Lenore nods, smile soft and tentative, pleased at how much Gideon wants her. "You're my bodyguard. I need you by my side."
Lifting herself up on her toes, she kisses Gideon again, just as fierce but still not letting herself linger. Her expression is regretful as she pulls away, giving Gideon one last hug and then letting go, returning herself to her role as queen.
The party is moving again quickly, back to the pattern they'd set yesterday, and Lenore is riding once again, eyes alert. There's not as far to travel this time, and it's before lunch that they're arriving at what is a very obviously burnt mill.
Lenore keeps Gideon by her side as she speaks to the miller, who is elderly and who trembles as he speaks to them, looking around warily as though he expects to be hit. He's unwilling to speak at first, but Lenore eventually coaxes out of him a story even worse than what she'd expected. The man calling himself the mayor had been a mere criminal before, running loan and 'protection' schemes, but in the power vacuum he ran rampant.
The crops haven't been good, but they haven't been especially bad the past year, either, but the mayor had been increasing their 'taxes' and saying that it was the vampire queens who were demanding more. The miller had struggled to pay and had refused to give up the grain of other farmers that had just been left with him for the milling, so the mayor had punished him by burning his mill and taking his daughter, saying it was a 'warning' to others.
By the end of the story, Lenore has gone absolutely stony with rage. She gives him some of the food they have and a few coins, and promises that they'll get his daughter back.
Then she draws Zohreh, Esfir, Greta and Gideon aside to speak, explaining the plan. They will be killing the mayor and carrying out a coup, but they still need to get their replacement if at all possible. The miller had no suggestions to offer about a replacement other than a priest, which Lenore isn't willing to consider.
"Give Zohreh your sword, Gideon," Lenore says, voice hard and bitter with what they have to do. "I'm sorry, but you'll be walking the rest of the way."
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Lifting herself up on her toes, she kisses Gideon again, just as fierce but still not letting herself linger. Her expression is regretful as she pulls away, giving Gideon one last hug and then letting go, returning herself to her role as queen.
The party is moving again quickly, back to the pattern they'd set yesterday, and Lenore is riding once again, eyes alert. There's not as far to travel this time, and it's before lunch that they're arriving at what is a very obviously burnt mill.
Lenore keeps Gideon by her side as she speaks to the miller, who is elderly and who trembles as he speaks to them, looking around warily as though he expects to be hit. He's unwilling to speak at first, but Lenore eventually coaxes out of him a story even worse than what she'd expected. The man calling himself the mayor had been a mere criminal before, running loan and 'protection' schemes, but in the power vacuum he ran rampant.
The crops haven't been good, but they haven't been especially bad the past year, either, but the mayor had been increasing their 'taxes' and saying that it was the vampire queens who were demanding more. The miller had struggled to pay and had refused to give up the grain of other farmers that had just been left with him for the milling, so the mayor had punished him by burning his mill and taking his daughter, saying it was a 'warning' to others.
By the end of the story, Lenore has gone absolutely stony with rage. She gives him some of the food they have and a few coins, and promises that they'll get his daughter back.
Then she draws Zohreh, Esfir, Greta and Gideon aside to speak, explaining the plan. They will be killing the mayor and carrying out a coup, but they still need to get their replacement if at all possible. The miller had no suggestions to offer about a replacement other than a priest, which Lenore isn't willing to consider.
"Give Zohreh your sword, Gideon," Lenore says, voice hard and bitter with what they have to do. "I'm sorry, but you'll be walking the rest of the way."