Wright's magic prevented the rain, and while the ground remained muddy, neither the horses nor the people were soaked, allowing the army to march faster.
He couldn't shake the unease that had followed him since they encountered the strange phenomenon in the sky earlier. Wright ordered Edmure to send a raven to King's Landing, using his title as the Archmage to summon Qyburn and Thoros. They traveled light, and on horseback, they should be able to meet the army halfway.
The army marched north along the muddy Kingsroad. When they passed through the Seven Bridges of Vicon Valley, the local lord, seeing that Edmure, Wright, and Jaime were present, brought his knights to join the ranks. After crossing the Eel Marsh, Qyburn and Thoros caught up, and the army's numbers reached around fifteen hundred.
Odahviing flew slowly in the sky, circling in Wright's line of sight, keeping watch.
Wright rode a skeletal horse through the ranks, with Jaime and Edmure on either side, both their horses' eyes shielded from the direction of the skeletal horse. Edmure, a man fond of pleasure, and Jaime, who had traveled far and wide, along with Wright, who had seen much, had spent the past few days talking about women, magic, wealth, and everything else under the sun.
Qyburn did not ride a skeletal horse and instead, along with Thoros, rode a regular warhorse behind them. Knowing a fierce battle might be ahead, Wright instructed them to conserve their magical energy and avoid unnecessary waste.
The young men who had delivered food to Wright earlier, Jaime had noticed, were constantly seeking Wright's advice on Swordsmanship. He made them Wright's temporary squires, responsible for his meals and camp duties. As for the girls from that day, Jaime, being a knightly man, arranged for them to be protected in the army. Should they encounter any mysterious mages or vampires, the situation would not be taken lightly.
"Does this thing really work?" Edmure asked, playing with a silver dagger in his hand.
Wright responded, "You've heard about the rumors of the street parades in King's Landing, right? As long as it's made of silver, it works."
"To use this dagger, I'd have to get close to those monsters. I much prefer a longsword," Edmure said, clearly displeased with the silver dagger. It was a temporary product hastily made by the army's blacksmiths, using silver stag. It looked and felt mediocre, unworthy of his duke status.
Wright smiled and said nothing. Edmure was not skilled in combat, and if it came down to using that dagger, Wright thought it would be better for him to use it on himself.
Edmure placed the dagger on his saddle. "Speaking of weapons, this year, I've decided to buy a Valyrian steel sword from you."
"If vampires really do show up, the price of Valyrian steel swords will skyrocket. You'd better bring plenty of gold to Teylos!" Jaime straightened in his saddle.
The Valyrian steel sword he wore, the Sun's Maiden, was a treasure. No one dared mock him after losing to Wright in a duel. On the contrary, the sword's freezing effect was widely praised. It had cost four hundred thousand gold dragons, and Jaime had realized its true value after a long period of regret!
Wright remembered something and turned to Edmure. "Last year, the Tyrells failed to buy a sword and Jaime's family bought it instead. They're attending the auction again this year."
"Haha, auctions... Anything can happen. They might not buy it this time!" Edmure said, though he was already mentally preparing to back out.
Edmure understood that his financial resources could not compare to the Tyrells. Next year! Next year, he would definitely get one! Among the current High Lords, only he, the Arryns, and the Tyrells were without a Valyrian steel sword. He would let the Tyrells have this one, but next year, he would compete with the Arryns for one, as they might not be as rich as him.
"Up ahead, there's something!" Wright suddenly said.
In the distance, Odahviing circled above a water mill near a river. Through his magical connection with the dragon, Wright sensed its restless mood—only undead creatures could disturb a dragon's peace.
"Alert! Full guard!" Jaime immediately reacted to Wright's command and gave orders to the herald nearby.
The marching army came to a halt. Soldiers raised their weapons and shields, forming small defensive squares around the supply wagons. The Westerlands knights turned their horses and rode toward the grasslands outside the King's Road. Soon, a cavalry of about six hundred was formed.
"Qyburn! Thoros, follow me! Jaime, Edmure, you command the others!" Wright said, donning his helmet. His skeletal horse, Arvak, with its endless magical stamina, charged out of the formation with the speed of a cavalryman.
The Westerlands knights, under Jaime's command, took the lead. Two or three hundred knights from the Riverlands gathered around the wagons, and seeing Wright and the others heading to investigate, they followed with a dozen or so knights in tow.
Arvak charged through a vegetable field, and Wright didn't have time to worry about ruining the crops, for the farmers had already died.
A bloated corpse was pressed down onto several vegetables. From its clothes and the hoe lying beside it, Wright could tell the man's identity. Wright halted, staying mounted, observing. Not far away, the water mill still seemed to hold some danger.
Qyburn and Thoros caught up with Wright, and after seeing the body, Qyburn immediately dismounted and used his white magic wand to turn the corpse over.
"Wright, this is the work of vampires!" Qyburn shouted. As an expert on the undead, Qyburn was one of the most authoritative figures in the Seven Kingdoms. He had seen and studied vampires in King's Landing and had reviewed the manuscripts Wright provided. After just a glance at the corpse, he made the judgment.
At this point, Jaime and Edmure, along with their knights, had arrived.
"Maester Qyburn, I heard you say this was the work of vampires? But aren't vampires' victims usually corpses?" Edmure, still on his horse, asked, as a group of people circled around the body.
Qyburn stepped up to the corpse, and a flash of white light appeared from his hand. A magical shield, part of the Transmutation school of magic, enveloped his arm like a glove. He lifted the bloated head of the corpse, showing the two holes in the neck to Edmure. "He has likely been dead for about five days. The vampire drained all his blood, and indeed, he is a dry corpse."
Qyburn looked up at the clear sky.
"There is no magic from Wright here. It had been raining all this time. After his death, the rain soaked him into this state. Thoros."
Having worked together for many years, Qyburn and Thoros shared a deep understanding. Thoros jumped off his horse, drew his long sword, and with a powerful strike, chopped off the corpse's arm.
Qyburn picked up the severed arm and, using magic, squeezed it at the wound. "What comes out is oil and water, no blood."
"Disgusting!" Everyone around shuddered, their faces pale. Even Jaime cursed under his breath.
Wright activated his undead detection spell. "Everyone, take out your weapons and follow me. There's a vampire near the mill!"
The group rode towards the mill. Wright unsheathed his greatsword and dismounted. The muddy ground in front of the mill showed signs of heavy footsteps.
"You stand guard. The rest of you, dismount and follow me!" Jaime, sword in hand, stayed close behind Qyburn. He knew he might not be a match for a vampire, but protecting the mage was the most important thing.
Approaching the mill, they noticed the wooden door had been damaged. Wright examined the hole, still fresh, likely made just a few days ago.
The outer room of the mill was small and cluttered with junk, but the inner room was spacious, with a waterwheel and millstone on one side. The mill couldn't have a lot of wind, so the few small windows were close to the roof. As they walked deeper inside, the light grew dim. Wright snapped his fingers, sending a white light ball flying, sticking to the wall.
"Ha~~~"
A huge, shrill scream rang out, causing Jaime and the others to clutch their heads in agony, collapsing to the ground in pain.
Wright lowered his sword and spoke to Qyburn, "Qyburn."
"Understood!" Qyburn walked toward the vampire woman.
Inside the mill, there was indeed a female vampire, but she had been nailed to a broken, slanted table by the wall. Qyburn approached her and gripped her throat. Her screaming ceased immediately.
Once the pain subsided, Jaime and the others stood up and cautiously moved closer. Upon seeing the vampire, they were all in shock.
Jaime scanned the surroundings. The mill was filled with broken wood, and there were marks of a struggle on the walls. It seemed that many people had gathered here, but there were no bodies. The blood stains on the floor were dry, yet no bodies remained.
The female vampire, nailed to the broken table, was in a monstrous form. Her limbs were severed and missing, and even the two appendages on her back only had two holes. She wore the tattered clothes of a peasant woman, and several iron nails were driven into her shoulders.
Seeing living people, she instinctively opened her mouth, revealing fangs, and hissed at them, gathering the magic within her body to emit a sound unbearable for ordinary people.
The tip of Qyburn's wand, made of pure silver, touched the female vampire's cyan skin. Immediately, a puff of green smoke erupted, and the vampire shrieked in pain again. This time, Qyburn, with a squeeze of his hand, silenced her.
Qyburn used more alteration magic, expanding his spell to engulf the vampire's entire body. With a lift of his hand, he raised her into the air. "Her limbs and the appendages on her back were forcibly ripped off!"
"Oh!" Wright, who had been studying the blood stains on the ground, stood up and walked over to the vampire. "Qyburn, let go. Let me take over."
Wright's more powerful magic enveloped the vampire, immobilizing her so much that she couldn't even turn her head. He brought her in front of him. "The blood stains on the floor are from a blood transformation ritual. Your family and friends were turned into vampires here, weren't they?"
The vampire couldn't speak, but her gaze shifted from the greed of seeing living beings to fear.
"Your attackers weren't humans, but your own kind—vampires!" Wright released his hold on her head.
"I'm not a monster, I'm not..." The vampire slowly regained some semblance of sanity.
Wright: "Perhaps you've heard of my name. I am Wright Baratheon. I'm here to deal with these monsters."
"Lord Wright? I am not a monster, ugh~~~" The female monster began to cry, but vampires cannot shed tears.
Wright gently turned her head so she could see her own body, then ripped off her clothes. "Look at yourself. I don't know if you were deceived or if you came willingly, but you've already become a monster. If you can provide useful information, I promise I will kill all these things and give you a quick death!"
The female monster looked at her now swollen waist and the blue skin, more monstrous than even her husband's, and cried out in agony, "Can I still become human?"
Wright: "I'm sorry, but no. I can't allow you to drink human blood either. You're dying."
After a moment of sadness, the green-skinned female monster spoke: "The Holy son... the monster that bit me... it kept talking about the Son."
"The Holy Son? As far as I know, vampires of the Coldharbour breed don't have anything like a Son in their bloodline. Perhaps they've developed some kind of deceptive cult." Wright said, stroking his chin. He was speaking for the benefit of those around him who were confused.
The female monster slowly began to recount her story.
She lived near Silver Spring Town, and for generations her family had been farmers there. A few months ago, her husband fell while repairing the roof and broke his leg. Most of the grain they grew had to be given to the lord, and they couldn't afford a healer or alchemy potions, so they used some herbs they gathered instead.
As her husband grew weaker, the neighbors started helping to chop wood to make a boat. Then a mysterious priest arrived at their home and used some magical spell to bring her husband back to life.
For a while, her husband and the priest, who wore a long robe and hood, grew close and started recruiting many of the village's young people into a group called the Black Swamp. They were told they'd receive free magical healing, and she joined shortly after. At first, everything seemed normal—the priest treated illnesses and gathered people to speak about the benefits of the Black Swamp group.
Then, five days ago, the priest brought everyone to the mill. At that point, the priest revealed his true form and turned into a monster. Her husband and son willingly became vampires. She was terrified and didn't want to become a monster, so the priest ordered that she be torn apart and nailed to the wall here.
"Using free healing to manipulate people's hearts! These bloodsucking monsters are truly something else, tsk!" Thoros complained angrily. A large part of the mages' income came from making potions, and now these monsters were giving it away for free!
Wright: "Any last wishes?"
"I want my ashes scattered in the Green Fork." It was a tradition passed down through generations in her family.
Wright: "Edmure, you're the Lord of Riverlands, you do it. Use the silver dagger."
Edmure drew a silver dagger from his waist and approached. He raised it and pointed the tip at the vampire's chest.
At such close range, Edmure felt a twinge of fear. He turned to look at the dozen or so people and Wright behind him, then faced the vampire again. "In the name of the Lord paramount of the Trident and the Lord of Riverrun, I, Edmure of House Tully, forgive your sins."
After speaking, Edmure gripped the dagger tightly and thrust it toward the vampire's heart.
"Ah~~~" The vampire screamed in agony.
Her skin was tough, and Edmure's grip was not strong enough, so the dagger only moved slowly, causing the vampire to scream louder. The onlookers covered their ears, and Wright had to use magic to silence her throat.
The monster's body began shrinking at an observable speed. Its terrifying features melted away, the fangs and sharp teeth retracted, and the skin turned back to a human yellowish-white. She transformed back into the appearance of a woman in her thirties or forties.
Seeing her human skin again, the woman smiled. She used her last ounce of strength to shout, and then her body began to burn from within. Magical flames erupted from her body, and in mere seconds, she was reduced to a pile of blue-white ashes on the ground.
Everyone stood quietly. Only Wright, Qyburn, and Thoros had seen vampires before, in King's Landing. The Lannister young men were uneasy at the sight of such a death, and several young knights trembled in fear.
Edmure, who had carried out the execution, stood frozen, staring at the strange ashes, still holding the dagger. He had forgotten to put it away.
The others were silent, and Wright did not disturb them. Suddenly, Edmure shouted:
"Wright! How much is vampire ash worth per pound?"