The Beast

4 - Plans for the future

Six months later - Clocksworth

Silence was the only thing that greeted me when I entered the house, or rather the small shed. My orders had been clear: go into the village and find the deserters. But the place was empty, whoever was hiding here was long gone. I sighed to myself, my work was so much harder now that the other lords had moved against my prince. Anthony laughed it off, calling them cowards, as they were not as powerful as he and Luis. But I couldn't help but feel anxious about the sudden changes among our allies.

A few months ago, when this life was still new to me, we had prominent vampires and noble people visiting almost every day. They did business with my princes, drank the finest wines and laughed all night. But just a few weeks ago, a majority of the vampire houses had chosen to take a different path, fearing Anthony's temper, they sided with the human royalty, believing that they would be stronger than him if they all went against him. If only the humans knew what they were inviting into their homes.

Maybe they were right, I thought as I searched the other building, maybe they would be strong enough to finish the House Maisonette. I would fight them all, because in my heart I knew that Anthony had made the right choice in siding with the people, and he was not alone. He had his brother, he had Lumiere, he had enormous powers as one of the first born vampires - and he had me. I was almost at my full potential now, I could feel the power I shared with my prince flowing through my veins.

Which led me to another thought. It had been almost six months since Anthony told me about Luis' feelings and expectations of me. The question of whether I would accept his hand in marriage, but neither of them had mentioned it since. It was up to me to decide what I wanted to do with my life.

I opened a sturdy door and stepped into an abandoned bedroom. There were no signs of inhabitants or tracks to show where they had moved on to. It must have been weeks ago. I grumbled about the lack of evidence, and my mind wandered back to my own life. With a civil war on my hands, a wedding would have been the last thing on my mind. But suddenly it felt urgent. It would not be an emotional bond, but a business deal, I told myself, pushing aside the hidden feelings for Anthony that continued to plague me. A business deal I could live with.

My position among the vampires of France would rise to new heights. Luis was sympathetic and I would not mind spending my life in his company. Perhaps a relationship with him would stop the childish longing I had for his older brother and grow out of my silly infatuation.

I stepped out into the old square, which was just as deserted and empty, except for my horse waiting for me. I walked towards the animal with determined steps and sat up in the saddle with a grunt. This mission had been as fruitless as the others. We were grasping at straws, and Anthony would be furious. Someone would die after I delivered the report. It would not be me, but perhaps some poor servant or maid who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

My horse started moving along the dirt road and into the forest. It would take me a few hours to reach the castle, and I was already looking forward to my well-deserved bath. Despite branches hitting my face as the horse jumped over roots and rocks, I couldn't help but feel excited. I was going to tell Luis about my decision and I was looking forward to seeing his reaction. I knew it was not love we had for one another, even if Luis was fond of me, the brothers would not hesitate to use me as a weapon. Anthony would never send his beloved brother on deadly missions, he would never risk his life. Which meant that the new powers we created together would be mine to use. Alone. Honestly, I would prefer it that way, I hated working with someone over my shoulder.