Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 126: Their history

Silas walked around the desk and began to roll some of the maps before stacking them together at the very corner of the crowded table.

"My concern is that it is way past the end of Ada’s shift, and she still sat with you until no less than a minute ago," he marked a pause, during which he glared at her where she stood, "Our daytime staff may be servants, but they are not slaves. Those two terms are not interchangeable,"

Arabella’s heart rate picked up in speed, becoming more and more erratic as the vampire went on about Ada.

With every word uttered, her features twisted further to display an expression of horror like no other Silas had ever seen on her.

"Of course, I am aware of that!" hands up, frantically waving in front of herself, "I would never cross such a line!" the young woman calmed down a tad, allowing her hands to fall so that she could twiddle her fingers, "Ada requested that we do a bit more reading since she’s been able to pronounce longer words, that was why we went back to the library after dinner,"

"She wanted to read," he half asked, an eyebrow slightly raised.

"Yes, I’ve been helping her improve her reading and writing as well," she paused, then as though stung by a bee, she hastened to add, "Not that the educator the Lady provided didn’t do an amazing job, but... You see...,"

"Calm yourself," he put a hand up, "It is kind of you to help her. Not many people would volunteer their time away like that,"

"Well, she’s done plenty for me," those words from her were muted, barely even whispers.

"I merely wondered why she did not accompany the rest of the maids out to KasselMoon,"

"Oh... They went out then," she half asked.

A painful pang pinched at his entrails upon seeing the look on her face, "I would’ve sent you along or with Katherine, but you understand why I am apprehensive of the idea,"

"Yes, of course, I understand," she muttered.

A quiet lapse of time followed the end of their conversation. Arabella’s eyes decided to drift between the shelves that carried thousands of maps all around the room.

"So, what did you read about fairies? Do tell," he broke the silence.

her attention came onto him, but she never dared meet his gaze, "The book I’ve delved into claimed that fairies came way before humans and that their existence very much influenced nature around them, but...," she trailed off, seemingly unsure on whether to speak up or keep whatever thought trotted her mind.

"But what?" he pressed on.

"Well, I suppose they are only partially contributing to nature around them. Weather does the rest of the job. To my understanding, fairies tend to build their nests closer to valleys where greenery is abundant,"

"Indeed,"

"But there are valleys in the east and west, and yet their population is concentrated only along the central stretch of the kingdom. There used to be many in the south but after the war, they now only live on the northern side, in other words; in Umbraria," seeing his narrowed eyes, Arabella approached the desk and placed her fingers upon its surface, "The books list many fairy colonies, Fata being one of them, but none lay on the eastern or western side of the country,"

"I see your point," he sighed, "And yes, much like the rest of us, fairies are mostly the ones bending to nature’s will and not the other way around," he walked towards a specific shelf and sifted through the maps, "Their biology prevents them from living in extreme weather conditions, be it cold or warm. Although the forests tend to be thicker near the valleys where fairies took residence in,"

Silas picked one of the maps and made his way back towards the desk before spreading it on its surface.

Arabella’s face instantly lit up, eyes darting from one spot to another on the paper.

"All of them converge towards the center of the country, indeed," her words came out in a breath as her fingers caressed the paper, trailing the water streams portrayed via hair thin lines, "This map dates back to before the war, doesn’t it?"

She’d asked before her gemstones found the date inscribed at the very bottom of the map which read 1289.

"There used to be so many of them back in Lustris...," she tailed off, "Such a shame,"

"That it is," he stated, "Did you ever find out why all of the names of the fairies in Fata end with iel?"

The dazed look on her faded, allowing little stars to shine in them once anew, "Oh yes! I understand now that in each village, the fairies take the last of their founder’s name. In the case of Fata, for example, Amiriel was the fairy that first set its roots," Arabella found Fata on the map and pointed it out with her index, "Luckily, it is located above the border and thus the fairies weren’t forced to migrate up north when the war started,"

"It is common to find two or more different fairy villages in one valley as a result of the forced migration they went through,"

"That makes a lot of sense," the young woman nodded.

Silas only realized his diamonds had lingered on her for too long, when the shade of her face gradually shifted. The brilliance in her eyes became fainter by the second as she forced herself to stare at the map as though it had the power to make her invisible.

The vampire cleared his throat before speaking, "Be ready tomorrow morning for the horseback riding lessons then," his tone firm, the demeanor on him lost some of the warmth it previously exuded.

"Yes, Master," she nodded again, eyes still on the paper in front of her.

"You may stay here for as long as you’d like. I am finished with the map room anyway. I’ll send a word for Ada to join you here as soon as possible,"