The Vampire & Her Witch-Chapter 343: Rumors

Four days since Heila’s crushing victory over the Tuscan warriors, rumors once again swept through High Fen City, this time with even greater fervor than the arrival of the Mother of Trees and her unbeatable Willow Witch.

By now, everyone had forgotten the rumors that had painted the noble and refined Mother of Trees as a pauper from the impoverished Vale of Mists. It was as clear as the bright blue autumn sky to anyone with eyes in the arena that this human witch was a woman of grace, elegance, and strength that no one could fathom.

Never before had the people of High Fen City seen the strength of a witch on display in their sacred arena and now they finally knew why. Witches had nothing to fear from the arena’s challenges, rather, there was little there that could challenge them

With Heila’s final victory feeling increasingly assured, people turned their attention to the latest rumor circulating in the busy markets and the shaded parks. Farmers from the outlying villages had already brought word of a powerful force on the march. Hundreds of soldiers, no, thousands, no, tens of thousands of soldiers, all marching under the banner of an Eldritch Lord that no one recognized.

"A hundred thousand strong, and not a soldier less," an apple seller confidently told the young women gathered at his stall as he filled a sack for them. "They say it’s just an honor guard for the lord that’s come to challenge High Lady Erna to a duel in the arena. Mark my words, by winter, we may be tithing to a new High Lord, or even a Great Lord!"

"I heard that the Golden Eyed Clan marches at the head of a great army," an excited voice said in a small cafe elsewhere in the city. "They say that they’re refugees. A motley bunch of refugees who escaped the destruction of High Lord Hamdi’s Tangled Tower. They’re coming here to beg High Lady Erna to take them in."

"Hush, none of that here," a worried-looking shopkeeper said as he poured fresh mulled cider for the pair of young men gossipping at a small table in the corner of the cafe. "What if it’s true, eh? You think you’re strong enough to fight off High Lord Hamdi’s men if they hear you’ve been talking down on them? Even a starving wolf can kill a rabbit and what are you but a juicy rabbit to the likes of them?"

"I’m no rabbit," the young man from the clan of painted masks protested. "I’ll be sixteen come spring and I’m already enrolled in the Crimson Blade Academy. I’ll be a gladiator on the sands in two year’s time!"

"Sure, a gladiator in two years, but a rabbit today," the shopkeeper said. "So mind your tongue. Besides," he added, leaning in close and giving the young man a conspiratorial wink. "Have you forgotten who has been keeping our High Lady Erna company in the arena lately? I hear that Her Dominion Ashlynn has called up the rest of her coven from across the land and she’s just waiting for them to gather here before she returns to the Vale of Mists..."

Some rumors were more wildly exaggerated than others, and the only people who knew the truth weren’t saying anything, or at least, they weren’t saying anything to the common folk.

Rumors of an impending attack died almost instantly when soldiers and staff from High Lady Erna’s palace assembled in force near the city’s North Gate and all along the thoroughfares leading from the gate to the palace.

The streets were swept clean and vendors with carts on the street were ordered to move their business to a side street or close for the day. Velvet ropes in rich, royal purple were hung at intersections, blocking people from entering the larger street and stone-faced soldiers took up positions to keep back the growing crowd as onlookers gathered to see what the fuss was about.

People still didn’t know who was coming to their city, but one thing was clear. Whoever this esteemed visitor was, they were being welcomed with open arms. The only question in the minds of the more politically savvy people in the city was whether those open arms concealed a knife for the visitor’s back or not.

After all, just because a person was greeted with great pomp and circumstance didn’t mean they were a welcome visitor, and when you thought about it, what kind of welcome visitor arrived with an entire army at their back?

When the sun slipped below the western horizon, and still no one had arrived, some people began to mutter, wondering if the esteemed visitor was trying to deliberately snub the people of High Fen City by dragging out their arrival until the last minute. Others, however, remembered the rumors from a day or two prior, when people spoke of the defeated forces of High Lord Hamdi.

"I heard it from my cousin’s husband who’s a soldier at the east gate," an animated old man said in hushed tones to the disbelieving people around him. "High Lord Hamdi isn’t just part of the Golden Eyed Clan, he’s a vampire who’s ruled the Tangled Wood for centuries. The people who are coming here, they’re his defeated progeny. That’s why they won’t arrive until after dark. They’re vampires!"

"Enough with your vampire stories," a nearby neighbor said with a derisive snort. "You’ve been on and on about vampires ever since the Blood Princess visited at the end of spring. You’ve never been within ten thousand paces of a vampire and you never will!"

"Oh? Then why do you think they’re getting here so late if they aren’t vampires?" The old man said, using a well-worn cane to prod at his younger companion. "If they were coming tomorrow, High Lady Erna wouldn’t have blocked the road today. So why are they so late if they’re not vampires?"

"It could be anything," the younger man said, crossing his arms and refusing to back down. "A carriage with a broken axel. A washed-out bridge across one of the canals. There are perfectly ordinary explanations for these things that don’t involve centuries-old vampires risking days of sunlight to travel from their domains to High Fen City."

"Sure, sure," the old man said. "But then... THEY’RE HERE! THEY’RE HERE!" Whatever he’d been planning to say was forgotten as he cried out in excitement, pointing at a nearby hill to the north.

From the streets of High Fen City, it looked as if the entire hill had caught fire. The light to the north grew brighter and brighter as members of the Glass Eyed Clan pointed out individual torches and lanterns clustering together before the entire mass of flame began to stretch and flow down the hill toward the North Gate.

The river of flame seemed endless, stretching for half a league before anyone saw the end of it as it snaked its way to the city. Faintly, those in the crowd with keen senses could hear the clatter of horses hooves on the cobblestone road and mingled with that sound, the deep, steady beat of drums and the steady march of boots.

Conversation among the people stilled to a whisper as everyone craned their necks out as far as they could, leaning over the velvet ropes and staring toward the North Gate, each of them hoping to be the first to witness the arrival of their mysterious guest...