“Father’s knack for getting into trouble was bad enough, but sometimes it wasn’t just his bad luck. Sometimes trouble came looking for him. When he was still young and very reckless he stole a magical talisman. Talismans of power are trouble at the best of times, but when you add in the fact that this one had to do with demons, well, it’s no surprise that Father had a number of unpleasant run-ins with unpleasant creatures after the talisman.”

The day dawned at Flame Song Firedancer and Aidan Rhiannon’s home in the far north of Mysteria as it always dawned, with the little family going to bed. Flame Song tucked their daughter, Littlespark, who had just turned two, into bed. One story, one lullaby and the little half-breed girl fell fast asleep. Flame Song stroked her daughter’s white hair gently with one hand, glad that the child had adapted so readily to her parent’s change of schedule.

“Is she asleep?” came a soft whisper from the doorway. Flame Song looked up to see her husband, Aidan, standing in the doorway.

Flame Song got up and came over to her husband. She said softly, “Yes, she’s out for the day.” Aidan gave her a brief kiss. He had to tilt his head up just a bit to do so, as Flame was an inch or two taller than he. He had once found the difference in their heights odd, but by now he was quite used to it. Together they went to their bedroom. Aidan was already dressed for bed, and he flopped onto the low bed that they shared and watched appreciatively as Flame got herself dressed. By the time she settled next to him on the bed, however, he was yawning, barely able to stay awake, and Flame knew that the sun must have risen above the horizon. Her husband was the reason for the family’s unusual sleep habits. In addition to being an aerian, he was also a vampire. Most people might view vampires as fearsome monsters, but as Flame and Aidan had discovered becoming a vampire didn’t automatically make someone a bloodsucking menace. Aidan found his life was actually largely unchanged. They’d had to make some accommodations, like the reversed sleeping schedule, but most things went on just as they’d done before Aidan had become one of the undead.

Flame Song put her arm around Aidan. He had already drifted off, and to an unknowing eye his perfect stillness might have seemed like the stillness of death, for he wasn’t breathing and his heart didn’t beat, but Flame Song had grown accustomed to it, and no longer found it disturbing. A few minutes later she too was sound asleep, though unlike her silent husband she snored slightly.

Precisely at sundown Aidan opened his eyes to find himself alone in the bed. He yawned and stretched. Flame had probably been up for hours. That was one thing he didn’t like much about his condition, the fact that during daylight had always wanted to sleep. During the winter it was no bother, the days were short, the nights were long, and he was awake most of the time, but during the summer months it was very inconvenient. Living as far north as they did, the summer days were very long. Sometimes the sun would only slip below the horizon for an hour or so before rising again. During that time of the year Aidan practically hibernated, spending so much time asleep that he wasn’t much use to anybody. The year had turned toward winter now, so the nights were growing longer, but he still slept more than he wanted to. He got to his feet, getting dressed for the day. As always he chose an outfit in dark colors, today’s being deep navy blue. He adjusted the medallion around his neck that allowed him to go out in daylight when necessary. He could stay awake during the day if he had to, but he never felt as alert as he did during the night. Darkness was his element now, and most of the time he liked it that way.

He wished he could see his reflection to get some idea of how he looked. That was another thing he found somewhat annoying about his vampirism, the fact that mirrors now ignored his existence. The little mirror that Flame used was propped up on a dresser at the moment, and it reflected an empty room, even when Aidan stood directly in front of it. He combed his hair and straightened the dark iron collar that he always wore around his neck. Judging that he was ready for the day, or rather night, that lay ahead he opened the door and went out into the main room of the house. He found Flame Song reading Littlespark a story. She was going slowly, sounding out some of the words.

Flame’s firecat people had no written language, so she’d never learned how to read or write. Not long after they’d gotten married he’d started to teach her how, and she’d picked it up well enough, but was still struggling with it a bit. Raised without even the concept of reading, she found it a difficult skill to master. The child’s book, however, was quite within her ability.

“Hi Flame.”

“Hi yourself,” she said, breaking off he story. “I was thinking it was about time for you to emerge.”

“Yeah, I just crawled out of my coffin. How do I look?”

“Handsome as ever, though your sun medallion is on crooked.” She got up and straightened it.

“Daddy!” said Littlespark.

Aidan scooped her up and twirled her around. “Hello Spark. Enjoying your story?”

“Yes! Spin more!”

“Okay,” he said, “but you’re going to get dizzy.”

“Spin more, spin more!” Aidan laughed and obediently spun his daughter around. They whirled until he started to get dizzy himself and dropped onto the low pile of cushions that sat in front of the fire. They were both laughing, as was Flame Song.

“I need to go out tonight,” said Aidan when he’d recovered from the laughing fit.

“Want some company?” asked Flame.

“No. I’m just going to get some dinner.”

“All right. See you when you get back.”

Aidan gave her a kiss and headed out the door. He went up the sloping entrance tunnel that lay outside their front door. He reached the top and looked out on a cool summer evening. The sky was still light, and the night wouldn’t be long, but there was time enough for him to do what needed to be done. He spread his wings and launched himself into the air. He reveled in the flight. Flying was one of his greatest joys. He loved the feel of the wind rushing past, the way he felt completely free of the cares of the world. Just for fun he did a couple of barrel rolls and a mid-air somersault before settling into a pattern of regular wing beats that carried him swiftly across the sky.

It didn’t take him long to reach his destination. Below him the green of the summer tundra was covered in little brown shapes, like a bag of rice spilled out over a green tablecloth. As he swooped lower the shapes resolved themselves into a huge herd of northern deer. Somewhat similar to the caribou of earth, the deer provided Aidan his primary food supply. He’d been tracking this herd for weeks. They would be around for a month or two more before the turning season sent them migrating south. During the deep winter hunting was more difficult, but now it was almost too easy. Aidan selected his animal, choosing a doe that had wandered a little ways away from the rest of the herd. With practiced precision he dropped from the sky and landed with a flip of his wings right next to the doe. Before the startled animal even had time to move he’d gotten a firm grip around its neck and an instant later his sharp eyeteeth had cut through its skin. The doe froze, unable to move while Aidan was feeding.

He drank deeply, taking his fill of the hot red blood. It revitalized him, filling him with a rush of energy more intense than anything he’d known in his old life. When he’d had his fill he released the frightened animal. It staggered away, stunned and slightly weakened, but not permanently harmed. That was the reason he preferred the big northern deer to any other game, the fact that he didn’t have to kill to get what he needed. As a monster hell-bent on causing death and destruction, he was a total failure. He was far too softhearted. He wiped a faint trace of blood off of his lips with a handkerchief. Then, tucking it back into a pocket, he spread his wings again and took off into the still night.

It hadn’t really taken that much time, but with the short summer nights by the time he got back to his home the sky was just beginning to lighten again. He sighed as he looked out over the tundra. Sometimes it was downright frustrating, spending so much of his time out cold. He wished winter would hurry up, though the long winter nights could be lonely, with everyone else asleep. But he much preferred the solitude to this continual sleepiness. Well, nothing I can do about it, he thought to himself and turned and went inside.

“Hi,” said Flame Song, who was sprawled in front of the fire in firecat form.

“Where’s Littlespark?” asked Aidan, sitting down next to her and running his fingers through her thick fur.

“She didn’t go down for her nap today, so she fell asleep early and I just put her to bed.” Aidan continued to run his fingers through her fur, scratching gently along her sides.

“Mmmmm… keep doing that, that’s very nice.” Her eyes closed halfway in an expression of utter feline bliss and she started purring. Aidan leaned against her side, feeling her purr rumble through him. It was an odd sensation, but not unpleasant. Once he’d given her a thorough scratching her purr gradually faded and she sat up. There was a kind of shimmering blur that surrounded her, and when it cleared she had returned to human form.

He puller her close and kissed her deeply. Her arms went around him and she returned his kiss. When she came up for air, she smiled at him and ran her hands along his soft-feathered wings. He stroked her cheek, marveling again at her beauty. All of the sudden a strange thought hit him out of the blue. “Flame Song, do you ever wonder what it would be like if you were mated to one of your own species?”

“Well… to be honest, I have wondered. Humans do go about things differently, but I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. You’re pretty amazing, you know.”

He blushed, and Flame Song laughed. “Guess I’ve got a reputation to live up to,” he said. He pulled her in and kissed her again. Then he broke off and began to work his kisses downward, lingering teasingly, tantalizingly, over the pulse at the base of her neck. He could hear her heart racing, could smell the sweet scent of her rushing blood beneath her skin. Her hand came up to the back of his head, her fingers threading through his hair, and she urged him on with gentle pressure.

He responded to her urging and broke through the soft skin at her throat with his sharp eyeteeth as gently as he could. The feelings that filled him as he slowly took her blood into him were completely different than the sensations of his earlier feeding. That had been the mere attaining of sustenance, but this was something far deeper. The blood shared between them created an emotional bond, and as he drank he could feel what she felt. The bond ran both ways and even is he touched her mind, she touched his, their hearts coming together in a transcendental union of pure love that was more profound that any simple physical joining.

Afterward they lay side by side in front of the fire in a drowsy contentment. Outside the sun was rising and as it came above the horizon Aidan dropped into a deep sleep. Flame simply lay next to him and enjoyed his closeness. After a while she stirred herself and got up. She considered Aidan, who lay perfectly still on the cushions in front of the fire. He would probably appreciate waking up in bed, and besides, if she left him out here Littlespark would want to use him as a jungle gym when she awoke. She knelt down and picked him up, giving a slight “oof” at the weight. He wasn’t all that heavy with his short height and slight build, but she was no weight lifter.

She set him down on the bed and lay down next to him. A moment later she had closed her eyes and fallen asleep.

She awoke well before sundown. Aidan was still sound asleep. He wouldn’t be up for several hours yet. She got up and padded barefoot through the house to the nursery. She was somewhat surprised that Littlespark hadn’t woken her. She’d gone to bed so early, Flame had expected her to be up early too, but there was nothing but silence from the nursery.

She quietly eased the door open and looked inside. Everything was dim and quiet. She stepped further into the room and suddenly froze. Her heart skipped a beat, and she caught her breath. Surely she couldn’t be seeing what she thought she was seeing? She rushed to the side of the crib and looked in. It was empty. The rails were still up so there was no way Littlespark could have gotten out on her own. Flame Song shifted into firecat form and tested the air. She could smell her daughter’s scent permeating the room, but overlying it was a strange, alien scent. She had never smelled it before, and yet there was something familiar about it, something that sent shivers up and down her spine. She didn’t pause to analyze it, but rushed out into the main room, shouting, “Aidan!”

She bounded to the bedroom, calling Aidan’s name again. He was sitting up on the bed, blinking groggily at her. “What is it?”

“Littlespark’s gone!”

Aidan snapped awake. “What!?”

“She’s gone, and I think somebody took her.”

Aidan got up, grabbing his belt with the twin daggers but not bothering to get his shirt on. “Can you track them?”

“Yes,” she said and without a further word she led the way back to the nursery to pick up the scent again. To her surprise it didn’t lead to the front door, but instead went to the kitchen. She followed her nose to the stairs that led downward to a basement storage area. She and Aidan exchanged a worried glance before descending. She was beginning to remember where she’d smelled a scent like the one she followed before. She hoped she was wrong, but she had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn’t. At the bottom of the stairs the storage room was a mess. The walls were bare earth, as was the floor. Reinforcing beams stood at regular intervals along the walls. The space between two beams on the far wall gaped blankly. Earth was scattered all over the room. Somebody had obviously dug into the room from the other side. Flame and Aidan again exchanged glances. They both knew what lay on the other side of the wall. The northern continent was honeycombed with tunnels and caverns. They had been deserted for years, but once they had been home to a nest of demons.

That was actually how the pair had met. Aidan had been captured by the demons, who had wanted to dark iron torc he wore. It was a powerful talisman that protected anyone who wore it from harm by demons. In the hands of a demon lord it would have allowed the creature to rule over its fellows almost uncontested. Aidan knew he couldn’t allow that to happen, so he had resisted the demons’ attempts to get him to remove the torc. That was another piece of its magic, it couldn’t be removed by force, the wearer had to take it off willingly.

Flame Song had been digging her basement and happened upon the tunnels. She’d found Aidan and rescued him from the demons. They managed to collapse a huge section of the tunnels, killing at least one demon in the process, and not long after that an expedition by a few of their friends from the Clan of the Lost Dragon had cleared out the rest of the demons.

Without a word the pair proceeded into the dark tunnel. Both of them had excellent night vision that quickly adjusted to the dim light, though further in where there was no light at all they might find themselves blind. Flame Song led the way, her keen nose sampling the air. Aidan had drawn both daggers. Flame was sure now, though she wished she wasn’t, that the scent she followed was the smell of a demon. The thought of her daughter in a demon’s hands left her cold. She tried not to think of it, concentrating simply on the physical task of tracking the scent.

The tunnels were silent and empty, and smelled of mold, dust, and long abandonment. Obviously they had not been resettled by the demons, the only creature she could smell was the single demon she followed.

The darkness was thickening around them, and they were both moving almost blind, guided only by Flame Song’s nose. Then up ahead there was the faintest glimmer of reddish light. They advanced toward it cautiously. Down a long, narrow tunnel they found a small room with no other entrances. And standing in the center of the room was the demon. He looked like an incredibly handsome man in his mid thirties, but his glowing red eyes gave him away. He was surrounded by a sourceless reddish radiance that dimly illuminated the room. He held their unconscious daughter in his arms and wore a smile of dark amusement on his face.

Flame and Aidan stepped cautiously into the room, Flame leading the way on silent paws, Aidan following close behind. The demon’s smile widened into a grin. “Welcome! I had expected you much earlier. What took you so long?”

Flame ignored the demon’s question and said, “Give us back our daughter, demon.”

“Call me Asmodeus,” said the demon, the smile still on his too-handsome features. Flame just snarled at him. “No time for small talk eh? Very well. I will give you the brat in exchange for something I want very much. That collar your mate is wearing.”

Flame Song looked at her husband. His expression was grim. He’d known this was coming, but now he was faced with a difficult choice. To give this demon the torc would doubtless cause chaos and death on a great scale. A demon that could command all other demons could wage a war on Mysteria such as had never been waged before. Thousands might die. And yet… this was his daughter, his own flesh and blood. How could he allow her to be killed for the sake of strangers, people he hadn’t even met? There had to be another way.

“If I agree to give you the torc, what will you do?” he asked, trying to buy some time to think.

“Well, much as I would enjoy killing you slowly, I can’t afford to give you a chance to get the torc back, so the first thing I will do once it is off your neck is release a handy death-spell I have ready. It will instantly stop your heart. Then once you are gone, ah…” he sighed with twisted pleasure at the thought. “Then I will have a marvelous time trying out my new powers. You do not know even the tiniest faction of what that collar can do. Perhaps I shall hunt down your wife and daughter, just for fun.”

A shiver went up Aidan’s spine at those words, but something else the demon had said just before had caught his attention. He had the faintest glimmer of an idea, but he needed more time to think. “Why should I give you the collar then if you’re going to kill them both anyway?”

“Because now you know for certain this little one will die if you do not. If you do give it to me, at least she will have a chance of escape.” A malicious light gleamed in the demon’s red eyes. He was enjoying himself, certain he would win. Very well, thought Aidan, his plan crystallizing in his mind, let him think he’s won. But I think I can have the last laugh.

“How can I trust that you’ll let them go? If I give you the collar first, what’s to stop you from breaking your word? I can’t trust a demon. And how can you trust that I’ll really take off the torc?”

The demon laughed. “No worries there, my friend. I told you, you do not know more than a fraction of the collar’s powers. An oath sworn on it is binding, unbreakable. If you will swear by that stone to take off the collar once I have given you back the child then you must comply, even if you would rather not. So will you swear?”

Aidan looked at his wife. “Flame Song, when he lets Littlespark go, take her and run. Don’t stop, and don’t look back. I’ll catch up with you if I can, but if I don’t, go to Coppertop, warn the dwarves.”

“Aidan…”

“Don’t worry about me, just get Littlespark out safely. I can take care of myself.” Flame looked concerned, but she nodded in agreement.

Aidan turned his attention back to the demon. He raised his hand and rested it on the red stone that was set in the center of the torc. “I swear by this stone, that after Littlespark had been released and is outside this room I will take off this collar. Will that do?” he asked the demon.

The demon eyes lit up in triumph, literally. “Yes, that will do nicely.”

“Then let her go,” said Aidan.

The demon put the little half-breed girl down on the floor of the room. She was still unconscious. Flame Song shifted quickly into human form and scooped her daughter up. “Is she all right?” asked Aidan.

“She seems to be,” said Flame.

“Then run,” said Aidan, intensely. “Go!”

Flame Song turned and ran, Littlespark held close in her arms. She resisted the urge to look back. She could only hope that Aidan had some plan. And indeed he did. As soon as Flame left the room with Littlespark he felt an odd compulsion. He didn’t resist it, but sheathed his daggers and lifted his hand to the spot on the back of the torc that released it. With a click it came off in his hand. The demon, triumph written plainly on his face, spoke a word that seemed to hang pulsing in the air. Aidan felt a strange chilly sensation in his chest. It was quite unpleasant, but did him no harm. After a brief moment he took the torc and put it back around his neck. The demon stared at Aidan, incredulous. “How…? You’re supposed to be dead!”

Now it was Aidan’s turn to laugh. “You can’t kill somebody who’s dead already. You should have done a little more research.” He grinned then, showing off his sharply pointed eyeteeth.

The demon’s eyes narrowed in cold rage. “So… a vampire. I would not have expected that of such a ‘goodly’ person. You will pay dearly for this!”

Aidan laughed again. “Tell me how? You can’t hurt me while I wear this.” He tapped the collar.

“No, but I can still hurt your family.”

Now it was Aidan’s eyes that narrowed. “No, I don’t think so.” He drew his daggers again and dropped into a fighting crouch. He advanced on the demon, who backed up warily, suddenly uncertain. Aidan launched himself at the demon with drawn daggers leading the way. The battle was brief. The demon was forced on the defensive, unable to directly harm Aidan. Aidan was an expert knife fighter, and it wasn’t long before he got in a solid blow. His left-hand dagger sunk into the demon’s chest. The creature howled in pain and collapsed to the floor. Aidan advanced on him to finish him off. The demon snarled at him again and said, “If I die, you can die with me!” Then he raised his hand to the ceiling, power gathering around it in a visible glow. Aidan realized what was coming and spun around and ran. His speed was faster than human, he could only hope it would be fast enough.

Behind him a roar filled the tiny room and spilled down the tunnel. He didn’t turn back, but he knew that the tunnel was collapsing. Earth began to rain down around him. He ran faster, but the rain of falling dirt and rocks was gaining on him. A stone narrowly missed hitting his head. He tripped over another one, and didn’t quite get up in time. Before he knew it he was buried in rocks and dirt. The roaring faded, leaving him in complete silence and darkness.

He clawed at the earth around him. He’d never been particularly claustrophobic, but this buried darkness was suffocating. Though he no longer needed to breathe, he still felt the instinct to struggle for a breath. He panicked, struggling frantically. Then his clawing hands broke free into open air. He calmed down a bit and a few minutes later he had freed himself. The cave-in had stopped only a few feet beyond where he’d fallen. He shook the dirt off of himself as best he could and hurried down the dark passageway, headed for the almost imperceptible glow that marked the spot where the tunnel came out into his house.

It wasn’t long before he emerged into his cellar. Flame Song’s footprints marked the dirt that was strewn on the floor, headed for the stairs. He climbed up after her. His keen hearing told him the house was empty, so he knew Flame must have started for Coppertop, the nearby dwarven city. He hurried through the house and out the door. The sun was just slipping below the horizon. He squinted his eyes at the light. It felt like it ought to be much later, so much had happened. He took to the sky and headed for Coppertop, scanning the ground below. Before long his keen eyes made out a running figure below him. He swooped down, calling out, “Flame Song!”

She stopped and looked up with an expression of relief. “Aidan! You’re all right!”

He landed next to her and hugged her tightly, Littlespark sandwiched between them. “Daddy!” she said.

“Hiya fuzz-ball. You two all right?”

“I should be asking you that. What happened? You’re a mess!”

Aidan looked himself over. He was covered in dirt and dust and his white wings were no longer white, but dingy gray. He shrugged wryly. “Asmodeus managed to collapse the ceiling on me.”

“I thought he was going to kill you. That death spell…”

Aidan laughed. “Yeah, a death spell designed to stop somebody’s heart instantly. The problem being that my heart stopped beating almost two years ago.”

Flame Song suddenly laughed too, though there was a little bit of hysteria in it. “You… Oh I don’t know whether to hit you or kiss you for that! I was so worried about you.”

“Hey, I’m getting better at taking care of myself. You haven’t had to bail me out of something for more than a year now!”

She hugged him again. “Just don’t do that to me ever again.”

“I’ll try not to.”

“Do you think the demon is dead?”

“I hope so! I left him with a dagger in his chest and the ceiling falling down on him.”

“Then let’s go home.”

So they went home. They filled in the tunnel again, cleaned up the basement, and went on with their lives. Littlespark seemed none the worse for being kidnapped. She had only vague memories of the whole thing, having been out cold for most of it. Flame Song and Aidan were both grateful for that. A few days later they made a trip to Coppertop and informed the dwarves that the tunnels were still there and something needed to be done about them. Flame also arranged to hire a dwarven stonemason to line the basement walls with stone. She wanted another layer of protection between their home and the tunnels.

The stonework was finished with typical dwarven speed and efficiency, and when they heard the dim distant rumble of collapsing tunnels they both breathed a sigh of relief. The dwarves were bringing them down at last. There would be no more demons breaking into the basement. As time passed they both put the incident out of their minds and gradually relaxed.

But their troubles with demons were far from over.