The Vampire & Her Witch

In the wreckage of a sitting room one floor below the battle unfolding around Zedya, a wraith formed of vengeful holy flames descended on the helpless figure of Hamdi. Under the effect of Nyrielle’s Kiss of the Void: Acceptance of Fate, the ancient vampire stood helpless with a calm, welcoming expression on his face as Ignatious flames enveloped him.

His tattered and bloodstained clothing were reduced to cinders and ash in the blink of an eye and his dark fur followed a second later, filling the air with the sharp, acrid stench of burning hair. Moments later, the searing pain as his flesh bubbled and blackened finally broke Nyrielle’s hold on his mind and the sound of his anguished howls filled the air.

”You’ve done well, Ignatious,” Nyrielle said, resting a hand on the kneeling vampire’s shoulder. Though she stood tall and proud, her touch wasn’t light as she used the kneeling vampire for support to remain standing while she watched Hamdi burn. As powerful as Ignatious’s flames were, they were far from enough to kill such an ancient vampire and Nyrielle refused to relax until she was certain that Hamdi was no longer a threat.

”And I’m sorry,” she added softly. ”That you had to wait so long for this moment to arrive.”

”Mistress, you...” Ignatious started only to stop when Nyrielle shook her head slightly and pressed a finger to her lips. Some things, it seemed, shouldn’t be spoken aloud but that didn’t mean he didn’t know what had happened.

Blood flowed from countless wounds on Nyrielle’s body and her once elegant dress had been reduced to blood stained tatters that barely protected her modesty. It was clear that her fight against Hamdi had extracted a heavy toll from her, and yet, she hadn’t used her Kiss of the Void until the very end when Ignatious launched his wraith of vengeance.

All of those wounds, and many of them could likely have been prevented but she endured all of it, just to give Ignatious a chance to realize a portion of his revenge with his own hands. To see his tormentor burn before his eyes instead of watching Nyrielle handle Hamdi’s venomous insults herself.

”Mistress Nyrielle,” Ignatious said, turning completely away from the burning vampire to bow deeply to Nyrielle. ”Thank you, for this gift, I, I will do everything in my power to prove worthy of what you have given me today.”

”I haven’t given you anything,” Nyrielle said as she watched the flames engulfing Hamdi begin to gutter out and die. His flesh had turned to a bubbled and blackened mass, and in some places on his face, hands and ribs, white bone could be seen where thin skin had burned away entirely.

The holy flames flickered and died, leaving behind wisps of smoke that coiled around Hamdi’s charred form. Despite wounds that would have killed any lesser being, the ancient vampire remained standing through sheer force of will, his golden eyes blazing with fury even as bits of charred flesh crumbled from his face.

”Because you are my ancestor and the ancestor of my parents, I will give you one chance to receive mercy,” Nryielle said sternly as she strode toward the charred vampire. Despite the wounds on her body, many of which were still bleeding, there wasn’t the slightest tremble or sound of pain in her voice. Rather, thick disdain dripped from her words as she spoke to the High Lord of the Tangled Wood.

”Kneel at my feet,” Nyrielle commanded in a tone that left no room for argument. ”Apologize for your rudeness and hostility, and then beg for my forgiveness. When you do, you will address me properly as ’your Eternity’ the way you should have from the beginning.”

For a moment, Hamdi said nothing as his golden eyes tracked slowly between Nyrielle and Ignatious. A little girl and a broken toy had laid him so low. The idea was ludicrous. If not for the fact that he’d lost the ability to dream long ago, he would have thought himself in some kind of fever fueled nightmare. He couldn’t accept it. And kneeling? Apologize? To these pups? The idea was even more ludicrous.

”You think,” Hamdi said, his voice hoarse and raspy as he strained to speak. ”That I would break. For so little? Kill me. If you dare. But my progeny. Will slaughter your men. Before you finish with me,” he said with a wicked smile. As dire of a state as he was in with gruesome wounds and pain wracking his body, he still had presence of mind enough to know that Nyrielle didn’t dare to kill him.

Perhaps she would kill his progeny. She had already killed the man he intended to take as his next progeny after all. But killing him would provoke a war with Bardas and Hamdi knew she wasn’t stupid enough or crazed enough to provoke a war with his master. So instead of kneeling and cowering like she wished, he glared at her and dared her to kill him with complete confidence that she wouldn’t dare to do so.

”I gave you a chance,” Nyrielle said. ”The consequences are yours to bear.” Before Hamdi could respond, she waved her hand, once again using a sharpened fingernail to spill a small drop of blood. While her mentor would always have superior skills and higher attainments in the practice of blood sorcery, Nyrielle had long come to a point of using any and every weapon in her arsenal when fighting the Lothians and she didn’t hesitate to use one of Shabnalu’s curses now.

”Blood Curse. Desiccation,” Nyrielle intoned, flicking a drop of shadowy cursed blood onto one of Hamdi’s many burned and blistered wounds.

This time, rather than seeping into him, the dark drop of blood quickly swelled in size as it soaked up the blood of his body like a sponge, leaving his flesh dry, cracked and burned, ready to crumble at the slightest touch. And yet, still, the power imbued by the vampire who made him stopped him from tumbling into the dark abyss of death.

”Kiss of the Void. Timeless Slumber,” Nyrielle said in a voice that was distant and ageless.

Dark shadows flowed from her outstretched hand, wrapping around the charred husk of Hamdi’s body and carrying him into the deep sleep of those who had forgotten their sense of time and all of their cares in the world. The vampire’s last thought as the darkness took him was that he had been right... Nyrielle wouldn’t dare to kill him. And as long as he still lived, there would come a time to revisit this humiliation on her a hundred fold.

It was only after the light faded from Hamdi’s eyes that Nyrielle allowed herself a moment to relax, dropping to one knee as the strength to maintain her dignified posture failed her and the pain of dozens of wounds rampaged through her body like an unleashed stampede.

”Mistress Nyrielle!” Ignatious cried as he rushed to her side to offer support. While his sorcery had taken a great deal of his energy, the exhaustion he felt paled in comparison to what Nyrielle felt after her intense confrontation with the ancient vampire.

”I’ll be fine,” Nyrielle said. Gently, with two fingers, she touched the deep wounds in her thighs and the long gashes along her ribs. Finally, now that he’d lost consciousness, the lingering energy that accompanied Hamdi’s sword strikes had dissipated from her body, allowing the wounds to begin to heal. But with so many wounds to heal, it would still be several days before she returned to her full strength.

Even as she assessed her own injuries, her midnight eyes grew distant, focusing on something beyond the room as an amethyst light flickered briefly across her gaze. Nyrielle’s brows furrowed with concern and she pushed herself to her feet despite the surge of pain that accompanied the motion as her wounded legs protested the abuse she subjected them to.

”We need to move quickly,” she said, in a tone that was clipped and urgent. ”Zedya is holding her own against Hamdi’s soldiers, and she has things well in hand at the moment, but I can sense more of his progeny approaching.”

Perhaps Hamdi had deliberately given his progeny tasks to perform away from the Tangled Tower in order to have an excuse about why they weren’t available to greet her when she arrived. If that was the case, then his attempt to slight her had bought Zedya invaluable time. Now, however, at least one of those progeny had entered the tower on the floors above, and another wasn’t far behind.