Playing around with different plot twists…sometimes I wonder where this story is going…

In other news; back to the story:

Eight months later, four cloaked and heavily armed men silently entered the back entrance to a shady tavern on the border of Bulgaria and Greece. Already the vampire influence had spread quick as wildfire far to the South, taking over much of Bulgaria and Serbia, leaving no place untouched.

The Carpathian Mountain range had served as a much needed buffer to the North, but it would not be long before these undead servants would make their way into Hungry and continuing into Europe. It was only a matter of time and with the vampire high lords slowly organizing and structuring the previously chaotic vampire army into a well-trained and disciplined fighting force, the Order was left with even less time than they had thought before.

But now, they had reason to hope. To hope, and to pray, that their plan would work.

The men entered the dimly lit back room and shook the fast melting snow from their hair and cloaks, pushing back their hoods to reveal Guardian Brookarius and four of his most trusted members of the Order.

Across the room stood four silent figures, watching the holy men with both amusement and dislike.

One of them stepped forward and pushed back his hood to reveal hair the color of gold and eyes like night, he was a tall man with a sturdy frame and the face of a warrior. Handsome and deadly, they described him as; Lucus, the youngest and rashest, of the three vampire high lords.

"Well well well," he drawled leisurely like a cat playing with a mouse, "I'm actually surprised you showed up. I was half expecting you to flee back home to your precious Vatican and hide behind your God. Or has he finally figured out you are a weak, lost cause and abandoned you?"

Erron, Brookarius's right-hand man, clenched his jaw in an effort to stop himself from stepping forward and whipping that insolent smirk off Lucus's face, but failed. Without another thought he had taken a step with murder in his eyes. How many men had Lucus killed? How many women raped, children slaughtered, villages burned, and lives destroyed? His mind flashed instantly to his wife and two of his children; viciously murdered in their home by order of Lucus.

"He'll pay," Erron thought, his hand halfway to his sword, his body bent and ready to spring and attack.

"Erron!" came a sharp command, immediately halting Erron in his thoughts. After all the work they had done to get this meeting, after all the effort gone into arranging this, had he really been ready to destroy all that without a second thought?

With effort he managed to calm himself, and turn back to Brookarius's piercing gaze, slowly dropping his arm from his sword and forcing himself not to surge forward and wring that monster's neck with his bare hands.

"That's not what we're here for," Brookarius said softly, "you know that."

Erron could only nod he was glaring at Lucus to intently.

Brookarius gave Erron a knowing glance and a comforting pat on the arm before turning his attention back to Lucus.

"We are not here to speak to mere underlings like you Lucus, where is Gavin and Rumus? We will only speak to your masters."

Lucus's temper flared, "You disrespectful insolent little mortal! How dare you-"

"Lucus that's enough!" came a sharp command from one of the other cloaked figures, the remaining three stepped forward but only two removed their hoods revealing the faces of Gavin, the eldest of the vampire lords, and Rumus, the middle of the vampire lords.

Gavin and Rumus were both tall like Lucus but the similarities ended there, both physically and personality-wise. Where Lucus was a muscular and physically imposing figure, both Gavin and Rumus were lean and swift looking.

Gavin with his reputation for seduction and mind games had looks in his advantage with a slightly androgynous face and sweeping dark brown hair that covered his ears and eyes the color of chestnuts and honey. He was said to be the fastest vampire to walk the earth but it was his mind that made him deadly. Cold, unfeeling and calculating, he had an appetite for playing with his food; a habit much to the amusement of his peers. He was granted the title of high lord by the fear of those beneath him and the respect of his equals. No one could truly say there was anyone above Gavin now that Dracula was gone.

Rumus on the other hand, could never be called one for deceit, it seemed in both life and death he maintain his sense of dignity and honor. Also with brown hair, though in a much lighter shade, Rumus was and would always be, a warrior with a heart of gold. Even if that heart had long since stopped beating. Lacking the brute power of Lucus, and the cold calculating mind of Gavin, Rumus killed with elegance and grace, it was a dance of death when people fought with him; one that he never lost. With eyes the color of cloudy skies, he had an uncanny ability of looking into people's souls, though he had long since given up looking into the boundless cold of vampire eyes.

Now, however, those stormy eyes met Brookarius's silver ones across the room.

"Let's just get this over with shall we?" he said smoothly walking more into the light and looking the holy men in the eye, "Why did you request an audience Brook? We long ago became deaf to pleas of mercy so if that's why you're here you've wasted your time."

"No," said Brookarius, also stepping forward, "We're not here to beg. That is one thing I can still say will never leave my lips. No, we're here to bargain."

"Bargain?" questioned Gavin, curiosity glittering in his eyes, "What could you possibly have to bargain with us? We are immortal, rich, renowned. We have women, treasure, land, anything we could ever possibly need or want. Tell me, for I am curious as to what you think you could possibly offer us."

Brookarius took a deep breath and then slowly began, "We realize we are on the verge of war. A war we will not come unscathed out of. Knowing this, our Order has come to the conclusion that we are willing to make certain arrangements between our Lord and us that could be in your benefit were you willing to agree to our wishes."

"Tell us of these, arrangmemts," Lucus stated, enjoying the way the other members of the Order were shifting uneasily on their feet. He could smell their reluctance to be here and it made him all the more curious as to their bargain.

"In return for halting the turning of humans into vampires and keeping the rest of your race within the confines of Romania, the Holy Order would be willing to appeal to our God about allowing Dracula to walk the Earth again, for as long as he wants while he upholds to his promise," Brookarius stated, keeping his eyes locked with the three high lords.

His proposition was met with silence. Eerie, deafening, silence.

Gavin was the one that broke it. His laugh was slow, almost haunting in its softness, and Brookarius felt a chill run down his spine. Something was not right. Broookarius became even more convinced when Lucus joined in his laughter as, the loud demeaning sound of it echoing off the walls.

But perhaps the most frightening of all reactions, was Rumus's. He simply stood there with a sad small smile and a hint of something in his eyes. Brookarius could have sworn it was pity but didn't get the chance to find out when his attention was turned to the stranger that had kept to the back of the room, cloaked in the shadows with his hood up. Now a soft chuckle was emanating from the under the heavy cloak.

Slowly the stranger walked into the light and threw back his head revealing hair the color of ebony and eyes like sapphires. Twin golden hoops glinted in the light and the man reached up with his pinky to tuck a few rebellious strands of dark hair behind his ear.

"Looks like you're too late Brookarius," Dracula said softly, his teeth gleaming in the torch light to reveal pointed tips, "Someone else of your order has already made the generous offer to return me to the world of the living. And you know what? I accepted."

Chow.