Discworld and Member Articles
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Written by Mynona
Friday, 26 August 2005 |
To say that father was surprised to see me trudging six extra people home would be an understatement. I promised him I’d explain as soon as we’d gotten our ‘guests’ somewhere to rest. It proved to be a long night for all of us.
Valin and her escort quietly settled in the room provided for them, father was, as I’d guessed, as interested in the seer as I was. Giving them one of the better guestrooms available wasn’t an issue. Though I had a suspicion or three that they would have settled quietly in a lesser room if asked to.
To say that father was surprised to see me trudging six extra people home would be an understatement. I promised him I’d explain as soon as we’d gotten our ‘guests’ somewhere to rest. It proved to be a long night for all of us.
Valin and her escort quietly settled in the room provided for them, father was, as I’d guessed, as interested in the seer as I was. Giving them one of the better guestrooms available wasn’t an issue. Though I had a suspicion or three that they would have settled quietly in a lesser room if asked to.
The two new weres were ushered off to a smaller guestroom and I commissioned two other, older, weres to guard and help them. I know that new weres are unstable and have a habit of changing because they get angry, or upset, or irritated, or even horny. Having a couple of weres there would ensue that they wouldn’t be alone if they did change and that the ones looking after them could cool them down.
No, the problems were the two new vampires. For some reason the two humans turned vampires were amongst the most fanatical white mages and though I stole them out from under the Traffic cone’s nose while they were dazed I had no doubts that they’d try to contact him. I also wasn’t sure how they’d react to knowing they were vampires, I hadn’t told them yet. I was planning on doing it tomorrow night since they should make it that far. They hadn’t expressed any way so I figured they’d be ok. They were each given a room since I didn’t know what’d happen if they were together and suddenly started lusting after blood. Father had given them rather small rooms near the lower levels of the coven because their rank didn’t deserve more and they’d spent two hours complaining about the state of their rooms. They had a bed, a desk, a couple of chairs and a bathroom down the hall. What more could a vampire need? No, apparently they had been rather good at maging and though they deserved better since they were used to getting their way. Too bad they were here as newborn vampires and not as powerful mages. I didn’t even know if they still had their magely powers, the strange turning might have changed that.
Father was not pleased. And when father isn’t pleased someone suffers for it. I was sure it was going to be me, he was just planning the perfect punishment. He led me to his rooms and sat down in one of his wonderful wing backed chairs. He didn’t offer me a seat which showed me just how annoyed he was. In the end we’d had to turn around and just walk away to get the new vampires to shut up.
“Tell me.” Father ordered, and I did. I told him about the distrust; the attack from the necromancer; the subsequent closer bonding that now let him speak in the heads of three of his subjects; the seers that had saved us so to speak; Valin telling her prophecy and asking to accompany me ‘home’. I told him about the ridicule; about me finding the solution; of them finally accepting it. About the ritual and its consequences, or at least those consequences I understood. I mentioned some of the other things that happened after the ritual as well, though I made it clear that I wasn’t sure why the four mages had turned and hoped fervently that he wouldn’t hold that against me. I talked until my throat was dry and my voice broke on several occasions, in the end, though, I finished. Despite it being an eventful trip it hadn’t been an overly long one. I stood silent, waiting for him to speak up. He did, eventually.
“That was quite an eventful trip.” I looked closely at him for a couple of seconds before answering.
“Yes Father.”
“You do know what you did wrong, don’t you?”
“Yes Father, I shouldn’t have participated in the ritual myself.”
“While I can understand why you did it, it is still wrong.”
“I know, and I knew when I was doing it that you’d dislike it.” I said, a bit fearful of his answer. He didn’t say anything but motioned me closer. I slowly approached and went to my knees when I was close enough to touch him. I also bowed my head as apology and in acknowledgement of what he’d said. He reached out and tugged lightly at my bangs.
“I know why you did it but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you off unpunished.” I nodded. “But I also think that the punishment can wait for a day or two. I think you’ve had enough excitement the last day to last you a couple of years. Don’t think you’re getting off easy, though.”
“Of course not Father.”
“Good, so, did you enjoy yourself?”
“Mostly. One night we stayed up and watched the sunrise. It was a long time since I saw it.” Something odd glimmered in father’s eyes when I said this but it was gone too soon for me to understand what it was.
“Good, everyone needs a bit of a vacation sometimes. Don’t forget your duties, though.”
“No, Father, I won’t.” Father relaxed and seemed to sink back into his chair instead of sitting rigidly in it. With a barely concealed sigh I seated myself more comfortably at his feet. He stayed quiet and contemplating for a couple of minutes before rising and fetching a glass of something. By the smell and colour I’d guess that it was whisky but I wasn’t sure. I’d never gotten a taste for alcohol. He seated himself again.
“And what to do with the strays that followed you home?”
“I don’t know, Father, but I couldn’t leave them there. They were, and still are, a danger to both themselves and others. And considering that the others were merely human…” I let the implication hang in the air while father sipped his whisky again.
“We’ll work something out, but don’t think you can escape responsibility. We can do that later, though. You may leave.” I got up and bowed. As I got out I closed the door softly, there was no way I was going to aggravate him more.
The next day found me outside the two doors that led to the new vampires’ rooms. I didn’t particularly feel like going in but I knew I had to. Especially when Jacque grinned that cocky grin that just set my teeth on edge. I resolutely squared my shoulders before taking a deep breath and relaxing. It would do no good to tense up. I knocked on the door to the left but didn’t wait to hear an answer.
In retrospect that wasn’t the smartest move I’d done. Glammel wasn’t dressed. I had the sudden urge to cleanse my brain with bleach. My mental voiced sighed and I pretended as nothing. I would not let Glammel get to me.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!?” He yelled on the top of his lungs. He’d chosen to becoming disturbed. Point to me. “Leave at once! Don’t you have any common sense!”
“I do but since I’m dictating what goes and not, you don’t have much to come with.”
“You don’t know who you’re messing with, missy.” Glammel had been furiously tearing through his wardrobe only to find nothing there but an old dressing gown. He looked at it in disdain before putting it on. I honestly don’t know whose dressing gown it was, no one had lived in this room for a couple of decades and neither of the newly turned had had any time to fetch their own clothes before we left. I stopped thinking about it because I really didn’t want to know.
“I think I do.” I replied the haughty newborn.
“I am a master mage, well on my way to adept. You should cower at my feet.” He stood as tall as he dared in the robe that was just a tad bit too short.
“I’d change that ‘am’ to a ‘was’ if I was you. At this point you’re a newborn vampire. As the heir to this sect you’d better to obey me.”
“You can’t threaten me!” He argued and tried to do something magey. It didn’t work and his face fell.
“What have you done to me you evil bitch!”
“I? I did nothing. The ritual, however, changed you.” I wasn’t going to pick on his language, not now. I don’t even think he knew what he was saying.
“That…that can’t be.”
“Why not? I was never told what the ritual would actually accomplish, apart from balancing the force, that is.”
“It’s a way to distribute magic, force, life-force from the force itself as well as the sacrifice.” He said it with that comfortable air you only get once you’ve repeated the same phrase over and over again until you don’t have to think to say it.
“And what, exactly, did you think would happen if you drank vampire’s blood?” I said, exasperated. Didn’t anyone think nowadays?
“Well, nothing!” He got aggressive and defensive. I was on to something here.
“If you thought nothing would happen; why did you participate?”
“Eh… be gone from my room you filthy wrench!” Ok, I’d been lenient the first time, connecting it to shock rather than malice. He obviously had meant what he said before, and been well aware of just what he’d been saying. To say I became annoyed with this whole thing would be lying. He’d also started advancing on me, trying to look menacing. He didn’t succeed. A young fledgling like him were no danger to me. He got close and tried to punch me in the face. I blocked, the hard way. Glammel was now sporting a broken wrist. He also looked rather shocked and his wide eyes showed far too much white. He cradled his broken wrist close to his chest. It’d mend in a week or two but the pain wouldn’t go away until then, either.
“You are going to calm down.” I hissed. “I’ll get back tomorrow and then you ought to behave better. If you get hungry tell the guard outside the door.” I turned sharply to leave. Just as my hand reached the doorknob I heard him speak again.”
“What about my arm? It’s broken!”
“I know.” I said and left. Jacque grinned at me again. I narrowed my eyes and his expression became blank. Point to him. I really wasn’t in any mood to meet with the other mage-turned-vampire now but I had to. I looked down the corridor, forlornly, in the direction of my rooms, before knocking the other door and entering. I hoped that this visit would go better.
Rollsbo was sitting in a corner looking very frightened. His head snapped up as he saw me entering.
“What’s happening to me?” His eyes were wide and his gaze pleading. “I can’t do magic anymore and I’m stronger than I used to be.” He pointed at what used to be a chair but was now more fitting as fuel for a fire.
“As of yesterday you’re a vampire.” To his defence I must say that he didn’t look overly surprised. In fact, he seemed to calm down a bit.
“That explains some things.” He said almost sadly. “But how did it happen?” Extending an arm, Rollsbo looked at it, poked it, and generally examined it. I’d never seen anyone so fascinated by his own limbs.
“As far as I can tell it happened during the ceremony last night. You and Glammel were turned into vampires. Why, I don’t know.” He nodded and went back to examining himself.
“And… there’s this thing inside me. Almost hunger, almost craving…” That was it, I’d heard enough, he was borderline bloodlusting and since he had never fed I figured he’d probably kill his first victim.
“Guard!” I semi-yelled. William appeared as if by magic. Rollsbo was so startled by his entry that he was brought back from the brink. “Get a prisoner.” I ordered William and he left as swiftly as he’d entered. His expression never changed which, I think, helped reassure Rollsbo. He hadn’t liked the prisoner comment but I wasn’t about to baby him about it.
I was amazed by Rollsbo’s resilience. William had fetched one of the killable prisoners and entering again Rollsbo hadn’t attacked. He really should have. I could almost feel the hunger within him, fighting against him to be allowed to feed. After watching the futile struggle for five minutes I decided to end it and did this by pressing my knife into the prisoner’s throat making a small incision. The blood was too much and his will broke. He lunged for the human still held firmly in William’s grasp. I saw William rock back with the force of the lunge.
After Rollsbo’d fed he crumpled and dragged himself back to the corner. I knew I wouldn’t get much more information out of him at this point. I left and notified the guards that Glammel would possibly need a human soon and that they should be prepared for it. I trekked down the halls and made my way towards father’s rooms.
I knocked, I entered, I did my usual stuff. Father looked at me, and looked. I started to get a tad bit worried.
“Alexis.” His voice was completely neutral. He gave nothing away, no hint of what he’d planned. Something I figured was a bad sign for me.
“Father.” I tried hard to be as neutral as father. Trying hard not to give my rising nervousness away.
“I remember something about a punishment.”
“Yes Father.” He looked at me, long and hard. I did not fidget but I can confess that I wasn’t far from doing it.
“Consider yourself punished.” I stared at him, surprised, but I didn’t say anything in case he’d change his mind. I just bowed my head a bit and accepted. Not that I had any choice in the matter. “Any news about the new vampires?” He said the last word with a bit of a sneer. He didn’t really think of them as vampires but he had to agree that they were. He wasn’t going to spend time trying to learn their names before they’d proven themselves, though.
“One of them went into feeding frenzy and fed. The other has not yet done so. I think that the first one might fit in, in time, but I’m unsure about the one who hasn’t fed yet.” Father nodded contemplatively. He sat, and I stood, for a while in silence before he dismissed me. I headed straight back to our rooms.
The fire that usually burned bright had been reduced to embers. The light it provided was diminutive. Candles were spread, and lighted, around the room but I doubt that without my vampiric sight I’d see anything. As it were the lack of light softened the edges and blunted the colours but that was about it. I liked the effect. It took a second or two before I could discern Emilio as he was lying on the bed. The comforter had been thrown back and the bed’s only occupant wasn’t wearing anything else but those silk pyjama bottoms I like on him. I smiled as I saw him, but then, who wouldn’t?
“What’s this?” I asked while nearing the bed.
“I got bored with waiting.” He replied with a smile that was anything but angelic.
“Ah.” Was my only answer. Before I suddenly realised that there was someone missing. Where was Styx?
“I sent Styx away.” I didn’t give him a chance to say anything more as I’d reached the bed and bent down and kissed him softly on the lips. Slowly I bent down further and deepened the kiss but all too soon I had to break it. I loved Emilio, I loved the way he made me laugh, I loved the way he could read me as no one else, I loved the way he knew what I wanted and I loved the way he could make me feel. He also had one h*ll of a body. I leaned in again for another soft kiss.
Emilio had decided that that was not going to happen. He grabbed a hold of my waist and pulled me down and turned us over. All in one very smooth and very surprising move. I ended up with Emilio above me and in between my legs. He lay flush against me almost all the way to mid-chest. Though I didn’t really need to breathe I was glad he was considerate enough not to put all of his weight on me.
It was his turn to bend down and kiss me though this time it wasn’t soft or slow. It was hot, hungry and demanding more. I was more than happy to give it to him. He kissed my mouth, my face and down my neck. At my neck he introduced just enough teeth to make me feel them without letting his fangs pierce me.
Apparently I was wearing too much clothes, an assessment Emilio shared with me. He rolled partially off me, one hand supporting his weight, the other one opening my shirt. His legs still held mine pinned. As he worked the buttons open he followed up with his mouth. Kissing, nipping, licking on every piece of skin he could find. I swear I could feel his mouth on me on several places at once. I reached up to touch him back, the thought of it had only hit me just now, but he carefully, but forcefully, caught it and pushed it back to the bed. I didn’t like the idea but didn’t protest. This was his show.
The door flew open with a great amount of noise, and I think it was greater because of the silence that had ruled earlier. Both Emilio and I shot up from the bed. Not in embarrassment or for being caught, no. It was simply a question of good reflexes, good training and awareness that my life was threatened as it was. Raphael stood in the doorway. I got angry but before I had time to open my mouth and rebuke him he spoke.
“Lord Dracula is missing.”
That might possibly have been the only sentence that would keep him alive at this point. And it was totally unexpected.
“What?!?” I sat up rather violently but Emilio had at least let me go. He raised himself a couple of seconds after me. He put a soothing hand at my lower back and I must say that the support was welcome.
“We’ve been looking for Lord Dracula all over the coven but he’s nowhere to be found. And there’s a contigent of rogues at our doorstep waiting to know if they’re allowed entrance.” Raphael looked calm and collected, as always, but I could see the the tension in him. Something was amiss, this time my father, and it unsettles him greatly. Raphael is an old vampire, and powerful, but history has made it that he’s a bit unstable. Not ‘vampire’ unstable, just enough to make him uncomfortable with changes.
I think I visibly slumped when it dawned on me who had to fix this mess. Raphael stood silent and did nothing and though Emilio was equally silent his hand never left my skin. With a sigh I righted myself even more.
“Please send someone to let them in and to lead them to my study.” I was quiet for a moment or two while considering what to really do about them. “How many are they?”
“Seven, Lady.”
“Then I’ll require one guard inside the room as well as the two outside.” I turned to Emilio. “I take it you want to come?” He nodded and pulled back. I pointedly did not sigh though the cat knows I wanted to.
“How about Styx?” He asked while moving towards his dresser. His dresser was a monstrosity built from dark wood, teak maybe, and adorned with so many carvings and things that it rightfully shouldn’t have been able to stand on those spidey legs. I was quite convinced that Emilio had more clothes than I did.
“Eh, yes. I’d like him there. He’s at Amndus’.” I said and waved at Raphael to leave. In all honesty I’d forgotten about Styx for a moment there. I had to keep a better check on my subordinates than that.
Meanwhile Emilio hadn’t only picked out clothes for himself but also laid some of mine out on the bed. I sighed when I saw them, overly formal, at least in my taste, and adorned with the real silver stiching that burned so when used. I knew they were needed though and didn’t protest as I started changing out of the clothes I was wearing and into the new ones. I wasn’t surprised when I noticed that Emilio had included all six of my sheaths, and respective knife. Usually inside the coven I only wore two. It was his way of telling me that even if he agreed with what I’d decided he didn’t particularly like the possible danger it was putting me in. I couldn’t fault him in that, in fact, I understood him perfectly. I didn’t want him in that room with seven probably very damgerous vampires but I knew that he needed to be there as much as I did. Er, almost as much as I did.
Though many things ran trough my mind I hurried to prepare myself and joined Emilio in the study/office. Thankfully Styx had already arrived and Raphael had taken it on himself to be the one guard allowed. Someone, quiet possibly Raphael had added enough chairs to allowe the rogues to sit. Of us from the Camrille sect only I was allowed to sit… in a chair. Styx’d be at my feet, as usual, and Emilio would act as a guard together with Raphael and stand quietly, but menacingly, in a corner. I’d left the main door open so that they could walk right in when they came. I did not want to give th em any excuse to linger in the hallways. Soon, too soon, though coming at all would have been ‘too soon’, they wandered in trough the door.
It started better than I could have ever imagined. They looked a bit frightened and their eyes moved this way and that. Trying to assimilate all new things around while at the same time keeping an eye out for any dangers. Considering that every vampire currently resideing in the coven was a potential enemy they had a lot to look at. The nervously sat when I indicated they could. Raphael took three quick steps forward, at which my ‘guests’ flinched but he wasn’t aiming for them.
“Lady, may I introduce Laurie and his ‘friends’.” It was obvious that Raphael resented the way they’d been introduced to him and therefore the way he had to introduce them to me. He possibly even saw it as a security risk. “Laurie, ‘friends’,” Once again he sneered the word. “The Lady Alexis Dracula, Heir of Camrille and Ryttir.” I could hear them whispering. Dracula isn’t that usual and it really is famous. I didn’t, however, like to be pointed at and whispered about behind my back by people in front of me. I sat quietly and endured it. Despite me not liking it this was the usual reaction when they people heard my name. I was also, not so subtly, waiting for them to speak up. I had no idea why they were here and there wasn’t time to rectify that now.
“Eh… lady.” I inclined my head in recognition when he didn’t continue speaking. “Er, I don’t mean any disrespect but I thought you were male.”
“I’m very much female, thank you very much. My Father, on the other hand, High Prince of the Camrille sect and Rector Lamia off all vampires, is not.”
“That would explain a lot, yes.” Laurie said. He really seemed to be the one in charge. He was also the oldest one of the bunch. Yet, they all shared a bond, a blood-sibling bond. Not that that told me anything much. Except that their sire had too much free time on his/her hands. I turned my attention back to my ‘guests’.
“So tell me, why are you here?” I knew very well why they were here but I wanted to hear it from them. Also, explaining would give me some time to collect my thoughts and do a general once up of myself. In all honesty, I had no idea what to do with these rogues.
“We’re here to negotiate joining your sect and what it’d take to do so.” Laurie said, as if it was a universal truth. I severely dislike people with that kind of attitude.
“Maybe I expressed myself badly. What I meant was: what are you doing ‘here’? Why come to Camrille?” Laurie opened his mouth to speak but I intervened.
“And I want to hear it from you.” ‘Accidentally’ I pointed at the youngest person in the group while I spoke. They were an odd group. All seven of them were black haired and brown eyed, they all had a similar slight build and they even moved in the same manner. They could really have been brothers if it wasn’t for the hundred and thirteen years that differed the oldest from the youngest.
“Er… I… I mean, we.” He really did look flustered by having to speak. The little voice in my head was quiet but it was grinning madly. The young rogue took a deep breath before he started again. “We broke away from our sire a couple of years ago. He… was hard and it wasn’t easy to do what had to be done. Not that I could help a lot. We didn’t want to be rogues anymore. It’s a hard life and none of us really had a say in becoming it or not.” Under his breath, so softly I almost couldn’t hear it he added. “I just want to belong.” They obviously weren’t well versed in vampirism or even how they worked themselves. If they had been the youngling wouldn’t have added that last part aloud.
“Thank you. But again, why Camrille? Why not some other sect?” This time I pointed at the middle one, age wise, and Laurie hadn’t tried to speak. Maybe they were educationable.
“It’s the biggest sect?” He really had made it sound like a question.
“That wasn’t good enough an answer.” I replied. He looked to his right where Laurie was sitting but Laurie had sense enough not to speak out of turn. When left to his own devices the vampire started to talk slowly. Though the kept his eyes on Laurie the whole time as if afraid of saying something wrong.
“While we were still with our sire we heard about a few sects and how ‘bad’ they were, according to him. Camrille was the one he talked against the most. After he… died… we travelled a lot trying to find other vampires, whether sect-bound or not. It wasn’t easy.” He confessed. He looked at me for the first time since he’d started speaking. “We didn’t know where to find them, or how to. Or even how to act around them.” His voice tapered off into nothing. I could understand what he talked about, we did everything in our power to keep ourselves hidden. And if you didn’t even know what to look for it couldn’t have been easy. I still hadn’t gotten my answer though.
“Why Camrille?” I repeated. And this time I refrained from pointing at anyone.
“When we finally got in contact with some vampires they told us of the Rector Lamia, the High Princes and the Camrille sect.” Laurie continued their story. “No other sect was mentioned as often or with so much respect as Camrille. We also learnt what was needed to get accepted into a sect. And that Camrille is harder than most.” I nodded, what he’d said was true. Another thing that was true, and relevant, was that no rogue had passed these tests in 283 years.
“I see.” I answered. “And why do you think you’re going to prove yourself enough to be taken into any sect in general, and the Camrille one particularly?”
“We wanted to try.” To my surprise, though I didn’t show it, it was the youngest one that said this, not Laurie.
“Well then.” I said to their surprise, and they didn’t hide it half as good as I did. “In that case I need your names, ages and the name of your sire.” I handed them a pen and paper. They continued to look surprised but I was not going to baby them through writing. If they were illiterate they definitely wouldn’t fit with us.
They did manage to get the desired information onto the paper in less time than I’d expected. I cast a hasty glance at it but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The ages were about what I’d guessed before. I didn’t concern myself with it overmuch at this moment, though. It’d become more important later when I had to chose guides for all seven of them.
“My guard will show you to a guestroom in which you’ll reside for tonight. Tomorrow I’ll send some people to pick you up.” They rose as I did so apparently they’d gotten some kind of tutoring in manners. I gestured with my right hand and Raphael stepped up to the door. The seven rogues followed him in a neat row. One of the guards posted outside my door followed them downstairs as a precaution. Sometimes it pays to be a bit weary. When the party had cleared the door and the closest corridors I slumped enough to hit my head on my desk. Emilio started forward, probably to check that I hadn’t hurt myself but slowed down once he saw that I was now repeatedly hitting my forehead to the desk’s surface.
“Why did he have to go missing now?!? I could have handled the fourth world war, famine, Angelica taking revenge by decorating the whole coven pink but no. It had to be this.” I complained. Emilio came and hugged me from behind, pulling me up into a sitting position again, and landed a kiss on top of my head. Styx was smiling brilliantly from where he was sitting, he also took the chance of snuggling closer to my leg. If I didn’t know better I’d say that they were both kitty-weres.
I relaxed into their embraces for a minute or two before straightening up and shaking my head back into working order.
“Okay.” I said while looking at the paper in front of me. “All of them are pretty young so we’ll need older vampires to take care of them. The youngest one is just over four years old. Who do you suggest?” It might have sounded as if I asked both of them but in reality only Emilio could help me with this.
“Well,” Emilio said, without letting go of me. “William, Marcus and me have done this before but I’m not sure if tying one of the guards up in this is a good idea. Evelyn, your father’s ‘general’, so to speak, might be a good choice. She’s strong willed and has fostered two fledglings to excellent sect members. Her friend, and lieutenant, Merquise, might be a good choice to. Charonnet has also done this before but he’s away from the coven…” I let his words wash over me. He listed names and their up- and downsides. I wasn’t really listening but I knew he’d solve this particular problem without my input. Despite being here for more than 22 years, I didn’t know many of the vampires outside of my father, Emilio and my guards. They were too scared of my title… and perhaps also father. It had been lonely for a while but I also realised that I couldn’t be too friendly with them. They didn’t respect me as it were.
I’m not quite sure when Emilio stopped talking but the finger that poked me on my shoulder told of him wanting an answer.
“That sounds good.” I had no idea what he’d said. I got rather surprised when both of them started to laugh.
“I told you she wasn’t listening.” Emilio said to Styx who smiled and nodded back.
“What?” I asked.
“How many beavers?” Emilio repeated with a smile.
“Sorry.”
“Let me have the paper and I’ll assign a guide to each of them. But you’ll have to speak to them. Do you want William to take one on or should he stay as a guard?”
“William can take a rogue on; with Father missing we have enough guards, even with the heightened security the rogues warrant. And I want the best on this, I want to limit the chance of mistakes in any way, shape or form.” I think my voice must have become a little too harsh in that last sentence because Emilio bowed a bit before reaching for the paper.
“Yes of course lady.”
“I’m sorry, again, Emilio. I just don’t think I can handle this.”
“Don’t worry, you’re doing good.” He talked into the paper but I guessed it was directed at me. “Here.” He said while straightening his back and handing me the paper. In all honesty, I didn’t recognise one of the names on the list.
“Should I talk to them all at once or one at a time?” I asked him.
“That really is up to you. I can’t decide that for you.”
“All at once then. I’d really rather have this done and over with.” Actually that wasn’t true. What I wanted was to hide under my bed. Alternatively in the bed but with Emilio. Neither was an option, unfortunately.
“Now?”
“Please.” He opened the door and talked quietly to one of the guards outside. The one that had followed Raphael down to the neither regions had obviously been replaced.
During the next half hour six of the seven wanted vampires arrived. Only Aifos was missing, the vampire whose name I hadn’t recognised. I didn’t want to wait for our stray, and I didn’t want the others to, either, so I decided to go along with these six now and I’d get Aifos up to speed when she got here. It was very rude of her not to show but I would worry about that later.
“As of now we have seven rogues that are going to be tried to be allowed entrance in the Camrille sect. I’ve chosen you six to play the parts of guides. I need you to work them hard. They are bloodbrothers, all seven of them, and I need to be sure that they are loyal to Camrille first and foremost, not each other. As for the seventh guide, she’ll join you later.” Yes I know that technically Emilio had chosen the guides but I couldn’t say that. I had to at least ‘appear’ as if I knew what I was doing.
“Lady?” A tall man with broad shoulders and slim hips spoke up. He has the blondest hair I’ve ever seen and he wears it long, it reaches his waist. That coupled with his blue eyes had given him a spot in father’s main guard but he’d shown himself very apt and advanced quickly. He still took the occasional shift, to see how the others were doing, he claimed. I thought he did it because he missed the rather easy life of being ‘just’ a guard instead of an ‘officer’.
“Yes Merquise?”
“How will we go about this?”
“They aren’t expecting you until tomorrow. I suggest you sit down somewhere and talk with Marcus and William who’s done this before. You can use the blue meeting-room. You might want to ask Raphael where he stashed them when you see him.” I also offered them the list where every name of a rogue was followed by their age and what guide Emilio had assigned them.
“Yes lady.” Merquise said they all bowed before leaving. Maybe Emilio had had other prerequisites for choosing some of them after all. Loyalty to me. Which wasn’t an altogether bad idea. While father was missing we had to show a united front. I hoped he was ok, wherever he was, though I did find it suspect that we hadn’t heard anything by now. Someone should have gloated about having him by now, surely that must be the case. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, I didn’t have either time or energy to spend on that right now.
I nudged Styx with my foot, he’d had the nerve to do what I wanted… fall asleep sitting. I don’t know if he’d really been sleeping but he did blink blearily at me before seemingly getting to the ‘now’. I hurried to speak before he could apologise, I just didn’t feel like hearing it and I wasn’t angry with him.
“Fetch Aifos for me.” I ordered him. He shuffled backwards for a bit before bowing low, rising and heading out. I was pretty sure he didn’t know who Aifos was but hopefully the one he’d ask would.
It wasn’t long before I, and Emilio, could hear two voices arguing outside the closed door. One of the arguers was Styx and I guessed that the other one was our missing guide. As they came closer we could pick out the words.
“…she wanted to see me she could come to me.”
“She’s the Heir.”
“She’s spoiled, that’s what she is.”
“She’s…” The rest of whatever Styx was going to say was left unsaid as I called ‘enter’ about the same time they reached the door. Neither of them looked surprised when they did enter but Styx was definitely looking calmer than Aifos. To her defence I must say the she did curtsey while Styx resumed his original position at my feet.
Aifos was one of those old vampires, and when I saw I did remember seeing her around, I just didn’t have a name to go with the face. I guessed she was about five centuries old and she wouldn’t wear a pair of pants if her life depended on it. Today she wore her brown curls in a French-braid and she wore makeup that left her even paler than she originally was. Her dress was mainly white with a few strips and blotches of a pale blue colour, almost baby-blue.
“Your slave said you wanted to meet with me.” I think I got more upset by Styx being called slave than he was but I couldn’t show it. I did, however, let the anger blend with some resentment while I glared at her. She looked a bit confused before adding what I had been waiting for. “Lady.” Maybe Emilio’s choosing hadn’t been as foolproof as he’d thought. Or it was simply that that there weren’t more loyal vampires. That last thought kind of chilled me.
“Yes, we suddenly found ourselves in the need of several guides. I chose you to be part of that group. The others have gotten their orders and are currently residing in the blue meeting-room, you should join them there.” I probably should have said something about her not responding to my first call but I couldn’t be bothered. I hoped that she’d have a good hand with the rogues and for her to do her best I needed her in a good mood.
“Yes lady.” This time the honorific came without prompting. She curtseyed and left. Maybe she could give me lessons in curtseying. I still hadn’t gotten the hang of how to do it. I’m convinced that there’s a secret to it, a magic trick or wearing roller-skates under the dress or something. Something no one had bothered to show or tell me. Emilio brought me out of my musings by touching my shoulders. When I made no sound or move to protest the hands wandered downwards and he walked around the chair to face me. I don’t know how he managed to do that without tripping over Styx.
Emilio bent down and kissed me softly, tenderly. But it was also inquisitive, asking for more but without demands.
“How about we continue what we started earlier?” He asked with a voice a little lower than normal. His presence was large, demanding and hot but not overwhelming. Styx had abandoned ship and was currently heading through the door that led to our rooms. I leaned forward the scant few inches that was needed to kiss Emilio again. When we separated again I caught his eyes with mine.
“I’m sorry, Emilio, but I don’t have time to.” With a great sigh he moved away from me. I almost regretted that I’d said that, who am I trying to fool? I did regret having to say that. But I had things to do. Many, many things, I don’t know how father manages this… after all there’s just 24 hours in a day.
Emilio chose to leave through the door that led to the corridor and I so wanted to call him back. Though before the door could close it was stopped by a tanned hand. A hand I didn’t recognise. I was surprised that my guards hadn’t stopped whomever was owner to that hand. He reviled himself to be Valin’s companion. He even held the door open for her. I rose to greet the seer.
“Good afternoon Valin.”
“Not particularly… but you already knew that.” She said while her protector showed her to one of the chairs left from the earlier meetings. She sat down and made herself comfortable. This looked like it was going to be a long talk. The man took up his place behind her chair.
“Er… yeah.” What does one reply to that, really?
“Get used to it.” She said while looking slightly to the left of my head. I knew she ought to have a better awareness of the room than this, after all, there was seven chairs on her side of the desk and she hadn’t even snubbed her toe in of the legs. I think she did it just to annoy me. Though it was a good kind of annoying.
“I don’t think I want to.” And I didn’t, I wasn’t some kind of closet masochist that focused on mental pain instead of physical.
“It has nothing to do with what we want. Necessity is a harsh taskmaster.”
“I guess.” I answered. I felt like we weren’t partaking in the same conversation. Moreover, both of the conversations were scaring me. Valin smiled her benign smile and I smiled back, uncertain. She seemed happy with the effort, though.
“Do not guess, know.” I made a face at her guard who smiled back. I think he was used to his mistress strange way of talking but I also think he was amused by everyone else’s reactions. I could understand that, at least, and it might have been funny if it wasn’t I that got the short end of the stick.
“Don’t tease the girl James.”
“Of course not mistress.” His voice was servile, soft, likable. In other words, the opposite of what he was. He was tall, muscled and had a great-sword hanging off his back. He also had two guns fastened so that he could do a front-cross draw. They were at least more modern than the vampires when it came to weaponry. Maybe I could somehow talk James into giving me lessons with the guns, no vampire would.
Guns didn’t traditionally harm a vampire, unless you got a very good shot, but I was thinking, what if you used silver for bullets? Any way of keeping my opponent on a distance, and hurt, is a good way. I opened my mouth to speak but Valin spoke first. Seers do have an unfair advantage.
“That’s a great idea. It will also help you once this particular hardship is over.”
“Does it ever end?” I didn’t bother to ask how she knew what I would ask. It seemed a bit like stating the obvious.
“Not really. It just changes.” Valin had a terrible habit of leaving me speechless. I truly didn’t know what to say. James was smiling again. We shared a second of understanding when our eyes met, brown against blue. I bet he had some secret trick to get ‘real’ talk out of Valin. “My advice is to relax and let it happen, don’t let it run you over, though.”
“Um… thanks.” She had me without reply, again. I couldn’t wait to see a conversation between her and father.
“We should be going now, come by in a couple of days and I’ll lend you James.” The man in question looked a bit put off by that but it didn’t stop Valin. “There’s someone outside your door that needs to speak with you… and don’t lose yourself in being something which you are not.” She unceremoniously exited the room while I was still sitting dazed and trying to figure out what was up and down, left and right. But she had been right in one thing, as soon as she’d left the room one of the guards respectfully knocked on the door. I briefly considered getting the door soundproofed but it wouldn’t help. Knowing them they’d find a new way to contact me, possibly even more annoying. Somewhere along the lines of a doorbell chiming ‘Pikachu’ in that horrible voice.
“Enter!” I said with a sigh. This day had proven to be a long one, indeed. To my uttermost surprise it was Rollsbo who stood in the door. I never liked surprises very much and after this day I just knew I was going to dislike them even more.
Rollsbo slunk inside, moving and behaving much like the drenched rat. Scurrying, trying to hide in an open space, trying to find the dangers. He stopped in front of the chairs, eyes darting this way and that, unsure of what to do and how to behave. I decided to go with pity and help him out.
“Why don’t you sit down?” He did as bid but he was still unsure, unsafe. He was trying to look at too many things at once and I couldn’t help but feel excluded. Styx was once again dozing at my feet but I didn’t care. I had enough trouble with other things to really worry. Moreover, in all honesty, the trip and it’s follow-up has been strenuous so Styx really deserved a bit of shuteye.
“Thank you.” Rollsbo says. I take it as a sign that he’s finally pulled himself together.
“Please tell me why you’re here.” I could have skipped the ‘please’ but he was new here, and skittish. Being polite isn’t that hard a thing to be, really.
“I… thought a little. About what you said yesterday, about what happened. And about Glammel dying…”
“Glammel died?” I asked, no one had told me this.
“Uh… yes. The guards say it was because he didn’t feed.” He went silent for a bit. Looking at his hand while he fiddled with them. At least this conversation was in a better tempo than the last one. “I thought first that I could never live like this.” He made some sort of vague motion with his hand. I guessed he meant as a vampire but he could have meant something completely different.
“Then the guards said that Glammel died because he hadn’t fed. And I was upset because I realised I couldn’t chose between my life and someone else’s. Shouldn’t I choose to let someone else live? I’m a good hu… being, am I not?” He was clearly upset, and I could partly sympathise. Other humans knew what was happening when they were turned, they knew what to expect. They also had their sire to look up to and ask questions to. He was using me as a childe would a sire, I realised, trying to make sense of something large and frightening.
“You don’t have to choose.” I spoke and his head snapped up, willing to believe me, hoping that I was right. “Apart from the first feeding we only take a little, enough to sustain ourselves and to quench the thirst. We have a host of humans that gives us this in favour of something else, money, power, whatever they desire. I apologise for leaving you alone, I should have known better. You need a sire, even though you weren’t turned by one.” And that was giving me a headache because that meant another person tied up educating. Though I knew just the person to do it. I nudged Styx with my hand this time, he did look a bit more alert than last time.
“Go with Rollsbo here, take him to Grace, tell her that she’s to take care of him as if he were her childe. On the way back please inform the housemaster of the extra guests we’re having. I think you can find him in his office by now. It’s the second door on the left in the sunrise corridor on the fifth floor. Come back to our rooms afterwards.”
“Yes lady. I have to ask, where do I find Grace?”
“Fourth floor, seventh door on the right in the blue corridor. Please just follow Styx, Rollsbo.” I said so that he could be sure of my intentions. Not that I had many at this point, apart from going to bed, that is.
“Thank you Lady.” He bowed, rose and managed to get Rollsbo to follow him with minimal fuss. I was out of my chair and moving to the room beyond this one before the door fell close.
For the fourth time this week I woke up alone, in bed that is. Styx was his ever-‘faithful’ and was gently snoring away on the hearthrug. He had a cot somewhere but he hadn’t used it yet. My, our bed I reminded myself, had grown cold apart from the small cocoon of warmth I was basking in so Emilio had been gone for some time. I missed him and there was nothing I could do about it.
It was now five weeks since Raphael first burst into this room proclaiming father to be missing. Five weeks filled with so much work I wondered how father coped. Most of the rogues were progressing nicely, or at least, that was what the reports said. I had convinced James to teach me how to shoot but I had only had time for two sessions so far. Grace had resented being baby-sitter, as she called it, at first, but she and Rollsbo were getting along pretty ok, now.
The coven was prospering, so to speak, at least nothing had gone terribly wrong, as of yet, and no one had died or tried to kill anyone else. The new weres were taking everything ok, they had their first full moon just last week. According to more reports they’d handled it ok apart from some minor hierarchy thing. Caspar said he’d handled it, though, and I trusted him.
And I just didn’t want to get up. I didn’t want to spend another 16 hours in my office working away at that never-ending stack of papers. I didn’t want to be continuously disturbed by people who couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag. I didn’t want to return too late to even ‘speak’ with Emilio.
I laid in bed with closed eyes just trying to relax for a bit. Despite having slept I didn’t feel rested when I woke up. I heard the knock on the door that signalled it was time for me to rise. I ignored it. Styx rose and I listened to him bustling around the room, dressing, preparing himself for the day and, I wasn’t sure if I should bless him for it or hate him, preparing for my day. He drew a bath for me; put my clothes out and any second now, he would wake me up. His careful steps could now be heard closing in on the bed, why he bothered with being quiet if he was going to wake me up I have no idea. Just as he reached out to touch me, I moved out of the way. I still hadn’t opened my eyes but I think my ruse was up.
“You need to get up lady.” He said in a soft voice. I ran a few plans in my head and decided what to do.
“I don’t want to.” I said. Styx floundered for a bit but I decided to show a bit of mercy and rolled out off the bed. I let him lead me to the bathroom and the bath. He turned before I divested, though, as the well-trained servant he was.
The day continued as it had started, h*llishly, and it was heading even deeper. Thievery had been discovered in the pens and I had to send a group of ordinary guards down there to clean the mess up. Why couldn’t they have figured that out themselves? The there was the situation with Camilla, she still hadn’t learned to treat the weres as they deserved. This time she’d drained one, not by simply feeding, no. She’d hung the were up by his feet and cut his throat with a silver knife so that she could stand beneath him and take a blood-shower. Apparently that was supposed to be very good for your hair. I seriously doubted it. The were would survive, he reached the infirmary in time. I was stuck with figuring out what to do to about the vampire who couldn’t leave someone else’s toys alone.
When the sixth visitor for the day, finally, left the room I heaved a great sigh of relief. It wouldn’t last for long, I knew, so I leaned back and decided I had to start with the paperwork. I opened the topmost drawer and there, on top of the usual stack of papers, was a teddy bear. The teddy bear. Its soft brown fur with the tan portions and the small green scarf hit me with the subtlety of a blunt axe. I was out of the chair and the room in less time than it took for a discarded piece of paper to fall to the floor from where it had been dislodged from my desk.
Rather wildly, I must confess, I looked around the room to find what I was seeking. And there, in one of the green chairs, it was. He was.
Emilio was rather startled when he ended up with a handful of Camrille-heiress instead of the book he had previously been reading. He didn’t seem all happy with the exchange. Before he had a chance to say anything, I shushed him with a finger over his lips.
“I’m sorry Emilio. I should have paid more attention to you. I’ve been neglecting you these last few weeks for nothing. I don’t know what to do, though. There’s so much to do and so little time to do it in.” I was rambling and I knew it. I was also growing more and more agitated as my impromptu speech went on. It was Emilio’s turn to shush me.
“I know.” He said. “I also know that had I requested that you’d spend time with me you would have denied outright. You needed to figure it out by yourself. But don’t think you’re forgiven. I said I could understand, not that I could forgive.”
“I don’t know what I can do to make it up to you, apart from beginning to spend time with you again.” Looked sheepishly at my hands as I held them in my lap. “I just don’t understand how father can deal with all this. And on top of this he has me, I keep running into his office and private quarters, and I keep ending up in trouble.”
“He trusts his advisors to their share of the workload. He also restricts his time in the office, and apart from you, almost no one dares to disturb him in his private quarters.” I nodded, why hadn’t I thought of that? Some people were going to do some work tomorrow and I seriously hoped it wasn’t me.
The door was opened carefully and Styx peered into the room. I’d forgotten about him. Emilio, apparently, hadn’t.
“Get yourself something to eat, then you may do what you want until tomorrow. If I were you I’d go and say hello to Amandus.” It seemed as if Styx couldn’t leave fast enough. Emilio, meanwhile, rose and I with him since I had been perched on his knee. “Something I have been missing is the bed.” When I started to protest, he clarified. “Not sex, just being there, talking, snuggling. It still doesn’t mean you’re forgiven, I need to see that you mean to do what you said. I just…” He stopped talking and stared at the wall for a second or two. I reached up and put a hand at his cheek, turning his face towards me again.
“Let me prove myself, but not now. Now we have an appointment with the bed.” I backed a few steps and he followed. Slowly we made our way to our destination where we proceeded to spend the next hours. I almost started crying when I realised that I had, indeed, been missing a lot.
We did snuggle, and talk, most of that evening and night and, to my surprise, no one dared to interrupt me, us. If I’d been in my office I’d been interrupted and called on I don’t know how many times. Peace at last, just because I did what I should have been doing all along, working less.
The next morning Styx met up with me in the office. Though I didn’t want to I knew I had to do some work, which today would mostly consist in giving other people work. I couldn’t just let everything go. I had decided not to spend more than eight hours, in total, in here. Emilio would be gone for six, holding his classes so it fitted rather well.
Styx looked thoroughly debauched when he walked in and kneeled. I think I would have said something if I’d had any idea what to say. I wasn’t, quite, tactless enough to say ‘who did you f*ck’ but it was a close call. He smiled when he righted himself, a happy, suave, smile that coupled with the glint in his eyes made it perfectly clear that he’d had some action last night, all night… and probably this morning too. It was his life and I wouldn’t ask who he had it going with, yet. He took his position without a word and did the same. I Couldn’t help but wondering, though.
First in today’s order of business was to gather father’s advisors and have them doing what they should have been doing all this time. I’d notified the guards earlier and was expecting them to come any second now. And there was the first knock. As I called enter I still wasn’t clear on what to tell them.
All of them entered at once, holding on to my desk was all I could do to prevent me falling off my chair in surprise. I refused to show it, though, but I fear one of my eyebrows might have risen.
The tall, proud, redheaded general of the guard, Evelyn, with her lieutenant, Merquise, in tow. Sultrina, looking pouty and annoyed but here. Friewalds, a rather unassuming man, who were housemaster of the Camrille coven. Linnea, a fair, small whisper of a young lady who was keeper of records. Nestod, twin sister of Linnea and the one responsible for everyone’s health and wellbeing. And last, but most definitely not least, a giant of a man called Orvald who was a jack-of-all-trades, kind of, and while he mostly helped father with paperwork he could also be seen helping whichever of the others that needed it.
They are an odd bunch, if they had a chance to choose for themselves they would have never made friends, or even worked together, but they were now. Or at least, they should have been. I hadn’t seen much of that since father disappeared.
“I have been waiting for you, for several weeks in fact, to step up and do your job. You haven’t. why?” Most of that wasn’t entirely true but they’d never know that. And some of them even had the decency to look, at least a bit, ashamed.
“How can it be our fault?” Sultrina asked and I think I saw some of them wince. I also think that she was rather alone in that ‘our’ of hers.
“How can it not be? I wanted to know how you would handle it but you haven’t handled it at all. Does Father really let you get away with doing nothing?” Yes it was cruel, and perhaps even petty, but it was also very true. Sultrina opened her mouth to speak but was quieted by the glare Evelyn sent her.
Evelyn is a force to be reckoned with in the sect. She’s powerful, old and good at fighting. She’s also in a position of power and she’s one of the few who can talk, relatively, honest with my father. She’s also an easygoing and friendly vampire but she keep a tight rein on her troops, as they are, and few dares to cross her.
“Lady, we have had a lot to do with the rogues here, though that isn’t an excuse, just an explanation. I don’t have an excuse for this, really, and we should have known better.” She even bowed her head at the end, nice. I looked to the others, one at a time, to see if they would argue. Some of my annoyance and pent up anger from the endless hours of trying to sort through the paperwork must have shown because none of them met my eyes. They bowed their heads and adverted their eyes instead. Go me.
“There are seven piles of papers on my desk. Take the appropriate one and leave. Then work. Then leave a report to me tomorrow. And remember, doing this doesn’t mean that you can stop feeding your rogue.”
“Yes lady.” They managed to say in chorus. If I hadn’t been so annoyed I might have been suitably impressed. When they had cleared out they had also cleared my desk, point to them. They needed them, they were way behind as it were.
I managed to clear what little paperwork there was left in just under four hours. I felt better than I had in a long time. Giving the guards at my door a heads-up that I was going to leave the study for my usual rooms I left. I’d told them to allow visitors for another four hours but after that it had to be something really important for me to tolerated getting disturbed.
I seated myself in one of the comfortable chairs in front of the fireplace with a sigh. I looked down at Styx, who still wore that silly grin, and decided that I couldn’t wait any longer.
“Someone was lucky last night.” For someone that had been lucky he sure did blush when I said it.
“I… I’m allowed to, am I not?” He asked a bit worried but the blush was still alight on his cheeks.
“Of course you are, as long as it’s on your free time.” I said, he hurried to assure me that it would, indeed, only happen when he wasn’t on duty.
“So, who was it?” I asked, not very innocently. Yes I’m curious, dammit. He just mumbled something intelligible and started studying the rug with such a flaming interest I almost considered a new career for him.
“I can’t hear you.” I sing-songed. I was being a bit mean, I should allow him some privacy but I saw it as revenge for all those sessions he’d watched between me and Emilio.
“Amandus.” He said, loud and clear. I just sat dumbstruck.
“I…eh. Er… good for you.” I really didn’t know what to say. It was rather obvious, when I thought about it. Amandus had been in some kind of relationship with that big oaf of a human, Simon by name. I should have known that they were more than friends. It didn’t know about Styx but on the other hand, I’d never asked his preference. All in all, I whished them luck, despite it being a bit odd, knowing that my brother played the same field I did.
For some reason Styx looked very sad.
“Are you going to tell me not to see him again?” He looked at me with his big, beautiful eyes begging me, asking me for something and I had no idea what.
“Um… no? Why would I?” I was surprised by his question.
”Because he’s your brother. Because we’re both male. Because I haven’t asked permission. Because he’s a were and I’m vampire. Pick one.” He sounded angry, sarcastic and… hurt? What had I done to deserve that?
“Well, those things are all true but what’s also true is that they don’t matter. And I don’t know from where you’ve gotten the silly idea that I would care about any of those things. Sure, I don’t want you to meet with him when either of you have other duties but so far you haven’t done that and I don’t think you will. Is there anything else you think you know that you want to say?”
“I’m sorry.” He did look apologetic. I think he was out of balance. He’d quite possibly planned this encounter in many different ways but I don’t think he’d expected quite those replies. He’d followed the old proverb, the best defence is to attack but he misjudged his need for defence.
“It’s all right. I can’t say that I’m not surprised but I assure you, it’s nothing else than just that, surprise.” He’d sat himself at my feet and I stroked his hair in a fashion I hoped was calming. He seemed to be settling down, whether it was the stroking or my words that did it. Though as he grew calmer his head seemed to be sinking and soon all I saw was a head of hair.
“I’m sorry.” I heard again, though it was a close thing. Styx seemed to mumbled it into his own shirt.
“Hush. Fetch me something to read instead. It was so long since I had a chance to read for my own enjoyment that I’ve forgotten what I last read.” The last sentence was mostly a comment to myself and it was quite a worrying one at that. I was usually an avid reader and the prospect of even forgetting what I was currently reading had been an unknown phenomena until today.
Styx, apparently, had a better memory that I did because he soon returned with a book and I did recognise some of the contents.
It didn’t take long for Emilio to waltz through the door. I wasn’t the only one that had fled work a bit early today. He seemed genuinely happy to see me and I thought that maybe I had a chance to getting forgiven. He did an excellent u-turn around my chair, I think he was aiming on giving me a kiss or a hug, unfortunately he’d chosen the wrong way and only his excellent reflexes saved him from ending up flat on the floor. He’d stumbled over Styx, both of them looked equally surprised. I just laughed. It didn’t take them long to join in either.
Emilio got himself righted enough to give me the kiss I’d been expecting and managed to look totally unruffled by his near fall while doing so. It almost sent me into fits of
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