Chapter Text
"And those animals that attacked us.." she continued, curious, smirk carefully hidden but Jude could hear it in her words all the same.
"Yes, I gave them life. Now they are truly dead. Forever. I'm tired. Do you mind sitting down for a moment?"
Jude spread her dress and sat down at the edge of moss-covered rock embedded on the floor of the forest. She nodded and with a delicate face of disgust sat down next to her. Jude pulled out a piece of dry bread from her rucksack and a canteen of water. She offered it to the other one. She shook her head.
"What? Sea witches don't drink water? That seems quite contradictory." Jude laughed. "Or perhaps that's because you are a vampire?"
Her eyes widened and she turned to her, her face coy.
"Really." She said.
She rested her head atop her palm, her elbow supported by her knees. That's when she let the last of her disguise fall away. Her eyes held debts Jude couldn't fathom. In her palm beneath her face, long fingernails grew, sharp as talons. Her hair became pale. Paler. And when her lips stretched into a smile, she saw her razor-sharp teeth.
Jude had an urge to scream. She clamped it down, biting her tongue, hard.
"Don't be afraid. I shall not harm you. I merely did not reveal myself, for the chance you may be too terrified to act."
Slowly Jude turned her gaze to the ground, her breath hitching. She stared intently at the forest floor. Twigs, rocks, plants, writhing bodies, and shuffling stems. With a start Jude realized that the forest was too dark now. There was no moonlight. The only source of light was the vampire next to her, softly illuminated. Otherwise, her human eyes wouldn't have been able to see anything.
"Well.." she tried to keep the tremble out of her voice, "no matter who you are, I shall be grateful for your help all the same."
"I know you are tired now. And scared. It will be alright soon. Soon you'll have a new life. You can sleep if you want, the forest's edge is far away. I don't know what my word is worth to you, but I'll protect you."
Warning bells chimed in her head. She dimly wondered if she'd prefer to go back to the raging mob than stay here. Her statement sounded like a prophecy. Yet, excitement pooled at the base of her stomach. A new life. The words rang around in her head. It sounded like a command.
Jude gave a tired laugh. She looked at her. "I trust you. If you wanted to kill me, you would have already." she said. They both sat in silence, as Jude finished up her food. A while later, she got up and dusted her dress. Next to her, the other woman had her eyes closed, in a meditative state. Jude felt around and picked up a long stick, oddly sharp at its end.
"Oh, necromancer. That stick is not sharp enough to stake me." She spoke behind her.
Jude laughed. "Oh, but it's not for you. I will use it for kindle to create a fire."
"And that will not be enough to burn me." she was smiling.
"No, silly. It will be to keep me warm." She sat where she did, and stared at her, seated on the rock, her legs folded and the traveling cloak revealing a dark blue gown. She looked like a queen on her throne. Jude went about carefully picking up sticks trying her best to not think about her. Beautiful, beautiful beautiful. Ethereal divine dangerous damned.
"I never did ask you for your name", she asked. Her voice honey. She never spoke to her that way. With so much pretense.
"It's.." she gulped, her throat dry, "Jude."
"Jude", her name sounded lovely on her lips. Lovely, but very, very small.
"What's yours?" she asked.
"Stand up, Jude," she said urgently.
Jude dropped her sticks and stood up. "What is it?" she asked, "is someone here?"
Jude waited for her to say something but the other woman merely stared at her impassively. Jude did not see the two hands slowly creeping towards her neck, hidden amidst the trees behind her. Not until the hands closed a metal collar around her neck with a clink. A heavy force, perhaps a long rod on the back of her knees propelled her forward. She fell face-first into the dirt, her knees on the floor.
Someone pulled at the metal chain that tightened her collar. Jude choked and coughed. She raised her head. The blue-eyed devil was surveying the scene with a cool interest.
"Bow before the vampire queen, you mortal." a raspy voice called out. The vampire queen.
"How come? I thought Dracula was the king of vampires?" Jude asked, the taste of mud bitter on her tongue.
The woman across her bared a smile, razor-sharp and bloodthirsty. She walked up to her and leaned down.
"No longer. And this is what you are here for. You will make me an army of the dead and the undead. You are my necromancer now, silly mortal, human Jude. "
Jude stared and stared. The situation entirely too bizarre. Here was her lover of her past life, unaware of who Jude was. Here was her lover, who called herself Nicasia, threatening Jude to do her bidding. As if Jude wouldn’t carve out her own heart right now, only if she asked. Jude threw back her head and laughed. So this is what it is, then. Prisoner to the woman she loves, as a mere prey...a mere human, a necromancer. She wanted to weep. She wanted to scream. All the love in the world is useless, if she has to choke it down, if the one she loves looks at her like that. But that’s alright.
There was a fire in Nicasia’s eyes. She could tell she was very much looking forward to intimidating and threatening her into compliance.
''Well," Jude felt around the collar enclosing her neck, with visible distaste. "There was no need for this. You should have asked. I would have agreed, vampire queen Nicasia. This necromancer is at your service." she said, and bowed her neck mockingly, with hands and all.
"How lovely", Nicasia's sharp finger tilted up her chin. "May I ask what may have prompted such obedience, mortal Jude?"
Jude really liked hearing her name from her mouth. But it also reminded her of the stark difference between the way she used to call her older name, and the one in her previous life.
"I was doomed the moment you walked into the town. And then through my door. You turned them against me didn't you, so soon? So I would have no illusions of going back. My only escape now is death. But I can never outrun you or your rabid soldiers."
"Such acceptance, such clarity, such truth! " Nicasia laughed. She pulled her hair near her scalp and brought her face close. Now, if Nicasia would bite her neck off, Jude wouldn't even complain. All proximity is good, no matter its nature. "But never hold the illusion that I would let you run wild for your feeble obedience," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Heat stirred up again in her, low at the base of her stomach, and her heart sped up. Not out of fear. Nicasia continued, "And never ever make the mistake of even thinking of going against my orders. The fate that will await you, will be worse than death." her neck ached, and it was pulled taut. She shivered, and barely managed to spit out,
"Yes. Yes, my queen."