Book 3: Chapter 18
Tiffany
/Mistress allow me to go ahead of you./ meowed Aptherraam. Well to others it would sound like just a meow, even Zayde. This was telepathic… He also knew the answer was no, the sassy little demon.
I put on my jacket, and kissed my husband on the cheek. My demon was small enough to fit in the oversized pocket.
“I could go with you.” He offered. “The humans can’t be trusted.”
“Your scales are still on your throat and face.” I countered. They had been a week. It meant that Velimier was trying to still hex him, not that we could prove it.
“I’ve already used a mirror spell. The curse he weaves will bounce back on him come sundown… but we can’t wait a day, can we?” He asked with a devilish smile.
“Your smooth talking can’t sway me husband.” I kissed him on the forehead… He tasted like power. The magic nature of him tingled on my lips…. “You still need to meet your beast practitioners. I’m going with an escort to make Sure they get here safely.”
“I know… Go before I don’t let you.” He chuckled. He slapped my butt when I turned around, and I admit, I did squeal about it. It felt good…. If I didn’t leave, I would have stayed.
With the naysayer knocked down a peg, things quieted down substantially…. But at the same time, a bit of division formed in Back Diamond. Those who could shift were shunned a bit, since now they were no longer members, but guests.
It wouldn’t be until we moved, but there were still some so loyal to Alteer, that the mere thought of fraternizing with ‘the mongrels’ was now an unofficial crime. No one was dumb enough to out right insult anyone in front of their face though. Zayde’s wrath made sure that didn’t happen.
There were many who were quite literally afraid of Zayde, since he proved he was as competent as a coven leader, regardless of his age or background. This kind of thing didn’t happen. Bloodlines don’t matter, but at the same time, most extremely powerful witches did hail from a branch of the royal family. However, I didn’t let that get to me, since I also knew everything would blow over.
But what wouldn’t was that the villagers were beginning to talk…. Someone saw the Horned One’s mark on the Metter’s youngest girl this morning….. Her birthmark was on the back of her neck, and they should have said something about that so we could have hidden it for them. Now I had to extract them before the town snuffed any of them out, or burned their house down.
“My lady. The car is ready.” Said Mr. Cornwall, bowing as he usually does.
He and his wife were coming with us, along with nearly all the servants of Tower 3. Their loyalty was to Zayde because he was a good lord. He didn’t pressure them, raise his voice, nor his hand. I can’t speak for the other towers, but even the sons of Alteer were in their thousands. It wouldn’t be surprising if they saw the servants as merely the help.
“Good. I’ll be home by sundown.” I shouted. I ran down the flight of stairs, and got the keys off the wall. Tower 3 to the garage was a bit of a walk, but I didn’t feel like trying to figure out what number it as on the elevator pad…. His black Sandora was polished and cleaned, since you could take one look at it, and know that it wasn’t used much.
Typhen was already in the passenger side, though he didn’t say anything.
/Great, the snake-man’s coming too./ my demon complained in my head. Now that the ceremonies were over, his true nature could shine again. I missed it… as much as it annoyed me.
/Behave./ I chastised mentally.
“No violence.” I warned verbally to them both. Typhen’s mate was with Zayde to speak with our people…. Our coven would be small, but so far about two thousand witches had come from all over the world to learn from him. Yellow Diamond’s roster was still pitiful compared to any of the other Diamonds, but our numbers have doubled over the past few days.
“They know of me. They fear that I am a vampire lord.” He said like a soldier would to their general. He was careful with his words, but I knew it was because he saw me as his mistress.
/Damn… can I at least crack open a skull to see how cool my sword is?/ He asked like a child who got a BB gun for Solsticemas….
/No./
/Lame!/ he complained. I rolled my eyes, and started the car.
The forest between the village and the castle looked peaceful. All the trees were a million colors, while pines were still evergreen. Leaves littered the barely used road, though slowly, it became a tad more industrial.
The village of Crin de Sângeof, or Blood Lilly in English was a play on words. The town was founded by the vampire Atto, but they didn’t know that. The Village legend was that the town was born after a vampire made a deal with the local people. That they would keep to their own, and send any wayward men, in exchange for peaceful lives.
He and Alteer were good friends during the war. It actually made Atto a bit of a fugitive until recently… He sided with the Dark Witches, while the Vampire King aided the Wolf King. They all were divided, because of the mass bloodshed…
The Horned One during the war was ruthless… All who didn’t hold his mark were less than fodder, they were ingredients… It was why there was so much division, even with creatures you’d assume would want the mass death…
Dark Witches held no restrictions then, so they did what they did best…. be a problem. There was no place where the Night’s claws didn’t lay ruin to all life…. And that fear was ingrained into the hearts of men and supernatural alike.
“I smell smoke.” Said Typhen. He was right… I did too.
I sped up, but got immediately flagged down by the police. I had to pull over, wasting precious time as I knew that those humans could be dead or lay dying somewhere…. That the mission Alteer asked of us would fail, being the Human Relations Department.
“Your information please.” He said with a crooked smile. He knew what he was doing.
/Now can I transform and-/ I cut him off.
/No./ I half yelled. Aptherraam made it hard to think straight. He huffed.
“I have a swirl on my Identification. Universally, it means that my ticket will be in the mail.” I said pulling it out my wallet. Swirls were put on supernatural ID’s so that commonfolk thought we were tribal. It worked for the most part, as every country had some kind of native population. We would lie and say that we were a part of one, and that we were subject to Tribal laws if found, not local ones.
No one abused that for fear of the Realm King. To gain his attention, is to not just die, but also get some weird unconventional torment as a punishment…..
“What about him?” He asked.
“I don’t have to show anything.” He said looking at him with red eyes. “I know you’re from the House Of Tenma. I suggest if you want to wake up to having a family, you leave my lady be.”
That specific threat was said so casually that the officer looked shocked.
“Are you threatening an officer?” He asked sternly. He began to slowly choke…. He held his hands to his throat, before grasping the door of the car.
“Shame you died on the job of a heart attack before I could answer that.” Said Typhen. The officer now held his chest.
“Go, just go.” He spat, gasping for air, falling completely over.
I drove off. “Did you kill him?” I asked looking in the rear-view mirror... He was pretty much laying there on the street.
“No, just a heart attack. He’ll *probably* live.” Typhen used a claw to light a white stone pipe. It was ornately carved to be a snake’s open mouth…“Master usually lets me.”
“Go ahead.” I wouldn’t stop him. The smoke wasn’t just tobacco… It had an almost incense kind of smell to it.
I could see the plume of smoke as I pulled over. They had the road blocked. We half jogged to see we were too late… Flames engulfed three homes, and it didn’t show any signs of stopping.
“My baby’s in there!” Shouted one of the families.
“Humph.” Said Typhen, “I can bet my left eye that a human purposefully started it.” He mumbled, speaking witch.
I didn’t care that she wasn’t marked. I would ask. As I walked to her, Aptherraam disapproved.
/Mistress we aren’t here for them. Don’t help them! They’ll stab you in the back like they did their own people./ Said Aptherraam.
I ignored him.
“Look it’s a vampire!” Shouted the human woman’s husband. “You did this!”
It only took the one person to say that, and the crowd that formed turned into a mob. They threw rocks at Typhen, who stood there unphased…. All it took was a single word, and he would probably kill them all.
“We didn’t do this, You did!” I shouted. “I came in peace for peace. And I will leave with the Metters after I save the small child.”
“No Mistress. My job is to protect you.” Said Typhen. He walked in there through the flames, being immediately burned on his shoulders. Fire is a weakness of witches, especially ones lit with holy prayers…
That I could feel the holy magic of it meant that someone HAD to have called the local church….
“You see him burn? That man’s a Devil!” Cried a man with a torch. He was the only one too...
“You did this!” I pointed. “You attacked innocent people!”
“They’re the Night’s people! I’m protecting the town.” People agreed with him, and the collapse of the front door made me worry.
“We’re just normal people.” I lied. “Fire burns everyone as far as I know.”
“Vampire!” Shouted one,
“Witch!” Screamed another…
Shit.
“I assure you, I’m no witch.” I hissed like I meant it. Best they don’t find out… Many had raised hands, filled with rocks…Before they could throw anything at me, Typhen held a small child in his arms. He was strong enough to take the beam blocking the door and pushed it aside with one hand…..
The sleeping child made the mob quiet down. She looked about 3. “I don’t know if she’ll make it, but she was hiding in a closet.” He handed her to her mother. “Is this what you want? The death of your own children?”
They looked ashamed…. They should be. I’d been blocked from the time I left. The little girl coughed in the silence, and her father was the first to apologize.
“I ask again, is that what you lot want?” He demanded. “We came from Miles away to Help, and yet you throw rocks and call names like we did this… Your OWN Townsfolk admitted proud enough for me to hear him, yet We are the Monsters.”
“Sorry.” The father of the child mumbled. “But William did Right… I’d rather be homeless than be livin’ next to the Night’s fresh turned.” He glared at Mrs. Metters. “I always knew something was wrong with you lot.”
“Thank you!” the mother cried. “I don’t care what they are, Oscar they saved our youngest.”
“Begone with your litter, and take your thanks with you.” Typhen spat coldly…. There was a hatred in his eyes for them that made him look like a monster. The flames roared behind him, and his eyes were nearly red….
“Go to the car.” I commanded, and he did so without another word…
But now the town knew… and they were hostile… no Human could move a foundation beam by themselves with one hand… not like he did. I imagine even after I get the Metters family out of here, there will be a literal and proverbial witch hunt….
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
