The Duke's Bride

[Countess Elaina Moorwood]

"It's different for you!" I say pushing back "you get to grieve the dead! I live every day of my life knowing my mother tried to kill me! I have to morn the living. Knowing every day they live they hate me, I have to be the savior of the kingdom because that's what's expected of me and if I fail they'll kill me. And now I'm failing! If I had studied more I could have found a better way but no! I'm just some cursed child who didn't have the sense to die"

[Lance Roidmet]

Something dark and sympathetic shows in his eyes for a moment before his face shutters. "Get some rest, Elaina. Things will look up in the morning." A pause, then, "I'll take care of this."

[Countess Elaina Moorwood]

I sniff and shake my head "a meeting has been arranged mid day my self and one gard...." I trail off yawning curling up on the floor

[Lance Roidmet]

"Sleep," he says again, and she finds herself cradled against his broad, bare chest. He;s warm, surprisingly so; it's soothing, in a way. he lays her gently in his bed, and tucks her in. "Sleep."

[Countess Elaina Moorwood]

I nestle into the blankets comforted by his words

[Lance Roidmet]

Lance watches her sleep for a moment, then goes to his trunk, opening it. For the first time, he willingly pulls on the greatcoat within, the one etched with his family's arms. He pulls a brush through his wild tangle of hair, pulling it up into a high bun; he buttons the greatcoat across his bare chest, still not bearing to put on a shirt, then straps a greatsword to his back and stands. 

He pulls boots onto his bare feet, then storms off, saddling up one of the carriage horses and riding back toward the castle on the horizon. He doesn't seem to care for the rain, nor for the fact that the horse starts as he approaches, as if eager to get away from him. He rides with the surity of a man trained to ride since birth, a man who fears nothing but the delay of his message -- or his vengeance. 

[NPCs]

Upside down. Even before sounds begin to trickle in, before she realizes that her eyes are bound, before she feels the sting of magethorn manacles-- proper ones, of ash thorn wood backed with bronze, with three times three spikes of silver stabbing a centimeter or so into her flesh-- her inner ear tells her she's upside. Naked and drenched in cold water that's gritty with salt as well, just to put some icing on the cake.

"Good. You're awake. Then shall we begin?"

[Tova koshack]

My mouth feels like Colten wool but I take a breath proper manicals for a witch....it'll tale time to free myself. Still they didn't count on an angelic witch and not a demonic one. I can still feel my bonds but week. This will take some time if I were to use spells. Still there's something to be said about blunt force.  Their words cut through my thought. Start what? Torture. I take another breath and force my body to go limp.

"Fuck you" I spit at the voice "baroc hata adonie" I Belgian to pray testing the bonds they his and fizzle and burn. Their strong but I can burn them out if I try still I play the part a scream and curse.

[NPCs]

"Milord, she is casting," a voice says urgently. 

There's a pause, then a soft chuckle is given just before a stream of capsicum infused oil is sprayed directly into Tova's mouth. "Well, that is a surprise. It's a rare witch that can focus past the pain of a Sin-Sear Manacle. Restrain her, if you would be so kind as to bind her ankles?"

"And perhaps her throat and upper arms, milord?"

"Hmm. Just her upper arms. I find having a subject's throat bound ruins their ability to... hold a proper discourse, shall we say?" Multiple chuckle at that comment, at least three, perhaps four. So... Including 'milord' that means she's been held by at four people at minimum. 

[Tova koshack]

Sin sear and capsasim fin for haratics but barely enough for those of angelic alignment. Four captors. I feel the added restraints. And growl. I can feel the pull on my bond with Eliana and her kind. Demonic channeling will hurt but it will give them a clear picture of what to find.

I scream in agony and for one hot second I allow our demonic allies access to my mind to my eyes and body the pain is almost unbearable but I've felt worse. I fall limo angenst the chains panting weeping but it was enough they know where I am

There coming for me

I just have to wait this out

[NPCs]

"Shear and bleed her first," comes the order. "I want Bloodweave rope on her within the hour." That... will be a problem. It's no Saint-Bane in terms of restraints, even both use the same principle of being tailored for a specific person and thus working exceedingly well against them and pretty much only them. 

Then again, if her captor had been able to find her father's bones to hammer quicksilver, obsidian and the teeth of a carnivore that has never tasted meat, blood or milk only to then have to use the resulting clay to cast a mixture of a dozen different pure metals into links the size of rice grains that are then used to make a chain in the time available, then she and Eliana would be fucked already. 

Still, they at least don't seem to have realized Tova sent out a call for help, so there's that much going for her...

[Tova koshack]

I gently feel my family bond. Papa is still alive and far from here as I knew him to be.... still a blood relatives would work.... this will be hard but not impossible. Still this will be an ordeal...... but I can use both angelic and demonic but with the blood binding that will be harder. I take a breath, go limp.... you are not a body but a soul.... you are just a soul in a prison of flesh and bone... limp...... limp....... I am a soul and nothing else the physical is an illiosoun...... it's an illiousion

[NPCs]

She feels the scrap of a razor over her scalp, then sharp stabbing pain on both inner thighs. The razor continues, removing every strand of hair from her body, but the lancet only does its work the twice. Before that even finishes, things progress in a most displeasing fashion. It's whips that come first, of course. It's always whips that come first. Then hot coals, cold salt water and small, thin hooks. Every so often, the torture stops and medicine is administered. It always resumes the second the surgeon steps back, never giving her time to really rest. Over and over again, until it seems like forever.

[Tova koshack]

Focuse. You are just a soul in a body focuse. Find it find your bonds find it deep down sink through the pain. Down down down

There small and white hot. My bond with the divine branded with my bond to the earth and my bond to the demonic. Hold them fast hold them firm let the ordeal of the body be a catalyst for this work.

My hair, my flesh, my blood, my pain and suffering given freely to you oh Yeshua god of Abraham and Issic, given freely to you of hepsiba queen of the earth, given freely to you Lilith demon queen of sucubi and concubine eternal of abadon high king of demons.  Hear my pray and see my will. When the sun reaches high noon destroy this place and all who benefit and delight in the suffering of those trapped here. Bring down fire from the he wants and crumble the earth beneath their feet, feast upon their flesh.

Avenge your most faithful survent. Yeshua, avenge me, Hepsuba, avenge me, Lilith and Abadon avenge me!

I feel the bond catch as the coils are wrapped around me. My spell is cast if they kill me it no longer matters. This place will be distorted at noon and Eliana will have an army to sweep across this land and bring forth a better world for all people. My death will not be for nothing

The world once more goes black

[Lance Roidmet]

At some point in Lance's break-neck ride, he's hailed by three large black wolves. They force his horse the wrong way at a crossroad, and while Lance tries to fight them, they stay just out of range of his sword. When he gives up and decides to go around the next town instead of into it, he is diverted again, until he meets up with a white wolf leading a small army on horseback. 

The black wolves vanish into the woods again, and Lance leads the charge toward the castle once more, slowly only when they get close. The gates of course are shut overnight, as it's nearly dawn but not quite, and he doesn't exactly have the standing to order them open.