The Vampire & Her Witch

"Parents really would do anything for their children..."

The soft, almost broken way that Talauia said it swept over Ashlynn like a sneaker wave, drawing her into a world so filled with sorrow and hurt that she was momentarily disoriented. Without thinking, she reached out and wrapped an arm around the slender witch, pulling her into a soft embrace and gently stroking her hair the same way she’d once comforted her younger sister.

"It’s fine if you want to talk about it," Ashlynn said when she saw the stream of tears silently spilling from Talauia’s multi-faceted amethyst eyes. "It’s also fine if you don’t. We’re here if you need us," she said, glancing briefly at Heila who hovered uncertainly nearby. "Or we can leave you alone for a while. Whatever you need," she whispered.

For a few minutes, Talauia said nothing as soundless sobs wracked her body. She buried her face in Ashlynn’s full bosom and her tears soaked the younger witch’s tunic. It had been years since she last thought about her parents and she’d thought that the wounds had long healed over, but as she sat and wept into Ashlynn’s embrace, she realized that the hurt had shrunk but it never truly went away.

"I’m sorry," Talauia said with a sniff as she pulled back from Ashlynn’s tender embrace. "It was a long time, a very long time ago. I, I didn’t mean to..."

"It’s fine," Ashlynn said, blinking back the mist that threatened to overwhelm her vision. "I miss my parents too. Most days, I don’t think about it and I can keep going. And then, something reminds me and... see?" Ashlynn said, wiping away the moisture collecting in the corners of her eyes. "You don’t have to apologize for missing people you loved."

"Auntie, can I, can I ask you something?" Talauia asked, giving Ashlynn a deeply troubled look. "About the vampires, and... and about the Harbinger of death."

"You can always ask," Ashlynn said while she gestured at Heila and pointed at the pitcher of chilled, sweet tea sitting in the corner. Understanding immediately, the horned woman began pouring not only fresh cups of tea, but she also brought out chilled fruit and began slicing it into small pieces that were easy to nibble on.

"I may not be able to answer," Ashlynn added. "Nyrielle and I, we love each other very deeply and we’re bound together," she explained. "But it’s still only been a few months since we met and there’s still so much about each other that we don’t know."

"But, if she ever told you that, told you that you had to destroy a whole clan," the winged witch said, looking at Ashlynn with pleading eyes. "You wouldn’t do it, would you? You wouldn’t kill a whole clan because they were too, too good at what they do, would you?"

Suddenly, Ashlynn froze and Heila stumbled, nearly spilling the collection of cups and bowl of fruit she was carrying. Ever since coming to the Briar, and in fact, even before that, when they’d met Jacques, there had been a tension about Ashlynn’s relationship with Nyrielle and about vampires in general.

At first, it had been easy to dismiss as something abstract and philosophical. After all, Nyrielle had told Ashlynn that the blood of a witch could restore a vampire to life. Such a miraculous thing was bound to create conflicts between vampires and witches in general, but there was never anything personal about it. Ashlynn had felt that time and getting to know each other as real people would smooth out any misunderstandings.