Valeria 1

Valeria Gens had long envisioned himself as the next ruler of the Vampire Court.

Lord Ruthven had always seemed disinterested in his own power, as if ruling bored him but his strength, his malice and his cunning had not diminished over the two hundred years Valeria had sat on his council.

Whenever anyone showed disrespect or defiance, he crushed them, not physically but with his words and sheer presence.

Still, Valeria’s ambitions never faded.

No matter how long it would take, Valeria would rule.

His daughter, Kalina, had been reared with that goal in mind; with his intellect and her military prowess, they would make the Gens one of the most distinguished families within the Vampire Court and, eventually, throughout the entire world.

Then, after building up a strong base, he would overthrow Ruthven and take his rightful place as the ruler of the Court.

Those ambitions had finally come to an end when the alliance with the Demon Emperor was made.

While some would have been vindictive or angry, Valeria Gens was an opportunist. He saw the greatest opportunity in a century and leapt at it.

His daughter commanded one of Spike’s best units and her forces had learnt of the Demon Emperor’s plans to destroy Black Port using an undead host, so he made sure to prove his worth there and then, both to the court and to the Demon Emperor.

First, he reported his findings to Lord Ruthven who was most pleased.

Second, he had Kalina’s men monitor the Demon Emperor’s men from safe distances, recording and reporting every action they could see them take.

Finally, he personally led efforts to hypnotise and manipulate the lords of Silverten into not sending troops to support Prince Julius, reducing the Holy Legion’s combat prowess, causing the death of several noble houses and gaining himself even more power and influence in the Holy Empire.

Whilst lurking in the shadows Valeria Gens had been helping the Demon Emperor rise to power, all for his own glory.

He cared not whom he hurt, killed or upset, whether they were friend or foe; everything was for this.

As the new lord of Silverten, he had command of one of the seven old kingdoms from before the time of the Holy Empire of Themis, but the land was far from ideal.

The region’s city, Blackport, had been burnt to a crisp by the Demon Emperor, its population slaughtered and raised as an undead horde. The farmlands weren’t as fertile as other parts of the country and Silverten’s main source of income came from its various mines in the mountains along the eastern coast.

They were rich in silver, gold and other ores, but if they ever dried out, Silverten would suffer economically.

It’s a good start, but I want more.

Valeria looked over the map of the newly formed Demon Empire and smiled.

Aangapea was in chaos following the dramatic fall of the Holy Empire of Themis. In the west, the former rival countries had united under the banner of the Free People’s Alliance, but they were slowed down by internal politics and structuring. In the north, Lord Abaddon and his demonic army were easily barrelling through the war-torn countries and making rapid progress.

In the former Holy Empire, there were still the flames of resistance, but Spike would be handling that quite nicely.

Kalina will no doubt bring much fame and glory to us; all I need to do is find a way of improving my own position within the Demon Empire and Vampire Court now, and I’ll one day rise to an even greater position.

I can’t hunt rebels, and I can’t raise many soldiers, but I can secure Silverten’s future prosperity and prominence.

“Winston.”

The vampire’s butler emerged from the corner of the room. “You called, sir?”

“Do you have those survey reports for me?”

“Yes, sir. Here.” He handed Valeria a bundle of envelopes and sealed scrolls. “The last report came in a few hours ago.”

“Excellent.” Valeria opened the first one and frowned. “Nothing in the old mines near the Shadow Tombs? That’s surprising.”

“I thought so too, sir, but we had guarantees from the messenger that the mines had been stripped away about 30 years ago.”

“By whom?”

“Bandits, he guessed, given how sloppy the work was.”

“That is disappointing. And hopefully the only real disappointment among these potential sites.”

To raise Silverten’s status within the Demonic Empire more, Valeria sent out surveyors to find any new potential places for mines, hoping to find new ones that he hadn’t inherited from the previous lord of Silverten.

If he did, he’d see great financial gains and have a much better chance of proving himself to those within the empire.

However.

“Three out of thirty?” He scoffed as he crumpled the final letter. “And they might not even last for a year before they run dry? ‘Named for its vast wealth from its silver mines?’” He mockingly repeated what he’d once read in a book. “Winston.”

“Sir?”

“Word of the failures is not to spread. Instead, start the paperwork to open all three of the new mines at once. I want them up and running before his majesty’s Hundred Days War Plan ends.”

“It will be done.”

***

“The Demon Emperor’s demands...requests…will put a financial strain on the Court and its members for some time,” Lord Ruthven said after meeting with his daughter, Empress Lilith, at the Dread Keep.

“I know, but we have plenty of wealth to provide what he wants[JC1] , as does the loot recovered from the Sons of Tartarus and other enemies of the emperor.” Lilith took a bit of one of her mini cakes. “There will also be additional gold flowing as we confiscate more and more wealth away from the rebellious nobles across the old Holy Empire. As I understand it, Abaddon has already started plundering many rich locations within the northern countries.”

Her father chuckled. “Well, that’s true. Still, the opinion I have just voiced is not my own, but of certain members of the Court. Some, including Valeria Gens, have been looking to increase their own wealth and power to expand their own influence, perhaps fearing the Demon Emperor might demand some form of tribute.”

“Do you fear infighting?”

“Fear? No.” Lord Ruthven put the papers back into their envelope. “It’s just I forgot how so many members of the Court are too young to remember their place.”

Lilith giggled.