Chapter 80: Finding Clues I
The house stood alone on the outskirts of the village, where cultivated fields slowly surrendered to untamed woodland.
Unlike the imposing estates scattered throughout the vampire capital, this residence possessed an almost deceptive simplicity. Its stone walls had weathered countless seasons, ivy climbed lazily across the outer pillars, and a broad wooden balcony overlooked rolling hills painted gold beneath the afternoon sun. Anyone passing by would have mistaken it for the quiet home of a wealthy traveler seeking solitude.
Only a handful of people knew who truly occupied it.
The balcony remained silent except for the faint crackle of burning tobacco.
Xandros sat comfortably in a weathered wooden chair, one leg crossed over the other, a thin trail of smoke rising from the cigarette balanced lazily between his fingers. His grey eyes wandered across the distant landscape without truly seeing it. The breeze stirred his dark hair, carrying away the smoke before it could gather around him.
He looked completely relaxed.
Almost peaceful.
The sound of approaching footsteps broke the silence.
He did not immediately turn.
Only when the footsteps stopped behind him did he glance over his shoulder.
Adrian stood near the balcony entrance, his travelling coat draped loosely over one shoulder after what was clearly a long ride from the village. Dust still clung to the hem of his boots, yet his calm expression remained unchanged.
Their eyes met briefly.
Xandros acknowledged him with nothing more than a faint nod before turning back toward the horizon.
"You took longer than I expected," he remarked quietly.
Adrian walked onto the balcony at an unhurried pace.
"The village was crowded."
"So I imagined."
Another silence settled between them.
It was never uncomfortable.
After centuries of friendship, neither of them felt compelled to fill every quiet moment with conversation.
Finally, Adrian folded his arms.
"Your visitor came."
The cigarette paused halfway to Xandros’s lips.
"Did she?"
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
Adrian noticed.
"They both came."
"They waited."
"When you didn’t appear, they searched the market before eventually finding me."
A slow curl of smoke escaped Xandros as he exhaled.
"And?"
Adrian studied him for a moment.
"The other girl was worried."
A faint smile threatened to appear.Xandros suppressed it.
"Bothered enough to ask whether you were truly injured."
He remained silent.
"She even asked if she could visit you."
This time the corner of Xandros’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.
"So..."
Adrian continued.
"...your little plan worked rather well."
"It wasn’t much of a plan."
"No?"
"You conveniently disappeared."
"I was genuinely unavailable."
"They believed you."
"They were supposed to."
Adrian’s expression gradually became thoughtful.
"You know..."
He leaned lightly against one of the carved wooden pillars.
"...she seems remarkably gullible."
The words had barely left his mouth before something changed.
Xandros turned fully toward him.
The relaxed expression vanished.
Without a word, he lowered the cigarette and crushed it beneath the heel of his boot.
Ash scattered across the wooden floorboards.
Then he stood.
The movement was slow.
Controlled.
Almost lazy.
Yet Adrian recognized the warning hidden beneath it.
Xandros stepped forward until they stood only a few feet apart.
His grey eyes settled steadily on Adrian.
"No."
His voice remained soft.
"She isn’t gullible."
A pause.
"She’s only that way with me."Another heartbeat passed.
"And only I can make her like that."
There was no arrogance in the statement.
No boast.
Merely certainty.
Adrian stared at him before letting out a quiet sigh.
"There it is."
"What?"
"The confidence that worries me."
Xandros only smiled.
The moment passed as quickly as it had arrived.
He walked back into the sitting room, lowered himself into a broad leather chair and stretched comfortably, resting one ankle over the opposite knee before placing both feet upon the low table standing before him.
Outside, the wind continued rustling the trees.
Inside, the atmosphere gradually relaxed once more.
Adrian crossed the room toward a polished cabinet standing against the far wall.
Several crystal bottles rested neatly upon its shelves.
He selected one without asking permission.
"You were always a terrible guest," Xandros remarked.
"I’ve stopped pretending otherwise."
He poured amber liquor into a crystal glass before swirling it thoughtfully beneath the light.
The rich scent filled the room immediately.
After taking a slow sip, Adrian finally looked toward his friend again."I also came because of something else." that immediately caught Xandros’s attention.
His posture straightened almost imperceptibly.
"The investigation?"
Adrian nodded.
"It seems we’ve underestimated Lord Morvane."
Silence settled again.
This time it carried a different weight.
"The reports arriving from the other territories all point toward the same conclusion."
He placed the glass carefully upon the table.
"He’s preparing for something considerably larger than another political dispute."
Xandros’s expression became unreadable.
"And?"
"And..."Adrian hesitated briefly.
"...he isn’t acting alone."
One dark eyebrow lifted.
"Our informants traced several of his recent movements."
"They repeatedly disappear near abandoned villages where unusual magical activity has been reported."
Xandros listened without interruption.
"The witnesses describe strange rituals."
"Missing livestock."
"People claiming they hear voices in forests where no one should be."
Another pause followed.
"When we connected everything together..."
Adrian’s voice lowered.
"...every trail eventually led back to the same thing."
"A witch."
For the first time during the conversation...
Genuine curiosity flickered through Xandros’s eyes.
"A witch?"
Adrian nodded.
"We don’t know her name."
"We don’t know where she lives."
"But every reliable source agrees on one thing."
"Lord Morvane depends upon her."
He leaned back slightly.
"In fact..."
"I suspect he isn’t truly the one directing events anymore."
Xandros regarded him carefully.
"You believe he’s become someone else’s puppet."
"I do."
Silence lingered.
Then...
A quiet laugh escaped Xandros.
Not mocking.
Interested.
He rested his chin lightly against one hand.
"I’d like to meet her."
Adrian blinked.
"...What?"
"The witch."
"I’d like to know whether she’s worth everyone’s concern."
Adrian almost laughed.
"And how exactly do you intend to arrange that?"
"We’ve spent months searching."
"There isn’t a single reliable lead. No location, No identity, You can’t simply walk into the forest and expect her to introduce herself."
Xandros smiled.
"I have no intention of searching."
Adrian frowned.
"Then what?"
"The opposite."
He rose smoothly from the chair and wandered back toward the balcony.
Sunlight caught the edge of his profile as he looked toward the distant hills once more.
"If she possesses even half the influence people claim..."
"...then eventually she’ll become interested in me."
Adrian remained unconvinced.
"And if she doesn’t?"
Xandros’s smile widened.
"Then I’ll give her a reason."
He glanced over one shoulder.
"I won’t find the witch."
A pause.
"The witch will find me."
Those words settled heavily inside the room.
Adrian knew that expression.
He had seen it countless times over the centuries.
Whenever Xandros smiled like that...
Someone’s life inevitably became far more complicated.
Stretching his arms above his head, Xandros let out a contented breath.
"Now..."
"...I should prepare."
"For your visitor?"
Grey eyes sparkled with quiet amusement.
"Exactly."
Adrian shook his head slowly.
"I had a feeling."
"You usually do."
Setting the empty glass upon the cabinet, Adrian collected his coat.
"I’ll leave before I become involved in whatever you’re planning."
"Feel free."
As Adrian reached the doorway, he paused.
His hand rested against the frame while his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Toward the green-eyed girl who had looked genuinely relieved simply hearing that Xandros was recovering.
Toward the quiet concern she’d tried so hard to hide.
He knew Xandros.
Perhaps better than anyone alive.
Brilliant.
Patient.
Dangerously manipulative.
A corrupt vampire...
And a mixed-blood heir carrying generations of resentment beneath an effortless smile.
A volcano.....Silent until the moment it erupted.
Adrian closed his eyes briefly.
Lord Morvane had never understood what he was creating.
Years of favoring Silas while treating his Son as little more than an inconvenient reminder of a marriage he regretted...
Those choices had shaped Xandros into someone frighteningly unpredictable.
One day...
Someone would pay for them.
Adrian only prayed...
It wouldn’t be the innocent girl who had unknowingly wandered into his path.
Far away, within the peaceful walls of the Elven Palace, another mystery quietly began unfolding.
Lilian sat alone before the polished mirror inside her room.
Sunlight streamed through the open windows, illuminating the silver-backed brush gliding slowly through her dark hair. The palace buzzed with preparations outside, but for the first time all morning, she welcomed the rare silence.
She drew the brush through another long strand.
Then another.
Everything felt perfectly ordinary.
Until....
Her dull yellow eyes flashed.
Gold, Bright, Brilliant.
The change lasted barely a heartbeat.
She froze.
The brush stopped halfway through her hair.
"Lena..."
The whisper drifted softly through the room.
Lilian’s head snapped toward the sound.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"...Who’s there?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
She rose immediately, searching every corner of the chamber.
Behind the curtains.
Near the balcony.
Even beneath the bed.
Nothing.
No one.
Confused, she slowly returned to the mirror.
The reflection staring back at her showed nothing unusual.
Her eyes had already returned to their familiar dull yellow.
As though the golden light had never existed.
Lilian frowned deeply.
"...What is wrong with me?"
She remained staring at herself for several long moments before forcing out a small laugh.
"It must be my imagination."
Trying to dismiss the strange incident, she finished tying back her hair and placed the brush neatly upon the dressing table.
Yet as she walked toward the door...
The name echoed once more inside the quietest corner of her thoughts.
Lena.
This time...
No voice accompanied it.
Only an inexplicable feeling she couldn’t explain.
She paused with her hand resting against the door.
Then slowly shook her head.
"It’s nothing."
She whispered the words more to reassure herself than because she believed them.
Deep within her heart...
The name lingered.
And for reasons she could not understand...
It frightened her.
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