Three days had passed, and Ren spoke to no one about her plan. Only Siamon knew what she allowed him to know, just enough to fulfill his part. The rest she kept close to her chest. This plan, her vision of balance, would only succeed with Kai at her side. Without him, it would fall apart and as he had seen in the future, she would be murdered.
She stood on the balcony of their chamber, cloaked in the silence of a starless night. The sky above was dark and void-like as if even the heavens were covering their realms beneath the veil of shadow.
Arkilla stepped forward softly. "General Eric is here to report," she said. "They’ve eliminated many mutated vampires on Acre Island."
Ren exhaled, her voice laced with quiet concern. "Goblins live there. The coal mines, the caves... These places gave the vampires places to hide and feed. Easy prey."
Arkilla paused, the weight of the truth in Ren’s words pressing into her shoulders. She dipped her head slightly. "Will you release the goblin from the dungeons?"
"Let et General Eric first," Ren said, slipping the rolled ssage from Aunt Eve into her pocket with practiced ease. She was fine, no unrest in Jaigara gratefully.
As she made her way to the eting hall, she saw Siamon already speaking with the general. The mont they noticed her, both n straightened and bowed with reverence.
"General Eric," she greeted warmly, "I’m fortunate to have you back."
The male Gamma kept his head respectfully lowered. Like the rest of Kai’s chosen generals, he was broad-shouldered and battle-worn, yet still in the pri of life, no older than fifty or sixty.
"My Luna Queen, how have you been?" he asked, his tone laced with cautious loyalty.
"I’ve been well since the Aloha king has returned," Ren replied, her voice calm. "Tell , were you able to save the goblins on Acre Island?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," he answered firmly. "And we searched for the young one you spoke of. I found him on ti and dragged him out from the hands of a vampire, he’s staying at the orphanage now. We ensured no vampire was left behind. Acre Island won’t harbor them again. It is all clean. But we realized that they had captured more than a hundred rmaids and shipped them to the Witch Island."
A small, satisfied smile touched Ren’s lips. That was a good discovery and a victory. "Well done, General Eric. And what of the vampire mutations? Have you investigated their source?"
He nodded. "Yes, General Holin sent a scroll." Turning toward the table, he retrieved the docunt and handed it to her with both hands.
"They captured one of the vampires and studied the extent of its mutation. These creatures can reach the power level of a Lord," he explained, "but they lack the ability to turn others. Only a true Lord, or Luther himself, can create new vampires."
Ren unrolled the scroll and studied its contents, her brows slightly furrowed. "What about a Lord’s offspring?" she asked, eyes not leaving the parchnt. "If a Lord beds a woman... what happens then?"
General Eric stared at her, clearly taken aback. "Vampires can’t reproduce," he said, almost uncertain.
"With Fae, humans, goblins, even shifters, they can," Ren murmured, her voice low and grave.
The general paled. His voice faltered as he asked, "If such a child or children existed... could they walk in sunlight?"
Ren did not answer. She didn’t know. And that uncertainty gnawed at her more than she liked to admit. But if the question had begun to haunt her so persistently, then surely it had crossed the minds of others too, perhaps even those of Luther and his sorcerers.
And sorcerers... they wouldn’t just wonder. They would test it.
It might have been Ren’s nightmare, but for those cruel minds behind the dark arts, it was nothing more than a calculated experint. They would leave no idea unstudied. Now, with Luther gone, they were scared and wanted to increase the number of the creatures that Nimoieth had invented.
"Do you want to investigate this... quietly?" General Eric asked, his voice steady but colored with concern.
"It’s dangerous," Ren warned, studying him carefully. "Can you do it?"
The Gamma nodded without hesitation. "I’ll go alone. Silent and unseen. After what Zaira did... I can’t trust anyone else. Female shifters will be easily lured."
Ren fell silent, her heart tightening. That night still haunted her, their doorstep kissed by death, it was only monts away from stealing both Reneira and Gloria. A breath away from ruin.
"Then I want you to do it," she declared firmly. "Travel the land. Look into families who may have sold their daughters for coins. Search for won who vanished, especially from brothels, poor villages, or isolated settlents. Any place where it would be easy for monsters to snatch them unnoticed."
She turned to Siamon next. "I want you to return to the North. Speak to my father. Tell him how we can break through the giants’ armor. Bring back his answer, but do so in secret. No one can know."
~*~
In the dungeons...
"Why do you care so much about goblins?" Arkilla asked, her tone laced with genuine confusion. No one else ever did.
"Because they’re the poorest, and always judged by their appearance," Ren replied quietly. "Humans abuse them. Sorcerers exploit them. Other species enslave them. But in Thegara, they live like anyone else. Yes, they can be cunning, but that’s survival instinct. They’ve been forced to use their wits to gain scraps of safety. It breaks my heart how the world mistreats them."
They walked in silence until they reached the cell. Calisa turned and hesitated. "My Luna... we haven’t told him yet."
"Then let’s tell him now," Ren suggested. This goblin had helped a lot.
Calisa nodded and opened the heavy door. He motioned for the guard to stay watch at the entrance, then stepped inside with Ren and Arkilla.
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