Once Steifan’s saddlebags were strapped to his horse, he turned to me. “It really wasn’t my fault. My father happened to arrive just as I was getting ready to depart. Now I have an entire list of nobles I am supposed to endear myself to in Silgard, including Duke Auclair, the victim’s husband.”
I pursed my lips. “Well I don’t envy you that, but let us first focus on making it to a village before nightfall. I have an eerie feeling in my bones, and I’d rather not rest without a locked door between us and vampires.”
The stablehand glanced between us with wide eyes, then scurried away.
Steifan watched him go. “You do have a habit of scaring people, don’t you?”
I scowled. “Hurry up and mount, or I’ll be forced to scare you too.”
Steifan did as he was asked while I climbed into my own saddle, then angled my horse toward the nearby gates, which were already opening for us. A few hunters stopped to watch us depart, and I startled, recognizing a face well behind them near the door to the main keep.
The Potentate stood alone, tall and wiry, but still strong. He watched me go, that same strange expression on his face, like I was a creature entirely new to him. He’d never watched me like that previously, only since I had returned with news of Karpov’s death.
I wasn’t sure what had changed, and it was debatable whether I really wanted to know. I knew better than most that some secrets were best left buried.
Chapter Two
We reached Silgard on the evening of the third day after leaving Castle Helius. We’d made camp near villages too small to have inns the first two nights, and stayed at an inn the third night closer to the city. There had been no vampires, nor Nattmara, nor anything else. I almost felt foolish for being so worried, but I knew all too well that being bold would get you killed. When you’re a hunter worry is a virtue, even when unwarranted.
Steifan and I were both deep in our own thoughts as our horses plodded down the wide dirt road leading up to the city built atop a hill. We passed farms and peasant dwellings, the chimneys leaking smoke to flavor the air. It was a nicer thing to notice than the underlying scent of manure tightening my throat. My sharp senses were a blessing at times, but could also prove a curse.
As we started up the incline, farms shifted to more homes, and a few merchants with carts. My stomach growled as we passed a cart with honey rolls, but we could not in good conscience delay any further. The duchess’ body was probably smelling far worse than the manure.
“What do we do once we reach the city?” Steifan asked.
I gazed at the distant metropolis, its walls twice as high as those of Castle Helius and made from pale gray stone. “We seek out Duke Auclair. We’ll need to observe the duchess so she can be given her rites. If we are lucky, the duke will offer us a meal and a place to stay, as is customary, but I have not come to expect it. Few want a red-haired witch within their estate.”
He straightened in his saddle and blinked at me. “Truly, you were not offered lodgings on those grounds?”
I shrugged. “Old tales tend to linger.” In truth I could have changed my hair color, there were many ways to stain or lighten one’s hair, but I’d never tried. I knew the color had to have been passed down by one of my ancestors, and with so few of my relations still living, I clung to that small connection.
Steifan turned his attention to the city gates as we approached. The portcullis stood open with just two city guards posted to question visitors. It didn’t seem a good way to protect the city to me, but then again, Silgard, the Capital of the Ebon Province, had not suffered siege in over a century. Between the Capital and the other provinces lay the mires, desolate forests, vampires, and ghouls. Further south was the Merriden Sea, an impassible expanse. If the vampires weren’t enough to scare away conquerors, the lack of motivation to acquire such cursed lands would do the trick. Though Silgard was as large as any great city, the rest of the province left much to be desired.
We dismounted as we reached the wide bridge leading to the gates, and I wondered how many vampires were lurking within the walls. Other provinces had them too, but none could rival the Ebon Province in number of undead. Maybe it was the lack of sunlight that drew them, or perhaps many of the lines simply originated in my homeland and never branched out.
The guards standing to one side of the entryway were both older men wearing polished breastplates over midnight blue livery. They looked at our hardened leather armor skeptically as we approached, as if unaware Steifan and I could probably throw them into the open canal below with little effort.
“We weren’t told to expect the Helius Order,” one said.
I furrowed my brow, holding my mare’s reins taught to keep her close behind me. “Were you not informed of Duchess Auclair’s murder?”
They locked gazes for a moment, then the one who’d spoken shrugged. “Many believe the murder wasn’t actually committed by a vampire. I did not think the Order had been contacted.”
“We were told there was no question to the murder,” Steifan cut in. “What do you mean it wasn’t committed by a vampire?”
Another knowing glance between the guards. “Forget we said anything,” the more vocal guard continued.
