The New Dragon Age

Chapter 30

Deirys stood up and walked towards the door. There was a sealed glass container next to it. She picked it up and turned back towards Mellos, her steps slow and measured. She stopped a few feet from him and let him look at the container in her hands.

"I believe you know what this is?" Mello's eyes were filled with fear as he looked at the small insect. "During my travels, I learned that manticore poison is one of the deadliest poisons in the known world. It has to be treated quickly if the patient is to live."

Deirys opened the lid and placed her hand inside, Mellos whimpered and she smiled at him, pulling out her hand with the scorpion-like creature latched onto it. She put the container to the side and caressed the top half of the small creature. Manticores could grow much larger, but this one was just slightly larger than her hand. She took a step forward and Mellos attempted to move back, not that he could move far, he was shackled to the wall.

"This specific one has been altered, with magic." Deirys had to admit that her ancestors had been very fucked up in the head, but she could see where some of their methods might be beneficial. She was thankful that she had been shown how to use the magic her ancestor had wilded for thousands of years. "That is why he has not stung me yet, since I used my blood to perform the spell. You see, his venom will not kill you immediately, I have made it so it will cause you great pain, agonizing pain, but you will be alive for several days."

"You cannot do this! I am the grand maester."

"You are a traitor and a murdered." Deirys took a step closer. "You killed innocent women and babes. Believe me, it will give me great pleasure to do this. Unless you tell me what I want to know."

Mellos's lips tightened and he looked away, foolish man, he was many things, but courageous was not one of them. Deirys let the manticore fall to the floor and watched as it scurried to the maester. Deirys sat back down and watched calmly as the manticore stung Mellos in several different parts of his body. The man's screams echoed inside the small cell. Deirys wanted to feel bad for the man, for the suffering she was causing, but all she felt was rage. All she could see what the sad look on her mother's face when someone mentioned her mother, or the sadness in her voice when she would tell her and her siblings how much she wished they could have met her. All the sadness in her mother's life was owed to this man, who had dared to play god and make decisions on who lived and who died. Deirys returned the manticore back to the container and closed the lid. She gave it an hour, before sighing and pulling out a small glass vial.

"I can stop the pain." Deirys shook the vial, letting Mellos see what she was holding. "I have the antidote here. Give me what I want and you will be saved."

Mellos tried to hold out, but after a few minutes, he nodded desperately. Deirys handed him the vial, watching as he drank the liquid desperately. The small vial fell to the ground as the maester sighed in relief. She knew it would have lessened the pain instantly, not stopped it completely, but made it tolerable.

"Now, you will tell me what I want to know, or I will release the manticore once more and this time I will let you die."

For the next few minutes, Mellos told her everything, things she already knew and other things she did not. He also told her where she could find proof of what he had told her. Deirys stood up with the container in her hands. Mellos winced and Deirys moved away from him, walking to the door.

"What is this?" His face twisted in pain and he started sweating. "The pain is coming back, how can this be happening? I took the cure."

"You did not." There was terror in his eyes and the smile left her face. "What I gave you was a tincture that would ease the pain for a few minutes. You did not really think I would give you a cure?"