‘Quickly,’ he shouted orders to a group of males. ‘Commanders, follow me. We must chase those monshaads and deliver this human to the Emperor. He will gladly exchange her for our children that he holds to ransom.’
The women cheered at their leader, who was to return their children. None but the dragons thought of the human girl he held as hostage.
Take care my child. Queen Thimat Mindtalked softly to Heather. I know this is what you wanted but the Emperor is an evil foe. Once we have passed back to the Lightlands, you will be alone. Use your magic skills to protect yourself, that is why you have them.
Fear not for me Queen, Heather replied. I am not afraid of the vamplins. They are much the same as any race under threat. It is time that I met with this Grand Emperor. You must return to the Lightlands now. From here on, I work alone and will report back as soon as I am able. Farewell my Queen.
In their frenzy, the vamplins did not notice the dragons take flight. Heather sat perched on a basca whilst held tightly by the vamplin Lord. His grip was painful but she spoke no words. She did not wish to delay this flight, she too feared for the children that the monshaads had taken.
It did not take long to find the monshaads. The cries of the vamplin children, who had now become conscious of their predicament, could be heard from afar. As the flight of vamplins swooped down to the waiting Emperor, Fiendrac landed his basca. Without dismounting he shouted over his offer.
‘Here evil one. I have your prize. Now return my young ones,’ Fiendrac’s voice boomed loudly.
Aahhhh, a voice whispered in Fiendrac’s head. What makes you think I cannot have both the children and the human? Morte-Bielz threatened.
Heather remained motionless, in the grip of the powerful vamplin Lord. She had known all along that she would be used as bait to save the children. That had been her plan when she had chosen to reveal herself. Amongst these strange people she felt alone, very alone, but she showed no fear. The vamplin Lord had said nothing to her. He cared only for his own people. He had not noticed the brave sacrifice this small human girl was offering him. For the first time he peered at the tiny slim form balancing in his grasp. He noticed the long golden curls that she wore so gracefully and thought of stroking at the silky locks. He smiled at himself for wondering such a strange thought at such a dangerous time.
‘Perhaps Emperor, I shall take my children and also keep the Changeling, then you shall have neither to feast upon.’
Fiendrac had already decided he did not want to give up this human creature just yet. He grew increasingly curious as to exactly what hold she had over the Emperor.
Morte-Bielz turned to his monshaad Lords. They awaited his instructions as to whether they could indeed feast upon these young morsels that they now held captive. He could quite easily have both the young souls and the Changeling but that was not what he sought. Let the vamplin Lord believe he had won, for now. Hah, why not. He would seek his reward later.
You have the upper hand this time Fiendrac. Of course we shall return your children. This was merely a game to break the monotony of the wait. Now that we have our visitor present, perhaps we can progress with our plans.
The vamplin children were given over to the vamplin Commanders. Monshaad Lords reluctantly placed them onto the bascas’ backs. Heather still showed no fear. The vamplin Lord made no attempt to release her.
‘You will return to my camp if you wish to meet with this human,’ Fiendrac instructed the hovering Emperor.
Your invitation is most welcome, the Emperor professed. He would play along with Fiendrac until it suited him.
15 The Unlikely Bride
The huge bascas took flight. Heather sat rigid, deeply fearing all that was transgressing around her. She felt the longing to be in her own homeland. She wished Leon were here and her dog Frizzle too. In her heart, she felt deeply afraid of this Emperor and was relieved that Lord Fiendrac had not given her up so easily. Almost as if he had read her mind, the mighty vamplin Lord loosened his tight grip on her wrist and gently, but firmly, put his strong arm around her waist so she would not fall from the basca’s back. She let out a squeal as she slipped a little but was thankful as a strong arm held her in place, preventing her from falling down the sheer drop. Unsure why, she trusted this Lord who held her so securely, she felt safe in his arms.
They returned, with the recaptured children, to the vamplin camp positioned near to the Wall. Strangely, the monshaads had already returned. Heather’s heart beat rapidly at the fear of what she was about to confront. The leading basca landed surprisingly smoothly. Lord Fiendrac dismounted and turned around to assist the human girl. He stared into her eyes and smiled at her. Was he reading her fear?
‘You are brave, little human girl, for your size. You need not feel alone. My people will be grateful that you saved our children, so you need not fear them,’ Fiendrac reassured her.
Heather could find no words to reply and remained silent, staring into the gentle eyes of this strange new acquaintance. Unsure if he was friend or foe she returned the smile. He looked puzzled, there was something about this human girl that he could not understand, some feeling within himself. His mouth quickly changed to a frown but Heather read the smile that remained in his piercing white eyes. For now, she believed that this male was indeed friend and not foe, but how long would this last?
He gently lifted her down from the basca and left her on the soft snowy ground. She stood with her head only reaching his waist and realised that vamplins were much taller than the average human. She felt very small amongst them.
‘I feel your fear human,’ he spoke with a quiet gentleness. ‘Be not afraid. Your people would not have let you come if they had not believed in your strength.’
Again, Heather could only smile. This leader was attempting to speak words of comfort to her. She knew her instincts were correct, he was a kind individual.
The monshaad Emperor settled in front of them. The vamplin Lord stood closer to the human girl. Was he protecting her?
Aah Changeling, at last we meet. This is indeed an honour. The creatures of the Darklands welcome such a powerful creature from the Lightlands, Morte-Bielz Mindtalked to her.
‘I do not think our guest is ready to talk with you just yet Emperor,’ Lord Fiendrac spoke up, ignoring the Emperor’s Mindtalk. ‘If you will excuse us, I will take her to rest, before we meet officially.’
Of course Lord Fiendrac. You speak wisely. We have much to discuss and her mind will work better for resting. We shall meet soon, human. Until then I bid you farewell, my new friend. The monshaad bowed in a strange sort of manner, and promptly disappeared.
‘Well, that is a first. A monshaad bowing. You are indeed honoured human girl,’ Lord Fiendrac expressed his surprise at the strange farewell.
‘Come this way so we may speak before you meet with him again. I wish to know more of your skills. Maybe your people and mine can yet work together.’
This statement took Heather by surprise. She had not expected the creatures of the Darklands to be plotting against one another. She would listen closely to this Lord and try to understand just what was transpiring.
Lord Fiendrac led Heather to an ice-house. It was a traditional skill to mould the snow into blocks and weld the blocks together to create thick ice walls. Inside this strange square abode that the vamplins called Ichales, the coldness was not so sharp. Relieved to be out of the biting winds. She realised that she had not noticed the bitterness of the cold when she had worn the hide of the dragon, but back in the soft skin of a human she felt the stinging of the cold and tried to thaw out her hands by rubbing them together.
‘You are not a strong creature within your human body,’ Lord Fiendrac looked Heather up and down. ‘How will you survive the physical elements of our world?’
‘I have my plans,’ Heather spoke for the first time, her teeth chattering as her body slowly warmed through.
‘You do have a voice then, human? How is it that you speak my words?’ Th
e vamplin Lord enquired, mystified at this.
‘Yes, Lord I do have a voice and it is one of my skills as a Changeling to speak all tongues, even the evil ones,’ Heather replied, unable to think of any better explanation.
‘I am a vamplin and whilst I do come from the Darklands, I am not evil. Neither are my people. This monshaad Emperor, he wishes to make us so. You are to be a part of his plan to achieve this, yet look at you. You do not represent anything evil. You are tiny and look totally unlike what I expected of you,’ the powerful vamplin Lord finished.
‘You are right, I’m not strong in this body Lord Fiendrac,’ Heather agreed. ‘Did you not see me in the dragon’s body?’
‘No, I did not. I had assumed you were hiding as a human, amongst their circle.’
‘Well, your assumptions were wrong.’ Heather felt quite humiliated that this Lord had not bothered to notice her strengths. ‘I was the pure white dragon. You must know that I am the Changeling.’
‘Yes, I do, but I do not know what this means.’ Fiendrac showed his ignorance but did not really care at what this human girl thought of him. ‘I would like you to explain this magic to me. What strengths can a tiny creature like you have?’
‘I do wish you would not call me tiny,’ Heather complained, becoming impatient at his ignorance. ‘Do you understand the word “Changeling”?’
‘I do indeed but what I do not understand is what this has to do with you?’ Lord Fiendrac, on his part, was becoming a little impatient with this puny human girl.
‘Lord Fiendrac.’
Heather stood up and almost stamped her feet in her frustrations.
‘I have the ability to Change my shape, my form, my body. Do you understand this explanation?’
‘No. I do not. Show me so I can see for myself what it is you can do, that the Emperor needs you so much.’
‘Hmph.,’ Heather coughed groggily, feeling her temper growing at the frustrations of this stupid creature’s ignorance.
‘Yes I will show you. Then you’ll see, I am not so small. I am a powerful mage. What is it you wish me to Change into? A basca? A vamplin hound? I must tell you that I don’t like to be anything ugly.’
‘What is this ug – el – ly? What make of beast is this you do not wish to be?’
Heather looked at this giant male vamplin and burst in to a fit of giggles. He really was quite innocently ignorant. His understanding of the Changeling was a very limited.
‘What are you doing?’ The vamplin Lord had never seen a giggling girl and wondered at what was wrong with her.
‘I am laughing Lord Fiendrac. I don’t know if you vamplins are capable of this emotion but you really are quite amusing.’
Heather was beginning to like this tall pale creature. He may be the owner of a powerful body but he was ignorant in the ways of the world.
‘It’s called a joke, my Lord. Even in such circumstances, we humans manage to laugh.’
‘I too have times when I am happy but this is a strange time to feel such an emotion. I do not want others to know when I am pleased or when I am not.’ Lord Fiendrac was confused at this little human and the faces she made.
‘Very well my Lord. Let me show you exactly what I mean. Look at my body now. What do you feel in your mind?’
‘I think you are a nuisance. Are all humans like you, with strange faces and funny noises coming from their mouths.’
‘That is called laughing. Look, you think I am tiny now. You are not too impressed with what I look like are you?’
‘Well, no I am not. I could crush your head in my hands with little effort. I fail to see why Morte-Bielz seeks you to enable him to take over the world.’
‘Very well Lord Fiendrac. Keep your eyes on me closely and I will show you what it is I can do.’
The vamplin Lord watched Heather attentively, unsure what to expect. Before his very eyes stood a tall sleek female vamplin. She now stood at the level of his shoulders, her skin was pale, as was his. Her features strong and attractive. Her hair golden instead of the white hair of vamplins. Yellow eyes twinkled brightly at him. He jumped up from where he sat and looked around the Ichale.
‘What is this? Who are you and what have you done with the human girl?’ Lord Fiendrac yelled at the female vamplin.
‘I am the human girl, Lord Fiendrac,’ the female vamplin answered him. ‘This is it. This is what I do. I Change my shape. Do you not see now? Do you not understand yet?’
‘I do understand but why would this be the magic that Morte-Bielz seeks? Of what use is a beautiful female vamplin to him?’
‘It is not my beauty he seeks but my magic, Lord. As a Changeling I can pass through the Wall as the dragons are able. I don’t yet know how he can use this magic to his advantage. Neither he or his followers are able to pass through the Wall, even with me at their side.’
‘He has the ability to control minds.’ Lord Fiendrac had worked hard at trying to understand what use this magic was to the evil one. ‘Perhaps he can somehow use your mind to help him pass the Wall’
‘No Lord Fiendrac. I am a Changeling. There are many mages in my lands but none can pass through the Wall, only the Changeling. Even if he possessed my mind he could not possess my physical essence so therefore could never pass through the Wall using me.’
‘You know he wishes you to be my bride,’ the vamplin Lord suddenly remembered this intriguing point.
‘What would that achieve? Anyway Lord or no Lord, I am already spoken for thank you very much.’ Heather was not impressed with this discovery.
‘And what is wrong with being my bride. Am I not strong enough?’ Fiendrac’s pride hurt at being shunned by this mere girl.
‘That is not what I mean,’
Heather became confused. She liked this male vamplin but she was not a vamplin and he was not a human. How could marriage even be considered?
‘I think you are very strong. As a vamplin I feel I am strong also. But why would I want to be your bride or you my husband for that matter? What does this achieve?’
‘A human vamplin,’ again the vamplin Lord remembered the Emperor’s plans. ‘A vamplin that desires human blood, so I am told. Not just to drink but to kill. His army for the future.’
‘Ah.’ Heather was lost for words. ‘Well that’s preposterous; we humans would never drink another’s blood.’
‘We feel no shame that blood is our means of food,’ Lord Fiendrac felt the need to defend his people, how could such a child shame him.
All creatures that live need some form of food. Do you not eat?’
‘Yes. We do. But that is not quite the same as needing to suck the blood from a living creature.’ Heather showed her revulsion at the idea of this killing.
‘I am told that humans kill and then cook the meat from their creatures, is this not so?’
‘Yes it is, but that’s different.’
‘Is it?’ Lord Fiendrac continued to defend his race. ‘We do not hack a creature up to cook it. We don’t even kill it, we simply drain some of its blood. Why kill when you can use the same creature time and time again?’
‘I don’t believe for one minute that you don’t kill. Draining blood would take a long time and put the creature in pain.’ Heather felt ill at the mere thought.
‘When we make our puncture the creature is numbed into a peaceful restfulness. Bah! Why should I explain to you, I will discuss this no more. How we feed is not relevant to this situation.’
He looked upon the slender female vamplin before him and was moved at her beauty. He was not a cruel Lord but he was a lonely one and long had he waited for such a female. Even knowing in his heart that she was human did not dampen his desires for this female.
‘I suggest that you turn yourself back into that tiny human girl. You do not make a very good vamplin woman.’
‘Pah.’ Heather was not amused by his insults. ‘I will remain in any form that I choose. It’s not for you to decide what shape I take. Also I am better equipped for these land
s if I am in the form of a creature who can survive these appalling storms.’
‘If you choose to ignore me then I will have you kept as a prisoner. You have disguised yourself as one of my race, I am offended by this. Now Change back or be a prisoner.’
‘I will not Change back. Anyway, I’m here to meet with Emperor Morte-Bielz not Lord Fiendrac, and I don’t think that he’ll be pleased if he learns that you have treated me unwell.’
Heather’s confidence was growing with every passing moment and she no longer felt afraid of her surroundings now that she was in this strong vamplin body that she displayed. Her mind was made up; she would remain in this form until her work was complete on the Darklands.
‘So be it. You are now a prisoner and will be treated as such.’
The vamplin Lord was furious with her. His desires were increasing and heading out of his control, he wished her gone.
He called upon one of his Commanders to place her in a guarded Ichale, until he could decide what to do with her. He glanced at her as she was led away by his soldiers, she stood proud and showed no signs of humiliation or anger. How could she look so strong yet be so fragile? In her vamplin form she would certainly have a better chance at confronting the Emperor but he knew that inside that beautiful vamplin was a delicate human. This confused him, why should he care for such a creature? But care he did. He needed time to think and watched as she was taken away from him.
After she had left he paced the floor of his Ichale, pondering on this situation. How could he be attracted to a creature he knew to be a human? Yet his mind had raced faster. When he had looked upon her slender long body in the form of a female vamplin, he had desired her entire being.
16 Blood Food
The heavy flap of beetling skin, that served as a thick door cover to the entrance, was lifted. A cold chill entered the cosy Ichale. A vamplin Commander entered.
‘My Lord, the Emperor seeks council with you.’
‘It is not like him to ask to see me,’ Lord Fiendrac said in surprise. ‘Yes, yes. Tell him I am alone.’
Blood Bride (Aarabassa World) Page 8