Mery opened her eyes. Sobs wracked her body, but no sound escaped her throat. Her lungs convulsed, her chest heaved, but the forest swallowed her voice whole. She stood up slowly, her legs shaking beneath her.
"I am sorry. I know I failed, but I could not do anything. I could not do anything at all!" she gasped.
Les grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back. Her scalp burned as he dragged her forward and tossed her towards one of the orcs. The creature caught her with one massive hand, its fingers wrapping around her entire waist.
"It does not matter anymore. Your usefulness to my lord has expired. You are nothing but a broken tool now, and I, as a loyal subject, should eliminate useless pests like you before they attract more problems."
Mery struggled against the orc's grip. "The women! What about the women in the village? I can guide them here. I can still bring them to you!"
Les laughed, and the sound echoed through the blood-soaked trees. "There is no need for that anymore. I have already taken care of everything. Thanks to your efforts tonight, I managed to separate the men from the women. The orcs are bringing the women to my laboratory as we speak." He stepped closer and looked down at her. "Sadly, I cannot use the men for my experiments now. They are all dead. But you gave me what I needed."
Mery trembled in the orc's grip. She stared at Les, at the demon wearing the face of a young noble, at the smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Let us go, boys," Les said while turning away.
The orcs began walking, following their master towards the hidden laboratory. Mery tried to plead, tried to scream, but the orc holding her slammed its fist against her head. The world went black before she hit the ground.
"Mery."
A voice called her name from somewhere far away.
"Mery."
She blinked. The darkness faded, and she found herself standing in the middle of a vast field. The wind blew gently against her face, rustling her green hair like a mother's touch. The sky above her was blue and endless, and the grass beneath her feet swayed like waves on a calm sea.
"How strange," she whispered. "It feels like a dream. It is so peaceful here."
"Mery."
She turned around.
Her father stood behind her. He looked exactly as she remembered him, younger than she was now, with kind eyes and a gentle smile. The same smile she had seen in her mother's pendant a thousand times.
"Dad?" Her voice cracked.
"Mery, my daughter!" He ran towards her and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her off her feet and spun her around like he had done when she was small. She sobbed against his chest, and when he set her down, he cupped her face in his hands. "Why are you crying, my dear daughter?"
She could not stop the tears. They fell freely down her cheeks, hot and endless. "I have done terrible things. I could not scream. I could not do anything. I wanted to say so many things to you, but the world is so cruel, and I am so sorry. I am so sorry."
Her father's thumb brushed the tears from her face. His hands were warm, just like she remembered.
"Hush now. Stop crying. I understand your pain."
She looked up at him through her tears.
"You do?"
His face began to shift. The kind eyes hardened. The gentle smile stretched into something wider. The warmth in his hands turned cold.
"Of course I do," said Edsel, pushing her waist closer to him. He held her against his chest, his fingers digging into her sides. "Oh, my dear Mery. Why are you looking at me like that? Did you see something bad just now?"
"Huh?"
Mery pushed Edsel back and fell to the ground.
She stared up at him, but he looked different from the child she remembered. His face had matured, his features sharper, and he stared down at her with an expression that looked almost sad.
"You disappoint me, my dear Mery."
"My lord," she whispered while scrambling to her knees. "I am sorry. Please, give me one more chance. I can still do what you asked. I can still serve you."
He walked towards her and bent down until his face was level with hers. His eyes held no warmth, no forgiveness.
"Mery, why did you not do as I asked? It would have been so simple. I would have given you so many things. Freedom, perhaps. A purpose. But you failed."
The vast field around them withered. The green grass turned brown and brittle. The gentle wind became a howling storm that ripped through her clothes and tore at her hair. Lightning cracked across the sky behind him, and each flash made his shadow stretch longer across the dead earth.
Edsel straightened up and looked down at her with cold indifference.
"Well, I suppose we should forget about our deal now. You are no longer bound to me." He took her hand and raised it to his lips. "Thank you for your performance. It was quite entertaining."
She felt his lips brush against her skin, and then darkness swallowed her whole.