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Alysa cannot do much more but allow Mira to lead her in her weakened state, not knowing if she is hours, days or even weeks away from death. Posioned, what a cowardly act to fell a woman like her, of all things to take her out it would have to be that though, she was too skilled with her weapons to die in a fight and too elusive for the lawgivers to place her neck in the noose as they so wished to do. If nothing else she can placate the woman long enough to formulate a plan of escape from this cursed place.

Along the raised walkway and back to the enclosure at the top of the tower, Mira leads Alysa by the hand as if she were a child. She feels as weak as one. Even the desire to fight ebbs at times. It is more than venom in her veins; it is a portion of this ravishing, wicked woman actively working against Alysa's will. She had been taken by force even as she had surrendered to Mira Armonde. Whatever she had hoped would transpire when she had accepted this woman's offer, after she had killed the woman's husband, Alysa could not have been prepared for this. Her younger years as a thief and even her training as a stalker had failed to warn her about the perils of such supposedly mythical creatures.

Angalon did not even have a native word for these beings. Vampir is Horogoth in origin as are, it is alleged, the creatures themselves. They serve to remind children to shut their windows tight in the winter time and ensure that there are not even the smallest of drafts as vampirs can supposedly enter by the narrowest of apetures. They seek to suck the blood of the young to renew themselves as they age very rapidly, or so the stories claim. Often, the myths are confused or combined with folk tales about witches or other horrors that parents would speak of stalking the night, though this is to keep them from wandering in the dark where there are more mundane dangers.

Alas, Alysa now knows they are not simply fireside stories to send chills through listeners on dark nights. They are as real as her lack of energy and her incessant hunger.

She cannot fight the realization as it dawns on her, her face turning paler than it already was. Vampir, is that what she is destined to be now? What this woman has turned her into? She tries to calm herself, focusing on her heartbeat as it races in her chest, vampirs don't have a heartbeat, this much she knows, as long as she can keep her fragile and poisoned heart beating, she has a chance. But if what Mira says is true, she is already close to death and once her body loses the last of its strength she will not even be able to fight any longer. How many more beats of her heart are left? How much time has she wasted not knowing her fate? She cannot stop the thoughts from coming and if she were a weaker woman than she is she knows that there would be tears in her eyes as she realizes that each beat is a countdown, the endless march of time suddenly seems so much shorter and dearer when one doesn't know when death will finally strike.

"How long Mira" Alysa whispers, more a demand than a question. "Without your gift, how long do I have to enjoy your company?" She desperately needs to know, a timeline by which she can measure things and perhaps even use to plan an escape, if she is going to die, if there is nothing to save her then she will die free.

Mira turns as she begins to descend the stairs, gazing up at Alysa.

'Don't speak that way,' she says softly. 'You won't perish. I won't allow it. You'll reconsider my offer, Alysa. Surely you can see all the possibilities? Just think of it! We could travel together all across Angalon and do whatever you please! We can wander the highways and take what we want or we can go to Ganelon or Viktoron and attend lavish parties. Whatever life you want, I'm only offering you more of it and new ways to enjoy it! You'll never tire or age and you'll always be strong and beautiful, just as you are now! Have you never found a flawless flower and known that it shall eventually wither and die, its beauty forever lost? I wish to save you from that fate.'

She speaks in a gentle tone, her blue eyes peering up at Alysa and the blonde bandit can feel herself being drawn into them again.

'Please, Alysa. Stay with me. Be my companion. We need not be bound in this place!'

Gliding up the steps between them, Mira rushes into Alysa's arms and kisses her sweetly. 'Is the prospect so unappealing to you?'

Alysa tries to pull Mira closer as she kisses her, pushing the woman's hair back from her face with the light brush of her fingertips. "Mira, I need time to consider your offer, forever is a very long time to devote myself to one person, I need to know how long I have to decide things, surely you know that this is not something to be taken lightly".

She holds Mira as close as she can with the space between them, her blue eyes seeming a piercing indigo in the darkness as she stares at the vampir. "I will not turn you away this night Mira, I am not cruel and cunning as you think, but I must know how long I have to decide and until I have done so I remain at your service".

The lies slip off Alysa's tongue like the sweetest honey, the bandit fighting to keep her tones docile which given the effects of the vampir woman's blood in her veins is easier than it seems. She would just as soon slam her rapier into this creature's chest than kiss her lips but without her weapons she must settle for the latter, for one catches more flies with sugar than with vinegar and right now sugar is all Alysa has to use.

Smiling slyly, Mira narrows her eyes. 'You're quite charming in your own way,' she comments, 'and devious. I think this new life shall suit you more than you think, even if it has some small drawbacks.' She lifts Alysa's chin with one fingertip and kisses the blonde woman once more before gazing deeply into Alysa's eyes and the bandit can feel the pressure, the insidious force in those eyes full of lustful promises and passionate pleasures. Mira's will seems stronger than the woman's grip upon Alysa's wrist and it threatens to drown Alysa once again.

'You have a few days to consider it but I tell you now that you are perfect for it. I had to be taught how best to stalk my prey and the fastest means to dispatch it. How to feed discreetly and avoid detection. You, however, are already a hunter and skilled as a killer. I see the predatory light in your eyes.'

One of her hands clutches at Alysa's breast through the fabric of her gown. 'I would take you right here on the stairs if I did not know you were so weak.'

Her tongue licks along Alysa's collarbone.

'Come along! Quickly!' Mira hisses. 'I long to taste your sex on my lips.'

Alysa nods, a shiver running through her from both Mira's words and her tantalizing touches. She knows she cannot surrender to the pressure this time, she must keep her head and her wits about her as she scurries as quickly as her weakened state will allow.

So it seems she has found Mira's weakness, something she can use to bargain for her freedom and once again it is her body and her charm that will save her, just as they have purchased protection from others they will placate the vampir until she can execute a plan. She must keep her survival in the front of her mind, not allowing Mira's will to drown her own, like a woman caught at sea she must fight to keep her head above water as long as she can.

"Promise me something Mira" she whisper as she follows the woman, "no more tricks, if you desire something of me you will tell me outright, if I find that you have been dishonest after this night, I will abandon you, not here, but I will abandon you to the world and you...my sweet Mira are no match without me by your side".

Raising an eyebrow, Mira Armonde smiles slightly.

'I'm not the mousy educator I was so many years ago, my beauty. I'm not so helpless as you believe. I have killed.' She softly rakes her long nails down over Alysa's face. 'And I have enjoyed it, just as you did as you claimed the life of my husband. I do not need you, Alysa, but I do want you.'

She turns and begins to descend the stairs once more, relinquishing her hold on Alysa's hand. 'However, there is not any harm in hearing your request.'

They pass the fifth floor doors of the tower and continue downward.

Alysa hurries along behind Mira, finding the trek a little easier than climbing up, even without Mira to support her. Her plan might be forming, most of it hinging on Mira's answer to her request, but she is sure that she will be able to find a way even if the vampir denies her.

"My freedom Mira, merely for a few days, to arrange some things before I accept your offer", her voice oozes sincerity and sweetness as she speaks. "Jax especially will not be happy cooped up here, I must arrange for him to be free even if I cannot be. He has been a true and trusted friend to me and I will not see him suffer for our happiness, surely you can understand that. He is not a noblewoman's horse, he is a stalker's horse, bred with the heart of a mustang and the spirit of the winds that blow across the Vast, I will submit to you unquestioningly if you only grant me this one request".

It is a long shot that Alysa will be granted even temporary freedom, but she knows she only needs long enough to find a weapon, one that will be effective against a vampir and then she shall have her revenge and her freedom. She can tell from Mira's behaviour that she is the far more passionate one and that her pleas may soften the woman's resolve to keep her here. "I shall go while you sleep and return before you wake, I assure you of that my Mira".

Even though the descent is less arduous, Alysa shall find she still needs to steady herself against the wall as she negotiates the stairs. Were she to tumble forward, she cannot be certain Mira would be able to catch her.

Mira sighs, her shoulders sagging. She turns slightly as they reach the fourth floor landing.

'I fear you need not concern yourself with your steed for the moment,' she says carefully. 'It is your own fate that should be your priority.' There is something about her tone that suggests she is concealing yet another unfortunate fact from Alysa and it is likely news that the blonde woman shall not welcome.

" I said no tricks Mira, if you have something to say, say it, I will not accept any further half answers tonight" she growls menacingly as she glares at the back of Mira's head with a look that could melt iron and she swears that if Mira has done something sinister to her horse the vampir will wish she had never crossed paths with Alysa Damora. She may be leaning against the walls for the moment, but if Mira speaks the truth, she should never underestimate the fury of a doomed woman with nothing more to lose.

'Your anger is adorable,' Mira says with a grin, displaying her fine white teeth, her blue eyes sparkling. 'All of this shall seem so petty and unimportant later on. I was very angry myself, at first, but I learned that the benefits outweighed the disadvantages. I was freed from a life that had been decided for me and given an opportunity to be my true self.'

Once more, Mira turns her back on Alysa and continues to walk downward along the stairs. 'In time, you'll see this was what you truly wanted and the life you had before was only a dream.'

"Answers Mira" Alysa hissed, she has never wished for a weapon more than she does in this moment, though she could not assure herself that she would not leave Mira Armonde in a pool of her own blood. "If you wish me to be your partner in this you will give me answers or I shall speed up the process of my own death to ensure you remain a prisoner here for the rest of your miserable existence". Her eyes, if they were even visible in the dark would burn black with fury, her hands trembling as adrenaline burns through her veins, chasing the woman's influence with a wave of hatred that threatens to consume Alysa whole.

With a light laugh and a shake of her head, Mira turns back to face Alysa and grabs the blonde woman under her armpit, lifting her upward and pressing her up against the wall none too lightly. Her strength failing her, Alysa can only hang there limply, like a rag doll, in the preternaturally strong grip of this inhuman woman.

'If you wish answers,' Mira says softly, tenderly, despite her painful hold on Alysa, 'then you must ask questions. You have not asked me anything. You gave me a proposal and I am still considering it but do not ask for death unless you truly desire to have it. I have bestowed that blessing on many in the decades I have walked this world. I don't think you truly wish to die, my beauty, and I wouldn't allow it even if you did. You gave yourself to me, remember? Twice now, in fact. You might not have meant your words but I did. So who here is the deceiver, my dear?'

She slowly lowers Alysa along the wall, letting the woman find her feet but still keeping a firm grasp upon the blonde to prevent her from falling.

'My existence is not miserable, Alysa. The life I lived before, born to be wed, bred and then dead; that was torment. This has been liberation. I see a kindred spirit in you, my beauty, and I wish to set it free.'

"Mira please" she whispers, trying to stay calm as the vampir woman holds her against the wall. "Just tell me what you have done, that is all I ask of you right now and I will ask no other questions, just tell me what you did". Her voice is weak and pleading as though the bandit is terrified of the woman's answer.

As her feet hit the floor again she manages to hold herself up, but she is trembling. It has become clear to her that Mira is just as dangerous as Dakrom, but in a far different way. Alysa is frightened, her escape seems so impossible in this moment, if Mira can simply life her off the floor like a small child what chance does she really have?

'Whatever do you mean?' Mira asks patiently, gazing down at Alysa as the blonde woman's legs nearly crumple beneath her. 'If you wish a clear answer, you must ask specific questions. Speak in riddles and I can't give you a satisfactory reply.'

She stands before Alysa, hands folded together. 'Now, this seems very important to you so tell me what is troubling you.'

Alysa finds her feet, still leaning against the wall. "Fine, specific question. You speak like you've caused some harm to Jax, where is my horse and what has happened to him? Follow up question, if some harm has befallen him from whose worthless corpse shall I take my revenge?" She grits her teeth, glaring at Mira "Secondary follow up question Mira, how many days is a few, 3? 5? 30?". She seems like a woman unhinged now, throwing accusatory questions at someone far stronger than her, whether out of rage or fear is usually not a good idea, but she cannot stop herself.

'Oh, that,' Mira says with a gentle smile. 'Yes, your horse is dead. I believe Ogyr consumed him that very evening. He does get very hungry and it's very difficult to keep him fed. Sometimes the staff gives him scraps from the kitchen but I fear it is not enough. My mistress insists on keeping him here, however, as an additional precaution. Is that all that was troubling you? The fate of your horse?'

She chuckles lightly. 'Surely you realize that that is a trivial matter in light of what I offer you. You'll never need to rely on such a beast, not when you can ride upon the winds! Now, come along. I know not how long it shall be before my mistress shall arrive but she sent word she would been here soon. We are unburdened by time, you see. We have all the time in the world to do as we please and you shall have the same once you join us.'

Alysa suddenly stops dead, fighting the urge to push Mira down these stairs. "You bitch" she spits, closing the slight space between them. "It's all be a lie hasn't it. Everything you've said to me in this house is a lie". If she was not filled with rage there would be tears in her eyes right now as she shoots mental daggers at Mira.

"Get out of my sight Mira Armonde, I refuse your offer, I refuse you and I refuse your gift" this is the straw that has broken Alysa, with Jax dead there is nothing forcing her to think of her own survival. "If you were not as strong as you are I would throw you down these stairs myself. The next few days I do not want to see you, I'm done with this, I'm done with you and your lies and your false promises. Kill me if you must but I will not be any part of your life from this moment on. You are dead to me Mira. Your betrayal I could stomach, this...this is an entirely different matter and I will not stand for it. Get away from me vampir bitch".

Even though she does not truly need it, Mira takes a deep breath.

'Your attitude is unfortunate. I suppose you will not be joining me in my bed this evening.' She nods. 'So I shall leave you to Dakrom, if you are unwilling to enjoy my company. As for refusing my offer, I believe I'll still give you time to reconsider it. However, I think after spending a few hours with him, you'll be begging to feel my touch.'

She strides forward and seizes Alysa by the hair, tugging her back towards the ascending stairwell. 'He should still be in his laboratory. Perhaps you could be useful in his experiments. Oh, it won't kill you, of course. You'll simply wish you were dead.'

Pulling Alysa towards her, Mira slams the blonde back against the wall at the base of the stairs, pressing her lush body into the blonde. Again, the necklace bites into Alysa's exposed chest, just above her cleavage. 'Unless you'd like to reconsider.'

Suddenly, the shadowy figure, the gruesome spectacle of what could be a man were his bones not exposed and his flesh wrought of writhing darkness, appears behind Mira. It nods lightly at Alysa and once more strokes where its throat would be, assuming that the hovering, faintly glowing skull is its head, with its long, skeletal fingers.

"As you wish mistress" Alysa spits as she makes eye contact with the spectre behind Mira, her eyes pleading silently with it for help. Despite her tough demeanor the bandit is terrified as she finally figures out what the spectre might have been trying to tell her. Mira may be strong but the chain that holds her necklace is just metal and Alysa can easily rip it off of her.

She grabs the necklace with her hand as though pleading with Mira to reconsider and she gives the chain a sharp and vicious yank, hoping to wrench it free from the vampir's neck. "Mira, please" she whispers, not meaning a word of the plea as she looks at the spectre wondering if she has done what she needs to. "Please Mira, let me go" she whimpered "please".

A shrewd expression on her face, Mira turns sharply, the apparition immediately vanishing as abruptly as it appeared.

'What were you looking at?' she asks curiously.

When Alysa's hand clasps the necklace, nothing happens at first but as the charms rattle with every tug as Alysa attempts to wrench it from Mira's neck, the shadow is there once more. By then, Mira has turned back to face Alysa and grabs hold of the woman's wrist so roughly that there is a loud crack and a tremendous surge of pain runs through Alysa's arm all the way to her shoulder. She can guess at once that Mira has just snapped her wrist.

'Do not touch this!' Mira snarls, yanking Alysa's now limp hand away. Coupled with her fatigue, this agony is almost unbearable. Every attempt by Alysa to move the fingers of her injured hand causes another jolt of pain through her body. The moment that Alysa is forced to concede her grip on the necklace, the strange shadowy entity disappears yet again.

Alysa screams as Mira crushes her wrist, the sound echoing off the wall, but she now knows what she must do if she wishes any help from the spectre, she must separate Mira from that necklace. There are tears in her eyes from the pain as she looks at Mira, her face bearing the continence of a rebuked child. "M-mira, I'm sorry, please I didn't mean it, please" she pleads, her body trembling from fear and pain.

"P-please mistress" she whispers breathlessly, cradling her broken wrist against her chest. "I'm sorry mistress, please, I'll reconsider, please don't leave me with him, please". Her words are almost incoherent, whether from her fear or pain she cannot truly be sure, but in her weakened state the pain threatens to sink her into unconsicousness once again. "Mira, my Mira" she whispers, repeating the words over and over as though they were the only things that will keep her awake.

'Oh, my beauty!' Mira cries out, cradling Alysa in her arms as she pulls the woman closer. Very delicately, she lifts Alysa's arm and examines her wrist.

'Sometimes I forget my own strength,' she says softly, her words clouded with worry. 'Forgive me, my beauty. I never met to harm you. I shall have Lemia tend to this once we are in my chambers.'

Still, Mira cannot help but smiles slightly. 'Once you and I are together, you'll never need worry yourself about such injuries, for they shall mend almost instantly! Nothing shall harm except-' However, she catches herself. 'Let us simply say you'll not need worry about any ordinary woes. You'll be beyond those.'

Reaching down, sliding her arm around Alysa's backside, Mira lifts the blonde into her arms, carrying her as a groom would a new bride across the threshold.

'Hold on to me with your other arm, Alysa,' Mira requests solicitously. If the bandit can believe the expression upon Mira's face, she appears both upset and even regretful. 'I shall carry you the rest of the way. You are surely too weak to manage and I don't wish your fragile form to suffer any further.'

'Is something the matter?' Dakrom asks as he appears upon the stairs above. He is wearing what looks to be a heavy leather apron over his fine clothes and his eyes are covered by a pair of thick goggles. There is the odor of ozone around him. For once, he does not have his cane and he has donned some rather oversized gloves.

'Go back to your abominable experiments,' Mira replies, glaring up at Dakrom. 'My beauty simply had a little fall. She is feeling quite weak, you know.' She gazes at Alysa, who is forced to curl up against Mira's bountiful chest, though the woman is evidently strong enough to bear Alysa's weight without any exertion.

Alysa buries her face in Mira's neck and whimpers as she carries her, silently wrapping her uninjured arm around her. Her blue eyes are closed and her face is clouded by pain as she nuzzles against Mira's neck. She isn't sure that the vampir's concern is legitimate, but she will play to it if she must.

"I-it's my own fault mistress" she whispers anxiously "if I hadn't made you mad..." The end of her sentence is lost as Dakrom appears, hoping that Mira will cover up their fight and not live up to her threat to throw Alysa to the strange man. The blonde bandit hopes that her fearful trembling is not noticeable to him, for it would only give him fuel to use against Mira.

"I'm sure there will be time for such lessons later, when we both have cooler heads" she whispers to Mira, making a note to ask her just what she meant about nothing harming her. "P-please Mira, don't leave me with him, don't leave me at all, promise me".

'You should play more carefully with your toys,' Dakrom says with a smirk. His eyes pierce Alysa with his unwavering stare.

'Speaking of toys,' Mira replies in a droll tone, 'perhaps you had best get back to yours. Tonight may be the moment when you create something useful.'

With that, she bears Alysa down the stairs, all while Dakrom continues to watch them.

'Once you are with me, my beauty,' Mira says, speaking in scarcely a whisper, though her face is only inches from that of Alysa, 'we can be free of him. I shall have a better companion.' She smiles fondly at Alysa and, were the blonde woman of a less savvy nature, she might not be able to distinguish the difference between a look of affection that a person might display for someone they truly love and the joy of a child with a pretty new pet or favorite possession. In this instance, Alysa may realize that she is the latter.

"Y-yes mistress, we can go anywhere you want, just promise to take me with you" she whimpers, playing the helpless victim rather well for someone who a moment ago was hoping for Mira's death. She looks back at Dakrom as Mira carries her, shying away from his piercing gaze.

"He doesn't like me does he?" She asks softly once she feels that Dakrom can no longer hear her. "He wants you to kill me doesn't he?" she really doesn't need an answer to that, his attempt to take control of her was proof enough he had his own plans for her, but if she plans to play innocent it is best that she keeps asking questions, even if they seem irrelevant.

'On the contrary,' Mira replies as she adroitly alights the stairs, her agility admirable even to Alysa. 'He is very competitive. He would take you from me just so I couldn't have you. That is why he seduced you, Alysa. He wanted you not for himself but to thwart me.'

They pass the third and second floor landing without incident.

'Dakrom has served my mistress for longer than I and he envies the attention she gives me but it is because I proved more capable than he. His interest has always lain with machines and mechanisms. He viewed the Gift as merely means to an end; he wished to endure longer to continue working on his inventions whereas I learned to embrace what I had become and explore the possibilities it offered.'

Her charm necklace jingles as she advances with deliberation down each step, never missing or slipping upon the stairs.

'So he seeks to make me miserable at every opportunity. If I have a guest, he attempts to interfere. If I give the servants an order, he countermands it whenever my back is turned.' Her delicate jaw is set firmly as she turns her head to look into Alysa's eyes, prompting another swelling wave of weakness to wash over the blonde. 'I would not have given you to him. It was a hollow threat. I only wish that you would understand what I am offering you, that it is a grand gift. How lonely it must have been to travel those roads and how cold the nights could be where you would take shelter! At my side, you'll never need feel the cold again.'

While Mira's gaze is entirely focused on entrancing Alysa, the bandit might notice that, among the small items affixed to the chain, aside from the keys, there is a small brass figurine of what looks to be a dancing woman, a golden ring, the foot of what is likely a rabbit and the skull of another small animal. This particular charm appears very realistic but, rather than being wrought of bone, it is either covered with or fashioned from gleaming metal of some sort.

Yet that is not why it may well distract Alysa from Mira's otherwise irresistible eyes. It is that the tiny sockets of the skull are glimmering with a greenish glow. It lasts for only a breath, perhaps two, before it dies away. It could be dismissed as the reflection of torches or lanterns if there were any lit along the stairwell. As it happens, it is very dark and Alysa might rely upon Mira to transport her.

"If he chooses to call what happened between us seduction Mistress, i would wager he is more in need of your education than even myself" she mutters, just loud enough for Mira to hear her as the familiar weakness causes her to slump slightly in the woman's arms. "I do not fear the cold my Mira, the only thing I fear right now is being separated from you".

She strokes her uninjured hand through Mira's hair, her nimble fingers toying with the clasp that secures the charm necklace hoping to let it fall free without being noticed. She shifts slightly, still carefully protecting her broken wrist as she begins to kiss and nip at the side of Mira's neck, hoping to add to the distraction.

"My luscious Mira" she coos between tentative licks of the woman's neck, she may not be able to charm or intimidate the woman, but it is clear she cannot resist the lovely bandit's advances and craves the lithe body in her arms.

Because Alysa has her uninjured arm wrapped around Mira's neck, she can reach the clasp but the weight of the necklace is noticeable and, regardless of all the charms she can muster, Mira shall likely not fail to notice that the keys to what is possibly every door in the manor has come loose. Even if Alysa can unclasp it, it would simply tumble, possibly noisily, into the dark haired woman's cleavage.

Mira lifts her chin slightly as Alysa kisses her throat. 'Starting to realize the gravity of your situation, my beauty? Not to worry. I'll take such wonderful care of you. This I promise.' She cannot do anything to reciprocate at the moment as she carries Alysa down the last flight of stairs to the warmth of the small room with the sedan chairs and wardrobes that resembles some kind of common room. Only then does she urge Alysa's head slightly forward for a lustful kiss, moaning faintly into Alysa's mouth.

Alysa takes advantage of Mira lifting her chin to slide her hand down along the woman's shoulder towards her ample breasts, she can only imagine what the warmth of her touch feels like on the woman's cool skin as her lips collide hungrily with Mira's nipping and suckling the woman's lower lip.

"Oh my lovely Mira, perhaps I am simply enjoy things that I did not get a chance to sample the last time we were alone together. After all if I am going to be with you forever, I might as well see just what I'm in for no?" She coos as those stealthy fingers trail over the necklace, lightly so as not to disturb the charms and tip off Mira to her true intentions.

Nimble fingers slide over the animal skull as Alysa's deft lips catch hold of the cool flesh of Mira's neck and she begins to nip and suck on it as her fingers attempt to work the skull free from the necklace without attracting Mira's gaze. "My beautiful Mira, my mistress" she purrs between pouting lips, blocking out the pain in her injured arm in favour of playing the advantage the spectre has given her. "Whatever will I do with such a beautiful creature?"

Growling hungrily, Mira kisses Alysa more fiercely, bringing her lover over to one of the padded sedan chairs, the wooden frame painted a deep bronze which compliments the maroon upholstery. She lowers Alysa down onto the cushions, her mouth still tasting the blonde woman's tongue as she leans above her lover, reaching up to caress her breast, her nails tearing at the silken fabric of the gown.

There is a distinct possibility that Alysa is wrong and that her efforts to remove the charm from Mira's necklace might immediately draw the attention of her mistress. She may wish to consider some explanation for her activities lest the dark haired beauty grow angry once again and cause further injury to Alysa.

Yet somehow Alysa understands the appetites of this woman, this once human creature. The ardor with which she kisses Alysa feels genuine and, through wordless whispers and soft moans, she conveys more than a savage craving for blood but the need for acceptance and affection as much as any living being.

Because of this, it is with almost suspicious ease that Alysa, with her nimble and clever fingers, is able to remove the small skull from the necklace. If Mira is aware of it, it does not prevent her from continuing to kiss and grope Alysa fervently.

Once more, the shadowy thing is back and, in the rather robust light of the fire burning upon the hearth, the features of the entity are only that much more frightening. There was a time when Alysa had been a child and simple, when she feared what might lurk in the darkness. As she grew older, this did not leave her but she became far more well informed that there were, in fact, terrible things hiding in the shadows. Yet that nameless dread of something hiding in the wardrobe or under the bed is something Alysa had long ago forgotten. Until now.

Alysa tries to pull away from Mira, a look of dumbstruck terror on her face as she holds back a scream, having the presence of mind to secret the skull away from Mira's reach. The spectre was horrific and she couldn't look away from it. What if she has unleashed something far worse than a vampir? Her pace quickens and she suddenly feels like she can't breathe, a huge knot of fear and panic in her throat as the spectre is hovering behind Mira, what has she done? What is this thing? What if it's not Mira it wants?

She knows she can't scream or Dakrom will likely hear, but she is trembling frantically, unable to look away from the creature.

Pulling away from Alysa, likely sensing the change in her lover's demeanor or the sudden race of her pulse, Mira, still bent over the blonde, gazes at her with concern.

'What is wrong, my beauty?' she asks before glancing down at the other woman's trembling hand.

'Oh, your wrist! Oh, forgive me, my darling, I neglected to remember that you are injured!' Mira smiles faintly. 'It is easy for me to forget as I never suffer such troubles any longer. Rest here for now, sweet Alysa, and I shall fetch Lemia. She is far more skilled at tending to mortal wounds than I.'

She licks her lips and gazes longingly at the blonde woman sprawled out upon the sedan chair before turning and approaching one of the doors that leads out of the tower. Hastily fumbling with the keys, Mira unlocks the door.

'I shall return swiftly, my beauty,' she says with a soft, sweet smile at Alysa. She closes the door behind her and Alysa can hear the clattering of the lock.

'I thought...' comes a rasping, hideous whisper from the air that is darkened by the shadowy presence, 'she would never leave...' Through the shifting gray veil that composes the flesh of this horror, Alysa can see the flames dancing in the fireplace. She has heard ghost stories and other tales and, as she is in a house of vampirs, such a spectral inhabitant might not be entirely unexpected. Even so, it radiates a kind of dismal aura that causes goose pimples to raise upon Alysa's skin, regardless of how comfortably warm the room may be.

Alysa is stunned when the creature speaks, trying to find her voice but instead sputtering like a fish out of water. Her blue eyes are huge and she's clearly terrified when she finally manages a trembling squeak. "Y-you talk?"

Clearly this creature's appearance is distracting the bandit, but at least her mind has stopped screaming when she realizes the creature is intelligent. "What....what do you want from me?" she asks, almost dreading the creature's answer "I can't promise you anything, after all she says I'm dying anyway what could I be to you and what should I do with this skull shes going to notice eventually".

'Such a pleasure...' the voice hisses as it continues, heedless of her questions, 'to feel living flesh once more...' Alysa can be reasonably certain that the voice belongs to the creature but, as the being has a gaping bony maw of jagged fangs that only shift slightly with every syllable, there may remain some doubt.

It points at her with a long, spindly finger that is much too long for its fleshless hand. 'She shall notice it is gone...but I can assist you...if you promise that you shall take me with you...'

After listening to her lament, the shadow swirls about in a roiling cloud of darkness before reforming into its vaguely humanoid shape.

'I can help you escape this place...if that is your wish...'

"Please help me, I'll take you with me I swear I will just please don't let me die here" she whimpers frantically, looking up at the creature with wide pleading eyes. "I need you to help me, she's poisoned me and I don't know what's going to happen if I stay here". She looks at the skull in her hand wondering if the creature might be dwelling inside of it.

"Who are you?" She asked "how do I know I can trust you? I mean I want out of here as surely as you do, but how do I know you won't betray me like Mira did?" She considers the fact that she might be babbling, but pain and outright terror will do that to anyone.

'You have drank her blood...she is inside of you now...and you shall slowly waste away...until you become one of her ghuls...'

So hollow and empty of anything resembling living speech is this voice and the simple sound of it is chilling, sending involuntary shivers down Alysa's spine.

'You shall die...unless you seek the aid of a hallowed healer...you call them...law givers here...'

It falls silent as if politely allowing Alysa the opportunity to express herself but the moment she pauses for breath, it interjects.

'You do not...' it says in answer to her second question. 'I can promise this...if you remain here...you shall surely die...do not eat or drink anything they give you...'

Alysa's face grows pale at the spectre's words. "You sentence me to death either way!" she almost screams "you may be able to protect me from Mira but what plan do you have when the lawgivers try to hang me for my partner's murder!" She's frantic now, realizing neither option is attractive.

"But you are the only one who has offered me a way out, I will not eat or drink anything until I am out of here, I will take my chances with the lawgivers perhaps they can be reasoned with, but Mira and her poison cannot, please help me".

'I cannot protect you from any who dwell within these walls...' The spirit replies. Without any kind of intonation or inflection to its words, the shadowy figure may be mocking Alysa, misleading her or genuinely attempting to assist her. It is impossible for her to distinguish. Her familiarity with speech patterns and ability to read body language fails her in these circumstances.

'The lawgiver here is a pawn of the one whom she you call mistress serves...there was another...one called an oathkeeper...but the mistress of your mistress had him slain...a mining accident...and none have arrived to replace him...

'I cannot protect you...but I can tell you...how you may protect yourself...'

"Tell me, teach me everything you can, I will take you away with me, that I promise you, just teach me how I might protect myself and escape this place" she's encouraged by the fact that the lawgiver here might be corrupt, perhaps he can be bribed or otherwise persuaded to work with her. "I do not wish to perish under this roof and you seem to be the only way to escape so I place myself at your mercy".

The key to the mechanism that controls the windows...it is held by the one known as Dakrom...his cane...there is an enchanted blade hidden within...this you must gain if you are to escape...it shall also avail you against them...only weapons wrought of silver or blessed by the light can harm them...'

As the spirit speaks, its form continues to shift and waver, not unlike a dark reflection upon the surface of water.

'Your mistress and he both must sleep by day...even in the darkness, they must rest...it is part of the curse of their kind...but their servants do not...they are always awake...always watchful...always...hungry...

'You are too weak to hope to fight so many...even without the baneful blood that has corrupted your veins...your only hope is to flee...and you must do so...by daylight...'

Suddenly, it swiftly turns its skull head towards the door through which Mira had earlier exited.

'She returns...you must tell her you found the skull...she will notice it missing...when you have the...opportunity...take me from her and seek out Dakrom...if he is at rest in the cellar...then you can steal his blade...but do not risk it...if you need not do so...in the meantime...arm yourself...knives in the grindery...mind the cadavers...'