Suspicion swirled and tightened around my insides like a snake. Lothaire mentioned nothing of the commanders. One of them laid obviously between us, and it was pure intention on the royal’s side to ignore the body.

“And what of the commanders?” I asked, raising my voice to be heard. Galan had been about to move, but my voice kept him where he was. Lothaire seemed struck that I’d mentioned it, and cast a glance down at Ferlan.

There was no love lost between them. It was the same way Serin had glared down at the body. An annoyance, but nothing more.

“It is unfortunate,” Lothaire replied expertly, masking any emotion he felt. Even from here, I could feel his companions emotions, taste them, but not his. Around him, his men were agitated, nervous. They were just as suspicious as I. “But what’s done is done. My father, and I, will be willing to look past this.”

He smiled, and while the commanders had mastered smug, irritating grins, Lothaire’s was a calculated pretense of friendliness. All the more dangerous.

I almost mentioned Serin, chained in the building behind us, but quickly thought better of it. Maybe, the prince would forget, or hadn’t known, and Serin would either bleed out or starve to death. Ascelin, I hoped so.

I’d surprised myself, using Ascelin’s name in my thoughts. Just as I’d done when I was human, cursing yet still praying to that name. I’d been treating the God like a nightmare I could force away.

I needed to face Ascelin, to embrace that it was no longer my blood in this body.

“But I don’t see the other,” Lothaire continued. I watched as he set his helmet onto the saddle before him, crossing his gloves hands over its top. “We will at least need his body.”

We should’ve killed him, I thought to myself. We had the chance, and he’d tricked us into believing he’d be important to our survival. Unfortunately for us, all that mattered was his body.

At least, he’d tricked me. Galan, I wasn’t so sure anymore. He had different motives than he let on, but I still found myself trusting his judgment. Maybe, Serin had a purpose alive.

Not with all of his limbs, though.

“Your unbecoming commander is in there,” Galan said casually. “Wailing and pissing his pants.”

Lothaire didn’t look surprised, but something told me little would surprise the prince. If I were to judge the situation, I’d assume Lothaire was less than apathetic for the commanders’ lives.

It hit me then. Lothaire and his men were the recovery team. They’d expected carnage, and gave time for it to happen.

Ferlan and Serin had been under the belief that I was important enough to abandon the other vampyrs, and wanted nothing to do with the Hound.The prince said the complete opposite.

Who was lying?

It didn’t matter. Galan and I both would end up in Lonest despite all of our, well mostly his, efforts. I could feel when Lothaire’s attention actually turned towards me.

He’d been focused on Galan before, as if he were the first Hound he’d seen. Having had enough of Galan, Lothaire looked at me now, and I met his eyes. While most of my human memories were slipping between my fingers, I still had flashes of my childhood when I looked at him.

Mama crying as she doled out my punishment, neither of us wanting to be there in that situation. This happened more than once, all for the same reasons. Disobedience. Disrespecting the priests. Shaming our name.

We weren’t supposed to look in the eyes of someone we believed higher than ourselves. To do so put yourself on the same level as them, and oh, how I’d loved to do that as a child.

I hadn’t seen myself on the same level of those priests, or any of the favored. No, I’d seen myself above them, no matter how many times mama had explained that I wasn’t.

Thinking of mama, I held Lothaire’s eyes. Damn his title, it meant nothing to me. He was flesh and blood with life in his veins, while death prowled in mine.

Nothing in his face told me he’d taken offense, but I knew I’d struck something in him. We were raised on similar morals, then.

The prince held my gaze, unblinking. Saying nothing, Lothaire simply raised a hand and extended a single finger. Cued by his silent command, the second row of soldiers, behind the shields, immediately dismounted.

They wove through the horses until those ten soldiers reformed into smaller rows of three, with one as their lead. I took my eyes away from Lothaire only to see them head for the building, their leader the first to poke his head into the building.

There was a small commotion- chains clattering and what sounded like the table being broken. Not a good reunion, and it satisfied me to know that. Moments later, after a series of shouts I knew to be Serin’s voice, the commander was brought out, held by his shoulders between two of the soldiers.

They marched between us, presenting the commander as if he was a prisoner. “You’ve lost your sword arm,” Lothaire commented dully, as one might make small talk.

“That mutt chopped it off with my back turned to him,” Serin hissed with all the venom his body held. I heard the pain that leaked through, and I wanted more of it.

My eyes snapped between the commander and the prince and I almost doubted Serin held any title at all, from how Lothaire glowered at him. Even though it wasn’t pointed at me, the expression on the prince’s face felt like ice over my skin.

“Are you going to do anything about this?” Serin shouted at his prince, struggling in the grasp of soldiers he was supposed to command. Supposedly.

“I would’ve done worse, if you’d turned your back to me as an enemy,” he said. No, was the prince’s answer.

“What is this?” Serin spat, finally ripping his shoulders free. He took several paces away from them, but he’d only placed himself closer to weapons that’d been drawn on his approach. “Why are they not in chains?”

I was surprised he had enough energy in him to shout as much as he did. Ascelin, I really should’ve killed him, and that fact was glaring at me now.

“Change of plans,” Lothaire calmly replied. “Are you telling me you didn’t receive any of the ravens I sent, but you had no problem sending one to me?”

“No,” Serin snapped, then quickly corrected himself, remembering who he was speaking to. “No, my prince. I did not get any of them. If they were received, it was not by my hands, and I was not notified.”

“They weren’t addressed to you,” Lothaire muttered, flashing a glance to Ferlan’s body. The prince’s cousin had apparently gotten these messages, and decided to ignore them. Before Serin could say what he’d opened his mouth for, Lothaire raised his hand, effectively silencing him. “Fine,” the prince said. “But the judgment is not mine to make, commander.”

“I understand.” Serin dipped his head with a surprising amount of sincerity. “But,” he continued, and Lothaire looked like he might break his mask. “Having secured a Hound for the King, will there be a matter of reward?”

“Do not tire me, Serin. We were not expecting to take you back alive.” Lothaire’s voice was even, but assertive. The threat was clear, and it made Serin shut his mouth.

It was one point in favor of the prince, but I knew I was sure to find plenty of reasons to take that point away. Serin had treated us like prisoners, but Lothaire acted as if we were guests. We were still prisoners, only Lothaire wished to paint it differently.

“I apologize,” Lothaire said, turning his attention back to Galan. It flickered a few times on me, but the Hound was who he spoke to. “I hadn’t suspected that we would need to bring extra horses, but I see they were released into the fields. We were only able to capture two of them.”

And he hadn’t expected anyone to have survived this, save the vampyr and the Hound. Two large disappointments for the prince. While he spoke, the soldiers had dispersed, most of them returning to their horses. Two disappeared, threading through the rows and rows of men.

They returned from the sides, leading two of the horses Serin had set loose. I recognized one of them as the cart-bearer, and the other as Ferlan’s. Serin, hiding his pain in front of the royal, strode towards the meatier one, attempting twice to mount without help. He failed, and half tried a third time before turning towards one of the soldiers. “Hold the reins for me,” Serin grunted at him.

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Obeying the command, the soldier remained where he was and held the reins as Serin used his torso as a grip on the saddle. It took some maneuvering, and a great deal of humiliation for the commander, before he was seated, panting with exhaustion and anger.

“You’ll have to share the other,” Lothaire spoke again to Galan. He’d remained silent for the entirety of Serin’s struggle, allowing for it to be the center of attention.

Galan turned for me, and I saw hidden words in his eyes. He was angry, but his eyes only held apologies for me. I could only hope that my emotions were able to relay the same way. I’d accepted this, just as I’d once accepted my fate in Reddon.

Holding an arm out for him, Galan guided me as though I were a well born favored, a lady of worth. He helped me into the saddle, boosting me with a grip around my waist.

As soon as I was seated, Galan got behind me, in a movement so fluid I hadn’t caught it except for the rustle of clothing. His touch startled me, both hands snaking through the gap between my arms and body, but he was only reaching forward for the reins. “Do you remember how to use these?” He whispered in my ear, his tone almost sultry if I didn’t know better.

“Yes,” I answered him quietly, eyes darting towards Lothaire. The prince was watching with veiled interest, but I saw through it. But I wasn’t sure which of us had intrigued him so. The Hound, for having a gentle side? Or the fledgling vampyr, who didn’t blindly attack with hunger?

It raised questions within myself, but I knew they would go unanswered until I discovered it myself. I wasn’t ready to face any of it.

Galan passed them into my hands and I diligently twisted and held them as he’d shown me. I was suddenly aware of how close he was to me; his stomach pressed to my back, hips to my butt. This wasn’t a saddle meant for two, and I was pressed as far up as I could be. I could feel the horse’s shoulders working beneath me as I turned us to face Lothaire and his company.

My pulse quickened as I thought of Galan. I could feel the outline of him, and the defined muscles that I leaned against. He’d relaxed a hand on my upper thigh, likely only meaning it in case he needed to take control.

But still, the proximity of him roused feelings I’d never given thought to. The excitement of his touch built in my stomach with a warm, pleasurable burn.

I took a deep breath, needing to refocus myself. This wasn’t like that, and it was a horribly inappropriate time to. . . have those thoughts.

I hadn't been touched with such care for most of my life. Mama had loved me to bits, but I had been a stubborn child that often needed correcting. I didn’t blame her, even now, but she’d never handled me with this much tenderness.

It touched deeper than William had ever gone, and I couldn’t help but to compare to Galan. The thought of Galan and I together flamed my cheeks, and I had to look down before anyone saw.

Schooling myself, I reeled my emotions back in. This simply wasn’t the time, no matter how distracting Galan’s body was. I doubted Galan thought anything of it, either.

Meeting Lothaire’s gaze was more unsettling than I’d expected. I was much closer to him now, and even with the Hound directly at my back, it was my face he searched. I gave him nothing.

The prince’s eyes were golden, like leaves in the fall season. A shade too bright for brown, honeyed near the iris. He was more than attractive, and he knew it.

“Come,” he said at last to us. The rows of soldiers parted, giving enough berth for a small pathway between them. Wide enough for two horses. We were to ride directly next to him?

It was certainly odd, but I figured he wanted to keep his eye on his prisoners.

Galan was a stone against my back, muscles going taut. He didn’t like it either, but he whispered nothing to me. Only a silent, tense warning to keep my wits to myself.

Once at the other end of the soldiers, they reformed behind us, closing their ranks once more. Horses turned, and suddenly they were all facing opposite as they’d come. It was time to go to Lonest.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Night had fallen upon us hours ago. While it continued to storm, Lothaire hadn’t questioned my ability to stand the sunlight that did escape the clouds. Maybe I was leaning too hard into the assumption that vampyrs couldn’t be in the sun.

Vampyr wasn’t a new term to me when I’d been changed. I’d heard stories as a child, likely with the intention to frighten me, but I doubted they were just stories, with what I knew now.

Lothaire had attempted to instigate a conversation, first with Galan, then with me. When he was met with silence, and a glare from Galan, he’d kept his mouth shut for the rest of the journey.

It was a slower pace than what they’d originally set out with. It was casual, like the prince wanted to take his time. Possibly to learn something from us, but that idea had been thoroughly stomped on.

Watching Lonest’s wall grow closer was my only form of entertainment. The fields were empty, devoid of life. The valley was empty of trees- no hiding spots, or shade.

After passing over another small hill, I felt Galan’s hand tensing, fingers curling inward. He was angry again, but why?

The slope down was steeper than I’d thought, and the sudden dip had my hips rolling forward in the saddle. From here, it was wide, flat lands with little more than a bump in the road.

At the end sat Lonest, its giant wall illuminated with glowing, orange torches held by guards. The wall was surrounded by towers that melded into it, jutting out as various heights.

Some were obviously newer additions, while others were crumbling at the base, still miraculously clinging to the wall. I saw nothing of Lonest, only its great barrier.

But from the size of its wall, Lonest was massive. I couldn’t compare anything to it, having seen nothing like it.

From the slope of the hill to further beyond Lonest, the earth was burned. Small trails of smoke rose from the vast emptiness between the wall and our company, as if a battle had recently been fought.

Nothing green or alive remained. It was only charred, burning dirt. The smell of death was strong, but I didn’t see any bodies. Something swelled within me, ripe and bitter. This felt wrong, utterly wrong.

Galan must’ve felt it too from the way he tensed. I could feel him suck in and hold a breath, his chest expanding against my back.

One single horn blared in the distance, and I knew we’d been spotted by the men along the walls. Soon, others joined with the first, the sound piercing through the open lands.

Somehow it echoed back to us, creating an almost unbearable noise. It sounded like howling screams.

I grew nervous as we trekked through the wasteland. Lothaire cast a lone glance my way, and caught my eye. He smiled, and it was anything but kind. “I always enjoy seeing the first reaction to Lonest. Magnificent, isn’t she?” He asked me.

Magnificent wasn’t the word I would’ve used. But seeing that I was to be in his, or rather the King of Lonest’s, custody, I would placate him. “Yes,” was all I said.

The prince’s smile grew wider, more genuine. He was proud of his home. I supposed he would have to be, being the heir of King Mirin. “The wall is the beauty of Lonest. You’d think it’s what the wall protects, and most do feel that way. This is the only piece of Lonest that has survived the test of time.”

“How long has it stood?” I asked out of curiosity. I strangely wanted to know more, if not to simply understand my surroundings.

Lothaire patted the neck of his horse, looking forward again. He stared at it for a long time before answering me. “Nearly as long as the race of Men has existed.”

And how long was that? His answer meant nothing to me when I didn’t know how long Men had existed.

“Its purpose?” The prince implored, assuming my question when I didn’t answer quickly enough. “Without it, Men would’ve been wiped from this world a long time ago.”

It was an interesting bit of information. But was it really vampyrs they shielded from? The height of the wall seemed excessive if that were the case. The possibility of other. . . beings remained open to me- it was only a matter of seeing what else was out there.

Like the beast from the inn, drawn to the beat of my heart. I’d told it of the blood in my veins, and the beast had submitted, leaving me alone. I hadn’t told Galan yet, and now I doubted I would get the chance.

I didn’t bother to crane my neck and stare up at the wall anymore. I’d already seen what was at the top, and it was nothing to keep looking at. Simply more soldiers, though I questioned their ability to do anything from up there.

A booming, creaking noise escaped the wall. It shrieked like metal against stone, but eventually smoothed out into a rolling sound. Part of the wall was opening, somehow disappearing into itself.

We still had some distance on the road until we were able to pass through the opening. I stared at it in wonderment, scouring for where the piece of wall had gone. There was no sign of it.

The opening was large enough to fit the rows of soldiers, and even more. Darkness waited inside for us.

Lothaire started laughing. It snapped my attention back to him, and I realized I’d allowed my emotions to show. He’d been watching me. “I’ve never seen such emotion from your kind.” His laughter died, schooling himself back into his mask. “Please forgive me, I mean no offense by it. You caught me off guard,” he amended. “Even from the other pure-bloods I’ve met, they showed no such reaction as you did.”

Galan’s hand squeezed my thigh, giving me a silent warning. I was quick to wipe the emotion from my face, locking it back inside. “None taken, Prince Lothaire.”

“Oh, come now.” Lothaire playfully scowled at me. “There’s no need to hide what I’ve already seen. I won’t tell my father,” he pried.

“I’m sorry,” I said, turning away from him, giving him my cheek. “I’m not sure what you saw, but there is nothing I have to hide.”

“Mm,” the prince hummed in thought. “You must be very young.”

“Young?” I questioned, shifting in my seat.

“I don’t mean your age.” I could feel his stare burning into my face, but I kept my eyes trained forward. There wasn’t much time left until we were plunged into the darkness of Lonest’s wall. “You were recently changed.”

He was playing into my lack of education, and I hadn’t registered it until now. The realization of it angered me, and I felt my fingers tighten around the reins I held.

I said nothing more. He would gain nothing else from me. I could feel the looming stares of those on the wall above us, but they remained utterly silent. I knew their weapons were drawn, waiting for something out of the ordinary.

The opening was upon us; a great, dark mouth waiting to swallow us whole. It was pitch black inside, and even my advanced eyesight could not see what waited on the other side.

We plunged into that darkness without any light to guide our way. I supposed this was normal to them, and they needed no guidance. Maybe it was just a tunnel, but it didn’t feel that way.

Shuffling metal and clacking hooves filled the silence, echoing around us noisily. I could hear their breathing, their beating hearts and shifting weight. It was harder to hear in an open space, but once confined with them, it was all that stood out to me.

We traveled through the wall without speaking. It seemed to go on forever without any opening I could see, but suddenly we were out. The drastic change in lighting seemed impossible, when only moments ago I’d seen nothing, and no door had been opened.

“Welcome to Lonest,” Lothaire proudly announced, and I drew my eyes up to take in the kingdom.