The next few days were as horrid as Effie had expected them to be. Azarax was boiling with rage, and he had countless ways to take it out on her. Of course, he never really lost control — she'd be dead in a moment if he did — and while he wanted her to believe that his mind was overcome by rage, she could see that all his gruesome feats of cruelty were meticulously calculated.
Azarax never truly lost control. Hidden behind his arrogance and outwardly unabashed savagery was a cold, calculating mind. He was always shrewd, knowing exactly how much unrestrained wickedness he could allow himself.
Azarax's true goal was to break Effie's spirit. And to do that, he had wisely decided to break her physically first — the body and the spirit were inseparably connected, after all. But even then, Azarax was careful not to damage her too badly... not to ruin her altogether, since he wanted her to become a thrall after all of it was over and the Steel Horde moved on to its next conquest.
