“Well, if he is a few days out, I’ll visit with you for a while longer. I’ll see you tonight after you retire to your room, all right? I’ve some reading to do in the library in the meanwhile.” Baden took a step back.
“Sabetha would like you to stay, yes.” She lifted out a dark blue chunk of sea glass Baden had found on the beach in Weslan. She smelled it, then held it up toward the sun. “Baden… This is a best piece!”
“Well, you enjoy it and the seven others in that bag, and I will see you tonight.” With that, he hopped up onto the wall and then dropped off, vanishing before he hit the ground on the other side.
Sabetha had no idea how many seven was.
* * *
It was the last place in the world Jerris really wanted to be, but where else had there been to go?
At least the resident bear was dead and gone.
Jerris sat on the dilapidated front steps of one of the homes in the abandoned Maris Trading Post. There were more bad memories there than he cared for, but it would have to do.
Staying in Tordan Lea wouldn’t have truly isolated him. He could have gone north since the road was clear, but that also meant it was likely there would be people around. So, with a good haul of supplies, south it was. The old town provided shelter and solitude, the two things he really needed.
The road had been difficult as washouts and remaining snow drifts made travel complicated, but he’d endured. It meant the likelihood of someone accidentally stumbling upon him was nearly zero, and that suited him just fine. The quiet of the area, only broken up by the singing of birds, was therapeutic after the chaos back home.
He got up and went inside, a small fire already lit in the old stone hearth. While the days had continued to be warm, it rapidly cooled off this high in the mountains at sunset.
Jerris flopped down on the bedroll he’d placed before it and stared up at the spider-web-laced ceiling above. His right hand went out to rest on the old broadsword he’d brought from the house. Sporting some surface rust, it was a far cry from the fine quality rapier he’d possessed as a member of the guard, but it was better than nothing.
“I hope it’s too cold for you tonight to come down here and be troublesome,” he said upward, not a fan of the creatures most likely nestling in the rafters above.
“It’s not too cold at all.”
Jerris grabbed his sword and scrambled to his feet. “Lord Vercilla?”
“More like Prince Vercilla, if…I were so inclined as to believe in such self-important titles,” Baden said, manifesting in the doorway.
The redhead relaxed, but didn’t let his guard completely down. While he knew Athan had told Keiran Baden had gone rogue, he wasn’t willing to give the young vampire his trust quite yet.
Baden walked further into the room, raising his hands before him. “Put the sword down, Jerris. I’m not here to cause any trouble. Besides, you know I would simply vanish before you ever made contact with me.”
Jerris glanced at the sword in his hand, knowing Baden was absolutely correct. He let the tip of the blade fall downward, though he didn’t put it away. “What are you doing here? Coincidence or were you looking for me for a reason?”
Baden made himself at home and moved to sit on the edge of the hearth, appreciating the warmth it offered. “Curiosity and information.”
While Jerris wasn’t eager to let his defenses down, it seemed likely he wasn’t there to do any harm. Perhaps Baden simply wanted to make a pest of himself like Athan generally did.
“If it’s information you want, it will need to be a two-way conversation as I have questions of my own,” Jerris said.
“I might be able to humor you.” Baden rested his elbows on his knees. His demeanor and tone was a far cry from how cocksure and arrogant he’d been previously.
The redhead considered him for several seconds, wondering what had sparked his change of heart—if he’d truly had one, and it wasn’t an act. “If you wish to discuss the affairs within the castle, then why not ask about them within the castle?”
“I stopped by, but my uncle hardly seemed like he was in any frame of mind for conversation. I know you and I have nothing in the way of a relationship, but you don’t strike me as the sort of man who goes off to camp in the middle of nowhere for leisure.” Baden flashed a quick smile and shook his head.
Jerris eased himself back down onto his bedroll, sitting upon it and resting his sword across his knees. “I’m not, but I had my reasons. How did you find me?”
“Sabetha. She saw you leave the castle and the direction you went, nothing more,” Baden replied.
Jerris scoffed. “Athan’s seer? We’d hoped you were no longer associating with him.”
Baden shrugged. “I’m not. It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t go back to see Sabetha. For her assorted flaws, she is very dear to me. Besides, I only went there because I knew that my father wasn’t there. After defying him, it would be suicide to allow him to find me.”
“…but this seer belongs to Athan. Why doesn’t he learn of your whereabouts from her?” Jerris asked. “Pardon my skepticism, but I’ve learned better than to trust anyone associated with Athan.”
“Not an unsound practice,” Baden agreed, “but Sabetha and I are close, and I’ve been able to convince her to make a game of withholding certain things from my father. A few bobbles, some treats, and she is not too hard to convince. Athan can pick up her base emotions when they are strong enough, but he can’t read her mind outright. I think her mental issues keep him out, somehow.”
Since Jerris had no knowledge of the seer’s loyalties, he had to take it at face value. “Fine, fine. Let’s say that’s all true, and while Keir probably isn’t in the best state of mind, why bother with me?”
Baden lifted a finger. “Because I want to know why you left. You and Keiran are close, so why would you run off at a time like this?”
Jerris debated how much he really wished to reveal to Baden, but his curiosity got the better of him. “That sword Athan stole, it has had secondary effects on everyone who touched the injured. Corina, Thana, and I have all contracted something. I’m trying to spare my wife from catching it as well.”
Baden let a moment of silence pass before speaking. “Burns, or something rather like them?”
He nodded. “Aye, rather like them.”
“You needn’t worry,” Baden replied, a faint smile appearing. “Not contagious. A mere contact reaction from touching the victims. It should all clear within a few days or weeks.”
“How do you know?” Jerris asked.
“My father has been obsessed with that sword for ages. He’s studied up on it and all the other weapons created by the Roliths. I’ve taken it upon myself to read those books, too.” The vampire looked up at the ceiling. “That said, if all you have are superficial reactions on your skin, you will be fine. More serious exposure would have left you unable to make the trek all this way from town. No, you’d be lying in a puddle of your own waste, your body slowly liquefying from the inside out.”
Hearing that, even from Baden, gave Jerris comfort, though it was tempered by the visual of his last statement. “I sincerely hope that is true. Thana and Corina certainly don’t deserve to suffer.”
“It is. I have no reason to lie to you about such things. I have come to see my father for what he is.” Baden met Jerris’ gaze and held it steady. “I want nothing more to do with him.”
There was earnestness in the younger man’s words, and Jerris couldn’t help but feel their sincerity. “So…you have decided to leave Athan’s side?”
“After meeting my mother, I had questions, questions that would have resulted in my death had I pursued them further than I did with my father.” Baden looked toward the ceiling. “That in itself gave me a good reason to leave.”
“The hand for Thana…was that also your doing?” Jerris asked.
Baden raised his brows. “I may have physically placed it in the castle, but it wasn’t my creation or idea. My brot
her Vinson made it. A restless genius, he needed a project to occupy himself with. When I told him the queen was sans a hand, he decided to do something about it. He will be pleased to know she uses it quite well as I saw when I blew through there.”
Jerris raised his hands. “Wait, wait. Brother? By Athan? Dear God, how many of you are there?”
“My father is over eight-hundred-years old,” he said, laughing. “I think if anyone has had a chance to spread their seed far and wide, it would certainly be him. When I fled Talaus, I took Vinson with me, as he has always openly disliked our father…”
Jerris leaned forward a little. “So, you have a partner in crime. How many others are left in his fortress, then?”
“While he generally collects and brings his sons to Talaus, our ranks are currently rather small. Two others remain behind, but he has placed little importance upon them as he sees no potential in them. I don’t know how many others may still be at large, though. Most, however, are dead. That’s the price of not living up to his expectations, and we all eventually seem to fail in that regard.”
“And his daughters?” Jerris asked.
Baden shook his head. “There are none. There never are.”
The redhead gave a slow nod. “So, you and this brother of yours just ran away from home?”
Baden nodded. “That is the simple version, yes.”
“And just like that, you’re now on Keir’s side?” Jerris asked.
“I suppose by being against my father’s ambitions and interested in my own self-preservation, that yes, I am with Keiran.” The vampire crept off the hearth and crawled closer to Jerris. “However, the question I have is, are you?”
Jerris neither liked Baden’s sudden proximity, nor the fact the conversation had been turned back onto him. He didn’t answer, instead pushing himself backwards away from the vampire.
Baden didn’t pursue, instead lowering down on his haunches in a rather canine manner. “I may not have my father’s ability to read minds clearly, but I can pick up on basic human emotions. You didn’t just leave the castle over an illness. You ran away from my uncle, putting him in rather bad spirits. Why?”
He shook his head and looked to the side. “I wish Keir no ill-will. In fact, I want to see him and those around him live normal, happy lives, but I know he will not relent against Athan. It’s suicidal on his part, and I can no longer be a party to it.”
“I’ll readily admit that my uncle isn’t up to a showdown with my father, no, not by a long shot, but at least he’s trying, Jerris. No one else really is, are they? I wish I possessed a fraction of his nerve. The powers he will ultimately need to succeed…well, they can be learned. I’m far younger than Keiran, and yet I can do many of Athan’s tricks.”
“You left the note with the rock for that purpose?” Jerris asked.
“You already know I did. It was how Athan began to train me to harness my abilities years back. Those same abilities are in Keiran, he simply doesn’t know it.” Baden shifted to sit in a more human fashion.
Jerris sighed. “How long will it take him to learn what he will need to be on Athan’s level?”
Baden looked over at the fire. “Years? Decades? I cannot say. Again, Athan is centuries old. He has a slight head start.”
“Do you have any idea how many more people Athan will kill around Keir to try to keep him in his place in the meanwhile?” Jerris asked. “I watched my father die for no other reason not so long ago.”
“Far fewer people than Athan will kill if he is allowed to continue living on unchallenged, to be honest.” Baden looked at Jerris and tipped his chin upward. “My uncle needs to bide his time and simply work on his preparedness.”
“I know him well enough to understand he won’t do that, though!” Jerris scoffed and waved a hand. “It isn’t in him to not goad your damn father every chance he gets, and more people will die over it!”
Seeing the spark of anger in the former guard piqued Baden’s interest. “There it is.”
“What?” Jerris spat back.
“You’ve turned your justifiable anger toward my father around onto Keiran. My father is out of your reach, but you can retaliate against Keiran, so you have,” Baden said, shaking his head. “That is why you’ve really run away.”
Jerris scowled. “I don’t want to see anyone else I care about hurt!”
“Keep saying that and, perhaps, you will eventually begin to believe it yourself.” Baden stood up in a single, fluid motion, his expression turning much like Athan’s as he calmly considered the redhead. “You are angry, but that anger is displaced. You will come to realize it, I just hope it doesn’t come too late. For whatever reason, Keiran needs you. He shouldn’t be so emotionally invested in a mortal, as these things tend to happen with your kind, but what is done is done.”
Jerris stood up as well, though with far less grace than the vampire, his sword in hand again. “How dare you come here to tell me what my own feelings are! How can you even remotely relate? You’ve spent your entire life being molded and bent to Athan’s will! What do you know of ordinary humans and their suffering?”
Baden kept his gaze fixed on the other man. “I’ve always known plenty about it. I saw it around me every single day in Talaus. I just wasn’t smart enough then to fully grasp it. And, if there is anything I was good at for most of my life, it was misdirecting my feelings and loyalties where they never should have been placed. Figure it out, Jerris, just try to do it in a timely enough manner as to help Keiran. He may be this world’s only real chance to be rid of my father.”
Jerris’ anger grew, and his cheeks burned red. He opened his mouth to tell Baden exactly what he could go do with himself, but before the first syllable got out, Baden was gone.
He stood there with his sword trembling in his hand, debating what to do. “I’ve just about had enough of all you damned vampires!”
* * *
For the third night in a row, Mother Adreth Thinliss climbed the spiral staircase up into the cathedral’s tallest spire. Though out of breath when she reached the top, she smiled and went to the window, setting down the red glass lantern she held on the sill. She left it there and headed back down.
* * *
“Keir, you’re going to have to eat something!” Thana begged, standing at the end of the dining hall table.
He sat in his seat at the opposite end, slouched down and looking despondent. “I hardly feel like it.”
“You said the nausea passed,” she replied, walking around the edge of the table and moving to stand beside him. “Please, Corina and I are both worried sick about you.”
His green eyes panned up toward her, his expression unchanging. “It would seem it takes decades to kill one of my kind through starvation. You need not worry about that.”
Thana did her best to not let her frustration with him boil over. She dragged a chair next to his and landed, her silver hand tapping against the arm of the chair nervously. “I’m not trying to make you miserable, and I know… I know how you’re feeling over Jerris and Kanan isn’t helping. Just take a few bites of something or drink a little of what Laron has been able to offer since he came back. Anything.”
He stared at her hand as it clacked against the wood, each tap reverberating through his migraine-riddled head. “Stop that.”
She sat up straighter and frowned. “Do I annoy you?”
Keiran sighed and reached out, stilling her artificial hand as his expression softened. “Just the sound, Thana. My head is killing me, you’ve done nothing wrong. I’m not upset with you, Corina, or anyone else that I’ve made miserable. This nonsense with Jerris leaving is stuck constantly in my mind.”
She placed her hand on top of the one he held her prosthetic in place with and leaned closer. “I’d imagine he’s still in his house, sulking where Corina saw him a few days ago. Maybe he’s cooled off enough by now to come to his senses. I can send someone down—”
Keiran shook his head and quickly stood up, though he wi
nced and immediately regretted it. “No, I’ll go.”
Thana got to her feet and frowned. “How are you going to manage that? You can barely walk!”
He locked gazes with her. “I’ll manage just fine.”
She remained behind for a few seconds with her jaw slack as he moved toward the doorway. “You cannot be serious.”
Keiran went to the doors to the courtyard and stopped before a guard. “I want my horse saddled and brought around.”
“My Lord, with all due respect, your injury—”
His anger flashed, his fangs appearing. “I said bring my horse around! I’m going into town, and not a damn one of you can stop me!”
The guard recoiled and looked to the side. Even at his most emotional, Keiran had never taken it out on the staff. The guard stammered out a mumbled reply before turning and exiting into the courtyard to do as ordered.
Keiran watched him go, breathing heavily, his adrenaline temporarily muting the pain he still suffered. The rage quickly began to abate, however, and he felt his cheeks burn red at his outburst. Moreover, he felt Corina standing behind him, and he knew he was about to be reprimanded.
The old woman stood there, waiting for him to turn around, Thana at her side. “Would you care to explain yourself?”
The vampire let out a long breath and sheepishly turned around to face the two women. “I…I need to go out.”
“While I appreciate that Kanan is no longer here to keep you in line when it comes to addressing the guards, I hardly think it gives you free reign to act like that,” Corina snapped back, crossing her arms over her chest. “Put the fangs away, Keir. You’re hardly going to scare me with them.”
If Keiran felt bad before, now he felt worse. His shoulders rounded and he averted his gaze, already feeling his fangs retreating. “I didn’t mean for it to come out quite like it did.”
“Go to bed, Keir,” Corina said, voice flat.
He continued to avoid her gaze. “No, I am going into town to go see Jerris. While I regret my behavior, I’m not changing my mind about that.”
She huffed and looked at Thana. “He’s in no shape to do so.”
The King's Knight (Royal Blood Book 5) Page 13