Bound by Trial [Hiatus]

7: Journey, Day 1

As a dragon, the trip to Dracul's capital would take three days of non-stop travel; four or five days if they stopped to sleep at night. A vampire could run the distance in about the same time and ultimately exhaust them. Neither option was particularly appealing to Raevynn and Nikolai, though, so they agreed to travel as fast as they can without shifting or running.

Nikolai, despite being nearly 3 millennia old, found himself surprised by his companion. After a few centuries, he had stopped being surprised or shocked about anything. But to meet the female who has snared his older brother's attention, realize everything he'd said about her was true, and that she was voluntarily going to Dracul to help find Malachi? That surprised him.

Learning that Malachi had trusted her enough to have sex and the resulting pregnancy had left Nikolai so astounded that he couldn't hold a simple conversation. It wasn't until the duo crossed into Dracul that he was able to pull himself back to awareness.

"How did we not have issues in the Neutral Zone? The residents there hate trespassers?" he asked somewhat rhetorically.

"I have way," Raevynn answered. "Since my territory borders the entire NZ, there is a lot of interactions between my citizens and NZ citizens. I let them come onto my land to buy, sell, or trade and they allow me to travel unmolested if and when I need."

"You are not like any dragon I've met," he muttered. Everything he learned about her was in direct opposition to his experiences and it left him feeling unsteady. He also found himself seeing her in a way he shouldn't.

"I'll take that as a compliment. The only thing other dragons and I agree on is that we are dragons."

They walked in silence for a bit as Nikolai fell into his thoughts again. She didn't mind the silence; it gave her time to appreciate the beauty around her. It was her first time seeing Dracul and she wanted to soak it in.

The path they took through the forest was quiet. To the east, mountain tops peaked over the trees. To the west, only forest could be seen. With the knowledge of her territory and the NZ, she knew there were plains dozens of miles away.

She could hear wildlife in the distance; nothing would come close to two apex predators. She vaguely wondered if some shifters stayed in their animal forms to hide. It was peaceful, though she was careful not to drop her guard.

In her peripheral view, she could see Nikolai glance her way often. He had a neutral expression but his eyes expressed his curiosity. When he would look at her small bump under her armor, she also saw pride, envy, and an unidentifiable emotion.

"So," he hesitated. "I assume Malachi doesn't know?" Raevynn looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"No," she responded softly. "I didn't know how to contact him; I didn't even know where he was from or his last name. All I had was his first name, that he has two brothers, and that he knows King Asher personally."

"We'll find him," Nikolai decreed. "You'll be able to tell him then, and he will be thrilled. Although, it's going to take a lot of logistics to figure out custody between a Master and Lord."

"What?!"

"What?"

"Malachi is a Master?" she demanded. "He doesn't just know the king, he is on his council?!" Her chest felt tight and her stomach cramped. She never considered that the nearly-dead vampire in her barn might be important.

"He didn't mention it? I assumed he did since he said he told you about our suspicions and everything. But, yes, Malachi and I are both Masters," he answered.

They lapsed back into silence as she processed the new information. While she was initially shocked, she realized that it wasn't very surprising based on his behaviors during the week they'd had.

He knew she was on the council and had probably assumed she knew the vampire council. He had mentioned knowing about her, and assuming she didn't attend with the rest of the council because she was female so they excluded her.

"Its nearly dark," she commented. "We should stop and rest; we don't want to exhaust ourselves on the first day."

"There should be a decent sized clearing ahead," he shared. "It should be big enough for you to shift. It's going to take us at least a week to travel unless we buy some horses."

"I doubt my money is good here," she joked. "But horses would be a better option than walking."

"If we head west and move a bit faster, we should reach a town along the western border of Malachi's area. It'll have horses and supplies. I have more than enough to cover the cost. It's the least I can do since you're helping me."

"Then we have a plan," Raevynn agreed. They reached the clearing after thirty minutes and she immediately shifted. The space was just big enough for her to curl up in. Nikolai sat on her back leg and leaned against her side beneath her wing. It didn't take either long to drop off to sleep, trusting their heightened senses to alert them to danger.