Chapter Twenty Seven: The King's Huntress

I held Cinder for a long time before she went silent. After she stopped trembling we just stood and clung to one another, for what seemed like hours. Until the inevitable division came and she pulled gently away from me, still in my arms, But far enough away for her look at the shining metal of my mask, glowing slightly under the light of the sun.

After a few seconds of staring into my shadowed eyes, her hands reached up to remove it and I stopped her with a firm hand.

“Cin... things have changed. My face is different now, but it's me. You have to believe it's me and stay calm. Ok?” I said the words slowly, making sure every single one of them reached her.

Cinder stared at me for a few more seconds and I noticed she began to bite her bottom lip. She did this when she was nervous and was trying not to show it. While she had changed a lot over the past four hundred years it was still easy to see the little girl I had once known.

Cinder took a deep breath and nodded, her eyes showing no signs of beginning to glow, a telltale symptom that the hunger was beginning to take control and her emotions taking precedence over reason. She shook my hand off gently, placed both hands onto the sides of the mask and lifted it off, the metal catching on my long hair and pulling it up with her before it tumbled down around my shoulders.

For a second she just stood there, drinking in my new face, her mouth forming a soft 'O' as she examined every inch with vampiric eyes. Thankfully, she was remaining calm, which could only mean she was back in complete control.

She raised a hand up again and placed it against my cheek, causing me to smile. Her skin was still cold from using Aspect of Ice in the battle and it was cool to the touch.

“How? I don't understand this. Any of this. Marwen said she saw you die, Father. She saw you fall under a group of church Paladins. Why would she lie?” Cinder's eyes looked panicky and distant as she stared into mine “Why are you so young? You look younger than I do...”

I raised a hand and placed it onto hers “A lot of things have happened, Cin. Too many things for me to really explain right now.”

Her eyes suddenly became hardened rubies and I noticed her jaw clench. “Try. I'm not a child any more, Father. I need to know what's going on.”

I nodded “I know, Cinder. It is... complicated. The gist of it is that I have to get the girl, destroy an ancient evil and save the world. You know, the usual stuff.” I finished trying to look dashing, my eyes looking outwards towards an unseen horizon. Cinder kept a straight face for all of three seconds before a giggle left her lips and she gave me a gentle punch in the ribs.

“You're an idiot.”

I shrugged “I know, but it's true, believe it or not. I've got to do a few other things as well, but that's the general idea. You were my first stop when I got back.”

Cinder laughed “That's obviously not true. You went to get the mask and the sword. I heard Marwen was very upset about that. She even sent her and Heilvol's pet project, the Knight Descendants, to deal with 'the thief'.”

I began to scratch the fledgling beard that had developed on my jaw “I know. I ran into them, seemed like they were good enough, but their teamwork was awful from what I saw. Haven't been together for very long, have they?”

Cinder raised an eyebrow “You didn't kill them did you?”

“Of course not, why would I do something like that? If I was going to kill anything in Ellai it would've been my fucking sword. Which was trying to kill me by the way... again.” I hissed the last word at Xolumbrandir, which stood behind us, still planted into the ground. The sword let out a hiss of it's own that put mine to shame.

Cin contained a laugh and left my grasp, walking up to the sword and touching it's pommel. The sword immediately let out a series of long hisses that could've easily been misconstrued as purring.

Yeah, for some reason Xolumbrandir likes Cinder.

“Remember when you first brought Xolumbrandir back to Ellai? I always said that if you treated it well it would've returned the favour. But no, you decided to insult it at every opportunity, no wonder it dislikes you.”

I let loose a little laugh before I walked up to Cinder and Xolumbrandir, pulling the sword out of the ground in one smooth motion and sliding it into the scabbard that Ada had gifted me.

“I know it too well, I'm afraid. And it knows me too well. I don't think there can be anything but mutual hate between us”

Cinder smiled at me and I felt myself naturally smile in return. But then I noticed the destruction, the blood that covered the walls of the various buildings in the noble district, the bodies that lay still nearby and my smile faded.

“Why are you doing this, Cin?” I said quietly, my eyes still examining the plaza. I noticed a body near the eastern entrance, it had been driven into the wall so hard that it had become a pile of mush, little remaining of the living being it had once been.

At my words Cinder's head fell forwards and she examined the ground, sheepishly. There was little guilt in her movement but I expected that. Cinder was never guilty when it came to drinking, she had been that way before and I didn't expect her to change. She loved the blood, the death, the violence. Before we had found her that was all she had. Vampires in Scarl Forest had chased her for months before we had accidentally stumbled over one of her latest kill zones.

“It was a solution. I couldn't leave the castle as often as when I was your Huntress and General. I didn't have the time, so it seemed that this was a good alternative. I sate my thirst and everyone has a chance of winning in The Hunt.” She said the words carefully, as if she had practised them in the mirror and perhaps she had.

“You know that's bullshit, little one. No one has a chance of winning as long as you're playing. Especially at your own game. Why don't you drink from the servants in the castle? Or get someone to drain some for you to drink when you're hungry? Like we used to back in Ellai?”

Cinder's shoulders began to shake “I've been getting worse, Father. I used to enjoy the Hunt, when I served you in Ellai. Now it's gotten to the point that I can't start drinking without killing someone. I went through a whole brigade of servants before Palite and I came to that conclusion. She helped me put this together.”

I cocked my head, confused “Who is Palite?”

“She was the one who helped me when I first got here. I was angry. You were gone, Marwen just left with Valant, Faral took off like only she can, Heilvol and Drogna tried to pick up the pieces of The Court and Abhor just ran away. I killed the old Queen and her followers. I don't know why, I just needed something to do, something to make me feel like I had value. I only ever felt worth as your Huntress so I set about ending everyone who had supported the church.”

I was silent for a moment, shocked and disgusted that everyone had abandoned the girl. She was my daughter, she was like a niece to the others, why would they just leave her behind? Fury built up inside me and mana began to subconsciously be drawn in.

Those fuckers were my Knights! They were supposed to help each other, support each other but as soon as I was gone they had run away, leaving everything behind. I felt my hands close into fists and the mana flow increase, enough for Cinder to break out of her trance and cause worry to grow in her eyes.

She walked up and wrapped her arms around me, leaning her head against my tunic, still damp from her tears “Don't worry, Father. I'm fine. Heilvol and Drogna asked me to stay but they didn't have the time to spend with me like they used to. They were trying to save what was left of Ellai. I didn't want to be a burden”

“It should've been Marwenna! I told her that if anything happened to me she should take care of you. But she just left, as did Abhor and Faral!”

She pulled away from me, looking up and smiling “ You know, with that new face, you look like a spoiled little noble when you're this upset”

The smile on her face made me pause for a second, before I chuckled and, with difficulty, managed to cut off the flow of mana to my body. I patted her head and moved back, stretching my arms and trying to get rid of the feeling that had just run through me. What was concerning was the mana that I was drawing in without my knowledge. I had never had a problem with that before but now it had happened three times... was this something to do with Arcana? Perhaps the new changes to my body? I couldn't know, but hopefully I would soon know where to start searching for the answers.

“I'll help you fix your hunger, Cin. We did it before and we can do it again. Together.” I smiled at the girl in an attempt to remove my mind from the thoughts of my failing body. “Until you get a handle on it, you'll be drinking from me for as long as I'm here. No exceptions.”

Cinder's eyes widened in protest “Father! I've already told you I'm not a child any more! You can't tell me what I can and can't eat, that's just ridiculous. I'm four hundred and fifty three years old!”

I shrugged “Unfortunately little one, I can tell you what you can and can't eat when it comes to people. I'm pretty sure we've had this conversation before.”

“Yes, when I had just turned thirty two. I wanted to go hunt my own dinner and you wouldn't let me.” Cinder said scathingly. I remembered that day well. She had been all smiles when she had come to my armoury to ask but had left in one of the biggest tempers I had ever seen. Her magic was just beginning to blossom then but she had already perfected her ice claws. The tower was a wreck, large scars ripped into the walls. She hid in her room for three days and wouldn't come out no matter who came to see her.

“So, Palite? Is she Bell's mother?” I asked, remembering the story that the Vampire Commander had told me and trying to change the subject before Cin tried to change my mind.

“Yes! Did you meet Bell? You didn't hurt her did you? She's my friend, Father. She's like a sister to me.” She asked the question almost accusingly.

I rolled my eyes “Why are you jumping to the conclusion that I hurt her? I'm not that bad, you know.”

“I know what you can get like sometimes, I wouldn't put it past you if Bell said the wrong thing. Sometimes she says things to act tough, but she's really just a sweetheart.”

I smiled “A sweetheart whose also the commander of her own mercenary unit? Black Tusk is very impressive. In fact, I don't think I could've gotten the sword or made it out of Ellai without them.”

“Really? I knew that Bell would find the thief. She's really good at that sort of thing, I trained her in magic you know.” Cinder said, a look of pride appearing on her face.

I nodded “I can see why, her skill is nothing to laugh at. Fire suits her.”

“Yeah, I tried to get her to take up Water but she liked the idea of us being opposites. Maybe you could give her a couple of lessons? I did what I could but Fire is the opposite of my element. I know she could reach her insight soon if she had the right teacher, but she didn't want anyone but me.”

I smiled and looked off into the distance, my mind going back to Bell and others. Perhaps it would be a good idea to train them, if nothing else, it would be a thank you for helping me get this far. I understood what Cinder meant, someone who specialised in one element can only help someone with another through the basics of understanding. Cin had done well to teach Bell as well as she had, considering the opposing natures of Fire and Water.

“Speaking of magic, I see you've mastered Blood, quite the feat. I sensed something change in your aura during your battle, something I didn't recognise. Have you had an Insight into Blood?” I asked curiously and a bit excitedly. I have to admit I was very impressed with Cin's new Blood manipulation. If she had received an insight it would be enough to recognise Blood as a third school of advanced Water Manipulation.

Cin grinned and flushed a little at my praise “Yes! It took me a long time but I managed to reach an understanding. First I had to gain an insight into Healing. For some reason all three are needed to control Blood, it's fascinating! The way it moves and feels is similar to Water but it's completely different. I'll teach you if you want?” Cinder said the last part hesitantly, probably unsure I would want to learn a magical technique that is so... brutal. But I immediately nodded.

“I'd love to! You've discovered an entirely new School, Cin! Do you know how amazing that is?”

Cinder flushed an even deeper shade of red and her grin only widened as she swayed from side to side from my praise.

“I've only recently reached a level of understanding that I feel confident enough to submit it the Great Library in Mytos. If they accept my research, it'll be officially recognised and they'll even offer to teach it at The Spires!” Cinder said excitedly, her gaze distant as her hands rubbed against one another in glee. It seems that my love of research into all things magical had been picked up by my daughter. I'd only ever seen her this excited when she's talking about eating.

It was then that I heard the rustle of fabric and looked up. There, standing in the doorway I had left him in, was the vampire I had saved from Cinder's wrath. His eyes wide in terror as he limped forwards, his gaze running over the plaza before eventually resting on us. There seemed to be a wound on his head that sent blood gushing onto the ground, but I doubt Cinder had caused it. It had probably happened when I had thrown him through the doorway. Thankfully, he seemed relatively unharmed, just in a state of shock that he was still alive and had all his blood in his veins.

“What... what's going on?” He whispered, his eyes darting between Cinder and myself, he was shaking so badly that I was afraid he would shatter his bones from the force of it.

Cinder was suddenly gone from my side and appeared in front of the man, a smile etched into her face, a smile I could see easily thanks to my enhanced vision and the reflection of the expression in the glassy surface of the man's eyes.

“Hey again, sorry about the little interruption. Where were we?” Cinder said easily as her blood claws appeared on the tips of her fingers and her eyes gave off a dull glow.

“Cin!” I said sharply and the blood claws immediately dissipated as she turned to look at me, a hint of panic in her eyes, although not as much as the man who was currently as white as a ghost and looking like he had just witnessed his own death. I suppose he had in a way.

“Father... Come on, please? No one has ever won one of these Hunts, not since Abhor. Please? I have a reputation to maintain... and I'm really hungry.” She said, pouting slightly. I had seen this trick before as well.

“You're not as cute as you were when you were little, Cin, and even then the whole puppy eyes thing didn't work. How can you still be hungry? You just had at least thirty full sized people.”

“Well... I.... I'm just hungry, ok!”She said angrily as I felt her begin to draw in mana once again.

“Cinder. Let the man go, I'll give you some of my blood later if you're still hungry. That's the deal, remember?” I said with smirk. I knew she would listen to me, she always did.

“Can't really be called a deal if it's all one sided....” Cin muttered.

“What was that?”

Her eyes were stones “Nothing!” She turned to the man and put her best smile on, her expression shining “Congratulations! Today, I don't get to eat you! You have won this months Hunt! Please speak with the guard at the nearest District gate to be given your prize of one hundred gold coins!”

The man just kind of stared at her for a second, his eyes so wide that they looked like they were about to pop out of his skull.

“I'd run if I were you, fellow. I can tell Cinder not to do something but that only works so many times before she just does it.” I said, grinning at the man as he moved his gaze from Cinder to me and then back again.

“Run! Quick march!” I shouted. He immediately gave out a cry and began to sprint out of the plaza, his feet barely touching the ground as he moved.

“And just like that, my winning streak is broken.” Cin sighed as she walked back over to me, both of us watching the man as he disappeared around a corner.

“I think that's for the best, little one. I don't want you doing these hunts any more. We'll come up with an alternative. How are you supposed to help me defeat the evil I talked about without being able to control your hunger?”

She looked at me suddenly, her eyes filled with hope “Are you saying... am I your Knight again?”

I laughed “Of course you're my Knight, Cinder. You'll always be my Knight”

The girl let out a squeal of joy before a look sombre concentration fell over her face. She took three steps back from me and took a knee, her head bowed before me. I didn't interrupt. This meant a lot to her. The first time she made this oath she was practising for weeks.

“I, Cinder, Queen of the Vampires, do swear to serve and protect you, my King, through war and peace. I serve as your shield, your sword and your companion. I am your blade in the darkness, I am your will in the night. I am your Huntress from this day, until the day that marks my death in your service.”

I took a step forward and placed a hand onto the top of her head “I, Corus, King of the Rebel Court, accept your oath Cinder, Queen of the Vampires. From this day forward you will serve as my shield, my sword and my companion. You are my blade in the darkness, my will in the night. You are my Huntress from this day, until the day that marks your death in my service. Rise.”

Cinder jumped to her feet and threw her arms around me, squeezing tight as I laughed and spun her around. She had done the exact same thing when she was younger, after saying this oath the first time. While the Knight's oaths were really quite similar, they each wrote the last parts themselves. Cinder insisted on hers, despite the whole 'death in service' thing. She seemed to be just as excited to be my Knight again as she was the first time.

“I'm so glad you're back, Father. The others are going to be so excited!”

I smiled and gave her one last squeeze before setting her down “I know they will, little one. But there is something I must tell you. I need you to remain calm, ok?”

Cinder suddenly got an uneasy look in her eye “That bad?”

I nodded “That bad... It's about Marwenna.”