by GR Griffin
"She'll keep trying." Brahms said. "Hrist won't stop until one of you is dead."
"I realize that....but I..I still can't let you kill her!" Silmeria exclaimed, her claws digging into his skin. "Please...." Brahms' expression hardened even further, he was looking at Hrist who was turning an interesting shade of blue. "Please!" Silmeria said louder. Brahms lashed out, catching that fool Arngrim with a back swing that knocked him into the nearest wall. There was a satisfying thud as his back hit against the wall, his sword falling to the floor.
"Please..." repeated Silmeria, voice urgent. "If...if you have any real feelings for me...if you truly care for me at all, you'll let her go!"
Brahms growled in response, more than a little incensed that she had played that feelings card. He continued to stare at Hrist, who was struggling to breathe. He thought about how easy it would be to snuff out her life, how easy it would be to crush her throat. Almost as easy as it would be to ruin any chance he might have with Silmeria. His growl grew louder, more enraged but he forced his fingers to relax.
With a loud, wheezing gasp Hrist fell to the floor. She lay there in a crumpled heap, panting. Brahms didn't trust her as far as he could throw her, the vampire glaring down at her. Silmeria was still touching him, but her claws were no longer tearing into his arm.
"Thank you!" She whispered with complete gratitude.
"It is not over yet." Brahms stated, using the toe of his boot to nudge Hrist's leg. She seemed to twitch, looking up at him. Her face was twisted in hatred, her eyes flashing with anger. Brahms knew his own eyes showed similar, though he couldn't manage the depth of hate that Hrist showed. Not so long as his bride still lived.
Hrist continued to glare, face full of open loathing. A sound was heard, something scraping across the floor. Arngrim had kicked a shard of Hrist's broken blade towards them, Hrist acting in an instant. She grabbed the shard, the jagged edges cutting open the palm of her hand. Brahms barely had time to react, she was already scrambling to her feet, lunging towards Silmeria.
Her aim was true, the shard's rough edge would easily slice open the girl's flesh. Brahms bellowed, enraged. One hand clamped down on her wrist, using such force the bone broke in an instant. Hrist let out a scream, then another as Brahms pounded his fist into her stomach. The armor there had already been shattered open, leaving Brahms to wonder just who had been responsible for that vulnerability.
With no protection for her stomach, Hrist's breath was forcefully expelled. Along with a mouthful of blood, the Valkyrie gagging as she dropped to her knees. Silmeria had screamed, the girl once again pulling at Brahm's arms, trying to prevent him from doing any further harm to her sister. It took every ounce of control for Brahms to not kick Hrist in the face.
"This is your last chance." Brahms snapped, tone harsh. "If you make one more move against my bride, sister or no, I will end your life!"
"Spare me your false mercies!" Hrist managed to snarl in between pained whimpers.
"At least I HAVE mercy!" Brahms retorted. "I know of you, of your ruthless reputation. A reputation you have lived up to, in trying to kill your own sister!" He growled in warning when Hrist attempted to offer a retort. "Don't! Don't hide behind your King's lies. We are not monsters. We have a right to live as much as you Gods do! As much as anyone does! And no one will take it from us!"
"You are a damned existence!" Hrist screamed. "A soulless blithe that needs to be eradicated. You kill and you corrupt, and poison touch has already ruined my sisters. Both of them!"
He didn't understand what she meant, Brahms only knowing what he had done to Silmeria. "I have freed Silmeria from Odin's lies. From a joyless life of a servitude that was no better than slavery! With me, Silmeria will truly know what it means to be alive!"
"You are nothing more than soulless corpses!" snarled Hrist. "No better than the zombies or ghouls!"
"How little you know!" Brahms retorted. "You are as big a fool as any other Valkyrie that follows Odin!"
"Do not insult my King!" Hrist shouted, her good hand clenching into a fist.
"I speak no insults, only the truth." Brahms let out a breath, feeling tired and exasperated. "It's a truth none of you want to hear! A truth Odin would kill to keep it from being revealed! But go on. Keep fighting his battles, never questioning his orders. It might even let you live a little longer. But one thing that won't is if I find you attempting to kill my bride again."
He glanced at Silmeria now, his expression still so grim. "You have to understand. If she keeps coming for you, there will be no other choice. She will have to die." Silmeria actually paled at that, looking like she wanted to argue. Brahms sensed Hrist's movement, and reacted on instinct, foot lashing out to catch the Valkyrie in the face. She didn't even cry out, just crumpled unconscious at his feet.
"Hrist!" Silmeria cried out, but Brahms stopped her from dropping down besides her.
"No, Silmeria. She bleeds too much. You will be tempted to feed, not caring that she is your own sister. It's best to stay away." Horror dawned in her eyes, Silmeria backing up as far as the bedroom would allow her. Again that weary sigh, Brahms turning to look at Arngrim. He was bleeding badly, but was still conscious. "You have a healing potion don't you?" Arngrim's eyes lit up with surprise, but he nodded. "Use it."
"What.....why?" Arngrim asked, tone wary as he fumbled in his pocket for a vial.
"I have no further quarrel with you, provided you take your woman and leave." Brahms told him. Arngrim's brows rose at that, adding to his surprised look. "Take her back the way you came. Get off the island. I don't care how. Just make sure she never tries to return here...for both your sakes."
Arngrim waited until he had drank down the healing potion before answering. "You're really going to let us go?" Brahms just nodded, which earned a frown from the warrior. "She's not going to like this..."
"She doesn't have a choice." Brahms retorted. "You don't have much of one either." Arngrim continued to frown, Brahms almost rolling his eyes in response. "It's better than dying isn't it?"
Arngrim hesitated, staring at Hrist's prone from. "That's for damn sure." He agreed at last. He slowly got up, surprise blooming yet again when Brahms picked up and handed the warrior his sword.
"You'll need this to deal with what's out there." Brahms said. "I can call back my vampires, but the island has other dangers...." Arngrim didn't thank him, just wordlessly taking the sword from him. Brahms kept a careful watch on the warrior, watching as the einherjar walked over to pick Hrist up off the floor. He'd throw the black haired Valkyrie over one shoulder, but not before he poured some healing potion down her throat.
"You know, Odin's not going to stop." Arngrim said thoughtfully. "Not after the insult you've given him in taking one of his Valkyries."
"I'd worry more about what Odin will do to you and YOUR Valkyrie." Brahms paused, locking knowing eyes with Arngrim. "He's not going to like the defeat I handed his armies this day. He'll need someone to blame, to punish." He hesitated long enough for Arngrim to consider the implications of just who that punishment would fall on. "If you want to keep Hrist as your lover..." He heard Silmeria's startled gasp at that. "It would be wiser to not return to Asgard."
"We'd be fugitives if we turned out back on the realm."
"Odin need not know you survived today's slaughter." Reasoned Brahms. "You've have a chance at a clean slate, a way to vanish from his attention."
"She would never go for it." Arngrim said, after a thoughtful pause. Brahms well knew the pitfalls of dealing with a reluctant woman, giving Arngrim a sympathetic look. That was their final exchange, Arngrim turning his back on Brahms to walk out of the room. For one brief moment he listened to the sounds of the warrior's footsteps walking away, and then he turned.
Silmeria was still on the other side of the bedroom, currently leaning against the wall. She seemed dazed, almost confused. Brahms wondered if shock was setting in, or if she was just that surprised by the revelation that Hrist and her einherjar Arngrim had be
en lovers. He felt a similar surprise, though he was more amused than confused. Of all the Valkyries, he had never expected one as strict, one as rigid in obeying Odin's rules, to broach forbidden ground. But his nose could not be deceived, the two scents mingled in such a way that proved Hrist and Angrim had been intimate and recently.
He both envied and felt sympathy for the heavy blade warrior. Especially knowing what little he knew about Hrist's personality. But at least Arngrim had his woman, something Brahms could not claim completely. And yet, even as he knew Silmeria would not welcome the touch, Brahms went to her. Actually pulled her into his arms. She didn't struggle, the dazed look still in her eyes.
Fiercely possessive, and needing to reassure himself that Silmeria was indeed here. Alive and relatively well. Brahms hugged her, holding her long and tight. He didn't care that he was bleeding, that he needed to feed. He just wanted to hold Silmeria for as long as she would let him, inhaling the scent of her hair. The moment would not last long enough for his liking, Silmeria stirring. Her hands touched his damp chest, and then she gasped, looking down at the blood. He saw how tempted she was to feed, and Brahms might have tried to push her into drinking if he hadn't been so weakened from his injuries.
Silmeria continued to stare at her hands, barely seeming to notice when Brahms stepped back. But his hands kept on touching her, holding her by the arms as he studied her. He saw the way the front of her top had been slashed open, saw the cut on her neck. Even the bleeding cuts on her arms. He felt his anger renewed, even though they were relatively minor wounds.
"You're hurt." He managed in a low tone. Silmeria just made a questioning sound, still staring at the blood on her hands. Brahms was now faced with temptation of his own, one he found he couldn't successfully resist. Without speaking, without gaining her permission, he lifted one of her arms. She didn't look, not until he snaked out his tongue, dragging it slowly across the worst of her injuries.
Silmeria immediately gasped, her blue eyes widening as she looked at him. He didn't give her any expression, just continued to lick, tasting her blood. Pleasure was within him at her taste, finding that while she was no longer as sweetly addicting as Silmeria had been as a vampire, she still tasted pretty damn good. He wanted to growl, to revel in that stolen taste, wanting to roll Silmeria to the ground. Instead he forced himself to behave, only lapping up the blood, and letting his saliva work to seal over her wound.
"Brahms!" Silmeria had found her voice, staring at him shocked. He gave her unrepentant eyes, and moved to the next wound. She touched his face, getting it's bloody imprint on his cheek. "Stop that!"
"This will help you heal quicker." Brahms told her in between licks. "Of course, it can't replace the healing feeding would give you." Her lips pursed together, Silmeria looking far too pale for Brahms liking. In fact she seemed to start swaying in place, as though she might faint. Ever solicitous towards his bride, Brahms helped guide her over to the bed. She immediately sat down, Brahms moving to kneel in front of her. A protesting sound was made, but it didn't stop Brahms from taking her left arm. He began licking the sword cuts there, but never broke eye contact with his bride. Silmeria actually shuddered in response, though he didn't think it was born of disgust. She was being affected by what he was doing, might even envy him for the blood he was tasting.
"T...thank you." Silmeria finally broke the silence after what seemed like hours. He arched a brow in question, just continue to rove his tongue over a cut near her wrist. "For...for sparing my sister."
"Ah." He gave her a flat unemotional tone, savoring her blood on his tongue. "I wanted to kill her." Part of him still wanted Hrist's death. "Especially when I saw what Hrist was trying to do to you."
"But you didn't...and I thank you for that."
He nodded, the last of her wounds sealed over. But he didn't let go of her arm, Brahms holding it as he stared up as Silmeria. There was much Brahms could say, much he was curious about. He had things to do, but there was one thing that could not wait. "Why didn't you lay down for Hrist's sword?"
Silmeria was too pale from blood loss to blush properly. But it was clear she turned embarrassed. She tried to pull her arm from his grip, but Brahms tightened his fingers just short of hurting her. "I realized something in the moments Hrist intended to be my last."
"Oh?"
Silmeria looked like she wanted to turn away. But his gaze held her riveted, the girl flustered as she admitted to the following. "I realized I didn't want to die. That even if I must be a vampire, I wanted a chance to live....to experience life the way i hadn't as a Valkyrie." Pleasure filled him to hear those words, but he held back his smile. It was good thing, for Silmeria was continuing in a hasty manner. "It doesn't mean I accept everything about being a vampire. Or about being with you! But I...I WANT my chance at life." Her look turned determined. "And I am going to take it."
"You have made an important decision." Brahms said in approval. "You've taken the first step towards living." He had gained hope, the hope that Silmeria might accept everything he had given her. Of the life, and of himself.
Silmeria was nodding her head in agreement. Brahms was so tempted to lick her arm again. But he restrained that impulse, slowly letting go of her but in such a way his retreating fingers caressed over her flesh. His eyes glanced at her torn top, but he could see no blood. The sword had not come close to tearing open the flesh there. Silmeria noticed where he was looking, and grew even more embarrassed. She'd pull her top close with her hands, though nothing inappropriate had been showing.
Seconds later Vandimeer appeared in the room. "My King!" He was still carrying a sword, the victor of his duel with a Valkyrie. Brahms reluctantly turned from Silmeria to face his loyal vampire. The man's eyes were wide, he looked around the room.
"Ah Vandimeer, you are just in time." Brahms said. "How goes the battle?"
"The battle goes well on our side." Vandimeer told them. "The Valkyrie have suffered many losses thanks to your earlier efforts."
"And yet they still fight?" inquired Brahms, and Vandimeer gave an apologetic look. "They leave us no choice..." He rose off his knees, adjusting his clothing. "Stay here with Silmeria." Brahms ordered Vandimeer. Suddenly he felt a hand tugging on the back of his vest. He turned to look at her, Silmeria having also stood.
"Are you going outside?" He nodded yes to her question. "Then I'm going with you."
"You?" Even Vandimeer was startled.
Silmeria nodded, a determined look on her face. "The fighting has to end..."
"Your appearance there won't stop it." Vandimeer pointed out. "If anything, it will make the Valkyrie all the more determined to kill you!"
"He's right." Brahms said. "The Valkyrie see you as an enemy to be destroyed. If your own sister could not be made to spare you, what makes you think the other will show mercy?" Silmeria turned uncertain, her teeth chewing on her bottom lip. Brahms touched her face, his look serious. "What can you hope to do on the battle field? The elders are wary of your power...a power you would not willingly turn on the Valkyrie. You'd be indecisive at best, and only put yourself at risk..."
Silmeria turned frustrated at that, blue eyes almost glaring at him. "You know I speak the truth."
"But you'll kill them all if I don't go out there!"
"We will kill them all regardless of you." Vandimeer statement earned him Silmeria's glare.
"A message has to be sent to Odin. He has to know we will not tolerate any more invasions, or the slaughter of our people." Brahms told her.
"Do they all have to die?" Silmeria demanded. "Can't you...can't you give them a chance? Like you gave Hrist?" Brahms hesitated just enough for Silmeria to turn pleading. "Please!" She begged. "Give them the chance to retreat!"
"Do you honestly think they will?" Brahms demanded, and saw by the look on her face she did not. "Silmeria..." Brahms sighed, and drew her near enough so he could kiss her forehead. "The Valkyrie are determined to do Odin's will or die this day...."
"Give them
a chance...please!"
He sighed again, and nodded. "Fine...they will get their reprieve. They have until tomorrow night to leave this island. Any that remain behind will die otherwise. It's the best I can offer."
"It's more than enough." Silmeria whispered. But Brahms could see she didn't believe in the chance the Valkyries would give up and go home. He caressed his fingers on her cheek, then forced himself away from her.
"Remain with her." Brahms said.
"Yes, my lord." Vandimeer did a slight bow. Brahms knew the vampire would guard Silmeria with his life if it came to it. But Brahms was sure there was no other enemies in the castle. That included the Valkyrie and their einherjar on the battlefield, as well as any vampires that might be a threat to Brahms' rule. Brahms also knew his decision to show mercy to the invaders would not be an entirely popular decision. And yet he hadn't the heart to refuse Silmeria.
His injuries were such that he still couldn't teleport long distances. It didn't matter, Brahms could run as fast as he needed. He'd use that time to think, to worry about the complications of the night. But he also felt hope, a spring almost in his step as he recalled Silmeria telling him she had decided to live. Brahms would even spare a thought to her sister, planning to make a special allowance for Hrist and Arngrim. Regardless of what happened with the rest of the hunting party, those two would survive. Whether they returned to Asgard, or decided to live on anonymously in another realm, the choice was now up to them. Brahms just hoped they were capable of making the smart decision for it would be one less problem for the vampires to worry about.
---
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Chapter 27 : Twenty Seven
Lenneth hadn't been able to get away fast enough from Lezard, though all outward signs of that need had not been apparent. Lenneth was pleased, maybe even proud that she had managed to retain some dignity, walking calmly out the room. That calm would last long enough for her to get several corridors away, before a great shaking had overcome her. The trembles had left her staggered, Lenneth slipping into the nearest room. It was sheer luck that it had been empty, the woman able to lean against the wall until she could overcome her reactions.
