So, I was just going to leave well enough alone, but on one of the random tangents that we seem to get on, suggestions came for a continued storyline with Tahlmus and the Vampire Mermaids. So here starts the sequel to Tahlmus, Winky and the Vampire Mermaids. I will admit I feel the beginning is a bit scatter brained but I will let you decide. More to come in the following days.
Tahlmus had fallen into a routine with the Vampire Mermaids, in the following weeks after leaving Winky at the shop. During the day he would study from the books and manuscripts on magic that the Sirens had accumulated. He learned about many different forms of magic, and many different spells. His favorite was draconic magic. He remembered how the Dark Lord had said no one but one with draconic magic could have defeated him. Tahlmus spent a little bit of time teaching himself the spells he found that piqued his interest. He had yet to find anything on how to undo the Sirens curse.
Then night would fall. He would spend a few hours with Celestial. They would sit and share information for the first hour. The next couple hours Celestial usually enjoyed having Tahlmus remove his shirt and hold her as close as possible. She relished the skin on skin contact. She had never been that close to a man before. She had turned into a Vampire Mermaid at thirteen, and any man since then had just been a way to get blood. It hadn’t bothered her. The men she had seen had been rude and disgusting, but Tahlmus… he was different. Sometimes she would even ask to feel his lips on her skin, which he would comply with a soft, gentle, string of kisses along her neck and shoulders; never anymore, nor any less. He always seemed to know just how much she needed.
When his time with Celestial was done, Coral would come lead him away to one secret place or another. Sometimes they would just sit and talk. Other times she would ask Tahlmus to lie on the sand on his back so she could lie next to him, her head resting on his chest. She enjoyed just listening to his heart beat, and she always left him with a kiss. It was only on Celestial’s order that she didn’t ask for more. After Coral left, the other Sirens had a rotation, and he would be visited by two more before dawn came and they had to go. Sometimes Laguna would leave the dancing milk carton to keep him company. It was these days that he found that he had trouble concentrating, but he didn’t have the heart to tell her not to leave the milk carton behind.
Davey, the ghost pirate, and his moose showed up periodically to speak with Celestial. It seemed she was using him on special missions, but Tahlmus was not allowed to stick around. So on those evenings, he spent more time with Coral and the other Sirens.
After several weeks of following this routine, Celestial decided to reward Tahlmus; she started to allow him one visit a week to Winky’s shop. The visit was to be only two hours long, but he could see Winky. The first visit had been awkward. Winky was ecstatic to see Tahlmus, but Coral had been sent along to keep an eye on him. She never left his side, and whenever Tahlmus and Winky tried to touch, the tattoo would tingle and burn. The tattoo also started to tingle and burn when the two hour limit was reached.
The subsequent visits weren’t as awkward. A siren was always sent with him, but they usually let Tahlmus and Winky have their space. This pleased Winky. For those two hours it was almost like they were able to be together again. The time apart had given Winky plenty of time to think on what Tahlmus had said and reminisce on all the memories that had come back that night he had left her at the shop. Her anger had faded in that first week. She couldn’t be mad at him for trying to be a good man. Then the longing set in as she wished for him to return, so the weekly visits had been a pleasant surprise.
Tahlmus would make repairs to the shop, and help Winky catch up on orders. He enjoyed being in her presence, but he longed to do more than just sit near her. He longed to hold her hand, and to feel her lips on his, but whenever they got close the tattoo would tingle reminding him that he belonged to the Sirens.
After a particularly rough week, and many arguments with Celestial, Tahlmus was relieved to see Winky. They spent their two hours discussing the task Tahlmus had of freeing the Sirens from their curse, and finding the horcruxes the Dark Lord had hidden. When he had finished the explanation, Winky stood taking his hand, forgetting that the tattoo Tahlmus had burned him when they touched. Tahlmus grimaced but continued to hold her hand as she drug him to an old part of the shop he hadn’t spent much time in.
“I found this a couple days after you returned me here,” she said as she pushed some books in and the bookcase moved revealing a doorway. She pulled Tahlmus inside a library; floor to ceiling books. “All of these books are on ancient magic. There’s even a few about draconic magic. Maybe you can find some answers here.”
“Creators,” Tahlmus whispered looking around at all the books. “Winky I could kiss you.”
“What’s stopping you?” Winky asked coyly.
Tahlmus was about to lean in to kiss Winky, perfectly fine with dealing with the consequences, when Laguna and her dancing milk carton seemed to materialize from thin air; the signal that he didn’t have any time left. He let out an exasperated sigh as Winky squealed with delight and started playing with the dancing milk carton. “No,” he said. “I need more time.”
Laguna just shrugged. “It’s your skin.”
Tahlmus grumbled and grit his teeth as the tattoo started to tingle. He quickly closed his eyes, focusing on the word horcrux, as he muttered some words to a finding spell. Books could be heard shuffling and moving around. When he opened his eyes, five books were floating in front of him. He grabbed them as the tingling sensation got worse. “Ok, Laguna, we can go. I’ll be back soon Winky,” he said. Winky just nodded and then Tahlmus and Laguna were gone. The dancing milk carton, however, was still there.
“You going to keep me company Mr. Milk Carton?” Winky asked. The milk carton responded by dancing after her as she left the hidden library.
…
“You’re late,” Celestial growled as she stood there with her arms crossed baring her fangs. “You’re lucky we can’t drink your blood.”
Tahlmus sensed the color draining from his face. “Please let me explain,” he started as he felt an intense pain coming from the tattoo. That’s when he noticed Coral standing behind Celestial giggling. Celestial’s face just went dark, and motioned for him to go inside to the kitchen table and chairs. Tahlmus followed the silent request.
Already at the table was Davey, the ghost pirate and his moose. Tahlmus sat down, listening to what Davey had to say. Davey had been doing a lot of surveillance, watching the Dark Lord’s henchmen trying to find some leads as to where the Dark Lord was. The only clue he’d received was that there was a horcrux in a nearby Tevinter village. Davey had plans to determine the validity of the statement and would check back in, in a few days.
Celestial praised Davey before he left with his moose; all the while glaring at Tahlmus who tried shrinking away from the table. Once Davey was gone Celestial rounded back on Tahlmus. “Why were you late?”
Tahlmus opened his mouth and closed it a few times, afraid to speak. “Books,” he managed to say reaching into his robes and pulling out the books he’d found in Winky’s hidden library.
“So?” Celestial questioned in a harsh tone, though Tahlmus noticed the red in her face was fading. He quickly explained how Winky had shown him a hidden library and about performing a spell to find books about horcruxes.
As he finished his explanation, and told her about the information he hoped to find, Celestial became more relaxed, almost to the point of smiling. “You will study them while we are gone tomorrow?” Celestial asked.
“Yes,” Tahlmus nodded. “I will go over each one thoroughly. Hopefully we will get some answers.”
“You may leave now Coral,” Celestial said turning around. “I will be keeping Tahlmus to myself tonight. Tell the others the rotation will continue tomorrow night.” Coral frowned, but left without a word. So Tahlmus spent the night with Celestial. After being so frustrated with him, she felt vulnerable in his embrace. She left when dawn came refreshed and confident that both Tahlmus and Davey would have answers for her when she returned.
The Little Elf's Blog 
I loved this Tahl. Can wait to see what the next installment brings!
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I loved it Tahl. Can’t wait to see what the next installment brings.
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