The Homunculus Knight

Chapter 42: Aftermath

“We didn’t domesticate Griffins; we simply proved to them we were better as partners than food. They are incredibly intelligent creatures, with a sense of honor and loyalty rivaling the greatest Knights. Having a griffin mount isn’t like having a pet or steed; it’s like having a comrade-in-arms.” - Knight-Captain Gabriel Mors, Commander of the Redfeather Company.

Louon Manor burned for the rest of the day and well into the night. Its wards containing the blaze and trapping everyone inside. A few soldiers managed to scale the walls or survive the fall off them. But most of the defenders died in Isac Louon’s funeral pyre. A final cruelty to cement the madman’s legacy.

Liam Louon was taken to the Temple of Aunt Seeress for healing and memory probing. He’d been badly burned and suffered from Natalie’s ungentle treatment but would survive. At least long enough for the city to kill him. Already plans were in the works to try and execute him for his crimes. The city of Vindabon was eager to end the whole inglorious saga of House Louon and the Heart-stealer with the swing of a headsman's axe.

Before these machinations started, Natalie and Cole were brought before the City Council and Court. Separated, they gave their testimony and answered any questions the great and good of Vindabon might have. Explaining their actions and hoping to shed as much light on the accursed situation as possible. Once Natalie had offered her account, she’d experienced the subtle accusations and threats she’d expected. Her story was doubted at every turn, with one Councilor with terrible mutton-chops going as far as to accuse her of setting the fire. But despite all the posturing and paranoia, Natalie had a surprising ally throughout the proceedings. The Temples were steadfast in backing her, forming a solid political bloc that quailed even her most ardent detractors.

It was more than a little surreal for Natalie, a Vampire cursed with a primordial evil, to receive the unflinching support of the Temples. When a Hierophant of Uncle Trickster defended her from an accusation of mind-control, Natalie couldn’t help but wonder if the Temple’s help was their way of apologizing for nearly getting her killed by Scapin and Dietrich.

By the time Natalie was finally released from the questioning, night had fallen hard over Vindabon, and the invigoration it brought her was barely noticeable. She hadn’t slept since before the Ball, and her blood reserves were low; Natalie was worn ragged and would have gladly slept in a coffin if offered.

So, of course, as she waited in the halls of the City-palace, too tired to even admire the artwork or be annoyed by the frightened officials scurrying past her, Natalie found another obstacle to her rest. The guard runner from earlier had found her. The lanky woman with now bandaged knees had cautiously approached Natalie as she sat on a bench and waited for Cole to be done.

“I’ve been instructed to collect you and bring you to meet with my superior. He is currently with the Paladin and would like you to join the meeting.”

Rubbing her face, Natalie asked, “What does Iron-teeth want now?”

The Runner’s face tightened in an approximation of a smile. Reaching into a pocket on her uniform, she held up an amulet, cupping her hand so only Natalie could see it. The amulet was a small shiny piece of silver fashioned in a laughing face, or at least sometimes a laughing face. Whenever Natalie blinked, she swore it was frowning for a half-second. Sucking in a breath, Natalie looked up at the Runner and resisted the urge to growl. “You can’t be serious, after everything that-”

The amulet was pocketed, and the Runner bowed. “Yes, after everything, my superior needs to meet with you and the Paladin. It’s rather urgent.”

Sighing, Natalie got up from her seat and moved very quickly, putting her face a hands width from the messenger’s. The Runner bridled slightly but didn’t shy away. In a low hiss, Natalie said, “I am a stressed, exhausted predatorial monster reaching the end of her patience. Please don’t give me a reason to react…. poorly.”

The Runner, no, Quicksilver Player, nodded and started for their destination. Leading Natalie down a series of side passages and up a staircase. The staircase seemed to go on forever, and Natalie was profoundly glad her knees were as strong as the rest of her. At its top, they passed through a large door into the cold night. The full expanse of Vindabon was visible below them, earning a surprised gasp from Natalie. Even though she’d seen the city from the walls, this central view of Vindabon was incredible. The sheer size and scope of the old city were enough to remind Natalie she’d been a mountain villager just a few months ago.

Pulling her focus away from the city, Natalie realized where the Player had taken her. They were in a small courtyard of sorts placed atop the palace. One side of the courtyard was lined with stables, while the other ended at the roof’s edge. The whole place smelled of birds and animal droppings, telling Natalie exactly where she was.

“A Griffin port?” she whispered in surprise.

The Player nodded and led Natalie to a small tower that jutted out of the courtyard’s corners. Even with the wind and smells of the city, Natalie knew what the tower was. Her sensitive ears picked up the rustle of wings and coo of birds. Entering the Rookery, Natalie found the bottom floor was an office of some kind. Cabinets filled with paper and parchment lined the walls, and a large table filled the room’s center. An annoyed-looking Cole sat at it across from a corpulent man with tan skin.

Natalie’s escort bowed and shut the door behind her, leaving the Vampire, the Paladin, and who she assumed was another Hierophant of Uncle Trickster alone. Cole pulled out a chair for her, and Natalie slumped into it; eyes narrowed, she asked. “Is he the one who let Scapin into the city?”

Cole nodded, and Natalie let out an exhausted sigh. The Hierophant had the grace to look a little abashed. Bowing to both of them, he said. “As I was saying to Sir Cole, I am Alexio Argentari of the Quicksilver Players. I am here to offer my apologies for… events and to offer my aid.”

Natalie’s jaw twitched in anger. “I lost a friend to your paranoid idiocy, and I doubt I’m the only one in Vindabon who has. If you are here to say you’re sorry, spare it for Jaks and the others.”

Argentari winced and nodded his head in contrition. “The die was cast, and despite my best efforts to cheat, the roll was poor. Your distaste for me and my order is more than understandable, but please don’t let it stand in the way of us trying to make things right.”

Cole reached to Natalie, trying to calm her anger. “Hierophant is offering to help hide my nature and ensure the city is more accepting of you. I was explaining some of what I shared with Morri before you arrived.”

Nodding, Argentari elaborated. “Keeper Morri and I have arranged for Cole to be recorded as bearing a powerful miracle of regeneration. That, and some fabricated census records, should help obscure the truth from prying eyes. As for you, I should be able to have the city approve you as an official refugee and friend of the city. Meaning you wouldn’t have to hide behind the Temple’s clever bit of legal finagling. You’d be considered a proper citizen of Vindabon and the Holy League.”

These peace offerings did little but make Natalie more upset. “People died; the Alukah was nearly returned to the Duchies. This isn’t the sort of thing a bushel of roses and an apology can compensate for.”

The Hierophant shook his head. “It’s not, and that’s not what I’m offering. The game is changing, and the two of you are at the center of it. I’m trying to ensure when the pieces stop moving; the board is favorable to the human race. Helping you both and pointing you in the right direction might be key to that.”

As Natalie gnawed on her lip, having mastered doing so without piercing the skin, Cole considered Argentari’s words. “Tell me why you brought Morri to the meeting with Scapin. That’s been bothering me this entire time. It makes little sense to include him in the negotiations if you thought the Tenth Temple was compromised.”

A snort of laughter escaped Argentari. “That was a test; I wanted to see how Morri reacted to Scapin’s claims. My subordinates and I were prepared to incapacitate him if he reacted… poorly.”

Shrugging, the Hierophant added, “Ironically, you saved Morri and stopped us from making an idiotic assumption.”

Raising a tattered eyebrow, Cole remarked, “How is that?”

Pointing at Cole’s arm, Argentari explained. “Your severed arm spooked Morri enough he didn’t react how we feared. He didn’t believe his Temple had been compromised, but he was clearly shaken and worried something was happening. That is not how someone like Morri would react if he was under magical influence. Because of that, we decided to hedge our bets and try to use the Ball to incapacitate Natalie and capture the other two.”

Letting out a sigh, Argentari had an almost wistful look on his face. “It was a good plan and should have worked. Even if Morri sprung the trap early, we’d have had options. The interference of a Fell God went and ruined things, which I guess counts as a victory in its own way.”

Scoffing, Natalie asked, “How can having a literal God of Evil interfering be a victory?”

Steepling his hands, the Quicksilver Player smiled. “To effect the world, a God needs to put power into the Final Gates, upsetting the balance until another God responds in kind. And the more power a God puts into the Gates without their debt being settled, the harder it is for them to open the Gates. Whatever Fell God aided, Scapin used a not insignificant amount of power to interfere directly in a rather crude way. That debt will be put to good use by Pantheon.”

Trying not to growl in distaste for all of this, Natalie snapped, “So that’s it? You gamble, and other people pay the price? And it’s okay because it was a tragedy, not a disaster?”

Argentari leveled a very cold glare at Natalie, the type of look she associated with Cole doing his duty. “True responsibility is holding the lives of others in your hands and knowing what that means. People died because I failed, this wasn’t the first time, and I fear it won’t be the last. But I do know if I had done nothing, so much more could have been lost. I’d rather people die thanks to mistakes and failure than have apathy and indecision claim them. I can’t speak for you, Natalie, but to me, a person who tries and fails to save lives is better than one who does nothing.”

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Natalie looked away. This Priest of Uncle Trickster rubbed her the wrong way. He spoke less like a person or priest and more like a God. Something she had a hard enough time tolerating from an actual deity, let alone a self-righteous spymaster.

Something about Argentari’s words itched some part of Cole. Pulling on old paranoid instincts born of a Vampire’s court and refined by years of constant danger. “There’s something more to all this, isn’t there? For some reason, I doubt the Temples or Gods would consent to your failed gamble without a wider context.”

Argentari nodded in agreement. “I didn’t arrange this meeting here just to be dramatic. Follow me”

He got up and opened the door, gesturing for them to exit the Rookery. Cole and Natalie exchanged glances but complied, stepping out onto the Griffin Port. The wind had picked up, and Cole’s cloak flapped like a dark banner. Argentari led them towards the stables, summoning up a ball of light in one hand as he did. Entering the structure, Natalie tried to ignore the musky aroma of large animals and their living space. It wasn’t too terribly difficult, considering the distractions and sights around them. Piles of straw and cloth scraps dotted the stables, many of them containing a sleeping griffin or hippogryph.

This was the closest Natalie had been to either breed of monster, and she was shocked by the variety of them. Every variety of plumage, hair, and fur was visible among the nests. As they journey deeper into the stable, an occasional aquiline eye would open and watch their progress before returning to sleep. Huge wings fluttered, and talons big enough to rend a person apart twitched in uncertain dreams.

At the back of the stable, they reached Argentari’s goal. A sleek griffin with mottled brown plumage and spotted flanks. The monster lay in a pile of fresh straw, with bandages covering parts of its fore and hind limbs. It lifted its sharp-beaked head at their approach and made a noise like a growl and a coo. Argentari increased the brightness of his light and held out a hand. The Griffin sat the edge of its beak in his palm, and a trilling purr escaped its worn chest.

As Argentari started to scratch its neck, the Griffin shifted its head, and Natalie gasped. One of its eyes was missing, torn out, and replaced with the pink tissue of magical healing. Once the beast settled, Argentari started to explain. “This is Rieka; she is a Scout Griffin belonging to my Temple. She arrived in Vindabon a little over a week ago, badly injured, with no sign of her rider. Rieka and her rider were sent to Harmas to learn why we’d lost contact with the Players in the city. She returned to us with a single message in her saddlebag.”

Stepping close to the Griffin, he said, “The message was ‘Harmas besieged from within. Prince John is compromised. Players all dead.”

Gesturing for Cole to come close, Argentari pointed at one of Rieka’s wounds, where the bandages had failed to cover all of the damage. Leaning down, Cole looked at the torn flesh and sucked in a breath. “Direbat bites. She was mobbed by them returning from Harmas?”

Argentari nodded. “We believe so. The presence of a swarm would explain why none of my covert messenger birds have made it in or out of the city.”

Swallowing down what might have been nerves, Argentari released a shaky breath. “A day after she returned to us, official word came from Harmas that the city was being put under quarantine. The missive claimed a new variant of the plague had been spotted nearby, and the city was trying to protect itself from infection. None of our Seers have been able to make contact, which could very well be because of the simple Aetheric interference, but I doubt it. None of my other subtle means of getting information has worked so far. Rieka seems to have carried the last message out of the city. Something is terribly wrong at the front, and I fear we’ve lost our southern bastion without a proper fight.”

Natalie’s eyes widened, and realization dawned. “This is why you gambled with Scapin. If an entire major city was compromised without anyone noticing before it was too late, then his claims about me had much more weight. How many people know about what’s happening in Harmas?”

Argentari started walking back to the rookery, and they followed. “Not many; I’ve conferred with City Spymaster and a few Tower Seers of a subtle inclination. But the lack of information and potential ramifications have made me leery of spreading this news far. I’d hoped to learn more from our prisoners before acting, be they you or Scapin and Dietrich.”

Back in the rookery, Argentari went over to a cabinet and pulled out a rolled-up map. “I have spies within the Duchies, and they have been sending troubling messages from within them. Something has stirred up the Court of Noct-Bucaros like nothing we’ve seen in centuries. Hibernating elders are being roused, entombed legions are marching, and old relics are being unleashed. Right now, the League thinks the conflict to the south is just another petty squabble, but it’s not. We are heading toward a full-scale war, and the Solstice’s events will only accelerate things.”

Unrolling the map, a crude but accurate military depiction of the Southern Marches, Argentari elaborated. “It's bitterly ironic, but I think Scapin’s attack on the city might save us. The warning signs have been visible for weeks. We’ve just been unwilling to consider the possibility of things getting this bad. The Archduke likes to snap at us every few decades whenever he sees an opportunity, and that's what this looked like from the outside. But then you arrive in Vindabon carrying a power the Duchies would raze cities to regain, and then Scapin attacks in possibly the most public and egregious way he could. If that doesn’t wake up the League, nothing will.”

Letting out a slow, pointless breath, Natalie asked. “Scapin might have tipped the Duchies’ hand and cushioned whatever damage they’ve hoped to inflict. And now that I’m thinking about it, how much do you know about Scapin?”

Argentari made a noncommittal noise. “Till the Solstice, I thought he was an Agent of the Ashen Door and Day Walker. Someone my order has had dealings with before. He’s facilitated prisoner exchanges and delivered a few messages over the years. I’d never have guessed he was someone or something as dangerous as he proved to be.”

Cole, for his part, was staring at the map, looking at Harmas and its noted garrison. “It doesn’t seem possible an entire city could be taken by the Duchies without anyone noticing but you.”

Bobbing his head in agreement, Argentari said, “Oh, I agree; it's one of the reasons I’ve been so tight-lipped about this. It's unlikely the whole city or even its leadership is under some kind of influence. The logical thought is a shadow war between spies is being fought within the city. A war my people lost… and that the city is oblivious to. With this supposed quarantine probably a way to keep the city unaware and ill-defended. The message didn’t say Harmas has fallen, but it’s besieged from within.”

“Why are you telling us all this?” asked Natalie, her fingers drumming a beat on the table. “You could have just apologized and offered your help. Hells… you didn’t even need to do that.”

A low, tired sigh escaped the Hierophant. “Because war with the undead the likes we haven’t seen since the last Red Conquest is coming, and I think the two of you can help the living win it.”

Pointing at Cole, he said, “You are an immortal Paladin specializing in hunting the undead. A holy knight who has faced Demons, Vampires, and every other form of Undead and come out victorious. On top of that, you were created in the Duchies, spending the first part of your life in a Vampire’s court. You know how they think and what their culture is like.”

Argentari then pointed at Natalie. “You are the newborn Alukah, capable of detecting and destroying Daywalkers with relative ease. Despite your nature, you’ve earned the trust of Death himself and maintained your morality in the face of everything. The Duchies are your homeland, and you understand what is at stake, what will happen to towns and cities conquered by them.”

Putting his hands together, the spymaster made his point. “The two of you have the potential to be the deciding factor in this war. Your arrival in Vindabon and everything that has happened since proves this. It’s not even been a month, and the two of you have saved the city multiple times over. This smells of divine providence and shows how much good you two can do. So now I’ve come before you both with as much truth and trust as I can muster. Hoping to earn your cooperation and help..”

Cole looked at Natalie, uncertainty in his eyes. “I would normally accept this charge, Argentari. But I have other responsibilities. Master Time has charged me with protecting the Alukah.”

The implication was clear; Cole would do this only if Natalie agreed. Chewing on her lip, Natalie tried her best to think about this logically. She was exhausted, and now Argentari was trying to put the weight of empires on her. A very large part of Natalie wanted him to tell him to go fuck himself. But another deeper urge surpassed even that spiteful temptation.

“Can the Duchies be liberated? Can the Archduke be put down and the people freed?” she asked, as memories of Glockmire and the people she’d left behind were stirred up.

The three sat in silence until Argentari said. “I don’t know. He’s incredibly powerful, and an entire empire of Monsters serves him. It would take a great conflux of fate and effort to bring about the end of the Blood Duchies. But if it is possible, then I think you both will be crucial in making it happen.”

Natalie touched her neck, tracing the lines of her stigma. The Maze of Moments, Glynn had called it. Marking someone destined for a long, difficult path with a happy ending. Pieces were falling into place, snapping together like a puzzle-painting before Natalie. This was what everything was about. Her life in Glockmire, meeting Cole, becoming the Alukah, and now everything in Vindabon. It was all part of the path Master Time had created.

Strangely this realization didn’t inspire the same anger its forebearers had. Every time before, when Natalie faced how much Master Time had orchestrated her life, it hurt badly. This time it felt different… like she was being helped to find a purpose, not manipulated into circumstances beyond her control.

Reaching out, she took Cole’s hand and nodded to him. “We will help fight. When the time comes, we will do what’s right.”

Cole squeezed her hand and whispered. “Well said.”

Argentari smiled and let out a relieved breath. “You would not believe how relieved I am-”

Natalie cut him off with a raised hand. “I can’t speak for Cole, but I have no desire to be your subordinate. Frankly, I don’t trust you much, and I’ve fought too hard to gain my freedom. I’ll take your help, advice, and recommendations, but not your orders. Not from you or anyone else.”

The Hierophant nodded in understanding. “That is more than fair. We can sort out the details later, but I think this has been enough for one night. I suggest we all get some rest before duty or crisis calls again.”

A low groan escaped Natalie. “I think that is the first thing you’ve said all night I can unequivocally trust and agree with.”

Argentari snorted and held out a hand. “Thank you both for your time and support. I’ll do my best to be worthy of it.”

Cole took the proffered hand and shook it; Natalie didn’t. The couple left the Rookery and descended through the City-Palace. Ignoring the looks they got from passing workers and functionaries. Neither noticed the expressions of awe, fear and interest their presence provoked; they were just too damn tired. When they reached the street outside the Palace, they found a coach waiting for them, the Quicksilver Player who’d acted as messenger sitting in the driver's spot.

As she curled up on one of the coach seats, head leaning on Cole, Natalie muttered. “I don’t like him, and I don’t trust him, but it was nice to give us a ride.”

Cole just grunted in agreement. They arrived back at the Temple and managed to make it into the apartment without any more calamity befalling Vindabon. Sleep came for Cole quickly, and Natalie eagerly entered a long overdue torpor.

:: Three Days Later ::

The Moon was a waning gibbous the night of Jaks Shohgard’s funeral. Its silver light shone on the assembled mourners standing before the newly finished grave, A hollow in between the roots of a great tree. Jaks was laid to rest alongside final offerings from friends and family. Natalie left the wolf statue she’d carved for this purpose. While Cole put one of Dietrich’s ruined gauntlets into the pile, signifying Jaks was victorious even in death. Once the final pieces were set down, his body was covered with rocks and earth, a single shining piece of moonstone capping the pile. A simple but clear marker of who lay beneath the sacred forest’s soil.

As the moon rose high above the mourners, the vigil began. Close to two hundred people stood in the snowy grove, silently watching over the new grave. The Shohgard Pack was, of course, there in its entirety. Kistine had recovered enough to lead the service, but her desperate empowerment of Cole during the battle had left its mark. Half of her face didn’t move properly, and she needed a cane to walk. A sight that left Cole with tremendous guilt. It felt wrong that he should be healthy and those he tried to protect were not. Another layer of bitter irony to his existence, he was a protector destined to always survive his charges.

Members of many other Packs were also in attendance. Werefolk who were kin or friends to the Shohgards. Natalie saw the old Werebear Guorpa Honeydrinker standing nearby, a weary stoop to his broad shoulders. Then, of course, there were a few people from the city who had come to pay their respects. People who’d seen Jaks fight in their defense at the ball, including the girl he’d danced with. Who clung to her sister and didn’t seem to know how to feel about events.

Hierophants from every temple also attended; they would be at every funeral of those killed in the attack. A willing penance paid for the price of their decisions. Looking at the elder Priests, Natalie still couldn’t decide if the risk they’d taken was justified or not. Scapin spun a convincing lie, and the worry over Harmas’s fate pushed them into taking the risk. Thinking about the whole mess left Natalie with a headache and anxiety.

Especially since Natalie knew she and Cole had agreed to dive headfirst into whatever mess awaited them in the southern marches. At the very least, they’d be entering the frontlines of a war that grew more serious each day. At worst, they faced a rising tide of undeath and dark manipulation that threatened entire nations. In the few days since their meeting with Argentari, the second option seemed more and more likely.

Natalie tried not to let all this overwhelm her, but during an hours-long silent vigil, there wasn’t much more to do but fret. So she stood next to Cole, trying to distract herself with the details of different trees and rocks. When midnight came and went, the first of the vigil holders started to peel off, returning to Vindabon or their campsites. Natalie’s sensitive hearing could pick up the sounds of the Moonmoot site being dismantled. The dozens of different Packs and Clans that had come together for the moot were dispersing.

Eventually, after another hour, the Shohgards started to leave as well. Cole and Natalie took that as their sign to depart. Farewells were shared with pack members soon, and the couple was left with three people, Ametza, Kistine, and Jokin. An awkward silence festered for a time before Jokin broke it.

Eyes red from crying, jaw still pink with new flesh, the surviving twin looked terrible. His words were hoarse and ragged with unspeakable loss. “If you two encounter Scapin again…. Kill him for me, and make sure his death is painful.”

Then before more could be said, he stalked off, grief dripping from him like so much bile. Kistine watched this and let out a rattling breath before shuffling towards Cole. Her cane and daughter guided her over the forest floor. With a surprisingly strong grip, she squeezed Cole’s wrist and spoke.

“It….was….my…..choice. My family….my sacrifice….something you hon-honored.” A brief flash of shame coursed through Cole, but he suppressed it. Taking Kistine’s hand, he squeezed it and bowed his head.

Ametza hugged Natalie then, a surprisingly fierce gesture that took the Vampire a moment to return. In a voice heavy with bleak mirth, she said, “Each time I hope to meet you on better occasions, things get worse. So… I hope we next meet under worse circumstances; maybe then things will be okay.”

A sad smile accompanied Ametza’s words, and the two women shared a bitter laugh. Nodding, Natalie let go of Ametza. “It’s not a bad idea. Yes, let's meet under terrible circumstances next time.”

Taunting fate and soothing their pain with dark humor, the Werewolf and Vampire separated. With some final farewells, Cole and Natalie left the Werefolk. Trudging through the dark forest, heading back towards the city. Soon they were alone in the deep wood, the only light Cole’s amulet.

Licking her lips, Natalie empowered her ears, checking to see if they were really alone. Aside from a distant doe, it seemed they were. Taking Cole’s hand, Natalie said, “There's something else about things that’s been bothering me. Not everything adds up; if Scapin was the Vampire in the oubliette, the one who knew about you, then… a lot of his actions don’t make sense. Isabelle seems convinced the attack on the ball was incredibly sloppy, like purposely so,”

Cole sighed. “You think there’s a third player in this? Not just the League and Duchies but someone else?”

Natalie nodded. “I could just be seeing clever plots where there are only failed schemes. But… I don’t know, something doesn’t seem right. Like the attack on the Ball was incredibly flashy. Why did Scapin make contact with Argentari? Why not just use the Alukah’s blood to sneak into the city and grab me? Then there's the fact Scapin knows about you, but the broader Duchies don’t seem to. Dietrich clearly didn’t know until you fought at the barn. You’d think if they knew, they’d tell him before sending him after you and me.”

They walked in silence for a time, both coming to the same conclusion but neither wanting to say it. Eventually, Cole’s bluntness battered through his trepidation. “Scapin, or whoever he truly works for, is pushing the Duchies and League towards total war.”

Letting out a worried breath, Natalie elaborated on her thoughts. “I think they also want both of us. My guess is Scapin was in Glockmire looking for the Alukah and happened to stumble across you. Then at the ball, Scapin tried to take us both through the hell portal, but only after Dietrich was badly wounded. I didn’t see the fight, but it seems weird to me that Scapin didn’t interfere with your duel with Dietrich earlier. I think he was putting himself in a position to kidnap both of us and dispose of Dietrich”

Squeezing her deathly cold hand, Cole made a sound of agreement. “I think you might be right.”

Leaning against Cole, Natalie asked, “Should we tell Argentari? I don’t like him, but he seems who would be the best to tell?”

Shaking his head, Cole said, “Not yet, we just have suspicions, and we’ve both been through a lot. We could be jumping at shadows, and… it might be your bias rubbing off on me, but I’m leery of telling Argentari anything we don’t have to.”

As the forest ended and the walls of Vindabon came into view, Natalie sighed. “So what now?”

Cole shrugged. “We enjoy the time we have until the next crisis?”

Natalie smiled and was about to agree when her ears caught something. The doe was approaching, its fast heart drawing nearer. Focusing on it, Natalie’s eyes widened; the ‘doe’ was running on two legs. Turning to the forest, she hissed. “Something’s coming!”

Gripping Requiem, Cole rolled his shoulders and suppressed a growl of annoyance. “I expected longer.”

Snorting in amusement, Natalie stared into the forest, letting her eyes peel away the dark. Whatever she was hearing had an incredibly fast heart and was breathing hard. As she sniffed the night air, Natalie identified it as a human woman… or something close to that. There was a familiar taint to her odor.

Bursting from the trees was a wiry-thin woman with long red hair and gaunt features. Gasping breaths, she stared at Natalie with wild eyes, a victorious smile spreading across her face. “I… I found you.”

The woman ran forward, stumbling over the uneven forest floor, only stopped by Cole’s outstretched arm. Gripping her collar, Cole lifted the woman up and let his amulet shine on her. She shied away from the light, and Cole swore. “Jagged hearts! Yara?”

Dietrich’s thrall twitched and covered her face. “P-please, he said to find you if he didn’t return. He said if he died and you lived, then she’d h-help me!”

Sniffing the air, Natalie identified the smell. Yara stunk of the Sting, the pleasure venom of Vampires. Her body was detoxing from the drug, and it was not going well. Seeing Natalie this close, Yara started to thrash harder. “Please-please-please-please-please, I’ll do-do anything; just, just help me!”

Cole and Natalie exchanged looks; they understood what had happened. Dietrich, with his strange sense of honor, had ordered his thrall to find the closest Vampire with a conscience in the event of his death or capture. Tacitly transferring ownership of the wounded woman from himself to Natalie. A noise of disgust worked its way out of Natalie’s throat, and she looked into Yara’s eyes. Knocking the poor thrall out with a psychic blow.

As Yara slumped to the ground, Cole let out a sigh and picked her up gently. “We should take her to the Temple.”

Staring at the drug-crippled woman in Cole’s arms, Natalie jerked her head in an approximation of a nod. Any doubts she’d had about her path melted away. Dietrich was one of the better Vampires of the Duchies, and he still left horrors in his wake. The Blood Duchies needed to burn, and Natalie… well, she was ready to light that match.