//------------------------------//
// Binding Ties 
// Story: Bloodsong 
// by Not_A_Hat 
//------------------------------//

"Missed." Azure didn't sound too bothered, watching her bolt of magic dissipate in Silver’s wake. The vampires around her shifted uneasily while Cracked Ruby kept an eye on me. 
 
I steadied myself from the backwash of Silver’s takeoff, forcing my mind back over my situation and goals as he escaped. I should still be undercover, whatever that was worth. I settled back into character, though it didn't take much acting to paste on a nervous grin and lay back my ears. I gave my opponents a wary stare and waited.
 
Azure locked her eyes on me, dismissing her guard with a wave. I could nearly feel her scrutiny as she inspected my wounds, assessing my obscured cutie mark and torn outfit.
 
"So." She stepped in close. "Where did you find this?" she asked, eyes focused on the carcanet.
 
"I... I bought it." I flinched back, rushing for a believable story. "From a pony on the street. It was cheap, I didn't know it was cursed!" I let the words spill out, trying for panic.
 
"Cursed?" Azure smirked. "Ah." She reached out and tapped the gem. "Interesting." She looked up, staring into my eyes.
 
"Wh-What?" I gathered up all the skills I'd practiced with Vinyl, seizing every ounce of control I had and willing myself to not change, while allowing real nervousness to creep into the set of my lips. I needed to regain whatever control I could in this situation. "What do you mean?"
 
"You shouldn't be doing that." Azure stepped back, her gaze turning curious. "Breathing, I mean."
 
"Please don't hurt me." I cowered slightly.
 
"Oh no, no fear of that." She laughed lightly. "You're far more valuable alive. But I'll have to ask you to come with me." She stomped once, and her entourage formed up again. I caught whiffs of that horrid sickly-sweet smell I was beginning to associate with nightwalkers, and worked to keep my face straight.
 
"Where?" I asked meekly. The complications here were growing, piling higher and higher as I got further into the situation, but her assurance of safety for the immediate future allowed me to relax slightly.
 
"Just follow." She gave me a predatory smile, indicating how little choice I had. "It's not too far."
 



 
"And here we are!" Azure turned at a familiar gate. Her coterie of vampires had dissolved into the shadows as we moved through the streets, but I could smell them around us, feel their eyes. I dragged my attention back to the present, firming up my self-control as my suppressed nature slithered in the back of my mind.
 
I really hadn't considered how poor of shape I was in when I'd asked Silver to leave.
 
Not that my wounds were debilitating. I had stopped healing towards the end of my scuffle, right before he'd broken it up, but I really only had scratches. The gash in my shoulder had sealed, and the slices on my legs were mostly closed. They were superficial, and even the pain was fairly muted. When I could get another dose, they should fix themselves.
 
No, what I hadn't really considered was just how badly I wanted blood.
 
I martialed concentration again. I needed to keep up the act, keep myself sane. I needed to learn everything I could before I went to pieces… or before my backup arrived. Because Silver would show up.
 
"Your house?" I gazed up at the mansion dumbly.
 
"Of course!" Azure pushed the gate open, beckoning me through. "I'll make sure you're comfortable, don't worry."
 
"Wait." I stopped, not moving until she looked back.
 
"Yes?"
 
"What's going on here? What do you want with me?"
 
"Why, I'm going to make you an offer." She grinned. "Tell me, Miss Melody. Have you ever wanted to be more?"
 
"More what?" I took a step, honestly curious.
 
"More everything." Azure turned, facing me fully. "Faster, stronger, richer, smarter, more beautiful. You could be very useful to me, and in return, I can give you everything you want."
 
"Sounds wonderful!" I smiled widely. "Perfect, in fact! It's only missing one thing."
 
"What's that?"
 
"The catch." My smile dissolved. "Tell you what. How about you just take this necklace and let me go?"
 
"Well, I could." She mused, rubbing her chin. "But I don't think you'd like the consequences, honestly."
 
"What would those be?" I stepped backwards.
 
"Hard to say." She shrugged. "You're already a little strange. An earth pony carrying the blood of stars? Still, maybe I should have mentioned. This isn't an offer I'll let you refuse."
 
Blood of stars. Beau had mentioned that.
 
"Hah." I layered derision into my voice. "And if I do?"
 
"That's fine." She smiled. Suddenly, her teeth looked a little sharper. "You're welcome to try." She narrowed her eyes, which gleamed catlike in the dark. "It's no problem." Suddenly, the menace I'd felt from her redoubled, from a flickering glow to a surging heat.
 
Vampire. I tried to keep my breath even as I realized what she was, what she meant. I shook my head slowly, affecting an unimpressed expression.
 
"I'm not feeling exactly motivated here, Azure. Maybe you could tell me a little more about what you'd need from me?" My stomach was sinking, even as my heart accelerated. I'd learned so little so far, but if she bit me, I'd have no way to conceal my secret. And if she was a vampire, a thinking vampire… what had Syzygy called them? Daywalkers? I was in deeper than I'd realized.
 
"Tomorrow, tomorrow. Come, I'll find you a room. Ruby, would you—" Azure turned to find her underling looking at the mansion skeptically. "What's wrong?"
 
"Somepony's in there." The thief nodded to the building. "Your wards are out of line."
 
"Hmm." Azure thought a moment. "Well, I'll go see. Take Miss Melody to the guest room, will you?" She nodded to me.
 
"Right." Cracked Ruby jerked her head, motioning me to follow. "Come along then."
 
We split, wending our ways through the paths of the garden. I kept my eyes down, trying to filter what I'd heard for useful information. Beau, at the very least, had been right: the vampires were interested in the necklace. More than that, Azure was a vampire, and an extremely dangerous one, unless I missed my guess.
 
For a long moment, I considered jumping my guide, pitting surprise and my animal instincts against the monsters I knew still surrounded us. I couldn't risk it, though. Even if she didn't escape — and as a thief, she had to be pretty good at that — I had no idea if I could overpower her. I'd yet to come out of a fight on top. Better to wait.
 
She took me in a side-door. I tried not to grin as we passed Silver's tie, still hanging in a bush. This was the same way we'd left the party, earlier this night.
 
As we stepped back inside, I heard raised voices and pricked my ears. The sound echoed in the stone halls, carrying around corners and through open doorways, but refused to resolve into words. I glanced forwards. Ruby was ignoring me. I cautiously loosened my control, by the slimmest hair. My senses started to sharpen. My nostrils flared.
 
Honey, lime, cedar—
 
Ruby was bleeding, scratched somewhere. Maybe a stray fragment of glass from the window I'd jumped through. I shook my head, trying to refocus. The dark corridors jumped into stark relief around me, splintered with light from the spell she was using in the dim mansion. I blinked, swiveling my ears, and finally managed to grasp a few words.
 
"…simply unacceptable, Azure!"
 
I knew that voice. I grinned slightly. It was Auric, the griffon we'd baited.
 
"Really, now. Surely they were no trouble?"
 
And that was Azure. Why were they meeting?
 
"That's not the point." The griffon's tone went harsh. "I know we can't be connected, not openly. But even the stupidest of your herd should be smarter than to attack a Hunter."
 
"I was told you were the one attacking."
 
"I was baited." There was a snarl there. "Somepony's sniffing around, and we can't make a mistake now. If either of us are to achieve our aims, it'll have to be together! You don't have a chance without me."
 
"And you, my dear, would be lost without my support." Azure laughed. "But really, don't make such a big deal out of this. Especially not so late at night. I need my beauty sleep, Auric. Let me rest in peace, or I'll…"
 
I lost the conversation as Ruby took me around yet another corner.
 
"Here." She finally stopped at a solid door, locked on the outside. She flicked it open and motioned me in. "Sleep well."
 
"Thanks, I guess." I gave her an insolent smile, pacing through with all the aplomb I could muster. Ruby stared for a long moment, before shaking her head quickly and slamming it closed. The lock clicked over, and I was alone.
 
I fumbled in the dark for a lightswitch, finally managing to locate it. Warm illumination pinched at my eyes, before they adjusted to reveal stone walls and bare floor. No windows. Not even a handle on the inside of the door.
 
There was, however, a comfortable bed, a small writing desk, and a shelf with a half-dozen books.
 
"Nice cell." I looked around, musing. "Now things get boring, I guess."
 



 
I wished, fervently, long and hard, that I could be bored. It felt like I’d spent hours in here, but I had no idea how to tell. 
 
I turned, pacing back across my cell.

I just couldn’t get one thing out of my head. No matter how I tried, it filled my thoughts. 
 
My throat itched. My teeth ached. My body felt alien, twitchy, bubbling with nervous energy. Even in the light the colors looked odd, shifted by my strange vision. 
 
"Silver, you'd better get here quick."
 
I made another turn. My coat had thickened as I waited, my control eroding as I slipped further and further into starvation for rich, red, warm, blood.
 
"And you'd better bring me a bucking drink."
 
I froze, as I heard hoofsteps. Even through the thick door, they sounded clear. Two sets.
 
My eyes flicked around the room. Was it morning already? Where they coming for me? Would Azure find me like this? What would she think? What would she do?
 
Making a snap decision, I hit the lights and dove for the bed, burrowing beneath the covers. I slit my eyes and pulled the pillow over my head, forcing my breathing into a regular pattern. I could, at the very least, try to delay.
 
"Here." That was Ruby's voice. The door clicked open, and a rush of scents swirled into the room.
 
Ozone, rain-fresh air, a hint of pepper – his presence hit me like a physical blow. Silver!
 
Silver's blood!
 
He grunted once and stepped in. The door slammed shut. The lock snapped over. The hoofsteps receded. The light came on.
 
"Octavia?" His voice was low, hesitant.
 
"S-Stay there." I struggled with my emotions. I wanted to leap up, rush towards him, throw my hooves around him, and sink my teeth into his neck. "Please."
 
"What's wrong?" He didn't move. "Did they hurt you?"
 
"N-No. Just... stay there."
 
"Alright…" He stood for a long moment. "I did come for you."
 
"But they caught you, huh?" A dry laugh wracked me. "Gah. And I thought you were better than that."
 
"Well…" He chuckled softly. "Sort of, not really."
 
"What about Syzygy?" I grasped at straws, trying to distract myself. "Is he still out there?"
 
"Oh, yeah. He's waiting for us."
 
"What?" A fragment of puzzlement crept through my haze.
 
"He's waiting. He'll cover our escape."
 
I let that sink in a moment, before slowly pushing the pillow away.
 
"You have a plan."
 
"I do." He grinned. My eyes locked on him, on the flecks of blood and half-scabbed wounds sprinkled across his rusty coat. He looked delicious. "It doesn't even involve tearing this place down stone-by-stone."
 
"Hold on a second." I drew a deep breath, trying to regain a little control. I breathed in and out, slowly. I saw his gaze flick from my teeth, to my coat, to my eyes, and he whistled silently in understanding. He raised a hoof, nibbling at his horseshoe before pulling it off completely. I watched, trying to be disinterested, as his movements broke open a few cuts and scrapes.
 
"Is that a hollow shoe?" I tried to focus on the metal. He nodded, working to extract something from the interior.
 
"There!" He spat a coin on the floor. "Should do it."
 
"One bit?"
 
"No, this is orichalcum. It's part of Syzygy's spathis. He should be able to use this as an anchor—" there was a small flash and pop "—for a teleport spell." A scroll and a slim metal bottle appeared. He collected both and tossed me the flask. "That ought to help."
 
It sloshed as I caught it, my hoof snapping up before I even realized I needed to react. I popped the stopper. Mint, eucalyptus, a hint of rose, life.
 
"Ziggy's blood?" I took a long, shuddering drag on the bottle, feeling my emotions calm, my center begin reforming as energy sizzled through my body.
 
"Yeah. It's part of our plan."
 
"Plan." I gulped again, waves of relief rippling down my throat. "Tell me about that."
 
"Basically, I'm breaking you out." He rolled his wings, and I saw gaps in the feathers.
 
"Your quillons!"
 
"Oh?" He glanced back. "Right, start with that." He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. There was a series of sharp pops, and glittering shards of metal clattered to the floor around him. "Really, it hinges on Azure underestimating both of us." He grinned, and it was sharp. "We're off to a good start."
 
"How…" I trailed off, as he began picking up the blades, socketing them into his wings one-by-one.
 
"They're mine." He shrugged. "It's one of the things orichalcum is great for. You can't lose them, not really." There was another pop, and the coin on the floor vanished. "Ziggy uses it all the time."
 
"How did you get in?"
 
"I dropped hints about Beau." His smile wavered. "That… I have no idea how you do it, Octavia."
 
"Mmm?" I upended the bottle, wishing there was more. I no longer felt like sinking my fangs into his neck, but I didn't feel anywhere near sated, either.
 
"Acting. Misdirecting. Intrigue. Whatever it is you do to manipulate ponies."
 
"Intrigue," I said absently. I could feel my wounds finish knitting, the niggling pain finally gone. I focused, and my coat thinned and teeth shrunk. "Practice, mostly."
 
"It's hard." He shook his head. "I was certain she'd see right through me, sic her pet nightwalkers on me. I could barely keep my voice level."
 
I gave him a long look.
 
"Why'd you do it, then?"
 
"Huh?"
 
"Why not just come crashing in? You left your weapons behind, risked yourself on an unfamiliar skill. Why?"
 
"Didn't want to blow your cover." His eyes softened. "Didn't want to risk you getting caught in the confusion. This way, we can keep things low-key." He sighed. "I hope."
 
"Azure's a daywalker." I stood, shaking myself off. "She's working with Auric. We need to investigate 'the blood of stars'. It's connected to the necklace."
 
"Hmmm." He rubbed his chin. "Okay."
 
"First things first, though." I stared at the thick wooden door. "How are we getting out of here?"
 
"Magic," he replied, smirking and offering me the scroll Ziggy had sent. 

“This is?” I accepted it hesitantly. 

“Our key out. Literally, almost.” 

I unrolled it, finding a series of interlocking rune-circles and strange clouds of sigils. 

“It’s a spell?” I furrowed my brows in confusion. 

“It’s an inscribed spell for opening locks.” He nodded. “It’s built for a pony who’s never practiced spellcasting. You’ve got the blood, and you’ve had some practice. Can you be a unicorn for now?” 

“Hmm.” I examined the paper again. It seemed almost familiar somehow, as I pulled on the magic in the blood I’d just drunk. “Well, I can definitely try.”
 



 
The lock clicked over.
 
"You," I gasped, "had better find me another drink once we're out of here."
 
The horn on my head fizzled. It was longer this time. The scroll was a little tattered now, the sigils smoking and glowing with power. That had been simpler than I would have guessed, but it still wasn’t easy.
 
"Hold up." Silver held me back as I stepped towards the door. "I'm going first."
 
"What?"
 
"This isn't your run anymore." He gave me a sharp look. "I'll let you do the talking. In return, you let me take care of the vampires. Stay back, stay quiet."
 
I nodded once and did my best to fade into the shadows.
 
My best was pretty good.
 
We ghosted through the halls. Silver floated just over the floor, wings barely moving. For a few long minutes, I wondered if we'd get away clean.
 
Then there was a flash in the dark. Silver flicked his wings and vanished. A gleam of red contrail, streaked with gray, hung in the air. I blinked and nearly missed it. He struck something, carving a shadow from the wall, and shredding it with brutal strokes.
 
We both froze. He never took his eyes off the still form. The fight had been surprisingly silent, but we both waited for cries of alarm. Nothing.
 
He waved me after, and floated away. I followed, slightly shaken. I'd seen Vinyl and Verdant fight before, but this was on a different level. Not a moment of hesitation or a wasted movement. He was like pure ferocity, distilled and given wings.
 
Now, at least, I was fairly certain we could get away.
 



 
"Are we clear?" I glanced nervously back.
 
"You're good." Syzygy stepped out of the trees. "There's a watchpony headed this way, though. Come on, you two. I've got Vinyl waiting at the Gallery for us. We need to talk, and you…" He looked at me. "You need a little more fortification, I think."
 
"Yes." I nodded. "Yes, I'm very thirsty."

“She’s got blood. Hold on a sec.” He lowered his horn, and a tingling light skimmed me. “There. You should be shrouded again. We really need to get you a more permanent protection.” 
 
"Meet you there, Ziggy." Silver looked to me. "Want a lift?"
 
"Yes." I felt a cool breeze buoy me up, and finally, finally managed to relax completely. "Thanks."
 



 
"Aaaaah." I finished the last of my glass, and sat it down with a satisfied sigh.
 
The Gallery wrapped us in warm shadows. It had to be nearly morning. I was deeply, deeply grateful I didn't have classes today. I needed hours and hours of sleep. Now that my craving was finally gone, I was nearly ready to nod off.
 
"Auric, Azure…" Vinyl muttered, resting her forehead on a hoof and staring at the table. "Gah."
 
"All right, I think that's enough." Silver sighed. "We're not going to get any farther on this tonight. We all need sleep. Let's see about—"
 
"Silver, hey." All of us stopped talking, looking up as a deep green unicorn with a carefully messy mane walked up.
 
"Vagabond?" Silver gave him a confused smile. "You're out late. What's up?"
 
"Sorry." The newcomer rubbed his head, looking sheepish. "I didn't mean to intrude, but…" He produced a slip of paper. "Gilda asked me to give this to you, when I saw you next. Didn't expect you to be here either." He shrugged and turned away. Silver watched him go, before unfolding the paper.
 
I watched as he read it, his expression shifting from curiosity to confusion, before he froze for a long second and sighed, worry clouding his face deeply.
 
"What is it?" I asked. He simply slid the paper over to me.
 
"Read it, all of you."
 
Instead, I took a deep breath and began reading aloud.
 
"Silver Lining. After our talk the other day, I've become wary of my uncle's motives." I looked up.
 
"Auric," he replied, to my unspoken question. I nodded.
 
"A cursory questioning revealed nothing. However, after a little dissembling, I snuck into his study and poked around. I didn't find much of interest, but there was a small, well-hidden cache of letters, between him and an unnamed correspondent, discussing something valuable and secretive. It's given me more questions than answers. Very little is clear, but I did find a strange sigil, which I've drawn below. If you know anything about it, I'd be grateful for your help. Signed, Gilda Highwind."
 
I looked down. At the bottom of the letter, hastily scribbled, was a knotted feather.
 
"Oh." My mind flashed back to Ruby's house, where she'd drawn nearly the same sign. Where I’d heard Silver gasp at just a glimpse of it. Now I could almost feel the waves of frustration rolling off him. "That's… interesting."
 
Silver sighed deeply and lay his head on the table.
 
"And I was hoping this would start getting less complicated one of these days."