The storm blew all that night. Aidan cried himself to sleep as hadn’t done since he met Flame Song. When the sun set the next evening he awoke to stillness. The storm had stopped. He had thought he couldn’t feel any worse, but now his heart dropped even lower. With the storm gone… He looked over the Jander’s corner where the other vampire was just stirring. What could he do? Certainly Jander was a lunatic, and an idiot, but Aidan was forced to obey him. It would be the both of them against Flame Song, and she wouldn’t stand a chance. It was bad enough that he had to suffer an undead existence at the whims of a lunatic, but Flame Song? No! He had to think of something.

His mind whirled, but he couldn’t think clearly. Jander got up and ordered Aidan to follow him. The night outside was clear and studded with stars. It would have been freezing, but Aidan no longer felt the cold. At some other time he might have noticed the play of the northern lights overhead, rippling sheets of color and beauty, but tonight he walked in a black depression, head down, not even seeing the display above. They walked through the darkness for several hours in silence. Jander had even ceased his perpetual muttering. Aidan started to recognize the land around him. They were headed for the spot where Aidan had been checking the trap line when Jander had grabbed him. When they reached the exact spot, Jander said, “Now Aidan, lead me to your home. Go directly, by the shortest way. No tricks, no sidetracks.”

Wordlessly Aidan headed home. He dragged his feet, going as slowly as he could, but soon Jander commanded, “Faster,” and he had to pick up his pace. It wasn’t long before they reached Aidan’s home. Jander ordered Aidan to open the door. Reluctantly, he went down into the dark entry. Inside him a tiny spark of hope was born. If he could delay just one moment he might have a chance to warn Flame Song. And properly warned she just might be able to beat them both. He put his hand to the latch to open it, but it didn’t budge.

“What’s wrong?” asked Jander, irritably.

“It’s locked.” Aidan replied shortly.

“Don’t you have a key? Open it!”

Aidan took the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He opened it and ducked inside. Inside it was pitch black. Aidan called softly, “Flame Song?” There was no answer. The house was perfectly still. He couldn’t hear so much as the sounds of someone breathing. From behind him her heard Jander coming down the entryway.

Aidan felt like laughing or jumping up and down. Flame Song and Littlespark weren’t here! Flame must have been worried about me, he thought. She wouldn’t be able to go search for me with Littlespark to care for, so she must have gone to Coppertop to enlist the help of the dwarves. Jander came in and glanced around the empty front room. The starlight seeping in behind him gave just enough illumination for vampire eyes to see that nobody was there.

“Where are they?” The question was almost a snarl.

Aidan’s answer was nearly a laugh. “Gone. They’re gone.”

“Where? No, never mind, I know where. There’s only one place they could have gone. They’ve gone to those accursed dwarves. We must think of a new plan. Aidan! Turn on a light.”

Obediently, Aidan lit one of the oil lamps on the walls. He was starting to come down from his dizzy exultation. Flame and Spark were safe for the moment, but he was still under Jander’s control.

Jander surveyed the now lighted room. “This place would make a better headquarters than our little shack. Perhaps we shall stay here.” Aidan immediately thought of Flame Song returning home during daylight, finding them, and killing Jander while he was asleep. Yes, stay here, he thought savagely. “But no, no,” said the other vampire, “that would never do. Your dear wife might come home during daylight, and then where would we be?” Aidan’s heart fell again.

“I think for the time being we had best return to our modest hovel. Come with me.” And with that he blew out the lamp and left. Aidan shut the door behind them and followed Jander out of the entryway into the starlit snowy wilderness. His sun-sense told him that the night was nearly half gone. He followed Jander back the way they had come to the rough shack. The faintest touch of light was beginning to show to the southeast by the time they arrived. Tiredly, and with a painful awareness of almost unbearable hunger, Aidan lay down and went to sleep.

The next night dawned, if that was the word for it, cold and still. Aidan awoke and was immediately conscious of his hunger. He was hungrier than he had ever been. It stands to reason, since Jander drained me pretty dry. Ugh, that’s a morbid thought. He grimaced.

Jander was awake also. He looked over at Aidan and smiled, showing his fangs. “I feel a touch of hunger. The excellent meal I had a day or two back has worn off I think.” He seemed to enjoy Aidan’s obvious discomfort at the memory. “Tonight I think we must go hunting. And if I am hungry, why you must be near starved, eh?” Aidan remained silent. Jander laughed then. He seemed to be in a good mood all of the sudden. “I suspect that you don’t like the idea of hunting, do you? Not looking forward to sinking your fangs into somebody? Well, like it or not, we’re going. But before we go, I shall give you your instructions. Don’t want you scaring anybody off, eh?” He grinned again. “You are to be totally silent. You will only speak if I command you to. You are not to warn our prey in any way. And you are to stay within sight of me. Is that clear?”

Aidan nodded, silently. Silently too he cursed Jander for making him do this. Better to starve. Better to die. They set off into the frozen night. Jander led the way across the snow. For several hours they wandered aimlessly across the frozen expanse and Aidan began to hope that they wouldn’t find anyone. Then Jander sniffed the air. “Ah!” he exclaimed softly. “Someone has been this way. I can smell them.” Well duh, Aidan thought sarcastically, glancing down at the snow where booted feet had tramped the snow down. Dwarves were hardly the stealthiest people in the world. The pair followed the clear trail at a jogging lope. Then Aidan’s keen hearing picked up a faint sound of voices. They crept silently over the next low rise and peered over. Ahead two dwarves were tramping through the starlit snow, discussing something in low voices.

“Ach, I don’t know if we’ll ever find the lad. Likely his body will turn up come spring thaw.”

“Aye, I know. But the effort must be made. That poor red-haired lassie and her wee bairn deserve that much.”

“Aye that they do. She has spunk, that one.”

They’re looking for me! Aidan laughed silently with a sudden touch of black humor. Well, they’re going to find me, but they’ll wish they hadn’t.