by Sophia Sharp
She ran, and spotted an overturned log up ahead. It was wide, and looked to be precariously balanced between two boulders. She could just go around, but… she felt strong, and more in tune with her body and with what she could do. She jumped… and nimbly landed on top of the log, running across edge of the without once feeling like she would lose her balance.
She laughed in delight. This reminded her a lot of when she was in the dream with Log— she stopped herself. She didn’t like how her thoughts kept leading back to him. He had left her, after taking her away from her family, after saying that he was “protecting her.” But now she saw the truth of how much that protection really offered.
It was better to have never met him. None of this – any of it! – would be happening were it not for him. It was all so confusing. And crazy. She wanted desperately to push him out of her mind, but she just… couldn’t. She knew she should be angry with him for ripping her away from her life, and then just forgetting her, nearly all alone, in the middle of nowhere… but the anger didn’t come. All she felt was an emptiness, maybe tinged with a hint of a sadness, at his absence.
Laura shook her head and ran, trailing after Alexander as he paved the away. She was going fast, now, and so was he. Abruptly, she realized that she had been lost in her thoughts. She was going too fast. She looked back – and Gray was nowhere to be seen.
“Hold on!” she yelled out to Alexander, coming to a stop. Alexander turned back, and, seeing that she stopped running, stopped as well.
“What is it?” he yelled across to her.
“Gray,” she explained. “We went too fast, and left him behind!”
“Oh.” Alexander was by her side almost instantly. “I must have forgotten myself.”
“I don’t think he’s too far back,” Laura said. “But maybe I should go and find him, just in case he—” she cut off as she caught a dark blur streaking towards her face.
Before she could turn and react to it, Alexander crashed his body into her side, knocking her over. They fell heavily onto Laura’s shoulder, but it was Alexander who cried out in pain.
She looked – and saw a long wooden shaft, maybe as long as her arm, pierced through Alexander’s shoulder. It went straight through, and on the other side was fitted a sharp metal point. An arrow.
Laura’s senses were instantly alert. She looked all around her, searching for movement. Seeing none, she strained her ears – trying to hear anything that would give her attackers away. There was no noise except for Alexander’s labored breathing.
Alexander grunted suddenly, and she turned her attention to him – while still being very alert for anything else that might come from the forest around them. He had broken the shaft, and pulled it out of his shoulder. The part of his shirt right around the wound was stained with blood. Regular, red blood, but it surprised her nonetheless – she thought vampires were strong, and had no idea how the arrow went through.
“Are you ok?” Laura asked anxiously. She was still looking around her alertly – and nervously.
“I’m fine,” Alexander said with a grimace.
“You’re hurt,” Laura said. “Is it bad?”
“The wound will heal.” It looked like he should be in great pain, but his voice had become steady.
“How did the arrow go through?”
“I don’t know. But that’s not our biggest worry. The arrow was directed at you.”
Before Laura could speak, she heard movement behind her. She spun around, instinctively shielding Alexander. What she saw made her wish she never left home.
Chapter Eleven
~Old Friends~
Laura stared, amazed, as four of the most distinctive people she had ever seen came out of the bush. There was an older man, a woman who looked about the same age, and two boys who looked a few years younger than Laura. All four were tall, extraordinarily so, and all had red markings on their arms that looked like tribal tattoos. The woman was carrying a heavy bow, now slung over her back. As far as Laura could see, there were no more arrows.
Laura knew right when she saw them that all four were vampires. All four were the Vassiz. The sublime grace with which they carried themselves, lightly and surefootedly, gave it away immediate. But their skin was not milky white, as Logan’s, or Alexander’s, or even Rafael’s had been. Instead, it was a pale cocoa, like a fresh brew of coffee mixed with too much cream. But it was flawless, as was the skin of every other Vassiz she had ever seen.
The four vampires stopped maybe twenty feet away from Laura and Alexander, and regarded them calmly. Laura felt her body tense. She met their eye contact, though, and defiantly stared back.
“Alexander!” the man said suddenly, “We did not expect to find you here.”
Laura stared back at Alexander. “You know them?”
“Knew them, yes,” Alexander whispered quietly to her. He walked out in front of Laura, one hand still holding his shoulder. “It has been many years, friend,” Alexander said cautiously.
“Many years, yes,” the man said. “You do not look like you have aged a day.”
“And neither do you. Or your family.”
The man barked a laugh. “Yes, that is a consequence of who we are, I’m afraid.”
“It is,” Alexander agreed.
The man motioned towards the woman with the bow. “Forgive my wife. Sometimes her aim is a little… off.” The words sounded hollow in Laura’s ears. They were said dismissively, with no real regard for Alexander. For some reason, Laura was reminded of two generals exchanging pleasantries before waging a bloody war.
“I did not recognize you from far away,” the woman said. Her voice did not share the elegance of her movement. It was blocky, and quite rough. “If I had known it was you claiming the elder’s bounty, I would have been more precise.”
“The elder’s bounty?” Laura exclaimed without thinking. That earned an admonishing look from Alexander.
“Yes, doll,” the woman said cruelly, running her finger over the limb of her bow, “the arrow was meant for you.”
Alexander shot another glance at Laura, and whispered harshly, “Let me speak!” Then he looked to the man again. “I will harbor no ill will,” he said, spreading his arms, “nor will I seek revenge, towards you or your family, for the mishap that has occurred today, on the basis of our past friendship. All I ask in return is safe passage through these woods.”
The man frowned. “You know, Alexander, my boys had not had good sport for quite some time. Today… is an thrilling time for them. We did not answer the call of the elders at first, but when they saw unannounced movement through these lands… well, imagine their excitement when they realized just who it was. The girl sought so fervently by the elders. Lady luck must be smiling down on them to find such a hefty prize.”
“Permit us safe passage,” Alexander repeated, “and I will forget what happened here. To attack another of the Vassiz is not merely frowned upon, but it is outlawed. Your wife will avoid trial and sentence for what she did.”
To Laura’s surprise, the man laughed in return. Laughed, and laughed and laughed. She could feel the tension building between Alexander and the group of four in front of them. When the man finally calmed down, his face twisted into something that resembled anger.
“You trespass on our lands without permission,” he began, “and you dare make threats to my wife? However thinly-veiled your pleasantries are, I know what lies behind them, Alexander. You are a man of great ambition, and you will stop at nothing to get what you want. Don’t deny it – I know you well. No, Alexander, I am afraid we will not allow the two of you safe passage through these woods.”
Alexander growled, a noise that Laura only ever heard before from Logan, but the man continued right over top.
“But we are friends, no? Yes,” he nodded, “I think we are. And in the spirit of that friendship, I will make you a concession. You bring with you to our pack a precious gift. This is the girl that has been shown to us in the dream, no?” The wo
man – his wife – nodded. “We will help you, then, Alexander. Your shoulder – it looks badly hurt. You will need to tend to it. You should not be burdened by running around with a newborn. Allow us to take the weight off your hands. Give us the girl, allow us to claim the bounty, and you may go freely.”
“No deal, Korver,” Alexander said quietly.
“What’s that?” the man – Korver – asked, raising a hand to his ear. “I do not think I heard you correctly. Could you speak up, please? And this time, Alexander… make the right decision.”
“I said,” Alexander replied defiantly, “No. Deal.” He took his hand away from his shoulder, and crouched down in an aggressive stance.
“No?” Korver mused, “I must say, Alexander, I knew you for an ambition man, but not for a fool. Consider the numbers. There are four of us, and only two of you. The girl – she has no control over herself yet. She does not know her body as we know ours. That paints her out of the equation. What does it become then? It becomes quite scary for you. It becomes four of us, against only one of you. And you have a bad shoulder, now, while we’re freshly rested and without injury. Do you truly wish to risk such odds?”
“I do not want to risk anything, Korver,” Alexander snarled, “but I will do what I must if you force me. Let us through. There is no need for a confrontation.”
Korver ignored Alexander completely. “Oh,” he said to himself, as if just remembering, “we also found something in the woods.”
One of the boys, Laura realized, had stood there the entire time with his hands behind his ack. Easily, he brought them around – and Laura was terrified to see that he had Gray hanging limply by the neck.
“No!” Laura screamed.
Korver smiled at her. “You see, we are more in touch with nature than most. That is how we found this stray running behind.” Laura saw with relief that Gray’s chest still moved with breath. Weakly, though. “Surely it is of no consequence to you, Alexander, if we take his pelt? It is such a rich, beautiful color.”
“I would not do that, Korver,” Alexander warned. Laura stepped up beside Alexander, shoulder to shoulder with him, facing the pack.
Korver frowned, this time truly with surprise. “I did not think you one to care. But that means… No. Could it be true…? The girl… she is not your prisoner at all, is she? You have no intention of claiming the bounty, or taking her to the elders. No. She is your toy.” He said the last word derisively. “Do you so easily forsaken the Vassiz, then, Alexander? What you are doing, it is worse than treason.” He smiled to his wife. “The elders will reward us greatly if we bring them not one, but two outcasts. Boys – go take them.”
The boy holding Gray threw him aside gruffly, and his brother took a step towards them. At the same time, Korver’s wife locked eyes with Laura. “This one’s mine,” she told them.
Everything happened at once.
The boys streamed towards Alexander. He pushed Laura aside, and charged right at them, giving no heed to his shoulder.
Laura stumbled a bit, and just before she caught her feet, something hit her across her cheek. Hard. Hard enough to knock her off balance. She fell back, and at the same time looked up. The woman who had just been beside Korver was standing over her. “That’s for Alexander’s threat,” she said in a menacing tone.
Laura started to get up, but just before she could she received a hard kick to her side – one that sent her flying a few meters away. Laura landed on her stomach and grunted.
“That one,” the woman said, “was from me.” Laura pushed herself up, and felt anger rising within her. The woman was leisurely walking around her. “So,” she continued, starting to circle Laura widely, “how does it feel to face your demise? This is your destiny today.”
“My destiny,” Laura said harshly, “does not involve you!” The woman had taken Gray, threatened her, and put an arrow through Alexander’s shoulder. The anger inside Laura steamed up to the top. Laura pushed herself up, and locked eyes with the woman. She had been running for two straight days, making use of all her newfound abilities. Together with the anger, she could feel the vampire instincts inside her just begging to be let out. And she let them go.
With a snarl, she ran towards the woman. The woman’s face momentarily showed surprise, only to be quickly replaced by determination. The woman charged towards Laura, matching her stride for stride.
Laura saw a rock sitting along her path, and knelt quickly to grab it, while keeping at a dead run. It was a large stone that fit well in the palm of her hand, and should do for a fine weapon. She kept running, closing the distance between her and the woman. Suddenly, the woman jumped, high in the air, and Laura jumped too.
They flew towards each other, bodies streaming through the air. The woman bared her teeth harshly, and Laura felt herself do the same.
They collided, like two rams meeting head-on, and each one’s momentum cancelled out the other one’s. They came to a dead stop in mid-air, and fell to the ground.
The woman was like a viper, and already had one hand wrapped around Laura’s wrist – on the same hand that held the rock. But Laura herself had the woman’s other hand. They tussled on the ground, both vying for advantage, and neither getting it. Laura found herself on her back, defending more than attacking, and the woman moved to slam her knee into Laura’s side harshly, but Laura wiggled out of the way just in time. Using the momentum, Laura flipped them over so she was on top.
The woman’s face became angry, and her eyes shone with a vicious intensity. Instead of fighting against Laura’s grip, she rolled back, flipping them both over again so she was back on top. Laura tried to hold off the woman’s hands, but they were quick, and strong. Slowly, Laura began to feel overpowered. The woman was stronger; she had more experience with this. Staving off the woman’s hands took all of Laura’s efforts. She tried to use the rock, to hit the woman against the head with it, but couldn’t manage to get enough space to do it no matter how hard she tried.
With alarm, Laura realized she would not win on the ground. The woman was too experienced, too much stronger in such close combat. Laura knew she had to get to a different terrain, or else… or else she would lose.
Laura twisted her body in a way she thought would make the woman think she was losing. The woman fell for the trick, smiling as she positioned herself better above Laura and darted her hands towards her neck. Just at that moment, when the woman thought she had the advantage and let up her defense, Laura used the leverage of both her legs to fling the vampire off, away from her. The woman flew backwards through the air, but righted herself nimbly before touching ground and landed on both feet. That was just enough time for Laura to get up, though.
From the side of her vision, Laura caught Alexander taking on the two brothers. They were both jetting around him, mocking him. Suddenly, one of them was down, cringing in pain. And Alexander was right on top of him, finishing a lethal blow to the head. She had no idea how it happened so quickly, but if he could take on two… she could definitely take on one.
The woman rushed back towards Laura, but instead of facing her head on, Laura turned and ran. She knew she had to get away, to find some place where she could have an advantage. Her mind raced with what that might be.
She ran through bush and tree, around ancient trunks and fallen logs. Turning her head back, she saw the woman was right on her trail. She doubled her speed, until the lines of her vision started to blur. She had never gone this fast before in the real world, and it felt… liberating. She was moving so fast that she had no time to think about where she was going – and she let instinct completely take over. She dodged past branches, sidestepped boulders, and twisted through narrow gaps in between trees all without losing a step.
While she ran, the conscious part of her mind worked. She had to find some advantage, some way of beating the woman vampire chasing after her. Some way of… she glanced back, and realized she had gained quite a lead over her pursuer. Wait. That was it! Laura was faster, most
definitely, and she could use that to win.
Quickly, she darted ahead, zipping through the trees and turning at random to throw off the woman behind her. If she could just get out of her line of sight, maybe she could take her by surprise. Laura ran, going left, then right, then left again, all in an effort to get further and further away. But also in an effort to get out of sight.
Laura realized the vampires they met had no distinctive smell. Neither, for that matter, did Alexander. Which meant that now that she had been transformed, she did not have one that could be traced, either. That was a precious advantage, when she had the lead.
Quickly she glanced back – and saw nobody. She stopped, pressing herself up against the trunk of a thick tree, and waited. A few seconds later, she started to make out the sound of the other woman running. It was very quiet – so quiet that Laura nearly missed it. It was amazing, really, how somebody could run through the bush making so little noise. Laura wondered absently if she had done as well.
She heard the sounds getting closer, and then stop. Laura dared to peek ever-so-slightly out from the tree. And she saw the other vampire, nose high in the air, looking around, trying to follow Laura’s scent.
Laura shivered uncomfortably. That had to be what the woman was doing, and yet she herself had not been able to sense the woman’s smell at all. Were her senses not fully developed yet, for her not to be able to notice? And if so, what other advantage did the woman hold that Laura did not? She shook her head gruffly. Those were questions she could not waste time thinking on, now.
She looked around the tree again, and saw the woman stood in the same spot, still looking around. Laura felt a flood of relief wash over her. The woman didn’t know where she was. Which meant she still had the element of surprise on her side.
Suddenly a new thought occurred to her. It was very likely that the woman was underestimating her. Or at least, not taking Laura as seriously as Laura was taking her. Which meant that just maybe, with a little bit of luck…