Once Betrayed Never Forgotten

Chapter 37: Inquisitor

Father Codrin’s shadow looms over me, casting a sinister pallor on his already menacing figure. His eyes, icy and unrelenting, bore into my y soul as he begins his interrogation.

“I know you’re hiding something, girl,” he hisses, his voice dripping with venom. “You’ve not been honest about your connection to the Castle of Endless Night, and the infernal Vasiliev family. Explain it to me again – how is it that you came to be a guest in the house of the damned?”

I sigh, preparing to repeat myself for the hundredth time, it seems. Over the past few days, Father Codrin has asked me this question a million different times, in a million different ways, and I only ever give him the same answer, each and every time – the truth. Clearly, he doesn’t like the truth, and believes that if he keeps on cross–examining me I’ll eventually break, or slip up and reveal some vital secret.

“I wasn’t at the castle of my own free will,” I say, fighting to keep the frustration out of my voice. “I was only there because a fight broke out at my mom’s wedding to Konstantin, and Aleksandr brought me to the castle to get away from the other guests, And the only reason I stepped foot in that castle is because I thought I could convince my mom to leave with me. I never chose any of this. It’s not my fault my mam married Konstantin.”

“Maybe, but your mother knowingly wed a monster, making her a monster herself – are you not then monster spawn?” He accuses, his voice a crescendo of carefully controlled rage as he spits out his twisted logic. His eyes bore into my own, and I see this for the test it is. He wants to get a reaction from me, so I’ll keep my cool.

“My mother didn’t know what Konstantin was when she first met him,” I offer, choosing my words carefully. “When she first fell in love with him, at some flashy tree–hugging environmental conference in Luxembourg, she had no idea that he was a vampire. She thought he was just a regular human man, just a guy. Or, I mean not just any guy. She and basically the rest of the world – only knew that he was Konstanin Vasiliev, heir to a fortune and the multinational Evergreen Legacy Consortium. She thought she was dating a super famous billionaire. It’s kinda hard to blame her for falling head over heels with him.”

Father Codrin’s brows furrow in confusion. “Billionaire?” he mutters, as if struggling with a foreign tongue. “Explain to me, what is that, girl?”

Great, now I’ve got to break it down for him.

“A billionaire is someone very rich, very wealthy, and powerful… sort of like a lord… or actually, like a king or an emperor, I begin, trying to find a relatable frame of reference. “The Vasiliev family is well known for being one of the richest on the planet, a family of billionaires – Aleksandr Vasiliev owns several large corporations and Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“Planet?” Father Codrin repeats the word.

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giving this

Oh my god. This is ridiculous. Now he wants a lecture on cosmic geography. I can barely explain Wi–Fi to my grandma; there’s no way mediaeval jackass a crash course in celestial bodies.

→“Planet just means world,” I say bluntly, hoping he’ll drop it.

as some sort of gods?”

“And in your – planet “he says the word slowly, almost sarcastically “you say that the Vasiliev family are worshipped as

“I guess, everyone knows who they are,” I mutter, rolling my eyes as he gasps “HERESY!”

He’s been fixated on this idea since the first night he interrogated me, and I stupidly mentioned that in the world outside the village, the Vasiliev family are basically celebrities, worshipped and adored. The moment I used the word “worship‘ he really latched onto that concept.

“So you and your demonic mother are heretic servants bound to the evil Vasiliev coven, worshipping your masters like gods,” he says, and he growls with frustration when I shake my head.

“No, we’re not in a goddam cult,” I say, rolling my eyes for the hundredth time and wishing Father Codrin would just leave so I can crawl up in the bundle of dirty rags that serve as a bed on my cell floor and go to sleep,

“Cult?” He asks me for an explanation, making me clench my teeth in irritation.

“A cult is what you’re in, I say bitterly. “You, and all of the other villagers. A group of people brainwashed into believing some ridiculous delusion, bending to the will of a manipulative asshole lunatic…” I point at him, cocking my eyebrow as I do so “I’m talking about you, obviously. All of you villagers act like you’re still living in the dark ages, like you’re stuck in time. And maybe you are. But there’s a whole world out there. A modern world. Just like I didn’t know about the whole vampire world until Aleksandr-”

“Enough!” Father Codrin snaps, making the sign of the cross at the mention of Aleksandr’s name, as usual, “How many times must I tell you, don’t invoke the name of the accursed one.”

Ww.awalonfmal of him, and not the others?” ask, but he cuts me off

“He is win master, is he? Hrusks collly.

“No, llamawer readiately.

in wat volume, to say on us, to incite discord amongst the dock and to sow the sordid read is in our booty village. he continues, commládtók içinç må denols.

“NODE” NAU VYTREE (BRGES into a shout of frustration, lilled with bitterness. T don’t give a f*ck abonn Akkamentis Vastliestramily, or even my stupid THUHEJIW MOTH will wanted was to leave that stupid castle and get back home to my life in Callisema SDAMINTI!

Delestel Domastia diosen fist against the wall im frustration, feeling the painful scmpe od my kuctes organistick

“Venu live alone lift you escaped the castle and made your way down the mountain, journeying on foogtooouur village by yourself. “The mores my anubiustami continues in long winded accusation. Tut this in and of itself is the greatest proof of all thattycotting more than human. Ne mere mortal wantine timorchilial forest and lives.”

Of course, wattalions, but the decubed to hide the fact that was rescued by a giant silver wodfisha seems coolnesscomection to the Vasilie family. Stone instinctdbme to keepitivationformation close to my chest, although i don’t know why.

Your denials manter not. Hatter Gott avys, his ice icy and laced with frost “Whether you are a dermoen spawn shipperonas witch, or something else centinly the linescaresint. The heavenly flames will consume you all the same. In three days time,jonshilileum/Prepare your hear make your pence”

“What about my trail?” Bay decently,comentening what Mircen had said about my trial and execution:

Trial?” Fantier Costin me the world then begins to laugh, an awful hollow, macking sound, “Foolish girl THIS on ThİLİN HEEN VOI trini. Every night you Have been in this all every single conversation we have had, you have been og trial. And in three days Henreywillie.om

Oh, so it’s that sort of trial. Vamutuum.

justimy–uccuser serving as my judge and pretending it’s somehowall find ja eest.

“I won’t bother to visit tomonwartheday after lave much to prepare, Father Codrin says. “Make your peace, girl The fire omuls

With that firmi ominous pronoment, bestlepett Deaving me to the darkness and solitude of my cell, my heart heavy with dread and ditapur.

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