Dancing With Death

Flare sighed and put down the latest issue of Immortal Teen. Her long legs were starting to get stiff, so she shifted position so her legs were hanging over the arm of her throne. She groaned. Having a throne made out of real human bones was stylish and impressive and very enviable, but it was terribly lacking in the comfort department. This position wasn’t any better, so Flare just stood and paced. Automatically, she felt in her sleeve for her Immortalized Steele dagger.

Immortalized Steele was a powerful alloy of the Indestructible Golde that was mined in the deepest pits of the Underworld and the finest human steel. The result was an indestructible metal that was devilishly sharp and deathly cold that could not only kill humans, but immortals as well. Flare removed the dagger from her sleeve and inspected it, weighing it in her hand. There was not a blemish on the blade as it slightly curved to accommodate the Vampire blood-filled venom tube, nor a spot on the human-leather hilt that was studded with rare diamonds as black as her soul. She ever-so-lightly ran her thumb along the blade and watched as the blood that was black as blackest night welled up from the depths of the surprisingly deep cut.

Flare once again concealed the dagger within her sleeve and pulled out her mirror. This was made of Indestructible Golde and could show her anyone, anywhere, whether in the Underworld or the Land of the Living. Looking into it, she saw her own deathly pale reflection. She saw long, wavy, impossibly dark hair and eyes that glittered with malice. Her lips and tongue were as red as the blood she found a delicacy, and her teeth and fangs were a pearly, polished white. If and when she smiled, one would get the feeling it was the last thing they would ever see. As she watched, her own face dissolved into her sisters’. Rainy looked nearly the same, but for the ever-present frown.

“Flare!” Rainy’s image was suddenly speaking. “We’ve got a problem. The usual spy just reported to me that those infernal humans have figured out a way to keep from dying!”

“And that’s a bad thing…?”

“Flare! You’re hopeless! Just because less souls means less paperwork doesn’t mean it’s a good thing!”

“ Well…”

“Ugh! What if nobody died? The Underworld would, like, totally die, no pun intended, and we would, like, totally lose power!”

“Oh. We can’t have that, can we?” Flare said menacingly, finally getting the point.

“Nope. We can’t. Looks like we’re gonna have to go to the Land of the Living. Infernal place,” Rainy muttered.

“Field trip!”

“I hope that was sarcasm,” Rainy frowned.

“It was.”

“Good. To the Portal.”