The Vampire & Her Witch

The winds of the high pass tugged at Ashlynn’s heavy fur cloak as she left Nyrielle’s carriage to take her place at the head of the army. It had been one thing for Nyrielle to force the defeated Savis to act as her herald when approaching High Fen City, but now that Ashlynn and Nyrielle were traveling together again, it was time for her to take on the role of announcing Nyrielle’s arrival.

She could have refused, and Nyrielle would likely have indulged her. As the Mother of Trees, her status wasn’t any lower than that of the Harbinger of Death, and as Nyrielle’s lover, if she wanted to demand equal treatment, she was certain that Nyrielle would have granted it.

In the years to come, Ashlynn was certain that there would come a time to discuss such an arrangement, but when she measured herself up to her lover, she still felt herself to be far too lacking. When she arrived in the Vale of Mists, she had nothing to offer, not even the clothes on her back, yet Nyrielle had taken her in, saved her life, and provided her with everything she could ask for and more.

At the start of their relationship, Nyrielle gave everything and Ashlynn could only accept it. Now that she’d begun to grow into her power, the scales were beginning to tip. Between the benefits Nyrielle gained from feeding on a powerful witch to the resources she was able to gather from High Fen City, she finally felt like she truly had something to offer to the woman who had brought her back from the brink.

But until the scales were closer to even, outside of the occasions where they existed purely as lovers, Ashlynn threw herself into her role as Nyrielle’s Seneschal. As the first among all those who served the Harbinger of Death and her Mistress’s chosen representative during hours between dawn and dusk, there were many places where Nyrielle needed Ashlynn’s help and she gave that assistance gladly.

Ashlynn’s final days in High Fen City felt like a frenzy of activity as she and Nyrielle worked tirelessly to prepare for their journey home. Because of Ashlynn and Heila’s efforts, Nyrielle’s army welcomed not only the ninety trained warriors that Heila defeated in the arena, but hundreds of merchants, tradesmen, and their families. The additions turned the military march into a small town on the move, requiring extensive support to make the march through the barren High Pass.

Amidst the flurry of activity, she found herself apologizing again and again for delaying things that felt important but weren’t time-critical. Even though the nights were growing longer, she had yet to find an opportunity to speak more with Ignatious about the Holy Flame Blade. There would be plenty of time to speak at length about their complex relationship with their faith and the powerful artifact that represented it once they returned home, and since that was the case, any further conversation had been pushed aside for more pressing concerns.

Artificer Erkembalt had agreed to accompany them to the Vale of Mists, though he was only willing to stay for the winter. Once the pass cleared again, he insisted on returning to his home and his shop. Privately, Ashlynn hoped he might find something charming about the Vale of Mists, or at least interesting enough to consider relocating his business and his family to the Vale permanently, but for now, gaining his assistance in preparing for the war was the most important thing.

Of all the matters that needed to be settled, however, one of the most surprising had come in the form of an experienced gladiator named Kurtz who offered his services as a bodyguard for Heila if she would consider taking his daughter, Emmie, as her student. When they met, it was clear that Heila’s performance in the arena had a profound impact on the young horned girl who donned a midnight blue dress and carried a thin, metal whip in clear imitation of Heila’s outfit during her battle against the Cauldron of Flame.