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((Kevin plays Ambrosia, and I play Zacharael, the Queen, and other minor characters.))

It had been nearly two hundred years since the Voodoo Wars, when the vampires had finally exposed themselves to the world. It had been a little over one hundred years since the Great War started, and the first section of countryside had been mysteriously emptied of all sentient mortal life; everyone knew that it was the vampires who had done it, that some group of them had finally gotten ambitious enough and strong enough to begin that long-feared nightmare�world domination.

It had been about ninety years since the first escape from wherever the vampires had been imprisoning the captured mortals, and the human world first knew of the Other place; the strange dimension between places that no mortal could tread without the help of a vampire, or incredibly strong magic. There had always been another escape every couple of years, but nothing new was learned, except that vampires had a tendency to �reclaim� the lost humans�and that no one ever escaped twice. It was widely assumed that escapees were killed.

It had been roughly forty-three years since the first major city fell, and Las Vegas had disappeared into the encroaching darkness.

And it had been fifteen years to the day since the Icarii had first been created.

Fifteen years to the day since Zacharael had awoken with no memory of what he�d been, only the knowledge of what he was now. Fifteen years to the day, spent walking twilight city streets, searching for the target, and�.disappearing them. Fifteen years not questioning the orders that came from above, because what could he do? It wasn�t like he could simply desert; the spell prevented that. No, the Warlord couldn�t have him defecting to the humans�if they even accepted his help. And there was no way the Witch-Queen would let go of one of her �children�; so�

Fifteen years to the day; a long time spent shaping his personality, crushing the doubtful, �this-is-wrong� thoughts, shutting away the emotions, so that he could survive. Fifteen years, and a hundred million times had he reached back, to the nape of his neck, to rub the tattoo there that, to those who knew what it meant, marked him as the Darkangel Zacharael�

�secret weapon of the Kingdom.

----------------------------

Rain fell in a steady drizzle. The street, already depressingly dilapidated, seemed to only grow more dirty, as cement, stone, and plywood gleamed dully with the wet; the pavement looked slightly greasy, for some reason. Vandals� spraypaint was dulled by the damp, bright colors darkened, and those windows that weren�t boarded up or broken were dark and dirty.

This rain was not washing anything clean; in fact, some people would have said that this city would be impossible to clean, tainted as it was by the War. It was a Border city, teetering on the edge of falling into the darkness that had consumed so much of the world; vampires haunted its streets by night, slowly spiriting the populace that hadn�t fled yet to their slowly expanding empire in �Other-space�. As a result of the increased vampire activity, hunters had also started stalking the streets after nightfall, and the city often awoke bathed in blood.

Such a battle may have occurred here recently; stains littered the sidewalk and street, and were streaked across the crumbling brick-or-cement walls. The shadowy figure lurking in the doorway to a run-down apartment building noted this:

This night we�ll win.

For how could a gang of vampire-hunters, usually around five mortals, hope to compete with nine of the immortals, plus a Darkangel? And besides, they were prepared this time; the only ambush that would take place tonight would leave the humans worse off�

Unnaturally motionless, the Darkangel Zacharael waited.

((^^'' Eheh. There are a few things that I couldn't fit into my intro that I need to explain...the first is what exactly Darkangels are. They are a sort of mutated vampire; instead of drinking blood, though, they drink souls and magic, and their auras appear to be that of a human. They were created by the Witch-Queen, second-in-command of the Dark Kingdom, the group of vampires who are currently trying to enslave the human race, and all that...))

Her hand timidly touched the small dark pool of liquid, that hand brought back what she had expected, it was fresh blood, her body tensed, each and every muscle tightened at the thought of what happened. Even a fool could tell a killing had gone on. Sad thing was, it was her partner that had entered this building.

Her ears twitched with the sound of a foot connecting solidly to wet floor. It was so silent, so precise. She waited her body relaxing preparing her body for a fight. Her mind raced the memories from so long ago flooding back and washing over her, only adding to the adrenaline that now pumped threw her scard body.

The steps grew quicker the speed well marked, and timed.

�One... two... three,� she counted to herself in her mind. She went into action a blur of speed, which in the long run proved her to be absolutely inhuman. She came to a standing stance her well-worn combat boots sliding apart, her black trench coat lashing out widely. Her hair was caught by what little light could be found; it was a light tent of green. Her skin was pale, almost blue every vain in her face and neck could be seen. Her eyes shifted from gray to black in an instant.

Everything happened like slow motion to her, each second drawing into another. The man leapt at her widely, at this rate, she even had time to smirk. Her hand caught his outstretched wrist, her other grab his neck. She twisted her body with his momentum slamming him hard into the ground. With a practiced touch she snapped the Vampires neck. It never killed them, but it stunned them. That all she needed. She brought her left hand into her coat drawing out the classic wooden stake. With a quick thrust it was in the Vampires heart. She didn�t remove it right away.

This one was newly dead, even a Vampire that�s been undead for a month was faster then he was. It didn�t matter, Vampires blood, was still Vampires blood. Her lips peeled back a set of four fangs glittering before they sunk into the Vampires neck. Her eyes fluttered closed, the world fell away as she began to drink the already undead blood. The blood could literally be seen pumping threw her veins flowing threw her entire body.

Time passed and she drank slowly until she had her fill. She dropped the Vampire completely to the ground, his body looking bone thin. She stood only then taking the spike away from his dead corps. She walked away then looking and finding her partners body. Blood flowed down from his neck, she sighed crouching in front of him.

�Forgive me.� She whispered as she shoved the spike deep into his heart. She left it there then walking threw the rest of the building, her mind folding back on itself, on all those memories. Those memories she couldn�t understand, pictures, voices. She sighed, the night had only began�

The nine vampires were in place, ready; waiting for the night's band of pathetic humans. Zacharael stood with unhuman motionlessness; then he sighed slightly, and shifted, one arm going up to rub wearily at the back of his neck as his blood-red eyes swept swiftly up and down the street, and over the buildings that lined it.

...Wow. This is...boring...

Luckily for him, just at that moment he became aware of a change in the web of auras around him....two hum- Actually, what appeared to be one human and one...something else. Zacharael narrowed his eyes slightly as he focused on this perplexing something-else aura...

His concentration wavered a bit as the human's life flickered out, and he could guess who'd been the one to snuff it. Huh. He hadn't expected Karz to be able to take on a hunter by himself; he was more postioned as a sentry-type person, but perhaps the human hunter hadn't been much good...

His curiousity, at first only idle as a way to pass the time til a band of real hunters came, sharpened abruptly as he felt Karz's death.

What?...

Leaving the semi-shelter of the doorway, he began jogging...'jogging' being relative, as he was traveling about as fast a human could run...towards the strange creature that had appeared. He turned a corner, black boots not slipping on the wet sidewalk at all, wondering warily...

...I mean, Karz wasn't that bad...if'n he came up against something he couldn't beat, he'd have run to get someone else...So what...happened?...

She crouched there, head bowed before her dead partner she sighed her breath coming in s shaky gasp. She removed herself from the scene after a bit; her mind trying to do what it could to remember her past. Sad thing was, the last fifteen or so years where nothing but a blur, she removed a small necklace from underneath the confines of her shirt running her thumb over the print. She paused her step faltered and she coughed slightly gawking at the strong aurora that suddenly struck her.

She spun around a few times finally pinpointing the targeted aurora, it was actually heading toured her. She drew in a long breath and shook her head. It wasn�t even a vampire, and if it was it didn�t feel like one. It was stronger. She had nothing to do but wait, or did she? She shoved her hands into her pockets feeling the security of her weapons as she walked out into the light rain. The streets where dim, most lights having gone out. She began heading toured that Aurora.

Zacharael felt the strange demon...he assumed it was a demon...begin to head towards him; it had felt him? The Witch-Queen would not like this...he was supposed to appear to be human to all...

Well. This certainly made things interesting.

Darting into a nearby doorway a few moments before the demon would turn the last corner, he waited; the doorway was recessed into the abandoned shop's front a bit, and so Zacharael could see, though two panes of dirty and (in some places) broken glass, the corner he expected the unknown creature to turn...

She stopped then, feeling this strange creatures aurora settle down for an instant. Her head swiveled to the upcoming corner; she would be blind to whatever was behind it. She frowned at the thought. Her right hand was removed from her coat pocket reaching down to feeling for her prized possession. The old .357 Smith and Wesson, it made one hell of a hole, only downside was it was loud. She had other weapons amongst her, including the classical crossbow with wooden stake included. Ok, so it was a modified sawed of shotgun, but it worked.

Time passed and it felt that they where simply waiting for the first move to be made. She was a patient person by all means, but standing outside in the rain, at night probably wasn�t the smartest thing to do. Plus, what was another vampire�if this thing was a vampire.

She turned the corner her head a bit bowed forward hands in pockets. Her hair swayed with each soft step. She was using her peripheral vision, as well as the strong tug this, creator gave off. She slowly angled herself to the middle of the street, but kept her attention forward.

Zacharael's eyes narrowed as the creature emerged, after long minutes spent patiently waiting still as stone; was it the glass, or...was her hair really green? And her skin...

Well, she definitely wasn't human. But she didn't really feel demonic, either...

Deciding he didn't really want to be, if the strange female attacked, sort-of cornered in al alcove, he silently stepped out onto the sidewalk, pale hands in the pockets of his black jeans, black hair half-falling in his red, red eyes.

He didn't say anything, or do anything; just stood there, with an Immortal's unnatural stillness, watching and waiting...

She came to a halt for the second time now. Her lips twisted slightly, into what might have been a smile. Her form straightened her hair falling back away from her pale icy blue face. Her stone gray eyes shifted to the side finding the scores of the power. She pivoted where she stood right toe down heel up, left heel down to up. She came to face him directly then her eyes finding his red orbs. Her smile faltered slightly, indeed he was no vampire.

Her digits danced about the hilt of her magnum the thought of drawing it not such a strange one to her. But then again she had always been over protective of herself. Her stance remained still, a slight sway to each side as she slightly pushed on each foot.

How strange this must look, her standing in the middle of the road, facing a man on the sidewalk. It was kind of like those old movies, love at first sight. All they where missing was the sun, and the love. The corner of her lip twisted into a seductive almost sexual smile. He seemed like her type of man, nice and quite, strong. Guess the only thing she was having a problem with was the fact that he felt�evil.

Zacharael watched, ready to dodge whatever came his way, but...the girl didn't seem to want to annihilate him on sight. Instead, she stopped, lifted her head, the ghost of a smile disappearing from her face for a moment or two as slight bewilderment entered her slate-colored eyes. Then she smiled again, a different kind of smile; she was amused at something...

Zacharael felt the corners of his mouth start to turn upwards in unthinking response, but he willed them still, willed them not to break the blank facade he wore. Instead, he was silent a moment more, then:

"What are you?" He didn't raise his voice from a normal speaking tone, but the street was so silent his soft voice was easy enough to hear; emotionless as his face, albeit with a slight curiosity...

�I could ask you the same thing,� Ambrosia responded without much hesitation. �Good question, what am I?� she thought to herself. She tilted her head slightl the bones in her neck cracking ever so slightly. Settling her head straight agin she flashed a bit bigger of a smile. �I�m not much different�from Vampires,� She said that last word rolling off her tongue dripping with venom.

She brought her body to a stand still becoming motionless much like he was. Every now and then she would lean her body to one side, as if testing her balance. Why? She didn�t even know, she just wasn�t one for standing still for very long.

�If it helps, we can start with names?� She said keeping her own voice at a normal level of conversation. She waited thought, not so willingly to give out her own name first, what reputation she might have could preserve her. She hoped not.

"If you like..." Zacharael replied, a faint smile curving the corners of his mouth upwards; his red eyes held the faintest trace of amusement. He was silent again, apparently waiting for Ambrosia to start.

He still hadn't told her what he was. Nor had he moved, even a single millimeter...well, except for his face and mouth, obviously.

Ambrosia bit back on her words for a moment trying to scrutinize the situation. He wasn�t going to tell her his name till she told her hers. Great deal.

�Ambrosia,� She huffed out, she would have given him a last name�if she could remember it. �And you may be mister tall, dark, and mysterious?� She said flashing a amused smile.

She could have gone threw a hundred different things he �could� be but then again she could even tell him what she was. Why bother guessing what he was?

Zacharael's smile widened a bit, still rather blandly amused.

"If that's what you'd like to call me...but it's a bit long for everday wear, don't you think?" he replied softly; he was tempted to walk nearer, because it felt weird addressing someone at a normal tone at a more-than-normal distance, but didn't want her to immediately pull out her gun and start shooting and all that...

So. He'd just see where this went. He could feel the vampires, aware of her presence, stirring....they weren't entirely sure what to do. After all, Zacharael himself wasn't there to give directions. But...sooner or later, perhaps one would come.

Maybe they'd bring some rope. The Witch-Queen would love to get her hands on Ambrosia...

Ambrosia smirked bringing up her hand and pushing back a few stray wet pieces of hair. Dearing this entire conversation her eyes hadn�t moved at all from his.

�Very well then Tall, Dark and Handsome,� She said smiling even more amusement plain in her eyes. Her hand returned to her pocket and her thoughts where along the same as his. This was rather weird carrying on a normal conversation this far apart. But she didn�t want to get close to him.

Her insides crawled and tingled with the vibrations of a few new auroras in the area, Vampires, and a few humans. Nothing they had to worry about. Nothing she was worrying about. Then again, she had no clue whose side this shady man was on. Hers?

Why did she doubt that?

�Great so what now?� She thought rolling her eyes mentally, �Pull out the big guns and dust him now?� came a thought as she brushed her fingers against her magnum �Or you could wait and see what happens if a Vampire shows his ugly face,�

Her mind raced threw all the different possibilities, and no real answer ever came to her.

�Wait, we�ll just wait and stair down one another, first one to fall asleep wins,� She thought chuckling a bit to herself.

" 'Handsome' instead of 'mysterious'? I'm flattered..." Zacharael replied, his own amusement plain in his strange eyes as he took one, slow, as non-threatening as he could make it, step forwards.

He hoped she wouldn't flip out. Those guns looked dangerous. And quick as he was, he rather doubted he could get to her and disarm her before she blew his head off or something equally unpleasant...

Ambrosia caught his eyes glance down at her magnum; good he had noticed it, point for her. She had �accidentally� opened her coat a bit farther then usual, although her hands still remained in her pockets.

As far as weapons for him she couldn�t see anything, of course he could be much like herself, if your going to get dirty, get up close and personal. She smirked, she liked that thought, she to began a slow steady walk forward, taking a few more steps closer then his one. Each step came silently as if she glided on the rain soaked ground.

�Iv been told flattery is one of my better skills,� She replied jokingly, as she came to a slow but intended stop. She wasn�t willing to get to close, she knew she was quick but had no clue if she could stand up to him. Of course, it didn�t help that his aurora already made her feel like he was breathing down her neck. Icky.

"Not the best, I hope...you won't survive long on that..." Zacharael replied languidly, continuing his incredibly slow saunter forwards; he knew she'd make it clear if he came too close...

A few vampires had reached the pair by now; two lurked in houses on either side of the street, waiting, watching...one was just around the corner he'd originally come from...the street behind Ambrosia was still empty, though.

Ambrosia hand slipped out of her pocket a motion for him to stop, they where close enough. She could feel the Vampires near, very near, and she had nothing to do but watch this one. Only because at the current time, this one was really she only worries. Her body shifted though slightly to the side so her eyes caught hold of a shadow bounded between windows of the house behind her.

�Great..� She whispered to herself before turning back to face the man, �I can promise you, it isn�t my best skill,� She said flashing a causal smile all four of her fangs catching a bit of light.

"Then what might your best skill be?" Zacharael asked, stopping on cue, but still managing to look like he'd meant to stop, and not that he was, in a way, threatened to. He slipped his pale hands into empty pockets, face still pleasantly amused and relaxed.

Ambrosia smirked, that same amusement growing with each passing second as they stood staring and talking to one another. As much as she should feel threatened, she didn�t.

�You might get your chance to find out,� She commented as she felt the vampires stir up a bit. Her shoulders rolled as she stretched ever so slightly the smile on her face growing a bit eager for another meal. Of course, over feeding was never a problem. Her eyes flickered slightly. This guy was smooth, and very short with words. Intreseting.

"I expect I will..." he agreed, his words holding a slightly different meaning than perhaps Ambrosia expected...Shifting slightly, he glanced around at the buildings beside them...but he didn't ever turn full away from Ambrosia. Turning his full attention back to her, he gave her a rather bigger smile than he'd shown her before; his teeth were very white, and straight, and his canines were slightly more sharp than usual...He started to say something-

Ambrosia�s eyes narrowed immediately at the sight of his fangs, her coat closed a bit more as she touched the handle of her gun. She didn�t pull it though.

�To close, and he�s probably fast, its to much of a risk,� she thought as her mind raced for a solution. Her eyes darted to the side, then back to his very red eyes. She smiled back, flashing her own set of fangs, although unlike normal Vampires, or like this man, she had four on the top row, the two normal canines then a second pair, spaced out by one white tooth on each side. �Cant we just be friends?� she joked in her head as her smile slowly returned to its normal amused grin.

She was defiantly on her guard now, with vampires lurking even closer now, and this�man standing in font of her with just as much fangs as a vampire. She sighed, not bothering to interrupt him, although undoubtedly her reaction was well noted.

�Point for him, he made me jump,� she thought sarcastically. �Still, fangs doesn�t mean his a bad guy, now dos it Ambrosia?� She snorted at the thought keeping a even more watchful eye on him.

Zacharael hesitated in his words as he watch Ambrosia jump at the sight of his fangs, face going guarded for a split second as he measured her reaction. Then he was back to smiling, perhaps a hint of amusement at the fact that he'd managed to make her start, and he continued as though nothing had happened.

"You said you were akin to a vampire..." he began, hoping this wasn't pushing things too far. If it was, well...no big deal. He was running out of things to say that were unlikely to set her off, unless he wanted to start commenting on the weather. So, pretty soon, he expected, things would get messy...

"...but how are you different?"

Ambrosia smirked slightly, her mind thought of a answer and then she disregarded that one, to smart arse.

�I, feed�on blood,� She thought, keeping it simple, truth be told she didn�t just feed of blood. She fed off of Vampires blood. Its what made her that her somewhat stronger then Vampires, she was stronger, because she needed their blood to live. Survival of the fetuses(No clue how to spell that), she chuckled at that thought. �Nice night hm?� She said, running out of things to say. She had to try and ignore the all to apparent presence of the Vampires around them.

"Not really..." Zacharael replied, drifting forwards and to the left slightly; time things got moving. Conversation was petering out... "Unless you prefer it to be dank, dark, and dreary?"

One eyebrow was carefully raised, a sign of doubt.

Ambrosia ignored the slight movement just following him ever so slowly.

�Sometimes, tonight is one of those nights,� She commented shifting her stance as he own feet started to slide softly of the wet ground. �Why the look?� She asked noting his raised brow.

Zacharael continued drifting forwards; he was maybe four yards from Ambrosia by now.

"I just did not expect you to like it-" he suddenly interrupted his own sentance, giving no forewarning pause as he lunged for Ambrosia with all of his vampiric speed, hands ready to knock aside a weapon, or capture wrists. He wanted her alive...

The vampires, now four in total, had drifted down to ground level buildings, and at this sudden movement from their boss, wandered forward to doors and knocked-out windows; ready should he need them.

Ambrosia had been ready for it, her muscles had already been relaxed, now it was time to show him her �best� talents. Her eyes followed him as he came forward his arms outstretched. Her hands did move out of her coat at the first second of the jump but did nothing to draw a weapon.

She twisted sideways going into a spine as she lowered her body almost impossibly close to the ground. Her knee barely touched the road. She had managed to move away from the direction of the lung. She was very surprised though, he was very fast, it was just her luck she had been waiting for something to happen. She came up and followed him with just as much speed it would seem. A flash and a small knife flew before her, something she didn�t expect to hit.

�Its not human blood. Its vampires blood� She stated as she ran forward, suicidal? Nah, very sane, just in love with challenges.

It was almost lucky Zacharael had to dig his feet, and even hands, into the street to stop and turn around in a minimum amount of time; it meant that he was abruptly lower than he was before, and the knife twirled harmlessly over his head. Instead of standing, though, he propelled himself from his almost-crouch right at Ambrosia, head aimed for her stomach in a tackle.

The four vampires had stepped out of their respective buildings, quickly gliding across the ground to form a loose circle around the two fighters, about a street's width in diameter.

Ambrosia�s knees bent as she ran she leapt in the air twisting over him as he preformed his dangerously quick move. She landed facing his direction she slides between to of the Vampires. She hissed slightly for when she was in the air she had drawn two guns, her magnum and a .9mm handgun. Her arms crossed and she took to shots at the vampires beside her. Seeing how she was crouched she was only aimed for their knees. She kept in mind, silver bullets hurt. And most vampires where forced to heal as slow as humans when hit with a silver bullet.

She stood and darted forward each gun being replaced. She had no desire to end this with gunshots; she wanted to test this one. And if she were lucky, she would take out the four Vampires dearing it all. Her left hand came out slightly loose and open. Her right stuck tight to her side, her upper torso seemed to be twisted slightly to the right.

This creator was damn impressing. She knew how good she was, but with this one she didn�t even know how well she would stand up to him. She hadn�t told him her nickname. She doubted it would have changed much, most didn�t know of her, even as The Reaver.

Zacharael was standing between two of the downed vampires, with his unnatural stillness again. His face was closed, eyes measuring. His voice was as soft as when he'd started the conversation, a bit softer, even, as he said, "...you're not going to shoot me?"

He began his slow, sauntering walk again, circling amiably to the left.

Ambrosia slowed her paste to a slow stalk as well; she circled to the right, her eyes gliding along his body.

�Nope,� She answered simply her tone remaining as cool and natural as before, �Where would the fun be in that?� She said flashing an eager smile. She came forward a blur of a sprint straight for him. Her body jerked to the right her left leg came up high aiming for his temple. Flexibility was so much fun. And then again, she was taking a major risk in this. Most of the time it wasn�t smart to get close to a Vampire, and she didn�t know what to call this one.

Zacharael ducked from habit, but his left hand shot up to grab her ankle as it passed overhead; he jerked backwards, trying to pull her off her feet. Or foot, rather, since she was only standing on one.

Ambrosia felt her body jerk into the air and she went into a twist. Her ankle, now caught was usualness to her for now. But her hands weren�t. She pulled out a second, small knife and jabbed forward, with no real aim but his chest area. Her other hand remained free, herself keeping in mind she may just need to block something.

Eyes of a tan hue glowed, watching the scene below. The optics quickly disapeared, suddenly opening in another patch of shadows. This was repeated three more times, finally settling on one place to watch the fight. Small pupils flitted every which way, watching every movement taking place. These eyes were located up in a window of an old building just behind where the fight was taking place.

Zacharael hissed slightly as the knife stabbed into him; but the blade hit his collarbone, and skittered awry, upwards, doing him no real damage. He took the opportunity to release her foot and instead capture her wrist, squeezing to make her let go of the knife. His other hand he made to punch at Ambrosia's chin, though he intended only to latch onto her other wrist instead of actually hurting her, making her bring her arm within easy reach if she blocked him.

Peripherally, he was aware of a new presence, but was a bit too occupied with Ambrosia at the moment to really notice...

Ambrosia yelped as he released her leg. She twisted in the air slightly angling her feet under her before he caught her wrist. She cursed under her breath letting go with little fight. The punch came as something of a surprise, but she was already moving.

Her head snapped back she extended her captured arm as much as she could allowing her to arch her back slightly. Her eyes flashed to her boot, then back to him. She smiled slightly. She tapped her left boot slightly onto the wet ground a soft �Zzztt� sound emitted. She kicked up the flash of a small blade producing from the toe of her boot aimed for the back of his calf. If she had been able to angle it right she would have gone for the back of his kneecap. If she were lucky, the blade would slide.

�Eh, luck�� she thought as she brought her free hand to catch his punching one. Even though she had moved away from its intended target. Or at least what she thought its target was to be.

In the back of her mind she could feel the odd presence of something, somewhere. But she couldn�t worry about it. Not yet.

Zach didn't noticed the boot-blade until it was in his leg; some lucky star must have been shining on Ambrosia, because it did indeed slide. He gave a yell of surprise and pain even as he opened his fist to clamp his fingers around the girl's wrist; then his leg buckled, and he was going down hard, dragging the huntress with him.

He landed on his back, Ambrosia on top of him; snapping his arms out to prevent Ambrosia from using them, or from getting up and having the advantage, he growled softly into her ear, "One wrong move and I'll bite."

Ambrosia was a bit surprised at the fall, and at his voice in her ear. But she couldn�t help but smile just a bit at the threat. She leaned in a bit closer.

�Same for you Mister, tall, dark, and mysteriously handsome,� She said a slight purr to her tone, once again changing the wording to what she previously called him.

Ambrosia knew that his bite wouldn�t actually turn her, but the loss of blood would affect her greatly. She was sure he was the same way. She didn�t really bother to struggle, but then It occurred to her. There where still two vampires standing.

�I don�t take it you�ll be letting me go anytime soon,� She asked rather sarcastically, her voice still a whisper. �Your caught, eh�what would Gregor be thinking about now,� she thought then mentally laughed. �Its about time girl, most men you either drink dry, or scare away,� She sighed in his ear letting what little strength she was using against him slack. �Yea, leave it to Gregor to bring some light to a situation like this,� Her eyes closed, she really couldn�t do anything else.

Zacharael narrowed his eyes at Ambrosia, ignoring with difficulty the warmth of her body on his; however, it was sort of hard to look her in the eye in their current postion, so he stared warily at her ear instead. He didn't relax his grip on her wrists despite her apparent submission, though he didn twist her arms up behind her back so that one of the remaining vampires could tie them with rope.

It was rather odd rope. It had silver strands running through it, and to any with a magical sight, they could clearly read the spells of containment woven into it...

Pushing Ambrosia not ungently off him and up to a sitting position, Zacharael quickly followed her; it just felt weird lying down in the middle of a street. Balancing on the balls of his feet, he asked the question that'd been bothering him while he'd waited to get Ambrosia 'secured':

"You'll bite me?" An eyebrow was raised, a hint of his old amiable amusement coming back. "And what good will that do?"

Ambrosia grumbled slightly at the feel of the rope over her pale wrist. She thought for a minute debating on telling him what she meant.

�I feed on Vampires, the undead. Anything undead really, as long as it has blood in it,� She said in a causal tone. She pulled her legs up under her balancing on toes and knees. �And don�t think that your bite will do much good on me either, I can tell you iv been bitten plenty of times,� She said flashing a wicked smile at him.

Ambrosia used her inhuman strength and speed well to her advantage as often as she could. This was one time where she probably over did it. She went into a small jump and tumble maneuver away from the group all together. As she did this she wiggled her hands out in font of her. They may be tied but they weren�t useless.

�Shouldn�t have let go,� She remarked silently to herself. She back stepped, slamming the back of her skull hard into the nose of the vampire nearest two the two temporarily crippled ones. She kept moving backwards her left foot twisting with the next step as she twisted around bringing out her magnum for the second time. Her aim was perfect seeing how she was right in font of the vampire. �G�night love,� She said before pulling the trigger the gun going of straight into his heart.

She practically ran over the vampires falling corps twisting herself back around to take two more shots, one to each of the crippled vampires. Each aimed for their skulls. A third shot went off, this was aimed straight over Zach, right for the last Vampire standing. Again it was a headshot.

About this time she had come to a stop hands tied, gun out, waiting for the outcome of each shot. And waiting for Zach to re-capture her once again.

Zach had stood up with her, but as she went into action frozen, waiting for his chance...

He was tempted to just throw himself at her again, trying to get the gun away, but...he had a feeling it wouldn't work. Though he had to admit, his heart nearly started again as she fired at the vampire behind him. He'd thought, for a moment, that she'd been firing at him...

And now what to do? Zach just stood, hands in pockets again, looking with a hard, measuring gaze at Ambrosia. Why hadn't she killed him yet? She already had a chance, and now this...and she hadn't fired yet.

"....well?" Zacharael said after a long, silent pause, his voice back to the soft tones he'd first spoken to Ambrosia with.

In the back of his mind, a small voice asked why he wasn't fighting...he ignored it.

Ambrosia did lower the gun, straight to his heart, she flashed a bit of a amused smile.

�Well?� she said keeping the gun well aimed. �You could have killed me, didn�t, conceder us even,� She stated, although she knew very well if he even made a move to attack she would be firing with no hesitation. Her legs spread slightly again as she felt the four vampires auroras fade ever so slightly, even for half a soul vampires lingered some before they really just died.

Zacharael's red eyes narrowed slightly in bitter humor, the corners of his mouth curling upwards again in his faint smile. The real question was, would he have kept her alive if he didn't think his Queen would want her? He was still a moment, just thinking, before his strange eyes fixd on Ambrosia's face again. His bitter smile widened slightly. There was another pause as he tried to find something to say, but failed; instead, he simply inclined his head forward in the smallest of bows, and turned away from the once-human girl.

"Goodbye, Ambrosia..." He said softly, sauntering away from her down the silent street. "...I expect I'll be seeing you later..."

He knew the Queen wouldn't let her go; he, or someone else, would be sent after her again. And again. And again. And again, until she was either caught, or dead.

Which meant he'd better re-build the crumbling walls around his heart; in the Kingdom the Warlord was creating, there was no room for the weak...

Ambrosia blinked a few times she could feel a slight chill run down her spine as he turned to walk away. She shook her head lowering her gun.

�I suppose so,� She whispered behind him a bit caught off guard by this sudden change in action. After awhile she pushed up the latch and popped open the magnums chamber. �Damn,� She said whistling. She was out of shots; if he had attacked she would have been in bad shape. Luck, she was beginning to like that word.

Zacharael heard the click from the gun behind him, and the whispered swear, thanks to his vampiric senses; his mind mulled over exactly what this could mean as he turned a corner...he stopped. He looked back to the corner he'd just turned, hiding Ambrosia from his view. He tilted his head slightly as he thought. Then he leaned up against the wall, closed his eyes, and focused on the peculiar aura that still, despite having met its owner, baffled him.

Perhaps he could make tonight not such a waste, after all...he waited for his target's next move.

Ambrosia had watched him out of the corner of her eye, she visably relaxed as she took out a small pre-set round of bullets and placed them into the magnum. She spun it the gun giving off the classic metallic hissing sound, one quick jerk and it snapped shut. She wasn�t so sure if she should be putting the gun away, because she could still very well feel him.

Ambrosia smirked and began walking back down the street doubting anymore confutation between them tonight.

Zacharael considered his options; his aura was too distinctive, at least with Ambrosia. She'd know when he came near her. So that made it difficult to track her, unless...

Closing his eyes, he reached for the magic that had gone into his making; some of it was mutable, able to be used in simple spells...Calling forth an almost imperceptible thread of it, he lightly attached it to Ambrosia's fading aura; a strand, thin as spider-silk, that shone silver with power in his mind.

He doubted she'd be able to see it; he'd sensed her magic, when he'd pulled her down on top of him, but it had been buried deep...Too deep to tell if it was strong or weak, only that it was there.

This settled, he waited for Ambrosia's aura to fade entirely from his awareness, unknowingly trailing the spell behind her...

-----------------------------

A week later Ambrosia settled herself carefully on the edge of a three-story building, or what remained of its steel frame. Her eyes shimmered out over the night-drenched street, for one week she had been able to keep this town from the black whole that these vampires had created.

Her first night here though never left her memory, the mans voice and his moves burned into her minds eye like if she was watching it on a T.V. to bad no one watched Television anymore. Her fingers curled slightly around the lip of the beam as she caught a small waft of energy from an approaching vampire.

�...I expect I'll be seeing you later...� echoed Zachs voice in the back of her mind. Her eyes closed for an instant and his handsome face burned in her minds eyes. They opened and she was on the move, it was time to go to work. Time to get this mysteriously, dangerously alluring man out of her head.

Moments later she came to the bottom floor where the vampire, male stood inhumanely still his dark green eyes unblinking. Ambrosias left hand inched toured the modified sawed off shotgun with its light crossbow mounted on top. The vampire made no move to even well move. She raised a brow, the vampire smiled. He didn�t even get a chance to extend his lips into a full grin, not before he fell down into a bloody heap with no head sitting on his shoulders.

�Jumpy now aren�t we?� Ambrosia thought to herself as she lowered the shotgun slightly. �No just aggravated,� She said to herself mentaly turning around to face the open door.

A hunched form stood their swaying slightly back and forth, it growled, or what might have been a growl. It took a liquid like step forward, it didn�t take long for Ambrosia to notice that its feet actually where in the ground. Three claw like fingers tapped together creating little clicking sounds, no eyes could be seen, only a mouth with to many sharp points and a long tongue. It didn�t occur to her that she hadn�t felt the creator come in.

�Move,� She said allowed taking a well-aimed shot at its head. Its head exploded, black liquid splashed over the floor its own body bubbled and exploded soon after. �That was pointless,� She whispered and began walking toured the door once again.

A clawed hand shot from the ground gripping her left leg solidly, she pulled and it wouldn�t even budge, a second took that of her right, and soon she felt the cool breath of a pair of these, things beside her. She smirked twisting her body and pulling her magnum. Didn�t work, the hands that had her legs pulled forward knocking her onto her back. Her magnum went sliding away and soon the pair that where beside her melted away hands moving to hold down her arms at the wrist.

�Damnit! What the H-� Her head snapped up toured the door, she could have sworn she felt something, a trimmer, a wisp of energy. Then like something had cut her off to her own powers it disappeared. �Magick,� Her brain thought as she laid her head back to the solid floor looking up to the black ceiling.

She couldn�t do anything, helpless, for once�.maybe she had finally pissed them off enough to deserve something like this, she had this nice nasty mental picture of each hand dragging an opposite way tearing her limb from limb. She shivered at the thought.

But the hands did nothing more. They merely pinned her down where she was, a rat in a trap, waiting for the owner to come check the snare...



It was nearly fifteen minutes before an aura could be felt; a vaguely familiar aura in that it seemed to be of the same kind as Zacharael's, but subtly different, as if it belonged to a different personality... Not too long after that, heels could be heard clicking softly down the street, slowing at the building Ambrosia was held prisoner in...

"Well, well, well, what have we caught here?" The voice drifted in through the doorway, preceding it's owner; it was unmistakeably female, and unmistakeably malevolent. It carried none of Zacharael's dissembling softness; its pure joy at being evil grated harshly on the ear...

A humanoid being came into view, but it was hard to believe that she had anything to do with the digusting monsters that had taken down Ambrosia. For one thing, she wasn't even dressed for fighting; a short black skirt and suit-top, impeccably clean, graced her curvy frame. Black, stiletto heels lent her already tall frame a few more inches, and wrist-length gloves, also black, hugged delicate hands. She was the absolute picture of beauty and sophistication; gold curls tumbled to slender shoulders, held out of her pale, spot-free face by a simple (black) clip. Her features were classically stunning, and except for her hard, black eyes, she looked like an angel.

Her perfect, rose-colored mouth curved upwards in malicious delight at the girl pinned to the ground.

"Can it be?" she murmured, mostly to herself, drifting gracefully forwards a few more steps. "That I have caught her so soon? Perhaps she was not so much of a threat as my lord thought..." Her dark eyes twinkled with glee. "I am so pleased to be meeting you at last, Ambrosia....practically our whole world's talking about you."

Ambrosia still couldn�t feel this woman; she closed her eyes trying to push whatever it was away, it didn�t work. She lifted her head and offered a rather smart arse grin.

�That�s why my ears have been ringing all the time,� She said sarcastically, she attempted to pull but doubted anything would happen. �Im surprised, your not the one I thought to be seeing,� She said shaking her head as she laid her head back down.

Of course she had to be apart of their world, and of course she had to know her name, who wouldn�t now?

�Well Ambrosia, you got your fame�� she thought to herself mentally rolling her eyes.

�Im digging the new restraints, that vampire who tied that rope defiantly didn�t earn his knot badge in Boy scouts,� She commented dragging the sarcastic tone out even more.

The strange woman waved an elegant hand in a gesture of dismissal.

"He was but cannon fodder, anyways...and the gain was much more than the loss." Her smile was wide, and almost blindingly white. Twin tiny fangs glinted among the other pearly teeth. A small beckon with her gloved hand, and suddenly the monster-hands were rising upwards, dragging Ambrosia to a standing position. They still held her arms out straight, away from her body, and any hidden weapons, though...

In the doorway, wearing a slight frown, a familiar figure appeared...However, whatever spell Miss Impossibly Beautiful had used to dampen auras meant that she couldn't feel him; and the quietness of his movements did not alert her to his presence, either.

Ambrosia sighed then felt herself being lifted. She growled slightly feeling the hairs on the back of her neck lift. Her head tilted slightly to the side.

�Yea,� She whispered a soft response closing her eyes. �Now what,� She said mentally looking down at the creators arms that held her wrist, she couldn�t see any real joint area. �I think my luck just ran out,� she thought to herself frowning slightly

�Seeing how you know my name, would it do so much harm to know yours?� Ambrosia asked, �might as well know whom Im going to get my throat ripped out by right?� she thought sarcastically.

The woman smirk-smiled and opened her mouth-

"She's known as Yofiel," Zacharael said from the doorway. He was leaning against the frame, arms crossed, scanning the street outside. He seemed a bit...twitchy.

Yofiel, surprised by Zacharael's sudden (to her) appearance, whirled gracefully, someone didn't fall over on her impossible heels, flung out a hand, and- ...the magical ball of energy forming around her fingertips fizzled out of existence as she saw that it was only Zacharael.

"Zacharael!" she snapped at him, straightening in indignation. "Don't sneak up on me like that! I could have killed you..."

Finally, Zacharael turned, fixing Yofiel with a slightly contemptuous red stare, straightening from the doorframe.

"Remove the damping spells, and you would have felt me 'sneaking up on you'," he replied, a hint of saracasm entering his usually bland voice. Yofiel blinked, then scowled, but could find no reply that justified leaving one of the vampires' main abilities unusable. Muttering some words and making some complicated gestures in the air, there was a slightly sparkle around her, and suddenly everyone could feel everyone else.

Zacharael let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.

Ambrosia jerked all the different auroras hit her at once. She tightened the relaxed a few times her body shaking. She coughed leaning as far forward as she could.

�damn,� She muttered to herself, �Zacharael�?� She said making it more of a question as she twisted her head a bit to the side eyeing him.

What was she to do? Two really big and bad vampire like things, demons holding her down�yea not much she could do. She closed her eyes sighing and falling into herself she could feel something pulsing within herself, she had felt it before but really didn�t know what it was. She let it go, disregarding it as she had every time.

Ambrosa leaned forward again, her eyes closed and she felt the chains around her neck slide out of her shirt. She smirked and ideal coming to her. Her eyes opened and she stared down at the two chains that. One with a set of dog tags, and a second was a thick silver cross, each chain was silver, laced with gold.

She lowered her chin trying to bite onto the chain that held the cross, she wasn�t able to, so she used her tongue. She tasted the metal almost instantly on her tongue. The shook her head dropping the second chain that held the dog tags.

The cross itself looked like it could come apart, the top and right arm looked removable. Ambrosia knew exactly what it was for. She took the cross into her teeth the right arm of it braced behind her front teeth. She lifted her head; anyone that would have looked could have seen the whole at its bottom. Her head twisted and she pulled her mouth shut, there was a slight �click� then a loud gun shot went off as the one shot was expired.

See, with a cross you need faith for them to work on vampires, no faith, no anti vampire jewelry. She had no faith, just her abilities, and guns. She dropped the cross from her mouth her teeth practically shaking from the shot and her lower jaw numb from supporting the back of the cross.

Her aim had to be perfect, she hadn�t ever needed to use the one shot cross gun, she was hoping that if she hit the wrist of the arm holding her left arm she would have it back in her control. Of course she doubted it would make much difference.

Both vampires (we'll call them vampires, since that's the term best applied to them ^^'') jumped visibly at the gunshot, whirling around to stare at Ambrosia and her rapidly melting victim. Then, a split second later, Zacharael was leaping forwards to re-secure the freed arm; a moment after that Yofiel was summoning her cracklingly deadly energy ball...

Ambrosia had gotten a hold of the shotgun in the inside of her jacket and almost had the trigger pulled at her next target when Zach slammed into her. She lost her grip due to the surprising speed of everything happening.

�Well that was a waste,� She muttered twisting her head so she could stare directly at Zach. �Hello there tall, dark, and mysteriously handsome,� She said flashing a �Im really pissed but going to act like im not� smile.

Ambrosia caught wind of the small ball of energy, and how powerful it felt. She felt her spine crawl.

Yofi's first reaction is to kill you, so if you want to stay alive, I'd suggest that you only attack when there's absolute certainty she won't have time to think," Zacharael whisper-hissed at her, his grip tight enough to be uncomfortable, but...not enough to really hurt. He looked a bit pissed, for some reason...Some of his usual composure came back as he continued on, a bit louder, "Drop the gun, Ambrosia..."

" 'Tall, dark, and mysteriously handsome'?" Yofiel repeated increduously, her magic spell disappearing again. Zacharael ignored her for the moment.

Ambrosia was already a step ahead of Zach the shotgun hit her hip and rolled to the floor. She glanced down at it, the crossbow was still loaded and in the way it had landed the bolt was aim directly for the woman�s chest. She bit her tongue, she was damn near sure she could pull of a shot with the crossbow. But then doubt hit her like a cold slap to pale skin.

�Ill take your word on it,� She whispered back her eyes falling on Yofiel. She pushed her arm out away from her body as much as Zach would allow her to, and she was sure he would seeing how she was actually making herself defenseless, again.

Zach was more than willing to let Ambrosia push her arm out, but god forbid if she wanted to bring it back in. He used his free hand to check to make sure the huntress didn't have any hidden weapons on her arm.

" 'Tall, dark and mysteriously handsome'?" Yofiel pressed, wandering closer, peering at Zach's face hopefully for any sign that this was a touchy topic.

"...I'll tell you if you help me disarm her," Zach replied after a moment, carefully bland but with the slightest hint of annoyance. Yofiel pouted a bit, but ran her hands over Ambrosia's other arm, then down her back and around her waist, rolling her eyes as Zach carefully pulled out the same spelled rope he'd used last time, using it as an excuse not to have to help Yofiel in searching Ambrosia's legs.

"Well?" Yofiel asked grumpily, laying down the last gun carefully; Zacharael finished the knots on Ambrosia's bindings.

"I didn't give her my name, so she made one up for me," he replied pleasantly, apparently totally indifferent. Yofiel's eyes narrowed, trying to decide if he was indeed indifferent, or just faking it. Taking Ambrosia by the upper arm, Zacharael led her towards the building's door, leaving the weapons to be gathered up by the last remaining spell-monster; Yofiel scowled and hurried after, annoyed that Zach was treating Ambrosia as if she was his prisoner, not hers.

He'd left Ambrosia her boots.

Ambrosia didn�t argue much against loosing her weapons, in truth the only one she cared enough about was her magnum, which she had already let go of before the search.

�I think you pissed her off a bit,� Ambrosia said stating the obvious as she side glanced Yofiel. She couldn�t help but smile at that fact. �You forgot a gun,� She said jerking her head back slightly, �In the small off my back, it�s a one shot pistol just in the lip of my pants,� She said watching Zach�s face. She had whispered everything to him but kept her eyes straight most of the conversation.

It had taken Ambrosia a few steps to realize Zach had left her boots. She fixed him with a complex look and shook her head knowing damn well he hadn�t forgotten her little kick from last time.

�By the way, nice name.� She said as they hit the door.

"...thank you," Zacharael replied, eyes slightly narrowed sidelong at Ambrosia for the volunteered information of the missed gun. As he delicately retrieved the last weapon (with a very straight face), touching the girl as little as possible, he wondered whether Yofiel had truly missed it or had left it on purpose...

Stopping Ambrosia outside on the sidewalk, her tossed the gun to Yofiel's monster-thing; the poor, stupid creature caught the weapon the wrong way, and there was a bang!, a shriek, and a sort of gloppy, bubbling noise as the thing melted.

Then a short silence, which Zacharael ruined with a small snicker, though he quickly regained his usual composure as Yofiel turned a dagger-sharp glare on him. He raised his eyebrows.

"It's not my fault..." he replied softly. "Your thing just caught it the wrong way. Catch up when you can, okay?" He turned from a clench-fisted Yofiel, who was shaking slightly with barely repressed rage, to re-establish his hold on Ambrosia and drag her forwards into....

((And this is where it may get confusing, because I have to try to describe the transition from Earth to the Other-place...@o'' Bear with me...))

...chaos. There wasn't an up or a down, or a left or a right anymore, each of the directions were mixed up with the others, but you were somehow falling every which way though there didn't seem to be a you to fall anymore. You didn't seem to have a body; to have eyes to realize the lightlessness of this strange transition from one reality to another, to have a head to get disorientated; you were just a personality on the wind, quickly torn to shreds by the raging torrents of an alien and hostile power rocketing around this foreign dimension, and just when you felt that you'd lost all sense of self completely...

There was a hard, stone floor beneath them. Black, it was polished to such a sheen that even the hardiest of boots slipped a little, and the faint light somewhere up the passage reflected eerily up into their faces. They were in a passage of the cold rock, low-ceilinged and narrow, the place almost pitch-dark except for that white light up ahead...

Zacharael was only minimally affected by the passage between the worlds, as he was both experienced and of the kind that was able to travel it; now he waited for Ambrosia to recover from the debilitating transit.

Ambrosia had closed her eyes, but for some reason that helped none. She felt herself being pulled every which way as if invisible claws gripped at her wanting some piece of her. Shouldn�t she be feeling like a Rock star? Wrong she felt much worse then that, almost sick.

When her eyes opened it only got worse, but it didn�t last long for soon everything seemed to settle, so she too could see directly ahead of her, she smiled. It was dark up ahead. She was half tempted to make a snide comment to Zach but bit her tongue snickering a bit. She was surprised she still wasn�t laughing about the mishap with her pistol.

�eh at least it shot something and didn�t go to waste totally,� Ambrosia joked to herself in her mind. She looked down the cross still hanging on at her neck. It wouldn�t have mattered if they had taken it away; it was just a plane empty cross. �Well�� She thought turning her gaze toured Zachs shadowed face.

�What do you think, a walk down a nice dark tunnel, just the two of us eh?� Ambrosia teased winking playfully at him. Ok so she couldn�t help herself. She looked down the tunnel, then back to Zach then down the tunnel again.

�You can let go, I really don�t think I have much of a chance to run anywhere with you right beside me,� she said/asked hoping he would do just that, let her go, because well, she meant what she had said.

Zacharael, looking sidelong in amusement at Ambrosia with one brow raised, merely said affably, "True enough..." and removed his hand from around her arm. Stepping back, behind her a bit, still smiling faintly as if at some secret joke, he waited for her to go first.

He wouldn't be at all surprised if she found some way to get free and cause havoc the minute he turned his back.

Ambrosia did hesistate before finally taking one deep breath and walking forward. Really she had no place to go...she didnt know this place well enough yet. Yet...

"So what exactly is this place called? I always called it the pit, or blood sucker hell," Ambrosia joked walking down the dark hall fully away that he was watching carfully. Or at least she was sure he was.

"Question, why did you leave my boots?" She asked, not totaly sure she should have. But at the moment it didnt seem like anything could get worse. Of course, she's been wrong before.

"I believe the Witch-Queen has decided to name this...city...Korvak." His soft voice drifted forwards to Ambrosia's words, the only sound he made as he followed her. The two entered into a high-ceilinged, but relatively small, room; the place, made of the same black stone and illuminated by a cold, white light on the distant ceiling, was bare of nearly all furniture. The stone wall behind them, seamless and polished to a sheen, was broken only by the small corridor they'd come out of; similar hallways sprouted from the walls to either side. Directly ahead of them was a pair of double doors, unremarkable in size, and only distinguishable from the wall by the thin seam outlining it; there did not appear to be any way to open it. However, there was a rectangular section of the over-used dark rock, emerging just as seamlessly as the whole room, right next to the doors, on the surface of which was carved several runes...

Zacharael wandered over the desk, leaned over it, and said quite casually to the person sitting on the floor behind it instead of on the velvety chair (black, of course), "If you're caught reading that junk, the Queen's going to go ballistic..."

"Zach!" the the person exclaimed happily, leaping up from the floor, letting the book she'd been reading tumble to the ground. Zacharael wasn't quite quick enough to avoid the hug the brown-haired vampiress pulled him into, but at least managed to keep a straight, if slightly surprised, face throughout it. Pulling back, she beamed at Zach, opened her mouth to say something else- ...and noticed Ambrosia. She blinked. Then asked, "Who's this?"

"This is Ambrosia..." Zach replied carefully, inching out of hug-range. He opened his mouth to continue, but the bubbly vampiress leaned forwards with a small gasp, grinning excitedly. Only Zach, lunging forwards to catch her forearms, prevented the rather scatter-brained young woman from accidentally pushing half a dozen of the runes.

"Really?! ...oh, thanks, Zach," she said a moment later, straightening.

�Thanks for answering my boot question,� Ambrosia mumbled under her breath. She watched with really little amusement other then the fact that she hadn�t ever seen a vampire so�life like. �Oh well there�s a firs time for everything� she thought to herself as she crossed her arms and took a few steps into the room. �SO what behind those doors?� She said rather loudly rolling up and down on the balls of her feet seeming somewhat impertinent to get this over with.

"Korvak, of course!" The bubbly vampiress replied cheerfully. "Where'll you be going, Zach? To the Witch-Queen? The Warlord? The prison?" Saying this, the vampiress settled back on her chair, hands hovering over the runes. Zach glanced at Ambrosia, and replied in his usual soft, unreadable tones, "The Queen, I believe..."

"Right y'are, then!" the undead girl swiftly pressed a series of runes, which glowed briefly with the same cold, white light, and the doors slid silently into the walls, revealing a small room, reminiscent of an elevator...

"You'll come find me when you're next free, Zach?" The vampiress suddenly burst out wistfully as Zach escorted Ambrosia into the elevator-thing. His mask slipped a bit, showing a sort of shifty, white-lie expression as he replied untruthfully, "Er, yeah, sure..." Then the doors slid shut, and it was just Ambrosia and Zach again. He stared pensively at the wall opposite the doors they'd entered through as there was no feeling of movement whatsoever. Yet, a few moments later the doors opened onto a hallway, bigger and more well-lit than the previous ones, though still made out of the strange stone...It seemed to intersect with another, even wider, hallway up ahead.

�I guess it wouldn�t be anything new to you if I said how weird this all is?� Ambrosia said stepping out into the hallway. �And you never answered my question Zach,� She said pausing to turn slightly to look him in his red eyes, �Why did you leave me my boots?�

With that said she let him lead the way, she really couldn�t do much now, she had no clue how she had got to this area of this�place she hadn�t even felt like she moved. Oh well, something to wonder about, later.

Zach was silent a moment, his hand back on Ambrosia's shoulder as he guided her down the hallway; he still seemed subtly reluctant to have her at his back.

"...I don't really know," he finally said, with as much expression as if he was commenting on the weather. And in truth, he really didn't; he felt like if he thought about it hard enough for a minute or two, he'd realize why, but at the same time he didn't really want to know, because it'd probably be treasonous...

Turning left into the bigger hallway, in the distance ahead of them were two similar black doors, though these ones had carvings on them, around the edges, and four runes that probably said something about the rooms they led into centered in their polished black expanse. To either side stood two guards, with auras similar to Zach's...

Ambrosia nodded slightly, not really liking the answer but not up for an argument over it. She let he gaze linger here and there, even looked at each carving on the black doors.

�God, I�m in Vampire HELL and no gun power,� She thought to herself letting her eyes linger on the side of Zachs face, �You know, he�s cute when he isn�t trying to kill you Ambrosia,� her mind wonder off then going threw versus thoughts and memories.

She stepped, the foot was unsteady and her knee collapsed with the lack of attention it was given by her thoughts. She gasped and went down on one knee but quickly rising flashing an un-easy smile. A second passed, but it felt to long for her, she almost felt embarrassed.

It wasn�t the fact that she had staggered and fell; it was what she had been thinking about. Her hand moved up to the center of her breasts where a set of dog tags lay under her cloths. A soft sigh escaped her barely parted lips.

Years ago she had been a Latinate 1st class, now she was some freak vampire blood sucking woman. Thing is, she couldn�t remember how the hell she got this way. She growled a bit under her breath the thought had always upset her and made her a bit more then mad. But then she forced her attention ahead, to the two black doors that had suddenly got closer. She hadn�t noticed nor felt the two other auroras until she did this. She had really been in that deep of thought.

�Damnit, that�ll get me killed I just know it'

Zach released Ambrosia's arm, having grabbed it when she stumbled. Turning his questioning gaze off of her face and to the guards, whom they were quite near by now, he announced quietly, "The huntress Ambrosia to see the Queen."

One of the guards, a female, came forward to swiftly search Ambrosia for weapons again; the other guard, a male, looked on impassively, as did Zacharael. Stepping back, the female guard nodded sharply to the other, who turned and placed his palm on one of the great doors, which silently slid into the wall a bit, enough to let the two pass. Guiding Ambrosia past the two soldiers, he followed after her silently.

At the end of the hall they emerged into, a black-hair woman looked up from a small, softly glowing well at the foot of the throne she sat on; the throne, and the room, was all made of the same dark stone, highly polished, although little flecks of silver glittered like stars...

A smile spread over the woman's thin features as she exclaimed, "Zacharael! And who..." A pause, and hint of evil glee entered her expression. "..this is Ambrosia?"

�Hu- huntress?� Ambrosia hissed low a slight tone of surprise slipping in with the matching look. But it didn�t last very long. �Right,� she said rolling her eyes as they entered the room, and when their circular motion was complete they settled on the only other woman in the room. Or so it felt.

�The Queen I take it�?� Ambrosia answered back her face taking on the careless look. She was rather interested in this�meeting. She thought couldn�t help but feel that joking feeling of the aurora this woman gave off, �Damn, spawn from hell,� She thought taking a second look at the woman, �That or the outcome of when a demon and a angel screw, �looks and power, sassy,�

"Well, that's what you are, aren't you?" Zacharael murmured to Ambrosia as they entered, though he did not reply to her second question; his attention was on the Queen.

"Yes..." He replied simply to his creator's question, continuing to guide Ambrosia forwards until they were at the lip of the pool before the throne and its dias. There were images on the water...

The Queen stood up, wandering around the edge of the pool to inspect the huntress. She wore a low-cut black gown, with sleeves that belled out at her elbow. She looked rather victorian, and...well, very vampish. Hair, eyes, gown all black, and pale, pale skin...

Those black eyes slid over Ambrosia's face eagerly, like a collector with a new item. Zach's hand had disappeared, and he stood behind Ambrosia silently.

"...untie the girl, Zach," The Queen said chidingly, stepping back with the subdued glee of one who is about to have fun. Then, to Ambroisa, "What exactly are you, child?"

Zach, still silent, and still behind Ambrosia, did as his Queen bid him.

Ambrosia slipped her hands out in front of her, she was guessing Zach had forgotten that he had untied her when they first arrived here.

�There was no need for bondage,� Ambrosia said flashing a somewhat cleaver smile all six (Four on top, each pair spaced out by one tooth, too smaller ones on bottom) �Well, human would have been my answer years ago,� She replied dropping her hands to her sides, �But to be honest, I don�t know,� She finished shrugging her shoulders.

She had noticed the look from this woman, and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. But she kept a reasonably pleasant smile on her pale skin, the blue on her body, which was almost to noticeable only seemed to be around her hairline, and areas in her muscled body where if there was light shadows would darken, that area.

�But then again you might now what�s going on more then I,� She said moving her hand up in none threatening or as none threatening as she could to her neck. �Here,� She said pulling the two dog tags. One solid tug on the chain and it snapped she held the tags in a loose grasp

On the pair of tags one read, �Ambrosia Miller, Lt. 1st Class� with a few other select information. The second read �S.L.A.Y.E.R, US Military,�

The Queen took the tags, silently, a small smile of curiousity, of the enjoyment of a challenge on her face. Turning them over in her hands for several long moments, she finally spoke.

"They mean nothing to me..." she mused, and sounded almost...pleased. Lifting her head, she held the tags out to Zach. "Take them to Jofiel. Perhaps her spies will have learned of something..."

Taking the metal pieces with a small bow, his face probably at it's most unreadableness, he turned and strode silently back towards the doors, leaving Ambrosia alone with the Queen behind him. The vampiress watched him go with narrowed eyes, as if trying to figure something out...

"You never did say what you were..." she said softly into the silence as the doors closed behind Zacharael. Retreating back around the edge of the well, her eyes wached the images there absently; a shadowy form sneaking down a darkened hall; a pretty secretary with piercing eyes, her face changing suddenly to a perky, but not particularly bright, smile as she greeted someone outside the well's view; another female, bending over a pale man, lips locked onto his throat...

The Queen lifted expectant eyes from the watery images, waiting...

Ambrosia followed the Queens motions listening carefully to each word spoken. Her eyes narrowed as she to snuck a small glance down to the well. Her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

�I honestly don�t know,� She said looking back up to the woman. �Call me whatever you want,� She said her tone taking a slight edge to it. �As you�ve�figured I�m not far different from you. But I do feed on Vampires, though I�m sure you know this already,� Ambrosia stated taking a lengthy glance around the room.

Ambrosia sighed her eyes closing as she soaked in this woman�s aurora once more trying to make the feeling of this woman narrow down to one spot. Ambrosia felt like she was everywhere.

�Damn it,� She whispered opening her eyes blinking a few times. �You have another name besides Queen?� She asked, smiling slightly, �No offence, but I don�t do the whole Queen/King deal�� She said in all seriousness. It was her turn to wait.

The Queen's smile grew slightly wider, amused at the stubborn hint of defiance in Ambrosia.

"I am Nikoran..." she replied, crossing her arms as well. "And if you don't have a name for what you are...then describe yourself to me. You drink my kind's blood? What else can you do? Have you...any idea as to how you were made?"

�Your guess is as good as mine,� She said but decided to give the Queen her thoughts, �Most likely the Military. It would have had to be them I guess, easier at least. I was in the Army before, this�� She said waving her hands over her body.

Ambrosia closed her eyes, she had managed to kill the feeling of this woman�s aurora just a bit, at least she could breath better.

�I don�t know what else I could tell you, honestly�Im stronger then a human, a drink Vampire blood.� She shrugged again letting her eyes linger around the room a second time.

"Hmm...." Nikoran fell into silence, eyes sharp on Ambrosia as if trying to figure out the enigmatic origins of the girl with sight alone. Then she swiftly strode around the edge of the pool, back towards Ambrosia, and clamped one icy hand on the girl's wrist, giving no explanation as she yanked her arm away from her body and pushed the girl's sleeve up to the elbow in one swift movement. Still silent, she inspected Ambrosia's smooth skin, then passed her free hand over the huntress's arm. There was a faint tingle of...something, like electricity...

"The magic that went into you..." The Vampire Queen murmured, almost awed, running her eyes down the patterns only a person experienced with magic could see in Ambrosia's skin.

There was movement in both women's peripheral vision; Zacharael had returned, with his usual quietness. Nikoran either didn't notice him, or ignored him, however.

Ambrosia almost jerked away at the first touch, the cool hand not phasing her much at all. She listened to the Queens whispers; the soft tingle of energy filtering threw her body made her uncomfortable. She turned her head only slightly staring at Zach from the corner of her eye, a blank, somewhat lost expression on her face.

Abruptly, the Queen released Ambrosia, turning to pierce Zach with her dark eyes.

"What kind of magic does she have, Zacharael? How strong is it? I can't quite tell what is her magic and what is the magic of the spells that hold her together..." This last was said almost as if the vampiress was talking to herself, as she wandered around the rim of her pool again, staring blindly through the images that shimmered there. Zach impassively waited for her to stop before replying softly, "I don't know. It is quite strong, though..." He paused, his expression going vaguely anxious as he added something in a different language, the harsh words softened by his quiet tone.

The queen blinked; what Zacharael had just said had her looking thoughtful, and she nodded slowly.

"We'll have her bound, then..." Nikoran said, with the finality of solving a problem. Turning back to Ambrosia again, she sighed slightly, as if now that she'd had her fun, she had some duties, too...

"I don't suppose you'll just voluntarily give us any information you happen to know about the various governments' plans to counteract us? It would be so convenient..." The Witch-Queen didn't look like she was expecting anything...

Ambrosia brought her hands in front of her again lacing her fingers together not really liking the ideal of being bound again.

�I cant even remember the last ten or fifteen years of my life,� She said flat out with no expression on her pale face. �I woke up in a god forsaken lab that had been torn to shit�� She said seeming slightly annoyed.

She whirled around to face Zach eyeing him, she didn�t want to be bound, in no way what so ever. And if he even tried�

�And what the hell is this about magic?!� She asked allowed being at a total loss when the Queen was speaking.

Zach glanced from Ambrosia's demanding glare to the Queen's slightly curious, and rather onminously amiable onlooking.

"Nothing..." he said in that soft voice of his, that one simple word conveying 'It wouldn't really be wise to talk right now...'

"Quite right, nothing to concern you, Ambrosia..." Nikoran added after a moment, a hint of steel in her voice. Turning, she mounted the dias to her throne, resettling herself gracefully on the hard stone. Eyes turned towards the well again, she informed Zacharael with the tone of one used to being obeyed, "Take her away...I will see her again tomorrow, same time. And don't forget..."

Her voice trailed off, her eyes raising briefly to meet Zach's own red ones. Zach bowed slightly, then turned to Ambrosia to escort her out, his face back to its blank unreadableness.

Ambrosia went dead silent then, catching on to his tone and slight change in his expression. She followed really with no complaint no pushing needed. She couldn�t wait to be out of the room now. Why? She hadn�t been afraid of the Queen, maybe it was that the Queen possibly knew something about her she didn�t?

�Damn it to hell,� She thought allowed not catching on that she had spoken. She waited for Zach to take her away, wherever she was going.

The Queen gave out a short laugh, saying with a slightly wolfish smile, "My dear, this is Hell..." as Zach steered Ambrosia back towards the double doors they'd entered through, now silently sliding into the forbidding walls to let the two out of the room. Without talk, or expression, he led her down the wide hallway, then down a different corridor than the one they'd come from. Ambrosia had fallen silent; she had walked with Zach the entire way with her eyes shut. They opened; something had changed in those eyes, a small eagerness, a need for something.

�Sorry,� She whispered to Zach, slowly edging closer toured the wall. She looked up to him, flashed something of a �Ready or not� smile then jerked her entire body against the wall.

Her right boot slid, this forcing the blade to produce from her boot. Her left boot though lifted and instead of kicking it forward she kicked the heel of her boot hard against the wall. There was a solid crack then a fizzing sound. She reversed the kick almost immediately bringing her left boot up high, showing what had cracked; at the end of her heel was a lit flair. Her aim was almost perfect, or would have been for any normal Vampire, she was guessing her chances where much less dealing with Zach. Her foot lifted high more or less toured his shoulder/neck area.

As this happened she had managed to slip her jacket off just enough that with the forward push from the wall it had fallen. What light that was around them caught a small silver chain clasped around her right wrist, a single charm, that of a coffin with a rose on it could be seen as well. It was about half the length of her pinky, and just as thick.

�It might not kill him, but its gotta stun him at least,� She thought, hoping on whatever there was to have hope for that it might work.

That wrist came up the chain attaching the coffin to the chain had lengthened enough for Ambrosia to take the charm between thumb and forefinger. She pressed on it at the head of the coffin a needle produced itself the sides popped out what would look to be metallic jaws. Her aim was that of his lower neck just above his collar bone.

(( The needle when it pierces his skin it will trigger the Napalm (Major Acid to Vampires) under his skin and hopefully into the blood stream. Also the two jaws will clamp shut and send a vert short shock threw them, imagen sticking a fork into a light socket, and downgrade it by a few...its just a short nasty shock... ))

Zach effortlessly caught her ankle, a bit surprised at the flare but not showing it. Instead, carefully keeping her boot turned away from him, he jerked her off her remaining foot, towards him, catching her upper left arm before she tumbled completely to the floor...then cursed and flinched backwards, his hold on her loosening as the little charm's needle bit through his shirt and into his skin.

Ambrosia pulled her hand away almost instantly when the needle went into his skin. She cursed herself having allowed more then half of the injections empty itself into his skin and bloodstream.

She pulled trying to free herself the flair having long died away now. She wasn�t going to kill him, she for some reason didn�t want that.

�Shit..� She whispered dropping the bracelet charm and all to the floor. She moved that hand to her right cartilage finding a small ball earring there. She removed it and broke the ball in half; a small needle could be seen. �Shit shit shit,� She repeated tacking him with the needle.

(( No�she didn�t put in the compelet dose, so it would probably just hurt like a bitch for awhile, but now she just stuck him with something that should help counter act it because she put to much in�.. ))

Zach had stumbled backwards at the burning pain, jaw clenched against screaming. His back meeting the cold wall, he paused, shuddering, then slowly slid down the dark stone to the floor, half-curling into a ball. Blinking at the second prick and the slight relief, he managed to one red eye half-open and stared at Ambrosia's face piercingly, trying to figure out if she was trying to kill him, save him, or something in between...

Ambrosia stood nodding with a grim look on her face. She dropped what was left in her hand and turned down the hallway.

�Now�� She whispered sliding the blade back into her boot. She took a quick envatory check sliding her hand down. �Damn�they sure didn�t miss a thing�� She said keeping her voice low and calm. So far, she had her boot dagger, and a throwing knife. Joy, straight back to melee with a vampire, she winced at the thought glancing around.

Ambrosia closed her eyes trying to get a beat on any near by vampires or�. super-vampires. She hadn�t fed and could feel herself needing it, more like wanting it, but it still was a dangerous need. She looked at Zach, frowned a bit and bent down beside him.

�You�ll survive�but I couldn�t take the risk�of you stopping me,� She said softly into his ear. �You�ve managed to keep me guessing this entire time�I don�t know rather to trust you or not,� She said honestly before standing up. She turned putting her front to the way they had just come from.

Zach's eyes widened slightly in faint surprise, but other than that, he made no move. His eyes closed to narrowed slits as he watched Ambrosia leave; he found he could move a bit, but, due to the lovely huntress's poison, didn't really feel up to much at the moment.

Ah, well. He's catch up to her in a few minutes.

He just hoped she'd last a few minutes...

-------------

Ramiel and Forcas were two of the best icari ((Zach's kind of vampire ^^''')), which was why it was they who got the great duty of guarding the Queen's doors. However, boredom was a constant assailant, and for the last few hours Ramiel had been mind-talking with a friend of hers. Forcas was not much better off, for no one had come by except for Zacharael and Ambrosia for quite a while now, and so his mind had drifted from his constant awareness of auras to vampiress he'd been meeting with for the last few nights...

Ambrosia couldn�t help but feel sorry for what she had done to Zach, she kept telling herself that if she made it she would defiantly go back and help him�with whatever. She slowly slides the throwing dagger from its hiding compartment in the lower part of her inside boot.

She took the time to unscrew the bottom of her right boot allowing her to take out the boot dagger that had helped her on more then a few occasions. She put everything back together on her boot, throwing knife in her left and the spring-loaded dagger in her right.

�Ok,� She said as she huffed begging to move again. She used the point of the throwing dagger to break apart the locks that would keep the dagger attached to the mechanism. She had basically just created a launching dagger.

Ambrosia came to the familiar hallway, and came to see the two large doors that would lead her to the Queen. She closed her eyes and cursed herself. She hadn�t thought about having to open the doors. No matter, she would at least take out the two guards then work on the door.

�One problem at a time Ambrosia..� She told herself slowing her pace to something of a sliding stalk, making it look almost as if she was gliding toured her enemies. She looked up, she couldn�t tell exactly where any real light would be coming from but decided to play a bit. She began maneuvering her throwing knife so it may catch some light trying to settle the light directly on Ramiel. She kept getting closer though. Her plan had to work.

"Yeah, so then I was like, 'Are you going to kiss me or not?' and he-"

Ramiel's friend had to wait for whatever 'he' did next; the guard-icari snapped to attention as something flashed farther back in the hall...and her black eyes almost immediately settled on Ambrosia. Her dark eyes narrowed...

Forcas was rudely awakened from his daydreams by a hard prod in the side by the end of Ramiel's spear. He jumped, then glared at her, before noticing Ambrosia's presence...Blues eyes blinked in surprise, then...disappeared. Forcas had been gifted with invisibility; that could put a serious cramp in Ambrosia's plans...

Ambrosia blinked, cursing again as the second disappeared. She broke into a run taking a chance trying to focus on the invisible ones aurora. Then an ideal popped into her head. She lifted the throwing knife her aim was toured the floor, just a few feet from where the second had been standing before he disappeared. A quick and hard jerk of her hand and the knife went spinning toured its target area on the floor.

Ambrosia went into a roll sliding herself toured the female. When she came to her feet it was in a dead run. She punched out at thin air then pulls the trigger that would launch the dagger. This too was aimed differently more toured the center of the door then any real target.

�Com�on� She said as she was still running directly for the female.

Forcas was fast, like all of his kind; he quite easily jumped over the spinning dagger. However, all icari have their human sides, and he wasn't really expecting the other dagger...

A curse came from blank air as the knife ripped through Forcas's upper arm, and blood dripped out of midair. However, such a wound wouldn't last long, what with his vampiric healing abilities...

Ramiel, meanwhile, was more than ready for Ambrosia. Feet planted firmly into the ground, she held her spear out at the oncoming huntress, a cruel smirk across her face.

"Little fool..." she said quietly, mostly to herself.

Ambrosia smiled at Ramiel as she looked as if she was going to simply impale herself on the spear. Wrong.

�Think fast,� Ambrosia hissed softly as she now knew exactly where the second opponent was. She didn�t have much time. Though.

Ambrosia dropped she had put all her weight into a slide. Her right foot snapped up the bottom of her boot aimed for the spears head. When she slide only a tad bit more she went into a short roll her right hand coming up for the spears shaft her left, know holding what remained of the spring loaded dagger came up chucking the thing at Ramiels face. As she did this she pulled on the spear attempting to disarm Ramiel.

Her stance had come out perfectly, or as perfect as she thought she could get it. Her left foot had ended up right between the female�s legs. Her right leg had landed behind her form a bit, giving her enough room to, if needed knee her opponent.

Ramiel ducked the projectile, thus causing a problem neither of them had forseen; a head-on collision. Ambrosia, as she rolled to her feet, came up right about where the icari's forehead was, and the vampiress stumbled back a step with a curse, surprised; her grasp on her weapon was loose, too, and Ambrosia managed to tug it out of one hand, though not quite the other...

There was a conspicious absence of any attacks from Forcas, which, if Ambrosia had had the time to consider, might have made her think...

Ambrosia hissed her eyes going shut as the world spun for a moment. She staggered back but managed to keep the grip on the spear. She tilted it behind her digging the head into the ground to stop her from falling. She growled pushing herself forward. Her left hand came up gripping the spears shaft adding to the power behind the hard downward swing on her opponent. She hadn�t even thought about her second opponent until she was half way threw the swing. But the momentum from the swing prevented any real stop from happening. She had screwed up her original plans in a MAJOR way.

Ramiel dodged the downcoming spear, having finally relinquished her grasp. However, she now had two wicked-looking dirks in either hand, and it was apparent from the way she used them that she was much more comfortable with them than with the spear...

She took a small, quick step forwards, just enough to get within range of Ambrosia, before slicing at the huntress's neck and stomach with both blades; she was nearly as fast as Zach...

Ambrosia hissed and pivoted keeping her front facing her enemy. She twisted the spear vertically the spears head almost cutting the ground. She continued the spin taking a slight step back as she angled the spears head to, hopefully smash into the lower blade.

She wasn�t quick enough this time, but she was�semi-human and had natural reactions like they did, but a bit more controlled. She jerked her head to the side her shoulder coming up just a tad. She bit her tongue forcing herself not to scream as the blade cut the side of her neck and jaw line. She could feel blood trickling down her neck and chin. But it was slow, and had a yellow tent to it.

She snapped her head back toured her enemy her eyes had gone pitch black, no emotion was given from her.

The spear knocked Ramiel's lower blade awry, and nearly out of her hand, but as she tightened her grip on it she swept her upper blade back in the direction it had come from, hoping to get Ambrosia's eyes. Her own eyes flickered momentarily to a form behind Ambrosia, and a small smile curled her mouth upwards, expecting help in exterminating this pesky creature...

Ambrosia did something many might consider completely suicidal. She smiled right back at the female as she snapped her entire body forward. She twisted the spear continually, her left shoulder going a bit numb as she felt the pummel of the reversed swing slammed into it. She let go with her left hand her right throwing the spear away as she went for a more personal approach. Her left hand snapped up her fingers going for her wrist. Her right went down, aimed for her second weapon-wielding arm. She did this almost simultaneously. But her true intention was when she snapped her forehead at her opponents nose, attempting to break it.

Ambrosia missed bashing in Ramiel's pretty face by very little. The vampiress turned her head aside at the last minute, and Ambrosia's head-blow smashed into the guard's cheek, just below the eye and right next to the intended target.

The dirk-wielding upper hand of Ramiel was easily captured, though things went wrong with the second hand as Ramiel dropped her knife, opening her hand so that the two women's fingers became entangled, and quickly arched her wrist, forcing the back of Ambrosia's hand back towards her forearm.

Quickly spinning her remaining dirk in her fingers, she would've sunk the tip into Ambrosia's arm in an effort to make the girl let go, if Zach had not reached from behind Ambrosia to lightly snatch it from Ramiel's fingers.

It took Ramiel a second or two to realize that Zacharael wasn't actually going to help her, but by then it was too late; he'd already buried her own weapon in her heart...

Zacharael was silent for a few moments while Ramiel silently slumped to the floor, eyeing Ambrosia shrewdly; both waiting to see what her reaction was to his sudden arrival and probably unexpected help, and trying to hide the anxious exasperation he felt for her at her rather rash moves, and amusement at the fact that she was always a surprise...

Then he sighed, closing his eyes as he ran his hands distractedly through his hair and said with a note of pleading, "Please tell me you have a plan..."

Ambrosia for a moment held onto the dead guard, slowly she let go and pushed her just a tad bit forcing the body backwards. She closed her eyes, her orbs, unknowing to even her had soaked themselves in blackness, she was hungry. She bit her lower lip, chewing on it as she soaked in this new, arrival. Slowly she turned to face Zach.

�Eh�Hi there,� She said nervously her eyes opening just slightly as she lifted her head to look at him. She tried to force a smile, but the pain in her face showed threw. �I�m�sorry,� She said, her voice almost cracked. Why did she care so damn much? She swallowed hard taking a deep calming breath. �No,� She huffed as she looked toured the doors. �Give me a second ok?� She said as she moved around him.

She slowly moved around the hall collecting her original weaponry. She huffed as she slide the dagger back into its newly created launching machine, there was no hope in fixing the locking mechanism, it was stuck as a launch able weapon.

�God I hate this,� She said to herself as she scooped up the throwing knife. �I would feel a bit safer if I had my guns with me, or was able to get to my van,� She said more to herself then to Zach. �I, Damn it I�m so lost!� She screamed leaning hard against a wall.

Slowly she slid down it coming into a sitting position her knees about half way to her chest. She banged her head on the wall once and sighed closing her eyes.

�I don�t know what to do Zach, I don�t know,� She said seeming to have lost her bearings on her emotions, �Look, I�m sorry for back there, I�just didn�t know if well, you would stop me�Guess I was wrong, again,� She said softly. �This whole week has been fucked up�.� She said into her hands as she brought them to cover her face.

Zach's face went from blankly surprised at Ambrosia's apology, to slightly sympathetically surprised as she continued on to rant about the current state of her life. For the first few moments, he merely watched her, not entirely sure what to do...then, as she slumped to the floor, he took a few silent, hesitant steps towards her. Crouching next to her, he was already smoothing a wisp of hair back from her face before he'd even realized he'd reached out.

"Ambrosia..." He said softly, soothingly; for some reason, he didn't like her being so upset..."I can get you your weapons. I can get you out of here. But whatever we do, we need to do it fast..."

Ambrosia went silent for a moment, his touch surprising her just a tad bit, but the odd since of comfort he gave off soothed her more then anything he could have ever said. She slowly removed her hands from her face, the word �Fast� not yet settled into her brain.

�Then we shou-� She paused her face a bit blank of expression as she seemed to notice how close she was to him, or more how close she had been leaning into him. �Be�going then� She stammered looking away a tad bit of color coming into those pale almost white cheeks. She stood slowly taking his hand to lift him up as well. The entire time, staring at him, in almost a weird sort of�aw state, surprised but pleased�possibly happy.

Give or take the fact that he stood with her or not she began to move retracting her hand from his as she scooped up one of the spears. She waited only a few moments before taking the first steps away, yet again from the large black doors.

�Eh, at least we left one hell of a farewell present..� She said looking back toured the female�s dead corps. She felt the back of her throat itch. �I need to feed,� she whispered.

Zach was just about as 'suprised but pleased' at Ambrosia's unintentional leaning as Ambrosia was when she realized what she'd been doing. But, really, Zach didn't mind...He let Ambrosia help him back to his feet, let her pull her hand away, though he didn't really want to let go...

Hearing her whisper, he decided to pretend that he hadn't heard it; he wasn't sure he could help with that, being a different sort of vampire than the usual kind. He could, however, feel the approaching presence of someone...

"Come on..." he said, only a bit of his urgency leaking into his voice, as he started jogging towards the nearest hallway, and the elevator it ended with, skirting the body of the guard he'd killed with one of his knives. The knife was gone, of course; cleaned and back in its hiding place somewhere on his person...

Ambrosia nodded biting her lower lip softly as they began to jog down the hallway. She caught up to him without much problem.

�Eh, I�m still�sorry,� She whispered to him keeping her eyes straight ahead.

Zach glanced at Ambrosia as he came to a stop before the doors, swiftly laying a hand flat on its cold surface; it slid to either side, letting the two step in.

"Why? I do not blame you for what you did..." he replied, quiet as always. "I'm not angry."

Again, nothing seemed to move, and yet the doorway slid open onto...what looked to be the exact same hallway, except the corridor it connected to just might have been a little smaller and less well lit than the one in front of the Queen's throne room. Zach stepped out of the elevator.

Ambrosia, at first did not know what to say back to that. Till that second she had been well, scattered brained. The thought of needing to eat, and needing to get out, and feeling bad, and just�everything on top of it all, but she did smile, as he said he wasn�t angry with her.

�That�s good�� She whispered more to herself, kind of in a re-assuring tone. As they entered the new hallway she looked over to Zach, her eyes a pure black color. �Zach I need to feed,� She said this in an almost urgent tone. �I would have back there, but I wasn�t sure if well, its safe to drink your kind of blood,� She commented in an all to serious tone.

Ambrosia closed her eyes, and swallowed rather hard, her throat feeling dry. Something sparked her memory,

�She needs more blood� �Doctor Florence�she�s going into shock,� �More blood damn it!� �We�re losing her..� �Everyone out�just� get out..�

The picture of a man leaning over her filled her mind, a grim look plastered over his pale looking face, dark bags hung under his eyes. �You�re just going to have to make it out on your own,� he said, his voice was hallow, and surreal. His shoulder jerked, and then he faded away. The last thing she remembered was a scream.

Ambrosia hissed and grabbed Zach shoulder to support her as her vision had gone out for that split second.

�Shit,� She growled her voice course and the word coming from a pushed out huff of air. She straightened and began the quick walk/jog again. She bit her lip, shooting a side-glance. She would explain, later.

Surprised, Zach's hands came up to support Ambrosia as she stumbled with hardly a thought, though he let go as she pushed herself back upright. As she started forwards again, he reached out and caught her hands, pulling her to a stop.

"Wait," he said, explaining. "From here on, I can, er, teleport-" He'd had to search a bit for a word approximating the strange shifting between worlds, and even shifting between spaces in the vampire kingdom. "-you back to Earth; you can start your hunting while I come back for your weapons."

He refrained from phrasing his idea as a question ('If I drop you off back at Earth, will you be okay?') because he knew it was a surefire way of getting a probably rather defensive 'of course!'. And he wanted the truth, not some answer prompted by her hunter's pride and independence...

Ambrosia gave a stiff nod chewing on her bottom lip as she stared at him. She slunk back from his grasp just a bit.

�How safe is it out there..?� She asked looking up a bit of worry on her face. �And-� She cut herself short, snorting as she shook her head. �You�ll fine me easily enough,� She commented.

Ambrosia couldn�t help but stare at him, something� about him had caught her fancy, and she couldn�t place what it was. The, without much thought, or warning she hugged him kissing him lightly on the cheek before pulling away. She smiled sheepishly taking in a deep breath.

�Well then, teleport away�� She huffed out trying not to look nerves about being alone, weaker then normal, and worried about Zach. �And, thanks� She whispered smiling just a bit more.

"It should be safe enough...I'll take you to where no raids are planned for tonight. Besides, any vampire you meet won't be expecting you to bite him," Zach replied soothingly, hoping he was right; not that many regular vampires actually knew about Ambrosia, except for Jesse ((the bubbly door-keeper, had to give her a name ^^'')).

Zach did not reply to her second comment, merely smiling a bit smugly in agreement. His smugness was gone, however, a moment later, evaporated into surprise as Ambrosia suddenly hugged him, and he felt the light brush of her lips across his cheek. He stared at her, still too surprised to react, as she pulled back, though her voice as she told him, "Well then, teleport away..." managed to pull him back to Earth...er, reality. Well, wherever they were.

"Er, right, uh...you're welcome," he replied, for once not smoothly charming. He still looked a little dazed. But, he gently took her hand, and pulled her forwards a few steps into...the confusing darkness, the chaotic void between realities; they weren't there very long, however, and suddenly rough pavement was beneath their feet instead of the dark, polished stone, and stars shone in a distant night sky. Around them could be felt the auras of sleeping mortals...

"Down that way are some bars; you should be able to find a vampire or two lurking around them..." Zach said softly, pointing down the street; distant noise attested to his statement. Then his pointing hand was suddenly on her face, gently tilting her chin upwards, his red eyes not blank and unreadable, but clear and soft with a heart-pounding emotion...

"Happy hunting, Ambrosia..." he said softly, smiling, as his thumb drifted lightly down her jaw; leaning down, he gently pressed his lips to hers, then stepped back and was gone, finally releasing the other hand he had never actually let go of...

Ambrosia blinked, she stood, frozen in place. For only a moment ago she could have sworn he had kissed her�Ambrosia looked to where he once was standing, and realized that what she had just been subjected to was no fantasy, but real.

She felt her cheeks go warm and she rubbed them lightly knowing somewhere in the back of her head that if she could truly blush this would be one of those times. Her spirits had lifted with just that simple, affectionate action from Zach.

�And keep safe�Zach,� She whispered into the air as she touched her lips lightly the soft sensation of his lips on hers still slightly remaining. She turned on her heels heading in the direction he had pointed to. She was about to make a public display of Vampires.

--

It only took Ambrosia a few minutes to locate one of the bars, let alone a few Vampires. She entered the smell of smoke and sound of voices wafting over her. She looked at the wall; it was almost one in the morning.

She ignored the stairs, and light gasp that came from other woman in the bar. Her eyes where set on a table. Three men sat there each eyeing her with an almost knowing glair. She approached though slowly, unthreatening to the�vampires.

�Hello boys,� She purred low as she gripped the edge of the table turning her arms where her elbows faced out. �It�s a wonderful night out,� She said leaning forward a tad more, �But I�ve here uptown its being a bit more crazy, I couldn�t get one of you fine gentlemen to walk me a bit up the street could eye?� She asked hoping this would work as she looked between the three. The center one looked flush, apparently he had just fed, the other the seemed paler.

�Sure, I�ll take you,� Said the center one to her surprise. Each one of them looked between each other smirking. Ambrosia acted as if she didn�t see a thing. She smiled and stood straight as the Vampire stood, she took her arm and placed it around his as they walked out.

��they�ll do anything for food,� Ambrosia thought to herself looking at the still slightly grinning Vampire. �I�ve been hearing of people disappearing over night, I�ve been drinking a little, and no one at the other bar a crossed the street was willing to walk, of course, most lesbians don�t go for chicks like me,� She said as if finding this totally normal. She felt the other two vampires skidding along the alleyway. After a few minutes she tug for him to move down an alley. �Short cut, I live just on the other side of the alley,� Ambrosia said smiling up at him.

�Ill just wal-� Ambrosia didn�t let him finish as she maneuvered him into a headlock first by dislocating his shoulder then snapping his neck. She let him drop paralyzed for only a few moments.

The other two jolted down the alley, she smiled and kicked their downed friend with the toe of her boot. Her arm were crossed, unknown to them each hand carried a weapon. They bolted into a run, but one fell short as the throwing knife met his left eye. The third made a smart move and escaped threw a side door. Ambrosia wasn�t going to case him.

She left the alley fed, each hand stuffing into coat pockets as the air went chill. She began walking back toured the area where Zach had dropped her off. She would wait for him there.

The slightest brush of cold air was the most warning Ambrosia got before Zach appeared a few steps behind her, carrying a jumble of weapons in what appeared to be a pillowcase. He'd been in a hurry. Falling into step beside the now-fed huntress as if he hadn't just crossed a frighteningly disorienting rip in reality, he said by way of a greeting:

"Good grief. How do you manage to hide all this metal? This has got to weigh nearly as much as you do..." He offered her the linen sack, laughter glinting in his strange eyes.

�It do�s,� She commented taking the bag. With an almost graceful practiced action she began replacing all her various weapons, daggers, guns, smoke bombs, and the like. Within less then five minutes she had replaced all but her boot dagger, which, if she could get back to her van she could easily fix. �Thank you,� She said smiling at him.

She paused; her eyes stuck on his once more, the memory of the soft kiss flickering threw her mind, causing her to freeze. It felt so surreal still, and yet she knew it had happened. She cleared her throat, knocking herself back into reality.

�I need to get to my van,� She said each hand sort of doing circle around the other. She was nerves? �But that means we need to go back to where, that bitch of a woman caught me,� She stated having forgotten the woman�s name.

Ambrosia moved closer to Zach waiting for what he was going to say/suggest/do. She had nothing else to do, and being close to him made her more confortable.

Zach looked down as Ambrosia moved closer, at her twisting hands; smiling a bit, he reached out and caught them in his own, stilling their movements.

"Well, as you know, I can take you my way, which is short but rather uncomfortable, or we can walk." A pause.

"...if we're walking, I hope you know the way there; I haven't a clue where we are right now," Zach admitted, with that sort of oops-smile expression often seen accompanied by a sweatdrop in anime shows.

Ambrosia looked at his hands, slowly she maneuvered one out, the other took his each finger lacing over his hand. She smiled up at him and pulled herself close to him.

�Neither do I,� She said giving a soft tug on his shirt as an indicator to go right ahead with the teleportation stuff. �If you can, try to put us a mile west of the building that you found me in,� She said closing her eyes.

Zach couldn't resist. When her eyes closed, he swiftly leaned down and kissed her again, before taking a step backwards into the chaotic place between realities, pulling her after him...and into his arms when they emerged on the edge of a street roughly where Ambrosia had asked him to take her; one arm had snaked around her waist, his other hand still entangled with hers.

To the east, the sky seemed just a tiny bit lighter along the horizon...

Ambrosia didn�t really resist the kiss; she actually pushed herself into it a bit. It took from when they kissed to when they arrived for her to take her bearings. She looked up, her other arm had managed to wrap around his waist as well. She smiled a bit.

�I always enjoyed that site,� She whispered more to herself as she noticed the lightness that had begun to take place in the eastern sky. She could feel the stir of humans around her and Zach, a few where already out and about, possibly normal in this area, somewhat untouched by the darkness the Vampires had begun to throw of the world. �There,� She pointed to a plain white van, the only thing that was different was the large spider emblem on the hood each leg curling up chains dangling from them.

She unwrapped herself from Zach and headed toured the van, when she got there she opened the back door. Then something caught her attention.

Ambrosia spun, to solid clicking sound where heard as the hammer on her magnum was pulled back, and that of another gun did the same, although she didn�t hold the other gun.

The man stood just an inch or so taller then she, he was much bigger, looking to be a natural born bouncer, minus the enormous height. Brown hair was cut short and cumboed neatly, blue eyes with a stone carved face. He whore a leather jacket with no sleeves and a old t-shirt with more then a few wholes in it, blue jeans and boots.

�Justin, didn�t we go threw this just a few weeks ago?� Ambrosia said/asked sarcastically rolling her eyes at the man, �Or do I need to kick your ass again?� She asked/threatened.

�Eh! I�m not �ere for you freak,� He growled in relpie oddly enough able to keep his gun steady on her face. �And plus I �rout a few friends,� As said with a smile the sound of guns being cocked echoed in her ears.

She shot a glance side to side, a man on each side, one holding a shotgun (left) and the other a hunting rifle (right)

� Oh don�t worry, we got your friend �overed to,� Justin stated with a sly grin. �Where is Gegor?

�Dead�

�Dead?! �hen I guess that means you �ave the money?� Justin snapped pushing the gun forward.

�No Justin, I don�t. Now get your gun out of my face before I brake your trigger finger,� Ambrosia said casually keeping her gun level to his heart.

�You threatening me freak?�

"Yes"

"Do you 'ven know wh-" He begun

"Have It your way." Ambrosia interupted. She dropped her magnum the already outstretched hand grapping Justin�s gun wielding arm. She pulled him forward her right hand reached back slamming open one of the two back doors on the Van. She twisted Justin�s arm and brought him before the open door right as his own man shot, the bullet easily penetrating the door striking home in Justin�s back. At the same time Ambrosia took Justin�s gun and shot under her arm, the solid thud and obvious miss of the shotgun was more then enough to tell her she had taken the man out. She looked toured Justin, dead. Dropping him now only had to worry about the man with the Rifle�but what about Zach?

--

Three men had circled him; a fourth had remained besides a building a rather nice hunting rifle aimed toured his heart. The others carried rifles as well, only one had a shotgun. They must have known that he was bad news, because even ambrosia didn�t get this treatment�

"Friends of yours?" The casual voice, with its hint of sarcastic drawl, could only be Zach's; he hadn't waited for all the men to train their guns on him, he'd taken that essential step forwards and out of reality...right into the van, a few feet behind Ambrosia.

Getting into the car had been tricky; it'd required a lot of precision, and he'd nearly tried to re-enter reality right where the driver's seat was...

Ambrosia snorted mindlessly pulling open a drawer on one of the few small tables in the van.

�Something like that,� She said pulling out a set of keys, �You know how to drive?� She asked tossing the keys at him as she closed the back door.

Ambrosia went to her knees reaching under a second table on the oppiset side, she smiled and pulled down, there was a odd popping sound then all of a sudden what seemed to be black plates slid over each window, the front being left only the slightest of holes so the driver could see.

Zach caught the keys awkwardly, looking a little sheepish as he said, "Er, no, actually I can't drive..."

He held the keys back out to Ambrosia, feeling like a failure. If'n he ever got out of this...with Ambrosia...learning to drive was definitely gonna be on his to-do list. Now that he thought of it, it was probably a useful skill...

Ambrosia sighed but couldn�t help but laugh a bit. She could have guessed he didn�t know, but it was worth a try. She took the keys with a smile and brushed past him as she sat herself into the drivers seat. The car started with a simple turn of the key.

�Hold on,� She suggested as she hit the gas the tires sliding for a moment before catching. Even for a van it was fast.

Soon the bullets stopped strafing after them, and things got quite once again, nothing but the sound of the engine. Ambrosia cleared her throat, kind of at a loss for words.

�Sorry �bout that,� She said softly keeping her eyes straight.

"Not a problem..." Zach replied airily from his place on the floor; he hadn't gotten to the passenger's seat quick enough when Ambrosia started the car, and had decided, as they barreled down twisting seats, that it probably wasn't worth the effort to get up. Now, carefully sitting up, he looked up at Ambrosia, then said with a touch of regret:

"...I have to be going about now." The streets outside were a bit brighter; dawn was definitely on its way. "Will those men come after you? Do you need someplace to hide for the day?"

Ambrosia snorted and shook her head, she could also feel the coming daylight, and hated it. She pulled over stopping the car and twisting in her seat, the rumble of the engine still heard, but for her it had become nothing but a background noise.

�Their done chasing me, hell I�ll bet anything they don�t even know why they where shooting, or who at that matter,� She said flashing a warm smile, �I have a place I can stay, but are you sure your going to be alright? I mean, wouldn�t that bitch-� She stopped her face going a bit straight, �pardon my French,� She said lightly not sure how kindly Zach would take her less then reasonable language.

Ambrosia finally turned twisted the keys and removed them, killing the engine. She slide out of her seat joining him in the back, she came into a short of sitting/crouching position before him. Each hand came to rest lightly on each one of his cheeks, and she gave a slight pull as she moved forward placing her lips to his once again.

�Thanks, again� She whispered pulling back just barely resting her forehead to his. �do be careful, if that Queen knew you helped me, well, I couldn�t fathom what she would do, and I�ve only met her for ten minutes,� She said with a soft chuckle trying to lighten of the thought. �But again, I�ll be fine, I�m going to leave the Van here, we can meet here, and if anything goes wrong�try and find me, or tell me, something, anything�� She said/asked/pleaded all at once, she couldn�t lie, she was worried�but why?

She had in truth only met Zach twice, and the first time had to be the oddest if anything. There was some weird, pull of attraction he gave off to her, something she hadn�t ever really felt. Guess going from hard core Military woman, to freak blood-sucking experiment must have changed more then her looks and appetite.

Zach said nothing about her curse, just watched her sidelong in amusement as she stopped suddenly. He decided not to let her in what the Queen might do to him; it would only worry her further.

"I'll be fine," Zach reassured her as she came to crouch before him, more than willingly leaning forwards into her kiss; his hands lifted from the van's floor to her waist, then slid down to her hips, where they stayed. "I'll do my best to come back tonight, but I may not be able to make it; expect me the next night, and if I don't manage to somewho contact you, then start worrying..."

Getting to his feet, he pulled Ambrosia up with him, then impulsively swept her forwards into a tight embrace, for a moment just enjoying the feeling of her warm, lithe body next to his before loosening his hold on her slightly, just enough to kiss her. Then he finally released her, sliding his hands from her back to her upper arms, reluctant to lose contact entirely as he said, "Tomorrow, Ambrosia..." and stepped backwards and disappeared...

...thinking the very same thing she was wondering; how on earth did two people fall in love in two days? It was unreal...

Ambroisa sighed, moving back to the vans floor. Her eyes closed as she felt the coming daylight, she could be out in it, the effect though were much like that of sun on a normal Vampire, just a lot less savvier.

When her eyes opened a light ray of son had begun to shine threw the whole made by the rifle that had been shot for her, but hit someone else. She sighed, apparently she had somehow drifted off into her own little world. Time to get back to reality, damn it.

--

Her finger pressed lightly against the white button, the sounds of chimes echoed threw the halls of the rather large house. Shortly the door itself pride open, a little girl about nine years old looked up.

�Aunt Millar!� The girl squealed throwing the door open and flinging herself at Ambrosia, �Where have you been missy!� The little girl demanded crossing her arms as Ambrosia lifted her up.

�To far from home,� Ambrosia replied walking into the house and closing the door easily with her foot. �Where�s your mother Corry?� She asked

�Right here,� Came the unexpected response, the tiny little voice seeming too loud for how lithe it sounded. �About time you paid us a visit,� She commented moving out in the open. She wore a soft blue dress cutting just above her ankles, a apron with orange and purple and yellow ducks draped over her arm, she was wearing one with different colored flowers. �Just in time to help cook lunch,� She said holding out the apron.

--

Lunch came and went, Corry bounced for attention but soon her mother sent her to her room to play.

�Mommy and Aunt Millar need to have some time alone,� She explained, the pure disappointment on the child�s face shown without little regret to the actions she would receive for it. �Now none of that, get go�n,� Aurora pushed. Corry listened the second time.

�What�s going on�?� Ambrosia asked as she sat down at the small table the apron having long been removed, her sister sat next to her giving her one of those �I know your hiding something� Looks. Ambrosia didn�t catch it though.

�Why are you here? Its been two years,� She huffed placing a hand on Ambrosia�s knee.

�Just�for a visit? Do I ne-�

�You�re not just here for a visit, I�m not stupid Ambrosia, I�m your older sister,� Aurora cut in sharply raising her brow in a �now spill� way.

�Their getting closer to home,� Ambrosia sighed looking down at the table and at her sisters hand. �And this time, things are worse,� Ambrosia started, she went into explaining everything, about the Queen, about Zach, all the way to her first step on her sisters front porch.

�I�don�t know what exactly to say,� She said patting Ambrosia lightly.

�Nothing,� Ambrosia said going silent. Years ago she had come to see her sister, show her the new and improved, her. They had freaked, but with them even little Corry had gotten used to it, but her husband Danny McCoy was still edgy around her. She couldn�t blame him, slightly blue skin, green hair, fangs; she was a walking gothic freak show by all means.

Ambrosia was invited to stay for dinner, and if needed stay the night, she accepted but told her sister that by nightfall she would be gone, if not for good then just a couple hours. She fully expected Zach to keep his word on tomorrow, but if by chance he got there tonight she wanted to be there.

Zach did not show up that night, nor did he leave any sort of message; but, then again, he had told Ambrosia to expect this.

On a side note, the number of vampires out and about that night were unusually low...

Ambrosia shifted in her bed, the uneasy feeling that she should be out, fixing the world by riding it of the vampires the poisoned it bothered her greatly. But she had no intention on going out this night. For something bothered her much more.

She shifted again laying flat on her back, each eye slowly peeled open to stair upwards. Even in the dark the roof could easily be made out, its color white, or more of an off white. She ran her tongue over the back of her teeth, her mind trying to grasp what was wrong. But nothing came to her.

There was a soft nock on the door, then without her answering it slowly opened, Corry�s little head poked in.

�Aunt Millar?� She whispered moving in a bit more. �Aunt Millar are you awake?� She asked her voice raising just slightly as she crept closer to the bed.

�I�m up babe, what�s the matter?� Ambrosia asked lifting herself leaning on her elbows.

�There�s a monster downstairs, I saw it, I pr-� Corry began but Ambrosia was already up and in front of her placing a soft finger to her lips.

�A monster you say,� Ambrosia whispered smiling lightly as she began to settle herself allowing her natural ability to feel others aurora�s kick in. �Just stay here babe, I�ll go get your mother,� Ambrosia started to leave, but stopped �Is you�re dad home?�

�No, he�s on some trip,� Corry replied with little hesitation though something seemed to catch her attention, for her eyes widened slightly and she bit her lower lip quickly turning away.

Just as that happened Ambrosia felt it, whatever it was next to her, then she felt it hit her, which was much worse. Ambrosia went rolling back into the room but caught herself halfway to the bed flingering herself toured Corry. She rolled with the child just as the black figure blurred to the stop.

�Corry close your eyes and plug your ears,� She whispered as she angled herself toured her coat. �I want you to scream as loud as you can ok,� Ambrosia received a quick jerk of the child�s head and knew that�s all she had to say.

Ambrosia turned around, the thing was huge and almost dog like, metal plates coursed down its spine and over its joints, its fur looked to be almost like greasy fire waving and flipping about. It hunted hind legs bending as if to pounce a second time its to fronts dug hard into the carpet as its muzzle like mouth peeled open yellow rows of teeth catching the hallway light.

�Oh please,� She whispered as Corry began to scream, no doubt with quite a bit of motivation from the creator.

It sprung, and Ambrosia went forward catching it by its lower jaw, her other hand placed flat on what she considered to be its upper chest area. She twisted her body using her inhuman strength to toss the creator toured the door. It worked, better then she thought it would. The creator hit the door, and shattered it rolling slightly into the hallway.

But Ambrosia was already on top of it, wrestling with it attempting to angle it toured her sisters bedroom. But there was no need too. There was a solid click, then a loud BOOM. As her sister unloaded a shell into the back of the creator�s head, luck had it that only its front was covered by metal, but not the back of its head.

It hit the ground, sizzled then melted away as if it was never there. Ambrosia grimaced and looked up at her older sister, who gave a shaky smile and went to collect her child.

�I�m sorry,� Ambrosia said slipping into the room and toured her stuff. �It�s no where near safe for me to be here, no doubt that woman has someone looking after me,� She commented speaking of the woman who had once caught her not to long ago. �Look, I�m going to go�I�m sure it�ll be safe after I leave,�

Aurora looked at her sister, just as she was about to leave the room, now fully cloth. She smiled again and nodded knowing her sister had truly not meant to bring any harm to her family. But even so Aurora knew it was a risk, and she was willing to take it.

�Lucky me you had those gun lessons eh?� Ambrosia commented as she stepped threw the door. �Be safe,� She said, and without even allowing her own family to say anything, such as good-bye she was gone.

--

Ambrosia stepped outside, the crisp air nothing new to her at four in the morning. She began a somewhat odd run/walk toured her van, there was no way she was going to be unprepared, if that woman, for she couldn�t remember her name, was to show up.

-------- Zach... -------

Zach wearily opened the door to his chambers, one hand rubbing his face tiredly; it was nearly dawn now, and it had been a long night. The furor resulting in the death of the Queen's guards and Ambrosia's escape had hardly died down; he was pretty sure it would continue all throughout the day, and into the next night, too. At least he was pretty sure no one suspected him of actually helping her...But it would probably be best for him to lie low for a while, which meant he probably shouldn't go topside tomorrow night, either.

Damn.

How was he supposed to find someone to go in his stead, with all the craziness right now? Maybe if he'd given the problem a little more thought, he wouldn't have promised to contact her tomorrow night, and given himself a little more time...

Still, he somehow didn't really regret it.

There was a soft knock on his door. Turning, a bit curious but mostly wary that it was the Queen's guards, come to seize him at last, he called out to the person on the other side of it, "Come in."

Of course, the Queen's guards probably wouldn't be so polite to knock first... He thought wryly to himself as...Jesse, the bubbly vampire from the desk slipped in and closed the door behind her. The two stared at each other for a long moment, Zach totally confused and clueless, Jesse apprehensive. Then:

"I know you helped Ambrosia escape."

Another pause, though this one was tiny, just enough for Zach to overcome his surprise and leap at Jesse, a dagger suddenly in his hand, it's cold tip resting above her heart. Jesse flinched and bit back a scream, closing her eyes against Zach's hard stare she quickly spoke.

"I want to help you." The words tumbled out of her mouth, shaky with fear and an unexplainable sadness that suddenly welled up in her, choking her throat with pain. She pushed it aside to be examined later.

Zach stared at her, possibly even more confounded than he had been when she first came in. Silence fell again.

"...Zach?" Jesse said after a moment, voice strained. "Could you possibly...remove the knife?"

Zach glanced at the dagger he still held poised to pierce her still heart, as if just realizing it was still there, before quickly stepping back and flicking it back into its hiding place with a slightly embarassed, but mostly puzzled and still a bit wary, look.

"How...why..." He stammered incoherently, trying to articulate the surprise and confusion and general stress he was feeling right now, and failing. Jesse didn't really blame him. She took a deep breath, pushing herself away from the door she'd been shoved up against, and began to explain...

------- Ambrosia... ------

Ambrosia had reached her van, and log ago started down the road, toured where she had first encountered Zach. That was the only place she could think of, even remotely having a chance of figuring things out and keeping those close to her safe�And Zach was quickly becoming one of those close people.

That thought sent Ambrosia�s mind into a whirl of memories, from the first rain caste day, to the dawn departure of Zach in the back of her van.

Something flashed at the corner of Ambrosia�s eye, and by the time it caught her full attention she had no time to truly react. Her front tire went flat and the van fishtailed the feel of a push forcing her to believe something was aiding it in the now uncontrollable spin. The van clipped a fallen streetlamp that was in no way truly supposed to be there.

She jerked the wheel, but it only made it worse, for the van jumped onto two wheels then soon flipped. The sheer speed and momentum of the vehicle sent the van into more then just a few rolls and slides coming to a solid stop when the front of the van connected with the side of a building.

Ambrosia opened her eyes, the world before her vibrated; nothing was in focus for her. Her seatbelt had twisted and caught her left wrist, having broken the bone within the second or third roll of the Van. And her right leg was caught between two different things, what she could only guess. But soon she was able to untangle herself, the shattered window allowing her to easily crawl from the practically destroyed vehicle. Lucky her, she was still alive.

�So not my night,� She said in a soft shaky voice. She leaned against the rear side of the car, and slowly felt herself slip to the ground. Something moved not to far away, possibly a crossed the street. But she couldn�t see it any longer, she had slipped into unconsciousness by then, cradling a broken wrist, and what felt to be a shattered ankle, though both her quick on the mend.

Jesse shivered in the cool night air, peering around a street corner at the vampire who was nonchalantly crossing the street to check on Ambrosia; after all, the Queen wanted her alive, not dead.

Jesse couldn't believe she was about to do this; she could only assume that Zach had assumed that none of the Queen's special forces would have been able to find Ambrosia so quickly when he had asked her to check up on the little ex-human for him. Zach knew Jesse wasn't a strong vampire...

For a moment, as she was slinking closer through the shadows, Jesse was tempted to let the unknown assassin take Ambrosia; then maybe she could win Zach's heart...

But a moment later she realized that Zach would end up trying to rescue Ambrosia, in the middle of the Queen's dungeons, and that things would only get even more screwed up. She drew her dirk, trying to keep her hands from shaking, as she waited in the shadow of the overturned van for the best moment to kill the Queen's hench-vamp.

�Let�s try and wake her now,� Echoed a soft voice, female by the sound.

�No, it�s to soon, she wont be able to last very long,� Came a bit of a rushed reply, the voice, male, sounded scared, and slightly worried.

�It�s been six months, it�s time she woke up,� Argued the woman.

�Bu-� began the man.

�Come now Ambrosia, up and at um,� Cut in the female.

Ambrosia�s body shifted, twitched at the unknown voices that burned in her head. Everything was black still, she couldn�t see anything, but then she felt a brush, a misplaced hand possibly. Though, in no way did it feel real.

�Ambrosia, good-� began the female

Ambrosia came up her back no longer resting against the van. Instantly she saw the incoming vampire, and instinctively she went into action. Her hand, that was still working reached for her boot drawing a simple one-shot handgun. But she held that shot.

She came to her feet, and then went directly into a roll. She veered off to the right and slide to a stop on her knees coming behind a toppled male box. Leveling the gun within only moments of this she took a rather well placed shot at the vampire�s skull. She though, was entirely oblivious to Jesse�s lurking form.

�your awake,� the voice finished, sounding louder then the gunshot in her ears.

Jesse blinked, pausing in the shadows across the street; yes, this was definitely a huntress...

Suddenly, she was more afraid of Ambrosia than she was of the assassin and the Queen's retribution. After all, the assassin was dead and the Queen wasn't here right now, and Ambrosia was definitely in auto mode. That didn't bode well for Jesse; she somehow didn't think that Ambrosia could differentiate between 'friendly' and 'unfriendly' right now...

Hesitating a moment to think, Jesse changed plans, and slid quietly up onto a porch and behind a bit flowerpot the building's residents were growing some nameless plants in. This way she had at least three inches of clay and a foot of dirt between her and any bullet Ambrosia happened to fire at her.

"Ambrosia?" she called out tentively from behind her cowering place, braced for the worst.

Ambrosia took a moment to focus in on the voice. And it took longer then she would have liked. She twisted her body slightly left, then jerked it right turning full circle to face in the voice�s direction. She lifted the gun, which see knew to be empty. Though she wasn�t so sure that the Vampire, or Vampress by feel didn�t know that.

�I suggest a slow walk into some light would be much in your favor,� Ambrosia wheezed, obviously more then a few of her ribs had cracked and punctured her lungs, thanks god she didn�t need to really breath.

Ambrosia�s eyes narrowed the slight blurry scene before her took on a sharper tone. It was night, that she could easily tell, but now she could tell it was probably only but a few hours till dawn, or after dusk. She was betting the second due to the slight tempter decrease every so often. She was hurting, and rather badly though it would quickly heal, that is�if she didn�t have to go through to much drama tonight.

�Well miss? Take it or leave it,� Ambrosia pushed leaning forward on her left knee a bit. �Not often Vamps get a choice like this, and I�m really not in the mood to be patient,� She finished pulling the hammer back on the empty gun hoping that her little bluff would work.

�Blah, there�s that hope crap again,� She thought the words echoing through her head as if bouncing off walls in a empty granite room. She hissed slightly just thinking to herself hurt her head. She really must have rattled a few bolts and nuts loose.

Her bearings back Ambrosia cleared her throat impatiently. She had this funny filling this one wasn�t really out to get her. Ambrosia of course was simply assuming this from the fact that the woman (For it felt to be of that sex) was hiding behind a flowerpot, and barely whispering Ambrosia�s very name.

--

The soft brush of quick moving stride only barely echoed down the empty hall, each step growing a bit more eager, as if the one controlling those feet had a promising reward at the destination the march was headed in.

The figure, male by stature and build alone, noticed the lack of the normally posted guards right outside the Queens very front door(s). But that was nothing but a simple quick fleeting thought.

Juko was taller then most of his own kind, including the renowned Zacharael. Juko�s teeth clenched at the mere thought of the man. His muscled body flexed showing easily through his skintight short sleeved navy blue shirt. Though his lower torso being covered in a more loose fit of a dark jean type materiel. For footwear it was simple jet black boots.

Juko�s hand rubbed his forehead a soft huff of air escaping through his nostrils. He shook his head his short light brown hair, spiked up and outwards, shook a bit making a very faint rustling noise. With a jerk of his head and determined slightly pleased look in his very light, light blue eyes (Almost white) he placed his hand to the door and pushed, not only physically but mentally.

The room was dark, as it always was, the pool center of the room, though he honestly hardly noticed it, or attempted to find the unseen walls or ceiling. Nor did he care to look at whom might be in the room, if it was the Queen herself or the Queen and others. It was simply the was of power that took his attention, the hard buzzing sound in his ears from the sudden exposure to such a force. He couldn�t help but think, for it really was the only thought he could get out at the moment, that he wasn�t sure where exactly the power was coming from. The Queen? Or The Room and Pool itself�?

�I was summoned, my Queen,� He said as loudly as he could muster taking a deep bow, simply assuming his Mistress was within the room.

----

"...I'm not going to come out if you're going to shoot me," Jesse replied, slightly sulkily, after a moment, then added, "Zach sent me. To, uh, tell you he couldn't make it tonight..."

She trailed off into an awkward silence. Her voice, when she spoke again, was rather sad.

"It looks like it's a good thing he sent me. Let me help you."

----------

The Queen glanced up from her place at the pool's edge; although the lights were out in the room, the pool glowed softly white, illumating the vampiress's coldly beautiful face from below. Now, a small smile curved the corners of her mouth upwards and she beckoned to Juko with one pale, marble-skinned hand.

"Indeed you were. Come closer, my child..." Her voice, though barely above a whisper, was clearly audible throughout the cold hall.

-----

Ambrosia stiffened then relaxed visibly dropping the empty gun to the sidewalk. Her form went slack and she nearly fell over as the news of Zach washed over her. She didn�t think this was a trap, one of the Queens minions sent to capture her. She didn�t think that Zach was even found out, and was awaiting some permanent fate.

She could hardly think at all.

Ambrosia gave a muffled snort finding the toppled mailbox a nice place to rest.

--

Juko gave a second stiff bow before taking in the distances within only a few strides, the click of his boots sounding much louder here then they had in the hall.

�My Queen,� He echoed a second time. His face was a blank, eye lost. He couldn�t read her of course, one of the few times he appreciated having that abilities. �The mind truly is a wonder,� He remarked in his head.

-----

After a moment, Jesse decided that it was probably safe to come out; the strange woman appeared to have accepted that she wasn't here to kill her. Hesitantly, she stood up from her hiding place and hurried across the street, crouching next to Ambrosia and eyeing her battered body.

"...can you tell me how exactly you think you've been injured?" she asked quietly, hoping the huntress wasn't too out of it yet.

----------

"Look into the pool, Juko," said the Queen, her pale hands returning demurely to her lap. In the misty white surface of the still water, an image had formed, like a reflection; it was of Ambrosia, during her brief interview with the Queen. After a moment of silence, the vampire-mage spoke again:

"Find her. And then...trail her. I want to know what she is, what she can do. Do not worry about trapping her, unless you are positively certain you will succeed; I have others working on capturing her. Also, keep an ear out for clues as to who helped her escaped...she had to have had help."

The sorcerer-queen's voice grew slightly angry at the end, dangerously so, and the magic that hung heavy in the air shivered. But a moment later she had regained control over her voice.

"Is there anything you will require for this task?"

-----

Ambrosia stiffened slightly at the question. Odd for a vampire to ask such a thing�then Zach fluttered through her mind�Yes odd indeed.

�Left bottom rib, that�s about it,� She wheezed though she was feeling much better then she had a few minutes ago. She looked over the girl before her. A slight ironic fangless smile crossed her features. �Zach sent you�� She repeated more to herself then to the woman.

--

Juko bit his lip lightly, the forced habit of a thinking man as he considered if he would really need anything other then just himself. After only a moment of considering everything he laughed lightly.

�No My Queen,� He replied easily. Bowing his body literally in half he took his leave without another word.

As he descended down the hall his thoughts raced of who could help her�only one �person� came to mind. And that was Zach. Unlike the rest of their kind, Zach was the most shaded, and possibly the most emotional. But he couldn�t prove this of course, Zach really rarely showed anything. Juko cursed silently, and with proof or not�began to seek out Zach.

------

Jesse sat back on her heels, blowing an entirely unnecessary breath out.

"...do you heal on your own?" she asked Ambrosia, not quite sure what to do with the huntress. "Because my blood helps normal humans heal faster...do you have somewhere I could bring you? A safe place?"

She only knew that she couldn't leave the woman --er, well, female-- Zach loved hurt on the side of a street...even if the part of her that ached with jealousy was whispering otherwise.

---------

Zach was in his rooms, shutting down his combox as he prepared to catch a bit of rest before going out on an excursion again. Rising from his desk, he'd just been pulling off his shirt when he felt Juko at the door.

What now?...he thought, frowning, as he straightened his attire and went to open the door, face as blank as always.

-----

Ambrosia forced a chuckle out; a sly smirk playing along her lips as she lifted her hand in a silent request for aid to stand. In a manor she had been off in thought but despite this she did catch the female vampires question. The huntress drew her hand back only slightly in thought; a momentary flash of worry flickered within her gray eyes and they drew downwards.

Her lips parted and only silence followed, give the soft rasp with each breath. Ambrosia; given time could heal perfectly well. But time was something she was quickly running out of. Glancing back towards Jesse she gave a stiff nod; indicating she did indeed need the offered aid of healing. The huntress could only hope it would work.

She left the other questions alone, forcing them away with every ounce of mental power she could muster. A firm; near grim look came over her. Ambrosia would figure things out after she could function properly; for now she was a cripple to the female vampire, and unless she was brought back to full �health� that�s all she would remain. And neither of them needed to have a handicap.

The streets flashed briefly; soon followed by a not so distant roar of thunder. Ambrosia looked skyward; already could she feel the moisture growing within the streets.

--

Juko stood still, dull smile plastered on his truly emotionless face. In truth it looked as if even that bare twitch in his lips pained him. The man waited until the door was open wide enough for him to enter. Though this plan of action changed given the look, or rather lack there of, from Zach.

Then again what would Juko expect from one such as himself? Certainly not bubbling with joy. Juko offered a shallow chuckle edging his way into the room seeking to put himself and Zach in close quarters and behind closed doors; if things got messy Juko wanted them to stay secret. �Ah my dear friend Zach, hard nights work it seems?� he mocked still pressing to enter the room.

�So very sorry to barge in on your nightly routine but a dire situation has been brought to my attention and I must speak to you about it,� sarcasm was not Juko�s forte (Believe that�s right). His face; and tone dropped all attempts of mockery, sarcasm and friendship. And in turn he had no doubt Zach was well aware of his reasons for being at his front door; simply because that�s exactly what Juko wanted. He wanted Zach to know he �knew�.

-----

Jesse, too, noticed the rumble of thunder and glanced around. Spotting the van, she carefully slid her arms under Ambrosia's shoulders, asking gently, "Is that your van? Can you stand?"

She figured their first priority was shelter, then healing.

--------

"I am taking a night off to rest before returning to the Queen's tasks," Zach replied blandly, completely deadpan in the face of Juko's barbs. His expression altered somewhat, eyebrows raising and expression hinting at interest, with a touch of tired worry, at Juko's second comment, however.

"What situation would this be?..."

Behind his mask, his mind raced, however, trying to shut away all thoughts of Ambrosia --in essence, forget about the hour or two he'd just spent helping her escape. If I wasn't a traitor and thought Ambrosia was still locked up tight, what would I be thinking right now?...

-----

Ambrosia took the offered aid to stand; such a thing was slow going for it hurt her greatly to move. A faint snort issued forth as she attempted to reflect the last time she had been in such an amount of pain. Following Jesse�s words she nodded glancing towards toppled van. The van itself was only useful in the manor of shelter; which she assumed Jesse was seeking to use it as.

The huntress leaned on the female vampire but attempted to put as little weight as possible on the girl not wishing to be a physical burden; then again Jesse was a vampire.

�I do--� she rasped all other words captured in her throat as she hacked up a fair amount of thick blood. Ambrosia winced forcing composure upon herself straining both her mental and physical state to their limits. Giving her some time she leaned closer to Jesse her ragged breath would surely be felt on the females cheek. �I do�have a place to go,� she whispered this putting little to no pressure on her lounges thus allowing her to talk easily.

In a sense Ambrosia led Jesse into the van, mostly by simply letting her dead weight linger in the direction of the vans back doors and giving a slight shuffle of her feet when needed. The huntress felt pathetic on all accounts; but in a sense she also felt it was needed.

She had gotten to comfortable; too sure of herself and her abilities. Yes it was good to have trust in yourself and be sure and confident about what you can and can�t do�but Ambrosia had forgotten her limits she had believed; for quite awhile now that she�in some fashion or another�was undefeatable. But now as the Huntress leaned on the female vampire weak and useless she realized�she realized that she was just as vulnerable as all other living and none living things were.

Ambrosia was no exception to death.

�My sisters house, not to far from here.� She pushed shaky words forth her breathing staggering for a moment. Within the van she took a seat placing herself on several caged cabinets there contents ranging anywhere between guns to maps of the cities in which the vampires had invested. With this thought Ambrosia allowed her gray eyes to shift upwards and to settle steadily on Jesse.

How odd that she would be receiving aid from a woman who was kin to those she had hunted down and killed hundreds of over the past fifteen years. And Zach� Ambrosia closed her eyes and for a brief moment pictured the strange man before her once more; that moment just before he left.

A sigh pressed past her lips as she waited for Jesse to explain what was to come next.

--

�Seems our dear little Huntress got away,� Juko explained his face drawing blank now; a near perfect match of Zach�s own. �Matter of fact the woman took out both of the Queens guards�an impressive feat to say the least,� for now Juko refrained from pushing further into Zach�s room remained still with his arms crossed. �It�s the strangest thing though, the guards within the prison sector are unharmed and can�t recall ever seeing the girl leave,� Juko refrained from smiling-no smirking as he had yet to finish what was being said and he was looking forward to a noticeable reaction from the ever blank Zach.

Juko failed to catch the worry on Zach�s face more wrapped up in his own delight and ego to care to read the mans face. Juko leaned forward slightly though remained a respectable distance away. For a moment it accured to him that Zach could be armed and more then willing to strike a kinsmen down; matter of fact Juko wouldn�t put it past the blank faced man.

�Even stranger is, neither of the guardsmen recall you entering with a girl either; presuming our Queen directed you to take her there in the first place,� with a raised brow and a slowly growing smirk Juko waited impatiently for what was hopefully to come. And somewhere in the back of his mind something tingled; a warning of sorts, a sign that perhaps confronting Zach alone was not such a good idea. Juko promptly ignored it.

------

With a surprisingly maternal gesture, even odder in that it was apparently unthinking, Jesse wiped some of the blood from Ambrosia's mouth and chin with the hem of one sleeve. Then, bringing that same arm to her mouth and pushing her shirt up to her elbow, Jesse dragged one fang across the inside of her wrist, with a casualness that only a vampire could have. Then, kneeling next to Ambrosia, she held out her arm to the wounded not-quite-human.

------

"She what?" Zach exclaimed at hearing of Ambrosia's 'escape'; anger, touched with disbelief flashed across his face briefly, though it was quickly eclipsed by a faintly admiring amusement as Juko listed the casualties. However, as Juko came to the point of his little story and all but accused Zach of being a traitor, one eyebrow raised briefly in slight disbelief before his face resettled itself in its customary blandness.

"None of the guards would have seen me entering with Ambrosia," he replied, quite calm, with perhaps a hint of smile. "I took her to Queen's mages first, to have her magic bound; I left her with an apprentice wizard." Face going vaguely regretful, Zach let his eyes drop from Juko's for a moment. "I would have thought that the girl had enough sense to not leave the huntress alone, but perhaps she was dumber than she looked..."

One shoulder lifted briefly in a shrug, and Zach held his breath, praying that no one had told Juko that Ambrosia had magic --otherwise, he would have had no reason to check with the mages, and Zach's little lie would have bought him some time...

-----

Oddly enough it took Ambrosia a few good moments before she actually took a soft grasp just below the elbow of the females arm; along with clasping her second hand in the girls own. Within a breaths moment Ambrosia set lips over open flesh and began her small feast.

It took a moment to trickle down her throat and throw her into that strange feeling of aloneness; that unwelcome feeling of complete emptiness. And at first Ambrosia�s eyes had been closed but now they slide open and what was once gray irises began to soak to a pit of black. And as the Huntress fed nothing was felt; no pain physical or mental�simply nothing, but somewhere within her conscience she remained aware of one simple fact: this girl was not an enemy and she could not drink her dry.

With that thought alone Ambrosia reeled away slamming into the vans roof with a force renewed only from feeding. A low hiss escaped her as she fought against that lust for more as she often did after each feed. Though with time Ambrosia stilled and calmed her eyes faded back to the stone gray they had once been.

A single digit touched her lips and she could feel the odd tingle of the blood within her veins. The taste remained the same; yet the feeling of the normally thick cool blood was much different. It held certain warmth to it and had coated her entire throat and mouth. Ambrosia paused and allowed that feeling to linger.

But the blood did not affect her much as it would another perhaps; assuming that other to be a human. The rate of her healing increased and at a considerable amount but something else was different as well�though Ambrosia knew not what.

Swallowing hard she lifted her hand needing still some aid to move about. A smile pressed on her lips as she looked Jesse over hoping the female vampire was not drained to much.

�We need to find a way to my sisters house,� The huntress remarked just then the sound of rain on metal began to echo within the van. Ambrosia winced mentally; she knew that she could deal with the rain�but what about the aiding vampire?

-----

Juko�s face went bland; all excitement and pride sucked away within just a moment�s breath. Somewhere within his mind he cursed himself for not covering the entire basis. But thus would be his luck once more. Juko retreated back into the hall without a word; a faint scuff of disapproval escaping him as he shoved silky hands into deep pockets. With a final flash of blanketed anger towards the man known as Zach Juko took his leave not speaking a word.

If by chance�Juko had been right�he had just been duped by Zach; out thought on ever level. In a way Juko could feel his ego shrink even more.

Juko left Zach�s room leading him down the lengthy glossy black hallway leaning in the general direction of the Queens Mages: they at leas where replaceable.