Potent

Time seemed to stretch like the corridors and hallways of Nebel Manor. Gemini found the hours and minutes passing by ever so slowly. The fact that her father was on his own, running the house, tending to the rest of the family--

She was still shocked that her family was alive after accepting they were dead. She wanted to sprint over to Valentine’s office and bargain again. Her father needed someone there to help him. But she was scared at what Valentine would want next and unfortunately, she had a fantastic imagination.

To complicate matters, she was still reeling from Valentine’s deception and betrayal. Well, it wasn’t really a betrayal. He had never promised her anything and he certainly wasn’t a friend. But his deeds had still been despicable and cruel. He’d lied to her, used her, and used her family to get what he wanted. Gemini didn’t even know what he wanted from her. Now she figured it was to see her suffer and cause her pain just for his own pleasure and amusement. Why else?

She clenched her teeth, wishing to hurl a flood of choice words at him. She inwardly experimented with which ones to use.

Oh, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him! Curse the day I ever thought he was anymore than a murderer and a bastard.

She jerked her clean supplies off the ground and stomped down the hallway to clean the next piece of furniture. Her vision narrowed as walked, her thoughts focused on making Valentine pay for his cruelty.

Gemini collided with something--a guard.

“Watch where you’re going,” She muttered, not even looking behind her as she kept walking. She plunked down her things and started vigorously dusting an elegantly carved statue.

“I’m sorry to have upset you,” he said. Gemini didn’t look at him.

“I’m fine.” She kept dusting, angrily. He stood beside her.

“You must be Gemini…?”

“Yes, of course I’m--” She looked up and halted. The man beside her wasn’t a guard.

He wore a silver, long-sleeved tunic and trousers that shimmered, almost like real silver. It was like Valentine’s outfit but silver and he wore a simple, dark blue cape. His hair reminded her of the delicious, brown coating sweets had. The man’s eyes were amber and looking kindly at her. But she’d never seen him in Nebel Manor before. “Um, I don’t think I’ve met you--”

“Oh, I’m Daniel-Kane. And… you probably haven’t seen me because I’m always in my room buried in my work,” he chuckled, smiling bashfully. Awkward silence fell.

“Are you a prisoner of Valentine’s too?” Gemini asked, quietly.

“Oh, no! I’m just his friend.”

She blinked. This was unfathomable.

“His friend?”

“Well, yes, I’ve known Val since…” Daniel-Kane trailed off, his smile fading. “I mean, I was captured by the Elite along with him. We defeated them together, although that was mainly him. But we both served as Masterminds for the Emperor.”

Valentine has a friend… what else has he hidden in plain sight?

“So you’re a Mastermind too?”

He nodded, his warm smile coming back. “What of?”

“Strategy,” he answered. Her eyes widened.

“No wonder Valentine has won all of his attacks on Dunstorria… you helped him, didn’t you?” She breathed. Daniel-Kane bit his lip as if he trying to decide how to interpret her question.

“What else would a friend do? I don’t agree with all of Valentine’s decisions but I do advise him…if he listens…”

“But you helped him destroy entire cities and villages! You helped him murder innocent people! You helped him destroy my home! Why would you do that?” She instantly stood. How could this friend of Valentine let him do such a thing? Gemini wondered what excuse he had.

“Because I know him well enough to see when he won’t give up.” Daniel-Kane sounded a little firmer when he spoke. “He won’t rest until all of Dunstorria cowers before him. Believe me, I tried to reason with him. I told him that it wouldn’t give him what he wants. But he was convinced it would make him feel better. Any attempt for me to stop him would’ve failed. Val’s too clever for me to fool and he knows when I’m lying or bluffing.”

“But you could’ve done nothing! You could’ve refused to help him…”

“Every strategy has crossed my mind--and that was the best course of action.” His tone shifted to annoyance. “He needs to see that wreaking havoc on Dunstorria won’t help him or satisfy him.”

Gemini stared off at the wall. What had Valentine said that one night? I watched the entire city live in complete bliss. So I destroyed their happiness just like mine was… with fire.

“He wants to destroy people’s happiness… all because his family was killed in a terrible attack. He won’t ever be satisfied.” In her mind, she pictured how Valentine looked the first day she saw him: Gleeful, almost insane, eager, delighted, but still upset. It chilled her.

“Not by those means. He needs to learn to love again… and to forgive those who wronged him,” Daniel-Kane sighed. He closed his eyes as if in pain. Her lips parted as she realized how much Daniel-Kane cared about Valentine’s wellbeing.

“Have you told him that?” She whispered.

“I’ve tried to. He refuses to listen or speak to me of it.”

Presently, Gemini realized that they had been talking for far too long and that her duties were unfinished. What if Valentine found them talking… about him?

“Um, thank you, Mastermind Daniel-Kane. But I should get back to work I… I don’t want to upset Valentine.” She clasped her hands, tightly.

“No one does,” Daniel-Kane said, nodding. He seemed to understand. “I’ll leave you to it but if you ever need any help, my room is on the same floor as Valentine’s office.”

“Thank you, Mastermi--”

“No need for that, Daniel-Kane is fine,” he smiled, his eyes glittering with kindness and humor.

“Oh, um--thank you, Daniel-Kane.”

He smiled at her in a way that said “you’re welcome.” He turned his heel and went back down the corridor.

It was one of those moments where a person had to force themselves to do something.

Gemini stood outside the door of Valentine’s office, trying to make herself to open the door. She would reach for the handle but then remember how much she hated Valentine, how much she didn’t want to see him, and how very much she wanted to slap him. She reached for the door handle again, desperate to get it over with.

Abruptly, the door popped open and Gemini jerked her hand back, as if touching his office was toxic… which it was, in a sense.

Lord Valentine propped his arm against the doorframe, smirking at her.

“You were going to come in, Gemini? I thought you weren’t doing the ‘talking to me’ thing.”

She set her teeth. He was saying that just to aggravate her. And it was working. She just wished she could hurt him without him stopping her.

“I want to release my mother.”

“All business today, are we?” Valentine stepped aside to let her in and walked behind his desk. He retrieved her mother’s jar, setting it on the carefully carved, wood top.

“What do you want for it?” Gemini said, determined not to show any fear.

Valentine stroked Norma’s jar, absently, smirking all the while. She finally made eye contact with him, dreading his reply.

“Can you dance?”

Oh, no. No. I will never dance with that man! Or rather, monster.

“No,” she finally said, after inwardly cringing.

“Then my price is to remedy that.”

“You want to teach me how to dance?” Gemini laced her fingers together.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

She felt her face grow hot and he grinned wickedly. “I’m still a Mastermind, dear, I’m not allowed to be in a… physical relationship. Your lessons will be as chaste as a priest.”

Somehow that still wasn’t reassuring… Gemini still didn’t want any physical contact.

“And may I remind you--” Valentine continued, silkily. “That this is for your mother.” He leaned towards her ear. “And she would be so proud of you… learning to dance with ease, with grace--”

“No, she wouldn’t.” She backed away. “She would chide me for letting a lying, scheming, murdering, scoundrel--”

“Well, you’re not short on vocabulary. I don’t have to wonder what your mother would think of that,” Valentine quipped, with a mischievous smile.

“Stop it. I will not do this.” His comments on her mother made Gemini miss her even more.

“I have mountains of patience, dear, I can wait. Your family however, might not be able to.” Valentine shifted through some of his papers on his desk. Something in his tone gave Gemini a chilly feeling.

“What do you mean?”

“I have a lot of patience. Can I put it any simpler than--”

“No, not that part! What you said about my family, what did you mean?” Gemini snapped.

He shrugged. But she saw the tiny smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Tell me.”

“You assume I have something to tell.”

“You do. Tell me. Now.”

His gaze instantly froze into a cold look…and Gemini knew that look. She’d seen it before on his face. Her anger instantly blew away. Fear replaced it.

“This is one area I have little patience in.” Valentine twisted his wrist to one side. Gemini landed on the floor, the air knocked out of her lungs. She struggled to breathe again and move but her arms and legs were frozen in place.

Valentine knelt next her and suddenly grabbed her face, causing her to yelp. “Who is in charge, dear Gemini?” The playfulness and mockery was nowhere to be seen in his expression. He looked dangerously close to murder. Valentine squeezed her jaw and she let out a whimper of pain. “Who?”

“You are,” she managed to say, bending her pride.

“You are, what?”

“You are, my lord.” Gemini wanted to cry. This was too humiliating.

“Good. Now which finger can you do without?” He drew a small, almost dainty knife.

“NO! Please--” She cried out, pleading her body to move. “Please, stop! Please stop…please don’t!” He spread out her left hand.

“No one uses their little finger… or should I take your ring finger so no one can put a ring there again?” Gemini realized just how serious he was. He would do it. He would cut off her finger and not think twice.

“No, don’t!” She screamed, nearing hysteria. She shook her head back and forth. “Please! My lord, please, please, please…” Her cries became louder and less controlled. She closed her tear-filled eyes, wishing that she could struggle, sniffling and sobbing pathetically. Her whole body was shaking. Valentine drew in a breath and sighed again.

“You’re quite good at begging… and I’m quite partial to it.”

“Please… I… I swear--I’ll never--disrespect you again! I--I swear… I swear.”

Valentine tipped his head back, closed his eyes, as if savoring her pleas.

“Not a finger then.” He sheathed his knife and gave a mirthless smile. “Something else… a secret. Tell me a secret.”

“I never loved Quinn,” she blurted, extremely relieved.

He rolled his eyes. “No, I already knew that. Try again. What’s something I don’t know?”

Gemini searched for something to tell him…

“I know about Daniel-Kane.”

“Do you now?” He put on a nonchalant face but it was too late. She’d seen him twitch.

“He talked to me earlier today.”

“And what did he say?”

“That… that he’s your friend.” She managed not to ask: Is that true?

“Interesting choice of word…” He commented, biting his lip in thought. “Well, I’ll take that little secret.” Valentine flicked his fingers and Gemini could move again. As she stood, she desperately wanted to know if he thought of Daniel-Kane as a friend. She tried the respectful approach again.

“My lord… can I please ask a--”

“No.”

Gemini shifted, crossing arms and biting her lip, trying to restrain herself. “Hmmmm, that curious, eh?” He smirked again. “Tell you what. You behave for our first lesson and I’ll let you ask one and only one question.”

“Yes, my lord,” she said, instantly. Gemini prayed that she would control herself. In she didn’t learn her lesson, who knew what would happen to her…or her family.