A/N: Oops, that ended up shorter than expected. Well, I'm going to apologize for the odd turn this chapter took. Aparently, Daemon Sadi from Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Trilogy thinks he's my muse for this story, so this is at his inspiration. Those of you who have read those books will know what I'm talking about. So, without further ado:
Hyding in the Shadows
Maegith led the murderer up the stairway, smiling slightly as she saw the prim government officials cringing as she passed. Normally, this would have upset her considerably, but when in one of her cold rages, it only added fire to the fuel. She half-dragged the murderer into a lavishly decorated suite. With a coy smile, she thrust him into a bathroom in which a tub of hot water steamed invitingly. "We mustn't be dirty, now, must we?"
She grimaced in distaste as the shell-shocked man stumbled in, shedding clothes as he did. As she thought of his actions, though, her supernatural burst of confidence returned. She conjured a bottle of champagne and a provocative red dress, which she quickly put on.
When the convict came out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waste, Maegith was draped over a chair, looking like a cross between Aphrodite and a prostitute. Still rather abstracted from her own body, the rational part of Maegith couldn't help but notice that, cleaned up, the man was not bad looking. "Much better," she purred.
The man smiled slightly, still in awe of one he thought a goddess. "Care to sit?" The man gulped, and nodded. "Now, shall we talk about why you were in jail?"
"I was just carrying out the god's wishes, My Lady." He looked rather nervous.
Maegith smiled predatorily. "And what god might this be?" She didn't really expect a clear answer, but it was worth trying, at least.
"He is nameless, of course My Lady. He is a god of night, and of blood. His power is immense, as is his band of followers."
"I see." Again, Maegith's sensible side thought of Arcturus, hoping that it was not he. "Have you ever seen this god?"
"Yes, My Lady." He seemed a bit surprised at these questions that a goddess should have known, but was too much under Maegith's spells of both natural carnal urges and mind control to put it together. "To his faithful, he always appeared." The man seemed to preen a bit at being included in this group of devotees. "He was tall and thin, and always wears white. His hair is golden, and his circlet silver."
Maegith exhaled a sigh of relief, abstractly wondering why she bothered to breathe in the first place. Arcturus had dark hair, and always favored darker colors. "I see." One thing she had learned from Cafell was the way in which to pitch her voice and hide her eyes, making her an enigma to all. "And why did he demand these sacrifices, in this manner?"
"He fed off of their blood and fear." The man sounded completely shocked at this question, enough for even his fogged brain to pick up. "You're not with them, are you?"
Maegith smiled mysteriously. "Now why would I be? Are you getting bored with no more than champagne?" Goodness knows she was. At the man's surprised nod, she glided over to his side of the table, perching herself on his lap. "I am too."
Nibbling his neck, she muttered "Did you ever wonder what your victims felt?"
"I guess." Maegith noted the slightly strained note in his voice as his body reacted to hers.
"Not nearly enough." She continued to caress him erotically. Many years ago, she had come across a rape victim that her healing powers could not help, and gave the girl her last request. She'd requested that her story be passed on, and so, in the moment before she died, Maegith drew the memory of her rape out of her mind. Now, she planted this memory in the murderer's brain, making him feel it all as though it were happening to him.
Maegith felt the desire suddenly leave the man's body, as he started to live the girl's rape. He began to writhe and twist beneath her in agony, jaw clenched. Finally, he could not contain his screams any longer. Maegith smiled slightly. She added fuel to the fire by continuing to kiss the man, sinking closer and closer to the big artery in the neck.
His screams became more frantic and pleading. Maegith stopped the vision. "Problem, poppet?" Her face was carefully innocent.
"Make it stop! I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." The man was blubbering, crying.
"All right." Maegith was surprised at how quickly he succumbed to the torture. "If you insist, though we were having so much fun." She pulled her head back from his neck for an instant. She shook her hair, which she had taken out of its severe bun, so that it would not be in her face. She did hate to get her hair dirty. Then, she opened her mouth and dove for the man's neck, relishing the look of complete horror and fear upon his face. As she took his blood, it was hot and sweet – murderers tasted no different than petty thieves or the innocent, but they gave much more satisfaction.
When she was done, Maegith licked the remaining blood from her lips and changed back into her suit. Sated with blood as she was, she felt the anger seeping out, leaving a feeling of calm, justice, and well being in its place. She felt a minute of guilt, but not a long one. Her tolerance for murderers, not to mention rapists, had been startlingly low since her first kill.
Again, as the vampire passed them, the clerks and officials slinking aside so they wouldn't meet her gaze. This time, Maegith was slightly concerned. Despite her cold angers, she didn't care to think of herself as a particularly fearsome creature. She shrugged, still too deep in anger to care overly much. As they said, everything was in the eye of the beholder.
She swept down the stairs, and into Van Helsing's office once more. Even that steadfast, mysterious man could not suppress a shudder at the latent anger still burning in Maegith's eyes. "So it is done?"
"It is done." Maegith's voice was cold, remorseless. "Is that all for tonight?" She'd decided that as soon as she was done with work, she would attempt to track down the 'god'.
"That is all." Van Helsing nodded to her. Maegith's hours were quite loose, as was her payment. In return for looking into the minds of convicts and 'disposing' of murderers, she got a nightly meal. When there was not a murderer being held captive whose trial wasn't over, there was also the guarantee that no questions would be asked if a body showed up somewhere, drained of all blood.
Maegith nodded back. "Then I will return tomorrow. Do not try to contact me for the rest of the night. I may have a lead." Van Helsing shook Maegith's hand, and showed her out.
A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed. Another chapter will be coming soon, hopefully. Remember to review!
Jade Limill: Glad you enjoyed so much.
Narina Nightfall: Thank you for your honest and informative critique. About your question concerning Maegith's mom – a very logical question. This is what I meant: the reason the family had so much trouble keeping up was that their lord, as many in that age did, taxed them for everything. To pay this tax, they would have to harvest everything they could. However, coin would work just as well. As Cafell's apprentice, a fairly steady stream of money and goods would be delivered, helping their financial need. It is this money that they need more than the extra worker, though that was how they usually got it. I should've made that clearer. Thanks for the name of SingleEarth. I think you're actually the only reviewer who told me. I'll have to fix that mention in the last chapter. For the vampire names, I thank you for your wellspring of knowledge, but I'd decided to just go with an original character. A lot easier for someone without reference books! As to Arcturus, my friend actually gave me that name to use. I have no idea where he got it from.
Kilyn Bloodstone: Thanks for being the only one to give me a suggestion on the rating. I decided that this chapter rated at least a PG-13 due to Sadi's influence, but thanks anyway. If you're still confused after this chapter, feel free to e-mail me with any questions, which I'd be delighted to answer.
