The Vampire & Her Witch

That evening, Ashlynn stood before the large mirror in her dressing room, carefully adjusting the lacing of her corset and wishing that Heila was still within the ancient fortress, for more reasons than just a bit of help with her laces.

In order to meet Ashlynn's schedule, Sybyll and the forces under her command had left for Hanrahan Barony at the same time that Ashlynn had taken her forces to the Summer Villa. Large armies moved slowly, and unlike the small raiding force Ashlynn had led to destroy the Summer Villa, Sybyll needed to bring along enough soldiers from Commander Bassinger's First Army to garrison Hanrahan town after she took it.

Everyone was moving quickly and at the time, Ashlynn felt like it made sense to send Heila and Hauke along with the rest of the army rather than asking them to catch up, but now, after her long ride back to the ancient fortress in one of the carts designed to navigate narrow trails through the wilderness, she yearned for the familiar presence of a close friend she could let down her guard around, even if just for a few hours of the evening.

"You're frowning, my darling," Nyrielle said as she swept into Ashlynn's room and appeared behind her lover in a single breath. Wrapping her arms around Ashlynn's slender waist, Nyrielle pulled her closer, trapping Ashlynn's hands in the laces of her dress as she inhaled her lover's rich, evergreen scent.

"What's wrong?" Nyrielle asked gently. "Did you find something unpleasant in the Summer Villa?"

"Nyri," Ashlynn breathed, closing her eyes and relaxing back into the comforting coolness of Nyrielle's embrace. "I've made you worry, haven't I?" Ashlynn asked, glancing out the window where the stars were slowly winking into view. The sun had barely set, and Nyrielle was already here at her side. Clearl,y her lover had rushed to her as soon as she'd woken from her slumber.

"Of course I'm worried," Nyrielle said, giving Ashlynn a gentle squeeze. "Not that anyone could injure you, but that something would go wrong and injure one of your close ones, or that you would find something disturbing among your effects in the Summer Villa…"

"Even if nothing there should have been able to injure you, there are countless ways you might have suffered," Nyrielle said as she held Ashlynn tightly. "So how was I supposed to rest without worrying over you?"

"Samira surprised me," Ashlynn said, opening her eyes and twisting in Nyrielle's arms until she could meet her lover's midnight gaze. "She surprised me in so many ways. She's carrying Owain's child," she said, holding tightly to Nyrielle's lithe body. "I, I knew it might happen. I just wasn't prepared to see her so far along. She must have conceived within a week of my wedding night. Owain barely waited before moving on…"

"From what you've said of him," Nyrielle said gently. "Owain is far from a chaste man. Is it surprising that he found the next convenient woman available to vent his lust upon?"

"No," Ashlynn said, hanging her head and shaking it gently. "It isn't surprising, but it makes me hate him more. His father was a better man… For all his faults, Bors hasn't so much as touched a woman in the years since his wife passed. But Owain," Ashlynn said bitterly. "As far as he knew, I was dead and gone, but he didn't even wait long enough for my body to cool before he pinned another woman under him."

"All the more reason to put an end to him," Nyrielle said in a tone that was momentarily sharper than she intended. She traced her slender fingers through Ashlynn's soft, pale blonde hair as if she was restoring her own emotional balance before placing a finger under her chin and lifting the younger woman's gaze back up to meet hers. "You knew all this before, including that this Samira woman intended to bear a child for Owain, so why are you so troubled?"

"Because Samira has changed since I first met her," Ashlynn said, pulling back from Nyrielle and holding out the laces of her corset. "Do me up and I'll explain?"

"This isn't how I like to tie you up, my darling," Nyrielle said, leaning in and whispering into Ashlynn's ear before gently nibbling on her lover's tender earlobe. "But if it's what you wish, I'll help you," she said as she took the laces in her hands and began to make adjustments. "Tell me about how Samira has changed, and why that disturbs you so much."

"Jocelynn started it," Ashlynn said, leaning into Nyrielle's touch and savoring her closeness as she unburdened her heart. "According to Samira, Jocelynn hated being around her because Samira and I were so different, but looked so similar when she was dressing up like me."

"At some point, Jocey said that, so long as Samira was pretending to be me, she needed to at least be able to hold a conversation like me," Ashlynn said. "Which makes sense. Samira nearly cuckolded Owain publicly in a conversation with the young ladies of the Lothian Court because she didn't know that noble ladies send a dozen messages or more every time they dress to meet other nobles."

"Oh?" Nyrielle said, pausing as she inspected Ashlynn's dress for the evening. Dark green silks were accented by green and silver brocade with the patterns of leaves, while a brighter green corset with silver laces emphasized the slenderness of her lover's waist. Around her neck, she wore a simple silver chain made from dozens of tiny silver snowflakes while the cut of her dress displayed only a narrow window of her lush, perfect cleavage.

"What messages does this dress send?" Nyrielle asked lightly as her fingers tied the laces of Ashlynn's corset into an intricate bow.

"The necklace is a gift from Hauke that represents both my coven and my place as the Last Eldritch Lady of the High Pass," Ashlynn said, running a finger across the snowflakes of the necklace. "The silver is taken from the mists of the Vale," she added with a smile. "But I'm wearing green without blue, because at the moment, I'm standing on my own."

"I gave you command of our forces because your vengeance is your own to claim," Nyrielle said as she reached out to cup Ashlynn's cheek. "But you aren't on your own. I'll always be here for you, to catch you if you stumble or fight at your side if you need me to. You're never alone, my darling," she said as she moved her hand lower, resting it over Ashlynn's heart.

"Our hearts beat together," she said, stepping in close and resting her forehead against Ashlynn's. "Our lives are bound together. I know you want to do as much of this with your own strength as you can," she whispered. "But even if you come home from the battlefield covered in the blood of your enemies, you still have me to come home to, and my heart will always be open to hear your pains."

"So tell me what pains you," Nyrielle said as she pulled Ashlynn into a tight embrace. "About Samira, Jocelynn, or anything else. Tell me, and we'll face it together…"