Cassandra Pendragon
We had sent the mercenaries packing, soon after, having extracted their promise to quietly ask around who of their friends might be persuaded to listen to us. The crystals, Ahri had engraved with some of her memories, relating to the fall of Boseiju, were an added bonus they could use as they deemed necessary. Tomorrow, we wanted to meet up again at Vanya's place, a small house near the harbour. I surely hoped that none of us would stumble into more trouble until then, but honestly, my fear was directed mostly at us. The three of them seemed more than capable to keep their noses clean and unless they meant to talk to one of the Captains directly, I couldn't imagine that they'd find themselves in a hole they couldn't easily dig themselves out of. But then again, the course, my life had taken over the last weeks, had surely taught me to not take anything for granted. Just in case, I had asked Ahri to use her bracelet to tail them, since mine was still at the barmaid's place. Should anything happen, we'd know immediately.
As for us, we were again deep within Alassara's home, feeding the starved vampires. Their mistress had ordered them to stay put and by now, we were escorting them in twos and threes towards a small chamber, where they were allowed to satiate their thirst. The volunteers Alassara had acquired were more than happy to oblige, since it wasn't particularly painful, the toxins in the vampires' saliva turned the whole procedure into something highly enjoyable and more than one of them, especially the younger lads, were begging to have another go, even when they were already pale as sheets and swearing from the loss of blood.
Ahri and I didn't have much to do in the meantime, we mainly kept an eye on the proceedings, ensuring that the ravenous vamps wouldn't bleed their meals dry, but all in all, it was a much more controlled and sophisticated affair than I had imagined. Gone was the savagery and brutality of the first moments, replaced by a caring gratefulness that turned the act itself into something almost tender, maybe even gentle. A tight embrace, a prolonged moan mixed with the coppery smell of blood and seconds later, the vampire licked the small wounds he had left behind on the neck, stimulating the natural healing properties of the human body. Most of them even escorted their designated donors from the room, making sure they had a place to recover and plenty of food once they woke from their stupor.
I became quite curious, when I realised that almost every female vamp fed on a male slave and vice versa, but I didn't want to disturb Alassara. She was wound up tightly enough as it was and I couldn't imagine she'd care much for unnecessary questions. Still, it got me curious if their sexual orientation actually had an impact on their abilities or rather, on their bodies. If self actualisation was a thing, it would hint at a magical origin of their powers, rather than a physical one, and that was something well worth knowing. It might even provide me with an idea on how to help Aurelia.
"What's the matter," Ahri whispered in my ear. I had been spacing out and I could very well imagine how it must have looked while I was intently staring at the feeding vampires. "Does it bother you? Or is it the opposite?" I chuckled quietly.
"I'm not getting turned on, if that's what you mean. No, I was just thinking… wait a second, are you?" She shrugged, but the slight blush, rising to her cheeks, was enough of an answer.
"A bit," she admitted. "I think it's the contrast to what we've seen earlier. Violence turning into grace, hunger turning into gentleness... Don't tell me you don't see it."
"I do, but… do I have to worry?" I meant to sound flippant, but I couldn't quite banish the frosty hints of jealousy from my voice. She laughed and hugged me tightly, her tails circling my waist.
"I think you got it backwards. They… it reminds me of you. Cruel and gentle, possessive, yet detached, powerful but vulnerable. Unless you intend to become jealous of yourself, there isn't much you can do. Get it through that thick skull of yours, you're stuck with me for longer than you can even imagine. I wouldn't mind, if we got to spend a little more time together, though, just the two of us. But that's most likely not going to happen any time soon," she added wistfully.
"Don't say that. Just wait for tomorrow."
"Seriously? Running from one dangerous thug, turned crime boss to the next? How romantic."
"Just wait, it's not going to be all bad. Trust me." She kissed my cheek.
"I do, more than you know. Fine, I'm not going to pester you with questions but just so you know, now I'm getting excited and you should better deliver."
"Or what," I asked teasingly.
"Or I'm going to sulk for a while and that means you'll have to sleep alone."
"Oh no, the horror," again, I tried to play it off, but truth be told, it wasn't a toothless threat. Except, she'd be punishing herself just as much. "I've been sleeping alone for 7 years, mind you."
"And you want to go back to your blissful state of solitude," she whispered. Her hand was slowly travelling down my side, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
"No… not in a million years." I wrapped my tails around her and spun her into my arms, stealing a proper kiss. "But I won't be blackmailed either," I added breathlessly, half a minute later.
"Too bad, you haven't even heard the full proposal, yet, but I guess…"
"Are you two lovebirds done, or should I find you an empty room with a large bed," Alassara interrupted us. When I turned to face her, I could see the tension slowly draining from her posture. All of her children had made it through without lasting repercussions, at least I hoped so. By now, we were alone, slaves and vampires were gone and only a few, scattered drops of blood remained behind. Considering how many of them had slaked their thirst, the trails were almost negligible.
"Are you offering for real," I replied cheekily, without releasing Ahri. "Cuz if you are…" she studied me thoughtfully for a moment before she said:
"Maybe it'd be for the best. If you want to, you're very welcome to retreat to the rooms I offered earlier. Nobody is going to disturb you, you have my word." That took me by surprise but before I could open my mouth, the girl in my arms chimed in:
"Do you want us out of the way?" The vampire queen inclined her head.
"Truth be told, yes."
"And why's that?"
"You already know, don't you? There's one more thing left to do tonight and I'm not convinced, the two of you should be around. Honestly, I'd prefer for you to see me as I am now and not as the monster I'm going to become." She didn't have to explain, we had talked about it, already.
"Then why do you even want to go through with it? It's not necessary. There are easier and, frankly, less distasteful ways to make them talk."
"An eye for an eye, a life for a life. Those I've lost, those I haven't already killed for… I'm going to carve a price, paid in blood, from my prisoners, so my children can enter the eternal night without the tethers of unsatisfied revenge still binding them to this world. That's my responsibility and my chore, not yours. The information I might acquire is only secondary. We already know who sent them, thanks to you, don't we? Still, I don't think you have to witness the depth of depravity I'm capable of, I'd much rather not…"
"There's no need," I interrupted her quietly. "I've made my peace with… with what you are, what we are." With an electric whisper and the smell of ozone my wings materialised and a second later, Ahri's burned brightly at my side, as well. "You're not the only one who isn't… there's no need to hide and I'd much rather be at your side, share in your burden than allow… a friend to wallow in self loathing all alone. For you are not, Alassara, you are not alone. Not anymore. You shoulder the burdens of your family and so do I. I won't leave you, unless you tell me to." She hesitated, clearly torn, her eyes roaming along our wings and over our faces, uncertainty and regret written across her beautiful features. A few moments later, she squared her shoulders, as if a great burden had been lifted off her, a tremulous smile tugging on the corners of her mouth.
"I'm not going to reject your offer, but I've got to warn you. There's nothing you can do or say that's going to make me stop, once I've started. Unless you kill me, of course. So, I'm going to ask one last time, are you sure you want to walk this path with me?" I looked at Ahri and she took my hand in response, squeezing my fingers lightly.
"We are. Blood, pain and death are a part of our life as much as love, hope and friendship is. Forsaking the one to hide from the other isn't a solution, it's only cowardice. And we might be many things, but we are no cowards. We'll stay with you, until you've satisfied the needs of those who have passed on. We might not agree with your reasons, but it is your decision and we won't deny you the right to do as you see fit." She gently placed her hands on our shoulders, a bloody tear shimmering in the corner of her eye, and pulled us close.
"It's not every day," she whispered, "that we are accepted for who we are, what we are. The allure of our charm and the repulse of our nature… mortals can't understand…. but then again, you aren't mortal. Still, I'm not taking your support for grant, especially after what I've already done to you. Come, then, let us write the last chapter of this desecrated night in the blood of those, who have come here to end my line. Let us repay the favour, strangled scream for strangled scream."
She stayed true to her word. Describing what she did that night… I had already seen death and pain in all its ugly glory, but that night… in a way, it was another rebirth, another part of my heritage I hadn't dared face before, but the truth of the matter was, no matter what she did, no matter how she made the two priests squirm and beg, I never shed a single tear. Nor was I disgusted or appalled… it just was the end they had bargained for, the moment they had decided to wage war against a stronger foe. Ultimately, when their intestines stank up the room and their guts spilled onto the floor, so did they spill everything we wanted to know.
They cried and snivelled, but they talked until their hearts gave out, their eyes, what little was left of them, glued to the bits and pieces of their bodies, strewn all around. Dedication and pride turned into fear and agony. First, she had broken their bodies, then their will and lastly their minds. In the end, there was nothing, but despair and pain until they managed to flee into the sweet embrace of oblivion, their final, choked scream echoing through the bloody mess they left behind.
"You have atoned," Alassara whispered to no one in particular. "May your next life be more forgiving than this one. With your death…"
"Death," a cold, distant voice suddenly reverberated through the chamber. It didn't have a source and seemed to come from everywhere at once, but the dark, almost smoke like, bands of energy that circled around the gruesome remains of the mutilated priestess and bound her flesh back together, gave me a good idea of who the culprit was. My fur started to rise and an icy shiver ran down my spine. There was power in that voice, but nowhere near as much as I had already felt before, be it in dreams or in reality. No, it was the cruel detachment that lingered beyond its dark timbre. So far removed from life itself that I couldn't help but shudder.
"Death is my domain," it continued, while the broken girl clumsily rose to her feet and I instinctively manifested my wings, the smell of ozone drowning out the lingering stench of blood and disembowelment. A fraction of a second later, Ahri did the same and we took a few steps forward, shielding Alassara behind a wall of fire and light. "And you are but ferrymen. Blinded and oblivious to the true purpose of those you send on their way. Don't misjudge your roles in the play of eternity, we all act out. You have tortured and killed one of mine and this is a warning. I won't forget, I won't forgive and now, you shall taste the first sparks of my wrath, as everything you hold dear shall crumbled under the hammer of oblivion. Behold!"
As if in trance, the priestess opened her mouth, empty cavities, where her teeth had been and the gaping hole, where Alassara had ripped out her tongue, an accusing reminder of what we had done, and an inhuman scream echoed through the room, accompanied by a frothing wave of darkness. Without thinking, I pushed more energy towards my wings and wove a sparkling net of power around us, a bright, silvery shield against the onslaught of nothingness. I didn't know what in the hells it was, but I wasn't going to take any chances. Ahri might have been able to weather the storm on her own and even Alassara might have been safe, she wasn't truly alive and thus death might be nothing more than an abstract concept, an idea, to her, but I wasn't going to lose either of them to a… splinter of consciousness with allures of godhood. Be it the Broken Wheel or another idiotic idea, elevated to physical existence, it wasn't going to touch them.
Bright flashes and the crackling of spent power filled the chamber, stars of violet light igniting where ever the liquefied shadows came in contact with my wings. My hair was blown back by a thunderous roar and despite my strength, I was forced to take several steps to keep my balance. Protected behind the curtain of energy, Ahri and Alassara were sheltered from the worst of it, but the immense sound wave still pushed the vampire to her knees. Impenetrable blackness raged around us, broken only by harsh explosions when my power cancelled out the alien magic. I gritted my teeth, the physical force contained in the spell strong enough to nearly sweep me along but with another trickle of energy form my core, I remained upright, my tails braced against the bloody floor.
"What the…" I cursed, still reeling from the sudden change. I could only speculate as to what was going on, a god of death, a dying follower, it all sort of fit, but I had never expected to actually face the powerful magic of a so called deity without a living, breathing disciple to channel the intent and purpose. As far as I knew, that shouldn't even work, they shouldn't care, nor should they be able to interact with the world on their own, without the guidance of a mortal, but obviously, I had been wrong. For now, all I could do was hold on and make sure the two girls behind me wouldn't suffer.
A deep groan escaped me, when I fought against the mounting pressure, putting one foot in front of the other, slowly making my way across the floor, slippery with the blood Alassara had spilled. I felt faint movement behind me and then a gentle push, Ahri's small hands providing just enough additional support to keep me going while her fires turned every writhing blot, that had escaped my grasp, to ash. Step after small step, I edged forwards, towards the centre of the boiling darkness, my wings a slithering, glowing barrier to hold back the black, looming tendrils.
A second, or maybe a minute, or even several passed while I struggle onwards. I felt like a ship, fighting its way against the tide and the storm, slowly, gradually inching closer to the safety of the harbour. Another step, another flash of energy, another explosion of light and finally, I saw the distorted, cut up face of the girl appear, a speck of pale white, surrounded by impenetrable blackness. With a thought, my wings expanded, humming with power, and a silvery blue flame devoured what was left of her. The night receded and a deafening silence followed.