The Anonymous Letter
Just as Andros thought Grayson cornered with no escape, he found himself to be gravely mistaken.
As he tugged hard on the chain, Grayson stood unmoved, his azure eyes flashing with a ferocious intent reminiscent of a wolf howling at midnight.
"Your Holy Emperor once said knights are the steadfast shield of the realm, but he never claimed you were the harbinger of souls to be reaped!"
Grayson casually blew a smoke ring and, with a sudden burst of power, gripped the ensnaring chain, his neck muscles bulging. With a forceful tug, he ripped the metal from his throat.
Tossing the chain aside, he lunged at Andros with his sword. The knight, regaining his lance, thrust it forward to meet Grayson's attack. Grayson deflected the lance and delivered a punch that flew towards Andros's helmet.
Confident in his metal gauntlet, Andros advanced, throwing a punch of his own. Their fists collided, forcing both men back. Andros glanced at his gauntlet to find deep indentations etched into the metal.
"Incredible strength!" Andros lifted his gaze to Grayson, who stood with merely leather gloves, showing no sign of pain—a first for the battle-hardened knight commander.
"'Dragon's Son,' indeed you are formidable. Clearly, you've yet to exert your full strength."
Grayson sheathed his sword and faced Andros, who held his lance with a single hand. "Shall we have our showdown tonight, or shall we cease and perhaps battle another day?"
Before Andros could respond, a woman garbed in gossamer stepped between them. With a staff adorned with a sinuous mermaid, she urged, "Gentlemen, I suggest you pause your conflict. Now is clearly not the time for settling disputes."
"Who are you?" Andros slowly raised his visor, his gaze fixed on the noblewoman of striking beauty.
"I am Seraphine, the guardian of the merfolk sanctuary," she replied calmly as the crowd of awakened villagers began to gather around.
"How can you prove your claim?" Andros scrutinized her, still skeptical of her assertion.
Seraphine hesitated, scanning the onlookers. Then, with open arms amid gasps from the crowd, her figure transformed into a mermaid suspended in mid-air.
"Is this proof enough for you, commander?" she asked Andros, extending a pale hand as her large tail swayed gently.
"Certainly, please forgive my rudeness. But why are you here, and in the company of this fugitive?"
Andros sheathed his lance and bowed respectfully to Seraphine, then shot a glance at Grayson, who was whispering to Katheren, oblivious to the knight's scrutiny.
"I've come for the stolen artifact components," Seraphine admitted with a serious mien.
Hearing this, Andros's brows furrowed, his voice urgent. "The relic that seals the soul of the vampire king?"
"Yes, precisely that," Seraphine confirmed, revealing the theft to Andros, whose expression grew grim with the understanding of the artifact's importance.
"Thus, Mr. Grayson is assisting me in locating it. I hope you two can set aside your differences for now, as finding the relic is the immediate priority."
In the midst of their exchange, Grayson stepped forward. "Excuse the interruption, commander, but what brings you here so urgently? Did someone forewarn you of the village head's demise?"
"You're correct. Two weeks prior, we received an anonymous letter claiming you would be lurking near the village soon to slay the headman. I came from the capital Balin specifically to capture you," Andros declared.
"Where is this letter now?" Grayson asked, unfazed by Andros's accusatory stance.
A knight fetched the letter from the saddlebag of Andros's horse and handed it to Grayson at the commander's nod.
Grayson scanned the letter in the dark, then looked up at Andros. "May I keep this?"
"That's evidence!" Andros stated ambiguously.
"If the Synod wished to, they could hang me ten times over without any evidence!" Grayson replied with a grin, folding the letter and pocketing it. "If there's no further issue, commander, let's continue this another time."
"Where do you plan to go?" Andros asked, though his eyes lingered on Seraphine, who returned a meaningful glance before focusing on Grayson.
"Don't worry about us. You might want to hurry back to the Synod. If their golden crystal goes missing, the Holy Emperor won't be pleased!"
With a jesting wink to Andros, Grayson, cigar in mouth and Elyra atop his head, strode off with Katheren by his side.
"He's right, commander. It's time to heighten our vigilance."
Seraphine followed Grayson, leaving Andros with a thoughtful look as he watched her graceful figure disappear into the night.
"What's your next move?" Seraphine asked, catching up to Grayson, her expression one of uncertainty. The trail at the village head's home had ended, and she was clueless where to search for the stolen relic.
"Do you know why I wanted that letter?" Grayson asked, sidestepping her query.
Seraphine and Katheren looked puzzled. Grayson explained, "The handwriting was left-handed, matching the blood on the wall. Clearly, someone is using me as a decoy, diverting the Synod's focus while possibly plotting my demise."
"Only two types of people would want the relic and use the Synod to eliminate me: vampires and treasure hunters."
Grayson paused, then turned to the women and continued, "Vampires can't traverse water, so they couldn't have stolen the relic from the ocean depths. And no human treasure hunter could dive into the abyss of the Icewind Strait. They both would need an inside agent."
"An insider?" Seraphine's expression darkened. "Are you suggesting there's a traitor among us?"