Chapter 3
3415words
As per usual, every knight and servant she passed along the way bowed reverently along the way, including the young blonde at the end of the hallway.
“Please, my dear,” she stated softly, searching the area for anyone who might be eavesdropping on their conversation. “We needn't go on with the formalities. I trust you were not followed here?”
The blonde looked behind herself and searched the hallway along with the raven haired monarch to see if there was an audience that they were not yet aware of, her cornflower blue dress spiraling and unfurling as she turned. “I don't believe so, milady.” She spoke softly and her voice was unnaturally soothing.
Queen Valyria waved away the nearby soldiers guarding the doorway and tilted her head back, looking down her nose at the world... at least until no one was left but her and the blonde.
“Firstly,” she started as she seemed to relax a bit. “Firstly I need to tell you that my husband was not fond of sorcerers and sorceresses.”
The blonde opened her mouth to speak, but Her Majesty silenced her with a gesture.
“He was not keen on magic of any sort being performed within this nation, let alone the city walls, and maker forbid, the palace. Not only had he a negative predisposition toward sorceresses and sorcerers, he was also not particularly keen on the idea that women could ever be in a position of power. He was, as I am sure you have surmised, a bit of a misogynist, and between the two of us, he was also a bit of a dullard.
“Furthermore,” she continued after a brief pause to look at herself in a hallway mirror. “Furthermore he was especially cruel to anyone who thought they could get away with using spellcraft within the walls of this city, even in her defense.”
The blonde woman could feel the warmth draining from her cheeks as Queen Valyria went on.
“Fortunately, I do not share my husband's boorish sentiments. Women are powerful, and so are the magi who have been a part of Brhams culture for centuries. That being said... my word, girl, are you feeling alright? You look absolutely pale as the dead.”
“I'm feeling fine, Your Grace.” the blonde responded with a reassuring smile. “It's been a long week, as I am sure you can attest.”
“Oh, yes, I completely agree, my girl. Such a detestable series of events have fallen upon us. Which is part of the reason why you are here. It is my understanding that you were a participant in the events last week? That you used magic to help bring down the leader of the brigands who attacked us?”
“Well,” the blonde stated nervously, her fidgeting hands hidden behind her back. “It was a very small part. Rather, a minor role, I barely did anything at all, really.”
“Modesty.” Queen Valyria hissed with a sly grin. “Refreshing or revolting, I can never decide.” She gestured for the blonde to follow her and began walking down the hallway.
“I have a task for you. One that could use your particular talents. You are a healer, correct?”
The blonde nodded.
“Apologies, my dear, but what is your name?” Queen Valyria asked, stopping in the middle of the hallway and tilting her head curiously.
“Alice, Your Grace.”
“Alice...” the Queen said softly. “Pretty name. Alice, I have sent 3 men who were also quite useful during the attack on the our fair city on a task that should have been accomplished by now, and I suspect that they have likely run into some difficulties. As such, I have decided that the sorceress that aided in the defeat of our greatest recent enemy be the one to provide that assistance. In short, something has been attacking our recent supplies and the 3 men I sent are expected to eliminate this nuisance as quickly as possible. They have set out west toward the enchanted forest and have been gone since yesterday. Apparently it is not going to be as easy as I originally thought it would be. Do you accept?”
Alice bowed cordially and smiled. “How could I possibly refuse?”
“Excellent!” Queen Valyria stated astutely. “If you require any provisions, please ask the quartermaster on your way out. Naturally, I expect you to be prepared to venture forth within the hour.”
“Of course, milady.” Alice stated as she bowed once again, her modest cornflower blue dress swaying gracefully as she moved.
Queen Valyria nodded and walked away, turning a corner and stopping near another mirror. She tapped on the glass four times and looked around before a vague face appeared in the mirror. “Follow her, and report back to me.” she hissed.
The face in the mirror nodded and disappeared.
“Well, this is embarrassing...” the nude man sat waist deep in snow and blushed brightly.
Trinady, Jathom and Bertrum stood around him after binding his hands with his own ragged clothes.
“Ready to listen?” Trinady asked, straightening his jerkin.
“Let me guess...” the nude man began.
“No.” Trinady interrupted sharply. “You've already made trouble with your assumptions, so I'm just going to get to the point.
Jathom snickered.
“We're hunting something-or-other that has been attacking trade caravans on the local roads.” Trinady stated bluntly. “We don't know what it is, but to be perfectly honest, a were-bear is shaping up to be a pretty good suspect-”
“It's a vampire.” the man interrupted. “It seems that I owe you a heap of apologies.”
The three men looked askance at one another and looked back at the man.
“My name is Kuma. I'm a local tavern owner.” he stated blatantly before mumbling under his breath, “She's going to kill me.”
“Who?” Trinady asked calmly.
“Which tavern?” Jathom asked excitedly.
Bertrum glared at Jathom and asked, “Are you even old enough to drink, boy?”
“My partner, Rabbit's Horn, no he probably isn't.” Kuma responded in kind.
“Am too!” Jathom protested.
Bertrum muttered child under his breath as Trinady gestured for them to be quiet. “Am I to understand that you are also hunting this creature?” Trinady asked.
“Indeed.” Kuma replied. “I've been tracking it for a few days. I had a shipment of ale go missing and I can't really make much of a living without ale. Did you track it to this cave, too?”
“No.” Trinady replied. “We just saw the wall of ice in summer and decided it warranted investigation. Did you engage it?”
“I tried to freeze it in here, but I wasn't even able to get a good look at it. It's unbelievably fast.”
“Rabbit's don't have horns.” Jathom blurted out.
Trinady pinched the bridge of his nose and gave an exasperated sigh. “Anyway! Can you still pick up its scent?”
“It's covering its scent somehow, but I know it went further into the cave.” Kuma responded. “I can get rid of the ice, if you like. The snow might take a bit longer.”
In a matter of seconds, the ice blocking the daylight hole of the cave began to dissipate into snowflakes, and sunlight began to pour in, showing just how magnificent the hidden forest truly was, and in one smooth motion, Kuma stood up and tore the rags that bound his hands and walked toward the trees, reaching for a satchel that lay in the snow. He reached in, pulled something out, and in a flash of colorful smoke, fresh clothes appeared, covering him completely.
“Shall we be on our way?” Kuma asked with a cheeky grin.
Jathom's tesla crystal lit the way as they traversed the narrow passages of the cave, the pale blue light barely illuminating the darkness before them. As such, traversal of the passageway was slow going, but eventually they reached an opening which lead back outside.
Upon exiting the cave, they decided to get their bearings and figure out where they were. Trinady and Kuma searched a small map while Jathom and Bertrum discussed The Rabbit's Horn.
“Rabbit's don't have horns.” Jathom reiterated.
“No shit!” Bertrum snorted. “It's a metaphor!”
“For what?”
“Rabbits are famous for being horny, boy.”
“So it's a brothel?”
“Something like that...” Bertrum's gaze wondered aloft for a moment and something caught his eye. “What's that?”
Jathom looked toward the object of Bertrum's attention and saw what appeared to be a small child kneeling near a flowered bush. The apparent child also sounded like they were humming softly.
Bertrum approached first, cautiously.
“Excuse me.” he spoke softly, trying to sound safe. “Are you alright?”
Jathom slowly approached behind Bertrum, afraid his manner of speech might frighten the child, so he whispered something that nobody heard.
The child wore a long red cape with a hood, and seemed oblivious to the four men standing nearby, but with an unnaturally smooth motion, the child stood and turned toward Bertrum, lookup up at him with a smile.
“It's a girl.” Bertrum stated softly, only a hint of surprise in his voice. “Are you lost, little one?”
The girl shook her head side to side, her movement still seemingly unnatural.
Jathom pulled some bread from his pouch and held it out to the child. “Are you hungry?”
The girl nodded and smiled.
Jathom returned the smile and took a step toward the girl, who slowly, unnaturally, reached out for the bread. The girl gently took hold of Jathom's hand, and continued to smile, also unnaturally.
Then she bit his finger.
Jathom howled in pain as the girl held his hand with a surprisingly strong grip. Only a moment later, in the struggle, her hood fell off, and two large cat ears protruded from the top of her head. Jathom dropped to his knees and pulled away from the girl as hard as he could, but to no avail.
Bertrum couldn't stop laughing.
Kuma and Trinady came running, and the girl suddenly released the young man and bounced into a nearby tree, where she hissed menacingly before grinning sadistically. “You're blood is disgusting, trrac!” she shouted. “Not even a decent snack!”
“Is that...” Trinady said softly to Kuma.
“That's our vampire.” Kuma replied.
“She's a neko. No wonder we couldn't track her scent.” Trinady drew his sword and prepared for a fight.
“That's a bloody vampire?” Bertrum shouted, still stifling laughter.
“Guess I messed up.” the neko girl sighed. “Catch you later boys!” In a blink she was simply, unnaturally, gone.
“That could've gone much better.” Kuma said emphatically.
“Am I going to die?” Jathom asked, his finger dripping blood slowly.
“It's only contagious...” Trinady started. “It's only contagious if you ingest the vampire's blood. She only bit your finger, so you're not in any sort of danger. And look on the bright side.” Trinady patted Jathom on the back. “Your blood is apparently disgusting, so you're not in danger of getting bitten again.”
“We still have a problem, though.” Kuma stated. “We still can't track. She can cover her scent, like all neko can, and she's traveling through the trees, which rules out more traditional tracking. We've only one option left to us, I'm afraid.”
“Magic?” Trinady asked calmly.
Bertrum bandaged Jathom's finger, still trying to stifle a laugh.
“Sorry, mate. I don't meant to laugh, but watching that little girl hold you down by your finger was just... too much.” He snorted and held back his laugh as much as he could.
“Well,” Trinady began, his hand raised to his chin in deep contemplation. “I don't know any tracking magic, and I'm pretty sure these two don't know any magic at all.” He gestured toward Jathom and Bertrum, who were quietly arguing over Bertrum's laughter.
“I...” Kuma started, scratching the back of his head. “I... know someone who can help.”
The sun was beginning to set, and the screaming of the cicadas only grew louder as the quartet traversed the hazardous forest. There were not trails or paths to follow, and while the wolf-man and the bear-man were getting along swimmingly, Jathom and Bertrum were struggling to walk through the protruding roots and thick vines. In the distance, ravens could be heard making a fuss. Between the noise, the bumps, the bruises, the splinters and the occasional thorny bush, it was an all around miserable trek for the group.
Until finally, to everyone's relief, they found a road.
Relief was short lived, however, as shortly after finding the road, they also found a wrecked cart. Alongside the wrecked cart were several bodies, including one child.
Bertrum removed his cap in reverence and quietly, under his breath, said a prayer.
Jathom followed Bertrum's example.
Kuma swore foully.
“I know them.” Kuma stated, his face slightly pale. “That's Allistaire, the man who runs my deliveries, along with his wife and... his daughter... gods dammit.”
Trinady knelt by the bodies and examined them closely.
“I'm sorry, Kuma. Did you know them well?” Trinady examined the wounds closely.
“Alistair was a dear friend.” Kuma looked away from the bodies. “Eleanor and Ashlyn always went along with him on his deliveries. They refused to let him face the road alone. What happened to them?”
“It looks like a vampire got to them.” Trinady replied sympathetically.
“Our vampire?”
“The bite marks are pretty small. I would expect so.”
Kuma clenched his fists and his face went white with rage. “Well, I guess we know what we need to do, don't we.”
“Looks that way.” Trinady stood up and placed a hand on Kuma's shoulder. “We'll get her. One of them was holding this.” Trinady held out his hand and revealed a clump of black fur, which appeared to come from the neko vampire's head. “This should make tracking her much easier.”
“Good.” Kuma said with a spark of rage in his eyes. “We still have a way to go. We'll bury them before we move on.”
As the sun set, pale lights could be seen in the distance. The weary quartet walked slowly along the road, all covered in dirt from digging graves.
Even Jathom couldn't bring himself to speak much.
The flickering lights in the distance turned out to be windows of The Rabbit's Horn. Kuma breathed a sigh of relief as the gloom of night quickly surrounded them. It had been many years since the last time that he had to bury a friend, and never had he been required to bury one so close to home. The lights slowly drew closer, and Kuma took a deep breath, knowing that having a sour attitude so close to home might effect his thoughts of home, so he brought his hands up to his face, and with a loud smacking sound, brought both of his hands to his cheeks as he shouted enthusiastically, though no particular words came out of his mouth.
Trinady looked askance at him.
“I take it we're nearly there?” Trinady asked, taking the hint and letting go of the dour mood.
“Home sweet home!” Kuma shouted.
It was only a matter of minutes before they were beneath an unnaturally bright light shimmering above the front door of the inn, the soft blue light surrounded by moths of varying sizes and colors. Kuma opened the door and looked around cautiously.
“Wait here...” he whispered softly as he walked into the dimly lit foyer, walking on his toes and peering into the darkened corners of the building. “So far... OOF!”
Kuma suddenly launched left, and a loud thud could be heard from the door. Trinady and the others burst into the door, ready for a fight, only to find a short woman with large feline ears and a fluffy cat tail pinning Kuma to the floor, her tail waving happily as both of them laughed among themselves.
“What took you so long?” the woman asked, sounding both impatient and ecstatic.
“We ran into a bit of trouble.” Kuma said, still stifling his laughter.
“We?” she asked before tilting her head backward to gawk at the trio of men standing just inside the doorway. “You can close the door, boys, I would prefer the moths stay outside. Welcome!” she jumped to her feet and stood on Kuma's belly. “I am Satura, and I am the matron of this fine establishment. I take it you boys will be spending the night?”
Trinady nodded and took a step forward.
“If it's not too much trouble, miss.” he said respectfully.
“You better be planning of feeding your new friends, Kuma!” Satura shouted, still standing on Kuma.
“I'd love to.” Kuma grunted.
Satura gracefully leapt from Kuma and landed near a table, and with a wave of her hand the building lit up brightly.
To the left, just inside of the door was a large kitchen with multiple storage containers, some of which were billowing fog from the subzero temperatures within. To the left was the dining area which held four large oak tables surrounded by matching chairs and decorated with thick white candles. Directly across from the door, across the foyer, was the lounge. Large sofas adorned with red velvet sat around a sturdy glass table, and nearby were matching lounge chairs that looked like they could swallow a man whole. Around the corner from the lounge was the bar, toward which Bertrum was already making his way, and on the far side of the lounge was a luxurious fireplace with an enormous stone chimney leading up through the high vaulted ceiling.
It wasn't long before Kuma was in the kitchen preparing a feast for his new comrades, and when all was said and done, the spread on the table included three types of meat, fried and baked potatoes, and a variety of vegetables that Jathom and Bertrum could not identify. The aroma filling the dining room was spectacular, though, and the men couldn't help but drool a little bit, and even though the group talked while they ate, the smorgasbord did not last a great deal of time, leaving empty plates with empty bones on them.
Jathom picked at his teeth with a small rib and stifled a belch.
After the merriment finally died down, Satura gave a satisfactory sigh and laced her fingers together under her chin, using her hands as a rest. “So...” she began. “Did you find out what happened to our shipment?”
Kuma's expression changed from red-faced and cheerful to pale and somber in a matter of seconds. “Can we talk about it later?”
“Can we talk about it now?” she replied with a vicious grin.
Kuma brought his hand to his mouth and made a deadly serious expression. “Okay.” he said softly, his voice trembling. “Alistair was attacked by the creature I left to hunt down. He didn't make it. Neither did his family. They all perished.”
Satura brought both of her hands to her mouth in shock, and a tear streamed down her cheek, but she did not speak.
“We're having difficulties tracking the monstrosity that did the deed, as she is a neko vampire, and as I'm sure you are already aware, neko are able to cover their scent and travel without leaving tracks.” Kuma continued after taking a deep breath. “We know what she looks like now, as we encountered her upon leaving the cave I thought I had cornered her in. We found a clump of her hair in Alistair's hand, and we need your help tracking her down. She is agile, and seems to enjoy toying with her prey before making a move. The young man in our group was bitten, though fortunately, it's a minor injury.” Kuma began grinding his teeth as tears streamed down his face. “I've already decided that when the opportunity presents itself, I'm going to kill the vampire. I assume that the rest of you are on board with this plan?”
Trinady, Jathom and Bertrum all nodded in unison.
“Well than,” Kuma started, wiping his face on his sleeve. “We should get some rest.”
