[Rachel, Our Lunar Hare!]

  In the uproar that followed Scarlet’s declaration and the revelation that Elizabeth’s daughter was now fair game within the masquerade, Rachel shifted her position on the lower stairs to survey their opposition. Her thumping heart stilled as she compartmentalized.

  [Rapid Mode] brought the evolving scene to a crawl, her wide field of vision taking in the wealth of activity happening throughout the bloody hall. They were not going to win playing defense, and Anthony had taken on the daunting task of handling the House of Morgan. The barons and baronesses were the true threats, yet that could be postponed to satiate their love of drama and the rules of engagement in this world.

  On the other hand, the vampires and hunters alike would be happy to either put the Countess of Blood under their thumb or murder her outright. Strategically, it didn’t make sense to her, though; why would she put her daughter in such a compromising position?

  Her mind reflected on the imperious and strong image The Countess projected in their entrance. It had been Cássia who had introduced her mother’s party. Perhaps it was a means of not showing favorites to her other servants? Cássia could be at odds with her mother; there was indeed a case to be made via her actions. Still, something didn’t feel right.

  Aurora’s appraising emerald eyes flicked to her in the sparkling woman’s descent to the ballroom floor, wearing a smile that asked her how she would handle the fiasco her adopted fanged sister had created. She was not going to be much help.

  In the tense atmosphere that Audrey’s bloodlust and Hrisu’s projected fear aura brought, all eyes were on Scarlet and Cássia. A smile bloomed on Rachel’s lips as the Crimson Moon’s Energy surged through her veins. Opportunity came from chaos; all she needed to do was seize what ground she could, and she needed Experience anyway.

  Her current Lunar Pools with Nia were occupied with some potent energy for her to use, and she had Coral to refuel her Greater Harvest Moon stock when needed—it had cost 50% of her Pool to create her in the first place.

  Rachel mentally reviewed her present arsenal, which had plenty of firepower if she decided to invoke any of them using [Lunar Spike].

  Active: [White Moon - 94%]

  Pool 1: [Blood Moon - 21%]

  Pool 2: [Black Moon - 45%]

  Pool 3: [Greater Harvest Moon - 50%]

  Pool 4: [Hell Moon: Yomi - 47%]

  Pool 5: [Hell Moon: Yomi - 100%]

  Her White Moon Eenergy was being slowly converted from the crimson orb overhead, bathing them in red light. It was fair to say that by the end of the week, she’d be accustomed to it, which opened up some interesting possibilities.

  With [Lunar Pool - Overload], she could reach 105% of her total cap, and if she slotted in [Lunar Amplification], she’d charge it much quicker. But [Mental Acceleration], [Strategic Mind], [Lunar Spike], and [Blessed Lunar Grace] were too good to give up. [Lunar Amplification] and [Lunar Burst] would have to stay on the shelf.

  Using 50% of one of her Hell Moon Pools against Relica was a bit of a hit, even after the 23% Nia had managed to reabsorb.

  The world sped up from its crawling motions as her Feat ran its course, and her gaze lifted to Leopold’s somewhat agitated face. He wouldn’t be happy that Cássia had once again embarrassed her mother, thereby him in the process; he would want to reign things back under his control.

  Rachel gave Nia a side-angled look, her glowing scarlet fingernails lightly pressing against the flower blooming out of the center of her chest. Start preparing the stage while I stir up a little trouble. Prepare the sun gauntlets for when I ask for them.

  Nia’s left eye narrowed, ears shifting with her small smirk. “I suppose I can spend the last of my adult time sowing seeds. I get the feeling we might be close to making another.”

  Oh? Rachel’s gaze flicked to Coral, now floating around Nia’s head in a dance as she relished the terrifying aura that came from the House of Heitinga. I’ll keep that in mind.

  She could shift Yomi’s Pools around to free up a reservoir by creating another Soldier Bun, but she was still worried about creating a Unique Moon Bun if Coral was already trouble to handle. Her fingers tingled upon touching the flower, a humming resonating with the trace amounts of sparkling dust that the imposing lunar sphere overhead blanketed the planet with.

  Being connected to the Crimson Moon gave her insight into how the population of humans likely lived their lives in this world. They half lived in dreams, enjoying what they had due to the pollen that fell from the infernal sphere overhead, corrupting this planet’s sea.

  Rachel turned away from Nia as her twin plucked off a seed that grew out of the shimmering flower on her own chest and dropped it on the stairs. Roots crawled out of it the second it touched the crystalized blood steps, burrowing through the structure to send its rhizomes out within the liquid underneath—the game was on.

  She went to Maria and Fiona as Leopold brought the throng’s attention back to him, the strum of the instruments humming through the walls increasing its tempo. On approaching them, she held up a finger to stop Maria from peppering her with questions.

  “I don’t have much time to explain.” Her focus darted to the blue-eyed, blonde saint next to the celestial unicorn. “Catherine, what would it take for you to help us in this Legend Quest, primarily sticking around Maria and Fiona? A lot of vampires, and possibly hunters, will be coming after them.”

  “Why? I get you want us to split up, but how frugal should I be on sugar, because I don’t know if I’ll be able to find much here?”

  A faint halo shone above Catherine’s golden locks as she showed a charming smile, her thorn-like earrings glowing. “I am only here to observe and report back to the church what occurred. I am allowed to defend myself. If you were to accept an invitation to the Vatican when time permits, then I would be happy to offer Maria and Fiona my shield, should it be for a just cause.”

  Rachel’s tail bristled at the condition; she had no desire to go to Rome or meet with the Vatican. She wanted to ask for more details regarding the condition, but she was strapped on time, and it was in the distant future, which she could plan around later.

  “I’m fine with going to the Vatican when I’m able. As for your cause, it will be to defend a 13-year-old girl. So, why don’t you three go into one of the many rooms around the hall, and Scarlet will join you shortly? Oh, and here is something for insurance…”

  Shimmering lights brought out Conner’s sun gauntlets, catching a few eyes from the vampires nearby and making them edge away at the faint light the items produced.

  Maria accepted them with a frown. “Aye, ya don’t think you would be better with these?”

  Fiona giggled. “Yeah, I don’t think they pair well with Rachel, horse butt. We’ll handle things on our end, Major Ears!” she saluted with a grin, quick on the uptake that they’d be protecting Cássia—or so they thought. “We’ll be in…that room over here!”

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  Leaving the woman to rise up the staircase, she rolled her eyes upon seeing Aurora pulling away a Noble Vampire in one of the other groups to dance with her. The woman’s partner on this trip had been murdered, and she was off dancing on her grave without a care in the world. She shouldn’t expect anything less of the Baobhan Sith.

  Rachel also spotted Illa snatching a bottle of blood from the bar on her way up while everyone was occupied. The 16-year-old ginger was another mystery in this puzzle that she needed to solve, yet she drew Rachel’s curiosity while dodging around groups to rejoin Scarlet; when Leopold announced the results of his investigation, she tripped, bottle flying out of her hands as she fell right onto her face.

  “Ahem!” The man’s voice was carried throughout the hall, silencing the packs of vampires and hunters to listen to what he had to say. “It…would unfortunately seem that Our Countess’ Cássia has been brought into the masquerade. Yet that is not the primary purpose that should draw our attention.”

  He paused, his white mask gleaming with a red tint in the giant mirror above, showing his cool leer that swept the gathered throng below. “No… Count Dracula’s fiancée, Lady Selene, was murdered in her room before the masquerade so much as began. Such an act against the spirit of this event must be met with swift justice.”

  A loud female wolf barked from the back of the room. “Varc and I saw the Vamp Messiah at the scene of the crime. Isn’t that right, gothic brat?”

  Leopold promptly responded before Scarlet could bite back. “Indeed, Lady Scarlet and Cássia were at the scene of the crime, where they accused Lady Red of being in the room before they arrived.”

  Nosferatu’s chuckles were heard from the left side of the room. “Convenient, no? It wouldn’t be all that surprising if the Fablekin wanted the old bat’s lover dead after what he did to them. What does Crimson Huntress have to say? Hmm.”

  “Precisely what I wanted to know,” he replied, hands clasped behind his back. “Lady Red approached me on my way to conduct this meeting and informed me of her side of the story, which lines up with the evidence at the scene, despite the…‘inadvertent’ tampering that may have occurred due to Lady Scarlet and Cássia’s actions.”

  A hush fell over the atmosphere as his sharp eyes darted to the pair. “As many of the attendants are aware, the Crimson Huntress uses an ax, bullets, teeth, and claws as her trade. Many of these types of weapons were found to be used against Lady Selene’s outside attendants, which Lady Red has admitted to slaying, yet for a purpose…

  “When she came to Lady Selene’s room, she was barred from entry, but she could smell something wrong and acted on instinct, bypassing her guard to break open the door. It is then that she saw the cause of Lady Selene’s death…an ethereal iron maiden, designed to kill, not torture, and a hazy female shape that vanished like a mirage.”

  He made a dismissive gesture as Illa tripped. “Upon finding their mistress’ state, her attendants attacked Lady Red, who promptly slew the lot of—”

  “Wait, wait!” Illa shouted, the redhead stumbling to her feet. Her face was beet red, and she looked panicked as Rachel reached the top of the stairs. “I had a dream about Selene when I had that crazy drink, and…and I saw something like that! There was this…this figure, and I, uh, I couldn’t see her face… How is that possible?!”

  Rachel paused at the top, her vision narrowing upon seeing Maria’s head dart in Illa’s direction just before entering their room. It was at what point in the girl’s rambles that Maria reacted which drew her attention. Illa did see the assailant’s face; she just didn’t want to say who it was.

  Interesting…

  Figuring it was about time she took the stage, Rachel raised her voice and adjusted the mask on her face, a smile on her lips as she moved to Leopold’s position. “As you said, Lord Leopold, the masquerade has already begun. Blood has been spilled and sides need to be taken. So, I have a proposition to spice up the competition that I believe the barons and baronesses will find quite enjoyable.”

  Leopold’s tight mouth tilted to her as she approached his stage, keeping herself bathed in the Crimson Moon. “Your group leader has already chosen your side, Lady Rachel.”

  “Indeed, she has,” Rachel chortled, holding her elbow behind her back as she made it to the open stage and appeared in the mirror above. “Greetings, fellow guests; may I start by pointing out how many of us there are? Would it not be better to narrow down the competition, as Baroness Audrey thinks such numbers are…unsightly?”

  “Oooh?” Audrey’s black lips and large, slightly transparent black wings fluttered with interest as she leaned against her throne’s arm support. Her daughter was currently ignoring them, captivated by Anthony. “And what might you have in mind to appease my disgust and boredom, my long-eared friend?”

  All eyes locked on her as Rachel placed a hand against her chest, wearing a gleaming smile. “Let us not pretend to have misheard Lady Cássia’s relationship with the host of our great party. I am no fool to believe there are many here who wouldn’t wish to use her as a bargaining chip.

  “In that light, I suggest we open this party with a hunt for all those unaffiliated guests who have yet to choose a side. For these groups to have the opportunity to engage in a challenge at our expense—I offer myself and my group as a tribute for the entertainment!”

  Leopold’s knuckles became white as they tightened at his back. “Such an event has not been sanctioned by the—”

  “Come now, Lord Leopold,” Baron Hrisu Heitinga laughed, the tension rising with his thumping aura of fear, “let the woman put herself on the altar! I can feel something familiar in the hare—a pulse of terror ebbing out of her clothes that makes me curious. What do you say, Baroness Belleza Melchiott?”

  The woman of silence whispered soundless words to her family, causing vicious, unheard laughter to shake their gaunt, thin frames as their matriarch lifted her hand in acceptance.

  “Excellent! And you, Baron Vyse Bruhl?”

  The giant of a vampire grinned, shadows deepening around his family and corner of the room. “I am always up for a good culling. In either scenario, we stand to win. I am for this game the flowery hare suggests. Would that brighten your mood, Baroness Audrey Morgan?”

  The bat-winged woman’s entertained smirk lifted as she studied her before her ruby eyes drifted to Scarlet and Cássia; the 13-year-old looked too stunned to speak, having lost her tongue at what was even happening at this point.

  “Personally, I want my own claws around my dear Lady Cássia’s throat…but I would enjoy watching her squirm and struggle to survive. What are the parameters you are seeking approval on, Lady Rachel?”

  Not skipping a beat, Rachel proposed her thoughts: “Until the end of this night’s party, Lady Cássia will be on the open market, along with those who joined me…including Saint Catherine of the Vatican and Lady Aurora…”

  She paused, ear twitching as she realized the damnable Baobhan Sith had left the party for her own room before she even had a chance to finish her plan. If there was one thing Aurora was proving good at, it was annoying the ever-living daylight out of her.

  Smiling and trying not to show her agitation, she said, “Let the opening entertainment be a dance between Omen—my organization—and those who stand against it.”

  She turned her twinkling, flower-like crimson eyes from the baroness to Leopold before performing a sweeping gesture to the other nobility of this vampiric world. “Let the castle floor be bathed in ashes and blood alike! I welcome your fangs at my throat or stakes against my breast. If you dare to challenge me, then I will show you the face of misfortune. So…what will it be, Lord Leopold? I only ask for ten minutes to prepare.”

  Rachel gave the man the floor as she curtsied to the audience, only presentable due to [Divine Lunar Grace]’s influence, and turned on her heels to join Scarlet. Illa was now hurriedly running up the stairs to join them, face white as a ghost, as everyone put their attention on the blond man.

  Silence ensued, the howling of the wind outside picking up as it swept through the colossal Grand Ballroom Hall. The beams of the Golden Moon were now casting their glow across the terrace as it rose further into the sky; it had been low in the heavens when they entered and cloaked as she was, she hadn’t had the chance to experiment with it. The moon’s addition would hopefully be a welcomed support for what was to come and not a hindrance as she scrutinized its pale glow mixing with the crimson sphere it shared the sky with.

  The vibration of the haunting instruments left a chill in the misted air, the yellow and red hues of the moons causing the air to sparkle. Leopold’s tight gaze followed her exit in the swirling fog that Belleza’s presence brought, a compressing hush closing in around them like claws encircling a pumping heart.

  Leopold lingered on Cássia’s pleading face, yet he didn’t seem moved. His voice was tempered and distinct as he turned to the expectant barons, baronesses, and ravenous, waiting throng, anxious for any action to whet their appetites.

  “Since The Countess has yet to intervene in this matter, I will ask directly… Should this opening event be sanctioned, viewing angles will need to be made available. Do you approve, Countess Elizabeth?”

  Rachel’s gut tightened with apprehension as the giant mirror overhead rippled like a drop of blood into a basin of water. The image of the Countess of Blood in what appeared to be her private office took shape. Back facing them and standing by the massive, wall-length window that overlooked the giant city below, she held a cup of untouched blood in her hands.

  What drew Rachel’s eye was the white sheet resting over what must have been a body lying atop her desk; her first thought went to Scarlet’s father. And suddenly, her paranoid mind began to knot into a tangled mess.

  Red said an iron maiden was used to kill Selene, and Illa didn’t want to say who she saw in her shared dream with Selene… Cássia gave Illa that special blood and Selene was given the same bottle from what Scarlet mentioned. Is all of this planned by Elizabeth, or is someone trying to frame her?

  Cássia fell to her knees, fingers sinking into the crystalized floor. She breathed heavily as she stared at her reflection in disbelief, tears gathering in her eyes. “Countess… I’m sorry.”

  Elizabeth’s low, methodical voice echoed through the halls, bleeding through the orchestra as if whispered directly into their ears. “Punishment is required of any who step out of line. Sins must be paid in blood. The event will commence in ten minutes. I hope to see you when this is done, Cássia…but you know I will not.”

  It was all Rachel needed to hear, and she could feel the seeds taking root throughout the hall as Nia spread their seeds. She leaned in to whisper to Scarlet, “Teleport us into the room Maria and the others are in. Nia will meet us there. It’s show time.”

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