They had stayed late that evening at Corinne’s. Flame Song was now seven months along and getting too large to travel comfortably, even in firecat form, so this would be their last visit. “I’m always here if you need me. But both babies are doing just fine, and you should have no problems,” said Corinne.

“Thank you so much,” said Flame Song as they stood on the doorstep. The sun had been down long enough for full darkness to settle in and the light from Corinne’s house spilled out into the night, emphasizing the depth of the shadows.

“You’re more than welcome.” Corinne waved one last goodbye and closed the door.

With Littlespark walking between them they headed down the street. It was late spring, and the night air was crisply chilly, though the snow was off the ground in the coastal lowlands where Snowcap lay. But Littlespark was dressed warmly, and Flame's furry coat protected her, and of course Aidan didn't even notice the chill.

Before they’d even gone half a block a dark shape leaped out of the shadows, slamming headlong into Aidan. He cried out in pain as a stabbing fire burned through him. He doubled over and dropped to his knees, hitting them hard on the cobblestones, but he didn’t even feel it. All he could feel was the intense pain that shot through him from a fiery point in his chest. He’d never felt anything like it. The scent of blood filled the air and when he looked down his hands looked black with blood in the moonlight.

Even as he fell Littlespark screamed and Flame Song bared her fangs, ready to fight. The man who had attacked them, his face hidden in a concealing hood, drew back in sudden alarm. He turned to run, and Flame, concerned over her husband, might have let him get away, but Corinne had heard the commotion, and her door flew open, pinning the unknown attacker in the light. She raised her hands and invoked a clerical spell, freezing the man on the spot. Unexpectedly, he canceled her magic and started to run again. This time Corinne didn’t bother with spells; she hit him in a flying tackle. They went down in a tangle. A moment later Corinne stood up. The attacker stayed down, out cold.

She left his still form and hurried over to where Aidan was kneeling on the cobblestones. With a snap of her fingers she conjured a light. The scene it showed wasn’t pretty. Aidan was shaking, bent over, with one hand braced on the ground, the other clutching at the end of a long, narrow wooden stake that had actually been driven through him, the point sticking out an inch or so beyond his back. It had missed his heart, having entered on the right and a little too low, but it still was an injury that would almost certainly have killed a normal man. There was blood everywhere. Aidan pulled at the end of the stake, trying to remove it, but his fingers felt weak and shaky, and he couldn't get a grip on it. Flame knelt next to him, having taken human form to try and help somehow. Littlespark stood nearby, her feet just inches from the puddle of blood that poured from her father. Her eyes were wide in fright.

“Good gods…” said Corinne. “What happened? And what am I supposed to do? Healing spells will only hurt him more.”

Aidan drew in a slow breath, jerking in pain and trying not to cough. He could feel liquid in his lung, knew that it had been punctured. “Take it out,” he gasped.

“What? You’ll bleed to death!” said Corinne. “I can’t just pull it out right here.”

“No… take it out!” he insisted. He knew that the reason a stake through the heart killed a vampire wasn't because it stopped the heart, his wasn't beating anyhow. It was because with a weapon, especially a wooden one, still in the wound, he couldn't heal, and would just keep bleeding until he bled out entirely and died of it.

“All right,” she said, hoping he knew what he was talking about. She knew a lot about healing, but not much about vampires. “You’ll need to straighten up so I can get a grip on it.”

Aidan nodded. He let his hand fall from the end of the stake. Then slowly, very slowly, he straightened. His teeth were clenched tightly against the pain. Corinne knelt down next to him. Her trousers were immediately soaked with blood, but she didn’t care. “I’ll try not to touch you, but even if I don’t this is going to hurt a lot,” she warned him.

“Just do it,” he said through his clenched teeth.

She mentally braced herself, then reached down and got a firm grip on the stake. She had to put one hand on Aidan’s shoulder for leverage, but he was already in so much pain he didn’t even notice the cleric's touch. Flame Song found herself holding her breath, and Littlespark moved close to her mother, hiding her face in Flame’s shoulder. “Is Daddy going to be all right?” she whispered.

“Yes, he will,” said Flame, hoping it was true.

Corinne didn’t bother trying to ease the stake out, she just pulled as hard as she could, and in one long smooth motion it came free. She dropped it to the cobblestones, where the blood-spattered length of wood lay in the pool of blood that spread out across the street. Aidan gave a long cry of pain as it pulled free. Then he collapsed in a faint. At least Corinne hoped it was a faint, with no telltale heartbeat she wasn’t sure how to tell. She looked up at Flame Song. “I don’t know what to do.”