Noxx's Arc

Chapter 5 of 7

Three weeks after the garden house, Vesper found Noxx on the keep's cold steps. His kingdom lay beyond the veil, and it could not rule itself forever. "I must go home," he said. "Come with me. See where I live before your year ends. Judge me by my land, not just my words." Noxx held the white rose he had given her. She wanted to say yes. But leaving meant her father, and her father did not give leave easily. She found him in the hall. Count Vladimir Dracula stood by the window, his crimson eyes fixed on the gray sky. His cape hung still. He had spent a season herding lords to this keep, all to see her wed. He turned when she entered, and his pale face sharpened. "Vesper asks me to travel to his kingdom," Noxx said. "I wish to go." Vladimir studied her. "Beyond the veil. Among the dead." His voice was low and cold. "You would leave my protection." "You wanted me to choose a husband," Noxx said. "I cannot choose a man I have never truly known. Let me see his home." Her father was quiet a long moment. Then something in his face loosened. "You sound like your mother," he said. "Go then”. It was the closest he came to a blessing. Vesper met her in the courtyard. He had brought gifts. A black horse stood saddled in deep purple, its long mane brushed smooth. A small bat clung to his shoulder, dark fur soft, one ear twitching toward Noxx. "The horse is yours," Vesper said. "The bat too. She will guide us through the veil. The dark does not frighten her." Noxx stroked the horse's neck. The bat lifted off and circled her head, then settled on her cloak as if it had always belonged there. For the first time, a gift from a suitor felt like a gift and not a chain. She turned back to her father. Vladimir stood at the top of the steps, straight and still. Noxx climbed to him and held him tightly. He was stone against the world, but his hand rested on her hair for one breath. "Be safe," he said. "I will," she answered. She mounted the black horse. The bat clung close. Vesper rode beside her on his own pale charger, its dark armor bright against the white coat. They passed through the keep's gates and toward the thin place where the veil waited. Noxx did not look back. She was leaving her father's land and her wraith's safety both. For the first time, she rode toward a man of her own choosing, not away from one forced on her. The year still pressed on her. But now the choice felt like hers to make.