The group that left the mill returned to the carts and stood down their guards. After the news of the farm woman's death spread through the army, a sense of gravity weighed on everyone.
They continued northward into the territory of House Frey, and Wright sent a letter detailing the events to King's Landing and the Westerlands.
Two mornings later, the seven gates of King's Landing opened. Those waiting to enter the city noticed that, apart from the small officials collecting the city tax, the gold cloaks were unusually alert, each holding a weapon and keeping a watchful eye.
"What are they doing?" a farmer, carrying herbs, asked the person beside him.
"Something must be wrong. Look, even the new commander of the gold cloaks, Jon, is here," the young man carrying a pile of pelts replied.
A direwolf the size of a small pony, with pure white fur and red eyes like fresh blood, lay resting on the ground. Wherever Jon went, the wolf was sure to be nearby.
Dozens of gold cloaks held weapons as if on alert, and after a while, the gate opened. A few loud voices began shouting, "Everyone who has paid the tax, open your palms! Open your palms!"
"Open your palms? Did some noble house get robbed?" The farmer, looking at his rough, calloused hands, showed no concern.
"Things haven't been peaceful in King's Landing lately," the young man replied dismissively, tiptoeing and looking around.
As the queue slowly moved forward, the farmer and the young man reached the tax desk. It was then that they saw what the gold cloaks were doing.
Each gold cloak, besides their weapon, held a short wooden stick with a shiny metal tip. They rubbed the metal end of the stick over the open palms of everyone entering the city. It didn't leave any marks but was simply rubbed a few times before letting them pass.
"Is this some new blessing from the Faith of the Seven?" the farmer asked, but when he turned to look, he found the young man hadn't answered. Upon turning back, the young man's furs were being fought over by a few farmers, and he was nowhere to be found.
After paying a few copper stars for the entrance tax, the farmer opened his hand, waiting for the gold cloak to rub the metal tip of the stick on it. With a polite smile, he asked, "My lord, what's this for?"
"Checking for vampires! Once you're done, move along, don't block the way. Next!" the gold cloak gruffly replied, pulling the farmer's sleeve and ushering him forward.
Jon Snow, standing nearby with several captains to supervise, had grown a beard on his face and chin. It seemed at odds with his still youthful appearance. It was unclear who had given him the idea, but someone must have suggested that, in addition to his magical and martial prowess, he was still too young. To seem more composed and able to command his subordinates, he was advised to grow his beard.
The direwolf, Ghost, suddenly stood up and bared its teeth toward the crowd. Jon, feeling the deep magical connection with his wolf, sensed its reaction and slightly adjusted his magic. The strange, blood-scented feeling Ghost experienced was now in Jon's mind.
Jon drew his longsword and shouted, "Vampires! Close the gates!"
The gold cloaks immediately slammed the gates shut as people stared in confusion. Jon and Ghost moved through the crowd, tracking the direction of the strange scent. "Everyone in front, stop!"
The young man, heading out of the city, didn't turn around. Upon hearing Jon's words, he sprinted off.
"Think you can escape?" Jon, twisting his sword in a flourish and holding it by his side, leaned forward and lightly tapped his foot. He shot forward like a streak, leaving behind a purple shadow mimicking his sword stance.
The young man ran fast, but Jon was faster, and even the direwolf, Ghost, couldn't catch up.
Seeing Jon close behind, the young man tore off his clothes. In a moment of panic and under the surprised gasps of the crowd, he transformed into a vampire, using magic to levitate and quickly flee. The two quickly distanced themselves from the others.
The same checks were happening in Ashemark, Casterly Rock, and Lannisport. King Robert did not want to die at the hands of monsters, and Tywin could not afford to have the king die on his watch.
Wright and his army arrived at Twins. The city was deserted, and the five iron-barred gates connecting the castles on either side of the river were half-open and half-closed.
Inside the castle hall, several rows of narrow wooden tables were pushed together, forming a map table. Wright, Jaime, and other officers gathered around it.
"With nearly six thousand soldiers, along with the officials and civilians of Twins, there's no way they could have disappeared just like that!" Ser Addam Marbrand, the cavalry commander, stared at the map. "Here, here, we need to send cavalry to scout."
"Wait!" Jaime was about to give an order when Wright stopped him. "If one vampire kills a person, the people scatter, and it can't catch up. But if there are hundreds of vampires, it's possible House Frey has been wiped out."
The hall fell silent at this, and no one dared to speak. The situation was too horrifying, and they couldn't accept it just yet.
Wright didn't continue speaking. The more they feared the vampires, the harsher they would be when they saw one, making it harder for them to betray humanity and become traitors. This was the effect Wright intended.
Before long, Edmure, along with dozens of nobles and officers from the Riverlands, arrived.
"Wright, Jaime, we've just searched the entire Twins. One good piece of news, and one bad," Edmure said, panting from exhaustion. He grabbed a cup from the table and drank whatever liquid was in it, regardless of whether it was water or wine.
"Let's hear the bad news first!" Jaime hoped the good news would lift their spirits.
"There are many signs of battle in the castle, blood from the slain, broken weapons," Edmure said, raising a finger. "But there are no corpses anywhere in Twins!"
Jaime, with a grave expression, leaned his hands on the table and slowly lifted his head. "And the good news?"
"We also checked the granaries—there's nothing left. After analysis, if the granaries were full, taking just half would be enough for a 6,000-man army for a month. The rest must have been taken by the people fleeing the city!" The fact that people might still be alive was a small comfort.
"Did you find signs of large groups of people passing through outside the castle?" Jaime asked.
"Well," Edmure unconsciously raised his hand to scratch his head.
"Ser Jaime, we've checked the footprints, hoofprints, and wagon tracks that weren't soaked by rain. They're about two weeks old," said Harry Bracken, stepping forward.
A sigh of relief passed through the room as people began discussing where the people of Twins might have fled to.
"South along the King's Road is impossible; we just came from there."
"The southwest is the Witch's Swamp. Anyone who tried to escape with all that food would be asking for death."
"Twins is easy to defend, but only against humans. If I were a vampire looking to escape, I wouldn't run with the main group. The only chance to survive would be to scatter."
"I'm not trying to scare anyone, but you've all imagined the vampires as mindless killing machines. You've forgotten they're intelligent," Wright said, looking around at everyone. "When you go on an expedition, you know to take enough food and live pigs and sheep. Vampires do the same—they feed on animal blood, especially human blood. If I were the leader of a vampire clan, I'd keep a few people nearby in case of emergency."
"Damn it! Are we humans supposed to become livestock for vampires?" Edmure kicked the table in anger.
Not just killed, but also used as food. A chill ran down the backs of the young men present.
Jaime walked over to Wright, lowering his voice. "You shouldn't be so frightening. Look at these young men—they're probably too scared to even ride a horse now."
Wright responded, "It's the truth. It's better they hear it now than die without understanding why. And vampires don't just kill—they do other things too. You'll see in a moment."
As the group processed the information, Wright's temporary servants—William, Martin, and Tyrick, three blonde young men—entered the hall, each carrying a large bundle of dried plants and flowers. Sharlina and Millie followed, each holding a basket filled with glass bottles.
Wright set the map aside and pointed to the empty table. "Put everything here."
"Lord Wright, is it these?" Tyrick asked.
Most of the alchemical materials were various plants, and now every lord in Westeros was involved in the alchemical trade. Wright had sensed faint magical fluctuations as soon as he entered the castle. The Lannister siblings didn't recognize the materials, so they had picked out the ones they thought were right based on his instructions.
Wright sifted through them, discarding most, and set aside three types. "These three. Go get some more and find some empty wine bottles while you're at it."
The group quickly ran out to gather the rest.
"Edmure, give me the vampire ash," Wright said.
"You want to make a potion here?" Edmure ordered his men to bring over a sack.
Vampire ash was worth its weight in silver, and Wright hadn't brought any money. He had promised Edmure to turn the ash into potions and give him a few bottles in exchange. Edmure was puzzled. He'd visited the alchemical workshop in Riverrun, and it was spotless, with the mages treating everything with utmost care.
Wright nodded. Most mages wouldn't waste magic on constructing an alchemical table—it was both extravagant and unstable. Wright didn't care for that. As long as his magic was strong enough, even trash could become treasure.
As he began the alchemical process, he explained loudly, "Vampire ash can be used to brew four of the rarest potions: Invisibility, Mana Restoration, Life Restoration, and Disease Cure."
"Ah, impressive," the group, who didn't understand magic, responded habitually.
"Wright, aren't these four effects achievable with other materials?" Thoros spoke up. He had been selling various potion-related materials in Renly's shop for money and usually focused all his magic on alchemy.
Wright continued working with his hands, not pausing. "We caught two vampires in Tyrosh, and after Tyene's research, we found that, for example, the life-restoring potions made from known recipes work well, but if made with vampire ashes, they allow for broken limbs to heal! Note that it's limb healing, not regrowing a new one."
"Healing broken limbs? That's something no other healing potion can do," Jaime said, pulling a small glass vial from his belt.
The vial contained a translucent blue liquid with a slight glow. Wright immediately recognized it as a potion crafted by Tereni. This potion could heal large wounds, but it wouldn't reconnect severed limbs.
Qyburn's eyes sparkled. Broken limb healing? Limb assembly? The more he thought about it, the more excited he got, wanting to start experimenting with the ashes immediately.
"Wright, could you give me some of those vampire ashes? I'll pay you when I return to King's Landing!"
"Fine!"
With plenty of materials at hand, Wright soon finished making potions and started distributing them to the nobles. High-ranking nobles received small vials, while lower-ranking ones got wine bottles. Though the large wine bottles made carrying the potions difficult, it was better than nothing. The price Wright gave was favorable.
Once the potions were prepared, the group began assigning tasks.
Edmure officially ordered all the nobles of the Riverlands to be on alert and called for mages from all over the region to assist. Until the mages arrived, no lord was allowed to take the initiative in battle.
Both the north and south of Twins were surrounded by swamps, and the escape routes to the west and east through Cape of Eagles and the Mountains of the Moon seemed the most probable. Jaime volunteered to search the more distant Mountains of the Moon, reasoning that his cavalry would be well-suited for it. Edmure would stay behind in the city with the Riverland nobles, leaving a small number of cavalry to search the western Cape of Eagles. Both sides would send scouts ahead, and if they encountered large numbers of enemies, they would return to Twins immediately.
Thoros, who had worked as a free mercenary in the Riverlands for a long time and had a strong bond with Edmure, would accompany him for protection. Qyburn joined Jaime's cavalry. Both were among the first to learn magic from Wright, and with their strength, as long as they avoided reckless actions, dealing with vampires would be no challenge.
Wright himself decided to first patrol the swamps to the north and south on his dragon before assisting Jaime in the Mountains of the Moon. As the terrain became more treacherous further into the valley, searching from the sky would be much easier.
Wright only moved when there was a clear goal, and once he had one, he wasted no time. That evening, he packed some provisions and set off with Odahviing. The rest of the group would stay in the Twins to rest and depart the next morning.
Over the following days, neither the northern nor southern swamps showed signs of people gathering. Wright flew west to meet Edmure, but they found no traces either and would need to continue searching further west.
Meanwhile, Jaime and Qyburn had just entered the Mountains of the Moon to the east. The area was full of jagged rocks and winding paths, making it difficult for cavalry to maintain mobility, forcing them to take longer detours.
"Dragonborn, I think I've spotted something I don't like!"
Wright, who had been dozing off atop Odahviing, was jolted awake by the dragon's booming voice. Before Wright could respond, Odahviing abruptly stopped and veered downward in a sharp dive, almost throwing Wright off.
Wright had once instructed Odahviing never to sacrifice agility for the rider's sake, and the dragon followed that advice, diving without concern for whether anyone was on its back. Fortunately, Wright had gotten used to it.
As they neared a long stone ridge, Odahviing spread its wings wide, flaring them out to level off and glide over a wildling campsite.
Hanging onto Odahviing's horn with one hand, Wright looked down at the camp and noticed signs of battle everywhere, with burned wooden huts scattered around.
"Dragonborn, these fiends are killing each other?" Odahviing looked down in disbelief.
"I'm not sure. I'll go check it out. Keep your guard up!" Wright said, releasing his grip and dropping down toward the camp.
Once on the ground, he was still unclear. The battle marks weren't from humans; the massive claw marks on tree trunks and rocks, as well as the magical traces, clearly indicated that vampires had been fighting each other.
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