Chapter 172

— It's great that everything will be in the castle and there won't be any need for a village, but are you sure that vampires would prefer a room in the castle over their own house in the village?

— Of course not. We'll keep the houses. But we'll assign rooms to everyone as well. Imagine! A castle with large and spacious towers and cellars. You won't even need to go outside. Everyone can live comfortably inside. Almost like a dwarven city, only on the surface.

— And you don't need to go outside now.

— Well, that's different. Now you have to crawl through a narrow tunnel like a rat, while there you'll walk through wide corridors with carpets and other comforts! Like civilized people, not caged beasts!

Alexander nodded. The idea was indeed appealing.

— And I see you're not fond of the idea of your husband moving to the mountains?

— Let him move there himself! — The girl's indignation was so great that it seemed her eyes were blazing.

After the meeting, where it was decided to support the duke in his endeavor to claim the abandoned valuable assets of the Orodian army, Eugene did not abandon his idea of moving to live under the mountains. As soon as the Triumvirate gathered, he began promoting all the benefits of life under the mountain. Stale air, the musty smell of dungeons, and their dampness didn't seem to deter him at all. Fortunately, the majority of vampires disagreed with him. Even his supporters, and as it turned out, even his wife, were against it. There were times when it seemed he himself was opposed, but this thought was dismissed as heretical.

— The idea of expanding the castle is good. If I become a baron, we could easily build a castle bigger than the Savoyardi's. Will you prepare the plans by the time we return?

— Like taking candy from a baby!

And they parted, pleased with each other.

There were no clients. Kassia, the capital of the kingdom of Elur, was deserted. The noble lords and their soldiers had left with the royal army for the border. The mercenary companies had followed them there as well. And while craftsmen and merchants did visit the brothels, they weren't enough to go around. Lucia wandered the streets honestly and, not meeting anyone, decided to head home. She had been offered a place in the brothel many times, but she preferred this leisurely wandering through the night streets in search of clients.

The man who attacked her in the alley was very fast. After slashing the prostitute's throat, he greedily leaned over the wound and desperately gulped the blood pouring from it. When all the blood from the human body had ended up in his stomach, he released the dead body. Wildly looking around, the young man, dressed in the fine clothing favored by overseers, quickly left the crime scene.

The thirst drove him forward through the deserted, dark streets, while rage tore at his brain, demanding new victims. One or two more people that night and it would subside, retreating into the depths of his consciousness to resurface the next night. He was pleased with his new existence. The power appealed to the young man. And the right to control another's life thrilled him. It was no wonder he had joined those strange people; oh, it was not for nothing!

***

The cursed bridge greeted the caravan heading to the pass just like countless other caravans before it. The bridge didn't care. But the people in the caravan did. Some of them had participated in the battle and couldn't look at familiar places without shuddering. Now, only the numerous rows of graves reminded them that this place was different from others. The buried ashes of fallen warriors were the only witnesses to the tragedy that had occurred the previous year. The surviving soldiers from that terrible battle crossed the bridge in silence.

On the other side of the river, a small camp had already been set up, where the main detachment awaited the vampires. Just like last time, they didn't make a detour and exit the city with everyone. They simply arrived by evening, set up the tents, and began waiting. And just before sunset, a scout patrol appeared.

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