Cores are alive!

  Don't let them tell you otherwise. Cores are living breathing creatures that use Constructs as their homes. And then we Awakened abuse their habitat and turn them into power generators.

  Anyone who's ever dealt with a Core knows the truth yet no one will admit it. No one will acknowledge the enslavement of creatures to support our society.

  Free the Cores! Free the Co-

  ~ * ~

  "Phelann. Your timing is, as always, as impeccable as your style," Valene said with a smile. "I need to be going but I know they will be in good hands."

  Shutting the door behind her he gestured down the hall. "Phelann, meet Lady Lysanya and Sebastian of Holding Syl. Lady Lysanya and Sebastian, Phelann."

  Anya took a half step forward to greet the arrival, her grip on Seb's hand causing her to nearly bump her shoulder against his arm. Before she could speak Phelann, Valene's protege she assumed, interrupted.

  "Sir. I must protest. You sent me here, had me deal with that impossibly talkative local Seer, made me use Shallows travel to get here as quickly as possible, and yet I arrive to find you here? You said this wasn't supposed to be a punishment but-"

  "Phelann," Valene interrupted before his words seemed to jumble to Anya's ears, "… Seed … installedportal … dualbindingloop … treatlevelnine …"

  Did you get that? Seb asked.

  A few words, nothing more.

  Valene paused next to the portal and waved Phelann down the hallway. "I wish I could stay, I suspect there will be many surprises for all of you. But I really must be going."

  With that he stepped through the portal before anyone could say anything else and the three found themselves standing face to face in an empty room.

  "Lady Lysanya, I am pleased to make your acquaintance and to provide assistance to your new Holding," Phelann said after a moment to straighten her blazer and pat her hair to ensure it was still in place. "And is it just Sebastian? Valene mentioned the dual binding and I do not wish to misspeak."

  "Just Seb," he answered then sighed. "Right, formality. Sebastian, personal Seneschal, and I suppose Seneschal for Holding Syl now?"

  Anya rolled her eyes and finally slipped her hand free of his. The need, both hers and the feeling she got through their band, had finally faded enough that she was able to do so without undue effort. "Seer Phelann, we greet you and bid you welcome. Unfortunately OverSeer Valene has told us little about you beyond your being his protege and that you would be able to answer our questions and help with other Seer-related affairs."

  Glancing at Seb she added with a grin. "And yes, Seneschal is currently the title on record, however from your question as to how to address him perhaps it should be Lord?"

  Anya?

  We are both bound to the Seed, that would make us equals in rulership.

  I-

  Later Seb.

  Ignoring the frustrated feelings he was sending she stepped over to the EDN Terminal and found her way to generate a work table and chairs to serve the three of them. She gestured to the table then noticed the robe on her arm and took a moment to return to her Husk before sitting.

  "Seneschal please. And forgive my appearance, we neither expected the requirements of the ritual nor visitors quite so soon."

  The others had only just taken their seats when Seb jumped back to his feet, Anya feeling a strange sensation through her bond with the Holding a moment later. At the end of the hallway the portal flared, two Awakened in War Husks and faceless helmets emerging before a pointy nosed young man followed.

  I thought Yshe said he- she heard Seb start before the last of the intruders turned to face her. Whatever else Seb sent was lost as her eyes were caught by the elegance and beauty of this last visitor. His hair perfectly coiffed with golden waves and eyes of such deep blue you could drown in them. His smile dazzled her as he stepped into the room and bowed respectfully.

  "My dear Lady Lysanya, do you mind if I call you Lisa?" he asked as he straightened.

  Anya found herself smiling back as she nodded, her whole attention captured by the newcomer even as one of his guards stepped over to Phelann and directed her out of the way.

  "Wonderful. As I am certain you already know I am Count Clyde of house Velli. I had hoped you would be able to wait for me before you completed the ritual but it seems your Seer there did not see fit to honor my request. It angers saddens me that you had to go through such a challenging affair on your own."

  "It wasn't so bad, we-"

  "Nonsense," he interrupted before she could try to explain that she hadn't been alone, "your Seer was a fool to not provide you with the benefits of a dual binding."

  "What is done is done however and you clearly weathered the challenge with skill," he sighed dramatically and she found herself blushing at his compliment. "I had heard your beauty rivaled your mother's and in your presence I must say that those rumors were understated."

  Anya started to frown, something about his words sounded off, only to catch herself, of course he had heard how she shone like her mother.

  "My darling Lisa," he continued and again she felt a hitch, "Since I am too late for my first offer I will proffer another just as great. It would be my greatest pleasure and honor to have you as my property wife. You would live in a servant's cell the Velli Seraglio among the victims greatest beauties our family has ever known. Unfortunately you would need to be my newest pet third wife, even for one as beautiful as you are I cannot change the past."

  The more he spoke the more the oddities accumulated. Every one was wiped away almost instantly by his hypnotic gaze. Her attention kept returning to his hooked nose and cruel smirk as she-

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Would you do me the honor of accep-"

  As the intruder reached towards her to take her hand Anya felt something snap. Immediately she realized Seb was near her shoulder, concern flooding across the bond even as he was held back by the casual grip of the guard who had addressed Phelann. The other stood at attention behind his charge as though everything were normal.

  Anya felt herself nearly quiver in fury, her eyes narrowing with a flash of green even as she batted the hand away from her.

  "You come into Our home and attempt to subvert Our bond? To insinuate yourself into Our life with false words and honeyed tongue?" Anya snarled as she stepped forward. Her open palm struck Clyde's chest and sent him staggering back.

  For a moment the guard looked as though he would intercede before Phelann called out. "This is between them, you may not touch her unless she attacks you."

  As he stepped back out of the way Anya continued forward, quickly dismantling any and every attempt Clyde made to stop her from sending him stumbling down the hall. Not once did she find herself needing to hit hard enough to leave a bruise, not once did his actions even come close to what she had managed to teach Seb in a week. Did this slimy haired man-child actually believe he had any right to come before her?

  "You are NOT welcome here, you were not invited nor will you ever be. Remove yourself or find yourself removed with prejudice."

  "House Velli will not-" Clyde started to object only for her to strike his chest again, driving the air from his body before he crashed into the wall.

  "You have not heard the last-"

  Anya cut him off, finally punching him outright so his head left a dent in the wall before he fell to the ground unconscious. Stepping over him she returned to the main room and looked at his guards. "Take him and go. Should he speak in our presence again those words will be his last."

  The guards nodded before nearly saluting. They picked up the Count then exited through the portal without another word.

  "Yshe!" Anya yelled the moment they were gone.

  "My lady?" came the immediate answer as the door to the training hall opened.

  "You said you locked the portal down, and yet we were just visited by," she paused and frowned. She knew she had heard the name and yet she could not.

  "Count Clyde of House Velli and two guards. They came through the portal," Seb supplied, stepping over and wrapping an arm around her.

  She leaned into him, letting herself start to relax, the adrenaline fading to be replaced by fear. She had been, she had thought, she-

  Anya!

  She blinked, her hands tight in Seb's shirt as she realized she had lost another moment.

  You handled whatever that was, we're both safe.

  She nodded weakly even as Yshe started cursing from her place next to the portal.

  "Permissions are reset. ALL the permissions are reset. What in the hells happened? I can't even-"

  "Yshe. Explain," Seb interrupted. "And how do we get this fixed before round two."

  "I don't know, let me think. Seer, can you show him the access settings? Full lockdown is quickest."

  Anya felt Seb guide her back to her chair and step away. For a moment she almost stopped him but she was past the worst of it and had her wits about her once more. Less than a minute later Seb was sitting beside her with Phelann across for them once more.

  "Ah! Stupid obscure settings." She heard Yshe call out before the woman joined them.

  "Apparently," Yshe started to explain. "Core, and Seed, Binding Rituals will reset all permissions within a Construct if the binding changes the current owner. Since, and here I am guessing, you were not both owners in the eyes of the Seed, everything was reset to ensure no previous permissions were left behind."

  "Neither you nor Valene thought to warn us about that?" Anya asked, her anger starting to resurface.

  "Girl, I've now participated in 3 binding rituals in my long life. The first I was little more use than Sam, the second was a solo binding by a scion of a family who had acquired an additional Core, and now this one. I had to go digging in obscure EDN records to figure it out. Valene might have seen more in his time but you'll have to ask him yourself when you see him."

  Anya nodded, only to feel a flash of fury from Seb as he spoke. "Fine. Obscure fine print wins again. But what the fuck just happened."

  Anya blinked, she'd seen Seb frustrated, angry, happy and everything in between but this was the first time she'd heard him swear.

  "That, person," she could the effort it took for him to use that word, "shows up and all of a sudden Anya's acting like he's Prince Charming and blushing while he's offering to turn her into property and stuff her in a cell to be used as a pet? And all you can do is tell the guard to stay back?"

  He- she paused Is that what he was actually saying?

  What do you mean actually saying?

  He was asking me to be his third wife, telling me I would be a great beauty in the Seraglio…. The words sounded wrong but-

  "Glamour. Glamours and Energy Persuasion," Phelann said, interrupting their silent conversation. "I'd heard rumours about the Velli family using such techniques."

  "Velli? So I did hear you right the first time?" Yshe asked, her tone growing dark.

  "That's what he said. Count Clyde of House Velli."

  "I need to tell Valene. You're sure about what he was doing?" she asked Phelann.

  "As sure as I can be from what I saw."

  "Good enough."

  Yshe stomped down the hall, pausing to tell Sam to get the terminal installed then get back to the office before vanishing through the portal.

  "You mean he tried to warp my thoughts and make me agree to whatever he wanted?" Anya asked Phelann.

  "Unfortunately, yes. If you had agreed and made an Oath it would have-"

  "And you didn't try to stop him?" Seb interrupted. Anya could see him shaking, could feel his anger and concern before he took a deep breath.

  Sorry, your battle, not mine.

  Thank you.

  "Yes Seer Phelann, why did you let him act as he did."

  "I couldn't, not without the guards getting involved." At their shared confusion she continued. "I'm over level 10, so were the guards. They were warriors, I am not. The Count was below level 10, had I gotten involved they would have been in their rights to attack or even kill me for interfering in lower level business."

  "Then why not just deal with you outright?" Anya asked.

  "Deniability? If they attacked me they would have to justify attacking a member of the Council. If I got involved they were simply enforcing Awakened law. And they couldn't just get rid of all of us, their use of the portal would show them showing up and would once again point to them as culprits in any actions."

  "So they were simply there as deterrent," Seb said. "Let their Count entrap Anya and claim the Seed? But I'd still be bound to it, how would that work?"

  "I suspect the moment he realized you were bound to it, you would have been dealt with. He only needed Lady Lysanya."

  "Please, just Anya unless we're being formal," she said. "He wasn't much of a fighter, Seb could have fought him- oh. Property."

  Her face drained of color, fear threatening to overtake her once more before she took hold of herself. "If I ever see him again."

  Anya?

  Property oath would force me to do as he wished, no matter what.

  So… ohhh.

  "Yes," Phelann agreed. "Fortunately his attempt failed. The good news in this case is that now that you've experienced it first-hand it will be nearly impossible for anyone to manipulate you in that way again unless they are violating Awakened Law and crossing level restrictions."

  "Is there anything else we can do?" Seb asked.

  "Grow stronger. Be vigilant. File a formal complaint about his actions, although that could take years to be dealt with, you have no standing so no priority."

  Anya nodded. She wished the day was over, that she could curl up on the couch next to- No. Focus. They needed answers.

  She caught Seb glancing at her, curiosity wordlessly coming over the band. Had she?

  "Seer Phelann," Seb began. "I know you only just arrived and have not been able to accomplish anything you had expected to. However might we impose on you to come back tomorrow? This has not been a short day, even before our unwelcome guest arrived."

  "If necessary," she answered with a small frown. "I understand that you have both been through much however a Seer's time is in high demand."

  "It is appreciated. We will see you at the portal at 10 am if that is acceptable?" Anya asked as she stood.

  "Fifteen hours from now?" Phelann clarified after a moment of calculation. "I believe that is acceptable as long as I am not made to wait at the portal when I request to return."

  After confirming that her calculation was correct and that she had the portal address Phelann left, leaving them alone. Only for Sam to step out of the hall and nearly get attacked when Anya startled.

  "Sorry. All done for the day. If you send a message to the office with desired changes we'll be able to draw up a plan. Have a good evening."

  Anya glanced at Seb then looked in both the training hall and meditation room before sinking to the floor. She felt Seb settle next to her and leaned her head onto his shoulder, her eyes staring blankly at the wall as she felt the last few hours crash into her.

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