by Toni Cox
“My Lady, I would have to speculate, but…” he paused, a small frown on his handsome features. “…but if you did not feel the pain of the one the blood is from, then I am sure none of the citizens of Thala Yll were hurt that night.”
“I hope you are right, Riker.”
“And Lord Skylor did say that no-one had been reported missing. It might simply have been a wolf, raiding a chicken coop.”
“Yes, that seems plausible.” She nodded, but the mention of a wolf caused strange stirrings within her.
She shook her head; thinking about him did not help her. She should just forget about Blaid. He had obviously abandoned her and did not care about the time they had spent together. She should concentrate on what she could have and on what she needed to do. It was time to grow up, just as Silas had said.
Determined, she looked ahead at the path they were following. The two Scouts were out in front, leading the way. Maia and Riker rode behind them, closely followed by Rothea and their Elder. The nobles and fellow travellers were riding in the middle and behind them were the Servers and Horse Masters with the supply wagons. The men from the Regiment brought up the rear. These people, and the ones in all of Grildor, were her responsibility now. They needed to stand united against the enemy they faced and she was an elemental part of bringing their nation together.
“My Lady?” Riker reached over and touched her hand.
She startled and Fire pranced, shaking his head.
“Are you all right, My Lady?” Riker asked again.
“Yes, I am sorry, my mind wondered. What were you saying?”
Riker smiled and then slowly shook his head.
“I think we should concentrate on the more pleasant aspects of our journey for a while. There will be more talk of politics and such, once we reach Alea Yll. My Lady could use a rest from such discussions.”
Maia looked towards him, thinking he might be patronizing her, but his face was serious and she saw only concern in his eyes and felt only warmth from his Eläm.
“The Honeybadger lies only another two hours ahead of us. We will reach it just before sun down. I am told that Lord Hazelwatch dispatched a Messenger yesterday to forewarn them of our arrival this evening. I believe pecan nut pie to be on the menu tonight.”
Riker was right. After a light evening meal, Alvenar Eaglestone, owner of The Honeybadger, served them all pecan nut pie. It was delicious and lifted Maia’s spirits. There was a bit of a chill in the air this evening, so after their meal they all sat around the central fireplace of the lodge and listened to stories the locals had to tell. Maia was feeling sleepy, but she was enjoying the company and the relaxed mood of the people. She leant against one of the thick wooden beams that were part of the support structure of the lodge and simply listened. Riker was next to her, not so close that they touched, but close enough that she felt his body heat against her arm.
“And I tell you, it was a Werewolf we saw. The beast was far too large to have been a normal wolf. Not even the Mountain Wolves get that big.”
“Aye, what Sarand says is true. The black beast was large, and it was clever. We had set traps around the farm, for just such a case, but it managed to get through all of them. Strangely though, the beast never took any of our livestock. We think it might have only been passing through, maybe in search for his master. I have heard that there have been more Vampyre sightings recently.”
“Haedirn, if you say it was a Werewolf, then we believe you,” yet another man said. “But now is not the time to be discussing this. I am sure her Ladyship does not want to hear such stories. Why don’t you rather play us one of your merry tunes on your flute?”
Many of the others around the fire took up the call for Haedirn to play a tune on his flute, but Maia had suddenly gone cold. Somehow, she knew for certain that the beast in question was not a Werewolf. She could only assume where he had been spotted, or when, but if he was free to roam the countryside, then surely, he was free to come to her. To have her suspicions confirmed that Blaid did not, in fact, love her, was more than she could deal with this evening. Feeling cold and dead inside, she excused herself. Both Riker and Rothea rose to walk her to her room, but she refused them both. She needed to be alone with this. She needed to deal with it. By the time she got to her room, the tears were running freely and her breath was coming in ragged gasps. Her heart felt like it would break and she lay on her bed, curled up around herself as if to hold onto her heart, for else it would surely desert her.
It was the silence that woke him. And the darkness. He strained his ears to pick up a sound, but all he heard was the soft breathing of his men and the heartbeat of the horses. He was hot and the oxygen levels were getting dangerously low. His pulse quickened. He knew it was claustrophobia setting in, so he forced himself to remain calm.
“Aari,” he croaked, his voice still gruff from the shouting of the night before.
“Hmm?” Came the confused answer.
“The storm has passed. Help me push these covers off. I think we might be covered in snow.”
They woke Munnar and together they got the horses up. The snow-covered tent had proved too heavy for them to lift, but the horses made quick work of it, surely happy to finally be standing again.
Jaik squinted in the brilliant light of morning. The entire mountain was covered in snow and the snow crystal glittered brightly in the sun. Before him, he saw another five mounds, which were his companions. One by one, the three Guard roused them. The horses snorted and stomped their feet. The men shook off the night and laughed at having escaped sure death.
Jaik checked if anyone was injured. Everyone was well enough, so he asked them to pack their horses.
“Let us move off this mountain. By noon we should reach the lower slopes, we can camp there to break our fast. I think I have had enough snow for a while.”
The men agreed and soon they were on their way.
By midmorning, they halted beside a small creek on the lower slopes of Mt. Argon to water their horses. There was still a bit of a chill in the wind as they ate their breakfast, but the tempest of the night before had moved off and the sky above them was clear. Jaik wondered about the unseasonably late storm and thanked the Mother that all had survived; he had lost five good men a few years back in a similar storm.
“We should reach The Forester by this evening if we make haste,” Jaik said to Aari, who nodded his agreement. “Tell the men that we will not stop for lunch today. They must eat their fill now, so we can push on to the lodge. I think the men would all appreciate a night in a warm lodge and the horses could do with a proper rest as well before we attempt the crossing of The Divide. It is one hundred and forty miles to the next lodge, most of it through near-desert terrain. We can ill afford to lose one of our horses to exhaustion.”
“Aye, Commander,” Aari replied and moved off to let the men know.
“Maybe we should stay an extra night at The Forester before crossing The Divide? The Elders look tired and even Lord Riversong looks weary.”
Jaik turned to look at Munnar. Although the decision of how fast they should travel and when and where they should stop fell solely on him, he liked to get the opinions of his men. He had served with Munnar in the Legion before they had become Guard and he valued his advice.
“Yes, My Lord, I think that would be prudent. One of the Servers complained of an ill stomach, and if we keep pushing so hard, Silver Star will become lame. She is a good horse, but she is not as fit as she should be.”
Jaik nodded. He was aware of Cúben’s complaint, as well as the state of the silver mare. It pleased him that his Guard had noticed these things too.
Jaik gave the order to march as soon as everyone had eaten and the horses had been watered. They pushed on through the forested terrain, navigating down the gentler, lower slopes of Mt. Argon until they finally reached level ground. Here the area was still heavily wooded with small streams running off the mountains. But Jaik knew that within a day’s ride from here, the
trees would end to give way to a vast plain. Hemmed in by tall mountains to the north and south, it was an area that very seldom received rain and was the only place in Grildor that was classified as desert; over one hundred miles of arid and rocky terrain, with no watering holes along the way. The horses would have to carry their water, which would impede the speed at which they would be able to travel across this accursed wasteland. He wished there was another way.
By the time the sun dipped behind the horizon in the east, they were still about an hour’s ride from The Forester and the warm meal they were all anticipating. Jaik did not like to travel in the dark, especially not with such a large group, but he decided to push through. Finally, they reached the inn, stabled their weary horses, and then joined Thanben Wallnut, owner of the lodge, and his other guests around the fire.
By the end of the next day, Jaik was restless. He knew his men and his horses needed the break and he did not regret the decision to stay the extra night before crossing The Divide, but he felt out of sorts and could not find a peaceful thought in his mind. He retired early that night, leaving his men to their conversations, and instead seeking the solitude of his own quarters.
When the moons touched the mountains to set before the dawn, he was woken by a scream. He sat up in his bed, sweating, his heart pounding and realised that it was he that had screamed. Shakily he got out of his bed, threw his coat over his shoulders and stepped up to the window to look out at the dark forest.
“Where are you my sister? What is wrong?” He whispered, steaming up the glass in front of him.
The ear-shattering roar split the night and lights came on in the windows of The Oxbow Lodge. Horses whinnied in fright within their stables, The Guard Wolves of Alea Yll howled angrily and men shouted, while hastily grabbing their weapons.
Maia woke up just moments before Midnight’s roar disturbed the slumbers of the lodge’s guests. Even in her sleep, she felt the disturbance; not so much of an Eläm, but of something else and it had frightened her. As she opened her eyes, she saw the Vampyre lean over her; a knife in his hand and his fangs exposed. Her eyes widened in shock and he would have been able to kill her right there and then had it not been for Midnight’s warning. The Vampyre flinched and hesitated just long enough for Maia to get her wits about her. Quickly she reached for her Twin Blades beneath her pillow and then rolled off the other side of the bed. She felt terribly exposed in her light nightgown and the floor beneath her bare feet was cold. She crouched, backing up slowly. She turned her head slightly, looking for the position of the door. It was on the opposite side and the Vampyre had now recovered from his shock and was walking towards her, snarling, and muttering something incomprehensible. His eyes were black in the gloom of the room, but they shone with a ferocity that frightened her. He was tall and looked strong; with the more refined face of a General. She felt for his Eläm, trying to read him, but it was so faint and so different from what she knew that she was not able to reach him with her own thoughts.
The Vampyre lunged. Maia jumped back, slashing as she went. The Vampyre hissed and then attacked again. She stumbled over her boots as she retreated and she felt the wind of his blade as it passed so close to her face. She recovered her footing, hastily thought about everything Jaik had taught her about hand-to-hand combat and then made another pass at him with her Twin Blades. However, the Vampyre was swift and eluded her easily. He was pushing her deeper and deeper into the corner of the room, the door now further away than it was before. She felt her heart racing and heard the blood rushing through her veins. Almost as if the Vampyre had read her thoughts, he licked his thin lips, a small line of saliva hanging from his bottom lip. His grey skin looked ashy in the dark room and she thought that he must not have any blood of his own within his body. She shuddered. The Vampyre lunged again, this time grazing the outer edge of Maia’s right arm as she lifted it to shield her face. A thin stream of blood ran down her arm, clung to her elbow for a fraction of a moment and then the first drop fell to the floor. Maia saw the Vampyres eyes widen as he smelled her and in the moment that he followed the droplet’s descent to the floor with his eyes, she took her chance. With a wild shriek escaping her lips, she used the edge of a small stool to launch herself into the air, turned as she jumped and as she came down, she slashed both blades across the Vampyre’s surprised face, slicing down to his neck. She landed lightly just behind him and for a moment they stood, him turned looking back at her, she staring at the two diagonal wounds on his cheek and neck that were slowly starting to seep some foul smelling yellow liquid.
The door banged open behind her and within moments Riker and Rothea were by her side, with the rest of her retinue and the lodge owner crowding in the doorway. For just a moment longer, the Vampyre stood, staring at them in disbelief, then he crumpled to the floor and did not move again.
“Are you all right, My Lady?” Riker asked as he took her arm to guide her to a chair.
Rothea took a blanket from the bed and draped it over Maia’s shoulders, then proceeded to clear the room of anyone who did not need to be there.
Commander Ridgewell and his men came in to remove the body of the Vampyre. Maia knew they would burn it; it was how they had disposed of the Vampyre bodies after the war.
“A little shaken,” she admitted, but smiled bravely for his benefit.
“From now on I want Rothea to share a room with you at night,” Riker said firmly.
Maia noticed Rothea nod behind him, obviously agreeing that it was necessary.
“I don’t understand how he managed to get in here or why he singled you out. Do you think they know what you are to us? Could it be possible that he was sent to assassinate you?”
Maia watched Riker’s face. She did not think he was actually asking her, but more posing the questions to himself. It was his duty to make sure she was safe during the duration of their journey and he surely felt that he had failed in his duty tonight. The questions did worry her. Why had the Vampyre chosen to attack her? Was he aware of what she meant to her people? Did the rest of the Vampyres know? How many of them were still on Elveron? What was it they were after? She shook her head. She did not know the answers to any of these questions.
During the long Moons winter, the threat of the Vampyres had not seemed as urgent. With very little news filtering through to Shadow Hall during that time, they had been unaware of the exact number of attacks within their country. Now, during their fifteen days of travel, they had met many people not just from the cities, but also those that preferred to live by themselves or those that formed small communities or villages outside of the cities. They had heard stories of Vampyre sightings, Vampyre attacks, Werewolves slinking about the night, livestock missing or slaughtered, people either killed or seriously wounded. Everywhere they went, someone had a tale to tell. It worried Maia that the threat seemed to be so widespread.
“Rothea, please pass me my paper and ink. Riker, ask Laeg to bring one of his pigeons. I want to write to my father. He needs to be made aware of the severity of the situation.”
Both nodded and hastened to do her bidding. Rothea was back within moments, putting the paper down in front of her. Maia dipped the pen into the small inkwell, and then paused as she thought about what to write. She did not want her father so worried that he would call off her Good-Will tour, but she wanted to make it clear to him that more needed to be done to protect her people. If a single Vampyre had managed to sneak into her room and almost kill her, even with all the protection she had, then how vulnerable was everyone else?
A short while later she put down her pen, satisfied that she had penned the right words. She had kept it as brief as possible, writing in tiny letters on the small scarp of paper that would fit into the small delivery tube the pigeon would carry. Laeg took the paper from her once she had sealed it and inserted it in the tube, before fastening it to the bird. He went to the window, pushed the panes open and then threw the bird into the air. For a moment, they listened to the flapping of
its wings, before it was too far away to hear anymore.
Satisfied, Maia rose from her chair. As she stood, the blanket Rothea had given her slipped to the floor and Maia noticed Riker avert his eyes. For the first time since the fight with the Vampyre did she remember that she was clad only in her light nightgown. She blushed and hastened to pick up her blanket.
“Let me, My Lady,” Rothea said, taking the blanket from her and covering her with it. “Maybe My Lord has some other matters to attend to?” Rothea said, looking pointedly at Riker.
“Yes, of course,” he replied, clearing his throat before hastening out the door.
“Your safety means a lot to me and if keeping you safe means making a few compromises, then I will gladly make them.”
Riker had already finished his morning meal, but Maia had barely touched hers. She was not hungry and only sipped her tea; her third cup. Riker had suggested that she allow Midnight to travel with them. It was no secret now that the great dragon was at least within earshot of the lodge, even if no-one had seen him yet. His roar had awoken every man and woman when Maia was attacked and questions had been asked.
“We have passed the herds of Thala Yll. The people of Alea Yll are mainly farmers and hold very little livestock. Once we explain the situation to them, they will understand the need for your dragon to be by your side.”
Maia looked at him. His dark brown eyes swam with concern and she felt the depth of his feelings for her in his Eläm. It was disconcerting to know how he felt about her and it made her wonder again why she was so aware of it now, where before, with Aaron, she had been almost completely ignorant of it.
“I know you wish to keep me safe, but I do not want to frighten the people with my dragon, nor do I want to give them the impression that our own Guard and Regiment are not capable of protecting their…” She hesitated; she hated to say it aloud. “…princess.”