A Shade of Vampire 81 A Bringer of Night - Bella Forrest Page 0,10
“We didn’t know anyone lived here.”
“Barely anyone does.” The second Aeternae man narrowed his eyes at me. “This isn’t a popular path. Hell, I’ve barely seen a handful of people come through here, myself.”
So Kalon had been right in that respect. The Nightmare Forest had not become safer or more welcoming to travelers. How had this village thrived, then, in a region so hostile and dangerous?
“I’m bringing my brother back home,” Kalon said, shifting in his saddle so both Aeternae men could see Ansel clearly. The boy was taken aback by this exchange, and he wasn’t hiding it. Fortunately, the gag stopped him from talking. I wasn’t sure he would’ve had anything good to say, anyway. “I thought this road would be more… quiet.”
“It is,” the first Aeternae said. “Is that how your treat your siblings where you come from? You bind and gag them?”
“If they’re an idiot, maybe.” The second one chuckled. It earned him a scowl from his partner, so he cleared his throat and gave us a stern look.
“What did the youngling do?” the first Aeternae asked.
“Betrayed the empire,” Kalon replied. “It’s a long story.”
“We’re trying to get him some help before he earns himself the death penalty,” I added, hoping my presence might soften the Aeternae up a little. From my previous encounters with foreign and isolated cultures, tribespeople were often more receptive to female interlocutors, rather than males. They’d always been tempted to skin my brother alive, for example, but had often retracted that impulse upon speaking with me. Maybe these people were part of a similar culture. I did prefer a more observatory approach, but sometimes my input could make the difference between a peaceful introduction and a life or death situation.
Judging by the village’s general appearance, they clearly weren’t regular subjects of the Lord and Lady Supreme. Even their clothes were different—mostly leather, black and brown, and bone jewelry. Feathers were woven into their braided manes, occasionally fluttering in the forest breeze.
“Is that why you’re going this way?” the second Aeternae asked, sneering. “To keep his shortcomings a secret?”
Kalon exhaled sharply. “Yes. We’re hoping to save him before it’s too late.”
“Do you have any weapons?” the first Aeternae replied.
We both shook our heads. “No, sir,” I said.
“No need for weapons where we come from,” Kalon added.
Villagers came closer to the road, slowly advancing from their homes. The children stayed back, but the parents and elder siblings were all curious. They said nothing, light on their feet as they tried to get closer to listen to our conversation. I took it as a good sign, since they didn’t have their pitchforks and torches out for us.
“You’re Aeternae,” Kalon continued. “You don’t need weapons. Why do you have them?”
The young men exchanged wary glances. “It’s none of your concern,” the first one said. “But you are free to pass through. We won’t stop you.”
I was relieved, but I also wasn’t ready to leave yet. Hell, we’d only just arrived, and I had a feeling there was more to this place than met the eye. Most importantly, I wondered why the Aeternae felt the need for weapons here. It surely couldn’t be about the animals living in these woods. They were superior to vampires and thus the apex predators. Even if the sabre tigers were as proficient in hunting as Kalon had made them out to be, the weapons seemed redundant.
“Kalon, it’ll be night soon,” I said. “And we still have… how many miles until we reach the open plains? Two hundred?”
“Approximately, yes,” Kalon replied.
“Perhaps we could spend the night here. It seems safer than going through the Nightmare Forest, what with all the sabre tigers and red-tailed vipers. Right?”
He stifled a smirk, then looked at the young Aeternae. “You make a lot of sense, Esme. I wholeheartedly agree,” he said. “Would we be welcome to stay here until the sun rises tomorrow? I suppose you’re all aware of how dangerous the woods can be after dark.”
The first Aeternae scoffed. “You’re kidding.”
“I don’t think he is,” the second one replied. “What’s the harm? The inn has rooms.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “What would the rooms be for? No one ever comes around, right?”
The second Aeternae gave me a shrug. “We use the rooms sometimes, when we need privacy, or when we’re remodeling our homes or building new ones. We did have a stranger stay there once, as well.”
“Pavlos, the chief will get mad,” the first Aeternae protested, groaning with frustration.