"And what do you want from me, Your Grace?"
"A trifle! Now that the roads are clear of snow, people will definitely come to you from both the captain and the steward. You made a loud statement of yourself in the battle at the Cursed Bridge, and your word carries much more weight than the words of other knights in the province. And I ask you to remain neutral! Do not support me or anyone else. Just neutrality."
Alexander didn't hesitate for a moment.
"It fully corresponds to my desires and the desires of my people."
"I thought so."
Stepping away from the vampire, the baron took a seat at the table.
"Now let's talk about our relationship as baron and knight."
Leaving the castle an hour later, Alexander looked up at the sky. The clouds still hung thick.
"At this rate, this scum will survive!"
Pushing unpleasant thoughts of the rapist aside, the vampire went to find allies. Half an hour later, he found them in the company of a baronet in the town's finest tavern. There seemed to be suspiciously many guards around the tavern. Adopting a displeased look, the vampire pushed the door open and entered.
(*The author is well aware that the title "baronet" is an independent title, not the title of a baron's son, but it has become a convention in modern literature, and it was decided not to depart far from the established canon.)
The atmosphere had an air of luxury. By his standards, it was complete squalor. Locals seemed to like it. Greeting the baron's son and ignoring his offer to drink with him, Alexander grabbed both his friends by the scruff and dragged them outside. The appearance of two people who had caused a stir in the city, in such a state, shocked the passersby.
Almost none of the regular patrons of drinking establishments had managed to avoid a beating from this pair in recent days. The drunken mages were belligerent and took any sideways glance at them as a challenge! Dozens of men spent their mornings counting their teeth and rubbing their sore sides.
Some guards and regulars even suffered twice. And now these terrible people, like troublesome kittens, were being dragged to the stables! They didn't even attempt to resist. The guards who had the misfortune of being assigned today to maintain order at this tavern tried to become invisible.
No one was in the stables, and the spectacle was over in an instant. The triumvirate winked at each other and ordered to gather.
"We've had enough. Time to go home."
Sergey nodded.
"I have very important information."
As the cavalcade of five riders left the town, the guards at the gates bid them farewell with relieved sighs and bright symbols. And they wished they would never return. Naturally, to themselves. Nobody wanted to get punched in the jaw and lie on the straw floor, but everyone had their time. Luckily, the Almighty heard the prayers of the honest servants and rid the city of the troublemakers.
The vampires, paying no attention to such trifles, shared information.
Alexander thought that his news about the rape would be a "bomb," but Sergey managed to obtain much more valuable information!
"Do you remember when you were influenced, causing rage?"
"Such a thing is hard to forget!" Alexander nodded, thinking about how to tell his comrades about Krapivin and his vile act and not immediately realizing what his friend was telling him. "Wait! Did you find out who?"
"Uh-huh! By accident! The bride!"
"What?"
"The baron's daughter-in-law. His son's wife!"
"Why did she do that and how did you even find out?"
"Well, you know that the baron's son, a good guy though he is, likes to fight with the green snake. And despite his professionalism in this fight, he loses. And so, when he was drunk, his wife came to take him away, I helped her drag him to the carriage, and I accidentally drank her blood. Even the baronet's body dropped from surprise. That little scoundrel, a real bitch!"
It turned out that the poor baron's young daughter, given away in marriage, received not only her father's blessing but also her mother's amulet as a dowry. Just a trinket!
I've got more interesting stuff on patreon
patreon.com/Chill76