The thin sheet of paper exploded, instantly disintegrating into a fine, white ash. It wasn’t enough. Krista slammed her fist into the wall, hardly noticing the physical pain through her mental agony.

I told you, Diamond, don’t mess with me. But you did. Don’t worry. Little Nicolas will be safe as long as you stop hunting me.

Another zap of fire and the pile of ash disappeared completely. But that didn’t bring her brother back. Nor did it kill Kane.

Kane. Her mouth twisted and her hands itched to surround his neck. He was a threat to her. A big one. Had he been anybody else, he would have been dead. Nobody messed with Krista Starlight and survived. It was why she was known as The Diamond. Beautiful, hard, and with as many emotions as a rock.

Krista felt her iron control start to slip. She remembered the last thing Kane had told her, right after a nasty surprise meeting in the darkened streets of a trashy neighborhood. He had been clutching his shoulder, trying to stem the flow of blood. Diamonds are hard, He’d snarled. But if you find just the right spot, a gentle tap and they’ll shatter. I’ll find that spot.

He’d found it. But he was wrong. It would take much more then a tap. God help him if he touched Nicky. She certainly wouldn’t.

Krista wasn’t named the Diamond for nothing. Using iron control, her dark skin betrayed no crease or wrinkle of worry. All that could be seen was a cool, unemotional face. But beneath it, she remembered how she grieved when her human friend Tasha had been declared dead, and the spontaneous decision to take her son under her wing, as no one was eager to take a bastard child, especially one that was human. Unable to imagine the little boy being all alone in the big, dangerous world, she had done her best to be, if not a mother, a good friend that he could lean on. Since then, Krista had grown to love the little guy, and managed, mainly through her bountiful money supply, to give him a good education and a safe environment. Apparently, the latter she hadn’t succeeded. She would not wait for Kane to make the next move. She stood up, her long, braided dark hair swirling unrestricted around her waist. She walked out the room, down the stairs, and out the door, her expression never flickering to show the hatred that seethed underneath that calm mask. She walked to her car and firmly closed the door.

Her fury took momentary control when she stepped on the accelerator, splitting the fresh morning air with an ear-rending screech. The only hint that she had been there was a cloud of dust and traces of powerful magic.

“I will go to the Sanguis Empire via the slave trade, thus rescuing my brother and killing Kane. I would like any help that you could give me to aid the rescue of my brother.”

Krista finished her proposal, resisting the urge to sigh or sit back in her chair. Thirteen sets of eyes fastened on her.

Krista had decided to ask for a hearing in front of the council. Technically, she was her own woman, but drastic actions such as what she was planning were, by law, to be told to the Council of the Crones. All the women around her were noted for their wisdom, age, and experience. At least, she assumed all of them were old. It was rumored that at least two in the Council were very young, and one of them in her early twenties. Not that Krista could tell, because each member had the identical disguise, and they often changed their names. Krista didn’t disguise herself in any way; it was considered rude and helped insure that no imposers could see the Crones. As far as Krista was bothered, the Crones were all short, stooped, wrinkled, and white-haired people that looked like the average Grandma.

The Council met in a private room in a mansion that most likely belonged to the head Crone, an old lady named Marisa who was, surprisingly, short, stooped, wrinkled, and white-haired. The air hummed with magic, and Krista was sure that there were all sorts of spells in the air from everything from keeping awake and prevarication-detectors. The room was soothing to the eye; all muted browns and reds.

She stifled a yawn; sleep was racing to catch up on her, but she knew that she would be able to hold it off for a few days before crashing; vampire hunts didn’t stop just because you’re tired. She had gone a day and a half without sleep; she could keep clear-headed for at least another day. If all went according to plan, in about twenty-four hours she would be a vampire’s slave. How . . . exciting.

As was considered proper, the youngest Crone, Chloe, asked the first question.

“How do you know that Kane will be the one to buy you?” The old woman grilled.

“I used several of my, ah, scouts, and I found out that Kane always gets his slaves from a certain vampire, who happens to be at a party tonight nearby. If I manage to catch his interest, then hopefully, everything else will fall into place.”

“How long to you expect this to take?” Morgana questioned.

“As no information is to be found about Kane, all I can say is I will stay as long as it takes.” It was kind of creepy; there was almost nothing detailed on the vampire, nothing new or helpful that might have helped Krista.

“Do you want us to be you’re back-up in case something goes wrong?” There was skeptism in Francesca’s voice.

“Well, whatever you can - ” Krista started to say, but Lark ran her over.

“It would be dangerous for us to ally ourselves to you. ”

“I - ” Once again, she was overridden.

“If you were caught, it would look bad for us.” Lucia stated solemnly.

“Yes, I realize, that, but - ”

“How will you appear human?” Trisha asked.

Krista didn’t say anything for a moment, waiting to make sure that no one would interrupt her. “I plan to go without any disguise, and hide my magic deep inside of me so it will be untraceable.”

Jasmine looked a bit startled. “But you will then be, essentially, a human, am I right?”

“That’s the point, isn’t it?” Krista countered coolly.

“But, your job as a vampire could be destroyed, because if you are caught, you will most likely be utterly defenseless.” Whitney said sharply.

“I have relied on other things besides magic to get me out of bad situations in the past.” That was only slightly fabricated, but Madeline built on that possibility.

“Should you be caught, the Council could not afford it to be known that we supported you. Killing Kane would start a dangerous chain of events off, for he is very powerful and respected.”

“I was looking at killing the vampire lord as a perk, but it’s not necessary.”

“That whole family is dangerous. Larissa Silver managed to kill Kane’s father, but even she couldn’t get Kane himself, and it is quite possible that Silver was killed by him.”

There was a moment of silence as the witches thought of the legendary witch who had been caught trying to hill Kane’s father about twenty years ago. Krista hadn’t been born yet, but hatred and sadness at the loss was as strong as any other witch.

“Maybe I’m not as good, but you never know. For all we know - ”

Luana sighed. “But you don’t know. That’s the problem. If we support such an undertaking, it may break the uneasy allegiance that has formed between the witches and the vampires. We are not ready for an outright war.”

Marisa, the head of the Council, stood up. Everyone else stood up with her. It was up to the head to make the final decision. “We understand how you feel obligated to rescue the human boy, but the risk is too great, and we cannot offer any support or our blessing. Krista Starlight, you are on your own in this quest. I bid you a good day.” She sat down, and everyone else followed the suit except for Krista, who nodded regally and turned around, ignoring the faint looks of pity and compassion that was being directed her way.

I’m coming, Nicky, she thought.

Krista walked towards the limo she hired. It was nice; sleek, black, with a bewitched license plate to avoid trouble with police if hard driving was necessary. She opened the door and sank gratefully into the soft, expensive seats. She had specifically asked for Nana, as she liked the human woman’s straightforwardness and steadfastness. “Go into Manhattan, anywhere you want to.”

Nana looked surprised. “Anywhere?”

Krista nodded. “I need to buy a Halloween costume.

Nana shook her head. “Be careful when you go around tomorrow. Them slave dealers might try to snap you up and sell you as if you were a human.”

Krista allowed herself a small smile. If she needed to show her emotions, she might as well start now. “If they do, everything will go according to plan.”

Nana stared at her in the review mirror. “Krista, I never thought I’d say this, but my God you’ve lost it!”

Krista laughed. It was a bit strained. “That’s the point. It’s the only way to get into Sanguis. Nicky was kidnapped. So if I mysteriously disappear, don’t alert anyone. I’ll be fine.”

Nana shook her head mournfully. “I was Larissa Silver’s driver before, right before she assassinated that vampire lord. She said the exact same thing.”

Great. So they all thought that she would disappear for good. It was nice to see how much faith her peers had in her. ”I’m not Larissa Silver. I’m Krista Starlight. And I’ll be fine.” Krista didn’t know whom she was trying to reassure. It sounded an awful a lot like she was talking to herself. Did Larissa do that, too? She asked herself bleakly, leaning back to watch Manhattan grow slowly but steadily larger.

“What did you get?”

Krista grinned as she slid into the limo. “A vampire cape. I’ll look just like another trick-or-treaters. Now, I need to change, and shield my aura as well as possible. Darkness comes in a few hours, so I need to be ready by then. Are you sure that no magic can be sensed from outside the limo?”

Nana nodded. “Shield was fine last time I checked. No one is spying on us. Go ahead and deal with your aura.”

“How long ago was that?”

“About seven seconds ago.”

Krista didn’t have to force a grin this time. “Fine.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Her aura was their, blazing rich, molten silver. She caught herself wondering whether Larissa - Stop! Her mind scolded her. You need to concentrate! Using her power, she stamped out all signs of her magic. Now, if she wanted to use it, she needed to be under extreme emotion or undergo deep meditation to bring her magic roaring back to life.

Quickly she pulled on the outfit. “Ready,” she said, a bit unsteadily.

Nana stared at her. “You look human.”

“Do I?” Krista asked. She wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or an insult.

Nana nodded. “You’ll fit in perfectly.” She looked out on the street. “Children are already starting to walk around,” she pointed out. “Where do you want to go?”

“Maybe there’s an open house party I could go to. There’s bound to be a couple of vampires. All I have to do is get drunk and stagger, alone and helpless, out the door. I would be in Sanguis before you could say ‘aura’.”

“Aura,” Nana muttered under her breath. Krista ignored her.

“Well," Nana relented, "there was a party, but I think you have to show an invitation.”

“Do I look pretty?” Krista asked.

Nana snorted. “Of course you do. Beauty runs in your family.”

Krista smirked. Emotions aren’t half as bad, she reflected. “I’ll get in.”

“It’s on Fifth Avenue, and something-or-other street. I remember where it is. How will you get in?”

“You’ll see. “