The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 153

[Talia]

The feeling when everyone returned, unharmed, from breaking the wards was jubilant. Gray and Echo had gotten home before anyone else and had already gotten a call from Trent saying that the young wolves he had gathered in the pack house were finding their mates.

I was impressed with Valor's little magic show for the children last night. He juggled balls of flame and water, made a potted plant dance in its pot, and summoned candy for all of the children. They were stunned when we made it seem like he made me appear in a flash of light.

Everyone went to bed much happier, but not as wary as they should've been. It only took a few hours before the curse attacked Victor when we took care of the fae portion. I wandered and watched over the house.

Finn disappeared for the evening, but, from the sound of it, he was bedding his Solus Amor. It was hilarious watching him fumble once he realized who she was. He was never at a loss for amusing and cheeky things to say, but there was something about the girl that made him a nervous schoolboy. It was adorable.

Soon, everyone was waking up for training. The two additional witches didn't train with us. I figured Finn was planning on staying in Amelia's bed until he had to sleep.

Gray was progressing well. He was a quick learner. I enjoyed teaching him. I would watch Echo with Marius as well. He was so proud of her. She was always fighting hard and was very focused during training.

When we were finished with our individual training, we went back to the main area. Sean was showing off his wings. Echo hurried ahead of us. They were beautiful wings that really suited him more than butterfly or moth wings could have. "Aren't you going?" I asked Gray.

"I'm still worried about finding all that hunter paraphernalia in Melissa's house. I didn't realize someone in my school could be a hunter. All this time, I thought I was safe, we were safe. Echo had nightmares about hunters all night. I don't know what to do." He sighed.

"We'll report them to Bellamy's rogue squad. They can go give them an ultimatum and track them from there. Don't worry, Gray. We'll take care of it. Go have some fun and enjoy this break. Things may only get worse from here." I told him. "Fenton's going to focus all that released power on the part of the curse that has Echo, isn't he?" Gray asked.

"Yes. And on her supports." I replied. "Emmalyn said this curse has tendrils that branch out to those who support the Master of the territory. I think that's why you were being so unreasonable about the ******e. You already had strong feelings about it, but you are a reasonable young man. I think you would have seen the light and understood."

"I don't know about that. I do know I was having stronger feelings than I thought I should have. I was actually thinking of leaving. I'm glad she changed her mind. It was like I was suddenly free again. I wasn't being inundated with thoughts of her being... well... evil." He said, embarrassedly.

"Go on. Spend this happy time with her. We never know when the curse will take a turn. I don't want you to miss out on this." I told him, shooing him away.

Gray grinned and ran over to the other children. Rosario was now showing off his vines as well. Marius sighed.

"If you told me three months ago that I'd be here, father to a dhampyr, a werewolf, and a witch, I'd have thought you insane. Look at them, Talia. Perfect examples of what their people can be." Marius sighed.

"So children was all it took to soften Death?" I chuckled.

"Only those children. Only for this family." He murmured.

"How is your little witch?" I asked.

"Thank you for not telling the rest of the council that I'm dabbling with a dark witch. She wants to come see my territory. I want to take her. I want to keep her, Talia. I know she's not my Solus Amor. I'm fairly certain I don't have one. I want Lila to be mine." Marius said.

"Then make her yours. There is nothing that says we can't have relationships with living beings. Only that we cannot breed with them for the purpose of creating dhampyrs to sell. Go be with your witch. I'll watch over your children." I promised.

"I will. I'm going to go home for a few minutes. There's a trinket, I'm sure Lila will enjoy, in my vault." He smirked and disappeared.

I shook my head at my love-struck broodmate. Marius had always taken his vampire life too seriously. I was glad that he was turning a new chapter. He would be even more deadly with more than his reputation to defend.

As I headed for the children, I saw Rosario put his hand to his head and close his eyes tightly. I started running and managed to catch him as he collapsed. Sean was fretting over him as I lowered his body to the ground and looked him over. "What happened? He was fine." Sean insisted.

"It looks like the curse did something to him. But why Rosario?" Gray asked.

"Let me see." I sighed and put my hands on him.

He wasn't unconscious, he was gone. Not dead, but not in his body. I could feel him tethered to it, but there was nothing to pull him back. It was as if he was stuck in whatever realm he was in.

"We need to get him somewhere comfortable. I can travel to where he is and retrieve him. It looks like the curse may have sent him to the realm of dreams. It's almost like where you go when you sleep, but a little different. More lonely." I said. "He's alone? Please, Talia, please save him." Sean pled.

"Gray, can you carry him? He's too big for me to carry comfortably." I asked.

"Yup." Gray said and picked Rosario up off the ground.

I led the procession into the house and up to Sean and Rosario's room. We turned on a light and laid him down on the bed. I cleared everyone who wasn't important out, leaving me and Sean with Rosario.

"Please, tell me he's going to be alright." Sean whispered.

"He will be fine. I will travel to the realm of dreams to retrieve him. Don't worry, Sean. I'll bring your mate back." I promised and got onto the bed next to Rosario.

I held onto his hand and closed my eyes. I needed to make sure I wasn't dropped just anywhere in the dream realm, or it could take quite a long time to find him. I felt the tether and followed it, leaving my body behind.

-

I arrived in an area of the dream realm I'd become familiar with quite some time ago. It was a long, dark, hallway. Doors would appear and disappear at random. These were the gateways into dreams. If I opened one, I would be granted access into the dreams of another.

As I wandered the hall, hunting down the scent of elf, I came across

woman marching in the same direction. It was rare to see anyone in the halls of the dream realm. I caught up to her quickly.

She turned to look at me. She was an older woman of African descent. Her hair was gray and cropped close to her head, but there was fire in her eyes. No matter her human age, she was full of the spark of youth.

"Hello, human. I am the Traveler, Talia. I'm searching for a boy. He's an elf. Have you seen him?" I asked.

"You're not Zombi or Lwa." She replied, staring at me as if she were looking into my soul. "I know ancient power when I see it though. Tell me, are you a catalpa come to make the elf ti bon ange?"

"Interesting words. You must be a practitioner of mystical arts. I am none of these. I'm a vampire. And you're correct. I am ancient." I smiled.

"I thought I had seen it all." The woman giggled. "Imagine that, a real life vampire. I have not seen your elf, I myself am looking for a wolf who messed with mojo beyond her understanding. Maybe that sniffer of yours can help us both."

"I would be more than willing to have a companion while looking for my charge. I will also search for wolf scent. Come along, a leanbh. Let's find our lost wards." I replied. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sookie. It's nice to meet ya. I am curious how your elf got wrapped up in this, they don't exactly exist where I come from. Your kind though - well, you hear stories, but you're the first one I've met."

We proceeded down the darkened hallway in amiable silence. The older woman was strangely comfortable in my presence which interested me. I suspected that she had encountered supernaturals before to be so calm. There was something about Sookie I couldn't quite place. Almost as if she were as powerful and old as I was, despite her appearance.

"Did you hear that?" She asked suddenly, cocking her head to the side as she slowed to a stop. "It sounds like your young man may be getting more than he bargained for from the wolf."

The hallway widened into a vast room. Some distance away, I could see Rosario. A young woman with bleach blonde hair was kissing him. I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh as I saw his face screw up with disgust.

He pushed her away and bound her arms above her head with his vines while wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. I wondered what all this was about. The girl sure was eager for him, the way she started writhing in his vines.

"You never, ever touch me without my permission. You are a disgusting little mutt. I would never take a mate who doesn't know the basics of civility. Get it through your head. I. Am. Not. Your. Mate." Rosario growled at her. "Is that your wolf then?" I snickered.

"Yes, unfortunately." Sookie frowned.

"I understand now." the wolf giggled. "You're one of those types. Don't worry, daddy, I like a little degradation in the bedroom. I'm sure there's a soft bed behind one of these moving doors if you want to go there."

My eyes watered from the strain of holding in my laughter and I couldn't help myself any more. I burst out laughing. It wasn't just her words, but the look on his face when she said that.

"I swear to the Goddess, Talia, if you don't get your bloodsucking a*s out here, I'm going to be really pissed when I find you." He called out.

"Who is Talia? Is that some whore you messed around with before you found me?"

A vine shot out and wrapped around her mouth and throat.

"You do not talk about my friends like that. I've only known you a few minutes, and I can recognize the type of manipulator you are. Now, shut up."

"If you put her down, young man, I can get her back where she belongs." Sookie called out.

Rosario released the wolf and my new friend took his place. She frowned at the she-wolf for a moment as her fist rose to her lips.

"Home." She whispered, opening her palm and blowing a powdery substance into the girl's face.

"What was that? Who is this? Did the curse do this, Talia?" Rosario asked.

"It seems so. Thank you for helping me find him, Sookie. That dust trick was interesting. What did you use?"

"That was a gift from Papa Legba to send the girl home. He pulled me from my dreams to tell me she had stepped through the veil after messing with my mojo bag. I don't know how your young man here got pulled in, but I know it wasn't a curse I set on the girl." "Sadly, we have a curse of our own to contend with. I believe it was trying to strip the master of our territory of one of her most powerful allies." I answered. "If we could just get the damned cat to talk without torturing him, then we could get somewhere. He's the key to the whole thing."

Sookie's eyes glazed over, her head tilting to the side like she was listening to something. I watched her curiously as she nodded and hummed responses.

"I see." She spoke, finally. "It seems I wasn't sent just for the girl. There is a spell and oil that should do the trick, though they won't work completely on an animal, mind. It should work well enough to make the thing talk. Ha! A talking cat, I just can't imagine it." There was some hope, at least. No one had been able to figure out anything back home to make him talk. Most of the spells Lila came up with had ingredients that could kill the cat. If the spell could live past his death, then that would leave us at worse than square

one.

"What sort of payment might you require for this information? I don't know if you can take anything back with you, but if I can give it, I will." I promised.

"Legba was clear, I'm to help you, but if you have a mind to gift me some of your blood, I wouldn't be opposed." She smiled, pulling a small vial from her pocket.

I reached out and took the vial from her. Taking a little time to flash my fangs so she could have a little thrill, I pierced my finger tip and let the blood drip into the container. When it was full, I licked my finger clean and handed the vial back to Sookie.

"I am expecting that, since we are from different realities, you won't be able to use this to cast spells on me once we go back to our homes. At least, I hope not. Blood magic is very powerful and I am entrusting you to be the caretaker of my blood, leanbh." I said. "You don't live to be my age - well not as a human anyway - by angering beings that can walk realms." She chuckled. "Now to your problem. The list isn't long, but it is very specific. I assume you can remember without notes?"

"Of course, you don't get to be my age without having a good memory for the important things."

"The oil is the simplest, you will need a conjure to prepare it. Boil calamus root, bergamot, mandrake, sweet almond, and the blood of the cat, family blood will do if you know his sire. Any oil will do to boil it in, I recommend coconut, good for the skin and fur. When you want to force him to do your bidding, you will rub him with the oil. Now, I can't say rightly that you will have total control like you would a human, but it will bend his will just enough to talk. To get him telling you the truth you need to hollow out a large hot pepper, the hottest you can find. A bit of the beast's fur inside with ground dirt dauber nest, master root, peppermint, and calamus root. Your conjure should pray over this stuffed pepper nine times exactly as I say. The cat's name first of course - 'You will speak the truth, you will hide nothing, and you will tell no more lies. If your conjure does this proper, your cat will be unable to lie on the ninth day."

"For family blood, will descendants of the cat do? Also by conjure, you mean witch, correct? I want to be certain I don't have to go hunt down another type of human in order to make this work."

"So long as they are in the cat's direct line, their blood will do, though you may need more than one descendant to make it as powerful as the sires. I suppose you wouldn't have a hoodoo conjure handy, so any witch will do, but they must dabble on both sides. Controlling someone's will isn't light magic and a white conjure can't work that magic."

"I know just the witch to help with that, then. I'm sure she will enjoy learning a new spell. Is there anything else to be aware of with this spell?" I asked.

Sookie frowned for a moment, considering her words. "This magic is meant for people, while I've been guided to give you this spell, I can't tell you how well it will work. Just that it will help. Your witch should know not to meddle with this magic again, lest she anger the Lwa. Our magic is ancestral and not generally meant for outsiders."

"I'll remember that. Thank you very much for your help, Sookie. You have given us a great deal of hope." I smiled.

"It's time for me to return to my proper place. It has been quite the thrill to meet you and your elf, Talia. I wish you luck with breaking your curse. Maybe our paths will find a way to cross again before I leave this life." Sookie grinned just before vanishing.

I turned to Rosario and grinned. He looked a little bored, but I'm sure a couple old ladies chatting wasn't exactly the most entertaining thing in the world for the boy. I held out my hand for him. "Are you ready to go home?" I asked.

"So ready. I know this isn't my real body, because I can't feel my connection to the faerie lands, but I want a shower. That girl licked my vines, Talia." He said with a cringe.

I chuckled. "Sounds like Sookie will have her hands full with that one."

Taking his hand, I focused on home. Now we had a real chance to get that cat talking. He didn't know what he was doing when he tried to send Rosario away. I couldn't wait to get back.