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IMMORTAL ROSE
The Rose Chronicles
Book III

Ginny Clyde
 Cover design: Amy Covers

Cover Art Copyright 2017

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and

incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental.

Copyright © 2017 by Ginny Clyde. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted and
reproduced in any manner or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording
or whatsoever without written permission of the author.

For information contact, Ginny Clyde.

Table of Contents
Blurb

PROLOGUE

End of the Guardians

A New Way of Life

Self-Reliance

The New Reality

The Chase of Blood and Death

Persisting Chase

New Alliances

Judgement Day

Castle Drakonia

Battle Plan

Grim Precursors

The Battle for Maldorfina

The Wolf’s Den

Truths Revealed

A New Design

Covert Operations
The Count

Divide and Conquer

Reunion of the Lovers

EPILOGUE

Author’s note

Dedication

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Blurb
As Lenara Gerrickson resurfaces from death, she is thrown into
a whirlpool of deadly enemies that threaten not only her existence
but the very foundation of Maldorfina.
Struggling to keep her family safe while the rest of the realm is
overrun by Ekart’s wolves, she needs the Drakians’ support. But,
going to them would mean risking their very lives.
Get immersed in this beautiful and yet, deadly world as the last
chapter of this thrilling, intriguing tale unfolds...

The Rose Chronicles

Graveyard Rose

Blood Red Rose

Immortal Rose

Lost Rose

Winter Rose: The Prequel

Castle Szerdoben: A Rose Chronicles Tale

For the lovers of fairy tales who believe love triumphs over all.
 PROLOGUE

Rows of candles flickered in the spacious dark room. A balding man,

dressed in a priest’s black attire sat on a straight backed chair
surveying the peasant man cowering in front of him. A tall cross
hanging from the wall behind the priest, cast a baleful look at the
two men beneath its gaze.
“Tell me all you know about the history of Maldorfina,” said the
priest.
“I am just a farmer, Father. I don’t even know how to read,”
replied the man as he twisted his hands together.
Noticing the fidgeting man, the priest smiled. This man knows
...
“I will be sending my men into Maldorfina for a full enquiry.
They will root out the devilish spawns that you heretics have bred
for centuries.”
“Your Holiness...”
Ignoring the visibly shaking man, he went on. “Maldorfina has
hidden beneath the Carpathians far too long. Your people have paid
no tithe to the Church for centuries! You have gathered wealth that
rightfully belongs to it. You may have sold your souls to the devil but
the Inquisition will do its duty by your people and save you from the
eternal fires of hell.” Bending forward, he fixed the poor man with a
cold stare. “I am handing you over to my knights. Tell me what you
know now or they will squeeze it out of you.”
A minute passed.
“Julian, take him away,” called the priest loudly.
A tall, well-built man in chain mail came forward. The red cross
painted across his chest plate gleamed in the candle light. It did not
take much of his strength to drag the pleading man away from the
room.
 Father van Helsing leaned back in his chair as blood curdling
screams issued from the torture chamber at the end of the hall.
Won’t be long before I hunt out the beasts from Maldorfina and
tame its defiant population, he mused with satisfaction.
 End of the Guardians

The last rays of the autumn sun shone through the jagged gaps in
the broken glass windows, illuminating the sparsely furnished room.
The walls were darkened with damp spots spreading unchecked
throughout the room. A dusty chandelier hung overhead on the
ceiling, signifying a bygone era when the hall had been more
exuberant and hosted noble blood. A man draped in a heavy white
fur cloak sat on a rickety chair which creaked with every move he
made. A streak of silver gleamed in his once shaggy hair, which was
now well combed and tied.
“How long do you think it will take them to find your son,
Adam?” he asked the man who knelt in front of him, preparing a roll
of tobacco.
Adam flinched at the question. His once lustrous black hair had
turned a dirty shade of grey and his haughty features had hollowed
out giving him a ghastly appearance. He busied himself with
pounding the tobacco leaves, trying to hide his shaking hands.
“Oww!” a high pitched moan escaped his lips as Ekart’s foot
collided with his side.
“I asked you a question, mutt,” said Ekart.
Drawing in a shuddering breath, Adam replied, “I do not know,
My Lord.”
“It only took three months to wipe out the Guardian families. It
was easy to finish off the Raynersons, all of them living in that big
mansion. I really felt like a wolf among sheep,” said Ekart, shaking
with laughter at his own jibe. “Same with the Fredricksons; which
had the Deidrickson boys running home to protect their families. The
silly fools made everything so very easy for me. Family will set you
on the path to hell,” he added bitterly.
A young woman came running through the entrance to the
room. “Mr. Ekart, they have just sent word! They have killed the last
Guardian! They are bringing the body as we speak!”
A scream rang through the room. Adam Jaegerson rolled on the
dusty floor, clutching at his matted hair. The woman spared a look of
disdain at him before looking back at her master.
“That is indeed good news, Asha,” said Ekart loudly over Adam’s
cries. “John Jaegerson has been running for far too long.”
Thundering sounds of horse hoofs were heard coming from the
castle’s courtyard.
“Come, Adam. You would be the best person to judge if it is
your son or not,” said Ekart.
Asha trailed behind him. Adam resisted the urge to follow his
alpha’s command, lying flat on the floor but eventually gave up.
Limping slightly, he made his way down a crumbling staircase.
Rubble from the castle wall filled most of the yard. The wall that
used to protect the castle’s ground had broken down in several
places.
The group had discovered the ruins a few miles on the outskirts
of Hijkarden and had made it their headquarters. Working
relentlessly, they had cleared away most of the vines that had
stubbornly entangled the abandoned building for centuries. The
rooms had been dusty, the walls thick with mould but the twenty
women who formed part of Ekart’s pack, had hoisted their skirts
above their ankles and tackled the neglect to make it habitable.
Their hard work allowed every member to have strong shelter during
the harsh winter months.
Adam dawdled as long as he could before going near the crowd
that had congregated around the riders. As he came forward, the
group of women gathered around the corpse shifted to let him pass
through. Getting on his knees, he turned the body over to see the
face. The heart wrenching cries that followed made it clear to
everyone present that it was indeed his son’s.
“Where did you find him? asked Ekart, gesturing towards one of
the riders. The rider, dressed in male attire was a woman with a
head of dark curls.
“He was hiding in Brasok,” said the woman. Nodding towards
Adam, she said, “He was correct in assuming that his son would flee
to his grandparent’s house.”
“Every house is taken care of except the Gerricksons. I can’t
rest unless I see Lenara Gerrickson’s rotting corpse with my own
eyes. She escaped us once when we assumed her dead. I doubt
whether Jaegerson finished the job.”
Asha sneered. “I don’t believe his stories of her mating with a
vampire either. He is trying to hide his incompetence by making up
wild tales about the woman who probably escaped his grip. A part of
me wants her to live.”
“Asha!” gasped the women around her.
“You lot secretly hope so too, don’t you?” she argued back.
“We searched Ballorna. Neither she nor her family were sighted
there after the blood bath that Adam left behind. Daniel Gerrickson
is either still hiding with the Drakians or is dead; and even though
his little daughter escaped, I doubt she would be alive, alone and
lost in the snowy woods,” said Tabitha, one of the women who had
just dismounted from her horse.
Ekart’s fists curled up. “I had ordered him to kill the Gerrickson
girls; not the servants!” he said through gritted teeth.
“He did things the only way the selfish lords are taught. Don’t
care who you trample on as long as you get what you want!” said
Tabitha, her face screwed with disgust as she glanced at the keening
figure on the ground.
“You speak the truth, Tabitha,” said Ekart.
“What does it matter if those girls are still alive? We have wiped
out the existence of the Guardians completely. Who will save
Maldorfina from the evil that the Drakians will be spreading now?
People will soon be looking for new protectors,” said Asha.
“Aye; and we shall be ready when they do. The end of the
Drakians is come.” Suddenly, looking down at the crumpled man in
front of him, he shouted, “For Christ’s sake, get the body out of
here, Adam! You tire us all with your tantrum. You knew this was
coming. Or did you think the fates would have spared your son after
what you did to Daniel Gerrickson’s family?” he sneered.
Biting his tongue to avoid saying anything that he would regret
later, Adam straightened up and dragged his son’s body out of the
courtyard.
“I don’t really trust him,” whispered Asha as soon as Adam had
left.
“We won’t have to put up with him long now. I needed him to
get to the Guardians. I can finish him off now but I have started
taking pleasure in torturing him,” said Ekart.
“Torturing him won’t heal your pain, Alpha.”
The whole courtyard went silent at her words. Ekart fixed her
with a cold stare but she glared back at him. After a moment of
tension, Ekart sighed. “Go help your sisters before I change my mind
to punish you for your insolence.”
Showing a set of horse-like teeth, the young woman pranced
away, leading two horses by their reins towards the stables.
 A New Way of Life

The sea of pine tree tops shook lightly as a cool night breeze blew
through them. A pair of dark figures sat at the rim of a craggy ledge
extending from the side of a tall mountain, their legs dangling
casually over the edge. Light from a fire lit some paces behind them
illuminated the entrance to a cave. Even though the woods appeared
silent, the two beings surveying the scene could distinctly hear the
rustle of each branch, the buzz of insects near the forest floor and
the distant hoots of an owl.
“It is almost spring time,” said one of them.
“It is, Lenara. Easter is this week,” said her companion.
Turning her face towards her companion, she said, “Will I be
ready by then?
The corners of his lips turned down at her question. “I cannot
say.”
With a sigh of frustration, she got up from beside him. “Why
won’t you give me a clear answer, Christopher? When you told me
your story, it didn’t sound like it took you very long to get used to
being around humans.”
“It has only been three months for you, Lenara. I had two
centuries to get used to my new life. You have to be patient with
yourself,” he said, as he followed her inside the cave.
Kicking off her shoes, she settled herself on the thick, luxurious
carpet that covered the cavern’s hard floor. The accommodation that
she shared with Christopher now was very different from what she
had experienced during her first visit there. What had felt like a
make-shift living quarters had been his storehouse. He resided in
another cave located above that one. It was bigger and well-
furnished with a lavish bed, plush chairs around a round table and
tall, ornately carved stands that housed several candles on each tier.
When lit up, they filled the space with a bright glow. Lena had been
brought there as soon as she had transformed into her new being as
a vampire. She reminisced those initial moments of her new life, still
vivid in her mind.
When she had woken from death in the cold, dark dungeon of
the Jaegerson mansion, she had felt nothing but a burning thirst
inside her. Christopher’s face had been the first thing she saw there
but her unknown craving drove away all thoughts from her mind.
Lunging at him, she had tried to bite the side of his neck, pure
instinct guiding her.
With a cry of surprise, he had jumped away from her clawing
fingers but the bottle that he had been carrying slipped through his
hand and fell on the ground. The sound of shattering glass had hurt
her ears terribly but as the contents flowed out, Lena forgot all pain.
The heady, sweet scent with a metallic tang caused her throat to
burn fiercely until she had laid herself flat on her belly to lick the
dark crimson liquid. However, instead of quenching the severe thirst,
it made her entire body explode with agony, making her cry out.
“It’ll be okay soon, Lenara,” Christopher chanted continuously,
the only witness to her permanent transformation into a vampire.
To her, it had felt like hours before the pain had subsided. When
she finally felt like she could think again, she raised herself into a
sitting position. The sight of the red-tinged shattered glass brought
back her recent memories to her.
“I did all of this,” her voice had come out in a raspy whisper. “I
had been dead but now I am undead. I am like you now,
Christopher.”
“I am sorry,” he said, his eyes swimming with unshed tears of
grief that he felt for her.
Christopher had transported her back to his mountainous lair.
She didn’t need to climb on his back anymore; she could keep up
with his speed now. The flashing scenery by her sides was the only
indication of her swiftness. The steep sides of the mountain posed
little resistance to her new strength and stamina. The cold breeze
grazing past her exposed skin through her torn clothing did not
trouble her. She had been taken inside the deep cavern where rays
of the sun did not penetrate the darkness, making it hospitable for
them all throughout the day.
As exhilarating as her new strengths were, Lena broke down at
the thought that she would never be able to see the sun rise again,
nor feel its warmth on her skin. The sun had forever set for her, a
constant reminder that she was no longer of the living world but an
undead being. She allowed Christopher to care for her during the
days that followed. He brought sustenance to her; a bottle of blood
each night that she would drink in one go but it never satiated her
thirst as the first taste of it had.
“It doesn’t feel as good as it had the first time,” Lena had voiced
her thought aloud.
“This is not really human blood,” Christopher had explained.
“This is sheep’s blood mixed with a potion that renders it to taste
and smell similar to it. True human blood would always feel
more...substantial. It is what you crave.”
A part of Lena had wanted to protest. Her inner thirst
demanded human blood but her sentient mind rejected the idea.
“I know how you feel, Lenara. It will take time for you to get
used to the constant gnawing but eventually it will subside. You do
wish to spare innocent lives, don’t you?”
“Of course! I wish to go see Isabella as soon as possible. The
sooner the craving goes away, the sooner I can be with her.”
Christopher had given her an encouraging smile but after a
month of unsatisfying meals and being inside the dark cave, she had
started to feel frustrated. She had begged Christopher to accompany
her outside.
“It would only be a stroll be through the forest. There’s no
chance of people being in these parts,” she had reasoned.
“I am not sure, Lenara. There could be wood cutters.”
Lena scoffed. “Wood cutters in the forest at night?”
In the end, he had agreed. He only had his experiences to guide
Lena in her new life and decided to see how she would do on her
own. Initially, their walk through the trees had been cheerful. Her
sensitive eyes were able to see through the darkness and she could
see the hidden birds in the trees and hear the prowling foxes in the
shadows. Suddenly, her nose recognised the faint scent of human
flesh and soon she allowed it lead her forward. It was only when
Christopher had jerked her back harshly that she realised that she
was standing at the edge of the forest and a wide expanse of an
empty field lay ahead.
“You got drawn by their scent. If I didn’t run after, you’d have
reached the village and taken a dozen heads by now,” he said, his
voice severe.
Trembling slightly, she realised how easily her instincts had
taken control of her own body. Christopher’s early assumption that
she was not ready to be among people rang in her head. Lowering
her head in shame, she had run back into the forest.
The next two months had passed by with her remaining within
the cave with occasional walks in the woods. Every time she
resented her wretched existence, she tried to remind herself that
she ought to be grateful for another chance at life. Christopher had
saved Isabella that fateful night when she had failed. He had even
harvested the berries for her potion and had delivered them to Elga
during the next New Moon.
It was disappointing that Elga had not allowed him to come
near their dwelling and had sent Clara to wait in the dark beside the
invisible barrier that kept all preternatural beings away from their
abode. No supernatural entities or energies could penetrate the
unseen wall. After dropping the bag of nightshade on the forest
ground as requested by Clara, he had stayed back to hear news of
Isabella. She told him that she and Daniel were safe, along with
warning him to not hang around the outskirts of Ballorna as Ekart’s
wolves were still sniffing around to search for him and Lena. With a
twinge, she realised that she would not be welcome among her old
friends again.
“Lenara,” said Christopher, coming to sit beside her.
Shifting closer to him, she leaned her head on his chest. He
brought her closer, gathering her in his arms and kissed her temple.
“Don’t be so disheartened, dearest. I think you are closer to
being ready,” said Christopher.
 She shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. “I know I get
impatient but I will not go near Bella until I am completely ready. I
would rather die than hurt her with my own hands.”
“I am certain of that. Don’t you wish to know why I think you
are nearing control?”
“How do you know, Christopher? You’re just trying to make me
feel better,” she grumbled into his chest.
Chuckling softly, he gently pried her away from him to look into
her eyes. The once green orbs were now surrounded by a ring of
crimson. “I have not been indulging you. That full goblet of blood
standing there on the table is actual human blood.”
“What?”
“You heard me right. You have not even gone near it this whole
time,” said Christopher.
Lena’s grave countenance immediately changed into one of
delight. “Oh really?! I just didn’t have the stomach to drink anything
after I’d been feeling so miserable about my life.”
He smiled at her. “I noticed so. You are no longer being
controlled by your thirst. We will soon start venturing into the
villages and see how you do there. I will, of course, be by you to
protect you.”
Flinging herself in his arms again, Lena hugged him tightly
around the neck. “Thank you for being here with me.”
Stroking her back softly, he said, “Always, my love.”
“When shall we start our practise?” she asked, breaking her
hold on him and gazing at him with bright eyes.
“Tonight if you wish but I would rather you satiated yourself
fully first. One step at a time.”
She nodded. “I understand. I shall control the beast within me
with all I have.”
She got up and went near the table. Raising the goblet to
Christopher, she drank, savouring the feel of the sweet blood. It
caused her veins to vibrate with an electrifying feel, something that
animal blood always failed to do, even though Christopher’s potion
made it taste the same. Feeling satisfied, she looked towards
Christopher. “I am ready.”
 Christopher led her towards the closest village. Even though it
was ten miles away from their home location in the forest, they
made it there quickly due to their fast speed. As they stood at the
edge of the empty field, he took her hand in his. Looking up at him,
she saw that his eyes held faith in her. The last time she had been
there, his eyes had burned with anger. Feeling confident in herself,
she said, “Let’s take a walk to the town centre.”
Crossing the field swiftly, they reached the town’s main square.
The streets were completely deserted, the crescent moon the only
source of light but to them, it was light enough to see everything
clearly.
“How do you feel?” asked Christopher, as they walked slowly
around a chipped granite statue of a dragon.
“If I listen closely, I can hear the beating of their hearts but I
don’t feel too...thirsty,” she said slowly. “I feel no inclination to go
near them.”
“That is great news, Lenara. Let us walk a few more streets.”
Nodding her assent, she twined her hand within his and they
continued their leisurely stroll.
“How long did it take it for you to gain control, Christopher?”
asked Lena suddenly. “Tell me the truth.”
Stopping abruptly, he looked down at her.
“I won’t judge you. I just wish to make your burdens lighter.
Share them with me.”
Hesitating slightly, he began. “It took me a year to gain
complete control. I killed my earlier victims because I could not
control my actions. When I would come back to my senses, I would
see the horrible mess that I had created. Every life I took weighed
heavily on my conscious. I ran from village to village, sometimes
even venturing out of Maldorfina. It was a few months of that before
I could control my inner hunger and then I was able to take only
what I needed. My self-loathing was what restrained the beast.”
“I hope you don’t feel that way anymore, Christopher, because I
love you,” she said, squeezing his hand.
“I have not felt that way in quite some time. You make me
forget my dark, solitary days.”
 Standing on the tips of her toes, Lena kissed Christopher. His
hands came to circle around her waist, pulling her into a closer
embrace while he deepened the kiss. He then trailed kisses from the
corner of her mouth all the way to the side of her neck, drawing
loud gasps from her. She could feel his lips moulding into a smile as
they pressed against her skin.
“Stop or we risk waking up the whole village,” she moaned.
Chuckling softly, he whispered, “No.”
“Christopher!” she said, a little louder this time.
Reluctantly, he allowed her to take a step back from him.
“It’s almost time for dawn,” she said.
Turning to face east, he said, “Aye. We should head back.
Tonight was a roaring success, though.”
“Yes!” she whispered happily.
 Self-Reliance

Over the next few weeks, Lena ventured into the villages ringing the
forest where she was residing with Christopher. Her steady
determination to control her urges gradually made it easier for her to
be among people. As the days grew warmer, Lena put her resolve
into curbing her appetite for human blood. Soon, she no longer
craved the addicting stimulation that it used to bring her.
“I wish to go to the village by myself tonight,” she said one day.
Looking up from the tome that he had been reading,
Christopher cast a piercing glance at her. “Why? I do not mind
accompanying you,” he said.
“I wish to be able to go wherever I please without needing you
by my side at all times. I miss being independent.”
“What if you lose control?”
“I won’t! I have not felt that way in a long time now. It is not
out of my desire to impress you that I don’t kill people,” she said,
her voice getting louder. “I do so because I don’t want to be a
murderer. I am going out now.”
Setting his book aside, he got up and came to stand beside her.
“Please, let me come with you.”
“No.”
Tying her cloak around her neck, she stomped towards the
cave’s entrance. She felt her arm being grabbed from behind but she
jerked it out of his hold.
“Lenara!” he shouted. “Wait!”
Ignoring his calls, she went down the steep side of the
mountain, her hands latching to the rocky surface easily. A feeling of
exhilaration overtook her as she felt the breeze blowing through her
hair. Reaching the ground, she ran through the trees until she
spotted the field in the distance. She halted at the edge of the
forest, her keen senses filling up with the fragrance of primroses and
daffodils. Spring is definitely here, she mused joyously. Her sharp
hearing could hear fast footfalls coming through the woods. I won’t
let him catch me, she decided and took off at a fast pace towards
the village’s square.
Walking through the dark, deserted streets Lena regained the
feeling of independence that she had been seeking over the past
few months. Grateful as she was for Christopher’s aid in helping her
adjust to her new life, she was starting to resent his over
protectiveness. I want to be able to go wherever I please without
him chaperoning me all the time. I don’t want him to lurk around
when I meet Bella and Father either. I don’t want him around me at
all times!
Lena was aware of Christopher’s presence but she paid no heed
to him. She sauntered through the cobblestoned streets, determined
to show him that she was in full control of herself. After spending an
hour wandering aimlessly, Lena rushed back towards the forest and
waited for Christopher to reach the village’s border.
“You proved yourself. Congratulations,” he said softly, coming
near her. “I’m sorry for not trusting you completely.”
“I am no longer a mindless beast,” she replied in a cold whisper.
He flinched. “I never thought of you that way, Lenara.”
She held up her hand, halting him from speaking further. “I am
ready to go home. This is the last night I spend at that cave.”
“What are you talking about?” he spoke softly, but she could
hear the panic in it.
“I am going to Ballorna tomorrow.”
“It’s not safe for you to go there. Ekart’s wolves are sniffing
around the town,” said Christopher, lines of concern etching his face.
“I can fight them if need be,” she argued back.
“Not if there are too many.”
“I don’t care! I want to see my family and there is nothing you
can do to stop me,” she said, breathing heavily.
Christopher looked stricken at her outburst. After a moment’s
pause, he said, “That’s fine, then, but where will you spend your
day? Sunlight will burn you.”
 “I’ll think of something, Christopher. You really need to start
letting me use my mind more often from now on.”
“But you’ve got to be cautious,” he reasoned.
“You don’t need to keep reminding me of that!” With a sudden
burst of speed, Lena ran into the forest and did not stop until she
had reached the cave.
Christopher arrived shortly afterwards. She was already settled
on a settee, brushing her dark tresses slowly. Going near her, he
bent forwards and laid a hand on her arm holding the comb.
Glancing at him, she raised her eyebrows.
“I want you know that I trust you with my life, Lenara. Forgive
me for doubting your capabilities. You are clearly capable of holding
your senses among people.”
The corner of her mouth curled into a small smile. “Thank you.”
“You should have this,” he said, showing her a corked glass vial
and a roll of parchment.
“What’s this?” she asked, taking them from him.
“A drop of the potion added to animal blood will render it to
taste and smell the same as human blood. I have copied the recipe
for you. The ingredients should be available at the apothecary or at
any herbalist’s shop.”
“Oh. Thank you,” she said. “I thought I had to fight you to get
my hands on them.”
Christopher grimaced. “I have no wish to fight you on anything,
Lenara. Forgive me if I made you feel like you were my prisoner. I
always had your best interest at heart.”
“I know, Christopher. I am grateful to you for all that you have
done for me. I am myself again only because you took the pain to
care for me when I was incapable of it. But, I am ready to look after
myself now.”
His eyes darkened momentarily. “I understand that you don’t
have any need of me,” he said and turned away from her.
“I didn’t mean ...”
Lena fell silent because Christopher had already stepped out of
the room. She knew that her rebellious attitude had hurt him more
than he was allowing her to see. It grieved her to part from him too
but it was difficult to quell old fears of being controlled by a man
who claimed to love her. He’s not restraining me like I’d feared. I will
come back to him as soon as I’ve seen Bella. I shall be gone no
longer than a day.
As the first light of dawn fell on the cave entrance, Lena settled
herself under the luxurious covers of the bed. Christopher had not
returned, the space beside her feeling oddly vast and vacant. A few
tears fell on her pale cheek as she closed her eyelids.

Lena woke up after the sun had set. A peek towards the cave’s
entrance confirmed that it was twilight and safe for her to venture
outside. Stars were beginning to crop up in the darkening night sky
as she stepped near the rim of the rocky ledge. He doesn’t even
want to see me off? Going back inside, she took a parchment from
Christopher’s stack and sat down to write him a letter.
My dearest Christopher,
It pains me to leave your side without kissing you goodbye. I
know I have hurt you with my words but there was no other way to
show you that I was ready to venture out into the world on my own.
I still owe responsibility towards my family and cannot shirk them
any longer. I miss my home. I do not know what kind of welcome
my father will have for me but I am sure that my return will delight
my sweet Bella.
I shall remain in your debt forever for the aid that you have
extended to me and my family. I owe you my life. I do love you,
Christopher but I must regain some of my old self back.
I shall be back in a day.
See you very soon.
Lenara.
She folded the parchment and left it on his desk with her comb
on top of it, hoping its unlikely location will grab his attention. She
put the vial of potion along with its recipe inside an inner pocket of
her vest. After quickly braiding her hair, she took a final look at
herself in the mirror. She looked much like her old self but striking
differences had definitely arisen. Her once creamy, fair skin was now
permanently pale. Even her lips had lost their pink hue, only to be
replaced by a voluptuous shade of red. Her once green eyes now
had a ring of scarlet around the irises. Unable to bear her reflection
any longer, she turned away.
Lena had studied the map of the area that had been charted by
Christopher. To avoid being seen using his vampyric abilities, he had
marked trails through the forest to record hidden passageways for
himself. Lena planned to follow them to reach Ballorna. A waxing
moon had risen in the sky by now, further bathing the tree tops with
its silver luminescence. Taking in a deep breath, she descended
down the mountain’s side and ran with preternatural speed towards
her destination.
When she arrived near the field that stretched behind her
house, she could see no trace of light from the dark house. From the
position of the stars, she gauged the time to be somewhere between
eight and nine. As she walked closer, the tall building loomed over
her like a blind stone giant. She pricked her ears to pick up sounds
of conversation or movement from within the walls but all was quiet.
The kitchen door was hanging limply like the last time she had
seen. As she stepped through it, she was immediately shrouded in
any inky blackness. Using the rough wall as a guide, she went
further in until she came upon the kitchen space. A putrid stench of
rotting blood hung in the air. Old memories flared up in her mind.
Visions of corpses and blood spattered walls rose in front of her.
Choking with emotion, she clutched her throat as tears began to fall
from her eyes.
Quickly crossing the room, she edged towards the corner that
had the door. Feeling in the pitch darkness, she found it and
escaped. By now, Lena was sure that the house was abandoned.
Shafts of moonlight illuminated the wide expanse of the entrance
hall. She checked her sister and father’s bedrooms but they all
seemed to be in their old state. The only difference was that
someone had removed all the dead bodies.
If not here, then where are they? Panic was rising within her,
threatening to stifle her again. She dropped on the top most stair of
the staircase, trying to decide what to do. Who do I ask? No one can
know I am alive. After deliberating her choices, she decided to travel
to Elga’s cottage. She and her daughters were the only ones who
knew of her wretched existence and Christopher had told her that
they had seen her father too.
She was about to get up when something caught her attention.
Hushed voices were steadily drawing near.
“No one has seen anybody in this house for days now,”
whispered the rough voice of a man.
“I still think ‘tis wrong to steal from the dead, Father,” said a
quiet female voice. “What if their souls haunt us forever?”
“Your mother has been teachin’ you that silly non-sense hasn’t
she? You’re a fool if you ain’t pickin’ what’s there to take.”
Their torch cast a wide circle of light. As they strode forward,
they caught sight of a dark shape on the stairs to their right. Holding
her lantern higher to see more clearly, the girl stared at Lena’s
figure. As their eyes met, the girl let out a piercing cry that almost
deafened Lena.
“Lenara Gerrickson’s ghost!”
Dropping her lantern to shatter on the dusty floor, the girl ran
towards the tall doors. The girl’s father stood rooted, shaking visibly.
“Get out!”
Stricken with terror, the man sprinted. Lena watched him run,
barely controlling the urge to rip out his throat. I have to find father.
There were thieves in our home! Instead of going through the front
gates, she went back through the kitchen. As she dashed through
the trees, she berated herself for letting them see her. The rumour
of her ghost would soon be spreading like wildfire all over
Maldorfina.
She soon came upon the familiar cottage. A thin curl of smoke
was rising lazily through the chimney but it was dark inside. When
she came upon the dreaded barrier, she banged on it. To her
consternation, it produced no sound.
“Elga! Clara!” she began to shout.
The cottage was at quite a long distance but it did not deter
Lena. Calling forth her supernatural strength, she bellowed the wise
women’s names. Her incessant hollering finally bore fruit when she
heard movement inside the hut, followed by the lighting of a lantern
or a candle.
“Clara! Clara! I’m over here! It’s Lena,” Lena began shouting
with renewed vigour.
Clara hurried towards her as soon as she had determined where
Lena’s voice was coming from. Clara’s white clad figure made Lena
smile for the first time that day.
“It’s really you, Lena!” cried Clara.
“Yes!”
“I can’t believe you’re really here. We’ve been so anxious for
you, dear child.”
“I’ve missed you and Elga too! But the main reason, I came
here was to ask if you knew where my sister and father are.
Christopher told me that you’d said that they were doing well but
they are not home.”
Setting her lantern on the ground, Clara settled herself on the
stump of a mouldy tree.
“I’ll tell you everything and there’s much you need to know, but
first, I need to test you. Are you sure you are tame yet?”
“Tame?”
“You know, will you rip our heads off and feast on our blood?”
Lena’s eyes grew wide. “No, Clara. I’d never.”
“Here, wear this,” said Clara and tossed something towards
Lena.
Picking it up, Lena saw that it was a heavy medallion tied to a
silver chain. Unclasping it, she quickly put it around her neck.
“How’s this going to help?”
“It’s enchanted. If you feel the urge to harm us, it would tighten
around your neck until it has cut through your throat.”
Lena’s hand unconsciously flew to the perilous necklace.
Getting up from her seat, Clara said, “Come along, then! It’ll be
dawn in a few hours.”
Stretching her hand forward, Lena felt for the solid, but invisible
wall. To her surprise, it had disappeared. Smiling more broadly, she
followed her friend, infinitely grateful to be allowed to go near them
again.
 The New Reality

The cottage was dimly lit as Lena entered behind Clara. Elga, her
mother, was stoking the hearth fire, her shawl slipping from her
bony shoulders. The sight and smell of the familiar place made
Lena’s heart soar. It had been far too long since she had seen a
friendly face other than Christopher’s.
“Take a seat, Lena,” said Clara pointing to a wooden stool by the
hearth. “I will go wake your father and sister.”
“What? They’re here?” asked Lena in astonishment.
“Aye. They live behind this hut now,” replied Clara as she
swathed herself in a grey wool shawl.
Going closer towards Elga, still by the hearth, Lena asked in a
gentle voice if she could help. The woman’s wrinkled face peered at
her. After a moment of deliberation, she handed the iron rod to
Lena.
“You haven’t changed, child,” Elga observed.
“Of course I did, Elga.”
Taking her customary place by the hearth, Elga watched Lena
turn the glowing embers into a roaring fire.
“You are no longer of the world of the living but your heart still
beats for that child. Even death could not snatch the love you have
for her.”
“Nothing ever will,” she said, straightening up. She was about to
sit beside Elga but jumped up. “I hear them coming!”
Within minutes, even Elga could hear the crunch of twigs
outside. Daniel Gerrickson, Lena’s father strode through the door
carrying Isabella in his arms. The girl was bundled in a thick blanket
and was still rubbing her eyes to keep them open.
“Father! Isabella!” cried Lena, rushing forward to meet them.
She threw her arms around her father, desperately trying to hug her
family.
 “Dear God in heaven!” breathed her father. “You are crushing
me, child. Gently now.”
Immediately Lena loosened her hold. “I’m sorry I forgot that I
am stronger now,” she said, her grin faltering.
“I have missed you so much, Lena!” cried Isabella, throwing her
arms out to get into Lena’s lap.
“I missed you too, darling.” Taking her sister from her father,
she nuzzled Isabella’s warm cheeks.
“There’s so much that we all want to hear. Some of what I’ve
been told is just too incredible to believe,” said Daniel.
“Gather around all,” called Elga from her post. Carrying extra
chairs from the dining table, they drew together by the fire.
“Tell us how you became this way. I must hear it from you for I
cannot trust words from a stray vampire,” said Elga.
Flinching inwardly at the way Elga had described Christopher,
Lena began. “Most of what you’ve heard from Christopher is true.
Stephan and Adam Jaegerson are responsible for the slaughter of
our house servants. Adam could transform parts of himself into wolf
form before the moon became full; like his hands were able to
morph into paws with claws. He massacred them like wolf among
unsuspecting sheep,” she said, her features twisting in rage and
disgust.
“Stephan sent to the Jaegerson mansion to look for Bella and
that is where I encountered Adam as a werewolf. Before entering
the gates, I drank Christopher’s blood because he had said that it
would heal my injuries but before long, I had too many. Adam was
able to kill me soon enough and as I died with vampire blood still
coursing through my veins, I was brought back as the undead.”
Lena cast a glance at her audience who were all hanging onto
her every word, except Isabella who was drooling in her father’s
arm. Wiping her sister’s face gently, she resumed her tale.
“Is this the same Christopher who saved your life after the
incidence in Hijkarden?” asked Daniel.
“Yes, Father. Both Isabella and I owe our lives to him.”
“But how? How did you get so close to him that he was ready to
offer you his blood? The last I knew, he had left after leaving at our
doorstep.”
“That is what I’d like to know too,” asserted Elga. “How’d you
get a vampire to fall in love with you?”
Fidgeting under her father’s piercing gaze, she said, “That’s a
long tale. We have more important things to discuss, don’t we?”
“Naw,” said Clara, shaking her head. “You tell us how you got
that man to be so loyal to you? And not just a man, a vampire!
Who’d believe that he carried a child all the way here? Stories like
these are what make legends!”
Losing to their collective curiosity, Lena said, “After you left for
Castle Drakonia, Christopher came to visit me and offered to collect
the nightshades for Bella. Of course, I couldn’t refuse as I was too
injured to go there myself. I didn’t know what he was then but I
found out at the Drakians’ New Years Eve ball. It shocked me at first
but then, I decided to dig out his real identity from what he’d
already told me. You won’t believe it, Father, but Christopher was a
Guardian in his lifetime too! He is the long lost captain, Christopher
Varrickson.”
Daniel exchanged looks with Clara. “I thought we were done
with the inconceivable. Every tale that sprouts from my daughter’s
lips gets stranger and more remarkable.”
“It is hard to explain but we got closer, even...intimate. We fell
in love,” said Lena simply. “And before you judge him for what he is,
remember that I get to be here with you tonight because he helped
me. If not for him, Isabella wouldn’t be snoring in your arms and I
would be a mindless beast preying on innocents.”
Moments passed before anyone spoke up.
“I am glad to see you alive and well, Lena,” said her father. “I
was not sure how I’d be able to accept what you have become but
you don’t really seem that different. You are as pasty as those
Drakians and you’ve ruined the colour of your eyes. Red doesn’t
match with green.”
Smiling at him, she said, “Thank you, Father.”
“Aye, you feel no different to me either,” said Elga. Clara nodded
encouragingly from her spot by her mother.
 “Would you now tell me why you and Bella are living in the
woods and not at our house?” asked Lena.
“It is no longer safe for our family to be out in the open. Clara
sent me a message at Castle Drakonia the very night your
Christopher dropped Bella here. And through a raven, no less. I used
to think that familiars are the stuff of myth but that night I was
woken by one tapping on my window. I set out for Ballorna the very
next day.”
“Clara went out to the town to gather news. She came back
saying that a group of women riders had rode into town and
searched through our house. Folk who protested against them
entering the place with corpses strewn about were injured badly.
Those women were werewolves and could strike anyone with their
talons, no matter if it was full moon’s night or a sun washed yard.
They were questioning everyone for our whereabouts.”
“They stayed put in Ballorna and within the next month, they
struck the Raynersons. Whole lot of them massacred in the dead of
night by those monstrous women. During the next month, we learnt
that the Diedricksons and Fredricksons had met the same end.”
Lena stared at her father with a horrified expression. “But how?
Those families had more than one Guardian to protect themselves!”
“How many do you think would be enough to stop a horde of
werewolves?”
Lena remained silent. They would need an army to subdue just
a single wolf. “So, they spared no one?”
Daniel shook his head. “Madam Elga had been kind enough to
shelter us when we needed it most. Going out to the town with Bella
would have been suicide. I made us a small hut right behind their
cottage. Their enchantments protect us. Miss Clara has been kind
enough to teach us how to forage in the woods. We owe our lives to
them.”
Lena glanced at the wise women in front of her. Their
expressions remained as humble as ever. “It was the only thing to be
done, Daniel,” said Elga.
“I can’t thank you enough, Elga! Clara! I owe my family’s well
being to you,” said Lena, tears forming in her eyes.
 Getting off the stool, she came near her father and caressed her
sister’s head gently. “She’s been well so far?”
“Yes; she’s been healthy even after the months that she
stopped taking the potion,” said Daniel.
Daniel savoured the look of momentary relief on Lena’s face
before he reminded her of their current situation. “You must hide
with Christopher. You can’t keep coming here because you’ll be in
danger from Ekart’s wolves as well as the Drakians. They will not
tolerate a vampire not raised by them.”
“Well, I caught thieves in our house tonight. They thought I was
a ghost,” she replied wryly.
“That would be enough to draw them she-wolves back to the
town,” said Clara.
“I don’t care! All our things are in the house! Mother and
grandmother’s jewels, our family portraits, our books and
everything!” Anger was beginning to flare through her veins.
“Calm down, Lena,” commanded Daniel. “You’re not to go back
into that house.”
Lena grit her teeth.
“I know that look, child. Promise me you won’t be going back.”
“I can’t, Father.”
“They’ll be laying traps for you there. Just wait till the rumours
of your appearance spreads.”
“I’ll have to go there now anyway. I need a place to take shelter
during the day,” said Lena, her hands balled tightly in her laps.
Sighing loudly, her father conceded. “The vaults in the east
wing.”
Lena nodded in understanding. Their ancient house had been
built upon several smaller quarters over the years. Some of these
rooms became underground hiding places known only to the family
members. Even the servants were unaware of their existence.
“No matter what happens, you will stay put there. You’ll not
come out even if you hear them making away with your mother’s
jewels,” said Daniel in his strictness tone.
“Yes, Father.”
 “You will come back here as soon as evening falls tomorrow,
taking every precaution necessary so that you won’t be sighted by
anyone. The fields will cover you until you get inside the woods.”
“Yes, Father.”
Rising to her feet, Lena began unclasping the necklace that
Clara had given her earlier.
“What are you removing that for?” asked Elga.
Looking surprised, she turned towards her. “To return it to you,
of course!”
“You can’t open that in our presence. It will not unhook. Keep it
on or you will be waking the forest another night. It will allow you
passage through our walls.”
“Thank you, Elga. This is most convenient,” she said with a
smile.
“Off you go now, then. Dawn will be upon us soon,” reminded
Clara.
Kissing her father and sister, Lena stepped out into the night,
feeling considerably more cheerful despite the grim news that she
had just heard.
“Goodbye,” she said and dashed away into the darkness.
The Chase of Blood and Death

Returning back to the dark house, Lena made her way to her
bedchambers. Almost unconsciously, she reached for the candles
from a chest of drawers and lit the tapers to add more light to the
room. Her sight went towards her bed first, which lay in a jumbled
mess of sheets but the dark patches of dried, maroon blood among
them did not go unnoticed by her. It’s almost unreal that he came
after me when I’d done this to him, thought Lena as she reminisced
the way she had struck him through the heart.
As the sky outside began to turn into a blue of diluted ink, Lena
abandoned her recollections and got to work. She was determined to
protect the family treasures from thieves and hoarders who had
started taking advantage of the empty house. She quickly gathered
her jewel boxes, her expensive shawls, most of which had belonged
to her grandmother and her personal possessions like the book
where she had saved the first roses that Christopher had given her.
Her supernatural speed allowed her to make the trips from her
chambers to the underground room and back quite fast. By the time
the sun had risen, Lena had also collected the five safes from her
father’s study and bedchambers along with several paintings and
stacks of swords to add to her pile.
The dark underground chamber smelled musty, the stale air
making her cough. It won’t kill me, she thought wryly as she settled
herself on the cold floor. Leaning against the wall, she closed her
eyes and immediately began making a list of other things that she
would collect when the sun went down. Both Bella and Father could
do with more clothes and warm blankets. I’ll also give a bag of gold
to Elga, no matter how much she refuses! Father would want me to.
Lena was jerked awake from her doze by the sound of moving
footsteps and voices. Blinking her eyes rapidly to adjust in the dark
cavernous room, she determined it to be sometime in the late
afternoon. It was an inner guidance that gave her an accurate
position of the sun even though she was stuck below ground level.
“Where’d you say you saw the apparition?” asked a brisk female
voice.
“Over there,” said a voice that Lena had heard screaming last
night.
He’s back with others! she thought angrily. Standing up, she
brushed her clothes and edged towards the direction of the voices.
From her estimation, they were coming from the entrance hall.
“We shouldn’t be here, Father. This place is haunted,” said
another familiar voice.
“Haunted or not, we’ll get a chance to look around this place. It
will be safer with them here,” said the girl’s father.
“Ghosts don’t linger in daylight. Shouldn’t we come back at
night?” reasoned the girl.
 “Ghosts don’t remove paintings off walls, either,” said a second
strange voice.
“What painting?” asked the girl’s father.
“There used to be a family portrait right there. I saw it the last
time I’d come here. It’s missing now. From the clear marks in the
dust, it looks like it was removed very recently,” said the second
strange voice.
“I doubt it was a ghost myself, Tabatha,” said the brisk voice. “It
was either Lenara Gerrickson or someone else who scared the drunk
idiot away.”
“It was her!” cried the girl’s voice. “She was in her Guardian’s
uniform. There’s no mistaking it was her ghost.”
After a moment’s silence, the brisk voice gave her orders. “We
will spend the night here. Whoever it was might come back to collect
more trophies. I suspect it to be her. Even though she serves the
monsters, I can’t help liking the bitch.”
A hoarse laugh escaped Tabatha. “Yeah, she’s got as many lives
as a cat!”
“That’ll be all. You can leave now,” said the brisk voice.
Listening closely, Lena heard two pairs of footsteps walk
towards the main door. Lena had heard enough conversation to
understand the females worked for Ekart and had come to
investigate the rumours of her sighting. That was fast. They must
have spies here or the news wouldn’t have reached so soon.
As the hours ticked by, Lena waited until she could be sure that
it was safe to go out of her hideout. From the sounds that filtered
through the roof, Lena determined that there were five females
inside the house. They muttered things to each other occasionally
but she could not glean any further information from them. Her
impatience increased as her sixth sense notified that dusk had fallen.
After a few hours, the house fell completely silent. Lena
hazarded a guess that the women had fallen asleep. Trying to be as
silent as possible, she slid a piece of slate on the roof, which was
part of a loose floor tile in a dusty storeroom. Heaving herself
through it, she pricked her ears for any sound. In the stillness of the
night, she could hear the rhythmic beating of five hearts.
 Tiptoeing on bare feet, her boots clutched in her hand, she
made her way towards the kitchen. She was intent on escaping
through the back entrance to avoid being noticed by any of the nosy
townspeople. As she crossed the entrance hall, her leg suddenly
came in contact with something taut. The next moment, a
resounding crash reverberated throughout the whole house. Lena
froze as she watched copper pots and pans rolling noisily on the
floor.
“It’s her,” a voice cried behind her.
Turning around, she saw a dark haired woman pointing at her.
Three others came at her side, one balancing a crossbow in her arm.
“Stop!” said the woman.
Without wasting another moment, Lena turned around and ran
towards the kitchen but before she could go further, she felt an
arrow pierce her right shoulder. An intense pain shot through her but
she did not slow down. Changing direction, she ran for the main
door which was fortunately unlocked.
“Wait! Tabatha, get the horses!” a voice shouted behind her.
“She won’t make it far,” said Tabatha’s voice.
It was the last thing she heard as she ran through the winding
lanes of Ballorna. She could feel the pain flaring steadily through her
whole body. It’s poisoned. Without stopping, she pulled out the
arrow. It came out, rupturing skin and tissue, making Lena scream
out. She slowed down as darkness began to close around her vision.
Panting heavily, she leaned against the wall of a house. After a
moment, her sight began to clear and the pain receded gradually.
She felt around her shoulder with her fingers and felt smooth skin
there with some wetness. When she brought her hand close to her
eyes, she saw smudges of blood on it. “I would be dead by now if I
was mortal”, she whispered, as another truth of her new being was
revealed to her.
As she began to walk again, she was hit by a familiar thirst. Her
weakened body demanded she refill herself on the life-sustaining
drink. Suddenly, the beating of hearts that she had ignored as part
of the background suddenly became magnified. She could feel her
inner beast rearing its head up, making her sniff the air around her.
Before it could completely take control, Lena dashed towards the
butcher’s house on the southern part of the town.
Ripping the fences around the pig pen, Lena went in to pick the
fattest sow. The animals around her squealed loudly.
“Sshhh!” she hissed at them to make them quiet but the
animals wailed even louder. They could easily sense a predator
among them. She fished a coin from her bag and was about to put
her purse back inside her vest when she heard the shouts of the
butcher. Cursing loudly, she picked up the largest pig and was about
to sprint away when she came face to face with the astounded
butcher.
“Here,” she said and slapped the coin in his hand. He stood
dumbly at the sight of her with a yelping sow clutched to her side.
Before he could react, Lena had already whizzed past him into the
surrounding woods.
She ran for another mile before stopping to have her meal.
Without further thinking, she threw the pig on the ground and
jumped on it. Her unnatural strength allowed her to tackle it easily
before she bit into it and started tearing at its body to reach its
heart. She squeezed the spongy organ until it began to drip blood.
The taste was abhorrent but it quenched some of the wild thirst that
had threatened to break her will.
As her body felt strengthened, her mind wandered to her own
state. Her clothes were torn and spattered with blood. She
wondered if she could risk going to meet Elga and her family that
night. The female wolves would be out searching for her. She had
avoided escaping through the kitchen which would have led them in
the direction of Elga’s cottage. They would not spare her sister and
father if they got the slightest hint of their existence.
Flies were starting to hover over the carcass as Lena
straightened up and brushed the dirt from her breeches. She
decided to head towards the forests of Hijkarden and tell of her
misadventures to Christopher. She had promised to be back that
night anyway. Hoping Elga and her father would understand the
cause of her disappearance, she sprinted towards her present
abode. “Funny, how that cave has become my home now,” she
mused as she jogged. “But it is a place where I can take refuge from
my enemies and the sun.”
 Persisting Chase

Christopher was bent over one of his books when Lena came in
through the cave’s entrance. The sound of her boots on the stone
floor alerted him to her presence.
“Lenara!” he called out, happiness evident in his voice. However,
as he stood up to greet her, his eyes fell on her torn and blood
stained attire. “What happened?”
Shaking her head, she ran towards him. Throwing her arms
around him, she cried silently. His hands came up to wrap around
her. “It’s all right, Lenara. You’re home now,” he said in a soothing
voice, stroking her back gently.
“I missed this place more than I could imagine,” she said, as a
feeling of warmth and safety stole through her at the familiar scent
of the pine woods and the domestic setting of Christopher’s cave.
“Go wash up and I’ll prepare you a drink,” said Christopher. “You
look exhausted.”
Smiling softly, she nodded.
As she was about to go towards the wash basin, she caught a
look at her reflection on the tall ornate mirror. There was splattered
blood and mud on her face and neck from when she had tackled the
sow in the forest. The back of her uniform around the shoulders
showed a large rip from where she had wrenched an arrow from her
attack. I look like I’ve been in a battle.
After washing herself thoroughly, Lena donned a linen shift.
Their intimacy had grown with their time together, so she felt
comfortable to be in his presence without the need of a nightgown.
After brushing her hair, she tied it in a loose plait and settled herself
on one of the couches. Christopher handed her a goblet, filled to the
brim with a concoction of blood and wine. A sip of the drink made
Lena hum in satisfaction as she felt a rush of vigour course through
her veins.
 “Now, tell me all that transpired in your adventures,” said
Christopher.
“It was all a big mess,” she moaned. “It still is. Ekart’s wolves
have massacred all the Guardian families in Maldorfina.”
“What?! Every member?”
She nodded. “Tragically, yes. I think they wanted revenge on us
all for attacking them. They have been sniffing for me and my family
too. A pair of thieves spotted me at my old home and ran out
shouting of ghosts and spirits. By the very next day, five of those
women had come to Ballorna. I suspect they’ve spies keeping a
lookout for me and my family.”
Lena went on to explain her escape from their clutches. The
more she spoke about the female warriors, the graver his face
became. When she had finally told him about getting caught stealing
a pig from the butcher’s pen, he stood up to pace around the room.
“Why do you look so anxious, Christopher?” she asked. “I was
able to escape them all and didn’t even kill ol’ Donal.”
He stopped as he gazed at her smiling face. “Lena, I worry that
they may follow you here.”
“Follow me here?”
“May be not immediately as their speed is not at par with ours
but they can get here in a day or so. They might even be familiar
with the forest as they are all from Hijkarden. You didn’t cover your
tracks, did you?”
Lena’s smile evaporated. “No. I never thought of that.”
“If they are after you, they will find you here. It may take them
a day to hike up to these heights but they have the strength to do
so. We must be prepared to leave.”
“Leave?”
“It’s not safe to be here any longer.”
“Why do we have to leave? Even if those women do come here,
we can take them.”
Christopher gave her a wry smile. “If a vampire and a werewolf
are pitched against each other, the vampire will have the upper hand
because of his speed. However, tables change when there’s one
vampire and two weres. We’ll be at a disadvantage if the entire pack
comes sniffing around here.”
Inclining against the couch, Lena savoured the last of her drink.
Christopher came to sit beside her, taking her hand in his. “Don’t
worry, love. I’ll protect you.”
She leaned into his shoulder. “Things just keep getting worse,
Christopher. My old home lies in darkness and thieves are prowling
around, stealing what they can. I couldn’t go back to see Father and
Bella because of those wretched fiends and now...now we have to
leave this place too.”
He stroked her hair gently but it failed to quench her anger.
“It’s all my fault. If I’d let you come with me, things wouldn’t
have been so bad.”
“No, dearest,” he said. “It has done me good to know that you
can look after yourself. You did excellently on your own, Lenara. You
didn’t attack that man even though you were injured and thirsty. I
feel proud of you, love.”
Lena chucked. “I don’t think I had it in me to kill old Donal. I’ve
known him since I was a girl.”
“That’s what I mean, Lenara. You are out of the danger of
reverting into a nulan. You are a vampire now, at par with the
Drakians.”
“You feared for my sanity?” asked Lena, suddenly realising all
that she had put her lover through.
“Aye.”
“I must apologise to you, Christopher for all the times I’ve been
so impatient with you. At times, I forgot that you were trying to help
me.”
“Let us forget about all that. If this has to be our last day here,
we should make the most of it,” he said, placing a hand on her
thigh.
As she gazed into his eyes, she felt the sparks of passion
shooting within her too. Putting the goblet aside, she bent forward
towards him and placed both her hands on the sides of his face.
Drawing him closer, she kissed him deeply. Before long, they shifted
to the bed to fulfil their carnal desires.
 It took a few moments for Lena to realise what had awakened
her from her deep sleep. Fidgeting in the dim light of the cave, she
looked around and then, her keen ears picked up the faraway
sounds of wolf howls. As she focussed on them, she could hear their
cries, one after the other.
“Wolves. They’re here!”
As soon as the thought registered in her mind, she began
shaking Christopher by his shoulder. Yawning loudly, his arm draped
around her.
“Wake up, Christopher!” she shouted.
Her loud voice was enough to jerk him awake.
“What’s going on?” he asked, as he sat up beside her.
“Listen,” she said.
After a moment, he whispered, “Wolves.”
“They are heading this way. I didn’t really expect this to be so
soon,” she said.
Leaping out of bed, Christopher grabbed his discarded breeches
and quickly put them on. “We need to get ready.”
“It’s still daylight,” she said, as she watched him pick his
remaining clothes scattered on the floor.
“I know. They can’t reach this high up soon but they will by sun
down. We must be ready to run as soon as dusk falls.”
Lena morosely gazed at the comfortable abode that had housed
her the past three months. It left her with a feeling of sadness to
have to leave it behind and seek another place for them to live.
“What about our things? I mean, your things? Your books?”
asked Lena, as she thought of the things that they would be leaving
behind.
“I plan to cover the cave’s entrance with some large boulders to
hide it. Then, I want you to go climb to the forest floor and ... cut
yourself so that you bleed. I am sorry to have to ask this of you but
it is the only way to divert them from coming this way. It will help us
set them on a wrong trail.”
 Lena nodded. “I understand. Cutting myself is not such a
miserable thing to do anymore as the wound will heal within
minutes. It’s one of the few perks of being a vampire.”
Over the next few hours, Christopher and Lena were ready to
head out. Waiting for the sun to go down was frustrating as the wolf
howls got louder and closer. When the shadow near the entrance
finally disappeared into darkness, they walked out. Lena noticed the
hefty boulders sitting by the side of the cave’s opening that she had
previously assumed to be part of the mountain. With her help,
Christopher was able to place them in such a way that it completely
hid the doorway to their cavernous lair.
After a quick descent down the mountain’s side, Lena and
Christopher pricked their ears to determine the direction of the
howls.
“They are towards the west,” said Christopher.
Lena nodded.
“I don’t want them to catch my scent, so I’ll head towards the
north from here and wait for you at the village of Gesiro by the
lavender field.”
“I’ll see you there soon.”
They kissed before they went on their separate ways.
Lena ran towards the howls. As soon as she was close to them,
she took a small dagger from her vest and made a deep cut on her
wrist. Blood spurted from the slashed vein but Lena didn’t wait for it
to heal. She smeared some of it on a tree trunk and sprinted
towards the east. Over the next hour, she dashed around in a large
wide circle, marking stones and trees. When she was satisfied, she
took a longer route to the village of Gesiro by travelling around the
border of Hijkarden. Her pursuers would now surely be confused
about which track to follow.
As she neared the fields bordering Gesiro, she saw Christopher
leaning by an elm tree. Walking towards him, she could not hold
back her tears anymore. He wrapped his arms around her and told
her that they would be fine but Lena felt a weight in her heart. Her
intuition warned her that she had just left a safe haven. Their
unknown path forward scared her and it was only Christopher’s
reassuring words that calmed her.
“Where do we go from here?” she asked. “Where do we take
refuge?”
He hesitated before speaking. “I have friends who live outside
the southern border of Maldorfina. They will grant us a place to hide
until the threat from the wolves disappears.”
“What kind of friends? I thought you stayed all by yourself,” she
said.
“I did stay by myself but a few decades ago, I met a vampire
couple when I was returning from a journey to Hamburg. The male,
Alexander is a runaway Drakian. He lives with his wife, Andrea in the
hills outside Maldorfina.”
“There’s much to learn about them but I suppose we need to
hurry to reach the borders,” said Lena. “This will be the furthest I
have ever strayed from Ballorna. I always wished to travel but
imagined it to be on happier occasions.”
“We could travel further if you wished. We don’t have to live
with them too long,” said Christopher.
“I think I’d prefer to do that instead of intruding on their
hospitality for long.”
Taking her hand in his, he led her forward. “Let us be off on a
new adventure, then.”
 New Alliances

Lena had followed Christopher through a sea of pine trees for hours
until it was nearly dawn. They were still in the middle of a forest
with massive sequoia trees. Bending near the massive roots,
Christopher tapped on the ground around. Standing with her hand
on her hip, Lena watched his strange behaviour.
“What are you doing, Christopher? Are we there yet? It’ll be
dawn soon,” she reminded him.
“I know you think I’ve lost my mind but you’ll see it soon.”
“See what?” she asked impatiently.
Suddenly, Christopher heaved the earth apart at the foot the
tree or so it seemed to Lena. She leapt backwards as a loud crash
reverberated through the still woods. Approaching cautiously, Lena
saw that Christopher had pulled apart wooden doors attached to the
ground with thick iron handles. A large square shaped hole gaped at
them.
“We go through here,” said Christopher, extending his hand
towards her.
She placed her hand in his as he guided her towards the
opening. Peering inside, she saw that there were stairs leading down
to a dark, underground tunnel. She carefully stepped inside, the air
smelling damp and slightly musty. Christopher followed behind her
and closed the doors overhead. Their heightened vision allowed
them to climb down the stairs with ease. At the bottom, a long
corridor lay ahead. Flickering light from a torch or a candle could be
seen at the far end of it.
“They live down here?” asked Lena.
“Yes. They should have come out to inspect the intruders by
now. I was tapping to let them know that I was coming down. Come
on,” he said as he led the way.
Another random document with
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 IM VERLAG VON OTTO JANKE, BERLIN SW 11
erschienene

Weltliteratur

In In
Halbleinen Ganzleinen
gebd. gebd.
W. Alexis, Cabanis Gm. 6,— Gm. 6,50
— Ruhe ist die erste Bürgerpflicht „ 6,— „ 6,50
A. E. Brachvogel, Friedemann Bach „ 5,50 „ 6,—
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M. Jokai, Schwarze Diamanten „ 6,— „ 6,50
Jos. V. v. Scheffel, Ekkehard „ 5,50 „ 6,—
H. Sienkiewicz, Quo vadis? „ 5,50 „ 6,—
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— Die Kreutzersonate „ 2,— „ 2,50
— Krieg und Frieden „ 6,— „ 6,50
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 Janke’s Weltliteratur-Kassetten

je 5 Bände in Ganzleinen gebunden enthaltend, 30

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K a s s e t t e I:
A. E. Brachvogel, Friedemann Bach,
F. M. Dostojewskij,
Raskolnikows Schuld und Sühne,
L. N. Tolstoi, Anna Karenina,
J. V. v. Scheffel, Ekkehard,
H. Sienkiewicz, Quo vadis?
K a s s e t t e II:
J. P. Jacobsen, Frau Marie Grubbe,
M. Jokai, Schwarze Diamanten,
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I. Turgeniew, Väter und Söhne.

Zu beziehen durch alle Buchhandlungen

Druck von A. Seydel & Cie. Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin SW 61.

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