Ice and Fire Ch. 02

Vervain shook her head. "Like I said, the door's magical. Let me." She turned and put the key in the slot.

A great grinding echoed through the room. Dust shifted above them. Vervain stepped back as the key was drawn into the door and the shuddering grew stronger.

"What's happening?" shouted Euphoné over the noise.

Vervain frowned. "Ondskap's last trick, I fear." She drew next to the knight. "Stay close."

There was an ear-splitting crack and the ceiling of the outer corridor collapsed with a thunderous crash, spilling dust into the room. Vervain grabbed Euphoné and dragged her to the door.

She placed her hands on the door and closed her eyes.

"Vervain?"

The ceiling above them shuddered.

Vervain grimaced. Light spilled from her hands. The door shifted, then opened a crack, just enough for someone to squeeze through.

Vervain turned to the knight. "Alright," she said. "You fir--"

Another crack cut her off. A great chunk of the ceiling above them shifted and then, in a flood of dust, collapsed. Euphoné was thrown from her feet and cried out in terror.

Choking dust filled the room. Blinded, Euphoné struggled to her feet, her lungs burning, her eyes streaming.

"Vervain! Vervain!"

Her hands found a familiar softness and she rubbed her sleeves across her eyes. Vervain was there, her black skin yellow with dust, her face a rictus of pain.

"Vervain?"

"Go!" the demoness gasped.

Euphoné looked up through the veil of settling dust and her own tears. Vervain, her eyes blazing with violet fire, the muscles on her arms and neck coiled, was holding up the great stone ceiling.

"Go!" she gasped. "I can't.. hold this up... for long!"

"No!" cried Euphoné.

Vervain glared at her. "Why are you... so stubborn? We don't.... both have to... die!"

With a gasp Euphoné suddenly remembered. The gem! She tore it from around her neck and held it up.

Vervain scowled. "What are you doing?"

Tears filled Euphoné's eyes. "Like you said. We don't both have to die. Goodbye, my dearest Vervain."

And with that she smashed she necklace down onto the floor.

The gemstone chipped, but did not shatter. Euphoné looked up. Vervain was still there. She shifted her feet and another cloud of dust came spilling down over them.

In desperation, Euphoné smashed the gem down again and again. But it refused to break. She began to weep.

But then something pushed her back onto her feet. Vervain's wing!

The demoness smiled.

"Goodbye, Euphoné. Forgive me."

A spear of fire flashed past Euphoné's ear. The door at her back splintered and Vervain, with a sweep of her wing, sent the knight sprawling backwards through the doorway. Sunlight spilled over her. She scrambled onto her feet in time to see Vervain, still holding the ceiling up, grin at her despite the agony on her face. Then the slab she was holding up shifted and with a shuddering crash it collapsed and she vanished in an avalanche of dust and stone.

Euphoné raced to the doorway. Rock choked it now, fine dust billowing from the tiny cracks. Tears streaming from her eyes, she bunched her hands into fists and smashed them down again and again on the stone.

"Vervain!" she cried. "You fool! You stupid demon! Damn you! Damn you!"

She fell to her knees. She was still holding the necklace. It was chipped. She cradled it, weeping, as the light hidden in its depths flickered and then died.

--------------------------

Euphoné turned the necklace over in her hands. She looked up at the ceiling of her room. She had recovered from her injuries, the healers had said, but the healing of her heart would take time.

She brought the gem to her lips.

"Goodnight, Vervain," she murmured. She placed the necklace under her pillow and blew out the candle.

Sleep never came quickly to her any more. She would lay there, in the dark, her heart heavy, so heavy she couldn't move.

Wait. No, there was something pressing down on her. A nightmare?

She struggled to move her arms. Her hand brushed something. She felt the familiar shape of the gemstone, its tiny chip. Vervain. Her memory gave her the strength to fight these demons of her own mind.

She drew it out and red light flooded the room. Euphoné suddenly found herself staring into violet eyes, glittering like amethysts under the light spilling out of the gemstone. The yellow slits narrowed and the mouth of sharp white teeth below them slid open in a wide grin.

"Vervain!" she gasped.

"Good morning," she said. "Wow. You sleep really heavy, you know that?"

Euphoné blinked at the familiar beautiful face hovering over her. "Is this a dream?" she whispered.

Vervain shook her head and chuckled. "No, a nightmare." She sighed. "Literally. I got demoted."

Euphoné reached up, felt the familiar smooth warmth of the demoness' body. "You're... you're real!"

Vervain snorted. "Of course I am. The chip you made was just enough to send me back, although I was pretty beat up. I lost a few levels -- not powerful enough to stay an Agathos Daemon, so they knocked me down to Nightmare." She waved her hands in Euphoné's face. "Boo!" She sighed. "It's taking a bit to get used to."

Euphoné burst into tears and drew the demoness to her. Her lips were hot, the tongue behind them wet and hotter still, too real to be a dream or a nightmare.

Vervain pulled away, gasping. "Oh, I missed that." Her eyes drifted to the gemstone. "I'm glad you kept that thing. It means you can enslave me again."

Euphoné, tears in her eyes, shook her head. "Why on earth would I want to do that?"

Vervain laughed. "You've got no choice!" She placed Euphoné's hand, still clutching the gemstone, between her breasts. "You see, I'm already bonded to you milady, heart and soul."

The End