We eventually came out of the forest on the shores of a massive lake. On the water’s edge stood a very Scottish-looking castle, which made me pause.
“That doesn’t look very Finnish.” I said, pointing at the structure.
“Neither does a name like ‘Seamus’.” Tiffany shrugged.
“Good point.” I said as we resumed walking.
“So, what’s it like, sleeping with a vampire?” she asked after a few more minutes.
“You heard about that part, huh?” I asked in return.
“You’ve gotta admit that it’s not strange that it came up in conversation.” she replied, casting a side glance and a grin my way.
“I guess I’m not used to being in a relationship that people talked about.” I said.
“Well, I will admit that your friend Jack talked about it mostly” Tiffany said. “I think he was compensating for the fact that his girlfriend is five thousand years old.”
“What,” I said, smiling, “something like ‘my girlfriend might be as old as the last ice age, but at least she’s human!’?”
“Exactly! She said, laughing.
“It’s… “ I said, searching for the words. “It’s great. The sex, I mean. Just think about being with someone who doesn’t have to take a breath if they don’t want to.”
“Woah.” she said, her eyebrows raised.
“Other than that, it’s just… sex with a soulmate.” I continued, shrugging. “I have no idea what unconnected sex with a vampire is like because I have a ten thousand year history with the person behind the fangs that I sleep with.”
“And they don’t sleep?”
“I haven’t had to make my own breakfast if I don’t want to since I moved out of my Mom’s house.”
“Sign me up!”
We laughed again as we walked up to the door. We paused before knocking.
“How on guard should I be?” Tiffany asked, hand on her gun.
“This is a Vincent and Angelique ally, not a Trevor Hawkins one, so we can be sure that we’ll come to no harm.” I replied. “They’ve most likely spoken with… Mister Seamus and paved the way for us.”
“Very well.” Tiffany took her hand off of her sidearm and knocked on the wooden door.
We heard some amount of shuffling and muffled cursing on the other side before the door swung open, revealing a tall, thin man with red hair tied back in a messy ponytail.
“Aye,” he said, his Scottish accent cutting through his rough, grizzled voice, “You must be Vincent and Angelique’s friends!”
“Sargent Tiffany Collins, sir.” Tiffany said, standing ramrod straight.
“I’m Annabelle.” I said, nodding.
“And I’m Seamus.” he said. “Now get your asses in here before you attract something damaging… “
We followed him in and he led us down a stone corridor. Electric lights burned in the places where torches used to hang, the permanent soot-marks in the ceiling attesting to the castle’s pre-electric past.
“So,” Tiffany said, “vampire?”
“Only for five hundred years.” Seamus replied. “Not nearly as long as Angelique, but I’ve seen my fair share.”
I looked at his simple attire… a plain white dress shirt and black slacks... and smiled. "You don't dress like a five-hundred-year-old Scottish vampire."
“What, you expect me to be running around in a kilt with flaming bagpipes or something?” he grinned. “I’ve gotta save something for parties!”
Our host led us to a brightly decorated dining room, it’s large window showing the brilliant sunset happening outside. We sat down and Seamus pulled an embroidered rope.”
“TARA!” he shouted as he pulled. “WE HAVE GUESTS!”
An annoyed Irish accent from the next room answered him. “I know we have guests,” it said, not shouting but being heard just fine, “I fucking well told you about them! I’m the one who read Vincent’s fucking text!”
“Well then get them some fucking drinks!” the vampire shot back.
A dark-haired woman, just over five feet tall, walked in the room carrying a tray full of drinks. “Well what do you think I’m fucking doing, you cock-hungry bloodsucker?" she said, walking over and setting the tray down by us.
“Sargent Tiffany Collins.” Tiffany said, smiling. “And you are?”
“Tara J Brennan.” the Irishwoman replied, extending her hand. “The ‘J’ stands for Jazz, me Dad was a sax player, and me friends call me Jazzy. I take care of mister cranky pants over there.” she added with a jerk of her head towards Seamus.”
“And what about your girlfriends?” Tiffany asked next, shaking her hand slowly.
Jazzy grinned. “They call me often.”
“Yeah, well, you’ll get kind of cock hungry after I turn you!” Seamus said, a smug grin on his face.
“Ugh, don’t remind me!” Jazzy grimaced.
“What?” Tiffany said, confused.
“Whatever part of us that dictates who we like to canoodle with… “ I explained, “… doesn’t really survive the transition from human to vampire. Gay, straight… it all becomes this messy pansexual mush around vampires.”
“Yeah.” Seamus continued, crossing his arms. “So that means that my cock might end up in man-hating-Jazzy’s mouth after I reward her for years of service by turning her into the undead!”
“I don’t think so.” Jazzy said. “Just because I lose my aversion to penises doesn’t mean that I’m going to start fucking dicks.” She cocked her head, an icy stare along with her grin.
“Fucking hell,” Seamus said, shielding his eyes, “can I even turn a harpie?”
Jazzy pulled a seat over and took a bottle of beer off of the platter.
“So it’s true?” Tiffany asked her as she took a drink. “About human caretakers for vampires that hope to be turned someday?”
“It’s true, but it’s not a hope.” she replied. “It’s a sacred contract. I pledge myself to serve Seamus for a set number of years… fifteen plus one for me… and can request turning at the end of that term. And Seamus would be honor-bound to fulfill that request.”
“Aye, and she’s given notice at the dawn of her final year already.” Seamus said, nodding. “Come Midsummer, and she’ll see her last sunrise for a few hundred years.”
“I’m going to ask the same question I’m sure most people ask you.” Tiffany said, leaning in. “Why?”
“Well, it was not a foregone conclusion when I started here.” Jazzy said. “It never is. We all start this gig for our own reasons… mine was that I was a fourteen year old disaster who had just gotten, and wanted to stay, clean… but we all have a choice every fifteen years: Become a vampire, quit and lead our own human life, or sign up for another fifteen year term.”
“And you’ve chosen vampire.” Tiffany continued to probe. “Why.”
“Because I like living.” Jazzy said. She reached into her pocket as she continued. “We work on ourselves our whole lives, only to have the shell we’re in wither and die after what, sixty to ninety years? Sod that.”
“Well,” I said, “I have enough past life entanglements to tell you that death isn’t the end.”
“So what, I can be a baby again and fucking start over?” Jazzy said, her eyebrows raised. “Fuck that! I spent ten years working on my shite, and on the other side of that I discovered that I like life. And what’s even more, I like living life as me! I’ve worked my arse off to build who I am today, and I think I did a pretty bitchin job!” She pulled a joint out of her pocket and lit it up. “So hit the cosmic recycler, and start all over again? And risk being born into a fucked up family again to give me a fuck-load of fresh neuroses to spend my teen years acquiring and dealing with again? Fuck that with a rusty dildo.”
I couldn’t really argue with her.
* * *
The meal was, in a word, sumptuous. Shepherd's pie, brazed goat with potatoes and rosemary, and quail stuffed with wild rice made an incredible main menu, with Irish s
tew and beer bread for appetizers. I washed everything down with a couple of thick, sweet porters from Seamus' private stock. I sat back as everyone else finished up, my after-dinner joint smoldering on my hand.
“So, do vampires eat human food because they long for past humanity, or what?” Tiffany said as she hit her own joint.
Seamus swallowed his last bite of stew, gesturing with his fork. “I won’t lie, a fine bit of meat still tastes un-fucking-believable!” he said. “But that’s not it.”
“I always figured that Vincent wanted me to feel comfortable.” I said.
“Aye, I could see Vincent, and especially Angelique, doing such a thing. Even if it were uncomfortable for them, which it isn’t.” Seamus looked at me. “But it’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“Well, blood will keep a vampire alive,” The Scot explained, “but it won’t do much for muscle tone or skin color. To keep from looking like a desiccated corpse, it helps to bring in other nutrients from time to time.”
“We had a vampire stop by who’d been traveling overland for quite some time stop by last year.” Jazzy said, swallowing her food. “She’d been living off of hermits and loners for a few months, and she was a frightful sight!”
“Normally, she was a looker!” Seamus added.
“Well, yeah,” Jazzy continued, “and she did again by the time she left, but when she arrived? My fucking vibrator has more muscle tone!”
I couldn’t help but see Tiffany grinning by my side. “Entertaining, aren’t we?” I said, grinning.
“It’s not just that.” she said. “It’s that a friend of mine back home, Kristi, has studied vampires her entire life. She’d give her left tit to be here right now.”
“Well, maybe we can arrange for Kristi to come for a fact-finding mission some time." I said. "Get Vincent stoned on enough shade, and he'll tell her anything."
“Kickass!" Tiffany grinned. "Maybe she'll finally go out with me."
“You know,” Jazzy said, grinning over her glass of wine, “If you’re looking for female companionship, you have options other than reluctant honors students.” She smiled a lusty grin.
“Well then,” Tiffany smiled back, “maybe you should stop by my room later to help me… go over my options.”
Part of me is worried about getting this one home around Raina!
I heard the theme to ‘The Munsters TV show, and Seamus felt around his pockets until he pulled out a very modern-looking cell phone.
“Hello?” he said into it after answering. “Aye there, everything’s calm and peaceful. Okay, here she is.”
He handed me the phone, and I heard a wonderfully familiar voice on the other end.
“Vincent?” I said excitedly. “Baby, is that really you?”
“It’s me.” he replied. “How are you doing?”
“Better now.”
“How’s Seamus? Still cranky as hell?”
I got up and walked away from the table. “And then some! But his caretaker is cool.”
“Give Jazzy a hug for me. Is she going to accept the change?”
“Midsummer.”
“Maybe we can be there.”
“That would be cool. I wish that I could call you on my phone”
“I know, but whoever attacked Jexo’s fortress had some sophisticated technology. Your number is too connected to you… once we get you a new one, you can use it more.”
“When can I come home?”
“I think Gaia’s okay with coming to get you tomorrow.”
“I’ll see you then.”
Okay. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
* * *
The next morning, Seamus and I stood in the entrance hall, waiting for both Gaia and Tiffany to arrive on the scene. Jazzy was also, absent, so it was no mystery as to what was going on.
“I’ll drag them out of bed if I have to.” Seamus assured me.
“I’m not worried.” I said. “Tiffany is more responsible than anyone else I know. Even if I’ve given her permission to relax and let her hair down, she won’t abuse it.”
Almost on cue, a door opened at the top of the stairs opened and Tiffany and Jazzy walked out. They had an arm around each other’s waist and stopped frequently to make out, but they got to where we stood eventually.
“Sleep well?” I asked, grinning.
“Not hardly at all.” Tiffany replied, grinning as well. “And it was awesome!”
“Good for you.” I said. “If you can’t find me for a few hours once we get back, I’ll be doing the same with my boyfriend.”
“Good for you!”
The air shimmered in front of us, and Gaia appeared. She rushed over to me and threw her arms around me.
“Thank the makers!” she said. “I was so worried when the fortress was attacked!”
“It’s okay.” I said, hugging her back. “I had a bodyguard.”
We broke the hug and Gaia turned to Tiffany. “Thank you for watching over her.” she said, relief in her voice.
“It was my pleasure." Tiffany said. "Sometimes an extreme one." she added, kissing Jazzy's hand.
“Seriously?” Gaia whispered to me while Tiffany was distracted. “Another one?”
“Not as bad.” I said quietly back. “As fearless as Raina, yes, but not nearly as relentless.”
“If you say so.” Gaia returned to her full vocal volume. “Okay everyone, it’s time to go.
“Thank you for your hospitality.” I said to Seamus.
“Any friend of Vincent and Angelique’s is a blood sibling of mine.” he said with a nod of his head. “If you have need of anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“We may have need for this one to come for a visit soon.” Tiffany said, looking at Jazzy.
“That won’t be a problem. Seamus said.
“Give me time to re-hydrate, ya horny bastard.” Jazzy said to Tiffany with a grin.
Gaia, Tiffany, and I stood close together, and soon the room winked out of view.
Chapter Fourteen
From the Diaries of Angelique Dupre
08/17/1589
Roanoke Colony
It seems that young Sarah has been keeping a man in a cave to be used for her pleasure. I was worried that it might come to that once her libido came in after her power did, and the poor soul was half starved when I found him. She had brought him some food, but not always. His state of extreme fascination with her meant the he did little except dream of her return in between their carnal sessions, and he will not lift a finger to keep himself alive.
I have taken to feeding the young man. He has been missing too long from his tribe for explanations, so he will remain at Sarah’s beck and call for now. Perhaps he will make a good guard on the day that Sarah must leave her family.
I have not spoken of this with her. I fear her reaction.
I have given Sarah strict instructions about how she is not to ride the young man more than three nights a week… any more than that, and his health would surely fail. She has expressed an interest in enchanting another young man, this one to service her when the first couldn’t, but I nixed this idea as well.
She is more evolved than humans, magickally, but cannot be allowed to start viewing people as things to be used. Such is the path to corruption!
* * *
“Blessed Lady, come!”
My hands raised to the sky, I listened to the dying echo of my words bouncing through the winter woods. I had just invoked the Great Goddess, my duty as Priestess for the rite. Raina had already called the Horned God of the Witches, she standing in for the Priest of the rite.
We did that often those days. My growing comfort with magick in general meant that I was becoming more proficient in doing all kinds of ritual. Raina, who had done the majority of rituals in her life by herself, had plenty of practice in calling the God… and thus was the most experienced to act as Priest. Jack was present, but he was the self-described ‘eternal ritual space-filler’
… he might stumble through an invocation, but in no way was he ready to lead.
That left me and Raina.
I looked around the circle at who was present in the forest temple space with me. Tiffany, Gaia, Jack, Katsu, and Evelyn were all clad in cloaks, hands clasped as we circled the fire. Raina and I stood in the middle, marking the sacred center of the circle by the fire.
I knew that we weren’t alone in the forest. Drucilla, Darla, and Cordelia were patrolling the woods, ready to alert us and help in our evacuation if need be. Even Tiffany was doing a duel role, her Kevlar body suit under her cloak in case she needed to become a human shield.
I didn’t think that we were going to have that kind of trouble. Not that night.
“The circle is about us,” Raina announced, “and the Lord, Lady, and ancestors are here with us. Let us now work the Old Ways!”
“So mote it be!” I cried next.
“So mote it be!” everyone else said back.
“The Horned One walks these woods.” I said, walking the inner ring around the fire. “While the Goddess dwells with the ancestors beneath the slumbering earth. It is the time for the sun to be reborn, so that the earth may warm and new life may spring anew. The mystery of how the Lady may give birth to the new sun even as she rests in the lands beyond is the eternal mystery of new life arising in the shadow of death, and though it mystifies it also consoles, for it shows that life is truly eternal and unstoppable!”
“So mote it be!” called Raina.
“So mote it be!” answered all assembled.
“Great Horned One!” Raina called out. “You who move in our bodies as they move, and who calls to us in the lust for living and life that springs unbidden in our hearts and loins, we do call to you again! Come and give us visions of the year to come… open our inner eyes so that we may truly see!”
I looked, and an odd glow seemed to settle on to the assembled celebrants. As I watched, the glow started to warp and move on a few people while leaving everyone else alone. Raina, Gaia, Tiffany, and Katsu all morphed until it looked like the energy was in the outlines of stag antlers on their heads.
The Witch: Book Two of The Sorceress Saga Page 29