The door to Avaldr's room opened quietly. Captain Marius stepped inside, flanked by two Templars in black.
His skin was pale olive, and in the decade after Shal had arrived at the Fortress, his dark brown hair was streaked with grey. The lines around his eyes had deepened, and a red ruby still dangled over his broad chest.
Marius's clothes were similar to the Templar's uniforms, but his overcoat was long and flowing, made of thick patterned brocade instead of cotton. It had a silver fur trim, and his tunic was velvet and embroidered with the Imperial seal-- a chalice of blood inside the Emperor's crown. The high collar of his tunic was open, and he wore his collar proudly, polished until it shone.
Avaldr was standing facing the fire, his hands folded behind his back.
"Is it time to go to the Turning?" he asked quietly.
"The Turning has been postponed," Marius replied. His sword was under his hands, the tip balancing on the floor. The handle was made of the same cut rubies as his pendant. "One of the Chosen has gone missing."
Avaldr had his back to the other men, so they could not see his expression.
"Gone missing or escaped?"
Marius did not answer his question.
"Where is your daughter?" he demanded.
Avaldr's mouth broke into a private smile.
"In the Emperor's Tower, I would expect. Are you certain you checked her room thoroughly?"
"We do not have time for this, Avaldr," Marius snapped. "The girl has been kidnapped by a madwoman, a rogue Templar. There is no telling how long we have to rescue her."
"If Ella has been kidnapped, I do not see why you expect me to know where she is," Avaldr turned to face them. "And I have heard that all Imperial Templars wear a collar that allows them to be tracked. Surely there is no possible way the rogue would have been able to remove hers."
He finally smiled at the dark-haired man. The Captain's lip curled.
"I will return to the search, then," he said coldly. "Men, go ahead."
Avaldr exhaled slowly as Marius left, and the two Templars advanced on him. He cried out in pain as one grabbed his wrist, twisting and breaking it, then biting down and drinking deeply of blood. The other one curled his fingers in Avaldr's thinning hair, sinking teeth into his throat.
YOU ARE READING
Iron and Wood #Wattys2017
VampireShal has had her future laid out for her for as long as she can remember. Cursed with vampirism and trained as a killer, she has accepted her fate as an enforcer for the Empire. Escape has never seemed possible until now, when an opportunity arise...
