“I think I have something here,” Kaethe announced, holding the book close to a section of shelving that looked less dusty than everything else. Myanna had been preoccupied with avoiding other unexpected trips down memory lane, losing track of where Kaethe stood for a few minutes. At least, it had felt like a few minutes to her. The subjective nature of time was still something the cuirizu had not managed to adjust to. She didn’t know if she ever would.

The clicking of Myanna’s thigh-high boots echoed off the stone walls of the vault as she moved to join the vampire. The book cast a subtle but visible glow when held near a collection of what Myanna recognized as vampire artifacts.

“Do you know what these are?” Myanna asked, not knowing the purpose of any of the items they were looking at.

“I do,” Kaethe answered quietly, her eyes wide with awe. “Why do ye have these?”

“We kept magic items aligned with vampires to be used by the vampire defectors we had, but I don’t remember seeing any of these in use,” Myanna explained. Kaethe’s attention seemed drawn to a scepter missing all but one red gem and a hand mirror of ancient design. Neither looked to be in particularly good condition, but the mirror was in better shape of the two, with only a single crack through its reflective surface and tarnishing along the handle and frame.

“I mean these, specifically,” Kaethe pressed as she gestured to the two items. “Do ye have any idea how powerful these are?”

Myanna shook her head. “No, this was never my area of expertise. We had someone else to handle vampire affairs, but he was slain in battle only a few years into the war. I hardly knew him.”

“But ye’ve seen them before? Ye must have if they’re here in the vault,” Kaethe said with increased tension creeping into her voice.

“In passing, perhaps,” the cuirizu remarked.

“With Olcaru? What was she doing with them?” the vampire asked impatiently.

“I don’t remember,” Myanna responded in a level tone as she locked eyes with the vampire. Meeting her gaze seemed to calm her, but only slightly. “Why?”

“These are bloodline treasures,” Kaethe replied as if it was supposed to mean something to Myanna. When the vampire noted the lack of reaction from the cuirizu, she followed with an explanation. “Each bloodline of vampires has a treasure, an ancient artifact, that belonged to the first of that bloodline.”

“What were they for?” Myanna asked, her curiosity piqued as she turned her attention back to the haphazardly stacked items. “Are they all bloodline treasures?”

“Just these two.” Kaethe motioned to the scepter and the mirror. “Though technically, the scepter counts as two.”

“Why?” the cuirizu inquired as she leaned closer to examine it, though she was sure not to touch it.

“The scepter itself was constructed to hold these.” Kaethe pointed to the lone gem in the head of the scepter. “The tears of Drak.”

“The first vampire?” Myanna clarified. There were stories of him, but the way they were always told felt more like a legend or allegorical religious text than historical fact. Myanna had never put much stock in such stories beyond the cultural significance they had to the vampires as a people.

“Aye,” Kaethe answered with a bit of a smirk. “It’s said that soon after he was cursed, and the weight of what he’d lost settled upon him, Drak shed three crimson tears that contained the last of his humanity that tied him to the grace of Laethanta.”

“What does that mean precisely?” Myanna asked with an arched brow. It was just cryptic enough to sound interesting while not providing any information.

“Could mean a lot of things,” the vampire confessed. “But the legend also says that the tears enhance the power of the scepter, which is supposed to grant complete dominion over all vampires. The tears themselves are said to have their own individual powers, but I haven’t read anything that’s gone into specifics.”

“Complete dominion over all vampires,” Myanna repeated, floored by the implications of such a statement and it being in Olcaru’s vault. “Why would she not have used such a thing?”

“Each of the treasures can only be wielded by ‘one of the blood,’” Kaethe explained. “Presumably, that means a vampire descended from a founder of a bloodline.”

“Wouldn’t that be all vampires when it comes to Drak’s things?” the cuirizu wondered. “All vampires go back to him, correct?”

Kaethe shook her head, pushing some loose strands of hair out of her face. “Not every vampire. He was the first created when the Goddess of Night cursed him, but he wasn’t responsible for turning the others. Only the Draken bloodline is directly connected to him, while all other bloodlines have their own unique origins.”

“Yet he was the ruler of your kind in antiquity,” Myanna mused. “Perhaps the scepter was how he achieved this?”

“Possible,” Kaethe admitted. “But then, why give it up?”

Myanna shrugged; they were in speculative territory that was beyond her expertise. She turned her attention to the mirror, “What about this one?”

“Oberon’s mirror,” the vampire replied in a whisper as if someone might overhear them. “The bloodline I belong to.”

“Oberon,” Myanna repeated. She remembered the name being mentioned in the past, but it took her a moment to recall who it belonged to. “The Erlking?”

“In fae lore, yes,” the vampire confirmed. “But he is a figure in vampire lore as well. His legend speaks of an Erlking that fell to darkness, succumbed to vampirism, and would feed on lost children to experience their dreams.”

“Fascinating,” the cuirizu said as she rubbed at her chin. “Is there any truth to these stories?”

The vampire spread her hands with a dramatic shrug. “Perhaps? A lot of the lore of the bloodline has been lost. It’s never even crossed my mind to feed on a child.”

“What is this mirror supposed to do?”

“The only lore I’ve seen simply states it holds the power to shape reality from dreams,” Kaethe responded, holding the book close to the artifacts again. It glowed just as it had before.

“So you could wield the mirror but not the scepter,” Myanna postulated.

The vampire nodded. “According to legend, that’s how it works.”

Myanna considered the information in silence, her crimson eyes drifting from one item to another. Knowing Olcaru the way she did, there was no doubt in the cuirizu’s mind that the intention had been to weaponize the artifacts against the vampires. Control of a whole other faction to add to the ranks of the Abyssals would have been immensely useful in crushing the other factions of the war. More importantly, if she became their ruler through some perceived divine right, she would likely have an immense amount of faith to harvest. Even if it was just a small percentage of the vampires who hailed her as their goddess, the boost in power would not have been insignificant. However, not being one of the blood rendered the scepter useless to Olcaru. The mirror had the same drawback.

“The phrasing you used was ‘of the blood’; is that from a vampiric text? Word for word?” Myanna queried.

“It is,” Kaethe confirmed. “Why?”

Myanna motioned to the book the vampire was holding, “It’s possible that being of the blood does not require one to be a vampire. A mortal descendant from one of the original vampires may suffice.”

Kaethe’s eyes widened as her attention turned to the book. “She was looking for mortal descendants of the bloodlines? Here in Zelmesca?”

“It would seem so,” the cuirizu agreed, slowly taking the book from the vampire. “The fact she was poring over this specific book of patents would imply that she had already narrowed it down to an area.”

Kaethe’s mind was working quickly as she tied all these things together. “She wouldn’t even need a mortal descendant of Drak if one existed. Finding one of Oberon would be enough to use the mirror and alter circumstances so that she could wield the scepter.”

“This is what you’re looking for,” the cuirizu declared as she jabbed a finger toward the mirror. “If the lore is accurate, this could give you what you desire.”

“I agree,” the vampire muttered. “But I can’t ignore the scepter. It’s too important to simply leave unattended.”

“But if it comes out of this vault, it won’t take long for word to get out of its existence and location,” Myanna warned. Neither option was ideal, and Myanna wasn’t advocating for either one---however, both options needed to be weighed carefully before the vampire took action.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Kaethe turned away, running both hands through her hair. “Fuck.”

“It’s a difficult decision,” the cuirizu agreed sympathetically.

“It is, but that’s not my main concern at the moment,” the vampire admitted as she turned to look at Myanna. “There is already a delve in the real Willowridge. I trust Elaina not to do anything stupid with power like this, but I can’t account for those she’s with.”

The cuirizu pursed her lips, considering the likelihood that someone might be able to breach the vault. However, if they searched Willowridge top to bottom, she was sure that they would come up with a key that would work. Only a few were left, but it only took one to finish the job. Once they gained entry, a great deal of power and wealth would re-enter the world. Myanna cared little for the abstract implications this had for the balance of good or evil, but the shift in the region’s power would create new challenges for her Garden in the waking world.

“You’ll have to tell her,” Myanna concluded. “If she’s already on-site, then she should be able to vouch for you when you arrive.”

“I can’t go,” Kaethe argued. “The wards left behind against members of the Obsidian court prohibit my entry.”

“Right,” Myanna grumbled, having forgotten about them momentarily. Trying to keep all the information straight in a dream state pushed her harder than she thought it would. It only put a finer point on her need to secure some kind of oneiromage as soon as possible once she was awake. “Very well, meet me at Fellgrove in the waking world. I’ll provide you with a means to bypass the wards.”

“Fellgrove? That’s the secondary location ye took up, isn’t it?” Kaethe clarified. Though the location wasn’t known to many, the vampire had already taken a stroll through the less guarded memories Myanna possessed when she’d been working against her. So she had a rough idea of where it was.

“After the battle of Black Sun,” Myanna confirmed as she brushed past her toward the exit, “Come. I’ll show you.”

The redheaded vampire followed after her, and as the two emerged from the vault, it was in a dark forest rather than Willowridge. Though Myanna had little control over the dream, she knew that the intent to go somewhere while in Kaethe’s company did seem to result in them going there, either instantaneously or through the dream logic of having walked there over a span of subjective time. The mechanics of it mattered little to the cuirizu, however.

“There,” Myanna said, pointing out a twisted oak tree far more immense than any other natural specimen the vampire had likely seen before. At the base, it was cracked, broken, and burned from the events that had transpired there last. “This is the entrance to Fellgrove. Find this tree, and I will meet you there.”

“Ye’re sure?” Kaethe asked skeptically. “I don’t want to ask any more of you after everything.”

“Don’t mistake me,” Myanna corrected her, gently taking hold of her chin to turn the vampire’s head to meet her gaze. “I am not acting out of charity or altruism. I am protecting my investment.”

The vampire looked back at her skeptically, but Myanna could sense a sudden jump of arousal in her when the cuirizu had taken hold of her. Kaethe had developed a taste not just for powerful women but also for being manhandled. It was something that would suit Myanna just fine once she met with the vampire in the waking world. Just because they were on business didn’t mean she couldn’t take a little time to mount the woman and put her through her paces. As delicious as their encounter in this dream world had been, she doubted it could compare to the real thing.

“Of course,” Kaethe acknowledged, but there was no mistaking the look in the cuirizu’s eyes. She made no effort to hide it, after all. The vampire took hold of Myanna’s wrist and slowly kissed the cuirizu’s gloved hand. “I am grateful to ye all the same. I look forward to showing ye just how much.”

“I know you do,” Myanna purred, leaning down to taste of the vampire’s lips. It took a great deal of control for her to leave it at just a taste, reminding herself that it wouldn’t be long before she saw her again. “I will see you soon.”

“I’ll start out at sunset,” Kaethe assured her. “It shouldn’t take long.”

The words felt as though they faded into the distance along with Myanna’s surroundings. Before she knew it, she was lying in bed at Mossglade with Azade sleeping soundly beside her. The sun had only just peaked the horizon outside as birdsong heralded its arrival. It felt like it had been too long since she had last seen her. She leaned down, brushing some of the long black hair from her face to watch her silently for a time.

“Is everything alright?” Azade muttered into her pillow, her eyes still closed. Somewhere in the distance, Myanna heard a door close, signaling that the other women of the Garden were starting in on their morning chores.

“Everything is fine,” Myanna answered quietly. “I have an errand to run later, so I’ll leave you in charge of things for a while.”

The woman’s eyes came open as she sat up slowly, her soft, milky-white breasts spilling out from under the blanket. “For how long?”

The cuirizu’s eyes drifted for only a moment before she answered. “Not long. Just for the night. I should return by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

Azade tilted her head to one side, the wine color of her eyes shining with an intelligence that Myanna often underestimated in the past. Inching closer to the cuirizu, the woman ran one hand up her thigh, “What sort of errand is so urgent?”

“I have to meet with someone from the Obsidian Court,” Myanna answered truthfully. She was willing to obfuscate things occasionally with the others, but as the First of the Garden, there was nothing that Myanna did not make Azade privy to.

“The Obsidian Court?” Azade exclaimed, sitting up straighter with a look of concern in her eyes. “What business could they have with you?”

“I may have found a means to mend some old wounds between us,” Myanna explained. “And perhaps acquire more breeding stock.”

Her First’s eyes looked conflicted. Azade was sworn to Myanna and assisted her in any way she could, including finding candidates to breed more cuirizu for the Verdant Lust. However, there were still echoes of jealousy whenever the prospect of Myanna being with another woman came up. Azade kept the frown of disapproval from her lips but failed to do so in her eyes. “Who?”

“A woman by the name of Kaethe Woodlock, consort to---.”

“Woodlock?” Azade interjected, “Elaina Woodlock’s sister?”

Myanna’s brow arched as she sat up now as well. “As a matter of fact, yes. What haven’t you told me?”

Azade waved her hands gently in an effort to calm her Mistress down, “It’s not like that. I wasn’t hiding it from you.”

“No?” Myanna asked with cold disapproval. Azade was just as skilled at obfuscation as a cuirizu and could be as evasive as a vampire when she wanted to be. Usually, they were valued skills, but at that moment, Myanna was not pleased with either. She rose from the large bed they shared and walked over to the round window nearby to close it. The cuirizu didn’t want to risk anyone overhearing their conversation if it got serious. “Please, explain to me what it’s like then.”

Her First rose from the bed as well, brushing strands of the long black sheet of hair behind her as she did. “Do you remember when Anisha and I went to town for supplies and had to pick up a merc for the journey back?”

Myanna’s disapproval was already waning. “I do.”

“That’s her,” Azade laughed. “That’s the woman we hired for the job!”

“Interesting,” Myanna noted. It was a strange coincidence but not unheard of. “What else haven’t you told me about Miss Woodlock?”

Azade stepped around the bed slowly, careful about how she chose her following words. “We had sex?”

“Why is that something you think you should have to conceal from me?” Myanna wondered. It wasn’t as though she had forbidden Azade from such dalliances with other women. Indeed, the First even had others of the Garden she enjoyed spending time with. It was natural behavior from the perspective of a cuirizu.

“I may have let her cum inside me a few times,” Azade admitted, knowing that this was where things got dicey. Myanna retained sole breeding rights to her First unless she gave her express permission otherwise. Someone seeding her at random could interfere with several things in the Garden if not accounted for.

“Azade,” Myanna huffed. “Why would you place the Virility Charm spell on her? You know the rules.”

“I didn’t,” Azade replied, spreading her hands as she approached her Mistress. “She doesn’t need it. Elaina has a cock already; she was born with it.”

Myanna’s pierced brow rose. “But she’s human?”

“With some kind of fae blood,” Azade answered, extending her hands to the cuirizu’s, holding them gently. “It was quite the experience.”

“Fascinating,” Myanna remarked. “She is female as well?”

Azade nodded quickly, “She has both.”

This was something worth knowing. Azade could use the Virility Charm spell to give any woman in the Garden a cock of their own to seed one of the others. Myanna had the ability to change her gender around naturally, of course. But she had yet to acquire someone who was both sexes at all times, like Elaina. “This was why you didn’t tell me. You were worried that I would try to acquire her for myself.”

Myanna pulled her hands away from Azade, her brows furrowing. “You undermined me and this Garden, Azade. A person like that, a talented swordmage no less, would be a boon to us, and you kept it to yourself.”

Azade spread her hands apologetically again, “She’d already been through so much, Mistress. She is traveling to improve herself, put things behind her, and distance herself from a weird relationship with her sister. It felt like I’d betray her to bring her into Mossglade at the time.”

Myanna took a deep breath to calm herself, annoyed at the decision that Azade had made. But she had empowered her to make such decisions by making her the new First, so punishing her for doing so would be too much. “She has a strained relationship with Kaethe?”

“Yes, it’s very complicated,” Azade confirmed. “Just about everything involving Elaina is, which is another reason I had to force myself to pass on her. She would bring a lot of scrutiny and complication with her, even if she were receptive to the idea of joining us here.”

“Reasonable,” Myanna relented, letting the last of her anger ease out of her. It wasn’t as though the judgment call she’d made hadn’t been without merit when framed that way. It did raise several other questions, but they would have to be posed to Kaethe when she saw her next.

“I’m sorry,” Azade said, easing closer to Myanna, pressing her nude body against the cuirizu’s as she embraced her. “Don’t be cross with me. It wasn’t an easy decision for me.”

Myanna looked down at Azade, slowly placing her arms around her in return. “You liked her?”

“Very much,” Azade admitted. “She would have made a good stud for me, but it seemed dishonest and risky.”

“You made the right decision,” Myanna assured her. “I was too quick to judge, so I also apologize.”

Azade looked up at Myanna and beamed, pleased that things had been resolved so swiftly and amicably. “Thank you.”

“Would you like to come with me on my errand, then?” Myanna asked curiously. “We can leave Taeko in charge of things for the night.”

A look of determined resolve appeared on her First’s face. She had a lot of unanswered questions herself about Elaina, Myanna assumed. If she could obtain them, perhaps it would change her mind on whether they should acquire Elaina for their Garden. But, if not, preparing her for the arrangement she had made with Kaethe would still be good. They would have Woodlock blood in Mossglade eventually, either way.

“I would like that very much,” Azade whispered as she ran her fingers down the front of the cuirizu’s body to find the half-erect cock that hung between her legs. “Thank you, Mistress.”

Azade sank to her knees to express her heartfelt gratitude to her Mistress as the cuirizu looked on with approval. Of course, it was always better when both agreed on something, especially when it regarded someone they both wanted.