The Vampire & Her Witch

”Merciful Light and Savior,” Loghlan breathed as he followed Liam’s instructions to look at the last page in the roll of documents that Lady Ashlynn had sent.

Dunn Barony was the largest and one of the most extensively developed baronies in Lothian March. It might not match Otker Barony for wealth, nor hold as many people as Leufroy Barony did in its oversized towns and villages, but in terms of land that had been made useful to the barony, no one in Lothian could hold a candle to the sheer amount of land that made up Dunn Barony.

That expansion had taken generations of slow, steady progress, pushing the border north and westward, clearing the overgrown wilderness, fighting battles with Eldritch villages, and constantly recruiting settlers to build the next set of lightly fortified hamlets on the Dunn’s network of rough, dirt roads. Every acre of land had been claimed with no small amount of blood and sweat, and Loghlan had always thought that he did well by his family in advancing their goals over the course of his reign.

Which was why, when he examined the map that marked out the proposed borders of ’lands granted to the Dunns under Lady Ashlynn’s banner,’ he couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.

”Liam,” Loghlan said as he stretched the map out on the table for others to see. ”Is Lady Ashlynn serious about this? This is nearly three times our current holdings! I don’t think that even Lady Ashlynn’s home of Blackwell County covers so much territory,” he said, though it was hard to be certain considering how many islands, large and small, comprised a majority of Lady Ashlynn’s homeland.

”Her Dominion, Lady Ashlynn, understands that we’ve worked hard to prove ourselves worthy of a higher station,” Liam said, tapping on the map. ”This represents her belief that, given the opportunity, we’re capable enough to turn these lands into a hub of industry within the realm that she and Her Eternity, Lady Nyrielle, are going to build around the Vale of Mists.”

”She’s given us rights to a mountain similar to Airgead Mountain,” Liam continued, tapping one point on the map. ”It isn’t as rich in precious stones as Airgead Mountain is, but Lady Ashlynn said that in the days before the Second Crusade, ’Little Sister Mountain’ was a source of copper, iron, and other metals for not only the Vale of Mists but many lands beyond. The mines are old and long abandoned, but there is potential there waiting for us.”

While Baron Loghlan examined the map with wide eyes and the other knights leaned forward to get a better look at the proposed borders as they listened to Lord Liam’s explanations, Sir Cynwrig sat back in his chair, his keen gaze moving from the map to the fine silk scarves still draped around the necks of the baroness and Lady Eira, to the carved wooden bowls that Sir Brennus had set aside on the table, and finally to Sir Ollie himself.

Unlike many of the knights gathered around the table, Cynwrig’s lands sat on the eastern edge of Dunn Barony, far enough from the wilderness that he seldom had to worry about demon, no, about Eldritch raiding parties, much less spending his time riding with patrols to protect his villages from Eldritch attacks.

That distance from the front lines had given him the freedom to focus his efforts on something other than warfare, and over the years, he’d turned his village into one of the most prosperous settlements in all of Dunn Barony.

His people produced the finest indigo and goldenrod dyes in Lothian March, rich blues and vibrant yellows that could rival anything coming from the south, and his fiber mills processed more wool than any other village in the barony.

The prosperity that came from those industries had made Cynwrig a valuable asset to Baron Loghlan, because, unlike many knights who could only offer their swords and their shields, Cynwrig could offer gold. Gold that funded campaigns like the one Lord Liam had led this summer. Gold that paid for the equipment and supplies that let men leave their fields behind for months at a time to wage war in the wilderness and ensured that they had armor stout enough to return home without injuries that would prevent them from working the harvest in the fall.

Cynwrig had always believed that wealth was a weapon, one that could be wielded just as effectively as a blade if you knew how to use it properly, and he’d proven his loyalty to the Dunns time and time again by opening his coffers to support their ambitions alongside his own.

But now, as he looked at the map spread across the table and considered the vast expanse of new lands that Lady Ashlynn was offering, Cynwrig couldn’t help but wonder what opportunities might exist in those territories for a man who knew how to turn raw materials into prosperity. If the Eldritch could produce silk as fine as the scarf wrapped around Baroness Mairwen’s neck, and if they had access to resources like the copper and iron of Little Sister Mountain, then what else might be waiting to be developed in those lands?

More than that, Cynwrig found himself wondering about his own position in this new order. If Baron Loghlan became something greater, a count, perhaps, or whatever title Lady Ashlynn decided to bestow on her vassals, then what would happen to the knights who served him loyally for so many years? Would there be opportunities for men like Cynwrig to rise as well?

Could a knight who had proven his worth through prosperity rather than conquest claim lands of his own in this new nation, perhaps even earning the title of baron in his own right?

The thought was tantalizing, and Cynwrig kept his expression carefully neutral as he continued to listen to the conversation, filing away every detail for later consideration. He wouldn’t speak yet, this wasn’t the time to voice his ambitions, but he would be watching, and when the moment came to negotiate the terms of their service to Lady Ashlynn, he would make certain that his own interests were represented....