“Holy water?” Lysa could not imagine that such was possible. “But it's just a baby!”
In her arms, Ayalal shuddered with sobs of pain.
"It doesn’t stop it from being inherently evil or…"
"He isn’t evil!" she almost yelled, interrupting the half-demon, which only made the baby start crying even louder. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ay..." she whispered immediately, caressing the top of his head and starting to cradle him. “Everything will be all right, my dear.”
Yudarh smiled to himself, returning to them and holding out a hand with sharp claws that grasped the boy's arm carefully. Lysa looked at him with suspicion.
"I didn’t say he was evil," he remarked, observing the reddish halo that the pale skin exhibited. "Only that there was a possibility. Holy water affects evil beings from other planes as well as the undead. Well, there are spells that detect the evil that a creature can emanate, just as they detect the undead. Your baby is not an undead, unless he disguises it very well. At the moment, I can only recall one thing that he might be – a dhampir.”
Lysa digested the word, continuing to cradle Ayalal.
"Does that mean he's the son of a vampire?"
"It does mean that, and it means it is information you should keep for yourself. There are those who are afraid and hate half-vampires and they would be quite capable of pursuing him. It also means that he should be kept away from holy water and any kind of positive energy. If someday someone wants to use a healing spell on him, do not let them. It could kill him. If necessary, bring him to me.”
The inflammation of the area where the holy water had hurt the skin disappeared after a more prolonged touch of Yudarh.
"And... Does he drink blood?" Lysa’s question was hesitant, not sure if she wanted an answer.
"That's a sensitive issue. They like blood, it is a substance that can cause them addiction, like a drug. But there are those who can withstand it. And, well, there's no harm in drinking blood, from my point of view. It's as bad as eating meat and fish," he added, after noting the girl's frown. "But prejudice will be a cruel knife if he decides to follow that path."
The baby's cry dropped to a subtle, tired sniff. Lysa caressed his face, thinking about all Master Yudarh had told her. She let Ayalal grab her finger and bring it to his mouth to suck on him. Where was the mother of that baby?
"But does that explain why he doesn’t eat?" murmured the young woman.
"No. Dhampirs are a little stronger than a normal baby, but even they die if they do not eat. Leave the baby here and get some milk. Hurry up.”
Lysa blinked. Leave Ayalal there?
“But...”
“Either you go now, or you can go away with your baby. And he will starve to death,” Yudarh said.
She blew her cheeks.
“It's ok. But do not hurt him again.”
“Or...?” He smiled, holding out his arms to the baby.
Lysa grumbled through her teeth, and finally handed him the baby. Despite her grumpiness, she was capable of entrusting him her life. She didn’t believe the Master would harm a child.
Yudarh watched her leave with quick strides, before returning the attention to what he had on his arms. His expression softened as he sat in his armchair, not too close to the fireplace.
"You came to join the band of pariahs, Ayalal," he murmured, examining the little boy face.
Now that he had stopped crying, the baby was watching him with a certain amount of attention, trying to assimilate the new voice and the new contours that were made known to him. Yudarh did a subtle gesture with his hand and whispered three words, allowing a weak spell to touch the child and reveal to him if it really was evil. The small presence didn’t emit any detectable aura. For now, he wouldn’t have to worry.
He sat back in the armchair, pensive. Were there any vampires in the city, perhaps hidden in the darkness of the galleries that were buried in the mountains? He didn’t believe that one had passed under his nose, but caution was never too much. He would investigate whether Ayalal's father would walk there. And if he was...
His red eyes narrowed as the tiefling contemplated the fire.
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