Chapter 195: Sleeping Together
Nokti tiptoed through the Cairn camp with slow covert steps. The cloudy midnight sky made it difficult to see, but Nokti was a vampire and a chromatic black. Her eyes granted her improved vision in the dark and coupled with a powerful shadow spell, she had no trouble finding her way around the camp.
There were plenty of guards roaming around the tents of the tribe’s council and elders. Her own tent had several guards patrolling about.
Nokti had been forced to use magic to escape unnoticed. She had summoned the black mana within her heart and casted a cloak of shadows to hide her presence. So long as she didn’t make any loud movements the guards wouldn’t notice as she slipped past them.
There were several brown enchantments placed on the tents of any of the tribe’s important figures, alerting everyone in the vicinity if an intruder had appeared. Fortunately, Nokti was not an intruder and the enchantments did not activate as she walked past. Which was good, since if anyone saw her they might notice that she only had on a negligee underneath her fur cloak.
Her new patron god, Caligo, had kept his usual distant attitude with her while out in public. She didn’t blame him, he walked among mortals as the mysterious spymaster, Crow. As for why he did this, instead of revealing his divine nature, Nokti did not know. She had so many questions and had been unable to ask any of them.
After the night Caligo had revealed himself to her, they had not seen each other in private since. Until tonight. After a meeting with the tribe’s elders, Caligo had told her to meet him at his tent tonight in secret. She accepted without hesitance, but when she asked what for, he had simply said, “to sleep with me, of course.”
Nokti had been surprised, flattered, daunted, and a bit excited. To make love to a god? What sort of strange dream was this? Who would believe her? The whole concept was difficult to wrap her mind around.
Nokti still had feelings for Marek, but Caligo had nonetheless forced them to break up. Caligo had made Nokti pretend to be in a relationship with Crow to punish Marek. Hurting Marek was one of the last things Nokti wanted, but she went along with Caligo’s scheme anyway in order to prove her loyalty to him.
Although, now it seemed that Caligo was actually interested in sleeping with her. If that was actually the case, she wasn’t certain how to feel about it. She cared for Marek, yes, but to be wanted by a god? The god she had sworn to give everything to? How was she supposed to react?
Nokti struggled with the idea the entire day. Finally, she had decided to put on her negligee, grab her cloak, and go find Caligo. What she would do when saw Caligo, she wasn’t sure.
Nokti found herself standing in front of her god’s tent, unsure of what to say. How would she introduce herself? She had to show her respect to a deity, lest he think she wasn’t a devout follower. Would she prostrate herself? Or was that too much for a romantic encounter? Perhaps kneeling and a heartfelt prayer would suffice?
“Stop fidgeting and come in,” a muffled voice said from inside.
Nokti stiffened with shame. Her face felt hot and her stomach twisted in knots. She took a deep breath, mustered the biggest smile she could, pulled the tent flap aside, and walked in. Her smile died on her lips.
Despite the large size of the tent, it was fairly sparse. A lone chair stood in one corner, a cot on the opposite corner, and a gigantic chest sat at the very center. Books of all sorts of shapes and colors were stacked high in several columns around the floor. Caligo’s onyx scaled cloak hung on the wall, several black feathers had been stitched to its edges.
It was not the sparsity of the tent, nor the strange amount of books that shocked Nokti, it was the people inside. Dawn sat cross-legged on the floor, long white hair shrouded her pale blue face. From her calm breathing, she seemed to be meditating, here, in Caligo’s tent.
And if that wasn’t odd enough, Vaughn sat in the chair in the corner. A small woman, as tall as a dwarf and as lithe as a drow, sat on his lap. Her bright blue hair fell over her shoulders in large curls. Vaughn held a book in front of the strange woman as she read from the comfort of his lap.
“What in all the bloody realms are you doing here!?” Nokti yelled angrily.
Dawn cracked an eye open, but otherwise sat still. Vaughn simply turned a page of the book.
“Nokti, you’re finally here, good,” said the strange woman.
"And who the hell are you?” Nokti snapped.
The strange woman pushed aside the book in Vaughn’s hands and looked at Nokti with a slight tilt of her head. Her iridescent eyes shifted through different colors as she looked the vampiress up and down.
Nokti’s face paled as she noticed the woman’s unique eyes. “...Lord Caligo?”
The strange woman yawned, “Yeah, what is it?”
Nokti threw herself to the ground in reverence, “Lord Caligo! I-I didn’t realize it was you. Please forgive my insolence, I beg you!”
“Mm,” Caligo mumbled as she wrote down a small marking in her book.
“You can get up now, Nokti, unless you want to keep showing us all your naked body,” said Dawn.
Nokti slowly looked down at herself. Her fur cloak had shifted open, revealing the thin negligee underneath.
“...Ah!” Nokti gasped and wrapped the cloak tightly around herself.
“Why the red face? I saw nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I’m beginning to see why the men are always talking about you,” Dawn smirked.
Nokti glared at the mocking arch-mage.
“Be nice, sister,” Vaughn sighed. “Don’t worry, Nokti, everyone is surprised at first.”
“Um, surprised?” Nokti asked hesitantly.
“About her,” Vaughn glanced at the small blue-haired woman in his lap.
Caligo finished scribbling down a few notes on the book and handed the feather to Vaughn. She hopped off his lap, grabbed the book from the hybrid’s hands, and placed it back with the other stacks of books.
“So many books…” Nokti whispered.
Caligo didn’t bother glancing at her, “Did you think I became known as the god of secrets because I sat on my butt and twiddled my thumbs all day?”
“No, of course not, Lord Caligo? I mean, Lady Caligo? Um, I’m not sure how to address you,” Nokti admitted.
“Call me by whichever title you prefer,” said Caligo.
“We find it easier to call the Master by the form she is currently in,” said Vaughn.
Nokti was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that the twins knew about Caligo. Or that Caligo could change his appearance. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised about the latter. He was a god, he probably had an endless amount of abilities she could not begin to comprehend.
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Nokti shook her head, “Sorry, I was just a little confused. I thought you were a man, I mean, not like a human. I meant, male, um, yeah, male. Not, uh, a woman.”
Caligo looked at her, “Who said I was a woman?”
“You’re a man?”
“I can assume whatever form I desire. The concept of being a man, woman, or anything else of that nature holds no real significance to me.”
Nokti nodded cautiously, “So, the form you showed me when you took off your mask a few days ago?”
“It’s the usual form I take when I walk about as Crow,” Caligo nodded.
“And your current form?”
Caligo played with her own blue hair, “It’s more comfortable moving around in a smaller body while inside my tent. This particular species is native to the Ivory Realm. They all have bright blue hair and large green eyes, a charming lot.”
“...Green eyes? But your eyes aren’t green, well, sometimes they are. They’re always changing color.”
Caligo sighed with a smile, “Quite right. My eyes are the one trait that is immutable. It’s why I wear a mask. It used to be a lot easier to move around, a long time ago, before I became so… famous.”
“I see,” Nokti bit her lip.
“You still have questions, I can tell. I don’t have time to answer them all.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry,” Nokti bowed.
Caligo sat down on the cot, “You get one more question.”
Nokti panicked. One question? She cleared her throat, “The other night, you asked me to put up an act in front of Marek to punish him. You told me to break up with him. Was that an act too?”
Caligo smiled coldly, “The goal of that evening was to simply have Marek suffer for his mistakes. So to answer your question, yes and at the same time no. It was an act. But when you swore yourself to me, you pledged to me your love as well, and I don’t like to share.”
Nokti swallowed.
Caligo clapped her hands, “Now that we’re all here, let us begin the meeting.”
Nokti and the twins nodded.
“Vaughn,” Caligo said. “Your... ‘failure’ to capture Maeve Mora at Mora Castle was a setback.”
Vaughn kept his composure, but his trembling finger gave him away.
Caligo pulled out a map of Dusk Valley and placed it in front of them, “Nonetheless, the true red mage will join me in due time, I will make certain of that. Until then, we will reinforce our stance in Dusk Valley.”
Caligo pointed at Vaughn, “You will go to the Adder Tribe and try to rebuild some goodwill with them. They are still the most influential tribe in the Valley, we will need their support. Dawn, you will be in charge on keeping an eye on Marek and making sure he stays safe and doesn’t do anything else stupid.”
“You’re splitting us?” Dawn paled.
“Will that be a problem?” Caligo cocked her head to the side, it turned until it was almost upside down.
“N-not at all,” Vaughn shook his head.
“No problem,” Dawn nodded vigorously.
“Wonderful,” Caligo smiled brightly, but the warmth did not reach her eyes. “Nokti, I need you to go check up on Grim and Kyriil. Make sure those two aren’t having any second thoughts about the Cairn. Lysaila’s desertion can breed more desertion if left unchecked.”
“Yes, my Lord. Consider it done,” Nokti bowed low.
“Excellent, that will be all for tonight. You two may go,” Caligo waved the twins away.
Vaughn bowed low and left without a word.
Dawn grabbed Nokti’s shoulder, “Now that you’re here, we’ll be alternating our nights with each other.”
“Alternating?” asked Nokti.
“I usually sleep with the Master every night, but now you and I will be taking turns.”
“You sleep with Lady Caligo every night?” Nokti swallowed.
“Yes,” she nodded.
“I said you’re dismissed,” Caligo yawned.
Dawn leaned down and kissed her hand, “Forgive me, Master.”
Caligo patted her cheek with heavy slaps, “Yes, yes, now leave, I’m tired.”
Dawn’s blue cheek began to swell red, yet she forced herself to smile through the pain, “Sleep well, Master.”
Dawn bowed low to the goddess of secrets and left.
“That one always thinks she is the smartest in the room. It’s what I like about her,” Caligo said as she took off her own clothes.
Nokti’s eyes widened at the sight of the naked young woman. Did she expect her to get naked too?
Caligo jumped into the cot and closed her eyes. “Join me.”
Nokti nodded hesitantly. She unhooked the clasp of her cloak and let it tumble to the floor.
Nokti slipped out of her undergarments with stiff movements. Suddenly, she felt very cold, despite it being summer.
Nokti laid down in the cot and slipped under the blankets. Caligo’s eyes stayed closed and she made no advancement on Nokti. She guessed Caligo was waiting for her to make the first move.
Nokti licked her lips, her heart thumped in her chest, it felt as if it would explode any moment. She leaned over and kissed Caligo. The god’s lips felt ice-cold to the touch, Nokti shivered at the contact.
Caligo opened her eyes, “What are you doing?”
She blinked, “Uh... kissing you?”
“Why?”
Nokti leaned back, her face was a bundle of confusion, “I thought… I, um. You said you wanted to sleep with me.”
Caligo glanced under the blankets at Nokti’s ample curves, “Yes, I thought you’d be a soft warm body to sleep next to.”
“W-wait, you… just wanted to sleep?”
Caligo nodded, “Mm. I don’t like sleeping alone.”
Nokti's face grew redder and redder, “B-but, you took off your clothes.”
“I like to sleep naked,” she shrugged. “Do you?”
“Well, no, it gets cold. I hate the col-”
“So you just wanted to have sex?”
Nokti turned her back to Caligo in shame, “...I’m so sorry, I’ll leave now.”
The vampiress sat up and reached for her clothes. Caligo pulled her back down with ease and flipped Nokti on top of her. Nokti’s eyes widened as she found her legs wrapped around her goddess and her face hanging inches from her Caligo’s.
“I told you, I don’t like to sleep alone,” Caligo said coldly.
“I’m sorry,” she swallowed.
“But.” Caligo leaned up, “I don’t mind playing with you either.”
“Huh?”
Caligo opened her mouth wide, revealing a row of sharp fangs. Nokti yelped in pain as the goddess bit down on her neck, her fangs puncturing the vampiress’ flesh deeply. Nokti flinched and jerked away, but Caligo held onto her tight, her jaw latched onto Nokti’s neck. Caligo slurped up the blood, then threw the vampiress down on the cot and got on top of her.
Caligo opened her mouth, leaned back, and simply sat down on Nokti’s abdomen. She smiled. “Now, isn’t that better?”
Nokti’s torn flesh had healed, a dark green sigil remained in its wake. She couldn’t see the mark on her neck, but she felt it. “What is this?”
“Protection and a bit of fun,” Caligo slipped back under the blankets next to her.
Nokti breathed heavily, her body felt hot, “Um, my Lor-”
“Stop talking. Sleep, now,” she mumbled.
Nokti nodded stiffly. With slow hesitance she wrapped her long legs around her goddess and closed her eyes.
~~~
Nokti woke up to the sounds of warriors running drills in the distance. She opened her eyes and froze. A small snow-white white fox laid curled around on her chest.
“Lady Caligo?” Nokti whispered.
The fox yawned and stretched, a bushy tail rising from her back.
“I see you’ve met Lin Lu,” a voice said from behind them.
Nokti moved, startled. A tall man with dark green skin and absurdly long spindly fingers sat on the lone chair. He held the obsidian scaled cloak in one hand and a needle and a black feather in the other hand.
Nokti noticed the tall stranger’s colorful eyes immediately, “...Lord Caligo?”
Caligo nodded, “Lin Lu, this is my newest toy, the vampiress, Nokti. Nokti, this is Lin Lu; she usually doesn’t like to show herself in front of others, the fact that you can see her means that she approves of your presence.”
“I’m honored,” Nokti smiled.
Lin Lu rolled her amber eyes and jumped off Nokti’s chest. The small fox trotted over to Caligo, clambered up his leg and onto his lap. Lin Lu curled her bushy tail around herself and went back to sleep.
Nokti pulled the blankets up, “Um, Lord Cali-”
“Where is that anger of yours?” asked Caligo. “It used to follow you everywhere, you would breathe it in and spit out to all those around.”
“I can’t very well be angry in front of a god,” she mumbled.
“On the contrary, I was hoping you would be.”
Nokti felt a shiver run down her spine, “...Right. I’ll do my best?”
“No, you won’t. But your anger is a part of you, it’ll come out sooner or later.”
“...What now?”
Caligo brushed the scales of his cloak, “War.”
“My lord, you are the patron god of none. You owe the valley tribes nothing. If I may ask, why do you want this war?”
Caligo smiled.