Anarameha

Chapter 34

It didn't take long for Bran to start moving on the mission, which was a vast improvement on Garlet's suggestion to wait. It made the fear about his true nature grow.

As the vampire leaders began discussing ideas, Bran's assistant ushered Keoni to a smaller room to the side of the main hall. It looked like it could be used as a small conference room but was set up like a waiting room that happened to have a desk as well.

The television was going, the sound down low to avoid being too noisy.

Keoni stopped when Bran turned to look at him. There was a strong look of supremacy on his face. Keoni was worried.

"You have your war, now is the time to discuss the price that will be paid."

The concern faded in an instant and turned to anger.

"Seriously?" Keoni snapped. "Freedom is what you will earn from this war."

"No, the vampires as a race will have freedom. I connected you with the other leaders, something that would not have happened without my help."

"What do you want?"

Bran shrugged, still beaming a smirk that Keoni wanted to knock off his deceitful face. He'd approached Bran with the hope that he'd help, and he'd done that but it was for his own gain. Keoni was sick of the games. All he wanted was Ana safe and as much as they were helping, they all wanted a piece of the treasure. What that treasure was, he didn't know.

Bran hummed softly, watching as the anger twisted on Keoni's face.

"Land to build upon. Perhaps not far from Geniprea. I'd say that a small enclosed bridge in distance should be sufficient enough. After all, the citizens of the new city will need to travel to find their meals."

"I cannot get land for you. My bank account was wiped clean when I was declared dead, and stealing from victims does not get much."

"Oh, not you. I'm talking about your lovely princess. When she becomes queen, she will repay her debt to the vampires by granting them the use of the land to the south of Geniprea. My reward for connecting you and making this meeting happen will be that I am nominated as leader. In gratitude for her compliance, I will always aim to forge a healthy relationship with the royal family. I do not seek to rule Geniprea but just a fraction of land that is not in use."

"And how are you going to build this city? Are you going to expect Ana to pay for that too?"

"No," Bran hummed. "We have the means to get the job done."

Keoni paced, feeling the anger grow. How did Bran expect him to authorise something without Ana being here? It was not his decision nor his place to agree to this deal. Keoni didn't even know who owned the land to the south. What if he said yes and Ana had no way of obtaining the land?

"I'm sure that you must already realise that there is only so much I can do as I am not the person in power. I have no knowledge of the budget or how much money the royal family has left, and I don't know who owns the land outside of Geniprea. You will have to accept that when Ana is queen, I will discuss this with her and strongly recommend that she agrees to the terms."

"Agreed but heed my warning. You had better be convincing because if she does not find a way to make this happen, then you will regret it."

Keoni let out a frustrated sigh. Things had been going so well until now. He was faced with yet another self-serving leader that wanted the impossible.

"And what if the owner of the land won't sell it to Ana? How can she fulfil this request when she is stopped by an uncontrollable force?"

"The land around Geniprea is owned by the crown. It has always been this way in case they decided to build out rather than up. They chose up, and now that land sits idle and wasted. Ana has the ability to grant the land to me and if you're wondering, she also has the ability to create a royal leadership in this new city. I would not make the demand if it wasn't possible. I do not seek to trap you into a situation that has no way of coming to fruition. You have issues with trust and I understand that but know that I want more than being a pointless leader among other pointless leaders."

"The other leaders won't be happy that you're becoming a leader over all of them."

"Then they can stay in Geniprea. No one is forcing them to follow me. If I am a leader of one, then so be it. At least I won't be living in the sewer like a rat."

Keoni could understand that. There were times when he felt like a rat. Scuttling around the darkness, hiding in the drains from the humans.

It hadn't always been like that. Keoni welcomed a time when the vampires could emerge from the drains and live in the city once more. There wasn't enough space and Ana was going to have to deal with it when she was queen. For now, Keoni would keep the thoughts in his head. Ana had to be freed first, then two monsters removed so that she could be safe. Once she was in power and her family had been restored to the rule of Geniprea. Then he would talk to her about the lack of housing. It would be fixed. Keoni knew that Ana would be happy to grow the city to accommodate the rising population.

Bran gestured to the door.

"Go, form the plans for attack, be the leader in this battle. Save the princess from two monsters."

Keoni pressed his lips to a thin line as the thoughts filtered through his mind. Would they be successful on both fronts? He could not be in two places at once and Keoni was determined to lead the battle at the royal residence. Would he end up sacrificing the war on Garlet to get what he wanted?