Second and I descend the wall and settle into the royal carriage, the bite of winter following us into the velvet-coveredinterior. We jolt forward through the gates and into Goreon territory.
The land on the other side is desolate, scarred with abandoned villages, crumbling buildings, and bare farmlands. Only the dead husk of vibrant communities remains.
Humans left this region centuries ago, before I was alive. They either escaped to the old Night Kingdom territories before it was a kingdom with a ruler, or they were captured by Nerian in the early days of his bloodlust when he bled his southern lands dry with his hunger.
Gnarled tree roots thread the unkept road, rocking the carriage and spinning my nerves along with it. I can hope our journey to the enemy stronghold is unobstructed, but this is Goreon. And under my nerves, in the pit of my stomach, is the dread of no return. Because I love the life I’ve built and the people in it. But the fate raging in the distance might steal everything from me.
I breathe deeply and pray to the gods that this assassination goes as planned.
“We’re five hours from the sleeping house,” Second says, and I nod, flopping back into the seat to get comfortable.
The journey from the Northern Wall to Goreon Castle takes two days, which means we need to make a stop for daybreak. Dotted throughout any vampire territory are refuges from the sun. They’re shelter, they’re survival, and they’re known to be safe places, no matter who you are.
“Whoa!” the coachman hollers, and my body flies forward into Second.
He catches me and tosses me to the side as he darts from the carriage. “What’s going on?” he demands, slamming the door in my face as I try to join him.
I glare at the velvet and whip the curtain away from the window to peer out.
“Movement across the road up ahead,” a soldier says.
Something shifts beside me, and I turn with a snarl, my heart in my throat.
Emmanuel offers me a cheeky smile, daggers in his palms.
I didn’t even hear the carriage door.
“Gods, you scared the shit out of me, Em,” I growl.
Emmanuel’s ability to sneak into rooms without anyone ever knowing he’s there is annoying when you live with him, but lifesaving in every other instance.
“Sorry,” he says with a shrug.
“You’re not sorry.”
He winks at me, and I refocus on the window I’m forced to look out of.
“There!” a guard calls.
Second curses and throws open the carriage door I’m plastered against. I start to tumble out but Emmanuel’s hand is on my belt, suspending me in the air before I even have the chance to catch myself.
“We’ve got company, Em,” Second warns, pointing at him.
I roll my eyes, not surprised in the least.
“We’ll be here,” Emmanuel says, pulling me back. I recover into my seat, pulling my own daggers into my palms now.
Outside the carriage, the clash and clank of blades mixes with the snarls and hissing of vampires. And I can’t see shit out of the window into the night. The soft glow emanating from the carriage torches is infuriatingly limited.
“We should assist,” I say.
Emmanuel sighs. “We should not.”
He’s right, because I promised Second I would hang back when possible, one of the agreements I made to ensure my safetyin enemy territory. But it doesn’t soften my urge to leap from this carriage and slash some Goreon throats.
It only takes a few minutes before we hear a guard yell from further down the road. “Clear!”
“Same over here!” Second says, opening the door again and barreling inside, spattered with blood.
