Chapter 4 The Brides

THIRD PERSON POV

Daphne watches as a new addition of supposedly deceased princess casually sitting on the couch watching television and acts as if she owns the place.

"She supposed to be a princess from an ancient Egyptian royal family? Did her manners dissolve into nothingness inside the sarcophagus where she was found?" Hotep ignores the human remark and just explored the wonders of the modern world.

"We've experienced firsthand of what she is capable of doing. I suggest that you keep your thoughts to yourself, Miss Sommers." Miss Kingston warns her student from digging herself her own grave.

"I think it's time for you to tell us what exactly your plan is. Why do you even need Hotep to be by your side? We could just leave her to spread her curses for all this low-breed kind to handle. Why do we need to soil our own hands in saving a princess who can't even control herself from spreading chaos in her own kingdom?" Keres was bitter when it comes to talking about Hotep.

"I can hear you, Keres, princess of the so-called ancient kingdom and the last of your pureblood kind. Don't tell me that you still find it an eyesore to see me beside your beloved queen," Hotep smirk when she mocked Keres.

"Enough! Keres, you of all creatures should know what power Hotep possessed. You've seen her in action before. You know what she's capable of doing. With her profound beauty and the way she brings herself in the public eye, she's bound to gain us more exposure with the modern world. Besides, I need her presence when I announced my survivability from my father's eternal punishment." Keres huff before taking a deep breath and released.

"Then what is your plan other than exploiting Hotep's beauty," Keres asked but this time without the sarcasm.

"I would like to reintroduce myself to society, humans and creatures. I want to see if there is someone out there still remembers me from my golden era than the queen who was publicly humiliated by her own father." Keres shakes her head as her way of protesting Imperia's plan.

"What if your father still lingers in the darkness together with your half brother, Baracus? You've been through so much just because you care for your people, Imperia. It's not wise to make them known of your presence. We could do so much with the wealth we have. We could live on an uncharted island or built another palace for us to stay in. But please, don't do this." Keres implored that Imperia rethink of her decision.

"Are you trying to tell the once great queen of Gotus to stay hidden behind a brick wall rather than reclaim her throne from a half-breed? That is so not you, Keres." Hotep chimes in with her mouth full of candies she found stacking on someone's bed.

"Hey! That's mine!" Daphne was about to grab her candies when Evangeline pulled her back by the collar.

"I'm trying to keep everyone safe from unwanted death. We were buried alive for thousands of years. Do we really want to go back to be caged like we did?" Keres asked both of the vampires. But that realisation didn't faze Imperia from continuing her plan to have her throne back.

"Besides, you heard what the humans said before. Gotus is no more. It disappeared like we did. We are not even sure if our kind is still out there." Keres really wish for Imperia to change her mind, but as her former advisor and friend, she knows better than to hope for something that will never happen.

"But if this plan of yours really is important to you, I don't mind getting my hands dirty. As always, I'll be your advisor every step you take. And by that I mean I will have full control of Hotep. Knowing her ways of dealing with things, it's best if I leash her like a dog she once was." Hotep rolled her eyes.

"I'm okay with that. But before I tell everyone about my plan, someone, please open the door for Miss Waters because she's been standing outside the door contemplating whether she should knock or run away and seek refuge from the government." Miss Kingston gets up and opens the door.

Like Imperia had mentioned, Miss Waters was surprised when the door suddenly opens.

"I wasn't planning on ditching my mission, I swear." Imperia only smile.

"Swearing is a big responsibility. If what your words are different than what your heart wants to say, punishment will be waiting for you in the afterlife. I'm sure that concept stills linger in your society even today." Miss Waters gulp down the lumps in her throat before showing a file she manage to find from the national museum archives.

"I manage to find something that might be connected with the stories you told me. Of course, what this archaeologist stated in his note wasn't exactly match the story, but he described the same underground tunnel that you mentioned." Miss Waters spread the sheets of papers on the table for everyone to see.

"There was an underground city beneath the modern Cairo. And there was proof that it might be used by illegal traders for trading illegal goods all over Egypt for centuries. He even described how it was once a place for men to seek pleasures with a good price to add." Imperia read through the report while the humans examine the drawings that were included.

"Your kind had tainted the holy ground that belongs to Imperia for centuries?" Hotep was not happy. Imperia raised her hand to stop Hotep from doing something that might ruin her plan.

"Is there any way that might bring us to this underground tunnel?" Miss Waters was not sure.

"There might. Most of the entrances either boarded up or sealed shut by the government when they took over the place. It's to make sure it wasn't used for illegal purposes or terrorists attack." Imperia sigh.

"Why are we planning to go into a dark tunnel again?" Daphne asked with a heavy heart.

"Why, you asked? So that my soldiers will be able to do my bidding again," The humans seem to be confused.

"This underground tunnel is where I kept all of Imperia's elite soldiers after she was buried alive. They somehow find themselves in my territory. But before the priest decided to bury me using the same method as Grisha had done to Keres, I managed to store the brides in one of the many secret tunnels around my land. I hope that you kind didn't manage to find them while they were using my secret passage." Hotep explained.

"Why did you call them brides?" Caleb asked with curiosity.

"It is because they're devoted followers of Imperia. Thus, we called them as the vampire brides," with that said, the humans plan to find the entrance because they just have to see what precisely the vampires referring to.

***

"Stay here while we went inside. If you're in trouble, just call for one of our names and we will hear you." Miss Kingston nods her head before the vampires gets off the car and went to the only entrance that's available for them to use.

"So, the only way to enter your own tunnel was to get through a night club? And somehow that 'Daphne' girl manages to call the owner and let us use the entrance freely? Can someone tell me who exactly that human is?" Keres asked as she followed both Imperia and Hotep inside.

"I don't know but as soon as we manage to find the brides, we will establish power. I want everyone from our lifetime to know that we exist." Imperia was about to enter a forbidden room when a man grabbed her by the collar and forcefully pulled her away from entering the room.

"Keep your hands off of the queen, human or you shall perish," Keres warned the man who subconsciously touching Imperia without permission.

"You are not permitted to enter this room without authorised personnel with you. Unless you're the owner of this establishment, leave before I fore you out from this club!" The man crosses his hands on his chest and glares at the vampires.

"Keres, do the honours." Imperia steps aside and let Keres do her thing with the man. Keres slowly place her hand on the man's shoulder and make it possible for him to stare into her eyes.

"But we are acquittance with the owner. We have full access to enter this room. Please, let us past. Okay?" The man obviously was bewitched by Keres's charm and just like that, the man gave them access.

"I don't remember putting portraits of naked women along the tunnel like so." Hotep commented while admiring the portraits as she walk by. Normally, it would be hard for anyone to find their way inside the dark tunnels but for these creatures of the night, it's as easy as it can get.

They thought that there won't be anymore intrusion until they came across a group of fully suited men seems to be having quite a time of their life with a group of people that looks like they haven't been fed for quite some time.

When the suited men noticed that the vampires had saw them, they planned to get rid of the evidence.

"Why would a beautiful woman such as yourself doing in a dark place like so?" Asked one of the suited men directly at Hotep.

Hotep looks at the group of people cowers on the dirty floor before smiling at the suited men who spoke to her earlier.

"I was told that this is the place to find pleasures. It seems like I was wrong." Hotep sighs while fanning herself with her hand.

"What about you? Why would such handsome man like you doing in such dirty place? Seeking pleasure as well I assume," Hotep make use of her body charm to get closer to her prey.

"We were just here to explore the tunnels. I guess we were trying to find a place to ... well ... to be who we really are without gaining the public's attention." The man simply chuckles before he takes the bait and pulled Hotep closer to him.

"It would be a waste to just get rid of someone as beautiful as you without having a little taste." Hotep rolled her eyes before smiling at the man.

"Imperia, I'm parch. Can I have a little nibble?" Imperia looks back over her shoulder with a eerie smile.

"Do what you must." Hotep wrapped her arms around the man as soon as she got he permission she seek from her master.

"It's been a while since I have a taste of human. I'm.not happy that the first human I get to feed after thousands of hear is a man, but hey, I can't choose my victims." Imperia grabbed the first man that decided to ditch his friends and feed off of him until he's out of commission.

Imperia simply let his corpse down and proceed to her next victim.

"Monsters .... MONSTERS!" A ma shouted as Keres about to sunken her teeth into the screaming man. Hotep decided to poke her finger into one of her 'meal's' eyes socket and yank his eyeball out. It's been a while since she get to feast and she's going all out.

As Imperia was done with her feed, she looks up to the last man standing whom; begging that the vampires spare his life. Imperia always enjoys her feeding time when her 'food' begs for it's life to be spare.

"Tell me what makes you different than the rest of your friends?" Imperia asked as she walks towards him.

"I ... I can grant you wealth!" Imperia laughs.

"I was born royal. Wealth doesn't make me feel special. Anything else?" The man was desperately trying to find a reason why the vampire should let him live.

"I can provide you with unimaginable source of food! Like those who cowers on the floor over there. Immigrants like them are easy to find and thus, your kind will have endless source of food, for cheap." Imperia laughs once again until he's looking straight into his orbs.

"I'm the type of vampire who give pleasures and the taste of wealth to my feeder. I prefer women but when it comes to drastic measures, I don't mind feeding from a man like you. And no, your offers doesn't suit my taste." It didn't take long for Imperia to finish him off and let his dried up corpse slumped onto the dirty tunnel ground.

"What should we do about them?" Keres asked while Imperia wiping her bloodied mouth.

"Bring them with us since I'm sure the bride's needed to feed as well. Even if we decided to save them, it'll be too late. They're dying already." Imperia sighs as she kneels down to observe the humans.

"What did those men do to them? To inflict a wound such as this to another human being ... their kind never change. Even after o we thousands of years, they still treated their kind with no respect." Imperia shakes her head when she closes the eyelid of a young man that seems to be dead.

"Come on, let's find the brides. Hotep, stop feeding from that man's flesh. You'll get food poisoning if you continue." Hotep sighs as she left her food behind. They continued their journey through the tunnels until they manage to find the place where the brides were kept.

"Wake them up, Keres. A new era has begun."

***

Meanwhile in modern Russia, a vampire who whom enjoying his evening with his woman of the day felt a sudden uneasiness that suddenly linger in his mind.

"Baracus, what's wrong?" Asked the man as she pours him a glass of fresh blood.

"That's just impossible. Right?" He asked no one in particular. He knows this feeling too well for hin to ignore. Baracus can feel such a tremendous power is awakening and he knows that he need to do something before it's too late.