Discworld and Member Articles
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Written by Mynona
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Friday, 26 August 2005 |
I was, we were, walking down the corridors to reach the pens, again. Me ahead of Styx, who followed at the traditional three paces. In the last month he’d come far, he could almost behave at this point. I’d love to say that it had been an easy transition but it wasn’t, life is never easy. I hate to say that though I never thought that I’d use the whip father taught me to use many years back, I now have, several times. Some people just don’t learn. Every time I took that long piece of braided leather to his back I felt sick. I knew I needed to do it, both for the sake of every other vampire but also for his own. If he didn’t learn to obey and behave he’d get killed very soon.
I was, we were, walking down the corridors to reach the pens, again. Me ahead of Styx, who followed at the traditional three paces. In the last month he’d come far, he could almost behave at this point. I’d love to say that it had been an easy transition but it wasn’t, life is never easy. I hate to say that though I never thought that I’d use the whip father taught me to use many years back, I now have, several times. Some people just don’t learn. Every time I took that long piece of braided leather to his back I felt sick. I knew I needed to do it, both for the sake of every other vampire but also for his own. If he didn’t learn to obey and behave he’d get killed very soon.
I didn’t like the way he shrunk in on himself after I’d whipped him as if he was a dog, I loathed the feeling of the leather biting into smooth, pale skin. I hated the way the scent of blood made me want to hurt him more. Since that first time I’d requested of Emilio that he’d sit in on every session to make sure I stopped in time. Styx thought that I’d done it to make him feel more humiliated but I couldn’t tell him why I really did it. I don’t know what Emilio thought about it but afterwards he usually held me as I tried to focus on what was now and here instead of the sight of the wonderfully crimson blood trailing down the pale, pale back.
We had arrived at the pens and since there was already guards at the doors Styx didn’t have to open them. I never particularly liked having someone to open doors for me, I’m fully functional thank you very much, but it was required. Father had told me to.
“You’re free to find someone. I’ll be staying here since I don’t need to feed.” Styx went to his knees and pressed his forehead to the top of my boots in a silent thank you. This had really made me uncomfortable at first because I felt as if he was constricting me. If something happened I’d surely stumble all over him and fall to the ground. Also, the first few times he had been required to do this he had smashed his head into my feet, that got him one of the more brutal punishments and me sore feet.
Since Emilio and I had taught Styx how to feed properly there had never been a problem for him to get a donor. It might seem strange but rumours spread fast down here and in this case it was good.
As I stood watching the humans walk around in the common room I was hit by the flightiness of it all. These humans could look forward to a life of maybe 80 years while I had an undetermined amount of time at my hands. And what was I doing with it? I learnt, as I was supposed to, but then what? I had some responsibilities, the weres among them, and they forced me to do something about it all. Was this the only thing I’d do for the rest of my very long life? Sure, I saw Emilio in my future but did he really see me in his? And if we did bond would anything change? Styx was a pebble in that shoe the size of K2.
What were vampires doing that was important enough to live ten times the length of an ordinary human? I was so lost in though that I didn’t notice Styx at first. He having been told earlier to be quiet until further notice did nothing except stand there peacefully. For the first time sine this mess started he didn’t look as if he was fighting some unseen force weighting him down. I raised my eyes and took in his rather contended bearing.
I’ve always been more of a follower than a leader, finding peace when I didn’t have to take responsibilities. Being a follower also means that you don’t have to take any hard decisions or do anything except that what you have been told. Father forced me into a more leading role and this far it had gone ok, none of my followers had mutinied, yet. Styx, however, had been thoroughly convinced he was a leader and hadn’t been prepared to give an inch. He wasn’t… a leader that is, he didn’t care for anyone but himself and that made him an erratic follower and a dangerous leader. If I could knock some sense into him he might become a decent person at least. Or that was what I was hoping for, sometimes I was prepared to give up. As that one time when he’d wrecked our rooms to the point of me not recognising them. Or when he decided to turn Emilio and me against each other. That one didn’t work, thanks to us expecting it. Though it wasn’t easy.
I turned around and we left the pens, heading towards my father’s room, he’d requested to see me earlier, I had no idea about what, and it was just about time. My brief touch with philosophy earlier had left me more level headed than I expected and I had a bit of a bounce in the step as we slowly travelled upwards. A training session was long over due.
I stopped the knife aimed for my throat with a surprised movement. Training shouldn’t come just because you think about it. I could hear Styx’s gasp behind me, though it was nearly drowned out by the pounding in my ears. No matter how dead they said us to be, adrenaline still kicks in. I grabbed her other hand, who’d gone towards her belt and presumably a second knife. I looked into her deep brown eyes and head-butted him. I’d never done it before and I would never do it again, dear god my head hurt, but I did accomplish what I’d been aiming for. Getting the assassin unconscious.
It was Styx’s yell that finally brought me out of my stupor. When my father, closely followed by some guards, arrived a few seconds later I was focused enough to at least be ‘now’.
“Are you hurt Alexis?”
“No, Father.”
“Why do they think I would allow them to kill you?”
“Because.”
“Because what?” Father asked, rather unamused. Maybe I shouldn’t tease him when he was in this kind of mood.
“Just because.”
“I’ll assume that that isn’t a real answer and that you have no real idea.”
“Yes Father.” I said and performed a small bow. As we’d been speaking Walter had hoisted the unconscious assassin up. When he did I saw something glitter on his finger, his sect ring. Usually assassins weren’t parts of covens or if they were, they didn’t show it because if they didn’t succeed you didn’t want any distinguishing marks. I pointed it out and father lifted the hand to get a closer look.
It was a Succarn ring. Father’s face hardened even more. The sect in which his former childe was bonded with the High Princess had sent an assassin to kill his daughter. I realised that I’d walk on eggshells around him for now. He normally wasn’t violent but he had been the reason for all the tales about him. That part of him was still there, though mostly buried below a patina of refined curtness.
“Take him to the torture room. We can’t be sure that he really is from Succarn.” That was true, he could have taken the ring from someone else to throw us off. But it was really odd, all of it, since a ring on an assassin would be strange it would be strange if it really was his. Father motioned for me to follow him.
The torture room in the coven is a rather nice room… as torture rooms go. It’s behind the pens, connected to the cells where we keep the human prisoners. It’s all white. Walls, ceiling and floor are made from white tiles. The light was strong and harsh, a far cry from the muted firelight that lighted the rest of the coven. There were a few rings stuck in the walls and floor, presumably to tie someone up with. Or down, depending on which ones you used.
In the middle of the room there was a table in comfortable working height, I never knew father was so interested in ergonomics. The sound made when the body was dumped on the table suggested that it was made from metal but it was also white so I think it had been glazed or something. Metalwork has never been a part of my education. Neither am I interested in it.
The assassin was chained down to the table according to father’s instructions. The cuffs used was made from silver, they’d burn his skin slowly as they lay against it. There was no trace of any standard, or non standard for that matter, torture advices. I was a bit disappointed by that in a ‘I thought I was going to see the car crash but when I got there they’d already removed the bodies’ kind of way.
“I want you to sit in on this.”
“Of course, Father, but why, if I may ask?” Our voices echoed strangely in this cave of pain and suffering. I had a disturbing thought about how cries would sound in here.
“You need to learn.” That was an even more disturbing thought, but he was right, of course, too.
“As you wish.” A slight shuffling of feet was heard from behind me, made larger though more hollow by the echo, made me aware that Styx had followed us here. Not that he really had any choice in the matter. He looked even worse than I felt at the prospect of being this close to torture. Or maybe it was just reminding him of the five lashes he’d gotten yesterday. Anyways I needed to lose him. I didn’t think that he and father in the same room when father was in this frame of mind was a good idea.
“Father?”
“Yes.”
“May I send the boy to tell Emilio what happened?” Father turned from his silent contemplation of the unconscious body and his plans for it.
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” I had been a bit worried that Emilio had heard, or would hear, some abbreviated version of what’d happened and come to some faulty conclusions. Sending Styx away would solve two problems with one order. He was still standing behind me, why?
“Didn’t you hear our High Prince, boy?” Styx looked a bit like a deer caught in the headlights, or a vampire being defiant, before scurrying off to obey. He was learning even though it took the pain from day-old lashes to remind him.
“You’re doing a good job with him.”
“Thank you, Father. Although I must confess that sometimes his stubbornness drives me up the walls.”
“It is often that way.” He said and looked at me, challengelly. Once again I bowed my head in silent recognition. I knew I was stubborn and that I could benefit from being a bit less so. Especially with father. But I had learnt to be stubborn in silence. Our amiable, or at least close to, conversation was halted when the body on the table moved and moaned softly. Another ‘benefit’ of using silver in the cuffs was that you knew exactly when the victim woke up enough to feel pain. Father motioned me to one of the walls. He pushed firmly on a tile that looked exactly liked its neighbours but this one moved with his push and revealed a cabinet in the wall filled with blades in different sizes and shapes. With and without silver.
“He’s not aware enough, yet, to understand speech, which is why I’ll take this opportunity to talk. I’m going to demonstrate every move on his right side and you’ll watch closely and copy whatever I did on his left. I want him to scream as loud for you as for me. If you fail or can’t remember a move it will be demonstrated again, on you. Do you understand?” Well that was an inventive to study if I’d ever heard any.
“Yes, father, I understand.” With that he chose two silver stilettos and gave me one while ordering the last guard out. Father-daughter bonding, the vampire way.
I was nervous but I was also concentrating hard. I did not want any kind of torture demonstrated on myself. Before we started father warned me to cut exactly as deep as he did. Suddenly the man on the table arched up into his bindings and father motioned for me to take my place.
The man was tied to the table with his hands above his head and his legs slightly spread. One silver chain crossed over his pelvis and another just above his solar plexus thus rendering him immobile. The chains used had been lightly studded so the more he fought them the more pain he’d receive. He had also been stripped so that nothing would interfere with father’s, and my, work. At the first incision the man screamed, long and loud and I couldn’t really hide my wince. The room made the echo that much louder and I thought that I’d go crazy if I had to listen to it for long. Father saw and put a rubber ball gag in the prisoner’s mouth. I’d never thought that I’d ever see father use something made from plastic or rubber but even a technophobe like him couldn’t deny that some of the inventions really were good. Though ball gags weren’t really the area in which I’d ever imagined father giving in. Or even know about to be honest.
He traced a delicate line around the nipple, just where the different coloured skins meet. It’s rich with nerve endings and blood vessels. I did the same with as steady hand I could manage with blood pouring so freely around me, and of course the absurdity of the situation. I was careful only to it as deep as father had. And it was rather shallow really. We didn't want to cut off the blood flow to the nipples themselves, that would be counterproductive. After all, we didn’t want to harm him, just torture him a bit.
Delicate lines of blood covered his torso in patterns that mirrored each other from side to side. On his lower abdomen a triangle shaped patch of skin had been removed to allow us to manipulate the nerves more directly. By the movements the prisoner managed despite being tied down tightly and the sounds escaping the gag it had to be as painful as I imagined. We’d moved downwards, the insides of the thighs are extremely sensitive as is the soles of the feet.
Injuring the feet is a subtle kind of punishment, if done correctly you’ll kill the nerves in the soles and the victim will never be able to walk correctly even though there won’t be a mark to prove it. This far we’d stayed away from the man’s genitals, which I was happy for. I did not want my first ever encounter with them be with this man. I wanted it to be with Emilio. And now I’d better pay attention again because father’s doing something at the inside of the knee. He’d cut a shallow line along the inside and then when he reached that point he’d done some twisty turny thing that made the man spasm.
I slowly traced what I thought was the same line, and when I reached the spot I thought was the correct one I lifted my eyes a bit. Father nodded but his eyes were cold. I’d probably get punished for it but it was a smaller infraction than doing the move wrongly would have been. I just hoped that he’d wait until we’d finished in here before he did anything to me. He did let it slide, for now.
Father motioned me over to his side and performed a similar manoeuvre on the outside of the leg, though this time starting from the lower leg instead of the thigh. The twist came lower down too. This time the man on the table didn’t spasm as much and I wondered if it was because the move was less painful on the outside than the inside or if he was getting to weak to protest. The amount of blood he’d lost was amazing. Drains hidden in the floor took care of the spill but there was still a lot of it coating him, both my father and I, splatters decorated the table and the floor. Some of the patters were beautiful, almost sinful in colour and contrast. And of course, reminding me what had been done to achieve the crimson drops.
“Had enough yet?” Father asked the prisoner. He’d come to the same conclusion that I had, the prisoner was weakening. To both our great surprise the prisoner nodded, blood tears staining his pale face. “But first Alexis have a cut to finish.” And I did, it was easier than the one on the inside, probably because I could actually see what I was doing.
Father moved slowly towards the head of the table, and the head of the man, lightly trailing the dull side of the knife along an earlier cut, the part of the pelvis that wasn’t covered by the chain, a rib or two, harshly across a cut nipple and slowly, oh so slowly along his neck. The man didn’t dare to move but I could read the desire to in his eyes, as clear as day. With a swift and sudden move he cut the leather thong that had kept the gag in place. The man didn’t speak, though, waiting for permission, or simply a question, to do so.
“Still prepared to speak?”
“Yes.” His voice was rough from screaming and just about audible. Damage to the vocal cords was my guess. He couldn’t heal it as weak as he was, though.
“What’s your name and coven?”
“Lois LeCroix. Succarn.” His body wracked with a spell of coughing which made him fight the restraints. He was coughing blood.
“Why did you try to kill Alexis?” Father was not going to give in that easily. Lois was badly hurt, yes, but not fatally so.
“Ordered to.” His voice grew even fainter and he lost consciousness. We’d have to revive him before continuing.
“Go to the cabinet I opened earlier, move three tiles to the left and push.” I was left unsurprised when the tile indicated moved smoothly under my hand to reveal something akin to a small freezer. It held several bags of some slightly transparent fluid. Blood serum. It could keep a vampire alive but it tasted like cardboard and drinking out of a plastic bag is similar to eating off the floor. He wasn’t in any condition to complain though. Father took the bag from my hands and used the prisoner’s own fangs to pierce the thick plastic and one of his hands slowly massaged the throat to make sure he was swallowing. The groaning once again alerted us to him coming back to life.
“No nodding off Mr LeCroix.” Lois, if that was his name nodded weakly and carefully. It seemed as if he didn’t want to disturb his bindings. “One more bag, Alexis.” I trotted to the ‘freezer’ and picked out another bag of serum as the obedient little dog… minion I was. I handed it to father who held it out to our prisoner. He looked at it a bit distastefully before yielding to father’s level glare. He slowly sunk his teeth into the bag, I could understand his flinch at the taste.
“I am not going to waste good blood on you. You’re not a very good assassin are you?”
“I am.” Both father and I were surprised at this. His attempt hadn’t really been a good one, not even as bad attempts go, how could he claim being a good assassin?
“Your actions belie your words.” Father said. I was going to keep quiet until father told me to speak. He had calmed a bit but not enough for me to do anything he could classify as punishable.
“Good assassin, didn’t want to.” He talked slowly, roughly and his body still shook with coughs from time to time. He’d stopped coughing blood though and I guessed he was slowly healing. He did find it uncomfortable to talk, though, and was saving his words.
“Explain.”
“I didn’t want to kill Alexis.”
“Disobeying orders?” Father’s voice got hard. Luis shook his head rather frenetically.
“Obeyed but not good. No wish to. Coven wants to rebel.” Father looked intrigued. Thanks to the bond the High Prince’s minions more or less had to obey, they were encouraged to be loyal too, but it didn’t force it. Something had to be really wrong if the Succarn vampires wanted to get rid of their nobles. Also, rather a good move to attack the daughter of the Rector Lamia when you wanted to bring attention to any wrongs in your coven. Though I won’t dispute that there’s something seriously wrong with Amie and Jonathan.
“That’s a serious allegation.”
“Sect gone wrong.” It took some time to wrap my head around that statement but it finally made sense. He meant that the rulers had made the sect unhealthy in one way or other. Ordering an attack on me was decidedly stupid and would end in unhealthy measures.
Father sighed. He knew from my report from the Succarn coven that things had been bad but even I hadn’t known that they were this bad. He made a slight wave at me and I took it as ‘fetch another bag’. It must have been right because he didn’t protest when I gave the bag to him. Luis gave a small sigh but accepted the bag without protest.
“You will be very still while we unchain you, you won’t move a muscle until I say so. We’ll collar and cuff you and we will fetch a human here. You will obey instantly and without questions. I will allow you to heal a bit but I demand more explanations later.”
“Yes Lord.”
“Be still.” He did keep still but I saw his skin quivering as we loosened the chains and they dragged across him. He did as told, though, and refused to move a muscle even when he was free. He sat slowly without any unnecessary movements when ordered to and allowed himself to be collared and his hands cuffed behind his back. A short chain connected the cuffs to the collar, if he tried to move his arms he’d strangle himself and once again everything was made from silver. Marks that looked like burns marred his skin where the silver chains had bit into it. I had no doubt it hurt something terrible. Father added another chain to the collar and gave the other end to me. It was also silver and the burn spread along my skin. I held it tight despite the discomfort. Father moved to the door and left.
Later a guard came back with one of the imprisoned humans, father wasn’t going to take any chances. He didn’t, however, return himself. The guard, one of the ordinary ones, not the blond bodyguards, let the human go. Luis eyes had focused on the human but didn’t otherwise move.
“You’re to feed, not kill nor harm. Do you understand?” As I spoke his eyes swivelled back to focus on me and he nodded carefully. I tugged the chain in my hand lightly, the pain helping me concentrate on something else than the hunger that’d started to grow when we first spilled Lois’ blood. He followed me docilely. I placed myself behind the human and yanked her head to the side, exposing her neck in invitation. I held her tight because Lois couldn’t with his hands tied behind his back. He, oh so delicately, leaned in and slowly, slowly pierced her neck. I don’t know if it was because he was always this leisurely or if he was doing it because he didn’t want to startle me, that could prove unhealthy.
“Chain him back to the table, lady, he’s allowed a bit of a respite. The High Prince is waiting for you in his chambers.” I fastened the chain to the end of the table and Lois curled into a miserable ball. His wounds wouldn’t close or stop hurting anytime soon, the silver prevented it. Some of the smaller cuts might but he’d have to live with the pain for several days. Regular feedings would make him heal faster but not by much.
I sauntered trough the well known corridors trying to think of what had happened and at the same time trying to ignore it. The hunger had awakened and made torturing someone into something to lust for. That kind of disturbed me, but I couldn’t let the image or feeling of the sharp knife sliding so easily into living flesh go. I was kind of stalling, too, trying to get more time to decide what, exactly, I felt and what to do about it. Since father didn’t approve of dawdling I tried to just walk with a bit shorter stride than usual without changing the pace. It doesn’t take as much effort as it sounds. I arrived to his rooms, where I was let in at once, far too early to have been able to make any kind of order in my messy mind. One thing was clear, however, I wasn’t going to take the chance and offer just a bow. No, I kneeled and lowered my head respectfully, but not fearfully, I wouldn’t fear my father.
“Master.”
“Childe. What do you think of our dear Lois?” ‘Dear’… father never stopped surprising me, but ‘dear’?
“I think he’s telling the truth, master. I know that things aren’t good in the Succarn coven but I didn’t know that they were that bad. I don’t think he’s got any reason to lie, he did make a very clumsy attempt on my life but he couldn’t have been that clumsy and still have made it past the guards.” When I mentioned that I’d been attacked he stiffened and I cursed myself for bringing it up again.
“That is true. But is it really as bad as he claims, do they all want to revolt, and why?”
“Well there’s only one way to find out, master.” I said. “Send a spy.” I thought it was a great idea until I realised that I was probably going to be that spy and I suddenly wished that I hadn’t opened my mouth. It was a good idea though, or at least I thought so.
“That might be a good idea. It wouldn’t do to send one too soon, though, it might look suspicious.” Note that I did not say anything about that I thought they wouldn’t pick up on it because they were too stupid to. I carefully didn’t mention it. “We need to question our prisoner further, but, for now, he will be allowed to heal so that he can do so better. You may go.” I bowed deeply and murmured ‘master before exiting. I did not want to antagonise him despite him seeming to be in a better frame of mind.
This time I did hurry, I wanted to see Emilio, wanted to talk to him, wanted to hold him. He looked up, startled, from where he was sitting when I entered. An agitated looking Styx sat beside his chair, he was twisting and turning as if not knowing what to do with his body, where to put himself. It didn’t take long for Emilio to assess the situation and come towards me. Hugging me hard. I leaned into his embrace steadying me, ground me. What had happened earlier didn’t matter, there was no need for me to figure out what’d happened during the torture any more. I was safe, I was here.
“You’re safe.” He mumbled into my hair, one hand stroking it and the other around my middle holding my body close to his. I nodded, letting him feel my response rather than voice it out loud. There was no need for it. I don’t know for how long we stood like that, hugging each other, talking to each other with voices, touches and movements. But when he started nibbling the outer rim of my ear I couldn’t help but to retaliate. I started placing small, soft kisses along the hem of his grey t-shirt, following the line carefully. He gave in first and leaned his head to the side allowing me further access to his throat. Carefully I continued with the small kisses but also adding nibbles and licks, just a touch of tongue, really. I lifted my hand to his chin when I couldn’t go any higher and pulled him down for a kiss.
It had been far too long since we’d done anything like this, having a live in newborn hadn’t really made for a romantic setting. Not my kind of romantic anyways. I couldn’t be arsed to care if Styx saw us or not, though, and I was too focused on what I was doing, on Emilio, to mind. The kisses left me breathless and it was my turn to surrender to his tender ministrations. He carefully tried to slip my shirt out of my pants but wasn’t having much success. I was wearing leather pants and leather has a tendency to stick to any other material. He backed away minutely and growled at the uncooperative piece of clothing. And he found the buttons, which he made short work off. The blood-splattered green and silver shirt fluttered to the ground, not that I was looking at it at the moment, my eyes were fastened at Emilio’s face and the emotions that flitted across it. I couldn’t read all of them but I think I saw love and adoration.
His hands gripped me around the waist and he stroked up and down with minuscule movements but by some chance, it seemed, they moved continuously higher. There was a knock on the door. The world was definitely against me. I heard Emilio chuckle as I groaned. A small voice in my head started cackling evilly as I lowered my hand and stroked along the hardness in his pants a couple of times, firmly. He groaned too. I was determined not to be the only one regretting the knock.
“Get my robe.” I told Styx before and he soon returned, carrying a soft silk robe, of the finest embroidered silk. I made a grimace, I had meant the worn terrycloth one but I couldn’t get mad at him because I didn’t speak more clearly.
“Enter!” I called and waited impatiently for whomever had dared to disturb us this time.
A slightly aggravated Clay stepped into a scene which must have looked very guilty. I was still wearing my leather pants but had a fancy robe covering me from shoulders to knees where I was sitting in a chair. Emilio managed to look slightly rumpled although his clothes were impeccable where he sat in the chair opposite from mine. It must have been something in the way he slouched or the way he’d carefully put one leg over the other to hide the diminishing bulge. Styx was hiding, almost, besides the cabinet in which he’d found the robe. I suddenly wished I could turn into mist and disappear.
“Lady.” He said and bowed. Since he was missing out on the, more or less, required ‘little’ I knew that there was something important going on. Why? It had been so good before he’d knocked. And I wanted to go resume doing that as soon as possible. That meant that I’d have to get Clay out of the room and to do that I needed to give him permission to speak. Ah, everything’s so much better when you have a plan.
“Yes?”
“Your father requires assistance, he’s waiting in one of the rooms. If you please follow me.” He made it as if leaving and I had to halt him.
“I need to put a shirt on first. No matter how important father wouldn’t want me to show up partially naked.” Clay’s eyes flitted over my robe-clad body and nodded his head once. I quickly donned a new shirt, a less fancy one than the one that I’d gotten ruined by torturing someone in it. I really needed to be more careful what I did with my clothes. We had the money, true, but I couldn’t help but to feel as if I was doing something wrong when I went through shirts as another would paper towels. Well, maybe not quite as bad.
Clay led us through the maze that made up the coven’s subterranean parts. Emilio had decided to come with me and Styx always did. Clay hadn’t protested so I figured it ok. I didn’t know where we were headed, I knew that in this direction lay the rooms of several of the ‘ordinary’ sect members. The guards and councillors had nicer rooms closer to father’s and mine, while the lesser a vampire you were the lower and smaller you lived. By the looks of it we were heading rather far down, both literally and socially. I wasn’t prepared for the sight that met me, though. I don’t think anything would.
In the smallish room I could see Raphael holding Angelica by the throat and her sire, Roderick, at father’s feet begging. For something. I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying it was mostly just a jumble of please and High Prince and a lot of other mumbled or semi-yelled words. To say that the scene was disturbing wasn’t even scratching the surface. But for all the activity Angelica just hung limply from Raphael's arm. I picked a mostly empty spot on the floor and bowed.
“Father, you sent for me?”
“Yes. We have a small problem.” Notice that I didn’t say anything sarcastic at all. My mind was rebelling against the short reins and the sharp bit and would soon throw me but for now I was safe. “It seems as if Angelica here is unfit to be a vampire. She’s killed three of our humans as it is.” That was… a lot. Even Styx, as bad mannered as he was when I’d first met him hadn’t been that bad.
“pleasepleasepleaseplease, nother, notnow. Shewillbebetter, promise. Please.” Roderick’s frantic pleading grew more level and I could suddenly understand him. I’m not sure I wanted too, though.
“Be quiet.” Father said and he quieted at once but a few distressed sounds made it past his lips despite his efforts to keep quiet.
“On top of that she attacked another vampire while bloodlusting.” Father added for my benefit. Angelica really was out of her league. I’d be very surprised if she’d make it out of this unscratched. “What do you think of this Alexis?”
“I doubted that her mind would be strong enough for the change but thought that Roderick would help her. If she really has done what has been said she’s unstable, Father.” And no one wanted an unstable vampire because they’d be a threat to the whole coven. And we couldn’t afford that. We had enough as it was; with weres, new slayers and assassins and the last few months had shown.
“You’ve made a good assessment of the situation. What do you suggest?”
“There really is only one thing, Father, death.” At this Roderick gave a loud whimper but he stayed on the floor and stayed quiet. Point for him. If this was true he’d probably get punished too. I just hope that this mess was just a mix-up or something. I hadn’t really had time to speak with Angelica since she’d been turned but I had counted her as one of my friends.
“You did well earlier today, childe, lets see if you can do it again. Kill her.” Well, there was no question what I’d do. I’d kill her. But I didn’t have any of my knives on me and I really didn’t fancy just ripping her head off. I turned towards Raphael.
“May I borrow your knife?”
“Of course lady.” He said and handed me one of his knives with his currently unoccupied hand. He turned Angelica around and shifted his hold. He was now holding both of her wrists in one hand behind her back while also keeping a firm hold on her head, displaying that vulnerable throat to me. I didn’t take time to think, I knew that if I did I’d hesitate and that would be very bad. For all of us.
I brought the knife to her throat once, twice, to make sure the head was completely separated from the body and that she really was dead. I mourned the loss of Angelica but she’d died when she was turned, this was just ending a painful existence. Or at least, that’s what I was trying to tell myself.
Four weeks later found me, Emilio, Styx and a group of guards just outside Succarn coven. Styx had behaved the last couple of weeks and that’s why he’d been allowed to come. Emilio was let along as moral support, I think. It could also have something to do with that obnoxious guard that thought I was in love with him. Father wouldn’t take me getting molested very well. What better way to prevent it than bringing the boyfriend?
The travel had taken longer than last time I’d been here, mostly because Styx couldn’t travel in daytime. I wasn’t old enough, really, to do it either but I had the anti-sun ring. It didn’t matter too much, though. It was rather nice to have a chance to be outside the coven. Though it was my home, in all senses of the word, I still liked the outside, especially when I was allowed to bring Emilio.
Twenty minutes later and I was about ready to hit the bully of a guard that was at the door this day. Yes, being suspicious is a good trait in a guard, being paranoid isn’t.
“No, I know I don’t have an invitation but I have come here with a request.”
“You have not been invited.”
“I know that. Can’t you please just ask your High Prince if she’ll let us in?” As if she’d dare to deny us entrance. She was stupid but not stupid enough to pull something like that off.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not allowed to leave my post.”
“Well, isn’t there anyone else here?”
“That’s irrelevant.” Ah, so there wasn’t. And what good is one guard at the door, really? Someone must really be unpopular not to get enough guards.
“Just someone to ask them then. What I’ve come to speak to them about is pretty important.”
“I can’t do that.” I got annoyed and my guards got tense. Styx just tried to get closer to me without appearing as if doing that. It was close to the look and all over demeanour animals get when they don’t know what’s more dangerous, the horrible noisy truck or the animal eating trashcan.
In the end our ‘argument’ was settled by another vampire who’d come by just to go for a stroll. The stroll story was a blatant lie but I wouldn’t call him on it, mostly because he was what finally got us inside. The coven was even worse than I remembered it. The gaudiness was greater but when I looked closer I saw the same thing I’d seen in the Gradeft coven when we ‘visited’, it was dirty, rodents had started to gnaw on most everything and I could even see the odd carcass of rodents or small birds. It was a coven in despair and I wanted to see if it was just the coven or the whole sect that was suffering from this illness of the mind.
“You should have warned us of your arrival.” The overly sweet voice of Amie spoke trough the hallways. I’d missed her arrival solely because she’d been hiding behind a door up until we’d almost passed it. I had no idea why.
“I’m sorry, lady Amie, but I didn’t think it would cause this much trouble.” And that was true, getting into a coven when being friendly shouldn’t be that much of a bother. That I wasn’t really friendly or that I had a reason not to warn her about our coming here is an entirely different matter.
“I won’t make a fuss. You can have the same rooms as last time you stayed here. I trust you’ll find your way.”
“I will, thank you lady.” I said and led the way down the halls, praying that I’d still find it.
The room was at least clean. It was still the same small, rather bare room though and Emilio’s expression really said it all. He thought I deserved better, both as person and as visiting dignitary.
“Don’t fuss, Emilio.”
“You deserve better.”
“I know, I’m telling you not to fuss despite that. Amie thinks of this as power-play. She thinks that giving me this room asserts her power over me.”
“That’s stupid.”
“No, that’s just very Amie. Everything she does is centred on her power, how to get more and how to keep it. She just isn’t very good at it.”
“And this is the same room you stayed in earlier.”
“Yes.”
“She really is unfit.”
“She’s not like our High Prince but that doesn’t necessarily make her wrong. We’re here to find out if she is, you need to be open to what happens in the coven, not just Amie’s pettiness.”
“I understand.”
“Do you, really?”
“Yes, though I’m not happy with it.”
“That’s not a requirement. Now, let’s get this stuff packed away, send the guards away and we can get into bed. I want to sleep.” I said, and it was true, I was weary. This whole trip, and the reasons for it, had me on edge and I felt a bit frazzled around the edges. We unpacked what little we’d brought rather quickly, we’d planned for a visit, not an extended stay and soon I was ready to crawl into that bed with my favourite snuggle-toy.
“Lady?” Styx was kneeling on the floor by my feet and I’d almost missed it, and stepped on him, because I had been too deep into my own head. I had become better at watching where I put my feet during the months Styx had spent with me but this time I just wasn’t trying.
“Yes boy?”
“Where should I sleep, lady?”
“Where do you usually sleep?”
“On the floor, lady.”
“So?” I raised an eyebrow at Styx, I wanted to know why he was asking.
“Where on the floor, lady?”
“Ah, you may sleep in front of the fire.” I mostly said that because that’s where the room’s only rug was. I wasn’t a complete bitch and I’d promised myself that if Styx could keep his behaviour up for four weeks at a time he’d be awarded with a cot. I didn’t even know if I’d get to ‘keep’ him for that long but I needed the consolidation.
The next day started slow, no guards, or anyone else for that matter, knocked on the gods’ forgotten door. I guessed it was because Amie was trying to appear powerful and in control again but it wasn’t working. It was rather a nice change to stay in bed, uninterrupted. I took the chance to lie close to my bodypillow. He didn’t really seem to mind. My eyes fell on Styx where he lay huddled on the floor. I rolled away from Emilio, who despite holding on to me for a second longer, didn’t protest.
“Styx.” I said, it was the first time I’d called him by name for a very long time. As everything else it had to be earned.
“Lady.” He said and slithered along the floor to kneel at the bed. I idly reached my hand out to pet down his sleep mussed hair.
“I don’t have to tell you to be on your best behaviour, do I?”
“No Lady.” He held still and allowed me to put his hair in place. I felt Emilio move closer and mould himself along my back.
“No matter what happens you obey me.”
“Yes Lady.”
“You have done rather good these last few weeks, don’t make me regret bringing you.”
“I won’t Lady.”
“Good. Now, how about we go down to the pens?” Styx nodded under my hand and Emilio nuzzled my neck in a way that suggested another activity but I wasn’t all comfortable with Styx so close. And especially not in a foreign coven in which the leader had tried to kill me.
I did remember the way to the pens, though they looked even worse than the rest of the coven. It was dirty, dust was everywhere and the few humans that were left looked pale and anaemic. I made a split second, er not really but I’d like to think I was, decision.
“We’re sending after the leopards.” Styx didn’t say anything, wisely, and Emilio just looked relieved. I turned to the guards that were following us, they wouldn’t let me go anywhere without them as long as we stayed in the Succarn coven. “Please see to it that we have four leopards as soon as possible. It doesn’t matter which ones you choose as long as they are on duty. Don’t pick Amandus, though.”
“As you whish, lady.” Walter said and left, leaving me with an annoyed looking Steven.
“Don’t look so put out.”
“We shouldn’t be leaving you unprotected like this. Alone I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“Emilio is more than capable of handling most situations that may arise, as am I. I was hoping that you had more trust in my abilities than that.”
“Yes lady.” Walter said with an apologetic bow. Styx just stood closer.
“Lets go, and lets hope that they return soon.” I wasn’t exactly clear on how I was supposed to explain the appearance of four more people to Amie but that was a later question. Hopefully they would arrive within 48 hours.
On the way back we were met by the same guard that had hindered us at the gates the day before.
“Lady, Amie requests to see you. You weren’t in your rooms.”
“I’m very well aware of where I was and wasn’t. But that doesn’t matter. Please lead the way to your master.” And she was, his master that is. When I thought about it, an unusually large part of the vampires I’d seen this far was sired by her or Jonathan, it was much more obvious than during my last visit. Though most of them were older than a year so they hadn’t been turned just to fill out ranks. I think.
“You need to do as ordered.” Steven and Emilio bristled at this even Styx looked as if he’d been affronted.
“I don’t need to do as your master has ordered. She has no power over me, especially not since I’m here in my role as Ryttir. As Ryttir I obey no vampire.”
“My master said…”
“Enough. Just take me to her.” He looked at me for a second or two before continuing into the corridor we’d just left. I decided to follow him and hope for the best.
In the end he did lead us right though I was convinced that he’d been leading us astray for a while, just to show his imagined power over us. Someone was taking after his master and that was a bad thing. Leading someone astray isn’t power, its pettiness. Petty is a word I’ve found that applies to most of what Amie did and said. And even, wanted. I wondered if she’d always been like this or if something, or someone, had influenced her. Like Jonathan for example. Of what little father had told me about him he was power-hungry and lacked everything even remotely related to sympathy. We stopped outside the large double doors that I knew led to that horrible office Amie had claimed as hers. I could have found the way myself and I was now sure that we’d been walking in circles. The guard entered without knocking and I decided that I should follow suit. I wasn’t really up for the games Amie liked to play.
“High Prince.”
“Lady Alexis.”
“No not lady, I’m here as Ryttir.”
“As what?”
“Ryttir, a mediator between the vampires and the weres. And I’d like to be called by that title for as long as my work here is considered to fall under that category. Emilio had been looking around during the initial phrases and though he didn’t really show it I could read the disgust and contempt in the way he’d tightened his shoulders a bit and the way he tilted his head, just like that. Styx had obediently entered three paces behind me and was now kneeling besides me though I could feel the confusion coming off him in waves. I gently patted his head, combing my fingers through his hair in a way I knew soothed him.
“I see that out Rector Lamia has chosen to keep the power close at hand. How very wise of him.” I didn’t comment on that, I really should have, but it wouldn’t have served any purpose. Amie was power hungry and couldn’t, wouldn’t, believe that anyone else wasn’t. I do think that father had a reason, or three, for appointing me Ryttir but I doubted that it was to keep power himself. He knew I’d go against him if something happened between the weres and the vampires. I would do my job properly. I stood patiently waiting, since Amie hadn’t allowed us to sit down yet, but it didn’t matter. I am fit, I can stand an hour or two if required of me.
“And I see you’ve brought backup.” Amie said at long last. I didn’t rise to the bait, just simply introduced them.
“This is Emilio, my intended, and Styx, my servant.” Neither of them had made a move as to introduce themselves.
“You’ve moved fast. You were…ah…’flirting’ quite a lot when you last visited.”
“I was already then with Emilio.” I said, refusing to start an argument. It was good that she was acting like this, the more of us who saw how she was behaving the easier the decision would be to make.
“Oh, I shouldn’t have said something, then.” I wasn’t worried, not in the way she wanted me to be, at least. Emilio knew what had happened when I’d been here, the last time, and also knew that I didn’t want anyone besides him. Amie was staring intently on Emilio to see if her words had gotten any kind of reaction but they hadn’t. I had been a bit worried that the comment about me being a slut would have set him off but it hadn’t. Not yet, in any case, though I was sure I’d get to hear about it later in the privacy of our rooms. The silence once again ruled, unquestioned. I loathed Amie and what she’d done to the sect and I couldn’t be arsed to help her out. If she was acting like that she might as well carry the whole conversation herself.
“Eh… you mentioned you were here on business. What exactly does that entail?”
“As I said, I run interference between vampires and weres. As there are more vampire sects than were clans I travel and meet with the High Princes to see how they’d treat the weres, would they ever chose to come here, and what type of were would fit the best at which coven.” Amie’s eyes started to glint with the hidden message of a chance to more power. The poor, delusional vampire she was. Power means responsibility, which is why I don’t like it, and it also means that you have to work at least twice as hard as anyone else. Another reason I try to stay as far away from it as possible. I haven’t had much luck up until now, though. Father had a way of ruining my plans of escape at every turn. And even at a few places I didn’t even know there were turns.
“And what have you found out?” Greed is never a pretty thing but in Amie it had mutated into something far more, far worse.
“I haven’t been here for long enough to create an opinion yet.” That was both a lie and the truth. Had I really been there for an evaluation there shouldn’t have been time enough to have passed judgement but I wasn’t. And I had, already, decided that I would never let any of my weres even close to this coven for as long as Amie ruled.
“That is, of course, easily rectified. You’re allowed to stay for as long as you want.” Ah, that was an idea.
“I have sent for a couple of my weres to join us, I do hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not, a second opinion is always good, isn’t it. I do hope that they’ll enjoy their stay.” I really doubted that they would and by the look of Amie I’d better order one of the guards to stay with the weres at all times. I did not want anything to happen to them. “Is there anything else you need?” Ah, so she could play nice if there was something she wanted. A carrot, perhaps.
“Not at this point no, but thank you for asking.” I can be polite, especially when making a point, such as ‘I won’t let your childish ways bring me down so nyah’. “If you do not mind I’d like to retire, lady.”
“Of course… Ryttir.” The last word came after a few seconds of hesitation. She hadn’t had anyone pulling rank on her for a long time. I left it at that, I had no reason to argue with her. I was here to gather information and that was what I would do.
Two of my guards were waiting outside Amie’s room when we exited. Someone must have told the guards staying at the rooms that I was one short. I didn’t particularly care, though, and father had stipulated that I was to be escorted by two guards at all times. We walked in silence until we reached our rooms, though I didn’t relax until we’d gotten inside and closed the door.
“The gall of that woman!” Emilio raged in a way that was very unusual for him. Styx stepped in behind me, sheltering himself from Emilio’s harsh glare.
“Calm down.”
“How can you…” I quieted him with a hug. Some people use kisses for this but you do not want to kiss someone with fangs that doesn’t cooperate. True, our fangs are retracted when we aren’t feeding, though when we are hungry or in danger they have a tendency to show, but they are still sharp, retracting only makes them smaller so that they are less conspicuous. Hugging did work, though.
“Remember why we are here. Lets do what we came for and ignore the rest. The leopards will be here tomorrow and we can feed. And walk around pretending to be doing stuff although we aren’t. But for now, please calm down.”
“I… am calm…” He managed and taking a few deep breaths he really did look calmer. I could hear Styx sniggering behind my back, though.
“It’s not nice to snigger at once superiors, boy.” I said without turning towards him. Holding Emilio close didn’t just calm him.
“I know lady.” He answered but laughter was still in his voice. Which was good, I wanted him obedient, I wanted him to learn his lesson but I did not want him to be some mindless drone that wasn’t able to think for himself. Having him teasing like this was good, as long as he didn’t overstep his bounds.
“Sure you do. Now what do you really think about Amie and the rest of this coven?” Emilio tensed again and growled into my neck where he’d hidden his face for the moment. Styx mostly looked worried, he shifted his balance from right to left to right again, as if not being able to decide between what he wanted to say and what he thought I wanted him to say.
“Please just speak your minds, whatever’s said in here’s confidential, and I need your input. That’s why you’re here.”
“She’s let the whole coven, and I suppose the sect, to fall into despair. Nothing is working the way it’s supposed to and something needs to be done. Either a change of heart or a change of ruler. The sect, as a whole, isn’t unhealthy, it has just been forced to become so.” Emilio had started talking into my neck but soon lifted his head and spoke out, hugging me harder.
“And you, Styx?”
“I don’t have anything else but our coven to compare to so I don’t think I can really say something.”
“I don’t like cowards, boy. Don’t try to hide behind things like that.”
“I’m sorry lady. I think… I think it’s really different from home. It... is dirty and Amie isn’t very much like our High Prince. I wouldn’t want to live here.”
“That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?”
“No lady. Are you really considering sending weres here?”
“No, of course not. Anyways, you’ve both said, and I agree, that something must be done, Amie is driving this coven into the ground. But it’s important that we don’t push into something without sufficient information. We’ve got time sp lets use it.” We spent another two hours talking about Amie and covens in general and somehow I ended up on the floor by a chair Emilio was occupying. I leaned into him as the conversation changed to a lecture about vampire politics and government, or our equivalent thereof, for the sake of Styx. Styx on his hand were interested and asked fairly intelligent questions. Some stupid ones too, but that were mostly because Emilio or I had failed to explain something properly. As the night wore on and slowly turned into day, I could feel the tugging that meant that the sun was up. I still couldn’t tell time, I could only feel if it was daytime or night time, probably some ancient failsafe for vampires telling them not to go out as long as the sun was too.
The next morning we were awakened by a persistent knocking on the door. I sighed and told whomever it was to enter. Without getting up, mind you. I was pleasantly surprised, though. The weres had arrived. They strode in as if owning the place and I couldn’t hide the grin slowly taking over my face.
“Ryttir.”
“Hello Caspar. Robin, Nicole, Samantha.”
“We heard you needed help.” Emilio turned towards them and snorted, but he too, like me, stayed in bed.
“We mainly need donors and a better cover. Both of which you’ll provide.”
“Of course, Ryttir.” We fed, and talked some more. The room we were staying in was one of the cleanest and we were used to spend quite a lot of time with each other so I didn’t really mind. I didn’t think that any of the others did either. It was rather pleasant, all in all, for the first time in I don’t know how long, I was having a bit of a vacation. Sure, I had a mission but it didn’t need to be tended 24/7, neither did I have to be on call all the time. There was another knock on the door. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be as welcome as the last one.
“Enter.”
“Ryttir.” I heard Amie’s voice and turned towards her. I’d been sitting facing the fire, which had left my back to the door. I has safe enough to do it.
“Lady. I wasn’t expecting you.” I said, instead of saying what I wanted to say, something that was far more rude.
“I was told that your weres had arrived so I thought I’d come by.” Samantha and Robin had left earlier to donate to the guards that lived few meters down the hall. Caspar and Nicole had tensed as soon as they heard Amie talking about them.
“Oh, well. These are leopards, already tied to us, but they are here to look around. They see things differently from us.”
“Of course they do, they’re inferior.” All five of us felt the need to growl at this horrible specimen of a vampire but four of us managed to contain it. Only Nicole voiced her displeasure. “My, my.” Amie tutted. “Someone needs to learn to respect their betters.”
“You’re not my better!” Nicole answered before I had a chance to stop her. But it was an interesting piece of information. Not all vampires were dominant enough to be considered weremasters and obviously Amie was a part of the 10% that wasn’t. I didn’t grin but the little voice in my head did.
“Quiet Nicole.” Nicole sank in on herself in apology. Never saying anything but at the same time it was clear from her body language that she was sorry.
“What did she mean? Everyone knows that vampires are superior to weres.” Suddenly the room was very tense. And everyone was waiting for me to speak, to clear this up.
“That is not always true. We’ve found that some vampires are weremasters, thus superior to weres, while others aren’t. Most weres will obey a non weremaster too but it’s not the same.”
“What weak vampires aren’t weremasters?”
“You aren’t one.”
“I’m powerful, of course I’m a weremaster!” Both Caspar and Nicole rose to the occasion and their growling could only be taken as a no.
“No, you’re not, and it’s nothing you can do anything about. We still haven’t figured out why some are and some aren’t.” In fact we had, mostly. Not being it seemed to run in weak lines. Though there were exceptions where an individual had been strong and thus gotten the ability or the other way around.
“Your father will hear about you behaving like this?”
“Like what?” I innocently asked.
“You’re being rude to your superiors!”
“You may tell father what you wish. Now, however, I’d like to meet with some of your subjects. To get a feel of the place. If you’d be so nice to send some of them in, try to pick some from different groups and lines, if you please.” Amie looked like she didn’t really know what to do before deciding to do what I’d asked would help her. At least that was what she thought. She left, with a slightly indignated air about her.
I spent the latter part of that night conducting mock interviews and though nothing new really came to our attention. The things we’d discussed earlier only became clearer as the night wore on. Amie had tried to send people who she thought liked her but it hadn’t really helped. As Lois, the failed assassin, had said, the coven was on the brink of committing mutiny and something had to be done. And, of course, I was the one to do it. Pity me.
The next few days were spent arguing and discussing what to do with this situation. From the beginning I’d know that there was only one solution but I desperately wished it wasn’t so. I was a firm believer that violence only breeds violence is true, despite the violence I had inflicted on others, I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to like it, but bloodlust made it hard to dislike it. It draws you in as a moth to a flame. Hypnotizing, demanding more, always craving, never relenting. It’s a war and you’re destined to lose, the only thing you can do is to hold on and chose how to lose.
A week passed before I gave in and clothed myself in all black. No one had know I’d even brought those clothes with me, and no one outside our sect ever would. I braided my hair back, it has a tendency to get in the way no matter what I do, and stood before Emilio. I picked my rings off and handled them to Emilio who gazed at me sadly, silently. He hugged me once, precarious considering the amount of weapons I was carrying, and stepped back. He hadn’t known of this part of my orders but he wasn’t going to contest them. I was pretty sure I’d get yelled at when I got back but for now I’d focus on the mission.
On quiet feet I travelled the room and later the corridors. I had been asking enough questions and scouting enough to be sure I wasn’t going to get lost. I didn’t encounter any guards in the corridors, neither had I expected any. There simply wasn’t enough vampires left to go around. My movements stilled as I neared my destination, not only slowed but stilled.
Movement is what catches the eye first, slow or fast, doesn’t matter, what I did, or at least, was trying to do, was to move while appearing still. Moving without getting detected.
There was a solitary guard standing outside Amie and Jonathan’s room. I still hadn’t seen him since arriving here, no great loss there. The guard was someone I’d interviewed earlier and I knew he wasn’t loyal to them, not anymore. I stepped out of hiding and he took one look at my clothing before stepping back, bowing and letting his eye fall to the floor. He wasn’t going to stop me, or even see me, if he could help it.
The door opened smoothly, moving on well oiled hinges, unlike most the coven these days. I slipped inside, quickly shutting it behind me to avoid unwanted attention. Neither of the room’s occupants had awakened. The bed’s impressive form was clearly visible and when I stepped closer I realised that I’d been a bit lucky. Jonathan was on this side of the bed.
I slit his throat as neatly as you please. The knife ran trough muscle and cartilage as trough butter and it wasn’t until I reached the spine I encountered some resistance. It was easily dealt with, though, and soon there was no more Jonathan, simply a dead body on a ruined bed. Amie woke suddenly and rose to a sitting position. She saw me and the still form of her bonded, she must have sensed his death, and tried to scream.
My hand closed around her neck, making her unable to scream, to force air trough my constricting grip. She was a lot older than me but she was really weak. She tried to fight me but didn’t really succeed in anything else than hurting herself more. It didn’t matter though.
“The Rector Lamia has sentenced you to death. I’m here to execute his will.” I pulled another knife, just because I could,
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