Chapter 5: Ice Queen

Lucifer was taking Nshina to his home, the hell that he lived in. He finally dropped Nshina and she fell to the floor and let her stand up, they were surrounded by all manner of creatures, the ones who were closest to them were wearing black hooded cloaks. Nshina could feel their eyes boring into her like lasers,

"What are you looking at?!"

She snarled at one of the strangers, the devil looked over at her and narrowed his eyes. Nshina watched him and when his back was turned she pulled a face. Lucifer walked up a platform and sat down in a throne carved out of black diamond. He sat there regally with the demons around him bowing, he rested his head on his hands and hid gaze went back to Nshina who was standing in the middle of the room looking at her nails,

"My dear please come forward,"

As Nshina walked forward she heard hisses from other female demons and she laughed

There just jealous because I get his attention and they get nothing,

She stopped in front of him and looked up,

"Your attitude had changed so much recently. You have become more hostile and snappy and your moods can change at the rate of a heartbeat, why?"

Nshina rolled her eyes,

Why do I have to explain this to everyone?

"I really don't know. The only explanation we can think of is that someone is out to get me and they have been doing this by contaminating our food supplies,"

Murmurs went around the room and Lucifer sat up straighter in his chair smiling at her,

"Food supplies, what would that be then?"

Nshina looked around and saw why he was asking that, she could feel the heartbeats of different humans; Lucifer had them around so that he could gain the trust of the humans that he needed to meet easier. They always trusted their own race better than others,

"Our food supply would be humans,"

Nshina could feel someone's heartbeat become quicker, as if rage had totally consumed them,

"Then call us by our actual name! We would never call you by any other name than your own so show us the courtesy of doing the same,"

Nshina looked around and the man who had said it, her eyes turned red and as she smiled her fangs extended to their full length,

"You would never call me Queen Nshina Dragula so don't give me that, and I call you that because that is all your our to my kind, food,"

Lucifer watched the man slink back and scowl at the bride in front of him,

I have to admit, her way of dealing with people is impressive. With only a few words and actions she can make the heart of a mortal scream with fear, just as a bride of Dracula should,

"Nshina darling, we need to sort this problem out. Earlier today you attacked a fellow vampire and then one of your master's servants, those actions can be classed as disobedience,"

Nshina looked down and sighed,

"Yeah well, I can't help what's happening to me,"

She looked up at him,

"It's not my fault,"

Her eyes met her highest Master's eyes. They were as cold and lifeless as her Masters,

"Yes, Yes I know this Nshina but it simply can't carry on. I know you have an idea about how it is happening but you have to be quicker. Do you remember what Aleera said to you, about falling from grace?"

Nshina nodded,

"You were so close from that happening to you today, but I saw that something was wrong and was able to stop it. I may not be able to next time,"

But Nshina just blinked innocently, she grinned at him showing off her white fangs and he laughed, Lucifer knew that he should be taking this much more seriously but Nshina was still acting like a child, it would have been hard for anyone to stop themselves from smiling. One of the cloaked men stepped forward and bowed low to Lucifer but gave dirty look to Nshina; she saw him and growled daringly at him. The man stepped back a little and looked at his master,

"Your Excellency, I am sorry to rush you but we really need to move this along. There are other more important people to see,"

Nshina looked up and Lucifer with an innocent expression on her face and laughed,

"I don't think your people don't like me very much,"

"No, neither do I, but he is right. I am going to send you back in a short while so you can help your family but first I need to talk to you… privately,"

When he finished saying the last word his minions started to leave the room as quickly as they could. It was never a good idea to make him wait longer than he felt best.

Dracula pulled Aleera and Verona to their feet,

"My brides listen! The sun is coming up, if we don't get inside soon we will all die, Nshina will not want to come back and find out that we are dead!"

Aleera looked at him, tears sliding down her face,

"If Nshina ever comes back! We have no idea what he will do to her and neither do you!"

Dracula rolled his eyes and took their unwilling hands; he materialized back into the castle with William running in behind them,

"My dears we should rest, we can argue about this tomorrow but for now I am too tired,"

Marishka took his hand and they walked up the stairs together with Aleera and Verona behind them. They entered their sleeping quarters and over to their coffins but Aleera stopped in front of Nshina's,

"She should be here! She should be asleep right there, instead of down with our master, oh what is taking them so long,"

Verona put her hands on her shoulders and led Aleera to her coffin,

"Calm yourself sister, Nshina will be home soon and all of this will be forgotten. We just have to try and deal with this the best we can, remember what Nshina asked us to do for her,"

Aleera nodded and lay herself in her coffin. Marishka and Verona looked at each other and each got into their own. But Dracula did not want to sleep there tonight, there was something about the cold ice that did not please him as it used to. Instead he fluttered up to the ceiling; he closed his eyes and tried to not think about his dear Nshina. Finally sleep over took his weary mind.

Pain wracked through his body. Dracula looked around franticly but couldn't see anyone one, another wave of fresh pain shot through him and he screamed. Someone in the distance was calling him name and he began to run, but the more he ran the further and further away the voice seemed to get. Dracula screamed with rage and the walls started to crumble around him, a light was shining down on a dark patch of floor and in the middle of it was Nshina, arrows that were set alight pierced her body and she screamed in pain, he could feel her pain. He tried to help but as soon as he moved one foot another arrow shot past him, this one pierced her heart. Nshina looked down in disbelief, her body started to disintegrate as a single tear dripped down her cheek, she looked over at Dracula, she smiled and mouthed the words I love you over to him. Dracula screamed as the last parts of her perfect form turned to ash,

Dracula awoke in an instant, he dropped down to the floor and Verona came running over to him,

"Master what is wrong? What has happened! Was it just a nightmare?,"

Marishka and Aleera were standing behind him holding each others hands. Dracula's eyes were wide with fear and he was shaking, Verona wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly,

"Master it was just a nightmare, nothing more,"

He gripped Verona tightly and nodded,

"Yes, just a dream,"

He pulled away from her and smiled weakly,

"Sorry about that my dears. I did not mean to scare you,"

Marishka smiled. At that moment light suddenly flooded with red light, it was pitch black outside but inside the room was illuminated. A voice filled the air that they all recognised,

"Hello again my subjects,"

Lucifer was standing over by the window smiling at them,

"Did you have a bad dream Count?"

Dracula and his brides bowed low,

"It is nothing Master, I shall recover,"

Lucifer laughed,

"I'm sure you will,"

As they vampires rose he walked over to them,

"I have something for you,"

Dracula smiled at him,

"And what would that be?"

Lucifer clicked his fingers and the air suddenly became cold. A female laughed from behind them, it was an emotionless laugh. There was no hint of humanity in it, just a sound made from her body. They all turned around and saw Nshina sitting in a one of the chairs around a table,

"I think your answer to that question would be me,"

While Dracula, Aleera and Verona stood there grinning Marishka frowned. Nshina had always been the one who could feel the most emotion, whenever she walked into a room it seemed to lighten up but now the room seemed colder and more dark,

"Master, what has happened to Nshina?"

Nshina looked over at her and smiled,

"Who says there is anything wrong with me?"

Marishka's and Nshina's eyes met, their gaze was held for a while until Marishka broke it. Lucifer walked over to Nshina and put a hand on her shoulder,

"What I thought was best for you all, I have taken away every part of the humanity that remained in her, most of all her emotions. This is for your own good, the condition that was affecting her played on her it so I took them. She will only stay like this until we find out and destroy who ever did this to her,"

Dracula nodded and looked over at her,

"But is she still vampire?"

Nshina stood up and walked over to them,

"I am still a vampire, I am still on the same level as you nothing has changed except what plagued me before doesn't even bother me now. I am free,"

Lucifer laughed,

"But only for a while little Ice Queen,"

Marishka put a hand on her hip

Ice Queen? Since when was that what we called her? I suppose the answer to that is when she became what she is now. There is even less of her than there is of master, how does that feel?

But Marishka did not voice her thoughts; she just smiled and cuddled Nshina,

"It is so good to have you back sister,"

"It is good to be here,"

She replied, Dracula looked into Nshina's eyes and saw that they had recovered the sparkle they once had, but at a cost. It was the best thing for her he decided, anything was better than not having Nshina back at all. Lucifer turned around and began to leave, just as he reached the door he turned around to face Nshina,

"Oh and by the way my dear… Happy 150th birthday,"

Nshina grinned and they watched him disappear. William was now in human form and he walked into the room. He saw Nshina and was about to growl but noticed that something was different. Everyone was calm and he thought that it would be best if he was just nice to her

"Is everything alright in here?"

Nshina narrows her eyes but smiled,

"Everything is fine thank you, "

She looked at Aleera,

"We all have work to do,"