Enid leaned on the wooden pillar that held up the cover for the pig pen. She wore her standard black tunic, pants and riding boots. The hood of her cloak was up and she had the familiar weight of Bloodseeker at her hip. She had her arms crossed and was tapping fingers the sides of her chest. She stopped realizing what she was doing. All this time among the humans, some of their mannerisms had rubbed off on her and she scowled under her hood. She heard the rumble of thunder and glanced up at the roiling black clouds that concealed the moon and stars.

Dark and stormy night, how cliché.

She heard a door close gently and footsteps approached. A loud whisper called out into the pitch-black night.

“Are you there milady?”

The pigs grunted in response to the whisper milling about.

They know the voice, good.

Enid let the shadows that clung tightly fall away. She had no intent for it to be for dramatic effect but when the lightning arc across the clouds and her silhouette appeared out of nowhere the person who had summoned her stumbled backwards falling against some buckets making a loud ruckus.

Enid leaped forward and offered her hand.

“Yes Jacob, I’m here.”

“Oh, thank god it’s you milady.”

“Trust me he’d mostly like tell you not to do that where I’m concerned. What was so important you dragged me out of my estate in the midst of a summer storm eve before my wedding?”

“I… I… well… You see.”

Enid snapped her fingers.

“Out with-it Jacob.”

“Well, some of the men, they’ve been gathering forces and weapons to uh, revolt tomorrow.”

“How did you come by this information?”

“Well, you see, they umm, approached me… err”

Enid took his hand gently she could hear the terror in his voice.

“I wanted to say something, but I was scared of them, of you.”

“It’s okay Jacob, I absolve you of any crimes you may have committed, just tell me what you know.”

“Well, they approached me about a month ago. And they said that they thought I might be interested since you had, well insulted my manhood in front of the village. They said they weren’t going to allow a new tyrant to enslave them like their parents had been enslaved. They said now was the time since you were a Lord with no standing army. And you are a woman, you’d be weak.”

Enid closed her eyes, released Jacob’s hand, and clinched her fists. Jacob cowered as the waves of anger radiated off Enid.

“Those were their exact words? That I’m a woman and I’d be weak?”

“There were other things they said, about what they’d do…”

“Did they?”

“Yes, milady, I played along, but when they said what they’d do once they killed your guards, I just couldn’t let them. You helped me so much, Jameson took me in, I am betrothed. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be the weird boy of the village.”

“Jacob, I’m not angry with you, I appreciate that you risked yourself to gather the information you did.”

“But ma’am, there’s one thing. They took some women and children. For people who resisted. They threatened things. They think I’m with them so the left my betrothed be but there are others they have captured.”

“Tell me where.”

“There in a barn, it used to belong to a family that was killed taking goods home from market. You know just before the monster attacks started?”

“It wasn’t a monster Jacob, just a rabid wolf, killed it myself.”

“I know milady.”

“How many are there?”

“Fifteen, maybe sixteen. There is one he’s the one instigating stuff, kind of a leader, don’t know who he is, he’s a pale man. Never seen him before by the others they seem to know him, said he’s lived in town as long as they remember. He’s the one who said they should start kidnapping wives and children to get more men.”

“Oh, did he? Describe him to me please Jacob, spare no detail.”

“I donno, he has a greying beard, long blonde hair. He’s tall, giant of a man, full six foot, and fifteen stone I’d say.”

“Einar, not content to wait, fool.”

“You know him Milady.”

“I’m acquainted with him.”

“Milady, you know most of them, they wouldn’t be doing this if he wasn’t pushing them. Everyone knows you’re kind and generous. And merciful. Look at a poor wretch like me, doing stuff with pigs cause I was told it would make me more of a man. Now I’m betrothed, and I have a pig farm.”

“Jacob, I will give them a chance to surrender. Stay inside tonight. You have my word I will give them a chance, and I will save the innocents among them. Einar will see his last dawn.”

“Yes Milady.”

“In two days, you need to come to the keep, I want a full list of names of all involved. Every single one. We can’t let this fester or leave any free to spread further lies. What they have contemplated is suicide and if someone decides to be a hero of the people they will die and the King and Duke will demand retribution for the revolt, do you understand? Tell no one what you know except me, I will deal with is personally, no need for the King’s men to show up and start accusing innocent folks like yourself. He’s been known to execute entire towns for contemplating this.”

“I understand Milady.”

“Thank you, Jacob. Now go inside and bar your doors and windows.”

“Yes Milady.”

Enid pulled up her hood and walked to Noctus who waited nearby.

Things are going to get bloody tonight and loud. Go back to the keep boy.

Enid patted Noctus, who neighed and shook his head.

Go, now. This is work for me and me alone.

Noctus stomped his front hooves but then began to gallop in the direction of the keep. Enid wrapped her cloak about her then leapt into the air. She could feel the fighting wind currents and the thickness of the air. Lightning flashed across the sky again and she landed beside the barn silently wrapping the shadows around herself. She leaned against the old wood of the barn closing her eyes and listened. She recognized Einar’s gravelly voice immediately.

“Tomorrow you will taste freedom. Those of you loyal to the cause will be richly rewarded. I have much power I can share and will. Drink and we will be blood brothers. Then we’ll take what we want from the women of the men too weak to keep them safe.”

Enid sighed. They’ll have to die now. I hope the women and children aren’t seeing this or hearing this. He’s plying them with blood convincing them to do things they wouldn’t normally do, make it easy to kill and fight tomorrow when the self-loathing sets in.

Enid crept along the side of the barn as rain began to pelt her. She looked through the various loosely attached boards. She saw no sign of the women and children. She looked around and spied the house. She noticed the guard, it was one of Odocar’s former lackeys. His death was swift, she flitted to him in a flash and snapped his neck laying his body down gently. She could hear someone talking inside. Was another voice she recognized, another one of Odocar’s lackeys. He was right behind the door.

So that’s where you lot got off to, sucking on Einar’s tit.

“You all look so tasty, always favored children though. Who wants to be spared? Give me your daughter and you can leave. Won’t hurt her much.”

Not tonight.

Enid kicked the door in. Burst through it. The force of the action making her hood fall off her head. Sending the man spawling. Inside were several women and several children, all cowering together. Tears, cries of fear filled the tight space of the home. Odocar’s lackey pushed himself up and drew his blade, which he dropped immediately upon seeing Enid’s face.

“It’s not what it looks like, I uh…”

“You think I’m deaf, I heard exactly what you said, you sick son of a bitch. I’m going to hang you from your entrails as a warning to the rest of you lot.”

“Please no! I was just.”

Enid kicked his sword up, grabbed it with her hand and threw it with more strength than she should have. She sent him flying back into the wall, the blade buried itself deep leaving him dangling like a puppet. He coughed and gagged. It would kill him, but he’d probably last a bit.

“Suffer you sick disgusting cockroach.”

The silence of the room that the fight had caused was suddenly disrupted by retching and muffled screams of children as their mothers tried to silence them.

“Go quickly but do it quietly. Enid motioned to the door.”

The house emptied rapidly, leaving only one woman with two toddlers. Enid recognized her immediately, it was Annie. Another hesitated, she had a single child with her, Katherine. The pair looked at her.

“Milady will you be alright?”

“I’ll be fine, hurry you have only a bit of time before the storm gets worse.”

Enid pulled up her hood and made her way to the barn. The doors were closed.

Won’t have to limit myself here. Einar made it easy.

Enid pulled the doors open and walked through them. She looked around. She recognized several of the men from town and two vampires, Einar, and Rolf. Father and Son. The townsfolk didn’t recognize her, but Einar and Rolf immediately reached for weapons. The closest man drunk from the power of the blood he just drank walked forward.

“What are you doing here boy?”

Enid didn’t respond, she just reached out her hand towards him, clenched her fist and pulled her fist towards her. When he landed at her feet she stepped on his head, his skull popped, and blood gushed all over the floor. There were screams of surprise and terror. She pulled her hood down her eyes glowed an eerie golden light her fangs where out as she unleashed the fullness of her rage on the room. Several of the new bound blood slaves had quickly growing puddles at their feet on themselves and one clutched his chest and died on the spot. Others scrambled into corners shivering.

“I was kind. I was patient. I didn’t throw my weight around. I didn’t take any territory away. I helped you pugmentia as much as I could. Then you plot behind my back. Did you think it would be so easy? Did you think I was oblivious to your plot?”

The axes of Einar and Rolf both wavered. As the pair stepped back. They were able to keep their senses unlike the mortals around them.

“You truly do not understand the power of the royal family, do you? What we are capable of when driven to anger, unshackled by the covenants that protect you from us as much as us from the mortals. You made it easy for me, by giving these men blood, revealing yourselves to them. A barn far from prying eyes. On a stormy night of all the times you could choose. Let me show you what my father’s gift can do, then you can fight me, or you can fight each other, and the survivor can be a herald of the wrath an imperial can unleash so you can tell the other Pugmentia who have forgotten why we rule.”

Enid reached her hand up she chanted in a language from time beyond creation’s beginning. Her voice took on an echoing kind as if she spoke with four voices. The barn’s roof shattered wood raining down from an intense down rush of air that knocked down the surrounding mortals and blew the doors out sent boards from the barn walls flying in all directions. Then the crackling lightning struck Enid’s outstretched hand, it crackled down her arm and into her other hand which she held out in front of her. It arced out striking each mortal in the barn they all twitched as black char marks etched into their skins leaving only charred remains behind. The barn roof caught fire. The crack of thunder sent Einar and Rolf flying. Enid drew Bloodseeker.

“So does one of you wish to be my herald or do you both wish to die by my blade, he’s very hungry hasn’t fed in a long time.”

Einar roared with fury and charged Enid, only to be struck down from behind by Rolf’s thrown axe. Einar tried to lift himself, but his legs refused to respond. Rolf had pieced much of his spine with his axe with it still there he couldn’t heal the wound. Rolf approached reaching for the handle of his axe and Enid held up her hand. Rolf took a knee as Enid approached. Enid pushed Bloodseeker into Einar’s shoulder twisting it. His runes glowed red as he started to drink Einar’s blood. Einar began to shrivel Enid dug the blade deeper.

“Take it all, Bloodseeker, drain his soul.”

Einar’s body began to twitch and then fell away from Bloodseeker’s blade. The desiccated remains looked like they had been mummified over several hundred years.

“Remember the mercy I showed you tonight Rolf, tell all pugmentia you meet of my power and let them know that I am done coddling the lot of you, and the next to defy my authority will suffer a fate ten-fold worse than Einar. Take your axe and go before I change my mind.”

Enid started throwing the oil lamps on the hay and dry wood that covered the barn. Within moments the barn was engulfed. The wind was howling now rain pelted Enid. The barn had turned into a tornado of fire. She walked down the road a deliberate pace. She heard the gallop of hooves and saw the silhouette of several armored men on horseback approaching. The pulled their reins as Enid’s was outlined when another brilliant flash of sheet lightning arced through the clouds.

“Halt, who goes there?”

Enid smiled to herself, Lord Henry of course. Another flash of lightning and she could see his black hair whipped around by the wind. Enid raised her voice to get above the howling wind and pounding rain.

“I can be a bandit if you’d like a re-match the night before our wedding, my love.”

Henry shook his head and motioned closer pulling her up on the horse with him. He snuck a kiss as she climbed past him. Enid wrapped her arms around his waist. Leaning her head against his back.

“Let’s, go home my love. The rain will put the fire out.”

Henry nodded and turned his horse motioning the men to do the same. The ride was swift no one seemed to want to spend more time out in the storm then they had to. Soon after arriving at the keep the night found Henry and Enid wrapped in furs in front of the fire. Henry shivered while nursing his mulled wine. Enid, seemed unaffected by the chill, or being soaked to the bone.

“I don’t know how you can always be so calm. You never seem hot, or cold. You just seem comfortable wherever you are, no matter the conditions.”

“That’s what happen when you grow up in the highlands.”

Henry shivered again and nodded and looked up at Enid. Her hair was still soaked in water and clung to her face and cheeks. He pushed stray strands away from her eyes.

“When Noctus returned without you and William told me had no idea where you were I grew worried and took the men out in search of you. Then we ran into some women and children fleeing down the road and they’d said you rescued them from several men who’d taken them captive. They said you killed two men, one you pinned to the wall with his own sword. Said you were going into the barn after the rest of the men who’d been involved. Then we came across two stragglers who said they’d seen lightning strike behind them and that there had been a tornado of fire that lit up the horizon. I thought I may have lost you on the eve of our wedding.”

“You worry too much Henry.”

“I don’t think I worry enough. You take off all the time at all hours, no guard. As if you’re invincible. You seem to fear nothing. When you set your mind, you’re like a rock unmoving. When you declare action, you’re like a windstorm leaving destruction in your wake. When you hold court, you have the gravitas of a King. Your vassals look up to you. When they come to you they know you will be fair to them in all things. Yet they still fear you. Even I find myself with a flutter in my chest. You have this presence about you that you will bode no defiance of your will, and that you have the power to enforce it by sheer force of personality. You are an enigma Sarah of Savia, and I feel I have only scratched the surface. You can kill someone with a few words as surely as your blade. And you are barely old enough to marry. I wonder will happen when you bloom into a regal grandmother. How you’ve consumed my soul.”

“I’m just a product of my father. He made me promise I chart my own course in life and allow no other to do so.”

“I look forward to meeting him one day. I’m sorry he couldn’t come to the wedding. My father was impressed with the sizable dowry and was looking forwarding to meeting him.”

Enid closed her eyes lazily and nodded.

“You seem tired, are you alright?”

“It was exhausting dealing with the uprising tonight.”

Henry grabbed her cheeks with his hands and kissed her on the lips tenderly.

“What happened? Not what you want to tell me, what really happened?”

Enid inhaled Henry’s scent. And leaned into his warm hand on her cheek.

“I reached out my hand in friendship and got bitten, so I bit back. And too many people had to die because of one man’s arrogance and greed.”

“You fought them all yourself?”

Enid nodded and snuggled into Henry’s embrace.

“How many?”

“Does it matter?”

Henry shook his head and pulled Enid close leaning against as much as she against him.

“And the lightning?”

“I don’t know what happened one minute I was standing there the two strongest of them left the next I was picking myself up from on top of a barn door looking at a barn gone up in flames. No one else survived. I’ll take it as a miracle and God’s will for us to marry and rule over these lands.”

“Aye, how else would you survive?”

“I can think of no other way.”

Henry kissed the top of her head tugging Enid in closer.

“You are truly blessed.”