Footsteps descend down the stone staircase which leads to a room underneath the castle. Eduard Visserion’s face shines up under the dim lamp he is carrying. He hurries towards the place which he locked up many years ago but now, he needs more information. He stops in front of a large metal door. Sniffing carefully to make sure he is not being followed, he pushes the door open.Behind the door is a large room with thousands of shelves lined in straight lines. Each shelf has over hundreds of books which are thick with dust and cobwebs. A strong scent of sewage and fungi is in the air but Eduard is not bothered by it. He holds the lamp higher and walks ahead. Mice scurry off as he approaches a shelf in the farthest corner. Scanning through the dusty shelves, he finally finds a thick leather bound book

Dmitri and Roseanne walk along the marketplace of Hapsberg. They are disguised as an ordinary couple who are casually strolling through. To hide her scent as a human, Roseanne is wearing a perfume which is made by Iriana. It masks her scent for a short while, for an hour or two.She stays close to Dmitri, holding his arm.The marketplace is crowded with people, haggling with the sellers or looking around. Small stores with thatched roofs are lined along the streets. The roads are rough and hard to walk on because of the uneven stones. A greyish cloud is looming over the town as if it will rain that night. They pass by the series of slanted houses which are emitting soft puffs of smoke from the chimneys.The roads are a little damp due to the nearby steam from the water which engulfs the whole city at times. Roseanne

Roseanne is giddy with excitement. She takes good care of her looks, pouting a little.“I look haggard!” She bemoans. Her hair is too tangled and her skin is too pale for her liking. Thankfully, Aria had packed her a few nice things which Roseanne might need during the trip.She quickly finds a simple yellow dress and changes into it. Dabbing light powder on her face, she untangles her wild hair. Finally, she looks at herself in the mirror.“Am I looking too plain?” she sighs. Roseanne scowls as Josephine’s face comes to her mind but she has to admit, Josephine has an exotic appearance which will entice many men. She is surprised that Dmitri feels nothing for that woman and admittedly, it makes Roseanne feel good.She fixes her neckline and

Elthezar is wary of the creature which is standing in front of him. Eduard has strictly ordered Elthezar to keep his mouth shut but he is scared and distrustful of the Undead who is smirking at him. Ilyich is grinning at the pathetic werewolf Duke who is fearful and foolish.“You are scared of me, Duke?” He asks in amusement. “After everything your people have done to us, we should be scared of you.”“Do not speak to me as if we are monsters!” Elthezar snarls. “You hideous creature!”They are inside the cave near the lake where Ilyich and some of his men have arrived to gather fresh prey for their army. Eduard promised them a supply of human slaves for Ilyich’s army and so far, the Emperor is keeping his promise. Elthezar is forced to give up a few of the slaves

Cassandra is about to screen in fright but Roseanne grabs her mouth and shuts her up but the horrifying scene is too much to bear. The werewolf guards lie lifeless on the ground, their throats completely ripped off by the Undead. Its skeletal face is shining under the moonlight, the eyes dead and dull. The Undead sniffs the air and croaks.“Fo…od…”It turns towards the bushes where Roseanne and Cassandra are hiding. The child whimpers in Roseanne’s arms. She is frightened and pale. Roseanne tries to calm her but the Undead is slowly heading towards them, dragging its feet along the ground.“Hung…ry…Food…”Roseanne gulps and is ready to run with Cassandra when they hear a loud scream. The Undead turns around