Elementalist

18

"Wait!" the female vampire says as Stephanie turns to leave. "If you make a bonding and swear that you will do all that you can to cleanse him and not harm him any more than the cleansing causes, we will make sure that the vampire people will leave you in peace even if he doesn't make it."

Stephanie turns to the female vampire. "How do you have the right to make this promise? He is your king, your superior."

"She is my child. She is able to make that assurance to you." The king says narrowing his eyes at Stephanie.

"That's all well and good, but it's not enough. I want your promise, king, that should I free you, that you will harm no innocents. That means innocent humans as well. You are free to do as you will to those that have hunted us and captured us, but those that are prisoners here and those that are unaware you cannot touch."

The king doesn't want to agree, they can all see that, but as they are about to turn and leave the king gives in.

"Very well, yes, I agree with your stipulations. As long as you do your best to do no extra harm to me or mine, there will be no innocents harmed once we leave."

"That includes the outside world, king." Stephanie wants to make sure that is understood.

The king bows his head, "Including those in the outside world. We will only take enough to live, we won't kill our prey." The king gets a sly smirk on his face, "Unless they are guilty."

Stephanie raises an eye brow, "Guilty of what?"

The king smiles in delight. "Very good, if they are guilty of crimes worthy of death and it won't throw suspicion on us supernaturals."

Stephanie talks silently with the others and then nods. "Very well."

"My name is Tracey." The king smiles delightedly at her acceptance.

"Stephanie," Stephanie says and goes up to the vampire. "How do we make the bond that will allow these here to know that I'm not just killing you?"

"If I drink of your blood and you drink of mine. Don't need much, just a mouthful or so."

Stephanie immediately offers her wrist to the bound man. He hides his shock, he had expected her to drink from him first and only reluctantly allowing him to drink from her.

Tracey offers, "My blood should also refresh and heal you."

Stephanie smirks at him. "But only if it is freely given. I know that much about your kind."

"It is freely given, Stephanie. I will give you more should you manage what you offered."

Tracey then bites his own burnt wrist and offers it to her. Stephanie takes the wrist and swallows  a couple of mouthfuls of his bitter blood. She hides the dislike she feels at the nasty taste.

Tracey on the other hand had hissed in delight at the flavor of her blood. "So much power."

He looks at her calculatingly. Then kneels. "I offer you my services and the services of my people for as long as you serve and protect the supernatural people. I would make this a blood binding."

The vampires behind him still in shock and the witches do the same.

Tracey's bindings are released without Stephanie or any of them touching them. Tracey watches her even as he rubs his burnt flesh. Before their eyes the burns start healing.

The other three vampires are also freed, but the witches aren't worried about being attacked. After all, their king had blood bonded his promise that he and his wouldn't.

Tracey kneels before Stephanie.

Stephanie takes out the ceremonial knife that Luke had given her. The vampires wince when they see it. They too are weakened by silver.

Stephanie takes the knife and slices her hand like she had done with the others and then hands it to Tracey. He does the same and offers the same promise he had before, binding him and his to the service of Stephanie.

"My queen," Tracey ends the binding ceremony.

Stephanie pulls him up using air. "I'm not your queen. Your people would never accept me as your queen and you need to find one of your own to fulfill that role." She looks over to the female vampire when she says that, knowing the female would love nothing more than to be the queen.

Tracey shakes his head. "I mean, you are my queen in that I am sworn to your service."

"I'm no queen, Tracey. A year ago I was just an ordinary human girl that was nothing more than a cipher among her family and neighborhood. Now, I am but a witch, an elementalist. Perhaps a strong one, but that is all."

It is the female vampire that snorts at this. "My sire, would never subject himself to a mere witch. You are far more than you believe."

"If you refuse the title queen, then how about Mistress?"

That makes the other witches stand more erect and stiff.

"How about you just call me by my name?"

"Very well," Tracey nods his head. "If that is what you would prefer, that is what I will do."

Stephanie then mind links him and tells him to lie down. Once he does she starts the burning. She goes slowly to make sure that she keeps the flames low enough that his body doesn't combust.

She turns white at one point. She's shaking and terrified by the time they are finished. She wipes the tears from her face and looks accusingly at the vampires before her. "You didn't tell me that one of the compounds that was injected into you was an incendiary one. I damn near started you on fire before  I realized what it was."

They all swallow at this.

Then she looks at the vampires before her, ignoring their king. "Your king must love you. He pulled all the fucking compounds into himself. You are clean."

They had watched as the king had gone into convulsions and vomited the little bit of blood he'd taken from Stephanie and continued gagging on nothing as the chemicals and compounds were ejected or burned from his body.

Once he finished Stephanie goes to him and offers her arm once more. "I need you to help with the prisoners. I need one of you to protect the children and the rest either help the werewolves that are attacking outside right now or protect the supernaturals as they are released."

"Some of the supernaturals are willingly working with the humans." One of the unnamed vampires offers.

"Then I will also need them kept separate until I've had a chance to talk to them and find out why they are willing to work with the enemy. If they are doing it of their free will, with no blackmail or coercion they they will be given to you to do with as you see fit." Stephanie says more than a little angry that there might be traitors among the supernaturals.

At her words there are smiles among the vampires.

The female vampire volunteers to watch over and protect the children. The males are more than pleased at the chance to take down their captors.

After showing the female vampire where the children are located the four start releasing and cleansing the supernaturals. When they find an elementalist that can control the amount of fire necessary they have them start helping as well.

One of the vampires comes down and escorts the freed prisoners to the upper floor where they found food prepared for the workers there. The hungry prisoners hurry through the food lines and find a place to sit. More than once there is gagging and retching heard as they eat far too fast for what they are used to.

Soon enough they slow down and eat the first decent meal some of them have ever had.