To Giselle's relief, everything seemed normal at the estate as the carriage pulled through the gates. The guard waved to them as the carriage circled around to the stairs at the front of the house. No one seemed panicked or hurried. Surely that was a good sign. She stepped out of the carriage once the driver opened her door to exit. She thanked him before walking up the stairs. Waiting at the door was the captain of the estate guard, Jona. While he didn't seem concerned, his expression did not bode well with her.
"Good afternoon, Captain Jona," Giselle said. "I take it you have news for me?"
"I do, My Lady. I'm afraid some of the men have spotted a stranger lurking near the gates the last three nights, peering into the estate. It could just be a thief, but the dogs seemed offset by him."
"You think he's undead?"
"I do, Lady Labelle, as does the Knight Enchanter. Thus far, she hasn't been able to get close enough to discern his true nature. As far as I know, he's alone. There have been no reported killings in the area, and the roads have been safe at night, until he showed up."
"Well, let us see if he appears again tonight. I wish to have a chat with him. Prepare a hunting party for tonight."
"As you say, My Lady."
Auguste greeted the captain as he walked up the steps to join them. They both bade him farewell as they followed the servants and their luggage inside. Enchanter Maria was waiting in the foyer. She seemed calm, smiling warmly as they stopped before her. The light streaming through the windows on either side glinted off of her silver armor. If she knew of the vampire threat, it did not seem to worry her.
"Welcome home, Lady Labelle. I heard good news from Tru'Lis. Congratulations are in order," Maria said.
"Thank you, Enchanter. I'm afraid that I can claim no credit in Tru'Lis' saving. A local bounty hunter wiped out the main coven. I just cleaned up the scraps." Giselle smiled back. "Has there been any trouble with Jean this time?"
"Not at all. He has shown a great deal of focus in his work as of late. I couldn't be more proud of any pupil I've had before. He's turning into a fine young man." Maria stepped aside and bowed her head politely. "I won't keep you any longer, My Lady. I am sure you wish to settle in and see your brother. He is in the library with his dark arts tutor at this hour, I believe."
"I am glad that my brother is doing well under your tutelage. Your patience and persistence with him is appreciated immensely, Enchanter. I trust you also received word about my appointment from the empress?"
The smile vanished from Maria's face, replaced with a look of unease. "I did, Lady Labelle."
"Then you should know I reward those of great talent. When we finally discover what's going on with the Commander, I will be putting in a good word for you with your Commander, or I will give you the promotion myself. Your Order needs people like you at its head, Maria. You could do great things."
"That is incredibly generous of you, Lady Labelle. Thank you for your kind words." Maria bowed again and made her exit after another polite goodbye, a dazed look in her eye.
"I do believe you gave the poor Enchanter a bit of emotional whiplash, Your Grace," Auguste said as he watched the Enchanter walk down the western corridor, one hand undoubtedly clutched to her chin as she often did when thinking.
"I meant what I said. I know you felt the same way about all those captains present at the Citadel: lazy, pampered brats with no backbones and no initiative. Maria would do much better in their place."
"That may be so, but it would be best not to get anyone's hopes up until we know what has become of Commander Allard." Auguste crossed his hat over his chest and bowed to her as the servants continued to bustle around them, unloading the carriage. "I will be in my office, drafting the letter to the Empress regarding our full report. You may join me whenever you like, Your Grace."
"I will join you shortly. I must speak with Jean first." Giselle bade her steward goodbye. If this stranger had been lurking unchallenged for so long, she intended to stake the road and catch him for herself. The Hands of Death were at her gates, and she was determined to keep them out. She wouldn't—couldn't—fail.
It felt as though the hallways had doubled in length as she made her way to the library. The sound of the servants in the foyer had faded away. The manor house had a relatively small staff, considering that there were only three residents. Finding herself completely alone was not an uncommon occurrence. Usually, she welcomed the silence and the peace of solitude. Currently, though, the silence and the emptiness pressed down on her like a lead weight. She remembered running up and down every square inch of these halls growing up with her cousins. There wasn't a single room in the house that didn't have at least one person in it, family or staff. To see it so still and lifeless made her chest ache. What good was a family home with no one to live in it?
At last, the library came into view. Two guards stood on either side of the archway that led inside. From within, she could hear Master Dorothea lecturing about the importance of intention when dealing with hexes and curses. Her monotone, drawling rasp was just as tiring as she remembered. Jean was undoubtedly having a terrific time. Even the guards let slip a quiet yawn as she rattled on in the background.
The two men stood straighter and saluted as she passed between them. Dorothea had the curtains all drawn wide open, flooding the room with the afternoon light. Her mother had always preferred them half-drawn at this time of day to keep the lighting soft and the room cool. It was at least five degrees warmer than out in the hallway. Giselle tugged at the collar of her shirt, feeling a bit stifled.
Jean sat with his head down as he scribbled on his parchment. Giselle slowly made her way unnoticed into the room as Dorothea wrote upon her chalkboard while she droned. Peering over her brother's shoulder, she admired the wolf he had drawn in one corner of the paper and the rough sketch of a paw print on the other. She leaned down to get a closer look as he added more shading to the wolf's face.
"You're getting quite good, you know," Giselle whispered.
Jean's quill jerked as he jumped in surprise, leaving a jagged smudge in his drawing. He glowered over his shoulder at her. "What are you doing back already?"
Master Dorothea spun around to shush him and told him to pay attention. When she spotted Giselle, she jumped in surprise. "Ah, Your Grace, you've returned. I hear you had a successful trip."
"So to speak, yes."
"If you count taking credit for someone else's work a success," Jean muttered.
Giselle's jaw clenched tightly as she withheld the urge to smack her brother upside the head. "May I steal my brother away from his studies for a moment, Master Dorothea?"
"Of course. I'll just see myself out for the moment."
Once Dorothea had left the room, Giselle leaned back against the desk next to Jean and pointed at his doodling on his paper. "If this is how you spend your time during your lessons, how will you ever be ready to join me on the hunt?"
"I was paying attention," Jean scowled, refusing to look at her.
"Jean, your studies aren't a punishment. I had to go through the same thing at your age."
"You also got to go hunting with Father before you were my age. All I get to do is be cooped up in this stupid house all day like a bird in a cage. This place is like a prison. I hate it here."
"Jean this is our family home. We've lived in this house for almost three centuries." Giselle couldn't help but be angry with him. Nothing was ever good enough for him. He found faults and problems with every little thing. "You live in the lap of luxury, with the best of everything at your fingertips. But all you want is to daydream about killing monsters that would tear you apart in two seconds in real life. You need to grow up."
"I'm not a little boy anymore! You can't just keep me locked up forever!" Jean stood up from his desk, his chair crashing back onto the ground.
"I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe." Giselle stood up straight. Her brother had shot up in the two months she was gone. He stood over her now by a couple of inches.
"You're impossible! I'll never be ready if I'm stuck here in a pile of books all day."
"Those books will one day save your life, Jean." Giselle sighed deeply. Their conversation, as usual, was going nowhere. "There is an intruder that has been lurking outside the estate. As of now, you are not to go anywhere within the estate without an escort."
"That's not fair!"
"You will do as I say!" Giselle snapped. She'd had enough of his poor behavior and lack of respect. "I am the head of this house! What I say goes, regardless of how you feel about it. When you're a man, then you can make the rules. But until that day, you will obey my directions to the letter. And, I will not hesitate to restrict you further if you continue to defy me. You. Will. Learn. Respect."
"I hate you!" Jean snapped back. With that said, he turned and stormed from the room. Giselle stood there, stunned. Her hands trembled with rage. Furiously, she blinked away the tears stinging her eyes. Undoubtedly, everyone standing outside had heard the exchange, which only made her feel worse. Why had she yelled? With her head hung in defeat, she trudged out of the room to join Auguste in his office to work on their report to the Empress and plan their evening.
*********************************************************************************************
There was a tense silence in the air. Giselle anxiously rubbed her thumb over the ruby embedded in the pommel of her blade as she waited in the middle of the road. She had a strong feeling that their lurker was an assassin looking to eliminate her. Despite both Enchanter Maria and Auguste insisting that using herself as bait was a terrible idea, she stood firm. This was a personal score to settle. She wanted the satisfaction of killing it herself. But the night had been silent, and nothing moved in the darkness.
Part of her worried that the vampire had sensed the trap and was waiting for them to give up. What if this wasn't even a vampire they were waiting for? Perhaps a dumb would-be thief was casing the estate, thinking no one was home and it might be a good time to attempt a heist. It wouldn't be the first time it had happened, and it wouldn't be the last.
"This is stupid. Maybe we overreacted," Giselle muttered under her breath. She pulled the flask off her hip and took a sip of the salty and earthy brew within. She wheezed as she closed the flask and put it back on her hip. She rubbed at her eyes as they began to burn, but the discomfort quickly faded. As she blinked and wiped away the last of the tears, she saw the open road almost as clear as day.
"It is better to ere on the side of caution, Mistress. We know the cult was headed this way. Why else would they come here if not to try and finish what they started with your family?" Auguste said from his position just inside the gate, well hidden from view of the road. "The night is still young. Our visitor may still make an appearance."
"The Witch was also headed this way. Who is to say she hasn't beaten me to that group, too?" Giselle glowered. She was supposed to be the great hunter, but she had only killed a handful of monsters personally in the last few years. The rest of the time, she had overseen a team of hunters from a distance to ensure she would be able to care for her brother. Maybe Jean was right. Maybe she was just a coward. Tonight though, she was determined to prove herself worthy of her station, worthy to continue the family legacy.
In the brief second Giselle took to glance up at the stars to judge the time, a cloaked figure had appeared in the middle of the south road, maybe a quarter mile away. The stranger began to race towards them at frightening speed. It seemed her would-be assassin was eager to take the bate. Giselle slowly drew her blade from its sheath and held it at her side, never feeling more ready for a fight.
"Steady, Your Grace," Auguste warned her.
Giselle paid him no mind. She began a slow march forward, eyes locked straight ahead. She could practically smell it now, such a putrid and foul creature he was. Her pulse was rushing in her ears as instinct took over. Magic thrummed at her fingertips, waiting for a purpose. With a sharp inhale, she took her aim, shooting to kill—or severely maim. Sparks flew from her hands with explosive force, sending Giselle staggering backward.
But her blow never hit its mark. A dark figure tackled the assassin out of the road and down the embankment mere seconds before he would have been struck. It took her a moment to process what exactly had just happened before she swore and began to run towards them, Auguste calling after her the whole way. As she ran, she could hear the two fighting savagely as the vampire flung curses and swore vicious oaths at his attacker. A woman laughed in response.
By the time Giselle slid down the bank to intervene, the vampire was already subdued. The woman was holding a knife to his face, snarling viciously as she demanded something in Halaan. The vampire responded defiantly, judging by his tone, then spat in her face. The woman responded by cutting a deep line around the side of his face. Giselle tightened her grip on her sword, her stomach churning at the sound of his cries. The woman repeated her question, bringing her blade to the other side of his face. He said something to her between ragged breaths, his voice full of loathing. The stranger made a quick motion with her blade.
"No!" Giselle charged toward the woman when the vampire let out a wet, sickening gurgle. She had needed that vampire alive. One thing was certain to her now; whoever this was, they were about to pay dearly for their mistake. The might of a lightning storm was at her fingertips again in an instant, itching to be loosed upon her enemy.
Her confidence all but vanished, though, as the woman quickly rose to her feet, now towering over Giselle by almost a foot. She skid to a stop, suddenly regretting her hasty decision as one of her detective wards went off. Auguste and Enchanter Maria were charging down the hillside toward them, calling her name. But they were too far to be of much help at the moment.
She was alone with another vampire. A bigger, incredibly powerful one at that.
Whispering a prayer, Giselle brought her blade up to defend herself. She braced herself as the woman drew the sword at her hip. White flames came to life along the silver sword the vampire wielded. In the blink of an eye, the vampire closed the distance between them, crashing her blade down against Giselle's with such force it nearly sent her crashing to the ground. She cried out in surprise as she desperately held her ground. She could see herself reflected in the white flames dancing in the vampire's deep green eyes.
But that didn't make sense. Vampires had either amber or ice blue eyes that glowed in the low light like a cat's when the light hit them.
"You're not a vampire," Giselle said. "So what are you? A Ghoul? Reanimated Corpse working for your puppet master?"
"Zhaz noi, you're one of the living." The woman groaned as though it was the inconvenience of the era. She took several steps away. "I'm a bounty hunter. You're interfering in my investigation, little lady. Get lost."
"No, you're interfering in mine!" Giselle said. "I needed him alive!"
"He was trying to kill you, 'Duchess'." The woman snorted in amusement. "And he probably would have succeeded. It's taken me three times to capture and kill him, which is quite the feat. You would have been dead in two seconds flat. You should be thanking me."
"I don't thank the undead, creature," Giselle growled. Any minute now, Auguste and Maria would be there to help her. This creature stood no chance against the three of them. The woman's jaw clenched. Her eyes turned skyward just as something slammed into Giselle, pinning her to the ground. She shuddered at the familiar low growl. When she opened one eye, she came face to face with a spectral werewolf, dripping drool all over her.
"Klenden, netsch da," The woman said. "Czte Duchess d'Alize."
"You would do well to remember to never sneak up on Huntress Valerie, Duchess Labelle," The werewolf said to her in a surprisingly soft and gentle male voice as it backed away. Giselle slowly sat up, reaching for her sword. Whatever it was, it seemed to be more or less ambivalent in nature. None of her wards could identify what it was, beyond a strong magical force.
"You're the Witch?" Giselle couldn't believe that a monster could be so welcome in Tru'Lis. Did no one know what she was? "Impossible."
"I was dead, but now I'm alive. How about we go our separate ways? I've got a bounty to cash in and vampires to kill." The huntress turned back to Antone, still gurgling on the ground. With a swift single motion, her blade took his head from his shoulder.
"You don't get to just walk away like this in my jurisdiction. Tell me what you learned from him. I know you are hunting the cult." Giselle pushed herself to her feet, growing indignant. Where were these impeccable manners that Lady Arabella was fawning over? They certainly weren't present now.
Huntress Valerie did not stop nor speak as she collected the head in a sack and motioned for the werewolf to follow her. It changed its form to that of a raven and flew up onto her shoulder as she started to walk away. Before she got far, a wall of purple flames burst to life before her, blocking her path.
"You shall respect the authority of Her Grace, Duchess Labelle of Alize, and speak to her with proper respect," Auguste warned the huntress as he put himself between the two of them. Maria came running to Giselle's side, eying the huntress warily.
"You will forgive my bluntness, but I will not suffer anyone getting in the way of my destiny." Huntress Valerie stuck her hand into the flames. She made a fist, and the flames dissipated into the night sky. "I'm going home."
"Home?" The werewolf asked her. "Vchak wo das Antone?"
"Lucaese ohr it Theiranne." The huntress said darkly as she started forward again. Giselle felt her jaw drop, awed by her sheer audacity. It was as though she, Auguste, and Maria had ceased to exist to her.
"Zhaz noi."
"Yeah. Strey'vuuth zhak."
"You're going the wrong way," Giselle called after her.
"What is it you want now?" Valerie spun around to face her, exasperated.
"I said you're going the wrong way if you want to cash your bounty," Giselle said. "When I reside at home, only I pay out bounties in Alize."
Valerie muttered something under her breath. The raven said something which seemed to upset her. He flew over toward Giselle, landing in the grass before her. He ruffled his feathers in a manner similar to the way one might clear their throat before speaking.
"I shall wait with you at your manor. The Huntress wishes to fetch her horse first. We will be leaving once our business is concluded," the raven said.
"Why should I trust you, bird?" Giselle asked.
"The Huntress is no danger to you or your people, Your Grace," The raven said tilting his head to look at her with one eye. "You are quite a bit younger than I thought you'd be...."
Giselle looked up to see if the huntress was still there, but she had disappeared. She looked back down at the raven but instead found a lion lying in the grass. She took a step back, finding it hard to form words with her jaw clenched so tightly. It seemed she was stuck with this spectral anamorph until Valerie returned.
"It is not wise to trust her, Your Grace. She is undead," Maria warned.
Auguste shook his head. "She isn't a vampire. At least, not in the typical sense. Let us send this creature—"
"I have a name, Sirs and madams," The lion scorned. Suddenly, he took the form of a young knight apprentice, equipped in white enchanter's robes and silver mail. "Sir Klenden Orzhov, if you don't mind."
"Remarkable...." Auguste stroked his beard thoughtfully. If Giselle didn't know any better, her steward was becoming more and more open to letting it into their house. "Were you an anamorph before or after you died?"
"Before," Klenden said proudly. "I know the Huntress was blunt, but I promise you that she is relatively benevolent in nature. She's just too proud to admit she needs help in our fight. Something tells me you do, too, Your Grace. "
"'Relatively' doesn't sound reassuring," Giselle scowled.
"Well, unless you're the undead, you've nothing to fear."
"I say we take the chance, Your Grace. We need whatever information Miss Valerie has." Auguste seemed resigned to allow Valerie to potentially escape. After all, Giselle knew that there was very little they could do to stop this spirit from leaving if it wanted to at any time.
"What did she say to you? She mentioned Theiranne, the old capital. What's back there in the ruins that's so important?" Giselle was not wholly convinced that this spirit was trying to help them. He was no familiar though, so there wasn't a chance of Valerie putting him on the attack from afar.
"I will not share information without discussing it with Valerie first."
"Fine. Then we return to the estate. But we're waiting outside." Giselle trudged back toward the opening in the thicket along the embankment. Hopefully, this business would be concluded soon. If Valerie was interested in Theiranne as much as the Knight Commander was, something big had to be going on in the ruins after all. The Empress would want to know of something this important sooner rather than later.