Ethel stood outside the cave entrance, the wind whipping through her hair. She drew Ophelia closer to her, trying to shield her shivering daughter from the cold. Inside, she could barely make out the exchange between Justina and Piper.

  She blinked her eyes rapidly as she overheard Piper claiming to have bewitched her family. But even with her best effort to hold back her tears, one escaped and rolled down her cheek. She understood exactly what Piper was doing—she was taking all the blame for everything that had happened. The young girl was sacrificing herself for them.

  Alfred leaned forward, his shoulders heaving. Both knew they were going to lose Piper. There was no way she could stand against two Crimson Guard. It would all be over soon.

  Patting her husband on the shoulder, she ruthlessly suppressed her own emotions. What Piper had done would be for nothing if the Crimson Guard came out to find them in mourning. They had to stay strong.

  A few minutes later, the tall vampire woman strode out of the cave, her face pinched. She was followed by the other vampire, with a crossbow slung over his shoulder.

  Justina glanced over at Ethel, and her expression softened. “I must ask your forgiveness for not avenging your daughter. The demoness escaped through a door, which was magically warded. The magic is… considerable. However, the duke has an augur accompanying him who may be able to open it. There is still hope that we will catch the foul demoness.”

  Ethel did her best to hide her joy at hearing that Piper had escaped. While they may never see her again, at least she was alive. Though she knew her family’s fate still hung by a thread. “Thank you for saving us,” she said, curtseying to the vampire. “I owe you a great debt.”

  “You owe me nothing,” Justina said, waving her hand dismissively. “The empire should keep all of its citizens safe from the terrors in the night. To allow a demon to infiltrate our borders is unforgivable.”

  When Ophelia opened her mouth to reply to the vampire, Ethel tightened her grip on her daughter’s arm. She also shot her a sidelong glance. A single wrong word could end them all. Thankfully, for once in Ophelia’s life, she seemed to get the hint and closed her mouth.

  Alfred stepped forward. “As my wife said, we owe you a great debt of gratitude. We had no idea there was a demon among us.” He paused, his voice cracking. “Do you know what happened to my daughter?”

  “Olive?” Justina shook her head. “I do not know. However, based on my limited knowledge of demons, it’s safe to assume that she's gone. The empire will of course compensate you for your loss. We should always protect our citizens.”

  Ethel knew the Crimson Guard’s words were a lie. Or at least a major exaggeration. It was true that the Crimson Guard dealt with the most serious incursions and threats in the kingdom. But most of the time, the humans of the empire were left to fend for themselves. Something made more difficult by the fact that they were forbidden from taking combat classes.

  She tried to reply, but her chattering teeth made it impossible. The vampire woman seemed to notice and gestured at the cave.

  “I will watch over you if you wish to warm yourself by the fire and get dressed in your winter clothing. Also, I would recommend packing your things.” Justina turned to the male vampire. “Send up a flare for the duke. We must surround this cave to ensure the demoness does not escape.

  “As you wish, commander.” The man stepped away from the group and raised his crossbow. A moment later, a brilliant bolt shot toward the heavens. It burst into sparkles of light that dispelled the night and spread across the sky. Even through the heavy snow, it would be visible for kilometers.

  Ethel nodded and hurried back inside. As she did, she glanced over at the massive bronze door. Earlier, she’d awoken to find Ophelia and Piper gone. Her heart had been in throat before she spotted them further down the tunnel, poking around a monster’s corpse.

  Normally, she would have chastised them both. But she didn’t see any immediate danger. And the sight of Ophelia in the oversized helmet had almost made her giggle. She truly would have made an excellent adventurer.

  A small part of her almost wished that Piper had taken Ophelia with her to the empire. Her daughter wasn’t destined to be a farmwife. She would suffocate under the monotony of cooking meals, darning socks, and spinning wool. While Ethel loved taking care of her family, her daughter would never be happy with the same life.

  Yet now she would have no other choice. There were few options for humans in the Bloodveil Empire. While a handful of humans managed to rise to the rank of adventurer, they were few and far between. Her daughter would have no choice but to become a farmwife now. Assuming they all survived what came next.

  While she was packing their things, Alfred came over and squeezed her hand. Then he leaned in close and pecked her on the cheek.

  “I love you,” he whispered. “Always and forever.”

  “I love you more,” she responded with a grin.

  Alfred winked at her. “I know.”

  Holding out his arm, he motioned for Ophelia. Their daughter hurried over and hugged them tightly. Tears streamed down Ethel’s cheeks as they all held each other.

  A few minutes later, she heard movement outside the tunnel entrance. When she turned to look, all the color drained from her face. Outside stood Ransford, with a foul expression on his face.

  “Ah, I see you have captured the collaborators,” he snarled. “Well done, Justina. Now what should we do with them?”

  Ethel’s mind whirled as she tried to think of a plan. Already, she could feel her husband tensing beside her. She quickly realized there was only one way out of their current situation.

  Curtseying low, she bowed her head. “Welcome, my lord. I must thank you for trying so valiantly to save us on the farm. Your heroism knows no bounds. To fight such a powerful demon even after your men had been slain was a true act of bravery. My family will be eternally grateful to you.”

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  “What now?” Ransford looked flummoxed before his expression changed. He puffed out his chest and strode around like a mating terror bird. “Oh yes. That was quite brave of me, wasn’t it? Fighting a demon on my own?”

  “The bravest,” Ethel agreed. “I will be happy to tell that to the duke as well.”

  A grin flickered across Justina’s face before it disappeared. She must realize what Ethel was doing.

  “Yes, I suppose that would be helpful,” Ransford said. “Not for my reputation or anything. Simply so the duke knows what he’s up against. He won’t want to hear me sing once he knows how brave I am.”

  Ethel tried to hide her confusion at the lord’s words. The duke was making Ransford sing? Why in the world would he do that? She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. “Would you grant me a boon, my lord?”

  “Anything,” Ransford replied. “After all, you are under my protection. And I did valiantly save you.

  “Please allow my family to return to our farm.” She did her best to look scared, which wasn’t too hard since she was standing in front of a man who had tried to murder her recently. “Now that we know a demon is loose in the hills, we want to be somewhere safe. And we have to mourn… our daughter. Do we have your permission to return to our farm?”

  “And you will tell the duke that everything that happened was a misunderstanding?”

  “Of course, my lord.”

  “Excellent. Most excellent.” Ransford clapped his hands. “This is how you inspire your people, Justina. Through acts of bravery. The people of Alderwick will always be loyal now that they know I’m protecting them.”

  Justina stepped forward. “I have offered to help pay for the rebuilding of their farm.”

  “Yes, yes,” he replied with a wave of his hand. “Give them all the silver they need to replace their animals and grains. But I do hope they will spread the word of my generosity in Alderwick.”

  Ethel’s eyes narrowed at the lord’s words. Something had changed about him since her encounter with him on the farm. It was almost as if he were afraid of something. Was the duke displeased to learn about what he had done? Was that why he was so keen on her spreading the good word about him?

  Regardless, she wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. This opportunity meant that her family could survive and return to their old life. And based on Justina’s expression, she didn’t think they would face any future repercussions.

  As Ransford pulled Justina aside and spoke to her in low tones, Ethel returned to packing. She shared a glance with her husband, whose face looked stony. She knew that expression well. He was upset that they were leaving Piper behind. But they had no choice. There was nothing they could do against the duke and his forces.

  “Are we really going home?” Ophelia whispered, looking down at her boots. “What about Piper?”

  “Shush,” Ethel said, glancing over at the vampires. Thankfully, neither of them appeared to have heard her daughters’ words. “She’s resourceful and will find her way back to us someday.”

  “What about being an adventurer?”

  Ethel smiled warmly at her daughter. “In the last year and a half, you’ve fought with a demon, fled from vampires, and wielded a magic sword. If that doesn’t give you an amazing adventurer class, I don’t know what will.”

  “Does that mean…?”

  “Yes,” Ethel said with a sigh. “I’ll worry about you every day, but I’ll try to get you special dispensation to let you choose a combat class on your awakening. However, you’ll have to serve the vampires. And only a handful of humans are allowed to apply every year, so your chances are slim.”

  “I wish I could have gone with... you know.”

  “Me too.” She touched her daughter on the nose before repeating, “Me too.”

  Once they had finished packing the horse, they led the animal through the entrance. Outside, the storm was still raging. How did the vampires expect them to travel in these conditions?

  “Allow me,” Justina said. She raised her arm, and a bubble of complete calm formed around them. Then the snow on the ground shifted to the side, forming a dry path. She must have powerful ice magic from the Water Realm. Perhaps even some spells from the Air Realm, as no wind stirred inside of the bubble.

  To light the way, Justina activated a white aetherstone on her ring. It cast a cone of light in front of them, illuminating the path down to the mountain pass. Below them, they could see dozens of soldiers swarming up the slope. And hundreds more were moving through the pass.

  After leading them to an overhang, Justina lowered her ring. “I apologize, but I must inform the duke of what has occurred. However, you should be safe here until I return.”

  With that, the tall vampire turned and marched off into the night toward a waving banner that had appeared in the mountain pass.

  Alfred pointed at a circle of boulders a short distance away. “It might be warmer over there.”

  Ethel followed her husband, and they stopped behind a colossal, toppled stone. She pulled out another blanket and handed it to Ophelia. Her daughter wrapped it around herself and pulled it tight before snuggling into her father.

  They watched as more soldiers and camp followers arrived at the pass, many of them looking half dead on their feet. Even those with powerful classes had trouble traveling at night through a snowstorm. The new arrivals hurriedly began to erect tents and light fires in the desolate pass. Soon, they were completely surrounded by the duke’s followers.

  A young woman broke off from the group and hurried over to them. She had long dark hair and the sharp features of a vampire. Had she been sent by Justina to check on them?

  The woman stopped and glanced around before kneeling in front of Ethel. “Are you alright?”

  Ethel’s mouth dropped open as she recognized the voice. “Piper?”

  The young woman smiled. “It’s me.”

  “But… but… how?”

  “I had to make sure you were alright,” Piper replied. “During my fight with Justina, I opened the door but instead of going inside I slipped out of the cave. I waited there to make sure they weren’t going to hurt any of you.”

  Alfred stood up and drew her into a bear hug.

  “Piper!” Ophelia squealed before clamping a hand over her mouth. Thankfully, in the din of the camp, no one had heard. “Did you come back for me?”

  Piper shook her head, her voice breaking slightly. “I only came to say goodbye.”

  “Don’t talk nonsense,” Ethel said. “All you have to do is cast your illusions and we’ll slip out of the camp together. They’re looking for you inside the cave, not out here.”

  “I heard that they promised to help you rebuild your farm,” Piper said, looking down at her feet. “I can’t take that away from you again. But I promise that I’ll find a way to come back someday.

  “No way,” Alfred growled. “I’m not letting you cross the mountains on your own. That’s what you’re planning, isn’t it?”

  “My magic isn’t strong enough to hide all of you,” Piper said. “Especially the horse.”

  “We’ll just leave the horse behind,” Alfred countered. “We’ve already eaten most of the food it was carrying, anyway.”

  “What about the other supplies?” Piper stood up, glancing around the camp. “There’s no time to argue. Someone is going to see me and start asking questions.”

  Ethel’s hand shot out and grabbed Piper’s wrist. “Please don’t do this. All you need to do is hide for a bit and then come back to the farm.”

  “I can’t,” Piper said. “If I did that, I’d only put you all in danger again.”

  Standing up, Ethel drew her into a hug. “Please reconsider. I can’t lose another daughter.”

  Piper sniffled as she returned the embrace. “I love all of you. And I’ll see you again soon.”

  With that, she hurried off and disappeared into the darkness. Even though she had promised to return soon, Ethel doubted she would see her again in this lifetime. Though she truly hoped that she was wrong.

  “I should have gone with her,” Alfred said bitterly. “It’s not right to leave her to fend for herself.”

  “Why didn’t we go with her, Mom?” Ophelia asked from her cocoon of blankets.

  “She doesn’t think she could keep us safe,” Ethel replied softly, staring off to where Piper had disappeared. “And I hate to say it, but she may have been right.”