[member="Mirien Valdier"]
Agony, horrifying screams, bright light. The assassin was in terrible pain and Tarissa did not care. Well, as a matter of fact that was not true. The woman deserved all the pain she was suffering and the aristo enjoyed seeing her like this. "The D-duch," the sniper stammered in between cries of pain. "She..."
"Speak louder, girl. I can't hear you!" Tarissa snarled, though she recognised that the assassin was trying to tell her something and so she dialled back on her onslaught. She took a deep breath and slowly but surely the bright light emitting from her palm dissipated. Panting, the assassin raised a shaky hand to touch the space where her eyes lay. Except now she was not just blinded, her eyes had been shorn from their sockets, leaving behind mutilated orbs. "Who hired you?" Her words were spoken in a frigid enough to freeze a galaxy over.
The assassin groaned in pain and panted. Her cheeks were flushed red, her agony was evident. "Duchess...Alesia," she spoke haltingly, as if trying to form words was a chore for her. Then again, Tarissa and Mirien had not been gentle in the slightest.
Two words...and yet in spite of all her experience in court politics, Tarissa looked shocked. "Her Majesty's aunt ordered this? Speak truly, girl, or the things I put you through will make what just happened look like a foot massage. You swear this, so help you Ashira?"
"Yes, yes, I swear it. The duchess ordered the hit. She...believes it'll purify Kaeshana....aaargh...help me." However, Tarissa was not done yet with the assassin. Far from it. Roughly she grabbed the girl by her black hair.
She leaned in closely, almost conspiratorially. "Good. That's just what I needed to know. If you make a full confession and repent, I may be able to make things easier for you. Just one last question: Was my mother involved in this?"
To her credit, no expression of surprise crossed the assassin's face when she realised what Tarissa wanted from her. Even now, the Great Game was being played. She could not trust the woman's word, but it might be a chance. "You won't protect me," she said suspiciously, coldly.
"No, you're damned either way. But you want to spare your family the shame of being ostracised don't you? I can spare them the humiliation of a public execution. Now I ask again: Did the duchess ever hint at Lady Cadalthor being involved?"
The assassin nodded. "Yes, she's part of the group. I...overheard a conversation between her and the abbess." Was it true? Maybe, maybe not. But either way it did not matter to Tarissa. Her mother had despised Siobhan and it was not a stretch to assume she'd been involved, though she was the cautious type. Moreover, to put it plainly, she simply wanted her out of the picture.
"Thank you. I am a woman of my word," having said that Tarissa got up and gestured to two minions who had arrived on the scene. "Guards, take her into custody. Talon Saedaris, come with me. The Duchess Alesia and Lady Mikela Cadalthor are traitors. They will be brought to justice," she declared. Without waiting for another word, she turned around and left the corridor, taking the stairs down.
The doors to the ballroom were closed and guarded, but the soldiers immediately opened them when she approached. Inside the various aristos who'd been invited to the party were in various states of anxiety. Countess Sylvari, who was trying to calm folks down, was the first to approach them. "Lady Cadalthor, have you found the assassin? What is Lady Kerrigan's condition?" the aristocrat sounded genuinely concerned and distraught.
"It is preposterous to keep us locked up like this. We may all still be at risk. We are peers of the realm, not the dregs of society," Tarissa's mother said pompously. To say that she was pissed would be an understatement.
"Lady Cadalthor, let the Queen's agents do their work. We are all equal before her law," Sylvari said flatly.
"The assassin is dead, and I have the names of those responsible for this treasonous plot." For the time being, she didn't mention that there had been another attack. "Abbess Vethari is a traitor. So are...," at that she paused dramatically and her eyes fell upon the queen's aunt, an old crone who was dressed in elegant robes and sitting upon a couch surrounded by hangers-on, "you. Duchess...or should I call you traitor Aella? You're under arrest."
"This is preposterous!" one of the aristos shrieked.
"Lady Cadalthor, have you gone mad?"
"What a disgrace for a daughter."
However, any further words were cut short when the old matriarch suddenly arose. "The lot of you are pathetic cowards. Blinded by greed and hunger for power. You let the snake into paradise when you kowtowed before the humans. I had hoped dear Nalia would set things right, but vile monkeigh murdered my little girl," She stood tall and proud, looking defiant.
"So you confess then? Guards, put her in irons. Talon Saedaris, you stand here as witness for the Queen to confirm that her own aunt is a traitor. We will tear these treasonous weeds out by the roots."
"Your Grace, how could you..." the aristo did not get to say more because the Duchess suddenly gave her a hard slap across the cheek. For a woman of her age, she could still make the smack sting very nicely. She did not resist when the guards roughly cuffed her.
"I am not afraid to die for what I know is right. My little Nalia is waiting for me. So are all true Eldorai." Despite the revulsion she felt for the old duchess, Tarissa could not help but feel a grudging respect for her. Rather than trying to deny her guilt, she stuck to her beliefs.
"Words fail me at how a member of the royal family could sink to such levels."
"How ironic that you should say this, mother." There was an evil, almost sadistic smirk on Tarissa's face when she spoke. The glint in her eyes could only be described as predatory. "I knew you hated Kerrigan, a human who time and again proved a friend to our people and embraced our culture, our faith. But I would've never thought you'd try to take her life. Mikela Cadalthor, you're under arrest."
If looks could kill, Tarissa would have spontanoeusly combusted right this second. Anger, rage and shock crossed Mikela's features. Perhaps she had never expected her daughter to make such a move. "What? How dare you? These are lies, slander. I had nothing to do with this cowardly attack. You ungrateful, stupid girl. This is nothing more than a power play to seize my title and get rid of me, like you've wanted since you've always wanted. Peers of the realm, will you let one of your own be betrayed like this?"
