The Runaway Queen

Chapter 1

Lights lifted in the room as the General switched off the projector. It was a grim view of the attacks on humans at the hands of vampires. He didn't think that this would be the fate of their world.

Turning to the room, General Lewis Harvey saw the same thing in all the world leaders. Grim realisation. They'd been blinded to the truth, given false reports, or not told at all.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lewis said as he adjusted the microphone at the podium. "I propose a task force is created to oversee the destruction of the vampire race. Their population has risen dramatically over the past hundred years, and the facts do not lie. If left unchecked, they will outnumber us in another hundred years."

A soft murmur broke out among the leaders, many thinking it was impossible. One leaned forward on the desk, pulling his microphone closer.

"General, what do you propose this task force will do if given the green light?"

"We have documented the vampires in preparation for this meeting. It has been confirmed that the decline of the vampire race will not affect the ecosystem. There is no symbiotic relationship with another species, no animal that will become a pestilence if their predator is removed."

In the rafters, Seraphina rolled her eyes. She knew of one pestilence that would thrive without a vampire around to slow their population growth down.

Reaching up, she ruffled Bram's feathers. The raven sat on her upturned knee, quietly resting. It was almost time for the show, so she picked the bird up and placed him on the rail. Shaking, Bram fluffed his sleek black feathers and settled onto the new perch.

"We have a plan," Lewis announced boldly. "An assassin will be sent to take down the vampire king."

"How is that going to destroy an entire race?" A woman asked.

"We have documented that in areas without a sub-leader in place, there is a lot of lawlessness within the local community of vampires. They fight among themselves and it is clear that if we remove the top vampire, their entire structure will begin to fall."

"And who do you propose to do this job?"

"We have the perfect candidate. Our assassin has perfected the barebow, compound, longbow, and the Olympic recurve."

"General Harvey," the woman interrupted. "Are you suggesting that you want to send in an archer?"

"Yes, ma'am. The candidate is the best in her field, and we have watched her for some time for this mission."

"But why not use a gun and get it over and done with?"

"There are several reasons. The first is that we don't want to be seen as the ones that ordered this hit. A gun is not quiet and we want our assassin to have the ability to leave the premises undetected. The other reason is that a gunshot wound does not equate to death, whereas the specialised arrows we created for this mission cannot be removed without causing further damage to the internal organs and tissue."

"This is pointless even discussing it." A man said as he yanked the microphone closer.

He leaned on the desk, looking back at the other leaders.

"The vampires will just elect another leader."

"Actually," Lewis returned. "They won't. Vampires are devout to their leader and only believe in a monarchy. We are at a point in time where we have never been before. With the passing of his sister, the king is the last of his line. There are no heirs, no other living relatives that could take up the role."

Gripping the podium, General Lewis let out a soft sigh. He predicted this resistance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I knew my suggestion would be met with hesitation and perhaps, ridicule. I have prepared a small show for you."

Lifting the apple from the podium, he raised it above his head.

"I present to you a small, moving target."

Seraphina lifted the bow and took aim. Pulling the bowstring taut, she let the arrow fly.

As the arrow sunk deep into the apple, a round of gasps echoed in the conference room. No one thought there was a dangerous person with a weapon in the room.

Slowly Seraphina slid down the rope, hanging from the hook on the rail above her. Heads turned as she thumped to the ground. With a flick of a button, the hook released from the pole. It quickly snaked its way back to the casing.

As Seraphina made her way to the stage, she felt the burning gaze of hundreds of world leaders upon her. Lifting back the cloak from her head, she revealed her long black hair and fair skin. Seraphina raised her hand and Bram took flight. More gasps echoed as the bird flew over the crowd. Landing on Seraphina's hand, she lifted Bram to her shoulder.

General Lewis held up the impaled apple, showing the leaders how good their assassin was. When the vote was called, the General waited with anticipation. He looked at Seraphina, offering the apple. She smiled politely while shaking her head. As the green lights began to shine, the General smiled. Everything was going exactly as he had planned. Now all he had to do was get Seraphina into the upcoming annual ball. It was a tall order considering they'd tried to get an invitation from the king's office.

With a unanimous vote in his favour, General Lewis turned to Seraphina.

"Congratulations. Your services are now engaged to undertake the mission as given to you. Failure to complete the mission is not an option. If you are caught, we will deny all knowledge of you and this plan. Meet your contact at the predetermined location and continue to the location on the night of the ball. Good luck."

With a nod, Seraphina turned and walked off the stage. All the while, there was a smile on her face. She didn't need the hundreds of thousands of pounds they'd paid her for this mission. Seraphina didn't even care about their mission. All she wanted to do was kill the king of the vampires. She'd waited a long time for this moment, and now that it was here, Seraphina would enjoy every single minute of ending the life of her nemesis, Hawthorn Lukariah.