**Snap**

**Crack**

The sound split the night air like a thunderbolt. The piercing noise echoed off the mansion and across the estate grounds.

**Snap**

**Crack**

The rhythmic sound droned on as the beautiful brunette woman stood in the epicenter of the sound and slashing pain. The smell of leather and grass filled her nostrils carrying with them a heady and complex floral bouquet that was intoxicating.

**Snap**

**Crack**

The sound of six feet of braided leather breaking the sound barrier to strike out at paper strip targets arranged on poles surrounding her. Two more strips fluttered to the ground only to join the orange strips now nothing but confetti strewn about the grass like the end of some gala celebration.

The woman turned quickly and with two more overhand strikes severed both sides to another paper strip.

**Snap**

**Crack**

A servant rushed up to quickly replace broken targets with more paper strips as Victoria moved onto the next one. She would have a steady and unending source for her cutting practice as long as the paper held out.

The Nosferatu were on her mind, specifically one…oh who was she kidding several where fluttering about in her brain and the steady strikes helped focus her mind.

**Snap**

**Crack**

Gilroy. She didn’t have enough information to get a good read on the sniveling little worm. A congregation of one. He wasn’t stupid, he was highly educated, and seemed willing to lead and take charge. He was also relatively competent from what she had seen.

**Snap**

**Crack**

So what was he thinking when he picked her as Reeve? Was she a political move to appease the Prince? Was it an insidious move on his part to remove her? She didn’t think so. Did he want Cross as his private muscle, loyal only to him? She had just spoken with Gilroy a handful of times shortly and she was recently returned to the city so she couldn’t have irritated him too greatly. Was he lonelier in some ways than she thought? Reaching out to a colleague with a similar field of study?

**Snap**

**Crack**

Reeve…Her...Reeve. It sounded odd, but the sound of it was growing on her. Taking her mind in directions that she had barely dreamed possible just a few years ago. She would need to be cautious, especially since they seemed to burn through Reeves quickly around here…getting overwhelmed and then burnout. She couldn’t make that same mistake.

**Snap**

**Crack**

**Crack**

**Frown**

A miss. Her irritation at the break of the rhythm broke her stride but she reached an answer because of it and she grinned as she turned to the next target.

**Snap**

**Crack**

Deputies would be the answer. There were others in the domain who wanted a chance at power and influence. Who wanted prestige for their clan, themselves, or covenant along with privilege that came with the position. Yes, she was certain that others would jump at the chance. Two? Maybe three at most? The brood would be a problem.

**Snap**

**Crack**

A variety of skills would be needed, investigatory, marital, occult knowledge perhaps. She would need a good mix of individuals. The brood…other groups...it sounded like several threats at once. She may need to organize and plan once she is able to locate a target to strike. They had to go on the offensive, strike back at the imagined safety of their opponents and weaken or cripple their resolve. If they fought defensively it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

**Snap**

**Crack**

Cross. Robert Cross. Another unknown. Sheriff of the Deep Kingdom. Deep Kingdom…Kingdom…was that a subtle message from Gilroy that he saw himself above Asa’s Principality? A king of worms over a prince of kindred? Cross would need to be spoken to, measured, weighed, perhaps wooed to the Invictus cause. Power and influence attracted the attention of the Unconquered after all.

**Snap**

**Crack**

Greenberg. She couldn’t forget or neglect him either. She had just a couple more months to ensure he was ready. She would have to talk to him about a focus for his study among the Invictus. She couldn’t leave him floundering around with no direction to make her look bad. He needed to master something. Yes, she would need to speak with him again too.

A honeybee landed on a nearby flower and without thinking she turned and spun her whip toward the tiny creature. It was one of hers…from her apiary.

**CRACK**

With a painful snap of the leather weapon the bee split in two, ends flying in opposite directions, leaving the flower unmolested as the wind ruffled its peddles. This city attracted more attention than a hive on a patch of wild flowers. She would guard this flower patch of Sacramento, with help, but it would be done. She grinned broadly at the imagery before turning back to her targets.

**Snap**

**Crack**

Just a few more minutes…then there is that meeting to prepare for…always meetings, she sighed mentally.