After Magistrate Lucian assented to Asha’s agreement, he and his family were released. She told him that she would visit him when she was ready to formally begin their agreement. That was several weeks ago.
When Lucian and his family returned to their home after having been absent for almost three days, people questioned where they’d been. He and his family looked tired and disheveled, and when their servant greeted them at the door of their home, the questions came, and Lucian had to provide them with lies. He told them that they had been summoned to the home of a sick relative.
After reflecting for a few moments on the history of his experience in the caves of this coven, Lucian exited through the entrance from which he’d entered, with the same vampire raising the stone to let him out again, and he returned to his office in the town hall to plan for the future town meeting.
While Lucian visited, Lina rested in Sim’s capacious bed. As time passed, the unpleasantness slowly subsided from her body. Her head still exploded with the sensation of a profound headache, her muscles still ached and she still felt overall unhappy and displeased. But this time when Sim came in, felt her forehead and inspected her teeth, he told her, “The period of danger is over. You shouldn’t have to worry about getting sick. Ever again.”
Lina smiled weakly when Sim told this to her and thanked him for his help.
“Don’t thank me yet,” he told her, “You still have yet to try your food.”
The smile fell from her face and she looked anxiously at a wooden bowl that he now carried towards her. She sat up and looked at it, and there was a thick red, syrupy fluid that swayed back and forth as he moved the bowl towards her.
“Drink,” he said.
The liquid was warm, and it emitted an odor that was new to her and she didn’t find pleasant. “Blood?” she asked.
“Among other things,” he said, “You will drink it. When you’ve drunk this, you will be a vampire and a member of this coven for now and forever.”
Lina looked around. For the first time, she noticed that innumerable vampires were crowding at the door to Sim’s room. She could barely see them in the dim light, but their presence urged her insistently to drink. She couldn’t back down with all those eyes watching, so she took the bowl in her hands and she touched it to her lips. The warm liquid flowed into her mouth and down her throat and she emptied the bowl in several large gulps.
The taste was familiar. She’d cut herself many times in her life, such as on her fingers or on her hand, and instinctively put the wound to her mouth. It relieved the pain and transferred to her tongue the same flavor she now tasted. But the sweetness of her own blood was no longer the same when she tasted someone else’s blood. It disgusted her. The disgust was not in the taste itself, but in the idea of tasting someone else’s blood. Still, she could not convey her disgust, and had to present the best she could make of a smile to all those who watched.
“This will be your bread and butter from now on and forever,” Sim told her, “Don’t worry. You’ll only grow to love it more”
From behind Sim, out of the shadows, Asha emerged and told Lina, “Welcome, Lina, to our coven. If Sim has deemed you worthy to join our coven, I’m sure that you more than are.” Asha then tenderly kissed Lina on the cheek and left. Then from the halls of the coven the loud sound of a collective howl emerged, as all the vampires at once celebrated the entrance of a new member to their numbers.
When everyone had left and Sim and Lina were alone she asked, “Who is that woman who was just here. She was in the throne before. She is so beautiful.”
“Asha,” Sim said, “Our ruler. The first and oldest vampire among us.”
“How did she become ruler?”
“Because she is the oldest. Admittedly, to become oldest she had to kill several vampires that preceded her. But this was decades ago.”
“Why don’t others near the top kill her?”
“Because they know they’ll fail,” Sim responded, “She is strong and agile. And dangerous. And many would defend her. She has transformed this coven for the better.”
“How?”
Sim laughed at her, “You ask endless questions. Like a curious little child. She has changed this coven by bringing order to it. You’ll see. I’ll tell you more about it in due time. But for now, you rest. That first drink will tire you as much as if you’ve eaten a harvest feast. You must sleep.”
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