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From: "Paradox116" <paradox116@comcast.net>
NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 02:28:21 GMT
Subject: {ASSM} Kindred, Chapter 17  (Slow, MF)
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 17:10:08 -0400
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Chapter 17:  Preparations and Surprises


It was a week after my meeting with Earl Tomas and Baronet
Francis. His Majesty had informed Count Terrence that we would be
making an official visit at His Majesty's behest, and we were to
be made welcome. Messages had been exchanged, and a date set for
two weeks hence. 

Preparations were being made, including placing spies in the
Count's household, and readying the force that was to accompany
me. The ninety soldiers were already chosen, and it was well
known that all within my Garden would attend me. The only
question was how many Warriors of the Green would accompany us. I
wanted firm intelligence on the Count's forces before I made a
decision.

A knock on the door interrupted us as Francesca and I were going
over the quarterly tax lists. My advisors and I had agreed that
after resolving matters with Terrence, we might as well make the
quarterly audit of my Duchy before returning home. Francesca and
I were deciding which communities were most in need of a personal
visit by their Duke.

"Enter," I called, then set my boots up on my desk and leaned
back in my chair. Francesca just watched me tolerantly.

Vincent entered and gave Francesca a small bow, which she
acknowledged with a bright smile and nod. Then he turned to me.
Over the years I'd made it clear to my advisors that I tolerated
courtliness towards myself only when a neutral or unfriendly
Noble or unfamiliar guest was present. But I demanded the utmost
chivalry for any Lady in my company. "M'Lord," Vincent began. "We
have received a pair of reports that will be of utmost interest
to you. The first states that the Count's home force consists of
five hundred men at arms, consisting of heavy, medium and light
horse, and footmen being mostly pike and spear."

I nodded. "Inform Mystique," Mystique was the War Mistress of the
Warriors, "that the entire force of The Green will accompany us
to Gaiford, and are to be prepared to act as an archery force
against heavy armor. What was the second report?"

"Baronet Francis of Siddoway has apparently met with tragedy.
Reports we have intercepted state that his body was found not far
from the roadway. The cause of death is said to be a large and
vicious animal attack."

My boots and the chair legs met the floor at the same time. "What
details do you have? How long ago did he die? Where was he found?
Have they buried him?" 

Vincent checked his notes. "The Baronet was found less than two
days ago, and reportedly not long after he perished. Apparently
the blood and gore were still rather fresh. He was found
approximately five miles from Terrence's Castle, heading for his
own estate at Siddoway. The attack apparently occurred sometime
past midnight."

"Alright. Can we get someone in to inspect the body?"

"Possibly, m'Lord. But what are they looking for?"

I frowned. This attack was very strange. First, I doubted Francis
was likely to be traveling unaccompanied late at night. And why
would Terrence send a fellow Noble home at such a time. "I've
heard from the Marquise Eleanor of other attacks in her
marquisate. Mostly peasants or craftsmen, but all killed by a
large animal. When are the funeral rites for the Baronet?"

"Three days hence, m'Lord. You aren't planning to attend, are
you?" Vincent was clearly shocked at this possibility. 

"Aye. I have a suspicion concerning this beast, but I have to see
the victims to prove or disprove my concerns. Tell David to
prepare the required personnel. Also inform Carlton that I'll
require his attendance. I want to leave tomorrow at dawn."

Vincent nodded, quickly considering the necessities my decision
entailed. I'd realized oh-so-many-years ago that there would be
times I'd have to travel by daylight. My first choice at such
times was a very large carriage drawn by a matched team of heavy
horse. Heavy indigo curtains covered the carriage windows, with
solid wood shades inside the curtains in case of high wind or
attack. 

For those times I was required to travel by horseback, I
preferred full plate armor, and under the visor I wore a heavy
black velvet hood. I did have a third option, but it required a
great deal of preparation, and was only effective for a few hours
at a time. 

I'd also decided that whenever I traveled, my Garden accompanied
me. Most thought this an affectation, or the mark of a libertine.
In actuality, it served several purposes. It gave me access to my
food source. It also surrounded me with absolutely loyal
bodyguards, and many of my most trusted advisors. 

"Have Pegery," he was the Commander of my Ducal forces, "organize
a Guard of Honor, with an additional squad, to accompany us. We
won't be able to conceal any of The Green in this force, so we'll
make do. Also, send messengers to the Marquise and the Baronetcy
that we will be attending the Baronet's interment."

"Yes m'Lord." Vincent left to follow my instructions.

I turned to Francesca. "Are we finished, as well?" 

"Aye, m'Lord. There are a dozen communities we will need to
inspect, and we've set a route that will allow you to visit each
Blossom in the allotted time." And this was the true reason I
made this journey each quarter. I used the opportunity to renew
the Covenant with the former members of my Garden that chose to
remain bound by it. At this time, there were one hundred twelve
former Blossoms within the Duchy that kept the Covenant.

"Thank you, Francesca. Now, shall we retire to the Rose Garden
for tonight's lottery?" She smiled and looped her arm with mine
as we made our way to the Commons of my Garden. 

After my talk with Kaylene, and another with Iris, it had been
decided to re-instate the original, ancient lottery system. Each
of the women had selected one of the original twenty gemstones,
and I would draw one as the previous night's winner held the bag.
The previous winners' stones were kept in a separate bag until
the circuit had been completed. So the lottery held thirteen
possible winners tonight. When Francesca and I entered, the
eligible women hurried to surround me, then settled to their
knees as Kyra brought forth the bag of stones. She shook the bag
carefully to distribute the pieces, then opened it and held it
above her head, so I was forced to draw blindly. I think they
knew that if I really tried, I could have memorized the shapes
and sizes of the stones, but I was scrupulously fair in this
matter. I reached in and drew out a round sapphire, almost black
in color. I held it up for all to see, and Nyria gave a gleeful
cry and leapt to her feet. I chuckled at her delight and put my
arm around her as I addressed the others. 

"My Ladies, I have received disturbing news this eve that
requires us to travel to Siddoway on the morrow. As usual, I
desire your company. I'm sure Vincent has maidservants on their
way here to assist you in preparing for the journey. We will be
gone five days, with funeral rites to attend. We will not be
accompanied by The Green, so prepare appropriately." They all
nodded understanding that I expected them to have their arms
available. "Rest well, m'Ladies, and the caravan will leave at
dawn." Nyria and I made our departure.

At my chambers, I stopped inside the doorway to admire Nyria. 
She was an islander, like all of my Garden at this time. She wore
a blue velvet hooded dress that covered her shoulder length black
hair. Her eyes, when she turned to face me, were a bright gray.
She smiled at me teasingly, and backed towards the bed, her hands
slowly undoing each button of her dress. With one hand, she slid
each sleeve halfway down, while the other hand held the dress
closed. 

Her voice was musical as she said "I think you're overdressed,
m'Lord." 

I chuckled and stepped toward her, but she shook her finger in
refusal. "Undress first, M'Lord. But if you need some
incentive..." She opened her dress for a moment and displayed her
small conical breasts, then quickly held it closed again.

I grinned at her, unlaced my shirt, and slipped it off. I stepped
toward her again, and she stopped me again. "More." But she bent
down and lifted the hem of her dress and lifted it to above
mid-thigh.

I kicked off my boots and took another step forward. She smiled
and lifted her dress higher, but keeping her pubes still hidden.
"Finish, and find your reward," she teased.

I chuckled and stripped off my trousers, and stood before her
naked. She looked me over in a teasingly appraising manner, then
let her dress fall in a pool around her feet.

I looked at her admiringly, then looked again. It took my mind a
moment to absorb what I saw, then it clicked. Nyria had shaved
her pubes completely. "Come claim your reward, m'Lord," she said
with a grin. "Come and give Nyria a kiss!" She said this as she
reached between her legs and ran her finger along her sex.

I walked over and knelt before her. She spread her legs to give
me better access, then sighed as my mouth began to caress her
labia. She tasted sweet to me, and my lips were quickly coated
with her increasing desire. It wasn't long before her climax
washed over her, and she staggered momentarily. I stood quickly,
lifted her in my arms and carried her to the bed.

As I lay her down, she reached over and stroked my cock to
fullness, then spread her legs wide. "Make love to me, M'Lord, I
want to feel you within me."

I lay beside Nyria and kissed her slowly and passionately, my
hand caressing her lovely breasts and teasing her nipples to
steel. Then I rolled on top of her and kissed her hard as I slid
slowly into her tight moistness. She bucked against me, forcing
me fully inside, then our rhythms coincided, and we took gentle
and sweet pleasure in one another.

As her moans and gasps grew more vocal, and her legs wrapped
around my bum and she began writhing against me, I pressed my
lips against her throat, caressing her skin sensually.

When I stroked her skin with the tips of my fangs, she groaned in
eager anticipation, and began to thrash around me. When my fangs
opened her skin, she cried out and stiffened under me while her
pussy muscles went into wild spasmodic contractions that milked
the fluid from my loins. As I drank from her, I filled her with
the fruit of my loins.

When we finally relaxed, I sealed the wounds I'd caused, and we
snuggled against each other for the rest of the night.


It was perhaps an hour before dawn when David entered my bedroom.
"Good morn, Your Grace, Lady Nyria. The carriages are prepared
and loaded. Is there anything you wish to have prepared, Your
Grace?"

"Good morn, David. My arms are loaded? Then no, I don't think I
have anything else special I will need. Breakfast is being
delivered to the Garden, is it not?" At his confirming nod, Nyria
climbed out of bed and hurried to my wardrobe for a dressing
gown. 

David watched her with an amused and admiring smile, then bent
down slightly to allow her lips to softly touch his cheek. "Thank
you, David. I'll see you both in an hour."

David shook his head wryly and picked up her discarded dress. He
handed it to one of the servants that followed him in, as the
rest quickly packed a trunk with clothing for me, then hurriedly
bathed and dressed me. Then David and I made our way to the
entryway of Castle Caradine. 

I climbed into the first of six carriages and settled in with
Kaylene, Erin and Mystique. Vincent climbed into the one behind
me, followed by Carlton and then David in the fourth one. In the
last two were four Blossoms each. On each carriage were also a
driver, his assistant, and two guardsmen who acted as footmen.
Also accompanying us were a force of thirty horsemen.

The journey to Siddoway was uneventful, as I'd expected. With my
Ducal Standard on display, and an obviously well armed force,
only the most desperate bandits would have bothered us. 

We made camp an hour out of Siddoway. I planned to enjoy a good
night's rest for my troop, and to arrive fresh. I also needed to
prepare for a few hours in the sunlight.

Members of my Clan excel in three skills, or disciplines. The
ability to persuade another to do our will. The ability to make
ourselves more charismatic. And greater tolerance for physical
damage, including fire and sunlight, then other Kindred. This was
useful for short times, but if I knew I would be exposed to the
sun for a length of time, I took precautions. 

Nalita had shown me these precautions when I still lived with
her. They involved taking great amounts of blood from one's Kine.
In an emergency, the heartblood of two victims would suffice. But
it had obvious detriments. If one had a herd of Kine, or like
myself, a Garden, one could feed off many Kine for the desired
result. This is what I did this night. 

I selected half of my Blossoms and fed deeply from each one. I
could have used fewer, but it would have left the chosen ones in
an unconscious sleep, useless for days. This way, they were
simply drowsy afterwards. Thus, when we arrived at the Baronet's
residence in Siddoway, I stepped into the morning sun and took
the Baronet's widow's hand in condolence.

I took a moment to study this young woman. Her pregnancy was the
first thing I noticed. I judged her to be slightly less than
eight months along. But she was surprisingly agile as she
curtsied to me, and didn't really need my assistance when I
helped her up. 

"No need for such formalities, M'Lady. I come to honor your late
Husband and Lord."

"My thanks, Your Grace. My Lord would have been honored at your
presence."

"When did you last see your Husband, M'Lady?"

"Your Grace, please call me Natalie. I saw him last more than a
fortnight ago. He has been serving Count Terrence closely."

I nodded. She hadn't seen him since before his visit to my duchy.
We continued our conversation for a bit longer, then she had her
butler show me to my guest room. 

I'd known that most of my entourage would be accommodated outside
the main house, but I made sure two of my Blossoms were given an
adjoining chamber. And late that night, we made our way to the
Main Hall and unwrapped the Baronet Francis' corpse. He'd been
dead for several days, and even with the oils they'd used to
anoint him, he was beginning to stink. It was probably a good
thing they were burying him tomorrow.

As Francesca held a torch, I inspected the body, paying close
attention to the wounds and the skin around them. It was obvious
the creature that had made the wounds was quite large, with long
fangs and teeth. It had also been quite strong, judging from the
numerous broken bones it had inflicted. I leaned close to one
particularly deep wound and sniffed carefully. With difficulty, I
ignored the scent of decay, and searched for another scent. It
was very faint, but at last I found it. It came from a single
very coarse hair within the wound, and I knew the creature that
had slain Baronet Francis of Siddoway.

The word slipped from my lips. "Garou."


-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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