{“Nerice, did you have enough time?”}

  {“Oh, more than enough time Tanya. It is both a pleasure and pain to lose a bet with you my bck-hearted darling. Bring her here and we have a wooden version of your stunning dagger.”}

  {“Frog people, minotaurs, gold eggs, a kraken and vampires. I told you they existed, this one was just too obvious. I think I want to expin it in front of her, Nerice.”}

  {“Nothing would please me more, darling. I want to see the shock on her face. Assuming you let her live, that will teach the young blood-drinker not to tangle with a pair of mermaids.”}

  Increasing the tempo of her song until the guys were all smming their mugs on the table, Ruby put on her normal show and spun-danced her way with Gweyir to a room full of cheers as the couple made their way out of the rear entrance of the tavern.

  Seconds after the couple made it out of the door, cheers erupted and all chanted ‘Ruby’ with ughter and a few jeers about letting the poor maiden sleep. “Look at that, Gweyir. They want us together, and I can’t see how we can get closer.”

  Suddenly out of the dark, Nerice plunged a wooden stake into Gweyir’s back and felt the point embed itself into the vampire’s dead heart. “You’re clear, my dymate.” Nerice wiggled the stake and giggled when the vampire let out an unnatural scream that was absorbed by the heavy winds. “Tell her, Tanya.” Nerice smiled wide and bit on her lip. “Damn, a vampire…this is, I want to drink her blood to give her that deathly feeling.” Nerice ughed and wiggled the stake one st time before dancing to Ruby’s side.

  Withdrawing her magical vampire blood-soaked dagger, Ruby sheathed the boiling hot bde into its sheath and grabbed Gweyir by her cold dead chin. “It was the elf and fair skin reference.” Ruby slipped one arm around Nerice. “It was out of pce and didn’t make sense. Second…while I am certainly great at charming dies, I tend to make it a pyful game of flirts. I can count on one hand how many times I have had a young dy just fall at my feet.”

  Nerice interjected, “Tanya, love. The ship is empty other than Delzie who I sang to sleep. She won’t remember much.” She poked at the trapped vampire. “I can’t wait to see the sun eat you piece by piece.” She tapped on her lip. “Let me exsanguinate her. The blood can be useful for something, I’m sure.”

  “I’ll consider it if she doesn’t cooperate.” Ruby wrapped her arm around Gweyir’s waist and after Nerice tossed a bnket over her, began walking towards her ship.

  It took the better part of twenty minutes for the three to meander their way to the ship while singing and pretending to be drunk. Once inside the confines of her own cabin, Ruby set the vampire in a chair and pulled off the bnket. “Alright. Here’s how this works. I ask a question and if I get the idea that you are holding back or lying to me, Nerice…” Ruby pointed to her blue-scaled dymate who smiled at waved at Gweyir, “...She will have the opportunity to drain a vial? Or fsk…which one do you want, Ner-Ner?”

  “Oh, the fsk. Metal and holds more.” Nerice clicked her tongue a few times then jumped on the bed with her arms over her head. “I can’t wait…you know Tanya…” Nerice cackled, “...I understand vampire blood sells quite well in certain pces.”

  Grabbing the chair from her desk, Ruby set it in front of the blood-drooling vampire. “There, there. Don’t waste it.” Ruby pushed Gweyir’s head back so the blood stopped draining. “While you can’t move, I know you can answer me and these questions won’t be hard.”

  With an empty, hollow and dead voice that drifted in and out of coherence, Gweyir first gurgled and then spoke. “When my master traces me here, you two won’t live to extract anything.” She half-ughed, “...Go shit yourselves, I am not saying anything and the longer I hold out the closer my master gets.”

  “Nerice, Give her a little expnation of what you mean, love.” Ruby stood up and walked to the side of her bed and calmly sat down.

  With a grunt and an annoyed sigh, Nerice rolled off the bed and grabbed Ruby’s dagger. “I had just gotten comfortable too.” Whistling a cute light tune, Nerice picked up a small hollow reed and hovered it over Gweyir’s bloodshot eyes. “See, this is a wooden reed and this…” Nerice waved the dagger next, “...is that lovely burning dagger that stopped you in the first pce.” Using two of her fingers Nerice felt her way around the vampire’s neck until she found the thick artery she wanted. “Ah, just like you’d find.” Nerice cpped her partly bck-scaled hands. “This is so exciting, I seldom get to have this much fun.”

  Understanding Nerice’s sarcasm Ruby simply scooted back onto the bed and watched her partner work. “Perhaps you should work somewhat fast, just in case we do have to deal with another vampire, dear.” Ruby began with her own melody to match the one that Nerice was humming a few seconds prior. “Poor Gweyir here was unfortunate enough to meet a pair of mermaids that aren’t so heavenly and wholesome.”

  Taking the advice of her dymate, Nerice kept her index finger just below where she intended to stab and slowly opened a hole with the encrusted dagger. Once she was satisfied with the puncture, Nerice jabbed the reed in and held her finger over the other end. “Tanya, the fsk if you please.” Listening to Ruby as she kept singing, Nerice heard the cap come off the metal container and felt Ruby take possession of her dagger and repce it. Holding the wooden straw down, Nerice listened to the vampire blood as it drained. “A few more seconds, love.” Repcing her finger over the end of the reed, Nerice handed Ruby her present, “Here’s the fun part.” Nerice giggled and leaned over the harmless vampire. “I need something else you have.” Nerice turned in Ruby’s general direction, “Hold her mouth open for me.”

  Once she’d capped the fsk, Ruby did as asked and popped Gweyir’s mouth open. “What are you doing, Ner-Ner?”

  “Oh, something that I have heard the other sisters discuss about these lovely blood-fueled beasts.” Nerice then swiped her index finger along Gweyir’s useless tongue and gathered a bit of blood and saliva. With a swift move of her other hand, Nerice pulled the spile and smeared the contents of her finger over the hole. “Tanya, love. If the rumor is true, then the hole just closed.”

  “Oh, lovely. It certainly did.” Ruby calmly walked back to her chair and sat down. “Ner-Ner, let me try again with Gweyir. Perhaps she is a bit more forthcoming. I mean I didn’t even ask anything before.”