Now the sun was sinking slowly, shadows reappearing as the light crept lower. And now direct sunlight inched its way into the cave, like a swimmer cautiously entering a cold lake, one tiny increment at a time. Slowly the sun sank, the light advanced, and as Aidan measured its crawling speed he knew it would reach the back of the cavern before the sun went behind the ravine wall. Aidan pushed himself as far back into the cave as he could, cradling Serapha on his lap, his back pressed against cool stone. He drew in his feet, trying to put as much distance between himself and the light as possible. It was futile, but he couldn’t help but make the attempt.

As the light gradually advanced, Aidan thought over his life. He’d done many things, including some deeds that others might call heroic, but to him the most important part of his life had always been his family. He hoped that they wouldn’t mourn him too much. He certainly would miss them. He believed in an afterlife, of course. In a place like Mysteria, where one could see evidence of the magical and the supernatural every day, there was no doubt that souls lived on. But… he didn’t feel like he was ready to move on. There were so many things he would never do… He winced as the leading edge of the light crept across his boots. He could feel it, even through the heavy leather, like the weight of a hot iron pressing down. And still the sun crept on. There was a faint hiss, a scent of burning, and Aidan bit back a cry of pain as the light touched the exposed skin of one hand. He shifted, trying to find a way to get his hand out of the sun and still hold Serapha. He managed to slip his hand out of the way, but still the light slowly advanced. Another hour passed and the light again crawled onto his bare skin. It touched his arm and crept its way upward. He gritted his teeth, an involuntary hiss of pain escaping him. There was no room to move back further, and in a few more minutes his skin would be completely charred. And a mere hour or so remained until the light rested on his face. That would almost certainly kill him. There was no way out. Aidan closed his eyes, thinking, I wish I could see Flame just one more time…

And then suddenly the light was blotted out as something moved in front of the cave. For a moment Aidan didn’t recognize the dark feline silhouette… but then he breathed a sigh of sudden relief. “Flame Song,” he said simply.

“Are you all right?” asked his wife, her voice clearly showing her concern.

“I am now,” he replied, “though for a while there I was sure this was the end.”

“Serapha. Is she…” Flame trailed off, taking in the scene, Serapha bloodied and torn with Aidan’s sun medallion around her neck. “Aidan, why is she wearing your medallion? I found the ice worm’s body, but… what happened?”

Aidan closed his eyes, hit again with guilt. He knew that what had happened hadn’t been his fault, that he had actually saved his daughter’s life and yet… “She’ll be all right, I think. The worm… It surprised us, she got too close before we realized it was there. It… she was injured pretty badly, she was going to die. I couldn’t think of anything else to do, and she said she wanted to live…” He trailed off, not sure how to explain.

Flame Song sighed. She could put two and two together. “So you changed her.”

“Yes,” said Aidan simply.

“And she’s a vampire now?”

“Once the sun sets, yes.”

Flame shifted slightly, making sure that her shadow covered Aidan completely. “Well, I told you long ago I’d rather have a vampire husband than no husband at all, and there’s no reason why the same thing should not apply to my daughter as well,” she said, and Aidan smiled faintly, remembering that long ago day when Flame Song had convinced him to live.

They passed the rest of the day in quiet, both waiting with patience for the setting sun. Aidan sighed in relief when the sun vanished behind the ravine wall, and then at last it slipped behind the horizon and true night fell. He and Flame both watched Serapha intently, Flame Song shifting back to human form so that she could crawl inside the little cave. Seconds ticked by and nothing happened. Then, just when Aidan was wondering if it had worked after all, Serapha’s eyes fluttered open. She drew a breath and groaned softly, evidently still in pain from her wounds, which were beginning again to heal with the onset of night. Then her gaze focused on the anxious faces above her. “Mom? Dad? What…?” She stopped, suddenly recalling the circumstances that had brought her here. “It worked then,” she said softly, and Aidan listened intently to her voice, seeking any hint of regret, of uncertainty, and found none.

Wordlessly he hugged her close, careful not to jar her wounds, and Flame Song put gentle arms around them both. They huddled there for a long time before at last Flame, ever practical, drew back, saying, “I should let the boys know that you’re both all right.”