Sylvie

Happy that Casey was able to uplift the melancholy feel that had been festering in the air, Sylvie calmed down and smiled as Cassy kept mixing drinks and moving to a beat in her own head. “Very well, I’ll clean up this mess.”  Sylvie held up a finger. “I don’t think I will be able to finish this before the weekend, so the idea of you using it to help bolster your favor with the others in the area, isn’t going to work Alan.”

“Funny you mention that, Sylvie.”  Alan smiled and tucked the little notebook in his inside breast pocket. “Swift Creek Mill House lightout won’t be ready until next week anyway.  It apparently fell into disuse.” Digging out his phone, Alan tapped a few screens and then looked at Sylvie. “How is next Wednesday?”  Alan smiled, “Veronica said you might be willing to let Martin help us restore the Mill House?”

“How is Ver-”  Sylvie stopped in mid-thought and wiped the thin line of blood dripping from her nose. “Casey…C-”  

Split-second timing aided Casey and she was able to catch Sylvie when she tattered and fell backwards. “Sylvie are you alright?”  Casey patted her maker's cheek and looked up at Amos. “H-have you seen this before Amos?”

Nodding briefly, the older vampire affirmed that he had. “Miss Rivers, you might want to carry her into an office, that is her third eye controlling something.  It could be a few hours before she comes out of it.”  He held up his Blood Madelyn, “You might also want to be ready to hunt after.”  He downed the drink and twirled his mustache up, “She gets quite hungry after an intense one.  I’ve seen her decimate a village.”  He paused, “Her own.”

“She gets violent?”  Casey queried both Alan and Amos and frowned when both of them nodded nearly at the same time. “Should I get her home, or is the office better?”  Casey half-asked without really wanting an answer.

-Office, Martin, home.  In that order, Rivers.  Get moving.-

Waving to the two gentlemen, Casey heaved Sylvie against her frame to make it look like the sleeping vampire was drunk. “She said we’d do it, so we will.  Stay as long as you want, drinks are well..on me.”  Dragging Sylvie’s limp form to the office, Casey passed Amber on the way back. “I haven’t seen Veronica tonight, so you and Jessica have the bar, alright?”

Amos bowed to Casey, “Miss Rivers, it’s been a pleasure to meet you.  I do hope to see you again very soon.  Take care of our girl, alright?”

Amber kissed Casey on the cheek, “Grats by the way..”  She giggled, “..Mistress.  I just wish I had been your first fang, I bet your points are like diamonds.”  Amber shivered happily. “Don’t worry, We have everything under control.”

Less than five minutes later, Casey had Sylvie resting comfortably on the sofa in her office and her iPhone in hand. “Martin, how close are you to the bar?”

“About fifteen minutes away, why?”  Martin inquired with concern in his voice.

Digging around in Sylvie’s pocket, Casey found the keys to the motorcycle. “Cool.”  She paused, “Oh, Martin.  You know I have no gift for this sort of thing.  I am used to following, not being followed.”

Laughing over the small speaker, Martin spoke softly, “Sylvie does this from time to time.  I will be there and get you both and the bike home.  Will there be anything else, Mistress Rivers?”

“Just hurry, I don’t want her to wake up and go into a frenzy this close to the bar.”  Casey hastily added and then ended the conversation. “Come on baby, hold out while I get you home.”  Casey muttered and squeezed herself beside Sylvie. “I’m here.  Just squeeze my hand if you need me.”

—

Opening of Sylvie’s third eye always left the vampire mildly disoriented and confused for the initial few seconds it took for the vision to wash away the blurred haze.  Combined with the intensity and use of blood for the eye to operate fully, it left Sylvie weak enough that she’d typically fall to the ground.  This time, she felt a set of unseen arms carry the burden of her weight as the vision began to present itself.

Surrounded by a mist that was slowly burned away by the golden sun above, Sylvie discerned a large shape through the milky haze and walked in that direction until she found a line of free-standing windmills.  Unlike the older windmills, these were made from modern materials and gave off an audible sound of gears turning along with the warble that came from the blades as they spun in the wind.  Incessant grinding echoed in front of Sylvie.  Familiar with the older sound, she immediately knew that it all came from a large collection of millstones moving and crushing something hard.  Below the swirling blades an ‘A’ frame metallic cage held a long stainless steel rod that as it twisted, turned a solid stone that was easily the size of a huge dump truck tire.

Sylvie walked up to the small pit carved by the millstone and waited for the heavy slab to pass before looking at what it had just crushed.  A crystalline white powder made the majority of what was left over, with little sparkles of red and green and an occasional blue flake mixed in. 

-Heliotrope, more specifically a version of jasper.-

Sylvie felt the sun beam behind her and cast the shadow of the necessary eclipse confirming that what she was witnessing was the truth.  A little warning alarm buzzed and it rained more of the gemstone that she’d thought about moments before.  Reaching inside the pit, Sylvie picked up one of the raw gems and studied its pointed green and red ends.

-This is bloodstone.  But what is bloodstone powder good for?-

Sylvie pulverized the raw gem and rubbed the contents into her palm, and focused on her older books about gemstones and their properties. 

-Toxin cleaning, blood purification, Meditative properties, it helps..no that can’t be it.-  

Suddenly, Sylvie felt her darkness surround the area around the vision, spinning wildly around trying to get closer to the windmills in what appeared to be an effort to stop them.  Grabbing a handful of the ground dust, Sylvie walked to the edge of the silent beast spread around her vision like a vice and held it up for the windmill blades to carry the particles around the edges of her vision.

Reeling back from the bloodstone, Sylvie got a look at her inner darkness.  Mischievous and deadly diamond-shaped eyes peered from the shadows.  Her inner demon had no mouth or nose and appeared to be amorphous in nature and created four arms with six claws to prove it.  Content to not attack, Sylvie’s shadow tapped its claws on the swirling bloodstone barrier and pulled away after hearing a little tinkling sound as though glass shards bounced into one another.

-Mystical?  What, what..um…Negative energy or spirit protection, binds and dissipates foul spirits.-

Sylvie felt the sun beaming down on her neck and gladly turned into the loving glow, and in turn felt her third eye stop pulling blood use and close.

—

Hunger.  Overwhelming burning in her throat.  Bolting upright, Sylvie barely registered that Casey was in the room.  Sniffing the air, the ravenous vampire smiled as her eyes shifted to new moons. “Now we hunt, my Paramour.”  Sylvie wiped the bloody drool from her lips, “Are you with me?”

“You have me locked down, My Châtelain.”  Casey outstretched her hand, and blinked her warm golden eyes. “I will happily hunt by your side, just let me do it.”

“After Dark is off limits.” Sylvie felt her heart begin to beat wildly, “The other half of Branders Bridge road has a set of older apartments that have no security.  Let’s start there.”  Sylvie licked her lips and pointed east of where they were. “About a half mile.”

Free to experience the monstrous side of her nature, Casey’s music went from upbeat and happy to something closer to gothic classical. “Can you tell me what the vision was about?”

“Blood.  Specifically Bloodstones, though I don’t have everything.  Something about its powder.”  Sylvie opened her back door and darted off. “Try and keep up.”