"I've had centuries to study many things," Sebastian replied. "Though Cornelius preferred mechanical mounts, predictable, controllable." His distaste was evident. "I always found them inferior to flesh and blood and will."
Saqr snorted and tossed his head, as if sensing he was being discussed.
Khalida stroked his neck with practiced ease. "Would you like to approach him?"
The offer was clearly significant. Desert clan members rarely allowed outsiders near their prized mounts. Sebastian recognized the gesture for what it was: a test, but also an opportunity.
"If he'll permit it," Sebastian answered carefully.
Khalida nodded, then spoke again to the horse in her language. Saqr's ears flicked back and forth, but he remained steady as Sebastian slowly moved closer.
"Palm up," Khalida instructed. "Let him catch your scent first."
Sebastian extended his hand as directed, palm upward, fingers relaxed. The stallion stretched his neck forward, nostrils flaring as he assessed this strange creature. For a tense moment, it seemed the horse might retreat, but then Saqr took another step forward and delicately sniffed Sebastian's palm.
"He's deciding if you're predator or not," Khalida explained, her attention never leaving her mount.
"A fair question," Sebastian acknowledged softly.
To everyone's surprise, including Sebastian's, Saqr nudged his palm with a velvety muzzle. Sebastian remained perfectly still, allowing the horse to investigate him on its own terms. When the stallion seemed satisfied, Sebastian slowly raised hisother hand and, with a questioning glance at Khalida who nodded permission, gently stroked the animal's neck.
"Remarkable," he murmured. "He carries himself like a king."
"Because he knows he is one," Khalida replied, a note of pride in her voice.
"You've worked with horses before," Khalida observed.
"Always preferred them to the mechanical alternatives," Sebastian replied. "My father kept a small stable just for my enjoyment. It was a concession to what he considered a peculiar preference." Unbidden, a memory of his father listening to him wanting unaltered horses and giving in. It had been one of the few things he did for any of his sons. "Though I'm certain they're gone now that I've betrayed the house so thoroughly."
The moment stretched between them, creating an unexpected bridge. Two former enemies finding common ground in appreciation of a magnificent animal. The watching crowd had grown, desert clan members drawn by the unusual sight of their chieftain allowing a vampire near her prized stallion.
"He has good judgment," Khalida said finally, though whether she meant the horse or Sebastian remained deliberately ambiguous. She turned to Boarstaff. "Your council awaits us, Warchief. We have much to discuss before moonrise."
Boarstaff nodded, though his gaze lingered on Sebastian, seeing him with new eyes. "Yes. We should begin."
Khalida glanced between them, her shrewd eyes missing nothing. "Will Sebastian be joining us?" The question carried no judgment, merely practical consideration.
Sebastian looked to Boarstaff, leaving the decision to the warchief. Though his face remained impassive, the deference was clear.
"Yes," Boarstaff said without hesitation. "His information is invaluable when it comes to planning for vampire tactics." He met Khalida's gaze directly. "And he's earned his place at our council."
Thornmaker, who had remained within earshot, kept his expression carefully neutral. Whatever his personal feelings, he understood the importance of presenting a united front before their allies.
Sebastian stepped back from the horse with visible reluctance. "Thank you," he said to Khalida, the simple words carrying unexpected sincerity. "He does your breeding program credit."
Something that might have been a smile touched Khalida's lips briefly. "Perhaps when our business with your father is concluded, we can discuss horses at greater length."
"I would like that," Sebastian replied, meaning it more than he had almost anything in a long time.
As they turned toward the council meeting place, Khalida fell into step beside Boarstaff, while Sebastian followed a pace behind, close enough to be included, but maintaining a subtle distance that acknowledged his unusual position. The watching crowd parted before them, conversations resuming but with new undercurrents as word of the exchange spread through the gathering.
The council meeting lasted for hours, voices rising and falling as three cultures discussed strategy, fortifications, and the distribution of fighters. Maps had been unfurled, plans debated, contingencies considered. Throughout it all, Sebastian had remained mostly silent, speaking only when directly addressed or when he had specific knowledge to offer about vampire tactics or Cornelius's likely approach.
As evening deepened into night, the settlement had transformed the council gathering into a feast of alliance.Four different cultures converged in this unlikely gathering, orc, dwarf, desert folk, and a single vampire who stood apart from his kind. Different cooking traditions blended as food circulated among the gathered warriors and families. Dwarven ale flowed freely, alongside the fermented mare's milk the desert clan favored and the settlement's own honey mead. Music had begun near the central fires, drums from the settlement, string instruments from the desert clan, and the deep-throated singing of dwarves creating an unexpectedly harmonious blend.
Sebastian sat apart from it all, his back against a tree trunk at the edge of the clearing. From this vantage point, he could observe everything, the mingling of cultures, the cautious friendships forming, the children darting between adults with excitement that transcended cultural differences. He had positioned himself deliberately: close enough to be seen, far enough to avoid discomfort for those who still viewed him with suspicion.
He was not unaware of the glances cast his way, but they lacked the open hostility he had first encountered. Wariness remained, certainly, but it was tempered with something closer to curiosity now. Even Thornmaker seemed content to ignore his presence entirely, focused instead on deep conversation with one of the desert clan's senior warriors.
