Chapter Twenty-One

Music is a way to dream together
And go to another dimension

. . .

Nerissa should have expected it. Really, she should have.
Not that she hadn't thought about how difficult it would be. Not that she hadn't known it would be difficult.
«Focus, babe, you're distracted» Chandra said, and Nerissa nodded her head, grimacing.
Her head throbbed with a full-fledged migraine. They'd been at it for hours, cramped in that room that was so small and dark and... wait... the ceilings were higher than that when they'd first gone in...
Nerissa took another moment to compose herself. To the untrained eye, they looked as if they were having a nice little chat, with the two vampiresses sitting on the floor and the human woman sitting with her back to the dark stone wall.
«Does it hurt, darling?» Selene asked, concern written all over her face. She was nestled in her wife's lap, her head resting on the crook of Chandra's neck, while the other vampiress had an arm loosely wrapped around her waist, their legs tangled. Nerissa thought they were very beautiful.
«No, not so much» she said, and it was true. She wasn't going to give up because of a little pain.
«We should take a break» Chandra said.
«If you want to, fine, but don't feel forced to because of me».
Chandra considered it for a moment, then nodded. «We'll try again, once, and then we'll pause. My legs are starting to feel cramped.»
Selene chuckled and lifted her head to share a passionate kiss with her wife. Nerissa smiled softly. She'd been raised by people that thought love between two people of the same sex was wrong, dirty, and sinful, and for a long while as a child she'd believed them. Then, growing up, she thought about the word 'love', and had made a very simple and very true statement: if love was good, it was good in every form it came. Between partners, between parents and children, between siblings, and if love between partners was a good thing, why should it be scorned and condemned just because those partners were both men, or both women?
Besides, if she were to be totally honest with herself, those two were hot when they kissed.
Nerissa had kept that to herself, of course. Abraham had hated her enough as it'd been. But the forced silence she'd lived in hadn't prevented her from thinking.
«Ready, babe?»
She was ripped from her thoughts by Chandra's beautiful voice, a voice that sometimes reminded Nerissa of the purring of a large cat.
And wasn't that a funny thought.
Alright, maybe she wasn't really rational. Huh.
«I'm ready.»
She mentally prepared herself, concentrating with every fiber of her being on the will to see through the fog that preceded someone else's mind. Almost immediately she felt strong barriers stopping her conscience, and they felt as if they were a solid, if not slightly rubbery, mouldable wall. Nerissa made an effort to push her conscience past that, push barely-there fragments of thought past those barriers and into the mind beyond. Her mind strained and burned hotter with the effort, but she kept on, fighting fiercely to overcome the barriers and have a look into Chandra's mind. The strain was making her mind tremble like an overworked muscle, something that's close to ceding.
(the first time she'd seen Ezra hot and beautiful the way her skin had felt beneath her fingers how pleasurable their first night had been)
Chandra's mind closed with almost a metallic thud and Nerissa gasped, returning to her own body with a mental snap. A huge grin was splitting her face.
«I saw something!» she cried, bolting up, then stopping abruptly to clutch at her head. She held in the groan of discomfort that wanted to come out. Realistically, Nerissa knew the pain wasn't even that much, but it felt deeper, more intimate than, say, a broken bone or a whiplash on her back. It was a pain that she'd never known before, at once hot and burning but still pleasant, the kind of ache that one gets after having worked outside or having sparred. A spar inside her head.
Chandra chuckled, nodding approvingly. «You're learning, girl. I didn't expect you to manage to slip past my walls. But don't let it go to your head, those were weak ones and you still have a lot to learn.»
Nerissa nodded, letting her head fall back until it met with the wall behind her. She grimaced slightly. The headache had worsened, not much, at least, but enough to let her know that if she hadn't needed a break back then, she certainly did now. That last effort had seemingly taken more out of her than she'd expected.
As they sat in amiable silence, Nerissa asked a question she'd often wanted to pose, but that she'd never felt it was the right time for. She glanced up from the floor to meet the two women's gaze.
«Is Ezra alright?»
The vampiresses looked at her, a little surprised. They hadn't expected the question, but they hid their puzzlement well.
«Oh, don't worry about her» said Chandra lightly. «She's just spent a few days in the dungeon. Lord Audron informed her -quite meticulously, if I am one to speak- of what would happen if she got close to you again, so she's now quite inclined not to touch you ever again.»
«He didn't harm her, has he?»
«Nothing permanent, I assure you. She healed within the day.»
Nerissa sighed. She wouldn't have wanted Janos to hurt the red-haired bride, but on the other hand she felt flattered. She knew how her handsome vampire preferred diplomacy to violence, so having caused that level of a response in him was... well, if she was honest with herself, it was extremely flattering. On a personal level, at least. She knew, though, that attacking Vorador's bride could have brought yet more strain on the already tense father-and-son relationship. They had looked calm enough before to her, but one can never know how well those two could hide their emotions. Especially Janos.
«Would you like a tour out of the mansion?» asked Selene with a smile. «You're a little pale, you could use some sunlight and fresh air.»
Nerissa smiled widely, her white teeth showing. «Yes, I'd love that. Will it be dangerous for you?»
Selene and Chandra laughed at her unnecessary concern. «If it was, I wouldn't have suggested it. Come, we'll show you.»
The vampiresses led her out of the dark room, entering a corridor that was more secluded and way less frequented than the others, so that no one would find out what they were doing. Nerissa enjoyed the time spent with those two, she'd needed to take her mind off problems and just have fun.
With a smile, Nerissa followed them out -of a window of all things, but she should have known that vampires didn't much care for silly human things like doors. The brides just jumped out and gracefully landed on their tiptoes, Nerissa had to climb down the slippery stone wall, cursing them and their 'stupid vampireness'. The laughter she got with that last one made her laugh too.
Once safe and sound on the ground, Nerissa breathed in the fresh air of the forest. Oh god, well, maybe to say fresh wasn't exactly the right phrasing: the smell of the stagnant water of the swamp wasn't really that of a rose basket, but after having been inside for so long, she found it pleasant nonetheless. Moreover, knowing that they would have to return to the Aerie soon, she knew she wouldn't have the chance to go outside often, so she treasured the time she had without complaint.
They'd come out of the mansion from the back, Nerissa realized. There was an unused, dry fountain in the centre of the small backyard, surrounded by what looked like broken columns. Now, either she had completely misjudged Vorador and the absolute pride he took from his home, or those broken columns served a purpose. She said so, and the brides with her nodded.
«We just use them to do exactly what we'll do later: to climb back inside. Even if maybe it would be a little tall for you... you don't have claws after all...» mused Chandra. Nerissa shook her head.
«I'll make do with what I have. I'll climb back in.»
«You just don't stop wanting to break your neck, do you?»
«Never.»
They went around the mansion to get to the courtyard, the one Nerissa had seen when she and Janos had arrived and the one she'd run across when she'd tried to run. The memory still made her flush in shame.
The courtyard was large, luxurious and exquisitely elegant, although the looming angel statues on each side of the garden were creeping her out a bit. She asked for their purpose to the brides, gaze lingering on the beautifully chiseled features of the statues' faces.
«Those are guardians to our home» Chandra explained smoothly. «They begin to move when an intruder enters from the gates, and fight to protect us from any threat that could come to those who inhabit this place.»
«They represent the Ancients, don't they?» Nerissa asked, fascinated.
«Yes» Selene answered, sobering. «Our husband had them carved out of marble long after their deaths. To commemorate them. He used the paintings in our home to have the faces carved -the eyes of one, the mouth of another and so on, so that he could celebrate all of them in one statue. Some of them were very dear to him. His father had been the... well... we could say official blacksmith of Janos' father. Vorigan Audron had only gone to him when he needed a sword or something of the sort.»
«So Janos and Vorador knew each other, when they were children?»
Chandra nodded. «Although I wouldn't say they were children when they met, Vorador was twenty already and your vampire was just a few years younger.»
«Younger?»
«In human years, Janos Audron is younger, yes. But while he was cursed when he was about thirty-five years old, he turned Vorador much later. Our love was forty-seven when he became a vampire.»
Older as a vampire but younger in human years? God.
«And when did you become vampires?» asked Nerissa. She was curious -they didn't look much older than her, but she knew they were probably centuries old.
«Uh... I... I don't remember very well» Selene said, caught off guard. «We don't really tend to count birthdays, you know... it would just become a cumbersome task, I think. Can you imagine inviting over all the friends you've made in over a thousand years of life? It'd become a huge mess, it would.»
Nerissa laughed, her long curly locks swishing in the air. Then, sobering, she posed another question.
«Does being turned hurt?»
The vampiresses hummed, looking pensive.
«Well... it does, at first. After all, to feel another's mouth sucking your very blood from your veins isn't exactly pleasant. But after a while it becomes... pleasurable. On a physical level, it's the equivalent of loving someone while also hating them.»
Nerissa cocked her head to the side. Though she loved it when Janos nibbled on her neck, an actual vampire bite sounded painful. She couldn't understand how it could be pleasant.
Chandra nodded her understanding of her confusion. «You'll only understand it when you get turned. Then you'll comprehend how much of a contradiction it is.»
If I get turned, Nerissa thought with sadness. She wasn't sure Janos would be willing to do it. She'd heard him speaking of the Curse time and time again, and it didn't seem something he'd want to inflict on anyone. Vorador had been an exception of sorst -Janos hadn't even been sure it would have worked then, and Nerissa thought he was still fighting over his feelings, whether to be grateful his long time friend was still there or to be bitter he'd cursed another living being with his burden. In her opinion, vampirism could be a very good thing, if she could spend the eternity it gave her with Janos, but of course she didn't get the whole picture: after all, she wasn't able to imagine how their thirst for blood could be.
Which brought up another question.
«Do you find it difficult to be around me?» she asked quietly. The vampiresses smiled. Nerissa had never shown fear towards them, nor towards Vorador or anyone in the mansion. Her question, they thought, didn't come from real worry but from purely academic curiosity, just like anyone could ask themselves whether they'd ever be capable of killing someone.
But no, to answer the question, they didn't find it difficult. They hadn't heard everything Janos and Vorador had told her, but their husband had given them some sort of general picture, and they'd found out their human guest could very well have vampiric origins. The discovery had been shocking. None of them had known it to be possible, let alone that they had a living descendant in their home. But that would have explained a lot. Her scent, for example, and her pallor.
«No, not really» Selene answered. «You smell like one of us. It doesn't really trigger anything. Ezra said that your blood tastes like that of a human who's been dead only for moments -sweet and tasty, but also strangely cold. Beginning to show the first signs of withering, so to speak. It is something we don't usually drink.»
«Of course» Nerissa said, sardonic. «You noble vampires only drink finely brewed blood from living, kicking humans, right?»
Chandra shook her head as Selene chuckled. «Oh, shut up.»
Nerissa smiled with them as they walked on a paved path through the huge, elegant garden. It was a beautiful place, if one considered it was in the middle of a swamp. The leaves and small stones beneath her boots produced a creaking sound that made her chest swell with melancholy. It reminded her of all the times she'd gone for a walk in the palace gardens with her father as a little girl, in what had begun to seem another life antirely. Those were beautiful memories, but they were also painful and Nerissa chased them away with a bittersweet taste in her mouth.
«You do realize he'll turn her, sooner or later, right?» asked Chandra in a light tone. Nerissa looked at her, her trance broken. «What?»
«Janos. I think he'll soon turn you.»
«What makes you say that? He'd made clear he doesn't want to.»
Chandra and Selene both smiled. «He's in love. From the way he looks at you, it's clear he'd do anything to make you happy. And he won't watch you wither and die before his eyes. He'll turn you before your thirtieth brithday rolls around.»
Nerissa smiled a little at their confident tone. «I'm not so sure...»
«This isn't a mawkish story about sweet vampires and naïve humans, darling» Chandra said confidently. «He may have doubts now, but they'll go away very quickly. Just wait.»
Nerissa's smile widened a hair. She highly doubted they would go away so easily, but she could hope. Janos didn't want to be separated from her, or at least so she hoped.
«Well, if Janos refuses to turn me, I can always ask you» she jested, a small smile forming on her lips.
«You are a strange human» Selene said, Chandra nodding in agreement. Nerissa's smile widened a hair, her eyes shining.
They walked in silence for a while, admiring the place's beauty, until Chandra asked another question.
«So, how did you come to know Moebius?»
Nerissa grimaced. «It's not something I enjoy telling. Long story short, he tried to bed me and failed. That made him quite spiteful in my regards.»
«That must have been awful.»
«Yes. Then, to know he'd been inside my mind all those years...» She shuddered. «It was disgusting.»
It had been more than that. It had been revolting, she'd felt violated, that dirty secret like the private and embarrassing smell of parched sheets stained with dried seed. It had been like discovering a putrefying carcass inside the closet.
Yes, revolting was the right word for it.
And tiring.
She was tired.
She'd walked all day and her feet hurt. Her back too, what with carrying the staff around all day just to find a few kids that could be suitable...

Ziegsturhl was silent. Its inhabitants despised the Sarafan as much as they despised the vampires, and they especially despised the reason for their arrival.
But he didn't have a choice. He needed soldiers and the people could produce more children anyway. There were many young girls in town, they wouldn't lack material.
The woman he was currently talking to was stubborn. She didn't want to part from the boy. He made a nonchalant gesture with the hand that wasn't holding the staff and one of the soldiers was on her immediately. The man forced her to let go of her child, carelessly breaking her arm in the process. Moebius was deaf to her cries as the soldiers dragged the screaming boy away.
The party moved on. They took three more boys before Moebius arrived to the last house he would visit today.
The people inside had barricaded themselves inside. Despite that, the soldiers broke the door down quite easily.
The parents tried to fight, of course. All of them did. As the men held them down, Moebius and a couple others searched the home. They found two girls only.
The Time Streamer hissed. Girls wouldn't become the soldiers he needed. They would be of no use on the battlefield.
But maybe...
«Take them both» he said, calm once again. «They'll become fine cooks.»
What he didn't say was that which was most clear. Men fought. Moved each day from one place to another. They didn't spend enough time in one city to relieve their animalistic urges. And those girls would become very beautiful
 (useful)
women indeed.
«NO!»
«Let them go!»
«Please no, no, no, oh no please, please don't, please-»
The girls were crying. Moebius didn't particularly care, even though the sound of their cries -so high pitched, so damnably shrill- was incredibly annoying.
«No! Wait! Let them go!»
Moebius abruptly spun around. The voice had been new, still child-like, but more masculine.
The boy was standing a scarce distance away, small chest heaving, large blue eyes wide open and frightened.
«What do we have here?» he asked, raising a white, almost non-existent eyebrow. «What's your name, my boy?»
The boy's voice came out quivering. He was trembling in front of him, but though his eyes showed fear, they also showed determination.
«My name is Raziel, my lord.»

Nerissa's eyes snapped open.
She wouldn't remember what she'd seen for a very long time.

. . .

Authoress' note:
I'M SO SORRY! SO SO SO SORRY! Life happened and I wasn't prepared!
I do not own in any shape or form the characters featured in this story -this also applies to the story's image cover and to the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I only own my OCs and the story's plot.