Carolina paced beneath the shadow of the clock tower, her boots tapping sharply against the stone square with every impatient step.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered, throwing yet another irritated glance down the street that led toward the inn. "She said she would only be a moment."
Eguine leaned casually against the edge of the fountain nearby, her arms folded loosely as she watched Carolina pace back and forth like a storm cloud that refused to pass.
"You've said that three times already," Eguine replied sarcastically.
Carolina spun around on her heels.
"Well maybe if someone else were worried about missing our carriage, I wouldn't have to repeat myself!"
Eguine lifted one eyebrow but remained exactly where she was. She allowed her older sister to stress as it was better for her to be the one relaxed. Older siblings are always held to a higher standard. The thought made her laugh under her breath.
"We still have time." Eguine said to Carolina.
"Barely!" Carolina shot back, pointing dramatically toward the towering clock face above them. "At this rate the driver will leave without us, and then what are we supposed to do? Walk all the way back home in the dusk of sunset?"
The thought alone seemed to aggravate Carolina further.
She turned again, pacing toward the street as she stretched onto her toes to see past the people moving through the square.
"Elira promised she would be quick," Carolina continued, her voice rising slightly with each word. "She said she only needed to let the inn keeper know she sold out of break and then she'd meet us here. That was nearly—"
She stopped mid-sentence and glanced up at the clock again.
"—twenty minutes ago!" Carolina shouted in frustration.
Eguine exhaled quietly.
"Elira has never once left us behind," she said. "If she's late, there's probably a good reason."
Carolina crossed her arms tightly.
"Yes, and I'm sure that reason is that she stopped to talk to someone and completely forgot we're trying to make it home before nightfall. Or MAYBE that royal guard stopped her and carried her off to his castle!"
Eguine opened her mouth to respond—
Then her gaze shifted past Carolina toward the far side of the square.
"Well that didn't happen because look," she said, pushing herself off the fountain pointing.
"There she is."
Carolina turned so quickly her braid swung over her shoulder.
Across the square, weaving quickly through the thinning crowd, Elira hurried toward them with her coin pouch clutched tightly in her hand.
Carolina immediately planted her hands on her hips.
"Elira!" she called. "Do you have any idea how long you've kept us waiting?"
But as Elira slowed to a stop before them, slightly breathless, Carolina's brow furrowed. Because she didn't look like someone who had simply been delayed she looked like someone who had just seen something she couldn't quite explain.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, almost tripping over the words. "I'm so, so sorry for being late."
Carolina opened her mouth immediately.
"You should be! Do you know how long we've been—"
"Elira?" Eguine interrupted gently, noticing the frantic look in her friend's eyes.
Elira grabbed Carolina's sleeve before she could finish.
"We need to get in the carriage," she said urgently. "Right now."
Both girls blinked.
Carolina frowned. "What? Elira, the carriage doesn't leave for another—"
"Please," Elira said, her voice dropping into a near whisper, though her eyes kept darting nervously toward the streets behind her. "We need to go. I'll explain everything once we're inside."
The seriousness in her voice made Eguine straighten.
"Elira… what happened?"
Elira shook her head quickly, tightening her grip on the coin pouch in her hand.
"I'll tell you," she insisted, almost breathless. "Just not here."
Carolina looked between the two of them, clearly confused.
"Alright…" she said slowly. "You're starting to worry me."
Elira grabbed both of their hands and tugged them toward the road where the waiting carriages stood.
"Then hurry," she said, glancing over her shoulder once more.
"Because if we miss that carriage, we may not get another chance to leave tonight."
And for reasons neither Carolina nor Eguine could yet understand…
The line of waiting carriages stretched along the edge of the square, their lanterns flickering softly as dusk settled over the town. Horses stamped their hooves impatiently against the cobblestones while drivers called out final names to the remaining passengers.
"There," Carolina said quickly, pointing toward a dark green carriage near the end of the row. "That's ours."
Elira followed her gaze and nodded, hurrying toward it with Eguine close behind.
Travelers were already climbing aboard their assigned carriages, the quiet bustle of departure filling the square with movement and noise.
Carolina reached the carriage first and grabbed the side rail. "Three for the north road," she said breathlessly to the driver before climbing up the iron step.
Eguine followed, ducking inside after her.
Elira stepped forward and paused mid step.
Across the square, standing near the edge of the marketplace, a small group of guards had gathered. Their polished breastplates caught the glow of the street lanterns, the crest of the Western Kingdom etched clearly across the metal.
Royal guards. Her eyes landed on one of them. Torren.
He stood slightly apart from the others, tall and unmistakable in his uniform cloak, one gloved hand resting loosely at his belt as his sharp gaze swept across the busy square. For a moment his eyes lifted as they passed across the line of carriages.
And landed directly on her.
Elira's breath caught. Instinctively, she looked away at once, lowering her head and climbing quickly into the carriage as though she had never seen him at all. The last thing she wanted was to invite anymore unwanted attention her way.
Not tonight or EVER!
She slipped inside and pulled the door closed behind her with a soft thud.
Inside the carriage, the small lantern hanging from the ceiling swayed gently as the carriage shifted beneath their weight.
Carolina leaned forward immediately.
"Alright," she said. "You dragged us here like wolves were chasing you. Start explaining. EVERYTHING!"
But Elira barely heard her. Her fingers were still wrapped tightly around the coin pouch resting in her lap. She couldn't stop thinking about the maroon eyes.
Could it truly have been the Vampire King of the Northeastern Empires in the same town…
Something about that felt very, very wrong.