Strolling between the back streets of Holt with Ura on my heels was less pleasant than I had hoped it would be. She kept asking questions about where we went, why we did something and if this wasn't against protocol.

"Can you trust me for once?" I stopped walking and turned around so I could look her in the eyes.

Her eyes were big, whether that was in fear of getting caught or surprise that I had raised my voice wasn't clear; both were possible.

"The Hunters aren't here, so can you relax for just a minute? You're missing all the beauty of the city. Look around you," my hand waved through the air. "These people live in such small quarters, but look how inventive they have been. They use the streets above to dry their clothes, they use big pallets as a bridge to put their food outside in the cold air."

My hands ended up on Ura's shoulders, my eyes fixed on her chocolate orbs.

"Enjoy a minute of freedom. There is space and time on a mission to do both. I haven't gotten in trouble for it and I do it all the time."

Ura stayed quiet. Her eyes didn't change, but her muscles tensed under my fingers. I let go of her shoulders and looked towards a narrow alley that could only let one person at a time through. My lips curled up when a plan formed itself inside my head.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to someone."

I motioned with my hand for her to follow me and disappeared inside the narrow alley. I had to walk sideways through it so my shoulders wouldn't scrape against the rough stone of the walls. By now the street had started slaloming upwards. It wasn't far anymore for us to reach an open place that showed us the view of the main street lying below us.

"It's not very logical to build streets this narrow," Ura grunted.

"I don't think they planned it like that," I snickered.

"Probably not, but still ... totally useless such streets."

"Totally agree, but they're fun though. It gives that extra sense of adventure," I turned around to look at Ura and grinned. She rolled her eyes but finally I saw her mouth twitch.

"I'm not sure I want your kind of adventure," she mumbled, but her eyes were softer than before.

You thought differently when we were kids, I thought. But that was many years ago and she had gone through too much.

We finally reached the end of the narrow alley. The place opened up, a small well decorated the square. Now that we could see further than our own two feet, we saw the mountain hover closer than ever. It stood in front of us as if it was the city wall itself. The multiple story buildings seemed small in comparison.

"Woooow."

Ura joined me, her jaw hanging down while she took in the mighty view. The dark and colorful houses from Holt stood sharp against the dull white and gray mountain stones.

"Majestic, right?"

"It's huge."

I grinned. Finally she was releasing some of that Hunter intensity.

"It's not far anymore."

Neither destination was. I simply had to find a way to sneak off on my own without it being suspicious. Usually the best ideas presented themselves on the spot, so no reason to worry yet.

After strolling through another street or four, we arrived at a square right at the edge of the city. The mighty stone walls were visible through the few streets that were surrounding the square. Even though the houses had multiple levels, the wall doomed behind them.

"Welcome to Rider's Square."

My hand motioned over the open place. The place was much bigger than any previous square we had come across ever since we left the main street. Self-made stalls were put up and people were negotiating. The unstructured chaos was exactly the same as on the main street, it was mainly the items that were sold that differed. Whereas food, riches and clothing were sold down at main street, combat weapons and survival components were the preferred items here.

Ura's critical gaze swept over the place, her distaste for the illegal marketing clear.

"Skylar?" The high pitched voice reached both our ears and we turned around. Ura was a bit more defensive than myself, but I couldn't blame her, Io's voice was loud and way too close for anyone's liking.

A blonde girl with a full face and soft features walked up to me with arms spread, like she was going to give me a hug. Ura's frown warned her enough that she dropped her arms, only for her hand to end up on my shoulder.

My heart stopped beating nervously, this really would've turned out differently if she had hugged me. I knew that for Io a hug meant nothing much, but for me and every other Hunter it was basically a slap to the face. It was a serious invasion of someone's privacy and above that, it was a symbol of affection, something that wasn't accepted by the Hunters at all. If you liked someone, you could show them by training together or helping them with shores. Not that I had ever told Io that, instead I tried to get used to the closeness of another person. Something that I found very alluring, yet incredibly difficult.

"And who is this?" Her hand reached out in a polite hello, her lips curled up in a happy smile. Ura's eyes stared at the hand, yet her own remained close to her weapon.

"This is my friend, Ura. She's from Helfarch, like me. We grew up together," I interjected. Io nodded in understanding before her attention returned to me and her smile broadened.

"It's nice to see you again. I have something you might like."

She grabbed my hand and before I realized full well what happened, we were standing behind one of the stalls. On top of a washed out brown plaid were multiple weapons with intricate designs.

"I know you like simple designs, but just plain wood is boring so I made you this."

Io revealed a dagger twice the size of her small hands, the handle painted with gentle red lines and engravings curved alongside it. It was still very simple, yet it gave the dagger a personality that my own didn't have. My cheeks turned a soft red at the gesture and I smiled.

"The iron will break the moment it comes in contact with another hard material. It's useless," Ura scoffed from behind us. It felt like a bucket of cold water over my head. The embarrassment I felt right now was making me hate my friend.

Luckily, Io only laughed at her comment.

"I'm sorry, I'm not a weapons expert like the two of you. I'm just simply an artist. I don't know much about the materials used to make the deadliest weapons. I buy stuff and create a masterpiece from them."

"Yeah well, you bought the wrong objects. The steel should have a blue glow to it. It's light material but it can hold a punch. Plus it's stainless, something you want if the dagger is more than simply aesthetics." Ura had taken the weapon in her hands and showed Io what to look at.

This was my opportunity to slip away. A plan quickly took form inside my head. An inner smile made me feel light, yet my face remained the same neutral expression.

"Isn't there someone here who sells different kinds of steel?" Ura looked up at me, her eyes twinkled more than they should. There really was only one way to get her to relax. Was I a bad friend for using that against her?

"There is indeed," Io swirled around in search of the person at hand. "There he is, Alain." Io waved at the heavily set man. His silver hair had only a few brown strands left. He was one of the oldest walking around the illegal market. "Would you come with me to look for the right material?"

Ura sniffed, as if her request was as ridiculous as a dressed up horse.

"This is your chance to ask for information." With a gentle shove to the shoulder, I encouraged her to go.

Ura looked back with uncertainty in her eyes and I simply gave a quick smile and a shooing motion. She nodded and relief washed over me. Ura accepted it as a mission. At least now I was fairly certain she would be occupied for a while. Now all I had to do was figure out where I had to be.

Before both girls had reached the other side of the square, I had slipped away into the shadows of the houses. With a quick pace, I passed by the tall buildings, each different from the others. With my eyes jumping from left to right, a habit gained from my Hunter training, I searched for street names and shop lights.

It had to be here somewhere. The fountain bridge was right around the corner. As I headed down the cobblestone street, I had a feeling of being watched. My senses tingled, yet every time I looked around, there was nothing out of the ordinary to see. Men were still talking loudly against each other, women were hanging out clothes above me and I walked through the streets like a misplaced child. Trying to ignore the feeling, I picked up my pace and kept my eyes and ears trained to my surroundings.

It only took me two more streets before the shop name came into view. Liticia. It was nothing spectacular, a bleached out red and purple against a dirty white painted brick wall. It looked like every other shop in the outskirts. My feet came to a halt in front of the door, my hand wavered above the doorknob. How was I going to play this? I quickly pulled back, took off my jacket and draped it around my hips before finally opening the door.

The ringing of a little bell in the back of the shop was the only sound inside. The light was bleak and the smell was dusty and old. With quiet steps I walked through the small aisles filled with books and other strange items I had never seen.

Someone cleared their throat and I instantly brought my attention to them. His white gaunt skin made the man visible in the shadows, but not enough to read his expressions. With careful steps, I tried to walk inside the same light as him. It didn't really help, the light bulb he used was pointed to me, not him.

"I'm looking for something."

My eyes scanned around the place, my heart bounced harder than usual, yet I remained calm and polite.

"Most people are when they come here," he responded, his voice more gentle than I had expected from the mysterious figure.

"It's a bit unconventional."

"I bare a lot of secrets, child. I doubt yours will be the most interesting one."

I sniffed quietly.

"I'm looking for a name. Someone I ran into."

"And why do you think I can help you find your mystery person?"

"I didn't say anything about finding that person."

His face came into the light of the bulb right behind the counter. The light casted long shadows, making him look old and mean. Yet his intent eyes and the quirk in his lips spoke of a younger man with care and interest in his heart.

"You're looking for a name, but you're not looking for the person," he hummed. "Perhaps you are interested after all."

"Can you help?" This time I closed the space between the counter and myself. Now I could clearly see his face. The man was in his mid thirties for sure, but his exact age was hard to decipher because of the nasty scar tainting the left side of his sharp lined face. It had surprised me that I hadn't seen it before, so when my eyes stayed too long on it, he took a step back. Back in the shadows.

"What can you tell me about the person?"

"She's a vampire." My mind went back to the small brunette. "Quite small. She's different from other vampires, but I'm not entirely sure what makes her special."

"Are you sure you're not looking for her?"

My eyes snapped back to his silhouette. His dark clothes flew over into the shadows, making the outlines of his white skin the only thing visible.

"I just want to know who she was." My voice was harder than before.

The man nodded, or at least I thought that was what he did.

"Can I know why?" He asked. "It's not common that people ask for vampire names."

"No, you cannot."

"Too bad. You might've made it to the top ten of most interesting secrets I had to keep." He smiled again, his white teeth made that visible.

"Is that enough information to go by?"

"That was all the information?" He asked surprised, again stepping back in the light so he could lean on the countertop. "You have given me barely anything. How do you expect me to find anyone with that?"

"What else do you have to know then?" I was getting a bit impatient. Ura would soon figure out that I wasn't on the market anymore and I was so definitely not looking forward to that encounter. The longer it took here, the harder it would get to find a reasonable lie.

"You can start with specific traits. Or maybe a certain symbol she wore. Or the color of her eyes. Was she carrying something with her?"

I let the question run through my head while I relived my encounter with the vampire.

"She was wearing a simple plaid shirt, something every human girl her age wears."

"What age is that?"

My eyes shifted away from the staring man. It felt like he was pulling things from my mind with that gaze.

"About my age, eighteen or nineteen." My shoulders went up in a quick shrug.

"What else?" He was scribbling something on a piece of paper. The sound made me nervous.

"She had dark hair and dark eyes."

"Red?" He looked up with big eyes.

I shook my head. "Otherwise I would've noticed she was a vampire."

"How did you figure it out?"

"Are all those questions necessary?" I felt very defensive over spilling details about my encounter with her.

"Yes, I need as much information as I can get. How else do you expect me to find this specific vampire that I have not seen?"

I sighed, he was right. Yet that didn't change the fact that I hated to be interrogated.

"I cut my finger and she seemed very hungry all of a sudden. It wasn't very spectacular."

He scoffed. "Wasn't it, though? You're standing here, that seems pretty spectacular to me."

"We didn't fight."

His eyes turned big and his mouth opened, but then closed again. He shook his head before he said: "You walked away from a vampire without a fight after you cut yourself?"

"Yes," I said a bit annoyed, yet I couldn't help the nerves from multiplying inside my stomach. That was strange indeed. What kind of vampire wouldn't attack? "I told you she was different."

He scoffed while shaking his head. "That must be quite an old vampire for her to have such control. In all honesty, I wasn't even aware they could control themselves. But there have always been rumors, I simply thought it were their loving followers that made those stories up. That might give me a bit of direction to look into."

Control. She really must've had a lot of control. An old vampire. She didn't look old. But then again, I remember seeing a darkness in her eyes that eighteen-year-olds definitely didn't have. Not that any vampire was the age they looked.

Now that he had retrieved himself to the dark again, I replayed everything again. My mind tried to remember small details from what she wore that day. Then I tried to remember what she smelled like and sounded like. Like a natural course of my brain, I remembered her saying specific things.

"So you Hunters do investigate crimes?"

I sniffed. How could she start a conversation with me, when she already knew right away that I was a Hunter?

"I don't even know you." My voice echoed through my head. "Kate." The specific sound of her voice resonated longer through my mind.

"Kate," I said aloud, still a bit in shock that I forgot the most obvious piece of information.

"Excuse me?" His voice sounded from the back.

"Her name was Kate. She told me."

His steps echoed against the wooden floor when he made his way back to the counter.

"Then why would you come here if you already knew the answer?"

"Because," I fell silent while I thought of the right words. "Because I wanted to know who she was. I already told you, there was something special about her, different. Not like any other vampire. There is more about her, I recognized her, but I can't remember where from."

"Maybe a book or something." He turned back to where he came from and continued his search. In the time that he returned, I tried to figure out what my mind was missing. The fact that I was almost in reach of the answer made me nervous.

With my mind occupied, I hadn't heard the shopkeeper return. With his left hand, he pushed his paper and pen and other non important things to the side of the countertop. The book dropped down with a loud thud. A little dust cloud rose above the book before it fell down again, much slower this time.

The cover read: 'Vampire records: volume one'.

"Let's see how many Kate's we have." With his slender fingers, he opened the book. The hard cover hit the wooden counter with a squash. The pages were gigantic in size and I wondered what the use of that was. "So, we have quite a few Kate's in vampire history. It was a pretty popular name it seems." His finger scrolled down the content page, while he muttered the rest. "I'm guessing it is because of the vampire princess."

My heart stopped, my body turned cold and my mouth became dry. The only alive feeling was an electric current that buzzed along my skin, which wasn't pleasant either. The vampire princess. It couldn't be.

"W-why?" I managed to get out. My voice must've sounded strange, because the man looked up with his big eyes.

"Because the princess is called Katherine the first?" He said it like a question, but it was more of a statement.

My heart bounced against my chest. How did I forget that the princess had the same name?

Because why would the princess ever talk to me like a friend? If she knew who I was then she would've killed me without a second thought.

What if she didn't know who I was either?

I laughed, only one laugh, but coming from deep inside my chest. The man looked at me strangely, concern was knitted in his full dark eyebrows.

It couldn't have been that ridiculous. What were the chances that we both didn't know who we were? I mean, it was shameful that I didn't know, but also not that surprising considering that I wasn't great at paying attention in class. Let alone remember names or faces. I wouldn't be able to describe my mom if my life depended on it. The question was why she didn't know who I was?

"Show her to me," I demanded. My body was still buzzing with a strange energy.

He leaned back, but did what I asked. He turned over page after page until he reached the section about the Royal Family. There were old pictures, but seeing the small posture and the brunette hair that glowed almost red in the light, I was certain this was the vampire I had been looking for.

My heart made strange movements and my body was both hot and cold, as if it wasn't entirely sure how it should react to this revelation. My mind was far behind, yet running like a racehorse.

The vampire princess.

And again, I had to laugh. Only this time, I wasn't entirely sure how long it lasted.