He woke in the same dim shack, but now he could see every dark corner clearly. His sense of smell too was sharper, and he could clearly hear the wind howling outside. Though the way that storm sounds, I’m sure I could hear it just fine anyway. The vampire was sitting in a corner, watching him. The other vampire now, I suppose. If only I had died. Aidan turned on his side and curled into a ball, wrapping his wings around him. After a few moments he heard footsteps approaching him.

“Wakey, wakey minion. Though I can’t call you that, there will be more minions. Tell me your name.” Aidan didn’t want to tell him, he didn’t want to do anything but lie there and die, but he found himself saying “Aidan Rhiannon.”

“Aidan. I am Jander. But you will always address me as ‘Lord Jander,’ do you understand?”

Again, Aidan found himself involuntarily answering, “Yes.”

“Yes, what!?” snapped Jander, fangs showing in a sudden snarl.

Aidan gritted his teeth, abruptly conscious of his own fangs, and answered “Yes, Lord Jander.”

“Wonderful! So now that I have my first minion I must make plans. Yes, plans,” and he went back to his corner, muttering to himself about conquest all the way. Aidan’s newly keen hearing could make out every word, but he paid Jander little attention. He had his own thoughts to occupy him. He thought of the vampire books he had read years ago back on Earth. Why did he feel compelled to answer this lunatic? “Lord Jander,” indeed! There was something about how a younger vampire was under the control of the one that had created him. Not all of those stories work in Mysteria, he thought bitterly, why does that one have to be true? Then he sighed. He had to deliberately draw a breath to do it, for he was no longer breathing. Jander’s muttering in the corner abruptly stopped. Aidan glanced at him to find him staring back.

“Aidan, I require information from you. Dwarves are not suitable for minions, though of course the conquest of Coppertop will eventually be necessary, but I require more minions before I can do so. Tell me about the people of this land.”

Aidan’s heart would have skipped a beat if it had been beating at all. The only people living north of the Barrier Mountains besides the people of Coppertop were himself, Flame Song, and Littlespark. And he was not going to tell this lunatic how to find his family! But though the compulsion to answer was there, Jander had not asked him a direct question. There was a loophole in it.

“This land is all controlled by the dwarven kingdom, and all the dwarves live in Coppertop, Lord Jander,” he answered. Which was true. Technically he and Flame lived on dwarven land.

“That is not suitable! Are you sure?” Jander’s intense gaze bored into Aidan. He shuddered, but managed to answer steadily.

“What I’ve told you is the truth.”

“Curse it!” He stopped staring at Aidan and started muttering about his plans again. He kept the stream of babble up for the entire night, pausing occasionally to ask Aidan a question. Aidan managed to misdirect him one way or another every time. It was easy enough to sidetrack him. Still the night seemed to last forever, and Aidan was exhausted and hungry by the time the sun began to rise. The shack had been so well sealed that no trace of light could enter it, but Aidan could still sense that the sun was coming up outside. Jander had already lain down in his corner and gone to sleep, and soon exhaustion overwhelmed Aidan and he did likewise.

The sun was already well below the horizon by the time Aidan woke. He knew he hadn’t slept long. With the arrival of winter the days were becoming steadily shorter. He felt refreshed, despite the short rest he had had. Hunger intruded on his consciousness, but he pushed it aside. Jander was already awake, and staring intensely at Aidan again. It was somewhat unnerving.

“Aidan, my little winged minion, it has occurred to me that perhaps you were not being truthful last night. In fact, I think that there is something you are hiding from me. So now I shall command you to answer me fully and leave nothing out. Are there any people living north of the Barrier Mountains who are not Dwarves?”

Aidan tried to hold his answer back, but it came out anyway. “Yes.” He managed to keep it at that, though Jander’s command that he not hold anything back nearly had him blurting it all out.

But then Jander said, “Tell me their names.”

“Flame Song Firedancer and Littlespark Rhiannon.” He hung his head. He had betrayed his family. There was no hope now.

“Rhiannon,” mused Jander. “Your name is Rhiannon. What relation are these people to you?”

“Flame Song is my wife. Littlespark is my daughter.”

“Daughter? A winsome maiden perhaps? But no, you are scarce older than that yourself. Well, we shall have one more proper minion at least. Is your wife an aerian as well?”

“No.” Aidan bit off his answer as short as possible. He felt like he had reached the bottom of despair and wished that Jander would just shut up and leave him in peace.

“What is she then?”

“A firecat shape-shifter.”

“A what? Ah never mind it. She shall make a good enough minion I’m sure. We shall set forth to begin our conquest as soon as this storm abates!” He went back to his corner and started muttering to himself again. Aidan curled up in a ball and wept.