Justina grimaced as she drank from the flask of blood, the cool liquid making her freshly regrown teeth ache. Once she had taken a few more sips, she opened the intricately inscribed pouch on her belt and dropped it inside. The flask disappeared into the shining portal as if it had never existed.

  As she closed her void pouch, she glanced around the ruined farmstead. She and Augustus had spent an entire day here to allow their wounds to heal. With the survivors of the redcap raiders lurking in the hills, they didn’t dare travel until they were fully recovered.

  “Rider coming in,” Augustus grunted from nearby. Already, he was picking up his halberd and readying a spell.

  Justina turned around and shielded her eyes from the rising sun. In the distance, she could make out a horse galloping in their direction. She gripped her sword hilt and drew a sliver of steel from the sheath. But after a second, she let out a breath of relief and slammed the sword back in. The rider wore the unmistakable cloak of the Crimson Guard.

  “Isn’t that Lucius?” Augustus grumbled. “Shouldn’t he be on the way to Stout Oak Keep?”

  “Something must have happened.”

  They waited in silence as Lucius galloped in their direction. As the man neared them, he jumped from his saddle and raced over to them. “I’m glad I caught you,” he said. “I was afraid you would have already reached the mountains.”

  “Why are you here?” Justina demanded. “Didn’t I order you to ride to the duke with all haste?”

  “That’s a funny story,” he said, lifting his visor to expose his youthful grin. “I ran into the duke a short distance from our camp. It turns out one of his augurs sensed a demonic presence while he was out hunting. He’s on his way here now and should probably arrive before midday.”

  Justina’s brow rose. “What of Ransford?”

  “That’s the funny part,” Lucius said with a chuckle. “The duke ordered the craven fool to set out immediately to slay the demon. He’s a short distance behind me with the others.”

  Justina scowled at the news. She had planned to capture the girl and any surviving members of her family to get their testimony. But if Ransford was nearby, he would order her to slay them without mercy.

  “You’re not smiling.” Lucius’s grin faded.

  “It… complicates things,” she said with a sigh. “Should we break down the camp?”

  Lucius shook his head. “The duke wants to gather all of his forces here.”

  Justina nodded and rubbed her jaw. She always hated regrowing teeth. They usually ached for weeks afterward as they pushed the old teeth aside and jockeyed for position. If only she had some ashenroot to dull the pain. It would make it far more tolerable.

  Augustus paused in the process of packing his bed and walked over to the nearby smouldering campfire. He tossed some sticks onto the embers and blew on them. If they weren’t leaving, there was no reason to extinguish the flames.

  Lucius glanced around at the ruins of the farmhouse before his gaze landed on the nearby crater with a deep trench leading to it. “What in the name of Infernus happened there?”

  “We’re still trying to figure it out.”

  “Don’t tell me there really was a demon.”

  “Our current theory is that a farm girl living here found a pre-Thronefall bow in the ruins,” Justina said. “When Ransford arrived for a little snack, she had a surprise waiting for him.”

  Lucius slapped his knee. “Isn’t that something? The bastard thought he could eat a family and ran smack into a legendary weapon. Infernus must have had a hand in that.”

  Justina gave him a slight smile. “I feel there is the hand of a god in there somewhere. Also, I would ask you to show Ransford due respect. He is still our lord.” She’d allowed her subordinate to disrespect their liege, as her own opinion of the man had fallen after seeing what had happened on the farm. But she couldn’t allow it to continue.

  “He’s a jumped-up bard,” Lucius sneered. “He doesn’t deserve our respect.”

  “The emperor gave him a lordship,” she said firmly. “It is our duty to serve him until such a time as we can prove he’s not worthy of our service.”

  “Oh, I see.” Lucius winked at her. “We’re going to show Duke Albrecht what he did. Got it.”

  “We’re going to follow our orders.” Justina brushed back a stray strand of her dark hair. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

  Lucius shrugged. “I guess it will just be a coincidence if what we find gets him publicly staked.”

  “I suppose that’s the case.”

  With the conversation ended, she walked over to the fire and grabbed a round log she’d retrieved from a nearby shed. She settled down on the flat surface to wait for Ransford.

  Not even an hour had passed when three horses followed by a dozen pack animals plodded onto the farm. In the lead was Lord Ransford, a look of pure disdain on his face as he inspected the farm ruins. Behind him was Virgil, holding the lord’s banner with an image of a keep and lute emblazoned on its surface. And bringing up the rear was Cassius.

  Justina rose to greet her lord. She thumped a hand against her chest and inclined her head. Then she waited for Ransford to return the salute.

  Ransford leapt from his horse and landed lightly on the hard dirt. He gave her a half-hearted salute, barely touching his chest before he walked over to the crater. “Do you see the demon’s handiwork now? I bet you won’t dare question me again.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “I see it, my lord.” She fought down the urge to grind her teeth, as that would be far too painful in her current condition.

  Ransford spun around and narrowed his eyes. “I see scars on your face. Did you fight the monstrous demon as well?”

  “We encountered a raiding party of redcaps in the hills, my lord.” She dropped her hand from her chest. “They have been dealt with.”

  “I assume you sent the vermin scurrying back to their burrows?” Ransford shuddered. “Truly disgusting members of the fae. I don’t know why their cousins haven’t wiped them out.” He whirled around. “Now, who’s going to set up my tent and fetch me a goblet of blood?”

  Lucius began to grumble, but shut his mouth when Justina glared at him. Averting his gaze, he hurried over to the packhorses.

  She understood his annoyance—most Blood Lords travelled with a retinue of servants—but it wasn’t their place to complain. The lord enjoyed ordering his bodyguards to do menial tasks for him, and it was their duty to comply.

  Of course, it was usually a bad idea to anger someone whose job it was to keep you alive. Numerous Blood Lords in the past had enjoyed tormenting their Crimson Guard. And all of them had met grisly ends. However, Ransford was freshly turned and likely knew little of their history. Either he would learn quickly or end up like the others.

  I wouldn’t mind seeing him staked in the town square.

  Justina motioned for Augustus and the others to help with the unpacking. If the Duke wouldn’t arrive until later today, it was likely they were staying the night here. While all vampires could see perfectly during the night, the same couldn’t be said of their mounts. They would have to travel during daylight hours at the start of their journey.

  Moving between the horses, she helped to unload the tents and other equipment. Thankfully, the blood was all stored in void pouches; otherwise, they’d be carting around enormous barrels of the liquid. The void pouches also had the added benefit of keeping the blood fresh, so they wouldn’t have to keep feeding on humans.

  In the old days before void storage, they’d had to travel with processions of human slaves and feed on them every night. But slavery had been abolished in the empire centuries ago, and the more humane blood rent had taken its place.

  The camp was almost completely set up when she heard trumpets and drums in the distance. She paused in what she was doing and watched as a procession emerged from the forest. At the front was the banner of Duke Albrecht, with an image of a kraken devouring a castle. Then behind them rode the musicians, beating on drums, blowing trumpets, and playing fifes. After them were the legions of servants, soldiers, and hangers-on that accompanied the duke. Finally, came the man himself in resplendent golden armor and surrounded by his Crimson Guard.

  The Duke cantered to the front of the line and reared up his horse as he reached Ransford, who had emerged from his tent with a goblet in hand.

  “My lord,” Ransford said, giving a fawning bow. A bit of crimson liquid spilled out of his goblet as he bowed low.

  “Get up, get up,” the duke said. “I don’t want any of that ridiculous ceremony in my presence.”

  “As you wish, my lord,” Ransford said with a slimy grin. “It is an honor to be in your presence.”

  “Yes, yes.” Duke Albrecht jumped down from his mount and then strode over to Justina. “It’s so good to see you!” he roared, grabbing her arms. “I wish your father were with me.”

  Justina smiled warmly at the duke. He was an old friend of her father’s, and they’d known each other for centuries.

  “It is good to see you, my lord,” she said. “How was your trip?”

  “None of that my lord stuff from you,” he said gruffly. “My name is Karl, and I expect you to use it.”

  “As you wish… Karl.”

  The duke slapped her on the shoulder. “That’s better. Now what’s this I hear about a demon?”

  “I believe you should talk to my lord about that.”

  “Oh, right.” He spun around and thrust out his hand toward Ransford. “Tell me everything you know about the demon. I was hunting aspect beasts not far from here, but nothing compares to hunting a demon. That’s a trophy I want on my wall.”

  Ransford straightened up and lifted his chin slightly. “She is quite powerful, Karl—”

  The duke held up his hand to stop Ransford. “My title is lord, and I expect you to use it.”

  Justina wilted slightly as Ransford scowled at her. She would pay for that slight later. In fact, she had a feeling she was going to be doing something unpleasant like latrine duty tonight. But she also noted that Karl had seen the scowl.

  “As I was saying… my lord,” Ransford continued. “The demon is quite powerful. She presents as a little girl, but she possesses a weapon that must be legendary at least. And she is an expert in illusions.”

  Justina frowned. “You never said anything about illusions.”

  “Didn’t I?” Ransford shrugged. “I must not have thought it was important.”

  Justina chewed on her lower lip. If the girl could cast illusions, then it might explain how she had slipped away from Augustus. Her job of finding and catching the girl had suddenly become much more difficult.

  “Beyond that, what can I say?” Ransford held his hands out. “She’s a demon with unbelievable power.”

  Karl walked over and poked Ransford in the chest with a mailed fist. “And just what were you doing around little peasant girls? I hope you’re not stirring up a rebellion on me. Such a thing would displease me greatly. I know you were one of the emperor’s favorites, but he’s not here in this province.”

  Ransford blanched visibly. “I was merely protecting a peasant family.”

  “I know all about your hired thugs,” Karl said. “Before you try to lie about what happened, know that I have numerous spies in Alderwick. I heard that you threatened to eat some peasant girls not too long ago. And I know that you attacked this farm. But something went wrong, didn’t it? I still don’t know if you discovered something interesting or merely endured an embarrassing defeat at the hands of some peasants. However, my augur swears up and down that he felt a powerful infernal presence nearby.”

  Justina watched the exchange and fought down a smile as Ransford almost seemed to deflate. She’d always liked Duke Albrecht. He was a fair and just man—the complete opposite of her current lord.

  “Now, if we discover a demon in the hills,” Karl continued. “Then all is forgiven. However, if it’s anything else, your future doesn’t look bright. Regardless of how well you managed to soothe the emperor with your lute in the past.”

  Karl clapped his hands together. “Now, how about a song? It’s been a long day, and I haven’t had a minstrel to perform for me in ages.”

  Ransford pointed at himself. “Do you mean me, my lord?”

  “Who else?” Karl settled down on a log near the fire. “Unless Justina wants to join in? I’ve always enjoyed the song about the vampire homeland.” Duke Albrecht was one of the few nobles who hadn’t come from Urkalla across the ocean. He’d been a king in these lands when the first vampires had arrived and had bent the knee in exchange for a duchy and being turned.

  Justina bowed. “I’m always happy to sing for you, Karl.”

  “But… but… I’m a lord,” Ransford sputtered. “I don’t sing anymore.”

  “Not even for your duke?” Karl raised an eyebrow.

  “I-I suppose I could this one time.”

  Ransford hurried over to his tent and reemerged a moment later with his lute. He plucked at the strings while humming a few chords. Then he moved to stand in front of the duke, his features pinched.

  Justina took up a position next to Ransford. After clearing her throat, she began to sing the song of their homeland. As she sang the first verse of the song, many people around the camp stopped what they were doing to listen.

  By the moon’s pale dying light,

  I recall the hills of night,

  Where my people’s song once lingered in the air.

  But the rivers now run dry,

  And the crows have claimed the sky,

  Oh, my homeland, I can never wander there.

  Ransford joined her in the chorus, with his own voice. While she was renowned as an impressive singer, she paled in comparison to her lord. His voice was like that of the angels from the Celestial Realm.

  O land of shadowed stone,

  O hearth I called my own,

  Your silence haunts the marrow of my soul.

  We crossed the storm-tossed sea,

  But you still bleed through me,

  Forever bound, though I no longer hold.

  As their voices rose to the sky, she knew that now Karl was here, everything would be alright. They would find the peasant girl and save her family. And then she’d be rid of Ransford for good.