Lord of the Blood.
While titles like 'Gardener' and 'Warden' felt underwhelmingly vocational to some when compared to the respected titles the people of the Verdant Hills were accustomed to, the title offered to High Lord Dirar carried an aura of menace that sent shivers down their spines.
"Does that mean these 'Hearts' will be ruled by Empress Nyrielle's progeny?" Dirar asked. "If I wished to maintain my position as ruler of the Southern Steppe, I would need to submit for an eternity as a vampire?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Nyrielle said. "You haven't lost enough to become one of my progeny. Talk to me when your wives and concubines have been slaughtered, and your cities burned to the ground. Seek me out when you have nothing left in your heart but the need to avenge yourself on those who caused you more pain than any man can endure…"
