Heirot

Khi nodded to Atul, but her eyes were on Talon as he spoke with Vlad across the room. "I know Talon will help them," she said firmly.

Vlad's eyes met Talon's, but he didn't really hear what the vampire said to him. "Don't get hurt, Talon," he said quietly. "If you need my strength, use it."

Talon smiled handsomely. "I'll be fine," he replied before leaving.

Tenele watched the door. "I'll look after him," she told her husband, touching his shoulder. "Don't worry. He's strong, he'll be fine. I'll scout the area before taking either of them near the holy men. The last thing I want to do is get two men who are allergic to holy weapons surrounded by them."

Vlad nodded approvingly at his beloved wife. She knew what she was doing, even if she was chaperoning two creatures of darkness into some sort of brigade of fanatics. He helped them as they arranged their final supplies and ultimately headed out of the room, leaving him alone with Khi, and Tenara and Stalker sleeping next door. The vampire took a look at the young reptilian, who was staring at him. Honestly, aside from Sho, seeing them reminded him a bit too much of Maxwell. And Sho was only exempt because she'd saved his and Talon's lives.

That called back the memory of the panicked agony in his bloodling's eyes when he'd taken that syringe of holy water for him. Vlad dismissed the image abruptly and focused instead on the miniature Maxwell staring at him. "I'm not great with children," he warned her.

"I am not a child," she answered, tilting her head. "I'm two and nine."

That got his attention. "You're 29. Sure." he raised an eyebrow.

"How soon will they be back?" she asked, looking at the balcony.

"There is no chance in hell you are 29. You don't look more than a year or two older than Sho, who's what? Thirteen?"

"Sho has led a more difficult life," she answered, as if that explained everything. "How old are you?"

Vlad stared at her, and finally broke out an impressed grin. "You've got balls, asking a vampire his age."

"I have no such things," she snapped, slitted pupils dilating.

Talon was tying the packs to the horses when Atul and Tenele emerged from the palace. The attendant seemed stressed to the gills as he scurried around the horses as calmly as possible.

"I think we're ready," he alerted them, watching Tenele dawn her cloak and tug the hood over her head. The desert air was cold, and the wind howled.

"Hopefully we don't run into any storms," Atul sighed, mounting his horse. "The wind is strong, a good night for the sands to kick up. Be prepared to hunker down if one does blows in."

Tenele shuddered, remembering the near-death experience from the last sand storm.

As they rode on, the moon slowly passed overhead while the horses managed their pace carefully over the sandy terrain in the dark. The dunes were too risky for the horses' legs to run over, but as the first glow of morning hinted at the horizon, the area flattened out into harder earth. There were even some space desert plants eking out an existence in the cold plain.

The night air carried a bite that even Atul could feel. It was too cold for reptilians out here. They rode silently with their shawls wrapped tight around their cheeks, leaving just enough space to see. Just as well, because the king had little interest in making small talk with Tenele's brother, and scratching that wound in front of Talon's loving sister would likely result in fighting with both of his traveling companions. "We're a few hours away," he said, breaking the quiet between them. A day's walk from the village. If Khi's timing is accurate, this might be where she left the other girl behind."

Tenele nodded. "Maybe we should spread out a little," she sighed, leading her horse off a short distance away before heading straight again.

Tenele didn't want to find a dead child. The whole time she tried not to think about the many dead they'd find, but the closer they got the less she could avoid it. The poor things, terrified and beaten down for no reason. She would punish those that hurt innocents.

Talon went his own way, stretching further away from Atul than Tenele had gone. His hearing was much better than hers and he had little desire to stay close. His vision was also better than Tenele's so he could see further in the moonlit desert. It was hard to tell the difference between dried shrubbery and a body, and he found himself getting false hope only to stumble upon a natty thorn bush or cactus.

Atul's horse fussed to a stop, and the king left it alone. They'd been searching for an hour, and they'd found nothing. The hard earth and the windy sand that was starting to kick up left no promise of footprints. "Tenele! Talon!" he called out in frustration, turning to peer around him for the others searching close by.

Tenele had gotten off her horse to walk along next to it. She didn't really hear Atul over the wind, so she kept moving along quietly. The strong gusts caught her cloak, billowing it about her like great black wings.

An hour with no sight, Tenele began to wonder if it was safer and smarter to give up and head on to the village in the hopes of doing some sort of good.

Talon on the other hand, heard Atul loud and clear. He turned the horse back towards the King and headed off, a leap of hope in his heart that the King might have found something.

"What did you find?" he called when he was close enough for Atul to hear.

Atul frowned as only Talon came back to him. "The wind is picking up, and we're still a few hours out. If she was here, we would have found her by now. I think we should consider pressing on. It might not be too late to help some of the others, and I don't want the attackers' trail to get cold."

Talon frowned, looking around. He didn't want to give up on Sho, not so quickly. The hour to the vampire had only felt like a few minutes, and hardly enough time to search such an expansive place. "Just a little more," Talon sighed. "A few more minutes and then we can head to the village."

Atul wanted to protest, but he hesitated at the look on Talon's face. He wasn't a fan of the vampire, but maybe he didn't dislike him quite the same way as before. "We can wait a few minutes more," he confirmed the polite request.

Elsewhere, a group of robed figures approached through the sandy air. They had camels with them, but the animals were holding supplies, not riders. Those on foot moved with the slow focus of those native to the desert. The storm was not an obstacle, but a part of them as they crossed the sands. As the lone figure came into view ahead of them, they approached more slowly, taking in the shawled woman and her horse standing beside her. The coming sun played tricks with the quartz sand as it sparkled and blew between them.

"Who's there?" the leader of the group called, stepping toward her. The male figure wore a robe of deep purple.

"Thank you," Talon sighed, going off in a different direction than before.

Tenele narrowed green eyes on them, the only visible thing about her at the moment, and appraised the group. She counted them, taking her time before answering. "I am lost," she replied, inching closer. Tenele paid close attention to what they wore and where their weapons hung on their bodies, all the while trying to decide how to evade the group and warn Talon and Atul of their presence before the two demons happened upon them. "Those are fancy robes. Are you some sort of priest?"

The man smiled, though his mouth was hidden. It showed to his eyes. "Not a great place to be lost. We're headed for the capitol, if you want to follow. As for this," he fingered a holy talisman that hadn't been easily visible before beneath the layers of cloth he wore, "I'm not a priest. Too much blood on my hands. But our cause is righteous." He glanced at her ringed finger. "You are not the enemy we seek. We'll bring you no harm."

Tenele smiled behind the cloth. "You're easily swayed," she smiled. "Good for me, I guess. Wouldn't want to make you angry with all that blood on your hands." Tenele gave him a wink, and glanced out over the crowd. She really wanted to slit his throat, and it took all her will not to finger the dagger at her waist. "Unfortunately I left the capitol many hours ago, so I'm not heading their. Heading to Ida, but I think I might have gone off in the wrong direction. Can you point me to the west?"

The man tilted his head slowly, studying her. The smile seemed to be gone from his face. "West? The sun is rising, woman." He took a step toward her. "I don't care for liars."

"..ele? Tenele?" Atul's voice floated in from somewhere nearby, muted in the wind.