The border between Orlov's territory and the neutral nds separating the five major archdukedoms was marked by more than just stone monuments and guard posts—it represented the boundary between two entirely different worlds.

  Natalia had spent her entire fifty years of existence within Orlov's medieval domain, where candles and torches provided light, horses pulled wooden carriages, and messages traveled by mounted courier rather than any more modern means. As the merchant's carriage approached the checkpoint shortly after sunset the following night, she felt the first flutters of genuine fear—not of discovery, but of the unknown world that awaited her.

  "We're approaching the border, midy," the vampire merchant whispered through a small speaking tube that connected to her hidden compartment. Once a common-born traveling salesman, he had found more profit in smuggling rare goods and occasionally people between territories—a dangerous trade that required bribing officials on both sides of every border.

  Natalia gave the agreed-upon response—two soft taps against the wooden panel above her head. The hidden chamber beneath the wine barrels was cramped but surprisingly well-crafted, clearly designed for smuggling more valuable cargo than contraband blood-wine.

  The carriage slowed, and through a tiny crack in the compartment's seam, Natalia could see the border checkpoint looming ahead. Unlike the stone-and-timber guard posts of Orlov's territory, this structure incorporated elements she'd never seen before—strange gss fixtures mounted on posts that emitted steady, unwavering light, and metallic boxes with small blinking points of red and green.

  "Halt for inspection!" A vampire guard called out, and the carriage creaked to a stop.

  "Evening, sirs," the merchant greeted the border guards with practiced casualness. "Just the usual delivery for the Crimson Vineyard—empty barrels going over, full ones coming back in three days."

  "Out of the vehicle for inspection," commanded the guard, a stocky vampire with the insignia of the Neutral Territories Border Authority on his uniform. "We have reports of unusual movement along this route."

  Natalia tensed. Had her father's men already discovered her absence? No—the blood-sleep ruse should have held. The physician wouldn't report her condition until well after nightfall.

  "Of course, of course," the merchant agreed, his voice betraying no concern. The carriage rocked slightly as he climbed down from his seat.

  Footsteps circled the carriage, and Natalia held her breath as someone rapped sharply against the wine barrels above her.

  "What's in these?" the guard demanded.

  "Empty oak barrels for aging, as always. They're sealed to prevent contamination before filling."

  "Open one."

  "But sir, the vineyard's quality standards—"

  "Open it, or we open all of them."

  Wood scraped against wood as a barrel was unsealed. Natalia's heart would have pounded if she were still human. She had chosen the merchant carefully—he had been smuggling contraband across this border for decades and maintained an immacute official record.

  "See? Empty," the merchant said. "Just the usual business. I've been making this run for forty years without incident."

  A pause followed, then the guard's voice again: "Very well. But you'll need to come inside for additional documentation. New procedures since the st Crimson Games were announced."

  Natalia heard the merchant mutter something that sounded appropriately disgruntled before his footsteps retreated toward the checkpoint building. Minutes passed while she remained motionless in her hiding pce, straining to hear any sound that might indicate discovery.

  Finally, the carriage door opened, and the merchant climbed back aboard.

  "All clear," he whispered through the tube. "Though they've doubled the guards for tournament season. We're crossing into neutral territory now."

  The carriage lurched forward, and Natalia felt a strange sensation as they passed beyond Orlov's domain—as though an invisible weight had lifted from her shoulders. Even in her cramped hiding pce, she could sense the difference. They traveled for another half hour before the merchant pulled off the main road.

  "We're stopping at a waystation," he expined through the tube. "Safe house for those of us in the... transportation business. You can come out now, but keep your hood up."

  The hidden compartment opened from the outside, and Natalia blinked in the sudden light—light that seemed unnaturally steady compared to the flickering candles and oil mps she was accustomed to. The merchant offered his hand, helping her climb stiffly from the cramped space.

  "This way, quickly now," he urged, leading her toward a modest stone building set back from the road. "You'll have a proper chamber for the day's rest, and tonight a different carriage will take you further."

  The waystation appeared unremarkable from the outside—a typical roadside inn that catered to vampire merchants and travelers. Yet as they entered through a side door, Natalia froze in the threshold, her eyes widening at the sight before her.

  The entrance hall was illuminated not by candles or oil mps, but by gss globes that emitted a steady, unwavering light. She had heard whispered tales of "electricity" from visiting nobles who traveled between territories, but had always assumed such stories were exaggerated. Now, face to face with this impossible illumination, she could only stare in wonderment.

  "What manner of magic is this?" she whispered, forgetting her disguise momentarily.

  The merchant gnced at her, a flicker of amusement crossing his weathered face. "First time outside Orlov's territory, eh? That's just electric lighting, midy. Common everywhere in the vampire world except Orlov's domain. The progressive archdukes just keep it disguised in public spaces whenever Orlov or his representatives might see it—more a diplomatic courtesy than actual deference to his views."

  He guided her down a corridor, where more of the strange lights cast their unwavering glow from wall sconces. At the far end, a statuesque vampire woman emerged from a doorway, wiping her hands on a cloth apron.

  "This is Madam Voss," the merchant expined. "She manages this establishment and will see to your needs while I make arrangements for the next leg of your journey."

  The woman bowed slightly. "Welcome, traveler. Your chamber is prepared, though I must apologize for its simplicity. We weren't expecting a noble guest."

  "Any accommodation will be perfectly adequate," Natalia assured her, careful to maintain a dignified but appreciative tone. "I'm grateful for your discretion."

  "Of course." Madam Voss gestured toward the stairs. "If you'll follow me?"

  As they ascended to the second floor, Natalia couldn't help stealing gnces at every unfamiliar object—metal fixtures that Madam Voss casually referred to as "radiators" providing warmth without visible fme, a speaking tube system connecting different parts of the building, and strangest of all, a small box mounted on the wall at the top of the stairs.

  "What is that device?" Natalia asked, gesturing toward the box with its small protruding lever.

  "That?" Madam Voss looked momentarily confused. "Just a light switch, my dy. For turning the electric lights on and off."

  "A servant summoning device?" Natalia guessed, reaching out toward it with cautious curiosity.

  "No, don't—"

  But it was too te. Natalia pushed the small lever upward, and instantly, the hallway plunged into complete darkness. A startled scream escaped her lips before she could suppress it, and she instinctively pressed herself against the wall.

  "What's happened?" she gasped. "Is it an attack?"

  "No, no," Madam Voss's voice came through the darkness, followed by a soft chuckle. "You've simply turned off the lights. Here—"

  A click sounded, and the hallway was instantly illuminated once more. Madam Voss stood by the switch, her expression a careful mask that didn't quite hide her amusement.

  "Fascinating," Natalia breathed, embarrassment coloring her cheeks. "It controls the lights directly? Without servants?"

  "Yes, my dy. Standard in most buildings outside Orlov's territory." She paused, then added diplomatically, "Perhaps I should expin the basic functions of your chamber? Some features may be... unfamiliar."

  From downstairs came the sound of running feet, and a moment ter, two vampire guards appeared at the bottom of the stairs, weapons drawn.

  "Madam Voss? We heard a scream," one called up, scanning the hallway with alert eyes.

  "A simple misunderstanding," the innkeeper replied smoothly. "Our guest from Orlov's territory was startled by the light switch. All is well."

  The guards exchanged knowing looks before sheathing their weapons. "Very good, Madam. We'll return to our posts."

  As the guards departed, Natalia felt heat rising in her cheeks. "I apologize for causing arm," she said stiffly, mortified that her ignorance had created such a scene.

  "Not at all," Madam Voss assured her. "You're hardly the first visitor from Orlov's nds to be surprised by our modern conveniences. Last month, a young lord nearly destroyed a telephone, convinced it was possessed by spirits when it rang."

  This gentle revetion of shared inexperience eased Natalia's embarrassment somewhat. She followed the innkeeper to a door at the end of the hallway, where Madam Voss paused with her hand on the tch.

  "Before we enter, a quick overview might be helpful," she suggested. "The room is equipped with electric lighting controlled by switches simir to the one in the hallway. The bathroom includes running water—hot and cold—accessible by turning the taps. The toilet flushes by pressing the lever on the side of the tank."

  Natalia nodded, though half the terms meant nothing to her. "I appreciate your guidance."

  Inside, the chamber proved both comfortable and bewildering. Madam Voss patiently demonstrated each modern feature—the electric mp beside the bed, the radiator controls for warmth, and most astonishing of all, the bathroom with its running water and indoor plumbing.

  "Simply incredible," Natalia murmured, watching in fascination as clear water flowed at the turn of a metal handle. In Orlov's territory, even the wealthiest nobles still relied on servants carrying pitchers and basins for washing. "How is this possible without servants constantly filling reservoirs?"

  "Pipes connected to a water system," Madam Voss expined, seeming to enjoy Natalia's wonder. "The entire building is connected to the municipal supply."

  After a thorough expnation of every modern convenience, Madam Voss prepared to leave. "Is there anything else you require before I withdraw?"

  Natalia hesitated, then asked, "These innovations—electricity, plumbing—are they common throughout the other territories?"

  "They're used everywhere except Orlov's territory," Madam Voss corrected matter-of-factly. "Though other archdukes maintain a traditional appearance in public spaces where Orlov's representatives might see them—simple diplomatic courtesy rather than any real concession to his views. Despite controlling the rgest territory and vampire popution, Orlov stands completely alone in his rejection of technology. There are even rumors about Valerian's secretive northern territory using extremely advanced systems, though of course, no outsiders have been permitted entry to confirm such specution."

  When the innkeeper departed, Natalia explored her chamber with the curiosity of a child, switching the lights on and off repeatedly, turning the water taps, and examining every unfamiliar object. The concept that such wonders existed beyond Orlov's domain—that her father and the traditional faction had deliberately rejected these advancements—stirred a complex mixture of emotions. Anger at being kept ignorant, excitement at discovery, and a deeper question that had never before occurred to her: what else had she been denied?

  Eventually, she discovered a small booklet on the bedside table titled "Modern Conveniences for Traditional Guests" and spent hours absorbing its contents. The pamphlet, clearly written for nobles from traditional territories visiting neutral nds, contained expnations of everything from electric lighting to refrigeration, telephones to automobiles.

  Each page revealed another aspect of the world that had been systematically hidden from her. According to the booklet, progressive territories like Lucius's Central Kingdom maintained a careful bance—presenting traditional appearances in public spaces while privately embracing innovation. The traditional faction under Orlov, meanwhile, had rejected these advancements entirely, embracing medieval regression as "the proper vampire way."

  By the time she finally retired to her day-sleep, Natalia's mind was abuzz with revetions. The world was far more complex and advanced than she had been raised to believe. If her father had hidden something as fundamental as electric lighting from his household, what other truths might he have concealed?

  Her st thoughts before sleep cimed her drifted to the Crimson Games that awaited. She had fled seeking freedom from a specific future—an arranged marriage to whatever noble offered her father the greatest advantage. Now she realized she was escaping an entire fabricated reality, a deliberately maintained medieval existence when the rest of vampire society had continued to evolve.

  When she awoke at sunset, her resolve had only strengthened. She would succeed in the Crimson Games not just to gain independence from her father, but to cim her pce in a world far rger and more wondrous than she had ever been permitted to know.