The Lycan Rebirth (The Flux Age Book 3) by Steven J Shelley

impressing Tomas with what she did. It seemed her power had grown far beyond any normal vampire, and she planned to unleash it all in New York.
    On the fourth night after the recruiting team had been dispatched, Yasmin watched with bated breath from the outer ramparts as Mischa and a bedraggled Maramurian escort appeared over the southern bluff. The poor girl sat astride a supply wagon, utterly exhausted. Yasmin allowed the party to pass underneath her. She could talk to the diviner later. At that moment she was more interested in the figures now approaching from the south. Around fifty figures emerged from the dark, the moon’s silvery light giving definition to tall, thin frames and deathly white skin. Yasmin instinctively knew most of these folk were vampires. Her skin grew cold as she sensed other entities crossing her threshold. Several fades materialized in the lower courtyard before disappearing again. Their skin and clothing was torn and tattered, their cries despairing, mournful. Yasmin made a mental note to ask Tomas what fades could bring to a battle scenario. A cloud of ethereal forms passed over the ramparts like torn black kites. Their exposed bones twinkled hideously in the moonlight. A collective hiss pervaded Yasmin’s bones and stirred each of her senses. Night wraiths, one of the noblest of night creatures. And finally, riding the strong northerly wind and delighting in all the activity below, a clutch of succubi wheeled and whooped their way into the belfry for a well-earned rest.
    Short of being terrified, Yasmin felt bolstered, strengthened. It was like someone had suddenly fitted her with the finest armor. Ever since she’d become a vampire the creatures of the night had become folks she both understood and respected. It was amazing how much instinctive emotion changed when a person found their spirit beast. Old prejudices died immediately to be replaced by new, exciting passions.
    Unable to kill her grin, Yasmin wandered down to the courtyard to be with her new recruits. She spent two hours chatting with them, memorizing their stories, their hopes and dreams. She reminded herself that these creatures were humans most of the time and had ordinary, human concerns. They had chosen to join her cause even though she was a complete stranger to them. Such was the incredible pull of sharing the same identity, the same skin. The Flux Age promised to draw people into distinct tribes. Yasmin was determined to make hers as inclusive as possible.
    After Yasmin had reached out to all the new additions in her retinue and ensured they all had a place to sleep the following day, she went up to see Mischa.
    The poor girl was so exhausted that she could barely keep her eyes open. Yasmin made brief eye contact with her, but it was enough. She could tell that Mischa understood her immense gratitude. The diviner extended a tired hand from underneath her thick, velvety blankets. Yasmin took it and sat by the bed, watching over the young woman as she fell asleep.
     
    Yasmin spent the following day holed up in her dark sanctuary, quietly ticking off the things she needed to do to get her army to New York. She instructed Tomas to make arrangements without any regard to cost - they could worry about that later. Happily, several of the new volunteers had made donations to her cause. Better still, the Odessa siblings arrived at dawn and insisted on donating a significant sum to the upkeep of Yasmin’s small army. The vampire queen was savvy enough to recognize the benefit of such patronage and resolved to explore recruitment options in first world cities like London, Paris and Berlin after she returned from New York.
    When Yasmin surfaced from her daily hibernation she found Tomas assembling the ‘dark troops’ in the courtyard. Many of the creatures liked to shift as soon as night fell so they could enjoy their full powers and abilities. Yasmin saw that this was a particular thing with night creatures because they were