"Mother," I screamed into the thick plumes of gray fog around me, "Mother, where are you?" I cried. I sunk down onto my knees, hearing my voice echo off the distant walls of stone. The clouds were thick and choking like ash, and I could hardly breath any better than I could see.
"My child," I heard her soft singing voice in the distance, her soft tone echoing through. ⨠"Mother," I cried in relief, standing up to stumbled forward into the now thinning clouds. They slipped away through my fingers as I scrutinized them, revealing the shaded silhouette of a woman in the distance.
"Elly," She called back, desperation wrought in her trembling voice. I saw the figure collapse and ran forward through the now sparce clouds, her figure coming into view fully now. Her long straight black hair tied in it's loose braid, her big blue eyes, and her smooth white skin, all of it was there, beneath a simple white death robe.
"Mother," I replied, throwing my arms around her. "I've come to get you mother, you won't be alone anymore, I know mother, I know who I am, I know who you are." She jolted up like a creature in pain, her desperate teary eyes focussed wholly on mine, her arms around my shoulder.
"Who told you?" She asked, "Oh Elly please don't forsaken me. Tell me you're safe, tell me you're well, tell me you're happy." She cried, burying her head in my shoulder. "Do that for you're selfish broken mother, won't you?"
"How could I forsaken you?" I asked, "I only love you more for it, mother, I swear to you, but now I'm not the child anymore, and you can't be either. Come to me mother, I need you, you'll do that for me, won't you, do even more than all you've already done. I'll make it worth it to you, I'll give you back your loss, please mother, please don't run." I felt her stiffen under my tight grasp.
"Of Elly, please don't leave me, don't leave me alone," She poured out, tightening her grip on me.
"I must Mother, for you must come to me now, and not I to you." I felt tears well up in my eyes, and lifted them to the ceiling, to see the stone carved ceiling of a small burial chamber, strune with a single bouquet of withered flowers, coated with dust and decay, besides a simple wood coffin, it's lid torn off at the seams. I heard Master's voice calling softly in the distance, and looked down to see faded hands and a porous figure around my mother's dusty death robe. "Find me in the marble walls of your false home Mother, and I promise I shall make it your real one." I said, the world dissolved to black, and my eyes shot open to see Master above me, shaking me.
"Ugh," I groaned, twisting my stiff body about beneath her.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Yes, I just had the strangest dream," I replied, "Why, was I talking, did I wake you?"
"No, nothing like that. You were too still, and your pallor was off, have you had any poison lately?" She asked.
"Plenty," I replied.
"Well, you look fine now but I suggest you have extra anyway, and it's the day of the ball too, go get dressed, it's early today."
"Alright," I said, slipping out of bed. As I walked past the closet door I heard chains clanking, as though Eleven was struggling, but as I had orders to undergo, I started out for my bedroom without giving it a second thought. I returned to my room to find my dress already laid out, as was usual. It was a blue satin dress, embellished with small silver and white roses around the neck, but otherwise it was simple and slipped on easily. I went to the mirror and combed out my short black hair so it lay flat, and started out the door only a couple minutes later after fixing on some jewelry.
Everyone but Ebony was in the parlor by the time I got there, and in a moment Ebony had tacked herself to the end of the line and we were off through the decaying walls of the back of the castle, towards the ballroom. Once the doors were open and guest began to pour in, that is before Master Clementia shot me the look of death as he walked past, and just after him I saw Count Clock and Clifford slip in, officially dashing my hopes of a calm and uneventful ball, though I was happy to see them, as I had much to ask them I figured no one else would answer.
There were a couple new faces and a couple people I had nearly forgotten, but by the time I we were dismissed there were no other faced of major interest, and though I had spotted the Madam and Monsieur Morbum, I had not seen Heather enter, though she might have been camouflaged in one of the larger groups. I scurried through the crowd behind the golden twins to welcome Master to the room, and once all but the Silver twins were dismissed, I slipped away into the crowd to find the Count. But they were not easily sought after, and after a little bit of walking I had only succeed in catching the attention of a pair who came up to me amicably, almost as though they already knew me.
"Sapphire," One of the ladies said. She had long brown hair done up curls and wore a modern slim gown of violet silk, and after a moment of recollection I recognized her.
"Madam Mellitus," I replied with the same friendly tone, "And you are Madam Praelia," I said, turning to the other one, who's short black hair was shaved on the sides but poured down on her forehead on the top. Her features seemed cold and handsome in nature but she nodded happily at my recollection of her.
"I beg your pardon for approaching you in a rather over-confident manner, but I cannot help but think I might know you when I see you, as you look just like your mother, and she was one of our greatest friends, though I do not intend to dampen your spirits with that recollection." Madam Mellitus spoke sweetly.
"Not at all," I replied smiling, "I'm more so happy to see she had such nice friends, and ones that will stand by her today, not for all her actions, but for her graceful memory."
"Yes," The other lady replied, "I hear you went to China, how was your travels?"
"Wonderful," I replied, "Though, as I don't know Chinese, I did not understand much of what was said, all were kind and polite, and I had the pleasure of meeting Count Clock while there."
"Count Clock?" She replied, "What a lucky encounter, I've heard he's a busy man, and often contents himself only with the Princess's company in regards to our country."
"Yes," I replied, but it was then that I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw Diamond standing behind me. "Master?" I asked, but he shook his head.
"No," He said, looking past me at the guest around us before deciding what to say next, "Venastras."
"I beg your pardon ladies but I must be going, as I have been called by a guest whom my Master has instructed me to show utmost respect to, not that I give any such lesser a title to you." I said, turning back to the guest before leaving Diamond to speak with them. After that it didn't talk me long to locate the Count and Clifford, but as they were dancing I stopped short and held back in the crowd. I watched as they danced cordially, the Count leading, and baffled at how good they both were, with Clifford's thick blond hair swishing at each move, almost like an arabic curtain of beads, and the harsher, dominant steps of the Count. As the song finished I stepped out from the crowd and they saw me immediately and came over.
"You called," I said, addressing both of them.
"But you looked before that," The Count replied, and I wondered if it showed on my face that I had indeed been looking for them.
"I do not intend to insinuate any such distrust towards my Master by doing that, nor do wish you to pressure you or put any false opinions in your heads, but I would liked to request a snippet of history, one I cannot find in my books, and am cautious to ask for from other's lips." I said, keeping my voice low as I was aware that a good portion of the crowd was watching the Count, and scrutinizing both me and Clifford as well.
"I understand." He replied, "It might not look it, but I'de dare say I'm the closest that girl has to a friend, besides Ebony of course, but in some aspects, I know her much better. If she was trying to decode you, she would do the same, and though I may admit it is not my top motive, I do wish to help her. She was just a child when all this began, and in many respects, she's stayed that way. For your information, will you disobey?" He asked.
"No," I replied, "I will not betray, that road only ends with my head on the floor."
"Then, Eleutheria Clementia," He said chivalrously, stepping back to reveal Clifford from behind him, "Will you dance?" For a moment, I finally understood the name Venastras. Her hair seemed to flow with some unknown wind, and with his piercing eyes and the glinting gems that dangled from his ears, I understood how he had caught the Count's attention.
"That, I will do," I replied, and the Count stepped back into the crowd. I stepped forward towards Clifford and held out my arms, and almost laughed remembering the dance lessons we used to get in elementary. Master had signed me up for a dance instruction a couple days ago, so I was more well versed than I used to be, but still not greatly confident in my abilities. "You'll lead, won't you," I said, tilting my head up to look at Clifford.
"Of course," He said, and the music began. His hand slipped around the waist of my dress and we were off onto the dance floor, yet although he was almost as good at leading as he was otherwise, I still didn't feel the thrill of the swings and twists like I had with Master, even though I had been a worse dancer then that I was now. I caught a glimpse of the Count across the room watching, and saw Master beside him, a look of slight annoyance on her face, though she didn't seem overly angry. I was relieved, but called back to the dance by Clifford's hushed voice.
"Long ago," He began, stopping to spin me at a trill in the music, "There were two girls who fled their home in Europe under the pressure of marriage from one's father. One had a habit of dressing up as a boy to fool the authorities, both were talented artists and musicians. Their names were Mademoiselle Eugenie Danglars and Mademoiselle Louis d'Armilly. Princess Ilustra found them successful but growing wary, as with the glossy wims of childhood behind them, they were now cautious of their lies and though rich, anxious. She promised them a land in which they might be themselves more fully, and brought them here, but under the pretext of accustoming them to life here, she set them up as the Silver slaves, and there they stayed for a while.
"However, after a while, her interest in Eugenie faded, and both her interest in Louis and Louis's in her seemed only to grow, until she had fastened on them substitute handcuffs that could be broken easily, so she could see them apart. Eugenie was hurt by this, and after a while went to the Queen in jealousy as she saw Ilustra getting more and more attached, and their relationship being more dependent and far less platonic. The Queen forced Ilustra to kill Louis to prove her loyalty to her mother, and wanted to do away with Eugenie too, but Ilustra, being too gracious for her own good and wanting to deny the incident worth in her head, wiped Eugenie's memory and let her live as an artist and musician in our society. She walks among us even today, oblivious of her origin, as Madam Praelia, and even has a wife now of Madam Mellitus."
Almost the moment Clifford had finished the music stopped, and we fell apart. I looked to where Master and the Count were standing, but the Count was alone again. "I'm happy for you," Clifford said slowly.
"What does that mean?" I asked, laughing.
"You just always seemed sad when we were little, and you'd never let anyone touch you, and I worried about how you'd grow up, especially after I heard your mother died."
"Yeah," I sighed, "You too, I always thought you were great, but I wasn't sure if there was ever going to be anyone worthy of you, but I think you've found it, even if I myself consider him a tad strange." We both laughed now, and he returned to the Count with a wave, before disappearing into the crowd, presumably to leave early. I sighed and looked around to see more than a couple people still watching me, so I slipped away into the crowd, only to be taken up by a new guest, but one of far greater familiarity and far lesser amicability.
"Master Clementia," I exclaimed, curtsying to him as he stepped up before me, but my formality was not returned. He wore a slender white suit lined with black cords.
"Elly," He replied with scorn in his hardened voice, "I do believe that is what you're called, is it not." I shuttered at the name, of which only my close friends and mother would call me, as it originated from both Eleutheria and Elizabeth, my human name.
"Did I neglect to make clear to you how I preferred to be named, as the first slave of my Master, under the name Sapphire." I asked, allowing myself to return his animosity for a moment.
"Yes, I believe you did, but I have little memory for what is of little importance to me."
"Ah, please forgive me then for being so auspicious as to request a remembrance." I replied cooly, still smiling. "I falsely believe that if family blood was not enough to grant a memory, your position as suitor to my Master would be."
"Not in the Clementia family it isn't, and not when your Master is known for being so commonly frivolous." He replied, "You mistake human customs for that of other creatures as well. You may be my cousin but you are tarnished beyond recognition, I assure you."
"I am relieved." I replied, which only served to anger him more.
"How was your trip to China?" He inquired.
"Wonderful, though I cannot recount much of it on account of my lacking a sufficient understanding of Chinese, however I did have the pleasure of making acquaintance with Count Clock and his Slave Venastras."
"Did you?" He asked bitterly, his face screwing up, "Well, I better be off, I do believe the Princess wanted me at around this hour."
"Well then I bid you good day, for what concerns my Master is of the greatest importance to me, farewell." With a parting flash of his irritated eyes he parted, ignoring my farewell altogether, and disappearing into the crowd. Being there an hour or so left I went around and greeted guest cordially, making small talk before falling back for their own conversations, and when the clock finally struck and we saw Master up the stairs and the guests out of the ballroom, there was little better to do than return to our quarters and relax. As it was relatively close to sunrise and I was tired from the long day, I opted to go directly to Master's room instead of my own.
I reached the top of the staircase and swung the door open, listening idly to the soft creek of the hinges as I stepped in. I turned towards the bed to see Master staring wide eyed at me from the bed, straddling a white figure beneath her, whom I immediately recognized to be Master Clementia. Rage boiled up inside me and I couldn't even hear whatever Master had said over the beat of my pulse pumping blood to my ears. I felt like crying, like collapseing, like running, but I could do none of those, so instead I stepped forward on my wobbled legs.
"I'm sorry," I said boldly, my voice shaking and purposely articulate, "I'm intruding." And with that I stepped to the window and leaped out. The wind stroked my hair like the clean hands of the mother whom I had never been able to enjoy, and I felt dead, like a corpse falling off a bridge, limp against the cold wind. The ground was approaching, the cultivated dim colors of the flowers below were growing larger, closer, but I didn't really want to stop. I felt myself melt away against the wind until just before I hit the ground, I stopped falling and glided forward like a kite, cutting through the dark night air like a knife through butter. I flapped my wings and flew upward, clearing the castle walls by only about a foot, and never once did I look back, pushing onward into the night.
The fast wind felt good on my beet red face, and the idle flap of wings seemed to drowned out the roar of blood in my ears. I saw the little white and blue lights swimming around me, racing forth as if struggling to keep up, and clouds, once I was high enough, seemed to bend around me, parting for my passage. I looked down to see the distant lights of houses and shops below, dwindled by distance, and forward to watch as the sun peaked above the cracks in the mountains. I curved around, staying in the valley, but kept flying onwards through the fading night as the sun rose.
Eventually I felt myself get drowsy, and realizing I no longer had the capacity to stay awake during the day as I used to, was forced to return to the castle. I swooped down through the clouds until I was close enough to the quarters to survey for windows, but finding only one open one, I was forced to return the way I had exited, and flew in slowly, landing gracefully enough on the floor. I watched as the little lights congealed around me, reforming their little globe, and looked up to see Master coming at me, a look of relief on her face. But this only seemed to anger me more, and I began to realized that among the streaks of blue and white light, there was also red swimming all about me.
For a moment the anger exhilerated me, but then I became drowsy once again. I felt detached, almost like watching through a camera as Master approached, coming forward, she reached out her hand towards me, but barely touching the circle of light around me, she winced and recoiled from me in pain, before it seemed the life was drained from her face, and she fell backwards limply onto the floor. "Master," I screamed, feeling my feathers dissipate and reappear as limbs. I ran forward to her and came up upon her, shaking her. But no matter how vigorously I shook, she remained a sickly yellow pale, and on her face seemed painted a expression of struggling pain, her breath was gone, but her mouth open in a pant, and she lay still like the restless dead.
"Master, wake up, Master," I screamed, I heard the wrestling of chains in the closet, the swoosh of wind through the curtains, but my eyes were dim, I felt myself sway, my vision fuzzy, until the world faded to black under my heavy eyelids, and I felt upon her in a limp, regretful sleep.
* * *
"Mother," I screamed.
"Elly," I heard in the distance, it echoed off the clouds and shot at me like a bullet, almost knocking me down with it's force. "I'm coming Elly, I'm coming." I heard her cry.
"I need you mother, I need you to help me," I cried into the dark, but the clouds were already fading around me, the world turning black under my leaden eyelids.
"Sapphire, Illy," I heard in the distance, "Sapphire." The voice was calling me, shaking me violently, and my eyes popped open to see Diamond above me, shaking me.
"Diamond?"I asked, my voice drowsy with sleep, but as I pushed myself up into a sitting position and rubbed my throbbing head, no attention was paid to me.
"Illy, Master, wake up, wake up." I looked down to see Master still limply strune on the floor, her limps limp and pale white lips parted in a frozen agony, her whole face looked like pain.
"Master?" I yelled, finally remembering what had happened last night. I threw myself over her and shook, "Master, wake up, wake up." I pleaded but to no avail.
"What happened?" Diamond asked, sitting back for a moment.
"I don't know, I was just coming to the room but when I got there." I paused.
"Got there what?" He asked anxiously.
"Master Clementia was here," I said finally, "I, I jumped out the window and flew."
"You what?"
"I, flew a while," I replied, unsure of how to explain why, "I didn't want to intrude, I, but when the sun started back up, I got groggy and was fearful of flying so I came back. She came forward and tried to touch me, but she flew back and collapsed like this, and I, I think I fainted." I tried to connect everything, Diamond's head was in his hands, "Did Master Clementia do something? Was it the sunrise, why isn't she awake now though, why's she look so pallid?" I asked franticly, unsure who might answer me.
"Go get Ebony, but don't let Gold or Silver know, they'll flip and call the police or doctor, and Illy wouldn't want that, just get Ebony. I turned back to Master but she was still, and so I bolted from the room and down the staircase, almost falling flat on my face as I turned at the bottom. I ran into the servant's hall and knocked rapidly on Ebony's door, but there was no response from inside, and so I swung it open. Ebony was groggily squirming in bed, half asleep.
"Ebony," I called, running forward to shake her from her sleep, half scared she wouldn't wake either. "Ebony get up."
"Diamond," She murmured, still half asleep, "It's still morning sweetie, you want me that," But she stopped and jumped back when she opened her eyes, blinking once or twice as if to assure herself it was me. "Sapphire?"
"Come quick," I said, ignoring her stupor.
"Why, what is it?" She asked, all awake at once.
"It's Master, come quick she won't get up and Diamond told me to get you and," I rambled. She leaped out of bed and started towards the door, but outside stood in the doorway the Golden twins holding a platter of breakfast between them.
"I've been instructed to bring this to Illy," Ebony said, snatching the platter from them, "You can go back to your room." She instructed them, pushing them away down the hall. They looked confused but didn't argue, and instead started towards their room, watching as Ebony and I slipped past and started out the door, up the stairs. We ran all the way up the steps and burst in, finding Diamond had little success while we were gone. "What happened?" She asked quickly, setting down the platter and tossing me a bottle of poison and Diamond once of blood.
"But," I began, as I had little appetite for anything.
"Drink, you need it, you look pale, drained even." She replied. Diamond quickly recounted all I had told him as I chugged down the bottle, and Ebony raced up, swinging open the closet door and rushing forward. I ran after her, disregarding my bottle to see what she was doing. She was quickly unfastening a ball gag in Eleven's mouth.
"Sapphire," He spewed out as soon as it was out, "Sapphire, her dream was."
"I don't care about Sapphire right now," Ebony almost screamed, she was calm and controlled but you could see in her eye a frantic quality, almost like a mother, "Illy, what about Illy?" She asked desperately.
"Illy, what's up with her?" He asked.
"Is she asleep?" Ebony asked.
"Asleep?" Eleven questioned, until in a moment understanding flooded into his face, "No," He said with a stressed quality to his voice, "She hasn't slept all day." With this Ebony stuffed the ball gag back in his mouth without saying a word and raced out, slamming the door behind her. I could hear the chains rattle furiously now, but ignored them to go to Master.
"Not asleep," Ebony said quickly, and Diamond stepped back to let her examine Master, rubbing her back comfortingly all the while. "If she's not asleep, give me blood, I need blood now." I handed her the bottle and watched as she poured generous quantity over Master's pale lips, spilling out over her cheek like a red stream through the desert. But she just choked it down for a moment, squirmed as though the pain was amplified and collapsed again into her death-like stage of perceived agony. "Sapphire, where did she try to touch you?" I paused, trying to recall, "The chest, the leg, the face, what?"
"Nowhere," I replied, "I was a raven, and she flew back before she ever touched anything but those little swimming lights."
"Little swimming lights?" Ebony asked frantically, "Light," She exclaimed, "Turn into a raven, quickly, I want to see." I tried to focus on it but it was hard while worrying about Master, but I focused and finally began to shrink down, and emured as a raven again. I saw Ebony's eye become huge. "Diamond, touch her," She said confidently, so he cautiously put his hand up, but it went through without a problem, and stroked my feathers with no ill effects. I flowed back into a human again, and looked at Ebony desperately.
"Oh Sapphire," She said sadly, dropping her head to her hands. "Oh Sapphire."
"What, did I do something," I asked.
"You poisoned her," Diamond replied, taking Ebony closer to him.
"Poison," I exclaimed, "I couldn't of, she didn't drink my blood, I didn't try to, I didn't want to, how could I of?"
"You did," He replied calmly, "Rauzires are fragile, if they get hurt and the person they perceived hurt them tries to touch them, they react without thinking."
"But," I stammered out, rushing up Master and shaking her, "She didn't hurt me."
"Oh Sapphire," Ebony said, "It's not always a physical thing, or even intensional, it's emotional. You can't disregard that in this world." She replied. I shook Master again.
"But it can be reversed can't it?" I asked, "cant' it?"
"Of course it can, it will be reversed when you completely forgive her," Ebony said, before turning to Diamond and whispering something.
"Will you be alright?" He began, but she interrupted him.
"Yes, go, go now." She replied, "It's alright Sapphire, you've got time, think it over carefully, calmly."
"But she's in pain," I replied, "In pain because of me." I couldn't accept it, I couldn't think of anything to content myself with. Why would she do that, how could I do this? She was my Master, I was stupid and I thought she was more, that I was more to her, than just a petty little slave. Why hadn't I listened when she told me that? I was just prey, I would be thrown out one day. But none of this make anything hurt less, and none of it had any effect on her, who still lay below me with torment on her face. "How do I forgive?" I asked out loud.
"It's alright," Ebony said, calmly, rubbing my back like I was a child. "You've just got to wait a moment, it'll all be better, here, have some." She said, handing me the bottle of poison again. I took a long sip, and another, and then drank the whole bottle, but it didn't seem to do anything for me. I felt wearied, and looking down at her lips, I had this weird desire to kiss them, as though it might awaken me.
"No matter how much I drink, nothing helps," I said, setting the empty bottle down. She seemed to look at me with some strange knowingness as though she knew what was going on even before I did. Diamond burst into the room now, and I turned to see him, and behind him, Master Clementia. I hated his face, his tidy blond hair, his smile, but most his blue eyes, like they used all my mother's beauty in the most volatile of ways. But I couldn't hate him completely because I understood what made him, and so in that rage was mixed pity.
"You poisoned her?" He asked, stepping up closer.
"I don't want to hear it, I just want her back." I replied.
"You poisoned her after she spent all that time fretting about you, I knew you were wretched but I thought that was just your blood." He snired, "She freaked after you left, saying you hadn't flow in years, and kicked me out moments later, surprised I'm not dead today actually. Come on, did you all really think a rauzire to properly serve a Master, and out of all of us, this one. Who were you kidding, she just goes around poisoning everyone she touches, just like her mother did, just because she thinks they hurt her, even when they didn't.
"You'll just do it again you know" He said, directed at me, "You'll pull her in with your charm and at every step she takes you'll just cause her pain, and you won't even know it, because you're cursed by nature. She didn't even do anything, I pulled her onto me, I was trying to get her to notice me, and you've poisoned her for worrying over you." His words seemed to punch at my soul. I felt tears down my cheeks and in my head all that I could hear was one phrase echoing, bouncing off the walls, pounding at me again and again. Poison everything she touches, just like her mother, poison touch, just like mother, poison touch, just like mother. I almost screamed it.
I'll just hurt her, just like everyone else, I thought, and I stood. I stepped up to the window, and I could hear nothing of what they were shouting at me. "goodbye Master." I said softly, and I heard a choking cough behind me.
"That was quite the poison," I heard her murmur, and I leaped from the window at those words, and began my flight immediately. I don't know how long I flew before I was aware that there was someone flying beside me. I had been looking ahead through the night, and hadn't though to look beside me at all, until I caught a glimpse of black beside me. I turned to see a giant black bat flying beside me, around the same size as myself. All about her shiny black fur were little white and red lights, swimming through the air and cutting into the clouds around her.
I swerved away in surprise but she followed suit, spinning around above me and falling into place beside me again. I flew downward out of the clouds but she followed, and we shot through the main street side by side, the tips of our wings almost touching we were so close. Why in the world had she come to get me, I had just poisoned her. As nothing I did seemed to get her off my tail and we couldn't talk like this, I decided we had to land, issue was that there was only once place to do so. More slowly now, I returned to the window, and came to a halt on the bed, now realizing there was no way I could have actually left anyway, as that was Master's choice, and not my own.
I was hardly done transforming when Master was upon me, her eyes glaring. She threw herself around my shoulders, but I felt dead, like she wasn't even touching me, but instead was hugging someone else far away in the distance, and I was all alone. She drew back slightly and I felt a soft wetness on my neck, my unbuttoned shirt was pulled aside, and I felt two hard points scratch along the surface.
"No don't I'll," I began, but it was two late, she bit down, the skin punctured, yet the small jabs didn't hurt. I could hear her lap up the blood, feel her pull on me like life itself, but it didn't feel draining, in fact, it was almost rejuvenating, the crisp refresh of poison I had longed for earlier, now seemed to eminate from her plump red lips. She drew back, and I watched breathlessly as a single drop of red blood slipped down her chin, my blood.
"See," She said, wiping it crudely off her chin, "You aren't tainted, nothing you touch withers, it burgeons. I can take blood from you and stand, see, I'm alright." I could hardly speak I was so relieved, and I felt a tear fall from the corner of my eye, slipping down my cheek. She leaned forward and kissed me, and I could taste myself on her sweet lips, her tongue tracing around my mouth, and the occasional nip to my lips. I felt myself sink backwards, but she caught me in an embrace.
"But," I said, searcing for a drop of bad in all the releaf. This was too good to be true, "You still can't keep me, you'll kill me eventually under the foot of another's threatened loyalty." I drew back, "It doesn't matter about me, not if I love you or if I don't, because you can't."
"No," She said, grabbing hold of my arm as I tried to leave, "I'll figure that out, I'll find a way, it's not impossible, it's just a delicate situation. We can be as we always have been. You can call me Illy, and even if I am your Master, and you my slave, I'll work to change that someday." Someday, I thought, perhaps I'm just going to become another Louis D'armilly, but I was alright with that. I let myself be drawn back like prey, caught in her arms again, even if it might of mean death, death was inevitable everywhere else, and in other places, I supposed joy was less certain.