Chapter 25: Half Dead at Dawn

We sat across from each other at one of the tavern’s wooden tables.

Ayara and I on one side.

Juliet and Timi on the other.

I glanced at Timi.

He was biting the inside of his cheek, clearly trying not to burst into laughter.

Then I looked at Ayara.

She was smiling proudly, like she had just won something.

Then I looked at Juliet.

Her arms were folded.

She was slowly shaking her head at me.

I cleared my throat.

“It’s not what it looks like.”

“It is what it looks like,” Ayara cut in immediately.

“We just came out for a stroll,” I added quickly. “She wanted to show me around. We ended up here.”

“He’s my boyfriend now,” Ayara said again, grabbing my arm tightly.

I pushed her hands off.

“I am not your boyfriend,” I snapped.

Right on cue, Bhaim the busboy appeared with two large cups of wine and dropped them aggressively in front of us.

“The drinks are on the house,” he said loudly, “for the lovely couple.”

“Oh God…”

I rested my forehead on my arm on the table.

“See? I told you,” Ayara giggled.

I couldn’t even lift my head.

“Juliet,” Timi said smoothly, “why don’t we excuse the lovebirds? I have another spot we can go to. They all worship me there.”

I heard Juliet sigh.

Chairs scraped against wood.

Footsteps moved away.

Then—

“Oh, Daniel.”

I lifted my head.

Timi was standing a few steps away, Juliet beside him.

“I heard you’ve agreed to go with us to Braves. Thank you. We’re having a strategy recap meeting before daybreak. You should finish up here on time.”

He smiled faintly.

Then he and Juliet walked out.

I waited—

Hoping Juliet would look back at me.

She didn’t.

Was she mad?

Jealous?

But Juliet wasn’t the jealous type.

I was so confused.

I dropped my head back onto the table.

“Daniel.”

Ayara’s tiny voice again.

“Yeah?”

“Who turned you into a vampire?”

“I can’t share that information.”

“Okay… then how do you become one?”

I sighed.

“You get drained of your blood until you’re almost dead. Then you’re fed vampire blood. You pass out. When you wake up, you’re half-dead, half-alive. And you have three days to feed… or you die.”

Her eyes sparkled.

“Cool.”

There was a short silence.

“Daniel… can you turn me into a vampire?”

I lifted my head slowly.

She wasn’t joking.

She had already finished both giant cups of wine.

I stood up and grabbed her hand.

“Let me take you home. It’s late.”

She was clearly drunk. I placed her arm over my neck and supported her toward the exit. On the way out, she grabbed another cup from a nearby table.

I saw it.

Ignored it.

Outside, she lifted the cup to her mouth again.

I took it from her.

She protested.

I gave it back.

“You can barely walk. Why do you want more?”

“I’m fifty-nine,” she slurred. “I’m not a kid.”

“Then stop acting like one.”

She pulled away from me and tried walking on her own, staggering through the snow.

I sighed, moved in front of her, and bent down.

She hesitated.

Then climbed onto my back, still holding the cup.

I considered running at full speed—

But she could fall.

So I walked slowly through the snow toward the palace.

“Why don’t you love me, Daniel?” she murmured behind my ear.

I could smell the wine on her breath.

“You’re drunk.”

“So what?”

“Do you love her?”

“Who?”

“The girl you came here with.”

“We aren’t together.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“We’re just friends.”

“Stop avoiding my question.”

“No. I don’t love her.”

She tightened her grip slightly.

“So do you love me?”

“Enough with the questions, Ayara.”

“Let’s get married. I’ll be a good wife.”

“I’m not interested.”

“How dare you? Do you know how many men want to marry me?”

“That information is irrelevant to me.”

She went quiet for a moment.

“Turn me into a vampire,” she whispered. “We’ll be together forever.”

“You don’t want that.”

“Don’t tell me what I want.”

Suddenly—

Her grip loosened.

Her weight shifted backward.

I felt her slipping.

“Ayara, hold on—”

Pain exploded at the back of my head.

Everything went black.

—

I don’t know how long I was out.

When I opened my eyes, I was lying in the snow in the field near the palace.

Cold.

Silent.

I touched the back of my head.

Blood stained my hand.

But the wound was already healed.

“What the hell happened?”

I turned.

Ayara was sitting a few feet away, holding her cup calmly.

“You slipped and fell,” she said casually. “You hit your head on that rock.”

She pointed to a stone barely visible under the snow.

“Are you okay?” I asked her.

“Yeah. We’re home already.”

She stood up.

Walked away toward a path I couldn’t see clearly.

And within seconds—

She was gone.

No goodnight.

No explanation.

I lay back in the snow.

The stars above Antarctica were breathtaking.

Clear.

Endless.

I stretched my arms and made a snow angel absentmindedly.

Then I remembered Juliet’s face in the tavern.

I really needed to talk to her.

Then it hit me.

The meeting.

Before daybreak.

I looked toward the horizon.

The sky was already lightening.

“Shit.”

I jumped to my feet and ran toward the hall entrance.

Different guards stood at the door now.

As I approached, they straightened.

They blocked my path briefly.

“Lord Daniel,” one of them said respectfully, “Lord Timi is waiting for you in his chambers.”“Thanks,” I said to the guards before turning toward the staircase.

I had barely taken three steps when I realized something painfully obvious.

I had no idea where Timi’s chambers were.

I stopped, exhaled through my nose, and turned back. The guards were still standing exactly where I’d left them, tall and unmoving like statues carved from stone.

“Can one of you lead me to his chambers?” I asked.

The guard on the left stepped forward immediately. He didn’t speak. He simply bowed his head once and motioned for me to follow.

We climbed the wide spiral staircase, our footsteps echoing against the crystal-lined walls. The higher we went, the quieter it became. The air felt colder here—thicker. Older.

After a few turns down dimly lit corridors, we stopped in front of a pair of massive dark wooden doors reinforced with black iron.

The guard bowed slightly to me.

Then he left.

I raised my hand to knock—

“Daniel,” Timi’s voice called from inside, calm and clear. “No need to knock. Come in.”

I pushed the doors open.

Timi’s chambers were nothing like the rest of the palace. Where the halls were polished and ceremonial, this room felt lived in. Strategic. Dangerous.

A massive four-poster bed stood against the far wall, its dark frame carved with ancient symbols. Beside it, resting on a slightly elevated stone platform, was an obsidian coffin lined with deep red silk. It didn’t look grim. It looked intentional. Like a throne for the dead.

Tall windows stretched along one side of the chamber, heavy velvet curtains drawn halfway. Faint early light bled through, tinting the room in pale blue.

At the center stood a large oak table, and spread across it was a detailed map of the eastern territories. Small iron figurines marked positions—towers, wolves, ships.

Around the table stood several warriors in fitted dark armor. Juliet was among them.

When she saw me, she smiled softly and gestured for me to stand beside her.

Relief flooded through me.

She didn’t hate me.

I moved to her side just as Timi began speaking.

“Our spies have confirmed the location of the Crown Prince of the Braves,” he said, tapping a marked structure on the map. “He’s staying at Frostfall Villa.”

He shifted one of the figurines.

“It’s a private estate carved into the cliffside overlooking the eastern ice fields. Every year he hosts his elite warriors and lovers there.”

He glanced at us.

“There are twenty-six guards stationed at the villa.”

He pointed to different spots on the map as he broke it down.

“Six at the main gate. Rotating in pairs.”

He moved another piece.

“Four positioned on the upper balcony overlooking the courtyard. They have crossbows.”

Another shift.

“Four patrol the outer perimeter wall continuously.”

“Two guard the rear ice dock.”

“Four inside the main hall.”

“Four outside the prince’s private chambers.”

“And two roam the interior corridors.”

He straightened.

“They are disciplined. But they are comfortable. Overconfident.”

Juliet leaned slightly forward, studying the layout.

Timi continued.

“We attack in three units. Unit One eliminates the perimeter patrol silently. No alarms.”

He moved three wolf figurines behind the villa.

“Unit Two takes the balcony archers and secures the courtyard.”

Then he looked at me.

“Unit Three breaches through the western service entrance. I’ll lead it.”

I nodded slowly.

“We extract the prince alive,” he finished.

I frowned slightly. “Why are we kidnapping him?”

Timi’s eyes lifted to mine, sharp but patient.

“Because this war has dragged on for decades,” he said. “They refuse negotiation because they believe they cannot be touched.”

He tapped the figurine representing the prince.

“If their heir vanishes from a heavily guarded villa deep within their territory, they will understand vulnerability.”

He leaned closer to the table.

“We don’t harm him. We treat him as a guest. Then we offer terms. A ceasefire. Borders. Recognition.”

Juliet spoke quietly beside me.

“They value bloodline above pride. They will choose him over war.”

Silence settled for a moment.

Then the meeting was dismissed.

We agreed to regroup at sunset.

One by one, the warriors exited until only Timi, Juliet, and I remained.

I cleared my throat.

“So… I’ve been wondering. It’s almost dawn and I really need to rest. Is there any coffin I can use around here?”

“Don’t worry,” Timi replied immediately. “You can use mine.”

I blinked. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” he said with a faint smirk. “After your date with the princess, I’m sure you need all the rest you can get.”

“It wasn’t a date,” I said quickly. “She was just showing me around.”

“Whatever you say, Daniel,” he replied as he and Juliet began heading for the door.

“Juliet,” I called.

She turned.

“Can we talk?”

Her expression softened, but she shook her head gently.

“Get some rest, Daniel. We’ll talk tomorrow. We need you at your fullest strength.”

And then they left.

The doors shut behind them.

Silence swallowed the room.

I walked toward the window and pulled the curtain aside slightly. The sun was beginning to rise slowly over the icy horizon, painting the world in pale gold.

I turned back to the coffin.

I opened it.

It smelled faintly of cedar and something metallic—but not unpleasant. Clean. Cold.

I lay inside and pulled the lid down over me.

Darkness.

I slept.

Hours passed.

Then suddenly—

The lid was ripped open violently.

I snapped awake.

Timi stood above me, eyes blazing with rage.

Before I could speak, he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me out of the coffin. He threw me onto the bed.

I rolled off immediately and got to my feet.

“What the hell, man?!”

His chest heaved.

“What did you do to her, you idiot?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You turned her!” he shouted. “You fucking turned her!”

My stomach dropped.

“Turned who?”

“Don’t play dumb with me!” he roared. “You turned Ayara into a vampire last night. She’s half-dead now and needs to complete the transition.”

The words didn’t register at first.

“I didn’t—”

“You are dead now, Daniel,” he growled.

“Dead.”