The east was light with the first hints of dawn and the gypsy wagon ready to go when at last Flame Song stirred.

“Good morning,” said Aidan. “How do you feel?”

“Still tired, but otherwise alright.”

“Did it… did it hurt very much?”

“Actually no. It did a little bit at first, but it really wasn’t that bad. I could sort of… I don’t know, sort of feel what you were feeling. Like there was some kind of link between us.”

“That’s weird.”

“You have no idea…”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…”

“Hey, Aidan, Flame!” Brianna’s shout interrupted them before Flame could answer. “The wagon is ready, and the sun’s almost up. Let’s get going!”

“We’ll talk more later,” said Flame, and set off at a brisk trot toward the wagon. Aidan shrugged and followed. Flame climbed up onto the seat next to the gypsy driver; calling down to Brianna, “Hope nobody minds if I ride for a bit. I’m afraid I’ve had a rather… draining evening.”

Aidan shook his head. Flame seemed to be in a strangely good mood for somebody who had lost a significant amount of blood and only slept a few hours. He was still feeling the energy he’d gained, but he was also feeling a certain lethargy with the approach of the sun, so he didn’t waste any time climbing inside the wagon. It was like a mobile home back on Earth, a tiny house with all the amenities possible packed into as little space as possible. There was a single marrow bed, a little table, a few chairs, and a tiny kitchen area.

Lavasida was already in the wagon when Aidan came in and shut the door. He turned around and acknowledged Aidan’s presence with a curt nod, saying, “I’ve made sure the curtains will stay closed.” The Dark Lord walked over to the bed and picked up one of the pillows. “Well, I suppose you’ll be wanting the bed, since you didn’t sleep much yesterday.” He dropped to the floor and set the pillow down next to him.

Aidan gaped at the other vampire. Lavasida, the Dark Lord, was being nice? He hadn’t slept any better than Aidan had the previous day! Why was he doing this? But Lavasida’s expression didn’t invite questions, so Aidan simply lay down on the bed without a word. Moments later the sun rose unseen outside the wagon’s sturdy wooden walls and both of them were soundly asleep.

Aidan awoke feeling refreshed and rested, with only the faintest hint of hunger lurking in the back of his mind. He stretched and looked around. Lavasida was already up, sprawled comfortably in a chair and seemingly unmindful of the lurching movement of the wagon. Aidan got out of the bed and made his own way to a second chair. He had just seated himself and was trying to think of something to say when the wagon suddenly stopped. Aidan and Lavasida exchanged glances and both of them got to their feet.

Thunk! Aidan looked up at the noise to see the tip of an arrow protruding from one wall. What the…? Before he could even complete the thought Lavasida had already drawn his sword and was halfway out the door. Gathering his scattered wits, Aidan drew one of his long daggers and followed.

Outside was a scene of total chaos. Wavering torchlight cast shifting shadows across a scene of battle. Aidan couldn’t make heads or tails of who was fighting who, so he simplified matters by getting an aerial view. One quick bound and he was in the air. From thirty feet above he looked down on the battle and was quickly able to sort it out. The Clan members had been attacked by a group of torch-wielding human men. There were perhaps a dozen attackers, details of age and appearance impossible to make out from above in the dim light. There was no sign of the gypsy driver anywhere. As for the Clan, Brianna, Lon and Seymore had formed a rough triangle. Lavasida was quickly fighting his way toward them and a moment later had joined up. Aidan couldn’t see Belak, but the occasional attacker would suddenly drop for no apparent reason, ample evidence that the invisible dwarf was taking part in the battle. At first Aidan couldn’t make out Flame Song either, but then he saw a pale shape among the bushes, stalking one of the attackers. She had reverted to her natural form, that of a firecat. Her white fur and fire-orange stripes were surprisingly effective camouflage in the flickering firelight. She leapt at the unsuspecting man and he went down without a sound at the impact of some 500 pounds of airborne feline.

Confident that his wife was doing just fine, Aidan picked his own target. He sheathed his dagger and dove at one of the men who were crowding forward to attack the little circle of defenders. He weighed in at only ten pounds over a hundred, but with the speed he’d attained in the dive the force of his impact was more than enough to knock the man off his feet. The man hit the ground with a grunt and immediately took a swing at Aidan with an odd-looking weapon. It took the new vampire a moment to place it, but with a kind of shock he realized that the man was holding a wooden stake. He dodged with cat-quick reflexes and batted the thing out of the man’s hand.

Who does this guy think he is, Buffy? Aidan almost laughed at the thought. Well, he’s going to get the rough end of the vampire-hunting business.

Aidan grabbed the man tightly, very aware of his new strength. The vampire hunter was almost a foot taller than the diminutive aerian, and weighed nearly twice as much, but Aidan held the man immobile with little effort. He bent in close, smelling the scent of the man’s blood and of his fear. As Aidan moved in toward the man’s neck, he went suddenly limp in the vampire’s grip. Fainted, thought Aidan. So much for Mr. Buffy.

He hesitated for a long moment, looking down at the unconscious man. His hunger was poking its ugly head up again, but… could he do this in cold blood to an unwilling victim? This man would have killed me if he could, Aidan told himself. I don’t need to feel any guilt on his behalf. He let the hunger loose and banished his second thoughts. He sank his fangs into the man’s neck and drank deeply, and it was good. It was very good. Here was a food source with no need for holding back and no need for remorse. But he had fed only the night before, and so when at last he pulled back, fully sated, the man was still alive.