paw. “You don’t have to worry about that. His Snow Leopards may not outnumber the Empire’s armies, but when he calls them to fight, they’re an avalanche of power; they’re a blizzard of ferocity. I think even Scipio Bellorum would be daunted by the sight.”
Thirrin nodded, secretly thinking that the Empire would soon be fighting the strangest army it had ever come into conflict with. Not only would humans be taking the field against them, but Wolffolk, Vampires, and possibly even giant Snow Leopards! If she were Scipio Bellorum, she’d take one look at the ravening monsters waiting to fight her, turn right around, and run all the way back to the Polypontus.
But that wasn’t going to happen. General Bellorum was a brilliant and vicious soldier; he’d adapt, and so would his army. No miracles would win the war against him, just hard fighting and hopefully brilliant tactics. She felt suddenly weary, so after emptying her plate of meat, she politely withdrew from the werewolves and went to sit in a quiet corner at the back of the cave, where she immediately fell asleep.
Thirrin was woken by the sound of huge wings beating the air. By the cave entrance she could see King Grishmak waiting patiently with his courtiers and, scrambling to her feet, she hurried over to him.
“Ah, Thirrin, there you are. I was just about to send a chamberlain for you.”
“What’s that noise?” she asked as the sound of the wing beats continued to thunder on the air.
“Vampires,” the King answered. “In their bat form. I think it’s the King and Queen come to sign the treaty, along with most of their court, by the sound of things.”
Several huge leathery creatures dropped out of the darkening evening sky and literally stepped out of flight, like fashionable ladies descending elegantly from a carriage. Vampires settled at the cave entrance, where they folded their massive wings with fussy neatness and looked around them. They were an odd gray color, like the dawn sky on a rainy day, and they had doglike faces with massive fangs. Their features began to run and blur, like pictures left in the rain, and their bodies seemed to flow like candle wax until slowly they coagulated into their human shapes.
“Ah, King Grishmak and Queen Thirrin,” said the Vampire Queen as she smoothed her beautiful silk gown. “My consort and I have come to sample your hospitality … and while we’re here we might as well sign this treaty you’re so keen on.”
“Your Vampiric Majesties are both welcome to the Embassy of the Wolffolk. Please come in and be seated,” said Grishmak, and he led the way to the largest fire in the cave, where a semicircle of four massive boulders had been set up as rough thrones.
The Werewolf King escorted the Vampires to their seats, then, taking Thirrin’s hand, he led her to the boulder next to his. As they all sat, Thirrin couldn’t help noticing that she and Grishmak were looking down on Their Vampiric Majesties. And that the Vampires’ long limbs were stretched out in front of them so they looked like schoolchildren who had outgrown their desks. She smiled secretly to herself; there were obviously times when points could be scored even within the restrictions of diplomacy.
Oskan took up a position behind Thirrin’s throne, and a silence fell as they all looked at one another. At last the Vampire King said, “Well, as we’re obviously not going to be offered any refreshments, we might as well get this treaty signed.”
“I have no blood to offer you,” Grishmak explained. “And for some reason, nobody wanted to volunteer when I asked for donors.”
“Werewolf blood is tainted with animal,” the Vampire Queen said with a shudder. “But human, on the other hand …”
“… is not being offered,” Thirrin interrupted coldly.
“Then let’s get down to business,” the Vampire King said with a weary sigh.
Grishmak raised his paw, and five gray-pelted werewolves came forward, the foremost one holding the rolled vellum of the treaty in his hand. He bowed deeply to the figures on the thrones and, after a nod from Grishmak, he said, “My colleagues and I have studied the document in detail, and have found several … errors in its composition.”
“Errors?” the Vampire Queen asked in a bored voice.
“Yes. Somehow a clause had been inserted that required Queen Thirrin to cede a third of her lands to Your Vampiric Majesties and to pay a tithe of twenty youths and twenty maidens per month.”
“Really? I can’t