Twelve days they had been travelling. It should have taken less than a week to get to Euwaine, but Desmona kept delaying them with her experiments. It turned out that Morrigan could sing. Really sing. Desmona had insisted they find out as much about this ability as possible.
Turns out that the succubus was a scientist in her previous life and was still fanatically dedicated to the scientific process. By day she would direct Morrigan in testing out various hypotheses, usually with the humans in the group as Guinea Pigs.
Morrigan’s singing had a lot in common with Divine Magic. Desmona deduced that it was actually Divinity given audio form. It made sense, given Morrigan did not sing words, rather she stringed together unnatural sounds and syllables together. Sometimes it sounded like water cascading down a waterfall. Other times it sounded like the rustling of leaves, or the crunching of dried leaves underfoot.
The singing had powerful mental effects too. A minute of the song was enough to put the humans to sleep. Half an hour an Druscilla’s vision blurred as drowsiness dulled her mind. Morrigan could also make them irrationally happy, sad or angry, if she so desired. The only catch was that she needed to concentrate. The longer the song, the more mentally exhausted she would become. It was just like the Arcane Magic Druscilla and Desmona used.
Druscilla had been busy too. She had practiced summoning as many as possible. If she visualized one bat at a time, one after the other, she could summon a swarm. Her record was about ten thousand until she got a splitting headache and dark blood dripped from her nose. They were their means of transport.
They stayed well away from the roads, instead opting to fly to Euwaine straight as the bat flies. They only travelled by night to keep attention from themselves. Druscilla was sure at least one person had spotted a cloud of bats in the night sky, but at least they hadn’t seen Gwen. The princess and the other humans had been travelling on a blanket that was carried by bats at its edges.
They stopped on the outskirts of town to cater to their specialized needs. Druscilla and Penelope would visit taverns inns and various houses of ill repute; places where the patrons would not be missed. They went back to camp with full bellies, food for the others and news from around the area.
The common folk were excited for the conflict. Songs of honour, chivalry and glory spewed forth from the inns Druscilla and Penelope visited. Everybody was seeking to make a name for themselves. Those who were averse to conflict were drowned out in the din. Word of the missing princess was already common knowledge – men were already swearing to uphold Gwen’s claim on the kingdom. Granted most of them were deep in their cups at the time.
The general mood made it easy for Penelope and Druscilla to feed in peace. Also for the occasional abduction, as Morrigan was a picky eater. Of course, nobody save for Druscilla and Desmona knew of Morrigan’s diet – they’d probably be horrified otherwise.
Druscilla joyfully noted that Penelope had finally eased into her new existence. She had stopped being wracked by guilt after each feeding session. Instead she convinced herself that it was actually pleasurable to the victim – so it technically wasn’t a bad thing.
Penelope had even summoned Tulpas of her own. They were fluffy little fur balls with no teeth or claws. Their fur was also purple, where Druscilla’s familiars were jet black. During the day the trees where the group made camp were thick with bats, like thousands of full dark fruit. If anything, it helped keep the sun away during the blistering days.
Like everything else in Boshamia the weather had no variety. It was always sunny. Under the unwavering gaze of the dual suns Druscilla ached for her coffin. The tree shade provided small relief at least.
The terrain had also not changed that much. The same grassy rolling hills with the odd thicket here and there. It was all very dull to Druscilla. Gwen on the other hand, had eyes as wide as saucers the entire time. She kept asking questions about everything, no matter how mundane it was. Luckily, Pen and Dixie had the patience to calmly explain that not all insects were carnivorous.
All things considered Dixie had taken things well. There had been a time she had refused to eat – but soon she could not say no to the food Penelope brought. Dixie built an easy camaraderie with Gwen, given that they were both human.
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The third human – the would-be assassin from earlier – was still in the comatose state induced by [False Death]. Morrigan was of a mind to kill her, and Desmona was of the same mind. Druscilla also couldn’t think of how she might be useful, so her fate would have been sealed were it not for the fervent protests from Pen and Gwen. They resolved to keep her hostage till they got to Euwaine.
By the twelfth night of flight they were about four hours from Euwaine. The suns were almost up, so they had to stop for the night. They chose to rest at the base of a grand old oak. Desmona and Morrigan promptly went to sleep. Penelope perched herself on the branches and was soon lost in the mass of upside-down bats.
Druscilla went and sat on a root opposite Gwen and Dixie. “We’re not that far,” she said. “I can smell the sea – we should be there before midnight tomorrow.”
Gwen sighed wistfully. “I just wish I could stay out here a bit longer. I love the wilds.” Above them, the stars dwindled and disappeared as the sky brightened.
“That’s only because Penelope has been bringing you food. Take that away and you’ll be begging for civilization.”
“Still, it’s more than I could have dreamed of when I was back in the Capitol.”
“You’ll get used to it. And when you ascend to power you’ll be free to do whatever you want.”
“Right after I win the war…”
“Yeah, right after that. But believe me you have allies. Men in the towns are swearing their allegiance to you already.”
“They don’t even know whether I’m alive.”
“Only the more reason for you to believe in them.”
“They’re only spoiling for a fight. This war feels like a new dawn; a chance to relive the glories of old. After centuries of peace it seems the people have grown tired of not fighting.”
This war is actually the twilight before the blackest hour. “I fear that after being at peace for so long your people have forgotten about the realities of warfare.”
Gwen raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you were a pacifist, Druscilla.”
“Oh no, nothing of the sort. I have a vested interest in the conflict actually. Peace is good for growth, but war is good for business.”
“Is that all you care for? What about honour, chivalry, glory and all those other things they sing about in the songs?”
“Those are things best enjoyed by men. All I ask for is a stable, comfortable life, free from all worries.”
“You’re sending mixed messages here – didn’t you just say you were in favour of the conflict?”
“Priorities change. And after the fighting I’m going to need time to build the life I want.”
“Is such a life even possible?”
“Oh don’t worry.” Druscilla smiled sweetly. “I’ll have lots of children as little helpers.”
“Aaah, you want to get married.”
“Sure, why not.”
“When I take the throne, I want you to be an advisor. At least until things are stable.”
“I don’t know the first thing about running a kingdom, but I’ll do my best.”
“You’re pretty smart, I’m sure you’ll be helpful. Afterwards I’ll give you a duchy.”
That sounds tantalizing. “It would be my honour.” A base of power will be exceedingly useful. “My spine tingles at the thought of my own castle.”
“Take me with you.” Gwen and Druscilla turned to face Dixie who had suddenly reminded them of her presence. “When the time comes, take me with you Druscilla.”
“Sure. Why not.” Dixie might make a good vampire. This might be an opportunity to test out the extent of Penelope’s turning power.
“My thanks.”
Gwen ran a hand through her hair. “I will visit the two of you some time.”
“Not often, I hope. You belong in the suns – my castle will be blacked out.”
“Speaking of which, you never explained why Vampires fear the sunslight. And the coffins. Of all things, why do you choose to sleep in a coffin? And do you have a special diet?”
“That’s a lot of questions. The answer is that’s just how things are. I don’t make the rules. As for diet I eat whatever a regular human eats.”
“And the bats? Where do they come from?”
“I have no idea.” Druscilla’s familiars were pieces of her consciousness given a physical body. They knew all her memories, shared all her desires and dreams, and they resented what she hated. There’s something profound about that, but I can’t be bothered. “The important thing is that they get us from A to B.”
“You’re right, I suppose.”
Rays of sunslight pierced the foliage to land on Druscilla’s skin. I really miss my coffin. “By the way, do you people have names for the suns?”
“Uh – we don’t. We refer to them simply by their colours. Other cultures have names for them though.”
“So just Red sun and Yellow sun?”
“Pretty much. During the nights of the Separation the red sun is called the Moon sun.”
I have no idea what that is – I don’t want to sound like an ignoramus. “That sounds like an oxymoron.”
“An oxy- what?”
“It’s when you use two words with opposite meanings.”
“Ah, I see. But it makes sense, as the suns will separate and the Red sun will gain dominion over the night.”
That’s bad; I might have to hibernate through that one. This meant that Druscilla had a timer. She could not possibly live under twenty-four hours of sunlight. Unless she was deep in a bunker or safe in her coffin. “How long till this separation?”
“It happens gradually – the nights get shorter and shorter until there’s no darkness at all. Don’t you know all this?”
“Just gauging your ability to explain difficult concepts. It’ll be important for when you’re queen. Now, assume I am idiot and I know nothing. How would you explain the Separation to me?”
“You should’ve said so sooner. Well, here goes…”