"Now that is something Anne would say," she said, perking up a little bit.

She supposed Anne was a safe subject. Mina didn't have to mention the vampire parts of the story. "Anne was my mentor. A remarkable woman. After my husband died, she took me under her wing." There was a particular smile Mina always reserved for talking about Anne. It was surprisingly genuine, distant, pleasant. Quite unlike her typical, hardened demeanor. "She used to tell me that balance was the purpose of all living things. For every evil created, the forces governing our lives created a force of good."

And so it was with the Kindred. For every Centurion, there were ten Valkyrien Amazons. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to do nearly as much good as they hoped.