“Hold on, we’ll be there soon!” I encouraged.

I supported her, one hand on her side, which was burning from the blood she was losing. My throat tightened with anxiety; my heart was pounding; my back was aching. I couldn’t, not another one. I couldn’t bring myself to lose her, so I wanted to try to save her as hard as I could. We were only a few meters away from the bridge leading to Vileblood, once we crossed it, we would be safe, and she could receive first aid.

Screams tore through the night, and my blood turned cold. Mara groaned in my ear, from both pain and fear, and I understood her. After losing our Triad, devoured by the bloodfeast, I had pulled my partner with me. We had fled, knowing our comrades couldn’t be saved. We had run under their screams, and now, we were being chased by a legion of bloodfeast. I wanted to save Mara at least. I didn’t want to, again, return alone.

“Let... let me go, Anela... If they catch us, and they will... You’ll die with me.”

I turned a deaf ear, my eyes burning from the blood of my friends that had splattered on my face. It had only lasted two months. Two miserable months where we had stuck together on every expedition, on every sortie into the cursed lands of Blood. I had lost everything again. My body fought for me. It moved, shifted, fought for me, but I was nothing but a spectator of the macabre scenes. Leaving Mara behind was not an option!

When the sound of disgusting teeth scraping reached my ears, I reluctantly threw Mara to the ground. I unsheathed my sword and sliced through the bloodfeast covered in pustules, its rows of teeth just inches from my face, ready to devour me, to tear my flesh. I plunged my blade into its heart to the hilt, twisted it, making the pockets of pus on its body burst, and swiftly withdrew it. It splattered on me, and I could have vomited if I wasn’t so used to it; if that disgusting, bitter taste hadn’t flooded my mouth dozens of times already.

Its body fell to the ground with a wet, vile sound, and I turned away, lifting Mara with one hand under her thighs and the other on her back after sheathing my sword. I started running, seeing her pitiful condition. She was burning with fever due to the wound, which had already become infected, and her eyes were bloodshot. Her head lolled before collapsing onto my chest. One of her hands weakly clung to my shirt as tears ran down her cheeks.

“I’m scared,” she sobbed. “How do you do it? Anela... I don’t want... I don’t want to die.”

I gritted my teeth, clenched my jaw, and sped up my pace as much as I could. I wasn’t going to let her die. No. I yelled when the bridge came into view. There were still sentinels. I saw their arrows glowing with an intense flame that gave me hope. The moon poured its Blood-red glow over us, and the gates and traps were lifted to let me pass. The stone floor echoed beneath my boots, and the sound delighted me.

I was no longer on the Blood-soaked lands! Pureblood came to meet me, already ready to carry Mara, and I entrusted her to them. She was trembling from shock, but I had no choice but to hand her over to them. I furrowed my brow in pain and stroked her brown hair before letting her go as she wept bitterly. As for me, I had no other choice but to face the enemy.

I quickly climbed the stairs to the walls alongside the archers.

“It’s a legion! Draw your bows!” I shouted. “Be ready to activate the traps and pour the oil! None of these bloodfeasts will get past the walls of Vileblood today!”

We never put the new recruits on the walls. It was too important a task to be missed. If we lost Vileblood to the invasion of these monsters, then it was over for the next cities. We had been the rampart for centuries. We were the first line of defense, and if the other cities had to fight them one day, they would never succeed in what we had achieved in two centuries.

I raised my hand, signaling the archers to get ready. The woods began to shift under the mass of bloodfeasts charging in our direction. Those with me on these walls were experienced. They didn’t tremble with apprehension or fear. They knew their role and its importance. So, when the trees parted to reveal a wave of bloodfeasts, none of us flinched at the putrid smell.

Their putrid bodies met the traps. They snapped against them, tearing them apart, and I clenched my fist. The arrows flew as fast as the wind and sank into their bodies. They fell one by one like miserable flies. There was the blood of my comrades on them; some still had their flesh between their sharp, rotting teeth; others must have been savoring their bones further away.

"Second wave!"

Another rain of flaming arrows pierced them, and their screams must be waking up all Vileblood and causing nightmares for children. I still remembered myself, small and innocent, still naive about the reality, who, out of curiosity, had taken a look at what the purebloods were fighting. I knew what it was like to be violently confronted with reality at such a young age, and even though I tried to protect the younger generations, it pained my heart to see them admire me.

"Pour the oil and set it on fire," I hissed.

The oil spilled in a flow worthy of a storm across the bridge, and my archers set it ablaze. A massive fire rose and consumed the last bloodfeasts still alive, who screamed as they burned alive. The few that had stayed at the edge of the woods retreated and, admitting defeat, disappeared as they had come. They had been smarter, so if this legion was made up of bloodfeasts of class 1, that meant the prince of the bloodfeasts from Vileblood wasn’t far behind.

I clenched my fists. We had been hunting him for years. Hundreds of purebloods before me had tried and failed! And now this bastard had come to taunt us? Did it please this pathetic creature to see us struggle for our lives? It disgusted me. I wanted to vomit, to explode, to tear everything apart, but they were all around me, admiring me for my mastery. I closed my eyes painfully, lowering my shoulders and struggling against the bitterness that was taking over.

I turned away from them, hoping to reach the hospital and find Mara, but everything turned red around me. I placed a hand on my forehead, losing my balance. One of the archers caught me, and I let my body lean against his. I was exhausted. I closed my eyes, thanking the Pureblood for helping me.

"Duke Anela! Duke Anela! Quickly call a doctor! We’re losing Duke Anela!" he shouted.

"Don’t shout," I wanted to reply, but I didn’t have the strength.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a sterile room with orange light from the sun. So the day had risen. I stood up and almost fell again in my haste. The sound of armor made me raise my head. A look and a welcoming smile greeted me. My heart warmed, and the tension in my muscles melted away. I sat comfortably and folded my hands in front of me. I noticed the bandage covering my stomach and realized I had been wounded as well.

"Duke Fratera, it’s an honor to see you again after all this time."

There was a Duke for each of the seven duchy of Blood. I was the one for Vileblood, and Fratera, an old comrade-in-arms, was the one for Fairblood, the neighboring city which, once, had also been on the front lines before Vileblood fully took over. Since then, Fairblood had been supporting us. The city sent us the necessary aid when needed and ventured further into the woods to purge whatever dared advance, while we handled those already on our territory here in Vileblood.

I hadn’t seen him in a while now. He stood up, his red armor clinking. He sat on the edge of my bed and gathered his hair into a bun to stop the strands from bothering him.

"None of that between us, Anela. My heart is overjoyed now that I know you’re still alive. The rumor spread like wildfire about your condition."

"It was just a little fatigue," I countered, dismissing his words with a wave of my hand. "What brings you to Vileblood? Did you miss the mud and guts so much?"

He laughed warmly, his laughing eyes looking at me.

"We’ll talk about it soon enough. For now, put on your armor. We need to visit the Asmerion."

I raised an eyebrow and got up already. I grabbed my armor from the foot of my bed and started putting it on. It was no small thing to be called by the Asmerion. If there was a Duke for each city, there was only one Asmerion, and he lived here in Vileblood. He was the supreme power. It was different from us. He wasn’t chosen lightly. He had to represent the purebloods. It was the highest title among us. He was important.

Being a Duke was less glorious. We were the Duke when we were the oldest of the purebloods in our land. Becoming a Pureblood meant protecting the inhabitants and becoming a bloodfeast hunter. No one warned anyone that most never returned. It was obvious. That was why the population of Vileblood had no one older than twenty-five, and I was the oldest. Being a Duke was being lucky; it was about holding on longer than others; it was about waking up one fine morning with a new title above your head.

The population of Fairblood was in its forties, like Fratera.

"Your body was frozen because of your light clothing. A simple shirt was not enough to warm you. On top of that, you were injured, and that didn’t do your body any good. You lost blood, and the frostbite devoured your flesh. Thankfully, it was you and not another."

I listened absentmindedly to what he said. I heard and understood, but it wasn’t really new for me to be in bad shape, even though it wasn’t always the case. However, I wanted to clarify something.

"We had animal pelts to keep us warm. We were sleeping when the legion fell upon us. The one on guard didn’t hear a thing. He should have been alerted by the smell, but it was too late. I didn’t have the time or the opportunity to save any of them except Mara, and we fled to escape. By the way… how is she?"

I imagined he must have known what had happened to me and, therefore, Mara’s fate. He nodded, and once my armor was on, he extended his hand in a direction to urge me to follow. My wounds had probably already started to heal. Purebloods were the sons of Rodel after all. Fratera let me go ahead, and with a hand on the small of my back, he guided me. The presence of another Duke in Vileblood must have been important enough to justify his presence.

Exiting the room, we entered the common infirmary, mostly empty. Purebloods rarely came back injured. They usually came back dead or, in most cases, never came back. It was the harsh fate of our time. Fratera led me to a bed where a red sheet covered a body. My heart broke in two; it literally shattered before that shroud. I moved toward the head and placed my hand on it, closing my eyes.

"May the blood of Rodel bless you, Mara, may he watch over you and protect you from the Nightmare."

Fratera’s hand gripped my shoulder, and I lifted my gaze to him.

"Rodel will watch over her. I’m sorry, Anela… truly. My condolences. This is the fifth time you’ve lost your Triad, and I can’t imagine what you feel. You are strong. We are the daughters and sons of Rodel, but among all, you are the most worthy."

I placed my hand on his and caressed his fingers.

"You deserve to be Duke. You are worthy of the trust that Asmerion offers you. The church… The church will hold a mass for the dead in a few days, to give families some time."

"I will attend."

I could feel how cold Mara was under that shroud, and it tore my heart. I didn’t know what to say or what to do other than look at that red sheet with despair, my heart broken. I had loved spending these last months with her and everyone else. Good company—kind and helpful, fun and devoted, loyal and sincere. Even today, we had to endure a defeat. I literally wanted to vomit my guts out.

I had lost so much that I could no longer count it. Why was I still surprised? Why did I still feel pain thinking about them? I would have liked to save them all, but I knew better than anyone that it wasn’t possible. So sometimes, I imagined leaving with them, far away from here, far from this infamy, from this waking Nightmare. I was tired of being used to the smell of blood and decay. I didn’t want any of it anymore.

It was lost in my thoughts that Fratera and I made our way to Asmerion. His manor was elevated at the center of the town. We were greeted by a servant who led us to his office. I lowered my head to my armor while Fratera was already knocking to enter. I didn’t want to seem neglectful, not even after what had happened. Asmerion’s voice rose, and we entered his office.

"Fratera, Anela, it’s good to know you’re alive."

"It’s an honor for us to be alive before you," I declared, a hand on my heart to prove my sincerity.

"Nothing would please my heart more than being here in your presence, Asmerion," Fratera added.

Asmerion did not rise, but he didn’t need to to show us that it truly relieved him to see us. It touched us. He cared about our fate, and he took care of us and our towns.

"If I’ve called you here today, there are several reasons for it. The first: the mass for the dead will be held in the town of Fairblood. I would like you to escort all civilians who wish to attend. The road is relatively safe, but let’s be cautious."

"Two of my men were from Fairblood, their families would be happy to attend their tribute. Thank you. We accept."

He nodded with a kind and pleased smile. Asmerion was right. The road between Fairblood and Vileblood was safe since we often traveled it and regularly scouted the surroundings, but escorting the civilians wouldn’t hurt. That way, we could all attend the tribute. The grieving families would reunite.

"But there’s another reason why I want both of you to go to Fairblood. The Duke of Harshblood is waiting for you there."

I widened my eyes, just as Fratera did. This wasn’t something trivial. Two Dukes meeting was rare, but three? Furthermore, the Duke of Harshblood was nothing like us! The purebloods of Harshblood ventured so deep into the lands of Blood that even I had never been there. Who knew what kind of monsters they might find? The further we ventured, the more terrifying and dangerous the monsters became. The purebloods of Harshblood were the ones who had cataloged the bestiary.

It was purely thanks to them that our knowledge was so extensive. They said this Duke was just a shadow, even more terrifying than the bloodfeasts. His name was Selene. My surprise seemed to be just as big as Fratera’s.

"What does this mean? Why gather three Dukes and risk leaving our towns without leaders?" Fratera asked, his concern visible.

"We’ll discuss it once we reach Fairblood. What I can tell you is that we will soon put an end to the era of bloodfeasts."