I have yet to be petrified, woman..”

Daisy doesn’t take well to Eben’s tone, face contorting into a snarl. But the nun still jumps at the sound of Adder’s voice.

“Eben, don’t be rude…” Adder moves back to his blankets, picking up a strip of cloth.

He ties it around his eyes before turning back to Daisy. “You can look, I have my blindfold on.”

Cautiously, Daisy peeks through cracked eyes. When she sees the gorgon is telling the truth, Daisy fully opens her eyes. “Oh, uh, thank you…Adder.”

Adder smiles awkwardly, laying back down on the blankets. “I’m glad you’re here to help, Daisy. Eben was doing so much by himself…”

Daisy glances between Eben and Adder, still looking bewildered. “Uh, glad to be here?”