The Vampire & Her Witch

"It’s enough," Master Tiernan said, picking up a long carving knife and spearing a section of roast boar with enough violence to suggest that he wished it was Owain Lothian before him rather than a hunk of roasted meat.

"Tiernan," Master Isabell said, looking at him with a complex expression as her normally placid companion lost much of his composure. "There are still things we should consider. Perhaps we should discuss this privately tonight and return tomorrow," she said, casting a questioning glance at the dark-haired youth.

"No, we’ve heard enough," Tiernan said. "Already, I don’t know how I can tolerate being in that conniving lordling’s presence after what I’ve heard tonight. No, I want to hear what kind of help this young fellow wants from us. Maybe then I can feel like I’m doing something to wash this, this sickening feeling from my belly."

Already, the notion of crushing Owain Lothian’s skull between a pair of his forging hammers or even with his bare hands had flickered through the normally gentle giant’s mind, but he instantly shoved them down. Owan was a well trained and powerful knight and brute strength would never be enough to overcome him.

Moreover, if he attacked the Lothian heir, the retribution wouldn’t be confined to him alone. He might be a powerful guild master in Blackwell County, but he was still a commonor and the crime of assaulting a nobelman carried a sentance that would punish his wife and children at the same time it punished him.

The consequences were simply too great to bear, whether he succeeded or not, so he could only swallow his rage and look for a more constructive way to work against the murderous lordling.

"What I hope you can do, right now, is actually very simple," Marcel said, clearing aside his plate filled with tiny morsels and fetching a rolled up map of Lothian March to lay out his request. "I’ll be honest with you, you’ve arrived in Lothian March sooner than Lady Ashlynn and I expected when I helped her to deliver those letters," he began.

"This is good because it gives us time, but also dangerous for you because you’ve arrived before she can do much to ensure your safety," Marcel explained. "Right now, the very best thing that you can do is to serve as a wedge between a few factions and don’t let anyone sweep you entirely into their camp."

"No need to worry about that," Isabell said, finally summoning enough appetite to select a small meat pie to nibble on while Marcel spoke. The buttery crust of the pastry broke into dozens of soft flakes as soon as she cut into it with a fork and the rich, earthy smell of fresh herbs and minced lamb helped to ground thoughts as she nibbled. "We have no intention of allying ourselves closely with Owain Lothian, even before all of this. We’ve always intended to stand where Lady Ashlynn stands."

"That’s a good notion for later, once Lady Ashlynn makes her return," Marcel said, weighting down the corners of the map with a handful of serving utensils as he began to explain. "Owain’s greatest support comes from the barons to the south and west," he said, gesturing at the Hanrahan and Aleese baronies that bordered Airgead Mountain and the Southern Steppe respectively.