— I was saying I liked the spell you used to clean your hand of the blood. Simple and elegant, as if it was absorbed and disappeared. I've always enjoyed watching magic in action, — the lieutenant explained. — You executed it very naturally and even aesthetically. Allow me to express my admiration, Your Grace!
— Oh, yes, the spell. Thank you.
"How nice it is that people explain the incomprehensible with magic! Otherwise, I would have been caught by now!"
There were no further delays or incidents on the road. The bandits, still unaware of their doomed fate, marched along obediently and feared not the imminent future but the grim knight riding at the head of the column. On the return journey, they were overtaken by a group of five gendarmes sent to scout the barony's town and who had missed all the excitement in the forest. In Kas and through its streets, everything also proceeded without incident, but then...
The appearance of such a strange convoy caused a stir in the town. The boys quickly spread the news of this unusual sight, and a significant crowd had gathered in the square in front of the administration building. Everyone wanted to see the free show, which involved bringing the detainees through the gates of the administration according to the law. For such cases, a tradition had long been established to preserve the letter of the absurd law — the guards would bring the detainee to the square, where they would be shoved into a cart and driven across the square to the very gates of the administration. Now there were almost one hundred and fifty bandits for just one cart. The crowd was waiting for entertainment.
Alexander, having nearly reached the gates, stopped to observe how everything would unfold. Such large-scale arrests were rare, and he wanted to see it. But as soon as he turned his gaze towards the cart approaching the prisoners, his eyes caught sight of a man in the crowd across from him, staring back. His gaze was filled with fear and contempt.
"Strange. Familiar face, but I can't recall from where."
The man did indeed look familiar, but Alexander couldn't remember where they had met. Although vampires had almost perfect memories and recalling specific moments was not an issue, he couldn't place this person. His fine clothes did not suggest they had met in a bandit den.
"That's Krapivin!"
The thought struck Alexander when he saw the man making his way through the crowd, intending to leave the square. The distinctive movements of the body revealed the answer. It was Krapivin, though he looked significantly younger and improved. There was no mistake.
Ignoring everything, the vampire swiftly crossed the square, only managing to command the gendarmes to follow him. The crowd parted quickly, clearing the way for the riders; no one wanted to be trampled.
They caught up with the fugitive in the blacksmiths' quarter. The reason the renegade chose this noisy part of the town to escape remained a mystery, as the pursuit relied more on smell and sight rather than sound, though Krapivin had a chance to blend in if Alexander had delayed the chase. But that didn't happen; the triumvir reacted instantly. As soon as the pursuers were a little away from the square, the horses, which had only been slowing down the vampires, were replaced by their legs. They ran faster than the animals.
Realizing he couldn't escape, Krapivin turned and struck Alexander in the chest with a "lightning" spell. In response, Alexander fired two "fire spears" and five "fire arrows." All the spells were deflected by shields. The blades crossed briefly. Quickly jumping onto a roof, the traitor tried to attack with magic from there but only lost time and allowed himself to be surrounded.
In a tight ring of hostile vampires, he understood that he was doomed and fought even more fiercely. It was evident he hadn't trained much, unlike the gendarmes constantly drilled in sparring sessions. No matter how quickly and fiercely Krapivin swung his sword, he couldn't harm them and had already received more than a dozen cuts.
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