Part 4, take 2
Brianna started in the direction that Hchahn had fled. The way she was running, a blind person could track her.
Brianna swore loudly and quickened her pace. The dagger sucking all that magic from Layla would have looked like a flare to anyone who can perceive magic. She has to find Hchahn before Bishop or one of his agents discover her and take the it. She broke into a run.
Almost immediately she heard another set of footsteps behind her. She turned to look at her pursuer.
“You’re not very subtle.” she observed. “Who are you?”
“Who are you?” returned a mocking voice. “I’m hurt. Don’t you recognize your big brother?”
“Of course I do.” Brianna replied. "You look exactly the way Bishop looked the last time I saw him. That's how I know you're an impostor. It's been years since then. Long before Elena and Tarlic died."
"What makes you think I'm dead, Little Sis?" A shapely, athletic woman jogged up beside her.
Brianna stopped. Whatever these things were and whoever sent them, she was not going to lead them to Hchahn and the dagger.
"If you were not dead," she explained to Elena's double, "If Ytriam had not killed you, Tarlic and the others, Bishop would not be sitting on the Vrikt throne and calling himself 'Lord'."
"Maybe you underestimate him." Elena purred. Just because you couldn't compete with me, doesn't mean Bishop couldn't. It has nothing to do with him that you are a pale, pathetic imitation of me. All of the same moves. None of the finesse."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Brianna shouted over Bishop's laughter.
"Oh yes. That is the real reason you ran away isn't it?" Elena taunted. "It had nothing to do with 'moral superiority'. It was because you knew you could never measure up."
Without changing size, the image of Elena seemed to grow larger and more beautiful. Power radiated from her in an almost visible aura.
Brianna mustered all of her resolve to resist shrinking back from it. She forced herself to meet Elena’s gaze evenly and without faltering. By focusing only on her eyes, Brianna knew that she would be less susceptible to any glamours Elena might cast.
“It is true that I left the fiefdom after associating with you and Bishop. I saw how you twisted your magic to try to attain the results my magic was meant for. I also saw how you used anyone and everyone - not for any particular gain, but just because you enjoyed controlling them. It must have made you feel ‘powerful’” Brianna scoffed.
“I also saw how Bishop used you and you never even had a clue. You actually thought you were manipulating him.
“Bishop never took his eyes off the goal. Everything he did, every person he used or disposed of brought him closer to taking control of the fiefdom. You had no goal. He played the Vrikt game to win. You played to play.
“You disgusted me. You both did. You showed me what it really means to be a Vrikt and it repulsed me. I didn’t much care for it before then, but after meeting you, I wanted no part of it. Ever. So I renounced the name of Vrikt and left the fiefdom." Brianna turned dismissively from the already fading image of her half-sister.
“Did you really think it would be so easy?” demanded another voice behind her.