Chapter 326

"Damnit." Evileye cursed as reality hit her after her mask was broken.

Lakyus's eyes followed the mask, and her confusion and alarm over Evileye's sudden outburst was redoubled as the magic item was smashed. "God damn it!" Evileye muttered when she felt Lakyus's hands on her shoulders.

"Evileye… what… what was that? Why'd you say… do… all that. I know you love me, I wasn't talking about you, I meant the-" Lakyus stopped her words when Evileye's hands dropped down into her lap.

"Look into my eyes, and tell me you love me, sister." Evileye said as her face came up and the blood red pools were laid bare for the first time.

It took Lakyus a moment to understand what she was seeing, but when the realization dawned and shimmering beautiful blood red pools were laid out before her in their undeniable state? She flung herself away from Evileye, pushing aside the gently resting hands, and drew her sword.

The priestess of the God of Water raised her sword to the guard position, "You were turned?!" She said with anguish as she looked at the kneeling figure, her sword wavering as she slid one foot back, ready to launch her attack.

"No… No I was this before we met… I've been a vampire for over two hundred years… the mask… it hid it… but I don't want to hide what I am from you… I love you… I love you all… I'm just tired of lying… I want to be myself with the people I love… what's wrong with that?" She asked, her fingers shaking, she squeezed one hand over the other to hold them still.

"A bloodsucker… a predator? A monster that feeds on the lives of humans?" Lakyus asked, "How many did you take under the guise of our protector?"

"None!" Evileye shouted back. "I never killed anyone in the time I've been with you! I was one of the thirteen heroes, damn it! Feeding gives me… benefits, but I don't have to do it! I don't have to! I can live without blood and haven't had any in I don't even know how long! I'm your sister on the battlefield! Haven't I always been there with you?! Haven't we fought together?! Slept together! Drunk together?! Played games together?! How can you doubt me just because of these…?" Evileye ranted and pointed to her blood red eyes.

Lakyus's battle stand didn't waver.

"Momon… get away from her…" Lakyus said with a slow, measured voice of instruction.

"You make too much of it, Lakyus, sit down." He said as if the room was not as tense as a taut rope and pointed, not to the bed again, but to a chair at a small stone table.

"You can't be serious… she's a vampire… she was turned somehow… somewhen…" Lakyus looked at Evileye, the vampire hadn't moved.

The priestess's eyes filled with tears that blurred out the creature in front of her. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry it happened to you… I'll set you free…" Lakyus said.

"Lakyus." Momon said more sternly, "Lower your sword."

Evileye rose to her feet. "You're my sister. You're my sister, and I love you more than anything. I wasn't turned recently… I've been this the whole time, you just… you didn't know it. I kept it secret from you because I had to… but I don't hate humans. I never did, and I would never… ever hurt you." She stepped toward the priestess.

"Evileye, stop." Momon said, "She's not in her right mind… she needs time."

"No." Evileye said and rubbed her little button nose with the back of her hand. "Lakyus," she stepped closer, "It's me. I'm your sister, your friend… you've always trusted me… we fought undead together. We've protected even demihumans sometimes… you know me…"

Lakyus's sword didn't move. "Stop. Just stop right there." The priestess demanded.

"Lakyus… I'd give up anything for you… but this has to stop… it has to… I-I want you to love me for who I am, no matter what I am… not because of who you thought I was, what you thought I was… is that so hard… search your heart… please… see me as you've always seen me… please. I can't live with the lies anymore." Evileye put her hand up to the sword of darkness. The tip was before her eyes, looming large enough that it obscured Evileye's view of her sister.

The tiny hand moved the sword tip, not away, but tracing over her face, a tiny cut of the sword tracing its way down as a red streak over the little vampire's face.

"You're my sister." Evileye insisted as Lakyus, who clenched and reclenched her hands around the hilt of the blade, constantly shifting her feet, neither swung nor thrust the blade, but nor did she pull it back.

Momon rose to his feet.

"I'm not using any power on you right now, am I?" Evileye asked, "You still have control. My sister just cut my face, see?" The vampire said and traced a finger over the streak and held it up. "I'm not fighting you, I can't fight you, I won't."

"Lakyus, Evileye, you're going too far." Momon insisted.

"No, Momon… this has to get settled… this is between sisters, it's none of your business what happens." Evileye insisted.

"I'm sorry…" Lakyus said again, she didn't stop Evileye from moving the sword, though it wobbled and wavered even without the vampire's touch.

"If you want to kill a vampire… this is where you need to strike… you know that." Evileye said, "It'll be painless and quick." She said as she put the tip over her heart. "You're my big sister… I'm your shorty… please… please understand I can't help being this, but I've been this as long as you've known me. When you hugged me, you hugged my undead body. When you slapped my back and said I was all heart… that heart had already stopped beating over two hundred years ago… but whether it beat or not, it still loves all of you…" Evileye said, sniffling a little, she inched closer so that the tip of the blade depressed her skin just a tiny bit.

"I knew what you were. A noble girl running away from a life she didn't want. A big oaf who loves booze and virgins to hide her insecurities about being different… two assassins who fell in love with the life of adventure, and care too much about you to kill you even though that was their mission. Now… now you know me, all of me… can't you just… the gods are wrong… I'm… I'm me. Not just a monster. Look past what they tell you… and I'm waiting for you on the other side of your blade… put away your sword…" Evileye said with a little smile, "Hug me like you always have…"

"Sister… my sister…" Lakyus wept, "You'll always be my sister… and I love you more than words can say."

Evileye's arms went wide apart. "I know."

"I'll hug you… one more time… and set you free." Lakyus sobbed, and as the words sank in, the so did the sword as Lakyus pushed the tip into Evileye's flesh, tearing it open with almost no resistance. Lakyus rushed it forward so that it emerged out Evileye's back, and then released it with a sob, catching the vampire before she could fall, and wrapping her arms around her, the fell to the stone floor with a thud together. "My sister… my sister… my sister…" Lakyus wailed and rubbed the body as the bright red light in the vampire's eyes began to grow dull and empty as the second death claimed her.

"I'm sorry… I"m sorry…" The priestess wailed and kissed the cheeks and forehead of the body as it gave up its final spasms. "I set you free… it's all I could do for you… I'm sorry… the gods will be done… you're at peace… it's all I could do for you…"

She lay with the body of her sister, sobbing her tears onto the face of the unmoving corpse, oblivious to the presence of Momon.

"You fool. You stupid, stupid fool." Pandora's Actor said as he looked down at the body. 'This would not be, were it not mein vater's will…'

And with that thought, and a lingering look down at his 'little vampire' he sat down to wait for the inevitable… which did not take place for hours, until what he assumed was morning, and there was a knock at the door and a frantic voice called out, "Lakyus?! What's wrong in there?!" And Gagaran's shoulder began to slam home.

Raymond left the table without Nua, though she made to rise when he did, he held a hand up in front of her. "Stop. You're still hungry." He said. "Have some more." He raised his other hand and the dark elf woman appeared again.

"My servant is still starving, though I'm stuffed." He said, putting on his most delightful smile and lightly tapping his stomach, "Bring her as many helpings as she wants, I'll pay for it with my room in the morning."

"As you wish." The waitress said with a warm light in her eyes before she made her retreat.

"When you're done, get a room and go to sleep. I will see you in the morning." Raymond gave the command, and Nua bowed her head to him.

"As you command, master." She said, and watched him leave her behind. It wasn't until he was completely gone that Nua felt able to relax. 'So he wants to play with me. Hmpf. Idiot. Humans are evil monsters. I won't be fooled again.' She told herself, and she remained for two straight hours, eating her fill of bowl after bowl, the memory of the scrap of old bread, most of which she'd vomited up, and watery stew with nothing but old vegetables and no meat to be had… faded away as it was replaced with the fresh experience of hot, delicious food.

When she left the table at last, retrieved a key to another room, and made her way upstairs, she took a lingering look at his door. 'In another time… I might have been so grateful to be with someone good… I might have tried to make them love me… a lifetime ago… still… he does look a little like him.' Nua took a deep breath and then slowly let it out. 'Don't be fooled, he's been dead for centuries, and if he weren't, I'd kill him myself. For now… just survive and don't give in.' She told herself and then went to her own room to go to sleep.

'Don't act like you've got only a skosh of sense…' She thought as she closed her eyes on the bed. 'He's a Cardinal… the definition of evil… you won't… be fooled again…' She thought, and drifted off to sleep under the influence of the first full belly and safe bed in the last hundred and fifty years.