The Vampire's Crimson Kiss (Editing)

Chapter 49/Malphas

Isha/Cub and I were standing before Malphas himself. I was in shock, this was the man who had sent so many assassins for me. My heart began to beat in double time like a gazelle. 

Malphas looked at us grimly. The tent we stood in was a grand affair, draped with richly colored fabrics that shimmered in the light of flickering torches. Intricate patterns adorned the walls, depicting scenes of ancient battles and triumphant victories. The air was heavy with the scent of incense, mingling with the musky aroma of leather and blood. At the center of the tent, a large table was strewn with maps and scrolls, illuminated by a soft glow emanating from a cluster of candles. It was a space befitting a renegade vampire lord. 

I quickly knelt, looking down like the good familiar I was pretending to be.

"This one has quite a tongue on her," said the vampire behind me in the dark tongue.

"Quite a tongue? Really? I might have use for that," said Malphas, looking down. His gaze felt like a barn full of rocks on me. He tapped the books with his toe. Malphas shared features with Sadismann: sharp face, strong jaw, clean features. He was disturbingly young. Unlike Sadismann, his hair was dark, nearly the color of midnight. He wore an animal skin over his shoulder, giving his broad shoulders the sensation of being a Mountain Gorilla under them. He towered over us.

"Are you carrying those for your master?" he asked in a particularly medieval version of the black tongue. He said pointing at my books. 

"If it be pleasing you, master, they are for my benefit. We are travelers being sent to the sisterhood of the wheel. We thank you for rescuing us," I said back in the same language.

"Why did you say you were glad to be with me?" said Malphas.

I looked at the floor. "By your grace, master. We are... we wanted to defect from Sadismann's power. We were searching for you and were captured by the Defiance human-flesh-scum. Our gratitude at our delivery knows no bounds." I said in the dark tounge. 

Malphas's feet moved to the other. "She has been taught well," he murmured. Then his voice turned to me as he lifted my chin. "Can you write as well as read?"

"Yes, Master," I said. A plan had formed in my mind: pretend like we were looking for Malphas, join him, then get out as soon as possible.

"You can read, but can you count?" said Malphas, squinting.

"Well enough," I said.

"Can she?" said Malphas, looking at Cub/Isha. He face was firmly planted to the floor.

"No, master," I said. It wasn't worth lying; he could test her. "But she knows enough to make pens, grind ink, and search for paper."

It took a second for me to calm my self. I could still kill them at the cost of loosing Isha.

"A scribe!" he announced loudly to everyone. "We are growing, a scribe would be welcome in our court. There is much correspondence to be dealt with. The other one can join the red-tent for her keep."

He held his hand out, and I leaned forward to kiss it. I had seen this happen to the Duke enough.

"Good," said Malphas, "but don't think I'm as easily fooled as my brother is by a pretty face. You will both wear a manacle until I believe you can be trusted. Remember, as true lord, I will make this coven strong, and when it is, then your position will be purchased with your loyalty to me."

I wasn't quite sure what to do at this point, and then I heard Cub/Isha shift in her dress, and I got the idea. I bared my own neck as an offering. Better to be bitten than dead. My heart began to race as I felt him sniff around me. I could feel the warmth of his face against my bare skin. I wasn't afraid; I knew, or rather I strongly hoped, he wanted me alive. The anticipation of the pain made my palms sweaty. I just wanted him to get it over with.