The Vampire & Her Witch

The sounds of chains clanking and low growls filled the waiting area under the arena where Savis glowered at the diminutive young witch who seemed to be in charge of the spectacle that was being made of their need to feed.

”I have never in my life been bound in chains,” the white-furred vampire snarled, glaring at Heila and shaking the thick, heavy chain that bound his left arm. ”This is an insult to the dignity of High Lord Hamdi’s line!”

”No one cares, big brother Savis,” Tausau said, hefting his end of the chain and feeling its weight with his disproportionately small arms. ”And besides, chaining you to me is an honor for you and a mark of respect for your strength. If they weren’t worried that we’d destroy these fallen champions in an instant, they would never shackle us like this.”

”Sir Tausau is correct, Sir Savis,” Heila said as she strode toward the powerfully built men with another set of shackles and chains, this time intended for their ankles.

The two men were so different from each other that for a moment, Heila struggled to believe that they were both the progeny of the same vampire. Savis was tall and regal, with a body that was perfectly proportioned. From his broad shoulders and powerful arms to his trim waist and sprinter’s legs, the light coat of white fur on his body did nothing to hide the perfection of his physique. In all the world, if there was a more perfect member of the Golden Eyed Clan, she couldn’t imagine how they could possibly be superior to the eldest of Hamdi’s progeny.

Tausau, on the other hand, embodied the many problems that plagued the Clanless. He was taller than his older sibling by a full head and possessed a barrel-chested physique common to many from the Clan of the Great Claw. Unfortunately, for all the strength and power of his core, he lacked the long, powerful arms of his father’s clan and instead possessed almost comically thin limbs that matched with the delicately striped features on his face, both serving as clear markers for his mother’s Clan of Painted Masks.

”In the Tangled Wood, vampires are addressed as ’Master’, little girl,” Savis snarled as Heila secured a shackle to his left ankle. ”You should...”

”I should what?” Heila said, her voice sounding in the stone chamber like the sharp crack of a whip. ”Cower before you? Respect my elders?”

”You are the servant of a servant,” Savis growled. His fur bristled at the feeling of being chained and this little girl who wasn’t even a tenth of his age only made the humiliation worse. In a single movement, he could reduce her to a lifeless corpse, draining the blood from her body before anyone could move to protect her, but she acted like he was a harmless pup!

”I am the first witch of the Mother of Trees,” Heila said, securing a heavy shackle to Tausau’s leg. The younger vampire gave her a soft, apologetic smile but did nothing to defend her while his elder brother vented his ire on the diminutive witch. ”You are the first progeny of a High Lord. If nothing else were true, that would at least make us equals,” she said firmly.

It took an incredible amount of willpower for her to stand up to a vampire. Growing up in the Vale of Mists, vampires had stood at the very pinnacle of her world. The most revered Eldritch Lady of the Vale was a vampire and the previous High Lord of the Vale had been a vampire as well. Even the most powerful, revered members of Nyrielle’s inner circle were her own progeny.

To be selected to become a vampire was an honor that no one born in the Vale had ever earned since the death of High Lord Torbin but that didn’t mean that the people of the Vale forgot what it meant to strive to be worthy of the ultimate honor. So when she squared off against the powerful Golden Eyed vampire, the eldest progeny of High Lord Hamdi, it took every bit of strength that Heila had honed under the watchful eyes of the Mother of Thorns to stand up straight and speak to him as if he was her equal.

”Tonight, you hold a place of honor,” Heila continued, refusing to back down from the towering lupine’s golden-eyed stare. ”You and Sir Tausau represent the greatest strength of High Lord Hamdi’s forces. Your soldiers have been given places on the second level so they may watch your battle. You and Sir Tausau will be chained to each other, hand and foot, because even though you will face off against three times your number, hobbling you like this will only barely give your opponents a chance.”

The more she spoke, the closer Heila came to the sulking vampire until she stepped up onto a bench to look the tall man directly in the eyes from inches away. From up close, Heila could feel the chill of the grave that clung to his powerful body and the scent of blood that radiated from him with every exhale of cold breath.

And yet, when she compared him to Sir Thane or Madame Zedya, somehow, he came up short, lacking the otherworldly menace that Lady Nyrielle’s progeny possessed. That feeling, more than anything else, gave her the strength to hammer home her last points. Savis was powerful, to be sure, but she wasn’t weak either and she refused to let Ashlynn down by cowering in front of Lady Nyrielle’s defeated foe!

”All of this honor is given to you, according to the traditions of the place we stand,” Heila said. ”Despite the fact that you are Her Eternity’s prisoner,” she said, hoping that a reminder of Nyrielle’s status would get through to him when kinder words hadn’t. ”Tonight is Lady Nyrielle’s grand welcome, and on this night, only the two of you are granted the honor to display your strength before the crowds. Madame Zedya has not received this honor, nor has Sir Ignatious.”

”Lady Heila is right, big brother Savis,” Tausau said at last, standing next to the white-furred vampire and placing a hand on the man’s shoulder. ”Our grand-niece has seen fit to acknowledge us as family, despite the actions of our sire. She’s honoring us, and she’s honoring High Lady Erna’s traditions by requiring us to feed in a way that is acceptable in her territory. Surely you understand how accommodating she’s being for all parties involved.”

”The politics of accommodation are tools for the weak,” Savis snapped at Tausau almost reflexively. ”Or the magnanimous,” he added reluctantly. ”You’re made of sterner stuff than I thought, little Lady Heila,” he added, turning his gaze back to Heila. ”The number of people who would dare to chastise me can be counted on two hands. I did not expect you to be one of them.”

”But if I am to be bound to this mongrel,” he added, tugging on the chain that bound his left arm and pulling Tausau off balance. ”At least give me a spear so I can fight without becoming entangled with this awkward oaf.”

”You have your claws,” Heila said with a shake of her head. ”And Sir Tausau will have a shield and a net to help defend your flank and trap your prey. That should be enough to let you have your hunt and give the crowd their show.”

”It will be fine, Big Brother,” Tausau said as he stretched to reach the shield and net Heila mentioned. Between the short chain binding his leg to Savis’s and the longer one binding their arms, he could barely reach far enough without pulling the smaller man along with him, but he managed.

”Now, what say you Big Brother?” Tausau asked, the fire of challenge flickering to life in his eyes. ”Shall we show these men why the progeny of High Lord Hamdi should never be underestimated?”

”Since when are you this bold, Little Brother?” Savis said, looking at the misshapen vampire with a raised brow. ”You’ve been like this ever since Her Eternity summoned you.”

”Perhaps, one day, she’ll do for you what she has done for me,” Tausau said, nodding his head at Heila in silent thanks. While he didn’t know how Nyrielle had managed to rekindle the emotions he’d thought long burned away, he was certain that her association with witches had something to do with it. He would never give voice to that speculation but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t give thanks where thanks was due.

”For now, put it out of your mind and focus on the fight to come,” Tausau said with a smile that revealed his long, sharp fangs. Inwardly, he wished that Nyrielle had rekindled the fires that once burned in his eldest brother’s heart. Hundreds of years ago, what a force they’d been when they charged out from the Tangled Wood and slaughtered anyone who thought themselves mighty enough to resist. Now, even though Savis was stronger, his thirst for battle was a shadow of its former self.

”Tonight,” Tausau said, hoping to rally at least a remnant of his elder sibling’s fighting will. ”We fight and then, we feast!”