"I will either find a way, or make one" - Hannibal Barca
The irony was only fitting.
With her fur cape trailing behind her, Lenore, a free woman at last, descended one final flight of stairs to reach her first destination without needing Hector's supervision: the dungeon.
She pushed open the door and let herself in. The night creature guard looked at her as if suspicious but made no move to stop her. Ignoring it, Lenore looked around and sighed. Aside from its inhabitants, this part of the castle had not changed one bit. It was all just like that first time she visited Hector and –
A sudden wave of discomfort jolted her mind. Especially after that recent conversation with Hector, all the memories of their first interactions felt tainted, as if the greatest fruit of her labor had putrefied into a foul slime coating everything associated with it. Lenore decided she would rather not think about any of this and pushed ahead.
It didn't take long for her to find the vampire she was looking for, seated in one of the cells specifically enchanted to prevent escape via mist or bat transformation. He faced away from the entrance, as if doing his best to deliberately ignore any potential unwanted guests who may or may not have indirectly facilitated his arrest.
"Captain Barlis?" Lenore asked.
The old veteran vampire finally stopped pretending to ignore his visitor. "Oh. It's you," he growled.
"Yes, it's me. I wanted to… explain the recent events."
"Go to hell, traitor."
Lenore had steeled herself for a rough encounter, and it seemed her instincts were correct. "Look. First of all, I want it make clear that I still am grateful for your service that one night, and I am sorry it had to come to this."
"You say you're sorry? For what?" Captain Barlis asked incredulously. He scowled and looked away. "For deciding to betray your former subjects to please some fucking livestock with a crown? I should've let you die!"
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," responded Lenore, inwardly rolling her eyes. Her patience was starting to wear thin. "By the way, I was actually the one who got Isaac to spare your life. We talked."
"Oh, really? All you did was talk? Pah! Knowing the rumors, I bet you got down on your knees in front of him and began –"
Lenore hissed menacingly, bearing her fangs. She stepped towards the cell door. The captain instinctively flinched and fell silent, a reflex from the days when she and her sisters, as queens, could have had anyone executed at will.
When the former queen felt like she had gotten her point across, her expression lightened. "Sorry for that unladylike interruption. If you must know, I told him that the three vampire counts almost certainly regarded you more as a useful idiot than as a genuine co-conspirator. As such, punishing you the same way as them would neither be fitting nor send the right message."
"I'm so flattered," Barlis sarcastically responded.
"Anyway, we are even now. I will do what I can to ensure you remain unharmed. I must go now. Thank you again for your past service."
No reply.
"And also for the record," she added as she walked away, "I can use my mouth in more ways than one to get what I need, but words are usually sufficient." Lenore left the dungeon and returned to the upper levels of the castle. Glancing around, she confirmed that no one was looking, and took a moment to bury her veiled face in her gloved hands.
When she was ready, she put back on her mental mask and made her way to the library, where she had agreed to meet Hector. She found him there reading. Upon seeing Lenore, Hector closed his book on forging and stood up from the patch of sunlight he had been sitting in. Walking over to meet his light-averse partner, he quietly asked, "How did your meeting with the captain go?"
Lenore hesitated and replied, "It went okay."
"That answer doesn't sound particularly 'okay,'" remarked Hector with a raised eyebrow.
"Let's talk about it later." The pair found a shaded area more amenable to both of them. After making it through a chapter of her own book, Lenore again got up and went to Elansa the assistant librarian's desk to ask about borrowing her book of choice. Although she was getting the hang of reading with a dark veil draped over her eyes, it still was not necessarily pleasant. A less savory part of her admittedly also wanted to rub her political resurrection into the assistant librarian's face, after the way their very first encounter went. She found the diminutive grey vampire at her desk, donning the spare veil from their earlier exchange. As usual she had that horrible manuscript of hers out, but instead of frantically writing, she was carefully packing the pages into a small bag.
As Lenore came closer, Elansa looked up. "I hope you're happy, Queen Lenore or whatever your new title is!" she spat.
"What did I do?" Lenore mentally braced herself. There truly was no predicting Elansa.
"The reason you're suddenly free! Thanks to your thoughtlessness, I'm out of a job now!" How she knew, Lenore could only guess, but it probably had not been hard to figure out for anyone with access to castle gossip. "Did it ever occur to you might not have the only one those plotters reached out to? Well they also reached out to me. I wanted to ask you for advice! But apparently you went ahead and revealed everything, I'm left holding the letter, and now I'm being fired for potential disloyalty." Elansa's brow furrowed in frustration. "I knew my end was coming, but I didn't think this would precede it."
Even though Lenore did not regard Elansa as a friend by any means, the situation stung in a way that the captain, an active participant, did not. "Look, I'm sorry," she said, allowing the genuine level of remorse she felt to show on her face. Before it could go too far though, she regained her mental footing. "There's no way I could have known though, Elansa. Also, if you were let go simply for not taking saying something, imagine what would have happened to me for inaction. I did not have a choice. I know you are logical. Think about it."
Elansa closed her eyes and then gradually her fist. "You, I – Well… Just leave me to my-"
"Hey, I have an idea!" Lenore deliberately cut her off in an enthusiastic voice. "I can rehire you as my own assistant." If there was one thing that Lenore still had, it was wealth. Even before Isaac came, she had already begun hiding away her share of the castle's riches as her political fortunes waned under Carmilla, in case intrigue came for her life.
Her former subject looked skeptical. "First you push me out of a job, and then you offer me a new one?"
"Think of it more as amends." Lenore smiled sweetly. "You'll have blood, pay, a place to stay if needed. There will probably even be time to work on that… document."
Elansa sighed, trying to calm herself. "I suppose I don't have a choice… I agree."
The two vampire women decided to hammer out the details at a more convenient time. In truth, Lenore did not fully even know what she would be paying Elansa for, yet. Still, if nothing else, the arrangement allowed her to inwardly feel like less of a traitor than the captain accused her of being.
Not entirely to Lenore's surprise, the former fourth queen of Styria started out at the bottom of her usurper's court, really more an agent than a full participant. As far as she could tell, Isaac's true courtiers were a motley crew. The bastard himself and his talking night creature FlysEyes, she had seen for herself. Despite essentially being a colossal bug, FlysEyes was actually said to be quite intelligent based on him speaking unprompted a few times, although his first solution to any problem was invariably violence. The others – the ex-merchant running the finances, the old mercenary captain who advised on defensive matters – Lenore had heard of but needed to see more of to properly size up.
The crises facing Styria were less a mystery. Surrounded by an unfriendly Austria, an indifferent Venetian Republic, and a Hungary recovering from Dracula's attack, Styria's defenses still lacked after the grueling conquest. Even more bodies, either as live soldiers or as dead night creature material, were needed. Preexisting tensions between the human and vampire populations escalated a little bit every day, and the arrival of the first missionaries did not help. And of course, there was the problem of blood. To survive, a vampire required either pure human blood, or, grudgingly, animal blood supplemented with occasional human blood. Without the blood tax or sufficient livestock to immediately replace it, Styria risked a shortfall of both in mere months. After that point, severe rationing, unrest, and ultimately famine loomed. The mere fear of starvation had already contributed to one major plot against Isaac.
Such was the focus of Lenore's first mission. No grand treaties or policy matters, but a pig purchase. Several days after her "appointment", she and Hector found themselves seated in a darkened carriage headed out of Stryia. Their destination was the fief of a certain Hungarian Baron Bakonyi, an old "friend" of the kingdom who purported to have a surplus of swine. Accompanying the carriage were several swine herders, a chest of silver, a number of human guards, and one of Isaac's night creatures to ensure the loyalty of all parties to Styria's new sovereign.
"You mentioned this Baron Bakonyi, before," said Hector.
"Yes. An old trading partner, somehow held off Dracula's westernmost forays, a scoundrel, a boorish, opportunistic creep based on our letters," Lenore replied impassively as she read a copy of the First Ultimatum from the Church and Austria. The limited light that made it through the carriage's curtained windows was plenty for her eyes. The document itself was a short, hastily assembled work, clearly slapped together without thorough review.
"And why are you dealing with him?" Hector's voice interrupted her concentration.
"Because he is close, he has what we need, and he is willing to deal with us. It is hard to ask for much else in this field," Lenore answered with disinterested resignation. Reading in a moving, bumping carriage was hard enough as it was. Hector got the message and let the conversation die. His partner continued reading, drawing an imaginary circle with her finger around the occasional word.
A minute later, her head perked up. "I believe this baron also recently put down a tiny rebellion. Do you think Isaac would mind if I brought more than just animal livestock?" Lenore asked in a hushed tone.
"Anima – Lenore!" quietly admonished Hector.
"Hector, it's fine. I think I found a way for it to work."
"Damnit, it's not about what you can do. Didn't we just talk about this the other night?"
"Not this specifically, but don't worry. I can make it work for everyone, you silly man." Somehow, this wound up being the greatest moment of levity in the trip so far.
After a few days of travel, the little convoy reached Baron Bakonyi's fief on the western edge of Hungary. This was the farthest that any of Dracula's forces had penetrated. Among the defensive works that had helped repel them, Lenore and Hector saw numerous examples of a relatively new weapon in warfare – the cannon. Vampires knew how to create explosions, but it took humanity's indomitable drive to compensate for their weakness with ever more creative ways of killing to truly weaponize them. A combatant's strength meant little if he was torn apart at a distance. Already, the humans had managed to miniaturize these machines, too. After years of scoffing with her sisters at this seeming pipe dream, Lenore now saw the deadly fruition of mankind's investment.
The baron received the pair in his fortified manor. A pudgy man without a hair on his head, Bakonyi greeted them. "Ah, Qu- Lady Lenore of Styria, I presume?"
"Indeed. Well met, Baron Bakonyi." Lenore curtsied. "It is good to see that you weathered Dracula's attack. I can reassure you that Styria did all it could to undermine him from within." It was kind of true.
"Likewise, it is good to see you alive too, Lady Lenore," the baron replied with a smile. "Initial reports said that you killed yourself or went mad with despair!"
Lenore smiled. "A statement that surely only lesser, slow-witted, ignorant cowards who have never been at the vanguard of a battle unlike yourself could believe." She saw the baron's face tighten; he had after all never led his own army to the battlefronts. Keen on changing the subject before her slight could fully sink in, she gestured towards her partner. "This is Hector, my… husband." Hector awkwardly offered his greetings, wondering how Lenore could maintain such a good façade with a man joking about her dying.
Baron Bakonyi looked at Hector and shook his head. "What a strange place Styria is, women before men! Here you are taking a human husband, yet you refused all this time to afford me a vampire wife."
Taking a moment to imagine ripping the baron's throat out, Lenore instead smiled along and replied, "It is not worth getting into. And Styria's policies remain the same. After the unfortunate incident involving our countess and the Venetian gentleman who ignored our warnings about sunlight, we simply cannot risk the lives of our noblewomen anymore. It is nothing personal, I apologize." Of course, Lenore herself was the one who created that policy, but that detail was inconvenient right now. She found herself adjusting her own veil.
At this point Hector politely excused himself. The only thing worse than the overt hostility of vampire courts, was the covert warfare of human ones. When he left, Lenore decided he had a point and hastened the talks. "Anyway, your time is precious, so let's get down to business: Pigs." The two of them talked and haggled their way towards agreement.
"So, one hundred and two pigs, including three breeding boars, at two Styrian silvers per sow and three per boar?" the baron checked at the end.
"Yes, we have a deal," confirmed Lenore. "My men will bring up the chest of coins." She then glanced out the window towards a town not too far off, where she could just make out a row of gallows being assembled. "By the way," Lenore added, as if unplanned, "I forgot to congratulate you on putting down that small, insolent rebellion."
"Ah thank you," Bakonyi beamed. "I think they were they religious type."
"Hussites?" Lenore knew that Bakonyi was Catholic, technically.
"Couldn't bother confirming. What matters is that in two days, eighty heretics will be dead and displayed for the edification of all people here."
"Well, I have an offer. Let us take those prisoners with us. The end result will likely be the same, except you won't have to pay the hangman."
"What!? So you vampires can have another blood orgy?" The baron shook his head adamantly. "No, Lady Lenore. I am a good Christian. I actually have a soul unlike you, and I know where I want it to go."
"I wouldn't worry, baron," said Lenore reassuringly. "God may hate us, but He surely smiles on you for your victory in His name. Besides, that is what confession is for. We will take the rebels for free, and you can use the unspent execution costs for any indulgences."
"I still need to send a message to those in my area."
Lenore raised an eyebrow. "Okay then. How about forty of them? The impact on the commoners will change little. And, since you drive a hard bargain…" Lenore rummaged through little purse at her side, found what she wanted, and flicked out a single gold Hungarian florin. It landed before the baron. "Have we amended the deal?"
Baron Bakonyi nodded thoughtfully and smiled. "Yes, we have. You're a wily little bloodsucker."
The small Styrian convoy departed Hungary with pigs and prisoners alike in tow. The journey back was a little slower, between managing the hogs and also the chained, less than enthusiastic captives. In the carriage an uneasy atmosphere descended on the occupants.
"You just couldn't help yourself, could you Lenore?" sighed Hector. He shook his head and craned his neck as he tried to see the Baron's captives being marched behind them. Maybe he had overestimated Lenore. Maybe this really was the best she could do as a vampire, with a natural proclivity to overreach channeled in an unusual manner, and he just needed to accept this reality.
"We need the blood to survive. Also, I said I can make it work for everyone," Lenore responded with hint of defensiveness. "You really don't believe me, do you?"
"I believe you're trying, but sometimes I worry, Lenore… Just remember, you are going to have to explain all this to Isaac." The conversation died from there, replaced by an uneasy silence. Lenore was relieved. She didn't have the wherewithal left for an argument. Dealing with Bakonyi, the predicament she just placed herself in, and her own inner void was draining enough.
When they crossed back into Styrian territory, Lenore had the convoy stop early for the night, before the sun had finished setting. Gathering her wits, she stepped out of the carriage and approached the baron's captives, still donning her veil and full daywear. "Welcome to our kingdom," Lenore said. "I am Lady Lenore of Styria, and I've saved you from certain execution. Nothing comes free, though. Brave freedom fighters like yourself deserve honesty. Styria is home to a large population of, ahem, vampires, and we require a specific kind of… sustenance."
A look of fear swept the prisoners. Lenore chortled slightly and shook her head. "No," she said in an almost-reassuring tone, "Contrary to what you've heard, vampire feeding is neither necessarily fatal nor even violent. We just need the blood. And so, I give you two choices. When we reach our castle, you can still die and provide all your blood on the spot. Or, you can live out your days in relative comfort in exchange for a small, regular supply of your blood." The prisoners began to murmur among themselves. "You have until our arrival. Try not to let the others boss you around," Lenore concluded as she turned around, satisfied that she had done the ethical and humane thing regarding one of the few forms of human livestock still acceptable.
"And not a single lie told," Lenore said in a self-satisfied manner when she saw Hector, who had stepped out to watch.
The convoy resumed moving the following morning. Lenore tried to sleep in, covering herself in a blanket. It was her way of treating herself, of making the world go away just a little longer. Hector checked to make sure all of Lenore's skin was concealed and then opened the simple curtain to the window on his side of the carriage. They were passing through a picturesque village under a cloudless sky. Hector liked the sun. He refused to take it for granted anymore. He wished sometimes that his vampiric partner could enjoy it too and not have to live in fear of it.
Suddenly the carriage came to a halt. Hector hastily shut the window. Lenore arose with an irritated expression. They could hear the sounds of arguing in front of the carriage. The vampire diplomat put on her veil and gloves, and the two of them stepped out of the carriage. Up ahead, they saw a group of peasants blocking their path, shouting at the guards.
"What the hell is going on here?" demanded Lenore, no energy left in her for diplomatic pleasantries.
One of the villagers turned to face her. "We have a new king! Our days as vampire cattle our over!"
"You don't know what you are talking about! This is a royal convoy. Stand down at once!"
"Listen," interjected Hector, hoping to somehow calm the situation. "This isn't what it looks like."
"You can't fool us!" another villager shouted. "We've seen this scene enough under those four vampire bitches of queens!"
Lenore's eyes narrowed with anger. "Fucking hell, I'll warn you one more time! You stand here in defiance of your human king at your peril!"
"Seriously, back down." Hector implored.
"Nonse- wait a minute" the first peasant who spoke up looked inquisitively at Lenore through her veil. "You're one of the vampire nobles." He approached Lenore intently, "Let's get that veil off you and find out for–!"
Lenore shoved him back with superhuman strength before Hector could intervene. She growled and held up one of her hands as her gloved fingers mutated into claws. At that moment, her patience finally snapped. Turning around, she firmly said, "guards, get us moving again by whatever means necessary." Lenore returned to the carriage, with Hector trailing behind. He looked over his shoulder with apprehension and saw to his relief that most of the villagers were backing away.
Once inside, Lenore immediately covered herself with the blanket again. Hector joined her and waited. Outside the carriage, they heard a few more shouts. A sword being drawn. Someone shrieking for a loved one to get back. Isaac's night creature moving to the front. A scream. The sound of flesh ripping. A prolonged, pained moan.
Fumbling inside her small bag, she found a gold Venetian ducat and flicked it out the window. If it didn't stave off any potential political fallout, at least it might stave off her conscience whenever it next came for her.
The carriage resumed moving.
I don't know why, but I just find the image of Lenore collecting foreign coins as a hobby amusing.