Love Bite Obey

Chapter 7: Dinore

Author's Note: Two chapters were published today. Be sure to read the other one first.

Riding on Ari, I follow Rahlan as we approach the entrance. He made sure to ride ahead of me, which is odd considering that he's not usually concerned about my safety in a village. Wooden logs twice my height surround the settlement, each with a sharpened tip to discourage people from trying to climb over. Even as we approach the wall, a tall granary tower protrudes into the sky. It's as high as a castle. These people must be rather well off to afford such a structure.

The wooden log gate is nearly closed, which is no surprise for this time of night. The gap that remains is wide enough for only one horse to pass through at a time. Rahlan enters first, and I follow after him.

There's something strange about this place. The houses are long and tall, each washed white with lime. I've never seen a village as well off as this one before. To add to the strangeness, I thought that Litton was near the western border, but this village is much further west than Litton.

There's a vampire sitting on a stump, leaning against the wall with a dark green blanket keeping him warm. A sword rests beside his seat, available if he needs it. He's guarding the entrance, much like how Julke, Keld and the Maksan twins would take turns guarding Litton village at night.

To my surprise, Rahlan doesn't introduce himself to the vampire as he usually would. Instead, he directs Mittens straight towards the stable.

We halter Mittens and Ari in two open stalls and untie the bags from the saddles. Despite the cold keeping everyone indoors, leaving our bags unattended in a village full of strangers would be asking for them to be picked.

I follow Rahlan towards a tall wooden house. The engraved image of a mug and a triangle indicate that it's both a tavern and an inn. The windows are shuttered closed, but warm light and laughing voices leak through the seams.

Rahlan opens the door and steps inside. I follow behind him, quickly closing the door to prevent the heat from escaping. My view is blocked by his black and maroon cape.

He steps to the side, revealing the tavern. It's a big square room, with a floor made of solid wood. Everything's lit in an orange glow by a waist-level fireplace built into the stone wall on the far side of the room. To my left is the bar counter, with a bald man behind it. He's talking to a blonde woman on one of the stools. To my right are a row of tables, filled with about a dozen townsfolk. They're all laughing and chatting, and a few have glanced our way. Seeing us enter must have been rather amusing. First a huge vampire arrives, then he steps aside to reveal a small girl hidden behind him.

Rahlan places a silver coin on the bar counter. "Two meals of meat, and a room for the night," he says.

"On its way, sir." The bald barman smiles.

I follow Rahlan to a back table and take a seat beside him. We're near the fire, a pleasant change from the chilly outside air. Based on his choice of seat, he must be cold too. I've noticed that he's always dressed in long-sleeved shirts, and he rarely leaves the keep without his coat. Vampires seem to dislike cold more than humans.

None of the other patrons are looking our way anymore. Rahlan, a new vampire, is eating in their tavern, but they're acting as if he's no different to a human. If a strange vampire were to stroll into Litton village, everyone would be hiding in their homes. These people seem unphased, as if they're comfortable in the presence of other beings despite the fact that the vampire army invaded just two months ago. It's yet another strange thing about this village, and not being able to understand it is making me uneasy.