The Virgin Priest Pt. 09

Lily looked at him, incredulously, "You banished me, the rightful heir to your throne!"

"That was for your protection, and you have been welcomed back."

"He committed treason! He should lose his head!" Lily shouted. "He kidnapped a member of the royal family and plotted my death. He should rot in that cell."

"He is a member of the royal family, too, Shynra. With the next legitimate claim to my throne behind yours. To keep him, I will have to send him to trial. I'm afraid we will lose that battle." Samael looked defeated, "I like it as much as you do, but he has a growing base of supporters here. They will not let him die at my hand, and mine is the only hand that can kill him despite your show of power the other day, as impressive as it was."

Lily flushed, "Sorry about that."

Samael laughed softly, "Don't be. You need that ruthlessness to be an effective ruler, what scared me is that you were as surprised by it as I was. Have you never felt that before?"

Lily shook her head, "No. I was just thinking about it, and then it started happening. Last time I tried to act out against him, it was no more than a breeze in the room. It annoyed him, but it didn't harm him."

"Good. Very well. You are coming into your power, then," Samael said with glee, "We'll watch it, and train you as it grows. For now, keep an eye on your priest, Asmodeus will go free, Shynra. He will try to go after Luke again. The best we can do is keep him locked up here, but only you can guarantee his safety."

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A siren call promising satisfaction whispered out to Luke in his sleep. It was distant, and didn't have a face or any structure, but it pulled at something deep and primal within him. He groaned and fought to stay asleep, but the call was too strong. Mindlessly, he walked out of the bedroom and through the halls before coming to a stop in front of what he assumed were the dungeons. Fear pulsed through him. It was Asmodeus.