The very next day, the news in the village was even more rampant than before. It seemed as though the air itself had changed, filled with the heavy weight of gossip and fear.
In every corner of the village, people were gathered in small groups, their heads bent close together as they spoke in low, worried voices.
It was the only thing anyone could talk about. At the communal well where the women gathered to draw water, and in the small market stalls where the men bought their tools, the conversation never shifted. People were truly scared.
It created a deep sense of panic that settled over the hearts of everyone in town. Some people were terrified that they had been living with witches, faes, or even vampires for many years without ever realizing it.
They looked at their neighbors with new, suspicious eyes. The person they had known for a long time suddenly seemed like a stranger who might be hiding a dark secret behind a friendly smile.
However, the news that these supernaturals would soon be caught brought a small bit of comfort to some of the villagers. They felt a sense of relief knowing that the kingdom was finally taking action to find the hidden monsters and keep the humans safe.
The reason the news had spread so quickly was due to different reported rogue vampire attacks in other small towns and villages.
It was well known that most vampires cannot survive for a long time without the nourishment of human blood, and these attacks were a sign that some were becoming desperate and violent.
Along with these stories, some lone sorcerers had reported sensing the lingering traces of witch magic in towns that used to be very quiet. All of these reports together made the people of Lardin feel as though a dark shadow was slowly moving toward them, and they did not know how to stop it.
The search had officially begun that very day.
Miles away in her fabric shop in the town of Lardin, a little vampire was feeling very apprehensive. Zora tried her best to focus on her work, but it was an impossible task.
She would pick up a roll of colorful fabric only to set it back down a moment later because her hands were shaking. Her mind was a whirlwind of worry, calculating how much time was left before the King's men and the sorcerers finally reached her village.
She could not concentrate on the customers or the money, all she could think about was the danger that was coming closer with every passing hour.
She felt exposed, as if the very walls of her shop could no longer protect her secret.
That same morning, when the sun had hardly passed its highest point at noon, Zora decided she could not stay open any longer.
She started packing up her items and closing the heavy wooden shutters of her shop. While she was in the middle of this, someone arrived at her store.
It was her friend from the village, a girl named Eunice. Eunice was the same age as Zora, and they had been very close in the past. Zora and Eunice were best friends who used to share every secret and spend all their free time together.
But after the tragic death of Zora's foster parents, Zora had purposely created a little distance between her and the people she loved. She did this to protect her secret and her heart. She knew that she could not trust herself to keep her nature safe the way her parents had.
Her parents' presence had been a great reassurance to her, but once they were gone, she felt she had to be her own guard.
Even though they were still friends and Zora truly missed their old bond and closeness, she felt she could not risk it. She had to keep that little distance to make sure she didn't accidentally reveal what she was.
"Zora!" Eunice called out, her voice sounding surprised. "Why are you closing up the shop so early in the day?"
Zora was a bit startled by the sudden voice.
She turned around and forced a small, tired smile to appear on her face. "Ah, I don't feel so well, Eunice. I think I might take some days off and stay home to rest. I think it is just the stress of the work finally getting to me."
She came up with the excuse fast, hoping it sounded real to her friend's ears. Eunice nodded her head, a small frown appearing on her face as she looked at Zora with concern.
"Are you sure it is not something serious? I thought that now that nobles are probably going to be in town for the search, you would be more active.
I thought you would try to make some good money while the wealthy people are passing through. It is such bad luck that you had to feel unwell right now. Please, go home and take a good rest and get better soon, okay?"
Zora nodded, feeling the guilt of the lie in her chest. "I will, I promise. By the way, what are you doing in town today, Eunice?"
Eunice explained that she was just running a few simple errands for her family, picking up some extra thread and salt before the roads became too busy with the people's carriages.
Zora waved her goodbye and watched her walk away into the crowd. As soon as Eunice was gone, Zora finished locking up the shop with trembling fingers.
She didn't stay in town for another minute. She headed straight back to her village, her mind fixed on the task ahead.
Once she was safely inside her home, she could not sit still. She immediately started packing up all the blood bags she had hidden in her kitchen.
She knew she had to dispose of them tonight in the dark woods so there would be no evidence left when the sorcerers arrived.
—-
Meanwhile, far away in the capital city, Duke Avner was in his large study inside his grand mansion. He was sitting behind his ornate desk, which was made of heavy, dark wood and covered in official papers.
A small frown was on his handsome face as he recalled what had happened after the meeting the previous day.
On his way out of the palace, Avner had been stopped by Duke Orson. Orson was an elegant man, but he always had a serious air about him, and he loved to bug Avner whenever he could.
The three Dukes of the kingdom; Avner, Orson, and
Lucas, had an incredibly complex relationship.
Their families had been at odds for many generations, always trying to outshine one another in the eyes of the people of the kingdom even though they didn't have to.
As for the current young Dukes, they did not really care about the old, inherited beef that their fathers had passed down to them.
However, they were not exactly friends either. Their strife was more personal than that. They were almost like friends because they were always getting involved in each other's business, but they usually did it to sabotage a plan or to get a reaction out of the other. They would never admit that that though. But they were always united when it came down to real serious business.
Many other nobles had tried to
plant seeds of doubt to put them against each other, but it never worked. Nobody really understood their relationship, not even the three Dukes themselves.
Orson faced Avner, the cold and stoic Duke, with a smirk on his face. "You don't need to be in such a hurry to leave the capital, Avner.
Why don't you let me join you for your expedition? Maybe I could learn a thing or two from your methods while we are out there."
"No thank you," Avner answered in a very calm and flat voice. "You would only be a distraction to the mission."
"Is it because I am too handsome to be around?" Orson asked, his smirk growing wider.
Avner let out a long, tired sigh. He was not in the mood for games today. "What is this actually about, Orson?"
Before Orson could reply, another voice spoke from the side. It was Duke Lucas. "I know what it is about," Lucas said as he walked toward them with a curious look.
"You actively participating in a noble cause like this is rare and weird for you, Avner. Unless there is something special about this search, I don't see why you would volunteer. I am just as curious about it as Orson is."
Avner did not flinch or show any emotion. He was very used to the two of them being busybodies and poking their noses into his life. He looked at them both with a cold, blank stare that made them look like children in his eyes.
"You two should get married to the girls that your families have already arranged for you," Avner said coldly. "Maybe that will finally stop you from being so invested in every detail of my life."
He did not wait for them to respond or give a witty answer. He simply turned around and walked away, his heavy cloak flowing behind him.
He could already guess that they would try to dig into his business and find out more about his trip to Lardin, but he did not care.
"What a headache," Avner muttered to himself as he sat in his quiet study now, leaning back in his chair.
Soon after, a soft knock came at the door. An aide came in to announce that the carriages were finally ready for the departure.
The journey to the town of Lardin would take three days if Avner used the faster speed he usually liked when riding his horse alone. But with the heavy carriages and the group of servants the trip would take anywhere from five to seven days.
Avner stood up from his desk with effortless grace. He moved out of his study and into the grand hallway of his mansion.
Outside the front entrance, a small crowd had gathered to see him off. His butler was standing at the front. He was a middle-aged man who looked very elegant in his clean suit.
He stood with a straight back and a professional expression, overseeing the servants and the luggage. Beside him were the other servants and the household staff, all organized in a neat line to watch their master depart.
Avner looked over the group he was taking with him. He was only bringing one aide, four servants, and about eight soldiers. He did not feel the need for much protection, he was a powerful man who could handle himself.
He walked down the stone steps of his mansion with a confident stride. His white horse was waiting for him, its coat shining in the afternoon light.
He climbed onto the white horse, his movements smooth and practiced. As he sat in the saddle, a fire burned in his eyes, a look of intense focus and determination. He was ready to leave the capital behind.
With a sharp tug on the reins, he rode ahead, moving out of the courtyard and toward the main road. The soldiers rode with him, their horses' hooves clicking loudly against the cobblestones.
As he began the long journey, his mind was focused on the destination. He hoped the little vampire would stay put in her village until he got there.