Chapter 5

A few weeks had passed whilst I was In Kövan's care and I could not be happier, each day I tested my strength and skills fighting her most skilled guards and learnt from her the finer points of my job, the empire that she was to give me had no minions attached to it but had money and several properties all around the world, the one that most interested me was the mansion in Montana only a half hour drive from the Moroi court and no one within the court had any knowledge about this.

I had made rather good acquaintances with many of Kövan's men and she was quite happy for them to leave with me when the time came and for that I was grateful but a few men would not be enough to destroy a foundation that had been around for thousands of years. I had to make more.

Keeping in contact with Kövan, myself and three others travelled from Turkey through Georgia and into the south of Russia where we scouted out the nearest Vampire Academy and some long forgotten part of me laughed this one was named after a saint as well, St Christopher's. We scouted out the boarders and were able to convince several humans to help us quite easily. All we wanted to do was break in turn at least one Dhampir or Moroi each then leave without attracting too much attention to us, and it was too easy. A human used a stake and broke the wards almost right where there were three Guardians patrolling the wards, we attacked bit them and dragged them back across the wards within seconds.

That night we were a party of seven and went to town trying to find as many strong humans as possible to turn. Strigoi were known to hit the shadier areas of town and so tonight we hit the lime light heading to well populated areas and mostly the gymnasiums were we waited for the biggest and the strongest to leave taking them and turning them. At dawn we arrived back at home where our party of seven and become 14, my army was building but of course with every group you had your conflicts and 2 of the new awoken had decided that they did not wish to follow a girl even though I promised them the last of the Royal Moroi blood that the world would ever see. Thankfully they had no true training and I quickly dispatched them making a demonstration of their bodies as I through them thru the door into the sun where they became ash.

Within five days we had returned to Turkey and into the open arms of a woman I could not have accomplished this without. Kövan was as impressed as a Strigoi could be with the fresh meat I had returned with but she also decreased our numbers by 2 when she found the humans to be lacking in the fire she had seen in the others.

With my own men behind me there was only a few parting words that Kövan needed to give me.

"Roza, it is time for you too leave and I know that you already know this so I am not going to force you but tell you to be very careful with who you place the knowledge that you have with, keep it too yourself unless necessary and your life will be much longer. Don't do anything too stupid and remember to call when all your pieces are in position, we shall all play our cards at the same time, in a game that has taken our species over a thousand years to truly set up. you know your job, take down the Court and you shall be rewarded with its control, Good luck Little one," Kövan said before I walked out of the door the week following, their was little left here for me.

My men and I were to return to the States and I was to set up the pieces of the game that I controlled before I set word to play all, but in the states I had one problem, their were people looking for me, people who wanted me alive and kicking.

The Private Jet I had was set to a private airport in Montana where it would be landing at night, our pilots were humans that had been working with Strigoi for years and were well payed for their services. Taking other humans on the plane trip to keep us all occupied we landed and left the bodies hidden within a forrest. A short car trip and I was given the first sight of the Manor that was to be my home for the foreseeable future and it was beautiful. Large open front doors on the second floor with two staircases leading up to them, the third floor had darkened delicate french windows looking over the valley and drive way with a small balcony. the gardens were also extensive and had several humans working within them.

The house inside was just as amazing the front room itself a grand staircase where I knew I could happily live in all day, the sub levels consisted of bed rooms for my followers each with their own cell blocks attached so that they could take as many hostages as they could fit if they wanted. Some thing I would encourage. The top floor was my floor with a grand bedroom with a secret passage down into basement where there were many tunnels of escape, I had three of my men follow them so that I knew where they lead to incase I had need of them. The first floor held the kitchen, dinning rooms and staff bedrooms and a large Ball room which would be essential to my plans.

Who ever had designed this place was truly cleaver to have thought of everything and I was yet to find a fault but my duty had to come first and once I had my tour I closed myself into the study telling my men that they could go to town and enjoy themselves but they could not give me away, truly just to stick to the humans as them knowing would not mess me up too much.

I sat down with paperwork, my least favourite thing the world had but the files I had in front of me were very, very interesting taken from the alchemist's they contained the secrets of the Moroi world, one of which was very interesting, Eric Dragomir had had an illegitimate daughter and the location was only known by one living person, well a person no longer living and for me was going to be easy to track down.

I placed a few phone calls and soon I was able to get in touch with the lady that I needed.

"Hello," came the voice from the end of the phone.

"Ms Karp, Its Rose Hathaway, I am in need of your services." I smiled into the phone. today was turning into a very nice day.