The Return to Love and Power 02/19/2011 0 Comments   The soft song echoed in the distance.  Over two years had passed while the vampire had slept In his native soil.  The song seemed so familiar, the draw of its message crystal clear. 

"I need you." 

The earth was cold and held the smell of rotting flesh.  The Necropolis was well known as a gateway to the undead. 
As his memories began to stir, Icendium remembered the voice. 

Niennah Vardamir clawed at the ground with her fingers.  Her nails broken and bloody, she cried out the verbal requirements repeatedly.  Calling to her god frantically, the Cleric was in a dire situation.  Her memories of Stormreach had been erased!  The basic survival instincts of the bitten came down to a single thought - I must find the one who bit me.

The earth gave way to a pine coffin with no markings.  Striking the box repeatedly, Niennah chanted, screamed and cursed the name she sought.  The old wood gave way with a crunch of wooden splitters.  Inside lay the shriveled corpse of the Wizard.  His hands held two magic scepters, crossed at the mid-section.  The Black Dragon-scale robes he once wore with pride were covered in dust and web.  Tears filled Niennah's eyes as she remembered her never-ending search for the rare black scales to make him the robe.

"Master! Arise from your dreaded sleep.  The world has changed and become something much more."  Niennah said with an excitement in her voice.  " Come taste of me once more!  Drink deep from my love and the world will be ours!" 

Nothing happened.  Icendium did not move.  The simplest of thoughts crossed her mind and a smile so wide crossed her lips.  Throwing caution to the wind, she removed ever last stitch of armor.  As if mocking him, she slit both of her wrists and danced on his grave.  As the blood trailed down her naked body, a few drops teasingly fell to the Vampire's lips.

Thoughts of the days long past filled him.  Mortisgrin had told him to sleep.  The Deathwatch Guard dissolved. Their secrets lay in the ground with him.  Do the nights fill Stormreach with adventure again?  Stormreach was a wasteland. 

"Come taste of me once more!"   The voice was so familiar.  Niennah thrust her bleeding wrists to his mouth out of pure frustration.  "My Lord!  Rise and I will do anything!  My love for you is true!  I have waited patiently, but it is now our time."

Sobbing with exhaustion, Niennah collapsed onto his corpse.  A faint whisper was heard. 

"Anything?" 

************************************

With the coming storm, many of the inhabitants of Stormreach barred their windows from the high winds and rain.  Things had been a bit weird as of late.  Not all of the citizens had been returning from the marketplace with the best of news.  Prices for commodities had sky rocketed.  The locals were reduced to a level of poverty.  They held a strong grasp on their rare coins of platinum.  All around the city, news of a coming plague brought a nervousness to the air.

As the sun set, Gwyar Nwyfre ran his auction in the city's market.  Many of the cities inhabitants were fond of Gwyar, but none knew his dark history better than the former officers of the Deathwatch.  The shadows seemed to melt together just as the sun set.  A black cloaked figure moved in long strides toward the auction.  Gwyar turned on his heels, blade drawn.  "You might not have noticed the time friend. ~The market is now closed, and so is my auction."  

Niennah Vardamir smiled from underneath her hood.  "Now is that anyway to treat an old friend?"

Gwyar fought back the tears of joy.  It had been such a long time since Niennah's disappearance.  Throwing his arms around his old friend, Gwyar lifted her in the air with ease.  "Where have you been?  We have so much catching up to do." Gwyar said with a cracked voice.  Niennah regarded him evenly.  "Actually, my old friend, I am here on business.  I am in need of a number of items."

As the two discussed business and made trade arrangements, another cloaked figure watched from the shadows.

Drodan stumbled out of the tavern.   Now that the sun had set, his eyes didn't hurt so much being outside.  Lumbering toward the marketplace he didn't even see the cloaked figure as he plowed straight into the Wizard Icendium. 

"What the he'll!" Drodan said with a drunken voice.  "You wizards need to stop just appearing out of nowhere."  Drodan pulled down the hood to get a better look at him. "Well, shit my pants and call me smoothy brown stool, if it isn't my old friend Ice.  Mortisgrin and i were just talking about you." 

Smiling from ear to ear, Drodan produced a valuable scepter that he had found.  "I have been saving this for just the right Wizard."   Icendium examined the truly rare item with a great hunger for its power. 

With a rather crazed look in his eyes the hero drew close to Icendium's face.  "You can keep it if you promise to stay in town long enough to meet with Featherstone."


**********************************

Normally the comings and goings in the marketplace did not overly concern Terebinthis, but the mention of her guild leader's name made her look up.  A slight frown creased her dark brow.  She recognised Gwyar from the times she had seen him, but who was this other?  There was something about him, something that was attractive, faintly repellent, which?

She was tired of learning from stuffy old books, and there were rumours that those more experienced in the Craft than her had access to darker, more interesting arts... Perhaps this was such a one?

Intrigued, she followed, at a slight distance. It would not do to draw too much attention to herself....


*********************************

Too much attention was being drawn to Icendium.  People were watching the drunken Drodan, his antics, pointing, and whispering.  Grasping the item with both hands, he ripped it away from its owner's grasp. “I will meet with Featherstone when the time is right. Until that time, you would be wise to sober up and reflect upon your future.”  The Wizard was never at a loss for words.  In this case it seemed that his original plans would have to wait.

Turning quickly, the Vampire escaped into a dark alley looking for an easy way to not be noticed.  The alley was a dead end.  The words to a jump spell crossed his mind.  A tap on the shoulder broke his concentration.  With a curse, Icendium spun around and looked into the eyes of Terebinthis. 

“Interesting choice of company you keep Wizard. “ Her seductive voice charmed him. “While it may be dusk, I am certain there are much more pleasant accommodations elsewhere in the city.  Perhaps you would accompany me for a short time on my walk back?"

Indeed she had a charm to her that was undeniable.  “It would be my pleasure to show you the way.” Icendium said with a new interest in his friend.  Her eyes were so beautiful.  Her features were so perfect.  The Vampire's mind raced with thoughts of unspeakable pleasure.  She was his missing love. 

Terebinthis' simple charm spell had worked.  As the two walked together she breathed a sigh of relief.  The vampire must be weak from lack of blood.


************************************

A charm spell works for only so long, as Terebinthis well knew.  She had only a short time to study her target and plan her next move.  The simple tap on the shoulder had shown the chillness of his blood.  And who better to teach her of the undead than an undead?

Yet.  She knew her limitations.  For one with a mind such as this commanding was not the way to go.  Persuasion, gaining of trust - such an approach would be necessary.  And there had been something, what?  A flicker of recognition in his eyes?  That had shaken her, as much because she felt the same recognition when she saw his face.  So slowly, to start.

They walked for a little while through the dimness of the Marketplace.  People were scattering now, hurrying home, afraid of the dark.  They reached the bridge near the Lordsmarch Bank.  Ach well, she thought. You have to start somewhere.

"I am called Terebinthis.  And I will be frank, Wizard.  You have knowledge that I seek.  This is clear to me.  But I understand that such knowledge must be bought and fairly paid for.  So.  Perhaps we can reach an accommodation.

In the meantime I hope you will forgive my recent slight impertinence, and agree to meet with me here, on this bridge, at this hour.  Perhaps tomorrow, and then from time to time?  To discuss such matters further....

Icendium"

The word was out before she could close her lips.  How did she know this name?  And by his start it was a true guess.  To cover her confusion she bowed and quickly slipped away.  

There was work to do tonight.  Garlic to buy, and rowan, and hawthorn berries.  A drunk to buy a drink for, by the looks of things, to find out more about this vampire she knew and did not know.  And to start planning a source of blood.  By the looks of things she might need a lot of it...


******************************

The Hell hounds pursued Terebinthis, blowing fire and biting at her heals.  As she rounded the corner looking for her party, the fear grew even stronger.  The ravine was about a hundred foot drop into the abyss.  Looking down into its murky depths, the damned swayed like a sea bed full of weeds.  Trapped, she turned to defend herself.  The hounds tore at her robes, ripping at the cloth like they had a madness.  Terebinthis threw one behind her over the ravine.  The others circled her, small flames coming from their mouth. 

From across the ravine, her party members appeared with a startled look.  The ensuing laughter was confusing.  Why were they pointing?  Her robes!  She was exposed!  

The laughter changed to an insane howl as Terebinthis snapped out of the odd daydream.  Sitting in the busy tavern, she noticed what the commotion was about.  Men were howling as they discussed an adventure they recently went on.  Finishing her wine, she retired to her room for the night.

The room was clean and well lit.  Terebinthis double locked the door behind her.  Things had been so strange since her meeting with Icendium.  She lay down on the soft bed, folding her hands across her midsection.  Her skin was warm and inviting.  Thoughts brought the day's events to mixed emotions.  A soft vibration of energy pulsed in her hand as she drifted off to sleep.  Sitting up, she gave a startled look at her stomach.

 A Pearl of Power lay embedded within her navel.


*********************************

The sun was high overhead, but no light filtered down to the tomb in which Terebinthis stood, looking down at the corpse before her. 

It had not been easy to find him, but Drodan, hazed with sleep and the drinking of the night before, had given her some clues as to where to look.  And when she saw Niennah stumbling out of the Necropolis, haggard, pale, the other pieces fell together.  The vampire had fed, and for the moment would be replete, sleeping, safe to approach.

More than this, though, a sense of presence had drawn her here, as though he was a point on some internal compass.  Tossing the Pearl of Power thoughtfully, she studied Icendium's face. 

As a man, he would have been attractive to her once, she supposed, although she had decided against pursuing such things ever since waking on Korthos Island with no memories save that she could cast magic.  Better to place her trust in her own energies and her own abilities.  Nothing else could be trusted.  Besides, the stench of death here was no aphrodisiac.  Lying here as he was, she could see only too clearly the traces of his inhumanity. Niennah's blood on his lips sickened her.  For a second she thought to use the things she had brought, and her grip tightened on them.

Still.  He had not harmed her in any way.  He had brought her a gift.  And so she would return one to him.  He lay in his coffin with his hands crossed, holding clearly valuable sceptres.  Carefully she extracted them and laid them at his feet, replacing them with her gift.

xxx

It was almost dusk when Icendium awoke.  Something was strangely different in his tomb.  A scent, a passing breeze, the air had changed while he had slept.  His hands felt strange.  His sceptres - his sceptres were gone!  Startled into full awakeness and fury he sat sharply upright.

No... there they were.  Cleaned and set very carefully aside.  Finally he looked at the things he held in their place. 

A doubled set of neatly prepared wooden stakes.  And a note, in careful elegant script.

"Thank you for your gift.  I return one to you.  Your unlife.  I look forward to meeting with you later"

****************************

The finest of fabrics draped across the night sky as Icendium watched the city from his free fall.  On very rare occasions, his teleportation would fail dropping him directly over the city.  Watching the people had become a favorite pastime as he regained his strength.  The lengths that people would go to find rich reward were simply amazing.  Not being exempt from such temptations, Icendium and Niennah had begun collecting shard fragments.  The two wooden stakes proved very useful.  Jeets was cleanly crucified to a ships mast, with Terebinthis’ note attached to take credit for the event.

As Icendium grew closer to his meeting with Terebinthis, he reflected on the events leading up to his decision.  There wasn’t a Wizard or Sorcerer in Stormreach who could get past the death magic warding the door to his crypt.  Not only had Trebinthis made it past the magic securing the area, but she also had managed to move both of Icendium’s scepters and clean them!  She would be an interesting challenge.  Pulling his cloak into a tight triangle, the Wizard read from a scroll of shadow walk and fell in behind Terebinthis a short distance away.

His teeth extended, the Vampire felt a burning desire to taste her.  She was young and full of life.  Her flesh would be like tender veal, soft and inviting.  She would satisfy him in ways she never could dream of.  She would beg for death.  Death would never quite come for her though.  Death would tease her in ways a Necromancer teases a new undead bride.  On the verge of release she would find frustration and a living hell.  She would pray for deliverance and salvation from her pain and pleasure!

“Oh hello Ice”.  Terebinthis said, looking right at him playfully. "I didn’t think you would make such a dramatic entrance. Most people just walk here."

**********************************

It was actually quite incredible the lengths he would go to to avoid being seen, thought Terebinthis.  No doubt he thought he would take her by surprise.  But the lodestone within her heart, the compass that pointed to him at all times, this was not yet failing her.

She could see the surprise in his eyes as she turned around to face Icendium.  What she had to make sure she concealed was the surprise in her own heart as she looked at the costly scrolls he held.  He wanted to make very sure he was unseen by her.  Very sure indeed.  And she was a beginner in these arts. 

Why could she see him!

A flash of light, passion, fear. (but what was this?)

Two wrists, blood to blood, skin to skin. (but whose were these)

The same eyes, looking at her (at who? who was she!)

"I will never hurt you.  On all that I hold dear I give you my word." (but where are they? When were they!)

Passionate words, passionately spoken. (by both of them???? real fear rising now...)

"By all that we hold dear, we are bound to each other.  We will never harm each other, until the worlds end".  Blood on blood, skin on skin.  Blood magic.  Binding magic.

Terror and confusion gripped Terebinthis as her present self dissolved.

xxx

Icendium had chosen to forget many things in the course of his unlife.  A convenience?  Yes.  Necessary? Perhaps.  Even the undead like to sleep well in the face of the crimes they have committed.  But even as he recovered from the shock that she could see him, as he watched her stumble (and what strange instinct made him rush to catch her?) a sense of familarity coursed through him.

He knew this woman.  Of course he did.  And she knew him.  Knew him utterly.  And as his eyes locked with those of the one who was Terebinthis, yet not Terebinthis, he felt the chains of blood oath come crashing down around him.  No charm this.  Something far more ancient and arcane.  Something he could not wriggle out of.

"The one that I am now did not know this until now, Icendium, but I need your blood.  Your blood to bind the power of a Pale Master. It is how it has always been." (there are other ways but this is the truth, this is the best way, the purest way.  Blood taken by force from the veins of an undead has always led to the purest result)

"So you will give it to her" (absolute authority, absolute assurance that I will do as she asks.  And I will.  But why will I!  Who is she!  Icendium searched his memories, to no avail.  Real fear rising now...)

"with no foul consequences" (Why can I not resist this woman?  Icendium battered the prison within his head, but a prison within his own head and heart it remained)

Pain, then.  No bite.  A clinical cut right into the jugular.  Deep.  Unforgiving.  Far more than was needed for a simple bloodletting.  Where was Niennah now to offer him the succor he needed? 

She had been careful to draw him out of sight, careful that no-one could see as she raised the cup of blood to her lips and drank deeply.  Careful that no-one else but him could see the light and power within her eyes as she slowly licked her lips clean.

"and there is one thing more that you need to understand"

She opened her collar up then, clearly showing the tender flesh at the base of her throat.  A pulse there.  The lust within him raged and charged, fangs extended, even as his life's blood started rushing out.  To be prevented.  By what?  He did not know.  Though the basest part of him wished only to drain her utterly, he could not.  Could not even touch her.  Could not even trace his lips across that vulnerable flesh.

Some sympathy then, in the tone of her voice, in the fingers that traced his face.

"I am not now, nor ever have been, yours.  You know this.  And in any case, you have Niennah.  Who is truly lovely."  Wry amusement now, in those cat green eyes.  "She should be more than enough for you, even with your appetites.  This one is off limits".

A slender hand wrapped around his jawline, forced him to look at her.

"It will not be so hard for you, Ice.  Trust me.  As you always have.  The world has changed, and this one knows its secrets.  You need her as much as she needs you.  She came here meaning to show you something."

The hand slid slowly down to his injured neck, the vampire's jugular pulsing more slowly now, blood pooling on his robes.  He was getting weak from the wound.  

And then benediction.  A healing touch, most literally.  And while he could see the errant weeds in the alley were shrivelling, dying, he felt his wounds knitting together, coming clean.  Life returned.  He could not help but close his eyes as he bathed in this strange green aura of hers.  It felt amazing.

No cleric touch this.  In his bones he felt it to be arcane magic.  Pure arcane magic, such that he had wanted and dreamed of for more years than he cared to count. 

Could it be true?

"This is a truth of a new world. You need be beholden to no-one.  No man or woman.  If you take blood it is your choosing.  No more excuses about nature, Ice.  You are the beast, and the beast is you.  So you always said to me.  It need be like that no more."

A gentle kiss became more passionate.  Long familiarity eased the way in a way he had not expected.  She had control, yet he welcomed it.  She had chosen a quiet spot, yet those who passed smiled indulgently, thinking them long separated lovers.  Which he supposed they were.  In a way.  He wished he could remember more.  Blood on blood, wrist on wrist.  Promises made.

"She can show you this healing.  And more.  And this is a gift, Ice.  Come back to me.  Come back and remember what it was to be human once more."

A pause.

"I miss you."

Such sadness, and yet a challenge in her eyes.

The moment passed.  The girl stumbled in his arms.  And yet, as he raised her up, Icendium still could see the eyes of someone he knew, someone long before this life.  Blood on blood, wrist on wrist.  Promises made.

**************************************

Time stood still.  This kiss, a serpent’s kiss to be sure, held him in paralysis.  The moment, frozen in time brought back the sights, sounds, and smells of the sea.  

Icendium was a young man again.  He had set sail across the sea, not looking back.  Things would be better this way.  What he left behind, he chose to block from his mind.  Why would anyone leave their true love?  The answer was simple.  Power.

In the scholarly studies of the day, she had been in a group hand picked to do research.  The group consisted of budding young women and Raven.  Raven was a woman of the world who could have any man.  She had set her sights on Icendium early on in their studies.  So it was that the games began.  He would complement the others on their choice of dress, their well written journals, and their attention to detail.  The young Wizard was having the time of his life.  Raven practically threw her perfect body at him.  His hunger for her was immense.  Then, the unthinkable had happened. 

While reviewing the writings of Elisa Delamore, a beautiful young scholar, she kissed him.  The kiss burned his blood and brought insanity to his mind.  Their love making ravaged like the wild beasts of the field.  She was intoxicating.  Still she begged him for more.  Always more.  He bit her repeatedly, tried to turn her, feed her his blood, Icendium had gone insane losing focus on his studies.  His spiral was noticed by Raven who swooped at the opportunity.  Icendium denied her once more. 

Coming back to the moment he was in, Icendium released the memory.  Elisa was gone.  She had believed the lies Raven told her about his unfaithfulness.  She had tried to banish him from her life.  Heartbroken, the Wizard had set sail to follow a new promise.  The promise of power.  Magic had never failed Icendium.  As Elisa lay dying of the Wizard’s disease spell, she felt regret and sorrow. Why had God punished her?

“I am truly sorry.” Icnedium said quietly.  As the city guard surrounded them,  Niennah, as witness to the murder, pointed to her. 

“That is the witch that killed Jeets. I saw it with my own eyes!”

***************************************

The time had come for all four crystals disks to be put into place.  Icendium’s hands felt a nervousness that he had not experienced in some time.  The Wizard knew that the final chest was a completely random opportunity for power.  As the chest opened, Icendium cursed to himself.  The valuable rare shield that was in the chest went to an adventurer in his party he had never met.  His weeks of work were for nothing.

Teleporting back to the district, Icendium couldn’t hold his rage in check.  Niennah had been preoccupied with personal matters and didn’t make the quest.  To make matters worse, Mortisgrin was now aware that Icendium was back in Stormreach.  Not that it mattered, but this simply made things a bit more complicated.  His fingers instinctively went to the ring of planar travels.  Icendium was sick of this place.  A soft voice whispered in his mind. “I love you. Don’t leave me. I need you.”

His thoughts began to race as the Wizard checked his inventory for sentient items. “You can have me imprisoned, but it does not change the way we feel.  Why do you avoid me?  Can you not face the one thing that makes you feel alive?  Come away with me.”  Slack jawed, Icendium could not believe it.  Had he finally gone insane?  His thoughts began to wander in self reflection.

In a time when life seemed so much simpler, the young scribe Icendium had the easy life.  Born with devilish good looks and a slim muscular body, passion was a magic he wove into the hearts of women.  He would come and go as he pleased with little care about anything but his own agenda.  The music of the Bards played constantly.  The wine flowed like the rivers after a heavy rain.  His studies came all too easily.  No challenge ever really presented itself.  

Devastation usually follows such attitude. She had come and gone into his life leaving an empty hole. 

Now was not the time to reflect on the past.  Now was the time for Stormreach to be in fear.  The fear of a coming wave of destruction brought a smile to his face.

 The voice continued in his head. “Come visit me.  I am lonely.  I need you.  I am sick, cure me of my disease.  Don’t leave me this way my love.” 

"ENOUGH!" Icendium said too loudly in the open market. 

Terebinthis smiled to herself, cold and naked in her cell.


*************************************

It was unusual, Terebinthis supposed, that they had allowed her access to a mirror.  Too readily convertable into a weapon.  But as she attempted to attend to the damage to her appearance in preparation for another interrogation session she was grateful for small kindnesses.

She stared at her face.  Who really lay behind those cold green eyes?  She wasn't even sure anymore.  The speed at which her past self had struck had terrified her.  She had blacked out several times since then, and the blood of the vampire still churned in her belly.

She could feel its effects spreading.  Already she had some control of her new faculties, could become a ghost with relative ease.  It was powerful, yes.  But even that desire now seemed suspect.  How much was it her, trying to understand him, trying to control him?  She could feel his confusion, battering like a butterfly against caging hands.  And both that link and those powers felt like sickness to her now.  They had to be broken.  She was very tired.

Footsteps on the stone.  Yes, it was he.  Terebinthis turned to face the Inquisitor.

xxxx

Inquisitor Gnomon had always prided himself on the ability to break heretics, and it was for this purpose once more that the Guard had called him in to speak to Terebinthis.  But in spite of himself he was impressed.  She had not wavered from her claims of innocence once.  And these claims were made very credible by having a cast iron alibi for the time when Jeets must have been slaughtered.

Surprisingly, he believed those claims.  There was a rightness to it, and he could see very clearly the pain and disgust that flared in her eyes as he showed her once again the pictures of what had been done to the halfling.  He thought he knew the likely true perpetrator.  The one she was found with on her arrest, the one whose lover had accused her of the killing.  There was clearly a connection between this girl and Icendium Delore.  But of what kind, he could not yet say.

Terebinthis stood as he entered the cell, and he felt something subtly wrong with the tableaux.  There it was.  Her manacles, neatly padlocked, arranged on the table next to a guttering candle.  Her wrists, bare.

"As you can see, I remain here of my own volition, Inquisitor.  I thought it prudent to offer you proof of that".  Did she look older, tonight, or was it just a trick of the flickering shadows?

He swallowed.  His throat was suddenly dry.

"And did you consider my offer?"

She looked away.  Such sadness in her eyes.  Now he truly understood what haunted meant.

"I did, yes.  And I accept.  You must understand that I have no proof that he did these terrible things.  But I believe that he must have done, in my own heart.  I believe he committed this terrible deed in order to incarcerate me here.  In which case I am culpable, in my own way.  And he cannot be allowed to continue in this vein.  For the sake of Stormreach.

I will tell you everything I know.  Some of the ways I have come by that knowledge will seem.... unusual to you.  But they are truly earned.  Everything has its price, it seems.

But before I continue I would like to tell you my price.  Will you hear it?"

He nodded.  Eyes widened when he understood.  Audacious, yes.  He admired her bravery very much.  And this made perfect sense.

"This.... will be possible.  If you tell me what you know."

Huge relief, then.  She closed her eyes, composed herself.

"In that case, we will begin."

Slight mischief in those cat green eyes.

"This is my confession, Inquisitor. Are you prepared to hear it?"

************************************

The Mindsunder device had been activated for two days and already people in Stormreach were acting like mindless fools.  Jeets had asked the device be destroyed.  With Jeets dead there were no witnesses to Icendium’s crime of using the device on Stormreach.  While the effects had started to take their toll on the Wizard, his undead state and vampire blood helped him stay somewhat sane. 

Niennah was not so lucky.  She had climbed to the top of the cathedral and began to dance.  As this might be considered normal behavior for the Cleric, it was not a natural thing to be doing the dance before sunrise.  As the sun touched her skin she fell from the heights of the tower to the street below. 

Random citizens wandered around the city in various states of confusion.  The jailer had soiled himself several times, playing with his own excrement.  The maddening Mindsunder device was about to destroy the minds of everyone.  

Icendium smiled.  He had come back to Stormreach to get vengeance.  Now was the time for all mortal men to meet their God.  Looking to the light slowly making its way into the room, the vampire closed his coffin and waited for the night.

The Inquisitor finished his sentence, and then froze suddenly.  His breaches began to darken with moisture.  Crying like a young man, he stood in the corner of the cell.  “I never really wanted this job.” He said with a whimper.  “I always wanted to be a farmer. The fields still call to me, the land and all of its beauty beckon me."

"I just wanted to start a family and be happy.“  Turning suddenly, the Inquisitor looked at his prisoner with a wild eyed stare. “You can be my wife! Let’s start a family right now!”

*********************************

Terebinthis sighed as the Inquisitor fell into a deep slumber.  Clearly she would have to handle matters herself once more.

As she stepped out of the jail she could sense much more clearly the distress of Stormreach's citizens, and, even as he slept, the exultation of the vampire.  Rummaging through his memories she understood what needed to be done. 

Her route took her past the cathedral and the crumpled body at the bottom of the stairs.  Niennah.  So he would want blood soon, too.  Another burden to fall on her, to persuade him he no longer needed it.  Sighing once more, she closed the elf's beautiful dead eyes and straightened her limbs before heading to the Inspired Quarter, ignoring the chaos around her.

xxx

Kruz was old, wise and very wily, so it was not surprising that he had not been affected by the powerful crystal.  Nor was it surprising that he knew not only when the Mindsunder smashed but who did the smashing.  What he did not expect was to be the first person to meet the heroine, nor to hear the tale she told.  The day wore on as Stormreach slowly put itself to rights and Terebinthis wove her story.

"I understand" he said when she offered her proposal.  "But what do you mean to do next?"

Terebinthis shrugged.

"I have to try and sway him from this path.  If I fail you and Stormreach have what you need to take the necessary steps.  I hate that this link exists, but it appears that I made that choice in another life far from here."

"He was a man once.  Perhaps I can persuade him to no longer be a monster.  You can help me offer him another way, if he has the courage to take it.  And if not, perhaps I can keep him in check through this link.  It is a small hope, but I have an obligation to try."

"Besides," she smiled wryly. "He has murdered me once, had me tortured this time.  He cannot physically touch me unless I choose for that to happen.  This link prevents him from harming me directly.  There is nothing he can take from me that I do not give him.  I am, in fact, the best person to try.  And your counterproposal at least gives me hope that there is an alternative for me, if all hope is lost."

Kruz nodded. "Good luck. And good hunting."

XXXXX

Night fell.  Icendium stirred in his coffin as the lid was gently removed.  The scent of the sea washed over him.  Cool fingers stroked his face, a nail traced gently down his neck to his chest. 

"Ice, Ice, you need to stop making me clean up your messes.  This all needs to stop.  I will not leave you again if you can control your excesses, but this has to stop."

He opened his eyes.  Green eyes locked with his.  An emotion in them he had rarely if ever seen before. It took some time for him to work out that it was pity.

******************************************

His eyes opened to the soft words.  Her voice was soft, yet kept the edge of authority.  Icendium didn’t bother to sit up as she stroked his cheek.  “I sense that the city isn’t in total chaos.  The lengths that a Wizard must go to ensure your attention.” 

Icendium smiled at his humor. 

“Now that you are here, you should know a few things.  For one, you are here of your own free will yet you are not.  My blood has purchased this audience and will be your ticket to greater events to come.  Your heart beats with mine, but in a way you do not yet comprehend."

Pulling himself to a sitting position, the Vampire placed both of his magic rods within their secure locations. 

“There are a great many things you do not yet comprehend.  You seek the answers that mortal men spend their lives to attain.  You seek instance, yet do not have place.”  Icendium stared deeply within her eyes trying to make the suggestions he sought.  His gaze of course had no effect.  Moving to the bookshelf, he pulled a volume that read “Foolish Fate” You may ponder its meaning if you wish.”   Moving behind her he admired her inner strength and fortitude. 

“You have come further than any other before.  Let me tell you of the things you desire.  The world is not the place to seek your desires.  In my time, I have found this truth to be certain.  The world is a living being, a prison, a hell.  To make your way through this prison you must embrace the things you fear most.  You must consume them and be sickened by them.  You must kiss the dead flesh of those you despise most to find happiness.”

 Icendium removed the pin holding her hair up, letting it fall to her shoulders.  “You have tasted of me young one, but you have not drunk from the fountain of knowledge.  You must vomit the truth from your being to make room for the lies that will replace them.”  Smiling at his own twisted joke, the Wizard placed the book in her hands. 

"Answer this riddle and I will teach you more than you wish to know."

********************************

Terebinthis looked somewhat startled as her white hair tumbled down her shoulders, but merely smiled and shrugged, pushing the silvery mass out of the way as she read the poem.  She closed the book with a sad smile.

"Is that really how you think about the world?  Poor Ice.  It explains much, including why you chose to murder me when we were last in a life together.  But you have to understand, I haven't come here to learn from you.  It's you I think have lost too much, need to relearn things you have forgotten."

"Come with me, I want to show you something."  Gently she linked her fingers with his, towed him smiling out of the stale air of the crypt.

"Leave your sceptres.  You won't need them."

xxx

It was almost fully dark when they came to the bridge near the marketplace.  Below them, Stormreach was alive, tending to the chaos, tidying up.  Lovers met and cried with joy that that they were both unharmed.  Parents scooped up separated children and hugged them fiercely.

"Everything is linked, Ice.  We are all part of this pattern, this great design of life.  On some level if you hurt one, you hurt all of them. "

Through the link they shared, he could sense the glory of what she sensed, the web of life that spread around them.

Terebinthis smiled.

"I do not claim to be an angel. I've taken life, of course, in the course of the tasks I've completed for people.  But I like to think that on balance I have helped all this and not harmed it.

I do hope you can see this.  We have to find some common ground somewhere."

Abruptly her mood changed. She sighed.

"And I don't know if you are aware of it yet, but you have an obligation to complete, a final task to put to rest an old friend, from what I understand.  Or have you not wondered why you cannot sense Niennah?"

************************************

“I have to admit that you have a different outlook on things.” Icendium said with a sardonic smile.  “Even if what you said was true, think of the simple things in life.  The ant is stepped on yet 5 more take its place.  Yet if I threw an ant off of the churches highest tower, it would hit the ground and continue on its way.”  The smile faded quickly hoping the reference to Niennah was not lost.  “Let us discuss things in a civilized manner.  You are an idealist, I am a realist.  History is the great judge.”

Icendium made a few arcane gestures, summoning a demon to serve him.  “Tell her, what does death hold for those that practice magic?”  The demon, with fury in its eyes obeyed because it must.  “There is a sea of blood and pain waiting for them."  The demon said with a slight grin.  Icendium moved to stand behind the demon.  “What happens to those that die for a just cause yet use magic?”  The demon did not move but answered the same. “There is a sea of blood and …..SILENCE!”  The Vampires said with a harsh tone.  “What happens to the dead that use magic?”  The demon did not answer.

“My young idealist, you may question him if you like.  I believe my point to be made.  There is no action without consequence.  No lie without truth, and no life without death.  I have forgotten nothing, but have taken the time to show you truth.  It is your constant lies I grow tired with.  You dare to use your charms again with me after all of these years?” 

Icendium pulled his hood to mask his face. 

“You bore me.”

*************************************

"Poor Ice.  To see only pain and death.  To choose undeath as the better option.  What a world you live in."

Terebinthis gently pushed the hood back from his face.

"I am not lying to you.  Nor am I trying to seduce you.  I am just trying to show you another way, a way back from the prison you are in.  You see it as liberation.  I know that.  But you are stuck.

There is no moral compass to magic.  It simply is.  There is no hell, simply rebirth.  You call me young, but I am as old as you are.  I have simply travelled another path.  A brighter path."

She showed him.  Bright threads of many lives lived.  All was change, all was flux.  She gloried in it.

"I offered to stay with you.  But I see that is not wished for.  So be it.  My obligations here are complete."

A wry smile.

"I do not believe we will meet again.  This time I will attend to that."

She faded into invisibility and was gone.


************************************

Terebinthis faced Kruz.

"Are you ready?" the half orc asked.

"No-one has ever been more ready."

"No regrets?"

"Everyone has regrets, Kruz.  Still, I am ready.  The city has what it needs.  And so does Ice, if he ever can realise that.  Sever me from this."

As the fires of reincarnation consumed her, she was smiling.

xxx

"Have courage and faith" she had written.  Icendium felt the joy of her passing, and looked down at the thing he had found in his crypt on his return.

A druidic heart of wood.


FINIS