Blood Runner: Book Three of the Empress Saga

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

     Though it could never compare to the City of Althandor, Maya found Leyrshore to be a sterling example of Althandi rural life. Most of the townships she'd visited throughout the kingdom were little more than farmhouses and trade halls clustered together. Leyrshore at least tried to put forth an effort.

    There were few villages in Althandor with a population of more than a few thousand, as if the capital filled the kingdom's quota of large cities by itself, which was likely true. Leyrshore defied convention and was home to more than seventy thousand goodfolk and three noble houses. Maya believed she'd read during her schooling that the township flourished due to trade coming north from the kingdoms of the Great Leyr.

    There were a number of neighborhoods that sat in clusters along the lake. Leyr Siobhan appeared smooth as glass in the moonlight, broken only by the lanterns of nighttime fishermen. Cultivated fruit tree groves separated each neighborhood from the others, with winding lanes running beneath the canopies. Leyrshore was an idyllic setting, the jewel of rural Althandor.

    Strolling alone through a neighborhood known locally as Queen's Garden, Maya decided that if she chose to live anywhere other than the Spired City, it would be as far from Leyrshore as she could manage.

    It was too quiet, for one. She could hear the croaking of frogs and the chirping of crickets, but where were the raucous voices from saloons or the merchants hawking silks and fried noodles? The breeze carried scents of wild flowers and petrichor from an afternoon rain, but there was hardly a whiff of coal smoke. Most disconcerting of all, when Maya looked upwards, she saw uncountable thousands of stars gleaming overhead. Not to mention a full moon that appeared intent on demanding as much attention as it could get. It was all too flashy. The night sky should have had the decency to cover itself with mist.

    The largest village in Althandor, and it was still a thousand times too small for Maya Algara.

    The others were settling into their rooms. Starra claimed the owner of the Swan and Mallard Inn was a trusted acquaintance of hers, and they all could rest for a night without worry. Maya was hesitant, but Starra had proven herself time and again to be trustworthy.

    Mostly.

    Maya touched at the two small scabs on her neck, still a bit tender. The Barrowmire incident remained fresh in her mind. It had been a necessary sacrifice. Starra required blood to live, after all. The blood of a dragon or a blood mage couldn't serve as proper nourishment. Of the Algaras, Maya was the elder, so it had fallen to her to provide.

    Blustering woman didn't need to look so triumphant about it, Maya thought with a small flush in her cheeks.

    It'd been a new experience to donate blood to a vampire. There'd been a sharp pain, then her mind fuzzed as if she'd had too much wine. Worst was coming back to her senses and finding Josy and Saveen covering their mouths and staring at her with wide eyes. It appeared that while under the influence, Maya had made a series of... unseemly... noises. Now Josy was offering herself up as Starra's next meal.

    Looks like fun, indeed, Maya fumed. I'm all for Josy learning to spread her wings, but she's partaking of her newfound freedom a little too much.

    Maya's cousin was also getting too friendly with the dragon. She'd saved their lives, true, and even Maya could admit Saveen was a personable little thing. Regardless, a measure of distance should be maintained. The mighty were the enemies of House Algara, the source of ancient Shan Alee's dominance, and Saveen was open about proclaiming her allegiance to the blustering sky woman. It bothered Maya that Josy was getting attached.