Felisei left the meeting, surprised by her own excitement. She hadn't been entirely prepared for the meeting with the vampire, and she hadn't expected such a handsome man. Her stomach fluttered at the mere thought of his fair features and bright amber eyes. She couldn't hold back a smile from her face. A real elf. She'd never met one before. Only seen them at a distance now and then. Of course, this one was a vampire. The thought dampened her spirit somewhat. But he'd seemed nice enough. Not intimidating or dangerous, but very present. She remembered what Sern had said, but surely it must have been long ago? They seemed to have known each other for quite some time. Ranloo had claimed to be a new vampire. But what was recent for an elf?

She entered her room, used some fire-steel on a rushlight on a small table, and flopped down on the narrow bed. She yawned widely, tired after the long day. But her thoughts kept spinning in her head. Elven vampire. Who could have guessed she'd meet something like that in her life. How dangerous was he? Jackal had told them to be very careful and keep their distance. She stared at the ceiling, chewing absently on a nail. They weren't allowed to speak of it to anyone other than the group, Gesald, or him. Nobody else could know they had a vampire in the guild. Too dangerous. Still, she was so very curious.

Undead that drink the blood of the living. Monsters that burn in sunlight. That was all she knew. Nothing had prepared her for a handsome withdrawn elf with amazing eyes. Maybe the stories were just plain wrong? He wasn't monstrous at all. Was he? Ranloo hadn't told them much, and only spoken when the boy brought up their meeting.

Yawning again, she decided to learn more about vampires. They were to work together after all. She wanted to know everything. For safety, she told herself and blew out the light.

* * * * *

Blinding sunlight lit the thick dust that rose from the street as people passed this way and that. Felisei ambled through the crowds, getting pushed and jolted every other step. It was alright. People didn't notice if things went missing in jostling crowds. But it was hot and sweaty.

She stopped by some vendor's wagon, laden with fresh bread, pastries, and fruit. Leaning back against it as if to rest, she kept her eyes on the couple and their customers. When they seemed occupied, she deftly sneaked a small meat-pie out of the wagon and sauntered off. Moving causally, she savoured the pie.

The poor children in the gutters eyed her intently. Annoyed, she quickened her pace, eager to leave behind the bitter memories of being hungry and defenseless. If you find food, eat it. Don't share. She'd learned that rule early. Sharing meant you got less and it might be you who died next. When you don't know where your next meal's coming from, you take what you get. She still did, even as a member of the guild. They had a policy that all members were allowed one meal a day. But it wasn't always true. Sometimes they ran out, and if you were too late or times were hard, you got nothing. No guarantees. Still, a lot safer than it had been, she mused as she munched on the pie. As a child, she'd often gone hungry. Her mother hadn't been able to provide, alone as she'd been. And Felisei had often been left to fend for herself as her mother was busy with customers.

She made a face at the memory. Those greedy cheap customers. She had no idea who her father was and she didn't much care. But she'd used to fantasize about him coming back to them one day, rich and charming, to save them from their harsh reality. But that day had never come. When she got old enough, she'd helped her mother earn money. First by begging, then thieving. She learned quickly, and for a short time, their life was marginally better. But as she'd grown older, her mother's customers started looking at her, offering much more money. It was only a question about time. She shivered in the heat.

She ran off before they could do anything, and she had never returned. That was something she'd always prided herself on. Her body was her own, and she chose who to share it with. It wasn't for sale. She'd been forced to fight for that many times in her life, but she'd been lucky and had had good friends to protect her. At least for a while.

Then she'd met Jackal. He'd promised her protection, a place to live, and food. She smiled to herself and licked the last crumbs of the pie from her fingers. Food wasn't always available, but the rest had been. She'd been a loyal member of The Iron Lock since. She was proud that Jackal trusted her. And now, she was one of the chosen to work with a vampire. How crazy was that? She was nervous but looked forward to seeing Ranloo again. She wondered how it would be to work with him. That reminded her she had to learn more about them. Maybe Diquarl or Listarl could help her find what she needed. They were both well-read and had access to many books.

* * * * *

Odefin entered the study and spotted Tealas by a table, drawing on a map. When had he got up, he wondered briefly. The sunlight filtered in through the shutters and striped everything in yellow.

´What are you doing, Tea?` he asked.

Tealas turned slowly and looked at him, a finger still on the map. ´Odefin,` he said in a very calm voice.

´Yes?` A shadow of a smile played on his lips.

´Don't call me tea. Please,` Tealas said. ´I have a name.`

Odefin grinned, his teeth white against his dark beard. ´Of course. I forgot,` he said innocently and peered at the map.

Tealas frowned but didn't say anything more.

´What are you doing?` Odefin asked and put his hair up in a ponytail as he watched.

Tealas turned back to the map, picked up a quill and marked the spot he had his finger on. ´I'm noting the places where the vampire has been seen and the places where it killed people. It's all around this area,` he said quietly and pointed. ´I think we need to be more meticulous if we intend to find the blood-sucker. It's better at hiding than we thought at first. So we need to put more effort into locating it. Which we need to do as soon as possible.`

Odefin nodded and studied the map. ´Have we gotten any tips from people?`

´Yes. As a matter of fact, we have. Not much, but something. Two young men came by and told us they had been chasing a boy who'd indicated he knew the vampire.` He sighed.

Odefin raised his eyebrows. ´What?`

´Sadly, they didn't get him,` Tealas said. ´They said he was a small boy, fast runner. Around fifteen years. Short light brown hair. They couldn't say much more since they couldn't quite remember what he looked like. They saw him by a wall where a poster was. He took it down as he ran, they said.`

´But it means we have a description of sorts. At least we know what to look for...` he sucked in a breath of air as a thought hit him.

Tealas looked at him expectantly.

´I might have seen him!` Odefin exclaimed excitedly. ´That inn in the harbour where we ate. Do you remember?` he said and leaned on the table, trying to find it on the map.

´Maybe?` Tealas said and frowned. ´Is that where the innkeeper looked like a pirate?`

´Yes! We were looking for the vampire, it was afternoon and we had stopped at this inn. Ale serpent or something. As we left, I saw a boy leading a pig to the back of the inn,` he said, elation bubbling inside. They'd been so close.

Tealas shrugged, unimpressed. ´It's not exactly something strange about that,` he commented drily. ´They serve food.`

´I know. But this vampire has killed several animals, right?`

Tealas nodded.

´The boy that's helping him is small and not very memorable. This boy who led the pig fits the description and he was about the right age. Pretty sure he had short brown hair too.`

Tealas scratched his chin thoughtfully.

´It's worth checking out, don't you think?` Odefin asked.

´Anything is worth checking out at this point,` he said and studied the map.

The inn would be near the centre of the killings, and fairly close to the last scene by the animal market, Odefin noted. That couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

´I think you might be right,` Tealas said after a moment. He poked the map. ´The innkeeper said he hadn't seen anyone matching the description of the vampire. But maybe he's seen the boy.` He stood suddenly, rolling the map into a cylinder and stuffing it into a scroll-holder. ´Maybe the boy rented a room and the vampire got in through the back. Nobody would have seen him enter or leave the inn.` His eyes glittered with excitement. He donned his hat and gloves, grabbed his crossbow and readied it on his back. ´Let's go!´ he said, his voice unusually animated.

Odefin smiled and hurried to get his axe and other gear. They weren't sure to get the vampire now, but they might get lucky after all. Better to be prepared and find nothing than to get into trouble. The faster they could be done with this vampire, the better, he thought with a glance after his friend.

They had known the area where the inn was located, but actually finding it again had proved a bit harder. They were both relieved when they spotted the swinging sign of a sea serpent curling around a mug of ale above the door. Tealas entered and asked for a place to put their horses. A dwarf waitress told them about a stable in the back, around the corner. Tealas hurried back out. Leading their horses to the back, the hunters opened the wooden gate and entered the small courtyard. Tealas instantly noticed the broken door at the back of the inn. Two men were working on it, refitting the lock and replacing a broken plank. Handing the reins to Odefin, Tealas walked up to them.

´Excuse me, gentlemen,` he said and removed his hat. ´But if I may ask, what has happened to the door?`

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The men looked up. One of them dried sweat from his face on the sleeve of his brown dirty tunic. ´It was broken,` he replied and spat on the ground.

Tealas frowned in annoyance. ´I can see that.`

´Then why do you ask?` the man said and turned back to the door.

Irritated, Tealas put a hand on the man's arm. ´May I look at the room?` he inquired as pleasantly as he could.

The man shrugged his hand off and stared at the hunter. ´Ask the innkeeper,` he snapped. Then he ignored Tealas and continued working on the door.

Fuming silently, his stomach knotting, Tealas watched as they worked for a short while. The door looked like it had been broken from the inside, pushed out. The lock had been torn from the door and the bolt had left marks on the door frame. Maybe the blood-sucker had been locked in, so it had broken out. He had to know.

Jaws working, Tealas stalked back to Odefin with long steps and snatched the reins to his horse. ´Let's go in, buy some food, and ask about that room,` he said quietly.

Odefin gave him a long look before following, a slight crease between his brows. Tealas ignored it. He knew what Odefin was thinking. But he was wrong.

The vampire hunters ordered food. The innkeeper recognized them and told them again that he hadn't seen the darkelf.

´Maybe you have seen a young boy, around fifteen years of age?` Tealas asked softly. ´He's got short light brown hair.`

The innkeeper studied them for a while, frowning, his bushy eyebrows becoming one over his nose. ´We had a boy livin' 'ere for a short time,` he answered slowly. ´Maybe it was him?`

The hunters looked at each other. Maybe they had finally found something useful.

´Was he alone or did he have a friend with him?` Odefin asked.

The innkeeper shook his head. ´He was alone as far as I know.`

´Tell us everything you know about him. Please.` Tealas kept his voice calm despite his excitement.

The big bushy man nodded and hummed to himself before answering. ´He came in 'ere, looking just like any other poor boy, dirty an' smelly. I didn't want him 'ere at first but he had a lot of money on him. Probably stole it. He rented a room for 'bout two weeks. He never let anyone into his room,` he said and rubbed the nape of his neck with a hand.

´May we have a look at the room?` Tealas looked intently at the man.

The innkeeper shrugged. ´Sure, why not. It's in the back of the inn, towards the courtyard.` He indicated for them to follow.

Tealas smiled at Odefin as they went. He was sure this was the right place. Sadly, they had been too late since the vampire and the boy had already left. But at least they had found their hiding place. They were getting closer. At least he hoped so. Too bad they seemed to have money now though, he thought. That gave them a lot more options when it came to hiding places. The innkeeper stopped by the last door in a long corridor and opened it.

´This is the room,` he said and waved them inside. ´It's empty now, 'course. He left two days ago.`

The hunters studied the small room. Two beds, Tealas noted. No windows.

´Why would the boy need two beds?` he asked.

The innkeeper shrugged. ´He didn't say he needed that. He just wanted a back door so he could come an' leave as he pleased,` the bushy man said and eyed the room, hands on his hips. ´Managed to break the door somehow,` he grumbled. ´At least he paid for it.`

Tealas looked around the door and frame and noticed several marks. One that appeared new drew his eyes. It looked like something sharp had been pushed into the wood beside the door. Maybe a knife. Had something happened between them? Maybe the boy and the vampire's relationship wasn't as good as he'd thought at first. He hoped so. Poking the mark with a finger, he looked around. The door had been repaired now and the men who'd worked on it had left. However, they had only replaced the broken parts and added a new lock. There were scratches all around. But nothing conclusive. He sighed.

Odefin peered under the beds and searched in the closets and drawers. He pulled out a comb and held it up. ´Look at this,` he said.

Tealas came over. There were a few long black hairs on it. He nodded and smiled grimly. ´The vampire was here,` he said quietly.

´Who was here?` the innkeeper asked.

Tealas turned to face the man. ´The vampire we're looking for was here,` he said sharply and studied the man's reaction.

´Vampire?` the innkeeper said, his eyebrows rose and wrinkled his forehead. ´The boy?`

Tealas shook his head. ´Not the boy. But he is in league with a vampire. The dark-skinned elf we asked about,` he explained.

The innkeeper's eyes widened in disbelief. ´Really?` he asked and pulled at his beard.

The hunters nodded.

´We think the vampire broke that door,` Tealas said and pointed to it.

The innkeeper frowned. ´I thought it odd how that little stray had managed to break a door like that,` he mumbled, scratching his beard. ´But I don't usually ask questions. As long as they pay for any damage they do.`

Tealas considered the man suspiciously. He seemed genuine enough. But he wasn't sure. Had the innkeeper really not known? But it didn't matter anymore, the vampire and the boy were gone.

´Do you have any idea where they might have gone from here?` Tealas asked.

The innkeeper shook his head. ´No. The boy just told me he was leavin' an' paid for the door. It was quite sudden, I thought,` he said. ´He never told me where he was going.`

The hunters thanked the innkeeper for his help and left.

Back outdoors, hot sunlight burned in Tealas' face. The thick dusty air brought a gust of ripe rot from the harbour, and he coughed as he looked around. Where could they have gone from here? Another inn perhaps? Another area or still in the same district? He really didn't know. He didn't want to wait for another innocent to die before they could locate the vampire again. How he hated this part of hunting the blood-suckers.

´What do we do now?` he asked quietly.

Odefin squinted in the light. ´I don't know. Maybe we could set a trap of some kind? Lure him out?`

Tealas watched his big friend in surprise. ´A trap? How?` he asked and started walking, leading his horse towards the animal market where the last kill had happened.

´I don't know,` Odefin admitted and shrugged. ´It's really hard since we don't know much about him. He seems fairly good at keeping himself from killing people in general. Unless he's just good at hiding the bodies. He only slips up now and then.`

Tealas nodded and fanned himself with the hat. ´He is a mystery,` he agreed. ´I have never tried to catch a new vampire this good at keeping hidden and away from killing people every night. But he does have help. Maybe that's why?` he said with a thoughtful note in his voice. ´We need to find this boy. Maybe if we can catch him, he can be used to lure the vampire out?` Tealas studied Odefin with his pale eyes, coldly calculating.

Odefin nodded but didn't comment on it.

They arrived at the crowded market, the calls of buyers and animals making a racket. The reek of sweating animals and people made it hard to breathe. The blood had been washed off the street and no traces remained of the kill.

´Too bad the vampire wasn't hurt this time,` Odefin commented as they looked out over the square.

Tealas nodded. ´So, should we try and set a trap?`

´We could,` Odefin answered.

´We might need something like... living bait,` Tealas said. ´We could make it hard for the vampire to get anything to eat perhaps? If the streets are patrolled frequently, but randomly. They could leave one street unwatched? Would that work?`

Odefin stroked his beard. ´It's be worth a try. It can't make things worse at any rate,` he said. ´Only problem is, we don't have that many guards to work with. Perhaps we could ask for more?`

Tealas put his hat back on and scratched the scar on his neck. ´Let's go back to our inn and work out the details.`

* * * * *

Night came, and with it, the painful hunger. Ranloo hated it. Waking up, feeling like an empty, aching, burning hole. But at least he had a way to fix it now without putting Sern in danger all the time.

He pushed the door handle and almost walked into the door when it didn't budge. For a second, he stared at the wood in front of his face in confusion. Had someone blocked it? His gaze lowered to the lock. The key sat in it. He almost laughed out loud. He hadn't unlocked it. He'd been too occupied with his thoughts.

Turning the key, he went out to the other room and killed the animal quickly, not thinking much about it anymore. It was becoming a habit, something he did without a second thought. He didn't like it, but at least it was better than killing people and getting used to that. He didn't want that at all.

He returned to his room and checked himself in the mirror, as usual, making sure he looked presentable and had no bloodstains on him. For a while, he stared at his own face. Pale, but otherwise looking like he always had. Brown skin, black hair, amber eyes looking back at him from a fair face.

He flashed a smile at himself, but seeing the sharp points of his fangs he regretted it immediately. Frowning, he left the room, poking his canines with his tongue. Stupid teeth. He wondered briefly if he could learn to control them. So far, he'd had no luck with that. It was like trying to wiggle your ears when you didn't know how to. You simply couldn't find the right muscles.

Walking upstairs, he looked around. Gesald stood leaning against the wall, looking bored. Ranloo sighed, and the red-haired man turned his head.

´Good evening to you too,` he said sourly and straightened.

Ranloo frowned but nodded as he passed him by. Gesald followed him, not too close this time. It still irritated him but he tried to focus on where he was going. He heard people all around him in the house, and the smells from the dining area made him want to eat food again. It smelled so good. Maybe he could try? Maybe he hadn't been able to eat that first time because it had all been so new? He shook his head at himself. He knew it was stupid. He couldn't eat it because he wasn't alive anymore.

He entered the dining room, the people there watching as he passed through. Some tried to disguise it while others openly stared. The many smells and sounds invaded his senses. There were too many people. Uncomfortable, Ranloo focused on the floor and clenched his fists. Some were scared of him, but not nearly enough. He couldn't be trusted. He shouldn't be here.

Ranloo hurried past the room, Gesald's scurrying footsteps trailing him. Glancing back irritatedly, he noticed how Gesald's eyes widened as their eyes met. He couldn't help himself and bared his teeth at him.

Gesald almost stopped in his tracks, looking horrified. Ranloo let out a laugh. He heard Gesald mutter something under his breath behind him. Ranloo's smile faded. He could scare people so easily. But it was harder to gain anyone's trust, he thought sadly. People used to like him before. He'd always been popular, but now he was that scary vampire. Deep in thought, he hurried down the corridors to his only true friend.