Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Pending job

The message made Gjaki smile. She didn't hesitate to get up to summon a Gate.

"What do you think you are doing?" Kilthana reproached her.

"I've received a message from Goldmi. She's found her sister, and they've returned home. I'm going to meet them," the silver-haired vampiress explained.

"They're at home safe and sound, aren't they?" her friend wanted to confirm.

"Eh... Yes, of course."

"Then there's no rush. You can go when we're done," the countess concluded.

"But... Don't be like that..." Gjaki pleaded.

"If you think we're going to let you escape, you're quite wrong. Do you know how hard it is to get you to do your work? Sit down. The sooner we finish, the sooner you can leave," the other countess concluded,

"Jiknha... You too? Solodkro, tell them something..." the Blood Queen asked, her crystalline eyes like those of a puppy.

"Don't look at me like that. You know they're right. There're many pending issues, and you're the cause of more than one."

"Slavers..." she sat down while puffing out her cheeks.

"If your fans saw you like this..." Kilthana sighed. "Let's see, let's continue with the City of Light. What's the position of the Blood Kingdom?"

"It's not like it's our business. Let them do whatever they want," Gjaki disdained them. She crossed her arms, and didn't look at them.

"The situation is dangerous. There could be a civil war," Jiknha warned.

"So bad? How did it happen?" Gjaki was surprised, this time more serious.

"Our influence is very strong. Not only are there many vampires, but much of their trade is with us. Besides, they adore and fear you. Until now, there'd been stability because no one dared to oppose the current governor. He was supposed to have your support, which intimidated his opponents. It's not like that anymore since you took it away," Jiknha continued. She was the one who had the most dealings with them.

"It's not my fault... He didn't deserve it..." Gjaki protested.

"That doesn't matter. The relevant issue is what we do. We can't allow another civil war," Jiknha affirmed, worried.

"How far does our influence go?" Gjaki asked.

She knew it was strong, but she wasn't sure to what extent.

"If you say a word, no one will move. Although, if we get too involved, other neighboring countries could try to intervene if they believe it harms their interests," Solodkro explained. He was the more familiar with foreign policy.

"So, if we ensure that we don't favor any side, will that be enough? No, wait, we can't allow the others to roam free either. We can't let them be the domain of any country, nor let them harm civilians. It's okay if we don't have direct influence, but not that they become a puppet of other forces," Gjaki reasoned.

"Oh, she's finally in work mode. It's a relief," Kilthana praised and mocked at the same time.

"It's been hard on us," Jiknha sighed.

"It's been worth it," Solodkro joined.

"I hate you all," the silver-haired vampiress censured them.

They laughed, although it was only a brief respite. They had to solve that problem. The City of Light was an important partner, and many had friends or family there. It took them a long time to come to a conclusion.

"Well, do we make an official statement?" Kilthana confirmed.

"So be it," Gjaki sighed, somewhat dejected. She didn't like doing that, but it was the best.

Soon, one of the Blood Kingdom's few foreign policy statements would see the light of day, surprising many. It seemed innocuous, but there were quite clear veiled threats about any kind of outside interference, or harm to civilians. It said:

"The Kingdom of Blood declares in the name of its queen that the affairs of the City of Light must be dealt within the City of Light, without the intervention of third parties, including our own kingdom. However, it is a friend city. We will not sit idly by if there is a bloodbath, if innocent people are harmed."

The inclusion of the queen was to have a deterrent effect. They hinted that Gjaki herself could intervene.

The threat was clear if the fights went beyond the factions themselves. They were telling them to fight whatever they wanted, but not to go too far, in addition to warning any foreign forces to stay out of it. They couldn't completely prevent them from intervening, but they forced them to be very discreet, limiting their range of action.

"Well, now let's see what we do with the taxes, invitations, proposals to be concubines of our queen..." Kilthana continued.

"Aren't we done yet?" Gjaki looked at her, pleading.

"We've just started," Jiknha laughed.

"Deal with it," Solodkro also laughed.

Gjaki sighed in resignation. She couldn't hate them for doing this to her, because after all, she had been shirking, leaving all the work to them.

Invitations to parties and other events, as well as those from potential couples, were politely declined. They decided not to listen to the Blood Queen regarding the latter. It wasn't a good idea even for her to insult all of her suitors.

Regarding taxes, they followed a relatively low tax policy, although not so low that they couldn't carry out important projects. The Blood Kingdom had gone from a war zone with isolated counties to a prosperous country, where the roads were maintained and patrolled. To this end, the artifacts that Jiknha had adapted and developed had proven essential.

They could maintain constant surveillance, day and night, rain or shine. There were even those that were capable of keeping the beasts away from the roads, making them safer if possible. That had helped trade flourish, and with it, the kingdom.

Furthermore, among other things and after many obstacles, they had managed to reestablish a kind of public healthcare. In the past, it had been performed in temples, as in other countries, but many wars ago most of them had been destroyed.

They had reinstated it in the blood houses, where the healers received a salary that wasn't very high. However, it helped them practice and level up.

For more serious cures, they had a few exceptional healers on their payroll, and even Gjaki herself sometimes came to help. They may have had to wait a few weeks to recover one of their arms, but it recovered.

Without a doubt, this had helped raise the popularity of the Blood Queen, and made the kingdom an attractive place to live. It wasn't perfect, and there was a lot of room for improvement, but it was better than many of the neighbors. With effort and work, one could prosper without risk of losing one's life at any turn.

Perhaps for this reason, some countries saw it as a threat, but the presence of the Blood Queen was quite a deterrent. She couldn't defeat an army alone, but that didn't make her any less fearsome.

Years ago, an invasion attempt had ended in a week. The architects of the attack, those who normally stayed in their safe castles giving orders while their soldiers died, had died where there was supposed to be no danger. Two small holes in their necks and their bodies drained of blood had given a more than certain clue to the culprit.

No one had dared to continue the war or imitate them. It was one thing to risk the lives of soldiers, and quite another to risk one's own life.