Bonesplinter Ravine [M] Viva La Vida

Herod’s gaze turned cold as stone the moment he saw the woman rush forward, spilling the sacrament with a call as shrill as a hawk’s cry. An interruption, a brazen assault upon his ritual, and for what? To protect the Prophet? Herod’s teeth set in a thin line as he watched the stranger—a brazen, reckless creature—step between his assembly and Hasdrubal with a fire he had seldom seen. Her presence struck a dissonant chord, sparking unease in the assembly; even his most stalwart followers flinched, their eyes darting to him, to her, and back again. Fury simmered in his chest, yet he held it back, tempered by a grim curiosity.

Who was this woman, and by what delusion did she think herself capable of such insolence?

He placed down the wine, bowl clicking against stone with a clink, a slow chuckle escaping him. With nothing more than a languid tilt of his head, soldiers were upon her, pressing her into the earth.

He took his time, allowing the silence to swell around them, to seep into her heart, so she might feel the weight of his presence, the finality of his authority. Then at last, when he deemed the pause great enough, he looked down, his piercing gaze studying her with an intensity that could strip flesh from bone.

You call for me, little cowbird, he began, his voice a low murmur, smooth and unhurried, yet each syllable carrying a weight that pressed upon the air. Yet I do not recall granting you the right to wander into our domain, nor the privilege to disrupt matters of which you cannot begin to fathom.

He cast a glance at the Prophet, his expression darkening as he took in the boy’s expression with a sneer of disdain. Slowly, he kneeled, extending a clawed, silvered paw, hooking it under her chin to lift her face so that her eyes were forced to meet his.

You presume to shield my own from me, yet you stand here, lost and trembling, without even a name. He released her from his grip, rising to his full height, and wiping his paw clean with a scoff.

Pray tell, how do you come to know our esteemed Prophet? His lips curled, awaiting an answer, for this revelation might very well be the sole reason she still drew breath in his presence.