The Queen of Blood

Ch 24: Basecamp

"So are we gonna talk about last night or..." Nicole waggles her eyebrows at me as she saunters up the trail.

"Shut up," I grumble, my cheeks flushing a deep red, and give her a hard shove. She walks on, oblivious, not even stumbling. "Fucking vampires..." I mumble under my breath. It's annoying how strong they are. Nothing I do physically even phases them.

"What was that? Fucking vampires? Or fucking one vampire in particular..." Nicole sniggers and I roll my eyes.

I glance back to Celestia, who's deep in conversation with her uncle, and a shiver involuntarily runs through my body, the place in between my legs twitching at the memory.

She was...

Unbelievable.

Almost too much for my body to handle.

It almost makes me wish...

"So, what exactly are we looking for here?" Eloise interrupts my thoughts, annoyance contorting her face. "A couple of humans with sticks?"

Annoyance flares up my throat but I swallow it back down. "Our lookouts will be in the trees a couple miles from camp. They'll be armed with bows and arrows, usually flint or whatever mountain heart we have." My eyes flicker down Eloise's cocky demeanor. She didn't even wear her armor today, convinced she didn't need a suit for mere humans. "We don't want to alarm them, or they'll abandon camp before we even get there."

"Right, right, don't scare the humans little mouse. God, if they are that fearful of battle why do we even—"

"Can I be real with you for a sec?" I turn suddenly, forcing her to skid to a stop in front of me. "You're about to walk into a camp full of people tortured from fear of your kind. For centuries who have been slaughtered and raped by you," I stuck my finger in her chest, "and your people. And you're about to ask them for help. So you, head of the Queen's army, don't go down in history as the one who lost the war and ended the vampiric race."

The Princess takes small, shuffling steps backward as I speak and I fill in the gaps, stepping toward her with every word.

"So yeah, I'd drop this tough act charade and ask for help for once. Even if you don't like the people you're asking." My eyes burn into hers and she swallows, considering my words.

"Is everything alright over here?" I feel Celestia walk up beside me and warmth washes over my body.

I look back to Eloise, her gaze glued on the trees behind me. She glances back at me and gives me a curt nod.

"Yep, we're just fine." I say, stretching up on my tiptoes to kiss Celestia. "Thank you."

***

"Speaking of which," Estrella pauses. This is the part she was most nervous about. "I need to ask you all a favor. I need to bind your wrists before we get any closer."

The group stills, uncertainty cracking through their faces at her request.

Without hesitation Celestia holds out her palm and a guard steps forward, draping thin chains of silver and mountain heart over her outstretched hand.

"Nicole," Celestia's voice is sharp, succinct, "bind the others and then yourself."

Nicole steps forward, her red eyes glancing to Estrella before solemnly obeying her Queen.

"Sister you've got to be kidding," Eloise steps forward, desperation breaking through her voice, "you can't seriously agree with this?"

Nicole continues from vampire to vampire, latching the gleaming silver rope around their wrists, an apologetic look flashing in her eyes as they wince. Their skin sizzles softly at the contact.