OT
did most of the quilting on the UFO. Will bind it and "finish" it probably today.

NECRO STORY (continued)

Lily smiled. She held open the door, led the way through a door and down a series of labyrinthine corridors, picking up a backpack on the way. She stopped when she got to a small grating on the floor. Lily glanced at Tyrrae’s belt and recognized the stones in the buckle setting. “Good,” she said, “I thought you had the traditional glowstones in your belt. You will need them. Some of these tunnels will not have your kind of ambient light, and you would not be able to see otherwise.”

With a small grunt of effort, Lily lifted aside the grating. Then she moved gracefully to a small table which held a knife and cup. Lily help her arm over the cup, and quickly carved an intricate design with a sharp knife, allowing the cup to catch the blood. She stopped bleeding more quickly than the depth of her cuts should have allowed, and Tyrrae watched the wound’s scabs turn to scars.

“Quickly now!” Lily said, and grabbed Tyrrae’s hand, pricking her finger with the knife. Lily caught the drop of blood in the cup. She then dipped a finger in the cup and ran a drop of blood on Tyrrae’s lips.

Tyrrae without thinking licked her lips, tasting the salty crimson. She felt oddly more vibrant than before, and hummed with anticipation.

Lily knocked back the glass and drained it. Then she led Tyrrae down through the hole in the floor. It led to a very old tunnel that may have been smooth at one time, but was now covered with the mineral trinkets of the centuries. They had to be careful where they walked on the slippery floor.

Tyrrae heard a scuffling sound to their right. A large spider roughly half a man across scurried to block their path.

Lily addressed it. “I have permission to pass as granted by the Spider King many years ago.” She showed the spider her injured arm, and the wound looked like a very old scar. “This one, however, has no such mark. She must go and return to this spot in 4 weeks. Will you grant her that leave?”

The spider leapt at Tyrrae, and she raised her arms to defend her face. The spider bit her left arm painfully, and she almost cried out.

Lily winced, as if she could feel her pain.

The spider jumped down and scurried off. Tyrrae looked at the swollen wound. The pattern matched the cuts Lily had made on herself.

“I heal too quickly for such a mark to stay permanently,” Lily explained at last. “So I must carve it fresh every time I pass through these tunnels. And we have traded blood, you and I, so we will stay connected. Should you find yourself in extreme danger, call upon my blood, and I will do what I can to protect you. I never offer such a bond lightly, but I feel my trust is well placed.”

Tyrrae bowed deeply to this strange lady, and acknowledged the honor.

“You must continue from here on your own. Here is your pack.”

Tyrrae slipped it on a shoulder quickly.

“Go straight at every juncture unless you cannot, then turn left. This will also get you home safely, albeit on a different route. Show your arm to any challengers. When you return to the grate, call upon me, and I will come let you in.”

Lily placed a swift hard kiss upon her lips, and Tyrrae tasted blood again.

“Good by, child, and good luck,” she said, and was gone.  ¶ 7:01 AM