Chapter 216 Unexpected Twist

"Fine, take her and go. But this is not over," she warned, and I just snorted as I released her and grabbed Mishal's hand again.

"Whatever you say," I said dismissively as I pulled Mishal with me out of the Temple.

We walked in silence for a while before Mishal finally broke it as we made our way back to my home.

"Thank you for doing that," she said quietly, and I shrugged.

"I am not one to leave people in bad situations, especially when they are helping me out," I explained, and Mishal nodded.

"I appreciate it," she said after a moment, and I could tell that she was sincere. "So, where are we going?"

"My place. It is time that you told me what was going on," I said as we turned a corner, and Mishal sighed.

"Fine, but it is not a pretty story," she warned, and I just nodded for her to continue.

"I was born into the Temple, like most of us were. We are raised to serve the Gods, and they're chosen, and that is all that we know. I never questioned it until I met Kira," Mishal began, and I could see the pain in her eyes.

"What happened?" I prompted gently when she paused, and she took a deep breath before continuing.

"Kira is one of the high priestesses here, and she started taking an interest in me when I turned sixteen. She would take me to her room under the pretext of giving me extra lessons, but it quickly became clear what she wanted," Mishal said, her voice shaking slightly. "At first, I resisted, but she was very persuasive."

Mishal paused again, and I squeezed her hand in encouragement. She looked up at me with gratitude before continuing with her story.

"Eventually, I gave in, and we started a sexual relationship that lasted for years. It was only the third year that Kira's true colors started showing," Mishal explained, and I frowned.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously as we turned down another street towards my home.

"She became more demanding, wanting things from me that I wasn't comfortable with. When I tried to break it off with her, she threatened to have me killed or worse if I didn't comply," Mishal said bitterly, and my grip tightened on her hand protectively as anger boiled up inside of me.

The thought of anyone hurting Mishal made my blood boil, but even more so, the idea of this woman using her position of power to control someone younger than her nauseated me. No wonder Mishal had been so scared back at the Temple; Kira was clearly a dangerous person if she was willing to go that far just to keep someone under her thumb, sexually speaking anyway.

What other horrors had this woman inflicted on people? Did anyone else know? Or were they too afraid to speak up? Because judging by how easily Mishal had given into Kira's demands before, they probably were.

"When did you finally escape her clutches?" I asked as we arrived at my door, and Mishal sighed.

"A year ago. I fake fainted during one of our...sessions, and she dumped me unceremoniously on the floor before storming out. I took that opportunity to sneak out," Mishal said softly, and I pulled her into a hug as wing burst from my back.

I should go back and deal with Kira, but I needed more info and to talk to Tallia about it. While what she did was wrong, in a sense, there were no laws that would prevent this. It was also clear that the other Peekaans didn't care about the Temple or what happened in it.

"You're safe now," I murmured comfortingly as she clung to me tightly, and she nodded against my chest before reluctantly pulling away.

"Thank you for everything, Galio. I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't come along when you did," Mishal said earnestly, and I shook my head.

"Don't thank me, Mishal. I didn't do anything that anyone else wouldn't have done in my position," I said gruffly, and she smiled at me.

"I think you are wrong, Galio. I think you are a good person, and I am glad that I met you," Mishal said as she rested her head on my chest.

"Possibly, but let's get you back to my home so we can talk more," I said and then shot into the air above Bramma on a gust of wind. We tore off into the open sky heading back to Northwall.

"So what do we do now?" Mishal asked as she clung to me tightly, and I frowned.

"I need to talk to Tallia about this and see if there is anything that can be done," I said grimly, and Mishal nodded.

"I hope so. Kira is a dangerous woman, and I don't want anyone else to go through what I did," she said softly, and I held her close as we flew back home.

There were a lot of things on my mind after today, but the one thing that was foremost was Mishal. I had to make sure that she was safe, but there was also the Riftwalker that would be spawning tomorrow. I still had to get Tallia's help with the barrier and kill an interdimensional beast. Nothing too much, that is.

Still, today was filled with some fun so far. The women of Bramma were turning out to be quite the freaks, but they were my kind of crowd. I was still unsure about the Queen, though.

,m Not only Mishal had told me to be careful, but Tallia too. I might have to get the woman undressed to get a better feel of the situation. I was also looking forward to visiting Peekaa again and getting to know Bramma more. Too bad tomorrow was going to be filled with work, but I would get to do it with my favorite girl, so not all was boring, and I get to kill an epic monster.

Just another great day in paradise.