I was finally starting to see how Miranda had managed to be as successful in feeding on our classmates as she had been, even in a place as cutthroat as Avalon. She was scarily charming when she wanted to be and I was pretty sure that if not for Adara’s warning at the beginning of the year, I would have ended up as her first meal at the academy. It was a shame she hadn’t managed to practice what she preached, her family could have served as an adequate group of protectors for my Lea.

I ran my thumb gently along the soft skin of her cheek, head slumped back against the cold stone wall as I listened to her quiet humming. I was sitting cross-legged on the floor by the door, still dressed in the relatively fancy clothing I’d worn out into the city. Miranda was curled loosely in my lap, her bare back still dotted with drops of water and her long hair falling in a silky curtain to pool on the floor beside me.

It was nice to just be so close to someone, to be able to relax with another warm body pressed up against mine. I was about as safe as I could be, hidden away in my room behind the wards of Avalon, surrounded by the only people I could trust implicitly to never hurt me. My confidence in oath magic had been… shaken today, I would have to take steps to ensure what had happened with Brenda’s minions never happened to me, but for now I was content with what I had in place. I was certain that none of those men had bound themselves quite as thoroughly as I had chained my own darlings.

Miranda moaned breathlessly, disrupting the calming melody she’d been humming, and I smiled in amusement as my other hand continued to stroke gently along the slick skin of a slightly less innocent part of her body. I was pretty sure her choice of clothing, or well lack thereof when I burst into the room hadn’t been an intentional decision, but it had certainly been rather striking.

“What’s the song?” I asked finally, “It’s… nice.”

Miranda shifted slightly, my clothing rustling as she turned to look up at me. “I don’t know what it's called,” she admitted, a note of wistfulness in her voice. “My mother used to sing it for me, back before she was banished. There are words to it, I think, but I can’t say them.”

“Banished?” I asked in surprise, “I thought–– She was the succubus? What about…”

Miranda looked away sheepishly as I trailed off, trying to connect what Miranda had said with what I knew of her family. “I lied,” she whispered after a moment, “back in first year. I’m sorry, Orion, I thought… I thought the sob story would work better on you. I should have told you since, but it's never come up. I’m sorry.”

I considered things for a moment. Maybe I should have been mad about the deception, but something told me Miranda didn’t mean anything by it. It was simply as she’d said, something that hadn’t come up since first year.

Still, now that it had, I wanted the truth. “Explain,” I ordered eventually. “I remember you told me it was your father, no? Your mother was supposed to be just an ordinary siren?”

“No, she was a hybrid, like me,” Miranda admitted easily. “The others told me the blood was strong in her, strong enough that she could be banished, even if she was born here.” Though her voice was calm and even, sitting this close to her I could feel her lingering sadness hidden just under the surface through our bond.

“Why lie then?”

“I thought it would be safer that way. Men can inherit the traits, but not pass them down. Valuable and vulnerable are a bad combination, particularly at Avalon. I didn’t know you well then, nor who you might tell.”

“And your father?”

“Just an ordinary man. He came to the flock willingly, with my mother. He died protecting her from the hunters. I barely had a chance to know him.”

I considered her words for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. It was a good choice.” I leaned forward then, the hand by her face pausing with my thumb held dangerously over her eye. “You wouldn’t lie to me anymore, would you, dear?”

“No Orion, of course not. I’m yours.”

Her voice was soft and even, without a hint of fear or deception. I didn’t move for a moment, then returned to slowly stroking her cheek. “I’m sorry to hear that, then” I told her honestly. Miranda might be my slave, but I sympathize with the pain of loosing family. “Do you think she can be resummoned?”

“Maybe?” Miranda said apathetically, “I don’t really know. It's been more than a decade, she might have drifted too far already. And even if she was…” Miranda paused for a moment, then turned away, “I didn’t really think I’d last long enough to try, even if I could manage it.”

Ah. Well, that was… probably not something she wanted to talk to me about. I was quiet for several minutes, just thinking as I let my body relax, Miranda’s warmth and the strain of the day’s revelations lulling my body. “When I’m strong enough, we can try,” I finally told her, “only if you want to, though. I can’t promise it will work, but I’ll try. You’ve earned that much.”

Miranda didn’t respond, but I was certain she’d heard me. It was probably a bad idea, summoning creatures from beyond the endless void was one of those terrible magics that even Avalon discouraged the study of. It wasn’t something to attempt on a whim, even archmages could fall before the unnatural abilities of those bizarre beings. Over the millenia, some number of them had found their way into the world, some of them adapting to it better than others. Succubi like Miranda’s ancestors were one of those beings that had adapted relatively well to our world’s conditions. They could survive here indefinitely and even interbreed with some of the local sentients.

I’d done some research into the species after I’d first subdued Miranda during my first year. Some cult had summoned the first dozen succubi into the world more than a millenia ago, and though those original monsters had been put down with extreme prejudice, their descendants survived to this day. I’d heard that a few people had tried to resummon some of the originals, but none had succeeded so far as far as I knew. It seemed as though our world and whatever world that initial group had been called from had only briefly passed each other within the void and we were now too far away to summon any more.

I did however know that it was possible to resummon some banished entities, as long as you worked quickly. Even though modern succubi had otherworldly origins, they had all been born on this world. Thus, when they were banished, they simply were left to float in the void until they were destroyed or ‘crashed’ into another world. Depending on how much power Miranda’s mother had built up during her life, she might still be alive somewhere beyond the world.

It was a slim chance, particularly since I was in no way prepared to do something like that with my current level of skill, but it was something. At least I didn’t have to worry about someone banishing my Miranda. She had too much native blood in her, as was obvious from her ability to cast spells like a mage. The magic of outsiders was strange and otherworldly, incompatible with our own spellcasting. If she could cast spells like I could, she couldn’t be banished, it was as simple as that. Well, I guess someone could just open an actual portal to the void and push her through, but that would just kill her. Without the buffer of a summoning or banishing spell, the void killed quickly.

At some point I must have dozed off, because I woke up hours later lying in bed with Rea and Miranda curled up on either side of me. The disciplinarian in me insisted that this was a grave breach of etiquette on their part, Rea at least should have known better, and was screaming that they should be punished for it, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. There was only one person that deserved my anger right now. My slaves were just doing there best to help me in whatever small ways they could.

Just thinking about Brenda was enough to have my hands curl into firsts and my mana begin to boil under my skin. That two-faced, scheming bitch was going to suffer. I knew it was hypocritical of me, after all my plan all along had been to turn her into my broken, obedient, resource-dispensing slave wife, but I didn’t care. Brenda was the one that was supposed to care, and then she’d gone and hurt one of the few good things left in my life.

Well, I’d so far avoided showing her who I really was, but it seemed like my schedule was going to have to accelerate. She’d hired men to hurt and violate my precious Lea, perhaps Lea might enjoy some well-earned revenge? I wasn’t going to hire anyone else to do my dirty work, far too much risk that way, but I think my pets and I could outdo a trio of brutish thugs. Perhaps Lea might even want to get involved herself? I’d seen some students advertising enchanted harnesses that could give women the approximation of a man’s cock. Something to consider for the future.

I exhaled loudly and closed my eyes, trying to calm my mana and force my thoughts away from increasingly brutal revenge schemes. Miranda had been right, that was not like me. That was not how I did things. Perhaps if Brenda had been some nobody I could have gotten away with confronting her in a busy hallway and beating her into the ground until there was nothing left but a bloody, pleading smear. I’d seen it happen before, for similar reasons even. That poor third year girl should have never cheated on her fourth year fiance, or at least been a little less obvious about it.

Unfortunately, Brenda was a Goodwitch, and that name came with protections much more powerful than anyone in Xethis could imagine. Outside of people like the Myrddin who were simply too powerful to fear reprisal, no one crossed the Goodwitches lightly. Subtilty and deniability were the name of the game.

It hurt, but I didn’t really know how much I could do beyond what I was planning already. Once Brenda was properly bound in body and soul, then I could teach her the consequences of her actions in truth. Until then… well, I would think of something. Maybe I could put Rea on the case, she had a real vicious streak under the meek, submissive face she showed me.

Miranda shifted in her sleep and the tight frown on my face shifted into a small smile as her cold nose dug into my armpit. Her normally haughty beauty transformed into something that looked far too innocent for her bombshell body when she was relaxed like this. She really was much too cute, it was hard to be angry when she was lying beside me like this. Even with my magic filtering out the allure that radiated off her every action, she had a perfect charm to her. She may not have been as outwardly stunning as my elven cattle, but her imperfections only made her more perfect to me. Elves were unnatural, ugly creatures, whereas Miranda was perfect and mine.

As I drifted back to sleep, I unconsciously pulled her and Rea tightly against my sides. My dreams were filled with warm touches and a musical chorus of agonized screaming. High pitched it might be, but I imagined her shrieks would be oh so much better than her words.

She didn’t wait for the door to finish before she was on her feet, teeth barred and hair bristling around her head like a bird’s crest. “How could you let this happen!” she shrieked, her usually melodious voice cutting through the air like a hail of broken glass, “An entire flock, gone! In an instant! We. Had. A. Deal!”

The men at the table simply stared at her impassively. After a few moments of silence, Maxis Warbringer leaned forward, “Are you ready to speak like a civilized being, girl, or need I keep my hearing protection up for another tantrum?”

Loraline whirled to glare at him, the back of her long gown shifting as though something beneath her skin was trying to break free. “Do not test me, Maxis,” she hissed, “you do not understand the pain, chicks torn from their mother’s arms, elder voices in the chorus lost to us forever! What use is our agreement when you do nothing as my people suffer!”

Maxis grabbed a bottle of wine from the table and filled his empty glass, ignoring the glare his alleged ally was sending his way. He took a long sip, then set the glass down. “Quite the opposite,” he said quietly, “I too have lost family to those monsters. I did not understand the danger and lost my daughter to arrogance. The colonies guarded by my men have seen no attacks. It is not our fault you could not adequately protect your own nests.”

“Peace, brothers and sisters,” intoned the robed priest before Loraline could respond. “We are united under one banner, we need not quarrel. When holy Miira walks among us, none shall dare strike us. All slights shall be repaid tenfold, this I swear.” His voice was heavy with passion, washing away the lingering echoes of Loraline’s cutting shrieks. “Both your losses are a tragedy that shall not be forgotten. Remember our mission, our holy duty.”

“My apologies, your holiness. I let my emotions get the better of me.”

Loraline dropped bonelessly into her seat, head falling against the table with a thump. “Likewise,” she whispered.

“Good. Now then, we have other things to address. Arnold?”

The final member of the group who had sat silently throughout the initial exchange stood up from his seat. “Thank you, your holiness. Despite the current troubles, I think you will all be pleased with my progress.” He smiled tightly and reached into his coat to withdraw a small pouch that he set down on the table. “Take a look?”

The others exchanged confused glances, then the priest reached over and grabbed the pouch, upending it over the table. A single golden key dropped onto the table, tinkling like glass as it bounced slightly before falling still.

Maxis gasped, “Is… is that…”

“It sure is,” drawled Arnold. “The holy brother has finally come through for us. Three down, one to go.”

The priest picked up the golden key and lifted it to the light. “Incredible work, Arnold,” he murmured. We are so close, I can almost taste it!” He set the key back down on the table, hands shaking. “The hour of victory is nearly at hand.”

“For ten-thousand moons,” Arnold said quietly.

“Indeed,” the priest whispered.

“For ten-thousand moons and ten-thousand more,” they all finished together.