[Choice D (WattpadVampire): Seek help from some of the most powerful vampires in the world.]

"General Zhao? Are you certain this is the right place?"

Tarah removed her bronze helmet and let the cool Nile breeze dry the sweat that matted her hair down. Sepa, her little runner boy, jogged up to her chariot and took the helmet as Tarah stepped down.

A large compound stretched beneath them, serene and tranquil, as if the world wasn't crumbling around them. Fountains and gardens dominated the courtyard and even from Tarah's vantage point on the rise, she could hear dozens of birds singing.

"It has to be, Riaz," she told her second-in-command. The tall Egyptian soldier took a deep breath and shrugged.

Tarah descended the hill with Riaz and Sepa in tow. The rest of her command waited behind at her request. She doubted the creature who lorded over the palace wanted a small armed contingent at his door.

Sand and grass slowly transformed into a paved walkway that took them to the compound's back door. Tarah paused, looked up at the bright red door, and squared her shoulders. Before she could raise a hand to knock, the door swung open.

A young man wearing loose brown robes stood on the other side. "The Master is expecting you, General."

Tarah glanced over her shoulder at Riaz, raising her eyebrows. She hadn't sent word ahead because she didn't want the creature to flee before her arrival.

"Very well," she replied.

The brown-robed man led her, Riaz, and Sepa through a winding terracotta path, over a small bridge that spanned a turquoise pond filled with water lilies and large, colorful fish. They entered the main house, which seemed strangely quiet despite its size. The only thing Tarah could feel was the breeze that blew through arched openings.

Their guide stopped in front of a large black door with a golden ram's head painted on the front. Without knocking, the man opened the door. "Master, General Zhao has arrived."

"Send her in, but leave the man and the boy outside."

The hair on the back of Tarah's neck stood up as the soft, genderless voice floated out to her. Riaz gripped his short sword and Sepa grew pale.

"We do not keep the Master waiting," the brown-robed man urged quietly.

Swallowing her fear, Tarah gathered the pirate queen's courage around her like a mantle and stepped inside the chamber. Once inside, the robed man shut the door and took up a stance beside it.

"Come, join me," the strange voice called out.

Slowly, Tarah walked into the room. It was sumptuously appointed, wreathed in silks and fine fabrics of a weave neither she nor Annabelle had ever seen before. Gold and jeweled furniture dominated the room: chairs, tables, couches, and stools. There was little here that didn't sparkle in some manner. And in the center of this den of wealth was a small red-robed figure seated on a purple cushion, its back to Tarah.

"Sit." A small, thin arm extended out from the large robe to indicate a similar pillow next to it.

There was something so wrong about this place. Tarah shuddered as a cold sweat broke out on her brow and beneath her armpits. But this was the creature she had been searching for months to find, as deadly as it was purported to be.

Gingerly, Tarah lowered herself onto the pillow and folded her hands in her lap.

"So, General Zhao. Tell me, what brings you to my estate?"

Bile rose in the back of Tarah's throat as the creature turned to face her. Large red eyes the size of her fist stared out from behind an elaborate ram's mask, the horns of the beast disappearing into the hood of its robe.

Licking trembling lips, Tarah said, "Queen Cleopatra seeks your help, Imhotep."

"Indeed?" The small grey being cocked its head. "For what reason?"

"A cult who practices necromancy rose up in the south," Tarah continued, fear making the words spill from her lips. "They sought to raise the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in order to bring chaos to the world. We sent a strike force to eliminate them last month, but they killed all of our men and used their bodies to complete the ritual." Tarah swallowed hard. "M-master Imhotep, Great Architect, please—the Horsemen run loose. The Queen is desperate for your help, for she says that you are the only one who is able to defeat them."

The master vampire closed its eyes and was still, so still Tarah wondered if it had fallen asleep.

"Why should I bring aid to the Queen?" it asked suddenly, opening those eerie eyes.

"You seek knowledge."

The ram's head lifted slightly. "Yes."

Tarah shifted on the pillow, trying to remember everything Cleopatra's historians had told her before she left. But forming words, let alone thoughts, was difficult in the presence of this unnatural being. At any moment, it could lunge for her neck and end her.

"What knowledge remains in a broken world?" she countered through numb lips.

"Hmm ..." The master vampire rocked back and forth, holding its tiny, shriveled hands together. "Knowledge does not end with the world."

"B-but—who could benefit from what you have gathered if there is no one left?"

The vampire cocked its head. "Ah. That is the point I was waiting for. You are intelligent, young general." Heavy red robes rustled as the vampire stood up. "Go and tell the Queen that I shall gather my people and we shall put an end to this foolishness."

Tarah shot to her feet, then immediately sat back down as the vampire studied her with its hands behind its back. "Thank you, Master Imhotep," she stammered, a welcome sense of relief flooding through her veins.

"Go, go," the creature said, waving a little hand.

Tarah scrambled to her feet, bowing as she backed up towards the door. The vampire's acolyte held the door open for her and Tarah stumbled into the open hallway.

"Well?" Riaz asked, eyebrows raised with expectation.

"He will help," Tarah said, walking quickly away from the vampire's chamber. "We must tell the Queen immediately."