It was three days before the last man broke. The poor soul hung himself after my master had his fun with him, and when I scoured his cell, as instructed, I found no blood from my lord’s previous sessions with the man.

  ‘If you could be gracious enough my lord, pray tell, what had you done with the one who hung himself?’ I asked, out of a curiosity which could not be satiated by mere speculation.

  ‘Oh…’ He gathered his words, then said, ‘Nothing much, my faithful servant. It was simple act. Mortals, like yourself, are liable to the throes of the heart, no?’

  ‘He was in love?’, I asked, knowing that this conversation we were having, as he broke his fast, was going to reveal that must not be known of a Nightstalker such as himself, ancient, uncanny, and sadistic.

  He grinned, ‘He was tethered to the bonds of matrimony, although his wife died a couple of seasons ago. The widower had a child, having slight likeness to the wife. So, he clearly had a beloved, but that was his daughter.’

  He paused, then raised the goblet, and allowed the sanguinary flow to reach the insides of his mouth. He continued.

  ‘The daughter! What a fair maiden! I would never suspect such a beauty from a man so…’

  ‘Tough?’ I answered quizzically.

  ‘Not exactly, thrall, not the exact word….’ He snapped his fingers. ‘Gruff. Sturdy. Forged by the village blacksmith. Practical, yet without beauty.’

  His grin grew wider, then he devoured the last tart, with the foul looking filling seeping out. You could see behind the crimson the beast like teeth of the man, sharp enough to tear a throat out with a swift jerk proceeding a bite.

  ‘Let us continue whilst I take my morning walk around the estate,’ he stood, and gestured towards his umbrella. I complied and handed it to him. He opened it, and said, ‘Such an old relic… It feels like it was only yesterday when bought it from that knife-ear.’ He chuckled, ‘They might be alive. And if so, I should commission her once again, and probably she would make a rather beautiful parasol after all these years of working on her craft.’

  As we walked, he continued with his tale of the man and his daughter, ‘They were travelers, seeking out the last reign of men, for their forests grew wilder and their lands less profitable. I, like any sensible noble, invited them to stay the night here, where their every need would be met.’

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  He bared his teeth, ‘It was a great night since I had someone to entertain unlike your lot.’

  I did not laugh.

  ‘Why are you acting so stiff today, thrall?’ He mused as he readjusted the umbrella. ‘Your company, although limited, has been relatively less professional than the others.’

  We came to a halt, and he turned to face the field we were walking along on a cobblestone path. It had a few patches of grass left growing, and a few limbs jutting out of the ground, decaying. The trigger of our conversation was being lowered into a shallow grave.

  ‘So, after the alcohol and excessive revelries, I revealed my true intentions for inviting our guests into my estate, and although they were incredulous at first, they accepted it.’

  As the other lesser-thralls buried the body, my master looked directly into my eyes. Although I have been one of his many servants for decades, I never felt at ease whenever his eyes peered into mine.

  ‘Since you were away for the evening, I will recount what occurred after the reveal.’ He turned his head and began to stare at the new mound amongst the dozens. ‘I liked both of them or perhaps I have been starved of interaction to the point where I regarded even the dullest of travelers as a demigod of sorts.’ He paused and narrowed his eyes. ‘But that does not change the fact that I liked them. So, instead of removing their agency in the matter, I gave them a way to avoid the fate I intended for them at the beginning of the night. It was simple test of riddles. And if they got all three correct, I would leave them be for the night and even escort them through the forest’s desolation.’

  He turned to face his manor, and began to walk and I followed.

  ‘Although the father did not seem like the type, he answered the first two correctly, then when I asked the last one, he froze, and the girl answered in his stead.’

  ‘What was the riddle?’

  ‘I prowl the night, searching for the next high. I seek for excess, yet satiation is never enough. The sun makes my bones ache, and the moonlight is my only ally. What am I?’

  ‘What was her answer?’

  ‘Vampire’ He chuckled, ‘She did not know how correct she was, apart from the fact that the sun just irritates me and doesn’t reduce me to ash.’ A playful scoff followed his words. ‘Although she was correct, her eyes told me that she realized that I was one and the silent terror in the air around her made it even more apparent. If they were completely ignorant, the man could have been at this very moment walking amongst the living unlike yourself.’

  He let out a sardonic bellow.

  ‘You can guess what followed; tore the pair apart, situated the father in the crypts, and I had my fill of his suffering. It was a bloodless affair unlike the others, and simply because I used my words instead of my flayer.’

  ‘Were they true?’

  ‘Truth in what? It was all a lie from the start. I broke his spirit with words, falsehoods with no evidence.’ His smile widened, ‘I love seeing mortals at their lowest, and you can force them there with words and words alone. Fascinating.’

  ‘And the girl?’

  ‘She’ll become one of my many servants…’ He turned his head, and wore a baleful smile, ‘Of course, after you wither.’

  ‘Yes, my lord.’

  ‘It will be any day from now, so am I correct to believe that you have got most of your affairs in order, before you experience oblivion?’ He inquired.

  ‘That was the reason why I was not here for the festivities.’ I answered.

  ‘Oh? Spectacular!’