Legacies of Blood

Elaina got herself patched up by one of the other medics and returned to Royce’s tent. She hesitated to call her their tent because no such arrangement existed. But the fact was, it did feel like it was both of theirs at this point. She’d moved almost everything she had into the vishanti’s tent a little at a time. If she went back to her own tent, she’d only find a bedroll and a couple of other odds and ends she would never miss if they disappeared tomorrow.

She spent some time parading around in her tent with various clothes that Royce had in the trunk at the end of her bed, trying on different things that might be appropriate for a night with a landgraf. She finally settled on something that fit the loose criteria that Royce had provided for her while not being too lewd or revealing. The redhead, who didn’t often feel comfortable in dresses, summoned her courage and decided to give it a try, feeling bold enough for this one occasion.

“Elaina!” An angry female voice shouted from outside the tent. “Are you in there? Get out here right now!”

It was Azade. Elaina had totally forgotten that this situation was bound to come about from Elsebeth’s decision. She set the dress aside and quickly pulled on some trousers and a tunic, her heart racing at the unexpected arrival of the woman. “Coming!”

Stepping out of the tent, she saw that Azade wasn’t alone. Standing beside the fuming raven-haired beauty was the tall, imposing form of the cuirizu. The height difference between Elaina and Myanna was considerably more pronounced now that they were up close. The swordmage found herself standing a little taller, just to be eye-level with the woman’s shoulders. “Uh, hey.”

“Hey?” Azade repeated indignantly. “That’s all you have to say to me after what you just pulled?”

“I didn’t pull anything,” Elaina argued defensively. “It wasn’t my call to make.”

Azade took a step forward, leaning closer to the redhead with anger burning in her eyes. “You could have warned me---told me something I could have used.”

“What?” Elaina asked, confused. “Why would I do that?”

“Why would you---?” Azade stared back at the woman with a look somewhere between confusion and indignance. “We have history, Elaina. Have you forgotten already?”

“Of course not,” Elaina scoffed. “But that doesn’t mean I can just turn my back on my duties whenever you need some kind of advantage in negotiations.”

The woman’s wine-red eyes widened in disbelief. “You think that’s why I’m here? To secure some petty advantages for myself?”

The redhead spread her hands as she glanced between Azade and Myanna, feeling a chill run down her spine. “You said there were things you needed from the vault and that you wanted help in securing proof of your nobility.”

“We came to help you,” Myanna interjected with a look of disgust. “We came on behalf of your sister, who was unable to reach you. She was worried something had happened to you and that something she needed from the vault would slip through her grasp.”

Elaina gave Myanna a hot glare before turning her attention to Azade. “Well, perhaps if my sister had been upfront about things from the start, it would have made things easier to coordinate. Instead, she’s chosen to be secretive about everything. She should have been honest with me from the start.”

“So what is this? Are you trying to spite her or something, now?” Azade scowled, brushing a loose lock of raven-black hair from her pale, beautiful face. Elaina felt a pang of regret for crossing her. She’d thought of her so many times since last she’d seen her. She’d imagined what she might say to her again. None of the scenarios she’d imagined had gone quite like this.

“No,” Elaina sighed, shaking her head. “Nothing like that. But you know I left everything behind for a reason. I wanted to get out on my own, yet Kaethe keeps finding ways to inject herself into everything I do.”

The fire in Azade’s eyes cooled. She was one of the few people with whom Elaina had shared enough details about herself to give the explanation context. By the look in her eyes, it seemed like an angle that the woman hadn’t considered before.

“I came here to help you,” she muttered, resisting the urge to pout.

“Look,” Elaina began, gently placing a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, but it wasn’t out of any malice. I’m sure if you speak with Elsebeth, something can be arranged.”

“Elsebeth?” Azade echoed with a suspicious brow. “You’re on a first-name basis with the landgraf?”

“Oh, uh,” Elaina stammered nervously, causing Azade to recoil from her quickly.

“Are you fucking her?” Azade speculated accusingly. “Is that why you’re so loyal to her?”

Elaina shook her head emphatically. “No, we haven’t done anything yet, we’re just---!”

“Yet!?” Azade interrupted, raising her voice. “Oh, that’s what this has been all about! You’re trying to win her favor so you can get between her legs!”

Before Elaina could correct her, the woman turned on her heels and left in a huff. Why was she behaving so jealously? It wasn’t as if there had been anything promised between them, and Azade was already flush with sexual partners.

Instead of following after the distraught woman, Myanna took a step forward. “Azade’s personal attachment to you aside, she agreed to assist me with this task. Your sister and I had an agreement. You’ve put me in an awkward position.”

“I don’t see how that’s my problem,” Elaina snapped a little more viciously than intended. Seeing Azade in such a state had tainted her mood. “I could have handled it on my own. I did, as a matter of fact. Your help wasn’t needed.”

“Had you worked with us, you would have had an easier time with the guardian---.”

“I already figured that out, too,” Elaina cut her off. “You had inside knowledge of the workings of the Abyssals. You wouldn’t have come if you weren’t confident you couldn’t bypass or defeat it. So I thought about why that might be, and it’s because you’re either resistant to the light it wields or immune entirely.”

The cuirizu’s posture became stiffer as she raised her chin. Elaina jabbed a finger in her direction. “I might not be as experienced as the rest of you, but I’m not stupid. I’d appreciate it if you all stopped treating me like---!”

The back of Myanna’s gloved hand came across Elaina’s face so quickly she didn’t have time to react. Stunned by the pain, she was caught by surprise again when the cuirizu grabbed the redhead by the throat and lifted slowly. “You’d do well to mind your tone with me.”

Elaina sneered as she was lifted onto her toes. She brought both hands up to loosen the grip Myanna had on her but was surprised to find how firm it was. No matter how hard she pulled, it didn’t budge. “I’m not one of your pet humans or whatever you call them. I don’t owe you anything.”

The grip around the redhead’s throat tightened, cutting off her ability to speak. Myanna locked her gaze with Elaina’s in a way that felt far more dangerous than the hand around her throat. “Perhaps. But I would argue that you owe it to yourself. Azade may be partial to you and allow you to speak to her with such disrespect, but I will not.”

The swordmage’s feet were off the ground now, kicking back and forth as she thrashed about to free herself. Her eyes darted around for anyone from the camp to come to assist her but found that the few people who might have been around hadn’t yet noticed her situation. Out of desperate reflex, she cocked her hand back, formed it into a tight fist, and punched Myanna right in the breast.

The blow landed just above the top of the darkleaf corset the cuirizu was wearing, connecting with the soft, dark, exposed flesh. Elaina couldn’t tell if it hurt the woman or if it merely surprised her, but either way, it was enough for her to loosen her grip around her throat. The swordmage pushed away from her with both feet, throwing herself back into the tent in a heap. The cuirizu followed after her to make her answer for the indignity, which was a mistake.

Not only had Royce altered the interior of the tent with magic to increase the space within it, but she’d warded it as well. Though she couldn’t possibly ward it against every conceivable threat that might befall them, fiends had logically been among one of the categories she had accounted for.

“HCK!” Myanna grunted through her teeth as her back arched under the sudden and intense shock of pain that ran through her body. The cuirizu’s footsteps came to a staggering halt as Elaina used the opportunity to seize her sword from the table nearby and pull it from its scabbard.

Myanna fell to her knees as her muscles seized up under the power of the witch’s wards. Elaina had expected more out of them, but she supposed the discrepancy might have had something to do with the nature of cuirizu. They were classified as fiends, but there were a lot of ways in which they were different.

“*Dreurkt Arim!”* Elaina snarled, infusing the blade with magic as she brought it to within a hair’s distance of Myanna’s throat. Myanna stared at the weapon for a moment before her crimson eyes rose to meet Elaina’s. The steel hummed faintly in the magical senses of both women as the activity outside the tent continued on unabated.

“Inexperienced,” Elaina muttered in a low voice. “Not stupid.”

“So it would seem,” Myanna responded with great difficulty. Though the pain was considerable, Elaina knew it was the stunning effect of the ward that was doing more to inhibit her.

“Now, I can run this through your throat, or I can drag you out of the tent, unharmed, so long as you promise to keep your hands to yourself from here on,” Elaina proposed, lifting the tip of the sword to the underside of Myanna’s chin. “What do you say? Blink twice if you agree.”

The cuirizu’s gaze met Elaina’s as a sudden wave of powerful arousal overcame the swordmage. Her mind went wild with the possibilities of what she could do with the woman in the privacy of the tent. She imagined the softness of her massive breasts in her mouth, the heat of her cunt wrapped around her cock, milking her for every last drop of seed her body could give. She could throat fuck her there on her knees, and there would be nothing the cuirizu could do about it. Would she even stop her? They were highly sexual creatures, after all. Her mind wandered further to the lurid things they could do together if only Elaina found where the wards were and removed---.

“Nuh-uh,” Elaina laughed, gripping the blade of her sword so that it bit into her palm before easing the point of the weapon into the fiend’s neck. “I don’t think so. Not stupid, remember?”

Frankly, it had been impressive that the cuirizu had been able to make use of any of her power while the wards were active, so Elaina couldn’t afford to take any more risks. “I don’t have all day, Myanna. What’s it going to be?”

Annoyed but defeated, Myanna relented. The wave of overwhelming desire eased, and the cuirizu blinked twice. Elaina nodded in acknowledgment and set her weapon on the table. “Good. I’m glad we could come to an arrangement.”

Wrapping one arm around the cuirizu, Elaina dragged her out of the tent and released her. The effects of the ward were released almost immediately, but Myanna took a second or two longer to recover from the humbling moment at the swordmage’s hand.

“I don’t want a fight, alright?” Elaina sighed, throwing her hands up. “And I’m not trying to suck up to the landgraf to bed her. She already wants to but insisted it would be unethical for her to take advantage of my contract with her. A contract which I only signed to ensure that whatever you Abyssals did here to fuck everything up for miles was undone.”

Myanna’s gaze faltered for a moment as she got to her feet, brushing errant bits of dirt and grass off as she did. Elaina pressed further. “Yes, I am going to see her this evening. But that shouldn’t make a bit of difference to you, Azade, or even Kaethe. I’m out here living my life. If Kaethe needs something out of the vault, let her negotiate for it.”

“She can’t set foot on the grounds,” Myanna countered coldly. “You know this. The wards barring those of the Obsidian Court haven’t been lifted yet. It could take months for your occultist to get through them all.”

“What’s the fucking hurry?” Elaina growled. She hadn’t even come to Willowridge with the intention of raiding a vault. It just so happened to be what the delve was there for---what Elsebeth was there for. Elaina had come to seal a rift that caused profane energies to pollute the nearby area. The rift had been attended to during her recovery, but it had always been her main priority. “Why is it so damn important to have it right this damn minute?”

“She wants the Mirror of Oberon,” Myanna replied flatly, lowering her voice as she stepped closer. “And the Scepter of Drak.”

Elaina’s eyes widened as she leaned away from the cuirizu in surprise. Though she wasn’t clear on the specifics, she knew the names of the two legendary treasures of the Oberite and Draken bloodlines of vampires. Each was said to have fantastical powers that would only be wielded by members of the bloodline. Kaethe was Oberite, and her lover, the Queen of the vampires, was Draken. “They’re here?”

“In the vault,” Myanna replied, gesturing slightly with her head in that direction. “I know where they’re supposed to be and what they look like.”

“Why are they here?!” Elaina whispered frantically.

“If you knew the nature of the various artifacts contained within that vault,” Myanna explained. “You’d have been concerned sooner and not at all surprised.”

Elaina felt her stomach drop. If both of the artifacts were still in the vault, it would only have been a matter of time before Trevik came across them. Someone would figure out what they were. Resius would undoubtedly figure it out once he was able to examine them, and it was unlikely he’d let them go anywhere because of the possible dangers they posed to Zelmesca. “Why didn’t she tell me? Doesn’t she trust me?”

“Her concern is more with everyone else you’re working with,” Myanna answered. “She doesn’t know them. It has nothing to do with you. She came to me in a dream and invaded my mind, searching for clues to gain access to the vault. After a bit of misunderstanding, we reached an agreement.”

“Why does she want them?” Elaina wondered with an edge still in her voice. Kaethe hadn’t struck her as someone who sought power for power’s sake, nor did she wish to hold a position of renown among the Oberites, who were themselves nearly extinct. Morrigan, on the other hand, would benefit immensely from the scepter if she got her claws on it. “She didn’t even want to be a vampire. She was turned against her will, and now she can’t have kids. The lore and treasures of vampires don’t mean anything to her.”

“Indeed,” Myanna stated succinctly as if she’d just made her point. It took Elaina a few moments to connect the statements in her mind.

“Can the mirror do that?” Elaina wondered in amazement. “Can it make her mortal again? Give her children?”

Myanna shrugged a shoulder. “She said it has the power to make dreams into reality.”

“Gods’ fucking dammit,” Elaina spat as she flailed around with balled fists. She had been in the vault earlier that day. Had she known what Kaethe wanted, she would have been able to search for it then. The swordmage took a moment to punch the air wildly in circles while the cuirizu watched the tantrum play out.

“Okay, alright, uhm,” Elaina gasped as she brushed her hair out of her face. “Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll go down there and take a look around, see if I can find the artifacts and---.”

“Steal them?” The cuirizu interjected.

“Wh-?” Elaina waved her hands defensively, realizing where her thoughts had been going. “I can’t do that. No. I’ll just have them out of the way until I have a chance to speak with the landgraf.”

Myanna crossed her arms over her ample chest skeptically. “You’re going to seduce the landgraf into giving you priceless vampiric artifacts?”

It sounded much dumber when Myanna said it out loud like that. Elaina frowned and continued to think. “Look, I’m entitled to a cut of the treasure as per the contract. We get to pick the things we want, to an extent. She’s bound to be a little favorable towards me, and you said that there are tons of other valuable things in the vault, right? So it should be a small thing to ask, comparatively. If I explain to her the circumstances, that should be enough.”

Myanna’s eyes drifted away as she considered it. Elaina knew it wasn’t the kind of plan the cuirizu might have chosen, but it was the best option they had at the moment. “Do you think it’ll work?”

“I do,” Elaina affirmed, managing to project more confidence than she felt. “She’ll understand.”

The cuirizu waved a hand in acquiescence. “Very well. Give it a try and see if it works.”

“What about Azade?” Elaina asked tentatively. “I should probably talk to her---explain everything.”

Myanna shook her head, rejecting the idea. “Don’t bother. I will speak to her. You have a more important task before you. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted from it.”

The swordmage nodded uneasily but decided that the tall woman was right. She’d wasted much of the day already and now had to make up for lost time. Without another word, she stepped back into the tent to retrieve her boots, pulling them on in a hurry before grabbing her weapon and stepping back outside. Myanna had already gone on her way to speak with Azade, leaving Elaina to her task.

She moved at a half-jog until she was inside the keep and then slowed to a brisk walk. By the time she reached the area of the castle, far below where the vault was located, it became clear that security had been heightened considerably. Though she wasn’t stopped immediately, a pair of soldiers guarding the vault door held their hands, signaling for her to halt.

“Sorry, ma’am,” the man on the left apologized. “Authorized individuals, only.”

“I was just in there earlier,” Elaina objected. “I helped open the damn thing.”

The other man nodded in understanding. “I know, but those are our orders, ma’am.”

“The landgraf ordered this?” the redhead pressed.

“Technically, no,” the first guard answered. “Trevik ordered it, but we were ordered to do whatever he said to help his efforts along. So... yes?”

“Motherfucker,” Elaina groaned, throwing her hands up in frustration. She understood the precaution, but it had come at the worst possible time. If she could speak to him, he’d likely say she could enter, but in order to talk to him, she’d have to enter. “Can you give him a message for me?”

“Sure,” the second man said. “We can give it to him whenever he comes out.”

“What do you mean whenever?” Elaina complained, looking between them. “How long has he been in there?”

“All day,” the first man responded. “He’ll probably be in there for another few hours. They already sent word along someone else was gonna have to cover for dinner.”

Elaina struggled with the urge to engage in another tantrum. More delays at a time when she was supposed to be winding down. Once she and Royce decided to set out, she wouldn’t have another chance to rest for quite some time. That was, of course, if she still wanted to. The offer to stay with Elsebeth was much more tempting to her the longer she’d had to marinate on it. Regardless, there was nothing either of the two men could do to help her.

No, the only thing left to do was skip over snooping in the vault and go right to the top. She had to make an impression with Elsebeth and hope that the Mirror wouldn’t be beyond her grasp by morning. The scepter she didn’t care about one way or another, but she had to get a hold of the mirror and get it back to Kaethe.