The Princess and the Blade

[Emora Deen]

Laurius looked to the vampire, thumbing the rock in his pocket that was his link to the sorceress woman, as well as Ren and Tenara. "I don't know how long we'll be," he reminded the king. "We've likely beat them here, if they are heading here. We will have to wait, and if it turns out they are not here then we will go on to Arroes. It could be..." He dared not say how long it could be. Weeks. Months. What if they never found them or it? Were they allowed to come back otherwise? "We'll keep you in the loop."

---

Tenara flinched at a gust of icy wind. It blew across the snow-covered earth, tossing tiny pieces of snow into the air. As she moved, a sound clinked at her chest, and she looked down to find a pendant dangling from around her neck, clinking sharply against where Havitharon's horn lay against her breast. She touched it, confusion creasing her brow.

"That's Mr. Spiky II," her aunt said as she approached, reaching out to touch the talisman and run her thumb over the sapphire she'd turned ruby. "He had an issue crossing back into this world, so we put him here."

Tenara pulled the medallion from her aunt's grasp and curled her hand over it. Ren? she asked, testing. As she thought the word, her gaze lifted from the pendant to where Havitharon had been, and then behind the spot, where Laurius Marr's opulent mansion had sat. Now, it was nothing but charred stone bones.

[Soran Nightblade]

*Yes,* he answered her softly. *This...is me now. I apologize that it's not something more practical.* He rubbed absently at the scarred-over tattoo on his hand. Compared to a sword that could imbue her with the skills to fight any threat, a piece of jewelry was hardly useful.

Across the yard, Vlad reappeared in the snow, already marching toward the house.

[Emora Deen]

It's beautiful, Tenara said, admiring the way the morning light glinted on the jewel, turning the inside of it different shades of deep red. Her aunt patted her back and brushed past her, through the door.

A blip in the snow, a shadow appearing out of nowhere, caught Tenara's attention, and she looked up to find her father marching towards her. She opened her mouth to say something, but all the words seemed to catch in her throat, tangling up on themselves. So, she ran to him, flinging her arms around his waist.

---

Laurius stared at where the vampire had been, and then looked down the path ahead of them. "You'll blend in well. You look like a demon," Laurius said, motioning him to follow. "We'll say that we are here for the library, for researching a weapon to build for the crown. If we are here for study, they will house and feed us in the dorms." He frowned deeply, disliking the idea of staying there with a bunch of young, up-and-coming, back-stabbing, rich snobs. "Did you mean it, what you told him? Are you going to leave her?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi wanted to ask what a demon was, but his next question caught him unguarded. "I swore not to let my existence bring danger into her life, and yet it has. I have failed to protect her, and I do not know if I can properly Love her. If I stay, I could prevent her from finding what she needs. I could even come between her and her family. Should I not leave?"

[Emora Deen]

Laurius kept walking, not certain why Havi's words made him angry. He felt this odd protectiveness towards the girl who clearly loved this being, and who he knew would be hurt if he left. "I think its ultimately up to you," Laurius said. "It matters not what I think—whether you should or shouldn't go." He grew very quiet as they navigated the path, coming to a place where it began to incline with craggy rocks and dry earth. The sulfuric smell seemed to thicken in the air, and Laurius brought his sleeve up to his nose. It was hot, far too hot for the clothes they had on. He paused to start shucking the coat, but kept the scarf at his neck to pull up around his mouth. "I would do it with mercy," he said. "Don't just disappear."