Chapter 109: Zareth’s plan 1
Zareth clapped his hands once, the sharp sound echoing across the stone room. Before the echo faded, a door Rowena hadn’t even noticed, a seamless panel in the wall slid open, and three young women hurried in. They lowered their heads, hands folded neatly in front of them. They wore identical grey dresses. The women stopped a few steps from the bed and bowed deeply, not speaking.
"These are Selveth, Elowen, and Nyven," Zareth said, gesturing towards them one after the other. "They will tend to you from this moment onward. You will not have to trouble yourself with the small things anymore."
Rowena frowned slightly. "I can take care of myself."
Zareth waved the comment aside. "You have done enough of that already. Here, you’ll be treated like a queen."
Rowena looked at the three bowed heads. Their obedience was absolute, and it felt stifling. They were not introducing themselves; they were being presented, like tools.
Zareth turned to the three maids. "Take her to her assigned chambers. Prepare her properly."
"Yes, Dark Lord." The women chorused and straightened, then looked at Rowena.
Rowena studied the three women carefully. Selveth stood slightly taller than the others, her dark hair tightly tied back, her expression serious and alert. Elowen had short brown hair, softer features, though her eyes carried a cautious awareness. Nyven was the youngest, with pale skin and nervous hands that kept twisting together as Zareth spoke.
Zareth spoke again. "You are to meet the assembled coven and the elders of Drakwyne this evening."
Rowena’s head snapped up to look at him. "Today? Isn’t that too soon?" She asked.
The suddenness of it made her stomach churn. She was still sitting on the edge of the bed, her body aching, her mind reeling from the chain of events. Meeting a room full of powerful, unknown witches was the last thing she felt capable of.
Zareth’s mismatched eyes rested on her. "It is precisely because it is soon that it must be done. Your presence must be established. Your status must be made clear from the beginning. Hesitation is perceived as weakness here. Meeting them is not a request for their approval. It is the first step in taking your stance within these walls. They need to see you, and you need to see them. It’s necessary."
"You speak as if it’s a simple matter of logistics."
"It’s better this way. Do not worry about what to say or do. Be present. Let them feel the power that resides in you. The rest will follow."
Rowena hesitated before speaking up. "What if I say no?"
Zareth’s eyes met hers. "You won’t say no." He said evenly. "Because you want protection. You want power. You want your mother."
Rowena’s jaw tightened. "Don’t act as if you know me too well." She shot back.
Zareth nodded. "Know this, child, Drakwyne does not wait for comfort. You need to meet the cover and elders to claim your place here."
Rowena exhaled slowly, then nodded. "Fine."
Zareth’s lips curved into a small smile. "Good. I have also sent word to the best witch in our realm. The finest tutor in the arts of control. She will help you harness what is inside you, to command it rather than be commandeered by it. She will arrive soon."
Rowena swallowed. "So this is really happening."
"This is for the best, Rowena. Structure. Guidance. These are what you have lacked."
Rowena listened. His words were a current, and she felt herself being pulled along by them. Objecting felt pointless, and part of her, the part that was tired of being scared and confused, wanted the structure he promised.
She looked down at her hands, then back at his scarred face, to the three silent maids. Her freedom felt conditional, a trade.
"I will do whatever you want me to do," she said, her voice firmer now. "Provided I get to see my mother again. That is the condition."
A smile stretched across Zareth’s face. It was an awkward movement, the scar tissue on the right side resisting, creating a lopsided expression that did not reach his red eye. "You have my word, you will see her again." He said, his voice smooth and convincing.
He gave a slight nod to the maids. "Take her to the chambers."
Selveth stepped forward first. "This way, my lady."
Rowena stood carefully, her legs were unsteady, and a wave of lightheadedness passed over her. Elowen, the shortest of the three, moved quickly to her side, offering an arm for support without actually touching her, waiting for permission. Rowena ignored the arm and took a deliberate step forward, proving to herself she could walk. She followed Selveth out of the room, with Elowen and Nyven falling into step behind her. She did not look back at Zareth.
The door closed behind them, leaving Zareth alone in the stone cell. He stood for a moment, the false warmth fading from his face until only his natural, calculating expression remained. He walked to the door and exited into a wider, torch-lit corridor.
One of his trusted guards was already waiting outside, standing straight with his hands clasped behind his back. He was dressed in dark armor, a sword at his hip. His hair was short, and a recent scar cut through his eyebrow.
"Tarrik, any news?" Zareth asked.
Tarrik bowed his head. "My lord, the men sent to Emberspire succeeded. They will reach the outer lands before dawn."
"Good."
Zareth began to walk down the corridor, and Tarrik fell into step beside him.
"And the Forsaken? Has he been found?" Zareth asked.
Tarrik’s stride hitched slightly. "No, my lord. Our contact within Lycanthria reports that the boy’s father has been searching for him relentlessly. He has paid scavengers, hunters, and trackers to track him down, but they find nothing. The trail is cold. It is as if he vanished into the air without a trace."
Zareth’s jaw tightened. "He has not vanished. He is hiding."
Tarrik inclined his head. "We are expanding the search, my lord."
"We must find him before anyone else. He is not just a runaway. He is a key—the key to fracturing one of Aveloria’s primal bonds. If we can break just one, it creates a crack. And through that crack, we can reach her. The boy is essential."
"I understand," Tarrik said, his voice grim. "I will redirect more resources to the search. We will find him."
They walked in silence for another twenty paces. The corridor was empty, the only sound the soft scuff of their boots on stone. Zareth stopped suddenly. Tarrik halted immediately.
Zareth looked around and lowered his voice. "There’s another matter. A more immediate one."
"Yes, my lord." Tarrik leaned in slightly to hear.
"Send word to Lycanthria. Eirene should be killed. I cannot allow her to see Rowena again. The girl is compliant now, focused cause of the promise of reunion. If Eirene were to speak to her, she would fill her head with doubt, with caution, with sentimental guilt. She would try to dismantle everything I am building. She is a risk."
Tarrik didn’t argue. He knew orders like this.
"When you return, make it known that Aveloria executed her publicly without question."
Tarrik bowed. "It will be done, my lord."
"See that it does."
Tarrik turned and walked away, leaving Zareth alone in the corridor. He stood still for a moment, listening to the distant sounds of the fortress.
His face hardened. "The girl’s grief will be the final forge for her resolve. She will have nothing left to look back on. Only the power I offer, and the enemy I point her toward."
Zareth’s plans were clear. He needed Rowena’s hatred to be focused on Aveloria. Her mother’s death would be a drive to learn about her power and control.
He felt no pity. Sentiment was a luxury he could not afford, and one he could not allow his new weapon to indulge in either. This was simply what was necessary. It was the next logical step in a long and careful plan.
He turned and walked down a different corridor, toward his own quarters, to prepare for the evening’s introduction of Drakwyne’s newest and most promising asset.
The halls of Drakwyne stretched endlessly in both directions, carved from dark stone and lit by flames that burned without smoke.
Rowena and the three women walked in silence for several minutes before reaching a set of tall doors etched with unfamiliar symbols. Selveth pushed them open, revealing a spacious room with high ceilings, a large bed draped in dark fabric, and a bathing area.
"My lady, this will be your chamber," Elowen said softly.
Nyven hurried to draw warm water into the basin while Selveth began laying out clothes on the bed. Rowena stood in the center of the room, unsure of what to do with herself.
"You may rest while we prepare you. But we must not delay. Lord Zareth doesn’t like waiting." Selveth said.
Rowena nodded. They moved to undress her. As they prepared her, Rowena’s thoughts kept drifting back to her mother.
