After that day, Hadrian made sure to drink only from Edwin’s neck and in private, so that could lead to something more. The idea that they could get caught in the grassland aroused Edwin even more. It was like a dirty game they were playing, and he couldn’t be happier.
They made it out of Duria and into Alanqian in two weeks’ time and began to head to their first stop. The Carteral Falcons. The mounted brigands that tormented traveling caravans in the area.
Edwin had sent his two shadows ahead, and he expected for the brigands, for, who was going to bless a bandit camp, to be dead upon arrival. And, a week after he did so, he came to a smoldering camp and dead bodies on stakes. As were his orders.
“Eddy, is this your usual way of dealing with things?” Asked Ben, a little green.
“Only with bandits. They steal, kidnap people and some even rape. They deserve it,” Edwin, then turned to look for a stable. Surely, the shadows had listened to him and not killed the horses?
They found the horses, scared as they can be, with the two shadows guarding them. Both of the shadows looked like Edwin now, and they bowed and returned to him when they saw him.
“Well, we might as well help ourselves to the loot,” said Sebastian nonchalantly. “Kiddies, you get first picks.”
The children didn’t look excited. They stared at Edwin as if seeing him for the first time and were quick to follow Sebastian. Daniel sent one last glance at the corpses by the front gate, and tugged his sister after the red haired vampire and the children.
“Do you think I overdid it?” Asked Edwin, and Hadrian hummed.
“You could have given them a burial. But I suppose this is a good warning for everyone who attempts to come over here and take over the camp. You might want to curse the land so that no brigands can move back in,” granted that would make sure no one moved in. But that was something Edwin allowed.
“I’ll get down to that. You might want to go and take something from the loot. If they have a dimensional bag, call dips.” Hadrian nodded and waved, and then he went in the direction of the rest of his group.
As he walked, he couldn’t stop thinking how kind, gently, Eddy had done something like this and was not even raising an eyebrow at it now. He expected Edwin to be eaten up over it. To have wide eyes after seeing the scene and have a hard time moving on from his cruelty.
But Edwin had shown Hadrian, time and again, that he could always surprise him. The man was a mercenary, Hadrian knew. Those had loose scruples. When Hadrian reached the treasure barn, for that was where everything was piled up, the children were shoving weapons in a bottomless bag. Ah, so the bandits did have a dimensional bag.
“Are there more of these?” Asked Hadrian, pointing at the bag.
“Yes, two more. Sebastian took one and left you one too, Harry,” said Rael as he took an intricate dagger and handed it to Ben. “Is that good for you, brother?”
“A little too light and flashy,” Hadrian nodded in approval. This was a noble’s weapon. A toothpick. Ben was right not to take it. “But we can sell it.”
Hadrian left the boys to their looting and grabbed the dimensional bag. Then, he checked the sorted piles, and, wasn’t it a surprise to see bandits so well organized? For some medical supplies.
He found cleaning alcohol and clean rags for wounds. Even metal slings. He bagged everything and then some treasure too, for good measure. After all, it just wouldn’t do to leave treasure behind where everyone could get to it. That was just an invitation for another bandit camp.
Late at night, they all felt a twinge of something passing through the camp, and Hadrian supposed that Edwin had done the barrier and keyed them into it. With all the treasure sorted, and the trash left behind, the group went back to Edwin to see that the brigands were no longer on the stakes, but walking, or, shambling rather, around the camp.
“I figured if people saw waling corpses, they would be warned. They won’t attack anyone but fellow brigands. In time, they will be known as protectors for traveling merchants,” spoke Edwin proudly. Sebastian snorted at that.
“You need to lose control over them for a minute, and they will be known for eating merchants. Let them go back to the stakes,” said Sebastian, and Edwin narrowed his eyes at him.
“Are you saying I can’t control some walking corpses?” Edwin was insulted at the implication. Walking corpses were mindless, unlike wraiths and shadows. Every novice could control them. One of the dead brigands moved quicker than the rest, and he stopped before Luciano. The blonde boy ran and hid behind Sebastian.
“Did you mean to it to do that?” Asked Sebastian snidely, as the walking corpse just stood there, staring. Edwin gulped. Maybe controlling so many walking corpses wasn’t a good idea, after all. He snapped his finger and they all fell down.
“Possibly, you are right,” agreed Edwin and Sebastian raised an eyebrow.
“Ok, you are right, Seb,” said Edwin with an eye roll, and all of them went to search for a sturdy barrack to spend the night.
“Maybe we should make camp outside the den?” Attempted to get them to go outside, Marisa. She was clutching at Daniel and was looking around worriedly.
“The dead can’t hurt us, sis,” assured her Daniel.
“What if Eddy has a nightmare and the corpses wake again?” Asked Marisa. There was an old rumor that necromancers lost control of their abilities during sleep. Especially when they had a nightmare.
“Let us burn them then. Oi, charlatan, get your shadows to make pyres!” Yelled Daniel, and the two shadows exited Edwin’s. They passed by Marisa, and she shuddered and clutched at Daniel.
It was a good thing that Edwin was not evil. For the dragon slayer lady had no idea if she could defeat him. She took one last look around camp and shuddered again. No, probably not.
