Chapter 8

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Taleya.

The Capital of the kingdom was named after it.

The largest of the ports of the Good Sea.

The city that Celesta at times almost hated.

In the four centuries, she had spent here, she had explored almost every corner of it. Almost, because the royal palace and the mansions of the ancient families had their protection, capable of incinerating even her. But in the Lower City, the port and the suburbs, the underpasses were where she knew them best. Some of her kin could match her in her knowledge of the city but never surpass her.

Wanting to avoid prying eyes, the vampires used one of the wide underground passageways leading from a secluded spot to the sewers of Taleya Or rather, what used to be called a sewer, but had by now become a tangled labyrinth, a veritable catacomb with its inhabitants and authorities. Some of the locals had not come to the surface for years. Vampires ruled the underworld, and humans often came and went, but there were plenty of other creatures as well, sometimes even sentient. The results of magicians' experiments settled here; bursts of energy caused animals and plants to mutate, creating something new that could not be classified; mortals went mad and turned into monsters while outwardly retaining their human appearance.

From the underground passage to the sewers, from there to go down to the level below, through narrow corridors to the shore of a long underground lake, and there to take boats to the next descent. The Mistress was pleased to note the touching glances of the watchers, who disappeared, worth showing the correct passwords. Before they reached the central areas where her chambers, the ritual halls of the Morvan Temple, and some other rooms were located, they had to descend three more levels.

Taught by bitter experience, vampires never settled together. Their possessions would be marked on the map as patches. One spot was the domicile of the Mistress, the second was Hustin's labs, along with a branch of the Dark Guild, and the third was the secretariat, the offices, and Celesta's administration. Around these are scattered others, smaller in size, ranging from archives to the ranges of the School of Paths. This scattering is annoying and sometimes very disruptive, but no one planned to change anything. Even building a giant underground palace is no reason to break the concept.

Celeste's quarters consisted of four rooms. A bedroom, a bathroom, an office, and a living room. When she got to her room, she let her companions go, splashed in the small pool, washed off the road dirt, put on a simple white dress from the closet, and went into the office. She wanted desperately to sit in an armchair in front of the fireplace and stare blankly at the fire for an hour or two. She couldn't. Merck could already be felt sitting in his seat in the waiting room, probably bringing documents.

Mistress looked grimly into the mirror hanging on the wall, thinking, with passing humor, that running a myth about vampires' inability to reflect in mirrors was a great idea. "Vampires don't have snot, but you pick it up anyway. Get to work, girlfriend."

"Merk!" she called, duplicating her voice with a mental message. "Come in."

"Mistress," the faithful secretary bowed as he entered. "I am glad to have you back."

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Celesta looked with disgust at the puffy folder in his hands.

"Now only the most urgent, the rest later. What is it?"

"Rumors have leaked out about your absence from the city. The servants of the Dark God are worried."

"I'll show up at the night service and talk to the heads of the cults. That will calm them down."

"Baron Se and Baron Tar asked for a meeting."

The head of a special cabal of guards, the king's personal secret service, and an influential aristocrat whose clan is tolerant towards the undead.

"With Tar, I'm ready to meet tomorrow night, Se invite the morning after."

"Mater Hustin reported that he had figured out the structure of the Necropolis defense and was ready to remove it."

"That's wonderful news!" the mistress cheered up. "Tell him to come and see me tomorrow."

"One last thing," Merk finally opened the folder and pulled out a sheet of expensive parchment. "It was sent from Lanaka."

Celestф glanced over the document, and her mood further improved. The letter of guarantee issued by the Lanaka treasury for presentation to the First Bank of the country in the name of the Nighthunters mercenary detachment signified the successful completion of negotiations with the Duchy government. The guardsmen hid under the cover of the squad when it became necessary to act formally.

It must be said that Celesta associated Lanaka with the word "stability". People wouldn't agree with her, but that's how vampires saw the country. The large principality with its many cities and clear domestic politics stood out from Taleya by its unchanging rules of the game. One of the strongest powers in the region established a firm border to the south and west, had a good fleet to protect its shores from pirates, and was slowly expanding northward, gradually bringing the native kings into submission. Lanaka was held back from first place by feudal wars between branches of the ruling family which happened every three or four generations, and a large number of monster enclaves from the past that even hunting parties with the support of mages and priests could not cope with.

Among vampires, the Principality was considered something of a quiet province. The communities there were small, quietly minding their own business, their heads obediently following the center's orders without trying to revolt. The cultists behaved decently, with a pleasant lack of radicalism in their ranks. Elder Gardoman considered moving his headquarters there, but every time he refused. Apart from the financier's general conservatism, objective reasons - the already mentioned civil wars, the country's poor resource base, and not the best relations with the authorities - hindered the plans. The elite of the Duchy was not particularly religious, but they remembered well the ties between vampires and the Taleya high society.

Now, it is to be hoped the situation will change. In exchange for ignoring the existence of the communities and some preferential treatment, half the guard will clean out the largest border nests of dark creatures. It's a daunting task, and Celesta may have to do it herself, but the pay is high.

"Wonderful!" she returned the letter to Merck. "Any more good news?"

"Captain Grahor sent a report on the latest tests of the new shrouds, everything seems to have gone well. Maitre is checking the data."

"Let's hope they succeeded this time."

Mistress loved extraordinary people, looking for them wherever she could, pulling them out of trouble, teaching them, hiring them. Like Homie, Grachor was lucky she noticed him. Under her hand, the beggar's son rose to become one of the most respected smuggling captains and was her personal agent among them. He had numerous business connections in the Archipelago of Dragons, and now Grahor was organizing a reliable network to replace a failed one while helping Hustin test the latest developments.

"Leave the documents, and I'll take a look," Celesta nodded at the table. "I won't leave the Capital for a month or two, and I'll tell you later. Right now, first, I want to see Alat, and probably Krustyar. He's a loner, but he has a lot of respect among the walkers of the Beastly Paths. Second, I want a detailed report on the top figures in the kingdom's most influential religious organizations. Names, worldviews, what they want, weaknesses, who support them, and who they support. The deadline is two weeks. What else... Is Kalderan back?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Call him, too," Celesta paused, wondering if she'd forgotten anything. "That's all for now. Off you go."

"Dark night, Mistress."

"Rather, have a good day, Merk!"

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