Chapter. 32
“Julia, ‘tis morning,” Rahlan says behind my ear.
“Mmhmm.” I nestle deeper into the sleeping pouch.
He inches me around until I’m facing his chest. “You are awake?” he asks.
I yawn and shake my head.
He nudges my body up so I’m at eye level with him.
“I want breakfast in bed,” he says.
“Very funny,” I mumble.
He pulls my tunic collar back and slides his teeth under my skin. I flinch from the initial sting, but my muscles relax once he stills.
My eyes close again, and I drift off as much as I can despite the dull pain. I must have a scar from having that wound reopened every day.
He finishes up, pinching the cut closed with his fingers. I’m awake, but I wouldn’t mind spending a few more minutes in this cozy pouch.
“How did you scar your face?” he asks.
“What?” My heart drops for a second. Was I injured without knowing it?
He lifts his finger. “There,” he gently touches the bridge of my nose. “’Tis like you were burned with many sparks.”
I run my finger over the spot. “Nothing feels different.”
He reaches for the sword above his head and unsheathes it just two inches. The reflective blade acts like a mirror. He touches a spot on my nose again. “There.”
“Those are freckles,” I laugh, “You had me worried.”
“Freckles?” he asks, puzzled.
“You know, freckles.”
He stares at me with a blank expression.
Taking a closer look at his face, I realize that he actually has no freckles. His skin is ghostly pale, broken only by his inky eyebrows and emerging stubble. I grab his hand and inspect it. Nothing. I tug his sleeve up and angle his forearm under the morning light, but there’s not a single speck. “You really don’t have freckles,” I say mostly to myself.
He touches my nose again, running his fingers over it like he’s feeling for texture.
He thought I’d been burned. The absurdity makes me smile. “Freckles are just little spots we’re born with. It’s just a normal part of being human.”
He nods, his gaze still transfixed on my nose.
I stretch and pull myself out of the pouch. We slip our boots on, and I follow him out the tent.
The camp is packing up, and soon we’re traveling again.
The sun is setting. Orange rays poke between the tall trees, illuminating the column of vampires.
The horse rider ahead of us twists around. I hope he’s looking at Rahlan, not me.
“Twenty on south, pivot clockwise,” the rider says.
What?
Rahlan repeats the phrase to the men behind us.
“What does that mean?” I ask Rahlan, looking up.
He pulls back on the reins, and Mittens comes to a halt with a grunt. His hands slip under my arms, and I’m placed on the ground before he jumps down himself.
He unties his bag from Mittens’ saddle, dropping it on top of a small rock. The rest of the men do the same, removing bags from their horses and taking off their backpacks.
“It means you get to pick your favorite tree,” he says.
I already know what he’s going to do. “I don’t like trees.”
He reaches into his bag and pulls out the rope I’m all too familiar with. “Then I’m afraid you may find this a little awkward.”
I step back, but his hand lands on my shoulder. He ties the rope around one wrist.
“You’re an ass,” I grumble.
“That hurt,” he mocks, pushing my chest against a tree. The rope is wrapped around the trunk and attached to my other wrist, forcing me to hug it. There’s no slack. I can’t even sit down.
I glare at him as best I can as he climbs back on Mittens. He joins the other men. They move side-by-side, forming a front.
I wobble around the tree to try get a better angle.
The line stops advancing. I can only partially see the mass of vampires through the woods. They have their swords drawn. Is this the battle? It can’t be. How could it just come out of nowhere? I can’t spend the whole battle tied up!
I pull against the rope, but it does nothing but bite into my skin.
A loud roar cracks through the air. I stand on my toes to try see what’s going on. They’re charging. The horsemen are the first to go, quickly followed by the men on foot. Wherever Rahlan is, he’s indistinguishable from the roaring mass.
I need to get out of here. This is supposed to be my chance. I can’t climb the tree. There’s no leverage. If only my one hand could reach the other, I could untie these damn knots.
I bend my arm around as much as the rope allows, inspecting the knot from different angles. There’s a loop which seems to hold the whole thing together.
A distance scream echoes through the forest. I need to hurry. I bend a piece of bark so it juts from the tree trunk and try force it through the middle of the knot. The bark breaks, leaving it embedded in the rope without loosening it.
I angle another piece of bark for a second try, but the sound of horses’ hooves makes me freeze. I peer around the tree. They’re riding back. It’s over already? This army of vampires traveled for three days for a five-minute battle?
Rahlan and the others return, reforming the column. He jumps off Mittens. There’s no trace of blood, which I’m grateful for.
“Is the battle over?” I ask.
“That was no battle.” He frees my wrist. “That was just a warmup.”
I turn my back to him and untie my other wrist before he can see the piece of bark wedged in the knot.
He lifts me up and places me back on Mittens. His hand snakes around my middle as he takes his seat behind me.
I stiffen at the sight of a familiar face – Marcus. He’s in line with a bunch of new humans being dragged into the column. They’re bound together, with their arms behind their backs and blood running from various wounds.
Marcus’s gaze locks with mine. He’s just as shocked to see me. He’s from my village, and he travels everywhere with Jacob. The idea being that two are safer than one. Why isn’t he in Fekby with my brother now?
“Something wrong?” Rahlan asks. His hand rests on my abdomen, no doubt able to feel my tension.
“I’m fine,” I quickly avert my eyes, not wanting to draw any attention to Marcus.
The line resumes its course. I discreetly peer around the column, trying to spot Marcus’s brown hair, but he’s being led too far ahead of us.
A heavy bell begins in the distance. Clang clong clang clong. It rings and rings, getting louder with every step we take.
The forest opens up to a clearing. There’s a city – a human city. The bell rings in alarm from behind its yellow stone walls. Two large wooden doors creek closed, and screaming men and women sprint to slip through them before they seal. I don’t blame them. I’d be terrified too.
Archers line the walls, and I start feeling a little anxious. Usually I’d wish nothing more than for a vampire army to be wiped out by humans, but I’m in the front lines among them, dressed in vampire leather armor. Any human will see me as a traitor, and the vampires would laugh at the idea of allying with a feeble human. I’m an enemy to both sides.
The archers don’t fire, but they stand ready. The rest of the vampires pour out beside us, lining up at the edge of the clearing. They know exactly where to stop to stay out of range while remaining in the open, making their fearsome presence known.
“We’ll be meeting your friend at dawn,” Rahlan whispers in my ear.
I shiver. This is the last place I want to see Ivan. I hope he’s far away, far from the horror the vampires will inflict on the poor people of this city.
I hop off the horse on my own accord. The vampires unpack their weapons – swords, axes and large oval shields. They tend to their horses, chop down trees and begin building fires.
I weave my way through the makeshift camp, leaving Rahlan to his own preparations. I need to find Marcus. There are vampires guarding the edges of the line, keeping a lookout over their flanks while also preventing me from straying too far.