by P. S. Power
Not that there would be any real harm to it. One thing that great age had taught him, love itself was best off if not wrapped up in physical desire. Rebekah wasn’t a great beauty, due to being a Manthori, but she was exotic and certainly a sweet enough seeming person over all. That part troubled him to no end. How could such a kind and gentle soul end up tied to a Greater Demon and not be terrified at all times? It had to be a relatively new thing, since it had only been a few months since The Mistress of Souls had taken the first Vampire. That anyone knew of at least.
It was a huge, and dark, event in the Vampire world. It marked the Greater Demon that sat in front of him eating a plate of fried donuts that smelled fresh and warm still, as the most dangerous single being for his people to have existed in memory. His kind had very long memories too. She licked a bit of glaze from a finger and finished swallowing, making eye contact with him suddenly.
“So, Richard… It seems that your part in this has ended. You set out to retrieve Maci and did it. I can return you to your home, or office if you’d wish that instead.” Her gaze went to Jonas suddenly, just a flick of the eye that most wouldn’t have noticed, drawing his attention to the fact that the man was moving ever so slightly closer to Rebekah, talking to her in low tones, but not the secret speech.
“I’m sure we can arrange a play date for these two sometime soon.” Her words were easy and comfortable, but Richard shook his head, not really certain why he did it.
It made sense for him to get out of this now. He really had finished his part in it, and it had gone very well. They’d gone into the lair of a Greater Demon and stolen something she was keeping. Maci. No one had asked him to retrieve the spirit of Christmas, had they? It wasn’t the kind of thing that people like him had to worry over, was it?
A vision of the season slowly dying, becoming first just another excuse to buy things and then a few years later watching the commerce of the season dry up, that decided him. He was a politician now and anyone sane had to see that Christmas was economically important to the world. Without it nearly twenty percent of the retail economy would go away.
“No, I need to see this through, if we can. As much as I’d love to get back to my hearth and home. The fact is, we can’t afford to let Christmas fade away, and losing its spirit will cause that to happen. I don’t know if we can do it though, not if Ma’at is free and possibly headed back there as we speak. If she kills Santa…” He didn’t say more, as Maci was looking at him wide eyed and scared.
He tried to cover with a small smile and a head shake, but the Greater Demon looked at the girl and nodded.
“He could die Maci. That is a thing you must be ready for. On the good side, he’s not a regular person like you or Hally is. If he perishes, he’ll come back into being. Perhaps in a different form, shaped by the world as it is now, instead of as it was when he originally came into being. Keep that in mind.”
For some strange reason, though the words were a bit cold and hard, Maci seemed relieved to hear them, her little face lighting up a bit.
“He can’t be killed? Ma’at said she’d hurt him forever if I didn’t do what she wanted.”
Richard blinked wondering what a Greater Demon could have wanted from a child, but The Mistress of Souls looked like she already knew, somehow.
“Yes, Ma’at wanted you to agree to be her slave, didn’t she? But it didn’t work, because you don’t know what that means yet.” She turned and looked Richard directly in the eye. “She’s extremely powerful in her own way, but her ability to make deals isn’t as great as some. If she can force a child to do her bidding for long enough, there won’t be a real fight when she takes over later. It’s one way of doing it. I’ve also found that bribing people generally works. Not that I have issues there, but a good salary can work wonders for loyalty. So can remembering that real loyalty has to go both ways.” She looked at the female Vampire then.
Rebekah smiled.
“Room, board, and five hundred a week. It’s far more than I’ve ever made before. I still have to get my own food, but Keeley paid for the goats we keep out back herself.” It was said with a hint of pride to it, a happy thing that seemed out of place. Then a slave could be made to say anything, couldn’t they?
After the tenth tray of food the dark haired girl left, only to be replaced by The Technician, who was also given large amounts to eat, though only after writing a check that she placed on a side table, shrugging as she did.
“We don’t offer food to each other for free. It’s a cultural thing. You and Jonas are covered of course, since she’s claimed you both.” There was a wicked grin as she said it, one that looked totally at home on her face, a lovely thing that reminded him of the great beauties of a forgotten age. It wasn’t as delicate as her sister’s, and her frame was slightly heavier, holding more muscle if he had to guess at it. It was far closer to realistic though, not a caricature of humanity. He had to pull his gaze away from hers after a moment however, fearing what would happen if he accidently started to try and capture her mind. It wouldn’t go well for him, he didn’t doubt.
“So, tell me Richard, do you plan to be President as well? I do think that Keeley could arrange that for you, even if you are a Vampire. The multiple wives thing will be interesting, but it could help you with the Mormon vote.” She watched him closely, eyes a gem-like blue that was just within what a human might actually have, or could at least get using contacts, if she wanted.
That hadn’t been something he’d seriously considered. The world truly wasn’t ready to know what kind of things went bump in the night, was it? The only reason he was allowed to take political office as it was had to do with the fact that many of his constituents had been voting for “anyone but the other guy”. A Vampire, or as they thought of him no doubt, an insane person, seemed an improvement to them. That his predecessor was so bad and corrupt that he seemed a truly good replacement for the position was a sign of something very dark indeed.
Besides, the fact was that no one believed he was what he claimed to be at all. Except Maci, it seemed, which merely showed the point. She’d been captured and knew that Greater Demons existed first. It did lead to an interesting question, which got him to look at her, shaking his head.
“It isn’t in my plans, no. But… Maci, how did you know to send me a letter? For that matter, how did you do it? I doubt the postal service picks up from Ma’at’s house.”
The girl was still drawing, yawning a bit without covering her mouth, she looked only at the paper in front of her, which was a childish, but charming, rendition of the tree in front of her. Green, but with a star of gold on the top, with red garlands. There were presents drawn under it, but the real tree didn’t have any yet.
“Santa told me to. I made it up and he sent it, because I could go to him, but not get him free.” It made sense to her obviously, so she didn’t put a lot of weight on the words.
“Ah.” Richard didn’t know what to say past that himself, it did tie the whole thing up nicely. It was getting late and even though it was strange, The Technician suggested they put the little girl to bed, since it was important for her to get enough sleep.
“Perhaps you can do that Richard? Maybe tell her a story? I’m sure you must know one or two.” The Technician grinned again, but this time it was a softer thing, almost as if she envied him the job. He really didn’t want the fight that would come with bedtime and had always preferred to let children Maci’s age to stay up and set their own hours, rather than undergo battles about it. He’d raised children before of course. Dozens of them over the last three hundred years. It came up, sooner or later, that a human child would be left in need.
The girl shocked him though, putting the caps back on all the pens, placing each carefully in the clear plastic carrying bag they came in and stacking up all her drawings. There were a few lines of ink on the smooth wooden table top, but no one pointed it out or seemed worried that The Mistress of Souls would be overly worried about that kind of thing.
She stood then, wobbling a little, clearly exhausted. She didn’t know where to go and looked around for a soft place to lie down.
Richard felt out of place too, but stood himself, unsure about the whole thing. The Technician waved a single hand at Rebekah however.
“Put her in Keeley’s bedroom? I’m sure she won’t be needing a bed tonight. She’s working.” It was spoken easily, but wasn’t a command, just a suggestion.
The pale Vampire rose and took Maci by the hand, gesturing for Richard to follow.
“That’s a good idea. It’s the nicest room too. She has a huge bed.” The tone was happy and didn’t seem to be considering what a horribly bad idea it could be. If Keeley took exception to it, who knew what she might do?
The room itself was down the hall at the back of the room, but not up the stairs. The whole thing was in dark colors until the door opened, showing a rather nice space done in silk and rich looking polished wood. The bed was, as promised, vast, taking up nearly a third of the space. It was nearly as large as the one that he and his wives shared at home. The bedding was nicer however, made of quilted satin and, when the sheets were pulled back, silk.
“Oh, my, this is nice.” He tried to show his worry that the rather untidy girl might not be the best thing to put in it, but Rebekah shrugged.
“It’s mainly for show. The Mistress doesn’t sleep. Here you go Maci, up into bed.” She smiled, her teeth accidently showing, which got the girl to go wide eyed, but she didn’t shy away taking the hand that was offered to help get her into place. The child sank into the bed then, giggling.
“Soft.”
It was too, Richard noticed, pushing on it a bit to see for himself. It was almost too soft in fact. The girl didn’t seem to notice, her eyes shutting before he could even decide what kind of tale to spin for her bedtime amusement. The poor thing had to be exhausted from her trials.
Holding a single finger to his lips he backed out of the room, the rhythmic heavy breathing being a good sign that she was honestly falling asleep. The other Vampire nodded, her hand going to the light switch as she passed it. Touching her hand gently he shook his head. He also didn’t close the door all the way when they left the room. It was open just a crack, but if the girl awoke he didn’t want her to think she was a prisoner.
Hopefully she really wasn’t.
Rebekah gave him a funny look, so he explained it all to her, starting with the lights.
“At the cabin we found her in, there were lights, but her room didn’t have controls for it. For weeks or longer she’s lived with the lights on. If we plunge her into darkness now it could frighten her. As it is, I’m surprised she can fall asleep on that bed. After long enough in a prison it became easier to sleep in a fashion similar to what you’ve grown used to than on any other surface.”
That, oddly got a simple nod from the woman, who walked down the hallway easily, her footsteps not making any noise of note, not even to his keen ears. His didn’t either, which meant Hally jumped when they both came back. She smiled though, eating a single cookie, a plain one, though she looked like she felt guilty for it.
Darla removed herself soon after that, and they had nothing to do but listen to Christmas music and wait for something to change. It took until three in the morning, but finally something changed. It wasn’t what he expected at all, but it was different in an interesting fashion.
Balthias returned, with a very tiny, very brightly clad little man. He was thin as a wisp, and not even up to the Lesser Demon’s knee. He had the ageless look of a being created from children’s dreams, though that could have been Richard projecting his own poetic thoughts on to the situation. What he didn’t have, as far as he could tell, was a key of any sort.
“There is a difficulty.” Balthias’ voice boomed, a low rumble that got Hally to frown at him and then wave a little.
“Sorry, Maci’s sleeping.”
“Oh? Good.” The huge beast let go of the little being’s hand and then stood straight, looming over the entire space suddenly. “This one came with me from the Island of toys. I explained the problem, but there is another that we were not alerted to. It seems that the magic key of Santa is tied to him alone, and if any other attempts to touch it, including the elves that slave for him, it returns itself to his place of work. I attempted to bring it with me, but I could do no more than pick it up before it would vanish and reappear on the workbench. I questioned those present.”
The little man took off his hat and stepped forward, his voice clear and speaking unaccented English, sounding almost American. He bowed first, a deep and humble looking thing.
“It is true. None can hold the implements of the season except for Santa. It cuts down on theft, but is a problem right now. We knew there was trouble, but we aren’t, as a rule, able to leave the workroom floor. There are a lot of toys to make after all.”
Richard looked at the tiny person and nodded. It made sense that they would be kept as slaves. Or at least were enslaved by their very nature. Children didn’t understand that others would need the same things they did, so forgot to dream them into being. The elves were just there to be cute and provide toys. They weren’t given anything else to work with, except perhaps the ability to feed themselves on sweets to power their endeavors.
It was a real worry though, not being able to get the key, since without it, they didn’t really have any other way to save Santa. The whole thing was a bust then, wasn’t it?
“I guess we have to call it then. A sad thing, watching a holiday like this die, but what else can we do?”
The little elf stomped a foot cutely. It didn’t make any sound on impact, except a tiny silver bell tinkling. It was attached to the top of his right foot.
“We can’t give up! We need to find something that will let us take the key from the bench and carry it to Santa. He can use it to free himself then. Please, help us?” He was obviously frightened and a strong scent of peppermint wafted from him as he moved frantically.
Peppermint and elf fear.
At least that’s what Richard thought it would be. It wasn’t nearly as alluring as Hally was, but it had its charms. He doubted the thing had blood to feed on, or life energy at all. It was just too different for that. He looked away for a few seconds and then nodded. They could try after all. What would hold the magic key though?
He asked out loud, but no one spoke for a long time, not having a clue. Finally the redheaded girl, who was also dressed as an elf, made a cute face and wrinkled her nose a bit, as if thinking very hard.
“What about… Santa’s magic sack? That could hold it, right?”
Richard and Jonas both looked at the elf and waited, for his part the little being started nodding, but froze, going very still after that.
“Yes… and no. The sack would hold it, but it would just go back to the workshop too. It’s not as likely to do that, but it would eventually. Only Santa can hold it for long. I might be able to manage it for a few minutes, but if it took longer than that…” He sighed, as if it was hopeless.
Hally looked at him without blinking for a while, her black eye and fat lip shining a little under the lights from the ceiling.
“Well… Say, what’s your name?”
“Oh, I’m Mortimer. Only the one name. Like Larry.” It was said as if it made sense and thankfully the human girl didn’t ask any follow up questions about who that might be.
“OK, Mortimer, what if you had, say, Santa’s hat? Could you hold the bag with that, with the key inside? It has to be connected to him right?”
The elf froze again, not speaking for a long time, eyes closed tight.
“Yes. If I had his hat, I could use it on the sack. The Key too, though I doubt that would work forever. The hat can’t leave his presence for too long either though. A few hours perhaps. We’d need that first… This is very complex.”
“Yep, sure is.” The girl agreed, looking determined again. She was good at that, it seemed.
Richard stood up and sig
hed, a practiced thing that made him feel very old all of a sudden. He remembered that the hat was in the corner of the basement, and if they wanted to get it they were probably going to have to go through all the same trials again.
He, for one wasn’t looking forward to it, but holding back and waiting wouldn’t help anything either. Richard needed to be at work the next day after all. It would look bad if he wasn’t in his temporary office, especially if he just couldn’t be found. It also wouldn’t look good for him to be dead. If Ma’at managed to catch them they were all gone, almost certainly. The other Demons had her on the run, but she could easily head toward Santa, or to try and grab Maci, since to her mind the little girl was property. Chattel to be owned and perhaps traded, or a potential slave to be groomed for who knew what.
“Let’s get with it then. We have a lot to do and morning will come earlier than we think. We don’t have a lot of time to waste.”
Jonas ended up holding Mortimer on his shoulders, like a child, so that they could all travel at once with Balthias. This time going to the door was easier, with no trials or puzzles at all. Except for Mort, who had to resist fleeing back to his job on the workshop floor, sobbing about how bad he was being, not doing that at the moment. He did manage to hold himself together however, when they told him about the puzzles and challenges of the place.
The front door swung open as they approached however, this time not making them send the Lesser Demon down the chimney again. The front room was warm and scented like smoke from the fireplace, a homey thing that didn’t fit with what a Greater Demon should have in Richard’s mind. Of course he’d been in two places that such a being inhabited in the last day, and both were nicely appointed. The Mistress of Souls’ place was nicer, but that could have merely been the festive nature of the place, compared to this one, which while decorated to a fine edge, had very little personality at all once inside the walls of the log cabin.
