10. Magnar

1000 YEARS AGO

By the time we made it to the foot of the mountain and retrieved our horses from the woodland where we’d left them, it was well past sunset.

The night was deathly cold and despite my thick furs, goosebumps lined my skin.

We quickly found our way back to the road and set the horses at a gallop, aiming for the last village we’d passed through.

The snow grew heavier as we travelled and began to stick to the frozen ground. Soon, the road and everything surrounding it was obscured in a blanket of white, and I had no doubt that anyone else would have lost their way.

By the time we spotted the lights of the tavern through the maelstrom, the snow had gathered into deep drifts and the horses had been reduced to an awkward trot.

Baltian whinnied his protest at every available moment, but there was little I could do to ease his discomfort until we made it to the shelter of the stables.

When we finally arrived, I dismounted and led him straight inside, holding the door for Julius to follow with his horse.

The stable boy hurried out of the last stall where a small fire had been lit to keep him warm. His eyes widened as they fell on us, and he hesitated short of trying to take the reins. Baltian snapped at him playfully, and the boy raised an eyebrow.

“Point me to a fresh stall out of the wind,” I said when he failed to offer any greeting.

“I’m sorry, sir, but with the storm, we’ve been overwhelmed with guests and there are no stalls left,” the boy squeaked.

He was skinny enough that I knew he didn’t get three square meals a day. That might have made him look younger than his years, but I put him at around twelve. He cowered like he expected me to strike him for his words.

“That’s not a problem,” I replied. “You can move some of the other horses to share a stall.”

“But sir, people have paid-”

I took a step closer to him and he shrank again as I towered over him. I resisted the urge to laugh at his terror and pulled a heavy coin from the pouch at my belt.

“Now we’ve paid more,” I said as I tossed it to him, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

The coin meant little to me; we had more money than we could count thanks to what we’d taken from the Sacred Followers. Apparently, Miles appreciated financial offerings alongside the blood of virgins, and I was always happy to relieve him of both.

I held up a second coin and the boy stared at it like he couldn’t believe his eyes. “One for you to keep yourself if you hurry. Your best stalls, finest grain, and extra straw for their bedding. I’ll stable him myself though, and I warn you not to approach him. Baltian will bite your fingers off without thinking anything of it.”

“I’m sure I’ll win him over, sir,” the boy replied dismissively as he eyed my warhorse. “Just tie them there and head into the tavern.”

“You’ll regret that,” Julius joked as he quickly tied his stallion’s reins to the hitching post. He pointed an accusatory finger at Baltian. “That horse is meaner than any man I’ve ever met.”

“I’m sure I’ve met worse,” the boy muttered as he turned away, clearly having no fear of animals despite his nervous disposition.

I considered insisting on helping him with Baltian, but he’d made his choice, and I was keen to get into the warmth of the tavern. No doubt he’d be coming in to find me the moment I started on my meal, but if he wanted to take his chances with my bad-tempered steed then that was up to him.

Julius headed straight for the tavern, and I followed him quickly, looking forward to shaking the cold from my bones.

Many heads turned our way as we entered the large bar area. The low doorway meant we had to stoop to enter, and with our heavy blades, towering height, and muscular builds, I knew we cast an intimidating shadow.

Ignoring the stares, we headed straight for the bar and elbowed a space into existence before it. No one dared to protest as they scrambled to get out of our way, and I eyed the other patrons while Julius ordered food and drinks for us.

“And two rooms,” I added, giving my attention back to the portly man behind the bar who looked likely to be the owner.

“I’m sorry sir, I’m afraid we don’t have-”

I waved off his objections and slammed four heavy coins onto the bar. “Find them. I don’t care who you have to toss out.”

The bartender licked his lips greedily as he eyed the coins. “I may be able to find one-”

“Two,” I replied firmly, fixing him in my gaze and making it clear that this wasn’t a negotiation.

He quailed under my stare and nodded as he slid the coins into his pocket. “Of course. My wife enjoys the odd night sleeping down here before the fire. I’ll have the maid make up our own room and I’m sure our daughter will be happy to give up her bed for your companion.”

I glanced along the bar at the red-headed beauty he indicated and noticed her attention lingering on us. Julius smiled at her wolfishly. I doubted she’d have to give up her bed; it looked like she’d be sharing it.

“Good. We’ll take a table in the back to enjoy our meal, and I have extra coin for information on a man we’re trying to find. He passed through here yesterday. He would have stood out as clearly as us but in very different ways. He has many names, but he is a demon with the face of an angel.” I watched the man’s reaction for any sign that he knew who I spoke of, but his expression remained blank. I guessed parasites didn’t need to stop for food.

“I’ll ask around and send anyone who saw anything your way,” he assured me.

“His passage might have been marked by a strange death or two. Has anyone died unexpectedly? Perhaps with signs of an animal attack, bite marks on their skin, a great deal of blood loss?” Julius asked.

The bartender’s gaze moved to a group of sombre-looking men in the far corner and nodded. “Old Mac was killed last night. There’s some disagreement over what did it. Some say a wolf, but then why would it leave the body behind? Wolves kill for food. Besides, we haven’t seen sign of wolves around here for years.”

I pushed an extra coin across the bar and exchanged a brief smile with Julius. “If anyone knows any more about it-”

“I’ll send them to you,” the bartender replied eagerly, weighing the coin in his palm.

He pointed us through to the back room where a tired-looking woman was wiping down a recently vacated table. The men who had been asked to leave it cast irritated looks at us, but they didn’t voice their objections as they moved back out to the bar.

While we enjoyed our meal, several men and women approached us with tales of Miles and what had happened to Old Mac. Unfortunately, none of the information we gleaned gave us any explanation for his sudden disappearance. It certainly seemed like he’d been meaning to face us here but then the trail had gone cold.

As the fire burned low and most of the patrons headed home or up to their rooms, I began to lose hope. If we couldn’t find a new lead, then we might as well abandon our search and head back to re-join the clan in the south. The last time Miles had disappeared on us, it had been months before he resurfaced.

Julius tried to convince me to head to my room, but I waved him off dismissively. It wasn’t like he was taking his own advice about sleep; he took his leave with a smirk and disappeared with the redhead as expected.

My mind swirled with questions about Miles. He was up to something; I just knew it.

I was so preoccupied that I hardly noticed when a slim figure slipped into the chair opposite mine.

“I hear you’re looking for information about the demon,” the woman said, and I looked up at her as she pushed the hood from her head. She had long, dark hair which framed her wide eyes, and she glanced about nervously as if she was worried someone might overhear us.

“I am,” I replied, leaning closer to her.

The few men who remained in the bar were drunk or passed out. I doubted any of them were capable of eavesdropping on us even if they had a mind to.

“Can we talk in private?” she whispered, leaning closer to take my hand. She turned my arm over and brushed her fingers against the slayer mark on my skin. “I know what you are. My mother was born of your blood too.”

I stilled, my eyes sweeping across the room. Few people knew what we really were; they saw only warriors or mercenaries for hire. Mostly they were too afraid of us to look too closely.

“Come then.” I caught her hand and pulled her to her feet, leading her behind me up to the room I’d been given. Anyone watching us would presume I was going to bed her, but if she was worried about her reputation, she didn’t voice it.

I pressed the door closed behind us, and she moved away to perch on the edge of the bed.

“My mother left her clan for love when she was younger than I am now,” she explained as she unclasped her cloak and set it down beside her. She wore a deep green gown which was fine enough to tell me that her family had money. I wondered again why she wasn’t more concerned about her reputation. “But she taught me all about the vampires and how to spot them. So when I saw them, I knew exactly what I was looking at.”

“Them?” I asked curiously. We’d managed to separate Miles from his vampire companions some days ago. Julius and I had fought the three who had been travelling with him, and they’d paid for his head start with their lives. As far as I knew, there were no more vampires in the area.

“Yes. I spotted the two of them creeping through our orchard. And I know the next bit might sound insane, but when my mother died, she left me a dagger. I keep it with me always, and when I saw those monsters, it spoke to me.” Her eyes were wide like she thought I might laugh her out of the room, but I knew the voice of the blades well.

“She gave you a slayer blade?” I asked, moving closer to her.

“Yes.” She sagged with relief as she realised I believed her, and she pulled her dress up to remove the blade from a sheath strapped to her thigh.

“What’s your name?” I asked as I reached for it.

“Elissa,” she replied.

I took the weapon in my hand, and it hummed excitedly. Greetings, Magnar the Great. Defender of the scattered clans. I frowned at the strange name it had given me. The scattered clans? As far as I knew, the clans had made camp close to each other in the lands to the south. I pushed my consciousness into the blade, searching for its name and origin.

“Your mother was from the Clan of Oceans, this blade is Vortex.” I handed it back to Elissa, and she bit her lip as she looked at the runes carved into its hilt.

“If I tell you what I know, will you take me with you when you leave?” she asked. I raised an eyebrow in surprise, and she hurried to explain. “I wish to be free. This blade calls to me in a way that makes me feel alive. But my father has given my hand to a man three times my age. I’m to marry him on Saturday, and I just don’t think I can bear it.”

“You want me to steal you away in the night and make an enemy of every man in this town?” I asked in amusement.

I wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea, even if it did sound a little insane. I could do with something to lighten the mood of this trip now that it appeared to have been for nothing.

“You won’t have to face any angry townspeople,” she replied with a shy smile. “My father will kick me out and send me packing himself if... if I’m ruined before the wedding. My betrothed will never take me if I’m not a virgin.”

I barked a laugh at her brazenness. “Is that so? Well, I happen to know a thing or two about unwanted betrothals myself. You know if you re-join your clan and take the vow, you may end up betrothed all over again, right?”

“I don’t care,” she breathed. “I’d take a warrior husband over an old man with rotten teeth any day. Please take me with you.” She reached out to touch my hand, and I felt my resolve fade. It didn’t matter to me if every man in this town hated me for stealing her, and if I could save her from an unwanted betrothal, then I should do so. I wished it were so simple for me to break my oath to Valentina.

“Alright. Elissa of the Clan of Oceans, I give you my word that I will return you to your people.”

Her face broke into a radiant smile, and I could see her fighting the urge to cry tears of relief.

“Thank you... sorry, I didn’t get your name?”

“Magnar Elioson of the Clan of War.”

“You’re the son of the War Clan’s Earl?” she asked in astonishment, and I was impressed that her mother had educated her so well in the ways of our people.

“I am. Are you going to tell me about those vampires now?”

“Yes, of course. I saw them in our orchard, like I told you, and Vortex urged me to follow them. There were two of them; a man and a woman more beautiful than any people I’d ever seen. Their skin glimmered in the moonlight, and they moved without making a sound. They met the one you seek on the edge of my father’s lands. He was angry, his fine clothes torn and filthy. He was complaining of taking a leap from a cliff and breaking his ankle, though I saw no sign of any wound-”

“Mortal wounds do not bother the vampires for long unless they are inflicted by a slayer’s blade. Go on.”

“The woman apologised to him for ruining his plans, and he was angry that they had. I missed some of what passed between them, but I think he mentioned a trap being spoiled. She told him that it was unavoidable because his brother needed him to return to the west. She also said that Fabian’s plan was finally coming together and that they’d have to unite their strength if they hoped to succeed. He didn’t seem entirely convinced by her claims, but the three of them turned and ran west at great speed. They were gone before I even stepped out of my hiding place. Then the blade led me to you.”

“I knew it,” I growled.

Miles had been meaning to face us on that mountain. The fact that he’d abandoned his ambush could only mean that something bigger was happening. And if he planned to meet with one of his brothers, then I would do whatever it took to meet him there too.

I was half tempted to drag Julius from his bed and leave right away, but there wasn’t much point. The storm still raged outside, and the horses needed their rest as badly as we did.

I began pacing the room as I tried to figure out what all of this meant. As far as I knew, the Revenants hadn’t been together in years. They spread themselves far and wide to hide their hunting habits from the humans and split the attention of the slayers. If they were meeting up, then it must have been for something important. I would have to return to the clans and tell them of this.

The sound of fabric hitting the floor drew my attention back to Elissa, and I stilled as I found her standing naked in the centre of the room.

She’d clearly been serious about me ruining her for her future husband, and I hesitated for half a moment before closing the distance between us. It would have been rude to refuse, and I could do with the distraction from my swirling thoughts.