Chapter 1.2
She wisely remained silent, and, pulling out a sealed scroll from her sleeve, held it out in offering to him. He raised an eyebrow at her and then motioned her to come closer to him. She felt as if her soul was being bared as she complied with his wordless order, coming to a pause a few feet away from him, a distance which she deemed to be safe, before offering the scroll again. He quickly closed the distance between them, but, instead of grabbing the proffered scroll, he instead seized her wrist in his dancer’s hand, pulling her flush against him as his other hand settled at her waist. “Does the lady dance?” His voice was husky and velvety, a tone that made the gaunt creatures start hauntingly wailing. Her head whipped around to look at the sources of the noise, but all that was visible were the black flame candles and the man in front of her. She couldn’t even see the floor that they were currently floating above. “Look at me.” Soft, commanding. She obeyed reluctantly, earning her another chuckle. “Answer the question.” She looked him straight in the eye, and he was amused to see that she greatly resembled the first fool that he had given to the muehounds.
“I have been trained in the dance styles of the world, including those of your land.” Her voice was a rich alto, resonating with warmth, which caused the wailing to increase a pitch, which, in turn, caused her to wince.
He chuckled and eyed her critically as he spun her out and then back in to his embrace. “You’re so prim and proper, milady.” Not having been asked a question, she simply continued their intricate dance. He chuckled again. “And you apparently have enough intelligence to know when I wish a verbal response and when I don’t. Most impressive indeed.” He rose on his tip-toes several times as he stepped, amused that she managed to follow as if he had given her instructions, as if this was not some impromptu dance but rather a common waltz. His husky voice sent shivers down her spine as the hand on her waist halted her movement after a final spin.
She pulled back slightly, just enough to gaze into his eyes curiously, as if silently asking why they stopped. He released her hand that still held the scroll, bringing it to her cheek, eyes widening at the warmth there, even though she didn’t appear flushed. She almost flinched at the coldness of his hand, but managed to not even break his gaze. “Very impressive indeed,” he murmured as he bent to place a soft kiss on her lips, to pull her warmth into himself where it could be devoured like a luscious steak by the coldness of the void that was his aura. She halted his advance by placing the scroll on his lips, features still schooled into polite impassiveness.
He growled viciously, brushing it away before moving in and trying to steal her warmth again. Again he was thwarted by the scroll on his lips. He pulled back with a nod to her. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems that you don’t want to dance with me. As I’m sure you know, in my country, the main dance is always preceded by a kiss.”
“I’m sorry that you got that impression. I merely wish for you to read the message that I brought you before we dance. Then I will willingly follow your lead for whichever dance you choose, provided that you chose an appropriate one.” Her voice was free of care, as if she was not cold, chilled by his house, by his presence. As if she did not know to what she was agreeing by allowing him to choose the dance. She was giving him a part of her life, and they both knew it.
He nodded again, this time in a mocking type bow. “I see. You’ll dance with me, so long as I allow you to perform your duties as a messenger first. Very clever, Little One.” The hand on her waist traveled until it reached her mid-back, and he pressed her to him, tasting her warmth through both their clothes, letting it flow through him, feeling the energy it gave off as his aura devoured it. He then released her with a flick of his wrist, smirking in approval at the way she twirled instead of stumbled backwards, ending up about three feet from him.
He felt her release a tendril of energy, searching for his response to the letter, and sliced it off with his own energy. He half expected her to gasp, but she didn’t show any indication that the energy had even come from her, that she’d even felt it. “Dear Andre,” he began, reading the letter out loud. He had no qualms about satisfying her curiosity, and it would do her well to know what she had been sent into the proverbial dragon’s den for. “Well, they started off on the wrong foot already. I suppose the Council can’t be bothered to remember the titles of their enemies. Though, one would think that they’d have learnt by now that they don’t get nice replies when they’re rude.” He gave her an appraising look. “Though at least their messengers seem to be acquiring better mannerisms. It has come to our attention that you are hijacking transports that pass through your lands and then transporting the guards to the middle of our chambers. Of course it’s come to your attention you great dolts, there was a reason that I did that, it’s called my version of sending a message.” He saw her suppress a smirk, and felt one of his own coming on due to the fact that she found her own Council’s antics pathetically stupid. “In addition we must inform you that your so-called ‘harem’ must be disbanded. It is in direct violation of our most sacred laws. Well, fortunately for me, I don’t follow your laws. I have no treaties with you.” His visitor was amused to see that the words he spoke were forming themselves and the floating down onto a piece of parchment. “And finally, we insist that you return all of the personnel that you have abducted up to this point to the main Council chambers by the end of this day. That is all.” Andre lazily set the paper into one of the black flames, watching it burn, imagining that it was the Council buildings that were burning. A soft hand on his back startled him and he whirled to slap the one who dared to touch him, only to halt his hand a instant before it struck the fire-haired woman. “They didn’t even bother to sign it,” he hissed in anger before growing calm again. He turned his back to her, half-hoping that she was one of those pathetic Light Assassins that the Council had mysteriously stopped sending and that she would attack him. She didn’t move.
He took a few breaths to calm his anger; she didn’t deserve it; it wasn’t meant for her; she would not be on the receiving end of it today. And then he turned slowly, and, holding out his hand, made an aristocratic bow to her, a bow that indicated to her that they would be performing the Kraviec, one of the most intricate dances of his land. He maintained his bow, as was the custom, as she made her own, taking three steps and then dipping, her fingers coming to alight on his arm as if it were a branch, and he chuckled as he seized her fingers and pulled her flush against him once more. “Your bow just told me that there would be no copulation after this dance. Did you intend to do this?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I was taught that, when in Muertek, if a gentleman asks for a dance, in particular this dance, then it is up to the lady to let it be known whether or not there is to be copulation afterwards. She may either state ‘no’ or ‘it is your choice’ with her bow. It is a rather archaic tradition, one that died out at around the same time that the Treaty was reached, but I thought it appropriate.”
He chuckled again and pulled her up to her for the kiss that would begin the dance, simultaneously dropping his shields completely and without warning, causing her to gasp into his mouth, giving his tongue access to her mouth, to her warmth. He caressed her tongue softly, and she jerked it out of the way, but he had gotten what he needed to know and pulled back from her just enough to eye her now slightly flushed face. “You’ve never been truly kissed before that,” he murmured as he touched his nose to hers, grinning as he heard her gasp slightly. He frowned as her eyes left his in favor of looking over his left shoulder and turned, with her still in his grasp so that they had an equal view of the hulking figure that had emerged from the shadows and was now leering at the lithe figure of the girl. “This, milady, is my second-in-command, Kain. Kain, this is the messenger that the Council sent to us this time. She’s actually rather well behaved.” He reached with his other hand and brushed it across her cheek, smiling when he noticed that, though she was blushing madly, it wasn’t as warm as it had been before. “Because she’s been so polite and well mannered, I’ve decided to comply with one of their demands, possibly two.” He chuckled as Kain raised an eyebrow. “My response is on the table. And as for which I’m going to comply with…well, I’ve decided to release all their personnel that I’ve ‘abducted’ up to this point.”
Kain bowed his head. “I’ll see that they’re done.” And then he left the light produced by the candles, leaving them alone.
“Now about that dance.” They began to move simultaneously, their bodies brushing past one another, never quite touching, just as was required by the dance. This continued until she stumbled to her knees, her body drained of its energy and warmth. She was shivering and gasping for air. He dropped to his knees next to her, catching her as she swayed, noting that she was lighter than he had thought. “What’s wrong, milady?” He pressed his face into her exposed collarbone, the hand that was not supporting her moving across her face.
“Cold. Tired.” Her voice was nowhere near as warm as it had been, but it resonated weakness. His beings began wailing again, startling her, causing her pulse to race against his lips.
He pulled back slightly and locked eyes with her, noticing that she was waning fast, though a bit slower than most that he had abruptly dropped his shields on. “You’ll be dead soon, milady.” He let his aura intertwine with hers, laughing in glee as she began to spasm, her precious White Magic being touched by his Dark and Dim Magics. “It’s a pity, really, that you’re a White Mage. I don’t even know your lineage, Little One. You didn’t spout it off like so many of the other fools that I’ve had to kill for daring to come here.”
“Sophia,” she gasped out, “High Lady of the Sacred Flame. Messenger first class and member of the High Counselate.”
“It’s truly a pity.” He let her cold, still gasping body fall off of his lap as he rose and brushed himself off as he pulled his shields back into place. His void was still hungry, but he made it a policy to never absorb the last bit of energy. He had done that once and the damn spirit was still wailing through the void, disturbing his rest. That was all anything did in the void, wailing. He watched coldly as she convulsed a final time before snapping his fingers, causing a small table with food on it to appear before him and a chair to appear behind him. He sat and began to eat while watching his beings as the warily circled the cold, still body of his former dance partner, hiding a smile behind his unicorn meat. “She will make a rather nice addition to my harem one day. It’s a pity, for her, that I abducted her after I released the others. And now there’s only a precious few left in my harem. What do you think her first reaction will be when she wakes, Kain?” He addressed the last question to the burly half demon who had just entered the lit area again.
Kain chuckled. “The same as the others. She will be obscenely mad and will be ready to be pumped full of the darkness. It will easily replace the light that still dwells within her, if there is any left inside. And eventually, she will just be one of them.” He punctuated the last sentence with a curt nod to the beings, Andre’s harem, which were now mewling softly and nudging her with their hands.
“Well then, I suppose that I’ll just have to go hard on her won’t I then?”
AN: mwahhahahahahha, I finally updated. Yes, the MC bug is back in action:)
“I have been trained in the dance styles of the world, including those of your land.” Her voice was a rich alto, resonating with warmth, which caused the wailing to increase a pitch, which, in turn, caused her to wince.
He chuckled and eyed her critically as he spun her out and then back in to his embrace. “You’re so prim and proper, milady.” Not having been asked a question, she simply continued their intricate dance. He chuckled again. “And you apparently have enough intelligence to know when I wish a verbal response and when I don’t. Most impressive indeed.” He rose on his tip-toes several times as he stepped, amused that she managed to follow as if he had given her instructions, as if this was not some impromptu dance but rather a common waltz. His husky voice sent shivers down her spine as the hand on her waist halted her movement after a final spin.
She pulled back slightly, just enough to gaze into his eyes curiously, as if silently asking why they stopped. He released her hand that still held the scroll, bringing it to her cheek, eyes widening at the warmth there, even though she didn’t appear flushed. She almost flinched at the coldness of his hand, but managed to not even break his gaze. “Very impressive indeed,” he murmured as he bent to place a soft kiss on her lips, to pull her warmth into himself where it could be devoured like a luscious steak by the coldness of the void that was his aura. She halted his advance by placing the scroll on his lips, features still schooled into polite impassiveness.
He growled viciously, brushing it away before moving in and trying to steal her warmth again. Again he was thwarted by the scroll on his lips. He pulled back with a nod to her. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems that you don’t want to dance with me. As I’m sure you know, in my country, the main dance is always preceded by a kiss.”
“I’m sorry that you got that impression. I merely wish for you to read the message that I brought you before we dance. Then I will willingly follow your lead for whichever dance you choose, provided that you chose an appropriate one.” Her voice was free of care, as if she was not cold, chilled by his house, by his presence. As if she did not know to what she was agreeing by allowing him to choose the dance. She was giving him a part of her life, and they both knew it.
He nodded again, this time in a mocking type bow. “I see. You’ll dance with me, so long as I allow you to perform your duties as a messenger first. Very clever, Little One.” The hand on her waist traveled until it reached her mid-back, and he pressed her to him, tasting her warmth through both their clothes, letting it flow through him, feeling the energy it gave off as his aura devoured it. He then released her with a flick of his wrist, smirking in approval at the way she twirled instead of stumbled backwards, ending up about three feet from him.
He felt her release a tendril of energy, searching for his response to the letter, and sliced it off with his own energy. He half expected her to gasp, but she didn’t show any indication that the energy had even come from her, that she’d even felt it. “Dear Andre,” he began, reading the letter out loud. He had no qualms about satisfying her curiosity, and it would do her well to know what she had been sent into the proverbial dragon’s den for. “Well, they started off on the wrong foot already. I suppose the Council can’t be bothered to remember the titles of their enemies. Though, one would think that they’d have learnt by now that they don’t get nice replies when they’re rude.” He gave her an appraising look. “Though at least their messengers seem to be acquiring better mannerisms. It has come to our attention that you are hijacking transports that pass through your lands and then transporting the guards to the middle of our chambers. Of course it’s come to your attention you great dolts, there was a reason that I did that, it’s called my version of sending a message.” He saw her suppress a smirk, and felt one of his own coming on due to the fact that she found her own Council’s antics pathetically stupid. “In addition we must inform you that your so-called ‘harem’ must be disbanded. It is in direct violation of our most sacred laws. Well, fortunately for me, I don’t follow your laws. I have no treaties with you.” His visitor was amused to see that the words he spoke were forming themselves and the floating down onto a piece of parchment. “And finally, we insist that you return all of the personnel that you have abducted up to this point to the main Council chambers by the end of this day. That is all.” Andre lazily set the paper into one of the black flames, watching it burn, imagining that it was the Council buildings that were burning. A soft hand on his back startled him and he whirled to slap the one who dared to touch him, only to halt his hand a instant before it struck the fire-haired woman. “They didn’t even bother to sign it,” he hissed in anger before growing calm again. He turned his back to her, half-hoping that she was one of those pathetic Light Assassins that the Council had mysteriously stopped sending and that she would attack him. She didn’t move.
He took a few breaths to calm his anger; she didn’t deserve it; it wasn’t meant for her; she would not be on the receiving end of it today. And then he turned slowly, and, holding out his hand, made an aristocratic bow to her, a bow that indicated to her that they would be performing the Kraviec, one of the most intricate dances of his land. He maintained his bow, as was the custom, as she made her own, taking three steps and then dipping, her fingers coming to alight on his arm as if it were a branch, and he chuckled as he seized her fingers and pulled her flush against him once more. “Your bow just told me that there would be no copulation after this dance. Did you intend to do this?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I was taught that, when in Muertek, if a gentleman asks for a dance, in particular this dance, then it is up to the lady to let it be known whether or not there is to be copulation afterwards. She may either state ‘no’ or ‘it is your choice’ with her bow. It is a rather archaic tradition, one that died out at around the same time that the Treaty was reached, but I thought it appropriate.”
He chuckled again and pulled her up to her for the kiss that would begin the dance, simultaneously dropping his shields completely and without warning, causing her to gasp into his mouth, giving his tongue access to her mouth, to her warmth. He caressed her tongue softly, and she jerked it out of the way, but he had gotten what he needed to know and pulled back from her just enough to eye her now slightly flushed face. “You’ve never been truly kissed before that,” he murmured as he touched his nose to hers, grinning as he heard her gasp slightly. He frowned as her eyes left his in favor of looking over his left shoulder and turned, with her still in his grasp so that they had an equal view of the hulking figure that had emerged from the shadows and was now leering at the lithe figure of the girl. “This, milady, is my second-in-command, Kain. Kain, this is the messenger that the Council sent to us this time. She’s actually rather well behaved.” He reached with his other hand and brushed it across her cheek, smiling when he noticed that, though she was blushing madly, it wasn’t as warm as it had been before. “Because she’s been so polite and well mannered, I’ve decided to comply with one of their demands, possibly two.” He chuckled as Kain raised an eyebrow. “My response is on the table. And as for which I’m going to comply with…well, I’ve decided to release all their personnel that I’ve ‘abducted’ up to this point.”
Kain bowed his head. “I’ll see that they’re done.” And then he left the light produced by the candles, leaving them alone.
“Now about that dance.” They began to move simultaneously, their bodies brushing past one another, never quite touching, just as was required by the dance. This continued until she stumbled to her knees, her body drained of its energy and warmth. She was shivering and gasping for air. He dropped to his knees next to her, catching her as she swayed, noting that she was lighter than he had thought. “What’s wrong, milady?” He pressed his face into her exposed collarbone, the hand that was not supporting her moving across her face.
“Cold. Tired.” Her voice was nowhere near as warm as it had been, but it resonated weakness. His beings began wailing again, startling her, causing her pulse to race against his lips.
He pulled back slightly and locked eyes with her, noticing that she was waning fast, though a bit slower than most that he had abruptly dropped his shields on. “You’ll be dead soon, milady.” He let his aura intertwine with hers, laughing in glee as she began to spasm, her precious White Magic being touched by his Dark and Dim Magics. “It’s a pity, really, that you’re a White Mage. I don’t even know your lineage, Little One. You didn’t spout it off like so many of the other fools that I’ve had to kill for daring to come here.”
“Sophia,” she gasped out, “High Lady of the Sacred Flame. Messenger first class and member of the High Counselate.”
“It’s truly a pity.” He let her cold, still gasping body fall off of his lap as he rose and brushed himself off as he pulled his shields back into place. His void was still hungry, but he made it a policy to never absorb the last bit of energy. He had done that once and the damn spirit was still wailing through the void, disturbing his rest. That was all anything did in the void, wailing. He watched coldly as she convulsed a final time before snapping his fingers, causing a small table with food on it to appear before him and a chair to appear behind him. He sat and began to eat while watching his beings as the warily circled the cold, still body of his former dance partner, hiding a smile behind his unicorn meat. “She will make a rather nice addition to my harem one day. It’s a pity, for her, that I abducted her after I released the others. And now there’s only a precious few left in my harem. What do you think her first reaction will be when she wakes, Kain?” He addressed the last question to the burly half demon who had just entered the lit area again.
Kain chuckled. “The same as the others. She will be obscenely mad and will be ready to be pumped full of the darkness. It will easily replace the light that still dwells within her, if there is any left inside. And eventually, she will just be one of them.” He punctuated the last sentence with a curt nod to the beings, Andre’s harem, which were now mewling softly and nudging her with their hands.
“Well then, I suppose that I’ll just have to go hard on her won’t I then?”
AN: mwahhahahahahha, I finally updated. Yes, the MC bug is back in action:)
posted by Niharana at 8:18 PM
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