For the last kilometer of the journey, the group would have to walk. Penelope led the procession. Behind her was Gwen, Dixie and then the rest of the of the non-humans. On Druscilla’s shoulders was the still comatose Redfield assassin.

Euwaine was a Port City located on a small bay. The coast formed a U shape going from the city. Druscilla could see several ships in the distance as well as the white foam from the waves crashing into the quay.

Morrigan was practically vibrating with joy at the sights and sounds of the sea. Actually, Morrigan is not so bad. They had gotten to know each other on the road. It was clear that Morrigan was the way she was because of something that happened in her previous life.

Though she hid it well, Desmona was actually the most affected by the prospect of Morrigan leaving. They pretty much slept as a pair the entire time, so it was not difficult to put two and two together. Perhaps that was the primary reason Morrigan had mellowed out.

As they approached, Druscilla could make out the finer features of the city. Where Ginawaine was garish and clean, Euwaine was drab and dirty. A shanty town had grown like moss on a rock outside the city walls. The roads were covered in a nasty mix of mud and fecal matter. The smell was enough to make Druscilla nauseous. In front of her, Gwen and Pen weren’t fairing any better.

“Do we have to go this way?” Gwen asked no one in particular. “There is no dignity at all if I show up covered in mud and manure.”

“I can’t see any other way,” Pen answered. “Except for the sea.”

“Gwen’s right,” Druscilla chimed in. “We can’t let her show up covered in filth. If there really is no other way, you’ll have to carry her.”

“I’m fine with that.”

And so through the muck they went. It was the middle of the night, so the streets were mostly empty. The only living beings around were stray dogs and homeless beggars who seemed to be on equal standards of living.

The gatehouse was smaller than the ones in Ginawaine, but it was still considerably big. A guard yelled down at them from the ramparts, “No entry until morning! Go away!”

“Here,” Gwen whispered to Penelope. She took a necklace from her neck and gave it to Pen. It had some sort of crest molded from a shiny metal that smelled sulphurous. Silverite.

Penelope threw the necklace up. The guard yelped as it struck his bare face. A smattering of curses followed – quickly interrupted by shocked gasps. “Open the gates!”somebody shouted from within. Druscilla could hear frantic movements within – like a colony of large mice within.

Levers were pulled and gears turned. The wooden gates swung open slightly.

“This is as far as I go,” Morrigan said.

“You’re not coming?” Desmona was incredulous.

“No, I have finally reached the sea. I have no place on land.”

“But we have to stick together. Druscilla, tell her we have to stick together.”

“Eh, I’m not her mother. Morrigan can do whatever she wants.” Desmona was about to say something but Druscilla cut her off. “It seems that you have a lot to talk about with Morrigan – so I’ll leave you to it. Find me in the Whitestone castle. I’m sure you can get in. Come on Pen, let’s go.”

They left Morrigan and Desmona quietly arguing as the went through the gates. A small group of about five guards was waiting. They wore stained white shirts over chainmail. They were all on a knee, with their leader holding out Gwen’s necklace. “Your majesty,” he said. “Allow us to escort you to the Grand Duke.”

They guard’s excitement could be heard beneath his thick accent. A nice promotion on the way I suppose.

“You may rise.” Gwen’s noble upbringing was self evident in the manner she carried herself before others. “Is that my means of transport?” She was pointing at a carriage that had just rolled up behind them. It was made entirely of metal with bars reinforcing the doors and windows. It smelled of urine and a dozen other foul smells.

“Unfortunately, this is all that is available,” the guard answered apologetically. “I assumed that you wanted to see the Duke as soon as possible?”

“I do – so I shall have to make do with this.”

They boarded the metal carriage. Druscilla placed the body she was carrying beside her. Soon, the carriage began moving.

It was not a comfortable ride at all. The roads were rougher than those of Ginawaine. Ah – I should invent shock absorbers for this world. The noise was enough to muffle her words. “I’m going with Gwen to see the Grand Duke. They are going to prepare rooms for us, so Pen make sure they get it right. Oh and ask for three beds; Dixie will be staying with us.”

“She is?”

“I am?”

“It’s not as bad as it seems, Dixie. Pen will take care of you. As for this one,” she motioned at the slumped body beside her. “put her in an adjacent room. Tell them she’s sick and needs special care only we can provide. In fact, tell them to group us all in adjacent rooms.”

“Consider it done. But what about Desmona?”

“She can take care of herself. It’s up to her to join us or not.”

The distance to the main citadel was mercifully short. A bit longer and Druscilla’s bones might have gone numb. They were stopped several times – but Gwen would flash her necklace and they would be let through.

The citadel was on a cliff overlooking both the city and the docks below. It was vaguely circular in perimeter, with walls stretching high up into the night sky. They were led in. Soon they split up according to Druscilla’s earlier directions. Gwen and Druscilla were led up a flight of stairs that seemed to go on forever.

They came upon the Grand Duke’s personal chamber. He had been sat up by the maid on several pillows on his bed. The room smelled of incense and faintly of rot and decay. Druscilla could hear the Duke’s breathing in his chest, his lungs straining to push air through clogged airways.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I cannot pay you the proper respect – my condition, you see.”

“It’s fine. It would pain me to inconvenience you.”

The man’s voice was barely audible, no more than a wheezing whisper. “I have raised you an army, that you might take up your throne one day.”

“And once I do, what do you desire as a reward?”

“Lesser levies – free trade.”

Not happening. “I’m sure this will be finalized later.”

“Duke Whitestone glared at Druscilla like she was a turd baking in the sunlight.

“Grand Duke Whitestone, this is Druscilla Clearwater, my Chancellor.”

“Indeed I am. The princess is still young, so she will need my guidance. Now then, since you have paid your respects, Gwe- Her Majesty and I shall take our leave.”

“We shall speak later, Your Grace.”

Before the Grand Duke could say anything, Druscilla led Gwen by the shoulders out of the room.

“That went well,” Druscilla said.

“He didn’t tell us anything.”

“He told us he has an army for you. He told us he is motivated chiefly by money. I also told him that he can’t manipulate you without going through me. Until you take the Throne, I want you to hide your capabilities. That way all negative attention will be cast on me, and you can be safe.”

“Won’t that be even more dangerous for you? What if they succeed in eliminating you?”

“Do you forget who you’re talking to?”

“But they might frame you or seek to discredit you.”

“Which is why we have Dixie. She is experienced in these matters.”

“Yeah, that makes Dixie is a bigger target for assassins.”

“Not for long.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t worry about it.” A maidservant had been standing down the hall, just out of earshot. We were whispering, human ears couldn’t have heard that. “Let’s go freshen up.”

After a quick bath and a change of clothes, Druscilla went to her solar. The windows were covered by thick, black curtains. A couple of candles were burning in the otherwise pitch black room. Druscilla and Penelope could see fine in the dark, so the candles were really for Dixie Blackstone. Lucky for her nobody had recognized her.

“Penelope, where’s the other girl?”

“In the back,” she pointed at a door at the back of the room. “No other doors except for that one.”

“Good,that’s good. Now then, Dixie, I’m afraid we haven’t told you the entire truth about us Vampires.”

Dixie swallowed. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Calm down, don’t get ahead of yourself. Id like to make a deal with you. Will you listen?”

“Okay…”

“Yiu have skills that I might need. And you’re a New World native. So I propose that you use those skills to help Gwen and the Kingdom she will build. In return, I’ll give you immortality. And if Adrian is still alive by the time we get to him – you two can live happily ever after somewhere nice and wholesome.”

“And what’s the catch?”

“You turn into a Vampire.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Penelope?”

Pen went and sat next to Dixie on the bed. “Well about that.” She placed an arm on her thigh.

“This seems foreboding.”

“The thing is, Druscilla and I are undead.”

“Eh??” Dixie recoiled. “Undead hate the living.”

“Not us, we’re not simple zombies. We can think for ourselves and curb our desire. But… uh… we have a hunger – a strange hunger – that can only be quenched by human blood. But we don’t have to kill the human – in fact, it’s a pleasurable experience for the human. They enjoy it!”

“Long story short, Dixie,” Druscilla said. “You could have everything you ever wanted, at the small price of sanguine dependence.” A deal with a devil, will she take it?

There was silence as Dixie pondered.

Silence.

More silence.

“I’ll do it.”

“Great to hear.”

“It’s going to hurt,” Penelope said in a soothing tone. “Trust me I’ve been there. But the whole time I’ll be by your side.”

Druscilla took Dixie’s wrist and bit deep. Dixie’s breath quickened as her blood filled Druscilla’s mouth. The Vampire had been feeding on peasants the past few weeks. Dixie’s noble blood was in another league compared to the junk she had been consuming.

Dixie paled and passed out. Druscilla stopped and cut her thumb with her nail. Like she had done with Pen, she gave Dixie her thumb. The girl suckled on it like it was her mother’s tit.

Druscilla pulled away when she felt Dixie’s fangs prick her skin. Dixie opened her eyes to look at Druscilla. Her face twisted in agony as she felt the agonies of race changing.

Druscilla looked sympathetically at her new offspring. “I know you’re in a lot of pain but, it’s going to get way worse.”

“She’ll need to feed,” Pen said.

“Lucky for us we have a comatose assassin in the next room. Take her there, and try to keep Dixie as quiet as possible. I’ll try to keep people away.”

“Got it. So there’s three of us now.”

“Our little coven is taking shape…”