Victoria is given by her father, the King of the Barren Lands, to the Vampire Duke Sadisman as a hostage. She is a gift from her people as a peace offering. As part of the bargain, Duke has promised, "She will not be sired, she will not be fed upo...
The Duchess came into her private quarters happier than showing in a blood waterfall. The high priestess of the Lobishomen hardly managed to suppress her smile. Centuries of planning, plotting, crafting and the moment had been achieved her Daughter betrothed to the most dangerous prince of vampires. A dynasty assured, a country possibly a continent would be unified under his rule. There would be fountains of human blood to this most royal of couples.This time the Duke had finally not been able to outmaneuver her and her bloodgod sister.
"So he agreed?" The Duchess shrieked with joy, her eyes full of bright childlike excitement "When can I see him? When can I hold him?" .
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High priestess.
"Soon." said the high priestess sitting down like she was a girl friend and spoke in the black tounge "He is still poorly humored, his pet plan is dashed, leave him a moment, then use your womanly wiles to raise his cheer. Worry not at his changing his mind. The high priestess has already sacrificed thirteen fleshlings in celebration of the union there is no going back."
The Duchess had lost all sense of the usual vampiric cool. Giddy she had opened the wardrobe looking at which dress would be most appropriate. "Too slutty, too slutty, too slutty, too slutty" she picked up one dress and pulled a face "not slutty enough ew.."
"Now you can thank me for my efforts on this part." said the high priestess of the Lobishomen.
"I do thank you, his agreement is nothing short of a miracle. How did you do it?" she said keeping her mother and high priestess talking without the slightest chance of being interested.
"The normal way plotting, planning, preparation. In this case, the high priestess has been highly useful. She desires her other son to sit on the throne. She and Tearman between them object to every new coven member so his coven diminishes. We secretly sabotaged their ammunition machine so well they thought it not work. They are weak and the tactical argument, powerful. Admittedly the high priestess could not loose. If he refused to do all to protect the coven then she would denounce him and seek Malthus's return. If he agrees he looks weaker but together we become one large supreme covern. She's shifty, unreliable and treacherous."
"Like you. it's why you get on so well," said the Duchess holding another dress against her.
"She's dangerous not as dangerous as the son, but one mistake dangerous none the less. Soon we will be in wedded alliance and I can be sure she will only be trying to take over the coven and not kill you. That will be a load from my mind. The Son your husband to be. You can never fathom what he's thinking. The whole love sick for a human act. It was very dangerous, what did he think he would get out of it? Whatever it was it was enough to risk control of his coven. Well, it cost me two of my best familiars, but she's gone.
The Dutchess pulled a straight face imitating Victoria's and pulled her hair back "I so hated her from the moment we met. She has more issues than vogue, still what do you think? should I go more blonde for him?"
The high-priestess shrugged "As you will. Now as I said you can thank me."
At this, the Dutchess turned round and confronted the sitting high priestess. She held out her elegant fingers of one hand and pointed at each in turn. "He still mistrusts me, he marries out of honor and duty to the coven, not because he coverts me. And of all the things you have done, I have done more. You should be the one thanking me."
The high priestess poured a glass of wine and added some human blood to it from a pitcher. "What have you done? Pined, whined undertaken no certain part in any stratagem."
"What have I done? What have I done Mother? I was born your son and became your daughter. I have given up everything for you, everything, my very nature carved for your ambitions. Yey, you complain that your womb child is vain and talented at nothing but seduction, she is exactly the thing you crafted her to be."
The high priestess struck the Duchesses beautiful face with her still gloved hand. The Duchess immediately began to cry.
"Be quiet, you will speak of that at no time and no place, especially not in the coven keep of another!" said the high priestess looking desperately around. She had killed familiars for rumoring less.
The Duchess continued to cry, the high priestess went over to comfort her.
"There there, there, there my daughter. I'm sorry, we should be all be sorry. He will come around to you. Once he has accepted you as his wife everything can be revealed. As for his issue, once you are married he can make his bastard child with the Princess and you raise him or her as yours. You would like that, then everyone is happy, the blood god blesses us"'
"The blood god blesses us" said the Duchess through sobs.
