Moon's Rite

The Enclave

Our laughter slowly subsided, and I grinned fondly at my sister and my soldier. They smiled back and we turned to face the rest of the group. Logan and Tabitha were amused at us. Peaches and Vladimir looked at us like we were crazy. O'Malley had put away his mace and was calmly lighting his pipe again.

I glanced around to get my bearings now that we were no longer in danger. The watchtower was no longer falling to disrepair. Instead the worked stone was a beautiful granite, polished and shining. The doorway that had been full of dead Harbingers was perfectly clear and clean. What I could see of the forest beyond the watchtower guard wall was falling into the early stages of Autumn, telling me that wherever we were, it ran on a slightly different time pace.

Taking in a deep breath, I stretched. The run and the fight had worked up my appetite. Not a particularly good thing since I had already been hungry. My gaze fell on Peaches and fixed there as Vladimir helped her off the horse. She huffed in relief when she was finally on her own two feet again, and O'Malley's laughter as he dismissed his mount made me realize I was staring.

"What's the matter Lassie? Dinna like riding a storm steed?"

Zach chuckled and spoke up from next to me, finishing pulling my attention away from the vulnerable human and the food source she represented. "I hear riding a Nightmare is even worse."

O'Malley nodded, sweeping his cap off and waving away the last of the mist as the horse disappeared. "Aye. It is, at that."

I turned when I heard noise in the doorway and watched as a pair of guards came into view, looking stern and ready for trouble. Not wanting any more than we had already had, Tony and Zach slid their weapons away. I compulsively wiped the black blood on my fingers off onto my jeans.

"Who are you? How did you get here?"

The snapped questions were barely this side of indifferent, with certain hints of anger and suspicion. I couldn't help but raise a brow, thinking they couldn't possibly get that many visitors that the hostility would be necessary. O'Malley strode forward before I could make any snide remarks, pulling his hat back on and puffing his pipe, completely at ease.

"Watch your tone there, lads, the Vampire Queen has had a trying evening so far. And how do you think they got here eh? Same way anyone else would."

The two guardsmen gave us an appraising eye, but gingerly dropped their tension. When they spoke again, it was to O'Malley rather than any of the rest of us. "And what business does the Vampire Queen have in the Enclave?"

I took a step forward and noticed O'Malley grinning behind his pipe when I answered for myself. "Introduction, pleasantries, and a query. In that order. Nothing more nor less, regardless of the answer to the aforementioned query."

O'Malley gestured at me with his pipe, apparently satisfied with my answer and not feeling any need to elaborate further. The guards looked me up and down, looking less than impressed. I couldn't really blame them. I hadn't been expecting to play court games. I had been looking forward to a quiet evening at home with my family. The run and the fight hadn't helped my image at all.

My hair was a tangled, windblown mess. I was covered in leaves and mud from where I had tackled Logan out of harm's way and rolled across the forest floor. The run had left me out of breath and coated in a light sheen of sweat while the battle had provided streaks and spatters of blood.

I sighed and folded my arms over my chest. "If you'd like to provide us with a place to clean up we'll make ourselves presentable. However, if you'd like us out of here as quickly as possible, lead the way to whomever is in charge."