Chapter 262: Bonds
It had been decades since Nyrielle’s last visit to Tausau’s ramshackle fortress but the underground levels had changed very little since the last time she visited. The tapestries hanging on the walls had changed and the number of oil lamps had increased but Nyrielle noticed none of these things in her haste to reach the underground chamber that had been prepared to receive her and Zedya. "Mistress," the unremarkable-looking vampire said as she dropped into a curtsey when Nyrielle swept into the room. "You didn’t spend much time with our host... did it fail?"
"The sorcery didn’t fail," Nyrielle said bluntly. Her midnight eyes swept the room, ignoring the opulent suede-covered chairs and elaborately carved furnishings until she spotted the lacquered screens that gave an additional element of privacy to the place where her coffin-like daybed had been placed.
"Something is happening to Ashlynn," Nyrielle said, placing a hand on her chest. The echo of Ashlynn’s heartbeat within her chest was calmer than it had been, with a strong, steady beat that contained fierce determination. The tendrils of foreign energy probing and pulling at their bond had ceased their efforts to separate the two women but they still clung stubbornly to the mystical tie that bound Ashlynn’s life to hers.
"Do we need to return to the Briar, Mistress?" Zedya asked, pausing in her preparations. To Zedya, who had served in the manor of a baron before taking her place at Nyrielle’s side, Tausau’s manor felt like a poor imitation of opulence. She understood that the aging vampire wanted to give his ragtag progeny a life that felt luxurious after a lifetime of persecution, but the effect was more gaudy than extravagant.
The only thing she felt was worthy of her Mistress’ stature in the rooms they’d been provided was the collection of fine wines. She was preparing to pour a glass of a local vintage with a strong, oaky flavor that she felt would remind Nyrielle of the scent of growing things that often accompanied Lady Ashlynn until Nyrielle’s words left her wondering if they should depart immediately to rescue their Seneschal.
"I wouldn’t think that the Mother of Thorns would do anything to harm Ashlynn, but perhaps her teaching methods are a bit... extreme," Zedya said, recalling her own days under the powerful witch’s tutelage.
While Amahle could present a gentle and motherly guise to the world, only a fool would forget her title as the Mother of Thorns. When the time came, anyone unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of her protective thorns would discover just how sharp the woman wielding them could be.
"This doesn’t feel like something the Mother of Thorns is doing directly," Nyrielle said. Working quickly, she released the locks on her darksteel lined daybed before turning back to Zedya.