The smaller of the two with long, golden blonde hair turned his eyes on me and shrugged. “Mom said to stay inside with the other kids, but we got bored.”
As he mentioned the other children, the taller boy, with raven-black hair and stunning sharp features, made a look as if he’d had the brightest idea come to mind and announced, “Let’s bring them back to everyone! Everyone’s going to be so jealous we met warriors.”
“Yeah,” Kolvar agreed easily, standing up and chuckling as the boy with the wonderful idea grabbed his hand and began to drag the large vampyre behind him like they were new best friends.
The remaining boy reached for my hand, seemingly not wanting to be shown up. “Come on, Miss!”
A scream of alarm sounded from a woman as we approached, being towed by the children.
“Get away from my son!” A petite woman, with hair the color of straw, came darting toward us from the crowd, fury in her eyes.
The courage and love of a mother truly knew no bounds. It was incredible to see what could be awoken in a woman when her children were at risk. They were caregivers, home makers, and warriors, but many forgot that they even embodied that last facet.
“Mom, stop!” the boy holding my hand shouted back as his grip tightened. “They’re our new friends! They haven’t hurt us.”
Her heart-shaped face was the shade of a ripe tomato as her nostrils flared. “Matthew, get over here right now,” she ground out between clenched teeth as she came to a halt a few feet away from me, as if I was going to attack her.
Knowing I needed to step in, I lowered to my knees and tugged lightly on the boy’s hand to get his attention. “Hey, your mom is just worried about your safety. Go back to her, okay? I’m right here.”
His lips pursed like he was in deep contemplation before he sighed heavily and dropped my hand. “Fine,” he muttered, scuffing his feet in the dirt as he begrudgingly walked back to his mom.
She was quick to snatch him into her side, placing a protective arm around him as her eyes darted to the other boy holding Kolvar’s hand. “You too, Jace! Just because your father was called to the capital doesn’t mean you don’t need to follow the rules anymore.”
With a groan of annoyance, he followed suit.
At the mention of the boy’s father being called to the capital, I glanced around at the silent crowd that was staring at us in fear. It was mainly a group of women of all ages and older men. There were no strong, able-bodied men who could defend them if there was an outbreak of fighting here.
“Why are you here?” she spat at me, her voice shaking ever so slightly, despite her raised chin and the defiance bleeding from her posture. “We were warned by the royal guards of a battle at the harbor, so why are you here in our village? We’ve done nothing wrong. Leave us in peace.”
Deciding to put a bit more distance between us in hope they would all relax a bit, I stepped back to Kolvar and steeled myself to try to sway her to believe my words.
“We’re here to evacuate those in these lands away from the war,” I started, trying as hard as I could to infuse my voice with genuine concern. “Yes, we are from an empire across the Cursed Divide, but I am originally from this empire. I was a prisoner to the Emperor for years after he slaughtered my family for control of me.”
Her face contorted quickly from that of indignant rebellion to shock and confusion. “Why should we believe that? We don’t know you. Either of you.”
I felt Kolvar’s hand settle on my back, pressing against my armor in a show of silent support.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I pushed on. “I cannot force you to believe us or to evacuate with my people. If no one wishes to evacuate, we will move on from this village to the next one. I just ask that you consider our offer. We have ships docked at the deserted beach nearby.”
An elderly woman came forward through the crowd, using a beautifully crafted wooden cane to assist her. “And what if we did go with you? Would we be prisoners of war?”
“No!” I was quick to rebut. “Never prisoners. You may board our ships to ensure that you are away from the dangers of war, and my crew will make sure you are cared for until it has come to an end. At that point, you may return here to continue your lives if that is what you wish, or my Empire…” I trailed off at saying that out loud for the first time. Recovering quickly, I continued, “I’m the Empress of the Tridian Empire, and my home is open to any who wish to escape Malakai’s tyrannical rule.”
Skepticism blanketed the elder woman’s face as her eyes narrowed and her lips thinned. “How is it any different than here?”
Genuine warmth bled through me as I recalled my own shock at seeing such a different land.Thiswas a very easy question to answer.
“Humans and vampyres are equals,” I began, not shocked by the gasps and murmurs of disbelief that sounded from the group. “I could hardly believe it myself at first, but it’s true. The Tridian Empire is built on equality and respect. We can all coexist peacefully and not live in fear of being subject to the wrath of vampyres and a vile Emperor who encourages the oppression of humans.”
Kolvar spoke up, adding on, “But if you wish to come back to these lands after the war is over, you will be more than welcome to. However, we will not leave you behind to be subjected to that type of ruler ever again. Our mission is to depose your Emperor and help usher in an era of peace like we have in our own lands.”
The silence that followed my exclamation was heavy with the weight of their judgmental gazes.
All I could do was hope that they could hear the truth and honesty in our words.
“I will go with you,” the elderly woman announced, stepping closer to me as she nodded her head ever so slightly. “In all my years, I never thought freedom from this oppression would be possible for me or the generations to come.”
As she came to a stop, she leaned heavily on the cane while extending her free hand for me to shake. As I placed my palm against hers, wrapping my fingers around her warm skin, I couldn’t help the smile that tugged my lips up as she said, “I’m willing to put faith in you for the hope that those dreams are possible now.”
