Chapter 3

Early the next morning the three of us stood outside in the pre-dawn darkness. Noria and Drazan were readying our equipment, but I had already been given something to hold onto. The long barreled gun that rested in my hands was as foreign to me as anything I'd ever held.

Lenési, what am I supposed to do with this? Won't carrying this thing around make people suspicious?

"It's hunting season here. Noria, Drazan, and I used to do this every year. We'd ride Drazan's horses out at first light to a huge open prairie that Drazan owns. We'd hunt Rutha Birds, and when we bagged our limit, we'd come back to his home and feast on roasted bird."

Rutha Birds?

"Like a pheasant. You know pheasant, right?"

Yes, but I still don't understand how shooting at birds will help us escape.

"We won't actually be hunting this time, but to the prying eyes around us, we need to look the part.

Prying eyes? I glanced around nervously. You mean we're being watched right now?

"Almost certainly. On horseback though, we will outpace anyone who happens to be watching us - even through the eyes of a familiar. Though Drazan uses cats as familiars, he is just about the only person around who does. Most use very small creatures - mice, voles, ferrets, even crawling insects and snakes are used. Those animal are all very stealthy, but not especially fleet of foot. We can outride any familiar that happens to be spying on us, and look unsuspicious doing it."

What about birds or bats? Do people use those and familiars? They could fly a lot faster then we can ride.

"There are no bats on this world. Birds are impossible to use as familiars. Oh, a well-trained vampire could see through their eyes, but it's virtually impossible to get them to go where you want them to go. Mammals, reptiles, and insects are all far more easy to control then birds."

So you say. Then what do we do?

"Once safely out of sight, we ride quickly northwest to Bruur. There's a train station in the town. We'll board a series of trains for a long trip to Melsc Lake on the River Yith. From there we go upstream into the Harrower Mountains. We'll disembark the riverboat at a spot that Drazan knows. He claims it's a five or six day walk to the Ancient's home. We worked out this route last night while you slept. There are faster ways to get there, but none that are more inconspicuous. Drazan believes that teleporting would be far too dangerous because we'd be spotted instantly."

They'll fall for that - us just riding away?

"They rely heavily on magic to track people. Too much so, and we can use that to our advantage."

Noria interrupted my silent conversation with Lenési. "Are you ready to go?" There was a spring in her step and a grin on her face.

"Uhh…I suppose." I mumbled.

Noria eyes flashed in alarm. Uh-oh…Noria's new fledgling probably wouldn't have responded like that. Nési, would you like to take over?

Despite the danger we were in, I could feel Lenési gentle laughter when she replied, "You read my mind, Rheda."

Lenési clarified my previous response, "I'm ready, Mistress. I've never been on a hunt like this before though, and I'm a little nervous."

Noria's nodded and winked, "You'll do fine, and I'm certain you'll enjoy it."

You and Noria liked to hunt a lot of things, didn't you?

"It's in our nature, Rheda. It's what we are."

<><><><>

The early morning ride was surprisingly pleasant. This area was slightly dryer and certainly warmer then upper Corin'la coast when I lived. Though it was damp this morning, there were few traces of snow, and the temperature was a few degrees above freezing. A heavy fog filled the valley below us, and there wasn't even a hint of a breeze. I was wrapped in a fur-lined cloak to ward of the chill. I could almost imagine that we really were just out for a pleasant early morning ride. We rode through light timber - evergreen as well as broadleaf trees still in the glory of the autumn colors. Lenési, though not speaking at the moment, was thinking of past mornings such as this one. Her memories were pleasant, comforting, filled with love, and they eased my fear considerably. Outwardly as well, Noria, Lenési, and Drazan certainly seemed to be enjoying the morning immensely. Noria and Drazan joked and laughed with the easy banter of old friends. I, as a supposedly new fledgling, was silent during the ride. After nearly two hours of easy riding, Lenési finally spoke to me again. "Rheda, we're finally out of sight from anyone trying to watch us. We're going make for the train station at Bruur now. We'll ride fast and hard. You'll need to relax and give me complete control - you can even sleep if you'd like."

I did as Lenési instructed, though I knew I couldn't actually sleep - I was far too nervous for that. True to her word, we turned toward the north and set off at a full gallop. After only a few seconds my awareness of the world faded and softened. I could feel the wind, hear the sound of pounded hooves, and taste the dampness and scent of the vegetation around us. The world was a blur of color and motion, sound, and scent, yet there was an aura of unreality and disconnect over everything. I had no concept of the passage of time or space, and it was only after we'd stopped and I started growing more aware again did I realize that we'd traveled most of the day.

I found myself staring at the horses. They were all lying on the ground, and not moving. Asleep, I wondered? But no, that wasn't it. It took me a second to realize that all three were dead. Lenési, what happened to the horses? I asked in a haze of fatigue.

Her thoughts were faint as she responded, "We…had to ride well beyond what they normally would have been capable of. We sustained their life energy with our own to allow them to keep running most of the day. It was far more then they could recover from though, and when we stopped sustaining them, they died."

My emotions were wild, exaggerated, and far outside of my control. Tears started running down my face. They gave their lives for us…for me… Waves of pain filled my soul and I began to sob, my knees buckled, and collapsed to the ground. Exhaustion flooded over me, and I couldn't muster the strength or willpower to lift me head from the dirt. My body shook, and I kept sobbing. Something's wrong… Lenési, what's happening to me?

"Can't…weak…hungry…so hungry…need…"

Pain was replacing all other sensations. It twisted inside of me, filled me with a torturous need. I was too weak too move, but I wanted to, needed to… I felt myself rise from the ground. Something hot touched my face. Hot and wet. I tried to breathe, but couldn't. I was suffocating…fighting to breathe… Lenési, help me! My plea went unanswered. Numbness was now supplanting the pain. Blissful numbness. My last conscious thought… Is this what it feels like to die?

<><><><>

Twenty-one sets of angry eyes gazed at each other around a circular table. Hidden well, and known only to a few, this was the inner meeting hall of the Lord's Council. Only full voting members of the Lord's Council were allowed to enter this chamber. It had no doors, and sported no windows. It was a sealed chamber deep under the ground. Surrounded by impenetrable rock and layer upon layer of wards, it was as secure a lair as could be constructed. Those therein believed it invulnerable to any outside detection or attack. The men and women, human and elf, around this table were all vampires of at least three quarters of a millennium in age. They were loosely divided into several groups. First and foremost was by race. Elves held the upper hand in influence and power, though it was a human that held the title of Council Chairman. He had done so for nearly fifteen hundred years. As individuals, Fairy Elves held the greatest personal power. Though personal influence varied, each member did have an equal vote in this room. These were colleagues as well as rivals. Some were bitter enemies as well. Still, they had all sworn an oath to put aside enmity for the good and survival of the vampire race. That oath kept blood from being spilled in this chamber, but that was the extent of its power anymore. Though once a body that acted as one for the benefit of all vampires, now they acted out of a desire for personal gain. Paranoia ran deep in this room, and trust was not a word spoken often. When it was spoken, it had little meaning. To the last person they believed themselves above mortals and other vampires, and in that, they felt supremely secure in their position. Still, there were some who now felt a spark of concern at what they were hearing.

"What do you mean they've disappeared?"

A tall lean elf gazed around the room before answering. He was the youngest Fairy Elf at a spry seven hundred fifty-five years old, and he was considered a bit reckless by most of the other Vampire Lords. His name was Amaran, and when he finally replied his voice was calm and showed little concern, "We had surveillance on them, but they have managed to elude us for the last thirty-six hours."

"How is this possible?" the Chairman snapped.

"What type of surveillance did you have on them?" growled Callamad. Sitting at the Chairman's right side, he was one of the senior members of the Council.

For his part, Amaran thought it wasteful to even monitor what he saw as an insignificant human vampire and her new fledgling. Still he chose his words carefully. "I had four agents monitoring their location. Two had familiars doing close-in surveillance. Those four employ a network of over forty informers. Also, with the consent of Lord Calirica, I diverted two of her Warding Trackers to shadow their movements and set up detection wards."

"And yet, they eluded your efforts? How?" Callamad demanded.

"The pair of women went to Lord Drazan's home. We followed, warded, and monitored their actions, though we could not get anyone inside Lord Drazan's residence. He still has sufficient power to keep out familiars and as well as most other methods of scrying. We do not know what they discussed. The next morning they appeared to begin a day of hunting - bird hunting I mean. They rode horses to Drazan's private hunting preserve. It was not possible to move quickly enough to follow with the assets in place, and when other assets were employed later that day they had vanished, though they did not teleport - Calirica's Trackers confirmed that. Over the last day we have searched Drazan's property, including his home. We interrogated his servants vigorously, but they have no knowledge of his whereabouts."

"And why didn't you employ sufficient scrying assets to track them?" Callamad asked, his voice filled with contempt for the younger vampire.

Amaran eyes narrowed at Callamad. Though still a member of lesser standing on the Council, he was not cowed by the more powerful Lord. "I used assets commensurate with abilities of the two women - as I was led to believe by you. In fact I used two of Lord Calirica's Trackers, and that was well above what you'd indicated would be necessary to watch her."

"You should have adjusted your assets when Drazan became involved. You also didn't allow for her unusual abilities either. That was a serious oversight on your part."

Amaran knew that Callamad was often quick to anger, and the only way to outmaneuver him was to remain calm. "Her 'unusual abilities' as you call them were deemed inconsequential by this august body centuries ago. I used sufficient resources for the type of target." He paused a beat and looked around the table, "Or wasn't I fully informed of the reasons I was watching her? Perhaps there were other details that you could have shared with the rest of the Council?"

His last questions hung in the air. Even Callamad remained silent.

Very interesting, Amaran thought. They're worried about her…but why?

The Chairman's voice was remarkably conciliatory when he spoke, "Clearly there was no fault here. Calirica you are instructed to lead the hunt for this Child with Amaran's assistance. Use any and all means necessary to capture them."

Amaran face stayed impassive to hide his surprise. They're not worried…they're afraid! With only a few words the Chairman had just authorized the used of their most powerful resources and spells. Amaran flashed his cool eyes around the table. More then a few of his colleagues were less successful in hiding their surprise. And of the most senior Lords, none showed any surprise at all. He shared a look with Calirica. Though a young member as well, her mastery of magic was unsurpassed by any on the Council, but even her eyes held the same question as his did. Why are they so afraid of this woman?

<><><><>

"Rheda, can you hear me?" The voice repeated, dragging me up from the depths of sleep.

"Uh…wha?" I mumbled.

"Rheda…come on…you need to wake up now."

I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at Noria. A smile quickly formed over her worried expression.

"How are you feeling?"

"Uhh…hurts. I ache all over." I tried to sit up, but my body seemed to have other plans. My spine didn't want to bend, and it was only with considerable effort and help from Noria that I could finally sit up.

"Are you thirsty?" Noria asked looking at me intently.

"Thirsty? Uh…a little I guess. Do you have some water?"

Noria smile grew. "I sure do…" She handed be a large glass and ice water. I sipped the cool liquid surprised to find my throat rather parched. I glanced around to find that we were in a tiny sleeper compartment on a train. "How long have I been asleep?"

Noria put her hand on my forehead, "Almost two days. You seem to be okay now though. We were a little worried for awhile though."

"What happened?"

"You collapsed almost as soon as we stopped riding. Lenési used a lot of your strength to sustain your horse as we rode. Too much in fact, but we didn't really have much of a choice. You passed out and have been sleeping for two days."

I gulped more water. "Two days?"

"Yes…" Noria said cautiously. "Rheda, can you hear Lenési thoughts now? Is she okay?"

"What? Oh…let me see." Lenési, are you awake? There was no response. Hey, Nési! Where are you? I felt a slow awakening of memories in my mind. Soon they coalesced and formed into coherent thought.

"I'm here, Rheda. Have you recovered now?"

I guess I'm okay… What about you?

"I am…unharmed, but still fatigued."

"Uh, Noria, Nési is okay. She's awake now," I revealed.

"Nési, can you hear me?" Noria asked carefully.

"Rheda, I'm too weak at the moment the take over. Please, just tell her that I'm fine, and that I simply need more rest."

"Noria, she can hear you. She's fine but she's really tired. She told me that she needs more rest before she can take over my body again."

Noria nodded slowly. "Nési, are you sure that all you require is rest?"

"Tell her I'm completely certain…rest is all I need."

"She's certain she just needs rest…" I relayed.

Noria looked at me hesitantly before nodding. Just then the door to our tiny berth opened. Drazan quickly entered, pausing for a backward glance in each direction. Upon seeing me he smiled broadly. "Awake finally I see!" He sat next to me, grasped my hand, and closed his eyes. After a moment he nodded and opened his eyes again. "You're well recuperated, Young One. You've recovered quite well from your fall."

I rubbed my forehead and looked at Noria in confusion. "Fall? I fell?"

"Yes. You fell of off your horse."

"I did?"

"Don't your remember?"

"No…the last thing I remember is…riding…then feeling very weak… I fell off my horse though? I don't remember that."

Noria squeezed my shoulder lightly and smiled. "You gave us quite a scare. Your made of some pretty tough stuff though. So…are you hungry?"

At the mention of food, by stomach loudly announced it's presence. "Uh…yeah."

"Good!" Drazan exclaimed. "I've already ordered for all of us. It should be here anytime now."

Lenési? Are you still awake?

Her thoughts were soft, distant, and unfocused when she replied, "Yes…"

How did I fall off my horse? You and I both are good riders…

She didn't answer for a moment, and I began to think she'd fallen asleep again. Finally she replied, "You didn't fall off your horse."

I didn't?

"No."

But Noria and Drazan said-

"I know what they said. Will you allow me to rest before I tell you what happened?"

Can't I just ask Noria?

"No. Please don't do that. They thought it better if you…weren't burdened by this."

By what? Nési, what really happened?

Again there was a long pause before she replied, "We fed…or tried to."

"What do you mean? Tried to?"

"You were conscious when…I lost control and tried to feed."

I…I was? But I don't remember anything…

"And I'm very relieved that you don't. After we'd stopped, we were…so very drained. I tried to simply sleep, but…I lost control. I could feel it happening, and I tried giving you complete control of your body…but…I couldn't. I needed to feed, and I couldn't stop myself."

What happened then?

"I attacked Drazan, and tried to feed on him. I couldn't stop myself."

I…think I remember a little now… I remember feeling…hungry? No, that wasn't it exactly…

"Rheda, stop what you are doing. You must stop."

Stop what?

"You're trying to remember and see memories that I'm shielding from you. I don't have the strength right now to block them out if you focus on them. That's why I wanted to wait until I was rested."

Umm…how am I supposed to not think about something? Just trying not to think about it makes me think about it. It's like trying not to think of pink elephants…and just trying not to makes you do it.

"Goddess, I don't have the strength for this now… I need rest! Please…you need to tell Noria that you need to rest with me."

But-

"NOW, Rheda!"

I cleared my throat. "Uh…Noria? Lenési just told me that I need to…uh…rest with her. It has something to do with her shielding memories from me and-"

Suddenly Drazan's hand slapped onto my forehead, and his face was near mine. "Sleep, Young One…rest in a dreamless embrace of night."

Darkness swept over my eyes so fast I didn't even feel the impact when my head hit the pillow.

<><><><>

Amaran walked next to Calirica as they ascended the steps to her tower. Constructed two centuries ago, it was Calirica's first action upon becoming a member of the Lord's Council. She had woven dozens of spells into the stone - wards of protection, defense, and most of all privacy. Neither spoke as they entered her home and walked quickly to inner room.

"We can speak here," Calirica said. Her voice was soft and calm.

"This room is secure?" Amaran asked, looking around. He had been visited Calirica's tower before, but never this room.

"As secure as the Council Chamber, though not hidden under half a mile of solid rock. Only a Goddess could penetrate my defenses. The combined effort of several Council Members could eventually get in here, but were they to try, I would know of it instantly."

"So we may speak freely…"

"As freely as any two rivals," she replied lightly.

"And am I your rival?" Amaran asked with a grin.

Calirica smiled sweetly. "Potential rival, ally, friend, or enemy…who can say?"

Amaran nodded. "Of course, of course. Though certainly an enemy would be very unfortunate."

"For you especially," Calirica noted.

They shared a look and laughed.

"Do you ever tire of thinking that way?" Amaran asked, his voice now heavy with an accent that marked him as Wild Elf.

Calirica's voice changed as well, becoming friendlier, and slipping into her native Wild Elf accent. "You know I do," she purred. She tossed her cloak onto a chair, then reached up and withdrew two long hairpins, letting her dark locks spill around her shoulders. "When was the last time you returned home?"

Amaran snorted. "I can hardly remember. It's not like they would welcome either one of us."

"True," Calirica noted. With a gesture from her a fireplace sprang to life. She then settled into a chair near the fire. "Though we both have been on the Council for over two centuries, viewing everyone as potential enemies grows tedious on occasion."

Amaran dropped into a second chair near the fire. "You don't really see me as a potential enemy do you? We've known each other for our entire lives."

"Of course I do. My position requires it, as does yours."

Amaran shrugged. Though he could be at ease with Calirica, he knew that she was correct. Friends before and after becoming vampires, their assertion to the Lords Council had been brought great power, but it had required significant personal sacrifice as well. The alteration and distancing of their friendship was one such sacrifice.

"Of course," she continued slowly, "that also means you're a potential friend as well."

Amaran chuckled, "As always…my friend."

She smiled and nodded. Unlike the other Vampire Lords, these two had a special arrangement. It was one a considerable trust. Though not total trust, they had never betrayed each other, or opposed each other for personal gain.

"You didn't bring me here to talk about our history though," noted Amaran.

"No…I didn't. I presume you saw it as well?" asked Calirica softly.

"Fear in the Senior Lords hearts? I saw it, though I do not understand its source."

"What do you know of the woman we're supposed to find?"

Amaran frowned, "Everything I've read of her indicates that she's insignificant. True, she defied them a few decades ago, but it was over a minor point of law. Of course she did slay her master a few days after she'd been turned…"

Calirica rolled her eyes. "I would have loved to have seen the Council Member's faces when they were given THAT news. She actually killed their Lord Arcane Warder by pounding a wooden stake through his heart!" Calirica laughed. "Oh my…that still makes me laugh…"

"I as well would have enjoyed seeing that, though I'm glad you didn't have that title at the time," Amaran noted. "Poetic vengeance, but she was within her rights to do so. There is the report of her 'special' abilities. What information can you glean from that?"

"Very little. She seems to have a modest ability to charm people - enough to gain some amount of control over them. This talent seems to be separate from her powers of vampirism, and is rather unique actually - and fairly powerful. She's elusive; well we just saw that didn't we? She also has an innate mental defense of modest power. The only curious point in the report about her was that Drazan didn't even hypothesize where her powers come from, though I strongly suspect they are residual powers from an ancestor. Probably given to a relative by a higher being."

"So does any of this make her a significant threat?"

"She's not even a minor threat. Even if she is favored by a Goddess, that would not make her a significant threat. The Goddesses have shown a great lack of interest in us for a long time, and I see no evidence of any change there. She has fully embraced her vampirism as well. She shows no reluctance in feeding, and is very careful to protect our society. She even has a fledgling now. Do you have any information on her new fledgling? Could they be concerned about her?"

"I don't see why they would be. She's twenty-four, human, attends a local university. According to her classmates she has no friends at all. She gets fair grades, writes a fiction column for an Earth magazine. Her parents live here; there just isn't anything special about her. She's just a typical young woman. Rather private, but nothing unusual."

"What about her family?"

"I had them interrogated. They didn't have any useful information."

"I hope you did that carefully," Calirica warned.

"I do know my job," Amaran replied in a slightly miffed voice. "They were unharmed and have no memory of the questioning."

"So that leaves us with…what?"

"Nothing," Amaran confessed. "There is just no reason to expend any effort to find this woman."

"No apparent reason," Calirica corrected. "The Chairman didn't give me the authority to use all resources available because he dislikes her."

"Can you find her with your magic?"

"If I could, I would have done so by now," Calirica replied with a touch of anger. "Combined we have nearly two thousand people looking for them. In a day that number will be doubled. In a week, perhaps doubled again. Still it's a very large planet. Drazan is a capable adversary as well. He has the ability to elude most of our people, except of course my Trackers."

"Perhaps we're going about this the wrong way," Amaran wondered.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why are they running at all?"

Calirica lapsed into silence, staring into the flames for several minutes. "The woman, Noria, was ordered to present her new fledgling to us. What possible reason would she have that would cause her to not follow those orders?"

"None that I can think of. It's no secret that she hates the Lords Council, but that's hardly sufficient reason to invite harsh punishment."

"No, it's not," Calirica agreed. "It has to be the fledgling then. Was there something about her that Noria didn't want us to learn?"

"I can't imagine what it would be. I already told you the fledgling is completely ordinary. Her parents are ordinary humans as well."

"Drazan then? Could this be all his doing?"

"Certainly he's helping them, but-" Amaran stopped in mid word, paused and then began again. "He's protecting them…"

"That seems likely," Calirica allowed.

"How? If you were Drazan how would you protect them?"

Calirica frowned. "No matter what he does, he can't possibly protect them from us for very long. He was on the council for a long time, and he'd know that of course…"

"He'd try to hide them and-"

"No," Calirica interrupted, "He wouldn't! Don't you see it? He'd know there is no place to hide them that we wouldn't eventually find! He'd want to put them someplace where we can't get to them - even if we knew exactly where they are!"

"But there's no such place." Amaran protested.

Calirica's voice dropped to a whisper. "Yes there is. In fact there are quite a few places like that."

"What? Where?"

"In one of the Ancients' domains."

Amaran suppressed a shiver. "Why would an Ancient want to protect them?"

"I don't know, but that's not really important at the moment. It's the only place they could go where we could never get at them."

"Do you know where the Ancients live?"

"I know of about a dozen," Calirica admitted. She spread her hands and an unrolled map appeared in front of her. She stood and spread the parchment out on a table. The map covered the entire world, and the homes of the Ancients were marked in orange.

Amaran shook his head when he saw the map. "If we assume they haven't used any magical travel aid, they could be…anywhere in a two-thousand mile radius. The closest home of and Ancient is well outside of that…"

"They haven't teleported. My Trackers would have detected it. We also can't assume that they are going to the closest one. Any of the Ancients are potential destinations. We need to make certain that they don't reach any of them."

Amaran nodded. "That's something that we can certainly prevent."



Chapter 4

I opened my eyes to an almost imperceptible sense of movement, and a very faint sound of constant wind. My head was clear this time, and I felt well rested. Lenési…are you awake?

"Yes, Rheda." Her thoughts were strong and focused now.

How long were we asleep this time?

"We both slept for another day, but I've kept you resting for an additional twelve hours beyond that. I wanted to make certain that you were fully recovered."

Can I think about…uh…what I'm not supposed to think about now?

"You need not worry about avoiding anything now. I'm strong enough to shield memories from you again."

You…attacked Drazan?

"Yes. He was not harmed though. He quickly subdued me and prevented me from harming anyone, including myself."

Why did you do it?

"You know the answer to that my friend."

The…uh…madness came back, didn't it?

"Yes, Rheda, it did. Do you want to know why it's held in check now?"

Of course…

"It's you, Rheda. I should have seen it from the first moment of our joining. You've given me back the power to control my hunger. Without your strength, I would be as I was before I died. When we escaped from Drazan's estate I had to use our life energy to sustain our horse during the long ride. I didn't realize that without that life energy, that stability you lend me would fail and I would slip into uncontrollable hunger again. Though we share a body, the life energy we share all comes from you. I now understand that draining and weakening you comes with very dangerous risks."

What if Drazan or Noria wouldn't have been around to stop you?

"I would have hunted, Rheda. I would have captured my prey and devoured all of their life energy. I would have killed again."

I closed my eyes and shivered. Killed again…no…murdered again. She…no…it's WE could have murdered someone… Fear was building in my heart. I just want this to be over…I want to feel like I did a week ago lying in Noria's arms…wonderful, magical…loved… Suddenly I had a very real sensation of arms encircling me. No one else was near…. Was it a memory? Something imagined? Perhaps it was something else entirely. Realization crept into my thoughts that I wasn't quite awake anymore.

I opened my eyes to daylight. I was sitting on a gently sloping hill overlooking a clear wide brook. Soft grass tickled my bare feet, and warm sunlight caressed my arms. How did I get here? Lenési, where are we? She didn't answer. I concentrated now. Lenési, are you there?

"I'm here, Rheda," came a voice from right next to me. I turned to find that I really was being held! Two slender arms were wrapped around me. I followed the arms to shoulders, and finally to a face. I knew this face. I had seen it each day in a picture near our bed. Silvery eyes and gently pointed ears framed with golden hair…

"Lenési?"

"Yes, my gentle Rheda. I'm so very happy to finely be able to see you like this."

I looked around, a twinge of fear creeping into my thoughts. "What…where…what's happening? Why can I see you now?"

"Try to be calm. I don't know how long I can maintain this. We're sharing a…dream. I've tried to do this several times before with you, but this is the first time it's actually worked."

"How can I be dreaming? I was just awake…I am awake…aren't I? This doesn't feel like a dream."

"It's not exactly a dream, but that's the best way I can describe it. Ori and I attempted to do this for many years, but we never could make it work. It usually requires a pair of bonded Fairy Elves."

I ran my hand up her arm. "You feel real."

"I am real. Just think of this as a very vivid dream."

I gazed upon her face…so close to me…warm eyes, beautiful eyes… "My dreams are never like this…" I breathed.

"Nor mine, Rheda. I have so wanted to hold you and now I really can."

Her arms tightened around me and pulled me closer. Her hair smelled sweet. My body was warming. I nuzzled her neck, lightly kissed her flushed skin, before raising my head, turning slightly…her lips parted…inviting…a touch…a taste…

Her soft voice whispered, "My gentle sweet Rheda…"

Her voice raised goose bumps across my arms, and brought quickening heat to my face. "Nési I…we…can we?"

Her lips now moved to my neck, nipping lightly, teasing, tickling… "Yes, we can share our love…" she breathed.

I moaned my response, unable to speak my frustrated desires. My body, my soul…needed this for me…

A loud voice invaded our dream. It was Noria. "Rheda, are you alright?"

Though I tried to hold onto it, the dream faded. The lovely setting and my dream lover dissolved and were replaced by the darkened train. Nonononono! "Why'd you have to wake me up?" I slurred.

Noria tilted her head to one side. "I heard you moan. I thought you were in pain."

I took a deep breath. "I…I was just…dreaming. I'm okay…"

Noria sat next to me. "I'm glad to here that. Lenési's been keeping you asleep to allow you extra rest."

I nodded and forced a smile. "Yeah, I know. I woke up earlier, and we talking about it. She explained to me what happened."

"Do you remember it?"

"No, she's able to shield those memories now. I'm fine…really."

Noria stood, "I was just going to get us a midnight snack. You'll be okay for a few minutes alone?"

"I'm not alone, Noria. Lenési is here with me."

Noria chuckled. "I suppose she is!" With that she slipped out the room.

Nési, are you there?

Her thought were jumbled with she replied, "Yes, I am…um…with you."

Are you okay?

More focused now, Lenési responded, "I'm well. About what just happened, it might be best it we don't tell Noria about it just yet. I was almost as much of a surprised to me, as it was to you."

I wasn't going to say anything…I mean… It was just a dream, right?

"Did it feel like just a dream to you?"

"Uhh…no. It felt real."

"For me as well. In fact it felt as real to me as when I am in control of your body."

Did…did you really mean what you said though?

"About wanting to share our love?"

Well…yes.

"Rheda," she playfully scolded, "Don't you know yet how I feel about you? I adore you!"

Because I gave you your life back?

A tiny sigh, "No. Because you've given me happiness beyond what I knew before I died. Do you understand that? I'm happier now then I ever was in life. I am humbled by your generosity and gentle love. My heart warms to feel your thoughts… your trust… I again have my Ori, but now I also have you as well! I wish I could share more with you…hold you…touch you. I want to share my love with you. I want us to dream together again."

You…do?

"Yes, and I know you do as well."

But what about…Noria? I don't know if we should do that again. Wouldn't we be betraying her somehow? I sighed out loud. I don't want to hurt her. I'm already starting to feel bad about what almost just happened.

"That's an awful lot of guilt for someone who hasn't even done anything yet. Do you want me to talk to her about it?"

NO! I mean…well…I don't know. Maybe we should just… I rubbed my eyes. So much is happening now…can't we just wait until it's over to sort out…what we can…or should do? I don't want to feel like I'm sneaking around behind Noria's back and sleeping with her wife.

A could feel a hint of amusement in Lenési thoughts now. "And do you think Noria feels guilty about using your body to touch me?"

No…I suppose not.

"I think you're being extremely unfair to yourself. There is no reason you should feel guilty about sharing affection with me."

I do though. Will you just…give me some time to think about this, and maybe talk to Noria about it?

"As you wish. Remember though - sometimes tomorrow never comes. Even for immortals."

Noria returning drew me out of my thoughts with Lenési. She'd brought a large tray of food with several covered platters. Drazan followed close behind her. He sat next to me and again put his hand on my forehead. A moment later he pronounced my fully recovered.

"Feeling better now? Hungry though I expect."

A tiny table was set in front of the bed, and an enormous slab of beefsteak was placed in front of me. It was rare, very rare in fact. I winced. I didn't like bloody meat.

Seeing my discomfort Noria gently told me, "The animal protein will help reduce any cravings you might have to feed."

"But I don't have any cravings to feed," I protested.

"Speak for yourself," Lenési corrected.

"At least it could be cooked a bit more." I cut off a bit of meat and popped it into my mouth. It was surprisingly good - heavily seasoned, very juicy, and melted in my mouth. "I hate to ask this, but how many more days are we going to be on this train?"

"We'll change trains tomorrow night…why do you ask?"

"Will we need to feed sometime? Lenési told me that she…er…I mean we are having some cravings…"

Drazan shook his head, "Don't you even worry about that. It will all be taken care of. You really don't want to know the details, do you?"

"No, probably not."

Noria winked at me, "Good answer."

Drazan uncovered his platter and began eating. His plate was piled high with wafer thin slices of raw beef that smelled strongly of sesame and garlic. I winced and told myself not to look at it again. "After tomorrow, how much more train travel will there be?"

"Another seventeen days of it." Drazan replied. "We'll change trains two more times, and though we are on a magically levitated train now, we'll be on much slower trains from now on. Unfortunately there are no maglevs where we're going. We could get there faster changing trains a few more times, but I'd rather we not expose ourselves any more then necessary. Each time we change trains risks being spotted. I'd rather that not happen."

"What happens if we're spotted?"

Drazan shared a look with Noria. "If we're spotted, you will stay close to Noria at all times. If possible you'll let Lenési take control of your body. If for some reason she is unable to do that you will follow our orders without question. If you become separated from Noria and I, you will do exactly as Lenési tells you - even if she can't take control of your body."

I starred down at my food. "I understand…"

"Good…now eat. You're going to need your strength."

<><><><>

For the next day I sat near the window watching the landscape fly by. This was my first time on an Express train, and it was almost pleasant - for a while. We'd traveled a good way around the planet in only a few days. Just a week ago I would have relished the thought of traveling with Noria, but now, I just wanted to go home. My thoughts drifted back to before any of this happened, before I'd become a vampire, before I'd even met Noria. Part of me dearly wished that I had my old life back. True it was boring and lonely, but at least it was safe. Now my thoughts were never far from death. It hardly seemed fair - I was now an immortal yet my life was more at risk then it ever had been before. Lenési was silent during these musings. She seemed to know that I wanted to be alone in these thoughts. Was she listening? Almost certainly, but…she was giving me what privacy she could.

The afternoon wore on, the miles swiftly passed, and finally it was Drazan that broke me out of me thoughts.

"Rheda, we'll be arriving at Vlowyn station soon. You need to be aware of what we'll be doing."

I turned from the window and found both Drazan and Noria looking at me intently. "I'm listening," I replied wearily.

"Our next train won't arrive until a little after 1:00 am, so we'll have about three hours to wait after we arrive at the station. If I feel it's safe enough, we're going to hunt. Noria and I could go another week easily without feeding, but you cannot."

My stomach tightened into a ball. Neither Noria nor Lenési had actually ever told me beforehand that they were going to hunt.

"Courage, Rheda. Be strong. I'll be doing the hunting. You'll be sleeping."

I pressed on. "Okay, so we're going to hunt. What if there is someone waiting for us?"

"We'll be disguised. I can weave a tight illusion that will fool any human or elf observer. However, a highly skilled Fairy Elf may be able to defeat my spell."

"Ask them to tell you everything," Lenési requested.

Trying to keep a quiver from my voice I relayed Lenési instructions, "Tell me everything."

"Very well…" Drazan murmered. "Many vampires can see illusions for what they are, though they can't actually see through them. My biggest fear is that we'll be detected by a Tracker."

"Tracker?"

Drazan nodded. "We would do well to avoid them. They're also called Ward Trackers. Among their many abilities, they can weave highly specialized warding spells centered on their own bodies. When they move, the ward moves with them. Those wards can be tuned to detect just about anything they choose, even specific people. If a Tracker gets close to us, they will sense we're near. If two or more Trackers sense us, they can triangulate and get our exact position, and I have no ability to shield us from their detection spells. They also have a high level of magical training. Their defensive abilities are unsurpassed, and their offensive combat magic is very respectable. I could defeat one, perhaps even two, but three or more would certainly overwhelm me."

"How close do they have to be to detect us?" Noria asked.

Drazan slowly shook his head, "I do not know. The capabilities of the Trackers are directly tied to the skill of the one who trained them, the Lord Arcane Warder. Lord Calirica currently holds that title. She's on the young side to be a Lord Arcane Warder, but her Trackers are still very capable, and she herself is very powerful."

"Is she more powerful then you?" I whispered.

"I regret to admit that she is considerably more powerful then I, though I wouldn't worry about that. She will not hunt us personally. She has the Trackers to do that. However, we do have something going for us. The wards that the Trackers use are very easy for me to detect from afar. I should be able to steer us clear of any in our way."

"So, we just hope that she's not smart enough to put Trackers at the train stations?" Noria skeptically asked.

"Oh, she's plenty smart enough. I'm certain she'll have them at a few selected stations. There are only a small number of Trackers though, and an entire planet to cover. She can't have them everywhere, and she probably has no idea where we are going. We were very fortunate to have a Maglev station so near to my home. She may not suspect that we've traveled so far already."

I turned away and looked out the window again. Darkness was quickly descending. I would be going to sleep soon, giving complete control to Lenési. Everything was out of my hands. It was not a thought that brought me any comfort.

<><><><>

"Rheda, it's time."

The last few hours had crawled by, but now the train was slowing. Soon we would slip out into the night to hunt…or be captured.

"I'll take good care of our body."

I know…I just… My courage was failing fast. I needed someone to lean on, but the time for reassuring words had past.

"Know that I love you, my gentle soul. Rest now…let me carry this burden for a time."

I closed my eyes and for a fleeting moment I felt arms around me again. Held close, sleep beckoned, and I couldn't resist the sirens call to a dreamless oblivion.


Continued.

Anyone reading this? Bard's crave feedback... ErinG@xenafiction.net