The Empress let her fingers steeple and rested her chin on them, Kain across from her at a long table.
"Do you think she'll figure it out?" Kain inquired. The Empress shook her head.
"She's a smart girl, and she knows something's up, but probably not what. If we're lucky, she'll be too attached to them to care by the time she does figure out what's going on."
Kain was quiet for a moment. "How long do you think it will take?"
The Empress sighed, exasperated. "Even when you as an arrogant fledgling found our hide-away, you never knew patience. Now you're a master vampire still without it. Cultivate it, vampire, for you will need it."
"I am more patient than you know, Vian'Larae," Kain retorted. The Empress jerked her head up in surprise, then settled it back onto her hands again.
"It's been a long time since I've heard my name spoken."
"Perhaps too long." He paused, grinned impishly, and leaned toward her.
"So, Vian'Larae, what are you doing tonight?"
The Empress blinked up at him in sheer surprise, then tipped her head back and laughed. Kain joined her, letting that trademarked malicious laugh spread out into the air.
"Who would have ever guessed . . ." the Empress managed out around her laughter, "the Lord of Vampires . . . hitting on me like a normal mortal might!"
"You had such a long face, I thought it'd do good for you to laugh."
"Ah, my Lord, if only you had found us a couple hundred years earlier."
"But, if you'll remember correctly, my Lady, I was busy killing Sarafan at the time."
"Oh yes, I had forgotten. That was quite a bit of fun to watch."
"And here I thought you were supposed to be a creature of good who hated the vampires," he pointed out.
"Hardly." She waved a hand at him, dismissing the notion. "We have our own grudge against the Sarafan."
Shay'Telnira yawned widely and opened her eyes. She was alone in her bed, and her vamplings were no where to be seen. She got up slowly, stretching, and quickly changed before heading out to find where the vampires had gone. Curious, she stepped out into the main part of her chambers and found Raziel leaning back idly in one of her chairs, paging through a book, Melchiah sitting on the floor, making the little winged lizard toys fly, Rahab staring out the window into the night, and Turel who was sitting in a meditative stance, tracing arcane runes in the air. She glanced around then looked at Raziel, to see he was looking at the writing with a bizarre expression. She glanced over and saw the book was written in her people's language.
"You need to teach me how to read and write this, Shay."
"All right," she responded, "But we won't start today. Where is Dumah and Zephon?"
As if that was his cue, Zephon came back into the room, rubbing his hands and grinning maniacally. Shay'Telnira saw this and decided she just did not want to know. Raziel watched him, shook his head slightly, and turned back to Shay'Telnira.
"Well, apparently Zephon's just finished some mischief. As for Dumah, he went to the training hall, which is actually usual for him. I'm supposed to go meet him in a few minutes so we can spar."
"Ah." Shay'Telnira opened her mouth to continue when it was rudely interrupted from just outside her door.
"SHAY'TELNIRA!!!"
Shay'Telnira winced as the door slammed open, a very pissed-off Ker'orin standing in the doorway. Her eyes widened to see his hair was dyed a bright sunny yellow. He stormed toward her and she held her hands up as if to ward off a blow.
"Shay'Telnira, you have done some damn dirty tricks, but never before have you resorted to permanent hair dye!!!"
"I didn't do it, Orin! I didn't! You know I'd never be THAT mean to you! I've got to live with you for my life, for the Pillars' sakes!"
She felt Raziel stand and move up to her left, silently being support that if Ker'orin had mad a violent move against her, he would have been at her side in an instant to help.
"Then who did, Shay?" Ker'orin's voice was dangerously soft and she had never heard him this angry before. For the first time in her life, she was actually scared of him.
"Hey," another voice intersected. "What's going on?"
All three looked down to see Zephon standing there, looking back up at them. Ker'orin's eyes narrowed and his hand launched out to grab the vampire's arm. Raziel immediately grabbed Ker'orin's arm in response, sharp talons trying to dig into the silver hide that was the silver-haired man's skin. Shay'Telnira saw what he was looking at, however; Zephon's hands were covered in a pale yellow stain from a certain permanent hair dye. She grabbed the end of Ker'orin's long hair to keep him from doing anything.
"You can't kill him, Orin!"
"I know," Ker'orin hissed. "I have something much worse in mind. Let go of me, Raziel. You needn't worry for the life of your brother. In dyeing my hair, he insulted my honor, and by our laws, I can see him punished in a fitting way."
Ker'orin grabbed him by the back of his metal design and picked him up before turning and walking down the hall. Shay'Telnira and Raziel followed worridly, and Shay'Telnira's eyes widened when she saw he was heading for the kitchen. Ker'orin slammed the doors open and the people inside scattered, recognizing Ker'orin as being in his 'super death' mode. No one wanted to deal with a very pissed-off and infuriated Guardian.
"Zuren!" he called. The green-winged male stepped forward and Ker'orin handed him Zephon.
"Give him oven duty."
Zuren gasped. "NO! Not oven duty—"
"GIVE IT TO HIM!"
Zuren shrank away from the Guardian, nodding hastily, saying, "Yes, yes, of course." He took Zephon, looked down at him, and shook his head sadly before walking away with the vampire who had wide eyes, wondering what was to become of him. Ker'orin breathed in deeply, let it out as a sigh, and turned back to Shay'Telnira and Raziel, obviously in a better mood.
"All right, I'm better now."
"Good," Shay'Telnira responded hesitantly. She took hold of Raziel's arm. "I'm just going to take him back with me to my room now. Good-bye!"
"No sex!" Ker'orin called after her. Once they were around a corner, Shay'Telnira slapped a hand over her burning face as she muttered death curses about her Guardian. Raziel just laughed.
"Did he say no sex just because he'd want to join in?" Raziel teased her gently. She looked up at him, a horrified expression on her face, and while he promised himself he wasn't planning on saying anything more, he just couldn't help twisting the knife by adding, "Well, we should make sure to lock the door so he can't get in." After all, he was still a vampire, and was taking great amusement in her discomfort. She shoved away from the wall and walked stiffly back to her room, Raziel following, a slight smirk on his features.
She had just gotten back, settled down, and Raziel had come in and shut the door when there was a soft knock on it. Raziel stood to walk to it, but Shay'Telnira made a negation gesture and walked to open it herself. Outside she found the Empress, Kain, and behind him, a Dumah looking very grouchy after having been interrupted.
"Come, Shay'Telnira," her mother stated. "It's time for us to show these children what exactly we are."
Shay'Telnira's eyes widened. "We're . . . telling them . . . ?"
"Yes. Come on. Bring them up to the top tower. We'll be using the balcony for this."
"Ye . . . yes, Mother. As you wish."
She quickly indicated for the vampires to follow her and trailed after her mother and Kain as they made their way up to the highest tower. The brothers glanced at Shay'Telnira curiously, seeing her staring straight ahead in a determined, if rather freaked out, sort of way. The walls enclosed around them, and they continued walking in silence before it finally ended in a large room that looked similar to the antechamber to Shay'Telnira's room. They could see other doors further into the room, but they headed instead to the balcony that resided on the other side of the door they had entered. The Empress and Kain moved slightly to the side and she looked at Shay'Telnira.
"Go ahead, child. Take your true form and show them what it is they deal with now."
"As you wish, Empress."
Shay'Telnira moved to the balcony railing, then stepped up onto it, taloned toes gripping the metal slightly. Then she raised her arms and fell forward, off the balcony. The boys naturally moved closer, Melchiah with a slight gasp of surprise. Her small form fell quickly, then suddenly seemed to enlarge and grow. Her body shifted and elongated, her wings spread wider and seemed to catch more of the space as her figure, though still falling, seemed to get bigger. The new form slammed its wings into the air current a few times, then twisted like quicksilver and flew back up to the balcony. Six pairs of vampire eyes widened as a large, serpentine creature slowed to a stop in front of them, amethyst wings beating slowly. It looked like a large, streamlined lizard with gigantic bat-like wings. A barbed tail swung out below it into the open air. The vampire children backed up a few steps and the mouth of the creature opened, revealing long, white fangs, at least five inches long. It suddenly dawned on them the being was laughing at them.
Melchiah suddenly launched forward and grabbed the top of the creature's nose, hugging it.
"Shay!"
The thing pressed its wings against the air and rose, bringing huge clawed feet down over the balcony railing. Before it touched, however, the form seemed to shrink in on itself, to grow smaller. Scales coalesced into skin, fangs retreated to normal teeth, and the feet that landed on the railing again were the human-like feet of Shay'Telnira, who was now holding Melchiah in her arms.
There was silence from the vampires and Kain glanced at them.
"Now, now," he scolded them. "No compliments to your wonderful host for exposing such a secret. I'm ashamed of you."
"What are you?" Raziel finally breathed. The Empress laughed.
"My boy, you are looking at the last remnants of the original race of this planet. You are looking at the dragons of Nosgoth."