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Kitiaria smacked out with a podgy fist and caught Rahmon full on the cheek. Mera tapped her hand gently, and the baby frowned and yelled.

Surprised, I stared. I had forgotten just how loud an infant could yell.

“They are a year old and are really clever, Jaq, they can both walk already,” Inka said, her face glowing.

For a panicked moment, I wondered if Inka, too, was getting thoughts. God, please, not again. I couldn’t handle that. Then I realised Inka was glowing because she was happy for them. Pal and Mera had their children at last.

Mera put them to bed quite early, and I was shocked when three human girls walked up the path to the villa. Even more surprised when they bowed quickly and then walked in separate directions.

“You have servants?” I queried. “That live here!”

“The girls are aware of our difference but choose not to inquire. They are well-paid for their jobs, and they are allowed day off to visit family and friends. All we ask is that they do their chores,” Pal said, relaxing back.

“Actually, tell the truth. They are three sisters who are aware we’re not what we appear to be. We aided their great-great-grandmother many years ago, and she was brought into service to help us. Since then, members of the family have served us. They are loyal, and we pay them well. Indeed, they earn more than what some nobles make around here, and it has allowed their family to grow into nobility.”

“This is Egypt.” I laughed.

“Money has the power to buy anything, even in Egypt. Honestly, we ensure they have plenty of it. In return, they protect and serve us. If the girls wish to marry, then fine, or if they want to leave, then they can. Nobody is a slave or prisoner,” Mera continued.

“But their great whatever grandmother swore a blood oath to us that means quite a lot out here, and they stand by it,” Pal explained, smiling grimly.

“I understand. Seems you really have helped her,” Inka agreed.

“Yes, we did, and who were we to argue with the method of gratitude offered,” Mera replied smugly, and I felt for the girls suddenly.

Their grandmother had trapped them into slavery, a well-paid slavery, but Pal and Mera would always be able to call on their family.

“How long have you two been here?” I asked.

“A while. We spent a couple of decades in Greece and moved here seventy years ago. We are planning to stay at the moment, at least until the children have grown up,” Mera explained.

What Mera didn’t say was until the children passed, although that was what Mera meant. When they died, Mera and Pal would move on.

Inka nodded, and the conversation turned to other topics. Something puzzled me, but I couldn’t place my finger on it. Forall their happiness and assumed safety, there was something lurking in the shadows.

Honestly, I should have recognised the signature since I had seen it before, but back then, I didn’t realise its significance. If I had, things would have been different, but you can’t change the past, no matter how hard you try.

The next few weeks passed in a blur of happiness. We did everything together, and I admit, I became fond of the children. Everything was good fun, and we got into mischief, enjoying life.

Mera and Inka shopped nearly every other evening to buy items for the babies. Abydos loved evening markets, and they were bustling places. The night was cooler to sell wares as they didn’t spoil in the hot Egyptian sun.

Pal and I went riding and explored the surroundings. There were things that we had to check. First was that our legacy still stood in places that we left it, and we were away for several nights, allowing the girls to do their stuff.

A few nights after we arrived back, Pal and I happened on some vampires.

We gave ourselves a new task and began to hunt down all the vampires in Egypt. Yet for every one we killed, two more appeared, and we had our work cut out.

Finally, we managed to find the coven, not an easy task, as the blasted leader kept moving whenever we got close.

The vampire, while not old, was cunning and aware that he was hunted. He was clever. However, we believed we were smarter than them. You can imagine our shock when the vampires refused to die out, and we realised we had been tricked. There were two covens in our area, and so we set about searching for the second.

That was a woman, and she was about five hundred years old. She doubted Hunters and Vam’pirs existed. She believed them as something made up.What a shock she got!

After that, vampires died out apart from the odd one passing through.

A decade passed, and Inka and I watched the children grow up. Mera was a diligent mother, and Pal was an indulgent father. Kitiaria, a strikingly beautiful child, was aware of her beauty.

Pal and Mera employed a host of teachers, all from Rome or Greece. The doting parents wanted them to have the best education possible, and who could blame them?