"My lord," (Patreon)
Content
Rebecca blinked in confusion. "Is something wrong?"
I nudged Burnside with my free hand, but she hung on tenaciously.
With a shrug and a sigh, I prepared myself for the unpleasant tale I would have to tell. "Rebecca... Bunkirk is gone."
"Gone?" she repeated. "What do you mean gone? Where did it go? Did you apport the entire village away?"
"That's purty dang impressive, even for you," Burnside sighed as she nuzzled against my neck.
I took a deep breath. This was not going to be easy. "Rebecca, something terrible happened ... A vicious Unseelie lunatic burned it down."
"No, that can't be right," Rebecca insisted, shaking her head in disbelief. "That lunatic beaver firestarter died a long time ago after she burned her husband and sister alive."
"Remember how I was looking for an elf noblefemme?" I pressed on reluctantly. "I needed her to crown me so I could lift the geas that was keeping me imprisoned. Well, I found her... but she turned out to be an irredeemable criminal, multiple murderer, and a callous manipulator who treats people as mere pawns to use and throw away. My time with her showed me that she has no empathy for anyone, and cares only about herself. She even traded her soul to a demon in order to gain immortality!"
"That's ... pretty hardcore," Rebecca murmured in awe.
"And to top it all off, she's a liar too! Her Elfmind is broken and she can't hear the Voice of the Forest! I was obliged to mate with this monster because I needed an elf of noble blood to free me. After that, maybe it was spousal instinct, or maybe it was some insidious Wile that got past my defenses, but I naively thought that I could tame her and turn her onto a better path. During our time together we became very close, and we conceived a child; a daughter. I didn't want this witch anywhere near our child until I was sure she could be trusted. While she was asleep, I placed my daughter in the care of a childless family in desperate need of some good fortune. When I returned to my bride, she accused me of being a child killer and stormed off, where she immediately ran afoul of the residents of Bunkirk. They thought she was a witch; coincidence? I think not... Nevertheless, at great personal risk, I donned a disguise and infiltrated the village in an effort to intervene on her behalf. The people of Bunkirk could have been convinced to let her go, but instead of helping her cause, the psychotic loon just hissed and snarled like some kind of feral animal. There was no saving her after that, and the townsfolk hanged her at a crossroads."
"Okay, but ... why is Bunkirk gone?" Rebecca asked, perplexed.
"The story isn't over. Remember how I said she had made herself immortal? Well, hanging didn't stop her. It only made her cranky. Later that night, instead of simply leaving like a sane person, the sadistic wench stormed into Bunkirk and started indiscriminately murdering people."
"She sounds purty bad-ass," Burnside remarked.
"She killed EVERYONE," I continued. "It didn't matter if they had taken part in hanging her or not. She slaughtered mels, femmes, even innocent children. No amount of pleading or begging for mercy could slake her bloodlust. I witnessed the horror from my scrying tower, but there was nothing I could do. Before I could even process what I was witnessing, she had set the town alight. Bunkirk burned to the ground in a matter of hours. By morning it was a smoking ruin, and she had the gall to act as if the whole incident was my fault."
Rebecca swayed dizzily and dropped to her knees. To my surprise, Burnside let go of me and rushed to her side.
"Elves don't lie," Rebecca mumbled, seemingly in a daze. "Everyone in Bunkirk is dead? The town I grew up in .. burned down? I admit I've been out of touch with them for a long time, but I had relatives living in Bunkirk, the descendants of my siblings. The people there weren't evil, they were just misled by lying charlatans. They were getting better! In another generation or two I could've opened their hearts and minds to Fuma. I often dreamed of someday going back as a missionary of Fuma's word and leading Bunkirk into a new era. And now they're all gone."
"Who done this dreadful deed?" Burnside snarled, brandishing a large knife. "Tell me the varmint's name, and I promise she'll suffer tenfold for her crimes."