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serafina20Fic: The Master Strategist and the Goddess
Fandom: The Untamed and my Dark Goddess Quartet novels
Rated: Teen
Summary: When Nie Huiasang learns of the existence of vampires, he does what any cunning young man would do; invites them into his home.
Nie Huaisang gazed at the sketch before him, studying the lines forming the features of a beautiful young woman. He tilted his head to the side, eyes tracing the hint of a smile on her lips as well as the melancholy sadness in her eyes.
“And this is the leader?” he asked his man, Nie Huizhong, not looking up.
“Yes, Nie Zongzhu.”
He raised his eyes. “They don’t die?”
Nie Huizhong hesitated before responding. “They can be killed. But they don’t age and don’t die naturally.”
“And are not living or dead.” Nie Huaisang set the picture down and picked up his fan. “You said they are only seen at night. And they drink blood.”
“Yes. The stories I have gathered say the sun burns their skin. One man I spoke to, one who claimed to have intimate dealings with the group, told me that when one of their kind violates the laws their leader has made, she has been known to exile them into the light.”
“Mmm.” Nie Huaisang tapped his fan against his chin. “The blood drinking is a problem.”
“It does not have to be human blood. And they do not always kill when they feed.”
“But they are predators.”
Nie Huizhong nodded, looking chastened by the gentle admonishment in Huisang’s voice. He lowered his gaze a moment before he said, “I am told that, in recent years, they have changed their hunting habits. It seems as though over the past few hundred years, they’ve preyed less and less on ordinary people, concentrating more on criminals who caused bodily harm to others. Since the unpleasantness in Jerusalem a few years ago, this behavior has become their law.”
Huaisang turned the information over in his mind, weighing the pros and cons and calculating how difficult it would be to get all the players in position. Transporting beings who could not survive the sun across the desert was an obstacle, but not an insurmountable one. Keeping them fed might be a challenge, but as loath as he was to sacrifice lives, he was playing the long game. After getting them here, it shouldn’t be too hard to set the board.
He lowered his fan and tapped it on the palm of his hand. “I will write her tonight. You’ll begin your return journey tomorrow and convince her to come.”
Nie Huizhong bowed. “Yes, Nie Zongzhu.” He exited.
Nie Huaisang lifted the sketch again. “Rhiannon.” The syllables sat strangely in his mouth. “I hope to see you soon.
#
Rhiannon sat at the edge of the bazaar in the city of Ephesus, sipping a goblet of wine, eyes on the crowd. She was starving, hunger making her fangs ache and her senses heightened. In her ears were the cacophony of heartbeats surrounding her. She smelled the multitude of prey. But her eyes rested on one man. One man, who sat gnawing on chicken with large horse teeth, hands and lips dripping with grease and fat. He sloshed wine down his gullet as he feasted, gorging himself as he did every night.
And when he was done, he would stride down the street until he came to a door. He’d go inside and choose a child, usually a little girl no more than ten. And after he finished violating the child, he would go into his office and count the money he made from allowing other pigs like him to do the same.
Currently, Rhiannon had people at the brothel to deal with the customers. The children would be taken to Mary Magdalene and Maryam to care for until homes could be found.
But the owner… the owner was Rhiannon’s.
The man threw his chicken bones into the street for the dogs. Wiped his mouth on his sleeve and rose.
Rhiannon stood and followed. She kept her distance until they neared a convenient side street, then melted out of the shadows to cross his path.
When she was near, Rhiannon stumbled and fell against the man. “Sorry sir,” she said, keeping her voice high and small, her eyes big. She’d barely been eighteen when she’d died, and she’d been underweight and small for her age. Both factors gave her the advantage when she wanted to look young and helpless.
She put her small hand on his broad chest and pushed herself away before disappearing down an alley.
He followed.
Rhiannon knew he liked it when the children struggled. She threw fearful looks over her shoulder at him and moved faster, leading him deeper into the maze of alleyways. As she picked up speed, she allowed her robe to fall off one shoulder.
He began to jog after her.
Rhiannon fled, turning a corner and leading him down a blind alley. With a cry, she threw herself at the wall. “No!” She pounded it with her fists.
A hand wrapped around her wrist. “Looks like you took a wrong turn, my dear.” He yanked her around and shoved her back against the wall. His free hand reached for the neck of her gown.
“Don’t. Please!”
He grinned. “Don’t fret. I have a place for you when I’m done. You’ll be well taken care of.”
Before he could rip her gown, Rhiannon grabbed his wrist and jerked it to the left.
The bone snapped. The man screamed and fell to his knees.
She smiled. “Yeshua was right. It is more fun to hunt assholes than to feed off the innocent.” She squeezed, crushing the bones of his wrist beneath her hands. Shards of bone broke through the skin.
His screech reached a new pitch.
“Oh dear.” Rhiannon winced. “Unlike you, I don’t get turned on by the sound of pain. Rather ruins my appetite.” She stepped back and hiked up the skirt of her robes. Her heel connected with his throat, breaking the bones and collapsing the vocal cords.
His cries cut off abruptly.
She smiled. “Much better.” She threaded her fingers through his hair and yanked him around, dragging him to the wall. Then, she sat beside the pedophile and took his unbroken arm into her lap. “My name is Rhiannon. I’m a blood-drinking demon.” She broke two of his fingers. “I kill the disgusting scum of the earth. That is you.” She broke another finger. “I’d ask if you knew why you were being killed, but…”
From down the alley came the echoing sound of something being dropped followed by a muffled curse.
Rhiannon lept her feet, dropping her victim’s hand. “Who’s there?”
A tall man with long black hair stepped around the corner. He brought his arms before him and bowed. “Apologies, my lady.” He spoke Greek with an accent she didn’t recognize. “I did not mean to interrupt. Please, continue.”
The pedophile at her feet wheezed through his shattered throat. He fell to his unbroken wrist, trying to claw his way towards the stranger.
Rhiannon grabbed his hair and yanked him back. “Who are you?”
“I am Nie Huizhong.”
“Why are you… No!” She stomped on her victim’s good wrist, snapping it in two as he tried to wrench himself free.
“Perhaps, my lady, you should finish with him. Then, if you are willing, I’d like to talk.”
“What for?”
He smiled. “Opportunity.”
#
Rhiannon led Nie Huizhong to the designated meeting area. Morgan sat at the table, a bottle in front of her. This tavern was run by a friend of Rhiannon and her people. It stayed open all hours, served calves’ blood and was a safe space for all.
“Are you all right?” Morgan asked when Rhiannon entered, rising. “Who is this? Did everything go as planned with the proprietor?” Her eyes went from Rhiannon to Nie Huizhong and back.
“Yes. The bastard is dead. How’d it go at the brothel?”
Morgan nodded. “The customers are dead and the children are safe. Gabriel, Abraham, and Alric are taking them to the Marys.”
“Good. Morgan, this is Nie Huizhong. He comes from the East to speak of opportunity.”
Morgan inclined her head as Nie Huizhong bowed. “Please, have a seat,” she said. “Would you like some wine?”
“Thank you, my lady.”.
Morgan gestured to the bartender, then looked from Nie Huizhong to Rhiannon again. “What’s this opportunity?”
Rhiannon gestured to Nie Huizhong.
“I come at the behest of my sect leader, Nie Huaisang. He has heard of you, Lady Rhiannon, and your people. He would like to invite you to his residence, the Unclean Realm.” He removed a sealed letter from his robes covered with beautifully intricate characters she’d never seen.
“For what purpose?” Rhiannon took the letter and opened it. The script inside was the same: beautiful, but utterly unknown to her. Underneath was a drawing of a man. “Is this him?”
“Yes. The purpose, my lady, would be a cultural exchange. Nie-zongzhu has a voracious curiosity about the world, but as the leader of his clan, cannot travel to see it. He must bring it to him. I am one of many he employs to bring word of the unique and fascinating.” Nie Huizhong hesitated, then said, “I first noticed you in Jerusalem during the, ah… unpleasantness.”
Rhiannon felt a shutter close over her heart. Her fingers tightened on the drawing, crinkling it at the sides.
Morgan pried it from Rhiannon’s fingers. “Can you please read for us what your employer says?”
“Of course.” Nie Huizhong took the letter. “My Lady, I am but a humble sect leader living in Quinghe. I am a lover of art, music, and knowledge. I have heard of you and your people, and I find the reports quite intriguing. In an effort to learn more about the outside world, both supernatural and non, I invite you and your retainers to stay with me in the Unclean Realm for as long as we both deem mutually beneficial.” Nie Huizhong set the letter down and looked at Rhiannon.
She had ceased to breathe as she listened to the letter so as not to distract herself. It was prettily worded, but all such letters were. Come visit my home they always said. I only want to learn more about you and the world. It was never true, but this Nie Huaisang hid it better than most. No talk of age or sickness, either his or a loved ones. And he mentioned art and music over gold and treasure, which most assumed she had or had the ability to get.
So. What did he want?
Rhiannon took a breath and smoothed the crinkled parchment of the drawing she still had in her possession. “And he knows of our limitations?”
“He has been informed.”
“He does not mind our dietary needs?”
“No, my lady, not as they stand now.”
She raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with Morgan. “My, Nie Huizhong, you are very well informed.”
He bowed his head. “I made some inquiries in Jerusalem. The apostle Thomas was the one who told me of your agreement with…”
Rhiannon waved her hand sharply, cutting him off. “You’ve been watching us closely.” She folded her hands on the table and gazed steadily at the man, trying not to let him see how perturbed she was. It was rare that she was so taken at a disadvantage. She had people watching everywhere; how had this man escaped notice?
Nie Huizhong seemed to hear her unspoken query. “To be fair, my lady, it was a tumultuous time. Your attention was elsewhere.”
To put it mildly.
Rhiannon rested her chin on her hand and looked at Morgan. “What do you think?”
Morgan picked up the bottle of wine the bartender had left on the table, not meeting Rhiannon’s eyes. “I think it’s an exciting opportunity.” She poured for both Nie Huizhong and Rhiannon. “We’ve never been that far east. I assume Nie Huizhong and Nie Huiasang would teach us the language and customs?”
“Of course.”
Morgan shrugged. “We could leave our heartache behind. Let it blow over and come back when Yeshua and his followers have been forgotten.”
“What about the Marys?”
“One has her family, the other her following. And we won’t all of us go. There will be enough to stay behind and make sure they are taken care of. The Marys don’t need us, not anymore.”
Rhiannon sighed. “I suppose leaving is better than staying, wishing to enact some great vengeance against those who crucified Yeshua, but having to stay my hand because I know it’s not what he’d want. At least this way, I won’t give into temptation.”
“And that’s just one of many reasons to go.” Morgan leaned forward. “How long has it been since we’ve been truly lost? The world’s grown civilized around us, and we know almost every inch of the western world. Why not explore somewhere new?”
Rhiannon sat back in her chair and took the drawing of Nie Huaisang with her. “How long is the journey?”
“About a year.”
“Will the caravan mind traveling with demons?”
Nie Huizhong shook his head. “All who travel with us are employed by Nie Huaisang.”
She took her goblet and drank deeply. As she set it back down, a flash of blue caught her eyes. She turned to the entrance of the tavern. “Gabriel.”
Gabriel walked to her and took her outstretched hand.
“This is Nie Huizhong. He’s invited us on a journey. Would you like to go East, my love? See a new land?”
His blue eyes lit with excitement, and he nodded.
“You’ll have to learn a new language. Will you be able to do that with your vow of silence?”
Gabriel nodded again.
Her heart sank; she’d been hoping he’d reply, breaking the vow he’d made out of guilt and sorrow. “You could give it up. You know no one blames you for what happened.”
He shook his head and squeezed her hand.
“Very well.” She turned to Nie Huizhong and nodded. “Let’s talk specifics."
Fandom: The Untamed and my Dark Goddess Quartet novels
Rated: Teen
Summary: When Nie Huiasang learns of the existence of vampires, he does what any cunning young man would do; invites them into his home.
Nie Huaisang gazed at the sketch before him, studying the lines forming the features of a beautiful young woman. He tilted his head to the side, eyes tracing the hint of a smile on her lips as well as the melancholy sadness in her eyes.
“And this is the leader?” he asked his man, Nie Huizhong, not looking up.
“Yes, Nie Zongzhu.”
He raised his eyes. “They don’t die?”
Nie Huizhong hesitated before responding. “They can be killed. But they don’t age and don’t die naturally.”
“And are not living or dead.” Nie Huaisang set the picture down and picked up his fan. “You said they are only seen at night. And they drink blood.”
“Yes. The stories I have gathered say the sun burns their skin. One man I spoke to, one who claimed to have intimate dealings with the group, told me that when one of their kind violates the laws their leader has made, she has been known to exile them into the light.”
“Mmm.” Nie Huaisang tapped his fan against his chin. “The blood drinking is a problem.”
“It does not have to be human blood. And they do not always kill when they feed.”
“But they are predators.”
Nie Huizhong nodded, looking chastened by the gentle admonishment in Huisang’s voice. He lowered his gaze a moment before he said, “I am told that, in recent years, they have changed their hunting habits. It seems as though over the past few hundred years, they’ve preyed less and less on ordinary people, concentrating more on criminals who caused bodily harm to others. Since the unpleasantness in Jerusalem a few years ago, this behavior has become their law.”
Huaisang turned the information over in his mind, weighing the pros and cons and calculating how difficult it would be to get all the players in position. Transporting beings who could not survive the sun across the desert was an obstacle, but not an insurmountable one. Keeping them fed might be a challenge, but as loath as he was to sacrifice lives, he was playing the long game. After getting them here, it shouldn’t be too hard to set the board.
He lowered his fan and tapped it on the palm of his hand. “I will write her tonight. You’ll begin your return journey tomorrow and convince her to come.”
Nie Huizhong bowed. “Yes, Nie Zongzhu.” He exited.
Nie Huaisang lifted the sketch again. “Rhiannon.” The syllables sat strangely in his mouth. “I hope to see you soon.
#
Rhiannon sat at the edge of the bazaar in the city of Ephesus, sipping a goblet of wine, eyes on the crowd. She was starving, hunger making her fangs ache and her senses heightened. In her ears were the cacophony of heartbeats surrounding her. She smelled the multitude of prey. But her eyes rested on one man. One man, who sat gnawing on chicken with large horse teeth, hands and lips dripping with grease and fat. He sloshed wine down his gullet as he feasted, gorging himself as he did every night.
And when he was done, he would stride down the street until he came to a door. He’d go inside and choose a child, usually a little girl no more than ten. And after he finished violating the child, he would go into his office and count the money he made from allowing other pigs like him to do the same.
Currently, Rhiannon had people at the brothel to deal with the customers. The children would be taken to Mary Magdalene and Maryam to care for until homes could be found.
But the owner… the owner was Rhiannon’s.
The man threw his chicken bones into the street for the dogs. Wiped his mouth on his sleeve and rose.
Rhiannon stood and followed. She kept her distance until they neared a convenient side street, then melted out of the shadows to cross his path.
When she was near, Rhiannon stumbled and fell against the man. “Sorry sir,” she said, keeping her voice high and small, her eyes big. She’d barely been eighteen when she’d died, and she’d been underweight and small for her age. Both factors gave her the advantage when she wanted to look young and helpless.
She put her small hand on his broad chest and pushed herself away before disappearing down an alley.
He followed.
Rhiannon knew he liked it when the children struggled. She threw fearful looks over her shoulder at him and moved faster, leading him deeper into the maze of alleyways. As she picked up speed, she allowed her robe to fall off one shoulder.
He began to jog after her.
Rhiannon fled, turning a corner and leading him down a blind alley. With a cry, she threw herself at the wall. “No!” She pounded it with her fists.
A hand wrapped around her wrist. “Looks like you took a wrong turn, my dear.” He yanked her around and shoved her back against the wall. His free hand reached for the neck of her gown.
“Don’t. Please!”
He grinned. “Don’t fret. I have a place for you when I’m done. You’ll be well taken care of.”
Before he could rip her gown, Rhiannon grabbed his wrist and jerked it to the left.
The bone snapped. The man screamed and fell to his knees.
She smiled. “Yeshua was right. It is more fun to hunt assholes than to feed off the innocent.” She squeezed, crushing the bones of his wrist beneath her hands. Shards of bone broke through the skin.
His screech reached a new pitch.
“Oh dear.” Rhiannon winced. “Unlike you, I don’t get turned on by the sound of pain. Rather ruins my appetite.” She stepped back and hiked up the skirt of her robes. Her heel connected with his throat, breaking the bones and collapsing the vocal cords.
His cries cut off abruptly.
She smiled. “Much better.” She threaded her fingers through his hair and yanked him around, dragging him to the wall. Then, she sat beside the pedophile and took his unbroken arm into her lap. “My name is Rhiannon. I’m a blood-drinking demon.” She broke two of his fingers. “I kill the disgusting scum of the earth. That is you.” She broke another finger. “I’d ask if you knew why you were being killed, but…”
From down the alley came the echoing sound of something being dropped followed by a muffled curse.
Rhiannon lept her feet, dropping her victim’s hand. “Who’s there?”
A tall man with long black hair stepped around the corner. He brought his arms before him and bowed. “Apologies, my lady.” He spoke Greek with an accent she didn’t recognize. “I did not mean to interrupt. Please, continue.”
The pedophile at her feet wheezed through his shattered throat. He fell to his unbroken wrist, trying to claw his way towards the stranger.
Rhiannon grabbed his hair and yanked him back. “Who are you?”
“I am Nie Huizhong.”
“Why are you… No!” She stomped on her victim’s good wrist, snapping it in two as he tried to wrench himself free.
“Perhaps, my lady, you should finish with him. Then, if you are willing, I’d like to talk.”
“What for?”
He smiled. “Opportunity.”
#
Rhiannon led Nie Huizhong to the designated meeting area. Morgan sat at the table, a bottle in front of her. This tavern was run by a friend of Rhiannon and her people. It stayed open all hours, served calves’ blood and was a safe space for all.
“Are you all right?” Morgan asked when Rhiannon entered, rising. “Who is this? Did everything go as planned with the proprietor?” Her eyes went from Rhiannon to Nie Huizhong and back.
“Yes. The bastard is dead. How’d it go at the brothel?”
Morgan nodded. “The customers are dead and the children are safe. Gabriel, Abraham, and Alric are taking them to the Marys.”
“Good. Morgan, this is Nie Huizhong. He comes from the East to speak of opportunity.”
Morgan inclined her head as Nie Huizhong bowed. “Please, have a seat,” she said. “Would you like some wine?”
“Thank you, my lady.”.
Morgan gestured to the bartender, then looked from Nie Huizhong to Rhiannon again. “What’s this opportunity?”
Rhiannon gestured to Nie Huizhong.
“I come at the behest of my sect leader, Nie Huaisang. He has heard of you, Lady Rhiannon, and your people. He would like to invite you to his residence, the Unclean Realm.” He removed a sealed letter from his robes covered with beautifully intricate characters she’d never seen.
“For what purpose?” Rhiannon took the letter and opened it. The script inside was the same: beautiful, but utterly unknown to her. Underneath was a drawing of a man. “Is this him?”
“Yes. The purpose, my lady, would be a cultural exchange. Nie-zongzhu has a voracious curiosity about the world, but as the leader of his clan, cannot travel to see it. He must bring it to him. I am one of many he employs to bring word of the unique and fascinating.” Nie Huizhong hesitated, then said, “I first noticed you in Jerusalem during the, ah… unpleasantness.”
Rhiannon felt a shutter close over her heart. Her fingers tightened on the drawing, crinkling it at the sides.
Morgan pried it from Rhiannon’s fingers. “Can you please read for us what your employer says?”
“Of course.” Nie Huizhong took the letter. “My Lady, I am but a humble sect leader living in Quinghe. I am a lover of art, music, and knowledge. I have heard of you and your people, and I find the reports quite intriguing. In an effort to learn more about the outside world, both supernatural and non, I invite you and your retainers to stay with me in the Unclean Realm for as long as we both deem mutually beneficial.” Nie Huizhong set the letter down and looked at Rhiannon.
She had ceased to breathe as she listened to the letter so as not to distract herself. It was prettily worded, but all such letters were. Come visit my home they always said. I only want to learn more about you and the world. It was never true, but this Nie Huaisang hid it better than most. No talk of age or sickness, either his or a loved ones. And he mentioned art and music over gold and treasure, which most assumed she had or had the ability to get.
So. What did he want?
Rhiannon took a breath and smoothed the crinkled parchment of the drawing she still had in her possession. “And he knows of our limitations?”
“He has been informed.”
“He does not mind our dietary needs?”
“No, my lady, not as they stand now.”
She raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with Morgan. “My, Nie Huizhong, you are very well informed.”
He bowed his head. “I made some inquiries in Jerusalem. The apostle Thomas was the one who told me of your agreement with…”
Rhiannon waved her hand sharply, cutting him off. “You’ve been watching us closely.” She folded her hands on the table and gazed steadily at the man, trying not to let him see how perturbed she was. It was rare that she was so taken at a disadvantage. She had people watching everywhere; how had this man escaped notice?
Nie Huizhong seemed to hear her unspoken query. “To be fair, my lady, it was a tumultuous time. Your attention was elsewhere.”
To put it mildly.
Rhiannon rested her chin on her hand and looked at Morgan. “What do you think?”
Morgan picked up the bottle of wine the bartender had left on the table, not meeting Rhiannon’s eyes. “I think it’s an exciting opportunity.” She poured for both Nie Huizhong and Rhiannon. “We’ve never been that far east. I assume Nie Huizhong and Nie Huiasang would teach us the language and customs?”
“Of course.”
Morgan shrugged. “We could leave our heartache behind. Let it blow over and come back when Yeshua and his followers have been forgotten.”
“What about the Marys?”
“One has her family, the other her following. And we won’t all of us go. There will be enough to stay behind and make sure they are taken care of. The Marys don’t need us, not anymore.”
Rhiannon sighed. “I suppose leaving is better than staying, wishing to enact some great vengeance against those who crucified Yeshua, but having to stay my hand because I know it’s not what he’d want. At least this way, I won’t give into temptation.”
“And that’s just one of many reasons to go.” Morgan leaned forward. “How long has it been since we’ve been truly lost? The world’s grown civilized around us, and we know almost every inch of the western world. Why not explore somewhere new?”
Rhiannon sat back in her chair and took the drawing of Nie Huaisang with her. “How long is the journey?”
“About a year.”
“Will the caravan mind traveling with demons?”
Nie Huizhong shook his head. “All who travel with us are employed by Nie Huaisang.”
She took her goblet and drank deeply. As she set it back down, a flash of blue caught her eyes. She turned to the entrance of the tavern. “Gabriel.”
Gabriel walked to her and took her outstretched hand.
“This is Nie Huizhong. He’s invited us on a journey. Would you like to go East, my love? See a new land?”
His blue eyes lit with excitement, and he nodded.
“You’ll have to learn a new language. Will you be able to do that with your vow of silence?”
Gabriel nodded again.
Her heart sank; she’d been hoping he’d reply, breaking the vow he’d made out of guilt and sorrow. “You could give it up. You know no one blames you for what happened.”
He shook his head and squeezed her hand.
“Very well.” She turned to Nie Huizhong and nodded. “Let’s talk specifics."
