The light of torches pierced the ominous darkness of the night. It was evident that something lurked in it. Faint steps echoed, causing multiple figures to hold their spears and stakes higher.

A group of rebels marched warily through the lonely road, keeping an attentive eye on their surroundings. They knew that they were being watched, by something that they could not see yet. Although human, they could sense it. Sharp gazes were fixated on their necks, and it did not fail to make them shudder and tense. They were roaming in disputed territory, unclaimed by either side.

Anything could happen, for no laws were sustained. Some tried to assert them, but they could not impose them in every land. Peace was inviable for many, unwanted or unattainable. They were prey in these regions, but hunters as well.

The lone group of vampires crouched in the dark, hidden between bushes. They observed the road, as usual, to find merchants or travellers to feed on. Many had suffered their attacks, so the inhabitants had grown wise of their presence. They were not surprised to see those insurgents scout the darkness to hunt them.

Both sides were waiting to clash, at midnight. Humans wished to slay, hateful of the bloodthirst that endangered them. Vampires wished to kill, needing to hunt without the guidance of a lord. All tried to uphold their place in the world, struggling to attain a territory in which they could thrive.

It was not uncommon for fights and massacres to happen. Death was bound to strike tonight as well. The vampires hissed silently and leaned, ready to pounce. They bared their claws and readied their feet. The disease pulsed deep, young, desperate for sustain.

The humans heard them lunge when the rustling of leaves echoed. They saw their figures dash out of the shadows, and those sharp eyes glinted as they sprinted to seize them. A loner rushed towards a rebel, hoping to tackle him and make him easy prey. Both tensed, ready for their clash. However, they never made contact.

Vampires and humans gasped and flinched away, because something moved fiercely towards them. The loner that had lunged first had to take a step back when a huge longsword swung in front of him. Before any could react accordingly, a black steed stomped its hooves in between them all, strongly. They all looked up at the huge figure that rode on it, cowering as those emeralds pierced them.

The humans were not grateful for the sudden intervention. They were as startled and confused by the tall vampire and her steed, wary of her longsword. Although she shielded them, they only saw another beast.

Nerys was not surprised when she heard those spears move towards her. She was facing the loners, who were staring at her anxiously, so she could not face the rebels and prevent that they struck her. Luckily, she did not need to move or even pay mind to the humans. She did not need to fight them. It was not her intention, and Lyssa knew it well.

The rebels did indeed try to stab Nerys with their spears, but as soon as they moved to do so, a fierce glow flowed onto them. The one who had dared swing his weapon dropped it, yelping and panicking. His hands were burned, brushed by a faint wave of smoke, sent quickly and precisely.

All forgot about the vampire and her steed, wiping their heads to look behind them instead. They saw another figure, or better said two. There was another horse, a white mare. A man and a woman rode on it, and both their gazes were as striking, even if one was inhuman.

They shivered, because the blonde was glaring holes through them, keeping her smoking hand up. A vampire sat behind her, and his silver eyes were not the only ones that observed starkly, for there was a crow on his shoulder.

Said vampire was holding a crossbow in his claws, loaded. Strangely enough, he was not aiming at them, but at his own kind. It was the woman who warned them, wielding flames on her fingers.

“Drop your weapons.”

The rebels were not pleased to be commanded, and some were ready to object. Sadly, they saw a symbol on her robes, past the red banner she wore. It was the emblem of the insurgence, more detailed than the ones that simple soldiers would display. It was clear what she was: a high ranked general.

Bastian was not surprised when the humans followed Lyssa’s command, even if hesitantly. They did not only do so due to her rank, but because they were smart enough to not anger her. Meanwhile, Nerys had neared slowly the lone vampires, towering over them while on her steed. She voiced an order as well, much more imperative and harder to ignore.

“Don’t you dare try.”

The loners recognized the presence of a high vampire, one that was part of a powerful bloodline. She was not only a lord but the most authoritative of them all. Still, they considered attacking her, being vampires that had been abandoned by their sires. They did not hold any respect towards rulers like her.

They would have lunged at her, and Nerys would have killed them promptly. Luckily, she did not have to. They soon noticed that they should keep their distance, not only due to her strength. Many jade eyes glinted in the dark, not too far away. Her brethren had watched unseen, until now.

Nerys was pleased when the loners grew submissive, recognizing that they were in danger. She could slay them easily, and in a worse way than those rebels.

Bastian looked around him with a lean of head. He lowered his crossbow subtly, knowing that the two sides would not dare clash, not with them in between. It was not the first time that they intervened and stopped a vain fight, and it would not be the last.

Lyssa and Nerys spoke at the same time, but they faced different targets. They commanded their respective races, wishing to prevent blood from spilling.

“Return to your camp. You were right to seek these vampires, but I will take it from here. Inform Hollowgrave of the situation in this area; report that fewer loners roam, for now.”

“You shall obey my word, without question. Although you roam and hunt like beasts, I shall bring you into my domain. I will grant you the blood you need and keep you under watch. This unclaimed land is now under my jurisdiction, and I will ensure that no one is prey in it. I won’t allow senseless deaths; do I make myself clear?”

All nodded in agreement, even if reluctantly. Nerys and Lyssa exchanged a glance, with which they spoke wordlessly. Still, the two said two more words, as an ultimatum.

“Move on.”

Her brethren made sure that no spears or claws raised again. The rebels were forced to march back to where they came from, while the vampires were escorted away.

The three sighed and stopped wielding their respective weapons. They left the scene more calmly, letting their heartbeats slow down. Together, they felt safe. When they roamed to aid others, they did so in unison, never wishing to suffer loss again.

Their lives were strange, a singularity. Time had passed, yet the memory of that siege and beast was still fresh. Hollowgrave was still free, and most clans suffered fewer casualties, because the war was deescalating. Neither side was content with that fact, however.

Many rebels loathed that a vampire had brought them safety, and they despised being allied with a clan that could command all others. Most vampires considered her new edicts humiliating and shameful, yet they had to show compliance.  

Nerys soon began to pull the strings to influence all clans, forcing them to regard any free human as an individual, not prey to seize. As well, she arranged treaties when she could, to coerce lords to stop mistreating their thralls.

She could not abolish slavery directly, and it did not help that the insurgence still attacked their domains from time to time. But improvements had been made. Humans did not think those changes were enough, and vampires regarded them as blasphemous and needless. There were many regions in which death was a daily occurrence, for both races still killed freely. She needed to impose her will, but it was an arduous endeavour.

Nerys had faced many assassins already, sent to claim her blood and life. They were commanded by both sides, either by greedy humans or by resentful lords that hid their hatred upon her. None ever succeeded in taking her life, however; she was never alone. There was nothing the three would not do to attain peace.

————

 

“Aren’t you tired?”

“Are you?”

Lyssa laughed, amused by the fact that Nerys answered her with another question. She yawned deeply and then rested against the huge table in the throne room, whispering as she gazed into those loving emeralds.

“Maybe I am, but I need to remind you that vampires sleep too, Nerys.”

She smiled back, seeing her close her ochre eyes. Any other would say that she had fallen asleep right there, but Nerys knew that Lyssa was awake. Not too far, Bastian had truly fallen prey to tiredness. His head had dropped onto the documents he had been writing, and now he was snoring, even if a crow kept tugging at his long black hair.

Nerys sighed and let down the papers she had been reading, knowing she needed a small break too. They had been working arduously, debating all the reports from multiple lands. Her new influence was not easy to manage, and she struggled even if she had their help.

Alaric had always said that anguish and pain could instigate greatness, and although his statement held truth, it did in a way that he would not endorse. She had grieved and grown stronger due to agony, yes, but she would fight to prevent others from suffering as well. Unlike her sire, she would act and give, not take from others. She would try to bring peace between vampires and humans, to instil peace into every land. Only then could the world witness real grandness.

Her current achievements were not prodigious, but she did impose laws that benefited slaves in some lands. As well, there were fewer skirmishes in disputed territories. Diplomatic clashes were common, and her endeavours were surely angering many lords that ruled in other continents.

War will spark again, one day.

She got out of those thoughts, because small steps echoed. A smile grew on her lips, and she forgot all her worries for a moment. The sight of her niece always managed to make her feel hopeful, for those eyes held true innocence.

“Nerys, dad says you should rest.” Her niece was carrying a small bag, which she set on the table, commenting curiously. “He says he’s busy working too, but he still went to grab these pastries from the market.”

Although only one of them was a vampire with sharp senses, both Bastian and Lyssa stirred from their real and apparent slumber. Nerys smiled and looked back at the young girl, unafraid to let her see her fangs.

“Go back to the village and say thanks for me, please.” She brushed her red hair fondly, to then apologize meekly. “I still have some paperwork to fill in, but I will pay you a visit as soon as I can.”

She looked back at the table, and indeed, the bag had been opened already. Lyssa was examining the pastries with great interest, noting what ingredients had been used to make them. On the other hand, Bastian had already finished one, and now he was eyeing down Nadiya as she demanded a piece with a croak.

Her niece walked away with a warm smile, heading back to the stables, where her personal bodyguard waited. Nothing prevented Nerys from seeing Wilfred anymore, and all apprehension between them had faded with time. She granted them everything that they could possibly need, although they did not ask for it.

Alone once more, the three focused on the food, even if two did not need it. Lyssa would prepare meals for them all, but they had been quite busy lately. They usually rested while eating, but Nerys sometimes had trouble leaving behind her thoughts. Bastian eyed her, and it did not take long for him to comment, with his mouth full.

“You are still reading?”

She always reviewed and signed every single document he wrote, and she had not stopped after he dozed off. She lowered a note, holding a pastry in her free claw.

“Of course. You fell asleep, yet I have barely gone through the pile of files you’ve made.”

Bastian was a fast writer, efficient. When he worked, he did in surges, until he dropped exhausted. Nadiya was nudging an unstable pile of papers at the moment, so he made sure to hush her away as he retorted.

“You know you don’t have to review them. Just sign them and let me send them all.”

“If she does not arrange half of what you produce, this throne room will soon be filled to the brim with chaotic piles of paperwork. She instils order in your work.”

Bastian pointed at Lyssa with a nail, seeing her stare at him with a sneering grin.

“One to talk, aren’t you? Your chambers are a mess, full of disgusting and smelly concoctions! Forget about alchemy and keep cooking instead, because that does not induce us to gag!”

“Oh, so the vampire is bothered by some silly smells, huh? I am annoyed by something too! You leave books scattered everywhere, even behind her throne! Why?!”

“Convenience!” He smirked, confessing to something just to taunt her. “You know, it is good to have things nearby. Like the key to a personal pantry, forgotten on a counter…”

Lyssa gasped loudly and stood from her chair, to then slam her hands down and lean to glare at Bastian. Nerys was smart enough to lift her goblet away, sighing as she ignored their quarrel.

“So it was you who stole the pie I made!”

Bastian crossed his arms, with a glint in his sharp eyes.

“Maybe, or maybe not. As you said, vampires don’t need to eat.”

“You surely were not even trying to make your bloodthirst fade at the moment! It was simple derision towards my statements, wasn’t it?!”

“Yes and no. I do enjoy food! You don’t complain when Nerys eats your meals!”

“Well, she never devours all that she can snatch! Vampirism has made you gluttonous!”

“You eat more than me, you hypocrite.”

“Do not refer to me as an animal!”

“How many times do I have to tell you that the term hypocrite does not refer to that species of beast, Lyssa?”

Nerys just kept reading with a smile, biting from time to time her food. She heard their rambles, but she paid little mind to them, for it was almost a daily occurrence. Another thing caught her attention, however. A small shadow loomed subtly from above, suddenly. Her green eyes stopped looking at the paper, to glance at the upper windows instead, without hurry.

She met those sharp eyes, which glinted below the shade of two wings. They folded slowly as the figure crept into the throne room. Lochan was looking at them curiously, crouching on the windowsills.

“How can you tolerate this?”

Nerys looked sideways. Bastian was now cowering, because Lyssa was grabbing blank pieces of paper and crushing them in her hands, to then throw them with precision at him. The table did not offer much protection from her aim, so he ended up running and hiding behind the big throne. Still, all that just caused her to shrug, as if nothing.

“I’m sure you’d rather see this than me sulking, hmm?”

Lochan stared at the two, whose voices echoed noisily in the huge chamber. No matter how much he looked at them, he could not comprehend how Nerys could rule so efficiently with them as delegates of her dominion.

Another thing that was baffling was that Lyssa sometimes had more authority than them, even if she was human. However, Lochan kept his thoughts quiet, for he was wary of the fiery magician himself. He shook his head and bounced down from the windows, to then approach the table eagerly. He waved a claw as he commented, eyeing all the papers scattered nearby.

“I know you are busy… but I have news that you may want to hear.”

Nerys raised an eyebrow at Lochan, not needing to look up to him even if she was sitting. Ever since she rose in power, he had made sure to keep her informed. As he did for Alaric, he considered her worthy of respect, and he would aid her to impose her will over all.

He always warned her personally if he deemed it necessary. Both were aware that they had many enemies, and letters were not to be trusted. He had informed her many times about angered clans, battles in faraway lands, or unstable borders. Politics were not easy to handle, yet both were used to them.

“What is it this time? Has any clan demanded blood due to my requests? Have some humans revolted after I claimed their lands? Did loners siege any distant villages? Please, don’t tell me its just a lord complaining about me buying slaves just to free them…”

“Mmmh…” He leaned his head onto the tip of a wing, biting his lip. “Not exactly.”

She stared at him blankly, because he was not being blunt.

“Lochan, I have work to do, and you staring at me does not help me-“

“We could say that the issue is a result of multiple factors. You see, you are very adamant in making all clans change their ways, for them to give more freedom to humans. Ever since I’ve followed your edicts, just because I agree somewhat with you, all have done so as well. It has been a chain reaction; no lord wishes to be the one to upset their mighty monarch, that being you. However, you know that they despise your new laws, even if they don’t display their hate openly. Trouble is bound to arise. They proclaim obedience, yet they do as they please behind closed walls.”

“So, you are trying to say that…”

“A certain lord promised that he would stop slicing up his humans. Yet clever Lochan here knows that was a blatant lie.”

Lochan was curious, and observant. Each time he visited other clans, he kept a keen eye. A winged old vampire like him could pick up the scent of death very easily, anywhere. There was no way for him not to notice the smell of blood that emanated from the chambers of that lord. As well, he clearly sensed the raw fear of his servants.

Nerys frowned, understanding that a treaty she had imposed had been violated, again. There was not much she could do, because she only had Lochan’s word to accuse them. However, if she attained proof of their lies, she could sway the opinion of others or blackmail that lord.

Most rulers wished to maintain an honourable façade, at all costs. She could set an example and teach others not to be deceptive upon her commands. All wanted her approval to gain influence, due to the fact that she carried Alaric’s blood, and that was something she could use in her favour.

“Thank you, Lochan.” Nerys stood and smiled gratefully, to then glance back at the throne. Bastian and Lyssa were entranced by their argument, but she knew that they would snap out of it if she called seriously. “We are leaving!”

The two blinked and indeed stopped bickering. They inquired at the same time, not having heard what Lochan said.

“What?”

Nerys noted the confusion in their gazes, even if they had an idea of her intentions. They had left the castle many times, wondering what they would deal with in the wilds. She explained gladly, with a tired smirk.

“I need to probe the doings of another clan… And I need you both.”

Lyssa tensed and dashed to Nerys, promptly. Her ochre eyes glinted with flaming eagerness.

“Details, now.”

Nerys chuckled, noting how determined Lyssa looked. She held her hands, assuring her that there was no real urgency.

“Let’s ready a cart with Bastian’s mare first, I’ll explain everything on the way. For now, just know that you two should look like commoners, for we may need to venture unnoticed into-“

“On it!”

Nerys blinked, because Lyssa let go of her claws and dashed out the chamber, intending to prepare the cart. Bastian stood there frozen for a second, to then exclaim.

“Lyssa!” Nerys watched blankly as Bastian raised a fist and chased anxiously. “Do not touch my mare! I’m the only one who should deal with her! She needs care, and you always tie her up to the cart too tightly!”

“It’s just a horse, a strong one I might add! All it needs is an apple and some hay to get going!”

“You don’t understand! She has feelings, you ungrateful heartless fiend! Before setting off, you must brush her mane and feed her something more substantial! One must make sure that their horse is not anxious or nervous, and not burden them too much! If she stops in the middle of the journey due to your careless neglect, I will make sure you regret it! Animals are-!”

The yells faded outside. Nerys exchanged a look with Lochan, neither daring say a word regarding their quarrels. He simply glanced at the window and batted his wings, excusing himself.

“I better leave you to it.” He leapt up, flying off with one last comment. “Good luck out there, Nerys.”

Nerys soon lost sight of Lochan in the sky, for his wings cut through multiple clouds, dashing away into the far distance. She smiled with a shake of head and took a deep breath, to then begin to march towards the courtyard. The sunlight soon brushed her, and she cherished the sensation.

Her eyes admired everything that surrounded her, what she gained after her loss. She had not only survived but thrived. It cost her tears and blood, not only hers, but there was no more pain. Her fate was strange, but she embraced it.

She was a vampire, but one that held power. Her claws would not inflict fear in others; they would be used to shield them instead. She would live for a very long time, and she would need to confront countless threats. Many would try to spill her afflicted blood due to blind hatred, but she would not have to fend them off alone, for they cared as well.