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xhesika"You're dangerous." Van Dean said gravely.
"I am?" Nora said simply, "I'm not the demon with a bloodlust."
Van Dean's laughter was chilling and hollow and Nora Sybil shifted her weight uncomfortably.
In a sadistically poetic gesture, Van Dean reached out a hand for Nora Sybil and she took it. She gave in to the gentle force of Van Dean pulling her closer; running his fingers over the milky skin of her arm and up to stroke her neck with nails softly scraping the base of her throat.
Van Dean embraced his prey, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back against him to whisper into her ear: "I am your god now, Nora. I hold your life in the balance. Confess your sins to me."
Nora let out a staggered breath, "I've no sins you've not heard."
"Then your secrets."
"I'm more a god than you." She gave him a defiant smile, "What color do you bleed?"
With an arrogant noise through Van Dean's closed mouth, he moved his hand up from Nora Sybil's waist.
"How fitting!" Nora gave a weak laugh to the hand now positioned over her heart, "That I would not perish at the hand of my husband when he wanted to take advantage of my gift."
Nora let her head fall back onto Van Dean's chest, glancing up at the red eyes that she had never before been unfortunate enough to personally witness.
"Nor the spirits of Jannah looking to take me into a tree of my own." Her eyes warmed with a honeyed fire of their own, "But that the demon that covets my little Orla will tear out the seat of my emotions. The essence of my life."
She laughed again, her eyes beginning to well with tears that would become caught on her eyelashes and fly out into the air when she blinked, "I am not afraid. Never afraid, and I turn boldly to my end." Her voice hardened, "You are a fool, Caspius Van Dean."
Van Dean's fingers tore into her chest with ease, cutting and tearing the flesh and bone as if they were butter, but Nora Sybil's screams were more surprised than pained, "Ah! Ah, sleep. Perhaps I'll dream?"
Nora Sybil did not bleed red. From the hole that had been created in her chest Van Dean pulled an eerily white organ from a river of glistening silver milk. As he took a bite from the divine heart he watched the last of the gold fade from Nora Sybil's eyes with a strange explosion of her pupils bleeding into the irises, and the color revert to a stormy blue that she shared with her father.
The staggered gasps of air were the first things that caught Van Dean's attention, but the gray eyes glossed with tears were what pushed the red from his eyes.
Artemis fell back against the door; twisted awkwardly in a thin black curve accentuated by the absence of her jacket. Shaking her head slowly, she covered her mouth with one hand and let the other squeeze at the pain in her side.
"Artemis." Her name fell from his mouth brimming with regret.
Artemis clumsily fumbled with the handle of the door without turning her gaze away from the grim scene, and let herself fall out of the room when it opened, pushing her feet to run into the hall with Kamen calling out curiously.
Kamen pushed the doors open wide to the scene that Artemis had witnessed, but unlike the girl that had just fled, Kamen was met with no living soul present. The shock and horror or the lifeless woman on the floor had quite a different effect on him. He tightened his jaw in anger before closing the doors and pressed the small black button in the hall.
Celeste was not in the forest when Artemis reached her spot; the area was strangely devoid of animals or spirits. She could not remember a time when the forest was without its Raintree, and the absence of the Goddess' warm embrace seemed to knock the final pin out of place for Artemis.
Falling down on her hands and knees into Celeste's spot, Artemis pounded her fists into the ground and let go of her composure; giving in to the tears she had fought.
Artemis had caused it, she was certain of it. If she had just been able to hold her tongue at the meeting that morning she might have been enjoying tea with the Queen now. The crystal laugh of Nora Sybil seemed to come back to her ears, a silver laugh, as if she were singing through running water. Silver like her blood.
She gagged at the memory of strange glimmering liquid running out of Nora's chest and down the golden fabric of her skirts.
Nora Sybil had known. Somehow she had known what would happen that day and she used her last day on Buenae to bequeath what wisdom she could to Artemis. Artemis shook her head slowly, choking back a sob, and letting the countless streams of "no" slip through.
She had died alone; she had sent Rei out of sight and closed her doors to die alone. Artemis couldn't help but wonder what Bryant Aine would think when he opened the door and saw his first dauphine lifeless, drained, and heart-less upon the floor.
Nora had been alone, but Artemis was not. She heard the small rustle of leaves and bramble behind her, and she let her hip hit the ground. Turning on the grassy loam with one knee bent to look back she called out: "Kamen?"
Van Dean stood disheveled in her presence, dark wings outstretched as she had seen as a child, but rather than the tidy decadent coat he was garbed in soft loose cloth, the back of his tunic low enough to not hinder his wings, looking ironically angelic. The demon watched Artemis curiously and knelt onto the ground in front of her, "I didn't mean for you to see her, my apologies."
Artemis reached up to Van Dean and slapped him across his face, but was unable to change his expression, let alone disrupt his head. She drew back her hands tightly and reached to her side for Chaos, drawing it quickly and holding the point out to him. In a moment of panic Artemis reached out the leg that had been bent to plant her foot firmly on his chest.
"We're both losing our sanity with each ordeal, aren't we?" Van Dean let out a small sigh and wrapped his hand around the ankle of her boot to pull it away from his chest.
Artemis froze at the hand as it wrapped around her ankle. The remnants of Nora Sybil's vitality had dried on his skin; soaking his hands and trailing up his arms like starlight.
"I am?" Nora said simply, "I'm not the demon with a bloodlust."
Van Dean's laughter was chilling and hollow and Nora Sybil shifted her weight uncomfortably.
In a sadistically poetic gesture, Van Dean reached out a hand for Nora Sybil and she took it. She gave in to the gentle force of Van Dean pulling her closer; running his fingers over the milky skin of her arm and up to stroke her neck with nails softly scraping the base of her throat.
Van Dean embraced his prey, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back against him to whisper into her ear: "I am your god now, Nora. I hold your life in the balance. Confess your sins to me."
Nora let out a staggered breath, "I've no sins you've not heard."
"Then your secrets."
"I'm more a god than you." She gave him a defiant smile, "What color do you bleed?"
With an arrogant noise through Van Dean's closed mouth, he moved his hand up from Nora Sybil's waist.
"How fitting!" Nora gave a weak laugh to the hand now positioned over her heart, "That I would not perish at the hand of my husband when he wanted to take advantage of my gift."
Nora let her head fall back onto Van Dean's chest, glancing up at the red eyes that she had never before been unfortunate enough to personally witness.
"Nor the spirits of Jannah looking to take me into a tree of my own." Her eyes warmed with a honeyed fire of their own, "But that the demon that covets my little Orla will tear out the seat of my emotions. The essence of my life."
She laughed again, her eyes beginning to well with tears that would become caught on her eyelashes and fly out into the air when she blinked, "I am not afraid. Never afraid, and I turn boldly to my end." Her voice hardened, "You are a fool, Caspius Van Dean."
Van Dean's fingers tore into her chest with ease, cutting and tearing the flesh and bone as if they were butter, but Nora Sybil's screams were more surprised than pained, "Ah! Ah, sleep. Perhaps I'll dream?"
Nora Sybil did not bleed red. From the hole that had been created in her chest Van Dean pulled an eerily white organ from a river of glistening silver milk. As he took a bite from the divine heart he watched the last of the gold fade from Nora Sybil's eyes with a strange explosion of her pupils bleeding into the irises, and the color revert to a stormy blue that she shared with her father.
The staggered gasps of air were the first things that caught Van Dean's attention, but the gray eyes glossed with tears were what pushed the red from his eyes.
Artemis fell back against the door; twisted awkwardly in a thin black curve accentuated by the absence of her jacket. Shaking her head slowly, she covered her mouth with one hand and let the other squeeze at the pain in her side.
"Artemis." Her name fell from his mouth brimming with regret.
Artemis clumsily fumbled with the handle of the door without turning her gaze away from the grim scene, and let herself fall out of the room when it opened, pushing her feet to run into the hall with Kamen calling out curiously.
Kamen pushed the doors open wide to the scene that Artemis had witnessed, but unlike the girl that had just fled, Kamen was met with no living soul present. The shock and horror or the lifeless woman on the floor had quite a different effect on him. He tightened his jaw in anger before closing the doors and pressed the small black button in the hall.
Celeste was not in the forest when Artemis reached her spot; the area was strangely devoid of animals or spirits. She could not remember a time when the forest was without its Raintree, and the absence of the Goddess' warm embrace seemed to knock the final pin out of place for Artemis.
Falling down on her hands and knees into Celeste's spot, Artemis pounded her fists into the ground and let go of her composure; giving in to the tears she had fought.
Artemis had caused it, she was certain of it. If she had just been able to hold her tongue at the meeting that morning she might have been enjoying tea with the Queen now. The crystal laugh of Nora Sybil seemed to come back to her ears, a silver laugh, as if she were singing through running water. Silver like her blood.
She gagged at the memory of strange glimmering liquid running out of Nora's chest and down the golden fabric of her skirts.
Nora Sybil had known. Somehow she had known what would happen that day and she used her last day on Buenae to bequeath what wisdom she could to Artemis. Artemis shook her head slowly, choking back a sob, and letting the countless streams of "no" slip through.
She had died alone; she had sent Rei out of sight and closed her doors to die alone. Artemis couldn't help but wonder what Bryant Aine would think when he opened the door and saw his first dauphine lifeless, drained, and heart-less upon the floor.
Nora had been alone, but Artemis was not. She heard the small rustle of leaves and bramble behind her, and she let her hip hit the ground. Turning on the grassy loam with one knee bent to look back she called out: "Kamen?"
Van Dean stood disheveled in her presence, dark wings outstretched as she had seen as a child, but rather than the tidy decadent coat he was garbed in soft loose cloth, the back of his tunic low enough to not hinder his wings, looking ironically angelic. The demon watched Artemis curiously and knelt onto the ground in front of her, "I didn't mean for you to see her, my apologies."
Artemis reached up to Van Dean and slapped him across his face, but was unable to change his expression, let alone disrupt his head. She drew back her hands tightly and reached to her side for Chaos, drawing it quickly and holding the point out to him. In a moment of panic Artemis reached out the leg that had been bent to plant her foot firmly on his chest.
"We're both losing our sanity with each ordeal, aren't we?" Van Dean let out a small sigh and wrapped his hand around the ankle of her boot to pull it away from his chest.
Artemis froze at the hand as it wrapped around her ankle. The remnants of Nora Sybil's vitality had dried on his skin; soaking his hands and trailing up his arms like starlight.