Hermina Dor awoke later than usual. The sunlight outside of the curtains was low, and it would have already been time to finish the chores on the farm, had she been still living.
'Not that I'm alive anymore.' She thought, sadly. 'If I was, I would marry that poor man.' She went to move, but found that she couldn't. Something was weighing her down more than usual. She looked to her side and almost moved away in shock and surprise. On her left, Gerald was holding her tightly with one arm, and his other arm was underneath his head. She struggled to control her breathing, and her ecstasy. 'Holy Dreiss… Thank you!' She prayed, loving the feeling of his warmth on her cold skin. She turned her head and watched her love sleep. He snorted a little, and for a moment she worried that she had moved too much in her surprise. But he just repositioned himself, and was right back to sleep. 'SNUGGLING EVEN TIGHTER WITH ME!' She squealed inwardly with delight. She looked at his careworn face, his half open lips that almost begged for her kisses… She cut off that train of thought as quickly as she could, though she lingered on it for longer than perhaps she should have. She wished that she could make herself more presentable to him. 'Maybe if I lowered my bodice, he'd- No. He… he doesn't want me that way, and I need to respect that.'
'At least while he's alive.' A darker corner of her brain thought. 'If he were your Vampire Count-'
'Shut up.' She countered her own dark thoughts. 'He is living, and should relish in the pleasures that life doesn't afford me.' She looked over the granter of her undeath, and smiled. 'Still, he is incredibly handsome…'
(Hermina Dor!) A shout in her mind. Telepathy, one of the perks of her kind that very few knew of.
(I'm here. Is something wrong?)
(We have news, brood mother. Three of the Council have finally cracked and we have the location of the deed to Portal.) It was one of her 'sons', Bledthern. (Pronounced: Bled Thurn)
(Very good. I'll inform the Master when he awakens.)
(Don't enjoy him too much mother.) He teasingly stated before cutting the connection. She breathed deeply and slowly moved her hands to grab the Necromancer's hand which was on her side. She held it loosely, intertwining her fingers loosely with his, but keeping an eye on the face and breathing of the man next to her. He didn't even budge. Clearly, he was exhausted. She briefly remembered a time when he slept for literally three days while visiting once because he was so exhausted. She smiled a little wider with the memory. Especially helping him get undressed…
(My pardon, Lady Dor.) It was a skeleton commander this time.
(What do you need?) She asked.
(You're with the Master right? He's needed with the Sorceress. Says she discovered something that he'll want to know.)
(He's sleeping)
(We know, but this is urgent, miss. Otherwise, we wouldn't bother him or you.)
She sighed. (I'll wake him. Please keep the requests to a minimum however. He is quite exhausted.)
(Yes miss. We'll be near the council chambers, along with that charred skeleton that came just before he did.)
The Vampress didn't want to wake her beloved, but saw her opportunity to touch him as she did it. She slowly lifted his hand from her waist and placed it on her breast. She giggled lightly as his fingers slid into her cleavage when she let go, but she didn't just stop there. She leaned forward and kissed him slowly. He cracked his eyes at that and she pulled away, quickly. "Good night my handsome Master." She cooed with a smile. He yawned and noticed where his hand was.
"Goodnight… why did you put my hand in your breasts?"
She smiled. "I thought it would be funny."
He pulled his hand out and sat up, yawning. The bothered reaction that she was hoping for didn't happen, and she found herself kind of disappointed. "Unfortunately, not long enough…" He muttered, obviously feeling his connection to magic. He stood and got out of the bed, sliding down the bed to the floor instead of over her, much to her chagrin. His armor may have been a little smelly, what with the workload he had been doing, but that was to be expected.
"The council has finally broken, my lord."
"I'm not a Lord." He responded, "But I'm glad to hear it."
"Also, there is a group of people needing to speak with you in front of the council chambers. They should be dealt with relatively quickly however."
The Necromancer chuckled. "When did you become my secretary?" He stated.
"I'd rather be just plain yours." She responded under her breath, knowing that he wouldn't respond, even if he heard it. She then stood, herself, and straightened her dress.
"Come on." He started with a smile. "Let's see what the night has in store for us."
They descended the stairs, her following in his wake, and enjoying watching the cape flow behind him. The cape was her own make, and showed the symbol of his house. She'd sewn it herself as a potential wedding gift for him. It had, unfortunately, turned into a birthday gift after around 200 years after she was raised as a Countess. He was greeted by a small group of non-magi at the door who cheered him as they offered him food, wine, and at least three propositions from a group of women who had almost filled the plaza. He smiled at them and waved, but she sensed the sadness in his eyes and smile. 'Almost as if he doesn't plan to…' The realization hit her, and she missed a step, almost falling on the cobblestone. She stood straighter, and walked behind the man. 'He's leaving…'
At the door of the council chambers, the Necromancer was greeted by the gaggle of people who needed his support and aid. 'As if they had the right.' She thought, as she listened to their paltry requests.
Sarah, the Sorceress girl, wanted to have a more private word with him, but it made her come out and say it. "Fine. I want permission to kill those who failed my inquisition."
"Is that all? Permission granted." He responded.
"And," She continued. "I found out something about the communicator ball that the Everseeker had." She looked around and whispered, loudly enough that Hermina just barely caught it. "It connects directly to one of the members of the council. Which one I can't tell, but definitely one of the members of the Wizard's Council."
Hermina's unrequited love nodded, his brain obviously full. "Thank you Sarah. I have one final thing to ask you before you hurry away with the morning sun."
"Um… sure."
The Necromancer pulled the charred skeleton from the group around her. "I want to know what happened to his man. Could you please find out for me?"
"How do you know it was a man?" The Sorceress asked, her eyes curious.
He shrugged. "Bone structure. Men and women have different bone structures." He then turned and dealt with Count Chavel and his little goodbye and thank you from Gerald. 'Why Gerald?' She thought. He seemed to enjoy the name, in any event. She thought it plain. She'd drank the blood of many men named Gerald before, and they always had plain blood. She preferred his Necromantic name. It was beautiful, full of meaning and joy. A name from a much more… simple time. When the few wars were minor, they were fought between the undead while their masters played chess or attempted to gain more allies, the Witches boiled their potions in the open, and the world was much more at peace…
She smiled at the reminiscence. She had only been in her early 20s when the great destruction fell. She had actually been in a Witch's Coven in the northlands when she felt it. The fires that heated the entire world. She didn't head back, at the request of her mother, who messaged what was happening. Even as she died… She shuddered, and pushed her mind back into the here and now. The Master was walking away and into the door where the rest of the Vampires lay waiting. She followed him inside and there, in front of the dais stood the four council members. They looked shook from their time cooped up. Gerald took his place at the head of the podium, and Hermina took hers at his right hand.
"I'll make this quick, as I have much to do and only a little time to do it." The Necromancer began. "Who was the first one to talk?"
"M… me." Said the Druidess.
"Thank you." Gerald stated to her, after getting a nod from another Vampire in the room to confirm it. "You've done me a great service." He turned to Hermina and she leaned towards him. "I think we should reward her for this, after I've confirmed that that is actually where the town charter is."
"I agree, but why is this so important to you?" She whispered back. "True, it was made by your father but-"
"It is the last surviving document I have of his." Gerald whispered back. "It holds powerful magic for my family and for this town."
"For the town?"
"Just watch when I have it." He noted, and then leaned back. "Let's see the document."
"Foll-... Follow me." The Druidess replied, despite a strong look from the Druid by her side. Gerald stood and followed her.
"Oh, and for my friends in the room…" The Necromancer raised an eyebrow and turned to the Vampires. "How would you like some new servants?" There were some general chuckles and what blood was left in the Sorcerer faded. "Draw lots amongst yourselves." There was a cheer, and the Druid began shouting obscenities, but Hermina tuned him out. Her love was moving, and she wanted to be nearer to him while she had him with her. She almost felt sorry for the poor other woman on the council. The Vampires who were drawing lots were very VERY disgusting in their habits…
The Druidess led them down a hallway, laden with torches and candles that were magically lit, and then she walked through the wall in front of her. Gerald smiled, touching the, seemingly, solid wall before walking through it himself. The Vampress smiled, and walked through it herself.
"Clever spell." She heard Gerald state. "More than enough to keep a non-magi from discovering this."
The Druidess seemed almost sad at the fact that they had made it through, but she continued onward. The trail led them down some stairs, not well lit, but well made, until they hit a floor made of dark stone.
"The old Zombie holding Warehouse." Gerald noted. "I was wondering why you would get rid of it in the past century."
The Druidess stepped forward and then hard on a plate on the ground. There was the sound of splashing and the room began to fill with water. The Druidess began to cackle, and gloat. "FOOLS! EVERYONE KNOWS THAT YOUR KIND ARE WEAK TO WATER!" Gerald just smiled and let the water circle around him, and despite the pressure it didn't even make him move a muscle.
The Vampress sank to the bottom, not breathing, but hating the pressure more and more as it made it hard to move. The Druidess laughed even as the water circled around her, and slammed her into a wall. A few minutes of this later, with the Druidess still trapped on the wall and still giggling, the water began to recede. Near the floor were several drains that finally allowed the water to fall down and into unseen areas. Gerald just stood as the water slid down his body, the Druidess still laughing and coughing up water on the floor. Hermina just lamented that it would probably have messed up her hair. She pulled it back into a ponytail, and lamented her normal bun. Magic filled the room, heating it. She saw instantly who was casting the fire magic. It was her love, and he looked angry. He breathed hard as he magically dried his, and Hermina's clothing, as he walked over to where the Druidess was still giggling on the floor. He picked her up by the neck, gripping it firmly. "If you want to die quickly, I suggest talking and not wasting more of my time."
"You… fool…" She gasped, struggling against his hand, and kicking at him. "If you… kill me… you can… you can never…"
"Never is a strong word." The Necromancer reminded the Druidess, tossing her to the ground. "Hermina. Your eyes…"
"As you wish." Hermina rushed forward, eager to please Gerald, but sad that she had to use her eyes on a woman. She much preferred to use them on men. (Especially men she would help get drunk at bars and then feed on them without killing them. It would draw too much attention otherwise.) She pulled the woman up to her face, and just waited. The Druidess resisted the magical call to look ahead for longer than Hermina expected (around twenty seconds) and then finally looked into the Vampire's eyes. The Druidess immediately relaxed, and was soon kneeling on her own before the Vampress.
"What do you wish to know, Empress?" The Druidess asked, her mind completely blank except for the desire to please Hermina.
"Where is the town charter?"
"It is sitting in a small box underneath the throne of the dais in the main room." The Druidess replied. "It is hidden with Wizard magics and guarded by spirits."
"Looks as though they did their homework." Gerald replied, his breathing slowing down as he got control of his emotions. "Many Necromancers in the ancient days were weak to water, even if their creations were weak to fire and light."
"Did I do good, my Empress?" The Druidess asked, her eyes pleading for praise. "I am here for you, and only you."
"Then be silent until you are spoken to." The Vampress replied, her eyes angry, leading the Druidess to cower on the ground, but never breaking eye contact from the Vampress, even to blink. "There is a phrase to get past the spirits without fighting them, isn't that correct?"
"Yes. The phrase is 'Dreiss is dead, and so are his kin.' Does that please you my lady? I can always have it changed if you don't-"
"What you want to do with it is up to you." Gerald interrupted. "I know that the spell won't last much longer."
At this, the Vampress smiled. "I'll force you to do something… something horrible… then make you live as my slave…" She cackled lightly, but it was a harsh cackle.
"Please, my lady… anything…" The Vampress walked forward and placed her hands on the forehead of the woman.
Before drilling her nails into the forehead that is.
The Druidess screamed with pain, breaking the spell of the eyes that had held her, and then tried to push the nails away. The Vampress was too strong for that, and her magic slipped down her fingers and into the other woman's brain. "I hereby order you to eat human flesh while it is still living…" The Vampress laughed mercilessly, "Then… without delay, come to me and remember all until your dying day!" More giggles of the damned filled the empty chamber. "You must serve me until that time as a living being, with your free will, and your dreams being haunted with regret for that action, yet unable to hurt or damage me or the families anymore, or until the renewing of the world." The Vampress pulled away, and licked the blood from her fingertips to seal the magic. "Horrible." She reported, wiping it on the woman who continued to be kneeling in front of her, attempting to fight the inevitable. But the pact had been sealed with blood. There would be nothing that could help the poor woman now, save death. As Gerald and Hermina left the poor woman motionless on the floor, Hermina turned back and playfully called, "Don't worry. You'll get used to it!" And laughed a cruel, heartless laugh as they magically stopped the torches as they went…