Piper took nearly a minute to regain her feet, and even once standing, her legs were barely strong enough to hold her weight. She’d probably lost a lot of blood from Ransford biting her neck, and her low mana hadn’t allowed her to heal completely. But none of that mattered right now—she needed to check on the others.

  Staggering over to Alfred, she bent down only for the big man to wave her off. He pointed a finger at his wife and daughter, who lay nearby. She hurried over to Ophelia and just stared down at her friend. The young woman had puncture marks on her neck, and her skin was terribly pale.

  Piper leaned down to check for a pulse. It was weak and thready, but at least it was still there.

  Ethel was next, and she wasn’t in much better shape. The Blood Lord had nearly drained them both dry.

  Piper straightened up and looked helplessly at Alfred. She had no idea what to do.

  “We need to get them to the healer in town,” the big man grunted from his position on the ground. “See if you can find the oxen.”

  She glanced around the farm, her gaze sweeping over the slain animals, and realized the horse and the oxen were missing from the slaughter. Had Ransford taken them? Or had the animals fled during the fire?

  “Great job,” Gorebark called out from his position on the rooftop. “You let the bitey guy get away, and I didn’t get any experience. You know you're supposed to kill things, right? Is that a hard concept for you?”

  “Not now,” she said as she walked over to retrieve her bow. “I have other things to worry about.”

  “I’d be worried about that guy coming back with an army to finish you off,” Gorebark said. “He looked seriously pissed off before you lit his head on fire. But I have to admit, that was fun to watch.”

  The demonic bow’s words made her freeze. The Blood Lord was probably headed back here right now with his Crimson Guard in tow. If she could barely hurt him on her own, what chance did she have against a half dozen bloodsuckers? It wasn’t like she could trick him into drinking her blood a second time.

  Even if she found the horse and oxen, what then? Nowhere was safe for them now.

  She shook her head to dispel her negative thoughts. Her only goal at the moment was to get everyone to the healer. After they were healed, she could worry about Ransford.

  Piper sagged to her knees after a few paces, the world spinning around her. She cursed her weakness as she lurched back to her feet. She’d pushed through worse during her illness, so she could do it now.

  Moving around the edge of the farm, she finally spotted the oxen, and the horse tied to a tree near the road. The men with Ransford had probably planned to steal them after they had finished with her and the others.

  She untied the pair of oxen first and led them over to the shed where they kept the wagon. As the animals tramped past the corpses, they became skittish and tried to shy away. But a few soothing words and pats on the head got them past the carnage.

  Piper reached the shed and swung open the doors. She spent the next few minutes awkwardly hitching the animals. While she’d seen Alfred do it a hundred times, she’d only done it herself on a handful of occasions.

  When she was finally done, she climbed into the wagon seat and snapped the reins to get the oxen moving. Once they had left the shed, she steered it over to Alfred. The big man still hadn’t risen from the ground, which was a bad sign. After being mauled by the lion, he’d barely slowed down. Would he even survive long enough to reach the village?

  Be positive, she thought to herself firmly. Everyone is going to be all right.

  Piper jumped down to help Alfred onto the front seat. Even with her new strength, it was difficult to help him to his feet. The man must weigh as much as a bear. But after a few tries, she finally managed to get him settled. Then she took a few seconds to rest, dizziness washing over her.

  After the world had stopped spinning again, she picked up Ophelia and then placed her in the back of the wagon. She was shocked at how easy it was to carry the girl, but then again, her strength had more than quadrupled today. Finally, she placed Ethel next to her daughter.

  When she moved to climb up into the seat, Alfred held up his hand to stop her.

  “Does the horse still live?”

  She nodded.

  “Ride the horse into town,” he grunted. “I can’t afford to lose any more animals.”

  Piper pressed her lips together before finally nodding. She’d rather ride with Alfred, but she wasn’t about to argue with him. Plus, the loss of a horse to a predator would be devastating after everything else today.

  Hurrying back to the road, she was grateful that the horse had already been saddled. She grabbed onto the pommel and threw her leg over. Once she was seated, she spun the horse around and cantered back in the direction of the burning longhouse.

  When she reached the wagon, Alfred cracked the reins, and the wagon lurched forward. As they moved toward the road, she cast [False Face] and [Truth Shroud]. On the off chance they encountered someone on the road, she wanted to conceal her demonic nature. Plus, she still felt more comfortable in her human skin.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  As they left the farm, she kept glancing over at Alfred, who was hunched forward, one hand pressed against his stomach. She was worried he was going to keel over at any moment.

  But over the next few hours as they travelled, the big man somehow remained upright in his seat. His face was set with a grim determination, and he kept his eyes locked on the road in front of him. And even though his features grew paler by the minute, he didn’t utter a word of complaint.

  Time passed slowly as Piper continually scanned the road for any threats. She kept expecting an army of vampires to burst out of the woods. By the time the village came into sight, she was shaking, and her stomach was twisted into knots.

  As they passed through the fields surrounding the village, she double-checked to make sure her [False Face] and [Truth Shroud] were active. Her mana had completely refilled on the ride, and she tied off both spells with [Enduring Casting]. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally reveal herself as a demon after everything that had happened.

  In the distance, she could make out a beehive of activity outside the front gates. It looked like half the village had assembled, and most of them were wearing simple armor and holding weapons. As the wagon emerged from the forest, two mounted militiamen broke off from the crowd and galloped in their direction.

  Her heart hammered in her chest as the riders approached. Were they coming to arrest her? Had Ransford already arrived in the town and told them everything? She tapped her longbow with her finger. “Don’t say a word,” she hissed. “Understood?”

  “Whatever you say, o’ evil one.” As it finished speaking, Gorebark shut its mouth. When it wasn’t moving or talking, it looked like a regular bow with a face carved near the grip. A weird, scary bow, but still a bow.

  The two men from the village stopped a short distance away and looked at them with shocked expressions. The younger man pulled out the symbol of Infernus from around his neck and whispered a few words of prayer.

  The older of the two hopped down from his horse and hurried over to Alfred. “By Infernus’s beard, what happened to you?

  “It was…” Alfred trailed off as he slumped forward. Then, almost in slow motion, he toppled from his seat on the wagon. The other man barely caught him and struggled to push him back into place.

  Piper’s mind whirled as the two-armed men turned their gaze in her direction, clearly expecting some answers. She tried to think of a lie, but one look at Ethel and Piper’s necks would show them the truth of what had happened.

  “We were attacked by vampires,” she said simply. “They burned the farm and tried to kill us.”

  “Abyss take them,” the older man spat. “What do we pay the blood rent for if the damned nobles can’t keep us safe from vampire brigands? We saw the smoke a short while ago and were assembling the militia to come help. Everyone thought it was a redcap raiding party, but there’s not much we can do against vampires. We’ll take shelter behind the walls and send for help.”

  Piper stayed silent, not wanting to tell them that a noble had been the one who had attacked the farm. They’d probably learn the truth soon enough when they sent for help and Ransford arrived with an avenging army.

  She dismounted to help the two men wrestle Alfred into the back of the wagon. The big man’s eyes had rolled back into his head, and he had a bloody froth on his lips. Neither of the men seemed to think it was a good sign, as they kept exchanging worried glances.

  Piper slid onto the wagon driver’s seat, while one of the other men took her horse’s reins. With a snap, she started the wagon down the slight incline toward the village. The wheels creaked, and the oxen grunted as she trundled toward the entrance.

  The last time she’d visited Alderwick, the fields outside had been alive with people. Now they were completely deserted. Everyone must be hiding behind the walls. She didn’t see a single soul until they reached the armed group standing by the gates.

  The man she’d talked to broke off and whispered something to a stern-looking older woman wearing padded armor and holding a kite shield. After a few seconds of conversation, the woman nodded her head and then thrust her arm out in the direction of the village.

  Without a word, the gates swung open, and everyone made room to let the wagon pass. She rolled into town unsure of what to do next. A crowd awaited her inside, and murmurs spread through the gathered people at the sight of her in the wagon.

  A second later, Beatrice emerged from the crowd and raced forward. She reached the side of the wagon and took in everything in an instant. The blond-haired woman hurried back to the front and jumped up next to Piper.

  “We need to get my sister and her family to the healer immediately.” Beatrice took the reins from Piper. “Please let me drive.”

  Piper let the woman take over and tapped her foot against the wooden boards on the wagon as they slowly made their way into town. Why couldn’t these stupid oxen go any faster?

  After what felt like an eternity, they reached a hut with the symbol of a green dragon hanging outside. Without waiting for the wagon to slow, Beatrice leapt off and sprinted to the front door. She hammered on it until there was a sound of movement inside.

  The door opened a crack, and a bleary eye peered out. There was a quick exchange of words too low to hear, and then the door swung open. A wizened old man emerged, followed by three men who looked like younger versions of him. They all hurried over to the wagon and collected Ethel and Ophelia before carrying them inside. A moment later they returned for Alfred and half-carried, half-dragged him through the front door.

  Piper desperately wanted to join them inside, but she needed to park the wagon first. She steered it around the side of the building and jumped down to tie the oxen to a post. The animals should be safe here until she returned.

  After a second’s indecision, she placed Gorebark in the back of the wagon. She couldn’t risk letting her bow reveal itself in front of others. Then, to be safe, she covered the weapon with a blanket and some loose straw.

  “I’ll be right back,” she whispered to Gorebark. “Don’t say anything or they’ll probably burn us at the stake.”

  She didn’t wait for the bow’s answer and raced back around the corner, nearly colliding with Beatrice. Without a word, the woman threw open her arms and drew Piper into a big hug.

  Piper struggled for a second, but then it felt like a dam broke inside of her. She wept against Beatrice’s shoulder, fat tears rolling down her cheeks, while the woman held her tight. All her worry and fear came pouring out, and it took her a few seconds before she could speak again.

  Disentangling herself from Beatrice, she sniffled. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save them.”

  “This isn’t your fault. None of this is your fault.”

  “But it is…”

  Beatrice’s eyebrow rose slightly. “I hardly think that a brigand attack had anything to do with you.”

  “It wasn’t brigands,” she said softly. “It was the Lord Ransford. He… wanted me.”

  Beatrice’s face drained of color. “Do you mean the new Blood Lord?”

  Piper nodded.

  “Is he still alive?”

  She nodded again.

  “Tell me everything.”

  Piper glanced around to make sure they were alone and then launched into the story. She watched Beatrice’s face transform from horrified to furious and then back to horrified again. When she finished, the woman didn’t immediately respond.

  After nearly a minute had passed, Beatrice sighed. “We can worry about the Blood Lord later. Right now, we need to deal with the healer.”

  Piper scrubbed at her eyes, trying to compose herself as Beatrice disappeared inside the hut. After she felt she looked presentable, she followed the woman inside. She prayed that the healer could save Ethel and her family. Otherwise, she would never forgive herself for putting them in danger.