The Vampire & Her Witch

”Loman’s faction is still very under-developed,” Marcel said, his voice snapping Isabell out of her inwardly spiralling thoughts.

”The Church seems to be behind him, though the fact that an Inquisitor spent months digging around after Lady Ashlynn’s ’death’ and never took action against Owain suggests the Church isn’t fully comitted to either brother. Other than that,” he added, tapping on Lothian City. ”Loman’s greatest popularity is with the common people close to home where he’s been building support for years as a priest of the Church.”

”So you want us to press for lands to the east of Lothian March,” Isabell said, looking at the eastern barronies they’d passed through on their way to the city from Blackwell County. ”To stop them from building their factions there.”

”No, that wouldn’t do you any good,” Marcel said. ”The old men hanging onto their barronies far from the active front lines value tradition. They’re in Bors Lothian’s camp, and even the young ones who have taken succeeded their fathers in the past few years still look to the Marquis for direction. They’ll side with whomever Bors picks.”

”So we’re caught between two brothers, the father, and the Church,” Tiernan said, frowning at the map. ”But if we’re not pushing for lands in the east, where do you want us to go?”

”Here,” Marcel said, tapping the unclaimed region along the banks of the river Luath where only a few sparse hamletts dotted the lands closest to the ancient roadway leading into the Vale of Mists. ”You wanted somewhere peaceful to rest, this region will give it to you.”

”That’s madness!” Tiernan sputtered, nearly spitting out his wine. ”I haven’t been here long, but I’ve heard stories about the Demon Lady of the Vale already. They say she skins men alive, bathing in their blood and devouring their flesh. Nothing that is built too close to the Vale is ever safe. These people living so close,” he said, tapping on the scattered hamlets on the map. ”They’re gambling with their lives. What could be here that would be worth taking the risk?”

”Nothing,” Marcel said with a slow smile at the way the locals had described Lady Nyrielle. Who would bathe in blood? It was such a waste, like bathing in wine, yet the myth persisted for decades without anyone ever questioning it. ”There’s nothing of value here right now, but it does three important things.”

”First,” Marcel said, raising a slender finger. ”It pulls you away from the Hanrahans and second, it puts you closer to the Dunns. This should be enough for Liam Dunn to wonder if he can pull you into his camp, and if he doesn’t, Loman should. Placing the two of you, and by extension, the agreement with the guilds of Blackwell City, in a place where your support must be contested for will keep both sides busy.”

”I see,” Isabell said, nodding slowly. So long as she removed the danger from the Vale of Mists, what Marcel was asking them to do wasn’t that unreasonable. They were already intending to tour the countryside while negotiating for the lands that would form their domains as knights of Lothian March. Putting themselves squarely between the feuding brothers wasn’t a move without risk, but it wasn’t something that would put their lives in peril either.

As a favor to ask, Marcel seemed to be moving slowly with them. The request was small, but accepting it would be a notable deposit in his ’bank of trust.’ Once they’d concluded matters there, they could discuss deeper cooperation and pry free more of the secrets he was holding back from them, or perhaps, they could secure a meeting with Lady Ashlynn and get away from the Black Merchant entirely. There was only one problem with the arrangement he proposed.

”What about the Vale of Mists?” Isabell asked. ”If we’re that close to the Vale when winter comes, won’t we just be stretching our necks out for the Demon Lady of the Vale and her horde of demons to harvest like fish in the net?”

”Don’t worry about the Vale,” Marcel said cryptically. ”I said that placing your lands here accomplished three things. My Mistress and Lady Ashlynn have plans for the Vale of Mists and I have no doubt that you’ll both be of vital importance to them,” he said with a smile that failed to be as reassuring as he hoped.

”More importantly, if you place your lands here, that will give you an excuse to travel to the border of the Vale of Mists frequently,” the Black Merchant added. ”And from there, it’s much, much more convenient for you to meet with Lady Ashlynn directly.”

”Why would that be more convenient?” Tiernan asked as his bushy brows lowered in confusion. ”Unless...”

”Mister Marcel,” Isabell said with a slight tremble in her voice. ”The place that Lady Ashlynn has been hiding... Has she hidden herself in the Vale of Mist? Is she, is she living among the demons?” It seemed impossible but, if the person who betrayed Lady Ashlynn to Owain had spoken the truth, if Lady Ashlynn really was a witch...

”I can assure you,” Marcel said, choosing his words with care. ”Lady Ashlynn has been far from the Vale of Mists for quite some time now. That doesn’t mean she’s powerless to protect you from its dangers.”

”I know it may be difficult to accept,” Marcell said, as he saw the reluctance forming on their faces. ”I can only ask you to trust me. But if you can succeed in securing lands here,” he added, attacking one of the few vulnerabilities the pair possessed this early in forming their relationship. ”I can promise you a meeting with Lady Ashlynn when you visit your lands.”

”Truly?” Isabell asked with a healthy amount of skepticism as she placed her silver rimmed spectacles back on her nose, peering over the rims at the odd young man. ”Then I suppose we’re loaning each other trust,” she said after a lengthy pause. ”But if we do this and you fail to deliver, understand that we’ll expose you for manipulating us into settling there. Even if the Lothians don’t do anything about it, the Church and the Inquisition might become very curious about why a merchant is so interested in settling a group of freshly raised knights so close to the Vale of Mists,” she warned.

”Of course,” Marcel said, rolling up the map and smiling at his guests. ”I wouldn’t have it any other way.”