“Fine,” Lucas laughed, pulling out a few gold pieces and tossing them to Bonnie. “If you want more, keep everyone alive next time.”

“Ugh . . .” Bonnie sighed disappointedly. “Nick’s right: You’re a slave driver.”

“Don’t spend it all in one place then,” Lucas replied with a shrug. He looked over at the Naga that only had a few seconds left of Meddling Minds on her. He readied three charges of Chain Lightning on his staff, but he didn’t attack right away. He just studied her as she came back to reality, once more gaining command over her actions and behavior. It was like watching someone wake up from a nightmare. Her facial muscles tried to spread out in all directions, and her eyes and mouth widened with shock.

“What . . . What happened?! Why did I do that?!” she exclaimed, looking at her bow. Lucas wasn’t the only one studying her. Everyone was. They were all mystified by the process.

“Because while temptation and oppression’s gilded hand may shove aside justice for those of lesser mind, it is not so for those like you,” the princess said as she walked toward the confused player. “As sure as you have good eyes, you have a good heart, and wicked orders from wicked men could not stay your hand from doing what is right.” She walked even closer and placed her hand on the bewildered Naga’s shoulder. “I knew. I knew from when I first saw you that you could not stand idly by while your countrymen sent the innocent to die.”

“I . . . No, it wasn’t that. It was my beloved . . . It was my . . . Wait. What was it?” The girl violently shook her head again as she tried to grasp what was happening, and Lucas even contemplated killing her to spare her the ordeal, but then everything snapped back into place, and calm returned. “That must have been it. Right. You’re right. Seeing all those innocent people die . . . Yeah, that’s why I did it.” Despite her words, it was clear to Lucas and the others watching that she was just giving lip service so that the group didn’t kill her on the spot.

“I don’t think you can return back to the Mere for a while,” Lucas said as he walked forward. “I don’t think you are welcome here either.” He looked around at the bodies on the ground. He knew she had killed a few runners when the fight started, before she drew his attention.