The Vampire's Crimson Kiss (Editing)

Chapter 53/The groom

The Duke's chambers the black keep.

Mary rushed into the Duke's chambers via the small coven girl's door. There was a small party of familiars dressing him. To his left was the high priestess, who seemed to have hardly ever left him alone.

"What is that thing doing here? I thought I told you to bleed her dry," said the High priestess. She had stopped hiding her dislike for Mary about the same time the marriage was announced.

The Duke raised his eyebrow.

"Mary, where were you?" the Duke asked calmly, ignoring the high priestess.

"Forgive me, my lord. I found the Princess as you ordered," Mary said. She might have wanted to add about a possible pregnancy. It would have to be news of a living birth to make the high priestess change her plans. The high priestess was as likely to get Victoria killed rather than have her plans changed. Mary knew she had to get the Duke alone or at least with Victoria. This would require quick thinking.

The Duke gave an accepting nod.

"I won't have that blonde bitch contaminating your wedding or the temple. Get her out and cast that familiar to the cauldron," the high priestess said, pointing at Mary.

"With your grace, I believe your plan is not yet lost. The princess may change her beliefs; she may soon worship the blood god," said Mary.

The Duke held his arm out while one of the familiars did his cuffs up precisely.

"What plans are you talking about?" said the high priestess.

The Duke rolled his eyes and let out a disgruntled moan.

"Alright then, I will explain my plans to her if I must. You spoiled them just when they were getting to a climax. Like I might break a horse, I must break the princess's will to mine. She knows she will return to her people one day, so punishment will not be enough to make her obey. No, I had to pretend to love her. Then slowly turn the pressure, make her commit one harmless act, then another more serious, and another more deadly than before. Before she knew it, I would have her punish the cattle and slowly blacken her soul. She would whip and punish like us; perhaps I would make her kill one of them. The shock of that would convince her she wasn't the good person she thought she was. With blood on her hands, I could trap her. I had been confident that after a few years, she would be human and our servant."

The high priestess nodded. She could see pain and pleasure, power and torture turning her into one of them.

"You never told me of this" said the high priestess.

As he turned, with his back to the highpreistess the Duke winked to Mary.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" said the highpriestess. She wasn't convinced - this sounded like one of the Duke's lies.

'I'll tell you all my plans when you tell me all of yours. She was a project it could have failed. The prize was control over the Barrenlands - the humans would have been a useful buffer between our selves and a number of other covens. With Victoria as queen then I could have got her to attack them. Tell her Mary."

If Mary looked confused she didn't show it.

"Yes that was my Lords plan for her." said Mary "The love was a feint. We felt we could have got her to kill her own father and take over from him."

The High priestess looked more conviced.

"Mother your schemes has interfered with my work bending the princess to my will. I have done what you asked, and that has ruined months of work fawning and treating her like she was special so she would devote her heart to me. Now I have a new plan which will rescue what little I can from that affair. I wish you would stand back and at least not interrupt that. I'm bored of this I have oaths to rehearse. Mary explain my stratagem to the high priest"

Mary paused for a second "By you leave lord. You woke me early this morning before sunset. The princess had been spotted. You told me to ride to the Princess and bring her back here on some pretext which would make her believe that she could stop the marriage if she acted quickly."

"What pretext did you give her?" said the Duke.

"I told her that I had overheard a familiar whisper that there was some secret impediment to the wedding, and only she could stop it," said Mary.

The Duke nodded. "She believed you and came? Did she ask why you didn't deal with this your self." asked Sadismann.

"No" said Mary. "I would have said I was too busy rushing rescuing her from the camp of Malphas."

"Silly little princess. What was the nature of the impediment to the wedding?" asked the Duke

"I don't know. I made it up. It's whatever the long coat confesses, too. She's alone with the Dutchess' long coat now. I believe she will hurt him until he talks," said Mary.

The Duke paused and looked slightly disappointed "Quite so. torture a man enough and he will confess to anything to make the pain stop. If he has nothing he makes it up. Once she has done that the guilt will do the rest. Well open. So where is she now?"

"She is in the nerve garden Lord," said Mary.

"Good. go back and tell her that time is running out. I don't know. Force her hand somehow. Tell her I will hold things up if I can. No, don't say that. Say the wedding is accelerated; she must panic and freeze her witts," said the Duke. When the high priestess's back was turned, he winked at Mary.

"Your Princess is torturing one of our guest's familiars. What if it confesses?" said the high priestess

"To what? The long coat knows nothing, its not as if there is a real impediment which at the last minute could stop the marriage is there?"

"No," said the high priestess. "But we should not be torching our guests familiars"

The Duke shrugged "what of it. By the time she finds out her familiars will be my familiars. I would gladly sacrifice a familiar to take control of the badlands in a way the council of the covens could not object to."

"I still object" said the High Priestess.

"Then what is there to be afraid of? She will press the long coat and knowing nothing he will not confess. In her desperation she may well kill one of her beloved flesh kind and that kind of guilt will pollute her soul. I'm sure I can with such a pivot, open such a wound of guilt to my advantage and take over the Barren lands with a Queen who smolders on a vassal's throne caught by her own culpability. Anyway, soon, the Dutchess's long coat will be my long coat. Well done Mary, go back and make sure her resolve is not unbroken. If he makes up a confession, then I must know immediately to prepare some defense".

Mary left.

"You don't have feelings for this mortal?" The high Priestess said.

"I am surprised you have to ask." The Duke said, "Of course not? For a mortal. Now, mother, I want a midnight promise of no interference from you until my work on her work is done."

"Oh alright then but hurry. Also she stays in the nerve garden, I have a temple to ready". said the High Priestess.