Chapter 24

The two young vampires that Reiko had protected and freed ran like they had never run before, Asrun half dragging Lily along in his haste. Lily whimpered, exhausted through fear. Asrun heard and bit his lip anxiously, only allowing her to stop and rest when he judged that he was a safe distance away. He stared towards Lily and frowned as she looked up at him.

'Has he turned mad?' she gasped. Asrun looked at her sharply.

'It's sacrilege to talk about him like that. He's a legend, I'm sure he knows what he's doing.'

'Somehow, I'm not as sure as you,' Lily muttered. Asrun was silent, his head bowed in contemplation. At last he raised his head, picked his companion up and ran as swiftly as he could.

'I don't care what Kaneshiro said; I'm going to get help! I'm going to tell Remy everything!'

'Tell me everything about what?' came a soft voice. Asrun ground to a halt, taken totally by surprise, that someone other than Lily had heard him. His eyes shimmered slightly with mild fear as he turned around. Remy stood before him, his face impassive.

'It's Master…he told me to tell you that you're in charge and responsible for the clan until he returns…'

'If he returns,' whispered Lily, her eyes lowered. Remy caught the tone in her voice and frowned, looking towards her.

'Girl, tell me everything that has happened.' Though Remy was Reiko's right hand vampire, he had nowhere near as much authority as Reiko, nor did he command as much respect. He was no legend and he wasn't a hero of any description. Whereas Reiko knew the name of every single vampire under his command, Remy only knew a few names and they were always those of the eldest vampires, never those who were new, who were young. The youngest vampire Remy knew by name was Reiko himself. Lily looked at Remy frostily.

'My name is Lily not "Girl".' Asrun nudged her sharply before telling the older vampire everything that had happened. By the time he had finished, Remy's face had turned pale.

'And he told you not to tell anyone about this? He told you not to ask for any help…' He paused. 'You did right in telling me. Go, get some rest and stay in the guild building. You are not to leave it. Understand?'

'What are you going to do?' Asrun whispered, seeing the odd gleam that had settled in Remy's eyes.

'I'm going to gather our clan's vampires together. We outnumber the harpies now. We're going to bring Reiko back! Enough is enough of this attempt at a truce! This is going too far!' Asrun and Lily stared at him in shock and horror. Wasn't this vampire going directly against Reiko's orders? Remy looked at them dangerously. Asrun and Lily lowered their heads and left immediately, sensing they were dismissed. Remy soon followed them into the guild and immediately went into the office upstairs, checking his supplies. If he needed to fight for Reiko's safe return, then he needed to make sure he had what was required to cast his spells.

---

Reiko followed the harpies quietly, his footsteps making no sound. The four suddenly drew to a halt, the shortest of the three women drawing out a piece of black cloth.

'We cannot take you any further without restricting your sight,' she proclaimed. Reiko eyed the cloth warily.

'You wish to blindfold me.'

'You can understand why, surely?'

'We don't want you to tip off the others as to where our base is.'

'It's the same for how we don't know where your base is.' Reiko listened to the explanations before nodding gravely, not liking the idea of being blinded, but seeing no other way. He would simply have to trust them, would simply have to assume that they really would take him to their Queen. The harpies wasted no time, holding him tightly, roughly, as they tied the cloth around his eyes securely before letting him go. He felt a harpy take him gently by the hand and pull him along carefully. It gave him a bit of hope, that maybe his guides wouldn't be too cruel. His hope was short-lived; the harpies saw no need to tell him when there was a dip in the path or when he had to navigate steps. When he stumbled and fell painfully, they laughed derisively and continued to push and pull at him mercilessly until he regained his bearings and got to his feet, driving him onwards relentlessly. Reiko had never thought that being blindfolded would be such an exhausting experience.

Eventually though, they arrived and the blindfold was loosened. Reiko blinked several times before checking the sky for any signs of the sun, feeling relieved when he saw none. The second thing Reiko realized was that he would never take such a precious commodity as sight for granted again. He turned and blinked, his breath catching in his throat.

Before him stood a huge building which, even though it was old, couldn't fail to impress him. He stepped closer, towards the old stone steps that had been weathered away out of shape over the eras of time. The building was gothic in nature, and this immediately appealed to the vampire. The building was beautiful in his eyes, and even though ages and weather had tried to beat it down, the effects it had upon the building made it even more stunning.

'This is…'

'Not fit for a Queen of Our Majesty's standing,' one harpy cut in sharply, silencing him immediately. After a while, Reiko plucked up his courage again and frowned.

'I think it's wonderful.'

'Yes well vampires never have much taste.'

'No,' said another, shaking her head. 'They're very uncivilized.'

'Indeed they have no concept of what true royalty deserves.' And with that, the three marched right past him, up the stairs and through the gigantic doorway. Reiko licked at dry lips, fought back his nerves and then followed them into the building.

The inside décor of the building seemed to far surpass the exterior. If Reiko had been impressed then, he was utterly gob smacked and confounded now. It screamed of riches. Expensive tapestries and paintings adorned the walls, a plush rug lay on the floor, pristine. One harpy was constantly standing beside it, causing a sudden curiosity to flare within the vampire. The harpy seemed to be constantly staring at the rug as though it were a living creature before suddenly being galvanized into action, picking up a single white piece of fluff that had threatened to mar the rug's perfection. Reiko was at once horrified and amazed, horrified because of the sheer extravagance of it all, and amazed by the amount of wealth these people had to squander. He stared for a little while longer at this type of excessiveness with widened eyes before falling close behind his three harpy guides. Several of their fellows paused to stare at him, not bothering to hide their anger and their hatred. They stared upon him with sneers on their faces, their eyes filled with pure loathing. Reiko lowered his eyes, beginning to feel ashamed of himself. Then he told himself to get a grip. Of course they would hate him; he was a vampire. He should have been used to it by now, for didn't ever creature hate what they feared?

He raised his head and regained his composure, following his escorts, struggling to maintain his calm poise, his aura of dignity and unshakeable pride.

It was at that point that he felt some solid weight crash into him from behind, making him stagger slightly but not enough to make him fall. He turned slowly, cautiously, half afraid of what he might see. A huge cavalcade of harpies, all armed to the teeth, waiting to kill him? A deathly hush had fallen upon everyone in the building as the vampire turned slowly. To his extreme surprise, there was only a small child, a little girl of about six years. Her eyes were wide with fright, her bottom lip trembled and whimpers escaped her every so often. She had fallen and appeared to have a scrape on her elbow, which she was nursing diligently.

Reiko suddenly felt acutely uncomfortable and looked up to see that many pairs of eyes were fixed upon him. They all seemed to be filled with some strange sense of expectancy. His three guides had stopped and were also watching. Reiko looked back down at the child.

'P-please…' she whimpered suddenly. 'Please don't kill me…' she trembled as she poke. Reiko was immediately struck by a peculiar sense of sorrow.

'I'm not going to hurt you in any way,' he said, his voice gentle.

'B-but I bumped you!'

'So have many others,' he replied, still keeping his voice soft. 'I have never hurt them.'

'But you're a vampy and they kill everyone.'

'Not all of us. I don't anyway.' He paused, eyeing the scrape on her arm. 'Let me see?' The girl pouted and started backing away before looking towards the crowd around them. Reiko watched out of the corner of his eye as there was a slight movement within the crowd. The little girl came towards him again and cautiously held her arm out to him. Reiko was careful in inspecting the graze and then smiled slightly, digging into his coat pocket, taking out a small blue gem.

'Here, hold this,' he said, handing it to her. The girl did as told silently, her eyes widening slightly as the gem coated her in a blue light, much to the concern of the gathered elders, who began to gasp with fright. Soon the aura disappeared, and the girl blinked several times before looking to her now healed arm. She smiled properly for the first time, sincerely. Reiko grinned back in return and gave her an unopened pack of chewing gum.

'That's for being brave,' he told her, and without another word he turned and caught up with the three guides.

'Thank you Mr. Vampy!' The child cried after him as the harpies resumed their normal activities. The vampire smiled inwardly, relishing his new nic name. Kids…

'Do you just happen to carry gum with you at all times?' said the youngest of the guides. Reiko smiled, looking somewhat sheepish.

'Actually yes, would you care for some?'

'Ugh…no.'

'I expect you have to have some with you to cover up the smell of blood on your breath,' said another.

'After all, vampires can't taste anything but,' added the last cuttingly. Reiko remained silent, not wishing to explain himself to three people who wouldn't even try to understand. He had always enjoyed the taste of gum when he had been a mortal. It was a habit he hadn't wanted to rid himself of as a vampire. It was a reminder of a time before, when he could bask in the morning sun's rays.

They continued to walk until they reached an ornate set of double doors. They had jewels inserted into the woodwork with ornate rubies for door handles. The male guards growled as they caught sight of the vampire and immediately barred his way with their spears.

'State your business, vamp! None of your kind have set foot into the royal quarters!' They barked out at him. Reiko remained silent but then grew aware that his three guides were reluctant to speak for him. He cleared his throat and stepped forwards, head held high. He stared one of the guards straight in the eye, and watched the expression of surprise cross the harpy's face as he felt no pull from the vampire's eyes.

'My business involves speaking with the Queen on an important matter. As you can see, I am going about this in a civilized manner. I have not attempted to storm the building in any way, nor have I tried to kill anyone here. I am not interested in death, I have never been. Will you let me pass?'

'You might be trying to kill the Queen once you're in there.'

'If you doubt the sincerity of my words than by all means, stand by me and act as a witness. I mean no harm whatsoever. In fact, anyone who wishes to see the exchange between the queen and myself is more than welcome. I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of.'

'And if the Queen turns you away?'

'I'm afraid I cannot leave without a hearing. If she does demand my removal from the premises then she would be turning away a fantastic opportunity. She would be turning away the promise of power and glory, the likes of which have never been seen by your race.' Reiko announced, without blinking. The guard motioned to the other, who nodded and went inside the Queen's chamber. Reiko turned to look behind him and smiled gently at the three harpies who had guided him. The youngest one volunteered a replying smile. Reiko nodded cordially before facing the front as the door opened. The guard stared at the vampire in disbelief.

'You have been granted a hearing on the condition that you leave any weapons with me.'

'May I collect them later?'

'Once you leave the building.'

'Agreed.' Not that he had much choice in the matter…Reiko handed his staff to the guard. 'I trust you'll take good care of it.' The guard said nothing but held the door open for him. Reiko bowed his head slightly before walking through.

The throne room took his breath away. It consisted almost entirely of white marble. The walls were entirely made of glass but were covered with thick heavy drapes. Reiko was thankful for this; though it was still dark outside, some sixth sense told him that it would not be long before the darkness began to scatter as the sun chased it away. The drapes would protect him at least, and for this he was extremely grateful. He moved forwards slowly, his footsteps echoing loudly as the sound bounced off the marble, off the glass. He stopped at a respectful distance and bowed low, in the time honoured tradition of his Japanese heritage.

'Stand,' commanded an imperious voice. Reiko did as was asked, but was careful to keep his eyes away from that of the Queen's. He prayed that the Queen would be unable to sense his nervousness, that she wouldn't be able to feel how his stomach clenched with fear. There was a pause before there was an outraged scream.

'You!' Reiko jumped slightly, startled. He forgot himself momentarily, staring directly into her face. He hadn't thought that the Queen would have remembered him; he had thought that he would simply be just another vampire, something that was not worth remembering. Then he remembered Lorelei and groaned inwardly. Of course…Lorelei had hurt her, he could still see the faint bruises that adorned the Queen's features. He licked at dry lips and bowed low once again, paying his respects.

'Your Majesty,' he said softly, carefully. 'I am sorry that we first met in unpleasant circumstances but I can assure you that I am unarmed and I come with nothing more than a gift. A great gift of power.'

Romana narrowed her eyes angrily. 'Get out.'

'I'm afraid I cannot do that. I cannot leave unless I get what I want, what I need. I have come here in the hopes of signing a truce, or some kind of life long alliance between my race and your race, the harpies. Enough of this shameless killing. I see no way how it is beneficial to either of us.' He paused here and looked at Romana directly in the eyes, trying to show her that he was deadly serious. Romana slowly drew herself up, her crown glinting as she moved.

'Say I agree to your stupid alliance. What's in it for us?'

'Peace.'

'Really. Because we know your type. You will go back on your truce and you will kill one of us. The peace will not last for long.'

'Are you really willing to blame an entire race of people for the mistakes of a single man? It happened God knows how long ago. Times have changed. We have changed. We are more civilized. We have reforms, we have laws.'

'I am unconvinced, vampire. Get out, my temper is rising and I can't bear the shame of having vampire blood on the floor of my throne room.'

'Then maybe if I gave you the means of overpowering everyone who dare stand in your way. Maybe that will gain your attention. Maybe you'll be more convinced then.' Romana looked at Reiko with a sudden renewed interest, her eyes gleaming at this new prospect.

'Power? You can really offer us such a thing?'

'Yes, Majesty.'

'You would really be willing to offer us, your enemies, such a wondrous gift?'

'If you sign the truce with me, I will give you the power. With the truce in place we will no longer be enemies, will we?' Reiko said, hoping and praying to God that he sounded convincing, that the Queen would be swayed by his words. She shifted slightly, her eyes suddenly lighting up. Reiko recognised the look. Greed. Though the Queen tried to keep her face neutral, she was appalling from hiding her emotions from her eyes. Reiko slowly moved his hand to his pocket but paused. He could feel what he wanted under his fingertips, and the object seemed to pulse like a living thing in his hands, such was its power.

'A short time ago I fought alongside the son of Sparda, the legendary demon who fought against his own kind to save the human realm. Dante and I fought against a tyrant who went by the laughable name of Mostro. He was after a very rare and powerful crystal, one that would give him added strength, enough to take out everyone who opposed him. But the crystal was missing a single shard.

'Get to the point, vamp! I don't have all day!'

'Without the shard the crystal was incomplete and unable to function. I however, knew where the last piece was. We defeated Mostro and reclaimed the crystal as our own. I know that the harpies adore power; who doesn't? Yet I want t form a truce. If you agree to sign I will give you the crystal.' Reiko delved into his pocket and brought out the large glowing jewel, shaped like a coronet. Romana's eyes went wide at the sight of it and Reiko knew he was close to getting what he wanted.

At that point, an alarm sounded. Reiko gasped, startled as guards burst into the throne room, kicking out his legs from under him.

'Your Majesty! Vampires have invaded and are now in the building! We've been betrayed!' One of the guards bellowed. Reiko began to sit up but was quickly forced into a kneeling position. Romana stood up and gazed at the vampire, watching with satisfaction as he was trapped between two spear points.

'So you thought you could trick me, vamp! Think again! You'll be lucky if you die a quick death! Take him away!'

'I had no part in this! I will not be held responsible! You're making a gross error!' He struggled briefly, but cried out in pain as a spear was driven through his arm.

'You made the mistake by thinking you could fool us so easily.' Romana swept down from her throne and picked up the crystal. 'I'll be keeping this. No truce, no power. How does it feel to have lost?' She dismissed the guards and watched, a cruel smile on her face, as the vampire was dragged away. She called after them on a whim. 'Torture him. Put him in the cage, bleed him dry. Whatever you wish.' The doors slammed shut to her derisive laughter. Reiko struggled again and let out a low groan as he felt something crash upon the back of his head. The last thing he heard was the sound of the Queen's grating cackle and the sound of someone calling his name. Then he knew no more.