I watched Keira sit back down on the step beside me, unsure of where to start.
"So…"
"Why'd you take it, Elara?"
I sighed. "How much do you know about the current state of the continent?"
"Uh… I know about it."
"...Sure you do. Look, basically, humans are expanding. A lot. They're taking over territories of the nations of nonhumans, generally by force."
"...So..?"
"So? Other nations took action. Whenever humans invaded, wars broke out. Long, bloody wars. But the humans always managed to win through sheer numbers and technology. Orc colonies were wiped out for their land, and mountain trolls were killed so they could mine their homes for metals to continue their expansion. Entire forests were wiped out to build kingdoms–at the expense of the elven ones that once stood there."
"I don't know what you were taught where you came from, Keira, but chances are it's wrong. I was given the serum to create the perfect soldier–completely unkillable, growing more powerful with every opponent I defeated. I'm not the only one. There are other mutated vampires out there, but none of them have blood magic. That belongs to me alone."
Keira looked up at me. "Is it really that bad?"
"Yes. Take my advice, Keira. Don't go to Eldermarch. Or any big city, for that matter. You won't like what you find."
"What would I find?"
"Nonhumans," I muttered. "Being burnt at stake."
Keira fell silent.
"But… why are you here. Why aren't you still at, uh, the vampire kingdom?"
I smiled bitterly. "Nyxholm. I told you I was adopted into the royal family, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Well, the king and queen already had a son. And heir to the throne. And then I came along. I essentially took his place."
"He threw you out?"
"No. He framed me for murdering his parents. Then I got chased out."
"Oh."
The night was still. Keira's face was illuminated by the moonlight, her face conflicted.
"And… you're going back?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To stop him tearing the continent apart."
"What do you mean?"
"My brother wants to start a war, Keira. My parents wanted to use Aldric Vael's research to create an army capable of defending from the sheer numbers of humans if they ever attacked. My brother wants to weaponise it. He's already succeeded, and he's branching out, trying to make them even more powerful, giving them other abilities."
Keira fell silent again. "How? How are you gonna stop him?"
"By killing him, Keira."
She nodded, not meeting my eyes.
"And you were… the first… patient?"
"Yes, Keira," I said quietly. "I volunteered."
"Why?"
"Does it matter?"
"I guess not…"
Keira fidgeted with her hands, thinking.
"So that's it?"
Not even close. There was still so much more I could tell her, the corruption, the murder. I could tell her about my supporters, the truth behind the murder of my adoptive parents, and so much more.
"The gist of it, yes. Now you."
"Me?"
"Yes. Where are you really from, Keira?"
…
"I uh… I'm from…"
Elara glared at me. In the dark, her face still covered in blood, the sight was terrifying. I slumped, giving up on trying to lie. "Lethariel. It's an elven village in Ardúviel Forest. That's where I learned magic."
"That's quite a way away."
"Yes."
"Why'd you leave?"
I hesitated, unsure of what to say.
"We… my whole life in the village, I was brought up to hate humans. We were taught magic from a young age, combat magic. The village elders told us that one day, the time would come when we would join forces with the other nonhumans and wipe out the humans once and for all. I hated it, Elara–life in the village revolved entirely around hating people we'd never even met. We'd never even seen the outside world. It wasn't… it didn't feel right."
"Well… the hate isn't entirely unjustified."
I thought back to the dirty looks I'd gotten, and fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Eventually, I spoke up.
"Now what?"
Elara sighed. Only then did I realise that she hadn't been breathing up until that point. "I don't know Keira. If you want my advice, Keira, stay away from me. Travel into the mountains, or through the forest. Stay away from humans. And stay as far away from me as possible. That way, you'll live longer."
"Elara, wait." The same panic that had filled me when I was convinced she'd left me at the fork filled my body. "Please, you don't understand. I know nearly nothing about this place. I'd get lost, or run out of coin or… something! You can't just leave me! I didn't even know what coin was until I left !"
"Keira, I'm not–wait." She looked at me. "So how did you get the coin you have now?"
"I uh… don't ask."
For a moment, I thought I saw Elara's mouth twitch into a faint smile. "Fine. I've heard rumours of some sort of Elven Sanctuary in the North, just beyond Eldermarch. I'll guide you there, but no further. Deal?"
"Deal." I was a little wary of this 'Elven sanctuary', but I trusted Elara.
Maybe not entirely.
Definitely not entirely.
"So you don't hate me?"
"Why would I-oh," I muttered. "No. So long you don't hate me."
"I kinda suspected a while ago. Besides your secrets a little less— anyway." She cleared her throat. "What day is it?"
"Uh… Saturday. Or Sunday, depending on whether it's past midnight or not."
"Fuck," she muttered, glancing at the ruined chapel. "We'll leave early this morning then. Before the crowds."
I stifled a yawn. "But-"
"No buts. I want to be long gone when they find this."
"Fine," I muttered, getting to my feet. I slowly began walking down the steps, heading back to the inn. Elara remained seated.
I turned back, arching an eyebrow. "You coming?"
"I uh… don't sleep."
"You don't–oh. Right. You usually wander off when I'm asleep?"
"Vampires get bored too."
"Right." I turned back down the path, then looked back again. "But uh, could you… show me the way back?"
Elara sighed. "Sure." She stood up, taking the lead.
"Slow down. Geez." I hurried after her. "Vampire… no wonder you walk so fast."
…
"Goodnight, Keira."
I pinched out the candles in the room, heading for the door.
"Wait."
"What? You want me standing over you all night?"
"I uh, no." Keira looked embarrassed. "Just uh… where are you going?"
I shrugged. "I dunno. Goodnight."
Keira turned away, and I shut the door behind me.
I disliked lying to Keira.
Obviously, she knew I was a vampire now. That didn't mean she knew everything about me.
I wasn't completely lying when I said that I don't turn people. I try not to. Turned vampires are generally poor imitations of true ones, more subject to hunger and bloodlust. Even I didn't want to subject anyone to that hell.
But Celeste… I couldn't give less of a fuck. She probably had an antidote prepared wherever that sigil took her anyway.
Besides, can you imagine? Celeste Vael, feared vampire hunter, turned into one of the very beasts she hunts. Oh, the irony.
And as for killing people… oh, if only Keira knew. She'd flee to the other side of the continent if she knew the things I'd done.
I'm not a good person.
I'm barely a person at all.
I walked back down to the bar. I had 'commandeered' a fresh set of clothes on the way here. Some idiot had left them on the line overnight. Fortunately for them, Keira had insisted on leaving some coin behind as payment. Unfortunately for them, I pocketed the coin as soon as she wasn't paying attention. I now wore a clean, fresh suit and a new pair of jeans, and was a few coins richer.
I had also retrieved my overcoat, which had been on the floor for some reason. Fortunately, the vials inside were untouched.
The bar was virtually empty. I swept through, exiting and heading towards the more populated parts of town.
Brambletown was quiet at night. Fortunately, there were still a few drunks lurking around, so I snuck up behind one and slammed my fist into the side of his head, knocking him out. I caught him before he hit the ground, dragging him into an alley.
Propping him up on my shoulder, I rolled his head back to expose his neck as my gums split.
I sank my fangs into his neck. His blood was sweeter than most.
I drank until I was satiated, which was a little more than I should have. The fight with Celeste had tired me, and I needed the energy back. By the time I pulled away, his heart was only beating faintly.
Oh well. By the looks of him, not many people would miss him if he moved into the next plane.
Using his own shirt to wipe the blood off his neck, I dumped him unceremoniously in the corner of the alley, wiping my finger over the puncture wounds, the flesh knitting back together.
Keira had been wrong about blood magic. It could heal.
It was only destructive to its user.
I examined my arm, rolling back my jacket and shirt. Very faint black veins could be seen. Not enough for it to be worth using one of Soren's treatments, though. They were nearly undetectable to the naked eye.
Besides, I always wore long sleeves.
I exited the alley via the back of the tavern, digging my talons into the wooden walls. I lay on my back, staring up at the sky.
The stars were pretty tonight. Not a cloud in sight. A waning moon shone down on me.
…
"Keira."
Someone shook me.
"Keira."
I moaned slightly, blindly trying to bat away their hand. "Go away… S'early…"
"Keira." Elara shook me again. "Wake. Up."
I grumbled, slowly lifting my face from my pillow, hair strewn across my face. "What?"
"We're leaving."
"What..? You said morning… the sun's not out yet."
"Yeah. Early morning. Get up."
"But-"
"Up."
…
Keira flinched, quickly getting out of bed. I sighed, feeling bad.
"Keira, I didn't mean to snap, just, look- If someone was feeding Celeste with information that allowed her to track us down, we can't rule out the possibility that they sent others after me."
I watched her pack her things. "Last chance to ditch me."
"Nope. For all you know, if you leave, they could track me down for information. The way I see it, it's safer to stay with you."
"If you say so," I muttered.
…
Grayharbour was the last stop on the way to Eldermarch. It was a small coastal town along the Tempest sea, well known for its high winds, constant storms and bad weather. It wasn't the fastest route to Eldermarch, but it avoided Crestwall, a large town that would be full of people travelling to Eldermarch.
Keira seemed quieter than usual, but that didn't stop her from badgering me with questions. In truth, I found her curiosity a little refreshing.
"No, I myself can't turn into bats."
"No, I don't want you to teach me."
"Only certain species of vampires turn into 'giant bat monsters.' They're called Cruorwing Vampires."
"Only Higher Vampires can do that."
"They're very rare. Most live in remote areas away from other people."
"No, not all vampires are incredibly attractive."
It made the journey seem quicker.
The town itself was old and rugged, the sky a constant grey. But the people were nice, a mix of dwarven sailors, halfiings and even a few orcs. It made for a nice break from the larger, human-populated areas we'd stayed at.
They welcomed Keira happily–it had been a while since they'd seen an elf–and I got a fair share of dirty looks. Unfortunately, I was doubtful that they'd welcome a vampire any more than a human.
As usual, I hid in our room while Keira was socialising, probably in the seaside pub. I lay on my bed, bored out of my mind.
I eventually left the room and wandered out by the docs. The sea air helped clear my mind.
I sat on an old jetty, feet dangling off the edge. The rolling waves occasionally brushed my boots, the spray moistening my hair.
I sat there, watching dusk fall.
"That's usually where I sit, y'know."
I grumbled slightly as a guff voice came from behind me. An old dwarf waddled over to me, plopping himself behind me.
"You're the companion of that elf, aren't you?"
"That's me."
"Nice lass." He peered up at me. "Been a while since we had an Elf through here."
"Hm."
He took my silence as an opportunity to keep talking.
"Usually come out here and fish as the sun comes down, but saw you and figured you could use some company."
"..."
"Not too long ago, I would've been put there," he gestured to the ocean, "Fishing for the village. But alas, my age has caught up to me. Besides, Ocean has grown more hostile since my prime. More and more monsters infest the water, and the storms only grow worse." He sighed. "We are forced to stay closer and closer to the shore."
"..."
"No offence, but you don't really strike me as a human."
"How so?"
"You're too… still. Quiet. Difficult to read. Most humans would come in here, giving us dirty looks, and demand we sell them our fish. Why are you here?"
"Just… passing through."
"I see. Which reminds me." He produced a bottle of wine from his coat. "Your Elf friend asked me to bring this out for you. Bought it at the bar."
I gingerly accepted it from him. "Fuck." I muttered. "This is… old. And expensive." I arched an eyebrow at him. "Keira bought this?"
"Indeed. She seemed a little too tipsy to bring it out herself, though, so asked me to do it on her behalf."
"I see…" I handed it back to him. "Keep it. For the… company."
He raised a bushy eyebrow. "Well… seems like a mighty expensive price to hear an old man talk, but… money's tight around here at the moment, so I won't say no." He popped the cork and took a sip.
"Where are you from?" He placed the bottle beside him.
"North."
"Whereabouts?"
"Far North. Small place. You wouldn't know it."
"Far north… that's up near the vampire kingdom, isn't it?"
"Uh, yeah." Maybe I should've lied more and said south. "Just before that. We had the occasional vampire come through."
He huffed slightly. "Scary creatures, vampires. What were they like?"
"They aren't so bad," I murmured. "They're similar to humans, in some ways."
"Not that that's much better." He laughed, then quickly soured his expression when he saw my face. "Uh, sorry."
"Don't be. You're not wrong."
"Aye," he shook his head. "I apologise, we're a little out of touch in this small part of the world. So you're a traveller? Tell me, what's happening out there?"
"You're better off not knowing. Trust me."
He grunted. "I'll hold you to that. Your elf friend seemed completely naive to everything around her. Where's she from?"
"A long way away."
He nodded, staring out to sea, almost wistfully. Then he laughed. "Where are my manners? I've completely forgotten to introduce m'self. Durin–Durin Brokkison! And you are?"
"Elara," I murmured. "Elara Darkthorne."
"Elara, eh? Well, speak up, Elara, I can barely hear ye in my old age!"
"Right," I said, smiling slightly. "Sorry."
Silence lapsed between us, and he took another sip of the wine as the last light of the sun slowly dipped below the horizon.
"Well, Elara, it's been a pleasure to meet you, but it's time I be heading off. Can barely in daylight as it is." He got to his feet. "Besides, I'm feeling mighty queasy all of a sudden. Might wanna get your friend to talk to the barkeep about this wine."
"It was nice meeting you, too," I murmured. Then a little louder. "Uh, thanks for the company."
I heard I retching sound behind me.
Durin was on his knees, violently coughing. Blood splattered the jetty.
"Shit." I quickly picked him up, rolling him over to face me. His eyes were glassy, breathing ragged. "Fuck, uh… look at me. You're gonna be fine. I'll get some help and…"
And with a final, ragged gasp, his eyes rolled back, and he fell limp in my arms.
I released him in disbelief.
He just died.
The wine bottle rolled out of his jacket with a thunk.
I picked it up, my fingers eerily still.
He said that Keira bought this.
Bought it for me.
I carefully popped the cork and took a whiff.
Nothing.
As in, absolutely nothing.
Not even a wine smell.
Was Keira really that scared of me to go as far as poisoning me?
I pocketed the bottle and headed back to the bar.
…
Keira was drunk and surrounded by a gaggle of dwarves and halflings. I yanked her off her chair and dragged her outside, glaring at her companions with such venom that they didn't say a word, quickly looking away.
I shoved Keira down the tavern steps, sending her tumbling down the steps, falling over and grazing her elbows, looking up with me, eyes wide with fear.
Her words were slurred with alcohol. "Elara, what-"
"Shut up." I snarled. I yanked her up by the collar and shoved the bottle in her face. "Recognise this?"
Keira squinted, her eyes slightly crossed. "Uh… Wine?" Her voice trembled slightly.
"Yes. Wine." I gripped her collar tighter. "Know where it came from?"
"The bar..?"
"Yes, Keira. The fucking bar. Did you buy it?"
"Sorry?"
"DID YOU BUY IT?"
"No! I–I haven't bought anything! Everyone else was just nice… they hadn't seen an Elf in a while. They–"
"Shut up, Keira." I turned away, thinking. Keira was telling the truth. Her heart was racing, and her breathing was irregular, but that was from the alcohol and fear, not lying. "Go to your room. And stay there."
"But-"
I grabbed her by the collar again and dragged her out of sight of the bar and teleported into our room. Keira immediately turned and threw up all over the floor.
I got in her face, making sure that she was listening to me. "Keira, I don't have any time to explain right now, but I will explain later. You. Stay. Here. Got it?"
Keira nodded, trembling. I quickly turned away before I could see her tear-soaked face or her terrified expression. I caught a glimpse of my face on the way out. Red eyes, broken gums, extended fangs.
The face of a monster.
I burst through the door, refusing to look back in fear of hating myself even more.
…
I dropped down on the Doppler in a back alley, knocking them onto their back. I held him down with a boot on their neck.
"You should've hidden your scent, not just the wine's." I hissed. "Fucking amateur."
The doppler, currently in the form of a male dwarf, tried to push me off to no avail. "Wait! Please, I-"
"Shut up." I pushed down on his neck harder. "Who sent you?"
"No one." He gasped. "I just picked up a contract… Elara Darkthorne."
"Show me."
He fumbled in his pockets, quickly handing me a rumpled piece of parchment.
Elara Darkthorne.
Wanted for murder, theft, and conspiracy against the crown.
Reward for capture or proof of death: 10000 crowns.
Reward for information on her whereabouts: 500 crowns.
Bonus reward for the live capture of her Elven companion: 5000 crowns.
With a crude drawing of me above.
"Where did you get this?"
"Eldermarch! They're everywhere in the city. You can pick them up from-"
Crack.
His neck broke as I applied too much pressure.
I barely noticed, staring at the parchment.
Fuck.
…
I woke up from another nightmare, Faelar screaming, staggering back as half his face melted off. I sat up in bed, holding my head in trembling hands.
I rubbed the bags from under my eyes, my head pounding. Ugh. Elara was right. I really shouldn't drink alcohol.
Elara's snarling face flashed through my mind, last night's foggy memories replaying in my mind. I stood up, getting off my bed.
A yelp escaped my throat, and I staggered backwards into the corner of the room.
Elara stood in the corner of the room. Her fists were clenched, eyes red. She stood completely still.
"Elara, whatever happened last night, I-"
"It wasn't your fault." Elara relaxed, her eyes turning grey again. "I… look." She walked over to me, and I had to force myself not to back away anymore. She handed me a piece of paper.
I looked at it. "Elara…"
"They're all over Eldermarch."
"Did you… Is it true?"
She sighed. "No. Or at least I haven't killed anyone who would warrant this kind of attention. From humans at least. My brother–he's sunk his claws into the council at Eldermarch."
"So what do we do?"
"You should get as far away from me as possible. But if you still insist on sticking around… We'll be careful. Very, very careful."
"Can't we… just go around Eldermarch?
"No. Eldermarch sits directly between the Highward and Crownspire mountain ranges. It's what separates the North and South territories. Travelling through the mountains would take twice as long, and isn't much safer, and if we went around the mountains as well… even I'd be grey by the time we crossed over to the North."
"Well…" I muttered, "How do we get through Eldermarch undetected? And why the hell am I mentioned in the poster?"
Elara sighed. "I don't know Keira. Maybe it's just because you're travelling with me. I did tell you you should get as far away from me as possible."
"Nuh uh. We're in this together now."
"Fine. Your call. But we have to leave. Now."
"I'm ready to go."
"Good- wait. One more thing."
Elara produced a wine bottle from her jacket and handed it to me.
I eyed it. "Uh… no thanks. I've still got a headache."
"No, don't drink it. Last night, a dwarf gave it to me. He'd been told by a Doppler disguised as you to give it to me. It's poisoned."
"Did you drink it?"
She stared at me. "Clearly fucking not."
"Then how do you know it's poisoned?"
"I… just take it. Smell it."
I accepted it from her hand and popped the cork, taking a whiff.
"Weird." I muttered, "Doesn't smell like anything. But it's probably just a scentlock spell."
"A what?"
"A scentlock spell. It removes the smell of liquids. It's simple, really, and requires basically no magic. Hold on." I drank a mouthful of wine, slooshing it around in my mouth.
I had to hold back a laugh. The look on Elara's face was hilarious.
I spat out the wine, catching some in my hands. "Try it now."
Elara gave me a funny look and sniffed the wine in my outstretched hands, and immediately recoiled, a disgusted look on her face.
"So, poisoned?"
"You don't say."
I took a sniff. "I don't smell anything. Aside from wine."
"My senses are better than yours."
"I'll take your word for it." I let the wine in my hands spill onto the floor and picked up the bottle. A drop of fire fell from my fingertip, burning up the liquid inside, leaving behind an empty bottle.
"Huh."
I looked up. Elara was watching, a fascinated expression on her face. "What?"
"Nothing. Just… you must be a pretty powerful sorcerer, huh?"
"Uh… I guess. Are we gonna go now?"
Elara snapped out of it. "Yes. Get Acorn ready."
I threw my bag over my shoulder, heading downstairs, Elara in tow.
We were greeted by a very angry-looking group of dwarves.
"Uh…" Elara muttered. "About the poisoned wine."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing! I just… may have told the dwarf who gave it to me to keep it."
I groaned. "You killed a dwarf."
"No… the poison did."
I approached the group, putting on a friendly smile. "Uh, hey. Look-"
"Your friend killed one of our Elders." A dwarf interrupted. "I reckon she's gotta pay." The group erupted in a chorus of angry agreement.
"How do you know it was her?"
He glared at me. "Don't take me for a fool, Lassie. Durin's body was found in the water by the docks–the same place he was seen with her last night!"
Elara muttered something about "bodies taking too long to sink," and I decided now wasn't the right time to try and chew her out.
Elara spoke up. "The poison was meant for me. I didn't know that the wine was poisoned when I told him to keep it. If it's any consolation, the person responsible for the poisoning is dead."
The dwarf snarled. "The way I see it, you're the one responsible for his death. Get out of our way, elf, we wouldn't want to drag you into this."
I sighed. "Please let us pass. We don't mean you any harm."
The dwarf charged, weilding a glass bottle.
Before I could react, Elara was in front of me, lifting the dwarf by the beard and holding him above the ground as though he weighed nothing.
Just before the rest of the dwarves could charge, her jaw unhinged, gums splitting and fangs bursting from her gums, her fingers lengthening into talons.
She glared at the group, eyes red. "Back off or he dies."
"Elara…"
"Shut up, Keira." She hissed. "Move! Get the fuck out of the way!" She walked towards the group, who quickly parted for her. "C'mon, Keira."
I moved through the group, their eyes boring into me. "Sorry," I muttered.
The moment we were out the door, Elara tossed the dwarf aside. "Go get your horse."
I quickly headed around to the back of the inn, grabbing Acorn from the stables. "C'mon, boy", I muttered. "We gotta go."
I emerged around the front just inside to see Elara backhand a dwarf back through a window.
Glass shattered, and I caught a glimpse of red flying off the dwarf's face, his jaw at an unnatural angle. My eyes widened in horror as Elara kicked away another angry dwarf from the mob, a red battleaxe forming in her hand.
I thrust out my hands, a boom ringing out as a shockwave erupted, shaking the ground and slamming into the dwarves, sending them flying across the ground. Elara stumbled slightly, biting her axe into the ground for support.
The axe dissolved, trailing up her arm and reabsorbing into her skin.
Elara ran up to me, her eyes red. "Get back on your horse, Keira. We have to go. How."
"But-"
"I didn't kill any of them; they'll be fine. Now we have to go before they get up or more arrive."
"I…" I looked back at the dwarves, stricken. But Elara was right, they didn't seem to hurt, and they were quickly getting up, albeit slightly dazed. "I… okay."
I mounted Acorn, sparing one last look at the scene behind us, before setting off at a gallop, Elara beside me, keeping pace with Acorn.
As the clouds turned darker, I tried to ignore the growing feeling gnawing at me from my stomach.
Fear.