The Vampire & Her Witch
Chapter 290: The Tangled Wood

Chapter 290: The Tangled Wood

Two weeks had passed since Nyrielle entered Ashlynn’s vision and spent an intimate evening together exploring Ashlynn’s memory of the Holy Festival of Light. Since then, Nyrielle had concluded her business with her uncle, Tausau before turning her carriage northwest and heading deep into the territory of her great-grandsire.

The Tangled Wood was a massive domain, larger than the Vale of Mists had been even under her grandsire Torbin’s rule. At its core, the Tangled Wood was a densely overgrown forest with massive pines and towering hemlock trees that stood hundreds of feet tall and crowded close enough together to cast the ground under their canopy into perpetual twilight.

Sword ferns, climbing ivy and hooked blackberries covered the ground in a dense underbrush that made much of the Tangled Wood impassable. The roads that connected a scattered network of villages and small towns had to be cleared at the end of each growing season or they would quickly vanish beneath the invasive undergrowth.

"Should we expect another welcoming party, my lady?" Zedya asked as their carriage clattered through the night.

"We should, but don’t expect to notice them until we reach the Tangled Tower," Nyrielle said, staring out into the darkness of the night. Her great-grandsire’s men couldn’t be compared to Tausau’s Mongrel Horde other than to say that Tausau’s Mongrels stood as far beneath them as newborn babes stood beneath the Horde.

"This is your first time coming so deeply into the western territories, isn’t it?" Nyrielle said with a nostalgic smile. "From now until we leave my great-grandsire’s territory, the rules for feeding have changed. Unless you want trouble from his progeny, leave Lennart and his men alone. Feeding on our own soldiers would be seen as a sign of weakness."

"How is that weakness?" Zedya asked. "The people of the Vale of Mists offer themselves up willingly as tribute. What more proof of your strength and right to rule could people ask for?"

"That isn’t how it works here," Nyrielle sighed. "You must hunt your own prey. You will be seen as strong if you are able to prey on the warriors of the Tangled Wood and you will be seen as weak if you prey on the sick or elderly."

"Will they fight back?" Zedya asked, tilting her head in confusion at the custom. How could a vampire as old as Nyrielle’s great-grandsire rule for so long if his progeny preyed upon his people?

"Some may, but I don’t expect anyone to be capable of fighting you," Nyrielle said with a laugh. "Just be aware of the stocky fellows with an earthy aura. The Stone Skin clan have flesh that is nearly impenetrable, even to our fangs. They make their homes in the hills near the Tangled Tower, so when you need to feed, head into the forest villages."

"You speak as if we’ll be here for an extended period of time," Zedya said. "How long do you plan to stay?"

"That depends entirely on my great-grandsire," Nyrielle said. "Hamdi is one of Bardas’s direct progeny, much like you are mine. He has been a High Lord for nearly five centuries and he is set in his ways. He may not be willing to bend to my desires now that I’ve fully taken up the mantle of the Harbinger of Death."

"If he cooperates, then he will summon neighboring Eldritch Lords to meet with us here at the Tangled Tower," Nyrielle explained. "Our men are tired. We’ve pushed hard ever since leaving the Vale of Mists and they could use several weeks to recover. It would be best if people come to us here."

"But Hamdi may not recognize your authority," Zedya said, shaking her head with a sour expression on her face. "Does he really look down on you for not retaining great-grandsire Torbin’s status as a High Lord?"

"It’s an embarrassment, to be sure," Nyrielle sighed. In the Vale of Mists, the distinction barely mattered. With the High Pass between her and the High Fen and Airgead Mountain between the Vale of Mists and the Southern Steppe, the nearest High Lords were at least one domain removed from her, and both of them had their own reasons to respect her strength.

Here in the interior of the western lands, wars were still fought between Eldritch Lords and High Lords vying for territory or seeking to advance their status. The human threat had yet to displace the old rivalries and people cared far more about the strength and status of their Eldritch neighbors than how many wars someone had fought against the incomprehensible humans.

"We’ll know more when we retrieve Ignatious," Nyrielle said with a dark smile. "It’s been some time since I handed him over to Hamdi and the Mother of Thorns to study. Now that we’re this close, he feels much... milder than he did before."

"Will you bring him home with us when we leave?" Zedya asked, frowning at Nyrielle. Of all of Nyrielle’s progeny, there was only one who had ever attempted to harm their Mistress or showed any signs of rebellion.

Ignatious lived in exile in the Eldritch lands for the past seventy years while Nyrielle allowed time to scour away his worldly attachments. By now, even the children he had known before Nyrielle took him as one of her progeny had withered and died of old age, leaving nothing and no one for him to attempt to return to. But did that mean that he’d given up on his desire to take vengeance on the woman who tore him away from the world he’d grown up in? Or would he still be just as volatile as he was before?

"We’ll know soon enough," Nyrielle said, sitting up straighter as the carriage began to slow. "It seems like my wayward child is among our welcoming party. Remember, Zedya," Nyrielle said, placing a hand lightly on her handmaiden’s arm. "No matter what he or anyone else does, you let me deal with it. Insults can be ignored, but challenges must be answered with overwhelming strength. Hamdi’s progeny will respond to nothing less."

A few minutes later, the carriage rolled to a stop in a large, torch ringed courtyard. The Tangled Tower soared hundreds of feet into the air, taller than the tallest trees of the Tangled Wood and made entirely out of a local black stone that made the tower dark even when viewed against the night sky.

Before the massive gate, a small delegation of soldiers from the Golden Eyed Clan stood at attention, many of them looking ready to pounce. Their sharp, wolf-like features and pert, alert ears combined with intense yellow gazes to make them look like a barely leashed pack of wild animals, ready to tear intruders to pieces at the slightest provocation.

As members of Hamdi’s own clan, the lupine Golden Eyed Clan had always occupied the positions of highest honor in the Tangled Wood. In the dark, densely wooded environment of Hamdi’s domain, no one could match the predatory prowess of their well coordinated warriors and the few who possessed the power to resist their dominance quickly succumbed to Hamdi’s progeny.

For the High Lord of the Tangled Wood to send a delegation of his best soldiers was a mark of respect for Nyrielle’s status, but if she considered the size of the delegation, it was somewhat lacking. Still, there were others present who made up for the lack of numbers in the welcoming party.

One person in particular completely captured Nyrielle’s attention when she stepped out of the carriage. Walking across the courtyard with an elegant, almost stately grace was a human with skin as pale as her own and short hair that was nearly as dark. Both features were incredibly striking against his deep crimson and gold robes as he stopped five paces short of reaching Nyrielle to kneel on the ground.

"Mistress Nyrielle," he said in a voice that was smooth, dark and silky. Her title dropped form his thin lips without the slightest hesitation and his dark eyes held none of the fury she’d once witnessed from him. Instead, the corners of his lips tugged in a slight smile as he extended his greeting. "Welcome to the Tangled Tower."

"Inquisitor Ignatious," Nyrielle said with a dark smile as she greeted the second oldest of her human progeny. "You look well. Please, lead the way," she commanded. "It’s been a long time since we last spoke and we have a great deal to discuss."