The Price of Her Obsession

her by her sacrifice. She lavished attention on this intangible presence, speaking to it, sharing her plans, her triumphs within The Order. It was a disturbing

it" and The Matriarch' s devotion. It was to be a display of her power and her unwavering love. The irony was almost too

high seat, Lucian at her side, her gaze fell upon Ethan, who

peaking for what she believed M

us Thorne, ever playful even in his ethereal state, has a desire. He remembers the Cole famil

gh the assembled me

oved asks that you dance for us, Cole. A dance of de

c and profound. Th

"You heard him, Ethan. My Marcus wishes it. Dance." Her

abuse and the recent ordeal in Maine. The chains clinked.

ught himself, continued. It was a dance of a broken puppet, a mockery of grace, a physical manifestation of

tching a mildly interesting insect. There was no flicker of pity, no hint of remors

er, a brutish man named Kaelen, stepped forward. Kaelen had a reputation for

"A boon, if I may. For my years of service.

fted" to Kaelen was a fate many

cruel smile touched her lips. She turned back to Ethan,

ckery. "Commander Kaelen wishes for your company.

ce was another of he

oes that word have here, Matriarch? I am a stone. I am dust. I am whatever you wish me to be. T

d to displease her more than defiance. "Very well," she said sharply, turning to Kaelen. "He is you

edator' s smile. "Th

ll and shackled him with new, heavier manacles. He was led away,

ole," Kaelen sneered, his face close to Ethan' s. "A plaything. But I see utility. And perhaps some...

is quarters, while secure, were part of a less-guarded wing of the fortress. And Kaelen had one weakness: a reliance on a par

itas," a Book of Truths, where the deepest secrets were supposedly recorded, including the true histories of its most prominent figures – li

Kaelen bent over him, contempt on his face, Ethan moved. It was a clumsy, desperate attack, but it caught Kaelen off guard. A struggle, brutal and short. Ethan,

bruised and bleeding fingers fumbled with the interface. He was sear

agment, in a secure file Kaelen shouldn't have had acc

to go

level was ancient, dust-filled, the air thick with the smell of decay and forgo

d a crumbling seal, was a heavy, i

the language dense. But he found the section on Seraphina

nd the wor

alculated manipulations, his faked death to escape gambling debts and underworld figures he' d double-crossed, his utter contempt for Seraphina even as he used

l injuries he' d sustained, the massive resources he' d expended, the strict orders for secrecy – all meticulously documented b

soul-crushing sorrow for the wasted years, the pointless suffering. Seraphina... she didn' t know.

ing down his face, a storm of emot

e contorted with rage, a bloody gash on his foreh

The Matriarch will be so displeased." Kaelen' s e

ive. Seraphina. Her eyes, cold as ice, took in the scene: Ethan,

g of this, Kaelen?"

my datapad, and then broke into the forbi

on the book in his hands. A flicker o

g speed. A single, precise strike, and Kaelen crumpled to the

ed them, her voice dangerousl

expression unreadable. "W

urning brand in his mind. He couldn