The night was an endless wonder when seen through a vampire’s eyes. The moon revealed colors that Elysa Capello didn’t have words for and with just a bit of concentration she could pick up lifeforms so tiny that they might as well have been invisible. Even time had begun to flow at a pace she chose. If she so desired, she could count the flaps of a fly’s wings. The world was an endless miracle and Elysa was grateful she had eternity to experience all of it.

But seeing the world in a way that only she could, meant that there was also work only she could do.

Human shape for a master vampire was nothing more than a disguise and she could soar through the skies as a majestic, giant owl with dark feathers and red eyes that cut through the darkness. Unsuspecting people would shiver when her shadow passed over them, unsure what had happened but knowing that they would dream of it that night. Sometimes she wondered what it would have been like to swoop down and snatch one of those unsuspecting people in her talons and carry them to her layer where she could feast. It would have been so easy. It was not like anyone could have stopped her.

It was a thought she quickly suppressed.

That instinct came from a part of her she was more than happy to keep sealed. Daddy dearest might have indulged all his baser instincts and mock anyone who tried suppressing them as a coward denying their true nature. Pietro Capello had always been a weak man ruled by his lusts and impulses. One’s nature only mattered to the extent how it made one act, and she would be a better than him. Better person. Better adventurer. Better vampire. One day Pietro Capello would be remembered as nothing more than the father of Elysa the Great. If anyone remembered him at all.

Flying made her wonder how anyone who could see the world through the eyes of a god could ever mistreat it the way Pietro Capello had.

So up high there were no borders and those petty tribal scuffles that had claimed so many lives revealed themselves to be the madness of blind, cruel idiots. The world might have been savage, cruel and vicious but there was also beauty in there that was well worth fighting for.

Even if touching the ground again made her remember how savage, cruel and vicious it could be.

After so many years her wings had brought her home. To Cobbler’s Hold. She could still remember the place she had grown up in. A village built on hills with its winding cobble roads. A village of women and children where House Neri had drafted all their men for none of them to return.

Except one.

Now there was only cold ash after a fire that had cleansed the village. A fire her brother had started. Scarlet tears flowed down Elysa’s bone white cheeks when she walked through the ruins of her former home. Her father… their father had brought the rot in and only fire could cleanse it. Elysa felt cheated that Nuncio had not brought her along and had claimed the duty for himself. It might have been their father who had corrupted Cobbler’s Hold, but it had been their duty as his children to end this nightmare. By denying Elysa part in the cleansing, Nuncio had prevented her from regaining her honor.

“Goddamn it, Nuncio.” Elysa muttered.

At least she had been there when their father had faced the sun. She would always have that, but she wondered if mom ever felt left out. She had been wronged the most of them all. Did she feel cheated out of revenge that should have been hers?

Or would she have been above that?

Mother couldn’t have been more different from her husband. Pietro Capello had believed all his life that the key to power was preying on others. Danielle Capello had believed in self-sacrifice and helping others back on their feet. Father must have hated that. Just the lingering thought that he was wrong and those he victimized might have known something that he didn’t. That by refusing to act like beasts, they were somehow stronger than him.

Nuncio believed that too.

She had always struggled with it.

Nuncio was Danielle’s son. Did that make her Pietro’s daughter?

The sudden shift in the ground made her hand reach for her cutlass. When she looked at the ground, she saw dark, cold shapes moving through the dirt. Living things radiated life that made them look like small campfires but the undead were a black void. An endless need that could never be filled. The fire had rampaged through Cobbler’s Hold but there had been survivors. Ghouls who had slept too deep in the earth for the heat to get them.

And now they were coming back to the surface. Roused by the presence of a master vampire.

Elysa let go of her sword when she saw the sad state the ghouls were in. Loss of their master had left them dazed and confused but the lack of blood had done even more damage. They were ragged and in pain like a cat that had been driven over by a carriage and it was now trying to drag itself off the road. Towards her. They could sense their master’s blood in her and were begging her to make the pain go away.

When Elysa looked at them, she was afraid that she might recognize them.

Perhaps she could see a glimpse of the people these rotting cadavers had once been. The baker, the miller, Nuncio’s music teacher, her childhood friends. But there was nothing to recognize. The Graveyard King’s Curse had wiped away even the glimmers of the people they had been. All that remained were these sad mockeries of life. Elysa drew her cutlass.

“I am sorry.”

Few swings were all it took to end the nightmare and the ghouls were reduced to dust that was blown away by the night wind. Elysa sheeted her blade and touched her cheeks that were stained by red tears. She studied her fingers that ended in talons and were painted red by her bloody tears. When she licked her fingers, she could only taste cold iron. A far cry from living blood that nourished her.

But a realization came to her.

The survivors that had stayed here had been the runts of the litter. The weaklings. Those who lacked the strength to look for new hunting grounds and had just stayed here waiting for starvation and rot. There were more ghouls out there. Hunting lonely travelers in the road and unsuspecting farmers who were looking into the strange sounds outside their barns.

And they had left a trail.

A trail she could follow.

During her hunt, she abandoned her tattered dress for something suiting a gentleman adventurer. A black greatcoat, white shirt, grey pants, and thick leather boots. Coming to it was a trivial matter. She could bend people to her will with a look and there were always those who had too much and had gathered it in ways that were far from honorable. It was no crime to steal from a thief. You were simply reclaiming what had been taken. The new clothes felt… right. She had always been uncomfortable in dresses and high heels. Having a sword hanging from her belt felt assuring. Her new clothes were not just something she had picked up on a whim. They were something that had been waiting for her and she just hadn’t known it.

Once she was dressed for the job, she got to work.

The ghouls stood no chance against a master vampire. She was far faster and stronger than them and once she had their scent, there was no hiding from her. When she assumed her true form and took flight, she could cover hundreds of miles in a single night. A ghoul might have had the strength of ten men, but they still had to travel on foot like men. The hardest part of her self-appointed quest was seeing the cold void that surrounded ghouls.

Was this what she had become?

Was she just another monster of the night? Was she deep down no different from ghouls and everything else was mere pretenses? Would she one night be no different than daddy dearest? Or worse? She hadn’t partaken in human blood since her transformation and had survived on animals. If she tasted human blood, she feared it would be the first step down a road to damnation.

The hunt kept her mind off things.

One by one she put the ghouls to rest with a swing of her sword. Some tried to fight her. Most fled from her. One even tried to dig into the earth, but Elysa just pulled it out of the ground. None of them showed signs of their former humanity. A small mercy. She was not sure if she could have done what had to be done if the ghouls had pleaded for their lives. They were just ravenous corpses with peeled back lips that showed rows of fangs. Their noses had rotten off a long time ago and their eyes were hollowed out pits. These monsters were her father’s legacy.

“I am sorry this happened to you.”

When the last ghoul was dead, Elysa found herself sitting on a rock and staring at the night sky, wondering what she would do next. She had lit a cigarette and marveled at how much more potent the taste of tobacco was now that she was a vampire. But mostly she wondered what she would do next. Maybe hunt down Old Flea? That grey, old cunt had much to answer for. He had been in cahoots with daddy dearest and had taken her brother from her. That sounded like a plan but now… she just felt tired.

“It’s always a disappointment when the hunt ends, isn’t it?”

The voice made her flinch, and the cigarette flew out of her mouth when she jumped on her feet, hand on her cutlass. Her stalker could have appeared out of thin air. She had smelled them or felt the air currents of their movements. There had not even been errant thoughts for her to pick up on.

Who could sneak up on a master vampire?

When Elysa looked at her unexpected guest, she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. Their lifeforce was so potent it was blinding. Like looking at the sun for too long.

When her eyes adjusted to their aura, she was at a loss.

At first glance she looked like a woman from the Spring Islands with even darker skin than Sal’s. She was tall and muscular, even the red cape could not hide it. The only sign of age on her was the grey in her hair. The moonlight made it look like silver. A saber hung from her belt and the woman kept her hand on it like a mother caressing the head of her favorite child.

But it was her eyes that stuck with Elysa.

They were green and hard as emeralds. Paler and harder than Cassio’s poison green eyes. And they saw so much more. When those eyes looked at you, they kept you in a tight grip. Not even Pietro Capello had prepared her for a stare like that and Elysa had to struggle to meet her gaze. The eyes revealed that whatever this woman was, she was no human.

“Did I scare you?” The woman said with a smile: “My apologies. It was not my intention.”

Elysa didn’t draw her cutlass but also didn’t take her hand off the hilt.

“Have you been following me?”

The woman grinned and her teeth looked like white pearls against the dark skin.

“For days. I wanted to see what you could do, and you did not disappoint. You are everything I would expect from the hero who helped bring down Pietro Capello.”

Elysa bit her lip at the mention of her father.

“You knew him?”

“I knew of him. He was not a man I was in a hurry to meet.” The woman said and eyes Elysa’s cutlass: “Are you planning to use that on me? You might find me harder to kill than a ghoul.”

“I’m a master vampire.” Elysa said: “I doubt there is much out here stronger than me.”

In response the woman smiled and put out her hand. Elysa stared at her hard and calloused hand for a moment and then reached to shake it. When the woman’s fingers curled around her palm, it felt like her hand was stuck under a fallen mountain. There was no pain, but she could tell that the woman could tear her arm off if she pleased. She never did and they just shook hands.

“Who are you?” Elysa asked.

“A friend. Or I could be. A fresh vampire like you is always in need of friends.”

“I’ve been managing just fine so far.” Elysa said.

“Yes, you have. You were born to be a vampire but like the hunt, the wonder of these first nights will fade. Then that human hollowness will find you again. When that happens, what will you do? I can teach you how to navigate millenniums and maybe even foster an eternal friendship.”

Elysa bit her lip.

“Sounds good. A little too good.”

The woman grinned at her, and Elysa realized that the flashing of teeth was less showing of mirth and more of a threat. Like flashing a dagger hidden under her cloak.

“A suspicious one, are we? Good. I like that. It keeps us alive in a suspicious world.” The woman said and pulled out an envelope with a red signet on it: “I extent you an invitation and all the protections that come with guest rights.”

“And if I don’t take it?” Elysa said.

The woman grinned again.

“Eternity is a long time. The rivers of time will always bring immortals together.”

Elysa hesitated for a moment but then accepted the invitation. The envelope was rough to the touch and the woman’s warmth still lingered on it. It smelled of trees, grass, and blood. In the signet of melted wax, she could make out a fist.

“The sun will rise soon.” The woman said and gave her a slight nod: “I wish you pleasant dreams, Elysa Capello.”

Elysa watched her leave and when the woman’s glowing aura had disappeared into the forest, she realized how tight her muscles had been. The woman’s presence felt like a guillotine hanging over her head. When she was sure that she was alone, Elysa dug into the earth like a mole. The soil of her native Garuccia was even more nourishing to her than blood but even that was available to her deep in the earth. Small, eyeless creatures lived there and while she laid dreaming, her mind reached out to them and beckoned them closer. Once they got too close, her fangs snapped around their small bodies and sucked them dry. With all her needs sated, Elysa floated in darkness.

Then she blinked.

And saw a circus.

The striped tents rested in the dying light of a setting sun and Elysa yelped in terror when she thought the sun would burn her to a crisp. It never happened. Only in dreams a vampire could walk under the sun. She looked around at the abandoned tents and stands that were waiting for customers to breathe life into them.

“A sad state of affairs. I am the first to admit that.”

A clown stepped out from one of the tents. He was a child of maybe twelve, lean and flexible as a whip and dressed all in white from his shoes to the tip of his cone hat. Even his skin had been painted the color of snow. The only splash of color on him was his red nose and lips… and eyes. When the child clown lit a cigarette Elysa noticed that his fingers ended in black talons and behind those red lips were his fangs.

“Sorry for not setting a proper show. I was not expecting a guest at this hour.” The clown said and did a comical bow: “Hilbert the Hilarious at your service.”

Elysa took a step back.

“You’re a vampire?”

“How very astute of you.” Hilbert said and winked at her: “Don’t worry. I mean you no harm. I follow the clown code and you look like someone who has a pretty good track record on fighting kids.”

Elysa laughed despite herself and eased up a little.

“Elysa Capello. Blessing of the Dark upon you, Hilbert.”

“Blessing of the Dark upon you as well.”

Elysa looked around the circus.

“Where am I?”

“Third circle of the Wyrding. Land of the dead but don’t be too alarmed. Us vampires being undead means our dreams can sometimes bring us here.” Hilbert said and then looked at himself: “Oh, my apologies. I should make myself presentable for a lady.”

Elysa’s eyes widened when Hilbert turned into mist in front of her eyes and when he reformed… the child was gone. Replaced by a man in his early twenties with ash blonde hair and boyishly handsome face. He still had the chalk white face of a vampire and his eyes looked more pink than red. He was dressed in a white suit, brown overcoat, and a pink shirt to match his eyes.

“How did you do that?” Elysa said.

Hilbert smirked with obvious satisfaction and took a drag from his cigarette.

“No master vampire is better at shapeshifting than me. Not even sweet Katarina.” Hilbert said and offered her his pack of cigarettes: “Care for a smoke, cuz?”

“You know what? Yes.” Elysa said and pulled out a cigarette.

Hilbert lit the cigarette with a golden lighter that had a steel fist carved to the side. They smoked in silence while Elysa admired the setting sun. She missed sunsets as a vampire.

“So? How is the nightlife treating you?” Hilbert asked.

“So far I’ve loved it.” Elysa said.

“The new diet takes some getting used to but those are the sacrifices we make.” Hilbert said and looked at her: “You worried that the honeymoon phase won’t last forever?”

“Pretty much.” Elysa admitted.

“It never does but deep down we don’t really want it to. You’d be the most punched person in the world if you were always jumping from joy.”

Elysa blew out a smoke ring and was glad she had learned how to pull it off.

“You never get lonely?”

“Vampirism does not need to be a lonely affair. I had friends. A master well-worth following and…” Hilbert said before falling silent from old pain: “Love. I had love too.”

Hilbert held out his hand and his fingers melted into smoke. In the smoke Elysa could make out the features of a woman with pointy ears.

“Drystania. The love of my life. I could make her laugh when no one else did and in return she opened her bed chamber to me. She loved me too… or at least I hope she did.”

“What happened to her?”

“She was taken from me but one day I will save her. Or maybe she will save me. One or the other. When that day comes, I will have sex again.”

Elysa’s eyes widened at the vulgarity but then she chuckled.

“I’m sure you will.”

“Here’s to hoping but back to loneliness… You have family, right? Have you ever offered the blood to them?” Hilbert asked.

“I… don’t know if they would want it.” Elsa said.

“Try it. You’ll just regret it if you don’t. If they say no? A moment of awkwardness. If they say yes? It’s good to have immortal family out there.”

Elysa thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

“Maybe I will.”

Hilbert grinned between puffs of smoke.

“See? Even a fool can give sound advice.” Hilbert said and then looked in the distance: “The day is almost done. Time for you to wake up.”

“I guess so.” Elysa said when she could feel herself stirring: “I hope you find your lady love.”

“As do I. Blessing of the Dark upon your journey, Elysa Capello.”

“Blessing of the Dark upon your journey as well, Hilbert.”

Elysa woke up deep underground with dried blood on her lips. After digging herself out she looked around until her eyes were pinned at Leoden. By foot or horse, the journey could have taken days so instead Elysa spread her wings and took flight. She could easily reach a speed of hundred miles per hour, and she didn’t have worry about flooding rivers, collapsed bridges or bandits. To fly was to be free. The few souls who caught a glimpse of her could only stare in awe at a night god.

Dawn was still hours away when she arrived at Leoden.

When she had visited it as a human, she had thought of it as a place where chaos reigned but looking at it from the heavens, she saw the stunning structure of it all. There was order in the universe. You only had to look at a spider’s web to realize that a creature who wasn’t even looking for order had found it and could spin it at will. You could see it in cities as well. People who didn’t even realize it were part of something much bigger than themselves. Working towards a single goal of making the city grow. The streets guided the million inhabitants of Leoden where they needed to go, and streetlights drove away the darkness. The Red Palace stood in the middle of the city so everyone in Leoden would be equally close to their king.

Elysa wondered what King Eld would have thought if he could see his red city today. Would he shudder at what he had created?

Elysa landed on a rooftop and assumed her human disguise again. A human body could never contain a master vampire’s true power, but she felt more comfortable in her human skin. She jumped off the roof but instead of breaking every bone in her body when she hit the pavement, she landed softly as a feather. When she joined the people on the streets, she used her hypnotic powers to appear as everything she wasn’t.

A frail mortal woman.

Once walking in crowds had been terrifying even when she’d had Nuncio for protection. Men passing by would stare at her like a piece of meat they couldn’t wait to devour but that fear had passed. If anyone would try to engage some fuckery she could fuck them right back.

Maybe she would settle in a city.

A single vampire could easily be lost amidst the sea of a million humans, and she would have all the fruits of civilization to enjoy. Luxury boutiques stayed open well into the twilight and the best plays were always premiered after sunset. There were also a never-ending stream of rats and strays to keep her sustained.

… rats… strays…

… and the dying…

How easy would it be to sneak into a hospital ward of the dying and give the gift of mercy? To take the blood as a reward for ending someone’s suffering. It would be such a shame to let all that fine blood go to waste. It would be so easy…

Elysa bit her lips when she felt her fangs grow longer and sharper.

No. When you fed on humans for good reasons it would only be a matter of time until you hunted them for a bad one. Maybe that night would come but it would not be this night. She opened her mind and let the thoughts of the entire city to mingle with hers. To remind that these people were alive, and they deserved to keep on living.

To her shock she found out that most of the city was thinking the same thing.

… Cassio de Rossi… dead…

Elysa stopped in her tracks. It felt like a cannonball had struck her in the chest and her head was spinning. If she had needed to breathe, she would have been gasping for breath. When sensation returned to her limbs, she rushed to the newsstand and grabbed a paper while tossing the seller a gold coin. The front-page news seared her eyes.

Viscount Cassio de Rossi is Dead

The last heir of House Rossi met his end late last night in a tragic fire that also claimed the life of his long-time advisor Salvatore Torrini. Torrini’s low heritage and questionable moral character made him a controversial choice for a head advisor which has raised the possibility of criminal conduct. The police have yet to give an official statement but…

A crimson tear rolled down Elysa’s face when she thought about Sal who had gotten out of his sickbed to help her. More tears fell down when she thought about Cassio. The man might have been a brute, but he had not known fear and had raised arms against her father. He had sworn to keep her family safe.

And now they were dead?

The stand’s salesman looked at her worried when Elysa buried her face in the paper and wept. When he tried to ask if she was okay, her talons shredded the paper, and she ran into the city. She had to find mom and Nuncio! They were here! She could feel it! Her and Nuncio had come to this world together and even undeath had not severed their connection!

A string of shared fate pulled her towards a place she could only describe as a hidden mansion in the middle of Leoden.

It had been built on top of an apartment complex where the guests could see everything happening on the streets without people on the street being able to see them. It even had its own glass garden. She landed into the forbidden garden and started going through the windows, peeking inside. She could see mom sleeping restlessly in one of the bedrooms. When Elysa tried tapping on the window, her hand was repelled by an invisible wall.

She had not been invited.

She was not welcome.

Elysa pulled back her hand and kept spying through the windows. She saw Emilia crying alone in the servants’ quarters and Elysa wished she could have comforted her. Then she found… him. Nuncio. He was sitting alone in a dark room, staring at nothing with bloodshot eyes. Elysa bit her lips when she saw him and felt his pain. She wanted to call out to him but… her lack of reflection made her pull away.

“You’re not even going to say hi?” A familiar voice said.

A lantern looked like a star trapped in glass to a vampire and Elysa had to cover her eyes with her hand. Francesca stood by the door a lantern in one hand and a clump of garlic in the other. Despite the late hour she was dressed for work. But even bigger shock was that she could not read her mind. Francesca’s mind was a steel fortress with no way in.

“Francesca?”

“Evening, lady Capello. You have… changed since the last time we met.”

Francesca’s mind might have been unreadable, but her body betrayed her fear. Elysa could smell her sweat in the cool air and hear how fast her heart was beating. Every muscle in her body was wound tightly like she was a mouse that had sensed a cat nearby. Elysa stuck her hands in her greatcoat’s pockets to hide her talons.

“Yeah. I guess I have.” Elysa said.

“Not in ways that matter I hope.” Francesca said.

“I hope not.” Elysa said and bit her lip: “I told you could call me Elysa.”

“You did, lady Capello.” Francesca said.

“Are you afraid?” Elysa asked.

“Should I be?”

Elysa looked at the garlic Francesca held like a loaded gun. Just the sight of it made her eyes water and the stench killed her appetite.

“No.” Elysa said.

“I hope you’re telling the truth.” Francesca said and eyed her suspiciously: “Why are you here?”

“I… heard about… Sal and Cassio.”

Francesca’s eyes narrowed.

“Emilia has been besides herself and your brother… he took it badly. Francesca said.

“What about you?” Elysa asked.

Francesca’s face turned hard as a razor.

“Cassio was scum like all nobles and Sal chose to serve him.”

“Oh.” Elysa said: “I thought you and Sal…”

“I saw something in him that I now realize was not there. A man who sells his morals for comfort is not worth caring for.” Francesca said before her features softened: “I will not invite you in, lady Capello, but if you wish, I can bring your family here.”

Elysa hesitated for a moment and then pulled her hands out her pockets. She looked at her talons in the moonlight and her skin that was pale as fresh snow.

“How do I look?” Elysa asked.

The shadow that passed Francesca’s face told her everything she needed to know.

“I suppose they wouldn’t want to see me like this.” Elysa said.

“I don’t know what any of you want.” Francesca said and looked at her sadly: “You were brave and kind when you were a human, lady Capello. What you are now… I do not know.”

“I guess we won’t be having tea in front of a fire again.” Elysa said.

“I don’t think so, lady Capello.” Francesca said.

“Can you at least tell me who you are? Who you really are?” Elysa asked.

Francesca thought about it and then nodded.

“A servant of the Mountain and a follower of Leoden’s other king.” Francesca said.

“Will my family be safe with you?” Elysa asked.

“Of course. I do solemnly swear by the Mountain.” Francesca said.

Elysa bit her lip.

“Then blessing of the Dark upon your journey.” Elysa said.

“And blessing of the Mountain upon yours.”

She felt like a coward when she flew away, but she could not bear Nuncio or mom looking at her the way Francesca had. Like she was a monster wearing the skin of someone they’d used to know.

She slept in an attic that night.

Sleep did not come easily when she wasn’t buried in her native soil but eating all the rats that called the attic home helped her settle down. While she slept, she dreamt of the rats that had lived there for generations and then a pale monster had crept in and drained their kin dry. A horror story rats would pass on among each other until there were no more rats left. When she woke up, Elysa cleaned out the rat fur between her fangs and pulled out the letter that odd woman had given her. Inside the envelope was a letter and map. A map that pointed to the mountain range that separated Garuccia and Osetaria.

My sweet friend,

since you’re reding this, I have aroused your curiosity. I hereby extend an invitation to my home. Enter freely and of your own free will. The map will lead you where you need to go. I will be waiting.

Yours truly,

your only friend in the world

Elysa read the letter again and then stared at the map until she had memorized the spot her new friend was waiting for her. She stepped out of the attic and looked at Leoden one more time. At night, the city was a sea of stars. Beautiful enough to be burned into your soul.

“Goodbye, Sal. Goodbye, Cassio.” Elysa said and then bit her lip: “… goodbye, Nuncio… goodbye, mom…”

Nothing worth having would come without a sacrifice but sometimes the price was so steep. The night called to her, and she left the remnants of her old life behind.

A red tear rolled down her face when she took flight.

Leoden was a port town. A hub of trade. Her destination was on the other side of Garuccia. The flight was long, but she was sure she could do it in one night. She raced against the sun and pushed her vampiric strength to its limits until she saw the mountain range that kept Garuccia and Osetaria from each other’s throats. The greatest natural stronghold in the world. Armies had tried to scale it and now their frozen bodies were used as landmarks by mountaineers. When she looked at the imposing mountain range with peaks sharper than a vampire’s fangs, she could feel the mountain laughing at her.

Did she think she was dangerous?

Did she think herself immortal?

Did she think herself the devourer of men?

The mountains had been here before man and would stand here long after the last human had died cursing the gods. The mountains had swallowed up everyone arrogant enough to think they could conquer them. Kings and lords had bankrupted themselves to scale the snowy slopes only to find that there was no steel that could protect you from a mountain’s freezing breath. No sword had been forged that could cut a mountain in two. Not even the breath of the dreaded Girusai could melt them.

When Elysa looked at the mountain, a thought came to her.

Few had been able to climb to the highest peak of the Teeth but maybe a vampire could fly over them. What did a mountain mean to a vampire? If the mountain thought it could laugh at her, she would spit from such a height that it would think God itself had spat a loogie on it.

She flapped her wings and soared higher.

At these heights winter was eternal and if she had been a mortal, she would have been frozen stiff but to the undead weather was just something to laugh at… and she could control the weather as easily as she could command animals. She started redirecting the winds to help her soar higher. Ever higher. High enough to fly over the Teeth and…

… and realize too late the winds blowing at the mountain tops did not surrender easily…

Too long. She had stayed away too long from the Wyrding, and it had begun to sap her strength. Sal had lost all his divine abilities when he stayed in Garuccia long enough and now the long absence had started to affect her too. She was caught in a maelstrom that would not be bend the knee to a master vampire. Her wings broke and she was tossed around by the whirlwinds while the mountains bellowed with laughter. The eternal blizzard raging at the peak blinded her and she was helpless like a child trapped in a whirlpool. Then she slammed against an icy rock, and she began falling down the mountain. Another victim of the Teeth. Chewed up and spat out like so many before her. Every stone she collided with broke something inside her, but pain was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Like a drizzle. She was able to get enough wind under her wings again to glide down and when she did, she reverted back to her human form.

When she was lying on soft ground again, she stayed still for a long time.

Her arm was pointing in the wrong direction as was her leg. She snapped them back in place and then pressed her ribs gingerly. A few of them were intact but already healing. Once her arms had healed enough to work again, she buried herself into the ground under the mountain ranges shadow. Before disappearing underground, she glanced at the Teeth and like so many before her, she admitted that there were only five safe passages to cross the Teeth.

The Five Steps.

The most heavily fortified of them all was the Bone Steps manned by the most feared fighting force in Osetaria. House Trolle. The Skull Knights had guarded their steps since the failed invasion of king Darius Eld over nine-hundred years ago. The first Iron King had boiled the flesh off the skulls of slain Garuccians and mounted them on spikes all throughout the Bone Steps as a reminder to any Garuccian who would think of marching to Osetaria.

Elysa had always suspected that the living envied the dead when she had heard the story.

After the Iron King had crushed king Darius’s forces, he had blinded all the survivors. Even king Daeron, whose eyes the Iron King had gouged out himself. Only the king’s quire had been allowed to keep his sight and even he’d had his sword hand to cut off. The one-armed squire had then led the blind army back to Garuccia and the shock of the mutilated army had been so horrific it had killed the Queen Mother. After a time of mourning, in retaliation the now blind king Darius had ordered the building of a new Steps.

The Star Steps.

To match House Trolle, the blind king had ordered House Poe to take over the new Step. House Poe had always produced the best knights and they had feuded with House Trolle until they had fallen from grace during the Baron’s rebellion for siding with the Firebird and had been replaced by House Grimaldi.

Not all the Steps had been built with war in mind.

The newest of the Steps was the Silk Steps constructed during the reign of king Johanna the Good as an act of peace. It was the only one of the Steps that was governed jointly by Garuccia and Osetaria and the Silk Steps had made a vow of neutrality. An act most Garuccians saw as being as bad as siding with the enemy. It had been the hope of many Garuccians to destroy the Silk Steps once the Twelve-Year-War was won but the Silk Steps stood even now.

Stolen story; please report.

The Steps that meant the most to Elysa was the Stone Steps.

The final battle in the Twelve-Year-War had been fought there… and it was where everyone thought that daddy dearest had perished. Only for him to be reborn as a vampire. Even after all these years the fields were dangerous to go in at night. In the dark poachers and travelers were known to go missing.

But none of the Steps were more feared or infamous than the Steel Steps.

When Elysa rose from the ground her wounds had healed as they always did after a day of sleep in her native soil. The bones had mended, and her shoulders worked again. This time she did not transform into her true form and continued on foot. She was close to her destination.

The warning signs were the first tip off.

The signs were high and written both in Italian and English. To her surprise there were even signs in Swedish and Finnish. The tongues of Osetaria. The language differed but the message… the warning was the same.

STAY AWAY

Elysa stared at the battalion of signs that littered the ground like arrows sticking from a battlefield. When she stepped past them, the air felt heavier, and she felt like she was being watched. It was like being locked in a cage with a large beast, waiting to see if it deemed you a friend… or food. Elysa bit her lip while she waited for the judgement to pass and finally it did.

Friend.

The glaring eyes passed away and the beats went back to sleep, but Elysa knew that a predator was never as docile as it wanted you to think. She kept walking until she arrived at the Iron Steps… and she could have sworn she was standing by the precipice of the Wyrding. The path that crossed through the Teeth had been guarded once by many high walls. Even if an invading army broke through one, they would find just another wall waiting for them. And another. And another. Enough walls to break any wave of swords and spears. The Iron Steps were known for their ferocity, and they had never come close to being taken by the enemy.

Not even now.

The high walls had been gnawed to a stump by the fangs of time but now the path had overgrown by a forest of dark thorns. The thorns were sharp enough to tear through steel armor and the soil was too wet to burn. Many courageous knights had tried to brave the forest of thorns and the Iron Steps had never given up their dead. Their corpses were still hanging from the branches as a warning to anyone who dared to enter.

But some creatures called the forest of thorns a home.

She could see rats the size of dogs scurrying beneath the thorns. There was magic in the air here and the rats had feasted well on it… and not just the rats. On the branches sat bats big as cats just waiting for unsuspecting prey to get too close. Their fangs were sharp and dripping with poison.

But despite the horrors, the place called to her.

The place might have looked like a living nightmare to humans, but a vampire could only see endless beauty and sacred darkness. The thorns opened a path for her when she entered the Iron Steps and the rats, bats and other creatures of darkness greeted her like friendly pets. There were even flowers there. Pale as moonlight and they were humming. When she tried to touch one of them, the flower shied away like a scared child.

“Friend.”

The voice was like the rustling of leaves in a wind. Raspy and low. And it felt like it came all around her.

“Friend. Will not eat.”

Elysa bit her lip when she noticed the bones pierced by thorns hanging over her. Her hand reached instinctively for her cutlass, but the same instinct stopped her from drawing it. She doubted a forest would appreciate seeing any cutting instruments. Entire armies had tried it, and the rusted armor and white bones told her how it had ended. And… she did not wish to harm this strange, eerie, beautiful place.

“Can you see me?” Elysa said.

“I can.” The thorn forest answered.

“And understand me?”

“I do.”

“Who are you?” Elysa asked.

“I am the gate. I am the guard. I am the one who stands watch until my friend returns.”

“You have a friend?” Elysa said.

“Yes. You don’t have a friend?” The thorn forest said.

Elysa bit her lip.

“I did. My twin. My other half.”

The forest of thorns rustled like it was sighing.

“It hurts to lose a friend. I was sad for a long time when my friend left but I know he will return.”

Elysa felt herself growing at ease and kept walking deeper into the Iron Steps.

“You seem to trust him a lot.” Elysa said.

“He saved me a long time ago when I was just a seedling in the Wyrding. Anyone could trample me, but he dug me out gently without harming my roots and brought me here. He brought me home. He nourished me with water, darkness, the finest soil and the warmest of blood. As he grew in power, so did I. Now I will guard his lands until he returns.”

“How long have you been waiting for him?” Elysa asked.

“Five hundred years.”

“Wow. That’s a long time.” Elysa said.

“It will be worth it when he comes back.”

“Are you sure he will come back?” Elysa asked.

“He will. He promised and my friend never lied to me.”

“It must be nice to trust someone that much.” Elysa said.

“It is.”

The branches over her were so thick that while she was inside the forest of thorns, she had no idea whether the sun had risen. So she kept walking and enjoyed the artificial night until the branches gave way and she finally saw it.

The Steelfort.

A castle carved into the mountain.

The seat of power of House Stradheim. The castle had been built to look like a threat and Elysa was sure just the sight of it had been enough to end battles before they had even begun. It was surrounded by the Teeth on both side that created a natural barricade and manmade walls added to the defenses. Three great towers had been built to see everything so no one could approach it unseen. One looked at Garuccia, the other at Osetaria but the third was tall enough to stand over the Teeth and gaze at the mountain range. Gazing at the castle Elysa thought it looked like a stone crown that some long dead god had put down. When you saw the Steelfort, you felt like an ant waiting for the boot to come down on you.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” The forest said.

“It is… grand.” Elysa admitted.

“Those towers have names. The Three Eyes of Steelfort. The Eye of Fire watches over Garuccia. The Eye of Frost watches over Osetaria and the tallest of them is the Eye of God.”

“What does it watch over?”

“The world. My friend carried me there once while I could still fit a small pot. We were so high we could touch the clouds.”

Suddenly one of the branches caressed Elysa’s cheek… and cut it. Her cold blood seeped onto the bark and was sucked in. The wound closed almost immediately.

“It was a pleasure walking with you, Elysa Capello.”

“It was a pleasure for me as well.” Elysa said.

“Blessing of the Dark upon your journey.” The forest of thorns said.

“Blessing of the Dark upon your journey as well.” Elysa said.

Elysa approached the castle gates slowly. Centuries ago, when the castle was still manned, she would have been riddled by arrows but now the mighty fortress laid abandoned. She could have easily flown or even jumped over the high walls, but she dared not. It should have been impossible, but the place was still a home. A place where people felt safe and loved. A place that would burn an uninvited vampire.

“You made it.”

The figure that suddenly appeared had been so one with her surroundings that she might as well have been invisible. Just another blade of grass on a field. When the figure made her presence known, Elysa thought for a moment that it was her.

Old Badger.

That moment didn’t last. The woman was an old goblin, but she was no Old Badger. Despite her age, she was stocky and muscular like a tree stump. Her face was deeply lined, and her hair was a mix of snow and ash just like her paws and tail. Bones had been tied into her hair as decorations. She wore chainmail and leather and carried a mace on her back. Swinging the mace had left her right arm thicker than her left and age had not robbed her of her strength.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come.” The old goblin said.

Trying to read the goblin’s mind was like eating soup with a fork. Her thoughts were slippery and impossible to hold on to. The old goblin gave her a crooked smile when she tried probing her brain.

“Is someone trying to have a peek?”

Elysa bit her lip out of embarrassment and annoyance for being noticed.

“Why can’t I read your thoughts?” Elysa said.

The old goblin smile made the lines on her face grow even deeper around her dark eyes.

“I can hide my scent and presence. That is much harder than hiding my thoughts.” The old goblin said and leaned on her mace like it was a walking stick: “I suppose introductions are in order. I am Old Heron. Grandmother of the Bone Flock Tribe. Blessing of the Quiet upon you.”

Elysa bit her lip. Had she been alone for so long that she had forgotten how to be civil?

“Elysa Capello. Blessing of the Dark upon you.”

Old Heron nodded and then her eyes grew suspicious.

“What’s with that look?”

“Nothing. For a moment I just thought… that you were someone I knew.” Elysa said.

“Really? I did hear you’ve dealt with goblins before.” Old Heron said while playing with the bones in her hair: “I’ve never seen a master vampire before.”

Elysa couldn’t help but grin.

“Am I everything you hoped for?”

“It’s like looking at a crack in the world, seeing the cold and dark seep through.”

Gunshots echoed through the night and Elysa looked around alarmed with her hand on her cutlass.

“What was that?!”

“Do not be alarmed. Follow me. You have been invited. You may enter.”

When Old Heron approached the gates, they opened to her on their own and Elysa followed her to the outer yard that had once been used for archery practice but now it was a firing range for goblins who were being drilled with rifles designed for their size. Like Old Heron they had bones tied to their hair and even the youngest of them looked formidable. Some were practicing dismantling and putting their rifles back together under the light of great bonfires. Others were honing their marksmanship but all of them were concentrating on their task.

Until they entered.

The bonfires cast deep shadows on the goblins faces and made them look otherworldly and alien. Their eyes glowed in the night. Elysa had never cared for being looked at and once she would have shied away but she wasn’t that girl anymore. She was a Princess of the Dark and she braved their eyes.

“Stop that. You’re making our guest uncomfortable.”

A young man with short, black hair and a well-built, densely muscular body walked past the rows of goblins and just the sound of his boots made them stand at attention. He was dressed in a dark blue uniform that was decorated with golden stars and a sword hung from his belt. His heavy brow was split by an old scar that had never faded and made him look terrifying.

“All of you. Back to your training.”

The young man had a good battlefield voice. One that carried over the entire field clearly and Elysa was sure it would dent steel if he started shouting. When the young man stood before her, he bowed.

“Lady Capello. Welcome to Steelfort. I am…”

“I know who you are.” Elysa said, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden: “You’re Viktor de Grimaldi.”

Seeing a nobleman bow to her made her feel like the world had made a mistake and she should have been groveling on the ground begging for forgiveness, but Viktor just smiled at her.

“I am honored that a princess of the Wyrding knows my name.” Viktor said and nodded at Old Heron: “Thank you for being there to greet our guest.”

“Apparently that’s the only thing worn-out ladies like me are good for.” Old Heron said and looked at the goblins: “How is the training coming along?”

“Your tribe is a natural.” Viktor said.

Elysa didn’t need telepathy to tell how nervous Old Heron made Viktor and she wondered what had happened to make a noble from a great house to be so terrified of a grandmother goblin.

“No need to suck up to me, kid.” Old Heron said and Elysa almost bit through her lip.

If anyone had talked like that to a lord in Garuccia, they would have been lucky to get off with a whipping.

“I… uh… suppose I will leave you to it then.” Viktor said awkwardly: “I will join you soon.”

“You do that, kid.” Old Heron said.

They began walking towards the castle when Viktor called after them.

“Lady Capello? I heard you were engaged to Cassio. Briefly. I am sorry for your loss.” Viktor said.

Elysa bit her lip. For some reason Viktor sounded more heartbroken about the news than her.

“Thank you, lord Grimaldi.”

As they kept walking towards the castle, Viktor resumed instructing the goblins on the use of weapons.

“Did something happen between you two?” Elysa asked.

“No. Why?” Old Heron said.

“Not many would dare talk to a lord like that.” Elysa said.

“And now I know why so many of them have their heads full of hot piss. It does you a world of good to have some of it bled out.”

Elysa chuckled and then looked at Viktor again.

“My father tried to marry me off to him once.”

“I am sure he would have bored you to tears with endless discussions of military history.” Old Heron said and gave her a sad look: “Something tells me the Lionheart was not much of an improvement.”

“He was brave and strong… and a brute.” Elysa said.

“Some heroes are. What about the fox prince?”

There was a crack in Old Heron’s voice when she spoke of the fox prince that betrayed tenderness and sadness.

“I was… scared of him at first. Because of his skin color but that was my mistake. Despite the stupid jokes, drinking and arrogance he was not a bad man. He saved my brother and mother even though it cost him a leg and he taught me how to change shapes.”

Old Heron nodded, seemingly content.

“Blessing of the Quiet upon his final journey.”

“Blessing of the Dark upon his final journey.” Elysa said and bit him: “I guess you knew him.”

“When he still wore the skin of a goblin.”

“I’m sorry.” Elysa said.

“Yes. Me too.”

Upon entering the castle, Elysa saw that the stories of Steelfort being abandoned had been exaggerated. The great hallways had clearly been cleaned and cared for. The mountain that the Steelfort had been carved out of had been mined for centuries and there were endless tunnels leading to grand halls, stables, barracks, kitchens, and storehouses. Even if a conqueror managed to break through the defenses of Steelfort, they would have found themselves lost in the endless maze. Looking around her, Elysa thought of Storm Roost that Nuncio had told her stories about.

“Look at that. A vampire roaming in Steelfort once again.” An unfamiliar voice said.

Old Heron sighed when a young lady walked down the great staircase. She was younger than Elysa, but all color had been washed out of her hair and an eerie air surrounded her. She wore a pearl grey dress to match her hair and a necklace of golden stars hung around her neck. She had eyes the color of bird eggs and a fluid way of moving like a dancer. Or a snake. In her hand she carried a brandy and a cigarette.

But what was truly unsettling about her was the aura surrounding her.

Unlike the warm glow of a living being, hers was a raging fire that threatened to burn everything around her. Whatever she was, human was not it. Even when her powers had been weakened from being away from the Wyrding for so long, she could see that.

“Backbiter.” Old Heron said, voice dripping with acid.

“Hello to you too, hag.” The young woman said while she studied Elysa: “You look a lot like your papa. What joy.”

“You knew my father?” Elysa said.

“Far better than I would have liked.” The woman said and she blew out smoke before tapping her neck: “He snuck into my room one night and had a sippy sip. I started dying and he offered to heal me if my brother would marry you.”

Elysa but her lip.

“You’re Livia de Grimaldi?” Elysa said.

“No applause please.”

“None offered, Backbiter.” Old Heron said.

“Backbiter?” Elysa said.

“One of those charming nicknames the goblins have given me. You can call me Her Silent Highness. Princess of the Wild and the Snake Clan.”

“You’re a skin-changer princess?”

“Cousin of the deceased fox prince. Whom your father mauled. It looks like I owe your family a lot and I do believe in blood payment.”

“There, there, Liv. No need to be so aggressive. We’re all friends here.” A man’s voice echoed in the hall.

A tall man with a physique like a steel rail was walking down the stairs. He had a hawkish nose and a fierce widow’s peak that tying his long, black hair back with a ribbon made even more pronounced. He was dressed in black with the only decoration being a golden pin of an arrow attached to his coat. Just the mere sight made Old Heron at ease and the snake princess embarrassed.

“I was just playing around, Perry.” The snake princess said.

“I know. Why don’t you have another drink before we start?” The man said.

“Fine, fine. Livia will behave herself by getting nice and sloshed. It’s what Sal would have wanted.” The snake princess.

The wince of pain on the man’s face lasted only the fraction of a second when Sal’s name was mentioned but Elysa saw it all the same. Old Heron watched the snake princess go with barely contained disdain but when she looked at the man, she smiled like he was her favorite grandchild.

“Thank you for that, Prospero.”

“My pleasure, Heron.” The man said and smiled at Elysa: “Welcome to Steelfort, Elysa Capello. I am earl Prospero de Ferro. Blessing of the Balefire upon you.”

Elysa bit her lip to fight her lightheadedness. How many high nobles were in this place? And why?

“… a lot of lords and ladies here, lord Ferro.” Elysa said.

“Am I making a master vampire nervous? No need for that. You’re among your peers here, Princess of the Dark. Call me Prospero.” Prospero said.

She glanced at Old Heron who nodded encouragingly. Yes. She was a Princess of the Dark who had no fear to tremble before lords. A night god had nothing to fear from a lord… but Prospero didn’t seem to have anything to fear from her either. He was the first human she had talked to after becoming a vampire who had no nervous tics around her.

… besides mom…

Both mom and Prospero had nerves as hard and unmoving as the Steelfort.

“But I must say I am shocked. You look a lot like your brother.” Prospero said.

“You’ve met Nuncio?”

“I have.” Prospero admitted.

“And I am sure your intentions with him were honorable.” Old Heron said.

“Give me some credit, old friend.” Prospero said.

“How is he?” Elysa asked.

“He seemed happy enough but… with Sal dead… I have sent him my condolences and friendship. I will do what I can.” Prospero said and then looked at him with an unreadable expression: “I am sorry to ask but how well do you know your brother?”

Elysa probed Prospero’s mind with her telepathy to see what he meant by that and caught a glimpse of a party… where Prospero was dancing with Nuncio. Elysa bit her lip and then shrugged.

“He is my twin. He has no secrets from me. I know him and accept him.”

Prospero’s mysterious expression melted into a smile.

“I wish everyone was as understanding as you. Sal and Nuncio had grown close.”

“What the earl is trying to say is that they had become mates.” Old Heron said.

“Thank you for your tact, Heron.” Prospero said.

“I can put up with the Backbiter. I refuse to entertain your human prejudices.” Old Heron said.

“Sal was… a bohemian? But I thought him and Old Badger…” Elysa said.

“Gods have always had multiple consorts. You’re in the presence of two of them.” Old Heron said.

Prospero pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Thank you again for that, Heron.”

“My pleasure.” Old Heron said when her eyes grew wide: “That girl… has anyone told her yet?”

For the first time Elysa saw Prospero looking genuinely uncomfortable.

“I just found out earlier today. I assumed… I hoped…” Prospero said before falling silent.

“That someone else would have carried that burden?” Old Heron said and looked at Prospero sharply: “You are the leader. This falls on you.”

“Yes.” Prospero said wearily: “It does.”

“Tell who? What’s going on?”

“Sal was indiscriminate in his attention and affection. Which means there will be plenty of broken hearts here tonight. Some more broken than others.” Prospero said.

When they walked deeper into the castle, she spotted a lynx lying in wait in a dark corner. Prospero saw it too and put his hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t be alarmed. She means us no harm. The Cat Clan is a guest like you.”

“You have a lot of friends from the Wyrding for a human lord.” Elysa said.

Prospero nodded.

“When the cross god came, my House was the only one who didn’t stop worshipping the Paths. Even if we did it in secret. Who could stop us? We rule the Heartlands. The breadbasket of Garuccia. Armies march on their stomachs and warring with us would mean warring while starving.” Prospero said.

Elysa nodded and looked at the well-maintained castle.

“How long has this place been in use? I thought it was abandoned when the Baron fell.” Elysa said.

“It was never abandoned.” Old Heron said.

“Indeed. When Katarina the Tall surrendered, new inhabitants found their way in soon enough. They have kept it battle ready ever since.” Prospero said.

They arrived at a grand hall with wide open doors crafted from oak and iron. Mighty fireplaces kept the hall warm and the smoke from them had stained the rafters above them with soot. The grand hall could easily seat half a thousand people and long trestle tables lined the hall. There was a raised platform for a table with intricate design meant for noble guests so the commoners would be forced to look up to them. The stone walls were lined with banners of House Stradheim. A steel fist punching towards the heavens on a field of gore. But they were also accompanied by the banner of House Ferro, a golden arrow piercing a heart on a green field. She also spotted House Grimaldi’s three gold stars on the night sky. To her surprise she could also see the banner of the extinct House Eld. A phoenix on a field of fire. But one banner she did not recognize.

“What House does that belong to?” Elysa said and pointed at a black bird painted over red.

“That’s the personal coat of arms of the Firebird.” Prospero said.

“The great traitor?” Elysa said.

“Losing a war does not mean he was in the wrong.” Prospero said.

Behind all the other tables stood a throne of steel and stone. A place for the lord of Steelfort to oversee his court and listen to requests of his followers. The seat had been built to be big enough for a giant. The first Baron of Steelfort, Ulric, who had taken a human bride and fathered the most feared creature to ever come out of Osetaria.

One of the tables meant for commoners was being occupied by three people.

One of them was a tall woman more handsome than beautiful with dark hair and a dress the color of blood and ash. Her hands were covered by grey gloves that reached to her elbows and she seemed to have some trouble using her fingers when she spread butter on a slice of bread.

She shared her wine and cheese with an older gentleman from Primavera Street.

The man might have bene closer to sixty or even seventy, but his dreadlocked hair was still black, and he had a fit, powerful body. He wore a dark blue pin stripe suit, bone white shirt and a win red cravat. Even though his face was lined, he was still handsome.

They spoke in hushed tones, but few things escaped the ear of a vampire.

“Are you sure he will come?” The man said.

“We were promised. Just be sure to not start anything. This might be bigger than either of us.” The woman said.

They were being served by a young woman with a small, slender body. Her brown hair was cut short, and she had a red stain of a birth mark on her left cheek that reached up to her eye and gave her a permanent squint.

And around her feet ran… a black fox kit with blue eyes that demanding her attention like a needy child.

It was the black fox that spotted her first and when their eyes met, Elysa could see a child behind the fox. A child with black hair, brown skin, blue eyes, and a cocky grin. When the stain-faced woman noticed her and she saw her looking at the fox child, she quickly grabbed the fox and held him close to her breast. The sudden movement made the tall woman and black gentleman forget about dinner and turn to look at her. The black gentleman wiped his mouth quickly and stood up gracefully like a man half his age… but Elysa could sense his terror.

“Lady Capello. So good to finally make your acquaintance.” The black gentleman said and then shocked Elysa by kissing her hand.

Even if the black gentleman was terrified of her, he was simply someone who had learned to live with terror and no longer let it affect him.

“I don’t believe we’ve met.” Elysa said.

“It doesn’t mean I am not a fan who wishes to save you from this horrid company.” The black gentleman said and sneered at Prospero and Old Heron: “Earl. Grandmother.”

“Hedge mage.” Old Heron said.

“Ratking.” Prospero said.

Elysa bit her lip at the mention of the title Ratking.

“I have met one of your servants.” Elysa said.

“You have met more than you realize.” The Ratking said.

When she stood close to him, Elysa realized that the reason the Ratking’s hair was still black despite his age was because the dreadlocks were a wig and underneath it… something was terribly wrong with his head. When the Ratking noticed her looking at his mane, he smiled.

“Is my wig that upsetting? I can always take it off.”

When he did, Elysa had to muffle a scream.

The top of the Ratking’s head was a patchwork of scars like someone had scalped him and then the skin had been stretched to cover the damage. Even Old Heron’s weary cynicism could not protect her, and the grandmother goblin looked ready to retch while Prospero’s face turned green. The stain-faced woman looked only sad while the tall woman was unmoved.

“Too gnarly?” The Ratking said while shooting a venomous look at Prospero: “The price of doing business with nobles.”

The tall woman cleared her throat while the Ratking adjusted his wig back on and he looked embarrassed.

“I do apologize. I do love hogging the spotlight. This is my former mentor. Camilla of Scholomance.”

When Camilla stood up, Elysa was shocked by how tall she was, but she could also hear the skin cracking under her gloves. Like her skin was turning into tree bark. The aura of life that surrounded all living things had turned dark and cold around her hands… and chest like her heart had been torn out. There was something ancient and ravenous living in those dark parts and it was growing. Like cancer. One day it would consume all of her.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Elysa Capello. It has been a long time since a master vampire has walked these lands.” Camilla said.

There was no fear in Camilla. If anything, she regarded the fear others had for her as amusing. Then she looked at the young woman who was still holding the baby fox in her arms.

“This is my apprentice, Mya. The little one is called Julian. I trust you will get along.”

The baby fox yipped at the mention of his name and Mya nodded while smiling.

Suddenly people started entering the grand hall. Skin-changer cats and snakes, the goblins led by Viktor. Livia seemed to appear out of nowhere like she had been in the grand hall the entire time without anyone noticing and she was sipping a new drink.

“It looks like we are ready to start.” Prospero said.

“It does appear so.” Old Heron agreed.

A sizzling golden circle was drawn on thin air like a hollowed-out sun and then the circle of gold became a portal a figure stepped through. He was dressed like a wizard in a blue pointy hat, green cloak, and a yellow waistcoat. Under the wide brimmed hat Elysa caught a peak of a yellow beard. The Ratking grimaced when he saw the wizard.

“… Vincent.”

The wizard looked at the Ratking and there was a flicker of pain like an old wound was being torn open.

“Eduardo?”

The pain disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and the wizard’s face turned into a bemused mask.

“How curious. I know you but I can’t quite place you.” Vincent said.

Elysa brandished her talons as she started walking towards Vincent.

“I know you too. How you broke into Storm Roost. And how you tried to murder my brother!”

Vincent stared at her wide-eyed like a child staring at a Ferris wheel and Elysa knew she could gut him before he could cast a single spell. He wouldn’t be casting anything while he tried to scoop up his guts from the floor.

“Elysa. Stop.”

The command was gentle but not one she could ignore.

Another figure stepped through the portal and Elysa saw the woman from Spring Islands who had invited her to Steelfort. Everyone in the grand hall fell into silence at the sight of her. The woman stepped between Elysa and Vincent and even with all her vampiric strength she could not make her move.

“He tried to murder my brother!” Elysa screamed.

“I know.” The woman said while holding her back gently: “I do solemnly swear by the Wild that you will be compensated but don’t take it out on this broken creature. Use your true sight and look at him. Look and see.”

Elysa stopped resisting for a moment and then looked at Vincent who now looked dumbfounded. When she saw under the skin into Vincent’s soul… she realized that a part of it had been torn out and replaced by single mission. A mad monomania that could not be controlled. It wasn’t much but it was enough for her to stay her hand. For now.

“There better be a good fucking explanation coming.” Elysa said.

“There will be.” The woman said and let go of Elysa before looking around: “It is so good to see so many of you here.”

The woman seemed bemused when she spotted the snake princess.

“I must admit I am surprised to see you here. Your clan did sit out the last one.”

The snake princess patted Viktor’s shoulder in response.

“My dummy of a brother would get himself killed without me.”

“The things we do for love, my dear niece.” The woman said and stepped before Viktor: “I hope it will be enough to redeem House Grimaldi.”

Viktor faced the woman’s stare bravely.

“I am not here as Viktor de Grimaldi but as Viktor de Poe.”

The woman smiled hearing that.

“Poe? Now there is a name I haven’t heard in a long time. It is good to hear it again.” The woman said.

Prospero stepped forward and unlike everyone else didn’t regard the woman with terror and awe but like an equal. Elysa could sense the woman’s bemusement like she was spying on her son trying on his father’s clothes.

“House Poe was loyal to Firebird and so is Viktor. So is House Ferro. I am here to make up for the failures of my ancestors. The full might of the Heartlands is at the Firebird’s disposal.”

“Good. Very good.” The woman said barely containing her excitement. Then her eyes landed on Camilla the Cannibal who crossed her arms: “We have a piece of living history among us.”

“You know why I am here.” Camilla said.

“I do. A cure and revenge. We are more alike than you know.” The woman said and grinned at the Ratking: “We both understand revenge, don’t we, king of rats?”

The Ratking didn’t say anything and just nodded awkwardly. The woman chuckled to herself and then bent the knee to Old Heron.

“I am honored to have you here, Strong Heron. Especially after our history.”

“Your nephew… was not the god I hoped he was.” Old Heron said sadly: “It’s time to try another Path.”

“Yes. I think so too.” The woman said.

Elysa could no longer contain herself and stepped up to the woman.

“Who are you?” Elysa said: “I think I have been yanked around enough to know.”

The woman’s smile was wide and sharp as a dagger.

“Who am I? I am death hiding in tall grass. I am the one who burns bright in the night forest. I am the fearful symmetry.”

The woman exploded into a ball of pure light that all had to hide their eyes from as she expanded to fill the entire grand hall. Then the light turned solid and formed the shape of the perfect predator. She was the size of an elephant but swift as the wind. Her fur was the color of boiling gold and her stripes dark as old wounds. No one could hide from the emerald green eyes and her powerful legs could run down any prey and that’s what everyone who crossed her were. Prey. What armor could protect you from fangs and claws that were sharper than any sword?

“I am Her Vicious Majesty! Queen of the Wild and the Cat Clan! Mate of Baron Stradheim, the god-emperor of vampires! The one who gathered you all here! Some wish to return the Firebird to his rightful throne! Some are here for revenge! Some to claim their place in the world! I say we take it all! I say we take the world!”

The tiger queen looked around the grand hall to see if any would challenge her but just looking at her felt like staring into the sun. Elysa realized how lucky they were that Steelfort had been built with giants in mind or otherwise the tiger queen would have brought the great hall down in her true form. Only Prospero dared to step forward but even he was now sweating.

“Just to be clear… You are sure that the Firebird is alive? Will you swear it by the Wild?” Prospero said.

The tiger queen turned her great head languidly towards Prospero and looked him in the eyes. When she stood that close Elysa realized she could have swallowed him whole without chewing and the same thought had to go through Prospero’s mind. A lesser man would have tried to flee but Prospero just clenched his fists and stood his ground. To Elysa’s shock… and admiration, Viktor had put his hand on his sword and looked ready to leap to his friend’s defense.

“You doubt me? Very well. I do solemnly swear by the Wild. The Firebird yet lives. I have met my mate in the land of the dead. His spirit has lost none of its potency. He can still sense his bloodline among the physical plain.” The tiger queen said and threw back her head for a roar that made the very foundations of Steelfort tremble: “I will give you all what you want! The Wyrd King is a spent force! When my Baron returns, he will claim the Wyrding! He will restore House Eld to the throne of Garuccia! He will crush House Neri! And I will feast on the guts of the Infernal Emperor for imprisoning my family! I will make our enemies pay! I do solemnly swear by the Wild!”

Prospero nodded, seemingly content.

“Garuccia is in a disarray. House Rossi is done for. The infighting for their riches will weaken all.” Prospero said.

“So is the Fox Clan with the loss of their prince.” The tiger queen said.

“… what?”

The small question silenced the entire grand hall and Mya walked up to the tiger queen with the fox kit in her arms. Not even Prospero had dared to approach the tiger queen so fearlessly.

“What do you mean the fox prince is dead?” Mya said.

The tiger queen was taken aback.

“Oh. I see. No one told you.” The tiger queen said and looked sadly at Mya: “The fox prince is gone. Lost to the flames.”

The fox kit began yapping terrified and tried to lick Mya’s face when tears began falling down her face. Then she walked out of the grand hall without a sound with the fox kit in her arms. Everyone just watched her go unsure what to do. So, Elysa went after her. She found Mya outside the grand hall, crying in a corner while the fox kit was whining sadly next to her, unsure what to do. Terrified seeing his protector like this. When Elysa looked at the fox, she could see the small boy under the fox’s fur.

“… I’m sorry.” Elysa said.

Mya couldn’t even see her through the tears.

“… he was just here… how can he be… how… he was… just here…” Mya sobbed while trying to wipe away her tears: “… why did he have to stay in Garuccia? What did he have there? Nothing. In the Wyrding he was a prince and in Garuccia… nothing… and now they’ve murdered him like I always knew they would.”

Mya picked up the fox kit and hugged him tightly.

“We will be okay, Julian. I won’t let them hurt you like they hurt your father. You will be safe here.”

“Mya?”

Camilla the Camilla exited the grand hall, tall and proud. Mya ran into her mentor’s arms, and she hugged both the young mother and the skin-changer child.

“It will turn out okay.” Camilla said while holding her student: “I have talked to Old Heron. She has agreed to look after Julian while you mourn.”

Then the witch looked at Elysa.

“Thank you for your concern, lady Capello. I will take it from here. Dawn is almost upon us. You will be shown to a room.”

A young goblin stepped out the grand hall. Despite being no older than fourteen or fifteen he already looked dangerous. He had strong arms, a scarred visage and bones tied to his black, braided hair. Elysa couldn’t help but think that this was what Cassio would have looked like if he had been born a goblin. He bowed respectfully to Camilla the Cannibal, Mya, and Elysa… but he bowed the deepest to Julian.

“Blessing of the Quiet upon you all. I am Little Crow of the Bone Flock Tribe. Lady Mya, I am so sorry for your loss. If there is anything I or anyone in my tribe can do for you, all you have to do is ask.”

Mya could only nod.

“Thank you, Little Crow.” Camilla said: “See that lady Capello is protected from the sun. Blessing of the Mountain upon your journey. Both of you.”

“Blessing of the Quiet upon your journey as well… and the young prince’s.” Little Crow said.

Elysa followed Little Crow deep into the bowls of Steelfort. Even if she could not see it, she knew the sun had risen. Her skin was tingling, and weariness was taking over her. Meanwhile Little Crow was shooting shy glances at her, too tongue tied to talk. Not being surrounded by that huge crowd made Elysa feel more at ease and less muted herself.

“Got something on your mind?” Elysa asked.

Little Crow flinched like he had been caught his fingers in a candy jar.

“Were you really going to kill the wizard?”

“He tried to murder my brother. The thought had occurred to me.” Elysa said.

“He is a warlock. Beware him.” Little Crow said and shook his head: “Even gods can die. It’s not fair. Why did His Savage Highness have to die? He should have fought with us. He was our guardian deity and now he is just… gone.”

“Life can be a bitch like that.” Elysa said.

Little Crow looked at her surprised and then chuckled.

“Yeah. It can.” Little Crow said before turning solemn again: “You fought with His Savage Highness. Will you fight with us?”

Elysa bit her lip.

“My home… lost all its men to the Twelve-Year-War. They died fighting Osetaria. And now I’m supposed to ally myself with the most feared House that ever came from there? I’m not sure that sits well with me.”

“Then will you fight against us? Prospero…”

“Prospero? An earl lets you call him by his first name?” Elysa said.

“Prospero… the earl has made me his apprentice. He said His Savage Highness was crippled saving your mother. Will you not come protect his son now that he is dead?”

“Did the earl teach you the art of guilt tripping or are you just a natural?” Elysa said and bit her lip: “I don’t want to fight anyone and now someone is asking me to betray the king of Garuccia.”

“A pretender. Garuccia and House Eld are one. Only Firebird is fit to sit on the throne of Garuccia.”

“The Wyrd King seemed to disagree.” Elysa said.

Little Crow gathered all his courage before speaking.

“If the Wyrd King would stand by pretenders, then he is a pretender himself and the Baron is the rightful Wyrd King.”

Little Crow tensed after his outburst like he was waiting for the earth to tear open and swallow him. When it did not happen, he looked… almost disappointed. They walked the rest of the way in silence until they arrived at a room with no windows.

“You will be safe here. I will come and collect you when the sun sets. The queen wishes you to join her for supper.” Little Crow said.

“Thank you, Little Crow.” Elysa said: “Blessing of the Dark upon your journey.”

“And blessing of the Quiet upon yours.” Little Crow said: “I will keep watch while you sleep.”

“Thank you again.”

The room was as simple as they came. Barely fit for a wanderer and seemed to be chosen mostly for its lack of windows. There was only a simple bed and Elysa lied down on it stiffly. She hadn’t slept on a bed since becoming a vampire and she had forgotten how much she had missed it. She removed her clothing and lied down on the thin mattress. Had she been a human still, he would have spent hours rolling around, unable to sleep, wondering how many people in this castle Sal had slept with. Luckily for a vampire sleep came quick. She was grateful to not dream. When she roused from her sleep, it felt like only seconds had passed but she could feel that the sun had set, and she was free to roam again. There was a knock on the door, and she could hear Little Crow’s heartbeat… and smell the blood coursing in his veins. It was calling to her. Tempting her so sweetly.

“Princess Elysa? Are you awake?”

“I am.” Elysa said while buttoning up her white shirt.

“Are you ready to meet Grandmother and the queen?”

“Also, yes.”

Little Crow looked exhausted while he led her back to the grand hall.

“Did you really stand watch all day for me?” Elysa said.

“It was an honor to protect the sleep of a hero who would turn against her own blood for justice.” Little Crow said.

“It might have been more for revenge.” Elysa said.

Little Crow just nodded.

“Everyone has the right for revenge but not everyone has the stomach for it.”

“So, I’ve noticed. Nuncio really surprised me with that car trick.”

At the mention of Nuncio, Little Crow’s lit up.

“Is your brother as beautiful as they say? I heard he could charm gods and dragons.”

“That is a very weird question to ask about someone’s brother.” Elysa said.

“I am sorry. You are very beautiful too.” Little Crow.

“I know.” Elysa said with some pride.

A single table had been set in the grand hall. The tiger queen sat at the end of it while Prospero was seated on her right side and the snake princess to her left. Old Heron sat at the other end with Viktor on her left side. To her surprise Elysa realized that Old Heron’s right side was reserved for her. Prospero smiled when he saw Little Crow and winked at him. Little Crow smiled back at him and led Elysa to his Grandmother’s right side.

“Thank you, Little Crow. Go get some rest.” Old Heron said.

“Yes, Grandmother.” Little Crow said.

The table was filled with cold meats, different kind of cheeses, fruits, and berries… and goblets of blood. Still warm blood. Just the smell made her mouth water.

“Quite a welcome for little old me.” Elysa said.

“You’re a Princess of your Path. That elicits respect.” The tiger queen said.

“Just don’t expect me to bow every time you fart.” The snake princess said: “Do vampires even break wind?”

“They do not.” The tiger queen said.

“This is just the kind of talk I love before supping.” Old Heron said dryly.

“Livia… could you please behave?” Viktor pleaded.

“You’re not the boss of me.” The snake princess said.

The tiger queen moved her hand lazily on the snake princess’s shoulder and all the mockery in her smile died.

“My dear niece, we wouldn’t want you embarrassing Prospero or Viktor in front of the vampire princess. Not after all the trouble they went through to get her here.” The tiger queen said.

“Sorry, auntie.” The snake princess said meekly.

“Good.” The tiger queen said and smiled: “Now, let us eat.”

Elysa tried not to gulp down the blood too greedily but when she started, she could not stop. She emptied her goblet in one go and let out a pleased sigh when she was done.

“Was this human blood?” Elysa asked.

Prospero rolled up his sleeve to show a freshly bandaged wound.

“Freely given. Viktor pitched in too.”

“It tastes… there is something more to it than human.” Elysa said.

“That’s probably the elf in me.” Prospero said: “The founder of my House, dame Ferro, married the Wyrd King’s bastard brother Zephyron after Girusai was killed. Descending from gods has certain perks.”

“My ancestors married into the fae as well.” Viktor said.

“And one of them gave up a chance to be king just so he could stick his willy into a succubus.” The snake princess said and sipped her wine: “Fair trade if you ask me but that is why there is an offshoot Grimaldi House in Gehenna.”

There was another goblet of blood and Elysa reached for it.

“Don’t waste a single drop. That blood comes from my tribe.” Old Heron said.

“I won’t.” Elysa said and was careful to savor the blood now that she wasn’t famished.

Once they had eaten, Elysa looked at her hosts.

“So… you’re planning to overthrow the king of Garuccia and crown Firebird. How do I fit in all this? Do you want me to create an army of vampires?”

“We have better ways of granting immortality.” The snake princess said: “Who would want to be a vampire when they could be a skin-changer?”

“Livia, please.” Prospero said and looked at the tiger queen: “Your majesty, if I may?”

“You have my leave.” The tiger queen said.

“Thank you. Elysa, have you ever looked at Garuccia and wondered if this is really as good as it gets? A country where someone like your brother has to live in fear? A country where… someone like Sal could be… burned to death. A country that rewards Screaming Beasts like your father?”

Viktor sipped his wine before talking.

“Despots took over our country and perverted it into their image and the only man who tried to stop it was betrayed. Firebird is the only man who remembers what Garuccia once was. A kingdom of heroes. He is the only one who could take us back to that time.” Viktor said.

The two-pronged attack came naturally to Prospero and Viktor. It reminded her of Sal and Cassio. Friends who had been together so long they acted as one.

“Think about it.” Prospero went on: “House Eld restored but with Katarina the Tall as his queen. An Osetarian. The countries united. We could finally put an end to this cycle of war. No more Twelve-Year-Wars. Nuncio would no longer have to hide. Nor would you. Imagine it. You could walk freely in Leoden. No one would pat an eye at a vampire on the street when one sat on the throne.”

It did sound good… but she had learned the hard way not to trust anything that shiny.

“Sounds good.” Elysa admitted: “But there is one problem.”

“And that is?” Prospero asked.

“That fucking Vincent who tried to murder my brother.”

The queen sucked the last shreds of meat off a chicken bone and dropped it on her plate.

“I did promise you an explanation, but I am not the right person to give it. Why don’t you follow me, and all will be made clear.”

Elysa stared at her empty goblet but then nodded and stood up. The tiger queen led her through the castle with the kind of ease that only came from living in a place for centuries and being intimate with every inch of it.

“Construction of this place was started and abandoned multiple times. It was only when my Baron’s father, Ulric, took charge of construction, could anything be accomplished. Giants can do the work of armies and he wanted his new wife to have a seat worthy of her.” The tiger queen said.

They started climbing higher and Elysa realized they were heading to one of the great towers. The God’s Eye.

“Do you know how vampires first came to be?” The tiger queen asked as they walked.

“Can’t say I do. I have been hearing a lot of the Graveyard King’s Curse, but I don’t know what that means.”

“Few know the whole story. Vampires were born from a mating between a god and a mortal. A hedge wizard whose name is lost to time wanted to prove his skill and conducted a ritual with his daughter to see the face of god. He succeeded and the Queen of Cold and Darkness blessed the wizard’s daughter with a child.”

“And nothing bad happened after that?” Elysa said.

“Very bad things happened. The birth killed the mother which might have been a mercy. The child was born a horrendous mutant. It had no eyes. But what would one living in eternal darkness need them for? It had no genitals either. After all what would one who procreated through blood need a cock for? But it did have fangs and talons.”

Elysa bit her lip at the thought of a monster like that. A monster she descended from. She could still remember what her father had looked like when pushed to his limits. A livid, living corpse. Was that all she was underneath?

“What did the wizard do?”

“Left it in the freezing forest to die like any other unwanted child but the child would not die. It reached out with its mind and called for a pack of wolves. They nurtured the monster with fresh kills until it grew strong enough to hunt on its own. It grew into Graveyard King. The first King of the Dark.”

The tiger queen fell silent and then pulled out a cigar. She sliced the end off with her dagger before lighting it and breathing in the dark smoke. She did not offer a cigar to Elysa.

“Few know the story. Girusai burned away our history and the wonders we created but the Cat Clan remembers. We were among the first to rise against the Graveyard King and none fought harder than us while the monster tried to drink the Wyrding dry. He was a glutton, you see. Makes sense since his mother had been a giant. But we fought and finally drove him deep underground and my clan guarded the location of his prison for centuries.” The tiger queen said and puffed out smoke: “I was a mere kit back then but even then; I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if that power was wielded by someone more… worthy.”

The tiger queen stopped by a window and stared outside wistfully.

“I met King Eld. It was during the time of Girusai. My clan had fought against the Graveyard King, and we fought against the black dragon although Girusai proved to be the bigger problem. I thought I would never see a man like him again until I laid my eyes on my Baron. He was only a boy of seventeen then but when I looked at him, I thought he was King Eld reborn.” The tiger queen said and snuffed out her cigar on the windowsill: “A man like that could wrestle the world and I gave him a child. Our beautiful jaguar princess.”

The tiger queen bowed her head and for a moment Elysa thought she was going to cry.

“Then he lost his wife, and something died inside him. He had already buried one wife, but the second one was too much. He came to me for comfort, and it broke my heart. Seeing a great man being killed by lost love.”

Elysa did not need to read the tiger queen’s mind to picture it. The pain in her voice painted a clear enough picture. The Baron had dared to love and paid for it dearly.

“Did you ever offer to make him a skin-changer?” Elysa asked.

“I had considered it but decided against it. Karloff could never have stomached godhood given to him. He only saw value in things he had to fight for. Which gave me an idea.”

A shiver ran down Elysa’s back.

“You’re the reason he became a vampire.”

“No. I am the reason he became a god. I led him to the Graveyard King’s prison and told he would find inside a worthy death or power eternal. Into the dark he went and there he faced the Graveyard King. It was a battle of wills and my Baron won.”

When the tiger queen smiled, Elysa could see a god to who primitive men had offered human sacrifices and who had always led from the front.

“My Baron took the Graveyard King’s head, blood, and power for himself, but he did not stop there. He started building an altar to grow his strength.”

The staircase they had been climbing seemed to go on forever and the steps had been built for giants. Elysa wondered how anyone, but titans, gods, and vampires could have made the rise.

“Daddy dearest also had one of those.” Elysa said: “He built it in our home.”

“Don’t compare my Baron to that leech. Pietro Capello fed his altar stragglers and children. My Baron fed his armies.”

There were barracks at the end of the staircase, so watchmen didn’t have to make the climb every time their shift began or ended. The air felt thinner here. How high were they? The tiger queen pushed open the mighty doors and Elysa saw the world through the eyes of a god. The giants had carved their way out of the mountain and had then began constructing a tower that could withstand the freezing winds of the Teeth. The hail cut like shards of glass and the wind blowing here pierced you like spears.

And in the middle of it was a cradle built from stone and steel.

Elysa could make out melted swords, and armor in it… and bones. Had knights in their steel armor been thrown into a fire to build this? The stones had been taken from conquered castles, adding their might to the altar. Claiming them as the Baron’s property through right of conquest. The altar had not been fed in centuries, but it was still simmering with power and hunger. And patience. It could wait as long as it had to. One day it would be fed again.

“… Jesus.” Elysa muttered when she felt the presence of the altar.

“One day I will lay down my Baron’s bones in it and will return him to life. Then we will finish what we started.” The tiger queen said before smiling at Elysa: “Why don’t you try laying down on it?”

She was going to say no. There was power in that altar that was so overwhelming that she had no hope of using it. It would be using her. She was going to jump off the tower and fly away but before she could do that, her body acted on its own and she climbed inside the altar. A cradle carved from conquest and victory. And it welcomed her happily. Not even blood or sleeping in her native soil gave her such pleasure.

She started falling…

… ever deeper…

… through the circles of the Wyrding…

… until she found herself back at the circus.

“Hello there, cuz. Fancy seeing you here again so soon.”

Hilbert was kneeling next to her in his adult form while smoking a cigarette. She stared at him dazed before gathering her wits.

“Hi again.” Elysa said: “Got a smoke?”

Hilbert helped her up and lit her a cigarette. They smoked together and the grey clouds they produced mingled together.

“I guess you met the crazy cat lady.” Hilbert said.

“I guess I’m also a sucker. You were in on this from the start, huh?” Elysa said.

“I am known to get up to some chicanery for my master.” Hilbert said and pressed a talon on his lips: “But I only have one. I don’t take orders from the tiger queen.”

“How very loyal of you.” Elysa said.

“Only a fool would be loyal in a world like this. We do follow the clown code after all.” Hilbert said and flicked his cigarette away: “Ready to meet the big man himself?”

Elysa steeled herself and took one final drag from her cigarette.

“I came this far.”

“That you did. Follow me.” Hilbert said and led her to one of the many circus tents.

He pulled back the flaps and Elysa blinked when she saw a forest behind it. Inside that tent was a kingdom of infinite space and when they stepped inside, the dying day was taken by moonlight. Over her rose a castle carved into a mountain and she realized she was looking at Steelfort at the apex of its power. When it was manned by entire armies and could break even the claws of time.

“Welcome to my master’s Domain. Here he makes the rules. Why he chose to make it look like Steelfort, I will never understand.”

Elysa looked at the castle and then at Hilbert. In the moonlight his ashen blonde hair turned the color of silver.

“You sound like the Baron’s number one fan and the competition for that spot is fierce.”

“He saved my life.” Hilbert said.

“Did he now?”

“Oh yes. It was back during my mortal days when I was a wandering clown hero.” Hilbert said and lit another cigarette: “It’s odd how many of those pop up. There was me, Jingle the Jester, Boom-Boom the Clown… I was the best of them though. Either way… I made a living with jokes and got into all kinds of hijinks with all sorts of knights, ladies, and hot mamas. Then… I ran afoul with the Midnight Carnival.”

“Never heard of them.”

“Count yourself lucky. They’re parasites from the fourth circle. The dreamlands. Dreadweavers. They feast on fear and hopelessness. Usually causing nightmares is enough for them but the Midnight Carnival preferred a more hands on approach. They would travel into the human world and kidnap kids while posing as a circus.”

Hilbert grimaced like his cigarette had turned into a snake between his lips.

“It was all the food they could ever ask for. There was the terror of the kidnapped children. Scared they’d never see their parents again. Terror of the parents that they’d never see their kids again. Terror of the parents whose kids had not been taken that theirs might be next. Terror of the kids who were still there that they might be taken too.”

Elysa bit her lip while she thought of Cobbler’s Hold. How a creeping sickness had taken one villager at a time until a dozen people might be lost per night. How the terror had turned neighbors into suspicious scavengers.

“Let me guess. The lords did not give a damn?” Elysa said.

Hilbert chuckled.

“I mocked them for it too. They sent their letters and I just laughed. Lords had never cared about commoners and weren’t going to start now just because some peasant kids had gone missing. No lord would save them, so I promised to do it.” Hilbert said before sighing: “Which goes to show just how delusional a young man can be.”

“I guess you didn’t save them.” Elysa said.

“No. I had dealt with robber knights, bandits, hedge mages, and minor fae. I was able to handle the carnival’s clown and acrobat but when I came face to face with their leader, Miss Fortuna… I broke.”

“Shit.”

“Oh yes but it also turned out that one lord did give a shit. The Baron pulled me out of Fortuna’s maw and let me tell you, that cunt was dark and full of terror. But the Baron would not break, and he pushed those freaks back from where they came.”

They entered the cavern leading to the front gates and Hilbert began humming to himself.

“Fortuna liked to present herself as a real class act but underneath it all was just hunger. Hunger for power and pleasure. Nothing else matters. Which reminds me of that bastard.” Hilbert said and pointed at one of the steel cages hanging from the cavern ceiling.

When Elysa looked up, she saw one of them was occupied by a vampire who hadn’t fed for so long his skin had turned translucent and she could make out the muscles and bones underneath. All hair had fallen off him and his lips had peeled back over his fangs. The red eyes had sunken deep into their sockets, but she did recognize the mole under the left eye.

“… father?”

Pietro Capello stirred in his cage and tried to reach at her with his taloned hand.

“… Elysa? … help me…”

“Now would you need her help when we’re already giving you all the help you need, Screaming Beast?” Hilbert said: “You had a good run and now you pay for all those fun and games.”

Elysa stared at her father… and then spat at him before walking past him, leaving him to his fate. Just so he knew that she would not help him even if she could have. Pietro Capello screamed after her in his cage and struggled to break free, but the steel held. Elysa kept walking and tried to stop herself from shaking. If no one knew that her father still had a hold of her, she might start believing it herself.

“Did that cheer you up at all?” Hilbert asked after catching up with her.

“No.” Elysa said: “What will happen to him?”

“He made others suffer. Now it’s his turn. Until the Black Door takes him. It takes all eventually.”

“Except us.” Elysa said.

“I like your spunk, but we weren’t here for the beginning, and we will not be here for the end. One day humans will be fairytales told by rabbits.”

“I will see the end.” Elysa said.

“Cheers to that, cuz.”

Elysa couldn’t help but grin.

“Goddamn, I think I am starting to like you.” Elysa said.

“I am one lovable SOB, but I must warn you. My heart belongs to another.” Hilbert said before turning again into a child clown.

“How do you do that?” Elysa asked.

“I am the greatest shapeshifter among master vampires. I blame my background as an entertainer. I am too comfy changing myself for a role.” Hilbert said.

When they entered the castle, they did not have to walk far. The rooms and hallways folded around them like the castle itself was taking them where they needed to be. Many of the hallways were lined by stone sarcophaguses with swords resting on them and Elysa looked at them curiously.

“What are these?”

“Firebird’s knights. Ser Orion and others. All those who followed him when he became a vampire and who are still loyal in death. I guess one day Firebird will call for them and they will come running like good little doggies.” Hilbert said.

Once the castle had finally settled down, Hilbert opened her a door to private study. The walls were lined with books and weapons and the floor had a giant map painted on it depicting Garuccia and Osetaria without borders between them. Elysa hovered over it and took in all the details. It looked more like a work of art than a map.

“A beautiful dream, isn’t it? Osetaria and Garuccia as one ruled by one king without petty wars. Just the way King Eld envisioned it.”

A chill ran down Elysa’s spine. The voice was exactly how she had expected the Devil to sound like when she had been a young girl listening to the pastor. A voice mimicking God. Deep, powerful, and commanding with a metallic echo. The Baron did not step out of the shadows. The shadows came together to form him. His armor was black as tar and the cape flowing behind him red as a trail of blood. His helmet was adorned with batwings and the eye slits glowed scarlet.

A man…

… this was no man…

Cassio had been a big man. Nearly six feet tall and built like a boxer. His size alone had been intimidating but the Baron… the Baron was overwhelming. He stood over eight feet tall and would have made Cassio look like a callow boy. Elysa didn’t even reach up to his navel.

“Look what I found, nuncle.” Hilbert said: “Can we keep her?”

In response the Baron put out his armored hand and Hilbert climbed up it like a cat would a tree before resting on the Baron’s shoulder.

“That depends. Would she like to be kept?” The Baron said.

Elysa bit her lip and stood her ground. So, the Baron was bigger than her? So what? So was everyone else. She wasn’t a tall woman. Just a sigh over five feet. So, the Baron could scare her? So could a dark room. He was just another item on a long list of things that could make her flinch. She had survived her father, and the Baron could never hurt her as intimately as he had.

“Baron Karloff von Stradheim, I presume.” Elysa said.

“You presume correctly, and I assume you are lady Elysa Capello, Princess of the Dark.” The Baron said and cocked his head: “Are you cross with me for some reason, lady Elysa?”

If she showed fear, she was lost. She was no longer a scared child but a vampire and she would act like one.

“One of your creatures almost murdered my brother. So yes. I am cross with you.” Elysa said.

Hilbert flinched hearing that and the Baron sighed.

“I assume it was Vincent.” The Baron said.

“You’re goddamn right it was Vincent.” Elysa said.

“Hate to rub salt in the wound, nuncle, but if I recall a certain fool was smart enough to see that Vincent was more trouble than he was worth.” Hilbert said.

“He is a poor substitute for Drystania, that is true.” The Baron said and then did the last thing Elysa had ever expected.

The Baron bent the knee to her. So tall was he that even when he was kneeling, he still loomed over Elysa.

“I am truly sorry for what happened, Elysa Capello. I am relieved your brother survived.”

“No thanks to you.” Elysa said, not being quite able to meet the Baron’s eyes.

Hilbert hissed like a pissy cat.

“Look, cuz. I know you’re angry, but you should show more respect.”

“Any man who has to demand respect has not earned it.” The Baron said as he stood up and then he surprised Elysa again.

He removed his helm.

For the briefest moment Elysa caught a glimpse of features formed from blood and shadows with only the scarlet eyes and white fangs for detail. Then that moment passed and to Elysa’s shock, the Baron had no tell-tale signs of vampirism. His eyes were a dark shade of grey and he was tanned like a soldier used to marching under the blistering sun. His blonde hair was cut short, and it had begun to recede at the temples. He had high cheekbones, strong jaw, and wide forehead. There was regality to him like a statue of a Roman emperor.

“I trust I am less intimidating this way.” The Baron said and without the helmet his voice became softer, gentler, even fatherly: “Sit with me. Hilbert, get us some glasses and join us.”

They sat down together, the Baron, the Princess, and the fool. The Baron spilled his own blood and Elysa thought it was what lava tasted like. Burning and all consuming. She couldn’t wait to taste more.

“Vincent was a mistake made in desperation.” The Baron said over a cup of blood: “I had been trapped here for centuries with Hilbert.”

“And if you think that is bad, just wait until I run out of material.” Hilbert said.

“Never heard a commoner talk like that to a lord.” Elysa said.

“A lord can only trust a fool to be honest with him.” The Baron said: “I could only watch when my daughter was dragged off to Gehenna in chains. How my tigress was hounded like a criminal. How my followers were killed. I will not lie, lady Capello. I despaired.”

“Nuncle…” Hilbert said.

“Hush now.” The Baron said: “Then one day a boy with more curiosity than sense attempted a spell that was too much for him and by guidance of grace it brought to the two of us in contact.”

“Why would he do something like that?” Elysa asked.

“His dog Cinder had died, and he was searching for the dog’s spirit.” The Baron said: “I made him an offer. I would grant him a piece of my essence. Part of my knowledge and power. In exchange he would be my vassal in the land of the living.”

The Baron grimaced and rubbed his face like the blood had turned to acid in his mouth.

“But I did not realize the terrible damage it would do to his heart and mind. He is driven by a singular need to restore me. Damn all else.” The Baron said and filled Elysa’s cup again: “You have been there, haven’t you, Elysa Capello? Been so desperate that you would grasp at straws. No matter the consequences.”

Elysa could still taste Mathilde’s blood on her tongue. The blood with rot in it… but she drank it all if it meant living.

“I have. I was ready to become a monster to survive.” Elysa said.

The Baron tapped the table with his finger.

“Vampirism does not make one a monster. I am still the man I was during my mortal days and your father was always a Screaming Beast. Becoming vampire just meant he didn’t need to hide it anymore. Power is the ultimate test of man.”

“And what did you do with that power?” Elysa asked: “Led your family to a war that you could never hope to win?”

Hilbert’s eyes narrowed and he bared his fangs, but the Baron made him stand back with a single glance.

“Firebird saved my daughter. She was bound in chains, and he cut her free and brought her home. I owed him a debt that could not be repaid. Or so I thought. One night he was brought before me, broken and his heritage stolen. I restored his legs and promised to restore him to his rightful throne.” The Baron said.

“The fact that it would have made Katarina a queen was just a sweet bonus.” Hilbert said.

“Yes. I suppose it was.” The Baron said fondly: “What I could not imagine was that the Wyrd King would have a problem with that. The fae will not meddle with the business of men. The Pact of Kings and all that. But I had never made a vow like that. Honor demanded that I aid Firebird. It did not end well.”

The Baron had a sip of blood and savored the taste before continuing.

“But I haven’t lost yet. I am still here, and people still gather under my banner. But you are right. I was pushed back all those centuries ago. The Wyrd King seized the day and you have suffered for it all your life.” The Baron said: “Is the world their success bore really the one you wanted? Is it the one your brother wants? Would anyone rejoice of a world like this except men like your father?”

The Baron leaned back and looked at her thoughtfully while Elysa tried to think of something in return.

“Although can Pietro Capello really be called your father? You have his blood in your veins, this is true, but it is not the only blood in you. The blood that turned you into a vampire, flows from me, Elysa. That makes me your father as well.”

The Baron stood up and his shadow filled the room.

“Since you could remember you prayed for God to save you from Pietro. I heard you and gave you the power to save yourself. I only regret that it took me that long. Stand with me now and I will give you a world where no little girl has to suffer the way you did. Stand with me my blood daughter and help me save my kin from Gehenna. Stand with me and together we will cut out the rot.”

The Baron left no room for words and Elysa could only nod. The Baron smiled and bowed his head.

“Thank you, Ellie. Hilbert, escort our friend back.” The Baron said.

“It will be done, nuncle.” Hilbert said.

“Good lad. And Ellie? Should you run into the jaguar princess, tell her that her father still cares for her.” The Baron said and put his helmet back on, transforming his fatherly voice into a metallic snarl: “And if you come across Oberon? Let him know our duel is not over.”

Elysa left the castle in silence and passed her weeping father in his cage without a word. Hilbert held open the door between the circles for her and she could slip back, waking up in the altar.

“Welcome back.” The tiger queen said and helped her out.

Her legs were shaking, and she could barely stand. The tiger queen looked at her and nodded with approval like she could read everything that had happened from the scarlet sweat running down Elysa’s face. Maybe she could.

“This pleases me, Elysa. That will be all for now.” The tiger queen said and caressed the altar: “Now go. I wish to be alone with my Baron.”

Returning was a relief and despite all her strength, her legs could barely carry her down the long staircase. She found Prospero waiting for her at the end of the stairs, leaning against a wall, arms crossed and lost in thought. Old Heron was keeping watch by his side and leaning on her mace like it was a walking stick. When Prospero saw her, he smiled.

“Well?” Prospero asked.

Elysa bit her lip and forced herself to grin. She could still taste Baron’s blood on her tongue.

“I guess I lapped it all up.” Elysa said.

“It was much the same for me.” Prospero said.

“Gods can be persuasive.” Old Heron said.

“Yeah. Well, you got me. What’s the plan now?”

“Capital. Wars cost money and lots of it.” Prospero said.

“I guess we’re lucky that your House is one of the richest in all of Garuccia.” Elysa said.

“I can’t outspend the All-Seeing, All-Hearing King. Besides, it would be suspicious if my coffers suddenly turned up empty.” Prospero said and nodded at Old Heron: “Luckily Heron knows where a treasure is hidden.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” Old Heron said: “We will take it from Zagan the Bloody.”

“Who’s that?” Elysa asked.

“A devil from the Infernal King’s court who burned, pillaged and raped his way through the Wyrding fifty years ago until I… and Badger… and the fox prince imprisoned him in his castle and left him to starve there.” Old Heron said.

“You think it’s still there?” Elysa said: “A treasure that’s only been guarded by a dead monster for fifty years?”

“A devil’s treasure is never complete without a curse.” Old Heron said: “I trust we have enough gods on our side to deal with one pesky curse.”

“I will lead the expedition myself.” Prospero said: “I would be honored to have you join us.”

Elysa put her hand on her cutlass.

“I guess we’re going treasure hunting.” Elysa said.