Chapter Four: The Difficult Art of Keeping Promises
Guardians of the Twilight Lands -- The Sixth Book of Unexpected Enlightenment
Chapter Four: The Difficult Art of Keeping Promises
Vlad walked Rachel through the ruined castle, down the tree-lined path, and by the security detail of Agents flanking the bench where the wall of trees opened onto the campus. After answering the guards’ questions, they continued by the lily pond and the Memorial Gardens, towards the campus proper. Rachel filled him in on all that had happened: her father’s questions, the fight with the barghests, the emergency call the Agents had received.
“Barghests.” Vlad frowned. “I do not recall them among the fey denizens of Roanoke Island. I make no claim to a memory such as yours, but matters of security seldom escape me.”
Rachel nodded. “They’re not local to Roanoke. These were British barghests. Father and I think this might indicate Morthbrood activity.”
“Ah, Morthbrood.” Vlad was silent for a few steps.
“Don’t you have former Morthbrood members living in Bavaria?” she asked casually, though in truth she was very curious about these persistent rumors.
“Father accepted refugees from among both Veltdammerung and the Morthbrood after the Terrible Years. They had to agree to severe security restrictions, but they had nowhere else to go, so a number did accept his terms.”
“Can you ask him about this?” asked Rachel, congratulating herself on holding a full conversation with him without once feeling afraid.
“I will inquire,” Dread replied, “though today may not be the best day to ask.”
“Why is that?” asked Rachel.
He pursed his lips. Rachel feared he would not answer. When he did, she almost wished he had not.
“My father is less than pleased by the news that his heir and the heir to the throne of Transylvania nearly came to blows on a ballroom floor.”
A lump formed in Rachel’s throat. So much for a fear-free conversation. That event was entirely her fault. Did he blame her? Between the treatment he received from her parents the time he walked her home and Princess Alexis Romanov throwing herself at him when, at Rachel’s request, he asked her to dance, she feared Vladimir would not want to do her a favor again.
There were other things she would have liked to tell him, but the lump in her throat took up all the room, leaving no space for words.
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