Turns out, Tjere had a a thing for poetry. It was a surprise for Rain to see her little dhampir writing notes to herself in between the long hours of the day. Occasionally she would sneak a peak at whatever Tjere was writing; and while Tjere was utterly loyal to her, she kept her private scribbles strictly to herself. The language was an offshoot of her own native tongue, yet there was a few letters Rain couldn’t make out. A couple squiggly lines also decorated the pages, some of them looked bizarre. 

      Rain wasn’t always the kind to pry into someone else’s private thoughts, therefore, she would never force Tjere to reveal her secrets. That didn’t mean Rain wasn’t tempted to steal the journal for a night, if only to bask in a good verse or two. There wasn’t a lot else to do during the three days that Namire had been gone, other than speaking to the Drow elder. Ryltar of the Arkenani had done everything she asked, and together they had ensured the clan was ready to depart at a moments notice.

      In the meantime, Rain found herself anxiously waiting for Namire’s return. She couldn’t help but worry for her. Three days seemed a long time for a simple scouting venture. Meanwhile, Szordrin had proven to be a bore in private, offering little in terms of comfort other than his sexual prowess. Brostin had recovered some of his constitution, although Rain had yet to spend time with him. She couldn’t wait to taste the human’s warmth, and let it fill her hunger. His seed would be a welcome improvement to the Drows.

      While waiting for Namire to return, Rain spent most of her time trying to sneak through Tjere’s poetry. Some of it was rather good, what bits she could read. It had proven to become something like a game, waiting to find the opportune times to peek through Tjere’s books when she wasn’t looking. So far, Rain had yet to reveal her secret, and was charmed to learn she could out-wit the dhampir.

      For now the dhampir was busy with something else, and she had taken her journals with her. This left Rain to her lonesome, which had become an agonizing concept. She quickly grew bored, and was considering taking a mid-day bath in the spring water when she noticed two figures approaching. 

      Namire had finally arrived, with Tjere following close behind. While she had many new talents as a succubus, mind-reading wasn’t one of them. Thankfully, Rain didn’t need to be a mind-reader to know Namire brought mixed news. Her tail was low to the ground, but her ears were high. Tjere seemed annoyed at the Drow packing their belongings, clearly not happy with the clan following them.

      Rain motioned for them both to enter the ruined temple, and made sure no one else was inside. She nearly forgot that Brostin was sorting through some old archives, and had to usher him away. His smile warmed her cheeks, and Rain couldn’t help but sneak a peek at the man’s rump as he left the chamber. 

      Damn, he looks good. Rain stifled a giggle as she bit her lip. Perhaps she wouldn’t wait much longer to enjoy his company?

      Once alone, Namire sat on the only chair before the alter and pouted. 

      “So,” Rain strutted to within arms reach, her brand marks glowing in the shadows. “What have you found, my precious Namire?”

      “We cannot go north,” Namire sighed with defeat.

      “What do you mean?” Rain raised a brow. 

      “Knights, lots of them have scoured the hinterlands north of here. Luckily, their armor makes them slow and clunky. Making them easy to avoid.” Namire looked up, but struggled to meet her gaze. “There were others as well, armed humans resisting the Knights.”

      The news of humans fighting amongst themselves alarmed Rain. She was used to seeing infighting in the city, but for knights to openly engage other humans was extremely rare. If the humans were waring in the woods, who’s side were they fighting for?

      “I did catch the scent of a vampire though, m’lady.” Namire tried to give her some good news.

      That caught Rain’s attention. “Where?” She wasn’t sure if it was excitement she felt, or dread. 

      Namire’s tail wagged. “I caught a scent west of here, it was pretty far away. But I’m not sure they will welcome us.”

      “They?” Rain noticed a flicker in Namire’s eyes. Evidently, the dhampir knew more than she spoke, and wasn’t eager to continue. Rain sensed her apprehension, more than one vampire could be more trouble than its worth. 

      “The Count and Comtesse of Grieve, the elder siblings of…the dead guy chained to the wall.” Namire looked over to the vacant room, the vampire’s corpse still laid within. “I can’t imagine they will be happy to see you.” 

      “Nope…” Rain’s voice trailed with the wind. “They probably will not.” 

      A new feeling of anger simmered underneath the surface. In no world should a Vampire be a threat to a Succubus. It was a thought that never occurred to her before, that she should be the one for them to fear. For now, Rain knew she wasn’t strong enough to confront two Vampires, even with her loyal companions. 

      Perhaps later, she thought to herself, I’ll make them bow.

      Time was running out, Rain only had a few weeks before the harvest moon. Without a vampire to harvest a suitable spawn, there was no way to venture north safely. Then again, Rain realized, there  was no way they could remain here safely either. Roien’s commands were simple, they had to move north. Disobeying a gods advice wasn’t likely to end well.

      “Tjere,” Rain looked over at her other servant. “Send the word out that we’re to abandon camp at dusk, anyone who wishes to stay will be left behind.”

      “Blessings to the chosen of Roien,” Tjere muttered a prayer while giving a short bow. 

      Rain watched her leave, then pondered for a moment. 

      “I’m sorry for failing you my queen!” Namire’s outburst was sudden.

      “You didn’t fail me Namire,” Rain patted her servant on the head, and then proceeded to rub her fox-like ears. “After all, there’s still time. Maybe we’ll find another Vampire on the way.”

      “In the meantime,” Rain caressed her servant. “It’s been three long days, you must be parched.”

      Namire groaned as she felt her mistress scratching at her scalp. 

      “Here, have a sip.” Rain offered the dhampir an exposed wrist without hesitation. Rain felt a sharp sting as Namire sank her teeth into her flesh. She ignored the pain, and continued to stroke Namire’s hair as she supped from her blood.