Chapter 47 Clarissa screamed.

As she turned to motion us through, a shadow peeled off the wall next to her. It elongated into a humanoid shape and lashed out towards her with a gleaming piece of sharpened metal.

I moved to assist her, but I wouldn't make it in time. I had never been more thankful as I was at that moment for insisting Yubelluna increase her physical combat skills.

When I first made her my queen, I'd told her she had to take up some form of physical combat. She had excelled at her chosen form, but it was drastically outshined by her explosive magic; it rarely saw use. It saw use then.

Yubelluna spun around the blade, slapping the attacking arm with her open palm as she did. Planting her foot, she stepped into a punch that connected with the shadow's stomach region. A spell circle ignited around her fist and the shadow exploded.

This was why Yubelluna had chosen to study various forms of martial arts. It made use of her queen strength and allowed her to use her explosions in creative ways. Dodging, closing the distance, making space, delivering explosive blows – Yubelluna's magic let her do it all.

With the shadow dispatched, Yubelluna began firing explosive orbs and concussive waves down the halls, allowing Clarissa and I to move towards the room.

The moment we were across the threshold, I spread chains of hardened Hellfire all over the open doorway and wall to fortify our position.

Clarissa dumped a sparkling yellow powder into her hand and launched it forward with a spell circle. The powder clung to the gaps between my chains and expanded, sealing us into the room.

"Who are you?" a young, frightened voice said from behind us.

We all turned and were saddened by the sight waiting for us.

We hadn't seen much of the manor; what little we'd seen of the basement was enough for me to see this room was special. Instead of the wooden floor of the store room or the cobbled stone of the hallways, this room was tiled. Marble floors weren't the only domestic feature. An oak dresser and bookshelf along the west wall. A bed and washbasin on the east wall. The large, oval rug in the center of the floor. One might mistake this room for a bedroom were there not floor to ceiling iron bars inlaid with glistening flecks of silver set every three inches from wall to wall, separating the room in half. This was a gilded cage. There wasn't even a door to the cage – only enough room for someone to reach through the bars.

The young woman within looked terrified of us, and because of our entrance, I couldn't blame her. She had blonde hair; blood-red eyes. She was dressed in a plain, tan dress as she huddled as far into the corner as she could, holding a hand mirror up defensively between her and us.

Holding my hands up placatingly, I slowly approached the bars and said, "We're not here to hurt you. I want to help you, but I don't have a lot of time." As if to prove my statement was true, the ground shook under the force of a mighty impact. The vampires were trying to get through the barrier Clarissa and I had made.

Ignoring the commotion behind me, I looked the young woman in the eye. "I am not going to do anything unless you want me to. If you want to stay here, I won't try to take you, but I can get you out of here. Do you want to leave?"

The girl's eyes turned suspicious and she growled, revealing two unnaturally pointed teeth at the top of her mouth. "You're devils! Why would you help me?"

I'd risked a lot to get this meeting, I wasn't going to jeopardize it by lying. "I want you in my peerage. I swear to you, I will not abuse your power like-"

"Liar!" the girl screamed, throwing her hand mirror at me. "You're only here so you can use me!"

The barrier behind me dented inward. I was running out of time.

"How can I convince you I'm telling the truth? I want to reincarnate you, but I will not enslave you."

Tears fell from her red eyes as she said, "Then give me your blood. Blood is truth. That's why you won't–" she cut off, her eyes wide as I shoved my arm through the gap in the bars.

"My king!" Yubelluna said, reaching forward to pull me back, but I waved her off.

"Take it!" I said to the girl. "Hurry! We don't have much time."

In a daze, the girl walked forward. She ran her fingers down my arm as if she didn't believe I was actually doing this. With one last puzzled look at my face, her fangs lengthened and she bit into my arm. Her eyes grew ravenous as she tasted my blood, greedily drinking it as if she had been stranded in a desert and had only just found water.

I felt it as she began to drink. I'd never been overly affected by any injury due to my Immortality, but this was affecting me. I felt light-headed for a brief moment before I felt my Immortality flare into overdrive, replacing the blood in my veins as fast as the young girl sucked it out.

A head-sized hole was blown in the barrier Clarissa and I had created, and Yubelluna immediately shot cones of destruction through it to hold off the vampires.

"We need to go now, my king!" Clarissa yelled, grabbing my shoulder, her other hand extended towards Yubelluna.

The girl's fangs shot out of my skin as she gasped, her pupils dilating, her fangs dripping liquid crimson. With panicked, desperate, pleading eyes, she reached towards me, yelling, "Take me with you!"

I latched onto her arm just as Yubelluna took Clarissa's hand, and the barrier fell in on itself, dozens of vampires rushing into the room, already striking towards us with their polearms.

"Ba'al initium!" Clarissa screamed.

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