Kael remained motionless for a moment, the cold still pulsing around him like a living organism. The alley was unrecognizable: walls glazed with ice, the floor covered in thick, cracked layers, the air so cold that each breath escaped in dense clouds. In the center of it all, the vampire remained trapped up to his neck, eyes wide, jaw tense, his whole body trembling—not only from the cold, but from the belated understanding of where he had gotten himself into.
Kael turned slowly to him.
"What do you think you're doing," he asked, his voice low, almost casual, "in the Human Empire?"
The vampire swallowed hard. His eyes moved quickly, from Kael to the girl behind him, and then back. There was anger there. And fear. A lot of fear.
"I'm just… doing my duty," he replied, trying to maintain a shred of dignity. "Hunting a traitor."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Traitor," he repeated, as if testing the word in his mouth.
