*Brista POV

Before my children I said that I was going to have some 'business' with Zalrog. Well, I may have, but for now I just want to take this quietly and assess things as I see them.

Grimm had gone to see his half-brother Vlos, no doubt to try and find out more about Rissa's would-be opponents.

Erissa, obedient as she was, must have seen Marishka and starting to gauge her support, with Areena tailing her. May they learn something useful; and although I haven't heard much about this Kouya Satome that Grimm himself had transformed, the wish remains that we would someday see eye to eye. Rumor has it Rissa trained him and the others almost to the limit.

Meantime what will I, The Dragoness, do--aside from flirting once more with a dragon incarnate? Although, it would be most interesting to hear his version of love story with Nurmen. I'm still itching to know how is it that familiar romance is at all possible.

Sigh.... I'm afraid that would have to wait.

"Was turning them into vampires any way to make them obey?"

Guh...

I know. These things get back... well, at least until I talk about it more openly. Very well, here goes nothing...

Reena was still very young then, about 10 years old. By then I had also got over the shock of his 'mortal-ness'.

As it was, I and Reena were staying in the city of Tragia (former name Bienvir) and there happened to be a city fair when various merchandises from various clans across the supernatural factions were transacted.

Young Reena showed up at our house (provided for personal use by the city mayor) with a bouquet of wolfsbanes, flowers particularly favored by the lycans--or werewolves to you.

Well, we were not technically at war with the lycans, so I took them flowers as a friendly gesture. A present from your only son. Now, isn't that sweet? In fact, I thought I would make one of those into a brooch, to be pinned on my dress. Grimm would love it.

By the way, that was also the last day we were scheduled in the city. The following morning we would return to Elbar in a royal carriage--you knew of Reena's latent dislike of vampiric ways of travel. Neither could I carry him in my arms or on my back while flying.

So it was that in the cool pre-dawn the royal carriage set off for home. Before that I took the liberty to pen a personal letter of thanks to the concerned city mayor and leaving one of the wolfsbanes as a parting gift.

Then, as I was about to ascend the steps into the carriage (with Reena safely inside), a thought struck me.

"Reena, you go with the carriage. I'll fly."

"Eh..? B-but Okaa-sama..!"

Giving him almost no time to think, I slammed the door, drew the bolt, and yelled for the coachman to hit the trail. Just before I took off, I caught a glimpse of his why-did-you-do-this expression.

Like this, the journey continued.

At some point halfway to Elbar, when the carriage had to navigate a reasonably narrow pass with a hill on one side and a forest on the other, I thought I saw some movements among the trees--then, a flash. Somehow I managed to catch and grip the object (which to my fury was a spear) just before it struck the carriage door. However, the acrobatics caused me to slam back-first onto the door.

Oomph...

"Okaa-sama!!"

I caught note of Reena's shrill scream from inside the carriage, but was too dazed to even heed it. I could well imagine him clutching to the window's railings with a terrified look, though.

"Go! Leave me be--"

Bright side was, the spear did not go through me. It came very close, though.

Guh... damn whoever tried to cut my line!

"Ngh..."

Trying to re-focus my sight with my body still trembling from the shock, I threw back the spear in a fit of rage. Apparently it struck no one, but then I heard movements again. Whoever it was, was trying to get away.

"Like I'll let you!"

Sheer rage somehow gave me strength to go up and feel the flaps of my great black wings again. Two knaves, and I pinned them both down at a clearing.

My fangs sank into their napes in turn. The Fedon flowed, and the feeling of it was... invigorating. These after so long a time!

Yes, Areena. This is something to make them obey! You'll never know of this feeling! Ahahaha!!

I flew back to Elbar with my two new converts, and the spear--later found out to be of silver. Enough to kill a vampire in its true form. Were this to have pierced my only son, I would have nothing less than blast these knaves into oblivion.