King of Dust

Chapter 29

Astrid scooted closer to me at the front of the wagon as we left Nessden behind us. The sun would not rise for a couple of hours, and I used the cover of night to get some fresh air. Yra and Urien chatted in the back of the wagon, and the full moon guided us as I navigated the wagon down the road. Normally, it would not be safe to travel at night down lonely Starkovian roads, but I could prevent any nasty creatures from jumping us in the darkness.

Astrid's head bobbed as she slept on my shoulder, and I tried as hard as I could to keep the grin off my face. I liked her. I'll admit that in a heartbeat. She made my heart flutter in the coffin of my chest every time she looked at me, and, more importantly, she had faith in me. I had never met anyone who cared enough about how I felt since Clara, and her optimism and faith was refreshing.

We went over a rough pothole, the wheel of the wagon sinking down into the mud, and Astrid jolted from her sleep. "Hey!" Yra called from inside the wagon. "Learn to drive!"

"Pothole!" I replied. "Sorry!"

Astrid rubbed her eyes and looked to the sky, the full moon glowing unblocked by clouds. She turned to me and gazed ahead down the road. We still had hours before we reached our destination, and I understood if Urien and Astrid wanted to sleep. Her breath formed clouds in the chill, and she pulled her cloak around herself to protect from the cold.

"Are we there yet?" she asked.

"No, darling," I chuckled. "We still have a few hours to go."

"Oh." She rested her head on my shoulder and snuggled into me, hoping to find warmth there. "You're cold, Darius."

"I'm sorry. I wish I was warmer."

"Do you get warmer when you drink blood?"

"Yes. My body returns to a more... Human state after every feeding."

"If you're cold, you should eat soon."

She was right. I should.

"It's all right. I wouldn't want to be a hassle."

"You're sweet for a vampire, Darius." Astrid looked into the trees, attempting to make shapes from what I assumed for her were dark blurs. "Can you see?"

"I see better in darkness than during the day. Sunlight hurts my eyes, now."

"I see... how..." Astrid started to ask a question but stopped before it left her mouth. "Oh, um. Never mind."

"What is it?"

"It's probably an insensitive question."

"Nothing you say could ever hurt me, Astrid. You can ask."

"How did you become a vampire?"

It was only a matter of time before she asked. I sighed, the air in my lungs forming no cloud, and snapped the reins to encourage Urien's horses to keep pace.

"After Clara died," I explained, "I... fell into a darkness. I didn't want to eat, get out of bed. I had lost everything. I had no family, no friends. The person I shared all my hopes, fears, and secrets with had fallen to her death. I had lost the will to live."

"I think that's called depression," Yra jabbed. He and Urien shifted in the back of the wagon, and I could feel them listening, now. Yra moved the curtain out of the way in order to hear me better.

"Depressed, yes. I was. I let the kingdom fall into ruin as a year passed, and my health took a dive. I wasted away to nothing in my bed, but my advisors would have none of it. Bosede, my Secretary of the Arcane, did their best to pull me from my stupor, but to no avail. Finally, they had enough and vowed to find a way to help me."

"They weren't in your castle," Urien noted.

"No. They've been dead a long time. They searched the continent far and wide for a solution to my loneliness. I wanted nothing more than to apologize and explain myself to Clara, but that was impossible, of course. Clara was dead. Bosede thought there may be something we could do, and they contacted some witches."

Witches. Mages who practiced the formal arcane arts had strict sets of laws and codes they followed to protect themselves and others from their magick. The witches of Starkovia did not care for the safety of others and followed no magickal laws, which made them particularly dangerous and difficult to deal with.

"Witches like... the witches we're going to go and find or other witches?" Astrid pulled my cloak around her shoulders and her skin prickled in the night.

"I'm not sure yet. Bosede gathered the most powerful arcanists in the land to solve my problem, and these Starkovian bog witches were the ones who they brought back to the palace to speak with me. The witches told me they could not bring her back, but they could do something more. They could put Starkovia in a bubble."

Astrid's brow furrowed. "A bubble?"

"If they were to create a bubble that prevented souls from leaving a specific geographic location, they could ensure that Clara's soul would reincarnate within Starkovia. I did not understand, because I would not be around long enough to see that happen. How could this possibly help me?"

The wheel of the wagon lumbered over an uneven rock in the road as we came to a fork. I took a left, heading further toward the dense woods and up the mountainside, now.

"They then offered to help me live long enough to see it. They gave me no details, only that I would survive healthy and strong. I did not realize at the time that Bosede had been enchanted by them, and against Bosede's will had brought the witches to the palace. The bubble was for the benefit of witches alone, to create a hunting ground to chase down Starkovian citizens. Even better if they could drag me down with the country."

"What happened?" Astrid gripped my free hand tightly. Her fingers were so warm, even through her gloves, and I squeezed it back.

"They took me into these very woods where they had set up a ritual site. They told me they were going to pray to their gods to grant me the strength I needed to survive long enough to see Clara again. Long story short, they weren't. The ritual was terrifying, full of naked bodies and obscenities, animal sounds and blood. When all was said and done, I blacked out, and..."

The entire wagon fell silent. They hung on my every word, but I was sure they already knew how this story ended.

"You awoke a vampire," Urien finished.

"I did."

"Wait a moment." Urien leaned forward in the wagon to get close to the flap in the canvas. "So, you really weren't turned by another vampire? This is a curse? You were telling the truth?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you this entire time. I never wanted this. All I wanted was to see Clara again, and I was too stupid to realize when I was being played."

"Shit." He rocked back into the wagon. "Here's the deal, Darius. If these witches turn out to be the same witches that cursed you, we can bully them into undoing the curse. That way, we can get rid of all of your... accidental vampire spawn and help Starkovia get back on its feet. If not, we're going to have to find another way. A powerful cleric might be able to do it, but that will take time. Astrid will have to hone her skills."

"I'll do it!" Astrid exclaimed with resolution. Her voice echoed throughout the forest and a few night birds took flight at the sound. "I'll work my hardest so we can get rid of this curse!"

Yra scoffed in the wagon and a smile spread across my face. It was nice being cared for. The moon rose high over the mountains, and I watched it disappear behind the tree line as we ventured further and further into the woods. I was going to make this whole situation right, one way or another. I hoped with all my heart that they were the same witches.

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