Lauki's Arc

Chapter 8 of 18

Lauki reached the noblewoman's estate at dusk. The debt to Damien was gone. But the gates before him stopped him cold. Iron bars, tall as three men, guarded by armed servants. He had no invitation. No name they would honor. If he climbed the wall, they would raise the alarm. If he begged entry, they would study his face and see the horns under his hood. Torra was somewhere inside, in the world she had fled and returned to. He could not reach her by force or by charm. A carriage broke the problem for him. It rolled up the drive, black as coal, framed in sharp gothic curves. Green flames burned in its lanterns. Four dark horses pulled it, their eyes red, fire licking from their hooves. The servants bowed and swung the gates wide. Lauki understood at once. No one questioned a guest who arrived like a lord. When the carriage slowed at a bend, he ran alongside it and swung onto the rear step. He pressed flat against the black paneling. The horses did not spook. The gates closed behind him. He was inside. The carriage stopped at the great doors. Lauki dropped off before the driver could see him. But a man waited on the steps, and Lauki froze. The man was old and elven, black hair swept back, steel eyes that missed nothing. He held a cane topped with a silver wolf's head. His black coat had deep red trim. This was Torra's father. Lord Conrad Avath. The one whose blessing Lauki needed to marry her. The one whose family would burn Lauki alive for what he was. "You are not on my list," Conrad said. His voice was quiet and cold. "You rode in on a carriage that is not mine." The cane tapped once on the stone. Two servants moved closer. Lauki's fire stirred in his hands. He forced it down. Fire would end this in the worst way. He lowered his hood instead, slow, and let the man see his face. The red eye. The gold eye. The ivory horns. Conrad's jaw tightened. His grip whitened on the wolf's head. "A demon-blood. At my door." "I came to ask for something," Lauki said. "Not to take it. Hear me before you call your guards." For a long moment the old lord said nothing. His stare could freeze the blood. Then he waved the servants back with one hand. "You have nerve," Conrad said. "I will hear you. Once. Inside." He turned and walked through the doors. "But know this. If you have come near my child, no wall in this house will save you." Lauki followed him in. The gate was behind him now. So was any easy escape. He had won his way through the front doors. He had also walked straight into the one man who could destroy him with a word.