Legacies of Blood

Elaina stared at Royce apprehensively as the vishanti went about her business as if she wasn’t even there. The redhead had explained the situation to her out of a desire to be transparent, and it hadn’t phased her in the least.

“Did you hear what I said?” Elaina croaked, taking a step to one side in an attempt to enter her field of view. “Royce?”

“Yes, I heard you,” Royce confirmed, silently counting off the new supplies brought to her as she stacked them into a cabinet. “I don’t see a problem.”

Elaina’s head tilted to one side, utterly confused. “You don’t?”

“No, dreamwalking is an unusual talent, but not so unusual that I’m unfamiliar with it,” Royce explained without looking back at her. “If it’s an ability that is just coming in, then it makes sense that you wouldn’t have any control over it. There’s no shame in it.”

“Erm,” Elaina muttered, her brows furrowing. “That wasn’t really what I was asking about. I meant having dinner with her.”

Royce shrugged briefly as she tossed an empty crate toward the door to be picked up later. “Does she remember the dream?”

“If she does, she hasn’t mentioned it,” Elaina responded. “But I sort of doubt it.”

“Do you want to fuck her?” Royce asked casually. When Elaina didn’t answer immediately, she stopped what she was doing and finally looked at Elaina. “Do you?”

The crease in Elaina’s brow deepened as she felt the blushing heat in her face rapidly spread. “She’s attractive, but I would never cheat on you like that. I just wanted to be open about---.”

“Cheat on me?” Royce interrupted with a little scoff. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re not girlfriends or anything. You can fuck whoever you want.”

Elaina felt like the wind had been knocked right out of her with that statement. She stared at Royce, her heart sinking at the casual dismissal of a relationship she had thought more of than the vishanti had. “W-what?”

“Elaina, don’t look at me like that,” Royce chuckled, turning her full attention to the redhead. “I really like you and everything. We have a lot of fun together, but it’s a little early for courtship, wouldn’t you say?”

“I might be a little inexperienced with this sort of thing,” Elaina argued, “but doesn’t the sex typically come after people are courting for a little bit?”

Royce nodded in agreement. “Typically. But that’s usually because people are too afraid to do so until they feel the other person has a vested interest. It makes them feel safer. You’re braver than that, evidently.”

“Bravery?” Elaina frowned. “Is that what it is?”

“Come on,” Royce sighed, holding her hands up. “We have a great thing going here. Why do we have to go and screw with it? A lot of people would love to get permission to fuck other women from the woman they’re sleeping with.”

Elaina’s frown deepened, not because she disagreed but because she did. She knew a lot of people would have loved that sort of freedom. Even though she found herself warming to the idea, the dismissal of their relationship still stung. “I suppose. I just thought...”

“Thought what?” Royce asked before gently placing her hands on Elaina’s arms. “That I don’t care? I do. I care a lot, but we’re just not at the point where we’re going to start making demands of the other or having obligations. But, if things go well, maybe they will.”

Elaina shook her head, losing focus on what her original grievance was. “It sounds sterile when you say it like that. Demands and obligations?”

“Commitment, then,” Royce corrected patiently. “Whatever you want to call it. I like you a lot, and I’m open to the idea of taking it further, but it really ought to wait until we arrive in Tenebre Dontae when we can focus on it, right?”

Elaina had to admit Royce had a point there. What they had now worked because it didn’t require the special care and attention that a fully bloomed romance might need. But once they finished the delve and traveled south, there would be plenty of time to explore things further.

“Though, to be honest with you,” Royce continued as she stepped back. “Even if I were your girlfriend, I wouldn’t have a problem with you fucking her. In fact, I think you should.”

“W-what?!” Elaina exclaimed, the heat in her face stretching back to her ears. “Royce!”

Royce laughed more, charmed by Elaina’s bashful response. “I’m serious. Bitch is a knockout, and she’s nobility! Hells, if I had a chance, I’d fuck her like that!” The blonde snapped her fingers with a smirk.

Elaina glanced around the room quickly to make sure no one was present to overhear them, but even the few patients she’d had during her earlier visit had been discharged already. “Shh!”

“I’d love to get my lips on those luscious tits,” Royce continued impishly, seemingly reveling in how flustered it made her. “I bet they’re divine.”

“They’re pierced,” Elaina muttered, resisting the urge to melt into a puddle on the floor. Royce’s brows shot up in surprise. “Her nipples. They’re pierced.”

“Shut. Up!” Royce cackled, pushing Elaina playfully. “That’s so fucking hot.”

“It is,” Elaina giggled in agreement, nodding rapidly. “It really is.”

Royce motioned dramatically in the general direction of the keep. “So then dick her down for real! If she’s already wet for you, go for it!”

“I mean, she might,” Elaina stammered nervously. “I don’t know that for sure. It could just be a friendly dinner. I only brought it up because of how awkward I felt.”

The blonde shook her head as she waved off her concerns. “Oh, don’t feel that way. I’m sure lots of people are going to come on to you. Even if she’s not inviting you to dinner to get into your pants, it’ll be worth it to get a little closer to her, right?”

“You’re fine with that?” Elaina asked hesitantly. “That would basically be a date, wouldn’t it?”

“Of course!” Royce assured her. “That’s what I mean about commitment, obligations, and such. You’ve promised me nothing, much less exclusivity, so I’m not about to ask it of you. If I could, I’d be going with you. A threesome would be great.”

“They are quite enjoyable,” Elaina admitted, catching Royce a little off-guard. “The one I had was anyway.”

“You’ll have to tell me about it later,” Royce laughed, a glimmer of fascination in her amethyst eyes. “But we don’t have the time now.”

Elaina looked around the room again, spreading her arms as if to ask what was so pressing. Royce jabbed a finger in her chest accusingly. “Not me, you! You need to get washed up if you have a date with a landgraf.”

“Gods, you’re right!” Elaina sputtered. She would have needed a bath even without the sweat she’d worked herself into sparring with Kitch. Whirling on her heels, she bolted for the door before suddenly stopping and pivoting to return to Royce, where she kissed her cheek. “Thank you! See you later.”

As soon as she exited the building, Elaina sprinted across the bailey toward the cluster of tents where Royce’s was located. Bursting in through the front flap, she gathered her soaps and salts, a towel, and a change of clothes. She took a few steps back toward the flap and realized that the clothes she’d grabbed were far from appropriate for what could be a date. They were far too casual. She needed something that would make more of an impression, didn’t she?

What sort of impression was she going for, she wondered? Did she actually think she would spend an intimate evening with the landgraf? What if it was just a friendly dinner to catch up, and she arrived overdressed for the occasion?

The redhead knew she was overthinking it, but it was hard not to. She shut all the distractions out of her mind, focusing on the limited time she had left. Rather than roll the dice on any of her own clothes, which Royce had said were beginning to look ratty anyway, she went through some of Royce’s clothes instead. She had been quite supportive, never wore anything that looked bad, and was about Elaina’s size, so it seemed perfect.

Once she had everything, she bolted out the front flap and shot across the bailey toward the castle baths. According to the original schematics Elaina and Resius had obtained in South Gate, Willowridge hadn't been built with baths, but at some point, the ritual master of the Abyssals had installed them. His motivations were much more decadent and self-indulgent than mere hygiene, but the delve had put them to better use once they’d discovered them.

The baths were terraced carefully so that there was a pool for hot water toward the top and one for cold toward the bottom. Between them were separate pools of varying temperatures. It was further partitioned for areas to shower, dry off, or get a steam. It was nearly an imperial bathhouse all its own. As she entered, a few people in the central pool waved, inviting her to join them. It was a mixed group of men and women, all serving under the landgraf, but Elaina was comfortable enough yet to reveal her mutation to people. Still, it was nice to be invited.

“I just need to get a quick shower and go,” she explained politely, waving as she walked past the steamy pool. A few other partitions were already in use, but each had sufficient privacy to set her mind at ease. She stripped down, tugged the valve chain, and let out a relieved sigh as the hot water washed over her.

Leaning against the wall with both hands, Elaina let her hair fall around her face like a long, wet curtain. She rubbed her side with one hand. The ache there had faded almost entirely. Soon, the wounds from the duel on the bridge would be a distant memory. After a minute or so of just soaking in the heat, she pushed her hair aside, lathered it, and scrubbed herself up.

“You still haven’t found him?” Elaina heard a woman say from a few stalls down.

“No,” another woman replied from an adjacent stall. “Blackbarn has had us on it non-stop, and still nothing.”

Elaina brushed the wet curtain of hair from her face and leaned her head slightly out of the shower spray to hear the conversation better. She shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but she couldn’t imagine that the conversation was terribly private if they were speaking to each other between stalls in an open bath area.

“Is it that important to find Steinbach’s body?” the first woman asked. “You said all you Orbonne people are pretty happy with Blackbarn.”

“Mostly,” the second woman replied. “There’s still a few holdouts he wants to win over by laying the old captain to rest. But I don’t think there will be much to find after that fight with Woodlock. Did you see it?”

“Mhm,” the first woman responded. Elaina pulled the valve chain into the off position and dried herself off. “There weren’t a lot of us that didn’t show up for that duel.”

“I thought the captain had her for sure, but she surprised us all,” the second woman, evidently one of the Orbonne mercs, continued. “Do you know if she’s seeing anybody by chance?”

The first woman laughed a bit as she rinsed. “You’re joking. Aren’t you still dating that guy from South Gate?”

“No, no,” she replied, her voice shifting as she turned to let the spray hit her differently. Elaina’s eyes darted around nervously. They must have come in after her; otherwise, they would have known she was in the stalls with them. “It’s really not working out with him.”

“So you’re done with guys completely?” the first woman pressed. “Have you ever even dated a woman before?”

“Mmm, no,” the merc woman admitted. “She’s just got this vibe, though, you know? I don’t know how to describe it.”

“You wouldn’t know what to do with a woman like that,” the first woman laughed. Elaina also resisted the urge to laugh, though for a very different reason. She ran the towel over her body quickly and started to dress. “Besides, I heard a rumor that she and McKenna are fucking.”

“The witch!?” the merc snorted. “You can’t be serious!”

Elaina’s face grew hotter, though she wasn’t sure if it was from being insulted or embarrassed. She looked toward the voices and realized she had to go before she said or did something she might regret.

“That’s the rumor,” the first woman replied calmly, though Elaina could detect a sense of amusement she had for her friend’s incredulity. “She’s been sleeping in her tent and everything.”

“Gods be damned,” the merc spat sourly. “This always happens to me!”

“I thought you said you haven’t dated any women be---.”

“You know what I mean!” the woman snapped before letting out a long, irritated sigh. “Why did it have to be the witch?”

“You have that conditioning elixir with you?” the first woman asked, ignoring the previous gripe. “Can I give it a try?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the second said, passing it over the top of the partition.

Elaina finished with the last buttons on her blouse and stepped out of the stall, walking quickly away before one of the two stepped out and saw that she had been listening to the conversation. Besides the strange interest in her and who she may or may not have been seeing, the fact they still hadn’t found Steinbach’s remains was troubling. Elaina had been in recovery for a while, and from what she understood, they had been searching the entire time. Even with the rubble from the bridge, locating him with the equipment and magic the company had at its disposal should have been relatively easy. She reminded herself to ask the landgraf about it when she saw her.

The redhead walked swiftly back to the tent to dump her old clothes and fix her hair, then made her way up to the keep where the landgraf resided. The keep looked completely different from the last time she’d been there. Some repairs were still in order, but it was incredible what a little cleaning and new lighting had done for it. The guards at the front were either expecting her or had no reason to stop her and let her pass. The main hall was sparsely occupied and had been stripped bare of any iconography of the Abyssals that had occupied the space before. The heavy sound of her boots echoed off the walls with each footfall, earning her the attention of a tall blonde elven woman with fair skin and large sapphire-blue eyes.

“May I help you?” the elf asked as she approached, her manner of speech rather professional and precise.

“I’m supposed to be meeting with the Landgraf for dinner,” Elaina answered nervously, adjusting the blouse’s collar. She suddenly worried she had left it a little too open.

“Ah, yes,” the elf acknowledged with a pristine smile. “You must be Miss Woodlock? I am Solana Sylqen, Lady Amberdeen’s Handmaiden. I have been instructed to escort you to the dining hall.”

Elaina smiled sheepishly. “Do I look alright?”

“You look wonderful, Miss Woodlock,” Sylqen assured her. “An unusual use of glamer, but quite effective.”

The redhead stared back at the handmaiden, nearly mortified. “You can tell it’s a glamer?”

“Indeed,” the elven woman acknowledged. “It's Convincing, subtle, and tasteful. I doubt many would notice it.”

“But you did,” Elaina muttered, chewing her lip.

The handmaiden held up a hand to calm Elaina. “It is my job to notice such things. You needn’t worry. Right this way.”

The handmaiden pivoted and guided her down the hall through a set of large double doors, her high, firm rump swaying tantalizingly from side to side beneath the tight skirt she wore. Elaina pursed her lips, caught herself in the thought, and wondered why her focus was wavering. There was a time when it was easy for her to become so sexually distracted, but she’d thought herself past it by now.

Beyond the doors was a dining hall with an impressively long table that stretched almost the entire length of the room. The style was old, but the material from which it was made looked new and shone from a fresh polishing in the candlelight. At the far end sat Elsebeth Amberdeen in an elegant strapless gown. Her platinum blonde hair was bundled up on the back of her head, held in place with a bejeweled ornate comb. As Elaina approached, she became aware that she was holding her breath in the presence of the lovely landgraf.

“Ah, Elaina!” Elsebeth greeted her as she rose from her chair and extended a hand. Elaina reflexively took it and kissed the back of it, finding just enough space amid the rings and bangles she wore.

“Please, have a seat,” Elsebeth said with a graceful motion to the chair on her right before giving the elven woman an elegant wave of her hand. “That’ll be all Mrs. Sylqen, thank you.”

Elaina sat herself as the Handmaiden silently excused herself with a respectful nod. The table had already been set with an impressive bounty of roast meat, braised vegetables, golden brown biscuits, and more. If it wasn’t for how long it had been since last she’d seen such a delicious meal, she might not have noticed it at all in the presence of Elsebeth.

“Everything looks great,” Elaina croaked, her mouth going a little dry. She scooted her chair closer to the table as a servant appeared over her shoulder to fill her plate.

“I’m glad you approve,” Elsebeth responded, sipping from her goblet. “I’m equally glad that you were able to make it. I feared you might have had other plans.”

Elaina offered the beauty a friendly smile, doing her best to keep it from seeming awkward. “Oh, no, it’s quite alright. As you said, it’s a great opportunity to catch up.”

“How are you feeling?” Elsebeth asked, cutting her slab of roast into a few smaller pieces. “You seem to be fully recovered.”

“Just a little soreness,” Elaina replied, waving a hand. “How about you? Have you been keeping busy with all the new sections of the castle opening up?”

Elsebeth smiled around a bite of her roast, swallowing it before answering her guest. “Indeed. It’s been rather difficult to keep up, so I’ve brought on more staff like Mrs. Sylqen to assist me with managing it all. That’s one of the matters I wished to speak to you about, as a matter of fact.”

Elaina popped one of the small potatoes on her plate into her mouth with her fork and felt it practically melt on her tongue. Gods, she loved potatoes. If everything on her plate tasted this good, she was in danger of losing her focus on the company. It was only then that she noticed a few other places set across from her. Were they expecting others to join them? “What matter would that be?”

“I’m offering employment to the Orbonne company here. I wanted to hear your thoughts on Mr. Blackbarn. You’ve spoken with him at some length, haven’t you?” Elsebeth explained, trying one of the potatoes for herself and reacting similarly to Elaina. It only endeared the woman to the redhead further.

“Yes, a bit. He seems an honorable type,” Elaina assured her. “Intelligent as well. He’s provided me with some arcane material to study. I’m curious what he will be like as captain, being that he’s a wizard.”

“It’s been known to happen,” Elsebeth commented with a demure shrug of one shoulder. “But I was considering offering him the position of court mage and offering the command of my men to someone else.”

“Who?” Elaina wondered as she forced herself not to inhale too much food at once. Everything tasted so delicious.

Elsebeth’s eyebrows rose, and her face split pleasantly into a dazzling smile. “You, of course.”