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. He couldn't focus, couldn't think of anything else.

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 smiled more when Aidan cringed, enjoying his obvious discomfort at the memory. “Tonight I think we must go hunting. And if I am hungry, why you must be near starved, yes?” 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. We wouldn't want you scaring anybody off, after all!” 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, 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 lass 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.

“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 glance 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 by what he was about to do, but the hunger now urged him on as much as Jander’s command. Sick horror twisted through him, but hunger and compulsion overrode it, and he bit into the dwarf's neck. Hot blood flowed into his mouth and his revulsion 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 right now if I could I would.

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 as well. 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 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. Garlic might drive a vampire away but wouldn't kill one, and he wasn't sure of it even worked in this world. 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. He closed his eyes and sighed softly. 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.

He pushed such thoughts out of his mind. He would almost certainly die, but the most important thing was to make sure that Jander was killed. Now, to light the fire, he thought. He tried the stick drill method first. There were no twigs in the shack, but he managed to break off a slender sliver of wood from the shaded side of the building, and a second chunk gave him a base to work on. He tried spinning the stick in his hands, but although he could spin it remarkably fast, it seemed it wasn't fast enough. He tried again, and again, but time was slipping away. The sun had passed its zenith and was sinking now. Then he got another idea. He pulled some of the chinking out from the walls. It was mostly moss, and the bone-dry clumps would make perfect tinder. He made a little heap of moss, and placed his sticks over it, to make sure the fire kept going long enough. Then he drew both of his daggers. He struck them together, running one edge along the other, hard, and a shower of sparks fell onto the tinder. Nothing caught that time, but the sparks were encouraging. He tried again, and again, and finally the moss caught. He waited, suddenly impatient, as the fire grew strong enough that he wouldn't put it out by accident. Then he pulled a burning chunk of wood from the fire.

Quickly he held the flame to the rough wood that made up the shack. Though the air was cold, the wood was dry, there was plenty of moss, and the shack 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. Flames licked up over his clothing, and he woke with a start. 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 building, and dashed out. For a few moments he ran in the shadow of the shack, but then he crossed into the sun. He screamed louder, and fell. Then abruptly his screams were cut off. Aidan watched as his body began to crumble into dust.

He 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, the last tiny bit of the sun was still showing, but he might manage to escape if he timed it right. But no. 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.