"How did my old friend meet his end?"
Of all the things that Loghlan had expected to discuss when he came to meet with Lady Ashlynn and her companions, the very last thing heād expected was that heād be talking about his late grandfather. And the thought that heād be talking about his grandfather with a vampire who referred to Liag Dunn as an āold friend,ā that wasnāt something heād expected at all.
"I was still young when he passed," Loghlan said after taking a moment to gather his thoughts. Mairwen shifted closer to him, leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder while she wrapped an arm around his waist, giving him a gentle, supporting squeeze along with a measure of her quiet strength.
"I was... twelve, I think," Loghlan said. "I didnāt know at the time, but heād been ill for years. Heād already passed his throne to my father by the time I was five. I donāt know that Iād call him āimpatient,ā" Loghlan added as a ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Rather, I think he was restless," Baron Dunn said. "If you go south and talk to Tybal Aleese and his knights, youāll hear them talking about horses like family, or like brothers in battle. They train from boyhood until the horse becomes an extension of the man, and they chase the wind when they charge with a lance in their hand."
"Grandfather wasnāt like that, for all the time he spent in the saddle," Loghlan said, sipping his wine as his smile grew larger. "Heās the one who built up our herds, and he could spend weeks at a time riding alongside them, moving cattle and sheep from one pasture to the next."
For Loghlan, his strongest memories of his grandfather were of days spent in the rolling hills of Dunn Barony, learning how to ride in order to tend the herds that formed the basis of the baronyās industry.
Each day brought new sights and new challenges, and by the time he was ten years old, when his grandfather finally hung up his saddle for good, Loghlan felt like theyād ridden half the length of the barony together. When Loghlan was old enough, he spent his first few years as a young knight touring the rest of the barony, riding along with shepherds and cattlemen, keeping him safe from wolves and demons alike.
Just the way his grandfather had taught him to.
"Did you ever," Loghlan started, pausing to swallow a lump in his throat. "Did you ever get to see him, after the war? Did you know my grandmother Difyr at all?"
"I never met Difyr," Ignatious said, shaking his head as though it were a great tragedy. "Liag talked about courting her when things ended. He was really taken with her. One night, after heād had a bit too much to drink, he said that she was part of the reason he fought so hard, because he was afraid her father would wed her to someone else if he didnāt prove himself strong enough to protect her."
"I never knew that," Loghlan said, going quiet for a moment as he looked at the vampire across the table from him. Questions piled up in his mind, but whenever he reached for one, it evaporated like smoke. He wanted to hear more, but he also understood that, for Ignatious, his questions might open old wounds that were better left as scars.
"Itās alright," Ignatious said, as if he could read the baronās mind, and maybe he could. He was both an Inquisitor and a vampire after all, who knew what powers he possessed? "Iāve made my peace with those days," he said calmly enough that Loghlan almost believed it was true. "If you have questions, you can ask, and Iāll answer what I can."
"And if youāre able to," Ignatious added. "Perhaps you can answer a few of my questions as well," he said as he raised up his cup of wine and spilled a few drops on the floor. "To Liag," he said. "May he watch over us both from the Heavenly Shores."
"To Grandfather Liag," Loghlan said, matching the gesture and spilling a few drops of wine from his own cup. "Hopefully, seeing his old friend and his grandson sharing a cup is a happy sight."
For a time, the two men took turns telling stories about the man theyād both known at opposite ends of his life. Isabell and Mairwen sat nearby, offering up comforting silence without intruding on either manās grief or their laughter.
It was unexpected, Mairwen thought. Few people could slide so quickly past her husbandās guard. Sheād come here tonight expecting to help him open up to their new allies, easing tensions and redirecting the conversation away from things that were too sensitive or contentious to handle in a first meeting.
And yet, in the midst of Lady Ashlynnās entourage, they hadnāt just found an ally, theyād found an old family friend.
"Thank you, High Inquisitor," Loghlan finally said after what must have been an hour of animated conversation. "Iām glad for the chance to know my grandfather just a little bit better and... And I hope this isnāt the only time weāll have a chance to talk about him."
"Iām sure my knights would love the opportunity to meet you as well," he added. "You mentioned Sir Hifyl Stormbrook and Sir Seith Wyndan, and both of their grandsons are traveling with me now. Their great-grandchildren, as well, for that matter."
"Iād like that," Ignatious said, accepting the invitation easily. "I lost touch with too many things when I... went away," he said delicately. "Itās already a blessing to learn that they survived to father families that have lasted all the way until now. Anything theyāre willing to share beyond that is a gift I never thought Iād get."
"Then Iāll make sure to host you properly when the time comes," Baron Dunn said with a wide, toothy grin. "But Iāve also been incredibly rude to my Mairwen and to Master Isabell," he said, giving the two women a guilty look. "We havenāt made space for the two of you to talk at all."
"Iām not bothered by it," Mairwen said, giving her husband a final squeeze before she pulled back from him. "And Iām grateful to both the High Inquisitor and to Lady Ashlynn for giving you a chance to talk," she said.
"Still, it is growing late," she said as her brows drew together. "Should we be worried about Lady Ashlynn? Do you think... Do you think that Lady Cerys is giving her trouble?"
"I wouldnāt worry about Lady Cerys," Ignatious said, turning his head slightly to the side as if he could hear what was happening on the floors above. "Her brother, on the other hand, might be a bit troublesome. But nothing that Lady Ashlynn canāt handle without our help. It shouldnāt be much longer now, and itās better to wait than to put things off until morning. Some of us wonāt be available after the sun rises after all," he reminded them gently.
"Ah, right," Loghlan said, looking slightly embarrassed at the reminder. "Iād completely forgotten," he said, though whether heād forgotten that vampires couldnāt endure the daylight or heād forgotten that Ignatious was a vampire wasnāt entirely clear.
"In that case, since we have a bit of time," he said, turning his attention toward the silver-haired engineer. "Master Isabell, I wonder if you can indulge my curiosity on another topic?"
"I donāt mind for the most part," Isabell said as she refilled her cup for at least the third time since sheād sat down at the table. "But if you want to trade old war stories, Iām afraid the answer is no," she said bluntly. "I did my fighting on the other side of the world, and I donāt think we have any friends in common to reminisce about."
"No, not that," Loghlan said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender before he could take even a small step toward such a sensitive topic. "Itās just that my son seemed very impressed by your capabilities," Loghlan said delicately. "And the fees he negotiated for your services were... impressive."
Impressive was putting it mildly. Sheād demanded one part in twenty of his entire treasury to help him with a single undertaking, and the heavy cost was only the first of the restrictions sheād placed upon their agreement. Yet Liam had sounded proud of himself for negotiating a deal with such extraordinary terms.
"I was just wondering," Lord Loghlan said carefully. "Just what is it that you could do for my barony that would be worth such a heavy cost?"