29 Ender

Ender had kept himself busy as the women worked in the garden. There was little privacy in the home of vampires, heightened senses made it all too easy to eavesdrop on any conversation, but Ender had tried none the less.

He had spent a portion of the morning reviewing troop reports and armory inventory. Even while immersed in his work, he found it difficult to completely shut out the sound of Caroline's heartbeat thumping at alternating rhythms from the garden. Ender tried to convince himself it was her safety he was concerned about, but since when was someone's safety at the forefront of his mind?

Putting down the parchment onto his weathered desk, the vampire decided some fresh air would be beneficial. Two hundred years of raids and war, and somehow this woman had wormed her way into his brain. The thought was both unsettling and refreshing.

The vampire threw a loose linen shirt over his head that had been hanging over one of the chairs and laced up his worn leather boots. With inhuman speed, he raced down the long stone corridor and down the staircase, causing the tapestries lining the walls to rustle in his wake. Once through the entrance hall and out of the large double doors, the vampire did not slow until finally reaching the stables.

He found Murf contently dozing in the full stall and waved a hand at the stablemaster, Rem, that his aid was not needed. Ender preferred to saddle his horse himself, he had done so for the last two centuries and still found he could not trust anyone else to complete the task correctly.

The vampire rode out away from Montilan at a smooth gait, in the morning sun. The weather had been favorable of late, he briefly wondered when the typical spring rains would begin and drench the city streets. Ender had to admit that the world did seem a bit brighter since Caroline came crashing down through the forest trees just a few days prior. Not just due to her personality, but the climate had shifted, the sun had been bright and the air temperate. Only a few clouds dusted the skies, and he noticed the evening air had been mild.

It was quite unlike the wet and dreary springs the vampire had become accustomed to, and he had seen many in Ibudal. Could her powers really affect so much? Ender shook his head while rubbing the scar at his temple. Ir was a vain attempt to remove thoughts of the witch from his mind yet again. While it was true, he admitted to himself, that there was a longing within him to feel her touch, there was a far more pressing desire for the girl he was grappling with.

With every beat of the witch's heart, he could hear her blood calling to him. Singing in a rhythmic cadence a song of sweet nourishment. The scent of her blood had almost overwhelmed him at their first meeting, but thankfully he had fed, albeit a meager meal of elk, just before their meeting. He could feel both his desire to drain her dry of all her life and seemingly constant need to protect her at war within him.

Murf plodded on, the horse had learned the path to his usual hunting grounds long ago. Ender generally resisted feeding on humans. The taste was marred by guilt, disease, and loathing. In his younger days, when the need to slake his thirst had been more urgent, the vampire did not notice the nuances in the taste of human blood. He had only cared for immediate satisfaction, and the battlefield had been an opportune setting for such needs.

Now though, he preferred to take from large animals, predators, if possible to meet his needs. While the flavor was bland and did not sustain him for as long, it was preferable to interacting with the humans and glimpsing their misdeeds through their veins.

The vampire dismounted from the stallion and tied his reins to a nearby tree, even after their time together, Ender knew his predatory nature was capable of spooking the beast. The vampire crouched down low to the ground and let his senses fully overtake him while closing his eyes.

Ender could hear everything in the forest, a robin chirping in the tree above him, the feet of many ants scuttling up a nearby log, and the low thumping emanating from a bear a hundred yards away.

Smells permeated his nostrils, and the vampire quickly picked up the trail of the large brown bear slowly trudging through the forest undergrowth. Ender began to stalk the animal, letting his hunger guide the way.

It did not take the vampire long to track and take down the beast, quickly draining the life from its massive body. He would bring the remains to the edge of town and leave it as an offering to the people living there knowing the fur could be traded and the meat used by the less fortunate.

A calm now replaced the nagging thoughts of Caroline's beating heart as he sat upon the forest floor. Able now to think of her without his mouth beginning to salivate around teeth, while regular in appearance, were so sharp they could pierce chain mail.

"I thought I would find you here, enjoy your meal brother?"

Ender had heard Lucian approaching moments before and could smell him even before that but still found himself perturbed about his brother's disruption. The calm euphoria evaporated quickly. Still sitting with his eyes closed Ender replied with a sigh,

"What is so pressing that you have emerged from your fortress, Lucian?" Ender asked.

"A letter," Lucian replied, his tone dour.

"From father?" Ender asked, finally standing and turning to meet his brother's gaze.

"No. The King,"