"Are you ok?" She asked.
"I am not used to so many heart beats around me." I sigh. "It sounds like I am in an area surrounded by drums." I sigh rubbing my one temple.
She stops up and places her hand on either side of my head. I shivered as I felt a rush of wind and the heartbeats were pushed off into the distance. "That should help I can't block sound entirely. I can sort of redirect it."
"What is familiar?" I asked her.
"A familiar." She started as she started walking again. "Is the physical connection between you and your magic."
"What do they form into?" I asked as she stepped into a tent and I followed her. The tent was much larger on the inside then it was on the outside.
"Well they can take any form but many times the forms follow from parent to child." She explains.
"What if the parents have two different forms?" I asked.
"Then one child follows the mother, and another will follow the father." She said calmly.
We went a few hours back and forth asking questions until she finally fell asleep. I touch my shadow pushing my power into it forming a raven. "Take a message to my father and the king we are going to have company keep the younglings away from the main areas and those who have issues with bloodlust lock them up." I tap the raven and it sinks into the ground as I get comfortable on the bed waiting unable to sleep around so many strangers. Humming softly as I tap my thigh my mind working out how to get them safely to the castle.
"Good morning." Lady Carniola yawned.
"Good morning Lady Carniola." I said sitting up.
"Please call me Carniola." She smiles at me.
"Please call me Diana then." I tell her standing up. Stretching out my arms above my head. "Other than the three you picked last night who are the other 6?" I asked.
"I want to bring my son, but I don't think it's safe to bring a child with us." I nod
"If we find her, we will see about bringing him in but not until then." I sigh.
"Thank you." She said smiling at me. I smile back as we head over to the tent opening. The sun had yet to rise.
"MOMMY!" The small child tackled her thighs.
"Hey sweet where is your father?" She asked.
"Dad said he was going back to bed." He said as Carniola sigh.
I raised an eyebrow. "I would think the Father of the missing child would want to find the child."
"No Rayrach is my second husband Jazin would be leading the charge to find Elizabeth but he died when we were attacked." She sighed as she hugged the little one. "Xavier this is Diana."
"Hi!" He waved at me.
"Hello little one." I smiled at him.
"You have fangs!" He gasped creeping closer to me.
I look up at Carniola and she smiles. "You want to touch them?" I asked opening my mouth.
"But isn't that dangerous?" He asked me.
"Well if I bite sure but why would I?" I asked.
"Are you hungry?" I chuckled and reached into my pack as I squatted down and placed two bottles on the ground.
"I have my food here." I said tapping the bottles before putting them back. As he walked over and pokes my fang.
"It's like a tooth!" He said.
"Indeed, little one." I run my hand though his hair smiling softly at him.
"Are you a vampire?" He asked me. I nod.
"Indeed I am." I tell him.
"Do you have wings?" He asked making me blink.
"No, I don't have wings." I laughed at that as I stood up.
"No little one I do not have wings." I tell him as Carniola lead us out of the tent.
"Do you burn up in sunlight?" He asked me.
"No, I do not burn up in the sunlight." I giggle.
"Do you drink human blood?" He asked.
"No sweetie I drink animal blood." I answer him following them.
"Do you have super strength?" He asked me.
"Personally, no but I know a vampire who does."
"Do vampires have different talents?" He asked me.
"Yes, some vampires are stronger while others are fast, some can manipulate light and shadow."
"What can you doooo." He squeaks as the as I called my shadow wolf picking him up on his back.
"You can manipulate shadows?" Carniola gasped looking over at the wolf.
"Yes, it's something that runs in my father's venomline." I explained.
"Venomline?" Carniola asked.
"When a turned vampire come into a family it called a venomline much like a bloodline." I tell her.
"You're adopted?" Xavier asked.
"Indeed I am." I tell him with a smile.
"WHAT IN THE MANNER OF BEAST!" Someone yells. I rubbed my ears as they started ringing.
"Can we not bring any loud mouths please?" I asked her. That made her start cracking up.
"What is so funny?" The male asked.
"Rayrach this is Lady Diana of the Northern Vampire Clan." She introduced me to him.
"A vampire really Carniola, why would you let such a beast near our son?" He glares at me.
"Oh no!" Carniola hissed. "You take that bias thought out of here. My daughter is more than likely a vampire. I will not have you filling our son's head with that!" She snaps.
"Here we go again." Xavier sighed as he leaned against my arm. I look down at him.
"You want to see something neat?" I asked him softly as Carniola and Rayrach started fighting. I kneeled next to him cupping my hands as I pulled the shadows to me as I pulled started making a cub carefully to bring it to live and for it to grow as it yips, I finish. "This little fellow if you will take him will be like this big guy, he will grow with you much like a familiar. Just like Kenghan here." He reaches and takes the cub and she licks his nose.
"Oh, it's so cute." He said.
"She will always look after you." I tell him.
"Why?" He asked me.
I smile at him. "Children no matter the race are special and delivered to be protected no matter who they are or how they act. All children need to be protected." I tell him.
"Thank you." He whispered. I smiled softly.
"You are very welcome sweety." I push myself up and almost fall back down as her energy pulls from me.
"Are you ok?" He asked me. I laughed and patted his head.
"Yes, sweety I just need to eat something." I tell him.
"You eat?" He asked.
"Yes, I can eat more than just blood." I rolled my eyes. I look at the two arguing humans. "Is there a mess hall?" I asked him.
"Yea the tent over there is for food."
"Hang on." I step over to the two arguing. "Carniola." I said calmly. "I'm going to take Xavier to get breakfast."
"Okay thank you." She said before turning back to him. We walked over to the tent.
"Hey, Diana, I see you have met the little man." John said looking up from his spot half asleep.
"Hi John!" He said running over to him.
"Breakfast should be ready soon." He said as we joined him. I laughed pulling out my bottle of blood. "And you have your breakfast."
"Indeed." I said taking a sip.
"She let me touch her fangs!" Xavier said as he bounced in his seat.
"Really now?" John asked looking from him to me.
"No John you are not sticking your fingers in my mouth!" I hiss at him.
"You let the kid do it." He whined.
I huffed as I rubbed my forehead. "I was trying to make sure he wasn't scared of me. Should he fear some vampires well yes everyone in the Bloodbound clan are nothing, but ruthless killers trained to be that way from birth but not all of us are like that." I scold him.
"Bloodbound?" He asked. "Why are they called that?"
"I am sorry but that's not a story to tell around a child." I tell him shaking my head as.
"Well who is this and why are they drinking this early?" A woman asked walking up to us.
"Oh Vicky!" John said with a smile. "My beautiful sister! This is Lady Diana of the Northern Vampire clan." That made her stop and look at me then down to the bottle.
"That's not alcohol then is it?" She asked me.
"No Madam it is not." I tell her.
"Oh well would you like it to be heated up?" She asked off hand.
"I would if we could." I nodded
"You want the whole bottle warned?" She asked.
"If you would not mind, Madam." I said. Then her eyes lit up
"Not to be rude but do you drink animal blood?" She asked me.
"Yes, I do." I tell her.
"The hunter just brought back a deer if you like I can get you some of that blood." She offered. "Also, would you like some raw or rare meat?" She asked.
"If you have some fresh meat that is not already cooked, I would appreciate it."
She smiles at me. "I am the chief here my name is Vicky I pride myself of be able to give those in my tent what they want. Give me 7 minutes." She said with a smile then walked away.
"Trust me Vicky will take care of you." John said with a smile. I tapped my thigh.
"Are there other chefs?" I asked.
"There's two others but they are under Vicky. Why?" Corniola asked sitting on the other side of Xavier.
"You may want to bring one since we don't know how to cock we have someone who preps blood and meat but that's it." I tell her. "If we do it would be Loran and I would think my King would rather have her on guard detail with you and yours."
"Why if I may ask." Carniola asked.
"Young vampires under the age of 50 have a harder time not pouncing on things with a heartbeat. They drive them crazy because they sound like drums to us." I tell her with a sigh. "The castle is where we train the pages and squires who range from the age of 45 and 90. Again why I say only ten."
"Ten people that's not." Rayrach started before he was glared at.