In the Dark

Chapter 3

Leon could feel the cold seeping in under his clothes. He'd been graciously given a coat once they'd started hitting the snowy region of the north. He supposed he should be glad his captors were not interested in turning him into a popsicle. Somehow, he couldn't find it in him to feel very grateful for the small show of humanity, though. He wasn't shackled or tied at all anymore: he didn't need to be. Leon had attempted to run once only to be caught by a man who hadn't even had the good graces to be annoyed with him.

I'll play cat and mouse with you all night if that's what you want, the vampire had said with an amused smirk.

Leon didn't want to try after that.

It was a mystery as to where they were going, though. These were a desert people and the further north they headed, the more snow Leon started to see. It snowed back in his homeland, too, but just flurries in winter that dusted the ground in soft snow that he and his siblings always had fun in. This snow was different, like a permanent fixture. It crunched under the horses' hooves and the wind that swept off it was biting.

"You look cold."

Leon looked to his left where the empress stared curiously at him with her cat-like eyes. Since the moment he'd met her, it felt like he was always under scrutiny, always being studied. The feeling was more akin to a predator watching for his weaknesses than anything else. It sent a shiver straight to his soul.

"It's cold here," he said with a noncommittal shrug. "Why are we going up this way, anyhow?"

"A party," she answered. "Have you heard of Malatia?"

Leon quirked a brow up. "Yeah. I heard of them," he said with a frown.

"Not good things, have you," asked Mahvash.

Leon huffed. "No. Not good things," he said. "You vampires are always doing fucked up shit, though. So is it really any surprise?"

"I don't do anything without good reason, Leon," she told him. "Including keeping you."

Leon frowned, biting his tongue from saying more. Mahvash had a threshold for his so-called insolence, and he wasn't keen on passing it tonight.

"The young prince of Malatia is coming of age, and we are headed to join in the celebration," Mahvash went on.

Leon scoffed. "So we're going to a birthday party," he asked. "Traveling all this way for that?"

"It's rare for one of our own to be born at all. Even more in our royal families," Mahvash explained. "For the young prince to now be of age, there is much reason to celebrate."

"So it's the prince," Leon repeated. "So this is a whole party of the elite or whatever?"

"Yes, you could say that," Mahvash agreed.

Leon nodded, slowly, but there was one burning question he had to ask. "Why the fuck bring me?" As far as he saw it, there'd been no reason to. Mahvash's kingdom had been quite expansive Hundreds and hundreds of people as far as he could tell and they had perhaps twenty on this journey including him.

"Why you?" Mahvash chuckled. "You're my gift to the young prince, of course."

Leon barely had any time to be outraged at this explanation before one of the guards cut suddenly in front of them.

"Stop, my lady. Julia saw something up ahead."

"You are being too careful as usual, I'm sure," Mahvash said, and kicked her horse forward, smiling at the guard. "Let me see what the commotion is all about."

"Wait, shouldn't we..." Leon's voice dwindled off as his horse followed hers forward, anyway.

"Caution, then," the guard advised, and rode close on Mahvash's other side.