Chapter 35: Intrigue

The remaining vampire gentry rushed towards the stairwell. Each eager to rip the cleric apart. But all that stood in their way was a massive armored wall. The paladin's feet were firmly planted on the ground. Their shields clanked as the horde of undead charged at them.

Varris grit her teeth as the snarling undead scratched at her shield. "Hold the line! Hold! Hold! Now push!

All at once the wall threw their weight forward pushing the attacking vampires away. The Militia drew their swords and thrusted them into the stunned enemy. The warriors drew back their swords, locked their shields again, and repeated.

Hastur took a slight motion forward and winced when she saw the blackened statue of incinerated remains start to move. Crumbs of char sprinkled to the ground. Bones cracked. And the blackness of the form shifted to a red as muscle and flesh regrew. Before the vampire could have a chance to continue their fight, Hastur had to act. She dashed forward and swept her foot under the blackened form. Once on the ground, the mage slammed her foot down. Placing her boot on the vampire's neck. Pinning it under a light weight

Finally gaining the upper hand, Hastur went in for the kill. From her belt she poured the contents of a waterskin on to the pinned monster. Just like acid, the holy water burned the pale skinned creating patches of grey and rotting flesh.

Lylla wailed as she struggled to get free. This was inhuman. A normal paladin or priest would have just killed her in an instant. But not this. She looked up at the sadistic cleric above her. The healer's eyes were blank. Cold. Emotionless. Hate filled.

The vampire collapsed, overcome by the pain.

Hastur drew her trophy dagger from her belt and plunged the blade into the creature's chest. Her wrath boiled over to where she pulled the knife out only to thrust the blade back in. Again, and again, and again, and again. Relief and peace came over the mage. But only in tiny ounces. As if every strike with the blade made her feel better somehow. That beast she felt in her core seemed to be subsided with her act of vengeance.

The half elf collected herself. She wiped the blood from her trophy dagger onto the skewered corpse of the vampire before sheathing it. Wisps of white smoke enveloped the corpse.

A heavy gauntleted hand clapped the cleric on the shoulder. Out of fear she pirouetted around, drawing her dagger out of fear. The paladin raised his hands to show no threat.

"Easy there, Sister. The battle is over. Come. You should rest." he offered the little half elf a hand down the staircase. Hastur sheathed her blade

"I'm…so sorry. I dont know what took over me just then."

"Its fine, Sister. Happens to all the Cadets after their first battle. Rest now. I'll find a flask for you."

"T-thank you."

Once down she descended the grand staircase to join the paladins, she saw them inspect the fallen. Driving wooden stakes into the hearts of all the formal dressed corpses.

Varris pulled the disgusting bodies of the night dwellers off the body of their only fallen comrade. The Sergeant knelt down to closed the dead warrior's eyes. She placed a solemn hand on the fallen's chestplate.

"Dear Brother. You have fought well. May you rest well in the peace and serenity that you fought for." The sergeant lifted the paladin's body and removed the cuirass. She placed the tip of her falchion over the man's chest and plunged the longsword down.

Hastur's face was contorted with disgust. "W-why did you do that? Hes dead!"

Varris wiped the blood free and sheathed her falchion. She removed her helm and shook her elctric blue hair aside. "There's no telling if the infection in him. Better to be safe than have him turn and kill. Bring in the priest!"

From the doorway, the final combatant had joined the force. He looked more like a knight than a priest. He wore a chainmail hood with a blue mantle with a white emblem of a right gauntlet fist. The priest unfurled a censor in the shape of a mace head. Soft fragrant smoke wafted through the air as it swung the sacred smoke. The priest recited prayers of protection and fortune in an upcoming conflict. Hastur was filled with wonder when she noticed the smoke from the censor fork out into streams and began to lead towards a pair of double doors under the staircase.

"The rats are hiding!" yelled the sergeant to her force "Don't let one escape! Gregor! Stay with the Cadet. Lets hunt!"

"Ma'am!" saluted a short suit of armor that looked to belong to that of a halfling.

While the paladins marched off to slay anymore stragglers, Hastur looked around at the slain vampires. All of them were wearing finery that a noble would have worn. Fine velvet, wool, and silk clothing on every one of them. She wanted to look around.

Hastur took two steps towards the kicked in doorway before a solid hand pulled her back.

"Sister! You cant go that way. Stay here."

"I want to look around. There could be clues."

"We have orders, Sister. Wait here for the sergeant to give the all clear."

The half elf rolled her eyes at the stubborn loyalty of a Militiaman. She darted her eyes up at the top of the stairwell and remembered she didnt have her cloak on. Now that she thought about it, she felt almost naked and ashamed without it draped over her and covering her tapered ears.

"I'm going to go get my cloak."

"Sister..."

The cleric could tell the Halfling was giving her a stern look from under that little helmet

"Its just at the top of the staircase. I will be right back. I promise."

Without a response from the little suit of armor, the cleric departed back up the steps. A small grin found her when she noticed no sounds of heavy footsteps following her. The mage found her cloak right where she left it. Four long slaw slashes were carved through the yellow wool cloak.

With her cloak clasped back around her neck and her hood back atop her head, she looked back and saw she was still out of sight from her little bodyguard. The mage tiptoed away down a hallway desperate for any other clues she could find.

Below her she could hear the cries of battle. Swords clattering, vampires dying, and heavy feet pressing forward.

Hastur cautiously inched her way through the hall like a mouse. She prayed the floor wouldn't creak under her next step. Every door she passed, she gave the knob a slight turn to test if it was open. So far all were locked except for one. The mage gathered her last ounce of strength and steeled herself. The rapier gave a soft whisper as it was pulled from its scabbard.

"Please be empty, please be empty, please be…"

The little cleric entered the room shaking in terror. She looked everywhere. Every shadow, every spot an abomination might hide, but it really was truly empty. Hastur let out a great sigh of relief as she returned her blade.

She held out her hand and produced an orb of light with the last of her magic she could muster. It was a darkly decorated room. A fireplace was ice cold, and heavy drapes blocked out any possible chance of light. The walls were adorned with books and a massive wood desk sat in its center. The desk top was inlaid with beautifully carved birch wood in the shape of a flowering blossom.

Hastur approached the desk and began to investigate.

"Okay…what am I looking for here?"

She shuffled through loose papers trying to find anything of possible value. There was no telling what she would find. Feeling her power waning from exhaustion, Hastur lit a candle on the desk top to guide her search.

She shifted papers through scanning the pages. From what she found, it looked like common invoices. Brackets of incoming textiles from the east. Wine from the south. And pig iron from a forge in The Craggs. All looked to be normal. Till she found it. A letter. Written in a long script and about readied for a courier.

'Livestock has been obtained and will be sent to your destination in Eastmarch in approximately two tenday. Given that the weather has been fair this year, I dont suspect much of a delay. I don't trust the deliverers very well as they are notorious gluttons who think themselves wise that a lord wont notice skimming from the . See to it that all humans are accounted for and non have been fed upon. If one goes missing, or has so much as a scratch, have the deliverers flogged with silver.'

Hastur let out a sigh of relief. She found it. Evidence to an even bigger conspiracy. One involving the nobility of Hayak. This was huge. This needed to be dealt with. While she read the last part over again, she pursed her lips. There was no signature. Nothing. Whoever wrote this, had a level of authority. Someone who could command. A captain? Or a noble.

Her slender hands patted around the desk for something. Anything she could have missed. Her fingertips grazed the smooth portion of a dark wood handled object. Towards its base was a metal coin shaped portion with a carving of some unrecognizable shape.

"A seal?"

"Of course" she thought.

Rather than take the seal with her, she rushed around the drawers searching for a stick of sealing wax to stamp the letter.

The cleric pulled the candle close and held the small wax nub aloft, careful to keep the wax turning in her fingers and to not burn them.

Once the wax was shining and looked like it could drip apart any second, she smeared a glob onto the paper.

"Sister!" came a yell from the doorway.

The cleric jumped out of her skin and dropped the seal on the ground. She dove down to retrieve it.

"Sister Prynn! What are ya doing in here lass? Yelled the little suit of armor

Hastur snatched the seal and returned upright with a ditzy grin on her fac, trying not to look suspicious. She hid the seal in her palm and brought her clenched fist. Hastur brought the seal down onto the wax and tried to stand in the most awkward and uncomfortable stance, yet still trying to not gain any level of suspicion.

"Well...um...you see...I was um...I thought I saw a vampire come in here. Yeah.

The little suit of armor shifted before it answered. "And why didn't ya call for me?"

"Well...you were busy guarding the parlor. I...didn't want to disturb you in case a vampire tried to get past you. Turns out there's no vampire in here after all." She gave the little paladin a chuckle and a 'im totally not hiding anything smile'.

The armor shifted a second time. "Very well. Come along, Sister, before the sergeant finds out and will have my guts for garters."

The half elf breathed slowly. She prayed the dried wax from the seal and folded the letter and stuck it in her bodice. Come day light. She wouldn't rest. Not until she had more answers and that she knew Thaelin was recovering well.