Chapter 219: Interlude: Scarlet - The Countess of Blood

Illa’s eyes glazed over. "Huh?"

"I worked at the edges of the dock security, where you found me," Terry casually explained, running his fingers through his messy hair and looking a little fatigued. "You wanted me to lure in Jacob because he was younger than me, but then—"

"No, no-no-no," Illa hastily waved her hands in protest, cheeks bunching up. "You said you knew where Selene was going, and you were tasked to get Scarlet to the docks!"

He slowly nodded. "Yes, I did. The Mistress had left earlier this morning on the Icon of the Seas luxury cruise ship she’d been invited to attend with many other vampire factions. It was setting out from Miami, which made for a perfect cover with British diplomatic immunity to transport cargo that wasn’t to be searched. I never saw the body, though."

Scarlet’s throat went dry. "He’s... gone already?"

Illa rubbed her temple. "That’s... not what I asked, Terry. Ugh. Umm. Okay, so Selene... already left this morning on the boat? What is the other boat for—the one that you were guarding that I snatched you from? Is that going to the Icon of the Seas?"

Relief flooded Scarlet’s body as he nodded, but then his earlier statement caught up to her lagging brain, and she interrupted before he could continue his explanation.

"Wait, wait, wait! Multiple vampire factions have been invited to this cruise ship?"

"Ooh. Mhm! Mhm!" Illa jumped in, shushing the man to get her own turn and becoming excited. "I heard spooky rumors from Mother when she turned me. She said that the Countess of Blood—theee Countess of Blood—was inviting other factions to join her for her Legend Quest, where they could gain great power. It starts tonight."

Scarlet felt like she’d been slapped; her parents were vampire enthusiasts, and one name was huge on their list. "You... don’t mean... Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed... The legendary vampire of Hungary that tortured and murdered over 650 virgin girls and bathed in their blood to remain young?"

"That’s the one!" Illa chimed without a hint of fear. "Basically, the woman all female vampires are based on! Insane, right?! Mother wanted me to attend, but I didn’t get an invite," she sighed, "but we’ll just crash it!"

Terry frowned, true concern in his voice as he straightened. "Mistress, you should not attend such a gathering. Her invitations were not only for vampire factions but also for notorious hunters; it is more like a festival of blood and battle—probably more for her entertainment. Lord Dracula told Lady Selene to investigate her motives."

"Humph." Illa’s confident smile moved to her. "If Scarlet is with me, then I’m not afraid of anything! Oh, I almost forgot. What did you tell me about the boat and Scarlet?"

Scarlet was happy that the pumpkin-themed vampire girl felt safe with her, but this did seem like a massive operation compared to what she’d thought it would be. She definitely needed to check in with Rachel; they needed to move soon anyway, since the National Guard and police were getting closer with their manhunt for them.

However, Terry’s following statement made her mind go blank as she processed it.

"It is not only Lady Selene you must be wary of, Mistress; Lord Dracula has made a pact with a Scottish Highland Fairy. Several Faekin have fallen under this vampiric fairy’s rule, and she is more powerful than Lady Selene herself. She is in command of the ship I guarded and is waiting for those who were late to the Countess’ gathering and failed to arrive on time for the ship’s departure."

"Yes, yes," the ginger dismissed with irritation. "What about Scarlet, though?! They are really waiting for her, and are using her dad’s body as a bargaining chip to get her to go on the ship, right? I bet I’m right!"

Scarlet had her own question. "Is... there going to be a vampire attack on Miami?"

Illa lifted an eyebrow. "No, they’re not strong enough to do—" She cut off upon seeing the blond man’s expression. "Wait, really, Terry?! What the hell?! Everyone already hates us!"

Terry cleared his throat, and Scarlet saw his veins starting to protrude; Terry’s heart was working furiously to push what little blood remained through his vascular system. Illa had drained the guy to dangerous levels; it seemed vampires used blood as a burning resource to live, which made sense.

"Lord Dracula... needs the fear to grow stronger... Vampires will arrive on boats... Fog will cover..."

Scarlet panicked a little as Terry cut off and started to shrivel up. "Illa!"

"No, no, it’s fine," Illa grumbled, crossing her arms under her modest bust with irritation. "Humph. High Vampires are so weak for the name; lose too much blood, and they go into a coma. At least they don’t go and disintegrate like normal vampires. I think we got the bulk of it..."

Her bright blue eyes lit up. "Sooo, are we storming the boat and kicking ass—butt, I mean," she corrected with a toothy, innocent grin. "I’m all charged up and ready! I, uh, just need to snatch a proxy fighter from the cast to help you since I’m not very good with my hands. Eh-hehe, weak arms, ya know," she explained, flexing her muscles again. "Something wrong? If we get him blood, he’ll be fine! High Vampires, so melodramatic, right? Bleh, I’m turning gross and wrinkly!"

Scarlet rubbed between her eyes with a strained laugh at Illa’s mocking jokes. "No, I... need to report to my boss. So, let’s go to, like... another city real fast so we can get us new clothes, and I’ll smooth things over with the hunting party— Illa?!"

"Oooh!" The girl lurched forward to hug her and bounce a little. "Our first shopping trip! Aaah! I’m so excited! I want to try the goth look, too! Do you think black lipstick and eyeliner would look good with my pumpkin style? I don’t know— I can’t wait!"

Scarlet chuckled a little at how teen-like the teenager was; she suddenly felt so old, and she was only two years older than this girl, max—well, probably.

Fending her off, Scarlet got up and brushed herself off. "Yeah, let’s do some quick multitask-shopping while I report—even though she’s been listening this entire time."

Illa’s face became stricken, and she froze up. "W-Wait, you’re talking about that heroine hare girl they all talk about in the news, right? What if she doesn’t like me?!" She started playing with her hair and checking her attire. "I know I can be annoying and a bit of a dunce... a klutz, and too forward and touchy! What do I do?!"