Alcyone
The fires of the forest were visible from the wall, smoke rising high above the canopy. Soldiers fled from the woods, but they were so far away they appeared like ants running from a flood. I warned them. They don’t listen, they never do.
“What happened?” asked Lander, standing by me.
“The curse of the south,” I growled. I still had not changed or bathed. There was too much to do. Drakania’s plan worked, with the vampires. They assured us we would not be attacked tonight if we decreased the price of trade on our silks. It was not a difficult negotiation, nor was it surprising. The vampires were vain creatures after all and our fabrics are highly valued. We even offered some of our designers to the vampiric nobility, on loan of course for a limited time. News of the queen’s mid
