Gabriel held her gaze for a moment longer, and the air stopped humming around them. The wind fell silent except for the occasional gust brought in from the ocean currents, and Tess had finally regained control of her breathing. Her hands still trembled, not from fear but from the weight of what he had just said.
Gabriel stood, his expression returning to that stillness he wore whenever what lurked inside him retreated back into the shadows. The light from his eyes faded, leaving behind two red stones that watched her without emotion.
He turned away first, closing his eyes and letting the ocean wind slam against his face as he stood there absorbing the silence of the world around him. When he opened his eyes again, he stared north towards the path that would lead them to the old village, to the nest, and to whatever else was waiting.
"We're wasting time," Gabriel muttered. "The sun's rising."
Tess wiped her face with the back of her hand and stood up, taking a step towards him as she placed her sword back in its sheath.
"You can't just drop what you said and walk off like nothing happened." Her voice still shook.
He glanced over his shoulder, two red streaks swirling as the sunrise finally broke the horizon.
"You can wait here."
Tess straightened up, her shoulders broad and her chest puffed out as she walked forward to stand beside him, both of them facing north. "No, this is my bounty as well."
Gabriel began adjusting the straps on his leather breastplate, and his face flashed a grimace as he pulled it tight. The expression was barely noticeable, but Tess caught it.
"You're still hurt," she said quietly.
Gabriel's hands dropped from the strap. "I'm fine."
"You won't be if you collapse mid-fight."
Gabriel didn't reply to her concerns and began walking north with his bag placed over his shoulders next to the sheathed swords on his back. Tess retrieved her own bag and the robe she had bundled on the floor before following him into the morning light.
The village shrank in the distance as they followed the coastline, eventually finding the path that led inland. The icy grass crunched beneath their boots as they traversed the harsh hills, and a couple of hours passed before the old village came into view.
It reminded Gabriel of the bowl at the goat's path. The settlement sat surrounded by hills on all sides, except for the opening leading to the ocean. Fishing nets hung just off the bank, resting in the waters and waiting for someone to come and empty them, exactly like the tavern owner had mentioned.
"Gabriel, can you see the houses?" Tess mumbled as they reached the peak of the hill.
"Yes, they're brick."
"Why would a small village like this not have wooden ones, especially near the ocean?"
"They're not run down."
Tess blinked in surprise. "It doesn't look abandoned!"
He took a few steps forward and stared down into the bowl-shaped village where the morning light scraped the rooftops at an angle without fully illuminating them. The buildings here numbered in the fifties, and none of them carried any of the erosion he'd seen touch other northern settlements, even ones that were fully populated.
"Look at the church!" Tess raised her voice. "It's built into the hill."
The hillside behind the church had been dug out with the main structure placed in the opening. The front of the church had a tower that rose above everything else, the only part of any building that was fully blanketed by the sun.
"When was the village abandoned?" Tess asked.
"He didn't say."
The two began their descent with Gabriel in front and Tess following a few steps behind. The path down the hill led to the opening by the ocean, carved out by the residents of Black-Haven so they could collect the daily fish snatched up by the nets. As they continued downward, the northern chill seemed to increase with every step.
Gabriel stopped just before they crossed the threshold into the village and placed his bag on the ground, rummaging through it until he pulled out the Redamere essence and tucked it into a pocket stitched inside his robe. He unsheathed both swords from his back while Tess mimicked his movements, placing her bag down and drawing her own blade.
"Stay close to me," he said, glancing at her. "We're heading to the church. They will try to immobilize you before an ambush, so be vigilant."
She nodded and followed every step as they began approaching the buildings. The village itself was small, the same size as Blackhaven, but the brick structures made it seem more imposing.
A low growl started ringing around the village, warning them away.
They ignored it and proceeded forward at a steady pace, but the growl intensified and turned into a hiss. Gabriel remembered this tactic from his encounter with the vampire before, so he covered both of his ears and pushed hard, his swords pointing to the sky. Tess stopped for a moment in confusion before copying the action.
A roar bellowed through the village and shook its very foundations. The vibrations reverberated inside Gabriel's body and sent pain shooting through his ears, though it wasn't as disorienting as last time now that he was prepared.
A grey blur appeared from behind the building in front of them and lunged forward.
Gabriel spotted the beast and charged to meet it, watching as the vampire leapt with its arm pulled back and ready to strike. Gabriel dove first, dropping to his knees as the momentum from his sprint carried him straight beneath the beast. He raised his sword as he slid, and the metal met the creature's neck with such force that it cleaved the vampire clean in two.
Gabriel came to a halt and heard footsteps walking along the roof of the building above. He looked up to see another beast already mid-air and hurtling towards him.
He took a step back, planted his feet, and thrust his blade forward to pierce the monster's chest before removing it quickly. The beast shrieked in pain and stumbled backwards, but Gabriel didn't give it a second to recover. He swung his sword towards its body with enough force to slice clean through, and the vampire fell backwards with faint noises escaping its mouth. Gabriel walked over to it, raised his blade, and slammed it down into the creature hard enough that it penetrated the ground beneath.
He looked over at Tess with his hand still gripped firmly to his hilt.
Her heavy panting was forcing mist to appear from her mouth as she stood there with her sword dripping in black fluid. A vampire lay at her feet with its arm cleanly sliced off and lying several feet away, its head still rolling beside her.
Their eyes met, and Gabriel nodded slightly in approval before forcing his blade out of the ground.
They continued walking towards the church entrance at a measured pace with their heads constantly turning as they investigated every sound they didn't generate themselves. Gabriel raised his hand to signal Tess to stop, then approached the oak church door and placed his ear against it.
Low snarls passed through the wood as he began counting on his fingers. One, two, three, four, five. He continued to listen with his left hand held up showing five outstretched fingers while his right hand gripped both swords.
He walked back to Tess and whispered close to her ear, "There are at least seven in the main hall."
Her eyes widened as her jaw dropped.
"How are we going to take on seven? I can barely take down one." Her voice was quiet but panicked.
"We will have to draw them out. Seven in a tight space is too much."
The door began to creak open, and they both turned to look at it as Gabriel's eyes started to glow.