Lily's betrayal stung. I thought she was our friend. I should have heeded aunt Cecylia's warnings. But I didn't and I got us into this mess. When the Huntress fell down after taking the shot, the Queen took me and Milena away. She locked us together in a small room in her private quarters. She didn't say a word to us.

We were left in complete darkness. Ignoring the magic chains on my wrists I crawled up to Milena and cuddled to her. She was trembling. I heard her little sob. I tried to embrace her.

"Just how stupid can one be?" she said bitterly. "I should have known there was a catch. But Helena was so sweet. And clever. We could talk for hours. She would tell me about the intricacies of magic. And I could describe to her my ideas about the next step in human evolution, that we just didn't know how to embrace. She was the only person that understood me. She didn't judge me. She wasn't saying I was insane," Milena held her knees close to her chest and was rocking slowly.

"It was like that for more than a month. I already suspected Adam was cheating on me. I could speak with her about that as well. When she finally suggested that I could get the power I needed from the rituals of the cult she was a part of I thought it was a gift from heaven. I didn't want to dabble myself in sex magic, but she offered she'd organize everything for me. I would just have to get the parasite ready. That seemed perfect..." her voice trailed off.

I hugged her stronger. She's been used, that was making me mad. She must have been on edge back then, with her scumbag husband and judgmental bosses at the lab. The pressure and the feeling she was so close to not only relieving the pain of the patients but to uncovering the way of elevating the human power, must have been driving her crazy.

I thought about Thirteen. I was really worried about her. Lily seemed to have gone crazy. I didn't dare think what she'd to the Huntress, now that she was at her mercy. I was sure she'd use Francesco as leverage, but I had a feeling she'd enjoy hurting him. I got them in this trouble, I should find a way to get them out of it.

I inspected my chains. They were smooth and cool to the touch, without any trace of lock or even a crack. I manipulated the manacles for a long moment. They were quite big, sitting loosely on my thin wrists. I concentrated on trying to slip my hand out of them. I bit back a cry when my thumb cracked pushed too close to my palm. My right hand was free. It took several more minutes to get my left hand out. They were both bloodied and hurting, but I was able to summon my magic.

It wasn't much. Without book of spells I knew just a few tricks, but I hoped that would be enough. I conjured a small flame and looked around the room in hope of finding anything useful. Milena was sitting curled at the feet of a blank wall. There was no window here, only old cabinets full of some binders and folders. The room must have been some kind of an office closet.

I examined the doors – they were sturdy, reinforced with metal. They were locked shut. From our side the lock was not even accessible. The only way to get them opened was from the outside.

I called out in the hopes somebody would hear us. I prayed silently that it would be anyone other than the Queen. My prayers were heard – a pale face of a maid appeared in the doorway. I let out a small burst of fire towards her face, following it with a swing of the chains. They wrapped around her throat and I pulled on them, preventing her from uttering a sound. She wasn't powerful – I managed to silence her with one hit to the temple. She fell limp onto the floor.

I sighed and got back to Milena. I helped her up carefully and we went towards the door quietly. We needed to get out of here fast.

We were in the middle of the room when the Queen entered it. She was faster than thoughts. I didn't see her move. She had her hand on my throat, effortlessly lifting me above ground. I fought for air. Milena cried out, tried to speak to the vampire, but was thoroughly ignored. Dark spots danced before my eyes. The leech studied me slowly, cocking her head to the side. I vainly tried pulling on her hand, but I was weakening. Everything went black and silent.

When I came to my senses the first thing I felt was cold metal in my mouth – this was some kind of gag. It was emanating a strange aura – I guessed this was the replacement for the magical chains. I was lying on my stomach, cold floor touching my cheek. I tried changing position, but my hands were bound at my back, leather strings biting into my wrists. I felt a small trickle of blood when I moved my arms. I groaned.

"Are you all right?" I heard Milena's anxious voice in the darkness.

I mumbled affirmatively.

"The Queen was furious. I was afraid she'd kill you," my sister explained.

I figured as much. I jumped when the door suddenly opened. At the backdrop of flickering candle light I saw the familiar silhouette of the Queen. I felt my heart stop. She pulled Milena to her feet by her hair. I trashed in my bounds. She picked me up by the collar and made me stand. In the shadows her eyes glowed fiercely making me tremble involuntarily.

She put leashes on us and pulled us like reluctant dogs. I stumbled. She caught me by the arm before I could fall. Then she turned and we went down multiple sets of stairs, until we exited the Palace of Science and Culture. Judging by the look of the sky it was past midnight. We didn't meet any guards on our way. It felt as if the Queen was avoiding her own people. Strange.

We were going south. I could barely keep up with the vampire, even though she was visibly adjusting her speed to my abilities. In one of the alleys I saw Lily. Francesco was right beside her, his eyes still glazed with her charm. Thirteen followed a few paces behind, her axe still sitting in the holster on her back. Her face was dark and promising hell to her foes.

"You should tie your bitch or ditch her," the Queen addressed Lily coolly, looking at the Huntress with disdain.

The bald woman looked back at her with equal contempt.

"She's no threat after the shot. She'll be good, even if only to protect her mate," the red head sneered, putting her clawed hand on Francesco's neck. I saw the Huntress clench her teeth. I felt a knot forming in my stomach.

"Stupid," the Queen said plainly and started walking. We had to follow.

Short before dawn we found shelter in a ruined house. We were already at the outskirts of the city. My feet were killing me, I could barely stand. The queen entered a cellar and carefully locked the doors. She took her time to meticulously bind me and Milena, carefully checking all the strings before finally leaving us helpless on the floor. Then she just lied down and turned into a corpse. The day must have come.

I wondered about Francesco and Thirteen. Lily would not die at sunrise. What would she do to them? She had the whole day...

"Leave her alone, leech!" I heard Francesco's desperate cry as if in response to my wondering. I pulled helplessly on my ties only managing to wound myself further.

"It's all right. We can enjoy our time together. No need for violence," Thirteen's calm voice surprised me. What was she doing?

There was no more talk after that. At least nothing I could hear. The silence was killing me. The massive doors were not letting in much sounds from the outside. Eternity have passed, with my heart beating like mad. Then a terrifying shriek made the walls tremble. This was a sound of a dying monster. I froze.

After another eternity the door shuttered into splinters. Thirteen was standing in the opening, axe in hand. Behind her I could spot Francesco's silhouette.

The Huntress came to me and cut my bonds with swift, precise movements. Francesco freed Milena. I tried removing the gag, but there was no use. I feared it was a lost cause when my savior grabbed the muzzle from two sides and pulled. For a moment a strange, white light shone in her eyes and the thick metal burst in two. I gasped. This shouldn't even be possible.

There was something feral about her, some dark aura that wasn't there before. I turned to look at the Queen – she was defenseless, waiting for the sun to come down. This was a perfect chance for ending her. As if reading my mind the Huntress approached the vampire.

"We can't kill the Queen, not yet at least," she said, starting to form a protective circle with salt and garlic around the unconscious leech. It would keep her locked when she woke up, even if only for a short time.

"Why?" I almost exclaimed.

"Because we need to trade her for your father," Thirteen's calm response caught me off guard.

"Regina is her sister. They were planning to exchange the wizards they had – you know, a fertile young necromancer for a full blood wizard. This would be perfect for both sides," she explained slowly.

I shuddered at the thought. Milena came and hugged me.

"I'll deal with the witch. You stay here and be ready to burn the vampire if I don't come back in an hour," Thirteen instructed us, as she finished the protective circle.

"And whatever you do, don't look the leech in the eyes. She'll charm you in a moment," she addressed Milena and Francesco.

Being a necromancer I was immune to the hypnotic powers.

"Try not to speak to her either. I don't know the full spectrum of her powers. From what I know she's at least two thousand years old and she may have some dangerous shit up her sleeve," she added.

"What do you mean we should burn her?" I asked.

"Use your magic flames. They should work wonders on her. If this doesn't work just take some wood and a lighter. Whatever you do don't mess up the circle," she explained coldly.

Francesco was following her with his gaze, visibly worried. Thirteen looked determined, totally concentrated on her mission. A hint of cruelty was flickering in her eyes. She scared me.

She left as the last rays of sun were hiding behind the horizon. As soon as the night fell, the Queen opened her eyes. She got up and looked around, taking in her surroundings. She grimaced when she saw the circle. Francesco and Milena were keeping their distance, careful not to meet the vampire's gaze. She noticed them and snorted. Then she turned to face me.

She crossed her hands on her chest and examined me thoughtfully. I was expecting her to rage, but she was smiling lightly.

"I underestimated you, necromancer. You'd think after two millennia on this Earth, I'd be smarter," she surprised me with her lighthearted tone. "You do understand this circle won't hold me for long?" she asked, checking for my reaction.

"It doesn't have to. Only until your sister gives us what we want," I answered, instantly regretting revealing our plans.

The Queen smiled, making my skin crawl.

"Ah, so you know about my family. Ava may be difficult to bargain with..." the vampire mused.

"Pray she's reasonable, or you'll burn," Francesco chimed in, looking at her defiantly.

Theancient vampire only laughed.