Nothing Short of a Miracle
Three
Maria awoke to Natalya shaking her vigorously from an otherwise nice sleep. She was saying something, but she couldn't tell what.
"Maria!" She finally heard her call.
"Whawhawha..." The younger Despair sister muttered, still in a daze.
"What happened? You were screaming again!" she called. Maria just rolled over to see her mattress and pillow soaked in blood. She wiped at her eyes once more. Blood. Just like the day before. She sighed. Sitting up, she could see she was coated in a thick layer of her own blood.
"I can't even sleep anymore..." She groaned, putting her head in her hands. "What the hell am I coming to?"
-That Morning-
Maria sat at the breakfast table, staring into her coffee cup. She made no notion to anyone who passed that they even existed. She just sat at the end of the table, all by herself, staring into her coffee. She didn't even acknowledge Gale when she came to wish her a good morning.
"Um hum." Was all she could managed. Crystal Lion saw this and came to the rescue.
"Hey, Gale. Why don't you go find Safiria, so your mom and I can talk, okay? When you find Safiria, tell her to come find me, okay?"
"Otie dotie!" She grinned in her cute seven-year-old toothless smile and running off, screaming 'MOMMY!'.
"Alright, you. Confess." Crystal Lion sat down across from Maria, barking in a commanding voice.
"Um hum." Maria hummed again. Not quite what she was looking for. Crystal continued to stare into the top of her head before she acted. Taking the woman by the top of the head, she slammed her face into the table. Beside the ensuing "THWACK" that resonated throughout the Dining Hall, nothing happened. Maria just lifted her head and continued to stare into her coffee like nothing happened. She then muttered 'um hum' once more. Crystal's face contorted into a grimace of anger and confusion. Taking hold of her hair once more, Crystal slammed her face into the table once more. Another loud THWACK (which Wolfblitzer and Rayne caught onto.), but other then that, nothing. Growling agitatedly, she slapped the cup out of her had.
"MARIA!" She barked once more. Maria heard it, but took her time to react.
"Wha?" She asked, almost in a daze.
"'Wha'? 'Wha' is you treating your daughter like a piece of shit! 'Wha' is ignoring anyone with two legs!'Wha' is not reacting when I slammed your face into the oak table! Twice! 'Wha' is going to get her ass kicked if she doesn't tell me what in the living essence of fuck is going on with you! That's what 'wha' is!" Crystal shouted at the full capacity of her lungs. This caught the attention of everyone in the room. Lizzie slid farther away then she already was.
"Issat it?" Maria asked. Crystal slapped her forehead, stood, and then slammed Maria's face into the table once more. "Okay I luvya buhbye." She muttered as Crystal stormed off.
"Maria..." A voice hissed in her ear. She didn't take any notice at first, but at it became more and more persistent, she had to respond. Flinching a motion behind her, the voice spoke again. "Don't turn around. Do as I say, and you'll be just fine. West of Battleon is a small cave. Most look over it, because it's hidden. Meet me inside that cave, and I'll tell you what your... problem is."
"Who are you?" She whispered. The voice laughed before answering.
"Oh... no one of any concern. Just do as you're told." Her eyes narrowed. As much as she didn't like being kept in the dark and given the run-around, she obeyed. Standing, she walked out of the hall, towards the west.
-West of Battleon. Outskirts of Darkovia. Stalactite Cave.-
"Alright. I'm here." Maria spoke upon entering. The air was sour, almost rancid. The smell of decay abundant.
"Ah. You made it. Fantastic." The voice growled. "Come closer, dear, so I can see you better." The light was dim. Any normal person would not be able to see inside. Maria could see to an extent, but not very well. "Don't be afraid. I won't..." She heard a slurping noise from in front of her. "Bite."
"You know, Epheel. If you wanted me out here, you could have just put up a sign advertising free food. I'd be there in heart beat." Epheel laughed coarsely at Maria's comment.
"Ah, yes, I could have. However, that approach lacks a certain... finesse." The spider-like Epheel crawled out from the shadows and stood before Maria. "Ah, Maria. You get more beautiful every time I lay eyes upon you..." His lips curled into a grin.
"And you more grotesque whenever I see you." Epheel burst out laughing.
"Ah, your sense of humor never fails to amuse me. Follow me, Maria. We have... much to discuss." He crawled away into the dark. Pulled by a type of curiosity, Maria followed. "Are you familiar with the Gae'Lin, Maria?" He asked, his talons scratching the cold stone floor. This name meant nothing to Maria.
"Can't say I do." She responded, her boots crunching small stones under her stride. "Why? What is it? Is it dangerous?" Epheel laughed again.
"More dangerous then you know. The Gae'Lin is what the Old Ones used to call The Devourer. No one uses the term any more, it has lost it's meaning. However, you still identify with the Devourer, and that is the name he now takes.
"This is all very interesting, Epheel, but what about your promise?"
"Ah yes. You're... Condition. About that, I cannot say. What I may say is, in the coming days, you will find it coming in more and more use. It is a blessing. And a curse. With each day your eyes shed blood in memory of those who have come before you, you will grow stronger. However, for each day that passes, you will also loose a part of yourself. A part that is paid in... tribute if you will. The Devourer has chosen you to receive a gift of strength and endurance. However, you must pay with little parts of yourself. You have already lost a part. Your X-Boost. However, being a hefty price, you will be... protected for some time. I would guess, three days or so."
"You mean he took my X-Boost?"
"No, my dear. He didn't take it. You gave it to him!" Epheel laughed.
"WHAT?!" Maria shouted. "I didn't give ANYTHING to ANYONE! You hear me?! Nothing to anyone!" She kicked Epheel in the rear. He simply shrugged it off.
"Oh, but you did. The Seed of Life spell you used a year ago. It could not take your life, or make it go faster, as you cannot age. It could not take anyone else's life in retribution, as it was only you and your target. So, it took a prize it thought equal to the reward. Your X-Boost." He was turned around. "I believe you said you'd pay the price willingly. What happened to your earlier enthusiasm..." He grinned in his lip less way. Maria steamed.
"You little bastard!" She growled, round-housing the creature to the head. He simply crumpled to the ground and slid away with the force of the impact. As her regained his bearings and stood, he simply laughed. Maria growled again, straddled around his carapace and grabbed his neck and began to pull up.
"Y-" He chocked out. "Your nightmares..." The words escaped, but just barely. Compelled, Maria released his head. He coughed before continuing. "You are plagued by nightmares, yes?"
"Yes. What do you know about them?" She asked, walking back to face him.
"Nothing you'd like to know..." His eyes narrowed in a smile. Maria grabbed the back of his head.
"Listen you ungodly maggot." She tilted his head back and grabbed his tongue with her other hand. "If you don't tell me what I want to know, I'll rip out your tongue, tear out your lungs, and carve your heart into tonights supper. Tell. Me." She droned, pulling on his tongue.
"Ohwite! Ohwite!" He lisped helplessly. "Jus donwt hur me..." He continued. She pulled her hand out and wiped the saliva on his back. After rolling his neck and checking for his tongue, he finished. "The dreams are but the knock before the answer. Just as you ask for entrance into someone's home, you must ask for entrance into the mind." Before Maria could threaten another response from him, he dashed away. "I must leave you now, Maria! But before I go, know this! This is not the Devourer's First Course!" The voice faded, and he was gone.
-Battleon; Main Street-
"There you are, Maria! I've been turning Battleon upside down for you!" Maria heard the soft voice of Safiria mutter. She turned around to feel Safiria pull her into an embrace. "Missed you. Miss me?"
"I..." Maria started. She couldn't find the right words, and settled to just push her away. "No." She finished.
"'No' what, kitten? What's wrong?" Safiria asked, walking up behind Maria. "I thought you still loved me."
"I do! God, I do! It's not that... It's just... no..." She still couldn't find what she wanted to say. She just turned and sighed. "I don't know. I'm sorry, I'm distracted, and can't think right now..." She began hearing something mutter in her head. It was saying something inaudible, but it was very loud.
"Maria... Don't push me away. Let me help you." Safiria tried again.
"I... I don't think you can help. I don't want you involved." Maria responded.
"Maria..."
"God dammit! SHUT UP!" She shouted, grabbing her head. Safiria pulled away and bit a nail.
"Maria... You're scaring me. Stop it."
"Shut up, shut up!" She groaned, hitting the palm of her hand on her forehead. "Blessed be, shut the fuck UP!" She yelled again, hitting her head more. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! THAT'S NOT ME! I'M NOT LIKE THAT!" She hollered loudly, still beating her head. Tears began to appear on Safiria's cheek. "GO AWAY I HATE YOU WHOEVER YOU ARE!" That was the last straw for Safiria. She had gone for over three hundred years and never cried. Not even as a child did she find the need to show her feelings in such a manner, but this was just too painful. Exploding into a shower of tears, the Vampire Queen turned and ran into Yulgar's Inn, where Rayne, Lizzie, Trip, Aria and Blaze had been staying. "SHUT UP YOU! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!" Maria bellowed again. She collapsed to the ground and began pounding her fist into the sand path, screaming 'shut up' as loud as she could.
Meanwhile, Rayne had been watching the whole thing from her room on Yulgar's second floor. While she couldn't hear their conversation, she had read enough into their actions. She bolted from the window to meet Safiria at the door.
The Vampire threw the door open and threw herself into the arms of the first available person, in this case, Rayne. She was wailing loudly and was a literal sprinkler of tears. Rayne, her motherly aspects kicking in, tried to comfort her. She rubbed her back and whispered in her ear.
"Blaze, do me a favor and see what in the hell is Maria's problem."
"Will do." The man named Blaze responded, giving the thumbs up.
Blaze kicked the door open and marched down the street, his eyes set on the figure of Maria who was crouched over, slamming her fist into the ground, shouting "get out of my life, you bitch!" repeatedly. He got just beside her when, out of the blue, she popped up, shouted "go away" at the top of her lungs, and dug her fist into Blaze's stomach. Ideally, he could shrug this kind of blow off. He was a big guy, and could take even Maria's hardest hits. But something was different. SHE was different. The blow had staggered him some four feet, and knocked the air out of him. As he tried to regain his breath, she kicked him in the face, ran across his body, and ran away. Lizzie, looking from her bedroom window, saw this and ran down to help Blaze.
"Are you okay?!" She screamed, running to his aid.
"Y... yea. Just stunned. Grab her!" He pushed up with a hand and held there shaking. Lizzie ran after Maria. She was fast. She managed to hoist herself over rocks and over small animals.
In the end, Maria proved too fast for Lizzie to catch her.
"Motherfucker..." An exhausted Lizzie swore, putting a hand on her knee to catch her breath.
-The Isle d'Oriens. Vince's Lab-
"Oh..." Vince began, picking up a wrench. "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves! Yes I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, and this is how it goes! I know a song..." He sang, examining his project. The moment he touched the wrench head to the nut he had been aching to finish, the door opened below him.
"VINCE!" Natalya shouted.
"ALWAYS when I'm working!" The Drakel responded, turning his head to see the intruders. "Whaddaya want NOW?" He asked. Natalya shrugged.
"I need to know EVERYTHING you know about Maria's condition now." Her eyes were stern, harsh. It was unlike Natalya. Vince scanned her expression.
"Sure thing. Let me come down." He pushed the button on his left and the lift fell to the floor. He stood and approached Natalya. "What's wrong? Why the stern look?"
"Maria, is officially AWOL as of this morning. She assaulted Blaze, and left Safiria a crying wreck. I need to know what's causing this, and I need to know now." She finished, looking him in the eyes.
"I can't give you a definitive answer, but, if you'd be willing to help me root through some books, we could find out together." Natalya nodded.
"Alright. Let's do this." She responded. Vince nodded and led her to the library.
-The Great Library; The Isle d'Oriens.-
"Good sweet jesus! How many books are here?!" Natalya gawked in awe.
"Somewhere in the vicinity of three million. But don't worry. Most, if not almost all, are on the history of Lore. Only about seventy or so are on known medical conditions, some fifty more are on rare medical conditions, and about a dozen are on Black Magic induced Medical conditions. If you would grab some more help from Battleon, we'll whip this in no time!" Vince smiled. Natalya nodded and headed back down to enlist some help. Vince, in the meantime, grabbed one of the books ("The Human Body: The Magiscientist's Guide to Human Genome Manipulation") from the shelf and cracked it open to the table of contents.
He had not gotten past three books before Natalya returned with Orta, Crystal Lion, Wolfblitzer and Trip in tow. She entered the Great Library and proceeded to speak with Vince.
"Anything yet?" She asked. Vince only shook his head.
"No. Nothing to help us. Apparently, according to half these damn things, a human can't live more then an hour bleeding from the eyes. Vampires, even less time. It's bat-shit and weird. And creepy. Grab a book, boys and girls, and dig in." He grinned, tossing thick tomes to the recruited volunteers.
He had given Wolfblitzer a book called "Battling Disease, The Never-Ending Battle". Despite it's rather interesting description of the effects of Paxia Pneumonia had on Drakels, it had nothing of use. He had read the entire thing front to back.
"Hit me." He droned, throwing the book down.
"You can't be done with that!" Natalya groaned, looking up from her book. ("It's Plague!") He nodded.
"I'm done. I can read a thousand words a minute." He read the confused looks on everyone's face. "It's to compensate for my crappy words per minute writing." Vince tossed him another ("Blood Borne Diseases of the Late 4th Era") and muttered a reply. The Guardian cracked it open and began.
"This is all fascinating... but completely useless information!" Orta groaned, looking up from the pages ("I Medical") and rolling her neck. She shut the book and threw it in the ever growing pile. "Next." Vince tossed her another ("How to Kill a Man in One Hundred Swift, Painless Ways"). He then shut his and discarded it.
"I can't believe there are so many diseases around. I've never heard of half of these. I mean, look at this! 'Blight Charance', 'Porpheria Hemophilica', 'Musclilius Catranius'. Shit..." Crystal droned, looking at her book ("You've Got Three Days To Live. Third Edition") and sighing. Natalya nodded.
They had been studying the books for around three hours, before the silence was broken by Wolfblitzer.
"BOOYAKA!" Wolfblitzer shouted, jumping up. In his hands was another book ("Demonic Possession, Signs, Omens, Rare and Common Cures for your Everyday Hex, Spell, Jinx and Curse"), open to a middle page.
"I don't think that'll have it Wolfblitzer." Orta muttered, cracking her sore neck.
"Wait! Listen to this." He cleared his throat. "'While a majority of all demonic possessions are easily cured, there is also the variety of uncommon ones. These are, in their nature, rare and very difficult to exorcise. Succubi and Incubi possession, while highly rare and dangerous, may be countered by a high dose of Lover's Bane, or Lord's Bane, dependent upon which being is in control of the victim's body. After the spirit of the Succubus or Incubus has been extracted from the body, a heavy concentration of lavender incense can destroy it forever. Signs of Succubus or Incubus possession is raspy cough, thinned blood, and uneasy eyes; that is, the eyes cannot focus on one subject.'" He finished, taking a deep breath.
"Succubi are interesting, Wolfblitzer, really, but I don't think Maria's being possessed by one." Natalya sighed.
"Of course not! Succubi only possess men you tard! She's being possessed by an Incubus!" Orta muttered. Wolfblitzer coughed loudly.
"That was just the beginning. You didn't let me finish." He smiled in the 'I-Know-Something-You-Don't' way. Again, he cleared his throat. "'The most rare and consequently dangerous of possessions is Divine Possession; that is, the victim becomes a physical, mortal avatar of one of the ten Lords. Avatars of the Energy Lord are prone to irrational thinking and equally irrational actions. Avatars of the Earth Lord are hard-cut in their ways and never yield to others. Avatars of the Dark Lord are shady, moving for the most part in the shadows. Avatars of the Light Lord avoid nighttime at all costs, and tend to wither in it. Avatars of the Fire Lord are naturally attuned to magic, and often make the best mages. Avatars of the Water Lord are uncanny swimmers, and cannot stray too far from water, lest the shrivel. Avatars of the Ice Lord have a touch which can turn anything into Ice, much like King Midas of old. Avatars of the Wind Lord are natural ninjas, able to move unseen or unheard. Avatars of the Creator are benevolent, kind creatures. Avatars of the Devourer bleed unceasingly from the eyes. All of these Avatars can be exorcised from the subject with time. However, Avatars of the Devourer cannot be cured. Avatars of the Devourer, unlike the other nine, are not chosen at random. The Devourer chooses his mortal host with great care, and some years can pass without a sign of the Devourer. Possession of the Devourer is a sure sign of Jian'Tia.'" He finished, closing the book, his thumb in the page.
"Holy shit..." Orta grimaced, sitting down slowly.
"Oh god..." Crystal Lion breathed, stepping back.
"What's Jian'Tia..." Natalya asked. Vince had stood well before this, and was now standing in the corner.
"Jian'Tia is an Old Elvish term. It was used well before even my people came to Lore. These books are old. That we can all see. Jian'Tia is Old Elvish for "The Great Feast"."
"Sweet. The Devourer's hosting a party!" Wolfblitzer smiled.
"No, you great pillock! It's not a feast for us! It's a feast for him! For the Devourer!" Vince growled, bearing teeth. "It's as if our greatest fear has been realized." Everyone looked at him.
"What's that."
"This truly is the end of all. The End of Life itself."
-Dragonspine Mountains-
Maria sat upon a high mountain, her gaze turned north, towards the Crystal Desert. Even at such a great distance, she could still see the glare of the sun reflecting off the crystals below. The voices in her head had stopped, and she was just about the head back down the mountain and apologize to Blaze and, most importantly, Safiria.
"Only five hundred miles to Labrianna." Cyrus spoke behind her. Though he surprised her, she didn't jump.
"I know." She replied, her eyes never moving.
"It wasn't your fault, you know. You didn't mean to hurt her." He continued.
"I know. I just... can't bring myself to go back. I... I probably killed her. She's actually very delicate. Not used to being hurt so badly."
"Then go to her. The Crystal Desert will still be around in the morning." Maria stood and nodded. Jumping down the mountain, Cyrus watched her fall.
-Battleon, Yulgar's Inn.-
"Maria opened the door to Yulgar's Inn. As usual, Yulgar was standing behind the counter, sharpening a dagger.
"Yer back." He droned, never looking up.
"Is..." Maria started.
"Upstairs, third door on the right. Don't expect a warm welcome." He muttered, pointing up with his dagger. The Guardian inhaled, held it, then walked up the stairs, releasing her breath slowly. After reaching the third door to her right, she gripped the knob.
"It's open." A voice droned from inside. It was a cold, piercing voice. She couldn't tell who it was. Closing her eyes and muttering a slight prayer, she entered. The room was dark. The only light which could be seen was being provided by the moon, and streaming in through the window. A figure was seated on the chair near the window facing it. Maria didn't say anything. She simply stood and stared. After a few uneasy seconds passed, the figure stood. It raised a hand and the candles around the room lit, bathing the room in light. The figure could be recognized as Safiria.
"I-" Maria began. Safiria raised her arm and stopped her mid sentence. She lowered her eyes. The Vampire Queen turned and walked slowly towards her. After she got closer, Maria could see her eyes. They were bloodshot. She had been crying, and the dry highway of tears on her cheeks were evidence to this. Safiria said nothing. She simply stopped right in front of Maria, grasped her hands and pulled them up to her chest. She bent her head down and kissed Maria's knuckles. After which, she dropped her hands, muttered 'good bye' and left. Feeling something left in her hand, Maria opened it. Situated in her right hand was the very ring she had given to her when Maria proposed.
That was that. As if all the support had left her legs, she collapsed to her knees. She tried to cry, but all the flowed from her eyes was more blood.
-Safiria's Castle, Darkovia.-
The Vampire Queen entered her castle, her eyes still shedding an endless supply of bitter tears. The castle was cold in her absence. The only person around was Zorbak, who was caught in the middle of a party with some of his 'friends' (It was hard to call a mix of Undead Servants and bribed Moglins friends). When he saw Safiria barge in, he panicked.
"Oh, crap! Run guys!" He shouted. Safiria just charged past the mass of people and ran right up the stairs to her room. Zorbak traced her path with his eyes. Sighing, he finished ushering people out.
Throwing herself on the bed, she let all of her pent up emotions out. Almost as if her body was making up for three hundred years of not crying, she couldn't stop herself. She just dug her head in her pillow and let everything out. Zorbak heard the racket and decided to check up on her.
"Mi..." He opened the door to her room, stuck his head in and muttered uneasily. "Milady?" He pipped in a small voice. All he got in a response was more sobbing. "Is there anything I can do?" He asked, taking a step into her room. He watched her sprawled out on the bed, completely incoherent. "Game of... Botchee Ball, maybe?" He was trying to cheer her up. He knew how much she loved Botchee Ball, and how much he equally hated it. No response, just more sobs. He saw her reach up, grab the picture of Maria from her bedside table and throw it at him.
"Go away!" She shouted between sobs. The picture shattered on impact with the door frame.
"Right then. Leaving." He muttered quickly, darting out the door. He shut in and ran downstairs and out the main door, his destination, only he knew.
-Yulgar's Inn, Battleon-
The room was dark. The candles had long burned out. The sun was nowhere to be found. The time was around three, and Maria hadn't moved from where she collapsed some six hours ago. Her knees were situated in a pool of blood, which found its source at her eyes. She was still sobbing and clutching Safiria's ring in her hands. Once it was a token of the strength of their love. Now, it was just a painful reminder. The inside was inscribed with 'Until Final Death' followed by two interlocking hearts. Now, all she wanted to do was smash in to pieces.
Downstairs, several people had gathered around, debating to go upstairs and get Maria.
"She's been up there for hours..." Rayne muttered worried.
"It serves her right! She shouldn't have treated poor Safiria like that! She may be a Vampire, but she's still a woman! And women are fragile!" Lizzie barked.
"Some more then others..." Was Robina's response. The door opened and Captain Krieger stepped in.
"Ladies." He muttered, giving them a nod. "Where's Maria?" He asked.
"Trying to figure out how to swim Denile." Robina replied. "They weren't kidding when they said 'and then the waters turned to blood'..." Artix grimaced. It pained him whenever one of his Guardians was hurt, but he had mixed feelings. From what Lizzie told him, Maria partly deserved it. Wolfblitzer, who had been sitting in the corner finally stood. He strode silently towards the stairs.
"Oi! Where you off to?" Rayne asked. He stopped, turned his head and pointed up. Without a word, he continued. "Fine. You're funeral."
The others stayed down for ten minutes. Once that mark had been passed, Wolfblitzer came striding back down, a small ring in his hands.
"What's that?" Lizzie asked.
"Safiria's ring. Maria wants me to torch it." He responded.
"You going to?" Artix asked. The Guardian looked down at the ring and turned it over several times. The stone was that of a blood red ruby. Around the stone was the phrase 'San'guine Vira Toran'. Maria had explained it was Old Elvish for 'My Blood is Yours'. Probably some Vampire love poem.
"What kind of shit question is that? Fuck no I'm not gonna torch it." He responded, walking to the door. "If I'm not back by tonight, don't hold dinner." He walked out.
-Eastern Edge of Darkovia-
Wolfblitzer had stopped at the edge of the forest to speak with a Werewolf scout.
"The Vampire Wench's castle? Yea, I know where it is. Why?" He asked, looking Wolfblitzer over.
"I'm going to destroy her." He lied, inhaling casually. The werewolf growled with delight.
"Excellent. I hear she's been wounded, so maybe it'll be an easy kill."
"Maybe. Where is it?" Wolfblitzer inquired. The scout looked about.
"See this path, here?" He asked. Wolfblitzer nodded. "Follow it. When you come to a crossroads, bear west. You'll come to a place filled with bats and fog. Continue until you find a castle. You can't miss it. It's the only castle in Darkovia." The scout finished. Wolfblitzer nodded and thanked him, following the path.
After a walk, he had finally come to the castle. It was bigger then Maria told him.
"Halt." A deep voice growled. Wolfblitzer kept his cool, never moving. "What's your business here, Lycan?" The vampire asked. Wolfblitzer grinned.
"The Werewolves yield. We can't gain enough followers to continue. I bear a message of truce to the Queen." He finished. The vampire seemed to ponder this.
"Well, it's about damn time. Okay, you stay here, and I'll see if she's seeing anyone at the moment." He muttered, running towards the castle. Wolfblitzer sat.
Some three minutes passed before the vampire returned.
"Queen Safiria isn't seeing anyone right now. I was ordered to tell you bugger off. If you take one step forward, I'll waste you." His voice was unusually firm. Almost agitated.
"Tell Queen Safiria it's within her best interest if she wishes to salvage what she's thrown away needlessly, that I speak with her. Tell her I'm a friend of kitten's." He muttered, never moving.
"I can't do that. She said she'd kill me if I bothered her again..." He muttered nervously.
"I'LL kill you if you don't move, worm!" Wolfblitzer barked. The vampire recoiled and skittered towards the castle. He returned ten minutes later. He was shaking and bruised.
"She says to come up. Follow me..." He muttered. Wolfblitzer did as he was told.
He had to have been the only Werewolf to step foot inside the castle of Queen Safiria and live. An honor, to be sure. The younger Vampire had led him up a flight of stairs to a large oaken door. The vampire stopped and motioned him in.
"Go on in." Wolfblitzer complied, nodded and walked inside. Safiria was sitting on a chair facing the center of the room.
"You." Safiria growled as he entered. "I knew Maria wouldn't have the courage to apologize herself. Had to send a lackey." Her tone was uncharacteristically harsh.
"Lackey is a poor term. Maria didn't send me. As a matter of fact, she doesn't know I'm here. No one does. I spoke with Maria. She gave me your ring..." He sensed her tension. "To burn. She told me to burn it." The tension died. "But, I thought I'd play friend to both of you. We've never gotten along famously, you and I. But I want to make things right between Maria and you."
"'Right'? You want to make it 'right'? Do you have even the faintest clue to what happened?" She asked, standing. Her tone raised from mad to enraged.
"No, but there is something I can say. What ever she said to you, it wasn't to you."
"How do you know?!" She shouted loudly. Wolfblitzer's tone never faltered.
"Listen to this. I found this book in the Library in the Isle d'Oriens. Thought it might interest you." He cleared his throat and pulled the book from the back of his pants. "'Avatars of the Devourer bleed unceasingly from the eyes. All of these Avatars can be exorcised from the subject with time. However, Avatars of the Devourer cannot be cured.Avatars of the Devourer, unlike the other nine, are not chosen at random. The Devourer chooses his mortal host with great care, and some years can pass without a sign of the Devourer. Possession of the Devourer is a sure sign of Jian'Tia.'" He inhaled before continuing. "'Previous Avatars of the Devourer that have been recorded in past, have been known to exhibit out-of-character behavior, most notably of which is explosive outbursts of swearing, unexplainable insults, and most concernable, unexplainable voice heard in the victim's head.'" He finished, closing the book. "I don't believe Maria was yelling at you. I think she was hearing voices in her head, and was trying to get them to stop." He held the ring out. "Think about what you want to do. Ruin your unlife forever, or salvage what you can. I'll have a talk with Maria, and set everything right." His tone was flat, yet concerned. He pulled a hip flask from his pocket and took a long drink out of it.
"How can I trust you? You're a werewolf. How do I know you're not softening me up to kill me?"
"Na I'm not." He smiled, drinking again.
"But how do I know?!" She asked again. He held the flask out.
"Take a whiff." He muttered. She obscured her face and looked in the flask, inhaling. She recoiled back and began to cough. "Yea, pretty rancid, huh?" He capped the flask and pocketed it. "Smells horrible, tastes worse."
"What on the Creator's Lore is that?" She asked, waving her hand in front of her nose.
"THAT, my dear Safiria, is the waters from a hidden cave north-north-east of here. Rumor has it, it holds the cure for Lycanthropy and Vampirism. I thought I'd give it a shot. I tell you though." He opened the flask and finished the contents. "When I get back, I'm going to need a drink of something good tasting bad." He capped and pocketed the flask for the last time. "Blegh." He muttered, shaking his tongue. Safiria took a few steps towards him and sniffed the air.
"Well, you don't smell like a dog anymore... you smell like... rancid water and human..." A smile crossed her face. That was more like the Safiria he knew. "Okay. I trust you. I'll follow you.