Tealas eased the small back door open, and leading with his crossbow, entered the old temple ruin.

He drew a strained breath, he hated the dark and hated vampires. Why had they decided to come here at night? But maybe they'd get lucky. Maybe the monster slept or was too wounded to be able to fight them well.

He shone the light from his medallion into the small room. To his relief, it was empty, but that also made him more tense. The vampire could be anywhere in this dark. He noted fresh tracks in the dirt on the floor. Blood and footprints that hadn't been there before. He beckoned for Odefin to follow him into the next room with the light. The room where they'd found dead animals last time. They stepped inside and looked around. There was nothing. Only more tracks and bloody prints.

Tealas took a deep breath to steady his racing heart. He hated the tension before a potential battle. It was far worse than an actual fight. He continued, Odefin right behind him, keeping his back safe.

Darkness fell before Sern entered the old part of the city, but he knew the area well enough and found his way by the moonlight. Hurrying through the alleys, he soon found the old temple.

He followed the fence to find the hole but stopped at a nickering, catching his breath. The vague shapes of two horses loomed in the darkness ahead. Standing still, he searched for the riders. One of the horses snorted and pawed the ground. Seeing nobody, Sern approached with care. The horses were tied right by the hole in the fence. He gazed towards the temple nervously.

Through the vines, he glimpsed a flickering light moving around. With a quiet curse, he hurried through the fence and sneaked across the graveyard. The faint murmur of a conversation echoed in the temple. Was it the hunters?

Crouching down beside a gravestone, Sern watched the crooked door. Brightness wavered inside the opening. There were no sounds of battle though, which was comforting. But then again, maybe Ranloo was sleeping like last time he'd been hurt. He wouldn't wake up then until it was too late. Sern licked his dry lips and ran, stooped low, from cover to cover to get closer. He had to know if Ranloo was in there. If he was, he'd need help. If it wasn't already too late.

Sern waited behind another tombstone, his muscles taut. He expected to hear screams or the clash of swords at any moment. But scraping footsteps, muffled conversations, and the occasional nickering and stomping of the horses, were the only sounds. His legs cramped from crouching for so long and he tried stretching them out one at a time.

A figure appeared in the doorway. Sern twitched, thinking it was one of the hunters. A tall man in a white robe. The man raised his hand and pointed at Sern, then swept his arm around to point in the direction of the harbour. Confused, Sern looked behind him. Seeing nothing, he turned back to the figure. But he was nowhere to be seen.

Blinking, wondering if he had fallen asleep for a few seconds, he rubbed his eyes. He stared at the doorway. It wasn't far away, and if someone came out from there with a light they would see him, he realized. He peered around, trying to spot the robed man again but only saw the dark yard, the vines, and the gravestones.

Footsteps approached and the glow in the doorway brightened. Hastily, he retreated, backing off to a bigger gravestone, away from the path between the temple and the horses. He hid behind it as best he could while still peeking out to see what happened.

The hunters entered the nave. The vampire could be hiding among the rubble easily. They scrutinized the large room, searching for any sign of the monster. But they heard nothing, found nothing. Only the dusty pews, broken pillars, and fallen roof pieces scattered everywhere.

Tealas noticed a rust-red handprint on the dirty altar. It had been here, that was certain. But had it left?

´Come out, vampire!` he called into the empty nave. No answer. His chest constricted as he tensed. Bending down, he picked up a piece of wood that lay on the floor and hurled it into the darkness. It clattered against a wall and fell to the floor.

Odefin raised an eyebrow. ´Are you alright?`

Tealas shook his head. ´No. I think we missed the blood-sucker again. It's not here.`

Odefin eyed the room a final time. ´I think you are right,` he agreed.

Tealas sighed in disappointment, tried to relax, and walked towards the door. ´If it was here, and I think it was,` he began, ´it can't have gotten far.`

Odefin followed him out of the temple and back into the narrow street. ´Yes, we're hot on his tail. Unfortunately, it probably means he wasn't as hurt as we hoped,` he muttered.

´Where would it go though?` Tealas asked and looked up and down the dark street, tapping the handle of his crossbow impatiently.

´Let's find out.` Odefin started walking in the direction of the first hideout, leading his horse. ´Maybe he's backtracking?` he suggested.

Tealas shrugged but had no better idea. He followed his friend, pulling at the reins of his horse to catch up.

Sern barely dared to breathe as the door creaked open and two armed men came out, carrying a bright light. They passed by, just a few yards off, talking softly with each other. If he had stayed by the other grave, they'd have passed him right by and couldn't have missed him. Had the figure warned him? Or had it been a ghost? He shuddered at the thought. The men climbed through the fence, took their horses and led them away.

Sern entered the temple after they had left, fumbling around in the dark. He stepped on something and bent down to pick it up. A crossbow quarrel by the feel of it. Deciding he couldn't do anything in the blackness, he slipped back outside and studied the quarrel. It was coated in dried blood. So Ranloo had been hit after all, he thought.

Sern stood for a while, fingering the bolt, unsure of what to do next. He looked towards the harbour. The figure had pointed in that direction. Maybe he should go there and see what happens? Slowly, he started walking the long way back.

Ranloo's leg and arm still hurt. His bruised sides ached and his head pounded. The wounds weren't bleeding anymore but they weren't fully healed on the inside yet. His arm throbbed as he moved. His leg was slightly better off, only having received a flesh wound.

He painstakingly moved into the maze of narrow alleyways. Sluggish and unable to focus his eyes, he swayed on his feet. The urgent feeling still lingered. He had to get away from this place. He didn't think about where he was going and simply placed one foot in front of the other again and again, dimly moving onward for an unknown amount of time.

Tired. Too tired. He had to rest. Exhausted, Ranloo sank to the ground, his back against a house and closed his eyes for a moment, leaning his head back. He would only rest for a little while, he told himself. The cool air brushed softly against his face, the sounds of the night soothing.

The hunters searched everywhere, going up and down the dark, narrow passages. Shadows leapt as they lit their way with their sun-medallions. Emerging from a narrow alley, they spotted a figure ahead. Sitting in the street, back against a house, he rested his head against a wall. A dark cape with a hood hid his face. As the hunters came into view, the figure started, bolted to his feet and disappeared around a corner.

´Hey!` Tealas shouted, dropped the reins of his horse and broke into a run. Leaving Odefin and the light behind, he dashed after the figure. Rounding the corner, he heard gravel crunching ahead and to the left. He followed the sound, slowing down a fraction in the dark. He hurried around another bend and spotted the fleeing figure ahead, cape fluttering behind him.

´Stop right there, or I'll shoot!` he roared and hoisted the crossbow.

The figure skidded to a halt and raised his arms.

Strange, Tealas thought as he cautiously approached, activating his own medallion to see better. ´Turn around,` he barked.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

The man obeyed. Only it wasn't a man, but a woman in bulky, worn clothes, with blonde shoulder-length hair hidden under a hood.

´I didn't do anything!` she said defensively, hands up and inky dark eyes wide.

Tealas lowered the crossbow with a heavy sigh. How had he mistaken this woman for a tall man, he wondered. Must be tired.

The woman gave a slight smirk but didn't move. A second light suddenly bathed the alley as Odefin caught up with them, leading their horses. Tealas looked back over his shoulder.

´Wasn't him?` Odefin asked.

´No, just this woman.` He gestured towards her.

Odefin raised an eyebrow. ´Who?`

Tealas opened his mouth to reply when he noticed she was gone. Without a trace. He hadn't heard her leave. ´What the... Where'd she go?`

´I didn't see anyone. Are you alright, Tea?`

Annoyed, Tealas glanced back at Odefin. ´Yeah, I'm fine. She was just very fast. I guess.` He eyed the alley, his sharp eyes noting every nook and cranny. Nowhere to hide. How had she vanished? ´By the Sunlord...` he muttered and grasped the reins of his horse again. ´Let's go.`

Odefin gave him a thoughtful look, sparking his irritation.

The hunters continued down the alley. After a few minutes, they came to a dead-end and had to back-track. As they returned to the street where the woman had sat, Odefin stopped and cocked his head to the side. Tealas watched him, raising his eyebrows in a silent question.

´I thought I heard something,` Odefin whispered and pointed to the right.

They turned and followed the narrow street, lined with dark alleys. Walking slowly, they looked back and forth, lighting the street with their medallions, listening for sounds. The shadows swayed and danced. Tealas eyed them nervously, his shoulders tense.

Suddenly on his feet and walking again, Ranloo's eyes widened. How had he got back up?

´What the...?` he breathed. Confused, he followed the narrow paths. He didn't know why but had a pressing feeling he had to keep going. But as he stumbled forward, the drowsy heaviness pressed down on him again. He had to think, but his thoughts were jumbled and slow. What was going on? He tried to clear his head by taking a deep breath and looking up into the sky. A soft clattering nearby made his head snap to the side. A small die rolled out from an alley a few steps away. He blinked.

´What...?` he asked aloud and bent to pick it up.

´Come here.` A voice in the dark. Soft but powerful. Compelling.

Ranloo froze, fingers around the die, and stared into the alley.

´I said, come,` the voice repeated.

Ranloo trembled. What was going on? He didn't dare disobey and inched forward between the confining walls. Cloth rustled ahead, behind a corner. He ventured forward tentatively.

A choked yelp escaped him as he rounded the corner and he staggered back a step. A figure in white robes, his hood pulled up, stood a few feet away. Ranloo instinctively wanted to flee. An Im priest, he thought, panicked. But as soon as the thought arose, he knew it wasn't right. The figure didn't radiate that terrible feeling he now connected with them. And while the robes were white, no magical symbols or the all-seeing eye decorated them.

The man regarded him in silence, his face partially covered by a hood. A dark blue scapular ran down the front of the robe. Also wrong, Ranloo registered. Blond shoulder-length and somewhat wild hair framed a strangely ageless face. Ranloo stared at the man's eyes. Dark. Too dark. Like pools if ink. A shiver coursed through him as he stared into their depths. The man's lips quirked into a slight smile. He raised his index finger to his mouth and nodded towards the street.

Ranloo turned, like in a dream, and carefully peeked around the corner.

Footsteps approached, then the two vampire hunters passed the alley, weapons ready, leading their horses behind them. The first man held a sun-medallion aloft, blazing in the dark.

Ranloo tensed, still as a statue, but strangely confident the darkness in the narrow space would hide him from them. They passed by, and slowly the chinking of armour and footsteps receded. Ranloo sighed in relief. The stranger had saved his life. If he hadn't hidden, the hunters would have found him sleeping in the street and executed him.

He turned around. ´Thank y...`

There was nobody there.

Ranloo spun in a circle. The alley was a dead end. A wall blocked the passage behind the bend. Nobody standing there could have left without passing him by. Shaken and confused, Ranloo rubbed his face. Where had he gone? Was he going crazy? No, he was sure the man had been there. It had felt very real.

He stood in the dark for a while to calm down, hugging himself uneasily. Everything felt surreal. He had no idea what had just happened. But as time passed, heaviness and hunger weighed on him again. He needed to sleep. Or eat, he figured. But even thinking about attacking anyone in this state made him almost laugh. Pathetic. He couldn't even catch a mouse like this. Deciding to get back to the inn, he headed towards the harbour with heavy steps. It was the only relatively safe place left.

Later, Ranloo shuffled down the wide cobbled streets near the harbour, exhausted and troubled by the night's events. The long walk had been slow and painful. In the deep dark right before dawn, everything lay still and quiet. He didn't have any need to hide and walked openly down the street, not caring to avoid the lit lanterns here and there. Just a few blocks away from the inn, a shout ahead startled him.

Raising his eyes from the ground, Ranloo spotted a familiar figure running towards him. He couldn't stop himself from smiling at the sight of the boy.

Sern rushed towards him, calling out, ´By the gods, Ranloo! I thought I'd lost you! I've been lookin' everywhere for you.`

Too late, Ranloo realized Sern wasn't slowing down. Sern threw himself at Ranloo and hugged him, staggering him with the impact. Surprised, and a bit embarrassed by the open show of affection, Ranloo hugged his friend back.

The boy's warmth seeped through his clothes as Sern pressed himself against him. The smell of sweat from the long day stung Ranloo's nose, but the scent of youth, strength, and health drew him in. Ranloo's arms unconsciously locked around Sern's back, pulling him closer. Ranloo's eyes closed as he drew in the alluring scent of this living young man so close to him, listening to the thrumming of his heart, transfixed. He leaned his head forward against Sern's neck, feeling his soft, warm skin against his lips and the dull pain from his canines extending. He parted his lips and the boy's heart jumped, his arms briefly straining against him, exiting him.

´Uh, Ranloo, stop!`

Sern's voice shook him from the trance, made Ranloo realize what he had been about to do. Horrified, he let go of Sern, pushed him away and turned around, taking several steps away from him. It had been too close. ´Don't ever do that to me again!` he shouted, his voice harsh from fear.

Sern flinched, his wide eyes filled with worry. ´I'm sorry, I didn't think –`

Ranloo spun around, glaring at him. ´No, you didn't!` he retorted. ´And it could have killed you! You need to be more careful!` His hands shook. He had almost killed him, his only friend. He had never been so scared, or ashamed, of himself before.

Sern nodded mutely, his mouth pressed into a thin line, his face pale, hands down by his sides. ´I was just happy t' see you,` he whispered after a while.

Ranloo rubbed a hand across his face. ´I'm sorry I snapped at you. But I got scared,` he admitted. ´I can't control myself.`

Sern smiled slightly. ´You did though,` he said. ´You lemme go. It means you've got control if you want it.` He glanced over his shoulder, towards the inn. ´Maybe get back indoors?`

Ranloo nodded tiredly. This boy, so incredibly trusting and positive. He wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing. But he was right. He had actually controlled himself, if only for a second.

At sunrise, they entered the inn through the back door. Ranloo didn't bother cleaning himself or doing anything at all. He simply threw himself on his bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Sern sat awake for some time, watching the sleeping vampire. Studying his calm, handsome face, so very still when he slept. He noticed again that Ranloo didn't breathe.

He's taken quite a beating, Sern thought. Blood had run down his face and matted his hair. The left sleeve of his tunic was torn and bloody as well as his left leg and boot. He was dirty, blood-stained, and in need of new clothes again.

Sern couldn't help smiling as he watched. It seemed he'd have to go shopping for clothes again. Stupid beautiful vampire, he thought. Always getting himself into trouble. Being friends with a vampire wasn't easy, though very exciting and interesting. And strangely enough, he felt safe around Ranloo.

He'd latched on to the monster because he'd been terrifying. And he was. But he'd also shown Sern kindness, unlike many others he'd used for protection. It was almost an alien concept to him. Everyone always wanted to hurt him. Because he was small, because he could be dangerous despite his size. Because he was different. Sern sighed. Maybe Ranloo would too when he found out? Turn him away, or hurt him. Maybe even kill him. But he dared to hope. Ranloo was different from the others. And he was kind. He wasn't a thug.

His brows came together in worry. They had to get away from here. It was too dangerous with the vampire hunters so close and the posters warning everyone. But they'd have to worry about that tomorrow.