“Now we shall strike,” Jander whispered quietly. “You take the left-hand one and kill him, don’t let him escape. I shall take the one on the right.” Aidan sighed. He had hoped that Jander would forget to give him further orders and he would be able to let one of them get away. “Now!” whispered Jander, and they dashed down the slope toward the two unsuspecting dwarves. One of them happened to glace over his shoulder. His yell alerted his companion, but it was already too late. Jander swiftly pounced on the first dwarf. Aidan hesitated a fraction of a second longer, but he couldn’t hold back. He’d given the dwarf time to draw his axe, but with inhuman speed he knocked it easily from his hand. Then Aidan pinned his arms so that he wouldn’t have the chance to find a more effective weapon. Somewhere inside part of him was screaming, horrified and sickened at what he was about to do, but the hunger now urged him on almost as much as Jander’s command. With an inner feeling of torment, he bit down on the dwarf’s neck. Hot blood flowed into his mouth and his remorse was wiped away by the sensation. He drank until there was no more and then dropped the dead dwarf to the ground. Abruptly he sank to his knees in the snow. He was sickened beyond belief. He spat the taste of blood out of his mouth. I guess that vampires can’t throw up, he thought, because if I could I would be decorating the snow right now. Still, he felt more energized than he had since Jander had captured him. Looking at the dead dwarf he silently told him, I’m sorry that I had to kill you. But maybe the strength that you’ve given me will help me find a way to be free of Jander. He sighed again. I only wish there was some way I could be free of this curse myself. But he knew that the only way out was to die, fully and truly.

“Did you enjoy your meal?” Jander walked over to Aidan, wiping blood off of the corner of his mouth. Aidan looked at him bitterly, but didn’t answer. “Ah, that’s right, I told you to be silent.” He laughed. “Come, my silent friend. It’s high time we went home.”

They walked back to the shack, and all the while Aidan was thinking of ways he could escape. The problem was that if he tried to run, all it would take was a single word from the other vampire and he would obediently return. The only way then must be to kill Jander. And it would have to be while he slept, or else he could again command Aidan to stop. They reached the shack, and Jander curled up in his usual corner to sleep. Aidan sat down against one wall but didn’t close his eyes. He needed to be awake. He sensed the sun rising, but the shack had been tightly chinked, every crevice stopped up, and no hint of sunlight leaked in.

As the short hours of daylight slipped by he pondered ways to kill vampires. There was holy water and other holy things, but he had none. A stake might perhaps be fashioned from a piece of the shack, but if he didn’t kill him cleanly on the first blow he would get no second chance. Silver? No, that was for werewolves, and besides, he didn’t have any. The only thing left was fire. He had no matches, but there were other ways. With a wry grin he thought, glad I was a boy scout back on Earth. And if I light the shack on fire before sunset there will be no way for Jander to escape. Of course Aidan, he told himself, there will nowhere for you to go either. Maybe that’s for the best. I’m a killer now, and I’ll have to keep on killing, hurting people for my very survival. I just can’t live with that. And Flame Song… as long as I’m alive, she is in danger. And Littlespark, she shouldn’t have to grow up with a vampire for a father.

Now, to light the fire, he thought. No flint and steel, but with a vampire’s speed I should be able to pull of the stick-rubbing method without needing a bow. Guess being a vampire is good for something after all. But then if I weren’t a vampire, I wouldn’t need to do this. Searching the dirt floor of the shack he turned up four twigs that might be suitable. Then, finding the side of the shack that was in shadow so that light wouldn’t come in and kill him before he could kill Jander, he broke a chunk of wood off of the wall near the base. Laying down he peered through the gap. The day outside seemed blindingly bright, even from his shaded vantage point. He sighed a bit for the sun that he would never again see, the got up and set to work.

He used the tip of one of his daggers to carve a hole into the chunk of wood so that the stick wouldn’t slip. Then he placed the first of his twigs in the hole and rubbed it rapidly back and forth. Almost immediately it began to smoke, but the stick suddenly shattered. He had been rubbing too fast. Patience, he told himself. But the sun was now sinking, and the short day was getting ever shorter. He picked up the second stick, and tried to spin it more gently, but again it snapped. He looked at the remaining two, then carefully he took a third stick and rubbed it back and forth, taking extra care to keep the pressure on it even. It smoked a bit and then the dry chunk of wood grew a thin line of flame! Third time’s the charm! Quickly he held the flame to the rough wood that made up the shack. Though the air was cold, the wood was dry and it lit readily. The fire on the wood chunk was burning down closer to where Aidan held it, but he calmly crossed the room and started little fires in several more places. Then, putting down his impromptu torch just before it scorched his own fingers, he went to the center of the room and sat down to wait. The flames licked up the walls, constantly growing, but they couldn’t spread fast enough for Aidan. Time was running out. Outside the sun had nearly set. Already the lower edge of it just kissed the horizon. Then the flames reached the corner where Jander was sleeping. They licked over his ragged robe and set it aflame. With a yell Jander leaped up. He screamed in panic and ran around the room, beating at the rising flames. In blind desperation he jerked open the door, which was on the shaded side of the house, and dashed out. For a few moments he ran in the shadow of the shack, but then he crossed into the sun. Abruptly his screams were cut off. He fell to the ground and crumbled into dust.

Aidan sat calmly in the center of the burning room, looking out at the spot where the wind was already blowing Jander’s remains away. Just like that, it’s over, he thought. So quickly! And now I shall die too. It’s strange; I never thought I’d be able to watch my death coming this calmly. He looked up. The flames completely engulfed the walls and licked at the ceiling. Soon the walls would collapse, burying him in fire. He could go outside, he supposed, but the last tiny bit of the sun was still showing. In any case, it really is better this way, he thought again. Just as the last trace of sunlight vanished the roof fell in with a crash. Aidan was stunned by the weight suddenly dropped on his head. He was surrounded by broken and splintered boards and felt the flames licking around him now. Funny, they don’t hurt nearly as much as I thought they would, was his last thought. Then everything went black and he knew no more.