[PQ] Throw Away the Key

What was this? Defiance. Zariah stilled, then turned slowly, the sound of her shoes skidding against the hard floor. Again the air stilled, draping over their shoulders like the very chains he had repaired. Then, the clicking began again. Slow. Deliberate. Each step taken with painstaking precision, a tigress stalking her prey in the night. Defiance was not allowed in her presence. This the alchemist would learn. She stopped only when she was toe-to-toe with him. He might not be able to see her, but she need not be seen. Her presence projected itself without Ronin’s tricks of astral projection, or even the aid of magic. Zariah’s being, her soul was merely so powerful that it could make itself felt to instill fear. She was no ordinary woman grabbing at power – she was a conqueror, a titan, a being of supreme power that perhaps was yet in infancy but would only grow to legendary proportions. ”Then don’t lie, dear one. Simply. Say. Nothing.” she said, growing ever quieter until her words were but a breathy whisper against his chin and cheek. Had he learned? Would he hear the warning this time? Zariah Come join the chorus of the unimpressed