---
Farther away, Raka and the surviving lesser vampires were already spreading around Iron House. They entered side streets, crossed abandoned yards, climbed onto nearby roofs, and blocked the narrow exits behind the mansion. They did not gather in one visible group. That would have warned the people inside too early. Instead, they formed a loose circle around the entire estate, with two or three lesser vampires watching each road, wall, underground passage, and servant gate.
No one inside Iron House would escape unnoticed.
Sekhmet kept walking toward the last standing part of Iron House.
The closer they came, the more obvious the damage to the surrounding area became. Iron House had once controlled most of the business streets nearby. Its wagons passed through every morning. Its workers loaded and unloaded goods. Guards wearing the Iron House mark walked around as if the roads belonged to them. Merchants waited outside side offices to discuss prices, deliveries, or contracts.
