She shook her head with an air of pure confusion. “I know, but this was different. In the crematorium, I heard them try to use their compulsion on you. But I’m certain I never experienced something like that. Even after this happened, we tried some recall spells to expose what my subconscious might have buried, but I’ve seen nothing. How they got to us is a complete mystery.”
I frowned and pinched my lips as I reflected on her words. “What did he promise you? What future was he dangling before you to convince you to throw away the life you had dedicated yourself to and for which you sacrificed so much?”
She gave me a sad smile, full of self-derision. “Simply his endless and undying love. Contrary to what everyone here—and probably you as well—thought, I wasn’t seeking power or any other such things, despite what I might have said in the crematorium. I just wanted his love.”
My heart constricted once more for how broken and defeated she looked. It made it all the harder for me to ask the next question. I hated picking on someone who was already down, but I needed answers and to better understand how he was manipulating them.
“I hear what you’re saying and believe you. However, I’m confused as to how you thought this was going to work out. After all, he had Sienna and is also holding the other ten missing clerics. How can he promise you his endless love while building a harem that he intended to bring me into as well?”
The pain that flashed over her features heightened the guilt I felt at asking her such cruel questions. But they were necessary,if only to further help her fight her way out of the compulsion that had robbed her of any rational thinking.
“I hated it,” Vivian confessed angrily. “Whenever I was away from him, I would think about how much I resented it. But the moment I saw his face or heard his voice, none of that mattered anymore. Sharing him was a small price to pay to bask in his presence. The hardest part is that, even though I am now fully aware that I’m being mind-controlled, I still want to go to him. If he was standing before me right this minute, I cannot swear that I wouldn’t attack you just to be with him.”
Her voice broke down on that last sentence, and she started sobbing, her face buried in her hands. A wave of pity crashed over me. I closed the distance between us and caressed her hair in a soothing fashion.
“Do not blame yourself for what was done to you. You are the victim. Indoctrination takes a while to fade away. Even down the road, certain events could trigger a relapse if not properly reverted. But we will make sure you get the best treatment possible so that you can go back to being the staunch protector of the realm that you have been up until this nightmare found you. We all stumble and fall at one point in our lives. But you aren’t alone. The Order will help you get back up.”
She looked at me with a sliver of hope that also gave me a glimpse into the strong woman she used to be before this entire mess. I wanted to believe she would emerge even stronger afterwards.
“Is there anything more you can tell us?” I asked gently. “Any places he has taken you? Places you’ve seen? Things he asked you to do for him?”
Vivian shook her head looking even more dismayed by the situation.
“No. The craziest part is that today was our first time meeting. Of this, I’m certain. And yet, I have such vivid memories of having sex with him. But that’s impossible…”
“They’re illusions to reinforce the indoctrination,” Lyall suddenly interjected, surprising us both. “By convincing you that you were already long-time lovers, you would have far less qualms acting accordingly. This means they’ve been brainwashing you for quite a while. It is disturbing that you cannot remember when those events occurred. Until we figure it out, all of you might still be at risk. The question is why did Elliot imply that you had been charged to bring him Eleni? Did you know this was going to happen?”
Vivian hesitated before nodding. “I didn’t know when Eleni would show up, but only that the day she came to the Sanctum, I was to bring her to Elliot, as foreseen by an Oracle.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine. A terrifying memory attempted to rear its head, and I immediately clamped down on it.
“Are you saying that you were tasked to bringmespecifically?” I asked, flabbergasted.
Vivian nodded again, this time with an apologetic look. “He said that they needed the Senior Inquisitor from the Curia for a ritual.”
“So that didn’t necessarily mean me, Eleni Stavros. It could have been any of my peers who might have been assigned in my stead,” I said, slightly relieved.
“Yes, I guess,” Vivian said, uncertain. “Your name wasn’t specifically stated.”
“What ritual did they want to perform?” Lyall demanded, his voice hardening, although his blossoming anger wasn’t aimed at her.
“I don’t know,” Vivian replied sheepishly. “In one of the vivid sex dreams I had with him, we were lying in each other’s arms,and he said that once the ritual was completed, he and I would be one forever.”
“That sounds more like you were going to be used as a sacrifice, not kept as his mate,” Lyall countered.
Vivian blanched, and I groaned inwardly. While the same thought flashed through my mind as soon as she spoke those words, I would have shared that suspicion in a far gentler fashion.
“Do you know whether the other clerics who have gone missing are still alive?” I asked softly.
“Elliot said they were,” she replied in a subdued voice.
“Do you know where they are?” I insisted.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
Fighting back my growing frustration with the lack of lead, I prodded further. “Has he shared anything else? His future plans? A specific location? A date when the final ritual was to take place?”
Vivian hesitated again and chewed her bottom lip as she pondered. I couldn’t tell whether she was scanning her memory or debating how honest she wanted to be.
