I began reading this one about two weeks ago. Still far from the end, (I'm at page 15 or so?) but I do like it. There is a certain lack of anything worldshattering happening that's rather refreshing. This is about 'little'people doing 'little' things. Ok, so some of the guys are kind of famous but still.

I'm still at the soft-toothed and virginal dilemma. It's funny how my perception of Aggie made a thorough 180 flip over time. And even though I've been expecting the climax for the last few pages, somehow everyone keeps backing up, only to raise the tensions even further into the impossible. It's just plain awesome.

Oh, and I had a good laugh on how Aggie's fall made a couple of new heroes. Man, he really must want a dentist right now.

Ahem, I'll get back to reading tomorrow. Till then, keep up the good work.

I like the way you've replaced the "is she still a virgin?" confusion with "is she a vampire" AND "is Amiela in there?" at the same time. Especially as the former only needs to be answered "No" once, and the new questions need answers all the time.

Which all leads me to wonder if she'd show vampirical symptoms if she was "hosting"? Wasn't Amiela a vampire herself?

You might want to remind us exactly what's being detected by her tongue now, as I think its target may have been changed by recent events. But then I could just be confused, as usual.

Yeah, good job mALX!

*

@ King Coin - Thank you so much KC! I'm glad you pulled out Maxical's snappy answer to Traven - it was like if a mortal does anything but kill them, they must be promising to do them, lol. Maxical's seal could always detect ancient vampires (because they ease the seal pain), but Janus would have to be in the same room with her to ease her seal. Uriel had Traven bring him to a different room.

You are exactly right, Janus is ticked off because Maxical promised it to him (and ancients expect promises to be kept), but then Malan got in there before him. You had me tickled with your comment, thanks again KC!

*
@ Winter Wolf - Thank you so much Wolfie! Your senses are 100% correct, Janus is brooding all right, lol. Loved the things you pointed out, the eavesdropping in that Palace is a point of contention on both sides. Maxical is the worst for eavesdropping on everyone and repeating what she hears, but gets the maddest when it is done to her, lol. Thank you so much Wolf, I can never say it enough how glad I am to see you back on here!

*
@ Acadian - ROFL!!! I love it! CSI Cyrodiil, lol. Measuring fangs by pressing a parchment up and marking on it the bitemarks with a quill and inkpot, ROFL !!!

S'Jirra spoiled Maxical rotten, she never had to make a bed, lol. At the Arcane she probably talked Delphine into it. Maxical is a cat, they are master manipulators when they want something done - at the Arena Andronicus was repairing her armor, she was going to ring for Evangeline to make the bed (someone she knew would do it for her because Evangeline dotes on her like her parents did) - just wait till Maxical gets out on her own when the Oblivion Crisis happens, she may need to learn to do a few things herself, lol.

You are exactly right, she is holding onto that leverage for a more appropriate time when it will do the most good (or the first time her temper flares, whichever comes first).

Thank you so very much Acadian!

*
@ Grits - I lost everything in my mouth when I read "playing hide the soap in the bathtub" - my keyboard no longer works, I have to hit the keys 3 times every letter now and it is your fault! ROFL !!! Now THERE is a line Foxy shouldn't miss, ROFL !!!

You are exactly right about them being tools that the team will need to use. Malan may have Uriel at a disadvantage, but he is surrounding himself with the right team of assistants (mostly).

Thank you so very much Grits!

*
@ Darkness Eternal - Well, Malan just sated himself on Maxical, drained her dry till she almost died - so he should be on his toes now, lol. Janus Hassildor should be able to tell her if she's been made or not. That's the quickest way.

But Malan wanted her immortal, so he'd need to use Janus's or Dagoth-Ur's blood to do that - he wouldn't want to drink Maxical's blood and taste theirs. He wanted Maxical's blood pure, and has at least nine months to make her immortal - so she's not been turned. (so...NOOOOOO!)

Thank you so much Darkness!

*
@ Jack Cloudy - This was such a nice surprise, thank you so much for reading, Jack! This story is the last year before Uriel dies and the Oblivion Crisis starts, the events that happened in Cyrodiil that last year. When Maxical graduated from the Arcane the year began. I've kind of done it as a continuous diary of events, so there are days when it is slow at first and as the crisis nears the momentum builds. (Maxical needs that year to grow up and become worthy and able to be the champion Uriel needs - she starts of hugely flawed and not capable at all, life and Uriel need to shape her up). Thank you so very much again for reading, Jack!

*
@ Ghastley - The Amiela thing is def an issue unless she pops up like she did before, because before that Maxical never felt her. Malan wants her immortal, and wouldn't have tainted the pure blood before drinking it - she's vampy safe now, but probably won't stay that way now that Malan has gotten rid of the temptation of that pure blood.

You raised an interesting question on the soul being that of a vampire - I am leaving that vampire with the body instead of the soul - so Amiela's soul may be of a not nice person, but it won't be vampiric. Thanks for asking that, I did fret over how to handle that situation before sticking Amiela in there and finally decided I didn't want the vampy attached to the soul.

Gils is dead, so Azura's seal will only bring excrutiating pain unless an ancient is near or Maxical drinks vampire juices. If her pain stops, she knows an ancient vampire is near - unless she has been chugging the juices, and then she has no way of knowing if they are near (which is why she never knew Sir Damien was a vampire, because she was chugging juices).

Thank you so much Ghastley!

*
@ FOXY!!!!! You are so missed, can't wait till November! Thanks for the kind words, and get back here before we all go into a cat-a-tonic states without you!


*

*


Chapter 181: Broken Promises


Janus jumped right into what he was enraged about. “Is what Uriel said true? Malan mated you within the walls of his lair?”

“Er…I don’t know, my eyes were shut throughout…“

“Maxical!“

“I thought it was you, Janus! He made himself look exactly like you, and even talked with your Colovian accent right up till the very end. I didn’t even know I went to his lair, he knocked me out with some spell and carried me there. Then at the end he said to never forget I belonged to him forever now and called me Lass like Malan does. He still looked like you, but suddenly I wondered if it was Malan.”

“You didn’t walk inside of your own free will?”

“No, I woke up in a bed inside there.”

“Then he can’t claim you as his chosen! He has to have his full vampire out, you have to walk willingly by his side into the lair. This is trickery!”

“Huh? That's a good thing, right? I don't want to be his chosen. Geez, Janus…this is like school, all these intricate rules. I don’t know how you keep up with them all.”

“It’s so ancients don’t kidnap women and hold them prisoner in the guise of being a chosen. They’re not even supposed to be under spells but sometimes that’s hard to prove because our aura makes women lightheaded.”

“Look Janus, before I met you I never even spoke to a vampire except with my sword. I don’t know all these rules or what they mean. All I know is we made him mad and he got even, gave us a demonstration of what he could do to us at will. Malan is a strategic genius, he loves doing stuff like that. But I‘m worried he…”

Janus cut in mid sentence. “You can still break this, Maxical. He impersonated me, you can challenge it by mating with me. Prove you intended it to be me.”

“It doesn’t matter who was intended, I can‘t get into a war between ancients! I was ordered to lose my virginity, and I did. I’m safe now, and he can’t use my blood to make a minion of Fathis anymore. I hate that it was him, but it‘s over and done with. My focus has to be protecting Uriel, that is prime above any other consideration. I’m just going to let it drop, end this.”






***


“You can’t let it drop! He‘s told our realm you belong to him now, it won’t end there! And what about your promise to me?”

“Why wouldn’t it end? You said yourself no one dares challenge him. And I kept my promise to you, I can’t help it if you let him impersonate you! You said it was trickery, then he knows it‘s not legit. He urinated on my leg like a dog, that’s all.”

“Ancients don’t urinate on legs. After what he did at the Temple, he can’t step back. Without you being sworn to him he’ll have to keep displaying, sending overt signals and warnings.”

“Like what?”

Janus all but leaped up from the bed. “Like coming to you for all his mating!”

“Not if he wants relief he won’t. The only thing he’ll get here is a quick lesson in why Molag Bal gave you vampires hands. I have no intentions of mating anyone. My service to Uriel takes precedence over my love life, that’s why he ordered me to get rid of the distraction.”

“You can‘t toy with ancients, Maxical.”

“He toyed with me first, Janus. It’s a game to him, a battle. I did what I had to do, and now it’s over. I don’t know if you can understand what a relief it is to me, having that burden of virgin blood off me. I’m safe now.”

“That isn’t all, he’ll stay near you and his army will stand guard where you sleep. He’ll protect the union aggressively, drive other ancients away from you.”

“Janus, there’s no guard on me and you’re in my bedroom right now, that proves you‘re wrong. What’s crucial for me to know is if he made me a vampire, he had access to your blood, Janus! I’m really scared because light hurt my eyes. Can you tell?”

“You’re not a vampire, Maxical.”

“Are you sure?” When Janus nodded I breathed for the first time since Uriel brought it up. I almost felt faint the relief was so tremendous.

“The other thing I was worried about, is his wife still inside me?”

“You’re in too close proximity to me, I can’t tell. The hunt instinct will return when you get a distance from me.”

Instinctively I knew he was lying. She had to be in me, then. He sat back down next to me.






***


“You may be right, if he was seriously poaching you the biggest signal he could send to our kind would be keeping you in his lair where other vampires can’t enter.” .

“He couldn’t be guarding me at Theryon while taking over here at the Palace. I wondered if he was treating the Palace as his second lair or something.”

The split second the words were spoken, Janus leaped back up and became gigantic. His fangs looked like two daggers jutting straight down from his mouth ready for battle and his eyes pierced like a hawk that just caught sight of a rabbit.

I had a flickering of instinctive reaching for my sword but wasn’t wearing one, and didn’t feel comfortable laying down with him looking like that. I struggled both to rise from the bed and to overcome the feeling of needing to raise a defensive attack, then tried to cover my gaffe by taking his hand as if to help me rise. The amount of power emanating from it shocked me, it felt like a volcano of spells about to erupt. I let go quickly and scrambled up on my own.

“Don’t blow up on me, I’m probably wrong.”

“You’re not wrong, ARGH! That’s it!”

“Listen Janus, you can’t let your nature out and grow giant in the Royal Family Quarters. If Uriel sees it he’ll put you back into that cell.”

“You‘re right…I‘m sorry if I frightened you.”

“You did, to be honest. Don’t make me test your immortality.”

“You’ll always be safe with me, Maxical. I would never hurt you.”

“That’s only believable when you don’t look like a giant hawk seeking its prey. Janus, we’re both in this together, I need your help because you understand this stuff and I don’t. Can we talk about this now without you growing giant again?“

Janus nodded.






***


“Malan’s been staying near me steadily till right before you came in.”

“That proves he’s claiming you, Maxical. He’s watching you, making sure no one else touches you. If they try, he’ll kill them.”

“More likely watching over his wife inside me so no one inadvertently mounts her. I have no intention of being with anyone, Janus. I did what I had to for my safety and Uriel‘s, that‘s all. No matter what Malan pulls my only plan for him is to see him dead. I really need your help, Janus. Remember at the Arena you promised to return my husbands to me? Please do it now, please? I mean, you know where Fathis is now and can access Malan's lair.”

Janus’s expression flittered through several different emotions, none of them looked like one determined to keep his vow to me. Dear gods, was Eyja right?

“Listen to me Janus, I can’t make you serve Uriel, but I’m asking you to. With Malan in this Palace, Uriel is in danger. I have to keep him safe at all costs, and could use your help.”

“He hates vampires, Maxical.”

“He knows your nature and is asking your help. He is 87 now, you’ll not get many more chances like this. You can learn a lot from him, I have. He’s wrought changes in me, things I didn’t even know I had inside. He taught me to pull strengths from every resource available, even from the pain of losing Fathis and Gils. I’d not have survived the past weeks without that. With you running a County seat you could really benefit from spending time with him, I hope you will offer it.”

“You’re asking me to put my eternity on the line, Maxical! Anything happens, anything! You saw how quick Uriel was to assume I was guilty! Incarcerated for eternity in a dungeon, there’s no worse fate I can imagine! It would have happened had you not realized it wasn’t me that did this. It‘s too risky.”

“I won’t let that happen to you, Janus. You have my vow.”

“You can’t make vows to me as Malan’s chosen! One misunderstanding could mean Uriel’s Law being called on me!”

“Listen Janus, it happened and no one can take that back. Uriel says you can be strengthened or weakened by adversity, but you’re the helmsman that chooses which. He needs your help. He’ll command it if you don‘t volunteer, it would just look much better on you to make an offer of assistance. You‘ll be staying right here in the family quarters with me and Eyja, we‘ll see no more misunderstandings arise.” If nothing else, I thought that might sway him.

Janus gaped at the one bed in the room, then the bathtub. “Holy Psijic [censored]!”







***


“Malan’s plot involves both of us, Janus. Malan’s wife has been dead a century. Whether he put her in me as a child or that night at the Bloodworks, how did he just happen to have her soul with him to stick her in me?”

“You said Malan is a strategic genius and does nothing without reason. I think using you to house her is something he planned long before he implanted her, and he won‘t give up on it. He never gives up on plans once he’s made them.”

“Why me, Janus? I can tell you know something.”

“I have an idea why, but he’s pulling something. He used tricks to poach you so his heart will stay with his wife, it will never turn toward you. He didn’t really make you his chosen, so why did he say you‘d belong to him forever now?”

“I don’t know, but after he said that I felt something inside me moving, like a circle closing or something.”

“What? Maxical, he’s placed his nature inside you! Your heart will be turned toward him! That’s the trick!”

“Huh?”

“He’s kept his own heart with his wife, but placed his nature inside you so your heart will be turned toward him! He has no intentions of removing his wife from you! He wants you to love him enough that you’ll let him keep her inside you, and she‘ll still be his only chosen!”

“I’m going to stay close by, Maxical. I meant what I said, if you need me I’m but a thought away.”

“Thank you, Janus…” I remembered what Eyja had said about all ancients saying that and it meaning nothing.






***


“Er…I hope you really mean that. Better raise your cowl back, I’m not sure Uriel is used to seeing fangs in his chambers.” I kissed him on the cheek and then pulled the door open.

Uriel, Hannibal, and Eyja all but fell into the room like they‘d been glued to the door.

“This is what you call a private moment, ears pressed on doors? The Bloodworks has more privacy than this Palace!” I fumed, but Uriel patted my shoulder approvingly.

“You made the correct choices without anyone’s council, Maxical. The mission must take precedence and priority over and above anything else.”

“There has to be some way to turn this to our advantage, Sire.”

Uriel gripped my shoulder in answer, nodding his head slowly.

Uriel tempers his praise a lot more than his rage. Maybe because it’s so rarely given it means much more to me when I do receive it. The approving glance or hand on the shoulder, they touch strongly within me. I know now why Fathis said his troops would follow Uriel into Oblivion. He sets tough tasks, but makes you reach deep inside yourself and find things you’d never known you had.

I said it to Janus, but maybe for the first time realized how much I actually had learned from Uriel. He taught me to do whatever is needed to get a task done, to push every bit of rage and pain deep inside and ‘suck it up’…tap it, use it to fuel me beyond my own capability. He brought me from child to warrior in just weeks.

I hoped he could do the same for Janus. I tugged Uriel’s arm to wait, giving a nod at Janus‘s retreating back.

“My first recruit, if you can train him like you are doing me. I give you the boy, send back the man.”

Uriel shot me a surprised look, but only slightly disapproving. “Only until we get Fathis and Foxy back.”

“Agreed.”


*

So Maxical is not a vampire. Gosh, that’s wonderful news! Malan’s wife is still inside her though – that can’t be good.

And Janus may be a nice guy, but the strength of his mettle is still an open question of conflicting evidence. I mean, he stood by her that whole night in the chapel, but now his solution to her problems with Malan is to get her in the sack?

I chuckled when Maxical finally opened the door and the eavesdropping gang outside almost fell into the room. Her words to Uriel at the end about taking Janus the boy and sending her back a man sounded like a mother admonishing her son’s drill instructor. She’s come a long way indeed!

Well Janus if you wanted Maxical so bad, how the hell did Malan haul her off on your watch? (Sorry, talking to Janus here )These vampires are insane!

Look Janus, before I met you I never even spoke to a vampire except with my sword.
Better go back to that I think. Janus wants his turn now! Sorry, you missed it!

I can’t help it if you let him impersonate you!
The only thing he’ll get here is a quick lesson in why Molag Bal gave you vampires hands. I have no intentions of mating anyone.
Go Maxical!

Wooh, two things down. Not a vamp and the dead wife is still there.

Malan’s made quite a claim, considering the Palace his already. Makes me wonder if there is something we’re missing…

I think the bathtub just sealed the deal! Maxical and Eyja can get anyone to volunteer with that bathtub sitting there!

Now, time to get Foxy and Fathis back… Great chapter mALX!

just dropping in to say that i am still reading, just going slowly I'll give you a full report of your story as soon as i'm able

Well, it’s a slight improvement over rat libido as a pickup line.


LOL, now I’m imagining Maxical tripping and falling onto a vampire sword. I love this whole scene with Janus. These two just sparkle throughout.


Hilarious! You got me back for that keyboard!!


I love this line. Maxical acknowledges what Uriel has done for her in such a quiet way. It’s a demonstration of what she was just thinking a minute ago. Awesome!

Nooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Double Nooooooooooooooooo!

Well, she's not a vampire, then. We can't have vampire protagonists, right? They're "baddies," after all, . It would change everything to see Maxical turn into a blood-drinking monster!

I can see why Maxical feels relieved after all this time. Since she's no longer a virgin, I suppose she believes her problems somewhat lessened. But hell, if she has Amiela within her and Malan after her, she still has a big problem to deal with!


Geez, Max sure did get some courage. To threaten Janus after he grew bigger? Hmm! She's tougher now that she's "experienced"

I freaking love how the group fell into the room all at once, caught red handed too! It reminds me of those cartoons/movies where they hide behind the door and just fall into the room after a lenghy eavesdrop

Great write!

So, off to recover Fox and Fathis, eh? Maxical better be prepared now. Especially now!

And here I was, eager to see Maxical stalking through the sewers during the day and drinking the blood of any she can at night. Oh well, it was a good chapter

Hold up, we know Fathis is a vampire now, so are they sure they want to rescue him? Unless they're sure they can cure him, isn't he an unreliable ally? And we don't know anything about Foxy's condition.

Of course, they'd still want to take the two out of Malan's custody, even if they don't know whether they'd remain in his control.

Does Maxical still have the key to get in there?

*

@ Acadian - Thank you so very much Acadian! And he said he didn't lust like other vampires, lol. Suuuure !!!

*
@ King Coin - Thank you so very much KC! You got my favorite line - Molag Bal and the hands, lol. Yeah, Janus is S out of luck on getting his promise now. Thanks again, KC!

*
@ Hazmick - Thank you so very much Hazmick! Just glad to see you here !!!

*
@ Grits - Thank you so very much Grits! ROFL !!! Gone from rat libido to his own? ROFL !!! You are right, she was kind of thanking Uriel at the same time she was tossing Janus in his lap, lol. Thanks again Grits!

*
@ Darkness Eternal - Thank you so very much Darkness! Oh yeah, he wouldn't have turned her yet. Why go through all that trouble to get virgin blood and then taint it with man's blood right before drinking it? He thought Janus would be in that cell for a long, long time - thought he'd have access to that blood anytime he wanted it. Now he's going to have to catch Janus again, or egg Janus into stealing his "chosen" back.

Janus has shown himself to not be a fighter to her, she called him a chicken last time she saw him, and has stood up to him twice now when he was in giant form - getting "experience" didn't change her that much, she and Janus just rub each other the wrong way constantly, lol. Thank you so much again Darkness!

*
@ Zalphon - Thank you so very much Z! Lol, I saw her once as a vampire - URK! Never again! Lol.

*
@ Ghastley - Thank you so very much Ghastley! It doesn't matter if he is a vampire, they want to get him out of Malan's control. They can shackle him in their own prison if they have to, trying to protect Malan from taking his soul (which no one realizes yet that Malan has already done it). Maxical gave the key to Uriel Septim as soon as she got back from the Temple that day. Thanks again, Ghastley!


*




*

*



Chapter 182: Safe From Malan


Uriel stood with his back to us, looking out the dome window to the west…the Rumare. I’d noticed that was the window he chose when he was tense, and wondered if looking at the blue waters brought him the same comfort it gave me.

“My chambers will have to serve as the War Council since Malan’s army has taken over below floors.”

“Can your chambers be soundproofed? These walls are too thin, Malan can hear through them better than I can, and from greater distances.”

“There is no secure area to plan that Malan can’t access in his vapor form.” Uriel hadn’t turned from the window, but I didn’t need to see his face to hear the frustration in his voice.

“He can read minds as well, even through the dome. Any planning can be countered before it takes place.” Janus added.

“It’s truth. Janus said that night we saw those birds on the dome that I nearly ruptured the spleen of the vampire Jak by singing in my thoughts.”

Uriel turned from the window. “The bird that was clutching his ears and stomach?”

Janus nodded. “Jak thinks her singing caused the sterilized rats around the Arena.”

“They aren’t sterile! Are they? It’s not me, I haven’t been singing on Arena property since I was a Pit Dog!”

“She can’t, her teammates filed for a legal injunction against her. Conjured Daedra fall to their knees, it is torture to them. She was banned from singing anywhere on campus the whole time she was at the Arcane.” Hannibal shot me an apologetic look, but then somehow managed to wink at Eyja while maintaining the look of a starving man looking at a juicy steak.

Seeing Hannibal in the throws of flirtation was shocking…and slightly nauseating. I didn’t exactly want to pray he’d never succeed with her, just that it never happen in my hearing and for the gods sake Eyja never discusses it with me like she did Janus and that Earl of Imbel.






***


“Maybe you can sing to Dagon and banish him.” Eyja said approvingly. She slumped down next to me on the couch.

Uriel agreed with her. “Through history sound has been used in the torture of prisoners for information, and is an immensely powerful weapon when trained into thu‘ums and shouts. You should have tested her, Traven. It is possible she was born to the Storm Voice.”

“I can train her to thu’um a force field.“ Eyja volunteered.

“Not inside the Palace.” Uriel clarified, then brought us back on topic. “We must find a way to distract Malan long enough to plan these rescues.“

Janus indicated by pointing. “That vault you have is large enough to accommodate a war council, and made with the same thickness of lead that lines the sealed chamber I built for Rona. Traven enchanted mine to block mind reading from both directions. It‘s completely soundproof and the enchantment can‘t be tampered with.”

“Can it be done, Traven?”

“Yes, but the spells against thought transference would be rendered useless if the vault has air venting.”

“There’s none, it’s oxygenated using an underwater breathing enchantment. You can remain in there interminably. The door automatically locks on closing, only the combination will open it from the outside. This wheel opens it from the inside so you can‘t be trapped.” He shut them inside to prove it.

Eyja dug her elbow into my side and whispered, “I used to hide in that chamber at Janus’s, that’s how he never knew I was watching him. There’s a secret panel in his courtyard that has a rosette pattern on it…” She broke off as the vault door opened and Janus stepped out.

“This would work well, there is enough room to furnish it comfortably if you moved a few things around.”

“Do it, Hassildor. “Get to work, Traven. I want it enchanted immediately.“ Uriel ordered.

Janus began casting Feather spells on the heavy chests, stacking them against the vault sidewalls in neat rows. Hannibal dug through his spells, then started casting around the entire vault.






***


Uriel began measuring the interior by pacing it off. “We must have a way to determine if someone has accessed my chambers so not to step out into a trap.”

“Thermal detection would work best, I cast it inside the vault already.” Hannibal wrestled a stocked wine rack into the vault and had Janus heft it up onto a shelf created by the stacked chests.

“That still won’t detect Malan’s vapor form.” Uriel signaled Janus to help him carry a small table in.

“Maxical’s seal detects vapors.“ Eyja called out.

“Will the small couch fit along the back wall? Eyja and I want somewhere comfortable to sit.”

Eyja dug her elbow into me again. “Good thinking.”

“Don’t forget we’ll need an urn in…er…” I broke off when Uriel showed himself in the vault door glaring.

“I don’t carry urns,” Janus said loftily as he passed carrying a chair.

Hannibal paused in stacking an armful of steins and ale. “Cross contamination, I’m carrying food items.“

Obviously no one wanted to touch an urn.

“No food? If there’s a siege, we’ll be stuck inside.” I called out, then whispered into Eyja‘s ear.

“Hannibal’s family was terribly poor, he went hungry quite often growing up. He‘ll stock enough to feed us for an Era.”

Hannibal bustled to the food cabinet and started bundling food that would store well. Next he dragged the small cold storage in, casting a fresh Frost spell in the outer channels. He snatched a bowl of fruits and the fresh bread off Uriel’s dinner table next, then stacked plates and utensils on a shelf.






***


Eyja proceeded to call instructions for other select pieces of furniture and directions where she wanted them placed. “Get that overstuffed chair…no, angle it in the corner near the couch.”

I poked Eyja’s arm and whispered. “In that ell off our room is some rolled feather mats and pillows, sheets and blankets.”

“Ooh, good idea. Might make a nice place for a romantic getaway.”

She grabbed Janus and hurried off. They returned shortly with Janus loaded down like a pack mule, placing the bedding on shelves across from the food stores.

When it reached the point that the men were shoulder punching each other and settling into the vault’s chairs with glasses of ale, I curled up on the small sofa I’d requested with Hannibal’s tome on ancient vampires.

“You’ll ruin your eyes!” Hannibal scolded, casting a light spell above me to read by.

Eyja plopped down next to me on one side of the couch, bumping her leg into mine deliberately.

“What?” I looked up from Hannibal’s tome.

“Maxical, when someone tries to contact you discretely you aren’t supposed to announce it to the room.”

“Oh, sorry. So what did you want?”

“I’m drowning you next time we bathe.”

“What did I do?”

Eyja got a grin out of Hannibal for her efforts. She winked at him and tried to rouse me again.

“I think we should set up some kind of system to let each other know when the vault is in use for…private matters.”

I gaped at her without understanding. “Huh?”

“ARGH! Never mind!”






***


Uriel signaled Janus and Hannibal out, then pulled the door shut and stepped over to the couch where Eyja and I were sitting. My tongue started a steady burn.

“Malan isn’t here, Azura’s seal is on fire.”

Uriel turned a chair around to face us, and sat leaned forward intensely like he did in the war council room. Immediately Eyja’s expression became serious. I perked my ears forward and grabbed my tail to still it.

“None of us really know Malan’s intentions other than the seizing of the throne. Until we have proof Fathis is dead we must assume he lives and Malan holds him in that dungeon along with Foxy. Rescuing them and taking down Malan is our top priority.”

He turned to Eyja, waiting till her quill was poised over her notepad.

“Eyja, Theryon had a tiered dungeon in the lower section that housed cells, but the accesses to it were hidden. Lady Benoch said that section of Theryon below ground was a maze of secret passages and traps. She hand drew some rough maps for it. When you check the archives, see if you can find them. Get your men set up in there. I want them in and out as quickly as possible, rescue anyone in the cells. Have Foxy debrief them in his facility since Malan is here. These will not be standard procedures for a search and rescue in hostile territory, Malan is different from any enemy you‘ve ever encountered.”

I hesitated, not sure if I should speak. “Er…Sire, Hannibal has some handwritten notes on Malan’s abilities based on the cocktail that made him. I think he brought them.”

“Find them. Eyja, study them before you set foot in Theryon. While the rescue operation is in progress we’ll need diversions to keep Malan’s attention off our movements.” He turned to me. “That task falls to you.”

“Me?” It came out a squeak. “Diversions? You mean like…blowing up stuff or something?”

“You quite probably hold Amiela‘s soul, Maxical. Keep him occupied. Gather what information you can. Try to ascertain the date Dagon comes. We know it is sometime after your actual birth date, and that is within two months of Nisaba‘s birth date. Malan took Nisaba’s papers when he kidnapped her, we can’t estimate it without them. It is crucial you create distractions to keep Malan from his lair for those rescues. I only wish he had used Eyja for this, I’m worried you are too naïve to discern his true motives.“

Uriel leaned forward and gripped my shoulder uncomfortably. “Whatever it takes, your focus must remain in saving Fathis regardless of anything Malan says or does. Do not let yourself believe you are anything more to him than a means to an end. Keep that in mind at all times and use it to your advantage. Malan is an uncanny con.”

“At least he can’t hold his position as Arbiter over Maxical now that he’s admitted Fathis is alive.” Eyja closed her notebook.






***


“He still can. When Fathis married me it invalidated my marriage to Gils, making the mysteries Gils taught me illegal. But to protect me from the law, Fathis had to consummate our marriage. He didn‘t, and could have. Instead he was setting the trap for Malan and Janus that started this war. I’m still illegal, and Malan knows it. He has proof, I…used Gils’ mysteries when he took me. I can be killed for having them.”

“Can he legally do that?” Eyja gasped and glanced up at Uriel. He nodded.

Eyja opened her notebook again. “Speak.”

“Marrying or breeding any Dunmer puts you under the jurisdiction of their law. Any Arbiter can step in to judge whether the mysteries have been taught illegally. If my marriage to Gils is deemed invalid, he’ll be killed. Fathis let Gils know he was coming to kill him right after our vow was finished. The Arbiter can protect me from the law by taking me for themselves like Fathis did, but the chances aren’t likely they will. Khajiit aren’t considered desirable mates by Dunmer, most still consider us slaves.”

“There’s no other way out?”

“The only appeal is through Divayth Fyr, he speaks directly to Azura. Once Divayth rules on it, no other Arbiter can dispute his decision and you‘re protected from further prosecution. I can’t contact Divayth till the war ends, the couriers have stopped running.”

It suddenly hit me why Malan may have used me. “This may be why Malan chose me if he just stuck her in me last week.”

“What do you mean?” Eyja was writing rapidly on her pad.

“By law Malan can only share mysteries with his first wife, and she’s dead. Even sticking her soul in another body he can’t teach them again. But as Arbiter, Malan can stand in Fathis’s stead, teach me Fathis’s mysteries. It’s legal, and Malan gets a container with mysteries to house his dead wife.”

Uriel shook his head. “Hassildor put spells on Fathis shortly after your graduation, she‘s been inside you at least that long. I still believe Malan implanted her inside you that day at the orphanage.”

“Huh? But Janus hasn’t been following me all this time, we only met twice this past month before the day at the Temple! And why would Malan chose me, one Khajiit child out of all those children he kidnapped?”

“That is the least of our worries right now, Maxical.”


*

I wonder what the Rumare means to Uriel?

The vampires took over the lower floors? Janus needs to load up Maxical and blast them all away again! I agree with Maxical about Hannibal. Ugh. Good thing they now have a place they can plan without Malan popping in whenever he wants. Lol! I was about to say that Hannibal is on top of things now, and then he hauls a wine rack into the vault! So much for that!

Eyja needs to train Maxical how to be more subtle! So much for that!

I perked my ears forward and grabbed my tail to still it.
Cute! I love this line!

That sounded so parental. Not in the house!! How interesting that Maxical’s disastrous singing could turn out to be another gift.

I love how those three powerful men pitched in and arranged the safe vault without any fussing (until the subject of an urn came up, lol) while Eyja and Maxical called out instructions. They could have been five people from any time and place in that scene.


I love it!! I’m glad that Janus is still on the team, regardless of his motives. He is great fun to read.

I have a feeling he's got it exactly wrong.

I love the idea that Maxical’s singing voice could be used as an offensive thu’um/yowl/shout!

It was great fun to see how carefully Uriel’s war council worked out how to ensure some privacy for planning. Leave it to Maxical to think of the litter box urn. For a moment I wondered if Uriel was going to issue Maxical a lead helmet to help our kit shield her thoughts from Malan.

’ Immediately Eyja’s expression became serious. I perked my ears forward and grabbed my tail to still it.’
Wonderful how you so naturally remind us that Maxical is a Khajiit. This is so delightfully easy to envision!

“It’s legal, and Malan gets a container with mysteries to house his dead wife.”
Oh. Well since you put it that way. See, even in Uriel’s time, there was good reason to kill all the lawyers.

*

@ King Coin - Thank you so very much KC! Maxical and Uriel are more alike than they think (not just in temper) - looking out over the Rumare is soothing to both of them. Your comments had me rolling, thank you again KC!

*
@ Grits - Thank you so very much Grits! I hoped that scene would come across as you described (five people from any time and place).

Parental is the right word - Uriel realized Maxical was very similar to Prince Ebel in temperament that night the birds were fighting on the roof. Since then he has been using the same techniques on Maxical that he used to raise Ebel. It has made a huge difference in how they get along, and with his temper not being so active Uriel has begun to notice more of her strengths and assets. They are beginning to forge a bond between them.

Thank you so much again Grits!

*
@ Ghastley - Thank you so much Ghastley! You are right in some ways here. It won’t change what is happening right now, but it is something Uriel hopes to find out without Maxical knowing before he does - so he’ll know how to counter it before she learns anything just in case. Thanks again Ghastley!

*
@ Acadian - Thank you so very much Acadian! Offensive is the right word, ROFL !!! Thank you so much for those kind words about that scene between Maxical, Eyja, and Uriel. About the lawyers - ROFL !!! Thank you so much again, Acadian! (and thank you for commenting my Pirate story too!)

*



*

*


Chapter 183: Scenes From Within The Safe



Uriel stood up. “You need to plan ahead for anything Malan does. Stay one step ahead of him. If you feel you are in danger let me know immediately.” He signaled us to blank our minds while he opened the door and waved Hannibal and Janus in.

“I don’t know how…“

Eyja leaned over and whispered a filthy joke into my ear.

“Ew, that’s nasty Eyja!” I gasped.

“Think of that every time you need to blank your mind. That’s how I do it.”

“That’s disgusting!”

“Hassildor, were you able to hear or read thoughts while outside the vault?“

“No, Sire…nothing.“ Janus said quietly as he walked in. His cowl suddenly spun toward Eyja and he sniggered.

“Good. Now to see if any of us will become claustrophobic in here.” Uriel shut the door with all of us inside.

Eyja poked me. “I could hang a garter on the door if I’m in here busy.”

“Eyja, if I see a garter on the door it will be the greatest lure imaginable for me to sneak in and watch. Just you saying that has got my lockpick warming in my hand.” I flipped my hand in a smooth gesture and unsheathed just one claw, waving it at her.

“BWAAHAA! Voyeur!”

“Khajiit are terribly nosy, especially if we think someone doesn’t want us somewhere.”

“We are all voyeurs at heart.” Hannibal sounded like one of the Arcane scholars giving a lead-in to a lecture while as well as confirming he’d be watching too.

“Besides, I need to know if I made any gross blunders my first time.” My face flushed red remembering the first time I kissed Gils. I‘d thought it was so wonderful, but to him I’d been gauche and inexperienced.

“Well if you did, it would serve him right for tricking you.“ Eyja said loyally and patted my arm, then pinched it. Under cover of her meaty arm she pointed at how the thermal detection was showing a concentrated red heat pattern shaped like a cone in Janus’s lap area when he sat down.

“SPEW! KA! KA!“ I choked. Eyja pounded my back, then went off into a peal of laughter.






***


Everyone stared. I fought to stop laughing, but the sight kept drawing my eye and sending me into choking fits again. I finally had to turn my face directly to Eyja‘s so my back was to Janus. I arched one eyebrow at her.

“Janus and I will don lab coats and take notes, possibly discussing what we see in whispers as we watch. We may publish a paper on female libido later.”

“BWAAAHAAA! Hannibal could make those exploded corn kernels for you to snack on between comments.” Eyja threw in.

“And we could throw the kernels at you if things weren’t moving along as we thought they should.” I added.

“SKREEEK! BWAAHAA!”

“Uriel could triple the coffers charging admission to the event.” I continued.

“SKREEEK! BRAYOOOOGA!” Eyja tackled me and started tickling my sides while I tried to fight her off.

“Is that a new laugh? Gaaah! Quit! Mustn’t tickle cats, we leave puddles if handled wrong!”

Uriel laughed, but raised his hand to silence us. “Settle down, you two.”

Eyja sat up grinning. I pulled myself up, straightening the dress and schooling an innocent look on my face. As soon as Uriel’s head was turned I made my tail leap up and act like a snake biting Eyja on the neck. She shrieked.

Uriel spun around glaring, I just shrugged at him.

“What? Oh, you’ve had it now!” Eyja leaped on me again, tickling.






***


“If you two girls continue to act like schoolchildren, you will not attend the rest of this meeting. This is my chambers, not your bathtub.” He looked me directly in the eye.

“Hey, what did I do? Hmph!” I pretended to be offended and picked up Hannibal’s tome.

Uriel shook his head, then turned toward Hannibal and began discussing his research on Malan’s cocktail line. Eyja bumped my leg either in apology or to roil me. Uriel’s temper was seriously elevating, so I ignored it and started reading again.

Reading Hannibal’s tome now, there was a lot to it that I never understood as a child. It said the juices were living fluids that fueled the ancient’s sensual drives and were used to carry their spells. That must be why they made such a strong catalyst for spells against them. I scanned the chapter for any spells that would keep an ancient from harming someone, but couldn’t find one.

Janus slid down on the other side of the sofa next to me, leaning over to see what I was reading.

“What are you reading about?”

“Spells that can be used against ancients. I‘m trying to find a way to ensure Malan can’t harm me. Do you know of anything?”

Janus shook his head.

“Hannibal said this Love Slave spell is supposed to protect the caster, but it says nothing like that in here and Malan did harm me after I cast it on him.“

“Love Slave spell? I never heard of it.”

“I told you about it on the way back from the Temple. All it says here is that ancients become addicted to it nearly instantly, a slave to it; hence the name. Look, it says it could bring an ancient to his own detriment in seeking to feed that addiction.”






***


“How does it do that?“ Janus leaned over, looking where I was pointing. “No other act satisfies or equals the sensation it brings! Is that the one you were telling me about where you spit the juices into their eyes?”

“That’s the conversation I‘m talking about.” I never said it was spit into the eyes, Janus suggested it and I had replied, ‘something like that’.

“And it brings a powerful sensation? How?”

“I don’t know, I just know it worked on both Vicente and Malan instantly.“ I snapped my fingers.

Janus leaned over my shoulder and read aloud the section on it. “The ancient becomes a slave to the overpowering sensation, it is usually done in the act of mating hence the name Love Slave spell. There’s no instructions? What do they mean by ‘sequence‘?”

I shrugged. “These are just descriptions of different spell effects on ancients.”

There was no doubt in my mind Janus’s next visit to a prostitute would end in her spitting his juices into his eyes, he looked glassy-eyed in anticipation. Eyja was right, he was just as much a creature of lust as any of them.

There are times when the right path isn’t clear, this was one of them. If he did have his own juices spit into his own eye, would it hurt him? I spat on my finger and rubbed my eye. It didn’t hurt.

Should I tell him? He would just teach every prostitute in Cyrodiil the secret. His putting Fathis under spells started this war. Now Fathis was either dead or a vampire in a cell somewhere and Gils was…gone. No, I wasn’t going to enlighten Janus. He needed to learn his own lessons in self control the hard way. I just hoped it wouldn’t blind him, that would make me feel terribly guilty.

As I was closing the tome a loose parchment slid out. “Oh Sire, here are those notes Hannibal compiled on Malan‘s cocktail.” I handed the notes to Eyja and leaned to read them with her.






***


“It says they have some kind of thermal detection or sensing called ’Hunter Sight’.”

Hannibal nodded. “It gives a much more detailed detection as you‘ve seen in this vault. Even a degree warmer or colder than the environment will become visible to them.”

“Your men will need to shield themselves in the same temperature as the air around them, too cold may still show a blue outline. Traven, I expect you to provide that. We‘ll have to bring them in here to test whatever they use.” Uriel waited while Hannibal cleared his throat.

“Argonian’s body temperature adjusts to their environment.” Hannibal looked at Eyja, so did Uriel.

“Foxy has a team of Argonians for underwater missions, but they’re quite a ways from here; almost to Bravil down in the Veyond Cave. I can send for them, but we’re talking several days.”

“Do it. Their minds must be blanked, some way to cover their scent, and be soundless.”

“They’re Tribals, that is all second nature to them.”

He grabbed a blank parchment while Eyja went to give the order, and had it half full of scribbling before she returned and he signaled me to continue.

“Their mind reading ability is extreme compared to other lines, as is their ability to control or implant thoughts at will. Hannibal, it says here he has tremendous healing ability. Illusion includes impersonations, the hiding of his nature at will with or without feeding. Oh, and not just birds and vapor; they can transform into a wolf.”

“Traven, what are Malan’s abilities in these transformations?” Uriel leaned forward.

Hannibal took over, plucking the sheath of parchments from my hands.

“In any human form his powers would be the same. The wolf and bird have the defense of his teeth and claws, or beak and talons. As undetectable vapor he is unable to defend himself, a fireball would damage him greatly. In any form, fire would do the greatest damage.”

I felt a sickening thud in my stomach. Uriel had laid a perfect trap for him. He had him as a bird and fire from all directions that he couldn’t have escaped. I did save his life. None of this would be happening now if I hadn’t warned him. Janus leaned over and patted my hand. I looked up at his cowl, surprised.









***


“Traven, if we are true split-aparts, why can’t I transform or alter my appearance?”

Janus leaned forward in the seat so eagerly, it struck me that he wanted to hide his fangs and pink eyes so girls wouldn’t ‘urk’ at him anymore. I really had become used to his face, just didn’t notice them anymore.

Janus’s cowl glanced at me quickly and then back at Hannibal, and it suddenly struck me he’d been listening in on my thoughts all this time.

“You would have to release your nature to use any of your special abilities, and your illusion skills must be at Master. Vicente represents one line that went into the cocktail that made you. He makes himself into a young Adonis when he is on the prowl, in reality the man is a veritable goblin. The Earl of Imbel is another example. I only recently discovered he was an ancient because he keeps his vampire features completely masked constantly without known feeding; which makes us wonder if he isn‘t one of Malan‘s makes.”

“He is, Maxical told me that he must be since he transforms into a large predatory bird.”

“Huh? Who?” I looked up at him confused.

“My friend Jak.”

“Your friend Jak is the Earl of Imbel?”

My eyes bugged out. I kicked Eyja and raised my eyebrows twice at her. She broke out giggling, which quickly escalated to a loud braying followed by her immediate departure from the vault to find the urn no one had wanted to carry into the vault. Her hyena laugh could be heard echoing through the open vault door.






***


Uriel looked close to losing his temper, but then suddenly his brow cleared. “Traven, didn’t you say this Earl of Imbel just signed onto the Diplomatic Immunity program before war broke out? Hassildor, do you know this man well enough to vouch for him?”

Both men nodded.

Uriel tapped his finger on the table. “Hassildor, get him in here for a meeting as quickly as possible. I’d like to know how much aid to the throne he is willing to give to remain on the program.”

“He signed it in peacetime, may not have realized the implications of the clause that says he must act in defense of the Empire.” Hannibal backtracked.

“His maker started this war, Traven. Is his signature on the line verifying he read the contract?”

“Of course…”

Uriel exhaled loudly just as Eyja eased back into the room. “Can we get down to business now?”


*

Y'know, Malx...you should make a mod that lets us play through these epic adventures that you write up. I know it isn't feedback, but I'd really love to play through all of this stuff (because I really like the plot and the character development).

I imagine the only thing holding it back is the cost of hiring Sir Patrick Stewart for the Uriel voice-acting.

Forgive me for not mentioning it sooner, my friend, but I really like the little ‘summary/update’ you’ve been putting at the end of your comments. It really brings readers right up to speed and fully ready to enjoy the next episode!

“Is that a new laugh? Gaaah! Quit! Mustn’t tickle cats, we leave puddles if handled wrong!”
This is priceless!

More of Malan’s weaknesses! Perhap Maxical can start carrying extra juice for spitting?

“Argonian’s body temperature adjusts to their environment.”
Foxy keeps a crew of teenage mutant ninja turtles special forces reptilian operatives for super clandestine missions!

‘None of this would be happening now if I hadn’t warned him. Janus leaned over and patted my hand. I looked up at his cowl, surprised.’
That darn Janus is listening to Maxical’s thoughts again! A couple sentences later, Maxical figures it out as well.

‘Her hyena laugh could be heard echoing through the open vault door.’
Between Eyja’s laughter and Maxical’s singing, they could be a deadly team!

Oh wow! Trying to recruit Jak to the cause. I guess we’ll find out if Eyja is right about vamps only recognizing promises made to them, not promises they make to others.

Some clever plans being made here!

Wow...

Blimey, I'm not sure which I envy more - your talent or your time... ...

Finally caught up...Brilliance, all of it...

Love the vault thing, excellent idea...Between that and the lab-coats it's getting a bit Fallout in there... ...

Eyja continues to delight on many levels.. ...

Uriel is class, as ever...

All your characterisation is amazing...Loving it muchly...

You never know, I may be able to keep up for a while now... ...

Absolutely nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

*cracks neck*

Alright, I have some catching up to do!

182:

So, Malan and his bugaboos take over the lower level eh? To clmb their way to the top and take out their enemies! Not a problem! Just have Maxical pitch in with her vocal talents and bam! Haha. Who knew she was a terrible singer?

I also freaking love the fact that you gave Janus Hassildor some personal issues to cope with! Even vampires have their own problems, and it makes them so much more believable as characters that you can possibly relate to.

183:


HAHAHAHA. That's Eyja for us.


Ah, this was a little interesting fact here! Some additional Argonian lore!!! I think you know what I mean.

You gave us more info on vampire juices=vampire hormones! Hahaha.



So damn true! At least, for some vampires. They are so damn talented in illusion spells that it make them truly one of the most "cunning of night horrors."

Especially the ability to shapeshift into a bat or a wolf . . .or vapor!

I liked this part because it is very true. Masters of Illusion, they are. Good work!!

I love Eyja’s method of blanking her mind. Maxical should just sing within her mind like she did that other time.

As soon as Uriel’s head was turned I made my tail leap up and act like a snake biting Eyja on the neck. She shrieked.

Uriel spun around glaring, I just shrugged at him.
The whole section was funny but this is by far the best part! I love it!

Argonains! This is going to be interesting.

Uriel’s going to go all lawyer on a vamp!

phew, all caught up! I've been a tad busy playing Halo 4 and Assassins Creed 3 but nothing will get in the way of reading your story mALX!

So it seems Malan is tightening the noose around Maxical and her merry men, it's high time someone escorts him from Tamriel, with or without the use of a flaming claymore (or Maxical's charming singing)

Keep up the good work, I'll be sticking around for a while longer

Eyja was a riot, egging Maxical on with her jokes. That laugh might turn out to be another weapon!


ROFL! Fun tickle fight. I see that Janus thought so, too. The where-to-spit-the juices dilemma had my mind going off in all directions.

I love the tie-in with the tribal Argonians of Veyond Cave!

Uh oh, after Eyja’s pee break I’m questioning whether that’s the real Eyja… I have my eye on you, Nord!

*

@ Zalphon - Thank you so much Z! I actually have modded my personal game exactly for this story, right down to Alix the Mouse and the vampire traits and abilities. Thanks again Z!

*
@ Ghastley - Thank you so much Ghastley! I’d just pull all the Patrick Stewart voice files and set up a dialogue quest for my Uriel character, lol. Thanks Ghastley!

*
@ Acadian - Thank you so very much Acadian! I have heard of ticked off cats peeing out their ire when handled wrong, lol. My neighbor’s cat used to pee in her husband’s shoe all the time. “Meerooow … Bwaa-nya-aah!” ROFL !!! Eyja testing out new laughs - I think the neighbors had one of those “AYUUGAH!” sounding horns - Eyja had to try it out, ROFL! Thank you so very much again, Acadian!

*
@ McBadgere - Thank you so much McB! I never thought about the lab coats and the word vault together till you said that! ROFL!!! I love it !!! Now I have to go play Fallout again! Lol, this vault is the size of one small room, I’ll get some screenshots up of it so it can be visualized better. Thanks so much again, McB - and Welcome Back! You’ve been missed!

*
@ Darkness Eternal - Thank you so very much Darkness! You are right about Janus having issues.

Malan has been deliberately pressing Hassildor to act on his vampire nature. The more Malan does, the harder it is driving Janus to drag Maxical off to that castle and make her (into an immortal vampire) instantly on arrival.

Janus is showing tremendous willpower in fighting it, but the only reason he is fighting it is because Malan’s dead wife is in there and Janus knows Malan will come after her - he knows he is being set up. That doesn’t make the fight any easier, because the vampire nature is feral, instinctive actions. If Janus had used some of that willpower earlier, there wouldn’t be a war on now, lol.

“Some additional Argonian lore!!! I think you know what I mean.” - ROFL !!! Yes, I do know what you are referring to !!! ROFL !!!

Uh oh, you asked, lol. And not just singing - dancing too. If she ever combined her voice with her dancing and approached a Daedra, it might leap into the lava in terror, lol. Here are just three examples off the top of my head:



Thank you so very much again, Darkness!

*
@ King Coin - Thank you so very much KC! You are right too, Maxical would have to understand the filthy jokes she is trying to think of, lol. You had me rolling with this, Thank you so very much again KC!

*
@ Hazmick - Thank you so much Hazmick! So Halo 4 got you, I was really surprised my son didn’t bug me for a copy! He said he is saving up for the next GTA in the series, lol. I haven’t played Assassin’s Creed yet, really need to try it! Thanks again, Hazmick - you’ve been missed!

*
@ Grits - Thank you so very much Grits! Oh yeah, Janus letting his nature out so much is making him susceptible to its lusts - I see Eyja spitting into his eyes in the near future, for sure! Lol. You caught the line I hoped someone would like - Hannibal trying to sound scholarly while admitting his voyeuristic side, lol. You don’t have to worry about Eyja, her mind is protected. Too bad Maxical’s and Fathis’s weren’t, a lot of this wouldn’t be happening now! Thank you so very much again, Grits! You are so appreciated!


*
@ EVERYONE -

*


Chapter 184: Revelations Of Treachery


“Malan keeps sticking things inside me. First his dead wife, now Janus said that closing circle I felt was Malan plunking his nature in me.”

Janus explained. “The nature is a powerful force, it’ll turn Maxical’s heart toward Malan with as strong a drive as our bloodlust. It does that so the union will last forever, but Malan used a trick so his heart would remain free. The signals he gave his nature were that she was just there for pleasure, not to become his chosen. With his nature inside her he can manipulate her to compliance in his plots.”

“What?” Eyja may as well have leaped up and cuffed her sleeves for battle by the tone of her voice. “That [censored]! Why Maxical?“

“Malan had to poach. The nature won’t give a chosen till the ancient is ready because the commitment must be there forever. Malan’s nature would never give him a new chosen because he wasn’t ready to give up the last one.” Janus answered.

“It ties into why Malan needed them to be split-aparts. Hassildor was well ready for that commitment, he could petition the nature for a chosen and it would be readily given. Malan planned for Rona to die in the attack, it was sheer miracle she survived at all, no less live another fifty years.” Hannibal added.

“Then Malan really did have to wait fifty years for you? I was right to call you ‘Malan‘s Folly’ that night in the Temple!”

“Fifty years may seem like a lot, but when your life is counted in centuries it is more comparable to your minutes. Time passing means little to ancients, we can wait interminably for something we want.”

Uriel didn‘t look up from his jotting. “We must find a way to remove that from Maxical immediately. Traven?”

“There are ways, but it involves her being poached by another ancient.“ Hannibal began digging through his tome.

“Only uplines can poach. Since Malan created the line, there is no one upline of him. Being his equal, I‘m the only one that can of our line. Anyone from another clan can, but none dare challenge him.” Janus responded.






***


Hannibal looked up from his tome. “Malan’s nature should hold Maxical as a sacred being, protect her at all costs.”

“It should protect itself first, meaning protect Malan; but he’s divided his own nature against itself with this trick.” Janus argued. “He shouldn’t have been able to harm her at any age if she was selected by our nature as the chosen!“

Hannibal pointed one finger to the ceiling. “My exact words the day the necromancy was discovered!”

“Then why me?”

“I’d wager it was revenge on an enemy, Malan lives for it.” Janus said firmly, then added, “You were probably another meant for Blenwyth.”

“Let us worry about the why later, we mustn’t get off track. Focus on his next move, not his last one.” Uriel spoke without looking up from writing.

“With Malan’s nature and his wife’s soul inside me, what happens to Janus following her? And will this trick bring his bloodlust back or will it stay gone?” I asked Hannibal, then stared at Janus‘s cowl.

Janus hesitated, his aura was giving off tension. I got the feeling he was very uncomfortable discussing this in front of Uriel. I reached over and patted his hand.

“I’m sorry, Janus. This discussion can‘t be comfortable for you, but it has to be done so we can stay one step ahead of him.”

Uriel nodded his approval. “She’s right, Hassildor. It is crucial we know what his next move is, not just my life and Maxical’s are on the line here. The future of Tamriel is at stake.”

“Our hunt for a chosen is for the soul our nature marked for us, but the chosen we accept is the physical body. Unless I swear my rights to another, my bloodlust will remain gone permanently until she dies.“






***


“What if he moves his wife’s soul into someone else?”

“She is marked for my hunt, I will always be able to find her wherever she goes. The chosen I’ve accepted is the one that’s integral to me now, but I won‘t be able to find her without that soul inside her.”

“Then you can help us track her down if he moves her around, good! Malan said that bodies were worn for brief moments in time, but ancients see the souls within and recognize them, that must be what he meant.”

“How does it work?” Eyja paused her quill.

“Souls are eternal. At our making the nature selects one perfect for us. They are marked permanently for our nature to hunt, and are protected by it so we don’t inadvertently…harm her. If our chosen dies, the nature selects another. Depending on the length of grieving process it could actually be the same soul. Ancients grieve much longer than mortals, and very rarely are souls ever lost.”

“You mean they are reincarnated? That’s…eerie.” Eyja shivered. “What do you mean, lost?”

“Soul gatherers like Clavicus Vile burn their own marks over ours, obliterating them from souls our nature can choose from. They are permanently lost once he gets them.”

Janus’s aura had changed, I could feel it reaching out of him with a hunger as we talked. The nature inside him belonged to Malan, Janus would never get a perfect chosen selected just for him. The hunger must be for someone of his own. His cowl turned in my direction, I guessed he was reading my thoughts and sent him one in sympathy for his situation.


Are you okay, Janus?


He jumped out of his seat, looking around. “What was that? Did you just send me a thought? What an odd sensation!”

My face flushed when I looked up and Uriel, Hannibal, and Eyja were all staring at me.







***


“Janus, when someone tries to contact you discretely you aren’t supposed to announce it to the room.” I imitated Eyja.

Eyja shrieked, but Uriel’s face was turning red with temper. I sent another thought to Janus.


Shh, Uriel is getting mad.


He jumped up again. “That feels so strange! It tingles.”

“Janus, can’t you be discreet? You’re getting me in trouble.” I hissed.

Uriel roared. “There are serious matters before us! This is not the schoolroom!”

“I’m sorry, Sire. I warned you that Janus and I were as alike as peas in a pod.”

Hannibal interrupted. “What about the sharing of his Dark Gift? Ancients are powerfully driven by their nature to make the chosen in the first five years.”

“But Malan didn’t really make me his chosen.”

“I’m talking about Hassildor! That is the role Malan planned for him in all this.” Hannibal stared hard at Janus. We all turned and stared at him.

“That is something we must discuss at another time, Traven. I expect Malan to be dead long before the need for this discussion arises.” Uriel made a notation on the file in front of him.

It took Hannibal a minute to find his place in the tome again as if his mind was distracted. He looked at me apologetically before reading.

“Anyone considered a threat to their union he will kill without hesitation. The spouse is always a casualty. In the highest percentage of cases the ancient tries to maintain clean hands in the death, usually through use of mind control on others to commit the murder…”

A panic rose up inside me, and without meaning to I shrieked, “He has Fathis!”






***


“We don’t know that Fathis is really alive, Maxical. Malan could have been lying at the Temple just to get you to leave with him.” Eyja put her arm around me.

“But if he is…will that trick poaching keep Malan from being driven to kill Fathis?” I turned to Janus for answer. If Janus sought to give me comfort, his words had the opposite effect.

“He won’t kill Fathis, Maxical. A powerful mage’s soul is too much an asset as a minion. In my opinion that‘s worse than death.”

“But my blood is changed now, he can’t! We‘ll just have to rescue Fathis before Malan finds another virgin to use against him.”

Janus leaned forward. “You hope. Malan had you in his lair three days, but your blood was freshly drained when he returned you. What occurred there, Maxical?“

“I don’t know, it felt like I was there just hours. I was really ill and slept a lot. Malan said he flew me to Theryon in his bird form, that I was made ill by the flight. I do get very sick in high places, and from spells too. He put me under spell before taking me.”

“He waited three days to take you, Maxical. Blood replenishes in three days with healing magic.”

In my peripheral vision I saw Uriel rising to his feet.

“I was too sick to take! He was only healing me because I was so ill, Janus. And he didn’t heal like Malan, like the fount; or I’d have suspected it wasn’t you.”

“His healing wouldn’t have left the evidence behind that incriminated me, either. Traven said your neck was ravaged, those kind of tearing wounds are only done by vampires new to feeding.”

“Maybe his dog bit me, I think I remember hearing one…no wait, that was the nightmare. Eyja, I still need that mind control clearing thing done. He had me alone and with Fathis‘s ring off.”








***


“As soon as we finish here I’ll do it.”

“Okay. Anyway, I know when those wounds were made. I felt Malan sucking my neck the second time we mated, I thought he was making a mark of passion to ward off other men like Gils does. It hurt like…“

Janus interrupted me. “Like a fresh wound over an old one?”

“No! I don’t know. It hurt worse than Vicente did, I don’t know why.” I found myself standing and didn‘t know why. I sank back onto the couch, embarrassed.

“Sire, can you do that wrist thing? I don’t feel so good…“

Uriel moved toward me so slowly it looked like those Royal Processionals where they deliberately walk funny to look ceremonial or something. He took my left wrist, digging his thumb down hard.

“OW! That hurts! Try the other one.”

The right wrist worked fine, the faintness and nausea receded. I held the left wrist up, it still hurt from Uriel pressing on it.

“Hannibal, when you were healing me, did you notice anything on my wrist? It hurt like a healing wound when Uriel grabbed it just now.”

Hannibal lay the tome down and hurried over, inspecting my wrist. “There were no visible wounds, I only healed what I saw. You have some very odd scar tissue here, Maxical. It looks like it’s been ravaged and not healed properly! What have you done to it?”

“Nothing. Maybe when Malan carried me to Theryon his talons dug into me. When I had that terrible nightmare I do remember sitting up and checking my wrist and neck for some reason…”








***


Janus’s cowl honed in on me uncomfortably. “I‘m not the only one who needs to face what Malan has done to them, Maxical.”

“What do you mean?”

Janus slammed his fist down on his knee. “Read Traven’s tome! The wrist is a blood tease to get imprisoned ancients to comply! We need to know before lives are lost rescuing Fathis if Malan owns his soul already. You should pray for his death first, Maxical…”

“STOP! Just stop!” My voice sounded like it was bordering on hysteria and coming from far away through my hyperventilated breathing. I jerked forward to the edge of the couch wishing the breath would cleanse his words from my memory.


It can’t be true, please gods don’t let it be true.


“Maxical?” Eyja looked scared to death.

“I…I’ve got to go lay down.” I ran out of the vault and Uriel‘s chambers, crashing into our room. Eyja followed. I was lucky this happened when she was off the urn, I barely reached it before the vomit came.

Eyja was gone when I finished. Inside me it felt like a volcano was trying to erupt. I was shaking so hard I could barely brush my teeth, don’t remember crawling into bed…only the keening forming inside me with pressure so great it was choking in my throat.



*

Still trucking along. I've gotten up to page 22 or so. Have a brief recount of my reactions.

Wait, why are they going to Crowhaven? Must be Gils' Aggie-complex.

Keep it in your pants, Gils.

Hmm, rather convenient for the big man to show up in the final room. Makes me wonder how long he's been following the horny pair as they blew up vampires.

Covered in blood now? Err, that might lead to trouble down the road.

Whee, it's Fathis! That means awkward funtimes are going to get even more awkward and fun!

And down he goes again. You would think he'd learned to guard his face by now.

Gils? Gils?! Curse you, Aggie! Curse YOU!!! I'll miss the bloke. Sure, he was a womanizer as bad as Fathis (worse even), mind-controlled for ages etc. But just when he was getting out of it!

Woah, I guess the count isn't a fan of letting kids and unmarried women visit his castle.

“Malan keeps sticking things inside me.”
Well, since Foxy is not around, let me be the one to quote this.

‘Malan said that bodies were worn for brief moments in time, but ancients see the souls within and recognize them,’
This is very cool!

Poor Maxical. If Janus is right, she probably should be hoping Fathis is dead. Her pain comes through loud and clear in this episode. Well, I’ll hold out hope for the Caped Argonian Tribal Crusaders and their hostage recovery mission.

I decided to join here since the story is further along on here than fanfiction dot net.

This story has me rolling on my bed laughing, bawling, and every emotion in between. I frequently get funky looks from my fiance asking "What happened NOW?" hahaha!

Keep going! Not a lot of fanfics keep my sttention! Usually once I hit a break or they're writing another chapter I go "Oh." and forget about it. Not this one!

Like Elisabeth hollow, I come from fanfiction.net and decided to make an account here. When a story is good I tend to sit down and read for hours, so I've somehow managed to catch up on everything. This has to be one of the best fanfiction stories I've read so far. You are a wonderful writer and I can't wait for the next chapter. Thanks for the wonderful story.

By the way is there any way to chage my accout picture to one from my computer?

Yes - Welcome and thank you so much to both you and Elisabeth Hollow! I wrote some instructions on how to open up your PM mailing box on the "Introduce yourself" thread just in case.

Go to your "Control Panel" and a row of options will appear on the left side. Scan down to the "Avatar" setting and click on it. That will open up a screen with a "Browse" feature that will allow you to upload an image from your PC. It should be a certain size like 100 X 100 - mine is 90 X 90 and fits perfectly. Anything larger will begin to be resized by the uploader.

Thank you both so much for coming here to read the story, and for your kind words about it!

Malan keeps sticking things inside me


Why choose Maxical indeed? He’s doing everything he can to get Maxical back under his control.

… it involves her being poached by another ancient….
Janus was pretty eager to offer that service.

Who’s Blenwyth?

Janus is worse than Maxical at remaining inconspicuous, I didn’t think such a thing was possible! Is Maxical developing some kind of power with her thoughts?

Maxical’s in danger of being turned into a vampire again! Hassildor better not!

I do agree that Maxical needs to know what happened, but now that Janus has done it I wish he didn’t.

Something is happening that I don't think we can see.

If you ever have any questions regarding the chapters, feel free to ask - I never mind clearing anything up (as long as I can do it without spoilers).

So glad you and King Of Beasts like the story!

Oh no, I'm caught up, thanks plus, I like surprises!!

Tea on the monitor! ROFL!


It didn’t take long for Janus to volunteer for poaching duty! How funny that he was even more obvious than Maxical when she tried to give him a secret signal. I really like the notion that the grieving vampire could find the same chosen soul when they were born in another body.

Ugh, Maxical has more grief coming, and hopefully she’ll get to remember what happens this time. I have a feeling that Foxy will be in a bad way when they find him, too. Yikes!!

*

@ Jack Cloudy - Thank you very much Jack! Your summary had me in stitches! Thank you so much for reading, Jack!

*
@ Acadian - Thank you so very much Acadian! That was my Foxy line for that chapter, hoping to lure him back where he belongs, lol.

Janus is right, (Chapter 178 was real, Malan just erased her memory of that happening). Thank you so much again, Acadian!

*
@ Elisabeth Hollow - Thank you very much Elisabeth! This comment made my day big time! I still picture your fiance singing Antoine Dodson and asking what kind of Fic you were reading, lol. Thank you so very much for those kind words, that so tickled me to hear, as did your coming here to read ahead!

*
@ King Of Beasts - Thank you very much KOB! GAAAH! What happened to your werewolf avatar picture? It showed up, now it is gone! Thank you so very much, for both your kind words and for reading; both are so appreciated!

*
@ King Coin - Thank you very much KC! You are right, Janus all but said he’s the only one they need turn to, lol.

Maxical isn’t developing any powers, she knew Janus was eavesdropping on her thoughts, so sent one directly to him. Although he was used to his own kind sending him thoughts, no mortal had ever done that to him before, it felt strange to him.

** Greywyn Blenwyth = Tamriel's most powerful vampire assassin. He founded the Crimson Scars (after getting a vision from Sithis). They were a group of vampire assassins that tried to overthrow the Black Hand (by infiltrating the Dark Brotherhood and infecting all the members with Porphyric Hemophilia) in 3E 421.

One turned-vampy member (Silarian) sang like a pigeon to the Black Hand, and they ordered a “Purification” in which all the members of the Dark Brotherhood were killed in one night within the sanctuary, turning it into “a sea of blood.”

Only three escaped the Purge: Greywyn himself (who escaped to “Deepscorn Hollow,” vowing the Crimson Scars would rise again), Rowley Eardwulf, and Vicente Valtieri (who somehow schmoozed his way out of that purge).

I’m with you on that, he could have been a little gentler with her on that - and on Uriel, who was Fathis’s good friend. Thank you so much again, KC!

*
@ Grits - Thank you so very much Grits! Lol, that was my Foxy line of the chapter, lol. Yeah, Janus technically excluded everyone but himself, lol.



I‘m really glad you liked that. I thought really hard about what it would be like to live centuries before writing the ancient vampires in the story (hoping they’d come across as legitimate, but still be interesting, lol). Having compatible souls marked, reincarnation, it just seemed right (hoped others would think so too).

Eyja will have to clear the mind control for Maxical to remember what happened that day, and then the memory will only come when Akatosh releases it (He has been doing something with her memories too since that night he showed her that vision in the Bloodworks).

Thank you so very much again, Grits!


*




*

*


Chapter 185: Allusions Of Truths As Illusions Cloak Lies


Hannibal doused me so heavily with calming spells and nausea potion that I could barely move or keep my eyes open. My eyelids and limbs felt heavy and disconnected from me, everything was numb except my mind…it raced with dread, fear for Fathis. Hannibal said I’d sleep for eight to twelve hours…there wasn’t enough potion on Nirn to knock me out right now.

Muted voices came from Uriel’s chambers, for once I had no interest in eavesdropping. I staggered up and slid the bolts to lock all the doors into the room and then stumbled back to the bed. I had to cling to the headboard and lean against the wall to stay sitting upright.

“Malan? I know you can hear me, Malan please. I need to know…please talk to me…” My words sounded dopey and drawled out strangely, my voice was barely audible to my own ears.

As if he’d been waiting for my call a visible vapor appeared rolling rapidly toward me, mushrooming in size. Malan stepped out of the middle of the mist like a conjured being summoned from another realm.

“You called me to your side, now Dagoth-Malan has to wonder what’s going on in that little cat head of yours.”

Malan paused in front of me, cupping his hand under my chin to lift my face to his. “I read what’s on your mind, Lass. What on Nirn got you thinking I did something like that to your man Fathis?”

“Janus.”

“Well, remind me to thank him for that. You can‘t hardly sit up, Lass! What did Traven give you?”

How could I say those words aloud without screaming…

“My neck was tore up like dogs scavenged me, and my wrist too. He said you used it to tease Fathis so he’d comply, that he chewed on me and…drank my blood, that three days was enough for blood to grow back. Janus said you…you…took Fathis’s soul.”






***


“You think Lass, and you’ll know what’s truth. You grieved over those bloodstains at the Arena that day, blood everywhere but you rightly knew Fathis’s from the rest both there and on the mezzanine. Mortals can’t lose that much blood and live, you know your man is gone. My army killed him that first day the war broke, you know it. That‘s why I came to you that day, to ease the pain I knew my army’d caused.”

“Dead! But that night at the Temple you said he was alive!”

“I said a lot of things that night, so did you. None of them true from either of us.”

“But…you’re stuffed full of souls, I know you are!”

“Aye, but not his. Your man died while I was impersonating him, you saw me and knew it wasn’t him. It’s truth, Lass. I was too far away to get back in time. When I got to him, his was already gone to whomever he’d promised it to.”

“But…you had his same mysteries.”

“All Arbiters are given the same so we can teach any.”


Please gods let him be telling the truth.


“Think, Lass. You promised Janus he’d be the one, then I got there instead. He asked you to compensate him for the broken promise, prove it was him you wanted. You refused. You know that made him mad, he grew to a giant with Uriel in the next room! Now he’s filling your head with poison about Dagoth-Malan, hopes you‘ll get mad at me and turn back to him like you did that night in the Temple. The only thing I did was exactly what I told you that day at the Arena. Free choice as long as your choice was me, I’d not see you go to another.”

“Then how did it happen? My neck and wrist, I mean. And why did you keep me in your lair three days before mating me?”

“Lassie, I’ve never seen someone get as sick as you did, and that’s no lie. You vomited more than the Red Mountain erupting, my feathers were coated and may never come clean. All that heaving and carrying on, almost dropped you twice in flight. My bird had to grip so tight with its talons and once with its beak…it cut you, I‘ve never had that happen before. Half of Cyrodiil was coated in your blood, the other half in your vomit. Aye, it cut your neck and wrist.”






***


“The smell of my blood didn’t bother you?”

“It near killed me not to taste it then, Lass. But you’d have died if I had. I healed you…”

“No you didn’t. You’re a master healer, that healing was amateur.”

“You got me, Lass. I can’t say I didn’t leave the traces on purpose, knowing they’d blame Janus. The lad needed a lesson taught.”

“What about me, did I need a lesson too? You left me near dead for days, Malan. I was in the Dreamsleeve…no wait, that was Eyja‘s breasts. But anyway, I was between this realm and the next.”

“I’d have healed you as soon as they took Janus off, but damn Traven and Eyja wouldn’t leave your side long enough for me to do it! I stayed right there in your room, watched over you. If you’d worsened I’d have shown myself and healed you, that’s the truth. First time they left you alone for twenty minutes you were healed, you know that.“

Dear gods I wanted to believe him…Janus was right, I’d rather Fathis be dead than…a minion without his soul. Malan looked me in the eye the whole time, and his voice rang with truth. There was no overt attempts with body language trying to look believable, nothing that would alert me he was lying. Everything was stated as fact. But Uriel’s words kept repeating in my mind, I could hear him saying them.

Malan is an uncanny con. Until we have proof Fathis is dead we must assume he lives and Malan holds him in that dungeon. Whatever it takes, your focus must remain in saving Fathis regardless of anything Malan says or does.

“I’m in over my head, Malan. I don’t know who to believe anymore. Janus has lied to me before, but you…I know I can’t trust you, you’ve proven that. I need proof Fathis is dead? Where’s his body?”

“That’s something you’d have to ask your Gils and that Captain Renault. They took it, Gils thought I’d desecrate it like some barbarian. Listen to me, Lassie. It was wrong to do what I did to you, I know it. I already knew then I’d not let you go. I had her soul right there, you asleep…got greedy. Thought Dagoth-Malan could have it all. You were right to be mad. I took her out, she’s gone from you for good. She wasn’t there when we were together, Lass. That‘s the truth.”

“She wasn’t?” Inside me I hoped he‘d removed her for that.

“Nae, Lass. ‘Twas just us.”






***


“How did you just happen to have her soul on you when she died a century ago?”

“You see this amulet hanging off my breastplate? The stone in the center is a black soul gem. She’s been with me always since she died. You said it right, it was a stupid thing to do. In a century I never did that to anyone. Thinking about that connection between us, it got me to thinking about the connection she and I had.”

“Uriel said she’s been there at least since my graduation because that‘s when Janus started following her. He thinks you stuck her in me that night at the orphanage and she was the connection I felt between us.”

“Uriel is like Traven, thinks everything I do is connected to deep plots. They see conspiracy where there is none. She was put in you that night in the Bloodworks.”

“Why me, Malan?”

“Why do you think?”

“I don’t know, revenging an enemy? Because you tasted my blood and got obsessed by it?”

“That I did, Lass. Aye, I was obsessed with your scent after tasting you that day, but it was more than that. You saved my life. There’s no bigger promise than that to an ancient. Before that I held your promise eleven years.“

“But you released me from that promise!”

“Words aren’t deeds, Lass. I watched and waited for that promise all those years, planned for it and anticipated the day. Ancient’s lives are counted in centuries, women and blood come and go with ease. My following would be bigger than your man Fathis’s was if I wanted it to be. It palls, but anticipation never does. You saved my life, thought you’d keep your word of your own accord. You see how that worked out, you threw yourself on Janus. Seeing you with him brought a rage I’ve not felt in centuries. I told you I’d not see you go to another, Maxical.”






***


“Your rage was because Amiela was inside me, you threatened to have your army kill me. If she wasn‘t in me you would have.”

“Threats aren’t deeds, Lass. Ancients aren’t mortals, we are ruled by a nature as feral as your leopard. Anyone but Janus would have been in pieces for touching you. I was that close to just snatching you out of that Temple, but you all but spit in my eye with the free choice I’d promised. I had to give it the only way I could and end with you mine. Dagoth-Malan won’t give you cause to fear again.”

“Why? I don’t understand, Malan.”

He spell-cast his armor off and sat down on the bed in just his loincloth, leaning his back against the wall and scooping me to him. “I’m claiming you. You know it, felt it inside when it happened.”

“No you’re not. You poached me with that trick so your heart stays with her. I’m the only one who’s on the line by that thing you did inside me. Why the trick if you are claiming me?”

“You want to do it right then? We’ll go back to Theryon right now, make a fresh start.”

“Huh? Uh…that’s not what I meant.”

“Lassie, you were too sick to walk in of your own power, or it would have been done right. I’m ready and willing to make that commitment with you whenever you give the word. Until then you’ll have every privilege a chosen should, I’ll see to that.”

“Ready! You’re not ready, Malan. Not when you’re sticking your dead wife inside people you’re supposedly interested in. If you were ready your own nature would provide you a chosen and you wouldn’t be poaching me.”

“Willing then. It’s truth Dagoth-Malan isn’t over his grieving, but neither are you Lass. It‘s saving your life I am, you know it. As Arbiter if I don’t take you as my own you’ll face death for those mysteries you learned from young Gils, mysteries you proved knowing in your taking.”






***


Uriel was right, Malan was an uncanny con. Disarming. Everything he said made perfect sense, if it was anyone but him I’d have believed every word. I sure didn’t want to call his bluff and end up his chosen…maybe he counted on that.

“Words and threats aren’t deeds, what of your actions then? You drank my blood, Malan. I have to feel safe. The tome said you’re bound from hurting chosen, but you have.”

“That’s not something we choose, Lass. The virgin blood does something to us, it has more power over us than we have over the nature. There is no stopping that drive, I had to take it or go mad. Both times I took from you, I tried to breed you so you wouldn’t die. The first time you killed my ability to with your knee. This time I made sure the deed was done before tasting it, because once it’s on your tongue there is no stopping.”

“That’s what Janus said. It sickens me.”

“I know it does, Lass.”

Malan cupped my chin in his hand, lifting my face to his.

“Read my eyes, Maxical. I can’t help what I am. The nature makes us do things we can’t live with as men. I’ve had to live with the vampire out, because the man would have killed himself for what the vampire did. It’s the nature of the beast, we can’t help what we are. You know more about me than anyone, save Traven. But you’ve also seen the side no one has but my wife. You bring that side out in me, you know it.”

I dropped my eyes. Dear gods it was hard not to believe every word. He came across as open, frank and candid. I clung to Uriel’s instructions, thinking them over and over in my mind like a mantra to give me strength and focus for what I had to do.

Malan is an uncanny con. He has Fathis…he has Fathis…don’t believe a word he says, I’m just a means to an end that will avail him…whatever it takes, he has Fathis.


*

I don't know what's wrong with my avatar it keeps disappearing. I'll figure it out. Another great chapter, but I'm having a little trouble believing Malan myself. I'm pretty sure he's lying though. He's one tough opponent, Thad for sure.

Right click on the picture you want, check the properties, see what size it is. It may just be too big. You may need to resize it or choose a smaller pic.

** And yes, Malan is lying through his teeth. He is a pro at lying and manipulating.

Everything he said had just enough known truth in it that it would connect readily to things Maxical knew were true - then he just twisted the end around to make him sound innocent (and believable/honest).

Maxical is too naive to be dealing with a con like Malan, Uriel was right about that.

I did resize it but it kept disappearing. Not sure what's going in. I'll figure it out somehow.

If you see someone else's avatar you like, you can right click directly on it and copy it to your PC or get the properties (and it will be the right size).

I had no interest in eavesdropping
This isn’t Maxical! Is Malan impersonating her? (kidding!)

Oh my gosh here comes Malan. How does she so casually call out to that beast? Thank goodness he still has plans for her; else he’d just squish her like a bug. But still, this is a horrible time for him to start working on her, she’s vulnerable.

That lying [censored]! I’m so glad Maxical isn’t just accepting what he’s saying even if she wants to. She’s still listening, but she has doubts, she’s keeping Uriel’s warning in mind.

You saved my life. There’s no bigger promise than that to an ancient.
Here we go again with the promises. Shouldn’t he owe her one and not the other way around? Vampires. You can’t hold a door open for him without him thinking you just promised your soul to him or something.

It’s creepy how she wants to believe him so badly, even after everything he’s done to her.

‘I was in the Dreamsleeve…no wait, that was Eyja‘s breasts.’

Gosh, that Malin has a silky smooth and smarmy answer for everything! Uriel is so right and I’m glad that Maxical kept his admonishments in mind. Given the vast age and experience differential between Malan and Maxical, she acquitted herself well!

I knew I was missing something! Loved this line too!

Poor Maxical! Sounds like she has that feeling where no news could ever possibly be good again. Just checking to make sure I’m getting it, is Maxical calling Malan because he’s built the dependency into her, because he’s the one who can answer about Fathis, or both? I’m thinking both, and she’s not thinking ahead that she won’t be able to trust what he says anyway.

Malan is such an impressive liar. Uriel would have kittens if he knew Maxical was in there cuddled up with him! Argh!