Chapter 110: Parted

They rode in silence for a while. Eden was a bit surprised at her silence. He expected her to ask more questions. A part of him knew that she wasn't done asking. Perhaps, she was thinking of a way to let Adolph know which way to go through the cave matrix.
“How do you know we're going the right way?” Laurel asked as they turned. “It’s pitch black.”
He chuckled, charmed by her innocence and her transparency. It was refreshing to meet someone who didn't know how to deceive. Even her attempts to remain neutral about finding out that he was part vampire had been charming.
“Practice.”
“Can I trust that?”
“Can you?”
Laurel went quiet. It didn't matter if she could trust his words or not at this point. She had no way of letting Adolph know which way to go even if she managed to tear pieces of her dress and leave them on the trail.
Eden knew Adolph was too smart to try and risk getting lost in the caves. He would likely take a path through the forest that led to where he supposed the exit of the caves was. Eden was counting on him remaining just a few hours behind them until he reached the vampire lands.
Laurel worried her lip. Was it possible that Adolph could follow her scent? Was it strong enough and what if there was some other trap left behind on the path?
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because humans deserve peace. Vampires deserve freedom and equality, and this is the fastest way.”
He couldn’t be serious, but his tone said he believed every word he said. That path of questioning was dead, but maybe she could learn more about his motivations.
“Why do you resent her so much?”
“How much would anyone resent someone who killed their father and tried to murder them?”
Laurel closed her mouth, turning over his words in silence as they rode further into the cave. That confirmed it. Eden was the vampire prince. It struck her for a moment that if Basil was as cunning as Eden was, the werewolf kingdom would be in a much better state.
He wielded magic, but she wasn’t sure if that was because of his father or something intrinsic to the vampire queen’s lineage. His words implied that she had been trying to have a powerful child. Then, why would she have tried to kill Eden? How did she not know that Eden was her son?
There were so many questions swirling around in her mind. She didn’t know what to ask next or if it would do any good to ask. She remained silent as they rode through the darkness, hoping that Adolph was closing the distance between them somehow.

Adolf mounted his horse and turned back to the small group who would be coming with him. Sam and Lynn were among them, as was Chasel and several other knights who had known Jack Miller.
“They have taken my luna. This is likely a plot of the vampire queen, so keep your wits about you. Kill them all without reservation.”
They nodded and called out their agreement before Adolf led them down the path, following the track that had led out of the city heading towards the nearest borderline.
“Sire,” one of his knights called. “Look! Tracks into the forest.”
Adolph nodded, turning his horse to follow them. It was good that the tracks were there, but where they led was concerning. He knew that they would have had to take a path that wasn’t easily blocked to have some hope of getting Laurel over the border.
Eden and whoever he was working with, if he had an accomplice, was aware of pathways into and out of his kingdom that he wasn't and that was concerning. How long had they known about them and used them? He imagined this was how so many vampires had snuck into the kingdom undetected. How long had the path existed? What other dangers had managed to sneak into his kingdom without him knowing?
They rode for hours before the scent of ash and horses reached his nose.
“Up ahead!”
They reached the area filled with the marks of pitched tents and battle. Several tents had been torn apart and there was a pile of still burning bodies. There was also a trail leading away from the campsite. Adolf led them down the path, recognizing footsteps.
It seemed that Laurel had tried to escape. Her scent was faint in the air and stopped at a large boulder that seemed a bit scuffed. There were some other tracks he could distinguish and another set of footprints. The two sets took off in a different direction. He followed them closely until he reached an empty and barren clearing. The scent of ash filled his nose, turning the air acrid along with another scent he couldn’t name,
Something had been burned here, likely more vampire bodies if the pile from the abandoned campsite was an indication, but there were no remains and that was strange. The only sign that there had been fire was that the grass was missing in this area and the faint scent of ash.
How could a fire hot enough to burn bodies burn out so quickly? It wasn’t older than the bonfire they’d passed.
“It's weird,” Chasel said.
He agreed, but they didn't have time to investigate further. Something in him turned in discomfort. He knew some humans could wield magic beyond the werewolf kingdom. Was it possible that there was a witch among the vampire’s forces?
“Over here! Another set of tracks.”
Adolph led them down the path, following the tracks that were headed further east. The tracks led to the mouth of the cave, and Adolf hissed.
“Damn it!”
The tracks weren’t that old, so they were probably an hour or two behind them, but caves were tricky. They could wander around for weeks or months trying to get through if I didn't already know the path. It was doubtful they'd be able to follow them through the pitch blackness of the cave.
“What do we do?” Chasel asked, peering into the darkness.
Adolph pulled out a map of the kingdom searching for an answer. The caves likely led into neutral territory. They were vampire forces, so they would end up somewhere on the north side closer to the vampire queen’s border. He didn't know how long the path through the caves took but there was a path they could take through the forest that could get them to the ends of the caves in time to cut them off if they timed it right. If nothing else, it would keep them as close as they were now to the kidnappers.
Adolph reached out through their bond again but got no response. He felt her getting farther and farther away, but he couldn't tell in what direction or how far exactly she was. an hour on human feet wasn't far but an hour on horseback or by carriage was much further, let alone at vampiric speeds.
“We'll take the path through the force that'll lead us to the end of the caves headed towards the vampire lands,” Adolf said. “Likely there's a trap on this path, so be ready.”
He turned his horse north and began to lead them through the forest as fast as he could manage. The night was cold around them. The wind was harsh, cutting past his face. It reminded him of charging across the border to push back the vampire forces.
If they took Laurel to the vampire queen, there would be no hope. That vicious woman would torture Laurel to death, likely allowing their bond to function so she could drive him insane with Laurel’s pain in retaliation.
“We'll find her,” Chasel said, yelling over the wind. “They couldn't have gotten too much farther. Once we get over the border, it's flat land for the most part and we’ll be able to close the gap easier.”
He knew that and he was thankful that Chasel was there, but his wolf was agitated by the distance and the inability to speak to her. Even just making sure that she wasn't being harmed would be enough. He pulled his thoughts to the present, fighting back the rising fury in him. He had to be calm. Maybe someone among the vampires had figured out the truth of the blood aura. If they did, her kidnapping was partly a ploy to use that against him. He couldn't let that happen.
Something rustled ahead. The hissing was familiar, stoking the fury in his veins.
"Vampire," Sam growled, his voice tense. Adolf drew his sword urging his horse to move faster as he heard the vampires growing closer.
One of them leaped from the top of the trees at him. Adolf lifted his sword and cut through him with a cry of fury.
“Kill them all! We don't have time to slow down!”
More and more vampires began to block the path. Adolph leaped from his horse, leaving his sword on the saddle and transforming to tear through them, venting a bit of his aggression and clearing a path.