Quartz ordered supplies for the trip. A kingdom map, rations for me, snacks for Jasper. It was more than could fit in the knight's bag yet he ordered confidently.
Still unsettled, Vlad, kept some distance from me. Not too far, but enough not to touch me. I could see the extensive thoughts travel across his face. Quartz brought him out of his mental storm.
"Vlad." He waves him over. "Place this is in your demential space."
Vlad doesn't even complain, quite unlike him. Touching each item, they vanish into nothing. I blink trying to grasp that.
"How does that work?" I recall the time a soul mirror appeared in his hands.
Quartz chuckles. "How does any magic work. It's another gift of Vlad's bloodline."
"What are your bloodline gifts?"
Smirking, he faces me. He holds a hand out, a pink lightning sparks around it.
"My element. It can used as a weapon of course. I can compel, although not nearly as well as Vlad. Thanks to my sire, I kept one of my clan abilities." He opens his mouth, extending his fangs. A drop of black liquid drops onto his tongue. He swallows it. "Poison. Enough to kill any human, or weaken another race."
I reflexively shiver, excited by his display. My men are really too deadly, and sexy.
"Cool." I manage to reply.
We leave as soon as I pay for the supplies. Money won't be an issue for a while. I have my leftover allowance from the manor. Quartz is a high knight, having quite a bit on hand. Vlad is the only one without currency. I offer to share some of my silver.
"I don't see a point. I have you, and if not I can compel some sucker." He is sounding more like himself, although still subdued.
We decide to spend the day looking around. It would be some time before we could visit a village again. The castles up for selection were all secluded, due to their previous tenets.
Since space wasn't an issue, we decided to shop for our new home. Quartz looking at housewares, furniture, and decor with me. He also ordered animal blood for his vials.
"You can't feed us all the time master." He knew a human only had so much blood to give, and couldn't possible feed two powerful vampire at the same time. I blushed at the memory of last night, sadly in agreement.
"My little mage can just feed me then. You can go suck a whore or something." Vlad grinned devilishly. Quartz gave an unimpressed eye roll.
The image that was put in my head, although a joke, was not pleasant. Filled with jealousy, my blood magic did its work, controlled by my emotions. Several people near by shuddered, one person even fell to the ground. Oops.
Vlad and Quartz shared a look. Seemingly amused. I twist my hands at my sides, nervous.
"I should learn more control, or we might get witch hunted."
Vlad snickered. He took my hand, leading me to the next shop. Quartz looked satisfied with his choice. I stared dumbfounded.
"A weapon store? Why do we need weapons? You two are more deadly than most of the stuff in there." I suppose Quartz could get another blade, but I know from books that knight swords are special. A unique blend of their blood, a secret metal, and a holy blessing. Specially made to kill non-humans.
"It's not for us babe." He states the apparent obvious implication.
"So it's for…" I probe.
"Our ar.." He stops. "Our guards obviously." Walking in before I can fill in the blank. I trail behind him.
He ends up picking swords, spears, shields, and even some simple armor padding. Everything is judged by Quartz before we purchase them. I can't help but narrow my eyes. This is much more than what some guards would need at out new home. We end up clearing entire areas of the store.
"No wars." Warning in a flat voice.
Vlad looks offended, crossing his heart. No wars, re repeats at me. I glance over at Quartz for verification, he shrugs. How reassuring.
We grab lunch. My knight brings up three options for our new lodgings.
A castle to the north, the most isolated. A land full of werewolf packs in the surrounding area, but lack of humans. Resources will be harder to acquire but it will safer from threats like the knights or the church.
"I may be a founder, but that won't stop them from trying to kill Vlad or you." He clarifies.
The eastern woods near here have a castle. As expected it's deep in the woods, plenty of resources available nearby. Also several human villages within a day's travel.
Lastly a castle near the sea on the western coast. There was a guardian clan of leopards near it, as well as a werewolf governed small city. The city was welcoming of all races as long as the rules were followed.
"How far is the city from the castle?"
"A few hours. It's also a vassal entity of the kingdom. A strong trading economy with the port. The only downside is I've heard there's considerable corruption in the local government." He finally adds. "It's also the furthest from here."
It seemed pretty obvious of a choice. It would be a long trip, but the opportunity was too strong to pass up.
"I like the sea side."
Vlad offers his vote. "The northern castle. I remember it well. Even grew up in it. I'm sure the wolves will remember me." He grins, a dark look in his eyes.
Quartz narrows his eyes, suspiciously. "Will they try to kill us on site Vlad?" Vlad shakes his head.
"Nah, they owe me I saved their arses. Besides.." pausing for impact. "I know where the treasure is kept. "It was hidden with a seal, so I know it's still there."
"It's been hundreds of years." Quartz points out.
"Yeah, but it doesn't matter since my bloodline is the key." He smirks.
I grin at my cat, smart little shit. "Anything else? Food could be a problem in the north."
"We can trade with the wolves, they have plenty of winter crops." Well that settles it.
Vlad and I, in agreement, look over for Quartz's approval. He crosses his arms, going over the pros and cons in his head. He gives a solid nod after a moment.
"The north it is." He answers.
We eat our lunch, excited for the future. We spend the rest of the day exploring the touristy locations in town.
After dinner, from a long day, we pick out our beds to sleep. Only we end up all sharing the same bed, unable to negotiate.
.....
POV: Vlad
I slipped out of my cutie's arms once he fell asleep. Quartz didn't question me, he was well aware of my objective. He either agreed with me, or didn't care. He stayed close to our man, while I left the inn.
I ran at full speed, my specialty. Reaching the manor in under 15 mins. I didn't bother playing with my prey. The anger and frustration that built up over the years controlling my actions. Listening on the other side of the gate, unable to protect my mate.
It was time for the nightmare, the memories to die, along with its inhabitants.