The Queen Maker

by Kristen Gupton

  Keiran knelt down onto one of the pillows, unwilling to sit completely. He frowned and shrugged his cloak back from his shoulders before pushing one of his shirtsleeves high enough to show the royal brand on his right arm. He turned to show it to the general before jerking his sleeve back down. “Now, about the girl you kidnapped, I would like to see her.”

  One of the guards moved to stand behind the vampire, his arms crossed over his chest.

  Danier folded his hands into his lap and let his expression remain pleasant. He was appeased as to Keiran’s identity from seeing the brand. It wasn’t as though Tordania had any other living royalty who would possess such a mark. He noted the way Keiran spoke, and it further assured him of the other man’s pedigree.

  “Actually, King Sipesh, you mean the girl your people kidnapped in the first place,” he said. “I simply have taken her back. Luckily for her, she is Sadori and worth trying to repatriate, otherwise, she would have been executed already. You see, she cost me a man in the field when they came upon her, but it can be forgiven. She was frightened at the time.”

  Keiran took some comfort in knowing Thana hadn’t gone without a fight. His emotions started to seethe under the surface, but he did his best to suppress them. Lashing out before hearing what Danier had to say would do him no good.

  “Living in Tordania is the only life she’s ever known,” Keiran replied. “She was adopted here as an infant at the end of a previous conflict. I can’t imagine she wants to go into the Sador Empire. I see it as my duty to protect those who are citizens of my country, and I consider her one of them. What do you hope to gain by holding this one woman?”

  The general let his smile widen a bit. He reached to the side and picked up a teacup. He looked down into it before having a sip. “I believe she is of some significance to you, and if you would like her to be returned, perhaps you are willing to negotiate.”

  Keiran tried to sense the Sadori man’s thoughts. There was something about him that kept the vampire from picking up on much, though. Danier was simply too calm and in control to be read easily, and Keiran wasn’t yet very skilled at it.

  “You can’t possibly expect me to cede this entire region to you for one woman,” the vampire replied.

  “The entire region? No, of course not. You would have to be raving mad to let that happen. Even just this one town and its mines, however, might be enough.” Danier took another sip of his tea, having no intention of giving the woman back whether or not Keiran agreed with his terms. He was merely testing the Tordanian’s resolve.

  “I can’t do that. You’ve killed untold numbers of my people in this invasion. It can’t go unpunished,” Keiran replied. “I want to see her before we discuss anything further. I need to make certain she’s all right.”

  The general looked regretful and shook his head. “No, that won’t happen. She is somewhere safe for now, of that you can be assured. I would be a fool to keep her here.”

  Keiran wasn’t pleased, and he gave a brief glance back at Jerris. The redhead was lingering near some guards, his attention remaining on Keiran.

  Danier set his cup down again. “Does she mean anything to you? What is she worth? There has to be something.”

  Part of Keiran wanted to beg and offer anything to get her back. Thana was the love of his life, but he needed to keep his wits about him.

  There were likely other survivors between Edinau and Lodain who would all lose their lives if the Sadoris weren’t dealt with. He couldn’t risk multiple people for just one, Kanan had been right.

  He hated the position he was in, though he kept his feelings in check. “I can’t give you this territory. You have to realize it is not a reasonable request. I would have been willing to trade with you for coal but this is unacceptable. I’m certainly not going to extend a trade offer now.”

  “Well, I suppose we have a problem. I had hoped we could work this out diplomatically. As for trade, we would never willingly trade with Tordanians.” Danier shook his head and met Keiran’s gaze, his smile finally fading.

  “You had to know I wouldn’t agree to that,” Keiran said.

  Danier gave a small nod. “I supposed you wouldn’t be quite so foolish. Still, you arrived at my camp with only a single guard. This leads me to think you aren’t terribly bright.”

  Jerris moved slightly, so his cloak casually shifted around him, obscuring his arms. His mind raced as the tension rose in the room. He did his best to simply focus on what his father had trained him to do over the years. His right hand slipped unseen under the leather bracer on his left forearm.

  The redhead quickly inspected the others standing around him, noting that none of them seemed to have their weapons drawn. The swords and hunting knives he and Keiran had brought in with them were just a short distance away, thrown into a heap by the entrance to the tent. There was just one man physically between Jerris and the weapons.

  “I was honestly expecting something different,” Danier said, breaking the tense silence.

  “Well, I’m sure I apologize if I’m lacking in some way,” Keiran replied, anticipating the moment when he’d need to jump to his feet.

  “Is it true? The stories of you being a vampire? I have to ask, of course. I’ve never seen one as we’ve managed to never suffer from that particular nuisance,” Danier asked, looking placid.

  Keiran didn’t like being referred to as a nuisance, but with his only other vampire contact being Athan, he did agree with it inwardly. “What were you expecting?”

  General Danier let out a slow breath, his eyes briefly landing on one of his guards. “I don’t know. Something more vicious looking, perhaps? You are tall, I will give you that much, but that accounts for very little. You are too young to be a king. The way you choose your leaders is absurd. You have no idea what you’ve gotten into here, do you?”

  “What do you mean?” Keiran asked, shifting his position slightly.

  “You see, I am a candidate for the role of Emperor in my country. Taking this territory is surely enough to put me at the head of the list. Liberating a woman of a previously thought extinct lineage, why, even more glorious. Bringing back a curiosity like a vampire-king would certainly be worth something, too. What would I need to have done to you to get proof you are a vampire and not a normal man? Would torture bring that out? I’m very curious to see if it is real or just a rumor floated in an attempt to intimidate people.”

  Keiran decided to act. It didn’t look as though the general had any intention of letting him leave the camp. He leapt up to his feet, drawing the attention of everyone in the tent.

  Jerris took his cue and pulled out the small throwing knife he’d hidden under his bracer. With a quick flick of his wrist, the weapon sailed out, striking the throat of the man blocking his path to the swords. The Sadori guard’s hands flew up to his neck to try and remove the knife, but he was effectively neutralized.

  Jerris had no time to think, and he ran forward, pushing past the man he’d injured, knocking him to the ground. The redhead carried onward until he reached their swords, picking up Keiran’s and tossing it quickly to the vampire.

  Keiran’s right hand snapped out and caught the sheathed weapon easily. His left hand pulled the blade free. He could sense the position of the guard standing behind him. Without taking his eyes from the general, he swept back his arm and let his blade drive into the guard before he could react.

  The remaining guards drew their short swords, and the interpreter ran out of the tent, attempting to escape.

  ***

  Kanan sat on his horse on a small rise that gave him a line of sight into Edinau. The snow had slowed for the time being, offering him a good view of the town.

  His men were circled around the town, many hidden under the snow. Others on horseback lingered back a little further, to remain out of sight. Keiran had ordered them to wait until the right moment.

  The elder guard had asked exactly how he was going to know when that moment was, and the vampire had lock
ed gazes with him before quietly replying, “You just will.”

  Now, looking down on the scene, Kanan was having reservations. He’d watched his son and Keiran disappear into the general’s tent. Things looked calm enough, but it didn’t help his worry. Most of the soldiers there looked like they were doing nothing more than struggling to keep warm.

  Their scouts gave word the Sadoris were spread out not only over the towns of Edinau and Lodain but the mines, too. This meant there were fewer men in the town, and this was in the Tordanians’ favor. The smaller clusters of Sadori soldiers up at the mines would be easy enough to roust.

  He wondered how Jerris was holding up. The young man had looked on the verge of physical illness that morning from stress and anticipation. All he could do was hope his son would let instinct take over and carry him through whatever was about to happen.

  Kanan’s aged eyes strained to see what was going on down in the camp. He was too far away to hear the raised voices, but he saw someone run out of the general’s tent with enough haste to fall flat on their face. Once the man was up, he started gesticulating wildly with his arms. Men around the camp sprung into action, and Kanan realized he had his sign.

  ***

  In the time it took for Keiran to catch his weapon and dispatch the guard standing behind him, General Danier had stood up and drawn his wickedly curved sword. He lunged forward to try and slash Keiran, but the vampire moved his blade around before him quick enough to divert the blow.

  Jerris had his own weapon out and fought two guards by himself. Luckily, the reach of the Sadori swords was significantly shorter than the rapier he wielded. The Sadori men weren’t without skill, however, and they attacked repeatedly in unison.

  All of Jerris’ previous reservations and fear had been obliterated the moment he’d started to fight. Instinct kicked in, and he was holding off two men at once as he had in practice plenty of times.

  Keiran didn’t have much time to devote to appreciating his friend’s sudden bravado. The general was coming at him mercilessly, his blade little more than a blur as it swung around in great arcs. Keiran managed to divert each of his attacks, the short sword sliding along his rapier’s surface with a shrill screech.

  Danier wasn’t discouraged, however. Keiran looked like he might actually be a worthy adversary, but in the end, they were in his camp, and surely more guards would be rushing in at any moment. He had no way of knowing the perimeter of his base was under assault by Kanan and the Tordanian soldiers.

  Jerris gave a loud bark of a laugh as he took down the first of the two men he was engaged with. The young guard glanced over to see Keiran was holding his own before settling his wild-eyed gaze onto his remaining opponent.

  Jerris had gone completely insane from the looks of it. He smiled while he advanced, and the Sadori guard screamed out over his shoulder for help, but it wasn’t coming.

  While Jerris seemed to be having a decent time of it, Keiran was growing angry. He knew his army was taking on the Sadori camp around them, allowing him to focus on Danier.

  Not knowing where Thana was and realizing the Sadori had no intention of ever returning her was too much. While he’d tried to keep his feelings in check before, the act of fighting the Sadori general made it impossible to keep up. His fangs slid down into place, and he growled, more strength poured into his attacks.

  “Where is she?” Keiran demanded.

  Danier grimaced through his exertion, not letting his guard down for a moment. He backed away from Keiran several paces, seeing his fangs revealed. There was an unnatural air settling over the Tordanian King, and while it wasn’t in Danier’s nature to feel fear, he was uncomfortable with it.

  “You won’t get her back. She’s mine now unless she disobeys. Then I will kill her. I hope you’ve taught her proper submission,” the general replied.

  There was a growing cacophony of noise in the camp as the fight outside pressed ever inward. General Danier listened and realized what was going on, and help wasn’t going to come anytime soon. The men outside were fighting for their lives against the Tordanians, and he would have to take care of himself if he wanted to get out alive.

  The power behind Keiran’s attacks wasn’t waning with exhaustion but only grew stronger. Danier didn’t know how much more he could withstand before the vampire would best him.

  Keiran continued to advance, moving fast enough that the Sadori was falling further behind on each attack. Soon, the general was backed up against one of the outer supports of the tent, his chest heaving.

  The altitude in the Tordan Mountains was far above anything Danier had encountered back home. The lack of oxygen was taking a heavy toll not only on him but on all the Sadoris in the camp.

  Things for the Sadoris outside were even more dire. Already tired from the constant cold, the altitude was compounding matters. With a respiratory virus afflicting over half of the Sadoris, breathing the thin and frigid air was nearly impossible.

  The Tordanians were accustomed to it, and their stamina was proving superior. While the Sadoris were fierce warriors, the fact none of them were breathing very well severely dampened their effectiveness. If the battle had been going on at sea level in ideal weather, the Tordanian soldiers would have possibly been defeated, but that wasn’t the case. Conditions were on their side, and they were winning.

  Keiran stood before Danier, his teeth bared. He fought hard to regain control of his mind. His instincts pushed him toward killing the Sadori, but he still needed to know where Thana was.

  The general assessed his position. The damned redhead had finished off the second guard he was fighting and stood before the tent door, ready to rush forward and aid if needed. Danier realized there was no easy way out.

  “I’ll ask you one last time, General. Where is the woman?” Keiran asked, taking a step forward.

  He scoffed at Keiran before swinging to the side with his sword and gashing open the fabric of the tent. He turned and leapt through the improvised exit, feeling the tip of the vampire’s rapier graze down his back as he escaped.

  He ran into the mass of people in the camp, Tordanians and Sadoris engaged in fights everywhere. However, many of his men weren’t fighting at all. They knelt in the snow, their weapons cast away. They had suffered too much, and their confidence in his leadership had vanished.

  Danier grew furious and went straight to his horse and mounted. The animal had been left saddled as the general had intended to take the Tordanian King down to the river after capturing him. That plan was now obsolete, but the horse would still get him out of the camp.

  Those of his men actually fighting were losing badly, and the general screamed out for a retreat back to the river. He didn’t honestly care about any of them, but if they followed it would be harder for the crazed Tordanians to get to him. Danier needed them as a buffer zone, nothing more.

  Keiran cursed before moving through the slashed tent wall. He searched for Danier, but he wasn’t readily visible. Jerris came out right behind him, standing at his side.

  The Sadoris were abandoning their fights, moving to follow their leader southward in a hurry. Even some who’d refused to fight in the beginning rose up and followed, only wanting to get back to their homeland.

  “They’re running,” Jerris said, panting hard for breath.

  “Aye.” Keiran looked around, searching the crowd for any sign of Thana. While he was still in a fit of rage, his worry over the woman eclipsed it. “What do we do? I don’t think she’s here, Jerris. I can’t feel her.”

  Jerris reached out and grabbed the back of Keiran’s shirt. He pulled the vampire in the direction their horses had been left, stopping in the tent briefly to grab Keiran’s cloak. It was far too cold out not to have it.

  Kanan rode up to them, Porter and Patrice on either side of his own mount. He’d spotted the animals during his push into the camp and had taken possession of them. The two men took to their animals, looking around to see the end of Edinau they occupied deserted. T
he Sadoris were fleeing, the Tordanians regrouping and awaiting orders.

  The elder guard inspected his son and Keiran. “Are you boys all right?”

  “Aye, but I don’t know where Thana is,” Keiran replied, looking around and seeing the ground littered with dead Sadoris, the snow awash in red.

  Jerris remained quiet, his hands shaking from all the excitement. He looked a little bewildered now that it was quiet. Part of him was eager to follow the Sadoris, his eyes trained to the south.

  “The supply wagons will be coming up,” Kanan said. “I had them on standby in the hopes we would be able to get the Sadoris to retreat. We had to take the wheels off of them and turn them into sleds after seeing how deep the snow was getting.”

  Keiran gave a small nod. The fact their military wagons could easily be taken off of their wheels in deep snow was one of their adaptations to the winter weather.

  The old guard smiled to himself. “We’ll push them back across the river. The cold took a heavy toll on the poor bastards. Half of them were too sick to fight. If they have Thana, we’ll find her.”

  “We have to go after them at once,” Keiran ordered, fixing his attention on the older man.

  Kanan turned his horse to walk through the camp, heading back toward the main road. “We do. We have them on the run and without their supplies. We can’t afford to wait, and allow them time to rest. The troops we sent up to the mines should be engaging the Sadoris there as well. I don’t think they’ll do any better than these did.”

  Keiran remained where he sat next to Jerris for a few moments, looking at his friend. “Are you all right?”

  His blue eyes panned slowly toward the vampire, and he gave a shallow nod of his head. “I am. Something just took hold, and I did what I had to do. It was us or them.”

  “Aye.”

  Jerris urged his horse forward, following Kanan. After hearing Keiran go on about how he felt after the first time he’d killed, Jerris hadn’t been sure what to expect. With the moment having passed, though, the young guard was a little sad but not much. He couldn’t help but think that the three men he’d killed were simply there on orders and doing their jobs. Still, if he hadn’t taken them out, they surely would have killed both he and Keiran. It was done, and it had been survival.