Imperial Calendar, December 10th, 1463—already the second day of the six-day deadline.
The drizzle in Winter Embrace River Valley had finally thinned, yet the leaden cloud layer still pressed down so heavily it smothered the breath, and it was impossible to tell what time it was.
The vampires only occasionally took out their Holy Alliance pocket watches to learn that it was, astonishingly, only five in the morning.
The main force of the Royal Court was advancing rapidly along the dirt road on the eastern side of the valley.
Compared to yesterday's urgency, the marching column was not slow today, yet far more at ease.
Scarlet battle standards floated above the column; against the gray, hazy sky, they were glaringly vivid.
Serafe's gilded carriage rolled in the center of the column, its wheels grinding through the muddy road with a dull rumbling.
