"The girls are already gone as you can see," she said, letting go of my hand. "They said to meet at Rasnov castle when you got up, while they kept the others busy until then."
"Keep them busy, huh?" I grinned. "More like keep them on their toes. I don't even want to know how far these two can go if push came to shove," I murmured.
"Huh?" Gamayun asked. "Don't forget that I'm no Vampyre. I'm just a-- creature that's good at creating things."
"Nevermind, I was talking to myself," I replied as I stepped to the door. "Will you be good by yourself?" I asked with my hand on the door handle. I wasn't interested in losing such an asset unless she could put me at ease.
"You saw me fight, no? When I change and really try, I can be pretty-- strong, so to say," she chuckled. Of that there was no doubt, I thought. "Unless you'd like to spend some time with me alone?"
I chuckled, unable to hold it in.
"Maybe another time, Gamayun. Create many wonderful things for me until I'm back and we'll see about that offer," I said with a nod. She curtsied slightly and turned back to stare at a mass of boxes and murmuring to herself.
I took to the sky, enjoying the darkness around me. Far ahead, I could see a myriad of lights. It must have been Bran village, now busier and more crowded than ever, I thought. If they were to be trusted, a lot of things would have changed in the last day. Petrov was power-hungry, but he was no fool, that much was clear. And if I could provide him with the right incentives, he might play a pivotal role in keeping this operation going.
I stopped briefly over the village square but remained hidden in the shadows. No one should be bothered by my presence, at least not yet. After all, it would be much smarter to stay hidden in the shadows. Maybe I could make a habit of this, observing people in their daily tasks and rituals. Like the old couple sitting on the porch drinking coffee. How Humanlike, I thought.
"But there's no life without Human blood, after all, so I might as well stow my aversion in a dark place," I whispered, following it up with a sigh. I looked ahead again toward the North-East where the castle was located and made my way.
Deer and Elk ran through the forest without a single thought at what might be creeping about. A small pack of wolves roamed the area ahead in search of food. I contemplated sticking around and see the aftermath once the wolves caught wind of the two animals, but decided against it. There were far more pressing issues which I needed to take care off, and wasting time to see a pack of wolves shred the two animals to pieces wasn't a good way to use my time right now.
I flew up further North, following the road. A lone rider looked like he was headed the same way I was. He spurred the horse on as fast as the animal could go. At one point it looked like it was about to keel over, but it held on. Then I noticed why the man was beating the horse to give him its all. Three horsemen were following the lone rider, screaming insults, and threats as they slowly caught up.
"There's no running from me, you wench!" one of the three men yelled as he threw a dagger at the riders ahead. For some unknown reason, the knife flew a good thirty feet, narrowly missing its target's head and striking a tree. Since when could ordinary Humans throw that hard? Still, I decided not to interfere and see how it would play out. After all, we were going in the same direction, so I might as well amuse myself.
"Never! I've had enough of your abuse!"
The lone rider was a woman from the high pitched noise she made while riding. I frowned. Why was there someone other than me trying to kill or harm someone else on my lands?
"Protect her," I whispered and ordered a group of shadows up the horses back, covering her in a protective layer. There was no way she could feel it, but it would keep her safe, as well as the poor horse.
The man threw a second knife and cheered as it struck the shield of darkness and deflected off to the right. He frowned and cursed something incomprehensible and then turned to his co-riders. Up ahead I spotted hundreds of flickering flames from torches. It was the castle. Of course, they couldn't see it yet from the ground, but I flew over thirty feet above their heads.
Suddenly, the woman's horse dropped and threw the woman off its back. The three riders caught up quickly and stopped beside her. Should I butt in? Or leave the woman to her bad luck? I decided to observe a bit longer.
"You wench!" the man roared. "You dare try escape!" he shouted, heaving her up and slapping her three times with the back of his hand. His burly stature wasn't adding up to the speed with which he moved, as well as the strength of his throws. Interested, I dropped slightly to see him better.
"Help! Save me from this murderer!" she screamed and was rewarded with a gut punch followed by a kick for her trouble. She lay there curled up in a ball as he stomped his foot against her hip and brought out a shortsword. The two men snickered at what their boss was doing. Or their leader, or whatever he was.
"I told you I'd gut your brother if you tried to run, didn't I?" he snickered as his hand drew the blade across her shoulder. A deep, red gash appeared followed by an incoherent scream.
"Halt!" a voice yelled from the side. The bushes rustled, and branches broke as Petrov appeared in the flesh. He wielded a wicked-looking halberd that in looks put my spear almost to shame. I grinned, hoping for an outcome that seemed very likely.
"Petrov! Mind your own business!" the burly man sneered. "This is my property!"
"Not anymore! I told you this morning, everything belongs to Lord Ivan now! If you're too dumb to understand, then you really need to be dealt with!"
"Hah! Fuck you and this Ivan! Half of your men deserted, and you want me to believe you that the shadows ate them? Don't make me laugh!"
An idea struck me, one that would both make him a believer, and make him piss himself. I used the shadows to shove the two men toward Petrov and bound them in place. They started cursing and pleading for their leader to help them, but he just stood there, unable to comprehend what was going on.
"Oh boy, now you've made him mad," Petrov said and looked around as if searching for me. A group of men and women, all dressed in black with red accents appeared around them. They seemed out of breath for some reason. The more witnesses, the better.
"W-who? The Ivan figure?" the man stuttered. I couldn't help but laugh. Petrov looked up and froze, then stood at attention. The group followed suit before the three came to the idea to look up as well. I waved, not knowing what else to do in greeting, then winked as the shadows devoured the two men from their feet up to their knees, hips and finally the torso. Their screams of pain died out pretty quickly and were followed by a loud cry.
"Really? Now you believe me? And you even pissed yourself?" Petrov snickered. "Poor fool. You could have lived like a noble!"
"Please! I repent!" he pleaded. Petrov looked up at me, but all I did was shake my head slightly. He shrugged and brandished his halberd, twisted it around his body and struck the man's left shoulder. The blade cleaved right through flesh and bone, cutting the limb off. He pulled it back and slashed once more, cutting the right off just as precisely. The man screamed and shouted as blood gushed from the wounds. I almost winced looking at the horrible injuries but shrugged and used the darkness to devour what was left of him.
"My Lord! You have our greetings!" Petrov called out as I landed. The group of men and women around us dropped to their right knee and looked down at the ground.
"Petrov," I replied. "I see you really took this role seriously. I'm rather pleasantly surprised," I said, approaching the man. He dropped to his knees as well, but I caught him before he went all the way through and pulled him up. He was surprised at my action, but not as much as what I did next. I summoned my spear and used it to cut my left palm, then pressed it against his lips. "Drink."
"My Lord!" he mouthed, but I kept my hand at his mouth. "Thank you," he added and gulped the blood down greedily.
"You've proven your loyalty for now. Enjoy your new-found power, Petrov. But don't abuse it. I want everyone to lead a life worth living here. I
want to create something that people will strive for, call a paradise. Do you understand?"
He nodded slowly and looked at me in awe.
"Ladies Tierney and Freya said as much. We've been talking for hours now. It was Lady Freya who told us about the chase, so I decided to see what was going on."
"And I'm glad you did. Now, who's this woman?" I asked, offering her my hand. But she lay there cowering in fear. Truly, mortals couldn't help but fear what they didn't understand. "Take her with you and meet me at the castle. I'll be waiting for you to catch up."
"My Lord," he nodded and turned to the group. "You heard him! Three of you escort the woman to the castle!" he ordered and turned North. I was already high up in the sky when they started running. I wondered how long it would take him for the last couple of miles as I made my own way to Rasnov.
The walls were teeming with armed Azdaha troops, as I came to think of them rather quickly. They were a sight to behold, all clothed in the same black and red accented leather clothing. Just how had they procured such an amount of armor in this short of a time was beyond me.
A couple of the soldiers recognized me as I floated there in mid-air before them.
"Sound the gong! Lord Ivan is here!" one of them said before he stood at attention. "My Lord! We're almost ready for you!"
I nodded and landed beside the man, put my hand on his shoulder, and squeezed just enough for it to hurt.
"You seek Petrov out later and say I told you to report to him directly. You'll serve under him."
"M-My Lord!" he squirmed nodding frantically.
"Good," I said and offered him the last couple of drops that hadn't coagulated yet. He didn't understand, so I forced it into his mouth. In mere seconds, he stood taller and broader as the blood did what it was supposed to. Why was I even doing this? Sure, I wanted my troops to fear and respect me, but offering something as valuable to random strangers was beyond me.
I walked past him and jumped down the battlements. Rasnov truly was a marvelous fortress, I thought observing the walls, the towers, the gate, and even the inner walls. There were four barracks located in between the inner and outer walls, but from the looks of it, barely half of them had a roof over their heads. Hundreds were busy working along the walls, setting up skeletons of buildings, while others worked at the square digging what looked like wells.
"How interesting," I muttered, walking up to the nearest well and peeked in. Just how had they managed to dig those holes so precisely all the way to the cold, fresh water. At least I had to give them a little bit of respect for that venture. Speaking of which, we'd need a couple at Bran.
"So you're finally here!" Tierney called from up ahead. "I was worried you'd sleep it off." I couldn't help but wink at her.
"I assume you've already taken care of most things here?"
She nodded just as Freya walked up to us.
"We have. All that's left is to go back to Zharevo and set up the moving orders. I don't think we have anything else to do here anyway."
"Yeah. We found Gamayun, and I've visited my-- our second in command over my old people. He sent out orders to all of my subsidiaries to move everything here and to a port town which we hold. After all, piracy is very profitable."
"Make sure the land in between that port town and this castle is ours. The next step is to spread our influence to the North and South from that road. I want Wallachia under my thumb as soon as possible."
"My Lord," she replied earnestly. "It will take a while, and don't get me wrong. You can conquer all of it, but people won't support you. Win them over, and the country is yours."
I couldn't help but shrug. She was telling the truth that much was obvious, but it didn't mean that I had to like it.
"You ladies really do come in handy sometimes," I joked putting my arms around her waist.
"And what about me?" Freya asked, trying to push Tierney off me.
"Come here, my goddess," I whispered, putting my other arm around her. It was a moment in which I knew I should cherish what I had, but would I be able to? With every moment, there was less of the man who could cherish what I had.
"What else?" Tierney asked as she squirmed out from under my arm.
"I thought you had already taken care of everything?" I asked.
"As far as I know. Their first order of the day is repairing the barracks, while the rest is working on the housing shortage. The civilians who are yet to come both from the surrounding villages and from Zharevo can't sleep under the open sky," Freya replied.
"Then how about a small toast to the people who had to give up on everything to be here," Tierney proposed. "There's some unrest, but nothing Petrov can't handle. However, they need to see their ruler in action and in the flesh. You see, the same happens to me. When I'm too long away, they get too lax and skim off my money," Tierney added.
"Might as well get it over with. I'm anxious to return home and see for myself that everything is alright. Can you blame me?"
Freya shrugged.
"If I said everything was alright, would you believe me?"
I smirked and slapped her ass playfully.
"Come on, lead the way."
Chapter Twenty-Three
To my surprise, both Bethrezen and Dracul didn't bother me over the next couple hours. Seeing how we were drinking and having a good time, I thought they'd somehow try and ruin it. Was I wrong to expect the worst of them? After all, Dracul had once been Human and loved someone very dearly. Such a man couldn't be all bad, I just knew it. Bethrezen was a different story, but being a parent, I assumed there must have been something good in him. And now me, after losing both my parents, my mentor, and friend the butcher, and a lot of other good people ever since I came to be in Dvorak's service. What difference was there between us? A single one. They had already lost everything, and I hadn't. I still had something to fight and long for. I still had something to protect.
Sitting there in the improvised throne the soldiers had managed to salvage from the throne room, I was all broody stares and half-smiles. I couldn't help it. Sure, there was enough alcohol to keep me going for a while, but what if something were to happen to my girls while I was away? What then?
"You look like you want to bolt," Freya said as she handed me another cup of some horrible drink they called Slivovitz. Or maybe the dislike came because I never had the chance to enjoy some during my youth?
I took another sip and let it sit in my mouth for a second, then gulped it down as my mouth burned slightly. From the way it looked, most of the soldiers and 'officers' so to say, were already drunk.
"I feel as if something bad is happening as we sit here. I can't help but think we need to hurry back," I replied emptying the cup, then handed it back to Freya.
"I don't know. I can't really tell you from this far off, after all, I'm not all-powerful, but you might have a point. There's unrest residing in me I can't shake for the last half an hour. Nothing points at Zharevo or even that general direction, but maybe it would be best we go back. Tierney can stay here and keep this lot in check."
"Exactly my thoughts. Come, let us be on our way back. I think I've had enough Human company for a lifetime."
"Hah!" she scoffed. "You just set yourself up as their Lord and master. You better get used to them, Ivan," she whispered.
"What's with Lord Ivan, and then just Ivan? It's not that I expect you to use any title for me, but It's rather strange coming from you."
"Depends on my mood and the occasion. If you want others to keep their level of respect up, then you have to be consistent. No one can really hear us now except for Tierney, but she's so drunk I doubt she cares."
"Tierney!" I said with a bit more force than intended. "We're leaving you in charge of the fortress. I think there's trouble brewing over at Zharevo. We'll be back as soon as we can."
She was visibly displeased by the order. I would be too if someone I loved or cared about dumped a shitload of Humans on me without prior talk.
"Reall
y? So I'm to play hostess until you feel like coming back?"
I fixed a cold stare at her, but she wouldn't let it go. When Petrov spoke, however, she shifted slightly.
"My lady! There are so many things to take care of before our Lord returns. Besides, we can't fend for ourselves if someone does attack."
"Yeah, yeah! Flattery isn't going to take you far, sonny. Whatever. You better do what you're told, I don't care that you're his favorite!" she snapped. I couldn't help but feel amused, no matter the amount of dread that washed over me.
"You listen to her," I shouted. "All of you! She's the Lord's favorite, so don't even think anything inappropriate!"
Freya put her hand on me and motioned for us to leave. I wanted to give them a couple of more warnings, but there was no need I guessed. There was a much larger problem at hand, namely Zharevo.
We flew off into the darkness of the night, chasing one another like birds of prey. She turned to mist more than once to elude my grasp just when I was about to catch her. And I let it be. Now that I had gone up by an awakening, I was sure that I could keep up with her shenanigans. Not that it mattered.
The village of Bran was peaceful at this hour, only the random cry of a coyote or a wolf breaking the silence. We sped past it rather quickly, moving further inland. Was there anything different between the two areas? At first glance, no. Flora and fauna were basically identical, the people looked the same and spoke the same language.
An hour passed, then two, and three. An uneasy feeling crept up along my whole being as we approached the estate. Everything looked as we'd left it from a distance. There was no smoke, no stench of burnt flesh, no iron, and blood. But it was way too quiet for everything to be okay.
I landed some five hundred feet atop an overlook and stared down at the town. Nothing seemed off, no matter how hard I looked except for a single thing that stood out like a sore thumb; the lack of people. Even in the darkest hour, there would be someone handling the walls, the Supernaturals would be roaming outside, and people would huddle around lit fires.
Lord of Shadows book 2: Bloodlines Page 17
