The segmented whip she had chosen slashed into the body I was in again and again, and it hurt really bad, but the pain was starting to feel less real.

Miss Carrion stepped in front of me and looking into my eyes, and I stared through her, feeling almost relaxed. She grabbed me by the throat and slapped my face. "Eve! Stay with me now, unless you want me to get started on the real torture."

I whimpered and focused my eyes on hers. If I spaced out with her too much, she'd probably kill me. If I gave into her, my Princess would almost kill me.

...actually, come to think of it... "Miss Carrion, my... the one who sent me knows where I am. "

Miss Carrion raised an eyebrow. "Necklace doesn't have any significant tracking spells on it, I checked."

"Yes, but..." I tried to get my head together. I didn't want to say the wrong word and get hurt again. "...she does know what location she sent me to, right?"

Miss Carrion smiled widely. "Oh, we're far away from my house. It is a shame to lose it, but thanks to you coming I know it's not safe anymore. You're deep in another underground facility that I doubt she's ever heard of... and if she has, she'll have no idea you're here."

My shoulders slumped, and I started crying.

Miss Carrion let go of my neck. "Shhh... poor baby... I thought you had figured that out. You're really going all-in on this act, aren't you?" She idly ran a finger from the top of my collarbone down along my belly. "I've tortured people to death without them telling me anything before... but you don't really seem like the type."

I shrugged a little, and let out a pained cry as that made a shock of pain run through my shoulders-- my arms had been held over my head the entire time I was beaten, and it was hard not to tense up or get fatigued in this unnatural position.

I focused my mind, and took a deep breath. "Miss Carrion, even if I told you every word of everything I knew, you wouldn't believe me. So even if I called her The Pretender, said I was your slave, you'd think I was lying and just torture me more. You've already played your hand that you don't trust what I say, so that means you don't really have anything to offer me, doesn't it?""

Miss Carrion blinked, staring at me for a long moment... then laughed. "Ooh, clever lass." She paused for a moment. "You know, I'm thirsty. Are you thirsty? I could tell the slaves to get something... but they're always so slow." She walked over to take a clear crystal glass with birds on it, off the Shelf of Torture in front of me, and I whimpered softly. I was thirsty, but I imagined she'd just smash the glass and stab me with it... if I was lucky.

It filled with water as she stared at it... a spell, I suppose... she walked back in front of me, and took a long sip of water. "I wonder how thirsty you are." ...I was thirsty. Very thirsty. Was she actually going to feed me some water? Was it actually water?

She leisurely drained the glass until it was half-full. "Now. You've already said 'Pretender' despite refusing to even say the word at first. I can see that look of desperation in your eyes as you look on that water."

A smile slowly spread across her face. "Eventually you're going to break down just to have the pain stop for a moment. Just for a moment of mercy from me, just from a brief speck of hope this will end. Even if you think I'll torture you to death no matter what you do... which is wrong, by the way." She walked behind me and kissed my ear gently. "I could be so gentle and kind to you if you'd just stop lying and tell me everything, Eve. Why are you making me do this?" Her voice was soft and sweet.

I started crying, which was just going to dehydrate me more. "You monster..."

She took another long sip from the glass, pressing the cold glass against my cheek as she did so. "Mmm, that's kind of mean, don't you think? I was just minding my business and you tried to murder me out of nowhere without even the courtesy of saying 'hi' or asking me to surrender... how do you think I feel about that? And here I was about to let you drink a little water, even after how cruelly and unfairly you treated me, how much you've been lying... I really am too kind for my own good."

I hung my head a little. "Sorry, Miss Carrion... that wasn't me. I'd prefer that no one dies, honestly. I'm sure even you have a spark of goodness in you, deep down." Well, probably very deep down, in her case.

"My my... you really are selling that, aren't you, sweetie...? You're making me feel bad, you know? Tell me one thing I don't know, and I'll give you a nice little break... you can even finish off this glass of water. Well, only a third of it is left now. What will it be?" Miss Carrion smiled at me lazily and then took another sip.

My mind raced. Was there anything I could tell her without betraying Mistress Eve or Princess? "You're pretty."

She giggled, then adopted a more serious expression and nodded. "I know that. Try again."

"Um... I'm naturally submissive... well, maybe not naturally... maybe just trained into it...."

"Well... I know that too. But it is cute you're admitting it. Once you break, you're going to make such a good slave for me, aren't you?" She took another sip of water. "Just call her the Pretender." Miss Carrion stroked my cheek. "Just once, for me, please, darling?" She smiled sweetly, and lowered her voice a little. "It'll be our little secret, Eve... no one else will know."

I shook my head emphatically. "No, she'll... she'll be really mad... she might torture me to death... I'm bad at lying...."

"Well, I'll definitely torture you to death if you don't..." She raised the glass to her very red lips and took another sip. Maybe a third of a glass of water, now. Water was beading on it a little. I needed it so bad. "What's the exact difference between me and her? Other than I own you now and forever?"

My anger flared. "There might be other things wrong with her, but unlike you, she definitely cares about us! She's going to end slavery!"

"Going to end slavery, huh?" Miss Carrion stared at me for a long moment. " Well now... that is a new piece of information."

I blinked and trembled. I had gotten mad and let an important piece of information slip. A secret piece of information.

Miss Carrion snapped her fingers and I fell to the ground as the chains released my arms, whimpering a little as my knees hit the floor. She handed me the glass and tousled my hair. "Now... you tell me the Pretender might torture you to death merely for saying something wrong... I think that's messed up, personally. I always give my slaves another chance for lapses of etiquette."

Miss Carrion sat down in front of me with her legs underneath her, and smiled at me. "But telling a vital piece of information to an enemy... well, I might not be so forgiving about that. Do you think the Pretender will be?"

I shook my head slowly, staring down at the glass of water. I had messed up everything.

"Go ahead and drink."

I raised the glass to my lips with my trembling arms, a little quickly... but I just couldn't move that fast. I felt closer to the normal mortal than the martial goddess this body usually was... maybe even slower. It didn't really matter if the water was poisoned... my captor could poison me if she wanted, regardless of if I did.

Miss Carrion stroked the top of my head gently. "See? You weren't made for this sort of thing, were you dear...? Your body may have been fast and strong, before I took that away from you, but now the best opportunity you have in life is to become my slave."

I shook my head. "Why?"

Miss Carrion blinked. "Well... you don't really have any other options, sweetie, do you? "

"No. Why are you siding with Princess Adeline?"

Miss Carrion took gentle hold of my hair and lifted my head up a little, made me meet her eyes, her own expression one of disdain. "...does it matter?"

I stared into her eyes. "Mistress Eve and the... the woman may be terrible people, but they're at least trying to do something good. How do you justify what you do to me? How do you justify what you do to yourself?"