The remainder of the night passed without incident, and Aidan slept in the wagon again the next day. When he awoke with the sunset they had arrived at Castle Almaric. They had stopped some distance away from the castle and town, at a place where the road passed along a cliff that fell to the ocean. Aidan could hear the rumble of waves and smell the scent of the sea as he stepped out of the wagon. The driver didn’t wait any longer than he had to, no sooner were the two vampires out of the wagon he turned it around and headed back the way he’d come.

“Guess we’re on our own now,” said Brianna, watching the gypsy man drive off.

“We’ve been on our own all this time, lass,” said Belak’s voice out of the darkness. “He’s not been much use thus far.”

“I suppose so. Well, let’s see about finding a place to stay for a bit. The big party isn’t until tomorrow night, so there’s not much we can do until then.”

They had driven through forest all along the way, and the forest still stood thickly here, nearly surrounding the town and castle. They retreated a short distance into the woods, far enough to be out of sight from the road, but close enough that they wouldn't have far to go the next night. And then they camped, and waited out the day.

It was not at all pleasant for Aidan, but Flame sat next to him and distracted him with stories. He had heard some of the tales of her homeland, but she was a storyteller, the keeper of her people's oral tradition, and she knew hundreds of different tales, each one memorized exactly as she had first heard it, word perfect.

"Someday you should write those down," he said.

Flame shrugged. "I suppose. I still am not terribly good at writing though."

"Well, I like to write. Maybe you can tell them to me, and I'll write them for you."

She smiled. "I'd like that."

At last the day was past. The seven of them got themselves presentable for the costume ball. Aidan cleaned off his somewhat rumpled clothing as best he could. Lavasida was likewise dusting off his similar finery. Brianna, Lon, Seymore, and Flame Song didn’t need to do much, they all looked right with somewhat ragged clothes, and Belak of course didn’t need to do anything, as he was still entirely invisible.

They set out for the party just after sundown. Ahead, at the top of a slight hill, the castle loomed forbiddingly. The dark silhouette was, however, lightened by a great many lights, and even at this distance Aidan could hear, very faintly, the sound of music coming from it. The town lay below it, spread out around a river that ran into the sea. There was a harbor there, where ships were anchored, a few of them showing bobbing lights in the darkness. They passed through the largely quiet town and across the bridge over the river. Or at least tried to. Most of the group walked out onto the stone span without difficulty, but Aidan and Lavasida were both forced to halt.

"Oh for..." Lavasida started swearing again, his fangs showing in a snarl of frustrated anger.

Aidan sighed. "Running water doesn't stop vampires in Aretha, does it?"

"No it doesn't! But it seems it does here."

"Well, what are we going to do?"

Lavasida just snarled. He was trying, with all his might, to step out onto the bridge, but it was as if there was a stone wall right where the water began below. The others turned back, and Brianna said, "We can't leave you behind. What can we do?"

"Maybe..."Aidan thought hard. "We can't walk over on our own, but if one of you carried us? I seem to recall something like that working in one of the stories I read."

"Can't hurt to try," said Belak, and Aidan let out a yelp of surprise as the invisible dwarf picked him up. Aidan felt peculiar, and was sure he looked peculiar, hanging in the air, supported by nothing. Belak stepped forward. "Ooof. There's a wee bit of resistance here," he said, but though he had to go quite slowly, he managed to carry Aidan to the far side.

Lavasida gave them both a sour look from where he still stood. Aidan got the feeling that being carried was an affront to the Dark Lord's dignity. But there was nothing for it. And as Flame and Brianna were both too slight to bear the tall vampire's weight, and Lon as a cleric couldn't touch him, Belak had to make a second trip. Aidan could hear him puffing as he reached the edge of the bride. "Whew! That's me all done in. I need a bit, I think, to catch my breath." They paused there by the side of the road for a few minutes. As they waited a carriage rattled over the bridge, decorated in bright colors with an elaborate crest on the doors, probably some noble from out of town going to the ball.

There were a few others abroad in the night, and once they were on their way again they saw more and more people coming up to the castle. Some of them came in carriages, but others rode, and a few even walked. Most seemed to be nobility, great and small, but there were merchants and other commoners as well. They had worried about not having an invitation, but it seemed that no such thing was required. If you had a costume, you could enter. The guard at the castle gate complemented them on the realism of theirs. They exchanged amused glances, but said nothing.