~o~O~o~

Part Thirty-Three

When Adrian and Trevor came into the house Hana was seated at her table with a hot cup of tea, appearing no worse for wear. Behind her, the window was letting in the muted grey of the day. A thin dusting of snow already coated everything, and it continued to fall in puffy, fat flakes that were accumulating quickly.

Inside, the smell of baking bread permeated the entire house. Beneath that clung the ever-present scent of different herbs, once again reminding Adrian of his mother's surgery in Targoviste.

Sypha – predictably – had her nose buried in a book already, and she was also enjoying some tea. She glanced up at the boys when they came in and smiled, meeting Trevor's indignant glare with feigned innocence.

"It's about time you two got up," Hana said dryly, glancing out the window as though she were making note of how late it was. "There is much to do. If you're hungry for anything besides tea you'll need to fetch some wood and fresh water. Check the chicken coop for eggs. I think some of the hens are still laying, and milk that goat. She's been complaining for hours and the noise is driving me mad."

She leaned her elbow on the arm of her chair, relaxing into it with every expectation that her guests would do as she asked. Her hair was back in its long braid, which draped over one shoulder. She radiated strength, but Adrian was able to see the hollowness under her eyes – perhaps she was not as well-off as she endeavoured to appear.

Trevor glared at her and pulled a chair out for himself. "Where do you get off ordering us around?"

Hana turned her small black eyes on him, meeting the challenge. Sypha glanced at Adrian and they shared a mutual, amused expression.

Trevor sank into the chair, resting his elbows on the table in a gesture that said he wasn't going to move. Hana picked up her teacup in both hands. She grasped it carefully, her twisted fingers struggling to bend around its circumference. She sipped, savoured the warmth as she swallowed, then set the cup down again.

"Surely you have some notion of how rude it is to deny an old woman a little help. I took a great risk allowing all of you into the safety of my home."

Trevor opened his mouth to retort and Adrian closed a hand over his shoulder, squeezing too hard and interrupting him. "Of course we'll help," he said sharply. "We'll be right back. Come on Belmont," he grated, dragging Trevor behind him.

They emerged into the yard, Trevor's breath making little puffs of vapor when he exhaled. He looked tired – he had bags beneath his eyes. Lack of sleep was most likely the reason, but it did occur to the dhampir that he'd taken quite a lot of Trevor's blood as well. The wound was hidden by his newly restored fur cloak, but he was well aware of it.

"You don't have to be so rude to her," he chided, grabbing the water pail to take to the well.

"She's kind of an asshole. For an old lady, you know?"

"I think it's her way of protecting herself, Trevor. She's all alone here. She's vulnerable."

The hunter rubbed his face and shrugged. His stubble was getting thick, his chin and cheeks were darkened with the wiry hairs. They grew partway down his neck and his mustache was coming in as well. "Yeah, I know," he answered, and Adrian could hear the sincerity in his voice. Trevor understood what it was to be alone; he'd been looking out for himself for a long time.

Adrian elbowed him conspiratorially then leaned on him, throwing an arm over his shoulders. "I think she likes you, actually," he teased with a toothy smirk.

Trevor shoved him away. "Oh my God, fuck off," he said, sounding unnecessarily exasperated. "If that's her being nice, I'd hate to see what she's like with someone she hates," the hunter deadpanned, his boots crunching in the thickening snow as he broke away from Adrian and went to look for eggs.

The pair completed the menial requests made of them and returned to the house, Adrian's arms laden with chopped firewood, which he piled neatly beside the hearth. He brought fresh, cold water and filled the kettle, and Trevor tracked snow across the rugs as he brought in the brimming pail of milk and the eggs he'd collected.

In time, all four of them were seated at the table for a modest breakfast. Adrian gave Trevor his helping of eggs, and let Sypha have his milk. He was already plenty satiated, and was content to sip tea and nibble a piece of bread.

He wanted them to have more. He still didn't like that he was taking from them and that they could grow weak because of it, and he didn't need much food when he had a reasonably steady supply of blood. He knew he was getting stronger with the regular feedings. He'd even noticed his shirt was tighter in the chest, and his breeches stretched a little more over his thighs and calves. He'd never be as overtly muscular as Trevor was, but he wasn't as lithe as he had been either.

And Trevor – he had mostly recovered from the different injuries he'd sustained in the past weeks. His nose had healed and the bruising was gone from under his eyes, and he had a fresh, pink line over his temple where he'd been struck by the night creature and concussed. Adrian knew it was contradictory that he was so protective over Trevor in the face of his injuries injuries, yet excited by the bite mark which decorated his neck, but couldn't help it.

He traced his fingers absently along the grooves in the surface of the table which had been left by his claws, replaying everything from the night before. It had been a lot of different experiences. Meeting Hana. Seeing the castle. The visions. Trevor's blood. Their sex, and then the revelations about his father and his home on top of it all. If he looked out of the window behind the table he could just see the dark spot on the horizon.

Was his father watching them? He had a Carpathian mirror, so it was certainly possible. He may have been watching them for weeks, and they would have no idea. Were they still going to kill him? What-

"Alucard, you're brooding," Hana remarked, interrupting his- er- brooding. He straightened in his chair, realizing that he'd sunk down in it, slouching unbecomingly, his chin resting propped on his hand.

"I'm just thinking," he corrected, putting his hands around his teacup and looking at her.

Hana nodded in understanding. "You are bothered by what was revealed last night," she pointed out, and Adrian was at once appreciative of her bluntness, and irked that she brought the matter up.

"Hana," Sypha said, drawing everyone's attention to her instead. "Were you able to see the same things that Alucard saw during the spell yesterday?"

Hana shivered, her hand going reflexively to her black amulet and stroking it. "No, thankfully I did not have to endure that, but I was quite aware of his experience. I've been seeing things about all of your lives for some time. I know how monumental your task is."

Trevor took a long swallow from his cup – his mood had lightened markedly after Hana had plied him with ale to accompany his breakfast. "Monumental. Right. I think 'impossible' might be a better word for it. You know what's in that castle, right?"

Hana regarded him for a long moment, and Trevor did not waver beneath her stare.

"Well you do, don't you?" he repeated, leaning closer on his elbows.

"Yes." Hana answered, closing her eyes in memory. "I've seen awful things, but I don't always understand what they are, or what I am meant to do. I must be careful about trying to interpret what is revealed to me. It's not my place to decide what it means."

Sypha pushed her cleaned plate away. "That makes sense, Hana. But we are confused about what our course of action should be. We don't know what to do any longer."

Hana shook her head. "I can't tell you that," she said apologetically. "You have to decide on your own. But you need not rush ahead unprepared. You may stay here while you consider your options. If you would be willing to assist me with a few other tasks, I would be happy to continue to share my provisions and let you stay within the safety of the protective barrier."

"You just want to put us to work," Trevor accused.

Hana's mouth twisted into a smirk. "Of course I do. You're young and strong. Why shouldn't I?"

"Trevor. Don't speak," Sypha warned, leveling him with a dangerous look before he could voice his protest.

Trevor bit his tongue, settling back in his chair and finishing his ale instead.

The rest of the meal passed in a discussion – more of a list – of all the things Hana was hoping her guests would be kind enough to do for her while they were in residence, and the conversation remained pointedly devoid of any further mention of prophecy or the castle.

Adrian was thankful for the diversion. He truly did not mind being asked to do labour for a few hours. He took on the majority of the more physically demanding requests, completing them without complaint, and requiring no protection from the snow, which continued to fall throughout morning. He repaired a hole in the barn roof, fixed a broken window, chopped more firewood, replaced damaged portions of the porch, brought in supplies from a surprisingly well-stocked root cellar, and did a slew of other things that gave him time to think as he went through the motions.

Trevor was put to work sharpening knives and axes and mending a broken paddock gate, and Sypha helped Hana inside with processing herbs for medicinal and magical purposes, then helped to reorder her considerable collection of books, bringing them down from the taller shelves where she could no longer reach without assistance.

Eventually it was time for lunch – soup and bread – and all of them gathered again around the table. Adrian was completely devoid of warmth after spending so long outside. His hair was frozen at the tips and the melt water dripped down his chest as he came into the heat of the house. He actually felt condensation forming on his skin from the contrast in temperature. He wiped it from his face, soaking up the droplets with a towel.

"Are you sweating?" Trevor asked him in disbelief when he saw that Adrian's shirt was clinging to his skin with moisture. It beaded on his arms.

"Of course not," Adrian huffed, mildly offended at the suggestion that he'd break a sweat from manual labour. "It's only the difference in temperature and some melting snow," he explained when the hunter was unwilling to drop the matter.

"He's just jealous that you are stronger than he is," Sypha told him with an affectionate smile, planting a kiss on his mouth. When they broke apart she touched her lips with her fingers. "Oh, you are cold."

Trevor crossed his muscular arms and glared, although it lacked any real malevolence. "I am not jealous!"

Adrian and Sypha both laughed.

The rest of the afternoon passed in much the same manner, and by the time evening was drawing in and the daylight waned, there was a thick layer of snow blanketing everything. Hana asked Adrian if he would bring her meat, and he nodded.

"Yes, if there are still any animals alive in the surrounding area, I will bring you what I can." he assured, donning his coat. He glanced at Trevor and Sypha. He didn't like the idea of leaving them behind, but he knew they would be alright. He knew Sypha was itching to get back into the Book, and she had informed Trevor that he would be looking as well, though he had made it more than clear what he thought of that.

"I'd be better off hunting with Alucard. I am literally a hunter," he reasoned, one hand extended towards where the dhampir was lacing his boots in the entrance. "He shouldn't go out there alone. What if he can't get back inside?"

"I have this," Adrian countered, gesturing to the plain stone that hung around his neck – the same one Hana had given him the day before. "I will be fine. I'm more than capable of handling myself," he made a point of adjusting his sword belt, his fingers brushing the hilt of his weapon lightly.

Trevor quieted, but he seemed to accept that, because it was true. Alone, Adrian would not be a target for night creatures, and there was quite literally nothing in the forest that could hold a candle to him in a fight.

He relished the chance to have some quiet and some solitude anyhow, and he hoped that his companions could understand that. Of course he wanted to be with them, but he needed time alone as well, especially in light of so many revelations and anxieties. He also suspected that Hana wanted to speak with Sypha and Trevor when he was not present, and he didn't mind giving her the opportunity to do so. Her dark eyes had been trained on him much of the afternoon, although she'd been quiet at lunch, and had mostly avoided him outside of setting him to various tasks.

"I'll be back soon. You needn't wait for me for your supper, I will manage," he said, earning a snort from Trevor. Sypha swatted the back of his head. He glared at her, rubbing his head as if she'd properly struck him.

Sypha drew close to him and put her arms around his waist, leaning up on her toes so she could kiss his cheek. Adrian looked from Trevor to Hana, then back to the copper-haired girl against his chest. "You won't let them fight?" he asked her.

"Like I could stop them," she answered him dryly. "I won't let it come to blows," she promised, although she didn't sound terribly enthused.

Adrian grinned and kissed her, then he disappeared from the entrance in a flash of red.

~o~O~o~

Adrian chose to hunt as a wolf. His paws were well-suited to the deepening snow as he streaked over it, a flash of white in the blackness of the forest. It had become a very dark night. The moon was blocked out by the clouds, and it continued to snow, leaving the world blissfully barren and silent. The only sounds were his own panting breaths and the whistling of wind as he sped along at preternatural speed.

He had exited the protected perimeter of Hana's land – promptly marking a nearby tree to ensure he could find the invisible entrance once he returned – then he was off, flying through the trees, putting distance between himself and the area he was already familiar with. He was curious about what the path towards the castle looked like, and decided to make this trip serve as a scouting mission as well as a search for game.

He could smell night creatures all over the forest, although he purposely avoided any altercations with them. There was not much left alive in their wake, and the silence of the entire area was unnatural, especially with the added effect of the snow.

Adrian found himself running further and further away, and soon the small foothills gave way to the base of the mountains, and he was breaking through the thicker trees, traversing large areas of featureless open land before he came to the next cover. He made note of areas they could rest or take cover, and plotted a course towards the castle. He couldn't seem to help going to it. He was not drawn by any supernatural means – it was his heart which had taken him across many miles and inevitably closer to his home. He could not resist looking, even if it was from a distance.

The white wolf broke through a copse of spindly pines and came to a steep drop. He stood at its edge and looked out over the rocky landscape. This area was already buried in snow, and he knew it was going to be very difficult for humans to manage the terrain. He may actually have to carry them in some areas once the horses could no longer progress.

Unless…

Unless he went on by himself.

The thought hovered stubbornly in his mind, refusing to be dismissed. He could leave them behind right now and go ahead alone. The castle was right in front of him.

He stared at the cold countenance of the spires, almost delicate in the way they stretched upwards and thinned to nothing. He could just make out the shapes of windows in the towers, and thought of how wonderful the winter landscape would look from the other side of the glass. It was oddly darker than he was used to; normally there was a soft glow of firelight or blue electric light from within, but now the whole thing looked like a monolithic mass of shadow and blackness.

His home.

He whined, sitting in the snow, which was slowly building up on his fur now that he had stopped running.

His chest ached. His soul ached.

What was he supposed to do? What could he do? He felt stuck, as though he couldn't go forward or back, and no matter what decision he made it would be wrong.

Everything that had happened in the last year and a half seemed preposterous. What his father had done – was still doing – was insane. Sometimes he wondered if this was all one long and terrible nightmare, and that he'd wake up at any moment to find his mother alive, his father in possession of his faculties, and that Trevor and Sypha were little more than concoctions of his overactive imagination.

That was not the case. He really was here, sitting at the frozen edge of the world looking at his home, so close, but completely out of his reach, and forever changed. His mother was dead. His father was murderous with rage, and Adrian had to find a way to defeat him and contain a power that was beyond his understanding, or the future would hold nothing but misery.

With the castle looming massive and beautiful before him, Adrian felt so tiny and insignificant that it made him want to weep.

Instead, he tipped his head back and howled, the long, sad voice of the wolf saying the things he couldn't form into words. He howled his sorrow. He howled until his voice was hoarse, and the reverberations bounced off of the mountains around him and surrounded him in his own eerie song, echoing even after he fell silent and simply sat, cold and motionless, his tears freezing along his muzzle.

He could go on alone. It would keep Trevor and Sypha safe. For for a little while, at least. He knew he couldn't defeat his father by himself, but maybe he could speak to him, try once more to reason with him now that time had passed. It had been a year and a half since they'd battled. Maybe he would be more receptive now. Maybe he would see reason, or agree to relent his attack on the humans.

In any other situation, Adrian would seek his father's advice. He felt like he needed it now more than ever, but he couldn't have it, since his father was the enemy. His home was his enemy too.

He was torn between continuing his fight and simply giving in, surrendering and running home with his tail between his legs and his head low. His father probably wouldn't kill him. He could just… stop fighting, and simply hide somewhere, lose himself in the twisting halls and ignore what was going on in the world outside.

But Adrian wasn't a coward, and he wasn't going to turn his back on those who needed his help. He had too much to fight for.

He wouldn't give up.

He looked once more at the still black silhouette, then turned and deliberately ran back the way he'd come, the white of his fur disappearing into the falling snow.

~o~O~o~

It was late in the night when Adrian finally returned, dragging with him two large bucks. Their bulk was awkward and difficult to manage, and he had used his teleportation to transport them most of the way back, discovering in the process that he could, in fact, do so without causing them harm or burning them. Next, he would try it with something alive, and if he was successful, then he might attempt it with a human. He entered the barrier, noting that the snow had finally let up in the last hour, and the clouds were beginning to break up, allowing a faint hint of moonlight through.

As he drew into view of the house, he saw the faint glow of the hearth through the front window. The fire had burned down some time ago. Adrian took the animals to the game shed and began the tedious work of cleaning and processing, which had to be done before the meat froze entirely.

By the time he was finished he needed to wash, then he went into the house to warm up, even though he could hear Trevor and Sypha's slow, unconscious breaths coming from the barn. They would not appreciate his icy presence in their bed anyhow, and it was better that he try to warm himself first. He silently crept onto the porch, wincing when one board groaned under his weight despite his caution. It wouldn't be right to wake Hana, so he dissolved to mist, seeping beneath the crack at the bottom of the door rather than opening it.

He reformed in the center of the main room, facing the fire.

"That's a handy trick," observed a scratchy voice from behind him. Adrian started and whirled around, nearly leaping out of his skin at being taken unawares. He had thought her asleep, but she was not, and he hadn't been paying close attention. He recovered quickly, trying not to let on that she'd surprised him.

"Uh- shouldn't you be sleeping?" he said stupidly, taking in her loose hair and the thick wool robe she had wrapped around her body. She was sitting in the overstuffed armchair, her slippered feet propped on the matching ottoman, a mostly empty ale cup beside her.

"Should I?" she said, smiling and showing her stained teeth. "It's hard to sleep with a vampire traipsing around my yard and sneaking into my home unannounced."

"Dhampir," he corrected, standing awkwardly in middle of the room.

"Whatever. Sit down, you're too tall. My neck is stiff."

Adrian obediently sat, taking up residence in the rocking chair opposite where Hana was seated. Her small black eyes followed him. Her hair was so long, it draped around her shoulders and pooled in her lap, the bits of silver catching the light of the embers that remained in the fireplace. The chair was warm, and it felt nice against Adrian's frozen skin, which would slowly soak up the heat. He played absently with the arm, picking at a stray thread that had come unraveled. He didn't know what to say.

As he watched from the corner of his eye, Hana tipped up her cup and finished her ale, her wrinkled throat bobbing as she swallowed. She set the empty cup to the side and folded her hands in her lap.

"Will I have enough meat to make it through the next few months?" she asked him pointedly.

"I hope so," he answered, not sure how much she would actually need. "I could try for more tomorrow," he offered, and she shook her head.

"That won't be necessary, Alucard. I appreciate you doing that for me. I know that I have been demanding. I'd like to survive the winter, you see. There will not be anyone else along for some time. It will be awhile before the village can be restored."

He thought about that, his fingers curling against the lumpy orange upholstery of the rocker. The colour clashed with his skin.

"But it will be? Restored? The village, I mean," he said glancing at her.

She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the edges. "That depends on you, and on your two companions."

He looked away, staring into the hearth, a line forming between his drawn brows. "I wanted to run away," he admitted to her, not sure why he said it. He would never tell Trevor and Sypha about what he'd been thinking earlier, but now the words came, unbidden. "I went to it tonight. To the castle. Not all the way. But into the mountains so I could see it better. I… almost didn't come back."

Hana was still, simply listening to him. She didn't fidget, and she didn't urge him to continue, or speak immediately after he finished. His words hung in the air, and he felt ashamed at them.

"Not- not really. But I thought about it. What might happen if I went home. If I gave up. Seeing it there in front of me… so close I could almost smell it," Adrian felt tears pricking his eyes and he blinked them closed, working to stop them before they could flow down his cheeks. "I wanted all of this to be over. I just want to go home," he said in a barely audible voice, not even certain Hana could hear him.

"But you did come back," she responded sharply, the words devoid of softness.

He didn't say anything, and neither did she. The embers burned lower, painting the room in a strange mixture of dim orange and shadow.

"You will have to kill him," Hana volunteered after a long silence, and Adrian grit his teeth at hearing it spoken aloud, even though he'd said it many times himself.

"I know," he whispered as the tears finally spilled over his cheeks. "I know," he repeated, his voice thick.

"I try not to draw too many conclusions from the things I see, but that detail is clear," she elaborated, watching him as he swallowed carefully in effort to keep himself from crying anymore. Her fingers clutched the dark stone she wore around her neck, her gnarled thumb stroking the smooth surface. He breathed deeply, trying to compose himself. He knew she was affected by his mood.

"Don't despair, Alucard. It doesn't do any good."

He wiped at his tears, sniffling. "Everyone is depending on me. I cannot fail, but he's stronger than I am. And the castle…" his shoulders shook as he held in the sobs that threatened to break free. He hadn't let it get to him before now. He'd managed to hold his personal feelings of self-doubt back, but tonight they were bigger than he was, and it was all he could do to keep himself together. Something about Hana made him want to confess his deepest fears, and admit that he didn't know if he could take on the task before him. He couldn't say these things to Trevor and Sypha, but he could tell this almost total stranger his deepest fear – that he would fail.

She gave him time to gather himself, sitting quietly and watching him fall apart and then slowly pull himself back together. He dried his eyes and sighed wearily, eventually looking at her again. "I'm sorry."

She was unruffled. "Why?"

"For losing my composure. It was inappropriate."

Hana snorted unattractively. "Oh I don't care about that. You're so serious about everything. You should be thankful you don't age, or you'd look forty instead of twenty by now. Do you feel better?"

He nodded, schooling his expression to something neutral.

She smirked. "Good."

They sat together, Adrian thoroughly wrapped up in his own thoughts, and Hana paying him little mind. Finally, she spoke.

"Your friends were quite productive, tonight."

He looked up. "They were?"

She gave a slight nod. "They were. Did you know that Belmont can read that entire book, even the languages he is unfamiliar with? It knows his blood. He was able to see pages that the Speaker could not."

Adrian's eyes widened. "Really?"

Hana grinned, showing the holes in her smile where she was missing a couple of teeth. She laughed, the sound dry and raspy. "Yes. Sypha was furious."

Adrian found himself smiling back at her. "That's sounds about right."

He rose and grabbed a pair of logs, arranging them in the hearth. He went back to his chair, curling his arms around his knees and resting his chin on them. His hair streamed around his shoulders.

Hana turned to look at him. "The solution is not as complicated as you believe it to be, child. Your father has already done most of the work, but it is still a heavy burden that you must bear, and it will not be easy. You will need them both – The Speaker, and the Belmont. They will be your deliverance."

Adrian frowned at the way she was speaking, twisting the words and making them seem cryptic. "What does that mean? That I have a heavy burden? What do you know?"

Hana closed her eyes, taking a breath and exhaling slowly, rubbing her misshapen knuckles as though they pained her.

"I'm weary, Alucard. Bring me another ale if you are going to keep me up talking at all hours of the night."

Adrian huffed at her nonchalance, rising and snatching her cup with more force than was necessary. He went into her kitchen and refilled it, suddenly understanding why Trevor found this tiny little woman to be so infuriating. He forced his composure before he returned to her, setting the cup beside her and re-taking his seat, not missing the amused tilt of her lips.

The logs he'd put in the hearth caught, and the room lit up with the new flames that curled and leapt around them. He narrowed his eyes at the sudden brightness, averting his gaze. He instead studied the shadows cast along the ceiling by the various bundled herbs hung from the rafters, listening to the sounds from the hearth.

"You aren't going to tell me anymore, are you." he said after the silence continued for several minutes.

"I'm not withholding information, if that is what you are implying," Hana answered him. "I don't see any point reiterating what you already know."

"What did Trevor and Sypha find?" he tried instead.

"Why don't you ask them?"

Adrian ground his teeth together. Hana glanced at him with a surreptitious smile behind the rim of her cup.

"What do you want from us, Hana?"

"Ideally? For you to take care of the offensive dark spot that is looming on the horizon. It's spoiling my view."

He stared at her. He'd had enough of her particular brand of 'advice' for one evening, and decided he'd warmed up sufficiently that Trevor and Sypha would let him get under the covers with them. He rose, making for the door.

"Alucard," Hana called, just as his fingers touched the latch.

He stilled, bowing his head to gather himself before he turned and went back into the main room.

"Yes?" he asked, showing his fangs.

She took a drink from her ale cup, ignoring him. When she was finished she looked at him, her black eyes seeming to swallow up the light from the fire. "If you manage not to fuck this up, you could all be very happy," she said flippantly, before taking another drink from her cup.

He stared at her for a long moment, wondering it all of this was a joke to her. Maybe she was drunk.

She didn't say anything else, and he didn't wait around for more vague and condescending advice. He left the house, closing the door behind him and retreating to the reassuring company of Trevor and Sypha.

~o~O~o~

Adrian had been welcomed into the warm nest of blankets in the straw, and he had gratefully taken his place beside his lovers, nuzzling into Sypha and pulling blankets over himself. They'd roused enough to ask him if things had gone alright, and at his affirmation both of them and quickly fallen back to sleep, leaving him to lay awake beside them for the remainder of the night.

He watched a lone barn owl hop from one perch to another, and once it swooped down to snatch up a rodent from somewhere below them, but aside from that, nothing stirred, and Adrian was alone with his thoughts.

It was already late when he'd gone to rest, and in only a couple of hours he saw light bleeding through the cracks between the boards, and he rose, recognizing the futility of remaining as he was any longer.

"Where're you goin'?" Trevor asked him when he extricated himself from his place beneath the covers.

"I can't sleep," he admitted in a whisper, hoping not to wake Sypha, who was curled up with her knees bent.

Trevor yawned, and he thought he was going to go roll back over, but he sat up, raking his hand through his hair. "Gimme a sec," he said, already sounding more awake.

He got up and grabbed a few things from his belongings, equipping himself with his weapons and boots. He turned on his heel as he was about to go down the ladder and went back to Sypha, pulling the blankets more tightly around her and kissing her tenderly on the forehead. He passed his hand fondly over the swell of her hip, then left her, and descended.

Outside, it was still quiet, and it was shaping up to be a very dull day. The sky was a pale grey. It wasn't snowing, but it seemed like it might before long.

Trevor slipped his arm around Adrian and kissed him as their boots sank several inches into the snow. Adrian intended to make for the house, but the other man guided him in a different direction, leading him to an open area behind the barn.

Trevor released his hold on Adrian's waist and turned to face him. "Wanna fight?"

Adrian had left his sword in the barn, but he reached for it now, calling it to him. It flew to his hand with a satisfying smack of the cold metal against his glove, and immediately Trevor was sinking to a defensive posture, his leather whip flying around him, the muscles in his arms and chest bunching and flexing as he wielded it.

"Best of three?" Adrian asked, disappearing in a flash of red before Trevor could land a blow.

"Depends how many times you want your ass handed to you," Trevor countered, sidestepping Adrian's sword as it flew towards him and striking back with an attack of his own.

"You're a glutton for punishment, Belmont," Adrian retorted, enjoying the banter, and the way Trevor flushed as his blood got pumping harder.

They danced around one another in the snow, keeping the back and forth going for awhile, until Trevor was panting with exertion and Adrian's hair was tangled from whirling around at speed. He flashed Trevor his teeth and went in for a killing blow with his sword, seeing that his opponent was tiring. Trevor evaded – barely – and when Adrian turned to meet him again he was caught in the face with a fistful of snow.

Trevor scooped up another one, throwing his whip to the side and forming the snow into a ball before he hurled it. Adrian let it strike his chest and he raised a brow. "You intend to defeat me with snow?" he asked, incredulous. Trevor lobbed another one at him and he ducked.

"You're damn right!"

"I think that head injury is still affecting your critical thinking," he said, but sheathed his weapon, gathering some snow and returning fire. His snowball broke apart before it landed its target and Adrian balked, giving Trevor an opening to pin him on the side of the head.

"Is that the best you've got?" the hunter taunted, making another ball and forming it carefully, biding his time. He dodged Adrian's next assault and waited until he bent to gather up more snow before closing in and launching it at his face. Adrian caught it out of the air and sent it hurling back at Trevor. Hard. It took him in the gut and he was knocked backwards, the air forced from his lungs.

Sputtering on his back and attempting to catch his breath, Trevor wheezed. "That was dirty," he complained, rolling sideways before Adrian could get him again. He made it back to his feet and tackled Adrian in the middle, sweeping his legs out from under him, sending both of them rolling to the ground. He stuffed a fistful of snow down the front of Adrian's shirt and in turn the dhampir mashed a handful of it into Trevor's face.

They laughed and sat up, and Adrian took pity on Trevor and gave him a chance to catch his breath while he tried to fish snow out of his shirt before it melted.

Without warning, both of them were suddenly struck in the back of their heads with snowballs. They turned, and Adrian was hit in the face with another one. When he cleared his eyes he saw Sypha leaning against the back of the barn, tossing a snowball in her hand.

"I can't believe you tried to leave me out," she said, and there was as dangerous look in her eyes.

Trevor glanced at Adrian. "She is not going to play fair," he said under his breath, and before Adrian could answer both of them were pelted with a volley of snowballs, Sypha's magic flashing as she conjured them faster and faster.

They teamed up and began to fire them back, Adrian snatching them from the air and returning them to Sypha, and Trevor ducking out of the way and making new ones to launch at her. She defended herself with ice shields and dropped them in time to return fire.

The three chased each other around the clearing for another twenty minutes, and before long Trevor and Adrian were well and truly beat, sopping wet, their hair caked with snow, and Adrian held up his hands in surrender. Sypha pinned him with another snowball before she laughed and relented, offering him her hand. He accepted it and she hauled him up. She hadn't been hit once.

Adrian was a little flabbergasted that he'd been beaten. He was not used to losing, and he couldn't resist stuffing a handful of snow down the back of her robe before she could twist away.

"You cheater!" she accused, squirming and trying to shake it free before it melted.

"Oh I think you deserved that," Trevor drawled, giving Adrian thumbs up as he dug around in the snow for his whip.

Adrian found himself smiling foolishly as he picked snow from his person and they crossed the lawn towards the house. "I've never done that before," he said partly to himself and partly to them, and his companions looked at him incredulously.

"Really?" Sypha asked. "You never had a snowball fight?"

He shook his head. "I have not," he admitted, opening the door so Sypha and Trevor could enter before him.

"First time for everything," Trevor said, slapping him on the back as he passed into the house.

He couldn't wipe the silly grin from his face as he followed them in.

~o~O~o~

Hana had come up with a new and even more punishing list of chores she wanted completed by the time they finished their breakfast of porridge with dried currants and pumpkin seeds. It was obvious to all of them that she was reaching by this point, and a few hours in Trevor's patience ran out. He dropped the box of old silver he'd been asked to polish and crossed his arms.

"Lady, this is bullshit. We have more important things to do than hang around here and organize your crap."

Hana shifted in her seat in front of the fire, uncrossing her legs and re-crossing them in the other direction. "Do you now?" she said, looking at her short nails, which were stained from the beets she had been peeling earlier in the day.

"Yeah, we do," Trevor answered.

Hana raised a brow, looking at the trio, all of whom were clearly sharing Trevor's sentiments. Sypha seemed like she was about to speak but she closed her mouth.

"Then why don't you go do it?" Hana said, black eyes glittering. "I'm certainly not going to stop you. The sooner you finally take care of that awful castle, the sooner everyone's lives will return to normal. I really don't know what you're waiting for."

The three of them looked at one another, and Sypha frowned. "But we don't have a plan," she pointed out.

Hana barked a sharp laugh at that. "And you think I'm going to provide you with one? Not likely. But if you don't have anything to do I could use a bit of help with my laundry, and Alucard, I'd like you to bring me some rabbit, just in case I can't make it through on what you were able to hunt yesterday. And Trevor, that silver isn't going to polish itself-

"We get it!" Trevor interrupted, kicking the box and tipping it on the floor. "We'll leave tomorrow morning at first light."

Sypha put a hand on his arm. "Trevor, we should decide that together. We still have to figure out the spell you uncovered yesterday, it's unfamiliar to me."

Trevor turned to her. "Sypha, we can work on that on the way there. You can see how far away the damned thing is, it's going to take us awhile to get to it, especially with the snow, and the mountains, and the fucking night creatures. We'll have to leave the wagon. It's going to be rough."

Adrian had been thinking about that too, and he touched Trevor's shoulder, turning his back to Hana, who was watching them discuss matters with a self-satisfied expression on her face. "Perhaps we should talk privately," he suggested, looking between them.

"There's really no need," Hana cut in. "I don't care what your plans are. But there are a few things I might be able to offer you before you go."

"And you're just getting around to telling us now?" Trevor asked, his voice hiding none of his exasperation.

Hana shrugged her small shoulders. "If I'd told you before then I would still have a hole in my barn roof, and nothing to eat."

Adrian thought it best to guide the conversation back to the relevant matters, and keep Trevor from becoming anymore agitated than he already was. The hunter bristled, but allowed himself to be guided to the table and into a chair, muttering under his breath about 'conniving old hags' as he went. Hana joined them, moving stiffly when she rose, and bringing salt and some herbs and stones with her from the kitchen. She selected a book from one of the overstuffed shelves and laid it on the table as well.

"I don't have anymore predictions for you, but I can teach you some useful spells to protect yourselves on your way to the castle," Hana said as she thumbed deliberately through the book, which was a nondescript volume maybe an inch thick, written in a sepia toned ink that had faded to nearly nothing in some places.

Sypha leaned in, her fingers twitching with an obvious desire to snatch the book into her hands. "Protective magic?" she asked, touching the different stones Hana had selected as though she was assessing them for magical energy. Adrian watched carefully, his interest piqued. He wondered if he would be able to perform any of this magic – it was obvious that Hana's aptitudes were opposite to his own.

"Yes, that is my strength," Hana answered, stroking her amulet absently.

"I know some wards, but I'm better at offensive, elemental stuff," Sypha volunteered, producing a small ball of flame between her hands and playing with it, expanding and shrinking it before she let it wink out with not so much as a puff of smoke. Next, she made an intricate spire of ice. It was narrow and delicate, twisted in a design that reminded Adrian of fine metalwork. It hovered between her hands until she dismissed it in a simple motion, turning it to snow that fell to the table and melted. "I'm getting better with wind as well," she said, summoning a small whirlwind between her hands, holding it for a few moments before it disappeared.

Trevor rocked on the back of his chair, evidently not very taken with the subject matter. He fidgeted and the chair creaked, groaning beneath his mass.

Hana turned to Adrian. "You tested my barrier when you first arrived, and it held. If Sypha is able to create one like it, you can test that one as well."

"Certainly," he said, contemplating the book spread on the table.

"Then we will begin," Hana said brusquely, before she took one the of the stones she'd brought. "Protective magic generally uses either a barrier or perimeter, or an object of focus, such as a talisman, in order to hold a spell…"

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Sypha practicing magic she'd never tried before, and Adrian using his own to test it. She wasn't accustomed to struggling with spells, but the protective magic did not come easily to her, and more than once Adrian broke through her barriers with marked ease, disintegrating them with blasts of his own magic, and once, he teleported through and appeared beside her. She'd been absolutely certain of the efficacy of the spell that time, and was completely caught by surprise when he materialized in a column of fire and triumphantly touched down a few feet away. She wilted, stomping her foot in exasperation.

"I'm awful at these. I think it's hopeless," she sighed, clearing the magic away and preparing to try again. She was weary, and Adrian put an arm around her.

"What about taking a break for awhile?" he suggested.

She shoved him off of her. "No! I can do this!" she insisted, her blue eyes flashing with weary determination.

"Syph," Trevor said, coming to stand at her other side and trying again to put an arm around her. "You can't be good at everything. It takes practice. You think I picked up a whip and immediately knew what to do with it? Of course not. That's how I got this," he said, gesturing to the scar over his left brow and cheek.

Adrian blinked in surprise. He'd always wondered about the mark, but had assumed it was from a fight. "You did it to yourself?"

Trevor nodded. He pulled his leather whip from his belt. It was consecrated, but Adrian was not affected by the spell the way he would be by something like the Morning Star. Trevor handed it to him. "Try it. It's harder than it looks. But go stand away from anything and anyone."

Sypha was effectively distracted from her frustration by the sight of Adrian holding the whip in his hand, staring at it with poorly concealed offense, like it was a dead snake he'd accidentally happened upon. He held the handle and the length of braided leather uncoiled and fell limply to the ground. He could feel the consecration spell protesting his hold, but it was only slight, especially through his glove.

Trevor had a strange expression on his face, and Adrian wondered what he was thinking about. "Move it around a little, get a feel for the weight of it. Try snapping it," he instructed.

Adrian followed the direction, attempting to get the whole length to obey him and strike at the ground several feet away. "You usually use both hands," he pointed out, glancing sort of helplessly at the hunter when the whip tangled with itself in midair and hit nothing. He started to coil it up in his opposite hand the way he'd seen Trevor do, then attempted again. The length of whip flew better this time, but the end still didn't hit with any force.

"Trevor you always make it look so easy," Sypha said to him, but Adrian heard, and redoubled his efforts.

He rose into the air to make it easier to wield the long whip, swishing it in continuous arcs until he felt like he had some momentum going through the whole thing. He then moved to attack a random point ahead of him. His hair was flying in his face and the whip did not move how he'd expected. It tangled in the long edge of his coat.

Adrian curled his lip, coiling the whip up and handing it back to Trevor. "I will admit, that is not as easy as it looks," he said, already deciding that he would learn to use the weapon properly at a later juncture, if only to keep from being shown up by the hunter.

Trevor grinned. "Nope. I started with a shorter one, but I was a kid. A short kid with no patience and no idea what I was doing. All my brothers were older than me, and I was determined to figure it out so I could start learning to hunt monsters too. And I almost put my eye out."

"Aw, Trev, you were the youngest?" Sypha said, picking up on the rare detail about his family – something he nearly never mentioned.

Trevor shrugged stiffly, as if only just realizing what he'd said. "Oh. Uh, yeah. Anyway, Syph, I was just trying to get you to see that not everything is going to come easily the first time. I'm a Belmont, I'm supposed to be great with weapons, and now I am, but the first time with a new weapon is always a learning experience. I doubt I could pick up Adrian's super long sword very easily, and I can use almost any kind of sword. So don't freak out that you aren't getting this magic right away."

"It's a shame you don't apply this point of view to other aspects of life, Belmont," Adrian teased, poking Trevor in the ribs. "You almost sound like you know what you're talking about."

Trevor punched him in the arm. Adrian showed his teeth.

Sypha glanced between them with a hint of a smile. "Idiots."

Adrian drew the sword, directing it to exit the sheath and hover before him. He wrapped his hand around the grip and pointed the blade to the ground, gesturing towards Sypha with the pommel end. "Do you want to try?" he asked her. The sword was so long it came nearly to her chest. She raised a brow at him.

"I don't know how to use blades. I am not sure I could even lift it."

"It's way too long for her," Trevor added, as though that were obvious. "It's even too long for me," he admitted. "The only reason you can fight with that thing is because you can fly, and use magic."

Adrian shook his head. "I wasn't allowed to do either of those things when I learned with this blade. Father insisted I master the traditional methods first. He is very mistrustful of magical weapons."

"It's still not very practical," Trevor said. "If you want her to learn to fight with a blade, a dagger would be more appropriate. Lighter, too."

Sypha gingerly put her small hand around the grip, and Adrian relinquished control of the weapon to her, watching her arm tremble to support the weight. "It's really heavy," she said, glancing at him, the tip swaying as she tried to hold it up.

Adrian moved to stand behind her and folded his body against hers, closing his hand over hers as he adjusted her grip. "I know it's too heavy for you, but I was curious about whether you can hear it?" he asked, referring to the weapon's magical resonance, which he was so accustomed to now that he hardly noticed it unless he thought about it.

"Oh," Sypha said as understanding finally dawned on her. "Yes, of course I can hear it. It has a lovely voice, actually," she said, closing her eyes like she was listening. "Sort of a humming sound."

"It might listen to you," Adrian said, speaking close to Sypha's ear. "This weapon was a gift from my mother, and it had been in her family for many generations. I'm not the only one who has been able to wield it as I do. It's possible that both of you could speak to it. It's a human weapon, not a vampire one. I don't expect you to fight anything with this Sypha, I was only curious about whether or not it would respond to you."

Sypha's hand tightened on the grip, the muscles in her arm flexing as she tried to support the weight. Adrian helped her, taking the brunt of it himself. "What am I suppose to say to it?" she asked.

"For now, see if you can lift it." he suggested, slowly releasing his hold on the sword and letting Sypha take full control of it.

It almost immediately dropped, the tip digging into the snow. Sypha's brows lowered and drew together as she focused. Nothing happened.

"Try closing your eyes," Adrian suggested, once more speaking close to her ear.

She obeyed, letting her eyes fall shut. Adrian and Trevor watched her expression relax, her lips moving slightly as if she were whispering. The sword slowly lifted into the air, her fingers still wrapped around the grip. "Oh!" Sypha exclaimed, and her eyes popped open in surprise. The blade was sticking straight out in front of her, held up by magic. When she opened her eyes it quickly fell back to the snow, her arm flexing under the weight. She grinned and adjusted her fingers, closing her eyes again and raising the sword carefully, slowly.

"Now let go," Adrian said.

She unwound her fingers, and the blade remained hovering in front of her in the air for several seconds. She opened her eyes, but was able to maintain her concentration long enough to hold it up for a bit longer before it wavered and clattered to the snow. Adrian caught it easily before it touched the ground.

"Excellent," he said to her. "I've always wondered about that."

Trevor squirmed, and Adrian knew he wanted to try as well. But the intention of the exercise had been to give Sypha a break, and restore her confidence, and he was hoping that she would now return to making protective barriers.

"Would you like to try, Trevor?" Adrian asked him, seeing the look on his face. They both knew it frustrated Trevor that he couldn't perform magic and they could, although he was usually fairly good about keeping it to himself.

"Nah, it's fine," he said, waving the idea away. "I'm more interested in seeing if Sypha can get a hang of that barrier spell. It would be nice to avoid the night creatures while we sleep."

Sypha nodded. "I can do it guys. Let me try again."

It took another two hours, but eventually, Sypha did learn to create a barrier that Adrian was unable to break or easily detect. By the time she'd finally perfected the spell and learned to make the 'key' that would permit Adrian to enter and exit the area of the spell's effect, it was already getting dark. Sypha was exhausted, but she had a smile on her face that would put the sun to same, and it was clear that she was proud of herself.

Trevor pulled her against his body and told her she'd done a great job, then he hoisted her into his arms and carried her towards the bathing tub to clean up. They all took their turn washing in the tiny tub, then went inside the house for dinner, which Hana had been working on for most of the afternoon, much to their delight.

It was a venison roast with root vegetables, seasoned with flavourful herbs and served with copious quantities of Hana's ale. The small witch seemed in good spirits, and Adrian suspected that she was already a little drunk when they came in, as he could smell the ale on her breath and see the flush on her chest and face. It served to smooth out her rough edges, and she was almost nice, which was proof to him that her blunt manner was very much a defense mechanism.

They all sat at the table with cups of ale and tucked in to the generous meal.

"Thank you very much for this," Adrian said politely, as he took the liberty of carving the roast and serving everyone, beginning with their hostess. It looked delicious – every bit as good as the meals he had enjoyed most of his life – and he was eager to partake. "It smells wonderful," he added, and Hana raised her glass.

"I'll drink to that," she said, and each of them mirrored her, and they all drank deeply. Adrian swallowed a few mouthfuls from his cup, cringing a little helplessly at the taste of the alcohol on his palette.

Trevor eyed him, setting his empty cup on the table. "Oh come on, this is some of the best ale around, don't make that face," he said, burping under his breath.

Sypha shoveled a large bite of venison into her mouth and chewed. She'd worked up quite an appetite in the afternoon, and she was the first to finish her plate. She patted her stomach appreciatively. "You're a great cook, Hana."

"I know I am," Hana agreed, popping a forkful of venison into her mouth.

When they had all eaten their fill, they sat around the table and drank and talked for awhile, and Adrian managed to get over the taste of the alcohol, eventually finding himself leaning heavily on the table, his hand loosely holding his cup. He listened to everyone telling stories, occasionally offering one of his own, although many of his tales served to bring up painful memories, and he did not want to spoil the mood. Sypha had plenty of stories about the Speakers and what life was like with them, and Hana told a few about her own life, although she kept them light. Trevor talked about different monster hunts and the many towns and villages he'd encountered in the last twelve years of living rough, admitting at times to sleeping in some fairly horrible places, and doing some desperate things to survive.

"Trevor, that isn't all that different from how you live now," Sypha pointed out, her cheeks a lovely shade of pink to match her lips, and her eyes a little watery.

Trevor laughed and got up to get himself another drink. Hana was falling asleep in her chair by this time, leaning her chin on one hand, and Trevor considerately brought her a glass of water when he returned. "Hey, I think it's bedtime for you," Trevor said to her, and she squinted, glaring at him through one eye.

"I'm perfectly capable of deciding when I'm done," she said, to him, but accepted the water and drank it down. "God, you Belmonts are all the same. Your mother was like that too – she could drink all night and still stand up straight. Oh, we had some good times," Hana said, smiling crookedly to herself.

Trevor sobered, and he sat back in his chair, the humour gone from his face. "You knew my mother?" he said to Hana. Adrian had thought he'd known, but he realized that the conversation between he and Hana had been in her kitchen, away from Trevor and Sypha's audience.

"Of course I did," Hana said, summoning lucidity. "She was a close friend of mine. I was crushed when I heard what the church had done to your family. They didn't deserve that. But she would never have wanted you to mourn for too long. Lucia was a strong woman, and she was never one to complain."

Adrian watched the way Trevor's jaw and neck worked, and the way his hands curled into fists. Not from anger, but from the strength it was taking to withhold his emotions. His heart beat quickly. Sypha noticed too, the silly expression on her face shifting. He seemed like he was about to rise again, but Hana's small, twisted hand moved to cover one of his big fists, and the tiny woman stopped him. He looked at her, his face drawn.

"Your mother would be incredibly proud of you, Trevor Belmont," she said seriously. "You are the most skilled warrior of your entire generation, and several before it."

"I'm just a lucky drunk," Trevor said quietly, looking down at the table.

"Maybe," Hana said to him, "But you are a Belmont. The last Belmont left. You are fearless and you are strong, and you are so much like both of your parents that having you here these past few days has warmed my old heart. It was like having a piece of Lucia here again. So don't insult me by brushing off my words. I'm not the sentimental sort, and I won't repeat them. You shouldn't mourn your family any longer, because they are alive in you, and you'd do well to remember it."

Trevor's eyes slowly rose to meet Hana's. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing, and Adrian was sure his own eyes were a little glassy, but it might have just been the ale, or the smoke from the candles around the house. Trevor stared at Hana, his large frame taut. After nearly a minute he nodded once. "Thank you," he said to her, and Adrian saw her squeeze his hand lightly with her small fingers.

"You're welcome. Now, help an old woman to bed, or I am going to end up with my face on this table. This has been a lovely evening. I'm grateful to have so much life in my home after all of the death and misery in recent months. Make as much noise as you like. Eat what you want. Drink all you please, and put some wood on the fire before you go to sleep. Goodnight."

Trevor rose and assisted Hana to her feet. She was unsteady, but she held his offered arm and made it to the couch under her own power. She directed Trevor to fluff her pillows and fetch her the chamber pot for later, and a glass of water, and then she made him remove the leather tie from her braid and unravel the long rope of plait, spreading her hair loosely around her.

He did everything she asked without complaint, and suddenly the animosity between them had shifted to something entirely different, and Adrian felt his heart melting at the sight of Trevor carefully and attentively fulfilling the simple requests. The man he knew to be rough and vulgar and harsh looked on Hana with soft, concerned blue eyes, and Adrian realized for the first time how badly Trevor had needed to hear her words, and how much pain he still carried for being the only one of his family to survive.

He felt a warm hand touch his own and he looked at Sypha. "You're such a softie," she said, and reached for his face. He realized he had tears on his cheeks and he quickly wiped them away before she could. He took another gulp of ale, hiding behind his cup.

"That was good for him," she said, watching Trevor as he finished with Hana. "He never talks about them. Everyone who knew them is dead. Maybe he can come back here in the future and reminisce with her about them."

Trevor returned to the table and sat down, taking a pull from his mug. He seemed… lighter. Like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He eyed Adrian, taking in his glassy eyes. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, arching a brow.

Adrian straightened. "I'm fine," he said automatically without really thinking about it. Then he considered his ale cup, and the loose feeling in his whole body. "Perhaps I am a little inebriated," he admitted, flushing. "This ale seems to have lost the unpleasant taste somewhere after the first cup."

Trevor gestured with his cup before taking a swallow. "Told you it was good."

"So. Our last night in the safety bubble. No monsters, and unlimited food and drink. Not half bad. I won't go as far as to pretend I'm an optimist, but it does kind of make what's coming easier to swallow."

Sypha gave a sharp laugh. "Ha! You won't be saying that tomorrow morning!"

He shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle. It's the two of you who will suffer."

Adrian shook his head. "I don't get hangovers," he said smugly.

Trevor made a face. "I don't get hangovers," he mocked in a surprisingly convincing version of Adrian's voice. The blonde stared at him, feigning insult, though he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips.

"Trev that was perfect," Sypha cackled, finishing her cup.

Trevor finished his own cup, tipping it back and drinking down the entire contents at once. Adrian watched his throat work, warming at the sight of his bite mark so blatantly revealed. He stared, then leaned closer and trailed a finger over the damaged flesh, a little thrill of excitement and desire rolling through him.

When Trevor was finished with his cup he touched the same spot, meeting Adrian's eyes. "You really like seeing it, eh?"

Adrian nodded, too drunk to deny it, not that he would have in present company.

Sypha rose and came to stand behind Trevor, brushing her fingers over the mark. "I can't believe I didn't get to be there for this," she pouted. "What else did I miss?" she asked, looking between them.

Trevor fixed Adrian with a licentious expression, which made the dhampir turn a remarkable shade of crimson.

Sypha glanced from one man to the other.

"Really? That too?"

She moved to Adrian, sliding herself easily into his lap, straddling him. His arms came automatically around her and she leaned up and kissed his scarlet cheek.

"Did you have fun?" she asked him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Was Trev gentle with you?"

Adrian was having some trouble thinking straight with all the ale he'd had and the sensation of her in his lap. He shifted himself against her body and nodded, unable to put what he was thinking into words. He had wanted it to be private at the time, but now part of him felt bad for doing it without Sypha present. It was a confusing mix and he did not fully know what to do with his own feelings. He glanced at her apologetically, though it was made less effective by the red tinging his eyes and the way he was growing hard against her.

Sypha gave him a positively carnivorous look, pressing herself against his body. "Adrian," she whispered to him, dipping and licking the bit of his chest exposed through his shirt. His breath staggered. She twisted and met Trevor's eyes, which were already trained on them with interest. "Trev?"

"Yeah Syph?"

"Let's go back to the barn."

Neither of the men argued.

~o~O~o~

A/N: Welp. I have officially reached the 300 000 word mark with this fic. Ho-LEE smokes! I certainly never thought I'd get this far with it! I am deeply grateful to all those who have followed this story, left me comments, kudos, and subscribed. I am truly touched by the support.

A little angst and a little fluff in this chapter, as we draw closer to the major climactic action! I know I made Adrian kinda sad in some parts of this - I feel like every hero experiences self-doubt and fear sometimes, and for Adrian, seeing the castle was a massive trigger for those feelings.

It would mean the world to me to hear what you think! Taking the time to leave me some feedback really makes it all worth it for me, so pretty please, COMMENT!