Blood, dust, ashes, and gunpowder

"My Lady, we shall come with you," said both lieutenants, stepping forward like one man.

Milena hesitated. On one hand, she was worried about leaving the men to handle the front door by themselves, but on the other hand, going upstairs with only Blanche and Ruby as her supports could result in the three of them finding their deaths. She took a second to think, trying to be as rational and pragmatic as possible. The main goal was to save time, keep the main door open until Rayan made it here. From a strictly strategic point of view, her role was to stay downstairs and wait. Her main issue, however, was that this position wouldn't be holdable for long if the conflict dragged on too long outside. She didn't have enough men with her, and worse, she was lacking a partner to lead them with her. Her plan had always included the Duke De Nova she should have reunited with, or at least a few of his lieutenants; Milena hadn't foreseen a situation where she'd be alone to lead this many men who had barely met her before, and cruelly lacked field experience. Hence why she was hesitating in derogating her own plan. She had already decided to go upstairs, but was it worth it to bring those men with her? That was a total of ten men that would protect her instead of securing the ground floor...

"...Only one team shall follow me," she finally decided. The others go downstairs and keep hunting down the Royal Guards you can find."

"Yes, my Lady!"

It took less than a minute for them to agree on who would follow the Grand Princess and who would stay back. Milena was already ready to go upstairs, and they resumed running as soon as the other team left.

They headed for the stairs. Only then did she realize how big this Castle actually was. Even the Royal Family only ever used a third of it on the daily, but the whole place was much, much bigger than what her men could cover by themselves. Some rooms were scarcely used throughout the year, and she had never bothered with them, but now they had to be considered as potential hideouts. The corridors had turned into perfect scenes for some quick sword fights, and as soon as they came across the new wave of Royal Guards, Milena got pulled into one duel after another. She felt like she was in a practice scene like when she was a teen, when she was trained relentlessly to fight against men twice her size. Luckily, those Royal Guards weren't much better than the norm. The Royal Family had always prioritized numbers over skills, and many were also here more for the high salary and prestige of the position than for a passion for sword fighting, unlike family knights. That explained why Milena, who had been trained by the very best, could fight one man after another without getting injured. If anything, she was more worried about her overall state. If she had been in a perfect condition, it would have been a very different story, but because she had spent too many days locked up, underfed, and drugged, she was trying to manage her forces and not get exhausted too soon. She had never been so grateful for Ruby and Blanche assisting her, either. Her personal bodyguard was barely bothering to hide herself anymore, more concerned about helping her mistress get across those corridors unharmed than being stealthy. Blanche was even more impressive, in her own way. She was shape-shifting from one beast to another so fast, Milena mostly caught her as silver dashes from the corner of her eye. Blanche could go from a massive beast to a smaller creature in an instant, perfectly using anything she could shape-shift into to fit the situation. Their trio was pretty much clearing the way for the little group that followed Milena, so the men were more focused on covering their rear, but also searching through the adjacent rooms for survivors, people to capture or servants to allow back to the kitchen. Milena was also carefully watching the situation. She was prepared for literally anything, and that meant nobles sneaking past them to evacuate the Castle.

Ellias and the White Ones weren't her only objective. Like always, the Dhampir Lady was seeing the bigger picture. Even if they won the war, it would take weeks to purge the Kingdom's head of its corrupted roots, and that began with getting rid of the nobles who had supported this whole ordeal, lent their knights or financed this battle. Milena had a hunch they were nothing but pawns, but she would happily let them fall and take the blame for their poor choices. She hated the rats that hid in the shadows just as much as the ones who were stubbornly trying to bite...

"Capture them all," she said as two of the knights had found another noble hiding. "Whoever was in this castle during the attack is our prisoner and shall be interrogated later. Take them to the cells!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Most nobles were unwilling to fight after witnessing her incredible sword fighting and the mighty beast that was splattering blood on the walls. Neither Milena nor Blanche cared about keeping the fight clean and classy; this time it was war. 

After a while, they reached what seemed to be the fourth or fifth floor, Milena wasn't exactly sure. The corridors were much quieter, as it seemed the Royal Guards had deserted the area. She caught her breath, and wiped some blood off her chin, only to realize her gloves were completely stained too. So dark with blood, they were almost black... her Prophecy strangely came back to mind at this odd moment. Was that it? The Black Hand... The one that got dirty with blood, dust, ashes, and gunpowder. She hadn't touched her g*n yet, but it shouldn't be long now. Milena's blades were starting to get dull, even if she tried to wipe them at any break she could catch. The fight was hard, and getting annoyingly repetitive. There was still no sign of the Duke De Nova either, which was getting her restless. If they had killed the man, they would have already made a big display of it, to intimidate the Vampires and try to coerce them into submission. If he was alive, they were surely going to use him as a hostage, perhaps to negotiate their escape. Either option wouldn't be pleasant, but Milena was down to hoping the Duke would either survive, or die without complications. The vampire was already more than old enough, which was why he had volunteered to play this part, but she knew he deserved dignity, at least, for his end. His knights were also still frantically searching for him, and without answers, they were getting more and more restless. They kept rotating between searching the rooms and escorting the prisoners or servants downstairs, so Milena seldom relied on them. Only Ruby and Blanche were staying by her side all the time...

Suddenly, the whole area was violently shaken up. The deafening sound got them all to cover their ears or grimace for a second, but they all recognized it. War Cannon. Milena ran to the closest window, trying to take a peek of the battlefield. They were in the wrong area for that, but it didn't matter. She could see the familiar dark smoke and smell the bad gunpowder from there. She opened the windows, leaned over to try and get a glimpse, even if it was just the very edge of the battle. Now that the window was open, she could hear the horrible clamor of the battle, gunshots and shouting filling the air, a terrible weather of chaos enlightening the darkness of night. Even if she couldn't get eyes on the grounds of the battle, she could see the vivid lights of gunfire and torches somewhere far below. The battle was already mid-way to the Castle! Rayan had probably come out as fast as he could to meet his twin's army as close to the Castle gates as he could, reducing the distance he'd have to clear to get here. 

Something was off, though. Some cannons were still being regularly fired on the battleground, but they weren't as deafening as the one that had just shook the Castle itself. Milena frowned. How close were those cannons? Even if they fired from the Castle, she shouldn't have heard them from so close if they were firing north... It suddenly hit her. They were firing at a battlefield, but not the one she had thought.

"Tell me they aren't that mad," she muttered, horrified.

She ran to the other side of the corridor, bursting open the first door she could to get to its windows. She dashed to the balcony, lucky she had found the perfect room that overhangs the Castle's gardens. She didn't care about the gardens, though. Her purple eyes sought further, to the Capital's large streets. She gasped. 

They were really firing at the main streets. The Castle's cannon were firing towards their own Capital, towards the crowded streets, the buildings, and their own citizens! From where she stood, she saw it all too well. One of the main streets was split open like a disemboweled beast, its buildings blown up and the ground dug into a long, burnt trench. The whole area was covered in blood and human remains. They had really fired a cannonball at the crowd. She couldn't believe it. The horrified screams and cries of her citizens were barely reaching her ears, but they were heart-wrenching. She couldn't even fathom how many lives had been lost with that single shot. Some buildings were barely standing and would collapse soon. A couple of fires had started, and people were torn between rescuing those who could be and fleeing to save their own lives. Milena didn't even dare to look for Alexis and the others. There was no fight anymore. At best, the rebels were fleeing or protecting the citizens, but it would have been madness to keep holding tight ranks in the streets. If whoever was currently reigning over the Castle was mad enough to shoot once, they'd better not tempt them to do it twice.

Milena's fist tightened until it shook, full of anger. The smell of gunpowder made her want to throw up, but it was like fuel to her furor. She was going to avenge her citizens, and her allies. She would make them pay tenfold for this tragedy.

"...Ugly."

Blanche transformed into her human form by her side, also glaring at what was happening down there. Then, she grabbed Milena's hand, forcing her to release her fist, and pulled her back inside, probably the reason why she had taken her extremely rare human appearance.

"Millie mad?"

"I'm worried for our allies," Milena replied, walking back inside after her. "I wish I could check on them soon, but if Raelius isn't back, that means he's needed elsewhere..."

Not only Alexis, but Prudence, Lucian, and even Philomenie were supposedly downtown. Her allies Tiphania and Yasina too, were supposed to help. Milena let out a deep sigh, trying to calm down. At least, they had initiated an evacuation long before that cannon had fired. Hopefully, little to nothing happened to any of them...

"Millie."

This time, Blanche stopped first, and turned around to face Milena, still human and visibly upset.

"I stop cannon."

"Blanche?" Milena said, worry sinking her heart. "...What are you talking about?"

"Blanche stop cannon. Blanche big enough. Blanche smart and quick. Blanche stop cannon for Millie and Millie friends. Blanche hates cannon and fire."

Milena hesitated. It was a heart-breaker. She knew stopping those cannons could make a huge difference in this war, but she hated even the idea of parting with Blanche again. Moreover, sending her friend against some of the largest weapons her Kingdom had ever produced was terrifying... But then again, she also knew Blanche wasn't like anyone else; Her shape-shifter friend could be the only person actually able to destroy the cannon and kill whoever fired them on her own. She had never been so fired up nor so willing to help in her own way either. Milena tried to tame her worries, and nodded, stepping forward to hug her briefly.

"Be careful, be quick and come back to me, alright? Don't take any unnecessary risks, Blanche; Just do what you can and come back safe."

"Millie careful. Millie silly when Millie mad. Blanche too smart to hurt."

"Sure, if you say so," Milena chuckled.

Blanche nodded, and without much more ceremony, she turned around and shape-shifted into a white owl, flying out of the window in a blink. Milena took a second to witness, from the window Blanche had just left, the thick smoke coming up from the city. She didn't bother to close them; perhaps Blanche would come back this way too. She simply turned around, grabbing her sword and dagger again, ready for another round of fighting. It was time she moved further, on her own this time.

"Ruby, Raelius still hasn't come back. I need you to go and see the situation downstairs."

"My Lady," said her bodyguard, appearing next to her. "I shouldn't leave you by yourself. It's against my mission."

"Screw your mission," Milena grimaced. "I'm in danger everywhere and this b****y Castle is going to bury us both if we can't be sure our allies get here. Go and come back right away. I'm asking you because you're the fastest and most reliable."

Ruby lowered her head even further and clenched her fist, but she nodded.

"I understand, my Lady. I'll be back shortly, please do not take unnecessary risks."

"I'll do my best to stay alive," Milena promised.

Right after that, Ruby disappeared into the darkness again, hopefully gone to carry out her mission.

Milena stepped back into the corridor. She could hear the busy men somewhere behind her, but she had to keep moving. She was more in a hurry than ever to stop the bastards who were directing all this. As irony would have it, she was also getting closer to the residences of the Royal Family, and the most important meeting rooms. She could guess her enemies were hiding in one of those.

She pushed a door into what was one of the War Council Rooms, a hand on her g*n, prepared for anything. This room wasn't empty this time and, even more surprising, only one man was there, alone, covered in an atrocious amount of blood and tied down to a chair.

"Duke De Nova!"

Milena ran towards him. She tried hard to smell the air, but unlike Blanche, she couldn't recognize a body from a living person from just the smell. Hence, she slowed down upon approaching. Her heart was beating like crazy at the hope that the Duke had survived, and the fear that she was about to face an antagonist version of one of her strongest allies...

"Duke? Can you hear me?"

He was in a horrid state, nothing like when she had last seen him. He was wearing the same outfit, but it had been so ripped apart, damaged and soaked in blood that she could barely recognize it. The Duke himself looked to have been tortured, as she had feared. He had multiple cuts, absolutely everywhere her eyes could see, and an impressive amount of blood under the chair too. He seemed to be unconscious, his head down, his messy hair covering his face and also soaked in blood. Milena tried to look around. If he was alive, it didn't make sense that they had left him alone, even if he was tied to a chair... The restraints looked incredibly tight too.

"Duke, wake up," she insisted. "Can you hear me?"

She could hear him breathing, and despite breathing deep several times, she couldn't smell death at all. He was barely breathing, but she was hoping he was alive... Even if he was dead and possessed by the White One, she was confident she could overpower him. The body had been so damaged, it would be hard to move around with it. She carefully stepped closer, and gently, raised the older vampire's head to see his face. She was so nervous despite him being tied wrists and ankles to the chair. The man's red eyes finally opened and fell on her.

"Lady... De Crescent..." He muttered, sounding completely out of strength.

"That's right," she said. "...Duke, can you remind me what color is Rachael's favorite dog?"

He chuckled bitterly.

"All black," he groaned. "My... Present. For... Her birthday. A good breed..."

Milena sighed. It definitely was the Duke, in a poor state, but it was him for sure. She moved around the chair, using her dagger to free him. Sadly, even if he wasn't possessed, she had low hopes he would survive. Even for a vampire, he had lost way too much blood, and was too weak. She could at best give him to his men to be evacuated... The whole situation didn't make sense, though. Why would they have left him there to die, instead of finishing him? To send a message to her? To taunt her? Milena nervously looked around. The room didn't seem to be a trap, and there was no one around. What was that supposed to mean? Had they had no time to finish the job after they got the information they wanted from him? Or was the shortage of men such that they couldn't be bothered to guard a half-dead vampire? Either way, Milena had too many questions, but she couldn't leave the man like that. She freed him first, and helped him lay down on the floor, a few steps away from all the blood he had already lost... an incredibly big amount. She grimaced, hesitant. 

...Should she just give him the final blow herself? It would have been considered mercy, and prevented them from facing another issue with the White One. The Duke had very, very little chances to recover from this, but Milena was hesitant because of her friendship with Rachael. She couldn't get herself to kill her friend's father when there was a small chance he would make it...

"My Lord!"

Milena turned her head. Too late. His men had arrived, and the joy of finding their leader was already all over their faces. She couldn't stop it now. They could always take him downstairs, and... 

It suddenly hit her. This was exactly how she would have done it to deceive the enemy. Show them hope, and have them send a bomb behind enemy lines. She turned back to the duke, grabbing his throat and pinning him down. The man groaned, and grabbed her wrist with a beastial sound, growling. He tried to fight back, suddenly regaining his strength, and soon, Milena had to wrestle with all of her strength to contain him.

"Damn it," she grimaced.

The amount of blood now made sense. It wasn't all the Duke's. It was what they had tried to force him to drink.

They had turned the Duke into a Wendigo.