Elizabeth and Selene.
The twin vampire princesses of Sancta Vedelia.
Everyone knew their names. They were famous throughout Sancta Vedelia, not only because they belonged to the Tepes House, but because both of them carried the blood of the Vampire Witch, and because one of them, Selene was said to be the incarnation of the Vampire Witch herself. Their existence alone had perturbed the balance between the great Houses. They were the reason my grandfather had grown even harsher, even more demanding, and why he had shaped Cyril so mercilessly, raising him into someone he believed could one day stand against them when the time came.
To me, they had always seemed distant, almost unreal, like figures from rumor rather than people I might ever truly know. I never once imagined that our paths would cross so directly until the day I was sent to join a period of shared training with them, an arrangement accepted by both my family and the Tepes House.
