As we move toward the center of the Stine Kingdom, we come across an abandoned village. The instant we step into its boundary, the air becomes filled with a heavy, oppressive silence. Everywhere we look, the houses are empty, with windows and doors left open to the elements.
However, there is no crumbling in the structures. There are also no weeds and overgrown ivy that hang on the houses, which means it's not too long since this village was deserted.
"Pretty bad," Gezer comments.
"Where are the villagers?" Ruth whispers.
I watch Inanna. She is surveying the area, and her gaze eventually settles on a small home nestled on the edge of the village.
We follow her as she draws closer to the dwelling. The door is ajar, the same as the other abandoned houses.
"There is some faint scent of humans within," she whispers. She raises her arms and warns, "Stay back."
Then her eyes fall on Ruth. "Being the only human in our group, will you please approach them?"
Klevon interjects, "But I am also a–"
"Shut up, Klevon," Inanna and I chorus.
Gezer and Ninus are tensed just by watching Ruth cautiously enter the house. It is an unknown area that might equate to an unknown danger.
In under five minutes, the other two vampires become restless. And so, Inanna scolds them with a, "Settle down, idiots. She will be safe. Unless children can kill her."
Ninus bristles while Gezer pauses in his pacing.
"And from what I understand, she is more durable than what you give her credit to."
The two relax for a while. However, after a few minutes, they become restless again. Inanna is about to scold them again when the door opens, and Ruth comes out with an uncertain expression.
Gezer runs to her and holds her arms. "Are you fine? Hurt anywhere?" he asks while Ninus peers at her.
"I am fine," she says, smiling a bit uncertain. "But these two are not."
Behind Ruth, clutching her coat, is a pair of malnourished kids that look like siblings based on their features–pale skin and curly hair. Their eyes are still wide with fear.
"Hello," I greet them with a soft, reassuring voice.
The shorter sibling, a female, tightens her grip on Ruth's dress before saying, "I am Barbara Fox, and this is my younger brother, Jeffrey."
"What happened here?" Klevon asks as he towers over the children.
"Klevon," I scold him when I notice that the kids are cowering in fear of him.
"What? I am just asking them."
I sigh and look at Inanna for help. "Maybe we can stay here for the night?"
"They are hiding in the basement," Ruth informs. "I think that's the reason they survived."
"My grandpa built it," the kid named Jeffrey says. "Says that it will save our life if monsters from the mountains come down."
"Is that where the monsters come from?" I ask the two kids. They answer with a shake of their heads.
"It's from the Stine castle."
Instead of drilling them for more information, we ask if we could stay in the basement, too. This time, they look uncertainly at us.
Then Barbara says, "If you can give us food, then yes."
I nod, and so the kids usher us into the basement. It is cold and damp. It also smells musty. The wooden floorboards are creaky and the ceiling has cobwebs spun in it. It is quiet, which is only broken by our steps, especially Klevon's.
We sit around a table and share the food we brought from Owusu. The two kids hungrily eat, and slowly, they begin to open up. But that's after Ruth, Gezer, and Ninus go out to salvage food or utensils to feed the kids and us.
When Gezer and the rest are back, we all huddled at the center. We cover ourselves with blankets to keep out the cold. Klevon sits close to me, and I welcome the warmth from his body. Not too close that it becomes uncomfortable, though.
Then the pair of siblings continue recounting their tale. Night creatures, they say, have come in ever-increasing numbers to attack the villages and prey on the weak. At first, Stine soldiers come to protect them, but as darkness continues to grow, these same soldiers are soon vanquished. And when it happened, fear and loss became an inescapable presence in the land.
The sibling stayed in the basement while the screams were happening. And when it died down, they didn't dare to go out in fear that the black creatures were lying in wait to ambush them.
"Wait just a minute," Klevon starts. I am unsure if the gesture is conscious, but he keeps pulling me close to his body. "You said that warriors tried to help, right?"
The siblings nod.
"Oh," Klevon mutters. "So, the Stine royal family had already fallen?"
We all look at each other. Klevon is right. Things won't get this out of hand if the royal family remains intact.
"And what of General Brandon?" I ask.
"Ha! I heard he returned here to take a week off so he can visit his family. And that's before we left for Owusu."
"If you mean the prince with ice magic. Then he's at the castle," Jeffrey says. "I heard from the adults that he's the reason the night creatures are stronger than Stine soldiers."
I frown at that. "His ice magic is the one to blame, Kaiya," Inanna whispers. "It strengthens their magic. Or rather, his ice magic can strengthen a vampire."
"So, that might mean he is kept alive?" Klevon asks.
"I think we have the same mind, right?" I turn towards Klevon.
"I like the sound of that," he says as he wraps his arms around my body.
Inanna clears his throat, and I pinch Klevon's arm, forcing him to move further from me.
"I am guessing that we will help the Stine Kingdom? Being Pitchford's allies?" she asks.
"If we infiltrate and fight, how can we ensure Ruth and the siblings' safety?" Gezer asks.
"I can stay with them," Inanna offers. "I can sense things better. I may not be a combatant, but I can fight enough to protect the three of them."
And so, the planning starts while Ruth takes the children to sleep. I turn my attention back to our small group. Even with different races, I am glad we all had the same expression on our faces-that is, of determination.
When the morning comes, the four of us-Gezer, Ninus, Klevon, and I-are as prepared as we can be. With our newfound resolve, we are ready to face whatever kind of darkness is in the Stine castle.