The Shadows Call

As I rode my horse into the middle of the battle all that I could think of was my wife Joanna and how much I missed her. I knew that the only thing I wanted in this world was to be back in her arms. I knew though that it would be a long time until that happened again as I was far too valuable to the soldiers around me and to the war in a whole. It had been a year since I had been with her last but I knew it was that memory that kept me going.

It was then that I heard my friend's voice calling out to me and looked over to see James riding hard.

"Get your mind onto the here and now Alic. I am sure that whoever you are thinking about at this moment would like nothing better than to have you alive and back in their arms!"

I wanted to asked James how he knew what I was thinking but I knew that I would never get an answer as I saw him ride ahead of me, his lance out ahead of him. I knew that the next thing that would be ringing in his ears would be the painful death of the first soldier that he came across but knew that it was be better if it was the soldier and not James. I watched as he plowed straight into a group of soldiers and heard the scream just as his lance exploded out the back of the soldier who was hurtled through the air.

As I moved towards him a group of soldiers ran towards me and I had just enough time to bring up my lance. I felt the impact of the lance hitting the man reverberate through my arm, forcing me to drop it to the ground and grab my sword. As I did I heard a shout to my right and looked down just to see one of the soldiers running at me. I cut with an arc towards him and watched as his arm fell away from the rest of his body. As I saw him drop his weapon and place his hand onto the bloody stump of his shoulder all that I wanted to do was retch but knew that there would be no time to do so as I was suddenly surrounded.

As I swung my sword I took a quick glance around and saw that the battle had become nothing more than a insane fight. There were pockets of fighting breaking out everywhere and I knew that nobody on this field was going to give up until either force was dead.

I then looked back down and started to swing my sword again and again, catching soldier after soldier with every cut through the air. I knew that if I did not get out of this soon that I would be killed but all that I could see was soldier after soldier. I knew that I was trapped.

It was then that I heard a familiar voice scream out in pain and looked up just in time to see James fall from his horse, several arrows piercing his armor. My first thought was to ride to him, to see if I could help him but before I could more soldiers appeared from nowhere and all that I could see was a wall that blocked me from James.

I let out a shout then and started to swing my sword with a fury I had not known in a long time. I knew that even if my arm went numb that I would continue to cut down every soldier in my path until either they were dead or I was.

As I moved closer to James, the one thought that kept going through my mind was to get to him and help him in any way that I could. He was the only friend that I had in this world and there was no way that I was going to let him die out here. I brought my sword down once more to end the life of one of the French soldiers and as I did I heard the shout of several men all at once to my right. My eyes widened as I saw what were undoubtedly reinforcements running my way, their weapons held tightly in their hands. As I watched them moving towards us I let out a loud curse and knew that this was what the French had been waiting for. They had been waiting for the one moment that we had seemed our weakest to strike and for them this seemed like the best time.

I knew otherwise though and as I cut down at another soldier I heard a distant burst of music. It was then that I heard a distant fluttering in the air, as if several hundred birds had been unleashed at once and turned my head just to see the arrows strike the French soldiers hard. I knew that it was a small victory of sorts in the battle that was still waging and that I had to get to James but I knew that any victory we could win this day was a grand one.

I turned my horse towards James and started to move towards him once more but once again was blocked by the soldiers who seemed to come out of nowhere. As I cut down towards the soldiers, willing them to disappear from my plane of sight I swore that I could hear James calling out to me. I wanted to shout out to him, tell him that I would get to him, take him back to our camp and make him well again but as I looked around me I did not know if I could make that promise to him.

It seemed as if the French wanting nothing more than to kill an English knight this day and they were trying their hardest to make that happen. They moved towards me as if they were one unit, their weapons held tightly in their hands. As I looked at them I hoped that there was a way that I could get away from here but I knew more than anything that it was going to be hard. It was then that I heard someone else scream out and saw one of the other knights fall to the ground, a spear sticking into his side.

I looked down at the soldiers once again, only to see the malicious smile that was on each of their faces. I knew that if I did not get out of here I would end up on the ground like James and the other combatants around me. I knew that I would not let that happen and with a shout that echoed in my helmet raised my sword once more. I knew that there was no way that I was going to die this day. I was going to make it to James and leave this battlefield alive. I was going to see Joanna again!

As I raised my sword the first thing I noticed was how red the blade was, how slick it was with human blood but I knew that I could not stop killing my fellow human beings or they would kill me. As I cut down another of the soldiers I saw him fall to the ground and wanted nothing more than for this battle to end but knew that no matter how much I wanted it to happen it would not until whoever was in charge decided that their men had had enough or everyone was dead.

It was then that I saw James and his horse just before me and rode towards them. As I got close enough to shot out to him however I heard a shout to my right and turned in that direction to see the prince and his guards surrounded by several soldiers. I knew that I could not leave James laying there but I also knew that I could not leave my prince in the trouble that he was in. With a silent word of regret I turned and rode as hard as I could towards my prince and his company but as I did I felt something slam into my shoulder, throwing me from my horse and to the ground with a loud crash.

The first thing that I heard when my consciousness slowly came was the screams of the people around me. I slowly opened my eyes and noticed that I was somewhere very different, I was no longer on the battlefield. I sat up quickly and as I did the shock of pain flew through me. As I let the scream escape from my throat I looked just to see the men that were laying around me with various states of injuries. It was then that a person who was covered in blood came towards me quickly, a grave look on his face.

"Please Sir. You must lay back down."

I looked at him and then at the others that were laying around me, the smell assailing me.

"I am fine, I just fell from my horse. You should look at the others first."

The doctor looked at me, "I am afraid that it is slightly worse than that Sir. You were shot in the shoulder with an arrow that was intended for the Prince. You saved his life. That was why you were taken from the field as soon as you could be."

My eyes widened as I looked at the doctor, "Has another knight been brought in here. One that has been shot by more than one arrow?"

The doctor looked back towards the rest of the people that were in the tent then back at me before shaking his head.
"I haven't seen any knight with those injuries except for you my lord."

My eyes went wide as I looked at him then moved to get out of bed.

"Do not get out of bed my lord. Your injuries may kill you."

I looked straight at him, "I do not care. My best friend is out there!"

As I got to my feet I felt the searing pain that seemed to tear through my shoulder but knew that I wasn't going to stop. James was laying out there somewhere and I had to get to him before it was too late. I moved closer to the flap of the tent but before I could reach it and set out foot outside several people came into the tent, followed closely by one face that I could never forget. When I looked at the prince's face I could see the smile on his face that was quickly replaced by a look of surprise.

"Why are you out of bed Alic. You should be in bed until your wound has healed completely."

"I cannot do that. My best friend is out there. I cannot leave him out there to die."

The prince looked at me and then moved his hand slightly. Before I could stop them my arms were grabbed by the two people that were on my side and I found myself being dragged back to the bed.

"You cannot do this! I have to find James!"

The prince moved towards me as I was pulled away.

"Do not worry. I cannot have my savior die out there after he has saved my life. I will send people out there to look for him. You have my word."

All I could do was shout out James' name.

I woke up with his name still on my lips and it was then that I realized just where I was. I looked over just to see my wife laying next to me, her eyes staring straight into mine.

"Have you had the same dream my husband? You know that you did everything you could have to save James. There was nothing more that you could have done and you know it."

I knew that the words that had come from her were meant to calm me down so that I could get back to sleep and forget about the dream but I knew that they were lies. I had not done everything I could have to save the life of my closest friend and I would do anything I could to have him back. I hated the fact that I was hear and he was somewhere in France in a pauper's grave. I had hunted for him for days after the battle until I had been ordered by the prince to go back to England.

I never expected to have all the accolades heaped upon my name when I returned and I knew as I stood before the king that I would give thm all up just to have James standing there by my side. It was one of the worst days of my life when I was told that I would be a duke and given a large plot of land as I wanted nothing more than to have James there, the one who truly deserved it.

Joanna's hand on my should brought me back to the present and when I looked at her I could tell that she was worried for me by the look on her face. I knew that I could tell her that everything was alright but she was the one person I could never lie to, she was the one person who knew me far too well.

"I am sorry my love. It is just that I miss James so much. I wish that I could have done more to have saved him, to bring him back to England with me."

"You did do everything my husband. I know that they had to carry to, screaming from that battlefield when you refused to leave. I know that you did everything you possibly could have but it has been three years. Please, let it go."

I looked at her and wanted to ask her how she could say something like that to me but I knew that she was right. I knew that if I held onto everything that it would eat me up.

"I am sorry my love. I just wish that he was alive more than anything."

It was then that there was a knock on the bedroom door and it slowly opened to a crack.

"Yes Phillip. What is it?"

"I am sorry to disturb you my lord but there is a person who wishes to see you. He says that he knows you very well."

Joanna looked at the door, "Tell the man to come back later in the day. It is still the middle of the night."

"I am afraid that he is insistent. He wishes to speak with you know."

I got up out of the bed and moved to the door, wondering just who had come at this time of the night. As I followed my servant to the stairs I kept thinking of the first words I was going to say to the person, about how they had woken me up at this time of night. All those words flew from me when I saw the person.

"My, you have done well for yourself," James said as he looked up at me with a smile on his face.

As I stood there looking at him I couldn't believe that it was actually James standing there. I wanted to tell myself that I was going mad but as I moved closer to him I could tell that he was real, that this was no dream. As soon as I was close enough to him I reached out to take him in my arms. I still could not believe he was alive and as soon as we moved apart that was the first question that I asked. James just lookd at me with a smile on his face.

"What makes you think that I survived that?"

I looked at him with a puzzling look on my face and wanted to ask him what he meant but before I could he laughed and moved closer to me.

"I am sorry to say this Alic but I have got to kill your family now."

I looked at him with wide eyes and wanted to demand that he repeat that, demand to know what he just said but before I could I noticed the weird look in his eyes. He moved far faster than I could follow and before I knew it I was flying through the air to smash into the staircase behind me. As I slid down towards the floor I heard Joanna's voice calling out to me. I wanted to tell her to run, to get out of here as fast as I could but it was as though my voice had been cut off.

I then heard James as he moved closer to me. I raised my head slowly and it was then that I saw that his face wasn't quite human.

"Thank you for what you did Alic. You have taught me one lesson that I would never have learnt on my own. Thank you for the power that you have given me."

With that I felt the searing pain as he leaned down and bit deep into the side of my throat. As he did I felt as though something was pulling me away from myself and I let out a loud scream as I was ripped away.

Wraith looked up, the sky had suddenly darkened. She wiped the back of her hand over her lips, smearing the already bloody mess further across the lower half of her face. She rolled her eyes, knowing by instinct what she had just done. Sighing, she looked up at the sky again and shook her head. It would be time to head back soon, storms in the Vale were known to be vicious in the extreme.

She looked down at the steaming corpse beside her. There was still so much blood there and it was spilling its precious crimson liquid into the ground. She half laughed, half grinned, patting the ground beside her. "I suppose you're hungry too, huh?"

There was really no sense in talking to the Vale, it never actually answered back. Oh, there were signs all over the place that there was something not quite right about the world around her. But it never actually spoke to her.

The vampiress shook her head again, dismissing her musing for just that, silly thoughts. She glanced up at the sky again and decided that it really was time to go. She was no where near full, but she was used going hungry. She didn't need to feed as much as she used to; a few hundred years ago.

Just as she wiped the last of the Sherp's blood from her face, the sky suddenly split open. An unearthly scream rent the air and something cracked through the hole ripped into the atmosphere. It plumetted to the ground with astonishing speed and power.

The resounding shockwave hit her as her feet ran lightly over the ground. The half buried Sherp forgotten as her head split open with the knowledge that another Valian had just entered the land.

She just hoped that whoever it was had survived the fall.

As Wraith got to the edge of the small, smoking crater, she skidded to a halt. In the centre, deepest in, was a man. He smoked slightly, but she knew that distinctive smell. He was a vampire.

"Hola!" she called out, skidding down the crater's sides towards him, "Are you okay?"

As soon as I opened my eyes I knew that something wasn't right. I didn't feel like I had just a second ago and then I remembered what had happened. My hand shot up to the side of my throat, hoping that it was a dream and when I didn't feel anything there I hoped once again that it was. I slowly got to my feet and looked around but the first thing that I noticed was that everything was very different from what I had left behind.

I was now in a crater in the middle of a forest. I tried to look for my home but found that it was lost. It was then that I heard the voice that came from the right of me and turned to look in that direction. When I saw the woman standing there looking at me I backed away quickly although something told me that I should not take my eyes away from her.

As I moved away from her my hand fell to my sword but when I felt that it was gone my eyes widened. I looked straight at her, "Who are you and what have you done to me? Have you brought me here to try and get some ransom money? You will get nothing from my family. You will have to kill me first!"

It was then that I noticed my voice. It wasn't my own and it didn't sound entirely human. I put my hand up to my face and the first thing that I felt was that my face very different. I looked at the woman again.

"What have you done to me!"

Wraith knew that he was a vampire as soon as she came near him. She could smell it on him and she couldn't help but be excited about it. It had been so long since another had come here like her. Someone that could understand her... and someone she could understand as well and truly help the best she could.

She skidded to a halt as she got to the bottom of the crater. Holding up her hands in a gesture of peace as well as showing that she wasn't armed, she spoke to him slowly and calmly.

She couldn't help the low menace that crept into her voice over the years from being a vampire though. She only hoped that he saw through her clear dangerousness and to her general willingness to help.

"Calm down, sir. I haven't done anything to you. I'm just here to help. I know you have many questions and I will answer them as best I can. You're in a world called Illusion Vale. Many people are brought here, we don't know why yet. I was the first, and I am called Wraith."

I scrambled up the side of the crater to get away from the woman, even though she looked as if she wanted to help me. I knew that something wasn't right about her, she didn't smell right. My eyes went wide when I realized that I could smell her; as if I was a large predator I could smell her as she came near her and she didn't smell human at all. I watched her as she came even closer to me and saw that she didn't move like a human as well. It was as if she was trying to purposely slow herself down.

"What is this place? How can I get back home?"

It was then that I remember about James and looked around for him. What had he done to me?!

I looked at the woman again and slowly her name came back to me.

"What has happened to me? Where is James and why has he brought me here to this place?"

"What is this place? How can I get back home?"

Wraith's voice was soft and calm as she inched towards him, stopping only when he scrambled away. "You're in a place called Illusion Vale." Sadness entered her eyes as she spoke the always damning words, "I'm sorry but we haven't figured out how to get home yet."

"What has happened to me? Where is James and why has he brought me here to this place?"

He as asking so many questions and even though Wraith was more than practiced at doing this - welcoming new Valians - it still hurt and was extremely difficult.

"When you were transported to this world, you were transformed into something else. All of us are. You've been given a new set of abilities and skills that you didn't have before. And you'll find that some of your old abilities just won't work here. I don't know who this James is that you talk of, but I can say that he's not here. He probably never will be. I'm sorry... he's in the past."

As soon as the woman told me that there was no way I was ever going to get home, to my family and the ones that I loved I wanted nothing more than to scream out. I knew that it would do me no good but it would still feel good. I then looked down at myself and found that my body was not my own. I ran my hands down my body and found that there was something different about it.

I slowly moved my hands in front of my face and found that no matter how slow I tried to do it they seemed to be a blur. I looked at the woman again with wide eyes and wanted to ask her what would happen but I knew that I would have to figure it out myself. I slowly placed one foot in front of the other but found that it seemed to be faster than normal and fell forward.

I tried to claw my way up but found that I couldn't even do that now; it was as if they didn't want to work. I looked up at the woman slowly, took a deep breath. As soon as I did I felt something in the air, tasted something that was in the air and knew that it was in no way possible.

"What have I been turned into and where is this Illusion Vale? What is this Illusion Vale?"

"What have I been turned into and where is this Illusion Vale? What is this Illusion Vale?"

At this, the woman that was Wraith graced him with yet another sad look. Her eyes spoke grief, while her voice spoke menaced calm.

"I'm sorry. When you came here, as I explained, you were transformed. For reasons that I have yet to understand. You are... you are like me."

She gave a tentative smile as her hair unexpectedly wafted around her in an updraft of air, "You're a vampire."

She sighed, abruptly sitting down on a small rock, her skirt pooling around her. She suddenly looked rather defeated and disquietened. "Its a hard life here. For reasons that I can't understand, we are brought here, to this existance. I don't know if its a divine plan to save us from our old lives, or if - " she trailed off, not wanting to make him feel even worse, even more isolated.

"There are others here. Plenty of people that are in the same boat as you are. I'm sorry... I'm trying to find the way home.. but... for now, I'm afraid you're stuck here. In this strange land, carving out your existance like the rest of us."

My first reaction to the fact that I was never going to go back home, that I was never going to see my wife and daughter ever again was to raise my head. I opened my mouth to let out a scream but stopped myself and closed my mouth. I lowered my head to look at the woman with wide eyes as one word had escaped from her lips that was even more shocking than the fact I was never going home.

It was the fact that when I had been brought to this place whatever had deemed fit to do so had turned me into; a vampire! I looked down at the ground before closing my eyes and shaking my head. There was no way that I could be a vampire! Those creatures were nothing more than a folk story, something that had been made up to scare children into being good. There was no way it was even possible.

I raised my head to look at the women again and opened my mouth to say something but stopped. What was I going to say to her? How could I even ask her how she knew what I was?. I then resigned myself to the fact that I had to just ask her.

"How do you know what I am; vampires do not even exist. Why have I been turned into this and what do you mean that there are others here like me? Do you mean that everyone who comes here is a vampire? Do you mean that there are other monsters out here?"

Wraith's eyes went wide, her nostrils flared and her fists clenched. "Monsters?" Her voice was low and this time she did nothing to mask the threatening tone that she usually tried so hard to.

She took a measured step forwards and then she seemed to change. A ripple went through her body and her eyes suddenly lost all colour. They became black voids with no emotion. Her already pale skin began an unearthly white glow in the low sun. Her fingers unclenched to reveal inch long red tipped claws that had extended from her fingertips. Her mouth opened in a silent snarl, her fangs revealed in a ray of light far longer than before.

"Monster? Is this what you mean? Am I a monster?!" she snarled, suddenly hurling herself away from him. Her fists clenched as her back went rigid, "What have I done to you to call me such a thing? To call all the people here such a thing?"

She whipped around, facing him again, her snarl of pent up fury wiping across her face, "What are you to call me a monster, Vampire!"

Red tears welled up in the corners of her black eyes, but she turned away before they fell. She stood there a moment, her shoulders shaking. Without a sound, she changed back to her normal, every day face. She still didn't turn back to him, though her pain was all too obvious.

My first reaction was to say that I was sorry, that I said the wrong thing without meaning to but I did not know if she would listen to me. I knew that she was the only person who could guide me through this place and that I needed her more than she needed me but I had also hurt her more than I could ever do with my sword. I wanted to take a step towards her and place my hands on her shoulders as I did every time my wife had been upset but hesitated before I did.

I took a step back and took a deep breath to try and clear my thoughts but as I did a fresh smell came to me, it was as if I could smell or even taste her pain in the air. I took another deep breath before I spoke.

"I am sorry. I know that does not mean alot after what I just said but I have to say it. I did not mean to hurt you the way I did by saying those words. I know that you are not a monster; I know that the people in this Vale are not monsters but I have been brought to this place without my permission. I am frightened and know beyond all reason that I have lashed out at the wrong person. If you will please accept my apology I will listen to whatever you tell me without question."

I took a deep breath and hoped that she would turn to face me, "I know that I need you far more than you need me and I hope that what I said does not make you abandon me."

She laughed then, a harsh, painful laugh. "Abandon you? I never abandon those that I find out here in the wilderness." She sighed, looking at him, her eyes glazed over with remembered pain and rage, her voice was soft when she spoke though, "Come then, I'll take you to the city and we can figure this out together. Just the rest of us."

She smiled then, a wan smile, but a smile nonetheless as she effortlessly scampered up the hill. It seemed that she hadn't moved at all, yet there she was, staring down at him from the edge of the crater.

"Come, use your speed but remember to stop once you get here." she called down helpfully towards him. Then she disappeared from sight, having moved away just in case he used too much of his speed and couldn't stop himself.

At least... at least she could help him to understand himself in this place. He was, after all, a vampire.

I stood there and watched as she moved to the edge of the crater as though she was floating on air. She had the grace of a dancer and I found that I could not take my eyes away from her but I looked down towards the ground when I thought of my wife. It was then that her words brought me from my thoughts and when I looked up I found her standing at the top of the crater looking down at me. I looked at her with wide eyes and thought that it was impossible for her to be standing there in such a short amount of time but I knew that she was no ordinary human, that such things were normal for her.

I shook my head and realized that I was no ordinary human either, that I had been turned into a vampire the moment I had come to this place. I knew that word should not shock me but it still sent a shiver up my spine the moment I thought of it. I looked up at her and wondered if I would be able to get up there as she had but then her words came to me and I mentally shook myself. I was just like her and could do the things that she could!

I wanted to laugh at that point as I moved away from where I had been standing. I looked up towards the edge of the crater, towards where she was standing as a point to head towards and closed my eyes. I knew that it was a stupid thing to do but if I was to get up there fast I hoped that it would help. I started to run towards her and as I did I felt as though my muscles were far stronger than they should be.

I got to the edge but as I got halfway up my foot slipped on something and before I could stop myself I had slid all the way back down to the bottom. I got back to my feet, looked up at Wraith who was standing there calmly and wanted to ask for her help but shut my mouth. I knew that she wanted to see what I was capable of; that it was the reason she was standing there waiting for me. I also knew that running up the side of a crater with my eyes closed had been a stupid thing to do.

With a long low breath I ran towards the side of the crater again but this time my feet flew out from beneath me and I found myself laying down on the side of the crater looking at the other side and the sky. I got to my feet, went back down and started again, only this time to land on my face. I got back up again, dusted myself off and knew that I should be getting mad about this but then wondered what it would look like from Wraith's point of view and wanted to laugh.

I looked back up at her and told myself that I could do this before I ran at the side of the crater again. This time my feet hit a rock, I hit the ground and slid down the side of the crater again. Once more I looked up at Wraith as she stood there but closed my mouth before I said anything. I was determined to get up the the top, even if it killed me.

I took another deep breath before I looked up at Wraith who still stood there and ran towards the side of the crater. As I ran I told myself that I was going to make it and every time I felt my foot slip on something I compensated so that my balance came back. All I could see was the edge of the crater coming up fast; impossibly fast!

Before I could stop myself I flew over the edge of the crater to land face first on the ground near Wraith's feet. I then looked up at her, "Can you teach me how to do what you did without falling over so much?"

Wraith peered over the edge, silenly watching him trying to scramble up the side of the crater and get to her. The first few attempts had her smiling, but soon enough she was tapping her foot, wishing to be out of here already. It was approaching close to dusk and she never liked being out in the Wilderness for too long after nightfall.

When he finally landed face first in the dirt before her, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Keeping her hands from her hips, she watched him dust himself off and arched an eyebrow when he made his request.

"There are a lot of things that I have to teach you." She answered cryptically and then turned around, stepping off and throwing a look over her shoulder to make sure he was following.

"Come along then, its best not to get caught out here after dark. There's only so much I can protect you from,"

With these words she walked, faster than usual so he had to use his unnatural speed to follow at her heels, back towards the general direction of the city.

"Your body runs at different speeds. You'll find that your eyes are much slower than your legs. Concentrate on where you put your feet and you'll catch up to me in no time."

Astonishingly enough, all this was heard inside his head.

At the words that we had to get to whatever city she was taking me to before dark it made me wonder what else was out here. It made me realize that where ever I had landed was a place of danger and it definitely was not a place where I could run around as I normally did. I was accustomed to living in a life full of danger but this was something that I was not afraid of.

I looked at her as she moved away from me, wishing more than anything that I could move as fast as her and look beautiful when I did so but I knew the best that I could do was land on my face as I tried to scramble up the side of a crater. She looked at me and told me that I had to think of where I was going to put my feet before I put it down but as easy as it sounded I knew that it wasn't going to be.

I looked at her when she spoke in my head for the first time and wondered if she look inside my head when I was thinking of things. I knew that there were thoughts there I did not want her to know and there were things that I wanted so much to keep secret. I wanted to tell her to not look inside my head. I hoped though that she would not do anything like that for a common courtesy.

"Where is this city you are taking me to?" I couldn't help but ask. If I was to learn the layout of this land I knew I had to learn it as quickly as I could.

She looked on, smiling perhap in amusement, he could not tell. "Vale city is not far. We should be there before too long."

She gazed at the night sky and seemed to nod to herself for a moment, mulling something over. "One thing you must know here. You cannot survive in the sunlight, not until you are as strong as I am, and that will take time. Even I feel its effects at times."

She continued on, letting him follow her as he would. If he should get too far, she would continue to speak to him, however it was inside his head so that he could hear her properly.

"You will need to feed at least three times a week. I can sense the power in you and while you are stronger than you could ever be as a human, you will find yourself amongst the weaker of us now."

She didn't mean it unkindly, she just knew that this man would prefer her to be honest, rather than coddling him with kind words. "If you do not feed... I will kill you. For it will come to that, if you don't."

There was no malice in the words, just a cold certainty that came from too much knowledge and the burden of responsibility.

"Much of this place is forest now. Though it was not always so. Most of these trees are only a few hundred years old. This was desert once, before I came here. Slowly, I changed it, to better suit the people I found here." It was all said rather casually, as if she had explained this so many times before.

"The air is ruled by what I call Flaringales. They are not to be trifled with and feed on fire. Beware of them... they come out mostly at night but are known to fly by day. The ground... well I control these forests. But there are still some creatures who would see you as food and nothing else. I suggest stick to the paths if you wander, at least those I can patrol."

I slowly followed Wraith at a safe distance and knew that there were things she wasn't telling me. I knew that there must be things out in this world she didn't want to tell me about just yet. I wanted so much for her to tell me anything but I knew that no matter how much I would ask she would not do so. This was a place I knew I would have to find out things on my own, no matter how much pain I would have to go through. I knew that it was a harsh way to think, given that this was only my first day here. I knew though that Wraith would not be there to hold my hand all the time and that I would have to do things on my own.

"If there are things out here that would want nothing more than to kill me I hope that there is someplace that I can get a weapon. This seems like a very harsh place to live in and the last thing I would want to do is wander off somewhere you do not patrol and get myself killed."

I slowly looked around then and wondered if there was anything that was looking back at me with but one thought on its mind.... food! If it came at me now I knew that even if Wraith was to fight it off that I would feel worthless because I had not done a thing to help her. I looked at her then and wanted to as her if it was safe to wander off and explore things on my own but I knew what her answer would be as soon as the words formed in my head.

"Please lead on my lady Wraith. I am afraid that I have wasted far too much of your time and kept you away from your home. Please lead and I will now follow."

Wraith stopped momentarily to listen as Shadow spoke. She smiled gently, a light of understanding in her eyes. "We have a very fine smith - I'm sure he can outfit you. We already have several Knight - Protectors - in the Vale and we could always use more."

So he would get a weapon, and armor. Of that he could have no doubt.

When he spoke again, it was as if she could read his mind -- in actual fact, she could -- "I know this may seem a harsh world to you, but it is all that some of us know. You have been brought here and there is nothing you or I can do about it." She gently laid a hand on his arm, "I know its not an easy thing to do, but surrending here is key. Believe me, happiness comes with acceptance."

Then a warning glance shot through him, "Don't got inviting trouble however. Don't go looking for it. I am responsible for you and everybody else in the city. I will not have them in danger for your stupidity."

Then she swiftly smiled again. "We'll get there soon and then we can get you a room and then... then I will have to talk to you about Feeding."

I looked at Wraith with wide eyes, "You expect me to just surrender who I was and allow this place to turn me into something I never wanted to be? I do not think that is something I can ever do. I will live here, I will learn to adapt but I will never forget who I was; the person that I was."

At that point all I wanted to do was walk away from her and lose myself in this place but I knew that in doing so would surely get me killed and the best place to be was with the woman that was at my side.

"These Protectors? I was once a knight in the world I know is forever lost to me. Is there a way that I could become one of them, learn to protect this place that is now my home?"

I walked along, waiting for the answers to any of her questions. It was then that the last thing she had said finally came to me and I looked at her, "Feeding? What do you mean feeding? Do I have to go out and kill people because of what this place has turned me into? How do you think I could do that?"

"You expect me to just surrender who I was and allow this place to turn me into something I never wanted to be? I do not think that is something I can ever do. I will live here, I will learn to adapt but I will never forget who I was; the person that I was."

Wraith's lips curved up into a smile. "I do not want you do that. You just said it yourself, you need to adapt. To change but remain who you are. I merely meant you need to be... resigned... to living here. All of us are." She shrugged lightly as if to ward off the gravity of the situation.

"These Protectors? I was once a knight in the world I know is forever lost to me. Is there a way that I could become one of them, learn to protect this place that is now my home?"

The vampiric woman watched the emotions flicker through on his face and considered the question carefully. "I believe that you can try. There are always opportunities and places for you to go. If that is where you want to be, then go for it."

"Feeding? What do you mean feeding? Do I have to go out and kill people because of what this place has turned me into? How do you think I could do that?"

She shook her head, pausing so as to make her statements perfectly clear to him. She forced him to listen to her by echoing her spoken words telepathically into his mind so that all of him was taken up with her.

"No. There are a few rules you must obey both because of what you are and because you were sent here. First, you MUST NOT feed on other sentient beings. Any other Valian is protected as you are protected from others."

"If you break this law, I will hunt you down and kill you."

She began to tick lists off her fingers, "Second, you cannot Turn another Vampire. It is forbidden. We are the superior race in this land and we need to be responsible for it.

Third, you MUST feed when you need to. I will not have you runnning around in the Blood Lust - forcing me to kill you.

Fourth, you answer to me. You may have superiors, but because you are a Vampire, you are MINE to protect. See that you are worthy of it."

She stopped then, her voice and expression softening, "I'm sorry, but because of what you are, you must be very careful in this world. It is too easy for us to slip into darkness and kill."

Then she smiled reasurringly, "There is more, but for now we must hurry back. It is approaching dawn and you are not yet strong enough to stand the light. If you are hungry, there is blood provided. I assure you, you will be well looked after."

It was not all that she wanted to say, but for now it would have to do. She waited for him to ask more questions - but moved on, time now being of the essence.

I knew that I could argue to any one of the rules that Wraith had just put into place but I knew that there was no point to it. They were there to protect both myself and the fellow Valians. I looked at her and wanted to ask more about the Protectors, that little ray of hope to the situation that I found myself in. I knew though that I would find out in due time and forcing the issue would get me nothing more than even more cryptic answers. There was one question that was foremost in my mind though and when I looked at Wraith again it practically screamed at me.

"If you are responsible for all the vampires in this place, for all the Valians does that make you the ruler, the queen? If not then who is the ruler of this place? If you are the ruler do you live in a castle?"

I wondered if she would laugh at that last question but with the life I had just left it was the only reality that I knew. I knew though that I would have to adjust and very fast.

It was then that something within me screamed and everything seemed to flood me at once. I wanted to scream at the wind as it slammed into me even though I could see the slight breeze in the trees. I fell to my knees on the ground and looked up at Wraith just to see every curve, every line of her body.

"What is happening to me! What is wrong with me?!"