We stopped for a rest around midnight. Everyone was exhausted. Milena obviously needed some space to think things through, so I decided to chat with dad. I noticed he was careful not to talk about his time at the Cabal, so I didn't push. Instead we were looking for a way to help us escape the wrath of the powerful supernaturals that were bound to come after us the next day.

Robert just proposed that he could teach me a cloaking spell to cover our tracks when a small, blue light in Thirteen's hand caught my eye. I instantly remembered where I saw it first. The bald woman was holding the slave collar, showing it to Francesco. I shuddered at the thought she would enslave him again. She wasn't emotionally stable around him and I was pretty sure she would hurt him.

The man held her hand, as if to stop her from the deed. I couldn't hear them, but they were discussing something vividly. Was she blackmailing him into obedience? Finally she put the collar on his neck, holding her hands on it far longer than it was necessary. Francesco was standing with his back to me, but on her face there was predatory joy, that made my blood freeze. I looked at Milena and there was a cruel smile on her lips. It was so unlike her that I gasped.

Dad saw my reaction but didn't say anything. Maybe he was waiting for me to open up to him, but I just couldn't. I found it incredibly hard to talk about what was between the Huntress and her mate. Something there was terribly wrong, but I had no right to interfere. I felt guilty for not stopping her nonetheless.

Soon after we moved out again. With father's help I managed to cloak us with a spell and we were moving fast towards Cecylia's fort. Thirteen must have had a premonition again, because she was rushing us more than usual. I sincerely wished for a teleportation spell, but according to dad it would take an immense amount of power to teleport that many people. I wouldn't let anyone behind, so we were stuck with marching.

Thirteen led us with determination that made me anxious. During our extraordinarily short stops she made sure to keep away from everybody, her eyes gleaming with cruelty and conviction. Against my expectations she didn't use her power over Francesco even once.

Milena was more and more silent, making me worried for her mental health. All this ordeal must have taken its toll on her mind. She's always been a good and caring person. The fact that she was responsible for the parasite was eating at her, despite my efforts to cheer her up.

After a few days we finally reached Torun. When we approached the fort the sun was already hiding behind the horizon. My heart skipped a bit when I saw that the massive, metal gate was torn out, leaving the place open to anyone.

"Shit. We're too late," Thirteen cursed.

"What are you not telling us?" I asked impatiently.

"If my visions are correct Lily survived and is here," the Huntress responded, visibly withholding some more information.

"We should go from the other side then. We might be able to surprise her," I suggested.

I led everyone to the back of the fort, where the initiation ritual took place. I knew there was a secret entrance there, leading to the area with the crypt. As we approached the mausoleum suddenly the shadows became dense, almost tangible. The air went stale and all sounds were suddenly gone. It was hard to breathe.

Then I felt her presence. The Dark Lady was here. I saw her for the first time. She was coming in a long, torn dress and a veil covering her face. There was an ominous, grey halo around her. Despite there being no wind, her clothes and hair were flapping around her like wings of a terrifying bird.

When she spoke her voice was cold and distant, as if coming from a grave. I was frozen in place, unable to move or speak, barely able to think. I've never been this scared in my life.

"You've brought death to Cecylia, because of your stupidity. You do not deserve to live," Dark Lady's words cut me like a sword. So aunt was dead. Presumably killed by Lily, that I could have controlled if it weren't for my naiveté. I couldn't get my eyes off the ghastly apparition.

Milena stepped in boldly, shielding me from the guardian of the veil.

"He's still young, he didn't know any better. Please, my lady, have mercy for my little brother," she pleaded.

"Fine then, I will spare him. But he does not deserve to be a necromancer. I will give his power to you. You will take Cecylia's place. I believe you will be worthy," the Dark Lady spoke to Milena.

I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest, as if something was being torn out of me. I cried out and the suffering stopped. I felt hollow, a part of me was missing.

Milena glowed. Literally. There was the same halo around her as around the Dark Lady. The power emanating from her was unbearable, dark and ominous and foreign. Her eyes went completely black, looking like bottomless pits. When she cast her gaze upon me, there was nothing human in it. I shivered. It lasted only a moment. The eerie light died down, her eyes went back to normal. She smiled at me warmly. And the Dark Lady was gone.

We entered the fort quietly, looking for Lily. As we traversed the corridors I saw the door to aunt's chambers. It was wide open, showing a lavishly furnished bedroom. On a four poster bed I saw Cecylia in a night gown, her throat neatly sliced. Blood was everywhere, already dry and brown. She must have been killed in her sleep, not suspecting anything. I stifled a cry.

We met the murderer in the lounge. She wasn't alone. Cornelius and the vampires he sired were standing around her, chatting and laughing. We walked right into the mess we wanted to avoid. There were far too many bloodsuckers for us to fight.

Lily and Cornelius turned to us with cold smiles, showing their snow white fangs in the dim light of a few candles burning on the coffee table. I tried calling my magic flame – it was small, but for the first time it was orange instead of black. Thirteen grasped her axe and I heard Francesco load the crossbow.

The leeches were lightning fast. The young ones surrounded the Huntress, getting her busy with swinging her enormous blade to keep them at bay. Lily effortlessly dodged Francesco's bolt and was holding him pinned under the wall. I heard Thirteen ordering him to avoid the bloodsucker's gaze. He obeyed, turning his head to the side, while his captor whispered something right into his ear. It made him blanch.

Cornelius targeted me, openly laughing at my meager attempts to burn him. Before I could do anything more he was holding me by the throat. I gasped for air that wasn't coming to my lungs. I couldn't see my family anywhere. Hopefully they retreated unnoticed.

"You should have freed me when you had a chance," the vamp's voice was full of hatred, his face contorted in disgust. "To think I offered to serve you. Weakling," he almost spat out the words.

"Cornelius, let go of him!" Milena's call rang like a bell.

The vampire's hold on my neck loosened and I fell to the ground, trying to catch my breath.

"Come Cornelius and drink," she ordered, beckoning him with her left hand.

He turned away from me and approached her as in a trance. Without a word he fell onto his knees and sank his fangs in her wrist. I remembered Cecylia making him satiate his thirst like that. Lily jumped to him and pushed him away, making his teeth tear Milena's wrist. Her blood ran freely, creating a small puddle at her feet. She didn't flinch, watching vampires defiantly.

"Come my children and drink my blood," my sister chanted.

All the young vampires flocked to her like lost puppies. Some were trying to get to her arm, some were licking the crimson fluid from the floor. Milena looked like an evil queen, her features contorted in a cruel grimace. Her eyes were all black again, There was abyss lurking in them, that made my skin crawl.

Cornelius pushed Lily away and came to stand by Milena. There was no trace of free will on his face. The red head was completely bewildered.

"Cornelius, bring Lily to drink from me," Milena commanded coldly. The ancient vampire shot towards the day walker, but she was already on the run. She must have understood she was severely outnumbered now.

She shouldn't have been able to escape a leech more than twice as old as her, but she did it. Even with royal blood still in her veins, she had to be really special to manage it.

Cornelius came back empty handed. Consciousness was returning to him and with it the realization of what happened. Surprise on his face turned into a mixture of fear, anger and despair, when he understood he's been enslaved again. His children were still in a haze, hovering mindlessly around their new master.

Thirteen was already bandaging my sister's wrist. Milena didn't seem to even notice it, her expression distant and cold. When I approached them there was a flicker of recognition in Milena's scary eyes, but it disappeared almost immediately.

With her wound dressed she motioned for her new servant to come closer. She cocked her head and examined his pale face. There was still her blood in the corners of his mouth. She wiped it gently with her finger and made him lick it.

"It wasn't you who killed Cecylia. But you conspired with the murderer," she said slowly. "You failed to bring her to me."

She pushed away a strand of his blond hair, that escaped his ponytail. I saw him shiver under her touch.

"That should not go unpunished," she stated thoughtfully, making Cornelius pale. "I will look to this," she added.

Milena was frightening me. There was nothing left of my gentle, caring big sister. A mighty and vengeful necromancer took her place. Was it the Dark Lady's doing? Have she twisted her mind and frozen her heart when she granted her power? Why was Milena even able to command Cornelius in the first place? Was being next of kin with Cecylia enough?

My sister has never been in the fort, but she seemed to be at ease here. Was it a part of taking Cecylia's place, that the Dark Lady mentioned? She ordered the vampires to bring a coffin from somewhere and dig a grave by the mausoleum. She locked herself with aunt's body, preparing it for the funeral. When she let us in again, Cecylia was washed up and dressed in a long, black gown, her hair carefully braided, her cut neck covered with a lace scarf.

We laid aunt in the coffin and carried her to the grave. I expected Milena to say an eulogy of some sort, but she was silent. One look from her made everyone else stay quiet as well.

After this strange funeral, when the grave was covered with soil, she told us to go inside and not come out. She ordered the young vampires to wait for her in their sleeping quarters. They deftly obeyed.

Milena stayed behind with Cornelius. When we were leaving, his blue eyes were gleaming with terror, he was unable to hide.

"Milena? What are you going to do?" I turned to her and asked, fearing the answer I would get.

She looked at me as if I was a stranger.

"Mete out the punishment," she responded, like she was stating something obvious.

"Milena, please... This isn't who you are," I tried persuading her.

I felt she was slipping into darkness. Thirteen was watching us attentively, but she didn't interfere. Francesco was probably glad that the vampire would suffer. My dad looked like he wanted to say something, but he was holding back.

"Please go back inside. I will join you once I deal with my servant," she said in a low, authoritative voice, making it clear further discussion was pointless.

Weheeded her words. Even through the massive walls of the fort we heard Cornelius'screams until the wee hours before sunrise.