Cult of the Lamb : Rise of the Black Crown

Chapter 16: The Pawn

Narinder did not handle Aym's abandonment well. The Bishop had been enraged when his wife gave him the grave news. He seriously considered an attack against the Lamb. To kill her and her unborn children before Aym's eyes so he may truly suffer the consequences of his treason. He dared not mention these ideas to Nykka, he kept his silence even in his infuriated state. She would surely interfere, and that was more trouble than he wanted to deal with. He had originally planned to attack the Lamb in the night, when Nykka was back in her Domain and blissfully unaware of his brutal punishment. Even though he did not confess his plans to her, she could sense his rage as anyone could have, he could not properly conceal it. She begged him not to do anything rash, and insisted that he was above it. In desperation, she did the only thing she could to prevent him from inflicting his rage upon her friends, she gave herself to him. In a state of raw fury, he had been much rougher with her than he had ever been in the past. Yet, she took it without hesitation, without fear. He had been pacified by the satisfaction this gave him. He agreed not to harm them in the end. Nykka's obedience was far more pleasing than a simple revenge would have been anyway. As long as he did not harm her friends, he knew he would have full control of her. That she would not retaliate against him for fear of their safety. She was too brave, too selfless. The infernal Lamb and her would-be children were being held hostage without their knowledge.

Baal had returned to him on his own as Narinder expected. The servant walked purposefully through the cathedral to kneel before the God who sat in his throne beyond his altar. Narinder did not waste time on pointless greetings.

"You will go on crusades for me, Baal. I require more Followers so I may properly fill this cathedral."

"Yes, Master. How many shall I recruit?"

"I need at least one-hundred-and-sixty Followers for now." Baal seemed surprised by this, the Bishop could see him raise his brows despite remaining with his head bowed.

"I will allow you to take this mission in segments. You may return to rest whenever you feel it is necessary, and for as long you need. You have my word that I will not punish you regardless of how long these crusades take you. However, you will not be permitted to visit anyone outside of this Domain until you have completed your quest. I will consider it an abandonment of your mission, and you will be punished for it. Understood?"

"Yes, Master. I thank you for such graceful leniency." Narinder chuckled softly, and waved a hand.

"Very well, go now." Baal stood without question and left to begin what would surely be an extremely lengthy mission.

Two months passed, and Baal had only managed to recruit eighty Followers. Narinder did not punish him for the sluggish pace, he had no intentions to break his stipulations. Though, he could not help but wonder how much faster he would move if he had the aid of his brother. The thought caused him to grow irritated. Not with Baal, but with Aym. The reminder that one of his most devoted servants had left him forced a rage to bubble beneath his surface. He had been on the cusp of summoning Nykka when she appeared before him by her volition. She entered his cathedral looking concerned, striding up towards him with a purposeful glint in her eyes.

"Is everything alright, darling?"

"Where is Baal?" She asked, her tone was tired. He was sure she had not slept in quite some time.

"He is on a crusade." Narinder answered simply. "Why? Do you require his assistance?"

"No, Aym expressed his concern to me. He has not seen him in two months now, and was rightfully worried for his safety."

"I see... As I said, he is on a crusade. He will be permitted visitation once he has completed what I have asked of him."

"And what have you asked of him?" She asked, her brow furrowed. Narinder watched her carefully, unsure if it would be wise to reveal the truth. He decided he might as well be honest, she would find out soon enough.