That would be a problem since the prince insisted they find the First.
The moon was high, and they had been following the ancient vampire’s tracks for several hours when a shrill scream shattered the silence of the night.
It was long and drawn out, the painful plea of someone nearing death.
Vivienne’s sword was in her hand before the cry ended, and she glanced at Marius. “Last chance, Prince. We can still turn back and get the king.”
He dismounted, slipping Azil’s reins over a branch. “No, we can’t.”
Marius unsheathed his daggers, expertly spinning them and handling them better than most soldiers. She must have looked impressed because he raised a brow. “The High Lady of Life taught me a few things about wielding daggers.”
A reminder of how interconnected he was to the ruling bodies of the Four Kingdoms… and how important it was to keep him safe.
The reminder was good. She needed to remember their boundaries. He was her charge. Nothing more.
Another scream rose.
“Come on,” Marius said, jerking his head towards the sound. “Let’s go.”
A gleam that Vivienne recognized all too well entered the prince’s eyes. He would charge into any situation that would bring him closer to achieving his goal, even if it meant endangering himself.
Resigned to the fact that this night would almost certainly keep getting worse, Vivienne held in a groan. "Will you at least let me go first?"
The halfling sighed, but he paused and waited for her to catch up.
Thank all the gods for small mercies.
Vivienne gripped her sword and stepped in front of the prince.
“This way.” She shifted towards the undeniable scent of copper that was growing stronger by the second. “We need to move swiftly.”
No mortal could lose that much blood and live for long. Especially not when a feral vampire was draining them.
“After you,” the prince said, pulling on the hood of his cloak.
And so, they ran.
Locatingthe source of the blood didn’t take long.
Even if Vivienne hadn’t been a vampire who was in tune with the darkness of this world, they would’ve found it. The wind carried faint screams to their ears, as if the forest itself wanted them to know someone was in trouble.
The scent of death had returned.
It was the same one they’d encountered in Hoarfrost Hollow, but more potent. Her eyes burned at the awful scent. Her heightened senses felt like a curse as her entire body revolted at the stench.
If Vivienne could call upon the shadows of her brethren, she could cloak them from sight as they advanced through the forest.
Alas, they had to do without.
Vivienne led the prince through the forest until she spotted something strange. A large boulder was nestled in the snow, half-hidden behind two massive pines wearing thick white coats.
Or at least, Vivienne thought it was a boulder… until itmoved.
Marius halted behind her, a curse slipping from his lips. “Is that?—”
She shot out an arm and glared at him.
“Quiet,” she hissed.