I Can't Get the Vampire Rogue to Romance Me

Chapter 99 - Oh, It's Definitely a Trap

It felt good to get back on the road and out of the town, including the watchful eyes of Artmond's fiance. Instead of a carriage, Artmond had convinced First Lady Enrichetta that they would travel safer with a simple cart. They were certainly faster as the cart was light enough for the two horses they were also given to pull their party along at a decent clip.

They were also able to get a thick piece of canvas to cover Valerian with to shield him from the sun. He didn't even complain about it, simply huddled underneath quietly as the morning sun shone through the leaves of the forest trail. It was a gorgeous dappled effect that Evangeline appreciated from the driver's seat next to Artmond.

Artmond had taken point, driving the horses. He hadn't said anything since they left, not even cracking a smile. Sigismund sat in the furthest back, her gaze directed on where they had been, while his stayed firmly on where they were going.

There was probably some metaphor in that, but Evangeline couldn't really put her finger on exactly what it meant. She just knew that it made her a bit sad.

The horses followed the trail and after a bit, they passed a crossroads sign that pointed them toward the Green.

"We'll be there soon," Artmond said, as he adjusted the reins, guiding the horses down the route they wanted.

As the sign passed away and around a bend in the road, a cart came into view, stopped partway through the road. It rested askew, and there were no signs of any pulling animals, other than the torn traces they left behind. What had been piled in the cart were strewn across the road, boxes and baskets spilling their contents like gutted fish. Clothes, rotten food, and farm seed were lost to the mud and destruction.

"Hey everyone," Evangeline said, drawing attention forward. Even though Artmond saw what she saw, he didn't slow down their horses until she had spoken. The same horses brought themselves to a full stop, wickering and stomping their feet with anxiety as they scented blood on the wind.

"Oh that's not good," she said, catching it too. Hoping down to the ground, the canvas sheet shifted next to her.

"What's not good?" Valerian asked, his covered head moving around, even though he couldn't see anything, which was why it made such a good shield against the sun.

"Just stay here. Harrowheart, Hagor, come with me to check it out," Evangeline said, making eye contact with her two party members, who both nodded and hopped out of the cart themselves.

"I want to go," Sigismund said, rising as well.

Evangeline shook her head. "Stay with Artmond, give us support from over here with ranged weapons," she said, then lifted up the edge of the canvas so she could see Valerian underneath. His eyes glittered at her in the dimness. "Lend me your daggers. I'll leave you my bow. We got to switch roles today."

"What is it your see?" he asked, pulling his mismatched weapons from their holsters to pass to her as she unslung her bow and quiver to lay down next to him.

"Here," she said and held the canvas out so he could gaze out without risking exposure. His lips went thin as he took it in, nodding when he came to the same conclusion she had.

"Don't get yourself killed," he murmured, then tugged the canvas out of her hands to settle back into his spot in the cart.

"Sure, I'll make a note," she murmured back, as she settled the daggers into each hand.

"Artmond, you okay with staying here?" she asked.

"Yes," he nodded, "If I get killed we're all screwed. I can't help with ranged stuff, but I can at least keep the horses from bolting," he said.

Again, she found herself missing the carefree airhead.

Approaching the wagon, Evangeline scanned the area for active signs of danger. It was reassuring to have Harrowheart, hefting her hammer to one side of her, while Hagor had his wand of thorns ready on the other side. Sure enough there were bodies on the other side.

Two men laid on their sides, with blood seeped into the ground around them. They were clearly dead, but Evangeline didn't want to get any closer to examine further.

"Looks like this just happened, maybe an hour ago?" Harrowheart said, not at all squeamish about getting closer to check.

"My guess is bandits," Hagor said, exmaining the cart closer.

"If bandits why wouldn't they take the food and other stuff?" Evangeline asked, casting her gaze over the remains strewn across the ground.

Hagor shrugged. "They would have taken everything else of real value, easier to carry, less mess trying to sell it. I don't see a merchant's chest anywhere here. Would have been easy enough to just make off with the proceeds."

"The horses too. Horses are always useful," Harrowheart agreed, standing up to reset her hammer on her shoulder.

Thieves Skill: Perception. Success.

Then Evangeline's eyes landed on a ragged, black feather a couple feet away, caught on the surface of the nearest puddle of blood.

Passing a dagger to her other hand, she knelt down and plucked it out.

Knowledge Skill: Nature. Critical Success.

"Harpy," she said out loud. "It's a harpy feather."

She turned toward Harrowheart to show it to her.

Thieves Skill: Perception. Failure.

Just then, an arrow sliced through the space between them, startling them both backwards. Valerian growled out in pain as he ducked back under the canvas piece, with Sigismund helping him to throw it back over.

In the same moment, a terrible screech tore through the air as a feathery creature, who had been silently gliding down onto them, dropped abruptly to the ground. It writhed and tore up the dirt all about it, throwing off more feathers.

The other harpies screamed as they burst up into the air where they had been hiding in the nearby brush. An ambush waiting on more prey to stumble into their trap.