[ Two. Two try to attack, near the start of this. Sypha opens a hole in the ice. Room enough for one person to leave at a time. No more. After the first two attacks fail, no more try. The process is slow. Pockets are emptied. Men prove that they are bringing nothing with them. No hands or tongues need to be sliced. A few men ask for leave to remove the corpses of friends killed in the infighting from the hold. Trevor refuses, but Sypha relents. Sypha wins. Sypha always wins. He can't even be angry with her for failing to present a united front when that is so necessary for keeping control of the situation, because she is merciful and kind and right.
They remain at the ice's edge, bound by cuffs of ice, until the rest are gone. Sypha widens the opening and they are permitted to return one at a time to carry the bodies to the surface.
(The bodies have to be searched. It is grim work, but far preferable to allowing some of the things in the hold to fall into the wrong hands.)
The ice is closed again, until dusk, and Sypha and Trevor return to the castle. They enter the study through the normal door, not the secret one in the cells (they could not use that door if they wanted to without Alucard's aid, hidden as it is from mortals).
The forgemaster does not shrink away from them, either because he is too tired now to show fear or because he has nothing left to be afraid of, even as Trevor's eyes narrow with rage. The dog yips happily as he enters the room, but then returns its attention to Hector. He can feel Sypha's hand on his wrist and it may as well be an iron cuff, gentle as her hold is. ]
Have you decided? [ Is all he says, eventually. It's choked with fury. But this is Alucard's choice. ]
no subject
They remain at the ice's edge, bound by cuffs of ice, until the rest are gone. Sypha widens the opening and they are permitted to return one at a time to carry the bodies to the surface.
(The bodies have to be searched. It is grim work, but far preferable to allowing some of the things in the hold to fall into the wrong hands.)
The ice is closed again, until dusk, and Sypha and Trevor return to the castle. They enter the study through the normal door, not the secret one in the cells (they could not use that door if they wanted to without Alucard's aid, hidden as it is from mortals).
The forgemaster does not shrink away from them, either because he is too tired now to show fear or because he has nothing left to be afraid of, even as Trevor's eyes narrow with rage. The dog yips happily as he enters the room, but then returns its attention to Hector. He can feel Sypha's hand on his wrist and it may as well be an iron cuff, gentle as her hold is. ]
Have you decided? [ Is all he says, eventually. It's choked with fury. But this is Alucard's choice. ]