Moving through the snow, Ivar looked up to see the caves up ahead and nodded to his men, watching them fan out throughout the trees. He didn't anticipate that anyone would be here but he didn't like leaving anything to chance, one could never be too careful when it came to witches.
The snow continued to fall as they made their way up the mountain, moving in short bursts of vampiric speed, only stopping to listen for any sounds out of the ordinary. Minutes later, they stood at the entrance to the caves and after a brief pause, they entered the darkness within.
The caves were dank inside, the darkness pressing around them like a cloak, but with their heightened vision, they needed no light. Ivar moved confidently through the caverns, his eyes roaming the walls, as he followed the scout, who had brought him here. They arrived at an arch that led into an antechamber that seemed to stretch away into the darkness, and it was here that the scout came to a halt. Entering the antechamber before gesturing for the rest of his men to wait outside, Ivar looked around, noticing rocky outcroppings, forming natural shelves in the cave walls.
The scout lit a torch that illuminated the antechamber and gestured toward the nearest outcroppings, where peculiar objects lay scattered, in some sort of mystical order. Ivar merely glanced at them but made no move to take a closer look, instead turning his attention to the scout. Ivar sensed his anxiety as his eyes shifted restlessly around the walls and floor before finally their eyes met.
With lightning speed, the scout grabbed a dagger from under his shirt and in one swift movement, leaped forward to plunge it deep into Ivar's heart. His hand stopped dead, barely an inch before reaching his mark and a pained look swept across his face, followed by a choking sound as blood poured from his mouth. Looking down, the scout, saw Ivar's arm embedded inside his chest, as he felt Ivar's fist close around his heart.
"Did you really think that I wouldn't know? You reek of treachery and witches magic, it was all I could do not to kill you sooner", Ivar hissed into his face.
"You can't stop her.....this is not the end", he stammered, even as the blood gurgled in his throat.
"Perhaps.....but it is your end", Ivar smiled then, a terrifying smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Yours too", came the scout's feeble reply as he threw back his head and laughed, a harsh barking sound that sounded more painful than amusing.
Ivar squeezed his hand, that was lodged deep inside the scout's chest cavity, and violently pulling back, Ivar ripped out his heart and stood holding it as the scout's body crumpled to the rocky floor. Clenching his fist, Ivar watched as the heart was crushed between his fingers, blood and gore trickling down his arm and falling to the ground, where it collected in a thick stain on the rocks.
Behind him, he heard the sound of rocks collapsing and a deafening thud as the antechamber's entrance was blocked by an avalanche of rocks, sealing him inside. He chuckled under his breath and shook his head as he moved towards the magical artifacts, still scattered on the rocky outcroppings and gathered them into his coat pockets. Outside he heard his men, moving the rocks to unblock the entrance and he sat down on one of the natural shelves and casually leaning against the wall, he waited.
****************************
High on the third floor of the castle, Rathgar froze in his room, in the west wing, as he was preparing for bed. He turned to look out the window, his eyes fixed on the Northern Mountains in the distance, his senses alive with emotions that came to him through his bond with Ivar. He knew that Ivar was in trouble but Rathgar could feel that he wasn't hurt or worried so it wasn't life-threatening and he would handle it. Nodding to himself, Rathgar climbed into bed and lay down, closing his eyes as he listened to the sounds of the storm raging outside.
A few hours later, in the eastern wing of the castle's third floor, Serena lay sleeping, alone, in the bed she shared with Ivar. Her eyelashes fluttered before she opened her eyes and stared at the balcony doors, holding her breath as if waiting for something. Then she heard it again and this time, she was sure that she wasn't dreaming.
"Serena", the voice whispered, the sound somehow carrying over the sounds of the snowstorm outside.
She sat up in bed and waited to hear it again and after some minutes, the voice called to her once more, but more insistent this time. Only briefly hesitating, she lifted the covers and climbed from the bed, pulling on her robe, before padding silently across the room to the balcony doors. She felt a sense of foreboding, permeating through her body but something was drawing her to the voice, almost compelling her to heed its call. She stood at the balcony doors, her hand on the lock and her head resting against the cold, glass pane as she attempted to reason with herself against her instincts.
She was still within the castle walls, she thought to herself, so no harm could come to her, so why then could she hear this voice. If she only stayed on the balcony, surely she would be safe and she could find out who was calling her at this odd hour of the night. She had said herself that Ivar could not always be here to protect her so she would have to learn to protect herself. Assuring herself that there was no real danger, within the castle walls, she determinedly gripped the lock and turning it, opened the doors.
The wind swept hungrily into the room, sending flurries of snow, dispersing across the floor as it whipped her clothes and hair. She clutched her robe around her and pushed her hair back from her face as she stepped out onto the balcony, leaving the doors open behind her.
The snow lay thick on the balcony and it crunched loudly beneath her slippered feet as she made her way to the balustrade and looked out over the darkened landscape. There was nothing out there except for the darkness and snow, and the trees twisting against the wind. She strained her ears, listening for the voice but now there was only silence and the wind gusting through the trees.
She wasn't sure how long she had been standing there, staring into the night, before she sighed and shook her head, disappointed in herself for being so unnecessarily skittish. Perhaps it was only that Ivar was not here, and without his overwhelming presence, she was a little on edge. She was becoming increasingly reliant on him and this irked her somewhat.
She turned from the balustrade and began retracing her steps back to the open doors while trying to keep hold of her robe and brush her hair away from her face when she heard a soft thud from behind her. She instantly froze, her body turning rigid, as she negotiated the distance to the doors and who or what was behind her. She swallowed hard but her throat was dry and her legs seemed unable or unwilling to move. Looking around the balcony, she searched for anything that she could use as a weapon but finding none, only further increased her trepidation.
Her regret at having ventured outside was utterly useless and she pushed the thought aside, forcing herself to focus on her current predicament. The thought flashed through her mind that perhaps, she should just confront whoever it is and face the consequences. This seemed like a marginally better scenario than her previous thoughts and so, making up her mind, decided to turn around.
Quickly turning around, she was met with the sight of Rathgar, standing on the balcony, fully dressed and his cloak billowing around him while his eyes gleamed brightly in the dark.
"Oh Lord Bane, you startled me", she smiled apologetically, trying to hide her earlier fright.
"Your Majesty", he bowed deeply, "What brings you out here so late at night?"
"I just thought I heard.....", she trailed off uncertainly, not sure if she should tell him the truth.
"Heard what?", Rathgar's eyes narrowed.
"Well uh...it was probably nothing. It was probably just a dream", she tried to explain, but she sounded ridiculous, even to herself.
"Your Majesty, what exactly did you hear?", Rathgar pressed.
"I.....I thought I heard someone calling my name but it was probably nothing"
"You should go back inside"
Serena nodded her agreement, as she made her way toward the doors, just as Rathgar's voice made her pause.
"Should you ever imagine such a thing again, I strongly advise that you inform me before you decide to venture outdoors"
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and strode to the balcony balustrade before he stepped off ,falling to the ground below.