The survivors had scattered like ash in wind.
Forty vampires who'd fled Drakenfell's fall, now dispersed across the mountain range in groups of three or four. Never together. Never concentrated enough to be found easily. Just... existing. Hiding and surviving.
The mountains were harsh, jagged peaks that rose like broken teeth, valleys so deep sunlight never reached their floors. Perfect terrain for those who needed to disappear.
Thaddeus had claimed a small cave system perhaps twenty miles from where they'd initially hidden. Nothing grand. Just functional, water source, defensible entrance, enough space for maybe six vampires to exist without feeling crushed by proximity.
He shared it with Serana and four others who'd chosen to follow them specifically rather than scatter with the larger groups.
But right now, he was alone.
