Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Chapter 41

"That still doesn’t explain why he’s sleeping so much." Kath’tan pointed out.

Asael’s patience for the Fiend was merely a handful, it was no surprise it had already run out. "You can ask him yourself." He tossed out, warping back to the inn room.

He paused at the door, taking in the strange scene he came to meet. The Vampire was on his back, floating a few inches off the wooden floor, and that was because he was completely wrapped around his shadows, clinging to the floating ball. He seemed to have been at it for a while because his hair was already coming undone.

Dulce shot to his feet, completely forgetting that it wasn’t just him and his new toy. He tripped in his haste, smacking his head into the ball, which sent it almost halfway across the room. So he had to stand in mortification as the ball made its way back to him, almost seeming to weave slightly.

"I-I apologize," He mumbled, stepping forward when the ball came within reach to return it to its owner.

Asael reached out to take it, absorbing the darkness as easily as breathing, an indescribable look in his eyes.

Kath’tan made an appearance then, the Fiend still seemed to be deep in thought, although it was rather difficult to tell from his expression of anger.

"How... How was your walk?" Dulce asked after composing himself, returning to his seat by the hearth.

"Pleasant." Asael lied without intonation, the room falling back into silence.

He glanced at the sleeping Incubus, even in the dim light of the room, his pallid skin was obvious. He looked to Dulce who had resumed his reading, the image of the Vampire clinging to his shadows etched in his mind’s eye.

There was no convincing Dulce to undo Ruoxi’s summons, he knew that with as much certainty as he knew that the Vampire would jump to protect the Fiend if he struck right then. He closed his eyes to the room, welcoming the darkness... how troublesome.

-+-

By morning, the journey resumed, the carriage finally crossing the boundary between the two countries. Due to being allies, it was a simple matter, they simply had to ride through a lax guard point, the coachmen handling all the formalities.

By high noon, they were riding into the border city of Ensbury, Alderth. Mistfall was a small, growing country, and it showed in the way there were more towns than cities. Alderth, on the other hand, was a sturdy kingdom with power and wealth, this also meant that it took longer to cross from city to city in Alderth.

As they rode through, humans could be seen bustling around, making preparations. Ribbons were hung on the streets, and brightly colored lanterns swung from rafters, from lantern poles, and from shop fronts. With the traffic of carriages heading in and out of Alderth, it made for slow progression, elaborate carriages crawling slowly over paved roads.

Ruoxi was the one who mostly paid attention to the going ons outside the window, but today the Incubus didn’t. He didn’t even speak, and as the journey dragged on into the afternoon with them barely making much progress, he quietly closed his eyes to sleep.

As he slept, the mark on his forehead that had been hidden made a reappearance, completely losing its glow.

By late afternoon, the preparations reached a fever pitch, they seemed to have arrived in Ensbury on the night of their Spring Festival. They had barely made any progress through the city due to this, and most other travelers had opted to stop early for the night.

The carriage slowed down to another complete stop, the scent of flower wine heavy in the air. They seemed to be driving through a particularly busy district, and although the slow pace was aggravating, the colorful views outside more than made up for it.

Although the carriage had come to a stop, Ruoxi weaved and then fell to the side. Their seated positions had been more or less fixed from the start of the journey, so he fell against Dulce, who barely caught him in time.

The Incubus was still pale, but his skin burned to the touch, a completely new scent of lotus filling the carriage, it was light and alluring, but it caused alarm.

Dulce barely noticed the strange scent, more worried about Ruoxi’s loss of consciousness. "He’s burning up. Could he have fallen sick?" He muttered, distressed. It was difficult to fit the Demon in his arms, but he tried anyway.

Kath’tan placed a sleeve over his nose, scowling. "Demons don’t fall sick."

"He needs to eat." Asael spoke up, his gaze piercing.

Dulce glanced down at the Incubus, aware that he had been warned several times of this outcome. "We will need to stop early for the night." He said, much quieter.

That was easily arranged as the coachmen had been about to bring up the very suggestion themselves. There was a complete hold-up right next to the red light district, and it was unlikely it would clear up until late the next day.

They easily found lodgings as it was right before the festival began, the setting sun bathing everything in a warm, gentle light.

Kath’tan still had his nose covered, it was still mild, but Cubi’s bodily fluids were all potent aphrodisiacs, which included the scent emanating from the Incubus.

Asael hadn’t said a word the entire time, quietly watching the Vampire to see what he would do.

The inn they had taken naturally joined the festivities, the room decorated in vibrant pink and purple lanterns.

Dulce was the only one willing to touch the Incubus, easily getting him to an impressively large bed - Alderth clearly had more accommodating facilities than the neighboring country of Mistfall.

"So you plan to feed him?" Kath’tan said in disbelief, lingering at the doorway with Asael. They would soon be forced to leave, unless they wanted to end up in similar situations as Ruoxi.

"Of course not," Dulce said sheepishly, undoing the Incubus’ cravat so he could cool down somewhat. "I can easily hire the services of paid workers."