The Large Pink Castle sat outside of Rhy Din for 18 years. It had seen friends and lovers, parties, roommates, battles; and at times stood quiet and alone. It had always been her place of refuge.

That hadn?t always been the case. Once, before she?d taken it over, it had been the site of some of her worst nightmares and one of her most insane rampages. Very few knew of her past before Rhy Din...there was so much to her life, and she?d started over when she?d come here.

Everyone had their secrets. Kate?s were just buried deeper than most.

Her sire had seemed like an angel sent to save her. After she?d slaughtered the man who had raised her, her husband, and everyone who had ever hurt her, he had taken her to his home: a large black castle that seemed a part of the world, but also set aside from it. It was there she?d learned the real reason behind her embrace, her anger and her parents lineage. Her real father?s family had apparently had magic in their blood, and in her mother's the same taint. Both sides together had made her, a being that could master, if she wanted, some of the greatest magics out there. So she?d been trained and she excelled.

Then her sister Liv had appeared. She had their mother's magical abilities, but lacked anything from her father. Yet she had studied longer and harder, and she?d also had a long burning fire to exact revenge on Kate over the death of her father. She?d somehow become the lover of Kate?s sire.

A battle had begun. It lasted centuries, each sister gaining a foothold, then losing to the other. There was never a clear winner; both were being played, by a man who enjoyed watching them torture each other.

Then one day Kate had had enough. She looked around her and finally saw all the suffering of those in the castle and decided to change things. The plotting and planning had taken a few years. The seeds of dissent planted in fertile soil still took a while to take root and blossom. When the time was right, she struck. Liv was out of the castle and that was the only reason she escaped the slaughter as Kate and those who supported her went room by room through the castle and killed everyone who opposed them. When she finally reached her sire she committed the worst crime a vampire could. She killed her sire. There was no hesitation, no second chances...just death.

The castle was hers.

When Liv returned she found everything changed, all of the wards reset, no access to the castle, her books, or her magical items. She spent decades trying to get into the castle, finally deciding to move it out of its position, hoping that a change of location would weaken the wards and Kate. The spell went awry, though, and the Castle, its grounds, outbuildings, lake, and Kate ended up in Rhy Din. The wards were as strong as ever, there was still no way into the place but there was one unexpected side effect that Liv found highly amusing: the castle was now pink, the color Kate hated most in the world.

Little did she know that she had given Kate the chance to start her life over...again.

My sister, what can I say about her? I hate her with every fiber of my being. She is evil, loathsome, a thing that should be destroyed. She killed my father, her husband, my husband, and her sire, the only man I ever loved.

Yet she is so loved in this place. The people here accept her, support her, and protect her. She?s killed more than they could ever count. Even here she has killed, harmed, maimed, gotten revenge, and no one bats an eye or punishes her.

Her sire chose her not only for her magical abilities but also for her looks. My sister has always looked innocent, harmless, and cute. She uses this to her advantage, people look at her and all they see is the cover, not the darkness and evil that is inside.

I do not understand how they can sit, night after night talking, laughing, and flirting with her. I?ve seen her in the past openly discuss blowing things up and harming people, yet everyone around her smiles and nods like it?s a joke. No one could ever possibly blame her or hold her responsible for what she does, so she walks around, free, leaving a trail of destruction behind her.

They may turn a blind eye to her actions, but I will not. I will have my revenge, even if I have to go through every last one of them to do it.

Watching, watching, watching, I feel like everyone is watching me. I know Ali has noticed something is up but I think he?s the only one right now. I think I?m just paranoid about getting caught.

Since returning to the city I?ve realized that there aren?t many left here who really knew me, at this point that is a big blessing. Only Ali and Bekah know my hatred of magic and that I flat out don?t use it. Out of those two only Ali knows and has seen me use any magic, that only because of the wards in the castle to keep Zahra in and his family safe.

Lucky has seen me use it but he doesn?t know me well enough to know what it means. As long as he doesn?t rat me out to Bekah or Ali I?m good. He?s not talking to Ali as far as I know and there?s no reason for him to discuss me using magic in front of Bekah.

I need to reign it in though; the fact that I?ve used it so liberally and openly in front of him and others proves that things are getting a bit out of control. I?m enjoying it too much. Hell I made it rain in front of the Inn the other night in front of Lucky, Gem, Arts, and others; Ali was even there, though he was inside.

The hunger should have been the first clue but just like everything else I?ve ignored it. I think I?m losing it. It?s so easy and the power feels so good. I?m not doing anything wrong and I?m not hurting anyone who matters. The few I?ve accidently killed were West End thugs who won?t be missed and deserved it.

I?m fine, I?m really fine, I just need to find a spell that will mask the leeching power and the spikes and no one will be the wiser.

People here think they know me, flirty, fun, silly Kate. The more grey areas of my life are forgiven, if they?re noticed at all. I keep up my front, I smile, and laugh. But none of them, not even Ali or Bekah knows me.

Some have heard the story of my life before I became what I am. I hate discussing it and the scars on my back are the only reminder, something I cover and never speak of. The funny thing is that I have much deeper and darker scars.

My sire seemed like an angel. A man sent to save me, when my husband dragged the children and me out of my aunts house I had little recourse. I was stuck, his property. I knew I wouldn?t survive the journey home. The first night my sentence was reprieved by a traveling singer, oh he was beautiful, and the way he looked at me, it was like being alive for the first time and seeing the meaning of everything, endless in human form.

The second night my husband struck, he had his men stone me to death, a fitting end to the whore and the witch he thought I was. They buried me under the stones they threw at me.

I wasn?t dead though, as they crept away another?s hands pulled the rocks off of me and offered me a choice. A life of darkness or death, I could get my revenge and make sure everyone paid for my pain.

I obviously chose to live.

The process isn?t something I?ll discuss here but at the end of it I was what I am today.

No one tells you about the hunger, the insane need to feed. Authors write about it, movies try to show it but the reality makes those fictional attempts seem like a joke. I was so hungry and so angry that I slaughtered them all, my husband, his men, everyone with them but the children and their caretaker.

I cannot imagine what my children saw because I didn?t care. I ripped out throats, clawed at faces and bodies and drank as deeply as I could. After it was over I looked like some sort of avenging demon, covered in blood from head to toe.

I?ve been asked by friends why I never went to see my children after I was changed. This is why. The final time they saw me was horrific, so bad that they apparently thought it was a nightmare. I take some comfort that they thought I was a figment of their imagination and not real but I never really knew if they realized that it really was me.

The following night I headed to my old home. My mother had died a few years before and my ?father? was old and ill. My sister Liv and her husband and children were living with him, caring for him.

I walked into the house, still covered in blood, twigs, leaves, and other debris stuck in the rat?s nest of my hair, my clothing shredded from the beating, the burial, and the slaughter of the night before.

The first human I came across was a slave, I killed her without even thinking about it, broke her neck and kept walking. Each person who approached me was killed, by the time I reached his room; there was blood dripping from my fingers.

They knew I was coming, my ?father?, my sister, her husband, and her children, they were all huddled together in his room. The children made me pause and in my only act of mercy I sent Liv and the children out of the room.

Then I set to work.

I tied both men up and tortured them, even in my new state I knew how to make sure a person would bleed and not die. I spent hours, a cut here, a slash there, biting, kicking, and screaming out all of my pain and frustration.

By the time I was done with them the walls were dripping with their blood and they were begging to die. I knew they didn?t have much longer so I denied them an end to their suffering and left them there to linger until death found his way to them. I walked out of that house for the last time a few hours before dawn, a genuine smile on my bloody face.

I had no idea that my sister hadn?t left and had watched the whole thing from a hidden room. From what I?ve been told she went to them as soon as I left, cutting them down, kneeling next to them, their blood soaking her clothes as she tried to save them.

My so called act of mercy had created a monster.

Fitting really since I had become one myself.

It wasn?t hard to track Kate; she had quite the reputation throughout Italy and other countries. Governments and Kings would fall but Kate was a constant in many areas.

She was an avenging angel for some women, a nightmare for others, a real life boogieman who would swoop down in the middle of the night to take you from your bed.

In some areas she was called ?The Red Witch?, in others ?The Fallen Angel?, it didn?t matter what they called her, she still killed without thought, only caring to fuel her body and hatred.

During this time that I followed her I studied, once I knew what she was I knew that all she had to do was wait for me to die and then no one would know what her real crimes were. Legends fade, my memory wouldn?t. So I started looking for a spell to help me stay as young as she was.

I collected every magical book and item I could, studied with some of the best mages, even spoke to old herbal women, anything to learn and understand.

My search became my obsession, my in-laws raised my children, I had no friends, no family, nothing but the burning need to make her pay. I had almost stopped looking when I found the spell, buried in the journal of an old woman. I almost killed myself casting it but it worked and I was as frozen in time as Kate. I had time again.

So I started watching her more closely and plotting her downfall. I didn?t realize how much I had given up when I cast that spell and it would be years before I fully understood.

I knew what he wanted, a woman with magical abilities, I knew where Kate was so I also knew he?d be in the area and watching. So I cast a spell, a small locating spell, something that seemed simple but was far more complex then people know. When he came to me I smiled, tittered, simpered, and then offered him a deal. I didn?t? want to be embraced, I just wanted to live with him, he could do an experiment, see if magical ability was lost when one was embraced. In short I told him I was Kate?s sister and told him to study us. He took me up on my offer and I walked into the dark world of his life and castle.

When Kate saw me I thought the world was going to explode. She ranted and raved, swore never to help him again. He listened for a little while then put her in her place like the dog she was.

I could hardly hide my smile. I was finally in control and she had no choice but to bow to me.

I made her pay, every day for hundreds of years, if there was a child that needed to be killed, Kate did it. A town to be destroyed? Kate did it. I made sure she used her abilities over and over and over again, then denied her blood. I could see the need burning in her and when she reached that point of almost frenzy I would let her loose on a place she would care about. I saw her take out an entire orphanage, shelters for battered women, homes for the elderly, and after every one she would swear she?d never do it again. Then I would start over again.

I had her whipped, cut, bled, all with her sires permission. He rather enjoyed himself too.

I wanted to break her, make her beg for forgiveness.

I didn?t realize how strong she was, or how little those of the castle cared for me.

She outmaneuvered me, yet again Kate took what she wanted, killed any and all who opposed her and got away with it scot free. When I got back to the castle I couldn?t even get near it, let alone enter. I didn?t really know what had happened until I came across someone who had helped her in her coup.

Apparently after she killed all of her enemies and took the castle she threw out all of those who had helped her. Yes my seemingly innocent and kind sister had released a horde of insane, hungry vampires onto the land, letting them run free without any thought for those who would be harmed or killed. I suppose they should have counted themselves lucky to not have been killed.

Again I was out in the cold with nothing. Everything I Had ever owned was inside the castle, all of my books and magical items were in there as well, that was bad enough but to know that Kate was using them against me made it all the worse. So I used what I had, while in the castle a few of the residents had been bonded to me. I called them and used them. Spreading more rumors of Kate and her evil, making them embrace more humans, rebuilding an army to take her down.

If Kate knew about it she didn?t show it. Then again my sister is very good at keeping secrets and never showing her hand. You could ask her if the sky is blue, she could say ?no?, smile, bat her eyes and you would believe her, even looking up at that bright, blue sky.

I often think that?s how she?s survived so long, she can manipulate people and keep her secrets safe. She can make you love her and promise to protect her, even while she?s stabbing you in the back and pushing the knife deeper and deeper.

When the battle for the castle began, neither of us had any idea what would happen or how it would turn out. We were both blinded by our hatred of the other and our need to kill each other off and end it once and for all.

Obviously things didn?t turn out quite as we expected them to.

I knew of the stories, our whole family knew. How we weren?t fully Irish, there was the Roman ?Taint? that made some of us go mad.

There were never any names, just a story set during the times of the Gaelic Wars. A warrior, strong and good, enslaved who fell in love with the lady of the house, a lady who was different from the others, kind and generous.

Then the disastrous coupling and the child who was born of it. A child who inherited strong magical abilities from both her father and her mother. Then the death of the warrior and the torture of the child and mother.

The details of the beginning of my ancestor?s life are sketchy, the victors write history and when Kate was a child her stepfather was in charge and made sure no one knew of his wife?s disgrace. So all we have is what our people were told by the Aunt who brought the children to live here.

I knew Kate?s childhood was difficult, knew she had been married off, knew she ran away and took her children with her, and I knew she and her husband died but that she had made provisions for the kids to be taken to her aunt and brought to Ireland. These were all ?facts? that I was told; the rest is conjecture and legend.

They said that Kate didn?t die, that she got revenge on her stepfather and that the only ones who escaped where her sister and her children. They also say that her sister Liv saw Kate torture the men and vowed her own revenge.

Liv became a powerful sorceress in her own right and Kate became a monster, known far and wide. Even as a child I was told of the evil these two sisters committed in the name of ?justice?. The stories were used in our village as cautionary tales, what can happen when you let your emotions rule your heart and head, how warped things can get when you believe so firmly that you are in the right.

Our family was tainted; each time the stories were told there were whispers and looks. Some members of our family couldn?t take it and either left, went mad, or killed themselves. Others just ignored the looks, marrying and distancing themselves from the name and the family. Then there was me, I decided to find out the truth, was Kate alive? Was her sister alive? And what was the truth behind it all.

Kate was said to live in a castle in the mountains of Northern Italy, it was also said that she came to Ireland a few times every decade or so to check up on her family. So I started there, asked questions about the last time she had been spotted and realized that she would be coming back soon.

So I waited and watched. Then one night I was walking through a field and I saw a figure in the moonlight, all pale skin and red hair, her eyes sharp, and her mouth pressed into a hard line.

?You?ve been asking questions about me.? Her voice was soft but had this edge to it, yet behind that I could sense her interest.

?I wanted to know if you were real or just a myth.? I acted like I didn?t care, like this was just another night for me. In reality I was shaking inside, wondering what she would do.

?You think you?re the first don?t you?? Her smile at this point turned cold, calculating, and for the first time I really saw where the stories came from. ?You?re not, there have been others, and they aren?t alive anymore.?

It was then I realized that she was going to kill me and I searched for a way out, my mind whirling with possibilities and questions. ?Were they related to you? The others??

She actually paused when she heard my question, her smile changing a little, ?So what?s your name Little Boy??

?Chris, I?m one of your descendants.?

?And what do you want Chris my Descendant??

?To know the truth.?

Her face again twisted when she heard me. I was sure she would kill me right then and there; instead she said, ?Come with me.?

I willingly followed her and have been following ever since.

We battled, we fought, I had the castle under siege but still Kate held out. Not only that but she had that infernal child of her?s there to protect her during the day and his magical abilities were as strong as hers.

Every spell I threw at them was rebuffed, each attack stopped, whatever damage was done was minimal and if there were casualties I wasn?t aware of it. The entire thing was growing tiresome so I decided to take drastic measures.

The incantation was simple enough, the spell wasn?t. I chose twilight the time when I knew Kate would still be asleep and her minion would be waiting for her to awaken. I gathered my forces and began.

It was such a large spell that I drained every living and dead thing around me. Sucking whatever life force there was. I didn?t notice as human and vampire fell, the trees and vegetation around me withered and died, I didn?t care, all I cared for was completing the spell and getting what was rightfully mine.

When the castle shimmered I smiled. When the black stone started to glow pink I started to realize that the spell might not be working, as I wanted it to. Then it winked out of existence.

It had worked and the only reminder of our presence there was a blackened landscape where nothing would ever grow and the outline of a castle burned into the earth.

I went to where the castle was supposed to be, it wasn?t there.

She had won again.

I honestly don?t remember the first few nights in Rhy Din. I know Chris stayed outside of town and I hung out at what was apparently the hub of the city. The Red Dragon Inn was the place to see and be seen in the area. If you needed information there was always someone there who had it or could find it, if you needed a job, even if it wasn?t on the up and up there was someone there who was looking, if you wanted someone dead, there were many many there who would fulfill the deed.

It was like a giant candy store of sex, drama, death, and insanity. I loved every second of it.

Not only was it full of people who were fine with breaking the law on a nightly basis (and I use the term ?Law? here very lightly at the time there was no law) the majority of the beings here weren?t even human.

It was liberating, just by looking human I was accepted as such. Hunting was a cake walk in certain areas of the city, not only were there those who deserved to be killed, there were humans who actually offered themselves to us.

Whore houses and Blood Houses, the same thing really, pay for what you want and need, then walk out without a care in the world. If a human accidently was killed it was easy to pay your way out of it.

Magic was thrown around like it was nothing so both Chris and I no longer had to hide what we did. Old habits die-hard though and we often kept what we did under wraps.

I had no idea how much the city and the people here were changing me. Everyone here assumed that you were more than what you appeared and yet they all thought I was this cute, silly, little thing that wouldn?t harm a fly.

They were so very very wrong.

When they confronted me I attacked them all, I was going to rip their throats out, kill them, and continue with my life. I just didn?t care anymore. I was free, free from Liv, free from my sire, free from the rules and laws that had governed me for so long.

I wanted what I wanted.

My displeasure was expected, my attack wasn?t. I got away from them and hid. They tracked me and we engaged in a came of cat and mouse that lasted months.

They?d see me but it was always in the Inn, a place they didn?t feel comfortable just taking me out of. One step forward, ten back, I?d slip through their fingers and they?d plot and plan again. So I started planning, I tortured them, broke into their houses, scared their loved ones.

I helped kidnap people, bled them, hurt them for information about my friends. Even people who had no idea what was going on I took. I was determined to find out what they were doing and how they were plotting to get me. All I saw was what I wanted, I was the wronged one here, and they were all out to get me. All I Heard was the rantings in my head, a chorus of voices that screamed out the injustice of my life and death. I was justified in my actions and I knew it.

Again those who had once been close to me were scared of me but this time they didn?t back down, they would try to reason with me, try to make me see what I was becoming but in my blindness I had become a ranting, raving Bedlamite who didn?t make any sense to anyone.

Then one night I misstepped. I was feeding and they had tracked me, grabbing me in a fit of blood lust that in effect hid them from me.

When I woke up I was locked in a room.

I spent the next few months there, a mess of screaming, cursing, addict. They fed me, spoke to me, tried to keep me sane. I screamed at them, called them names, and refused to listen. So they fed me less, keeping me weak enough to control, I still spit my hatred at them. In my altered reality I was still the wounded princess who was just trying to save herself and my friends were backstabbing evil ones who were trying to kill me. Circle, Circle, Circle, we danced the same dance, same steps, same circle for months.

Until they finally broke me and the monster was locked up.

Over the years it has appeared again, here and there but Chris had warded the room of magics against me and I kept my promise to not go near it.

I?ve been good, so very good, but since I started using again, since that ward has been broken, I can feel myself willingly slipping back into the dark.

Years, it?s been years since that time. If asked about it I lie, most of those who were around then are gone or willingly let me forget what happened. I?ve made friends, bought houses, started a business, lived a life here in Rhy Din. If I'm being honest I've even got a family here, Ali's like a big brother who gets in as much trouble as I do, through him I guess I even have Fio and Lirssa. Then there's Bekah who I can only describe as my twin in so many ways. Everyone doesn't always get along but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they would be there for me, even when I don't know I need them.

I?ve had something I never thought I?d be allowed to have, a ?Normal? life. This insane place that I came to accidently has been a gift and every evening I say a quick thank you to whatever god or goddess saw fit to give me this third chance.

I?ve spoken to a few others like me over the years, kindred who were angry when they were embraced, they all have similar stories of the years walking in the darkness. It seems like we all start out as lost souls who either find our balance and our lives or stumble and willingly embrace the dark beast inside of us.

I found my balance, why am I letting it slip away?

The opportuinity to check my sisters defenses came from a random encounter in that Blasted Inn she loves so much. I went in for a drink and walked out with a contract to kill a man and a deal to have Kate shot in a public way.

So perfect, so so perfect.

That?s the thing about Rhy Din and the Dragon, if you are patient and wait long enough, the perfect solution will fall into your lap. My solutions name was named Iannos and he came equipped with a picture of my slut of a sister being carried out of the Inn by yet another man. Obviously I wasn?t shocked, I know well the lengths she?ll go to get what she wants, even if it?s just a warm body.

He knew my name wasn?t Beth and he knew Kate was my sister. So the deal was struck, it was doubly satisfying because I would be killing a man who Kate obviously cared about. I didn?t feel a moment?s hesitation, I didn?t feel anything really, other than slight annoyance toward those who felt the need to stick their noses into my business dealings.

I do believe that a certain annoying Ice Dragon might need to be dealt with at some point, we?ll see if she gets in my way or not.

Judah, the poor soul who would be the sacrafice for my sister. The man who would be the key to figuring out who was close to her and what, if anything they would do to help or protect her.

Ya know, being shot really sucks. Even when you're already dead. It hurts, you bleed everywhere, your clothes get ruined and really? It just pisses me off.

Lucky got me back to the townhouse in the West End then he went to go get Bekah. I was left to lay on a leather couch, that wasn't long for this world, thinking about what just happened and what it all meant. Liv was in the city, it wasn't all that shocking to find out she knew where I was, I'd never hidden from her but we'd had this uneasy agreement where she stayed out of Rhy Din and I stayed away from whatever bed she decided to lay down in.

Apparently things had changed and what had happened pretty much amounted to open warfare.

When Lucky and Bekah got back it was time to pay the piper. As Becks fed me Lucky asked questions, it was highly frustrating that he wouldn't just let it drop, having Bekah as backup helped him. She knew more of my past, more about Liv, more about her past visits to the city, and what was and is between us.

So I spilled but I forced Lucky to spill as well. If I had to give up the Liv secret, he had to tell Bekah about Howe and that whole mess. I wasn't about to be the only one suffering besides Bekah deserved to know the new threat against her. I had never felt right keeping that from her.

The thing about spilling secrets is that they always create or open up more secrets and without knowing the full truth people always say that they want to help you, wanting to help is fine but I don't think any of them would be safe if they got dragged into this thing.

Anger is a strong force, it moves men, mountains, kingdoms, and entire civilizations. It's kept Liv and I alive and at each other for such a long time I don't know what I'd do without it. I've told Ali before to kill his family, get it over with and cut out any possibility of someone coming after you, problem is I can't seem to do that myself. Whenever it's come time to deal that death blow I've hesitated.

How do you destroy a member of your own family? Someone that no matter how much you might dislike you still have genetic and social history with? Fairy easily actually. Kate is a monster, not human, not worth the time spent on her, she needs to die.

I struck first and I was surprised she didn't strike back right away. I got a list of all her homes, there was of course the castle, the townhouse near the Red Dragon, that apartment her husband used to have, and the new townhouse in the West End. I tracked her friends and while I left them out of it for the moment, I now know who they are and what they do. I do have to give my sister credit, she has a broad friend base, a strong network. This will be her downfall though because there are cracks there, people who dislike each other, openly. There's a lot that can be exploited there.

So I chose a place she doesn't use, doesn't live in anymore. I'm sure those living in that apartment building weren't expecting the gas leak and for the whole place to blow up. Last I heard there were 5 families living there, such a tragedy really these accidents.

I was kinder than Kate though and made sure the gas had a secondary ingredient. They were all dead before the building went up. Dying in your sleep is such an easy way to go. They were lucky really, these casualties of war. Their death was quick and painless.

Others won't be so lucky.

It?s beginning again. She walks in injured in some way, every night. She comes to the castle to arm herself and then leaves. She comes home smelling of blood, smoke, and death. Sometimes she?s smiling and sometimes she has this look, sadness, pain, utter exhaustion, and resolve, all mixed together. Kate can hide a lot of things from those moving around her but if someone takes the time to look you can read most of what?s going on in her face.

I have a feeling that this is going to escilate beyond what any of us has seen before and it might end up being the final battle between the two. Maybe Kate is just building herself up for that final battle, mentally preparing to finally kill her sister.

She?s always avoided killing Liv and she?s never explained why. I know Liv loved her father and knew what was happnening to Kate when they were children, I know Liv resented Kate for just being born and ruining the family. I know she wasn?t openly cruel to Kate but she saw the way she was treated and supported her father in that.

Yet when she had the chance, Liv was the only one Kate did not kill.

Liv is the same, she?s had numerous opportunities to kill Kate but she?s never actually done it.

They both yell and scream about wanting the other dead but when it comes down to it they always disengage at the end, go back to their corners, and begin the fight another day.

This is the first time I?ve seen Kate look like this though. Tired but full of energy, there?s a wildness that surrounds her, it?s like she?s not only keeping the beast chained up inside of her but everything else, there?s a storm raging and it wants to get out. As strong as she seems, she?s weakening.

I?ve always picked her up, dusted her off, cleaned her up after she and Liv crashed into each other, this time I?m wondering if there will be anything left to clean up.

I think this time, might be the end.

From the personal notes of Alain DeMuer, dated 6 November 2010...

Ran into the Barrister tonight. He was cooler than I expected, and I'm surprised I'm not as angry as I was before... We'll talk later. I think Ali's situation will come up. Not looking forward to it.

A woman named Livinia took an interest in Lucien and myself. She expressed signs of psychosis, compulsive lying, antisocial behavior, blatant and childlike attempts at manipulation... I can only guess my association with Kate, however limited, has placed me at odds with this woman. Lucien's worried.

It's cause enough to have one of SPI's collection teams pull an all-nighter to bring in information on this woman. I want to know everything about her, and if I've angered her enough to provoke an attack, how she'll go about it...

* * *

New Haven was one of the few RhyDin neighborhoods that was still pretty densely wooded, and while its streets were crowded, and its shops and homes more upscale for the most part, it bordered wilderness to the north and west.

Alain DeMuer's newest property (this one a cooperative venture between the Baronial Council and the local governments of Teobern and Sainte-Ouen) had been an orchard once upon a time, long since overgrown, though it still had potential. Various paths and a level dirt road ran throughout the property, heading north away from the neighborhood, then turning sharply to the east and meeting the sea and and a very small inlet, just large enough for a few wooden ships.

The docks had been repaired, most of the road cleared, and a single ship bobbed gently in the water at the end. It was in the process of being refitted, about a half dozen men clambering about the hull, while Alain sat on a wooden stool at the very edge of the dock to read a few files, take notes, and observe the progress of his country's latest investment.

It hadn't been that hard to track the man, close to everyone knew the Baron or knew of him. That he had spent some time the night before digging into a certain woman's past had raised red flags to a few who were known to hang around and listen.

She had decided to leave the Baron alone, watch him a while longer and see if the fragile truce between him and Kate would falter, but he had decided to make that difficult. So this is how a young girl who looked to be about 8 years old was now finding herself with a back pack and walking up a dock to the man.

A couple of heads turned, and Alain's too. He shut the file and dropped it under his stool. "Can I help you?" he asked, when she was about fifty feet distant.

"I was told to come see you, sir. Bring you something." She had stopped moving when she started talking, just standing there, shifting as she slid the sparkly pink and purple pack off her back and holding it out to him.

His suspicion went up another tick, just one. "What is it?"

Confusion clouded her eyes and she frowned. "I wasn't told, I was supposed to bring it to the Baron and that's it." She lowered the pack to the ground. "They told me I could open it if asked to?"

Alain hesitated. "...Who sent you?" he asked carefully, with a gentle smile.

She looked at him again, "I was told you might kill me if I answered and I was to show you what was inside before I did." She unzipped the bag and kicked it over so that the package inside tumbled out. It wasn't big, but it was long. There was a clank of metal as it hit the dock but nothing happened, and next to it was an envelope.

At the clank the whole dock seemed to go silent. Seven men stared in that direction, but only one, Alain, at the envelope itself. Wind hissed through the treetops, rattling thousands of dying leaves, and stopped abruptly.

"...Cast off!" Alain barked. "Now!" The orders drowned out any protests as the lines were cut, and with a great deal of noise the ship began to slip away. The Baron whipped off his jacket, the breeze carrying it into the water, and stared between the envelope and the girl. The clasp on his shoulder holster was open, the pistol within hanging there loosely.

He approached with as much slow, steady deliberation as a gunfighter doing his ten paces.

She glanced at the ship as it cast off, then looked back at Alain. "I was told to tell you it is a gift from Livinia." She did seem older than her size or her looks but she had made no move toward him, the bag, the envelope, or the package that now sat on the dock.

A quick glance at the pistol did make her frown however. "Do you mean to shoot me then Sir Alain?"

"Run," he said to her, with a pointed look. "Do it now... just run away." Whatever happened next would determine the whole course of this misadventure. "Please."

She didn't run, she instead stepped toward him, "It is okay." Taking slow, determined steps in his direction. "There is no need for me to run."

He rubbed the fingers of his left hand together, made sure they were dry... then he grabbed for the envelope, backed steadily away from her and the package, and read as quickly as he could. He knew what this was now... he was almost positive... but the contents of the envelope could be a vital clue.

He knew this kind of serial killer, from his days tracking them in the West End: they were all about games, they were not afraid to lose, but the others were usually too afraid to play.

The letter was simple: "You seem to enjoy digging into my life but rather than deter you I offer a gift. Something my sister refused to give you I believe. Use it in good health Baron, you'll need it." There was no signature, none was needed.

The girl was still stepping closer to him, circling to his right.

Was the package a bomb? Then why was the girl approaching still, if she merely had the detonator? But she looked... was she the bomb?

There was little time to debate his instincts, only time enough to follow them. He made a passing grab for the package and then he was backing towards the other end of the docks. He felt its weight, listened to it as he kept back-peddling. "I'm going to ****ing kill Kate," he muttered as he tried to sort out whether or not the metal object was openable, and whether or not he ought to.

The metal object was very openable, easily opened actually, the latch was easily pressed with a finger and the case would pop open.

The girl on the other hand was content to just follow him, smiling. Finally she made a decision of her own and stopped. "This will not end well Baron. Livinia has lost too many times in the past."

Then she turned to face him one last time, set a hand on her hip, closed her eyes, and was ripped apart in an explosion. One second she was there, and the next there was a rapidly expanding fireball ripping through the dock and anything in between her and the Baron.

Alain had seen that look before, unluckily then, very luckily now. He did what any reasonable human being would have when faced with an impending explosion and dove for cover. He tumbled over a pile of crates and landed heavily behind them when the explosion went off.

Light flashed and his ears rung, then smoke rolled overhead as wood splinters rained down, and he hid under his arms for a half a minute. Maybe it was longer -- he couldn't be sure how much time was passing as he oriented himself again, and his hearing struggled to return to normal.

Once he was tuned back into the world around him, he was aware of two things: he did not seem to be seriously hurt, and there were a lot of shouting people getting closer. Probably the workers from the ship.

Before he wound up crowded by concerned and inquisitive faces, he decided to investigate the contents of the metal container.

Inside the container was a knife like the one Kate always carried with her and three cartridges full of nitro gas that fit into the hilt of the knife, also a small slip of paper and a note: "Remember, I gave this to you, not my sister, she kept it from you. Livinia"

"Deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole," he sighed, putting the canister away again and struggling to his feet. Once clean-up here was done... he'd have to track down Kate for a little chat.

* * *

7 November 2010

Thank God I had time to read the report this morning. SPI's analysis was correct, Livinia sends out suicide bombers against Kate's associates -- this one had the explosives inside her body, so we think she's using ghouls. Don't like thinking what the bomber was before Livinia got hold of her...

Hell of a way to start a Sunday. Must talk to Kate ASAP.



(Adapted from live play with the lovely and talented player behind Kate)

I wonder if she?s forgotten I?m here. My sister, my sister who apparently has found love. I?ve seen him, seen them out, she treats him like she treats everyone else in her life, as a servant, someone to do what she tells them to do. From what I?ve heard though they argue more than they get along. Which means she loves him and if he?s sticking around he loves her as well.

I have seen him and I believe I?ll have to contact Iannos Nikolaides, I had heard that his assassan had been killed when he went after Kate that night, this man looks like a Nikolaides and rumor has it Kate is marrying the man who shot her, so now i have to determine if this is a plan by the little man who would be King of his world or if his boy has gone off the reservation and has joined the darkside with Kate.

Until then though, I think I will have some fun with this man. Tell him some truths about my sister and if I can?t use him, I will destroy him because it will hurt Kate.

The first package was wrapped in hot pink foil paper with tiny purple snowflakes on it, a large silver bow completed the look. It was set just outside the gates of the great, Pink Castle.

The second was wrapped in Dark purple with a gold, glittery bow. It was set outside of the door of the cottage Kate had had built this fall.

The third was wrapped in light blue foil, accented with silver glitter swirls and a matching silver bow. That one was set on the front steps of Kate's WestEnd Townhouse.

The fourth was wrapped in traditional red and green, a large gold bow dominating the top of it. This last present was set on the front step of the rather large tudor in New Haven that was actually owned by Derever.

The boxes were all the same size, each looked like it could hold a large top hat, if shaken it wouldn't rattle, whatever was inside was solid.

All four had a single tag that simply read "Merry Christmas!"

The young man who delivered the boxes did so in one evening. Smiling and humming a happy little Christmas tune as he did so.

As the last box was set on that New Haven doorstep he pulled out a cell phone and made a call, "They have all been delivered M'Lady."

Once the message was given, he smiled again, started whistling and walked away.

There?s been this subtle, quiet, fragile peace between Derever and I. We still argue about things, but the truth is most of it is a pale comparison to our old fights. I know this won?t last forever, but having a nice, quiet, non-arguing holiday season has been amazing. All that was shattered on Christmas. I know, I know how freakin' cliche is that? The night of peace and love broken by arguing? I'm getting ahead of myself, though.

There?s a song that goes, ?Start at the very beginning, it?s a very good way to start.? I think that?s what I have to do here. So, the beginning.

It?d been a good night. Christmas is always a good night, one of the few holidays I really, truly love. People seem to just be better during the season. Conflicts, even if they exist, fall into the background, and for a while at least, you can relax and forget about it all. So there we were, Derever and I, having a nice conversation on the way to the Inn. I of course was dressed perfectly for the evening, a frilly little red number with a white fur capelet, red and green striped knee high socks and red heels. Yeah, I looked hot. Derever always looks hot, the man is walking sex...or maybe I just think that because of our relationship. Then again...no, he?s just hot. Though he is hotter when he?s dirty and smelling like horses.

And horses were what we were discussing. I wanted him to get a lawyer to write up some paperwork for him about buying horses or a stable or something. He didn?t want to talk to Bear--something I understand, because the two of them don?t really get along. I suggested he talk to someone, even if it wasn?t Bear. He again claimed he didn?t need to and I backed down. After all it is his money--if he wants to blindly go in and throw his money around, that?s up to him. I think that was his first shock of the night, that I didn?t argue with him. Fionna and Lirssa were going into the in as we were. We entered first, as they had an argument they apparently needed to finish. I believe it was your typical boy conversation, but for once I didn?t stick my nose in.

And this started what I thought would be a normal night in the Inn, drinking, flirting, teasing people. There hadn?t been any sighting of Liv for a while, and I had hope that she had at least taken the holiday off. At some point Derever pointed to a bag he?d brought in and pulled out two gift boxes, each with a large bow and a tag that just said ?Merry Christmas.? He said he found one at his New Haven house and one at my Townhouse. He thought they were from me, I thought they were from him. It was a good night, dammit! We were happy, joking and I was looking forward to giving him his presents.

I remember smiling at him before I opened the box, there was a flash and darkness, that was it.

Coming to? Sucked, a lot. I knew something was wrong. I could feel it. My timing was off and I shouldn?t have been asleep, my head hurt, I was confused, and when I finally opened my eyes the light was far too bright. I at least realized that I was on a couch in the main room of the Castle so I knew we were safe. I covered my eyes with my hand and groaned inside. Lirssa was there, and she explained that Derever and I had been knocked out and were asleep, Fio was in another room resting with Raza, and Derever was on the other couch. She also told me Ali was there. Somehow I couldn?t suppress the wince.

?Is he yelling yet?? My voice sounded wrong to me, a little scratchy and almost timid. Ali had been the one person I really hadn?t wanted to explain the whole Derever thing to and now I had some unexplained presents, a sleeping spell, and Derever to talk about with him.

?Not yet.? I could hear him moving closer to where Lirssa was standing near me.

Even knowing he was going to blow up soon I couldn?t keep from joking, a little. ?That?s a bonus.? When I finally opened my eyes and looked at him I smiled. ?Salve Pater.? Yeah, I poked the bear, I kind of figured I wasn?t going to get in any more trouble with him so it wouldn?t matter.

Lirssa?s whisper broke the silence after my ill-advised comment, ?Want me to bring you anything, or get something for Kate to drink?" I was still trying to be all upbeat and positive but when he looked at me over her head, my dream of a nice, quiet discussion was crushed.

Derever turned and snored on the other couch as Ali answered, "Coffee if they've any made, please, ?toile."

I didn?t even hear her ?Yes, sir,? I was more concerned with Derever, watching him on that couch, so deeply asleep. "He's just asleep too, right?"

I have to hand it to Ali, he went over and checked him without any complaint. Checking his pulse and his pupils, his only comment was on the second. ?Slow response.? Then there he was, in front of me again, the one person I?d always trusted and relied on, the one who?d never let me down, and he was pissed.

?They called you, you?re here to yell at me.? I knew it was true, I could feel it in my bones.

"I should like," he agreed, his shining eyes narrowed as he looked down at me, "very much to know what the devil is going on here. What have you got yourself into??

The words tumbled out. "Which what? There are so many." I tried a smile. I mean it usually works, the smile. "Curiosity killing the Kate and all of that." Lirssa reentered the room at this point, three cups of coffee on a tray. She stood there between us, this uncertain look on her face, not knowing who to offer the first cup to.

"Antonio sent a message to the Eye saying something about a spell, and that you were unconscious at the castle...and oh, by the way, my entire family was camping here tonight as well."

I indicated to Lirssa that her dad should take the first cup, anything to distract him from the questions I knew were hot on the heels of that statement. "There were two presents, I opened one, and here we are." Simplicity, thy name is Kate. I couldn?t lie, but I also decided not to elaborate more than I needed to.

He took a mug off the tray and looked at me over the rim of it. Have you ever seen a lion stalking it?s prey? The way it narrows its eyes and focuses in on whatever it?s tracking and looking at taking down? That was the look he gave me. He was going to find out what the hell was going on and I was going to tell him, one way or another. His next statement only strengthened the track my thoughts were taking. "If you force me to drag it out of you, Kate, neither one of us will enjoy the experience, I assure you." And there it was, he knew something was up, something more than just the presents and the sleeping. And he was going to find out what it was, even if he had to drag me kicking and screaming into telling him.

Lirssa, bless her soul tried to intervene, I don?t think she realized the undercurrent of the conversation when she interrupted, ?Well, I'm not sure Kate really knows much of what happened, Papa. She was sorta outta it.?

"Drag what out of me? Seriously, Derever said one of the boxes was on the front stoop of the townhouse and one was at his place. He brought them thinking I'd left them for him. I thought...Ooooooo present. Opened one and bam I'm waking up here."

"Who is Derever and why is he here?" His bottle-glass gaze shifted to the man, and back to my face. His absent touch to Lirssa?s hair, his fingers tickling through her curls, almost made me smile. Almost.

What did make me smile was my answer to him. "He's my fiancee? That's why he's here?" Yeah, it was a smile to try and force him to believe I was right and everything was fine. It didn?t work.

His jaw dropped and then he looked at Lirssa, a question in his eyes. I didn?t say anything. Trust me, it?s much better to just be quiet sometimes.

"Oh, yeah..." the minx almost sounded bored, "I meant to tell you something about that, but you know with all the schedules and school and holiday and stuff..." her rattling trailed off as she gave him her best charming smile, though her eyes said more something along the lines 'I'm as amazed as you are.' I have to admit, I glared at Lirssa. I needed someone other than myself to blame, and there she was. I?d asked her to tell him if she saw him and she hadn?t, it was classic misdirection. I didn?t want to admit, even to myself, that I might be wrong about Derever. That even if I was right people would have reasons to not like him and think I was crazy. Most of all I didn?t want to risk the friendship I have with Ali.

"You're joking."

The frown started before I even started talking. "No. Not joking."

"How long have you known him?" Anyone with eyes could see he was working things through his head, the wheels were turning and he was trying to figure this all out.

"We met uh....5 months ago?" I couldn?t stop the hesitation as I tried to remember when I?d met Derever, and once I thought about that there was wondering if I should count the first time I met him or the time later, when he was a ghost.

In the next few seconds my greatest fears were realized. Ali started asking more questions. "Five months ago?" His slitted eyes widened. "Why didn't you say--"

Lirssa tried to help Ali?s memory. "You remember him, Papa, the one that shot her?" And there it was, the biggest part of my Derever Secret. As he blinked and looked again at Lirssa I just waited for the yelling to start. "He hasn't shot her again, which I think is a step in the right direction, personally, and doesn't Chris make good coffee?"

I grabbed a hold of Lirssa?s lifeline with both hands, refusing to let go. ?Yes, Chris makes very good coffee."

"He was the one who shot you." It wasn?t the color slowly starting to rise in his cheeks, it was the level tone of his voice that terrified me.

?Yes.?

"And last night he brought you a gift that caused you to fall asleep. And some man came in claiming to have been sent by Chris and wanting to take you away."

I started to explain at the first sentence, defending Derever. "He found a gift that caused me and him to fall asleep." The second sentence of Ali?s confused the hell out of me. "Huh? Some man?" That made no sense at all.

"Antonio mentioned in his missive that a man came into the inn and offered to take you back to the castle. He'd said Chris sent him." He looked over at Lirssa, yet again asking her to confirm something in our conversation.

"Yeah," she nodded at me. "He was in no hurry when he arrived, but as soon as he saw you two out, he was all sayin' he was there to help and get you back to Chris. Maman saw right through that one, and him all sayin' he was a new hire because of some Liv--Livinia threatenin'?"

That confirmed the thoughts that?d been tumbling in my head since I woke up. This had all been a set up by Liv, and she?d dragged Derever into it too. She knew about him, knew I was with him, knew every place I lived. It was as much a message as it was an attempted hit on my life. "Well that's just silly. Chris wouldn't send anyone to get me, he'd get me himself or figure Derever was there to take care of me." I looked over at Lirssa because I knew Ali?d be focusing on Liv?s name. I thought about it and offered a little bit of information, "Livinia is a threat but there isn't anyone new around here. Which means it was one of Liv's people and her gift."

As I spoke Ali was already in motion, quickly moving to Derever on the couch. Lirssa?s question distracted me though. "Kate, I gotta ask, what were ya thinkin' openin' strange gifts? Did you think it was from Derever?"

In the few seconds it took me to listen to Lirssa and her question, Ali was over there and already had Derever's wrists ziptied behind his back. ?Is he a mage?? The demand was tossed over his shoulder as he looked at me.

"He said he thought it was from me, I said I thought it was from him. It could have been from anyone, you, Ali, Bear. I know people you know." I frowned at his look, ?You don't have to do that. He's human."

Lirssa scrambled to her feet and went to help Ali, her hand out, toward him for another ziptie. ?Yeah, but we usually ya know...say so."

"He shot you, managed to worm his way into your affections anyway, and then brought you a gift that put you to sleep," Ali bit each word off. I can?t describe it, but there was a snap to each word, like a rubber band breaking, "and someone else just happened to be waiting in the wings to take you away. Is he a mage?"

I tried again to explain, to defend Derever, "Well, obviously I know now it was a dumb idea, being distracted by a shiny gift was stupid."

As I spoke he slapped another ziptie into Lirssa?s hands. When she went to secure his ankles, that was the last straw and I went from defending myself to actually being mad at him. "NO! He is NOT a mage and he's not exactly threatening, is he?"

"Christ, Kate, think for a second. How much more believable was it that he was put under too? If he had this other man just waiting, the man could have taken both of you and he'd be perfectly safe." He smacked the back of Derever's head, which I think is what woke him up, or at least brought him to.

"If he wanted me dead or delivered to Liv, he could have done that many times over the past few months. He's been in my house, in my bed during the day!" I finally felt well enough to stand, so I did. It felt wonderful and awful at the same time. Gotta love my sister?s spells.

Lirssa walked around the couch to look at Derever, for a moment I thought she might realize he wasn?t a threat and help him. Meanwhile Ali and I continued our argument, "Blame, Kate. If you'd turned up dead in bed in one of your warded houses, who do you think would have taken the blame for it?" His nose was flared, he was breathing harder, it was obvious he was furious.

"Livinia, Shade, Veighn? Any of them could hire someone to do it."

"Good morning, mister. Do you remember my father?" Lirssa?s voice brought my attention back to Derever.

?Father?? The confused voice drifted up from Derever on the couch.

"Untie him, Ali. Then we can discuss things."

His snort annoyed me even more than his comment. "Then you need better security. Obviously, if you--w'Allah! Marry him. No bloody wonder no one told me about it." He threw his arms up like some old woman and turned to face Derever.

Derever and Lirssa were still talking. I wanted to reassure him, but I needed to make sure Ali understood or win the argument. I wasn?t sure which was more important at that point. "I've only seen you the once and you were busy, so don't act like I've been all keeping things from you. You've been busy." I took my normal ?dude, you?re pissing me off? stance and crossed my arms over my chest. "Aaaannnd it's been in the paper. You could have read an asked anytime." I pointed at him in triumph at that one.

It didn?t work, "Obviously," he repeated, "if you've had time to dig your silly arse in this deep, I've been falling down on the job." Then he bent to whisper to Derever, telling him not to move if he didn?t want his throat cut. For once Derever didn?t argue, and the man on the couch went completely still.

I was actually more focused on Ali?s comment about my arse. "My arse is not silly." I then gave him my most withering and death-worthy looks...or I would have, if I hadn?t been pouting over how the evening had gone.



Adapted from live play with the wonderous Ali, Lirssa, and Fio.

Edgar failed me, I found a vampire to embrace him, gave him eternal life, kept him with me and he totally and completely failed me.

Christmas night he had Kate and this man Derever in his hands, both of them knocked out by the gifts I had him leave for Kate. It was almost better than I had planned. All I?d wanted to do was have Kate pick up a gift, open it, thinking it was from her boy toy, get knocked out and then lay on her doorstep until the sun rose. I?d sent 4 of them to make sure and I was right to do so that bastard Chris found the one at the castle and the one at Kate?s cottage. Derever found the one at his home and the one at the WestEnd townhouse.

He took them to Kate at the Inn and my stupid sister opened it as she sat on the bar, the spell was split between her and Derever but they both were knocked out. It would have been long enough to get them to me, to ensure Kate?s death but Edgar pushed too hard and Kate?s friends grew suspicious.

So now I have nothing and I?m sure Kate has told Derever what I look like so I can?t mess with him as I had intended.

I have other cards up my sleeve. A little note to send a secret to reveal.

My Lord Iannos,

Events are unfolding within Rhy Din that you should be aware of. My sister, who I made a deal with you to kill is obviously still alive. She is currently living with a man and from what I have been told, planning on marrying him.

His name is Derever and he looks like he comes from your area. Rumor has it he claims to be from Shrewsbury, he shot Kate, became a ghost, somehow wooed my sister, is now human, and is, as I said, engaged to her.

Could he be the man you sent to kill my sister?

The two are often seen in the Red Dragon Inn, Kate has three homes (A townhouse in the WestEnd, The castle she lives in, and a cottage near the castle), Derever lives in New Haven.

I thought this information might be of use to you.

Livinia