Tanya, hearing the word, which translated as switch, instantly dropped her attack on Tzao and shot toward Mausya in a blur, her blade slashing.

None of the Russian Elder’s probability calculations had included the knowledge that Senka had been recently sparring against and with her granddaughter, grandson-in-law, their vampire Chief of Security, and her own personal bodyguard, the giant Ondrej. Three-on-two, four-on-one, and even grand melee style—every vampire for themselves. Coordinated fighting and trading opponents in mid-fight had become a standard tactic, with the exception of when four of them fought Chris, or rather, Grim, at once.

Mausya had a micro moment of surprise, the tiniest slip of attention, and the result was the razor-sharp steel sword blade slicing through her right elbow, severing the entire forearm and hand. Dark blood spurted in two long gouts before her virus-rich body shut off the arteries and sealed the wound. Mausya paused for a half a second, re-evaluating the new probable outcomes of this wound, and then shot backward to kneel against the wall, her head bowed to the floor, her arms, both the whole one and the half, held over her head.

That left Tzao faced off against both Senka and Tanya. The Chinese vampire made her own calculations and then backed up, hands moving out to her sides, palms open and facing the other two.

With the cessation of battle among the Elders, silence descended upon the chamber. All of the guards were dead, as was Sun, who had been almost more than a match for both Galina and Lydia, but not Lison, who had decided to enter the fight on Senka’s side. Gault, Atta, and Tan were still against a far wall, watching the outcome.

“Check outside, Lydia,” Senka ordered as she and Tanya kept eyes on Tzao.

The tiny vampire shot across the room to the door, then leaned against it to listen before yanking it open. She looked out then pulled back in, leaving the door open behind her.

“Ondrej and Arkady are at a standstill with Hosokawa,” she reported. “It appears that your Guardians, with Omega’s assistance, have subdued the rest of their forces,” she said with a nod toward the kneeling Mausya and the quietly watchful Tzao. Motion in the doorway revealed a half-dozen orb-shaped hovering drones gliding into the Chamber.

“Paris is secure. Most of the Darkkin in the city refrained from conflict.”

“Did this wave of new tech drones have anything to do with that decision?” Tanya asked.

“Hostilities faded rather quickly after my newest designs demonstrated their capabilities.”

“As we mentioned, here is some of the information that none of you had when making your calculations,” Senka said, waving a hand at the hovering mini-drones. “We recovered an intact Vorsook combat craft in the American Midwest, and Omega has been reverse engineering its technologies. This is what is called a game changer.”

“So they are spherical instead of flat. So what?” Gault asked from his neutral position.