#noah 5

Wolfgang stood in front of the large map of Europe that he had hung on the wall behind his desk. He had taken down all of the weapons that had been displayed there and neatly stacked them on the floor. The edges were frayed and the boundaries and cities long since obsolete. He had contemplated having Nadya redraw it on fresh parchment, more accurately representing the pockets of life that exist now. Now it served as a scavengers treasure map, especially since he had pledged vampire guides and guards to one or two caravans heading to untouched cities close to or just inside his kingdoms borders.

He ran his finger along the main route his runners took between his capital and Sanctuary, a network of now defunct power lines leading from an old nuclear power plant in Lithuania into Germany and then down into Switzerland. His lips formed the strange, unused names, sounding them out as he contemplated where his messengers should have been by now. He sighed in frustration as his finger touched the Bodensee, not far from Sanctuary. The lack of information was killing him. He growled and thumped the wall with the side of his fist then jumped as a larger sound answered from the hallway outside.

What the hell?

He stalked out into the hall and out into the main foyer and stopped, blinking in surprise. Noah was leaning against the doors, legs crossed, calmly eating an apple and grinning at the vampire king. His guards were not in their normal position by the entrance and he raised an eyebrow at the young wicked. The brunette extended his index finger and did a little circle with his hand, inviting Wolfgang to turn around.

He did... and instantly regretted it. Sensible Yuna, a giantess with flaming red hair, and cocky Caleb, a lean, swarthy male with a penchant for making bad decisions, were both pinned halfway up the two story wall, just under the second floor balcony. The woman hung there upright, calm except for a glare for her equally trapped companion. Caleb was dangling upside down, his long braids hung down from his head, nearly trailing to the floor. He was struggling against invisible bonds, the skin around his mouth distorted like a hand was keeping it shut.

“Do I want to know?”