Fighting Back

Milena banged her fist against her armchair, furious.

This was both precious information that explained a lot of things, and the worst piece of news she could have received. Their enemies most likely already knew that animals could transfer Wendigo blood, and used that information to spread it like a disease among the vampires. They could have used anything to contaminate the vampires without being seen. Lucian was among the hunters, too. He had brought back tons of food supplies of meat, which both the vampires and humans had fed on. What if someone had simply put prey infected with Wendigo blood there? There was no way to know. The vampires and humans alike would have eaten it without noticing a difference. Animals tasted different from human blood anyway, and there was no saying animals infected with Wendigo blood would taste different.

Milena had never been able to understand how the Emerald Forest had become a nest of Wendigos so quickly, and this explained everything. The units that had tried to come back should have at least had a chance, but now, it was clear they had none. The first vampires among them had most likely eaten the wrong animals, and transformed overnight with no idea what was coming for them. Units usually shared food equally, and perhaps their human peers had themselves eaten the food and contaminated their fellow vampires if their blood had been contaminated also. There was no way anyone had noticed a Wendigo beforehand. Otherwise, there would have been at least some attempt to contain those who had been bitten. That could even explain the murders downtown. They could create Wendigos from afar, without ever needing to get into close contact with the victim or use a proxy.

Any noble vampire could be contaminated this way. 

It even explained how Queen Lyriana had been poisoned and transformed without anyone noticing. The blood she was served should always have been inspected, even when it came from a living source; it made no sense for a queen to have been transformed so quickly, or for a long time without anyone noticing her blood supply had an issue. Milena remembered Lyriana had been announced sick for less than a day before she was transformed. They had never thought twice about it, but what else could have rendered a vampire woman sick... and no one would have suspected something had been wrong with her meat rather than her blood supply. They had been looking at the wrong thing all along.

"Those bastards..."

Milena had rarely been this angry. She had taken precautions for all her family's blood supplies to be watched over, and even her blood trade was given every precaution. It turned out everything had been done for nothing, as the threat came from the meat supplies. Slowly, she realized how late and exposed they really were.

She jumped to her feet.

“Can you work out a remedy?” She asked the sisters.

“It might take us a while, but we should be able to, my Lady,” confidently nodded Genia. “Now that we have so many elements, including my Lady and her companion’s blood to study, it should only be a matter of time. The Sevira family will take pride in being the first ones to create a proper remedy to this disease. There has to be something we can do.”

Milena nodded. She was confident in the sisters’ abilities. In fact, she hadn’t seen such proficient scientists since Prince Sleverin.

"Do all you can to learn more about Blanche's blood and mine,” she said, walking up to Blanche. “Make sure to keep me informed. The smallest bit of information and scientific data about the Wendigo blood we can get will be crucial from now on. Don't hesitate to send someone to share with me the smallest bit of progress you make, but keep it confidential. ...And try to find out how much of my blood is needed to prevent the transformation!"

"Yes, my Lady."

Blanche growled, and shape-shifted back into a wolf, following Milena as she left in a hurry. There was no time to lose, even if it felt much too late already. Perhaps some vampire noble had contaminated meat on their plate at this very moment. Milena got back on her horse, and rode as quickly as possible, towards the Capital's main street this time. Asking for a Royal Decree would take too long, and she was in no mood for another round of arguing with Ellias. She had to find more effective and direct means to warn everyone. 

Luckily, the Merchants' Guild was always active, and their main building was open day and night, especially for a woman like Milena De Crescent. Many eyes opened wide upon seeing the Grand Princess barge in furiously, only followed by a young maid, a knight and a wolf. It didn’t take long to get their attention and spread the word. Even her friend Tiphania soon appeared, and together, they worked to stop all meat supplies coming into the Capital, and use the Guild’s amazing network to warn everyone as fast as possible about the risks of contaminated meat already being in their houses. The task was complex, as pretty much everyone ate meat, and all the residences were scattered in and out of the Capital. The Merchants’ Guild even sent some of their own riders to warn those on the outskirts, or convince the nobles who had closed their doors to most to open and at least listen. Then, Milena had to help rearrange the current meat supply, explaining the risk to the Guild and how to make sure the meat was safe; she didn’t have any quick solution, but the first step was not to have any vampire or one of their blood providers eat any food that could be at risk. She could only hope everyone would be warned in time, and avoid the creation of any more Wendigos. Using her personal connections as well, Milena oversaw all of this until Genia herself arrived at the Guild, saying she had a way of making sure the meat was safe with a simple scientific method. Despite the uproar, the Guild masters eventually found themselves lucky to be involved: with all households guaranteed to soon request only approved meat, they knew their market would get an extra boost.

By the time things got calmer at the Guild’s headquarters, it was already past midday. Milena had been stuck there all morning long, only happy to keep herself busy and useful rather than agonizing over her brother’s state. No news coming from the Manor meant his condition hadn’t changed, not getting better or worse. The only news that actually came to her were her ladies-in-waiting helping to spread the word, the Sevira sisters that relayed one another to keep Milena informed as promised and, finally, one of the King’s envoys that came to investigate the uproar and was sent back promptly with an insult or two from the Guild Masters.

Finally, Milena managed to leave early in the afternoon. She left things in Tiphania’s hands, knowing her friend was more than capable of handling the Guild and getting the work done. When she got back in the carriage, she let out a long sigh. It had been one long, crazy day and the fatigue was catching up to her.

Seated opposite to her, Dinah looked worried for her.

“My Lady, you should rest once we get back. You’ve been incredibly busy today, and I am sure Master Raphael will be alright…”

“Nothing’s alright these days,” sighed Milena. “It’s one piece of bad news after another… I just keep praying inside for a light of hope. I wish things were much simpler.”

“Do you… wish you weren’t in your position sometimes? I was thinking earlier, if it weren’t for you, I wonder what would have become of this Kingdom already.”

Milena scoffed, leaning her head against the back of the carriage.

“Sometimes I do wish I was just a peasant’s daughter, but then, I realize how incredibly frustrated I would be not to be able to do a thing. It takes money, politics and a noble title to do the things I do. I was raised for this… I consider this the price of the luxury I live in. The richer we are, the more responsible we should be. I loathe those nobles who only live to spend their wealth without ever contributing anything to this Kingdom. They forgot our families got their descendants where we stand through blood, sweat and tears. Nothing but hard work should be our biggest burden.”

“…My Lady is the most noble lady I know. I am lucky you’re our mistress. Even if I died at your service, I would never regret it!”

“That’s easy to say,” chuckled Milena. “You should have aspirations of your own, Dinah.”

“Oh, if things go well and we see the end of this war, and my Lady’s husband comes back, all I will wish for is a peaceful life! Maybe a husband, but I have nothing to complain about as my Lady’s maid. I know you dote on us very much, compared to other nobles…”

“…What is it?” She asked, noticing Dinah’s dark expression.

The young maid shook her head.

“It’s not much, my Lady. I just feel sorry for Her Highness the Queen… If only she had been born in a family like my Lady’s. With a sister like my Lady, she could surely have become one of the most popular socialites, and done much more for the people.”

Milena smiled.

In fact, she hadn’t given up on Philomenie yet. However, if her sister-in-law didn’t start to take care of her own affairs by herself yet, there would be nothing Milena could do. She believed in Philomenie, but it was up to the Queen to stop hiding in others’ shadows. And from what she had seen before, there was still a chance.

“…She’s a woman,” said Milena. “She will pull through.”

“Do you really believe so, my Lady?”

“My great-grandmothers used to say, any man can pull up a sword, but any woman can put up a fight. If you’re born a woman, you’re born a fighter.”

Dinah meditated on those words and remained silent for the rest of the trip. Milena didn’t add anything either, lost in her own thoughts. Moreover, she already had in her hands the first report from the Sevira sisters. The young women were absolute beasts of science when they found a subject to be passionate about. At this rate, they would be able to solve the enigma of Wendigos much sooner than expected and find a possible cure as well. Milena was relieved she could delegate this research to somebody else. As much as she loved science, she didn’t have the luxury to choose her fights. Right now, the carriage was bringing her back home, and she had to prepare herself for what she would find there.

As usual, Digory welcomed her inside, and his calm demeanour helped Milena relax a bit as well. Even as composed as he usually was, she would have been able to tell if something was wrong.

“How is he?” She asked without stopping her steps inside.

“There has been no significant change, my Lady. The second Master fell asleep right after my Lord came back, and hasn’t seemed to regain consciousness since.”

“Consciousness? Isn’t he just asleep?”

“That’s a complex question, according to our family doctor. Master Raphael seems to be sleeping more soundly than a normal vampire would. He doesn’t have any kind of issue physically, but the family doctor has been saying his current state is closer to a coma than what we would call sleep for a vampire.”

“That’s new,” sighed Milena. “Anything else?”

“No, my Lady. The second Master only refused to eat anything before, and as per instructed, we didn’t attempt to give him anything else until your return.”

“My father?”

“The Lord got news of your findings about the poisoned blood and meat supplies, my Lady, so he went out right away to help warn the vampire families in the outskirts. We understood some were a bit reluctant, so your father suggested going and convincing them himself.”

In other words, he had gone to terrorize the most reluctant of them.

“We also turned away Royal Envoys twice, my Lady.”

“Irrelevant. Keep sending them back. He only wants to know if my brother made it… The King should be watching the situation with the food supplies rather than prying into our personal business.”

“Yes, my Lady.”

Without adding a word, Milena left Digory and Dinah behind to take care of her belongings, and climbed the stairs up to her brother’s room. It was strangely quiet in there, with only Eugenie dozing off in one of the seats. From the bucket of water and cold teacup next to her, it appeared her sister-in-law had indeed done her best…

Milena sighed, approaching Raphael. He was really asleep, in a very, very deep sleep. His breathing was so slow and faint she barely noticed it at all. He didn’t react when she touched his hand, either. It seemed as cold as before, which made her feel a bit better. However, she felt like she was looking at a statue. With his body completely still, rigid and cold, Raphael barely seemed human anymore. She glanced at his hands, face and hair as if she would notice any change, but there really wasn’t any. Milena silently prayed he’d be alright for the millionth time that day. She couldn’t endure losing another brother.

After a while, Digory appeared again in the room, suggesting she take a proper nap next door. This time, Milena offered no resistance. Her sleeping schedule as of late had been one of the most hectic she’d ever gone through.

The butler preceded her in the salon next door, where the efficient servants had already prepared the couch to make it as comfortable as possible, with blankets and cushions, and snacks offered on the table. Everyone had already guessed she’d refuse to go to her bedroom, as close as it was, to be next to Raphael’s bedroom. Milena f****d herself to lie down and let go, only convinced by the fact that sleeping would make her more efficient for what was to come next. She sighed, only Digory left in the room with her.

“My Lady has been very brave lately,” he suddenly declared, pulling the blanket over her.

“How rare to get a compliment from you.”

“It is rare but true. I am a silent witness of how strong this family is, and how similar my Lady is to her ancestors. You’re making the Ladies of this household proud from where they watch.”

“…I am not sure how long that will last, Digory. I’m scared I’ll make a grave mistake next. I already almost got my brother killed.”

“Trial and errors are part of life, but they do not make my Lady a failure. As far as I’ve gotten to witness for myself, you’ve never failed this family, which can’t be said for all of its members.”

“I can’t lose Raphael,” Milena sighed, already half-asleep. “I can’t lose him too. I need him so much, for everything. I wish Rayan and Lucian would be back already…”

“I know, my Lady; you’ve been very brave. Don’t worry, I’m sure everything will work out in the end. Also, whether Master Raphael will be there to help you or not, I promise I will. You can leave the investors and your Inauguration Banquet to us.”

“That damn banquet. I almost forgot.”

Milena sighed. It felt so silly to be thinking about a banquet now, when she had no idea if her brother would make it to the banquet or not. No, she couldn’t even tell if he’d make it to the next day…

“Just wake me up if anything happens.”

“Yes, my Lady. Please don’t worry and sleep comfortably.”

Blanche jumped on the couch at Milena’s feet, curling herself in a small bundle of fur. They had both donated blood and ran around a lot today. Both the wolf and her owner did need a lot of sleep.

Digory stayed until he was sure Milena had fallen asleep, and then, he gave silent orders for Dinah to stay by her side and left the room himself. Once in the corridor, he exchanged a few words with some of his colleagues about how the rest of the Manor was doing, and quickly went upstairs. He had to catch sight of the Lord before he went to sleep, if he had decided to catch any. Just as he approached the Duke’s office, his steps slowed down, and his eyes lingered on the family portraits lined up there.

“Ha, Madam,” he muttered to himself. “They certainly are missing you more than ever…”