The Caged Bird

20. Hygate Dilemma

The Lord had returned at last following his successful mission. His human subjects had been liberated and were now being cared for in the orphanage and hospital in the village for a variety of illnesses and injuries. They hadn't been tortured but badly neglected, left to suffer for weeks in the dark dungeon where they were being held. As August rode in on horseback his expression was grim but satisfied. The mission had been successful but at great cost. The Lord of Hygate was dead.

The soldiers had crossed the borders without incident and awaited their Lord's presence before gaining access to the dungeon through a combination of bribes and stealth. A few guards had to be dispatched to get to the humans quietly but they had still been discovered by Lord Whitlock and a small unit of his soldiers. They had been quickly subdued but Whitlock refused to be taken prisoner. He had lashed out in his fury and August had been forced to destroy him rather than allow him to further harm the innocent humans. They had been escorted back to Ferin, August's kingdom, and immediately reported to the local doctors to be assessed. Besides some malnutrition and minor injuries all were found to be safe and they would quickly recover. Their mental anguish was significantly more concerning as they were instructed to focus on leisure and strengthening their bodies before returning to work. One distraught couple had returned to find their daughter missing and that their farm had been claimed by a family member in their absence. Left with no income they remained with the rest of the group in the local hospital to grieve. August had been touched by their cries of relief and gratitude as they saw their village emerge from the dark forest the previous night after their escape. But he awaited the storm that would surely come when Hygate discovered their Lord was dead before claiming an heir.

Lawfully August could claim the kingdom as his own land as he had defeated Lord Whitlock in battle. But he was not eager to try and control Whitlock's tumultuous army or struggling human population. It would be a setback to his own people to try and drag the failing kingdom back into the light. It pained him to see so many humans suffering but his own people might face dire consequences if the kingdoms were united. August had spent most of the night discussing the matter with William but neither had been able to develop a solution. As he swept into his chamber pursued by a young guard he was clearly brooding. The guard finished his recitation of the recent developments in the castle and left quickly. He had been instructed to give his master more detail but the grumpy vampire was cold and intimidating. He barely noticed as the guard stumbled out the door.

He collapsed onto his couch wearily and rubbed his face. He still had much to attend to before sunrise and he loathed the thought of his further duties. He just wanted to rest. He sat quietly for as long as he was able, Lark dancing across his mind as he sank into the cushions. All too soon a knock came to his chamber door. William was waiting for him. They had a meeting with the council the following day and would need to have something prepared to present to them. He and William crept through the dark corridors of the castle to avoid being spotted and rendezvoused at Bernard's office. Though he was usually in his own room at this hour he had received an urgent message from August on their trip home and quickly ushered them in.

"What news, my Lord?"

Bernard asked briskly. He offered August his own chair behind his desk and joined William on the other side. August sighed deeply.

"We debate whether or not to accept Hygate into the kingdom of Ferin," he replied heavily. "Whitlock is dead."

Bernard's surprise did not show on his face but he was taken aback. August is rarely resorted to violence. He nodded in understanding.

"It would be a threat to our own prosperity if we were to absorb our neighboring kingdom," Bernard mused. William scoffed.

"We cannot let the other Lords fight over that land," he argued. "We can not afford more bloodshed. We will recover from the unification in less than a decade. Our resources can be stretched and Hygate can be transformed to aid our people. We can build infrastructure. We can't afford to let the other Lords go to war."