"A Lesser Evil" is the continuation of the "Web of Betrayal" chapter, explained on this diagram:


For more information on the entire series, read the "'Demon's Due' Defined" journal entry here faile35.deviantart.com/journal… or the "'Demon's Due' Plus" journal entry here faile35.deviantart.com/journal… .

The next page is here.

Mature Content

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She can hear the smugness of the man's smile at her flank, and it infuriates her. Such arrogance--to draw his conclusion about Avora Villios without possessing the half of why it could even be true! Elina finds it insufferable, and a storm of angry retort builds in her, barely held in check with gritted teeth, clenched fists, and trembling posture. For as much as she yearns to put Lord Ordiel in his place, the Scholar knows it is not her place to do so. And, even worse, she suspects that he would only revel in provoking such an emotional outburst from her.

Stymied, Elina burns within much brighter than the flame in the hearth, desperately working to arrest the bonfire of anger, frustration, and shame. A playful tug at the leash causes her to bat it over her shoulder without looking at him, returning to her arresting stare into the fires within and without. She intends the gesture as a message for him to let the issue stand, but she knows he is not finished with her.

"I'll take your silence as accord, then," he says quietly, confirming all of her assumptions about the man's arrogance and intentions. "And I can see that you don't find the notion pleasing. I am not as... in touch with anger and hatred as I am with fear, but I can tell when someone is struggling to manage their own passions."

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The goal with this page was to draw Elina in an angry stance, and to draw Lord Ordiel looking like a guy who really needs to have a fist driven right squarely into his face. I think it worked out fairly well, as I certainly have some desire to deck him.

Elina was drawn, as always, using the awesome reference material provided me by Feathered-pics . Thanks a ton, Emily!

Enjoy!

Note: Web of Betrayal and Demon's Due are a work of fantasy and fiction. The artist/creator in no way condones real mistreatment of this kind toward any woman or man, by living person, gremlin, plant, assassin, ratman, viscous fluid, programmed device, animated home furnishings, or otherworldly spiritual beings. Furthermore, the artist opposes the marginalizing and restriction of women in general by any institution, political and/or religious, including those which have individual women amongst their membership touting/promoting their own happiness within that institution as evidence that ALL women should feel the same way. This includes the religion I was raised in and which I have utterly discarded from my life over this and other issues.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0la5DB…