Isabela and Akuppi-Adad tried to trace the path that Axiothea went down—-but, unfortunately, they had no luck.

After hours of searching, Isabela stopped dead in her tracks. “It’s no use.” Isabela hung her head.

“Don’t say that. She should be somewhere around here. I swear,” Akuppi-Adad tried to reassure Isabela, his eyes moving fast across the horizon.

Isabela shook her head. “We aren’t going to find Axiothea. She's probably long gone by now.”

“You’re looking for Axiothea?” asked a familiar voice that got closer to them with each moment.

At this time, both Isabela and Akuppi-Adad collectively sighed.

“What do you want this time?” Isabela asked as she and Akuppi-Adad turned around to face Ferrantino once again.

Ferrantino shrugged. “You said you guys were looking for Axiothea… I’ll help you.”

Isabela raised her eyebrow. “What’s the catch? You give me to Ednoth? Force me to give my hand in marriage to him?"

Ferrantino shook his head, chuckling a little. "Of course not." He clarified, “You turn someone into a vampire. Someone you don’t know."

“Who?” Isabela asked, raising a dark colored eyebrow.

“Her name is Langiva Mac Cú Uladh,” Ferrantino said. "She's been staying in an inn a couple of kingdoms away… We've had run-ins with each other in the past.

Isabela exhaled. Turn someone into a vampire? Someone I don't know? Is that really the price I have to pay to find Axiothea? To speak with her? Fuck. What would Soare say in this situation? What would Mierla?

"I don't even know if I'm ready to convert someone into one of us," Isabela began to say to Ferrantino, awkwardly. "I'm not even sure I remember the steps…" She trailed off, once again fidgeting with the strings on her cloak. She wrapped one string around her hand before unwrapping it.

"If you don't want to do it nor have what it takes…" Ferrantino began to trail off, starting to turn away from the other two.

"Wait!" Isabela blurted out, which made Ferrantino turn back around.

"Yes…?" Ferrantino started, sounding amused by this whole situation.

Isabela swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She brushed the dark hair out of her face. "I-I'll do it…"

Akuppi-Adad patted her back, reassuringly. "Remember… You drink from them… then you let them drink from you."

Isabela inhaled.

"She's in Kraza…" Ferrantino told Akuppi-Adad.

Akuppi-Adad nodded to Ferrantino before he and Isabela turned the other way. "Come on," Akuppi-Adad began, leading Isabela. "I'll show you the way."