thought. And as they fumed, more of their
precious time slipped by.
When they’d first got up to their lookout, the carriage was being moved from the square
into a stand of trees. Even after they watched the people disperse from the area,
it seemed there’d been some sort of a discussion. Common sense dictated that the Nobility
slept by day, but then common sense didn’t seem to have much say about matters in
this village.
So what had they discussed? Well, the Marcus brothers actually had a pretty good idea
what’d been covered. They could guess how many guards the Noble had employed and what
kind they would be, and maybe where they were headed, too.
The sun was nearing noon. The rocky surface went from warm to searing, and yet the
brothers still lacked a good plan. A hue of impatience was just beginning to show
on Borgoff’s face when he heard a sudden cry.
“Bro, is that who I think it is?!”
Checking Kyle’s surprised outburst with his firm, silent gaze, Borgoff felt the same
shock as his brother. Off to their left, a figure had just leisurely slipped into
the black cavern leading to the village—and it looked like it was D!
“That bastard should’ve drowned! What, ain’t he a dhampir?”
Borgoff didn’t answer Kyle’s question. He was having enough trouble believing it himself.
“Then, I reckon that means . . . Nolt’s had it.”
Turning to his older brother for only a second, Kyle’s face was instantly colored
by hatred. “That bastard . . . Killing off Nolt . . . He’s not getting out of this
alive,” he growled. “Ain’t that right, bro?”
Though he nodded, Borgoff kept his silence. Difficult as it might be to accept, Borgoff
knew that Nolt had to be dead and that D must have killed him. But killing a Noble
with an escort of Barbarois would entail risking their lives. This young dhampir possessed
an unearthly intensity even they couldn’t match, and making an enemy of him as well
would be utter madness.
“I bet that bastard’s here to scope out the village, same as us. This is our chance.
I’ll take him down from here with my crescent blades.”
As the younger brother was about to stand, Borgoff’s hand took a firm grip on his
elbow. “Hold your horses, okay? Look, he’s headed straight for the gate. He ain’t
staking it out. He plans on parleying with them directly.”
“You’re kidding me! Dammit, ain’t that even worse? If this keeps up, he’s gonna beat
us to the punch!”
The words of the wild youngest brother held some truth.
As Borgoff glared fixedly into space, his face grew more and more sad, and sweat started
to blur his brow. When his eyes opened, there was a ghastly hue to them. “We got no
choice then. I didn’t wanna do this, but we’ll have to call on Grove,” he said.
“Wait just a minute there . . . ” Kyle said, his voice rigid. This was the same brother
who’d earned a glare from Borgoff for suggesting they send Groveck to scout around
the village of the dead they had entered two days earlier.
What kind of power lay in that shriveled mummy of a youth that could offer a solution
to their problems?
“I’ll keep watch here, Kyle. Once you’ve given Grove a seizure, you come right back,”
the older Marcus said.
“Good enough.”
Why was it that a lewd smile arose on Kyle’s face as he answered? Whatever the reason,
it only lasted an instant. Flipping himself over atop the rock, his leather garments
sparkled blackly in the gleaming sunlight and he came down the mountain with the light
gait of a super-natural beast. Down he went, over extremely dangerous rocks—not one
of which could be tread upon without setting off an avalanche. —
Coming within fifteen feet of the eerie gates, which looked to be wood and stone wired
together and strung with hides, D halted his steed. As he looked up at the towering
palisade ahead, his expression was redolent of a dashing young poet or
precious time slipped by.
When they’d first got up to their lookout, the carriage was being moved from the square
into a stand of trees. Even after they watched the people disperse from the area,
it seemed there’d been some sort of a discussion. Common sense dictated that the Nobility
slept by day, but then common sense didn’t seem to have much say about matters in
this village.
So what had they discussed? Well, the Marcus brothers actually had a pretty good idea
what’d been covered. They could guess how many guards the Noble had employed and what
kind they would be, and maybe where they were headed, too.
The sun was nearing noon. The rocky surface went from warm to searing, and yet the
brothers still lacked a good plan. A hue of impatience was just beginning to show
on Borgoff’s face when he heard a sudden cry.
“Bro, is that who I think it is?!”
Checking Kyle’s surprised outburst with his firm, silent gaze, Borgoff felt the same
shock as his brother. Off to their left, a figure had just leisurely slipped into
the black cavern leading to the village—and it looked like it was D!
“That bastard should’ve drowned! What, ain’t he a dhampir?”
Borgoff didn’t answer Kyle’s question. He was having enough trouble believing it himself.
“Then, I reckon that means . . . Nolt’s had it.”
Turning to his older brother for only a second, Kyle’s face was instantly colored
by hatred. “That bastard . . . Killing off Nolt . . . He’s not getting out of this
alive,” he growled. “Ain’t that right, bro?”
Though he nodded, Borgoff kept his silence. Difficult as it might be to accept, Borgoff
knew that Nolt had to be dead and that D must have killed him. But killing a Noble
with an escort of Barbarois would entail risking their lives. This young dhampir possessed
an unearthly intensity even they couldn’t match, and making an enemy of him as well
would be utter madness.
“I bet that bastard’s here to scope out the village, same as us. This is our chance.
I’ll take him down from here with my crescent blades.”
As the younger brother was about to stand, Borgoff’s hand took a firm grip on his
elbow. “Hold your horses, okay? Look, he’s headed straight for the gate. He ain’t
staking it out. He plans on parleying with them directly.”
“You’re kidding me! Dammit, ain’t that even worse? If this keeps up, he’s gonna beat
us to the punch!”
The words of the wild youngest brother held some truth.
As Borgoff glared fixedly into space, his face grew more and more sad, and sweat started
to blur his brow. When his eyes opened, there was a ghastly hue to them. “We got no
choice then. I didn’t wanna do this, but we’ll have to call on Grove,” he said.
“Wait just a minute there . . . ” Kyle said, his voice rigid. This was the same brother
who’d earned a glare from Borgoff for suggesting they send Groveck to scout around
the village of the dead they had entered two days earlier.
What kind of power lay in that shriveled mummy of a youth that could offer a solution
to their problems?
“I’ll keep watch here, Kyle. Once you’ve given Grove a seizure, you come right back,”
the older Marcus said.
“Good enough.”
Why was it that a lewd smile arose on Kyle’s face as he answered? Whatever the reason,
it only lasted an instant. Flipping himself over atop the rock, his leather garments
sparkled blackly in the gleaming sunlight and he came down the mountain with the light
gait of a super-natural beast. Down he went, over extremely dangerous rocks—not one
of which could be tread upon without setting off an avalanche. —
Coming within fifteen feet of the eerie gates, which looked to be wood and stone wired
together and strung with hides, D halted his steed. As he looked up at the towering
palisade ahead, his expression was redolent of a dashing young poet or
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