The Homunculus Knight

Chapter 28: Insights

“I see it. I see it! I SEE IT! Whirling flames and singing choirs. A host of silver and gold. I see a billion billion souls anointed and joined in purpose. They stand vigil, and they watch eternal. Oh blessed ancestors, oh mighty elementals, I see you! Oh, your song! I can feel the song in my soul. It…it is wondrous.”- Words of Rhodri the Seraph-touched.

Natalie waited in an empty hallway. Tapping her fingers against her lap in a repeating pattern. She’d been waiting for Nyami for close to an hour. The Hierophant had said to meet near the practice yard, and Natalie had complied. So where was Nyami?

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” came a voice from nearby.

Looking up, Natalie saw Isabelle or a projection of her leaning against the opposite wall. Letting out a breath filled with mixed feelings, Natalie asked, “What is?”

Gesturing down the hallway, Isabelle answered. “How mortals don’t seem to value time. It's a limited resource, especially for them, yet they fritter it away without a care.”

Natalie made a noncommittal shrug. “From what I’ve seen, Vampires seem to be as guilty of that crime as well.”

Isabelle actually laughed. “You have a point. Immortality gives plenty of time to procrastinate. And our kind is infamous for becoming distracted with different dalliances.”

Raising an eyebrow, the younger Vampire asked. “But you don’t?”

Isabelle’s smile faltered, and she wrapped a finger in her white hair. “No, I don’t. Distraction or detachment have never been my vices. Obsession, on the other hand… That is a sin I claim my own.”

Pointing at Natalie, Isabelle added. “Immortality does curious things to the psyche. Finding a way to handle that change is important. Pick your poison and learn to enjoy the taste.”

Musing on Isabelle’s unusually philosophical words, Natalie caught the sound of shuffling feet. Looking down the hallway, she saw Nyami approaching. The old Priestess carrying a stack of books and papers. While two acolytes carrying boxes of Pantheon knows what trailed behind her.

Seeing Natalie, Nyami paused and said. “Oh, you are early! Good, good, we can get started right away.”

Natalie started to correct the Priestess but saw one of the Acolytes just grimace and shake his head slightly. The message was clear. Informing Nyami of her tardiness would be wasted breath. Nodding to the Acolyte in understanding. Thankful for the minor kindness, Natalie followed Nyami into the training yard.

The boxes, books, and papers were piled on a table. Nyami dismissed the weary-looking acolytes and turned to Natalie. “So then, let's get started.”

Eyeing the pile of research material. Natalie asked. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

Nyami retrieved a curious sphere of polished amber and a notepad. “We should start with this first. It might sting a little, but nothing too terrible.”

Before Natalie could object or ask more, the amber sphere started to glow. A soft, warm glow that made Natalie’s skin itch. Sunlight, the sphere was giving off sunlight. Nyami held the sphere forward and said. “Tell me when it starts to hurt.”

The glow intensified steadily with every second, and Natalie said. “It itches badly, but that’s just what sunlight feels like to me.”

Nyami nodded, moving a stylus over her notepad with telekinesis. “Good, that’s interesting. Let's continue.”

The glow grew brighter and brighter. Natalie was forced to shut her eyes against the light. After maybe thirty seconds, the itching feeling started to turn into burning. Once it went from discomfort to proper pain, Natalie let out a wince and yelp. Nyami instantly turned off the sunlight and scribbled something down on her notes.

“Interesting. Mild to normal sun exposure is irritating but not dangerous. I had to reach three times the sun's brightness to hurt you. I’d expect fivefold or higher, and you’d start to cook. Good, good, that is very good.”

Natalie felt her exposed skin starting to peel. Alukah regeneration replacing damaged skin in seconds. Leaving a layer of ash covering her exposed skin. Nyami pointed to a nearby barrel of water, and Natalie used the collected snow water to wash her face and hands.

Turning back to Nyami, Natalie started to say. “I’d appreciate more warning before you- OW!”

Two needles had floated over from Nyami and poked the Vampire. One in the wrist, the other at her neck. Both pulled free with drops of black blood on them. Natalie reached for her neck to where her Stigma was.

Nyami returned the needles to her and whispered something in an alien language. The needles both glowed, and the blood on each puffed into ash. Turning to Natalie, the Priestess explained. “I tested new blood samples and ones taken from the Stigma site against our earlier ones. The blood near the Stigma is noticeably colder and less magically potent. But that says little considering how much of a presence your blood has in the Aether.”

Looking up at the now annoyed Natalie, the Keeper asked. “Oh, I’m sorry. What were you saying?”

Letting out a sigh, Natalie repeated herself. “Tell me what you are doing to me and why.”

Nyami cocked her head like a confused owl. “I thought I did, deary? These tests are to learn more about the Alukah and its properties.”

Grimacing, an expression she was fast learning from Cole, Natalie elaborated. “I’d like you to tell me the details BEFORE you start doing them.”

Nyami looked at Natalie with an almost annoyed expression that quickly softened. “Oh, I’m sorry! I usually work with Corpses, so my manners are a little… inadequate.”

Accepting her apology with a grumbled, “It’s fine.” Natalie asked, “What do you know about Blood Savantism?”

Frowning, Nyami glanced around the courtyard as if she expected someone to be eavesdropping. Explaining her reason, Natalie said. “I’m a blood savant. Or at least the Vampire who turned me thought I was.”

Nodding in understanding, Nyami sterilized her needles with summoned fire and put them away with a flick of her hand. “It's one of the few types of Savantism the Temple does not share with those undergoing the Rite of Youth. A knack for dark magic isn’t something most people need to know they have.”

Frowning, Natalie questioned the ethics of this choice but decided that it was another day’s battle. Nyami saw her frown and tried to justify the Temples' actions. “No good can come from telling a youth they have skill in binding minds, warping flesh, or animating the dead. If they discover their talent, so be it. We’ll do our best to teach them. But that sort of power can corrupt so incredibly easily.”

Accepting that for now, Natalie asked, “So what about Blood Savants? I know my blood is… was, more powerful than normal.”

Nyami winced. “It's in part why we keep that type of savantism hidden. A powerful Blood Savant’s ichor can fuel some very nasty spells. Something I believe you can tragically attest to.”

Rubbing her stigma and the bite it hid, Natalie got to her point. “What about Blood Savant’s turned into Vampires? Is there anything I should know?”

Shrugging, Nyami pulled out another item from her collection. A triangular piece of glass a little larger than Natalie’s palm. Taking Natalie’s hand, the Priestess placed the glass in it. So her thumb and pointer finger touched two points of the triangle. The glass was slightly sharp, not enough to break the skin but enough to discomfort. Nyami held out her own pointer finger and pressed it against the remaining corner.

The glass slowly but steadily changed color. A wave of red seeped out from Natalie’s fingers and met Nyami’s. After a few seconds, the glass cracked and shattered. Dissolving into crystalline dust and releasing a puff of foul-smelling vapor. Pulling her hand back from the sudden shock, Natalie looked at Nyami. The Priestess’s eyes were slightly glazed over, and she was muttering under her breath. Right when Natalie started to worry, the Hierophant snapped out of it.

Blinking away whatever trance she’d entered, Nyami asked. “How often do you feed?”

A little surprised by the question, Natalie stammered out. “Uh… daily. I take a little from… ur… Cole in the morning.”

Accepting this admittance of intimate predation, Nyami asked. “And that’s enough to sustain you?”

Natalie nodded. “Yes, usually it is. Unless I get badly injured or need to use my powers a lot, that is enough.” pausing to think on it, Natalie added. “But I can sort of… stockpile? I guess that’s the right word. Yeah, stockpile blood if I don’t use much in a day. Anything I don’t use is kept in case I need it.”

Frowning, looking at the glass dust on the ground, Nyami said. “The way you use blood is frighteningly effective. I tested how much arcane power it's taking to keep you awake and animated during the day; it’s a considerable amount. From what we know of Vampires and their ability to convert blood into power. Your body is extraordinarily efficient.”

Isabelle appeared then, floating nearby, an interested expression on her face. Forcing herself not to look at Isabelle, Natalie asked. “Couldn’t that just be a side-effect of being the Alukah?”

Nyami hummed in consideration. “Possibly, but I doubt it. The Alukah were infamous gluttons. They could drink an entire city to slake their hunger but would then spend that stolen blood quickly. While it's been literally Epochs since one last roamed Vardis, I’m inclined to believe the stories.”

Tapping Natalie’s chest, Nyami smiled. “You, my dear, are not just the Alukah but a better version of them. Blood Savantism is rare outside certain bloodlines, and that gift combined with your curse has created something new.” Nyami’s fingers found the stigma and traced its near-invisible lines. “What exactly that new thing is… I think that falls to you.”

Isabelle watched as Nyami went back to the table before turning to Natalie. “Fascinating but not unprecedented. I knew Blood Savant Vampires were capable of great magical acts, but the exact mechanism was kept secret from me. I wonder if it could be improved. Or if you could-”

The puff and hiss of a candle being lit cut Isabelle off. Not because it was particularly loud but because Isabelle had suddenly changed color. Or, more accurately, the candlelight had stripped the color from her. Turning Isabelle into a monochrome specter. Both Vampires whirled to see Nyami, who held up a small candle flickering with silver fire. The Priestess’s eyes were unmistakenly fixed on Isabelle.

Smiling like an indulgent grandmother, Nyami asked. “Would you mind introducing your friend, Natalie?”

Isabelle spasmed and suddenly looked afraid. “I… I can’t leave.”

Nyami nodded. “Yes, as long as this candle burns, a Ghost cannot escape its light. They are expensive little things but very useful. Now, I believe an explanation is owed.”

Stunned, Natalie asked. “How did you know?”

Nyami raised an eyebrow. “Deary, this is the Tenth Temple. How incompetent would we have to be not to notice a Wraith hiding inside our very walls?”

Isabelle glared icy daggers at Nyami. A look the Priestess returned with calm amusement. Still surprised, Natalie sputtered. “Why didn’t you say anything before now?”

Shrugging, Nyami held up the candle. “We’ve known the Paladin has carried a haunted object all this time. Morri, Glynn, and I had some concerns, but we also trust the Paladin. Carrying a bound Ghost isn’t the strangest habit a Paladin has had.” gesturing at Isabelle with the candle, Nyami added. “But when Glynn sensed our little friend poking about the archives with you, things changed. Now I believe it's your turn to answer my questions.”

Before Isabelle could make the situation worse, Natalie told the truth. “She’s a dangerous Vampire from Cole’s past. She’s been teaching me how to use my powers in exchange for eventually creating a new body for her.”

Isabelle whirled on Natalie with maniac hate. “Stupid child! Telling a Priestess that? You are going to get us both killed!”

Shocked by the outburst, Natalie stepped back from Isabelle. The Vampire was seething, fangs shining, eyes wild. The madness Natalie saw in those eyes was familiar. She’d seen it in Isabelle in their first few encounters. Whatever progress the old monster had made was evaporating before her eyes.

Forcing herself to stand her ground, Natalie snapped back. “I’m trying not to be a Monster! Nyami and the Temple are our allies! We might as well try and work with them.”

Another furious hiss escaped Isabelle. “THE TEMPLE!? The Temple stole Cole from me, and now they want to take you too! How can you be so stupid! They’ll take your freedom, your power; they’ll take it all because of what we are!”

Looking away from Isabelle, Natalie said to Nyami. “Snuff out the candle. I’ll answer any questions you have. Just… don’t make me speak with her.”

A sad smile went across Nyami’s face. “I understand, deary.” She snuffed the silver flame with two fingers.

Color returned to Isabelle just as Natalie banished her with a thought. A scream of impotent rage echoed in Natalie’s mind as the spectral Vampire returned to her skull. Shaken, Natalie rasped. “What do you want to know?”

Nyami pointed to some nearby chairs, and they sat. “First, I’m curious about what happened in the Archives. Glynn said he was fairly certain you banished the spirit when he shared the Apocypha of Red Twilight with you. Why was that?”

Shifting uncomfortably, Natalie looked away. “I don’t fully trust myself with the information Glynn shared. I wasn’t about to let Isabelle have unrestricted access to it. Betraying the Temples' trust wasn’t something I could do.”

A small smile crinkled Nyami’s wrinkled brown face. “We thought it was something like that. And that’s why we are having this conversation here, not in a cell beneath the Temple.”

Wincing at the implied threat, Natalie muttered. “I’ll tell you what involves me, but Isabelle is Cole’s secret to share. I’m just her… student? I guess that might have changed now, but she helped me develop my powers for a time.”

The Hierophant's eyes narrowed slightly, and she asked. “What exactly has she been teaching you?”

Shrugging, Natalie explained. “The basics of shapeshifting, necromancy, and body enhancement.” seeing Nyami’s frown, Natalie quickly added. “I’ve only used animal bones. No people and no souls. It's… it's still not pretty, but I need tools to defend myself when Cole can’t.”

Lips pursed, Nyami shrugged. “Your death would be a calamity. Some minor heresy to forestall that disaster is… well, understandable. So how long has the ghost been haunting you?”

Thinking back, Natalie tried to figure out when. “She first really manifested outside the skull weeks ago. But my arrangement where I let her accompany me like this started the night of the Riot.”

Leaning forward onto the table between them, Natalie explained. “I overtaxed myself trying to warn the Werefolk, and she helped. Since then, I’ve let her see the world through my eyes occasionally.”

Flexing her fingers in an odd rhythm, Nyami asked. “And she leaves you be when you tell her to.”

Natalie nodded. “Yes, she taught me how to sever the connection. It’s one of the first things I got her to teach me.”

Words echoed in Natalie’s mind. “Let's see if she told you the truth?”

Eyes wide, Natalie looked to Nyami and realized her hand gestures had been a spell. “Break the connection I made between our minds.”

With an effort, Natalie reached out to the ephemeral bridge connecting them through the Aether. She tore it down like an old cobweb. Nyami pulled back and hummed in interest. “She actually did teach you? That is surprising. Tell me, is the ghost usually as unhinged as we saw today?”

“No, not normally.” was Natalie’s answer. “I’ve seen her get like that before, but not for a while.”

Nodding as if she expected that answer, Nyami said. “Wraiths with her level of intact faculties we call Ghosts. They are perhaps one of the most tragic types of Undead. They start as mirrors of the person they were but slowly warp and degrade into something… horrible. A ghost of a powerful Vampire? I shudder to think what she might devolve into.”

Taking Natalie’s hand in a surprisingly kind gesture, Nyami said. “Existing in such a half-life is torture. I do not know the Paladin’s reason for keeping this ghost, but freeing this ‘Isabelle’ would be a mercy. I don’t know Cole’s reasons, and I won’t pry. But perhaps you could help us convince him to let the ghost go.”

A flurry of temptations and possibilities swam around Natalie. She’d learned much from Isabelle but had also become indebted to the unraveling Ghost. Removing Isabelle would simplify her relationship with Cole and probably rid the world of some very dangerous secrets. The selfish impulse to have Cole to herself and the selfless desire to end Isabelle’s malice swirled together in a deadly mixture.

Opening her mouth, Natalie forced herself not to speak. The desire to remove a rival and secure ‘territory’ was core to a Vampire’s psychology. How much of this was the Vampire’s whispers, and how much of it was her? Rubbing her face with her free hand, Natalie found a way to kick the stone down the road.

“I don’t think Isabelle is a normal ghost, and I don’t know if she can even be put to rest.”

One of Nyami’s small eyebrows raised at that, and Natalie explained. “I’m no Rest-Bringer, but I’ve learned a few things from Cole. Wraiths require an anchor, right? A location or object they can attach to. Usually their remains or resting place.”

Nyami nodded slowly in confirmation, so Natalie continued. “Well, Isabelle’s body was burned to ash, and her skull was carried around by a Paladin working Miracles for close to ten years. Wouldn’t either of those things be enough to break the anchor?”

Slowly Nyami nodded. “Yes, but this is an unusual case. A Vampire turned into another form of Undead is incredibly rare. Other factors might be at work in preserving her anchor.”

Filing that bit of information away for later use, Natalie asked. “What if, in trying to free her, we just damage Isabelle? Making her more dangerous and unstable. Can’t we try the other way of freeing a Ghost?”

Leaning back in understanding, Nyami hummed in consideration. “If the Anchor can’t be broken and the Soul can’t be freed… Then the Wraith has to choose to let go. You want to try and convince a degrading obsessive Vampire-Ghost to peacefully accept Master Time’s Judgement?”

Natalie just bobbed her head yes. Nyami let out a surprisingly youthful giggle and rubbed her wrinkled forehead. “Oh, I’m getting far, far too old to play these types of games. Can’t an elder be left to her laboratory in peace?’

Looking at Natalie, the Hierophant’s eyes suddenly became cold and hard. “I understand what you are doing. You are trying to buy time. Placating the Temple with claims of helping Isabelle move on. At the same time, gaining more knowledge and power under her tutelage. Even perhaps a powerful ally if you were to resurrect her in a new body. Such a thing is possible but never simple or easy. But with the Alukah’s power, it might very well be in your grasp.”

Blinking in surprise, Natalie slowly said. “I….I didn’t even think of all that, I guess you are sorta right. But not completely…”

The ice in Nyami’s voice melted just a little “Oh?”

Sheepishly, Natalie explained. “I have a vested interest in Isabelle peacefully leaving both Cole and my life.”

Glad she wasn’t projecting life, or otherwise, she surely would be blushing, Natalie explained. “Isabelle isn’t just my teacher. She’s my rival for…for Cole’s affection.”

Silence hung between them for a long beat before Nyami broke down laughing. A scratchy cackle escaped the old woman’s throat as she nearly collapsed forward onto the table. Natalie glanced past the Hierophant and into the nearby training pit. Briefly wondering if she could bury herself under its floor.

Recovering slightly, Isabelle wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. “You are telling me that Paladin Cole is involved with not just one Vampire, but two? Oh, I don’t know what purpose Master Time has for that boy, but it must be important to put up with that kind of mischief.”

A little offended, Natalie countered. “We started going with each other before I was a Vampire.”

Slapping the table in amusement, Nyami shrugged. “No matter. I guess you do have proper motivation to see Isabelle gone. We’ll need to discuss this more with the Paladin later, but let's get back to business.”

Getting up, the old Priestess went into the sparring yard proper. The courtyard was sand and tile. The sort of place where skin and pride are bruised. Natalie followed her, remembering her last visit to the yard and the unfortunate pig she’d consumed. Once Nyami was in the middle of the yard, she made a gesture, and the sound of grinding stone echoed through the courtyard. A pillar of stone as tall as Cole pulled up from the courtyard floor.

“We will start with testing your raw physical enhancements.I want to know how a newborn Alukah compares to a normal Vampire.” Nyami gestured to the pillar, “so how about you see if you can break this.”

Flexing her fingers unnecessarily, Natalie let the power of blood flow through her body. She’d learned enhancing just her hand or arm was a quick way to break something. While more costly, letting the blood flow through her entire body balanced things. Striking forward, Natalie slammed a punch into the stone. She winced as both stone and bone cracked. Pulling back, Natalie shook her injured knuckles in pain. The damaged muscle and bone quickly healed, but the cracked pillar did not.

Stepping close, Nyami looked at the large mark Natalie’s fist had made and the cracks spidering out from it. “Interesting; let's continue.”

And so they did. Natalie completed the myriad tests Nyami concocted. After the third hour of jumping, punching, running, healing, slashing, and bleeding. Natalie held up her hands in surrender. “I’m starting to use too much blood. We need to be done for now.”

A slightly annoyed hum escaped Nyami. She seemed to be considering asking Natalie to continue. But upon seeing the weariness in the Vampire’s red eyes, Nyami decided better of it. “Well, we can be done for today. I think I have a good estimate of your strength. At least the brute section of it.”

Dusting the bit of sand and dirt she’d gotten on her clothes off, Natalie asked. “Oh? How strong am I?”

Flipping through a book she’d brought with her, Nyami consulted it and her notes. “In terms of raw physical power? I’d compare you to a Vampire thirty or forty years turned. But your efficiency is astounding, and your finesse is lacking. Which… matches what we already knew.”

Shutting the book, Nyami smiled. “So we’d dispatch an experienced Restbringer and a squad of veteran soldiers to kill you. According to the guidelines on these things.”

Natalie did not know what to make of that, so she just let out a pointless breath. “Well, I guess that’s good to know. What’s next?”

Before Nyami could answer, the distant doors of the courtyard opened, and a quartet of Acolytes strode in. They looked surprised to see Nyami and positively unnerved to see Natalie. The tallest of the four, a long-limbed girl, maybe sixteen of age, stepped forward with a frown.

“Keeper Nyami… We had the sparring ground reserved for this afternoon.”

Nyami nodded. “Yes, and I had it for the late morning and early afternoon. You are early and eager to train, I see?”

The four Acolytes exchanged looks, and the tall girl, who Natalie assumed was their unofficial spokesperson, tried to gently correct her superior. “I’m sorry, Keeper Nyami, but it’s four in the afternoon.”

A surprised hum came from the Keeper, and she laughed. “Oh, silly me. I let things get away from me. Thankfully Natalie and I just finished up here.”

Another of the quartet stepped forward then and pointed at Natalie. “You… you’re the Paladin’s Vampire, right?”

Thankful undeath prevented her from twitching in anger, Natalie coolly answered. “I am Natalie. I am my own person, but yes, I am Cole’s partner.”

The new speaker, a short boy maybe fourteen with unusually thick arms for someone his age, blanched at Natalie’s rebuke. “Sorry, I…I just wanted to know if he was here.”

Cocking her head in interest, Natalie asked. “What business do you have with him?”

The boy rubbed the back of his head. Running calloused fingers through short dark hair. “We were wondering if he’d spar with us. We’re all training to be Rest-bringers and… Well, who better to learn from?”

Squinting at the boy, Nyami asked. “Malwick, right?”

The boy shook his head. “It’s Cedrick, Lady Keeper.”

Nodding, Nyami said. “It seems to me that sparring with a Paladin would be useful. He surely has lots of tips for fighting the Undead. But in the end, he’s just a human. Wouldn’t it be better to spar with the Undead?”

Cedrick and his companions looked at Natalie with dawning comprehension. Holding her hands up, Natalie shook her head. “Woah woah woah. I’m not going to spar with these kids. Why… why would you even suggest that?”

Gesturing back towards the sparring pit, Nyami explained her reasoning. “You lack finesse and fine control. Sparring would better your skills as much as it would the Acolytes.”

Befuddled, Natalie asked. “Why would you want me to be stronger?”

The acolytes gave sheepish nods confirming they thought similarly. Nyami reached towards Natalie’s neck and tapped the Stigma. “Master Time wants you to continue existing. Giving you the tools to do that while training our Rest-bringers in fighting you or other Vampires is an efficient way to achieve multiple goals.”

Frowning, Natalie gestured at the acolyte Rest-bringers. “You want me to train with my potential death squad?”

Nyami raised a thin eyebrow. “If you were to lose control and require sealing or execution, would you want Cole to do it? Or would you prefer him spared that pain?”

Wincing, Natalie let out a breath. “Point taken.” looking up at the acolytes, Natalie smiled without showing her fangs. “I guess we will be sparring in the future.”

The quartet looked at each other before Cedric answered. “I guess we will.”

Natalie helped Nyami pack up her various tools and texts. Then they headed towards the arch sanctum of the Temple. They passed a trio of temple workers who quickly tried to duck away but were stopped by Nyami. “Hello there, would you be so kind as to take these boxes to my laboratory.”

The workers took the containers without complaint and shuffled down the hallway. Once they were out of (human) earshot, Natalie heard them grumbling about Nyami’s habit of using anyone and anything as a gofer. Practicing her toothless smile, Natalie was pleased to realize the workers' attempted escape wasn’t because of her.

Once they entered the arch sanctum, Natalie paused to look up at the stained-glass rings forming the chamber's ceiling. The colors of the glass seemed to change at different times of the day. Shifting sunlight accentuating different patterns and pigments. The size and majesty of the arch sanctum were humbling. Especially since Natalie always felt a faint pressure whenever she entered it. An aetheric echo of all the magic and miracles worked in the hall.

Whispering, because that seemed the appropriate thing to do, Natalie asked. “What are we doing here?”

Nyami answered in her normal voice. “Adding your blood to the city's defenses. If what you sensed, the presence of Alukah blood, was accurate. Then we cannot let this ritual be delayed any longer.”

In the central ritual pit of the arch sanctum, nine priests waited. Each in silver-white robes and wearing a generally bored expression. Glynn was among them. Upon seeing the approaching Nyami, Glynn let out the smallest sigh. “You are half an hour late, Keeper Nyami.”

Nyami shrugged like it was a nonissue. “Well, I’m here now, and I have our newest refugee with me.”

Nine sets of eyes fell on Natalie, and the young Vampire suddenly felt very nervous. “So… uh, what does this all entail?”

Glynn’s lips tightened in the barest sign of annoyance. “I’m assuming my fellow Keeper didn’t inform you of the details.”

Natalie shook her head, and Nyami defended herself. “We learned much about the Alukah’s capabilities today. Besides, we might have come to an arrangement involving the spectral problem. Surely that’s worth thirty minutes of your very long life Glynn?”

The other priests looked at each other with confusion, and Glynn’s eye twitched slightly. He muttered something in a melodic language even Natalie could barely hear. Switching to Western, he said. “Fine, fine. Let us begin.”

Natalie then found herself at the center of the ritual pit. Her forehead was daubed with some strange-smelling ointment, and a white robe overlaid her clothes. Ten Priests of Master Time surrounded her in a circle. Standing on the edges of the silver circle enclosing the pit’s bottom. Glynn stood directly to Natalie’s left while Nyami stood directly to her right. The two Hierophants lead the ritual. Saint-speech filled the air as ten voices intoned words of power.

Natalie held perfectly still, holding two bottles up, one in each hand. They were small things of clear crystal. Each contained a sample of her blood. More than a little nervous, Natalie watched as the ritual gained momentum. The chanting saint-speech grew louder, and Natalie felt the strange pressure in the arch-sanctum grow.

Absently she noticed Glynn and Nyami’s chants did not match the other eight Priests. Glynn droned on in a low melody that Natalie swore she could feel in her teeth. While Nyami’s lips blurred between syllables as humming words spilled from her. The silver ring of the pit started to glow, a pale blue light that cast strange shadows over the arch-sanctum. Sigils daubed in ochre covered the floor around Natalie, and these, too, started to glow. The red clay ignited in silver fire. Five-centimeter-tall flames danced and flickered as the sigils started to move.

The sigils formed multiple rings around Natalie, and each started to spin. Every ring spun in the opposite direction of the one before it. Creating a dizzying mandala of symbols around the Vampire. As the whirling flames reached a steady speed, they changed again. The mandala rose off the floor, splitting into multiple layers of dancing magic, and Natalie forgot to breathe.

The sight was hypnotic. The flames were stable and steady, unlike true fire. Attracting the eye but confusing the brain. Fire was humanity’s oldest ally and, coupled with ochre, formed the bedrock of human magic. The whirling column of fire started to close in on Natalie, shrinking around her as its individual pieces spun faster. Tensing, she glanced around, wondering if this was supposed to happen.

Nyami’s voice echoed in her head then. “Stay still, deary. We are almost finished.” The psychic connection ended then, and Natalie did her best to follow the Priestess’s advice.

Staring forward, forcing herself not to flinch, Natalie watched the dancing runes. There was a pattern to the movement. She couldn’t understand it, but she could see it. Squinting, Natalie tried to decipher what she saw. As she focused, Natalie caught glimpses of something. It almost looked like there was a…

Natalie forced herself not to leap back in surprise. There was a shape in the sigils. A disturbance in the pattern. It was a silhouette, visible only in how it shifted the runes. The spinning mandalas distorted around it. Much like how water flows around a rock. Giving the impression of a person standing very close to Natalie.

Watching with muscles clenched, arms outstretched, Natalie kept her eyes open as the figure brought its hands to meet hers. They hovered above the two bottles, almost as if the silhouette was preparing to dance with Natalie. The bottles started to vibrate, and Natalie’s eyes flicked to them. They were emptying. Her collected blood was slowly draining away. Where to? Natalie could only guess.

As the last of the black fluid disappeared, Natalie looked at the silhouette. This close to her, she could see a little more detail. It was tall and feminine, slim of build but not sickly. Yet all those details faded to the back of Natalie’s mind when compared to the presence of a singular feature. The silhouette had wings.

As that realization soaked her soul, Natalie opened her mouth. Trying to find words for the silhouette before her. She knew what it was but couldn’t imagine what she could possibly say to such a being. The wheels of spinning fire suddenly stopped and collapsed. Turning into a shower of silver sparks that floated down around Natalie. Leaving the Vampire staring at the now empty space.

Natalie breathed for the first time since the mandala’s expanded. As the sparks faded, Natalie glanced at the Priests. They all looked worn but content.

Nyami stepped forward and collected the two bottles from Natalie. A small smile on the old Priestess’s face. “You saw her, didn’t you? The Temple’s guardian?”

Jerkily, Natalie nodded. Seeing the shock on her face, Nyami set a reassuring hand on Natalie’s arm. “It’s a lot to take in. But the ritual is done, and my prodding can wait another day. Rest, deary, you’ve seen the divine. Let your mind and soul recuperate.”

Not completely in control of her own faculties, Natalie nodded again. Following Nyami’s gentle touch as they left the arch-sanctum. Natalie never let her eyes drift far from the empty space as they walked. An empty space where a Seraph treads.