"I believe that he is retrieving the remainder of the items from the old room." She said evenly picking up a silver brush from the dresser top.

"Hump" she pouted and sat down at the dressing table and looked at herself in the huge mirror that was mounted on the wall.

Cleo came over and stared brushing the vampires immaculate hair. This hair hadn't seen a tangle in the over 200 years she had been combing it, she suspected that if she ever stopped it still wouldn't. Like an ebony waterfall it cascaded down her back and even felt like cool water to the touch.

Conrad opened the door and behind him walked in her elephant of a man, Marco, carrying the remainder of her belongings. Conrad was, for lack of a better word her butler, and as of late, her roving butler. He was every stereo typed image of the elderly gentleman, distinguished, medium build, silvering hair and less than graceful in movements. His body showed the strength of youth that had long since dwindled, though an aware person would notice that his skin showed none of the splotching common among hands and faces that had seen 60 years in the sun. Had that same person known that this man was approaching his 200^th birthday they would be truly impressed.

"I have some things to add�" before she could finish her sentence he had produced a thick leather bound volume and was sitting down to an adjacent table.

"Oh were do I start. It has been to long since I have tried to get my thoughts together. Let's see, Paris, things started there. That woman, the Greek Helena, she is the cause of all this trouble, her and that Kalis thing she was jabbering about. Some strange device that is supposed to do something or the other, or maybe nothing. Whatever." She shrugged trying not to get off the topic at hand.

"I followed her to this keep and she met that darling man, Webb, and he right away got his short hairs in a bristle. In some strange sparing match they bantered some things back and forth about that Kalis thingy and she handed him a chain like she gave the prince of Paris weeks before. Why she offered no trade like the Paris price I don't know, just yet." She sat back a little as Cleo pulled sections of her hair into braids and thought for a second about that for a moment.

"After leaving here we traveled to London to wait for this Imran Khan fellow to arrive and meet with her, again about this Kalis object. I went out hunting with her the first night we were there, but she is over the top in her hunting style, even the wolves kill their prey faster than that. I should have caught a clue by then that things were not on the up and up but I didn't. When Webb came to my door armed like he was ready for a fight asking if I knew the location of her I was just getting a clue. He said that she was responsible for the death of my sire, Zodiax. I had not seen or even really thought of him in forever but memories of him are still clear in my head as a child." She sat back against her braids, braids that would have taken hours to complete by a regular woman, and gave a pause to think about the swathed man that she fatefully ran into so many years ago. A man that changed her life and death so drastically.

"When I found that out I too wanted to see her brought to justice. The man that was with Webb was a prince himself, of Essex I think, and his man of arms Laerto. He was put together well now that I think of it." She smiled a sad little smile as she remembered that part.

"We went down to her hunting grounds and prowled around a little. When that prince fellow shouted out "She is behind us" and turned suddenly all heck broke loose. She seemed to get in their heads, I thought I saw fire for a second or two there but I guess they saw it a lot longer than that because the whole group passed out. Why she attacked, or even knew that we were looking for her I don't know. In the end the figure I thought was her, that I was lifting to the heavens and beyond was not her, just and illusion. Come to find out she is likely of the clan Ravnos and they have a power to create illusions, and that is all that it was. Go figure. In the future if I run into her I will have to be looking with aura sight, illusions don't have an aura."

Cleo picked up Camille's right hand and artistically applied dabs of paint to her claw like nails. Ever since she started running with the wolves years and years ago she has kept the edges sharpened so fine they were dangerous just to clean. Though they were practical for the run and the hunt, they were just not that pretty and Cleo had come up with the ideas of covering them in colors to detract from their malicious looks. Pretty and efficient that was Camille's style, and now that there were more and more confrontations about they also became more practical.

"I managed to save Webb from her, but she acted like it was some sort of gift. Humph. She killed the prince's man at arms and then the prince himself. The feelings she gave off from that were so intensely pleasurable I don't know if I should have cheered or puked, but sadly in the end I did nothing." She paused for a moment silently berating herself for not having the wits to think fast in a dangerous situations. There will likely be a lot of time between her next meeting with this killer of her sire, she will be sharper the next time they meet. Her days of enjoying her pristine haven have come to an end for now.

"Nothing that is except pull Webb out of the river and drag him back home. Lying there he looked so peaceful. Peaceful but not pretty so I helped him out a little. He is looking better, and the changed seemed to hold but I still have lots of work to do to make him a masterpiece." A smile crept across her face as she envisioned the masterpiece that she could create out of him. She stood up and crossed the room shedding her light gown and peered over the shoulder of Conrad. He was just putting the finishing touches on an illustration to accompany his fine penmanship, one of the improved Webb. This was just another page in a book that would be considered by most to be a work of art its self.

She crawled into the case brought in by Marco as he handed her a blanket as more of a human gesture and to cover her up. "Make sure word gets back to Philip about the situation. Send him copies of the pictures you drew of Helena and her men. Oh, and include a copy of your last page. The situation is grim, but not dire but if Apollo and Orion are available have them come along too, tell them the hunting is great around here."