Airess took a step forward towards Eryx–
“Ah, ah, ah!” Eryx waived his pointer finger in the air. “You move and he dies. You come with me, and I’ll release him.”
Airess looked to Taryn, her eyes desperate. He hated what he saw in her eyes at that moment, a promise he didn’t want her making for him. A promise that she would do it. Taryn shook his head as he gritted his teeth.
“Cease inflicting pain on him and I’ll consider.” Airess bargained. Eryx released his Magickal grip on his body and mind. Taryn loosened a breath, his muscles now relaxed. The Guildmaster nodded slowly, a sardonic grin upturning the corners of his mouth.
“Airess, stop.” Taryn begged.
Airess charged forward, intending to strike Eryx before an object zipped through the air and met its mark, a small arrow only a few inches long embedded in Airess’ arm, completely covered in the green glow of donstenyte poisoning. It wasn’t big enough to cause serious damage. No, these arrows were ones Taryn was familiar with. They were designed to inject a substance or poison into their target.
Airess hissed, her hand instinctively covering the flesh wound, the arrow still in her arm.
“Sorry dear, we can’t have you losing control when I kill him, or whenhekills you.”
As Taryn began to move, intending to attack the Guildmaster, Eryx gripped Taryn’s body and mind with his Magick once again, this time with an iron fist. Airess screamed to stop him, but someone rushed out to restrain her. Taryn looked up, betrayal rooting deep in his chest.
Raiden had come from another room and had Airess in a chest lock, a bow and arrow strapped to his back. He looked to Taryn for a moment before looking to Eryx for further direction, like the docile servant he had turned out to be. Taryn supposed he should have expected Raiden to choose the Guild over him, it was where his loyalties have always been, and always will be. Still, the betrayal had stung nonetheless.
White hot pain overcame his vision, his ability to hear had been taken away, save for Eryx's condescending voice. “You could have had a long life if you hadn’t chosen betrayal. Pity. I suppose it would have always come down to this either way.”
Eryx stepped closer. He bent down and whispered, “Kill her.”
No.
No.
No!
Hands gripping the floor, Taryn tried his best to fight off the compulsion Eryx set upon him. He would not harm Airess, hecouldn’t. And yet, his body trembled, aching to harm her. Taryn gritted his teeth as pain seared hot in the back of his mind.
“Quit fighting it, boy.”
Taryn looked up, eyes watering as he looked at Airess in Raiden’s grip. Raiden looked away, letting go of Airess and shoving her on the ground hard. She fell a few feet away from him, and the desire to harm her from the compulsion burned stronger.
“Do as you are told.Kill her!” Eryx ordered impatiently.
Taryn cried out in frustration as his freewill over his body broke. He got up, and strode over to Airess. She was struggling to get to her feet when he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to standing. She shrieked as he spun her to face him, gripping both of her arms and slamming her against a crumbled wall.
“End this,” Taryn pleaded to her, eyes watering. “You can make it Rune. Youhaveto.”
Her eyes were a mixture of fear and anger. He shuddered at the thought of her fearing him, at the thought that she believed he would ever harm her.
Slowly, she shook her head and whispered, “You can fight this.”
Taryn growled and threw her on the ground, part of it being the compulsion, and the other part trying as hard as he could to stall. She fell like a rag doll, crawling to get away, but she wasn’t quick enough.
Taryn pounced on her, dragging her back down and straddling her waist with his own, all the while shaking his head as he watched his own body in horror.
“You can kill me,” He begged. “Just do it.”
He unsheathed a blade strapped to his waste and held it up to her neck, watching his own limb betray him, betrayher. Airess breathed shallow breaths, the fear growing all too real, as she angled her neck as far away as she could, his blade grazing her neck and drawing blood.
“Fight it,” She whispered. “We have plans. I can’t do them alone.” She gave him a weak half smile.
The blade trembled in Taryn’s hand, the compulsion overriding his free will.
We have plans. I can’t do them alone.
