The aurora borealis burned brightly overhead. It created a spectacular display. Sheets and waves of cold fire, as if the sky itself were somehow burning, swept across the starry expanse. The colors were a dazzling rainbow array that swirled and mixed together in flowing patterns that painted the pristine white canvas of snow covered hills below.

Beneath this spectacle, two figures sat on top of a low hill. Lying on his back and gazing up at the sky, Aidan didn't feel the cold. He fanned his pure white wings idly back and forth, creating a peculiar kind of snow angel. His eyes were riveted on the display above his head, and he kept brushing a stubborn strand of raven-wing black hair out of the way so that his view would be unobstructed. Beside him Flame Song sat, purring contentedly. Her own gaze spent as much time resting on Aidan's face as it did on the sky.

"What are you thinking?" Flame Song asked, softly.

Aidan smiled up at her. "Just that I'm still amazed sometimes how lucky I am. Back on Earth I used to daydream about this kind of life. I can remember dreaming about being able to fly, and making up hundreds of stories in which I rescued a fair maiden who turned out to be my true love. And now I'm living my dreams. Though I guess I get to be the fair maiden, since I need rescuing more often than you do."

Flame giggled. "One thing you're not, love, is a maiden."

Aidan blushed and laughed. "I suppose not."

"You're in a good mood tonight."

"Everything is going right. I have all my dreams and more. I never dreamed that I'd be a father. I never dreamed that I'd live for two centuries with my true love."

"No more regrets about being a vampire?"

He shook his head. "No. I still..." he considered how to say it. "I still don't always love it. There are things about it that are not exactly pleasant. But I don't hate it any more. It's just the way things are. If I weren't a vampire I'd be dead, and I'd rather be alive."

"I'd rather you were alive too," said Flame with a smile. Her smile turned mischievous and she leaned down and licked his face affectionately with a sandpaper tongue.

"Augh! There are better ways to show it than slobbering all over me!"

Flame laughed. Her form shimmered and shifted and then she leaned down in human form and kissed him. "Is that better?"

"Mmm. Yes, very much so." He put his arms around her, and pulled her down to kiss her again.

Eventually she broke off the kiss. She shivered as she sat up. "It's cold. Let's go inside."

Hand in hand they descended the snow-covered hill, Aidan wrapping a wing around Flame Song to shield her from the chill. They went down the dark entryway and opened the door that led into the fire-warmed house. The stone fireplace stood where before there had been just an open hearth, the flickering flames there the main source of illumination in the room. Gradually they were adding little comforts to their home. Flame Song and Aidan had settled themselves on a pile of cushions in front of the fire and were continuing where they had left off when a soft sound from another room interrupted.

Flame Song sighed, then got up and opened the door to the nursery, where Littlespark had been taking her nightly nap. The little halfbreed girl was sitting up in her crib. She was a year and a half old now, and large for her age. She was developing fast, though her flight feathers hadn't come in yet. She'd also showed no sign as yet of being able to shape shift. Flame was profoundly grateful for both those things. A flying, shape-shifting toddler would be a handful and a half.

As it was, Littlespark was still enough to keep them busy. Between entertaining her and dealing with the ordinary day-to-day, or rather night-to-night, tasks of keeping house they occupied the hours until Littlespark's bedtime. This deep into winter the sun was only up for few hours each day, so Littlespark and Flame Song both went to bed well before sunrise. Aidan, however, found that so long as he slept for the entire time the sun shone he would awaken completely rested, even if it was only an hour or two. Even in the deep winter when the sun hardly peeped above the horizon for weeks, he found he needed little sleep. He would sometimes catnap an hour here or there during the long night, but otherwise he didn't sleep at all until the sun returned.

But tonight Flame Song didn't retire to the bedroom after tucking Littlespark in. Instead, she joined Aidan by the fire. She picked up a log and added it to the dying blaze, careless of the flames that licked up around her fingers.

"I'm never going to get used to you doing that."

Flame chuckled. "You could do it yourself instead, if you like."

"No thanks."

He leaned against her shoulder, and they both sat in comfortable silence for a long time. Eventually Aidan voiced something that had been on his mind for some time. "Do you think you could manage without me for a few weeks?"

Flame looked over at him, a little bit surprised. "I suppose so. But why?"

"I've been thinking lately about Thomas. I think I may have mentioned him to you once or twice."

She nodded. "He's another aerian."

"Yes. He's the one who took me in when I was a scruffy gutter rat in Aerievale. He took care of me, when nobody else cared if I lived or died. He put up with a lot of nonsense from me, and he taught me a lot."

"So you want to go visit him then."

Aidan nodded. "Yes. I've never had time to when we've been south on other occasions, and I've never wanted to make that long of a trip just to visit him, but... I don't know his age but he seemed as old as the hills to me when I knew him. If I don't go soon, I may not be able to see him. For all I know he's died already. And it won't even take me a week to fly down to Aerievale by myself. I wouldn't be gone more than two or three weeks at most."

Flame put her arm around him. "I'll miss you. But I agree you should probably go. When were you thinking of leaving?"

"Better sooner than later then. If you don't mind, I'll leave tomorrow."

Flame Song smiled. "In that case, maybe I should give you a proper send-off."

"Oh?" Aidan raised one eyebrow, which always made Flame Song laugh.

She giggled as he'd intended and said, "Yes, you definitely need a proper send-off. And I had better start by helping you out of this thing. I don't know how you're going to manage it on your own." As she spoke she moved behind Aidan and began unbuttoning the buttons by the wing holes in his shirt. Aidan wore special shirts designed with aerians in mind. They had wing holes that fastened with buttons so they could easily be slipped on over his wings, but trying to button them alone resulted in twists that would do a contortionist proud. Aidan could manage them by himself if he had to, but he liked having Flame Song undo them, for more reasons than one. She finished the buttons and slipped the shirt off. Then with a little laugh she ran her fingers over his bare back and onto his soft, feathered wings.

"Mmmmm... What would a guy have to do to get a back rub from you?"

Flame Song bent her head to kiss the back of his neck, which sent a pleasant shiver through him. "I'm sure I can think of something," she said.

Aidan awoke a few hours later. His sun sense told him that the sun had just slipped below the horizon. He lay still for a moment, unable to summon enough energy to overcome the lazy feeling of contentment he felt and get moving. He and Flame Song were still lying by the fire, which was nothing but glowing embers now. His arm was around her, and one wing was draped over her. When he breathed in, he smelled the scent of her hair. She was still sleeping soundly and doubtless would remain so for another hour or two. Eventually he managed to overcome his inertia and get up. Flame Song stirred and shivered as he removed his wing from over her. He padded barefoot into the bedroom and got a blanket, returning and tucking it around Flame Song. She sighed and dropped back into slumber.

Back in the bedroom Aidan picked out some traveling clothes. He selected black trousers, blue vest and a matching blue shirt, an easy enough choice, since his wardrobe was almost entirely composed of black or blue in various shades. He put on his pants but left the shirt and jacket off for the time being. No need to struggle with awkward buttons when Flame Song could do them up for him later. He came back into the main room and sat down by Flame Song’s side. With a tender smile he brushed a strand of fiery hair off of her forehead. I’m the luckiest man in the whole world, in all the worlds, he thought. Maybe I shouldn’t go. Even for just a few weeks I’ll miss her. But no, I need to go. I’ll just have to hurry back as soon as I can, that’s all. He got up and added another log to the dying fire, then sat back down and watched Flame Song sleeping. He was still sitting there, looking at her, when she awoke.

“Good morning,” she said sleepily.

“Actually, it’s more like good evening,” he replied. Flame Song smiled, then yawned and stretched. “Sleep well?” asked Aidan.

“Yes. How long have you been sitting there?”

Aidan consulted his internal sundial and said, “About three hours.”

“You’ve just been staring at me for three hours? It’s a wonder you didn’t get bored with the view.”

Aidan grinned. “I could never get tired of looking at you, love.”

“Evidently not!"

"I should go soon though. The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back, after all."

Flame Song nodded, then grinned. “I’ll give you a hand with your shirt then.”

A few minutes later Aidan was dressed and ready to go. He straightened his amulet. “How do I look?” he asked Flame Song. Since his reflection no longer showed in mirrors, he had to depend on her opinion. She gave him a quick kiss and said, “Wonderful.”

He went into Littlespark’s room. At the creak of the door she opened her eyes and sat up. “Daddy?”

Aidan sat down on the bed beside her, picked her up, and put her on his lap. He gave her a hug and said, “I’m going to go on a trip, Spark. I’ll be back soon, but while I’m gone you can keep your mother company for me.”

“Where are you going, Daddy?”

“To see an old friend. I’ll miss you, fuzz-ball.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek and put her back on the bed. Then he got up and went to the front door. Flame Song and Littlespark followed. Outside the stars were shining brightly and the aurora, though dimmer than the night before, was flickering overhead. Aidan launched himself into the freezing air. He circled their hill once, waving. Flame Song and Littlespark waved back. “Bye-bye Daddy!”

With one last wave he turned and winged off to the southeast. He flew on for an hour or so before spotting a herd of elk below. He circled the herd once, looking for a likely target. Then he spotted a young male standing a little ways off from the rest. With a flick of his wings he turned and dove at the animal. In one smooth motion he back-winged and landed next to the deer, grabbing it around the neck. Before the startled animal had time to react he’d sunk his fangs into its neck. The deer froze. Aidan had noticed that his bite seemed to paralyze his prey. He wasn’t sure exactly why, but it made things a lot easier. When he’d had his fill, he released the deer. It staggered away, then shook itself and straightened. The animal was large enough that it wouldn’t miss what he’d taken.

With his dietary needs taken care of for the next few days, he took to the sky again and continued his journey. He pushed on as fast as he could, and that was pretty fast these days. He didn't tire the way he once had before becoming a vampire, and he also didn't need to breathe. So he was able to fly high enough to pass over the Barrier Mountains without any trouble, despite the thin, freezing air at that height. He reached Snowcap before the sun rose. He could have stopped there, but didn't. Instead he pushed on over the ocean. The water below was dotted with icebergs. The sky to the east began to lighten before he'd gotten much farther. He felt tiredness drag at him, but he ignored it. The day was short, though already he'd gone far enough south that he could notice the slight difference between the day length here and the day length at home. Sunset saw him still over the ocean, but before the night was over he reached land. He passed over the thick forest of the Elven Kingdoms with the stars bright overhead. He could have turned west then and crossed the Aerie Mountains at that point to fly over the settled farmlands of Tara and follow the valley road to Aerievale, but he chose instead to take a direct route, though it would mean going over the high pass of the trade road. So he flew due south for the rest of the night. Mostly the forest was dark beneath his wings, but a few times he saw little clusters of lights. Some of them might mark elven settlements, barred to any not of that race, while others might mark the mixed villages where elves and humans and the occasional aerian or dwarf lived together. When morning came he finally gave in to his tiredness and found a small clearing amid the towering trees. He didn't bother with making any sort of camp, he just curled up in the snow-free spot beneath a densely branched evergreen and slept.

He woke feeling refreshed, but also hungry. Hunting in the thick forest was harder than on the open plains, but eventually he managed to find a herd of deer in a clearing. Well fed now as well as rested he continued on into the night. Once again he passed over darkened woods. He flew high above, not wanting to disturb anyone below. He knew the elves were very protective of their settlements, and passing too low over one might catch him an arrow. He was glad he'd done so when, a little past midnight, he passed over a blaze of lights below. They were in among the trees, rather than in a cleared space, but there were so many that he could see them clearly even through the branches of the evergreens that dominated this part of the forest, a golden glow that was strong enough to paint gold highlights on his wings, even at such a distance. Some of the lights were other colors, red or blue or even purple, and between that and the trees he knew it was no human settlement. But he was far, far above, and he passed over it without incident.

The sunrise was gorgeous. The sky held only a few clouds, but they caught the light in a thousand shades of pink and red and gold, and the snowy forest threw the light back up from the ground. Aidan touched the medallion at his neck and smiled, feeling a surge of gratitude for it, for the gift of sunlight. He once again flew on through the day. He passed over one mixed village, but saw no elven settlements, though he may well have passed over dozens. Even in winter they blended into the forest during daylight, especially from above.

He was glad of the sunset and the renewed energy it brought. He was tired. He flew on still into the darkness, the stars above more than enough to light his way. Before the night was far gone he saw the outline of mountains against the horizon ahead of him. They had run to his right in the west since he'd crossed the ocean, but now they rose up ahead, tall and black against the deep blue of the night sky. Now he knew how much further he had to go. He considered the time, and mentally measured out the distance. He would arrive in the very early morning hours before the dawn, if he flew on straight. Perhaps he should stop and rest, and feed again, rather than arrive at such a time, tired and hungry. He had no idea what Thomas would think of his vampirism, but it wouldn't help matters to arrive in need of a meal.

Just then he flew over a little village. The forest was cleared for a little ways around it, and there were lights below at the center of the town. That looks like it might be an inn, he thought. I can rest for a few hours, and find something to eat, and arrive during daylight. He circled down out of the sky and landed in the center of town, next to the building with the most lights. A somewhat battered sign hanging in front of it showed the universal symbol of inns and taverns everywhere, a bunch of grapes. Whether they rented rooms there was yet to be seen, but at least here was somewhere where he could sit down and relax for a few hours.

He opened the door and stepped into a warmly lit room. It was full but not crowded. He threaded his way through drinking villagers and serving girls to the bar where a middle-aged man was pouring drinks. He drew a look or two, he was the only aerian in the room, but most of the men ignored him entirely.

"Excuse me sir." He addressed the man behind the bar. "Do you have rooms for rent?"

"We do indeed."

"Wonderful! How much?"

The innkeeper quoted a price that Aidan found quite reasonable, and in exchange for a handful of coppers Aidan found himself possessed of a shiny brass key. “There you go lad. Do you want someone to come and wake you come morning?”

Aidan considered. If he slept past sunrise, which he was likely to do, he'd have a hard time waking before the sun set again. But he didn’t want to be up at the crack of dawn either. He’d much rather get some daylight rest. “How late can I stay in the room?” he asked.

“Ah, you want to laze a-bed come morning eh? Well, no trouble here. So long as you’re out by mid-afternoon so the girls can get the room cleaned for the next night.”

“Thank you. In that case, I’d would appreciate somebody coming to wake me about noon. Just have them knock on the door." No sense scaring some servant girl half to death by letting her come in and find that I'm not breathing, he thought with a smile.

“I’ll send someone then. And for the moment, can I get you somewhat to drink?”

Aidan shook his head. “No thank you.”

“You sure? We’ve some very good ales here.”

“Quite sure. I don’t drink ale, or anything alcoholic for that matter.” This was true, though before becoming a vampire he hadn’t turned up his nose at the occasional glass.

“You’re a rare bird ‘round these parts then," said the barkeep with a smile. "Er, no offence,” he added, glancing at Aidan’s white wings.

“None taken. I don’t mind a good joke.” He smiled, but didn’t show his teeth. However welcoming people might be to an aerian, he knew they wouldn’t be nearly so happy at having a vampire in their midst.

Aidan noticed a young woman, a little younger than he, watching his exchange with the innkeeper. She caught his gaze and quickly looked away. Aidan wondered what he’d said or done to cause her interest. With a mental shrug he turned back to the innkeeper. The atmosphere was warm and friendly here and Aidan decided he wanted to stay and enjoy the company. But a man without a glass stands out like a sore thumb in a bar. Even if he hadn’t just told the innkeeper he didn’t drink he couldn’t pretend to drink ale. Experience had shown him that alcohol fumes actually made him feel sick and he’d have a hard time not showing it. The general scent of it in the air wasn't too bad, but there was no way he'd be able to bring a glass of the stuff to his lips. But he could pretend to drink water, or some other non-alcoholic drink.

“Excuse me again, but do you have anything that’s not alcoholic here?”

The innkeeper shook his head. “Nothing but water.”

“Could I have a glass of water then?”

The innkeeper shrugged as if he found the idea strange, but filled one of the battered tin ale mugs with water and slid it across the bar to Aidan.

“Thank you,” said Aidan. Then, taking his mug he went over near the fire where a group of young men were drinking and telling jokes. He felt eyes following him, and guessed that the young woman who’d shown such an interest in his conversation with the innkeeper was still watching him. He decided to just ignore her. He found a chair, and was welcomed into the group, with a few predictable bird jokes. He smiled good-naturedly, careful to not show his teeth. As the night wore on, he sipped occasionally from his mug. The water did him no good, but small amounts of it did him no harm either. He told a few jokes of his own, and just generally enjoyed being in human company. However much he loved Flame Song and their home in the north, it did get a little bit lonely at times. He had missed being around people. Gradually he began to relax and really enjoy himself.

During a lull in the joking by the fire he heard a soft-voiced argument off to one side. With a quick glance he realized that the girl who’d been staring at him was arguing with an older man. Curious, he turned back to the fire, but kept his ears open. His keen hearing made it easy to make out their conversation.

“Look Brandon, I know you don’t want to believe it, nobody does, but it’s the truth!”

“Now Shauna, I know how seriously you take this sort of thing, but honestly, a vampire? There’s never been any such thing in these parts. Not as far back as anybody can remember. It was just some accident, that’s all.”

“An accident? Really? There’s a whole family gone missing, and Jason found dead just last week with teeth marks on his neck. What do you want, for the vampire to leave us a neatly signed note? What else could it be? And you saw that stranger sneaking around town last night yourself.”

“I’m sure there’s some other explanation. Sure, I admit I saw that guy, probably a thief or a brigand, nothing more. And we don’t know that the Greenholts are dead. They could have just gone on a trip.”

“Without telling anybody? I don’t think so. Why will none of you see reason about this?”

Aidan’s heart sank. Great, there’s another vampire in town, and not one that practices the same self-control as I do, by the sound of things. Just what I need. One slip and I’m going to have a torch-wielding mob after me because of him. Maybe I should just give it up and head on to Aerievale tonight. But the thought of rest in a warm bed was too alluring. I’ll be fine, he convinced himself. It sounds like nobody else believes that there’s a vampire about, and I’ll just take care that I don’t give them any reason to think otherwise.

He returned his attention to the young men by the fireside. Somebody was telling a funny story, and Aidan found himself smiling as it went on. Then the young man telling it got to the punch line. Aidan burst out laughing. That kid sure knows how to tell a story! Suddenly he remembered that he was supposed to be being extra careful. He pressed his lips together and looked around. The other young men were all too far-gone in drink to notice much of anything, but the girl was looking intensely at him again. He met her stare and this time she didn’t look away.

Crud, here I go telling myself to be careful, and I’ve gone and given myself away to the only one in here who actually thinks there’s a vampire about. I’m sure she noticed my fangs. Problem is, I’m not the one she’s after. But it doesn’t look like she’s going to go fetch that torch-wielding mob, at least not right now. What should I do? He shook his worry off. Best to just act like nothing happened. She can’t cause me much trouble on her own, and I don’t think she’ll have any easy time persuading anybody else to help. I do think I need some fresh air though. I’ve gotten myself all worked up. I should go walk it off.

He got to his feet and made his way through the crowd and into the night. Once outside he took a deep breath of clean cold air. Physiologically speaking he didn’t need to breathe anymore, but he found that psychologically he still wanted to sometimes. He wandered in a circle around the town square, trying to relax, but he still felt tense. He had a bad feeling about that girl. She was going to cause him some kind of trouble, he just knew it.

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the soft footsteps behind him. He did hear the swish of a club whistling through the air, and spun around just in time to see the face of the one swinging it. It was the girl from the bar. He had time to think, what the...! but not to do anything else before it connected firmly with his head and everything went dark.

Aidan awoke in the dark with his head aching. Again. This is getting to be a bad habit. There was almost no light, but his eyes were sensitive enough to tell that he was in a cave of some kind, propped up against one irregular wall opposite a rough natural arch that presumably led to the surface. Even with his supernatural night vision it was too dark to make out much detail though. The cave was obviously very deep. He went to put a hand to his head, only to find that he couldn’t. His hands were tied together behind his back. He tested the rope that held him and found that he couldn’t break it. He was very strong, but he didn't have any leverage at all. When he tried to lean forward to get to his feet, he could only move a few inches. The rope that tied his hands together apparently was attached to the cave wall somehow. He sat there trying to figure out what had happened for several minutes before he heard footsteps approaching. He saw a dim glow that grew rapidly as the light approached. Then he had to squint against the brightness as someone with a lantern stepped into view. After blinking the spots from his eyes, Aidan recognized the girl from the inn.

“Well, vampire, you’re not feeling so cocky now, are you?”

“What?” Aidan was still a little dazed, but he didn’t think this would have made sense to him anyway.

“You had some nerve just waltzing into town like that. Choosing your next victim were you?” Her expression was a mixture of hatred and revulsion.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t try to deny it, I know you’re a vampire.” She glared at him.

Aidan sighed. “Okay, I admit to being a vampire, but I haven’t done anything. I only got into town tonight. I’ve never been anywhere near here before.”

“How can I trust the word of an admitted killer?”

“Hey! I admitted to being a vampire, but I’m no killer!”

“All vampires are killers, it’s their nature. They have to kill to get blood to survive.”

"No they don't! Please, listen to me. I’m no killer. I live on animal blood. I never touch human blood, never.” Which, strictly speaking, was true. Flame Song, after all, wasn’t really human, and there had been that dwarf, but dwarves weren’t human either. Though that vampire hunter had been, come to think of it. Okay, so I have taken human blood, but I’ve never willingly taken innocent blood.

The girl hesitated, and then scowled. “No. I don't believe you. I’ll keep you here until I get what I want, and then I’ll put you out of your misery.”

Put me out of my misery! He almost laughed. She was worse than he had been in the early days of his vampiric life. And if she'd made him such a promise in those days, he might not have cared, but now... "What do you want then?"

“I want to know where the other vampire lairs. I know you’re not the only one. I saw him just the other night, and he’s not an aerian. So tell me where he is and I’ll give you a quick release, otherwise I’ll leave you here until you starve to death.”

“I don’t know. Believe me, if I knew I’d tell you in a heartbeat, but I don’t know. I told you before, I only just arrived here. I’ve never laid eyes on this other vampire. I certainly don’t know where he is.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said flatly. “It's too much of a coincidence, two vampires that have nothing to do with each other in this little town. Well, you’ll change your mind in time.” Without a further word she turned and strode up the tunnel. The light from her lantern vanished, leaving Aidan in utter blackness. Aidan tested his bonds again. He tried to feel the knots that held him to the cavern wall, but the girl had done a good job of tying him up and he couldn’t get at them. He could feel a touch of cold metal, and guessed that there was a ring driven into the wall, and the rope looped through it before being tied around his wrists, but there was so little slack in the rope that he couldn’t be sure. The only thing he was sure of was that he wouldn’t be going anywhere any time soon. He sat alone in the darkness for a long time before he finally drifted off into an uneasy doze.

Aidan awoke as the sun touched the horizon. For a moment he was disoriented by the complete blackness around him. He couldn’t even tell if his eyes were actually open or not. Then he felt the cold stone beneath him and the ropes around his hands and remembered the events of the previous night. The ache in his head had faded somewhat, but was still there. It wasn’t long after sunset when he saw a faint glimmer of light and heard steps coming toward him. He gave the girl a longer look this time. She was short, probably about the same height as he was, and had blue-gray eyes. Her hair was blond and pulled back in a sensible ponytail. She was pretty, in a cute kind of way, and he realized that she probably looked younger than she really was. She might well be near his own age.

“Have you changed your mind yet, vampire?”

“I can’t change my mind because I honestly don’t know. And I have a name besides ‘vampire’ you know."

She glared at him and said nothing.

"I'm Aidan. What's your name?"

She didn't answer right away, but he waited, letting the silence stretch out, and eventually she said, “Shauna.”

“I once had a good friend named Shauna.” He smiled wryly. “But that is neither here nor there. Shauna, please, let me go. I mean no harm to you or to anyone else here. I’ll help you hunt down this other vampire if you want. I have no love for those who kill people, vampires or not. What will it take for you to believe me?”

“You’re a vampire. You would have to present a signed letter from the King of the Wood or the Dragon Queen, and even then I’d be suspicious.”

Aidan couldn’t help himself, it was just too ironic. He burst into laughter.

“Why are you mocking me?” Shauna’s voice was confused, hurt. Suddenly she didn’t seem quite so confident.

Aidan quieted his laughter. “I’m sorry, I'm not mocking you. But if I’d known this was going to happen I could have brought you exactly that. I count Queen Tara as a friend, and I actually had a letter from her not long ago.”

Shauna’s expression told her disbelief louder than words. Aidan shrugged. “You don’t have to believe it, in fact I bet you won’t, but I’m a member of the Queen's Own."

“The Queen's Own?” Shauna’s eyes lit up at the thought of the legendary band of adventurers. Even in elven lands they were well known. Then she scowled. “You’re right, I don’t believe it. They would never allow one of the evil undead among them.”

“Believe what you will,” said Aidan, giving up on trying to convince this crazy girl to let him go any time soon. “But tell me, why do you feel so strongly about vampires?”

Shauna hesitated. Why should she open her heart and tell her story to this vampire? But then he would never have the chance to repeat it, and he was something in the nature of a captive audience. “It’s not just vampires, it’s anything that’s a threat to this town.” She settled down on the floor, placing the lantern beside her. “My father, you see, was a great warrior. He fought in many battles when he was younger, in many different lands. He even fought along side the real Queen's Own. When he came home he took up the job of protecting the village. The forest is a dangerous place, and there are goblins and worse things in the mountains. There are no larger villages to turn to, and the elves only tolerate our presence here, so we have to fend for ourselves. My father guarded this village for nearly twenty years. Then he died. He didn’t even die in battle.” The pain of the memory was evident on her face. “He got sick, some kind of fever, and just never recovered. He never had any sons, only me, so I took up where he’d left off, defending the village. Nobody took me seriously at first, and some of them still don’t, but I’ve proved myself often enough. We’ve had almost no trouble of any kind for the last year, and then you vampires show up.” She broke off, saying, “Why do you care anyhow?”

“I just wanted to know. You seem so dedicated. You’re wrong about me, but I can understand where you’re coming from. This whole village is like a family to you, isn’t it?”

She nodded. But then her expression went hard again. "But what would you know about family?"

“A lot. I would give my life for my family. If you feel the same way about these villagers then they could not ask for a better protector.”

She suddenly got to her feet and glared at him. “You’re just trying to trick me into letting you go. Well it won’t work. I have no sympathy for you, vampire. I won’t let you loose until you tell me where the other vampire is.”

Aidan sighed tiredly. “I’m not trying to trick you into anything. I think by now I know better. I just wish you’d believe me when I say I don’t know anything about this other vampire.”

“It does no good trying to protect him, you know. Even without you I’ll catch him sooner or later.”

“I don’t want to protect him, whoever he is. If he’s been murdering innocents, then I’ll happily help you get rid of him. But I suppose you just think that’s a trick too.”

Shauna just glared at him. Then she snatched up her lantern and stalked off. As she rounded a curve that would take her out of sight she turned back and said, “You can’t hold out forever you know. Pretty soon you’re going to start feeling hungry. What will you do then, vampire?”

A very good question, thought Aidan as the glow of her lantern slowly vanished. That deer was some time ago. I’m already starting to feel hungry. By tomorrow night I’ll really be feeling it. I don’t think I’ve ever gone more then three days without some kind of meal. I don’t know what starvation will do to me, but I imagine it’s not going to be good. And I don’t think Shauna is going to give in and let me go any time soon. It seems I haven’t lost my knack for getting into trouble. He sighed. Now if only Flame Song were around to bail me out of it. He passed the night alone with his thoughts, and when the sun rose that morning he was sound asleep. He didn’t see Shauna when she came into the cave, lantern lit, and stood gazing down at him where he slumped against the wall in a rather uncomfortable-looking position.

I could almost wish he were telling the truth, she thought to herself. He looks so innocent, so peaceful. Almost like an angel. It’s hard to believe he’s a bloodthirsty killer. She stared, taking in his soft-feathered wings, his unruly dark hair, and his peaceful expression. Her own expression softened momentarily, but then she shook herself. No. He’s nothing but a murdering vampire. If he's an angel, he's an dark angel of death. He doesn’t deserve any compassion. She turned to go, but couldn’t resist one last look behind her.

When Aidan awoke the next night he found Shauna already sitting beside him with the lantern lit. “Well vampire, are you ready to tell me what I want to know?”

Aidan shook his head tiredly. “I can’t tell you what I don’t know myself.”

“Why do you persist in this nonsense? Just tell me!” Her frustration was evident.

Aidan remained silent. What point was there in arguing with the girl? She wouldn’t believe him no matter what he said. He was starting to slip back into depression. He had struggled so much, come so far, and now he was going to end his life in this dark hole with only a stubborn girl for company.

“What loyalty could a vampire have? Why save the other vampire? You know I’ll catch him sooner or later?”

“I’m sure you will,” Aidan said tiredly. “But I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”

She looked at him. “You know, you almost have me believing you.”

Aidan didn’t respond. An uncomfortable silence stretched out. Shauna broke it at last. "You look very young to be a vampire. I suppose you're actually much older."

"Heh. No. I've been one for only a year now. I'm only twenty-three."

She looked surprised. "How did it happen?"

Aidan looked up at her. What reason did he have to share his life story with her? But then what reason did he have not to? With a mental shrug he said “I didn’t want to become a vampire. It was the last thing I wanted, in fact.” He remembered the dim shack, the crazed Lord Jander, and his fear and terror. He shivered. "There's not really that much to tell. I was kidnapped by a vampire. He changed me. He was... the kind of vampire you seem to think I am. He liked killing things." The two dwarven scouts, lying dead in the snow, flashed through his mind. "I managed to kill him, and escape. That's it, really."

Shauna was looking at him with a kind of unwilling fascination in her eyes. “Did it hurt, being turned into a vampire?”

"Some, yes. It... I was afraid more than in pain though."

“How...” she hesitated over the question, and then asked, “How did he do it? How do you make somebody a vampire?”

Aidan looked at her. Why was he sharing this? She didn’t care; to her he was nothing but a threat to her precious village and an object of horrified curiosity. But he felt the desire to talk about it. He’d never really discussed that night with anybody, not even Flame Song. At first he hadn’t been ready to deal with it, and then it just hadn’t come up. He took a deep breath, and answered. “He drank my blood. That was the part that hurt.” His eyes went dark, turned inward, remembering the horrible touch of that crazed mind. “He drained me to the very edge of death, but stopped just before he killed me outright. I was still dying though. I wouldn’t have lived out the night, if he hadn’t...” He stopped. The memory was still almost too painful.

“Hadn’t what?” asked Shauna.

“He cut his wrist and made me drink his blood. I didn’t want to, but I was too weak and he forced me to. Then I passed out. The next thing I remember was waking up the next night, a vampire.”

After he finished there was another long silence. Then Shauna said, “That’s horrible.” Aidan didn’t reply. Shauna’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him. “But how do I know that’s the truth? Maybe you’re just trying to win my sympathy again.”

Aidan shrugged. “I can’t make you believe anything. But it’s the truth.” He leaned back against the wall as best he could, suddenly very tired, and suddenly aware of being very hungry. He could hear Shauna's heartbeat, smell her blood. He closed his eyes, but couldn't block it out. "Shauna... I know you won't let me free, but I'm worried about what I might do if I get too hungry. I don't want to hurt you. Could you bring me something?"

Her expression of sympathy vanished completely before a look of total horror. “You want me to bring some helpless victim to you? Are you crazy?”

“No! I told you I live on animal blood. All I need is some animal. Bring a rabbit, a chicken, anything. I told you I don’t drink human blood and I never will.”

“No.”

He was pleading now. “I beg you, please. I’ve never been more than a few days without food. I’m afraid I’ll lose control of myself. I don’t know what I could do if I were starving. And if I hurt you, or anyone, I’d regret it forever. Please!”

“No! I told you I’ll leave you here to starve to death if you don’t tell me where the other vampire is, and I’m not going back on it.” She snatched up the lantern, bolted to her feet, and stormed out of the cave. Aidan slumped against the wall. His heart felt as dark as the utter black of the cavern around him. He was going to die here and Flame Song would never know what had happened to him. Littlespark would have to grow up without a father after all.

On sunset of the next night Aidan awoke ravenously hungry. He hadn’t felt like this since he’d first become a vampire. He tried to push the sensation aside, but it stubbornly refused to go away. It wasn’t long before he heard Shauna’s footsteps coming closer. He closed his eyes against the lantern light, far too bright after the pitch darkness. She set down the lantern and asked her nightly question. “Well vampire, have you decided to tell me yet?”

Aidan gave her the same response. “I can’t tell you what I don’t know.” This is becoming a kind of weird ritual, he thought.

She sat down just a few feet from him, and Aidan was suddenly hyper-aware of her. Her heartbeat seemed to fill his ears, and he could smell her blood, almost taste it. He could hear every breath she took, and could see where her pulse throbbed on her throat. Hunger surged to the front of his consciousness, overwhelmingly strong, and he pushed it back down with great difficulty. She seemed to be aware of the intensity of his gaze. Her blue-gray eyes locked onto his. “What are you staring at?”

He closed his eyes and turned his head aside. “Nothing,” he gritted through clenched teeth.

“What’s it like to be a vampire?” The question was sudden and unexpected. Aidan seized on the chance to distract his mind from his hunger.

“It isn’t really all that different, at least for me. I do most of the same things I did when I was alive.”

“But you don’t eat normal food anymore, do you?”

“No.”

“Do you miss it?”

He considered. “Sometimes I do, a little bit. But mostly I don’t.”

“What’s it like, drinking blood?”

This isn’t doing a very good job of keeping my mind off food, he thought. “It’s hard to describe. It isn’t really like anything else.”

Shauna leaned closer to Aidan. She reached out one hand and touched his cheek, softly. “You’re warm. That surprised me when I carried you here, you know. I expected a vampire to be cold, like a corpse.”

He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the scent of her blood. She was so close, too close. He was suddenly glad that he was tied up or he might have done something he would have regretted a great deal afterward. He managed to get a grip on himself and answered her. “Yes. That’s one of the legends that isn’t true. Not all of them are.”

“What about the legends that say...” She stopped and seemed to be embarrassed. “Well, they say that vampires are incredible lovers.”

Aidan blushed. That wasn’t what he’d expected her to ask about. “I, uh…” He didn’t know what to say. His eyes were still closed, but he heard her move closer. The scent of her blood grew even stronger. Then he felt her lips brush his and they were kissing. Her kiss was passionate and deep and for a moment another kind of hunger rose up. He almost gave into it, but the memory of Flame Song suddenly brought him to his senses.

Aidan turned his head aside violently, breaking off the kiss. “No!” He found himself panting, gasping for breath as if his lungs still needed air. Shauna looked at him with shock written on her face. “No,” he repeated. “I can’t, I won’t.”

Shauna still looked at him with that expression of total surprise. He wondered if it was surprise because he’d stopped things, or because she’d started them. “What is it?” she asked. “Why? If you wanted to get free, you might actually have gotten me to do it.”

He found he was shaking. He took one more deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Partly because if you had let me go, starved as I am now, I might have hurt you and I don't want to do that, but mostly because I can't betray my wife like that. I love her too much."

Her eyes widened ever further. “Wife? You’re married?”

Aidan nodded.

“Why on earth would anybody marry a vampire?” Shauna burst out.

“Well, I wasn’t a vampire at the time, but I honestly think my Flame Song would have married me anyway. She’s dealt with the whole vampire business a lot better than I have, that’s for sure.”

Shauna scowled darkly. “And how do I know that you’re not lying again?” Her face was flushed, and Aidan realized that she was humiliated by his rejection. Great, he thought, now she hates me personally, as well as for being a vampire. “You're probably lying.” Her eyes were blazing as she said it. “I can’t trust you at all. I’m not going to bring you any food, and I don’t even know if I’ll come back. Maybe I should just leave you here to rot!”

She grabbed the lantern and stormed out. That’s getting to be a habit, thought Aidan wryly. I always manage to make her storm off angry. Well now I guess that’s done it. I wonder how long it takes a vampire to die of starvation? Probably too long...

The rest of the night dragged by miserably, and when sunrise came Aidan fell into an uneasy sleep, full of vague nightmares which he couldn’t quite remember upon awakening. He awoke as usual when the sun sank below the horizon. He waited for Shauna to come, hoping that she might have changed her mind, but the long dark hours dragged by with no sign of the girl. Aidan’s hunger had reached a point where it was hardly recognizable as hunger anymore. He was lightheaded and dizzy, and he couldn’t quite focus his thoughts. His mind kept wandering off. He wondered briefly if he was going insane, but couldn’t hold onto that thought either. By the time the sun rose again he felt too weak to even move. He simply leaned limply against the wall and dropped off into fitful slumber.

He awoke the next evening feeling about the same. Maybe it gets to a point where I won’t get any worse, he thought. How many days has it been? Five, I think, or six. His mind wandered again and only his sun sense told him he’d been meandering mentally for more than an hour when he saw a faint glow coming down the tunnel and heard footsteps. He felt a surge of hope. Was it Shauna? But then that wouldn’t help him any. For her own safety she shouldn’t free him now. He doubted if he could control himself in his starved state. And besides, she hated him now. Then his keen ears picked out the fact that this step was heavier, a different stride altogether. Who on earth...? The stranger rounded the corner and came into view. Aidan squinted against the light of the lantern. It was a man, tall and pale skinned with short-cropped fair hair. His expression was amused, even sardonic. He walked over to Aidan and held the lantern up for a good look. Then he grinned. The light glinted off of sharp fangs. It’s him, thought Aidan. The other vampire!

“Well, well, well, isn’t this amusing. The dear little child has caught a stranger instead of me. This has all sorts of possibilities!”

Aidan simply lay limply, unable to summon the energy to do anything in response.

The other vampire shook his head. “Pathetic. If it were me she had caught, I’d have managed to get my fangs into her by now, but then she would never have caught me in the first place.” He cocked his head to one side. “But what’s this? I think I hear her footsteps now.” He grinned at Aidan, and blew out the lantern. His voice sounded practically by Aidan’s ear in the dark. “Now I think I shall have a little fun. You are, no doubt, half starved, and here a wonderful meal is coming right your way. I think it quite fitting that the little would-be vampire slayer should be killed by her own captive vampire.” Aidan felt the cold touch of steel against his wrists and suddenly found that he was free. A rush of energy broke his lethargy. He got halfway to his feet in a crouching position. Everything seemed crystal clear. Shauna was already almost there, enough light spilled into the cave for Aidan to make out the other vampire, slinking into a shadowed spot to hide and watch the fun. He heard Shauna’s footsteps approach and then she came into view. She stopped, shocked by the sight of him standing there, obviously freed. He was hit as if by a wave with the scent of her blood and for one instant he nearly gave into the overpowering hunger. Shaking with the effort of it, he bared his teeth in a snarl and yelled, “Run! If you value your life at all, then run!”

Shauna didn’t wait around for any further explanations. She dropped her lantern and ran. Aidan had to grapple again with his hunger to keep from going after her.

“Oh my, I am quite disappointed.” The other vampire’s sardonic smile was still in place as he stepped away from his hiding place near the cave entrance. “I was looking forward to seeing the little pest get her throat torn out. Well, I shall just have to take care of that myself, I suppose. But first I’ll take care of you.” The tall vampire drew a dagger and advanced on Aidan. Aidan’s long daggers were no longer at his belt. He presumed that Shauna had relived him of them when she first caught him. But she’d missed the little dagger he kept hidden in his boot. In one smooth motion he drew it and faced the taller vampire.

The sense of crystal clarity was still with him. He was filled with a feverish energy. He knew that he would have to pay for it after this was over, his starved system didn’t have that much energy to spare, but he didn’t care. The other vampire slashed at Aidan, and he almost laughed. The man knew nothing about knife fighting. He was, no doubt, used to facing merely human opponents. He was going to be in for a nasty shock if he thought Aidan would be easy prey.

Aidan dodged every blow the other vampire aimed at him. Their battle was quick. Both vampires moved with reflexes faster than human, but though the taller vampire had the greater strength, Aidan was the quicker of the pair. And he still remembered what it was like to fight an even battle against an equal opponent. Aidan bided his time, waiting for an opening, and then one came. Cat-quick he slashed out. The other vampire reeled back, a deep cut across his knife hand. The scent of blood filled the air. The wound began to heal immediately, but the damage was done. His knife was knocked from his hand. Then Aidan reversed his little knife and slammed the wooden pommel into the other vampire’s head. Had the knife’s hilt been made of metal it would have had far less effect, but to a vampire wood is the most dangerous weapon. The vampire was thrown against the cave wall by the force of the blow. He rebounded, stumbling, and Aidan got an arm around his neck in a headlock.

Afterwards Aidan wasn’t sure if he could have done what he did in cold blood, but in the heat of battle, with the other vampire’s blood-smell still in the air, he didn’t even pause for thought, he simply reacted. He sank his fangs into the other vampire’s neck and began to drink. The sensation of energy flowing into him was amazing. The taste of the vampire’s blood was like nothing else he’d ever tasted, more intense, somehow, stronger and more metallic. He could feel the other vampire's shock and sudden terror, but he didn't care, all that mattered was his hunger. He gave in to it utterly and didn’t stop until there was nothing at all left. He dropped the empty shell to the floor.

As Aidan turned away, wiping blood off of his lips with the back of his hand, he heard a gasp of shock. Looking up he saw Shauna standing at the entrance to the cave. She had a wooden stake clutched in one hand and she was staring at Aidan with a horrified expression.

“What have you done?”

“I’ve taken care of your vampire problem for you, look.” Aidan knelt down next to the dead vampire and indicated his sharp fangs, which were exposed in a snarl, even now. The body had started to dry up and crumble into dust already. Suddenly exhausted, Aidan sat down and rested his head in his hands. Shauna shook her head in disbelief.

“What happened?”

“He came down here just before you did. He seemed to find the whole situation very amusing. He decided it would be fun to cut me loose when he heard you coming and watch me kill you.” Aidan smiled tiredly. “He didn’t count on my having enough self-control to tell you to run for it. I’m glad you had sense enough to do so, because I don’t think I could have kept myself under control for long. Then we fought, and I won.” He shrugged. “That’s all there is to it.”

“You drank his blood!”

“Yes!” Aidan was suddenly tired of this girl and her accusations. “Yes I did! It was his or yours, Shauna. If I hadn’t, I would have attacked you as soon as you came back. I was starving, I had to get blood from somewhere.” He got to his feet and very deliberately licked the blood off of his dagger before returning it to his boot. “I am what I am, Shauna. I’m not going to deny it. Now what are you going to do about it? You have what you wanted.” He gestured at the crumbling from of the other vampire. “Your precious village is safe. And I’m not going to tamely allow you to tie me up again.”

A flicker of fear crossed her face. “What are you going to do?” Shauna asked the question hesitantly.

“I am going to go home. I have a wonderful wife and a beautiful daughter waiting for me. I’ve been gone too long already.”

Shauna shook her head. “You keep surprising me. You have a daughter too?”

Aidan nodded. “Yes. She’s just eighteen months old, and she shouldn’t be without her father. I wish I’d never left. Does this mean you’ll let me go?”

“I…” Shauna looked at Aidan for a long moment before finishing. “I think so, yes.”

Aidan smiled. “Thank you.” He walked past her to the cave entrance.

“Aidan, wait.” Aidan turned around, surprised. She had actually called him by name instead of just “vampire.”

“Just one more thing before you go.” She planted herself directly in front of him. Aidan was puzzled. What now? Then Shauna threw her arms around his and gave him a kiss. Aidan was too surprised to react before she broke it off. He stood there blinking at her. She grinned. “One for the road. Tell your wife how lucky she is when you get home.”

Aidan shook his head, bemused. He would never understand this strange girl. He wondered again if she was really as young as she looked. Then, with a mental shrug he turned to go. He made his way up the twisting tunnel to the surface. Standing outside in the snow he took a deep breath of fresh air. With one last glance behind him at the dark cave mouth where Shauna was standing, he launched himself into the air. Time to go home. Chapter 6