Page 49 of Soul Forge

“I’m not sure how careful I can be. He’s about to rip my throat out,” Sypher replied archly, turning back to his friend. He spread his arms and braced himself. “Alright, Julian, have at it.” The vampire uncoiled and sprang at him, slamming into his torso and sinking his fangs deep into Sypher’s throat. "Fuck," he grunted, staggering under the weight.

“Are you okay?” Elda croaked, heart hammering in her throat when she saw the vampire drinking greedily. Her feet moved automatically, taking her closer to the entrance and earning her a warning glare from her guardian.

“I’ve been better,” Sypher answered through gritted teeth. He swayed, then one leg folded beneath him. “Slow down, Julian.” The vampire didn’t respond, draining everything he could get like some sort of ravenous beast.

To the right of the shelter, Atlas and the tulpar demon were staring each other down too. The Pegasus had his wings flared, pawing at the ground in warning. Elda wondered if Julian’s mount also drank blood, and the new fear that Atlas might also be harmed zipped through her brain. If a valkyrie’s mount died, so did they.

“What happens if he takes too much?” Reiner asked, fingers flexing around her weapon. Elda watched her eyes dart between the vampire and the tulpar demon like she wasn’t sure which one to attack first.

“I think that’s a given at this point,” Sypher mumbled, his skin paling alarmingly quickly. “I’ll be unconscious for a while. If my blood isn’t enough to fill him, whack him.”

The captain blinked. “What?”

“I’m serious. Whack him with the mace somewhere non-fatal. It might shock him out of the thirst.” His other leg faltered, and he sat heavily, one arm braced against the ground to keep him upright. “I’ll be out cold very soon.”

“And then what?” the captain pressed, shifting her weight restlessly. Elda clutched the dagger tightly, her fingers trembling around the hilt.

“You wait. I’ll wake up.” He seemed unfocussed, the arm holding him up beginning to tremble. All the colour was gone from his skin. “Keep the dagger close.”

And then his eyes rolled back, and he sagged, passing out on the ground with the vampire still latched onto his throat.

Elda gripped the hilt of the dagger in both hands, blood rushing in her ears so loudly it was almost enough to drown out the horrible sounds of Julian draining every drop of Sypher’s vitality. She stayed frozen behind Reiner until the newcomer detached himself and stood, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked down at his friend like he didn’t know how he got there, blinking in confusion.

“Shit, Sy,” he muttered. “Why’d you let me do this again, you fool?”

“Get away from him,” Elda warned, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. “Don’t you touch him!” Reiner gave her a stony look, silently urging her to shut up.

“Hmm.” The vampire turned stormy silver eyes on her and cocked his head. “And who might you two be?”

“Step back!” Reiner demanded, brandishing the mace. Julian raised his hands, palms out, and moved away to stand beside the tulpar demon, patting its right flank. The moment they backed off, Reiner took hold of Elda’s wrist and moved closer to Sypher’s fallen body. Elda dropped to her knees beside him, cringing at the mess the vampire had made of his neck. Reiner stood between her and Julian, ready to defend her with her life.

“He needs to be warm,” Julian noted. “I can help you move him closer to the fire.”

“Don’t you move! We can do it ourselves,” Elda snapped. She stuck the dagger into her boot, eyeing Julian warily before tucking her hands under Sypher’s arms. Moving him was hard work, but she didn’t dare ask Reiner to help when it meant taking her eyes off the stranger.

Sypher was at least a foot and a half taller than the princess and layered with toned muscle, which meant he was heavier than she expected. At barely five feet, it was like lifting a corpse in a lead suit, but she managed to drag him through the entrance to the shelter and onto her bedroll so he was closer to the flames.

“I’m surprised you managed that,” Julian stated from outside.

“I’m under orders to hurt you if you get too close,” Reiner warned. “Don’t tempt me.”

The vampire chuckled, folding his arms across his chest and leaning one shoulder against his mount. “Feisty. I like you already.”

“I will kill you if you so much asbreathethe wrong way,” the captain promised, standing back in the entrance between Julian and her companions.

Elda unclipped her cloak and laid it over Sypher, snatching the dagger back out of her boot and sitting on the ground right beside him, making sure she had a good view of the outside underneath Reiner’s raised weapon.

“Why did his tracking rune light up when you were near?”

“I have the same one on my arm. They’re linked.” Julian rolled his sleeve back to show her an identical black mark imprinted on the inside of his elbow, flashing a smile that accentuated his deadly incisors. “I’m sorry your first impression of me is a bloodthirsty monster. I’m really not that bad, I promise.”

Elda baulked. “You just killed my husband.”

His face went slack. “I killed yourwhat?”

“Her husband,” Reiner clarified.

Julian put both hands to his head. “Hemarriedyou? Voluntarily?” Elda nodded. He let out a low whistle. “I’ll be damned. How did that happen?”

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