"Good."
Marcellus finally let himself collapse, the last of his light magic sputtering out as the pressure of my domain became too much for him to fight. I caught him with a shadow tendril before he hit the ground, lowering him gently against one of the cracked pillars.
Valtor remained on his knees, trembling, broken, but alive.
For now.
"What do we do with him?" I asked.
Marcellus wiped blood from his lips, his golden hair matted to his forehead with sweat. "We take him with us. He's too valuable to kill."
"He's too dangerous to keep alive."
"He's too informed to waste."
We stared at each other across the dark cavern. The domain still pressed down on everything, but without me actively feeding it, the pressure was already starting to ease. The reinforcements remained unconscious. The pillars continued to crack.
"We don't have time for this argument," Marcellus said finally.
"Bind him. Bring him back to our estates. I'll handle him."
"And if he escapes?"
"He won't."
