Claws of Eternity ✔️

Chapter 16: The Unknowns

VLAD

Vlad entered the tower room, noticing immediately how everyone is on the edge. Dinu was the youngest, but he had potential and he's been handling this life with envious grace, unlike Andryj who's been struggling with their customs all his life. These two were the youngest, Anton, Codrin and Petre were three piles of dust. And piles of dust were arguing.

"Of course you would suggest a massive manslaughter, you twisted old fuck." Anton said to Petre right when Vlad walked in.

"All I'm saying is that the Ottomans are vampires, we can meet them in the field and we stand a chance. If we wait for them to reach Bran, we risk students murdered." Petre argued. He was an interesting man, providing advice no one would dare say out loud.

"But," Anton got up, irritated, "they have never lived within the Border, they know how to survive outside. We do not. If we leave, we risk being murdered before the battle even starts."

"They are stronger outside, but they cannot win inside." Codrin added.

"The Border is falling anyway, might as well use it while it's still here." Anton said while draining the cup of mead he had in front of him.

"Yes, but we do not know how fast the Border is falling. For all we know, it might not be here tomorrow. If the Ottomans reach Bran and the Border falls down, we are all dead. But, if we intercept them on the field, there is a chance of keeping alive those who cannot fight yet." Petre spoke and that sentence left everyone in silence for a moment.

"Perhaps..." Dinu started, "they can fight." It wasn't an easy suggestion and Vlad knew it. Those rotten corpses had credit to say whatever they wanted, but Dinu was still young and couldn't afford to make mistakes.

"Andryj will be here soon, he can tell us what shape the students are in." Codrin said. Vlad sat at the table, pouring himself a cup of blood.

"None of those ideas is a bad idea, but everything is risky. What about Sergey Durov?" Vlad asked turning to Codrin.

"Him and his army are resting, they are not well, Voivode. And he lost more than half of his army, because they met Ottomans in the field." Codrin said looking meaningfully at Petre.

"They had less men than we do, also, we are much better prepared and quite a bit stronger." Petre defended himself. Vlad got up, feeling the need to walk in his bones. He could never sit when he was thinking, his father taught him the head is working better if the feet are moving.

"We are not trained to fight outside the Border, at least not if others come joining the fight. We cannot wait for them here because we do not know when the Border would fall. But one thing we know, within the Border, Ottomans are weak." Vlad reached the window, looking towards woods and the clear blue sky. At least it's not so damn hot anymore, he thought. "Have we learned anything about the Border, Anton?"

"I've managed to translate some of the scripts but all I could find is that the Border is consisted of combined trickster magic. It's not a one-time spell, it draws power out of every witch alive. The witches are weaker than ever and therefore, the Border is unstable." Anton said, suspiciously throwing glances all around the room. Vlad realised he wasn't sure what he could and what he couldn't say. Immediately, Vlad knew Anton had learned more and isn't sure whether he should share. The biggest liability in the room was Petre, he was a nasty guy, always in need to gain more than give.

"Dinu, I want Sergey Durov awake and ready to talk how to proceed considering Ottomans. Petre, I want information on current candidates for the throne, I want them fast. And someone get Andryj in here." Vlad kept staring through the window, watching Andryj command the students. He was good at that, he was stern, but he had patience.