Potent
Chapter 3: A Harp and a Heart

Someone knocked on her door. Gemini jolted awake. Quickly she scrambled out of bed, bleary-eyed, and opened the door—right as she realized that it could be Lord Valentine. But it wasn’t, to her relief. It was a middle-aged woman with brown hair and blue eyes, who Gemini assumed was Mira. She wore a plain, white dress that Gemini had seen maids wear. Her face was worn with years of work but her smile still reached her eyes. Her deep red hair was pulled back into a tight bun.

“Hello. You must be…the new maid? Gem?” She said, politely yet uncertainly. The woman sounded much nicer than Lord Valentine.

“Yes, Gemini, actually. You must be Mira,” Gemini said, after some hesitation. “I’m just glad Lord Valentine let me clean and… not be his plaything.”

Mira’s hazel eyes softened with sympathy and she glanced around.

“I’m glad too.” Mira looked relieved. Did she know Valentine well? Gemini wondered how long Mira had been living and working here. Months? Years?

Gemini’s heart sagged. This new life was going to be awful.

At least my thoughts can’t be punished or stopped.

“You had instructions for me about cleaning?” Gemini rubbed her eyes, eager to change the topic.

“Oh, yes, dear! But get dressed and ready first, I’ll wait outside your room.” Mira gave her a sincerely sympathetic smile. She held out maid’s uniform to her. Gemini nearly hugged her but decided not to.

“Thank you.” She took the uniform and closed the door.

Weeks went by and Valentine never spoke to Gemini, which she was glad of. He terrified her and she was certain she would melt into a puddle of fear if she ever saw him again. Fortunately, Gemini barely even saw him. Unfortunately, the next time she did, she had just come into his throne room to clean when…

Valentine snapped his fingers and a noose made of old rope appeared in his hand with a swirl of black smoke. A man stood before him, deathly pale at seeing the rope. Two guards were on either side of him, holding his arms behind him.

Gemini stiffened. It was Quinn. He was burned, bleeding, and bruised but he was alive.

His emerald eyes that were once filled with confidence and pride now only held fear and desperation. His black hair was matted and caked with dirt and blood.

Valentine slowly took the noose and looped it around Quinn’s neck, who was nearly babbling for Valentine to stop.

“NO! My lord, stop!” Gemini dropped her rags and bucket and ran towards them.

Valentine ignored their pleas. He gestured upward and the other end of the noose flew up and attached itself to the golden chandelier. “Don’t! Please don’t kill him!” She stood in front of Valentine, over a foot smaller than him. He raised an eyebrow.

“Why not?”

“He’s my husband! Send him back to my family, let him live with them, please.”

“All the more reason to kill him.”

“No! He’s done nothing wrong!”

“Don’t defend him. You want him gone more than I do.” Valentine chided, as if dealing with an whiny child.

“No.” Gemini blinked, trying to rationalize how he knew that.

“Yes. He’s never been the husband you wanted. Or loved. Or even respected.”

Discomfort shot through her. How on earth did he know?

“He’s a human life. You can’t just--”

“I really thought you’d be a little more grateful. I’m giving you a gift.”

“No! I don’t want it! I would never want--”

Rolling his eyes, Valentine curled his hand into a fist. The ground sunk underneath Quinn, forming a deep hole. Gemini barely stifled a scream as the noose jerked his neck, swiftly killing him. His body just hung there like a ragged doll. She felt the silence choke out all her hope.

“You know what his face was like?” Valentine had watched Quinn die with a smirk on his face. Gemini fought back tears. “It said, ‘I hate you.’ And he wasn’t looking at me.”

She liked to think that she was never driven to violence. Until now. Crying and cursing at the same time, Gemini swung at Valentine. He easily caught her wrist before she even pulled back for her first punch.

“You have no heart!” Gemini choked out, tears coming hot and fast. “Why would you say such a thing? What kind of person takes pleasure in killing others?”

Valentine didn’t look fazed. He didn’t even flinch. He just smirked.

“It’s hard to have a heart when you’ve stopped so many others. But I know emotions well enough. There was no regret for your late husband, except for the fact that he hated you in his last moments and rightfully so: You couldn’t persuade me to let him live.”

She struggled against his grip, but felt so emotionally overwhelmed that she was tempted to give in and lean on him. Although only briefly, very briefly. “You’ve also interfered with my affairs. And talked back to me. That’s not your place,” Valentine continued.

“I was trying to save Quinn,” Gemini said, her anger melting into fear. He said nothing but curled his lip, showing he didn’t believe her.

“Swear not to interfere again and I’ll let this go.”

“I can’t do that.” Gemini never wanted another person to suffer at his hands.

“Because of your righteous morals? Because it would betray your conscience?”

“It would be a sin for me to stand by and let you do this to innocent lives!”

“Nothing--” Valentine said sharply. “--is innocent. And you weren’t able to stop me. Why would you think you could make a difference?”

Gemini tried to think of an answer to combat his but quietly realized that there wasn’t one. “Now will you swear?”

“Why do you want me to if I can’t stop you?”

“You annoy me. You ask too many questions and you’ll continue to whine for me to be merciful. I really dislike whining.”

Gemini felt her tears come back to her sore eyes. “So I’ll ask again. Will you swear not to interfere? Otherwise, I will give you the same fate as your husband.”

She desperately tried to even out her voice.

“I swear.” She couldn’t help letting a note of helplessness into her voice. Finally, he released her and walked towards a hallway.

“And clean up the mess.”

You annoy me. You ask too many questions and you’ll continue to whine for me to be merciful. I really dislike whining.

Gemini found his words swimming around in her head and tears floating to the surface of her eyes. That was the most hurtful thing anyone had ever said to her.

“Oh, why do I care what he thinks of me? His opinion doesn’t matter,” Gemini tried to tell herself.

Why would you think you could make a difference? “Then again… I wonder if that’s how everyone views me…”

You have no heart! Why would you say such a thing?

Valentine dimly remembered Gemini’s words as he tweaked the knobs of his harp. Normally, such an insult would have made him smile and agree. But this time… something unsettled him. Not really “unsettled” but almost… saddened him. Which was ridiculous. He had never been sad, not since--

Valentine flung away his thoughts and focused on tuning his seven-foot instrument.

What kind of person takes pleasure in killing others?

Irritated, Valentine pushed back his harp. He willed his mind to stop thinking of Gemini’s words. They were affecting him. But if he was honest with himself, they only reminded him of the truth. Slowly, the thoughts cleared away. Nothing remained. Unless he counted his thoughts only being shoved deep down. Not gone. Just pushed away.

Gemini held her tongue for as long as she could and tried not to ever go into Lord Valentine’s “parlor.” But it wasn’t holding her tongue that was the problem. It was the days that went by without anything interesting happening. All she did was clean. The only other person she ever spoke to on occasion was Mira. Why did Valentine take her if she was just there to clean? Valentine called her a prize. Gemini didn’t get the impression she was one. Maybe he took her for practical reasons--just to clean. Nevertheless, Gemini slipped into a glum and snappy mood.

Gemini nearly stomped up the longest flight of stairs in Nebel Manor to clean the balcony.

To her shock, several guards and Lord Valentine were there. They were staring intently at something in the distance, as if waiting.

Another guard came into view, running out of the manor courtyard and drive. Valentine signaled a guard, who held a black crossbow with an arrow already notched. The guard with a crossbow took his position, aiming.

“Wait, stop!”

Accidentally, he fired right as she spoke, startling him, causing his aim to be severely off.

He missed the fleeing man completely. Instantly, Valentine snatched the crossbow and an arrow from the guard. In the blink of an eye, he had it notched and drawn back, his finger on the trigger.

He fired before Gemini could cry out again. The arrow hit the second guard below them directly in the back. He slowly crumpled forward onto his face.

Valentine turned around and Gemini realized what exactly she’d done. She had forgotten her oath.

The guard who had shot earlier started to apologize but Valentine shoved the crossbow back in his arms and the guard stopped instantly.

Lord Valentine glared at her. His dim green eyes could’ve burned holes in her. After a moment, he grabbed her arm and dragged her back down the set of stairs.

Gemini panicked.

“Wait, please! Let me go -- I didn’t mean to, I forgot! Please!”

He ignored her.

She struggled but deep down she knew it would be futile. Valentine was too strong and he had magic. The manor kitchen came into view and Gemini’s brain instantly started cooking up ways he would punish her. Lazily, Valentine tossed her to a few of the burly cooks.

“Extra kindling for the fire. She’ll fit if you cut her into smaller pieces.” With that, Valentine smugly turned away.

She had trouble comprehending what was happening. Until it hit her. She was going to be chopped up alive for firewood. All just for her forgetfulness.

Gemini lost her composure.

“NO, PLEASE!” She screamed.

Abruptly, Valentine stopped at the doorway, his back to her. “Tell them to stop! Please! Tell them to stop!”

“Keep begging,” one of the chefs hissed, nudging her.

“My lord, please… I’m begging you… please don’t let them…” She choked on her own tears and voice. “Please…please… ” She trickled off, her throat too sore for her to talk more. She hoped it had been enough. Gemini saw Valentine turn around slowly, a pleased little smirk on his face. But it didn’t last long.

He waved off the cooks. They went back to their work. Gemini was reluctant to look at him. She could feel that he was drawing this out as long as possible. He sighed.

“What measures must I go to just to make you do your job? Do you know how tired I am of dealing with you?”

She couldn’t take it anymore. Like the explosion of a cannon firing, Gemini let loose her thoughts.

“And I’m tired of being here!” She yelled.

One of his eyebrows shot up. “I’m tired of long, hard, boring days of just cleaning! Am I going to spend the rest of my time here doing that?”

Valentine didn’t speak. His face was drawn into an incredulous look. Gemini felt a shocking sense of victory. But only for a fleeting moment. He flicked his wrist at her and she was slammed against a wall. She gave an involuntary yelp.

“How ungrateful can you get?” He spat, slowly walking towards her.

She felt like she’d been slapped. “Considering all that I could do with you, you’re complaining of just cleaning?”

Gemini was liking the look his face less and less. “Not only are you completely ungrateful, you are upset.”

“Upset?” How is that so?

“You are upset there is no one to pay any attention to you. You want attention. From me.” Valentine loomed over her, just inches away.

“Not from you,” Gemini whispered. But it was a weak denial.

“If not me, then who else? Mira? You haven’t the heart to ask for attention from her--she’s been too kind to you. So from me, because you loathe me and because you do, it somehow makes it easier for you to waste my time on your selfishness.”

She never responded. Too many tears were blurring her eyes. Too many sobs were trying to escape her throat. She looked down, letting tears fall. Valentine jerked up her chin, his eyes rolling. “Why are you doing that?”

“Because you’re hurting me.” The tears wouldn’t stop. Her skin screamed at him to let her go.

His loosened his grip and released her from his magical hold. Her skin crawled where he touched her.

“My apologies. Do go on being a brat.”

“I’m not a brat,” Gemini insisted.

“Are you really going to keep arguing with me? Or are you going to get back to work and stop wasting my time?” His sharp tone sparked that old fear back into her. She had yet to forget about Quinn’s death. So she got out of there as quick as possible.