Chapter 17: Seth’s Diary (entry 3)

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  November 2nd, 1628

  After nearly a sennight of sensing a malevolent presence, I finally caught a glimpse of the culprit: a upir, discreetly prowling the perimeter of the mansion grounds at midnight. The foul creature, long since lost to mania and desperation, has been stalking me, its glowing eyes of crimson frantically seeking until they at last managed to find purchase on me through the window. It has known of me for weeks, its glare revealed, but the Ward keeps it at bay still. I suspect that Kia might have led it here unwittingly the night she fled through the forest, and I have been too weak to detect it until recently.

  The creature’s obsession with me is a testament to the fact that my kind are keeping underground for the time being - if not because of the war, then surely to shield themselves from this horrid weather. Like me, the upir is starving; should it continue its incessive and fruitless attempts at breaking through the witch’s barrier, then death will claim it long before I leave this place. It must find another vampire to feast upon soon.

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  Yesterday, I used the Blood Bond on Chiselle much against my principles. From the very moment I told her of my decision to send her to Alstead, she challenged it, initially claiming fear of our crazed visitor - first on my behalf, then her own. Lies, all of it. No matter her apprehension, she must leave at dawn for the sake of my survival. No harm shall come to Kia in her absence.

  Besides, the Ward stands as strong as the day it was first created, and I worry not for my safety. The upir will remain in its lair until nightfall, as Chiselle is well aware, and by then she will be far from its hunting ground. Weakened as it is, I doubt it would follow a mere dhampire - not when it has locked eyes with a full-blooded vampire. From the way it assessed me tonight, I imagine it can almost taste me - and were it not for the barrier, it most certainly would have by now. Someone in my current state, Royal or not, could hardly overpower a frenzied upir fighting for its wretched life.