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“I know it’s hard,” I said.

“Maybe… it won’t matter,” he said.

“No,” I said. “The truth will always matter.”

I wanted to be with him but I couldn’t see it happening.

I had to pick a side. It was obvious to me that I belonged with my people, my family. I thought of my mother and slowly made my way back inside, where I found her sitting on the bed with another little potion bottle in her hands.

“Here,” she said, holding it out to me. “This will help more than any medicine.”

I told her how the last one had burnt and she nodded. “It was killing the infection, all the evil on that blade.” She paused. “Perhaps, it had been the same knife that killed your father.”

We were both silent after that.

“You cut out the rot,” she said, smiling at me. “Now you can go on with your life.”

“What do you mean?” I asked confused.

“This is not your life,” she said, pointing at the people huddled in small groups.

“Your life is bigger than this, your purpose lies elsewhere.”

“Where?”

She shook her head and wouldn’t say anymore.

“I’m not going to be here much longer, Iz. Don’t spend your days mourning the dead. Live your life. I have seen your future. It doesn’t end here for you.”

Her words affected me deeply.

I didn’t know what to say.

Chapter 20

Lucca

The military strikes are swift and precise. One hour before dawn, several drones fly over Tempesto’s compound outside the capital. They are destroyed by his security, but not before submitting vital images that tell the military authorities in buildings far away exactly what they want to hear; that he is there with his top aides.

They send more drones carrying bombs and these are strategically dropped on the 190-acre area, obliterating the entire area in a matter of seconds. At the same time, a missile is fired into MoZa’s house, killing him and his daughter, the few servants he still had tending to him.

I hear about all of this at Fort Ferney, where Jock and I are in the middle of dealing with an influx of refugees and hordes of hungry vampires. We managed to keep them at bay with flame throwers, but after a while, I inform Jock that we have to take them down. I can see he is uncomfortable with this but we have no choice. If word gets out that we let refugees die in their thousands, abandoning them to vampires, our days will be numbered too. Feeding off live humans is strictly prohibited and these vampires will do anything for a feed. I secured extra blood product for them and have had it trucked in overnight, offering it to vampires arriving at Fort Ferney, but they have repeatedly tried to attack the bailey where the thousands of humans are being kept for now.

We have guards on the walls of the fortress but as the vampires spot the people cowering and whimpering, it onlyincreases their bloodlust and we are minutes away from them overpowering the guards to get to the humans.

I give the order for the flamethrowers to be directed at anything or anyone entering the space over the courtyard and within the hour we have fifty dead vampires. It brings me no pleasure to see their remains carted off, and I stand on the battlement looking out over the valley when I get a call from an unknown number.

“Get out of Ginnerlong. Take cover.”

The line goes dead.

I look for Jock and find him on the other side, organizing the defenses.

I tell him of the call I received.

Jock points at a new group of refugees that arrived earlier. “These people say Ginnerlong is deserted. Only vampires remaining,” he looks at me, his face grave. “And demons.”

“Demons?”