Chapter 165: Awkward Dinner

 

  Stryg stared at the carriage. Why was Maeve here? He walked up to the carriage and looked up at the coach driver. The vampire’s face was covered with a hood, though he immediately noticed the blue goblin. The driver lightly knocked on the window behind him. The carriage’s door creaked open halfway, Maeve’s pale face appeared from within.

  “Stryg, you’re actually here, good. I wasn’t sure my servants had gotten the right address,” she glanced both ways, searching for any pedestrians walking by. 

  There were none.

  “What are you doing outside my home?” Stryg tilted his head.

  Maeve’s face scrunched up with indecision, “It’s a little complicated. Why don’t you hop in the carriage? We’ll take a ride about the city and talk about it. Maybe catch some dinner?”

  “Actually, Feli already cooked. She’s waiting for me upstairs,” Stryg pointed his thumb back at his apartment building.

  Maeve nodded slowly, “Oh, I see. Is Feli your servant?”

  “She is a part of my tribe. We co-founded Ebon Hollow, actually.”

  “Ah, the unnamed 3rd tribemate, I remember. This is probably a bad time then, but I really need to talk to you. I can come back later tonight if that’s okay with you?”

  Stryg scratched his cheek with a clawed finger, “Do you wanna join us for dinner?”

  “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

  “Okay then. I’ll see you later,” Stryg turned to leave.

  “Ah, b-but, if you insist, I’ll humbly accept,” her cheeks reddened.

  “Sounds good,” he offered his hand.

  Maeve wrapped her gloved fingers around his blue palm and stepped out of the carriage with an aristocrat’s grace. She looked around furtively and kept her red hood low.

  “Are you in danger, is someone hunting you?” Stryg’s pupils narrowed.

  He pulled Maeve close to his chest and bared his fangs at the surroundings. The coach driver coughed.

  Maeve swallowed, “Um, not at this moment, I think. I’m just trying to stay unnoticed.”

  “In a carriage? You really need to work on your stealthiness,” Stryg shook his head in disbelief.

  “Well, what would you suggest?” Maeve pouted.

  “A dark grey cloak, move in the cover of darkness, and climb over the apartment’s wall. Kill the watchman in the eastern corner, then move your way to your target.”

  “Huh, you’ve really thought about this.”

  “Once or twice.”

  “For some reason, I’m not surprised,” Maeve smiled wryly.

  Stryg lifted his arm and stepped away from her, “I probably shouldn’t stay too close. You don’t want to be seen with a goblin, hence the cloak and all, right?”

  “N-no, that’s not it…” Maeve bit her lip.

  “It’s fine, I get it,” Stryg walked towards the apartment complex. “We should head upstairs, the food is probably getting cold.”

  “...Right,” she sighed.

~~~

  Stryg slipped his keys into the lock, turned the knob, and pushed the door open.

  “I’m home,” he called out.

  Feli sat at the dining table, reading a book. She glanced up with a smile, “Welcome back! I was waiting for you before I ate… Who is this?”

  Maeve stepped up from behind the goblin. She removed her hood and curtsied, “Good evening, I am Maeve of the Great House of Mora.”

   “L-Lady Mora!?” Feli’s eyes widened. She shot to her feet and bowed low, “It is an honor to have a merchant lady in our humble home.”

  “Please, call me Maeve, and thank you for having me,” she smiled.

  “Right, yes, my pleasure,” Feli straightened her skirt and fiddled with her violet hair. “I would have freshened this place up if my husband had told me a Lady was coming over.”

  “Husband?” Maeve frowned.

  “The place looks fine.” Stryg walked up to Feli, grabbed her hand, and pulled her down for a kiss.

  “You’re married!?” Maeve yelled.

  “Uh, I think so?” Stryg glanced at the wedding ring on his wife’s hand. “This means we’re married, right?”

  “Yes, darling, it does. I wonder why Lady Mora seems so surprised. Did you fail to mention that important detail to her?” Feli narrowed her eyes.

  “Oh, ahaha, I’m just really happy for my good ol’ friend, Stryg,” Maeve fidgeted with her cloak.

  “I didn’t know you two were so close,” Feli pulled Stryg’s head onto her sizable bust.

  “Yes, well, you know how these things go. You meet someone, they try to kill you, then they end up saving your life. Life is crazy, am I right?” Maeve laughed nervously.

  “Stryg tried to kill you?” Feli’s eyes widened.

  “Twice, actually, but who’s counting?” Maeve shrugged her shoulders.

  “I am,” Stryg said lightly.

  Feli bowed, “I’m sorry that he tried to kill you, please don’t take it personally. Stryg tries to kill lots of people, actually, he kills lots of people. Ahem, anyway, let’s eat shall we?”

  “Gladly,” Maeve sighed in relief.

~~~

  Dinner went by quietly. Stryg was focused on devouring his food. Feli ate her food slowly, all the while staring at Maeve with a mixture of awe and uncertainty. Maeve tried her best to ignore her predicament and tried eating with an aristocrat’s refined demeanor.

  “Sorry, we don’t have blood to drink,” Feli said with sincerity.

  “No worries, I had some earlier from one of my maids. Well, they aren’t my maids. I mean they were, but they weren’t very good. They worked as spies for my late father, so you can imagine how that feels,” Maeve chuckled. “Anyway, once I became Lady of the House I threatened to send them to Hollow Shade’s prison for espionage. They didn’t want to end up food for the shades of the Ebon Wall, so now they serve as my exclusive blood reserves. Sweet, delicious irony, wouldn’t you say?”

  Feli’s mouth hung open in shock.

  Maeve fiddled with her dress’ collar, “Is it just me or is it hot in here? I feel like I’m talking too much. Am I talking too much? I’m probably talking too much. So, uh, when did you two get married?”

  “A few weeks ago,” Stryg said between bites of food.

  Feli took a sip of wine, “...Around the middle of spring.”

  “Oh, so it was quite recent,” Maeve nodded to herself. “I see.”

  “I would have invited you, but Stryg never mentioned your shared acquaintance until after the wedding.”

  “It’s fine, I was busy with the reorganization of my House anyway. Being a merchant lady is harder than it seems,” Maeve said.

  “Of course, everyone heard about what happened. I am so sorry for your loss, I know what it’s like to lose your whole family,” Feli said softly.

  Maeve gripped her fork tightly, “...Does it ever get easier?”

  “Not at first. I spent years thinking of how my life would have been had my parents and sister lived. Then I met Stryg and things slowly changed. Now I have a new family, Ebon Hollow,” Feli grabbed Stryg’s hand.

  Maeve raised her glass, “To new family then.”

  “To new family,” Feli clinked their glasses together.

  They both froze and slowly turned to Stryg, he was smiling.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile,” Maeve whispered.

  “It doesn’t happen often,” Feli whispered back.

  Stryg frowned and went back to eating.

  “Aw, he’s shy,” Maeve giggled.

  “I’ll bite you,” Stryg hissed.

  “You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Maeve smirked.

  Feli glanced between the two of them, “...You’re different than what I imagined, Lady Mora.”

  Maeve blinked, “How did you imagine me?”

  “This ice-cold vampiress who ruled her House with the sheer ruthlessness deserving of the leader of a Great House. That’s what I’ve heard about you at least,” Feli admitted.

  “Oh, I am those things when I need to be,” Maeve nodded. “You have to be if you want to rebuild an entire fleet of trade ships. You would be surprised how many merchants and ship captains are a bunch of grouchy old men. It’s all rather exhausting.”

  “You’re rebuilding your fleet?” Feli asked.

  “Mhm. Unfortunately, my family’s fleet was destroyed during the attack on my ancestral home. You wouldn’t believe how difficult it can be to garner sailors’ trust after your father let all the ships get burned down in what can only be the worst maritime debacle of the century.”

  “That sounds terrible,” Feli said sympathetically. 

  “Meh, not as bad as the investors. Stingy bastards.”

  “Investors? You’re looking for investors?” Feli had a glint in her eye.

  “Yes?”

  “Would you possibly be interested in a small but reliable investor?” Feli leaned across the table.

  “Um, so long as the gold is good and they don’t have a shady history with past dealings, then yes?” Maeve slowly leaned back.

  Feli smiled wide, “Great! Let me go find my notes.”

  “Wait, you? You’re the investor?”

  “I’ve been managing our funds quite well and we’ve saved up enough for a decent investment, I just haven’t found the right connections yet. Until you, Lady Mora,” Feli said.

  Maeve finished her glass of wine, “Splendid.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Feli got up and left.

  “Great, I’ll be here,” Maeve smiled.

  The moment Feli closed the bedroom door behind her Maeve pushed the plates of food aside.

  “Stryg, we need to talk,” Maeve whispered urgently.

  “...That was my food,” Stryg glanced at the bowl of seared meat no longer in his reach.

  “This is more important than your hunger. Stryg, did you tell anyone about my secret?”

  “Secret?”

  “...My dreams.”

   “Oh, no, not at all,” Stryg shook his head and reached for the bowl of food.

  Maeve pushed the bowl further away, “Are you certain?”

  “You really shouldn’t take away a Sylvan’s food,” he grumbled.

  “Stryg, please, I’m serious.”

  “So am I. And no, I haven’t told anyone.”

  Maeve leaned back and sighed with relief, “That’s good.”

  “What’s going on? You look paler than usual and that’s saying a lot.”

  Maeve bit her lip, “...I found out why I could see the future.”

  “I’m listening."

  “Turns out I am a late bloomer mageborn. A true red mageborn to be exact.”

  “You’re a true mage?” Stryg’s pupils widened. “Interesting, I’ve only met one other.”

  “Were they a red mage?”

  “No, he is a purple mage and a professor at my academy. He can use binding magic, I don’t know much about it, but I think it lets him control animals. What about you? What’s your true magic?”

  “The synchrony spell-form. It’s the rarest true magic. I don’t really know how it works, but I know a lot of people would want me for it if they found out I was a true red mage. Especially because I’m incredibly talented or at least that’s what my doctor says.”

  Stryg suddenly had a strong sense of deja vu. It was as if he was back in that testing room with Loh a year ago. They had just found out he was a prime mage. Loh had sworn him to secrecy for his own safety. Maeve was the same as him.

  “I won’t tell anyone about your magical capabilities, you have my word.”

  “Thanks,” Maeve smiled. “The problem is, I think someone already knows. Remember that dream I told you about? The one where my shoulders were bleeding when I woke up.”

  “Because the owl, I remember. Except, I never clawed your shoulders,” Stryg crossed his arms.

  “Yes, but what if it wasn't a dream of the future? What if that actually happened while I was dreaming? What if it all was real?”

  “I still never clawed your shoulders, I think I would remember something like that.”

  “Are you sure? Because it’s difficult for me to remember all the details in my dreams and you told me you have a hard time remembering your dreams too.”

  “Maeve, why would I try to claw out your shoulders?”

  “You’ve tried to kill me twice.”

  “...Good point.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Maeve shook her head. “I think you were trying to help me. From the other thing that was in my dream.”

  “You did mention something like that. You couldn’t see what it was, it was too dark, right?”

  “Yeah, the creepy thing in the dark,” Maeve nodded.

  Stryg tilted his head, “The Monster in the Dark?”

  “What?”

  “No, nothing, I was just remembering a campfire story, not important,” Stryg shook his head.

  “Oh, okay, well, I came here to make sure you hadn’t told anyone. I’m already in enough danger as it is, I don’t want to attract more unnecessary problems.”

  “If that’s the case you should go to the magic academy as soon as you can. An untrained mageborn can accidentally miscast when their emotions run strong, especially talented mageborns. The results can be quite painful and possibly life-threatening, trust me,” Stryg grimaced.

  “Gods, I didn’t know that.” A shiver ran down her spine. She clenched her frilled skirt, “I can’t go though. If I go to the academy I will be forced to take magical tests and sooner or later someone will find out I am a true mage.”

  “What are you going to do then?”

  “I’m not sure. The red magi in service to House Mora were loyal to my father, I can’t trust them. I’ll have to figure something out,” Maeve wrinkled her button nose.

  Stryg’s pupils undulated, growing wide and thin in rapid succession. Eventually, they settled into thin ovals. 

  He sighed, “I don’t know anything about synchrony magic, but I can teach you the basics of red mana and the ward spell-form. Hopefully it will be enough to prevent any accidental miscasts.”

  “I didn’t know you were a red mage,” Maeve said in surprise.

  “Nobody does. It needs to stay that way. I’m entrusting you with my secret,” Stryg stared at her.

  “...Thank you for trusting me, I won’t let you down,” Maeve nodded solemnly.

  “Good. Like you, I’m pretty busy, but I can make some time to meet here once a week.”

  “That works great, thank you,” Maeve pulled out a few gold coins and handed them to him.

  “What’s this for?” Stryg glanced at the money.

  “If you are going to be teaching me at least let me pay you.”

  Stryg stood up, “That makes sense. But I don’t want your gold.”

  “H-huh?” Maeve took a step back.

  Stryg reached out and grabbed a lock of her platinum hair.

  “W-what d-did you have in mind?” Maeve swallowed.

  “I warned you, didn't I?” Stryg smiled, his small fangs glinted in the candlelight.

~~~

  Feli opened the bedroom door, “Sorry I took so long. I was trying to organize my note-” The papers slipped out of her hand.

  Stryg held Maeve in his arms, his right hand curled around her soft waist, while his left hand gripped her small bust. Maeve’s knees were limp, Stryg was holding up her entire weight. Maeve’s face was flushed, her eyes were closed, and she panted softly. 

  Stryg’s fangs were sunk in Maeve’s shoulder, blood trickled down her dress’ deep neckline.

  “What the fuck are you doing?!” Feli screamed.

  Stryg looked up at her, his pupils were wide as saucers. He opened his mouth and licked his red-stained lips, “I thought the species that usually drinks blood would end up having very tasty blood of their own. I was right.”

  Maeve’s eyes opened up blearily, “S-sorry, it… sort of… just happened.” 

  Maeve wanted to stand up and say more, but she felt tired and oddly comfortable. This wasn’t good, a small part of her mind warned. She was becoming like her maids and the other humans when their blood was being drunk. That blurred dull state of mind humans entered, they simply sat there like a bunch of idiots and happily let the vampires drain them.

  Feli simply stared at the pair in disbelief. She took a deep breath, “You know what? I don’t have time for your weird kinky blood stuff, Stryg. I’m gonna go hang out with Rhian.”

  “W-wait,” Maeve mumbled.

  Feli walked out and slammed the door behind her.

  Stryg brushed the pale blonde hair away from Maeve’s neck, “Where were we?”

  Maeve closed her eyes. What was she saying? She couldn’t remember. Maeve leaned back into Stryg’s chest and offered him her other shoulder.

  Stryg’s teeth sank into her soft flesh.