A Hymn of Snakes

FIFTEEN

     Two days have past and within that time I had convinced the Queen to allow me to go see the place where the lost was killed. The streets of Romania was dressed in antique architecture and greenery, something you'd never see in America unless you went south to New Orleans. We walked around during sundown, people still scorned the streets as they watched us pass. Shivers crawling up my spine as their gazes bore into the traveling group. "What are they looking at?" I whispered under my breath, knowing through discretion I wore casual clothing.

Holstien by my side as he gave me a straight answer, but I already had a feeling. The brightest star in the sky walked with us, in the form of a Vampire Prince with the temperament of a seven year old. I wanted to leave him back at the Palace but he insisted on joining us. So with him was Jean and his other guard, however I knew there were more of them in the shadows. A small of my hoped that dark haired man would be one of them, "The citizens have an idea about who lives in the castle." A red flag beaconed a way to the edges of my heart, "We've lived here for centuries- they know who we are. Since the age of Wallachia." Keepers have spent centuries making sure Vampires remain a secret and still an entire city did a better job then them.

Laughter almost bubbled from my throat as I I gave up another question but this one was more of a joke. "They know about Vampires?"

The peacemaker nodded as he spoke to me in English, it was best to not have locals knowing what we were saying my guess. "They have their own beliefs, Strigoi, they call us. Sometimes they even call us Dragons, they've known about Vampires since the Original Vlad Dracul." The mention of the first Vampire brought a shudder to my skin.

The creation of Vampires had been studied back at the Academy, during a war over Wallachia- the Great King Dracul prayed on his death bed for a miracle that could stop the war. Unfortunately a man who had carved many sins for himself, his prayers did not reach for the heavens and went straight for the hells. Dracul bound his family lineage to damnation and his devoted followers would build his army. First making his wife Jusztina the first turned vampire, those who are apart of his pure demonic family line can produce heirs thanks to hell himself.

"When Alex was a fledgling he'd get called the Young Dragon." Holstien added to the end of his explaination.

My brows curled to match the center of my forehead as curiosity spiked in me, "Really? It doesn't suit him." I mentioned, to me a dragon was wild and untamed. It could not be tied down by its shackles, it surpassing many of men. Lions we're different. Lions we're the King of the Pride, they were natural born leaders.

Jean started her track, I've learned that the youngest vampire here was the Prince. That the Prince, sixth of his line, is the first Prince to get this far into the game- which is why he will be the heir. Which raises suspicion in my head, "It's because there were rumors." Jean told me coming to collect herself by my side, the dark haired sun kissed woman matched my height. Her red eyes gloomy as she scanned the area, concerned about who was watching.

"About what?" I asked.

Holstein took over the conversation, there was much I didn't know about the Vampiric world that I felt that I must learn. The Prince scouted before our group but I knew he was safe, his shadows lurked over the edges of the buildings as we passed. "Before witches were persecuted, a Romani witch claimed that the second coming of Dracul would be marked by a child whose hair was gold like the sun." I tried to think back on the long lineage of Vampire royalty, all known for their dark hair. Up until the Queen, there hadn't been a blonde royal in years."It just became a rumor after that witch descended on us. I could imagine you're the reason they're staring." Jean told me, my eyes betrayed me as I watched the citizens of Bucharest.

People watched me, their eyes drilled into my skin. "What? I'm not a Vampire though." I numbingly said as their gazed bore daggers into my back.

Alex's spiteful voice broke as he talked, his shoulders stiffened as he marched as far from me as he could. Still, his voice carried through the streets. "I could only imagine that they can sense what you are, a witch or a curse." I almost didn't catch what he said towards the end of his words, the hair rose on the edges of my skin as I lowered my head.