Blood and Fire
Chapter Three
Matters of Life and Death

	The sun was setting over Queen Tara's Tower.  Aidan and Flame Song sat together on the roof of the Tower itself.  Ten stories above the ground they looked out over the twilight landscape to where the horizon was painted with gold and red and purple that shaded up to a midnight blue sky overhead.  The darkness hid the signs of chaos on the landscape all around, and the evening air was quiet and serene. 
	
	Aidan leaned his head on Flame's shoulder and sighed deeply.  "You know, I don't think I ever really appreciated sunsets before."
	
	Flame chuckled softly.  "No?  Why not?"
	
	He shrugged.  "They were always there.  They say you have to lose something before you can really appreciate it.  I guess that's true.  There weren't any sunsets in the Tyrant's dungeon, and... the sunsets before that were only a relief from pain, I wasn't exactly watching them to appreciate the colors."
	
	She nodded.  "Yes, I guess I see what you mean.  Myself, I am appreciating the chance to just sit and do nothing, without having to worry about life, and death, and the end of the world.  I've been missing that, these last weeks.  It's very good to return to all the ordinary bits of everyday life."
	
	"Life..." Aidan sighed softly, and his eyes were dark with memory.  "I guess now I can actually appreciate life too.  If you have to lose something, in order to, well... there aren't very many who can, but I can."
	
	Flame put her arm around him and hugged him.  She knew he still sometimes had nightmares about the dark world, about being a vampire.  And she knew also that he had nightmares about losing her.  He had woken calling her name more than once during the last few nights, and she had held him while he trembled and cried.  But she didn't say anything about that.  Aidan would recover eventually, she knew that.  And now that they were retiring from the Queen's Own their lives should be much more quiet and peaceful.  "We have several good reasons to appreciate life, I think," she said at length.  "And the best one is yet to come."  She put a hand over her stomach.  It was still flat, as she was only seven weeks along.
	
	Aidan smiled and placed his hand over hers.  "Yes.  Do you think it's going to be a boy, or a girl?"
	
	Flame grinned.  "Well, given my family history, it could be both, or even several of each."  Aidan went a little wide-eyed.  He hadn't thought of that!  Flame's grin broadened.  "Don't worry.  I'm pretty sure there's just one.  The cleric Radu said 'baby' not 'babies' and I think he would have been able to tell."
	
	"That's good.  I mean... I want to have more than one eventually, but a whole litter at once might be a bit much.  I don't know how firecats manage it!"
	
	Flame chuckled.  "Firecat cubs grow up faster than human babies.  But they are a handful.  I helped my parents with their second litter, and it was all the three of us could do to keep up with them sometimes."  
	
	Aidan smiled at her. But then his eyes went distant and dark again, and she knew he was worrying.  Seven weeks ago they had been in the middle of their first quest.  They had stolen one single night together, on Baron Almaric's ship.  That was the only time the child could possibly have been conceived.  And at that time Aidan had been a vampire.  He was worried that his undead state would have some effect on the child.  He had wanted children so much, and now he feared that this would be like the stories of genies' wishes, that he would get what he wished for, but in a way that would make him regret ever wishing for it.  Flame had no such worries.  She was confident that the baby would be fine.  But she hadn't been able to banish Aidan's concerns that easily.
	
	The last light faded from the sky, and Aidan got to his feet.  "We should probably go in.  We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."  He spread his angel-white wings and stepped off of the tower to glide down to the courtyard below.  Flame rose and followed him, her own aerian wings cupping the cool night air as she circled down.

	-----
	
		The next day dawned bright and clear.  Flame and Aidan said their goodbyes to their friends, and set off for their northern home.  Below them the effects of chaos showed clear on the land.  Colors and shapes were subtly wrong, or sometimes not so subtly.  Some of the landmarks they knew seemed to have vanished entirely, while others were changed or twisted.  But those effects were only in patches, here and there.  Most of the countryside was as it had always been.  It would be years, perhaps decades, before everything recovered completely, but it could have been much worse.  It had been very, very close to being much worse.
	
	But that is all in the past, thought Aidan as he flew.  No more risking our lives, no more saving the world.  Now we will live an ordinary life and raise our children.
	
	They took their time as they went north, flying at a leisurely pace through the cool autumn days.  They camped early and spent their evenings curled up together in front of their campfire.  Flame took firecat form most nights, and Aidan leaned against her, stroking her soft fur. They did little more than that, simply being together again was enough.
	
	They did have to fly fast when they made the ocean crossing again.  There was nowhere to stop at the halfway point, just empty water beneath them,  so the day and a half journey had to be made in one long flight.  They stopped, tired and hungry, as soon as they reached land.   They made a rough camp atop a high cliff with the ocean crashing below.  The night was cold; here in the northlands winter was already settling in.  There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, and Aidan was glad of his warm coat.  Flame Song didn't feel the cold, for her this was still mild weather.  She stretched out on the ground, and Aidan rested his head on her side and ran his fingers through her warm fur. Sleepily she murmured, "Don't do that, your fingers are cold." Aidan gave a soft chuckle and then all was silent as both of them drifted off to sleep. 
	
	The next morning they flew on to Snowcap, where they resupplied themselves, but with the winter cold rapidly deepening they couldn't delay.  The pass over the Barrier Mountains might be crossed by air even after the first deep snows closed it to wagons and foot traffic, but flying during the winter at those altitudes was a chancy thing, and they wanted to go over the pass before the snow set in.  So they stopped in Snowcap for only an hour or so before setting off again.  By sunset they had crossed the pass and were winging their way over the forested foothills.  They camped on the fringes of the forest.  When they set off again  at sunrise Aidan could just make out a glint of light to the west, where the high spire of Coppertop threw back the light of the rising sun.
	
	"I wonder if Belak has managed to reach home yet?" asked Aidan. 
	
	"I doubt it. This late in the year he'll have a time getting a reliable ship to take him, and even if he found one we still probably beat him here." 
	
	They flew on, passing now over the low rolling hills of the northern plains.  The land looked barren, the grass was dead and patched with early snow, but it was also home, and they both felt their hearts lightening as they flew ever closer.  Flame Song laughed and looped a loop in the air. Aidan laughed back at her and did a double loop with a barrel roll at the end.  	
	
	"Show-off!" Flame accused with a grin. "Race you home!" 
	
	"You got it!" Aidan started winging north with all the speed he had, but he knew that despite the skill and experience that came from being an aerian, he didn't stand a chance.   Sure enough a moment later a great eagle, larger than Aidan but much faster than the less aerodynamic humanoid could ever be, came streaking past him.
	
	"Cheater!" he yelled after her, and laughed again.
	
	A few minutes later Aidan landed at the base of the hill that was their home. Flame had arrived just before him and had already ducked into the dark entry and was unlocking the front door. Inside the air was a little bit stale, and everything was dark. Flame Song went inside with Aidan close behind. She went to one of the oil lamps in brackets on the wall and, taking a match from a low table nearby, she lit it. She occasionally missed her fire-starting gift.  Before coming to Aretha she could have lit the lamp with a touch. But considering that if she had never come here she never would have met Aidan she did not at all regret the loss.
	
	The warm glow of the lamps showed that there was dust everywhere. They had been away for less than two months, but dust gathers fast in an underground house. "What a mess.  I think we need to do some cleaning!" 
	
	Aidan groaned. "Can't it wait until tomorrow?" 
	
	"There's plenty of today left, and I want to sleep in a clean house," said Flame.
	
	"Yes ma'am," said Aidan, and he gave her a mock salute.
	
	They settled back into a comfortable routine of ordinary things.  Flame Song hunted, as she always had, for their food and to trade with the dwarves of Coppertop for everything else they needed.  Aidan was quite content to keep things up around the house.  As winter deepened Flame's pregnancy began to show.   In human form she was growing steadily rounder, though in firecat form it was still a little hard to tell.  "I'd be showing quite a lot if I had a full litter, but with just one it's not as obvious.  One of the weirder things about shape-shifting."
	
	As she progressed she spent more and more time in her natural form, finding it much more comfortable.  Even though she was still quite capable, Aidan insisted that she stop hunting as much, and rest more.  She was fairly certain that she didn't really need any extra rest, but she didn't really mind letting Aidan baby her a little.  He got a set of traps from Coppertop, insisting that he knew how to run a trap line.  "My uncle, back on Earth, used to have a trap line.  I went out along it with him a few times.  I'm sure I can figure it out."  And he did indeed bring in enough to keep them both fed.  Mostly it was rabbits.  When spring came there would be elk and migratory birds and other things, but in winter the arctic foxes and the white-coated rabbits were very nearly the only life to be found.
	
	Winter passed slowly, but eventually spring arrived.  Flame was showing now even in firecat form, and refused to take human form at all.  And as spring moved into the short, cool summer, the time arrived at last.
	
	Aidan was in the kitchen, skinning a rabbit for dinner. Generally Flame Song handled things like that for the simple reason that she made less of a mess of them. Aidan had insisted on doing it himself though, and Flame was feeling too tired to argue with him. She was lounging on a heap of cushions in the front room, trying to have a nap. Aidan had just got past the really tricky part of getting the skin itself off, and was cutting the rabbit into sections when he heard her call "Aidan? Are you done in there?" He continued working, asking, "Not quite. Why, what's up?" 
	
	"I think that the baby is coming." 
	
	"What?! Ow!" Sucking on a sliced thumb, Aidan dashed into the room. "It is? What can I do? Are you all right?" 
	
	Flame Song sucked in her breath in a gasp of pain, and then relaxed and smiled up at him. "Yes, I'm just fine. No, I don't need you to do anything. I want you here for moral support. This may take a while though, so you might want to go do something about that thumb and about the rabbit before you come back." 
	
	"I, yes, I, I'll go..." He walked dazedly back into the kitchen. A few minutes later he emerged with a bandage on his thumb. "Ok, I'm here, I... er..." 
	
	"It's all right, Aidan. You're not the one this is hurting. But don't worry too much, this is a lot easier for firecats than it is for humans." 
	
	"I think I'd have an easier time if I was the one doing the suffering." 
	
	"Don't worry so much."  She smiled up at him.  "Just sit by me, keep me company."
	
	Aidan seated himself next to her, still looking worried.  He rested his hand on her head, and she leaned against him a little bit.  He was startled to realize that she was purring softly, rhythmically, the deep sound interrupted every so often by a sharply indrawn gasp of pain.  He relaxed a little and stroked her fur gently.  She rolled onto her side, and put her head in his lap.  He continued to stroke her fur, and talk  softly to her as her labor continued, the soft sounds of pain at each contraction growing closer together. 
	
	After what seemed like forever, and yet was, he knew, a very short period of time, their child emerged.  It was messy, and Aidan could hardly tell what it looked like, but Flame curled around and licked it clean.  Then she laid her head down tiredly on the cushions.  "Pick her up, I'm too tired to change forms right now."
	
	Aidan gingerly picked up the baby.  As Flame had said, it was a girl, pretty much like a human infant in proportions and general appearance, but covered in fine white fur and with a distinctly feline face. Her tiny nose was pink and she had rather kittenish ears. Her eyes were open and they were pure emerald green. Her white fur was still somewhat damp and she was waving her arms and legs about. Each tiny, furred finger and each tiny, stubby toe had a delicate pink pawpad on it. He turned her over to check, and sure enough there was a pair of funny-looking featherless wings sprouting from her back. He cradled her closer then and just stared. Certainly she was a strange looking infant, but she seemed absolutely perfect. And there was no sign of anything wrong with her, she looked completely healthy, though he couldn't quite say she looked completely normal.  And she was his! All at once he was caught up in the wonder of it. She was his own child, a part of him and a part of Flame Song.  There  had been just two of them, and now there were three.  [i]We came through the darkness together, Flame and I,[/i] he thought, [i]and out from the darkness we brought this bright spark of new life.  It seems impossible that she should be here, should be real, but she is.[/i]
	
	Flame Song had started grooming herself while Aidan had been looking the baby over.  Now she finished and laid her  head back in Aidan's lap.  He smiled down at her. "I can hardly believe this is real, that she is real."
	
	Flame chuckled.  "I can."
	
	He had to laugh at that.  "How come she doesn't have any stripes?"
	
	"Firecat cubs are born white. Their stripes come in when they're about seven or eight. Her hair will probably go orange about the same time. Either that, or striped, which would be interesting." 
	
	"What shall we name her?" he asked.
	
	"Well, the firecat way is to choose a cub name, a nickname until she is old enough to choose her own. But if you want to name her a human name, I have no objection." 
	
	"If you were going to give her a cub name, what would it be?" 
	
	"Littlespark, I think." 
	
	"Why?" 
	
	"Well... my own cub name was  Sparkbright, so it would be a kind  of continuation of the family tradition. And... she was a spark of light and hope when I was in a very dark place."
	
	"Littlespark."  He nodded.  "I could get used to it. And I was thinking much the same.  She's something bright and wonderful that we brought out of darkness." He smiled warmly down at the baby.
	
	"Then let's call her Littlespark Rhiannon," said Flame. 
	
	"Rhiannon? You don't have to..." 
	
	"She's a part of both of us.  Her name should be too, don't you think?"
	
	"Yes, I guess you're right." He smiled again. He just couldn't seem to stop. 
	
	Littlespark chose just then to begin making unhappy noises.  Aidan nearly jumped.  "What do I do?"
	
	Flame chuckled. "She's probably hungry.  Here, I'll take care of her."  Flame rolled over onto her back, and Aidan set the baby down against her chest.  Littlespark looked tiny and impossibly delicate next to Flame Song.  With infinite care and with the dexterity that always surprised Aidan a little, Flame cradled the baby in her paws and held her against one nipple.  She stopped fussing and started nursing contentedly.  Before too long she finished and immediately went to sleep.  Flame yawned.  "I think she has the right idea.  I'm more than ready for bed."
	
	"Yes."  Aidan carefully picked Littlespark up.  Flame got to her feet, with another wide yawn that showed an impressive display of fangs, and padded into the bedroom.  She climbed into the low bed and curled up.  Aidan undressed and lay down beside her, placing Littlespark between them. He stared at his wife and child, filled with a warm glow of happiness and joy, stronger than he would have thought possible.  He thought he could just lie there and watch them all night, but soon his eyes slid shut and he joined them in slumber.
	
	-----
	
		In the coming days Littlespark grew quickly. She learned to crawl within a few months and soon after could climb over the low cushion barriers that they had used to keep her in place. The practical necessities of raising a child soon became an everyday part of their lives. Breakables had to be out of reach, as well as dangerous objects. Aidan grumbled a bit, but packed away his huge collection of daggers readily enough. Sleep patterns were thrown out by midnight wails, and daytime was filled with more feeding, diaper changing and everything else that comes with babies. 
	
	Flame Song explained Littlespark's fast development as a part of her firecat heritage. "The northern plains of my home world are a harsh place. We have to grow up fast in order to survive. I was considered adult enough to find my name song and join the hunters when I was only about twelve. She'll probably go along a bit slower than that, but she'll most likely be grown by the time she's fifteen or so." 
	
	Fifteen seemed forever away, but right now there were other things to think about. At four months Littlespark, whose name had further been shortened to just Spark, was starting to teethe. This was a bigger nuisance than usual because some of her teeth were very sharp, and she would chew on anything, including her parents. She was also starting to babble nonsense words. Flame predicted that she would be talking at least somewhat coherently by the time she was eighteen months old. 
	
	About that time they also decided that she was old enough to take on the short trip to Coppertop. The summer was beginning to wind down, but the weather was staying fairly mild thus far. Aidan quipped that there ought to be a monster of a storm later to make up for it, but for now the days were beautiful, if somewhat chilly. On one such crisp day the trio set out to town with the baby and with Flame's usual load of furs to sell and trade.  They finished their business fairly quickly and then stopped by Belak's on the way out to show him Littlespark. She smiled and cooed at him and quickly had him wrapped around her tiny finger. 
	
	"Be careful of this lass, my friends. She'll soon have all the fellows mooning after her," he said with a grin. Littlespark, who was sitting on his lap, pulled his beard. He winced but kept smiling. "Aye, she's a charmer, so she is." 
	
	They laughed and told stories for an hour or so. Belak got a hearty chuckle about the way she was chewing the house to pieces with teething. Then glancing out the window, Flame Song said, "We should be going. We don't want to be out with Spark after nightfall." 
	
	"Aye, that ye don't. Well then, just one moment more and I'll send you on your way." He disappeared into a back room, and emerged with something in his hands. "Here lass," he said, handing it to Flame. "For the little lassie. It's made from ironheart, so she should be able to gnaw on it without chewing it through or getting splinters." Flame turned the object over. It was a little wooden cat, with stylized rounded features that left no sharp edges or points on it anywhere. 
	
	"Thank you Belak." 
	
	"Ach well, it was the least I could do." 
	
	They said their goodbyes and Flame Song and Aidan headed back home. 
	
	The good weather that had graced their trip to Coppertop persisted surprisingly long. It was well into autumn and Spark was nearly five months old before the weather began to turn truly cold. Now the air was biting, but there had been only an inch or so of snow. The days were also beginning to get shorter as autumn ended and winter neared. 
	
	On one cold but sunny day Aidan set out as had become his pattern to check the trap line. It was a bit of a reversal of their usual roles, but he liked it. Sometimes it seemed that Flame Song did all the real work and he just tagged along. Of course he did his part too, and he didn't really mind being a "house-husband."  But it was nice, every now and then, to go out and accomplish something other than cleaning and cooking.  He hummed to himself as he checked the first trap. Nothing. This time of year things were keeping under cover in anticipation of the winter, and the traps weren't catching too much, but every bit helped, especially since with Littlespark nursing, Flame Song was now eating for two. 
	
	The day wore on and Aidan tromped through the thin layer of snow. He could have gone faster by flying between the traps, but the winter air had a bite to it and it was hard to keep warm when moving at speed. And anyway, he wasn't really in any hurry. He was dressed warmly against the chill, only his face and his wings, well insulated against the cold, were exposed. 
	
	He whistled cheerfully as he walked, a rabbit now thrown over his shoulder. One wasn't bad, and there were still three traps left. He glanced at the sun. It was nearly to the horizon. [i]Bother,[/i] he thought, [i]I hadn't noticed it was that late. By the time I finish, it will be dark. Flame is going to worry, and I'm going to freeze my wings off![/i] With a sigh he considered flying, but that would be even colder. [i]Oh well. Guess I'll just be a little late. It shouldn't be too bad.[/i] 
	
	The sun had set by the time he reached the next trap. There was a rabbit in it, already dead. He grinned at it. [i]You will make a most marvelous lunch. One down and two to go.[/i] The sky was dark and filling up with stars as he reached the next trap. It was empty. With a shrug he continued on. Suddenly he was grabbed from behind a lifted off his feet.  A powerful hand clamped around his mouth. He tried to yell, but couldn't make a sound.  He tried to grab for his daggers, but the strong arm around him had his own arms pinned to his sides and he couldn't reach.  He fought all the same, kicking and struggling, but though he felt his boots connect solidly several times, whoever had him didn't even flinch at the impacts.
	
	And then the hand over his mouth shifted to cover his nose too, cutting off his breath entirely.  He fought harder, shaking his head and struggling to breathe, but the iron grip was infinitely stronger than he,  and soon blackness rose up around him.  His struggles grew weaker, and eventually he went limp, out cold.
	
	-----
	
		He awoke on his back in the dark.  As he couldn't see stars above he assumed he must be indoors somewhere, or underground.  He groaned and sat up.  His head was aching.  He couldn't see anything, it was pitch black, but he could hear wind howling  somewhere nearby.  
	
	"You're awake, excellent." The voice came out of the dark.  It was a mellow sort of voice, cultured and refined.  The tone was amiable and friendly.  The words, on the other hand...  "It's really not any fun when they're not awake.  And I suppose it will be even more fun if you can see me.  I shall do the gentlemanly thing and provide light for your poor, handicapped eyes."  There was a sudden flare of brightness as the stranger struck a match.  He lit a candle with it, and by the small golden glow Aidan could at least see where he was.
	
	He seemed to be inside some kind of shack.  The walls were wooden, put together sturdily, but from a mish-mash of cut boards and rough logs.  Moss and mud were plastered into the cracks, sealing the whole thing very tightly.  Though Aidan could hear the howling of what must be a full-blown blizzard, he felt no wind at all.  Sitting on the floor of the shack next to him was a man.  He looked young, not much older than Aidan himself, and his face was open and friendly.  But something about his eyes sent shivers down Aidan's spine.  There was something missing in his eyes.
	
	He had long fair hair pulled back into a ponytail, and was dressed in clothing that had once been fine, but was now a bit worse for wear.  It was also wildly inappropriate for the arctic winter. The tunic was light, meant for summer, and the trousers no better.  He wore no coat at all, but he was ignoring the chill, though Aidan, in a thick down coat, still felt anything but warm.  "I suppose I should introduce myself.  My name is Lord Jander.  I am newly come to this marvelous northern country.  I presume that you have lived here some time, yes?  What is your name?"
	
	Aidan hesitated.  [i]I have the feeling that Lord Jander isn't quite playing with a full deck.  But I suppose I should humor him.  I seem to be stuck here with him, if that really is a blizzard out there.[/i]
	
	"My name is Aidan."
	
	"Aidan.  I am quite pleased to meet you."  He held out his hand and Aidan, somewhat bemused and baffled, shook it.
	
	"Ah, you seem to be confused.  Well no wonder, given that I have dragged you off and not given you a word of explanation."  He grinned broadly, showing a pair of sharp fangs, and with a shock that went all the way to his core, Aidan realized that the man was a vampire.  Involuntarily he scooted back, his eyes wide.  But he ran almost immediately into the wall of the shack, and there was nowhere else to go.  Jander chuckled.  "Already you have learned something.  You are afraid now, you know what I am.  You will be much more afraid shortly.  I have come here to establish my kingdom.  The Dark Lord's power of old will be nothing, compared to what I will build.  Here where the nights last for days I can move freely and raise enough followers to gain true power.  And then once I rule all the northlands, I can move south, and Tara and the elven kingdoms will fall easily before me."
	
	"But..." Aidan couldn't quite help himself,  the objection was so obvious.  "During the summer the sunlight lasts for days too.  What are you going to do then?"
	
	Jander showed his fangs and actually growled at Aidan, and suddenly he didn't look amiable at all.  "Don't question me!  By the time summer comes my power here should be sufficient to move south."  He glared for a moment, then shook his head and put the friendly expression on again, like a man donning a mask.  "And if I am to build my power, I must begin now, with you."
	
	If Aidan could have backed any further away, he would have.  Did this crazy vampire mean what Aidan thought he meant?
	
	"I can smell your fear," said Jander.  "It is very sweet, and it should flavor your blood quite nicely."
	
	[i]Gods no...[/i]  Aidan shuddered.  But there was nowhere to go, and the vampire moved with lightning speed to grab Aidan and pin him against the wall.  Aidan struggled, and he managed to draw one of his daggers this time, but the vampire batted it easily from his hand.  Jander held both his arms, his fingers gripping tight enough to bruise, and leaned close.  Aidan couldn't bite back the whimper of terror that rose in his throat. "No...  Please..."
	
	"Pleading, how marvelous," Jander said softly in Aidan's ear.  "I terrify you, don't I?  You are more afraid than any I've taken before.  It is quite wonderful."  And then he bent his head and bit down on Aidan's neck.
	
	Aidan cried out, and tried again to jerk away, but he was hopelessly pinned, the other would have been stronger than he even were they both mortal.  And then he felt the vampire's mind touch his. As he had once touched Flame Song's mind, blood creating a bond between them, now Jander was bonded to him.  But what Aidan and Flame had done was a kind of lovemaking, and what Jander did now was a kind of rape.  He knew it, knew exactly how terrified Aidan was, and it pleased him.  Aidan could sense his pleasure, twisted and sadistic.  Jander's feelings assaulted him, battered him with gloating laugher at his pain, and the feel of his fangs was more painful too, fire spreading from Aidan's neck to run through every part of him, every nerve protesting.  He tried futilely to shrink from it, to somehow withdraw his mind, but he could not.  The other wrapped around him in a parasitic embrace.  And like a parasite he was growing stronger as Aidan weakened.  [i]He's killing me,[/i] thought Aidan, and there was a kind of relief in the thought.  [i]I remember... I remember how hard it is to stop, how hard it is to not just take it all.  He won't be able to.  He'll just kill me, and it will all be over.[/i]  
	
	And then it was over.  The vampire pulled back physically, though his mind still touched Aidan's, still gloated and laughed.  Aidan slumped weakly, but despair rose up in him.  He was still alive.  There was no escape for him in death now.  Death would take him soon, he knew, but not to keep.  
	
	The vampire laid Aidan on his back on the floor, and then picked up Aidan's own dagger.  His smile was sadistic, and Aidan could still feel it, feel how he reveled in the evil of what he was about to do.  With a quick motion Jander tore the knife across his wrist.  His blood welled up, thick and red.  He pressed the bloody cut to Aidan's lips.  Aidan tried to turn his head away, but Jander's other hand grabbed his hair, held him in place as he forced his blood into Aidan's mouth.  He tasted it, couldn't help but taste it, coppery and sharp.  It suddenly seemed to burn on his tongue, a burning that flashed all the way through him, and then darkness welled up and quenched the flames, and he knew no more.

	-----
	
		He awoke to darkness again, but this time he could see in the dark, see every corner of the little shack clearly.  He was changed.  His senses were sharper, his strength greater, but the price for those gifts was one he had not wanted to pay.  [i]My life is gone now. I barely had a year,[/i] he thought.  [i]Just one year since I came back from death.  But there will be no returning this time.[/i]
	
	"I see you are awake."
	
	Aidan lifted his head and glared at the vampire.  [i]The other vampire now, I guess.  I wish I had died.[/i]  He dropped his head again and curled up into a ball of misery, wrapping his wings around him.
	
	"Sit up," said Jander imperiously.  Aidan didn't want to, he wanted to just stay were he was, but he found himself sitting up anyway. [i]Why did I do that?  I don't want to obey him!  But... I remember reading stories, about how a young vampire has to obey the one who created him.  Not all of the stories are true here.  Why did that one have to be?[/i] "Now that I've gotten a start, I need to make plans.  Plans require information.  And you live here, you no doubt know more about this land than I do.  Tell me about the land, about the inhabitants."
	
	Aidan was compelled to answer, though he desperately wanted to keep silent.  He was not going to tell this sadist about his family!  Slowly, reluctantly, he said "This land is controlled by the dwarven kingdom."
	
	"Address me as Lord Jander," said the other vampire sharply.
	
	Aidan gritted his teeth, abruptly conscious of his fangs, but couldn't help but answer.  "Yes Lord Jander." 
	
	"Continue.  The dwarves rule here?"
	
	"Yes Lord Jander.  They control all the land from where the Barrier Mountains begin to where the ice that never melts lies."
	
	"And do they all live in  the dwarven city?"
	
	"Yes Lord Jander.  All the dwarves live in or under Coppertop."
	
	"That is not suitable," he said, sounding quite irritated.  "Are you certain?"
	
	"What I've said  is the truth, Lord Jander," said Aidan.
	
	"Curse it!  Perhaps I should have begun in Snowcap after all."  He muttered to himself, and though Aidan's hearing was very sharp now he couldn't make out what Jander was saying.  It might have been another language, or it might just have been nonsense.  "Tell me more about the dwarves," said Jander.  Aidan obliged, feeling relieved that he hadn't been forced to betray his family.  They spoke for an hour or so before Jander ran out of questions.  He moved to the far wall of the shack and leaned against it, apparently lost in his dreams of conquest.  Aidan curled up again, a ball of misery and depression, and tried not to weep.
	
	The wind still howled outside, the blizzard was nowhere near blowing out yet.  Aidan sensed the sun, still far below the horizon.  He remembered thinking, before, that it was interesting, fascinating even, how he could do that.  But before he had known it was temporary.  However much he had hated his vampirism, there had been the promise of eventual release.  Now...
	
	It was a relief when the sun finally edged above the unseen horizon and Aidan could escape from his dark thoughts into a dreamless sleep.
	
	-----
	
		He awoke at sundown to the omnipresent sound of wind.  The storm still raged.  This deep into winter the days were only a few hours long, and soon they would vanish entirely.  But though he hadn't slept long at all he felt rested and refreshed.  And hungry.  He shuddered and pushed that thought from his mind.
	
	He sat up to find Jander looking at him intensely.  "I have had a thought about our conversation last night.  We spoke much of the dwarves, but they are not the only people living here, because you live here.  So I suspect you may have left something out, though you cannot lie to me.  So tell me now, in full, and leave nothing out.  Are there any people who live north of the mountains who are not dwarves?"
	
	Aidan's heart sank.  He desperately wanted to lie, or to say nothing, but he could not, the compulsion was irresistible.  "Yes."  The command to leave nothing out nearly had him blurting out more, but with a supreme act of will he managed to say only that single word.  But that would do him no good, he knew.
	
	"What are their names?"
	
	Aidan gritted his teeth, wanting to do anything but answer.  "Flame Song and Littlespark."
	
	"And what are they to you?" asked the vampire, seeing Aidan's reluctance and guessing at what must lie behind it.
	
	"My wife and daughter."  He hung his head, grief so strong as to be almost unbearable, tearing at his heart.  He had betrayed his family.  There was no hope now, and no further low for him to sink to.
	
	"How marvelous.  And here you are, separated from your family.  So sad!  And it's all my fault, how terrible.  I must arrange a reunion, and make it up to you.  A shame that we cannot depart this very instant.  We shall have to wait out the storm."
	
	Aidan turned away from Jander and curled up again.  He couldn't hold back tears this time.  He wept, shaking with silent sobs.
	
	The storm blew all that night. Aidan cried himself to sleep as hadn’t done since he met Flame Song. When the sun set the next evening he awoke to stillness. He had thought he couldn't feel any worse, but his heart sank even lower.  The storm was over, and now they would go out and find Flame and Littlespark and he, unable to disobey his maker, would have to take part in the killing of his own family.  He looked over to where Jander was stirring.  Surely there was some way out of this!  The other vampire was a lunatic!  But he was no idiot and he held all the cards.  Aidan was weaker, and no matter what he tried it would take only a word of command from Jander to thwart whatever attempts he might make.  And yet there had to be something!  It was bad enough that he had to suffer at the hands of an undead monster, but Flame Song?  That was unthinkable.  And Littlespark... Aidan shied away from that thought, not wanting to complete it.  Jander was after followers to convert to vampirism.  Babies do not make useful servants, and he did not seem to type to keep around what he had no use for...
	
	Aidan tried to think of something, but he couldn't concentrate.  Hunger suddenly reared its head, insistent and demanding.  He pushed it aside, but knew he couldn't do so for much longer.  Jander rose and stretched.  
	
	"Follow me," he said, and Aidan did.  They walked out into the star-studded night.  The aurora was playing overhead, but Aidan didn't even look up.  He looked at his feet, head down  in utter misery.  He followed the other vampire for nearly an hour in silence.  When they stopped he glanced around and recognized the end of his trap line.  A foot or so of snow obscured the contours, but he knew the place well enough.
	
	"Lead me to your home.  Take the shortest way. No tricks, no sidetracks.  And when we get there no speaking, you are not to warn them."  Aidan stepped forward.  He went slowly, fighting the compulsion  with all he had.  Jander soon  commanded him to walk faster, and he was forced to pick up his pace.
	
	He led the way to his home, and stepped down into the tunnel that went back into the hillside.  He reached the door at the end turned the doorknob.  It was locked.  And suddenly a flash of hope went through him.  Flame Song never locked the door while she was at home.  She only locked it if she was leaving for some extended period.  
	
	"What is it?" snapped Jander.
	
	"The door is locked."
	
	"Well I assume you have the key.  Open it!"
	
	Aidan did so and stepped inside.  It was dark, though he could see clearly enough.  Dark and utterly silent.  There was not a breath or heartbeat in the house.  Jander came in the door behind him and looked around.
	
	"There's no one here."
	
	Aidan almost laughed.  "They're gone."
	
	"Where have they... No, there's only one place they could have gone.  To the dwarves.  It seems I must change my plans a bit."  He surveyed the spacious front room.  "A very comfortable home you have here.  It might make a better headquarters than my modest hovel."
	
	Aidan instantly pictured Flame coming home during daylight and killing Jander as he slept.  [i]Sure, stay here,[/i] he thought.
	
	"Ah but no.  Your dear wife might return at any time, and should she return during daylight it would be most unfortunate for us.  Perhaps later.  For now I think we'd best return to said hovel.  Follow me."
	
	He turned and left, with Aidan trailing obediently behind him, the brief uplift of hope fading away into bleak depression as he walked. His sense of the sun's position told him that the night was nearly half gone. He followed Jander back the way they had come to the rough shack. The faintest touch of light was beginning to show to the southeast by the time they arrived. Tiredly, and with a painful awareness of almost unbearable hunger, Aidan lay down and went to sleep. 

	-----
	
		The next night dawned, if that was the word for it, cold and still. Aidan awoke and was immediately conscious of his hunger. He was hungrier than he had ever been.  He couldn't focus, couldn't think of anything else.
	
	Jander was awake also. He looked over at Aidan and smiled, showing his fangs. "I feel a touch of hunger. The excellent meal I had a day or two back has worn off I think." He  smiled more when Aidan cringed, enjoying his obvious discomfort at the memory. "Tonight I think we must go hunting. And if I am hungry, why you must be near starved, yes?" Aidan remained silent. Jander laughed then. He seemed to be in a good mood all of the sudden. "I suspect that you don't like the idea of hunting, do you? Not looking forward to sinking your fangs into somebody? Well, like it or not, we're going. But before we go, I shall give you your instructions. We wouldn't want you scaring anybody off, after all!" He grinned again. "You are to be totally silent. You will only speak if I command you to. You are not to warn our prey in any way. And you are to stay within sight of me. Is that clear?"
	
	Aidan nodded, silently. Silently too he cursed Jander for making him do this. [i]Better to starve. Better to die.[/i] 
	
	They set off into the frozen night. Jander led the way across the snow. For several hours they wandered aimlessly across the frozen expanse and Aidan began to hope that they wouldn't find anyone. Then Jander sniffed the air. "Ah!" he exclaimed softly. "Someone has been this way. I can smell them." [i]Well duh,[/i] Aidan thought, glancing down at the snow where booted feet had tramped the snow down. Dwarves were hardly the stealthiest people in the world. The pair followed the clear trail at a jogging lope. Then Aidan's keen hearing picked up a faint sound of voices. They crept silently over the next low rise and peered over. Ahead two dwarves were tramping through the starlit snow, discussing something in low voices.  
	
	"Ach, I don't know if we'll ever find the lad. Likely his body will turn up come spring thaw." 
	
	"Aye, I know. But the effort must be made. That poor red-haired lass and her wee bairn deserve that much." 
	
	"Aye that they do. She has spunk, that one." 
	
	[i]They're looking for me![/i] Aidan laughed silently with a sudden touch of black humor. [i]Well, they're going to find me, but they'll wish they hadn't.[/i] 
	
	"Now we shall strike," Jander whispered quietly. "You take the left-hand one and kill him, don't let him escape. I shall take the one on the right." Aidan sighed. He had hoped that Jander would forget to give him further orders and he would be able to let one of them get away. "Now!" whispered Jander, and they dashed down the slope toward the two unsuspecting dwarves. One of them happened to glance over his shoulder. His yell alerted his companion, but it was already too late. Jander swiftly pounced on the first dwarf. Aidan hesitated a fraction of a second longer, but he couldn't hold back. He'd given the dwarf time to draw his axe, but with inhuman speed he knocked it easily from his hand. Then Aidan pinned his arms so that he wouldn't have the chance to find a more effective weapon. Somewhere inside part of him was screaming, horrified by what he was about to do, but the hunger now urged him on as much as Jander's command.  Sick horror twisted through him, but hunger and compulsion overrode it, and he bit into the dwarf's neck. Hot blood flowed into his mouth and his revulsion was wiped away by the sensation. He drank until there was no more and then dropped the dead dwarf to the ground. Abruptly he sank to his knees in the snow. He was sickened beyond belief. He spat the taste of blood out of his mouth. [i]I guess that vampires can't throw up,[/i] he thought, [i]because right now if I could I would.[/i]
	
	Still, he felt more energized than he had since Jander had captured him. Looking at the dead dwarf he silently told him, [i]I'm sorry that I had to kill you. But maybe the strength that you've given me will help me find a way to be free of Jander.[/i] He sighed again. [i]I only wish there was some way I could be free of this curse as well.[/i] But he knew that the only way out was to die, fully and truly. 
	
	"Did you enjoy your meal?" Jander walked over to Aidan, wiping blood off of the corner of his mouth. Aidan looked at him bitterly, but didn't answer. "Ah, that's right, I told you to be silent." He laughed. "Come, my silent friend. It's high time we went home." 
	
	They walked back to the shack, and all the while Aidan was thinking of ways he could escape. The problem was that if he tried to run, all it would take was a single word from the other vampire and he would obediently return. The only way then must be to kill Jander. And it would have to be while he slept, or else he could again command Aidan to stop. They reached the shack, and Jander curled up to sleep. Aidan sat down against one wall but didn't close his eyes. He needed to be awake. He sensed the sun rising, but the shack had been tightly chinked, every crevice stopped up, and no hint of sunlight leaked in. 
	
	As the short hours of daylight slipped by he pondered ways to kill vampires. There was holy water and other holy things, but he had none. A stake might perhaps be fashioned from a piece of the shack, but if he didn't kill him cleanly on the first blow he would get no second chance. Garlic might drive a vampire away but wouldn't kill one, and he wasn't sure of it even worked in this world.  Silver? No, that was for werewolves, and besides, he didn't have any. The only thing left was fire. He had no matches, but there were other ways. With a wry grin he thought, [i]glad I was a boy scout back on Earth. And if I light the shack on fire before sunset there will be no way for Jander to escape. Of course Aidan,[/i] he told himself, [i]there will nowhere for you to go either.[/i]  He closed his eyes and sighed softly. [i]Maybe that's for the best. I'm a killer now, and I'll have to keep on killing, hurting people for my very survival. I just can't live with that. And Flame Song... as long as I'm alive, she is in danger. And Littlespark, she shouldn't have to grow up with a vampire for a father. [/i]
	
	He pushed such thoughts out of his mind.  He would almost  certainly die, but the most important thing was to make sure that Jander was killed.  [i]Now, to light the fire,[/i] he thought. He tried the stick drill method first.  There were no twigs in the shack, but he managed to break off a slender sliver of wood from the shaded side of the building, and a second chunk gave him a base to work on.  He tried spinning the stick in his hands, but although he could spin it remarkably fast, it seemed it wasn't fast enough. He tried again, and again, but time was slipping away.  The sun had passed its zenith and was sinking now.  Then he got another idea.  He pulled some of the chinking out from the walls.   It was mostly moss, and the bone-dry clumps would make perfect tinder.  He made a little heap of moss, and placed his sticks over it, to make sure the fire kept going long enough.  Then he drew both of his daggers.  He struck them together, running one edge along the other, hard, and a shower of sparks fell onto the tinder.  Nothing caught that time, but the sparks were encouraging.  He tried again, and again, and finally the moss caught.  He waited, suddenly impatient, as the fire grew strong enough that he wouldn't put it out by accident.  Then he pulled a burning chunk of wood from the fire.
	
	Quickly he held the flame to the rough wood that made up the shack. Though the air was cold, the wood was dry, there was plenty of moss, and the shack lit readily. The fire on the wood chunk was burning down closer to where Aidan held it, but he calmly crossed the room and started little fires in several more places. Then, putting down his impromptu torch just before it scorched his own fingers, he went to the center of the room and sat down to wait. The flames licked up the walls, constantly growing, but they couldn't spread fast enough for Aidan. Time was running out. Outside the sun had nearly set. Already the lower edge of it just kissed the horizon. Then the flames reached the corner where Jander was sleeping. Flames licked up over his clothing, and he woke with a start.  He screamed in panic and ran around the room, beating at the rising flames. In blind desperation he jerked open the door, which was on the shaded side of the building, and dashed out. For a few moments he ran in the shadow of the shack, but then he crossed into the sun. He screamed louder, and fell.  Then abruptly his screams were cut off.  Aidan watched as his body began to crumble into dust.
	
	He sat calmly in the center of the burning room, looking out at the spot where the wind was already blowing Jander's remains away. [i]Just like that, it's over,[/i] he thought. [i]So quickly! And now I shall die too. It's strange; I never thought I'd be able to watch my death coming this calmly.[/i] He looked up. The flames completely engulfed the walls and licked at the ceiling. Soon the walls would collapse, burying him in fire. He could go outside, he supposed, the last tiny bit of the sun was still showing, but he might manage to escape  if he timed it right.  But no.  [i]It really is better this way,[/i] he thought again. Just as the last trace of sunlight vanished the roof fell in with a crash. Aidan was stunned by the weight suddenly dropped on his head. He was surrounded by broken and splintered boards and felt the flames licking around him now. [i]Funny, they don't hurt nearly as much as I thought they would,[/i] was his last thought. Then everything went black and he knew no more. 
	
	-----
	
		Flame Song opened the door for the third time and stared out into the night. It had been dark for only a few hours, but she had expected Aidan to be back before sunset. Outside the wind was starting to howl. What promised to be a truly ferocious storm was blowing in. With a sigh she shut the door and went back inside. She picked up Littlespark and rocked her. The baby gurgled and said "Da, da, da." 
	
	"Yes, da, da, da. I wish your dada was here right now, Spark. I hope nothing is wrong." 
	
	As the hours passed, Littlespark dozed off, but Flame Song stayed awake, waiting for Aidan to return. At last, when midnight had long since come and gone, she decided that waiting would do her no good. If Aidan came home, he could find her in the bedroom, and if not... well she would rather not think about "if not." She took the baby to the bedroom and lay down on the bed. She closed her eyes, but sleep was long in coming. When at last she drifted off, her dreams were filled with vague foreboding. 
	
	When she awoke the next morning she was still alone. Littlespark, who had started sleeping through the night, [i]thank heavens![/i] was still snoring softly. Flame Song got up and went to the door. From the other side she could hear the wind howling fiercely. She opened it anyway, but at the end of the entry tunnel there was nothing but swirling white. A gust blew inside the house, bringing a few flakes of snow and a great deal of cold air in with it. Quickly she closed the door. Aidan would not be coming home through that. The only thing Flame Song could hope for was that he had found shelter and was waiting the storm out. 
	
	And that was all she herself could do. The storm blew all that day, all the restless night while she tossed and turned, and was still blowing when she got up the next morning. She tried to distract herself with household tasks, but her worry wouldn't let her alone. [i]What if he's out in that? What if he's already frozen to death? What am I going to do? Even once the storm blows over I can't leave Littlespark to look for him. What can I do?[/i] She fretted all that day and the next night her sleep was still fitful and full of nightmares. The third morning the storm was beginning to lose force and by noon it had blown over entirely. Flame Song had, in the mean time, decided on a course of action. [i]Maybe I can't go and look for him, but I know somebody who can.[/i] She bundled up Littlespark as warmly as she could and set out to Coppertop. 
	
	The walk wasn't that long, but it felt like forever as she trudged through the fresh snow. She would have preferred to take firecat form, even bundled up as she was she felt cold, but firecats don't have hands and she couldn't leave Littlespark behind.  At last she reached the dwarven town.  She had considered going to Belak first, but she was fairly certain that all her friend could do, other than perhaps search himself, would be to send her to see the dwarven king.  So she made her way to the Copper Top itself, the tall tower that crowned the town's central building, below which countless catacombs burrowed and twisted into the mountains behind it.  There was a guard standing at the door to the tower.  He showed her in and directed her down several flights of stairs to the throne room, sparing an odd glance for the strange baby in her arms. Flame Song strode into the room and walked directly up to the king. She knew that the best way to get his attention would be to be bold. 
	
	"Your majesty, I need your help." He looked a bit surprised at her directness. Once could expect fellow dwarves to be blunt, but humans? 
	
	"What is it you want?" he asked. 
	
	"My husband Aidan, I'm sure you know of him, has gone missing. I can't leave our baby and go search for him myself, so I appeal to you. Will you send out your dwarves to look for him?" 
	
	"I er..." Clearly he was again taken aback by her directness. Glancing around at his counselors and seeing no sign of disapproval he waved a hand magnanimously and said "Of course, my dear. I shall send out patrols immediately." 
	
	Flame Song bowed and said "Thank you, Sire. If... if there is any news I shall be at the woodworker Belak's home." Then she turned and strode out of the room. She made her way through the town to where her friend's workshop and home were located and knocked. 
	
	The stocky dwarf opened the door. He looked at the woman standing alone on his doorstep with her baby in her arms. "Flame Song? Where's Aidan? What's wrong?" 
	
	"He's missing," said Flame Song, and as the tension of the past days finally caught up with her she burst into tears. 
	
	"You had best come inside." Belak opened to door further and motioned Flame Song in. He led the way through the workshop area and into his home beyond. When she was sitting in a chair by the fire and Spark crawling around on the floor Belak said, "Now lass, tell me the whole story." 
	
	So she told him how Aidan had gone out to check the trap line, and about the storm, and how he hadn't come back. She told him too that she had appealed to the king to send out scouts. "Well then lass, you've done the right thing. If he's to be found, we dwarves are the ones to find him." 
	
	"But what if they don't?"
	
	Belak looked at her and said gently, "Lass there's naught you can do. Only wait and pray."  
	
	Wait and pray...  She closed her eyes, tear gathering in them again.  She had waited and prayed for Aidan before.  And he had lived.  She could only hope once again her prayers would be answered.
	
	And so she waited. She took care of Littlespark and helped Belak out as much as she could, but she had all too much time to think and to worry. Early on the morning of the next day Belak came back from an errand with a grave expression. Flame Song's heart sank.  Had they found Aidan... dead? Belak saw her look and said. "They haven't found him lass, but they found two of the scouts that didn't come back last night, dead. The signs are that they were killed by vampires." 
	
	Flame Song's heart skipped a beat. Vampires. What if they had found Aidan? There was a twisted irony in the thought. Aidan, who for a brief span of time had been a vampire himself, killed by vampires. She shook the thought off. [i]Let it not be true,[/i] she prayed. [i]Let him be alive.[/i] She didn't know that miles away Aidan was calmly preparing to die. 

	-----
	
		That day passed in an agony of worry and waiting. When night fell she attempted to go to sleep, but could not. She got up and paced back and forth in Belak's workshop. So she was the one that answered the knock on the door in the early hours before the dawn, though she could hear Belak's footsteps coming behind her. Standing outside were a trio of dwarves. All three looked solemn, and two of them carried a stretcher between them. One white-feathered wing trailed off of it onto the ground. "We're sorry, ma'am," said one of the dwarves, and they gently set their burden down in the courtyard area in front of Belak's house. 
	
	Then they left. Belak started to say something, then stopped. The silence was thick enough to cut. Flame Song sat down next to Aidan's still form. He was covered in soot as if he'd been in a fire, his feathers were blackened, and his skin looked red and burned. Flame Song gently brushed his hair off of his forehead. [i]It always was getting in his eyes,[/i] she thought. She felt disconnected from reality. Tears seeped down her cheeks, but her grief seemed distant, unreal. She wondered how he had died. Surely he hadn't died from the fire itself. Ever since  he had drunk in a touch of her own firecat nature along with her blood, he had been resistant to flame. Not to the same extent as her, but certainly he didn't look burned enough to have died of it. [i]It must be smoke inhalation,[/i] she thought absently, aware that the thought was somewhat morbid. Then the grief hit her all at once, suddenly real and present. She bent over the still form and sobbed. Belak quietly turned and left her alone. With her face buried in his chest she could smell the scorched feather smell. Strangely his body was still warm, despite the intense chill of the night air. That fact sunk slowly into her mind where all at once it clicked with one other fact, the dead dwarven scouts killed by vampires. She suddenly sat up straight. She shifted into her firecat form and sniffed Aidan over. The scorched feather smell almost drowned it out, but the familiar scent of a vampire was unmistakable. She glanced up at the sky. It was already starting to lighten with the coming dawn.  She could barely lift him in human form, and she had no hands now...
	
	"Belak! Come back here!" 
	
	The dwarf trotted back into the courtyard. "What is it?" 
	
	"He's not dead! Aidan's not dead! Quick, no time to explain, we've got to get him inside right now!" 
	
	"Flame Song, I know you loved him, but you can't delude yourself. He's not breathing!" 
	
	Suddenly the dwarf found himself nose to nose with more than five hundred pounds of angry firecat. With a snarl she said, "Get him inside. Now!" 
	
	"All right lass, if ye feel that strongly about it." Belak picked up Aidan, the stocky dwarf lifting his slight form easily, and carried him inside. He put him down on a couch in the back room where Flame had been sleeping. 
	
	Flame Song looked around the room. Only one window, and it faced west, so the sun wouldn't come in until the late afternoon. "Shut the window," she commanded. 
	
	With a shrug Belak closed the window and drew the drapes over it. "Now lass, can you explain all of this? I don't want to cause you grief, but you have to accept it, Aidan's dead. He's not breathing, no pulse, dead." 
	
	"You've seen him out cold and not breathing before though, when that animated tree knocked him out outside of the Sorceress' castle. And think Belak, two dwarves were found yesterday, killed by vampires!" 
	
	A look of dawning comprehension crossed Belak's face. "By all the gods! You mean he's a..." 
	
	"A vampire again. Yes. And if we hadn't gotten him out of the open in time, he really would have been dead." 
	
	"Aye lass. Quick thinking on your part. But he still doesn't look too good. Do you know a way to wake him?" 
	
	Flame Song nodded. "There's only one way I can think of." Steeling herself for what she was about to do, she shifted back into human form. She drew her dagger and held out her left wrist. It was crossed by a thin, fine scar, like a suicidal teenager's, but suicide had been the last thing on her mind when she had made that mark. With a quick slice she added a second narrow cut. She had nicked the vein, and blood began to ooze rapidly out of the thin wound. Trying not to think about how dangerous this was, with Aidan unconscious and not in control of himself, she pressed her wrist to his lips. He didn't respond at first, but then he began to drink, sucking weakly. His hands came up slowly and grabbed Flame Song's arm. He drank deeper now, and Flame Song gasped at the pain. It had never hurt like this before. 
	
	She waited, trembling slightly, while he continued to drink. She could see that some of his burns were beginning to heal. Then she started to feel faint and dizzy. Aidan wasn't stopping. She tugged on her arm, but he only grabbed on tighter. Belak took a step forward, as if he would help. She tugged as hard as she could, and suddenly Aidan's eyes flew open and he stopped, dropping her arm with a gasp of shock. She slumped forward, feeling weak. 
	
	"Flame Song, I'm so sorry." Tears gathered in his eyes, streamed down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." 
	
	Flame Song  hugged Aidan tightly, saying, "It's all right. You're alive, you're alive. Everything is all right." 
	
	They didn't even notice when Belak tiptoed out of the room and softly closed the door, leaving the two of them alone. 
	
	After a great many tears and apologies, Aidan told his story. He was sitting up on the couch now, with Flame Song beside him. "I wish you had just let me die. I don't think I can live with this," he said when he finished. "Look what I did to you. I nearly killed you!" 
	
	Flame Song frowned. "Do you want Littlespark to grow up without her father?" 
	
	"Do you want her to grow up with a vampire for a father?" 
	
	"Yes! If that vampire is you!" 
	
	Aidan shook his head. "You don't know what it's like. I'm a menace to everything I love. You would be better off without me." 
	
	"No. I can never believe that. Think about it. If our roles were reversed, would you want me to die? I know you wouldn't! And, well, they say every cloud has a silver lining. There's a good side to this too." 
	
	"What could possibly be good about it?" 
	
	She gave him a long look, and then nodded, as if she had decided something. "Aidan, how old would you say I am?" 
	
	Aidan was puzzled by the change of subject.  Particularly as Flame had always avoided discussing her age.  They had celebrated her birthday, but she always refused to say how old she was. "I'd guess... twenty-six?"
	
	Flame shook her head. "No."
	
	"Twenty-seven?"
	
	She smiled at him.  "Closer.  But no.  I'm  fifty-six."
	
	Aidan blinked.  "What?"
	
	"I'm fifty-six.  Didn't you ever wonder, when Tara or Brianna talked about all my years in the Queen's Own?"
	
	"I guess... I just assumed that you'd joined quite young, and that they were talking about four or five years before we met. How  long...?"
	
	"I served Tara twenty-three years.  And I never quite knew how to tell you.  I never really wanted to think about it myself, though when I did I cursed it, cursed fate and took what comfort I could in your youth, in the span of years you would have."
	
	"I don't understand."
	
	"I'm fifty-six now, and I don't look like I'm twenty-odd because of some magic.  I look it because firecats mature fast, but age slowly. If nothing happens to cut my span short I can expect to see nearly two hundred years more.  And you... you have less than half that.  Or had.  Now I suppose you have infinity before you.  And I'm glad.  To watch you grow old and die, and to live on for so very long, alone... I didn't think I could bear it.  And now I won't have to."
	
	Aidan was silent for a long time, thinking this over.  "But now I'm the one that may have to watch you age and die."
	
	Flame leaned against him, feeling suddenly very, very tired.  "I know.  And I'm sorry.  But I can't help but be selfish, and be glad of it."
	
	"I... I'm not sure what to think. In just a few days my whole world has been turned upside down. And I'm too tired to think straight." 
	
	Flame Song nodded. "You're not the only one." She rested her head on his shoulder wearily. They had been through a lot, but they were at least together now. [i]And we will be for the rest of my life[/i], she thought with a smile. 
	
	When Belak opened the door to tell them that Littlespark was awake, he found them sound asleep, curled up together on the couch with Aidan's wings trailing awkwardly off onto the floor. He smiled and decided that he could tend the child himself for another hour or two. 

	-----
	
		They stayed at Belak's for two more days, recuperating. Littlespark was obviously happy to see her father back. She was starting to say a few words, and "Dada" was one of her first. She also started calling Belak "Lalak," much to the gruff dwarf's amusement. One evening as Flame Song and Aidan sat by the fire, with Littlespark crawling between them on the floor, Belak stumped in through the door. He was muttering imprecations under his breath. 
	
	"What's wrong, Belak?" Flame Song asked. Aidan continued to stare into the fire. He was still in a dark mood, but seemed to be slowly coming to terms with his changed existence.
	
	Belak grimaced. "Some dwarves don't have the sense the gods gave a rock." 
	
	Flame Song laughed. "I hope you don't include yourself among them, my friend." 
	
	"No." His expression was still sour as he continued. "I know better. And let me tell you two that you're welcome in my home for a long as you want to stay, but some of those idiots have found out you're a vampire now, and well, what with those two scouts that were killed, they're none too happy to have you living in Coppertop. Now I know better, it was that other vampire that killed those two, but they don't know you the way I do." 
	
	Aidan looked up from the flames. His sapphire eyes were haunted. "What if I did, Belak?" 
	
	"What...?" Belak's expression was puzzled, disbelieving. "You're telling me that you killed those dwarves?" 
	
	"One of them, yes." 
	
	"But why? Aidan, you're not a killer." 
	
	Aidan looked back at the fire, shadowed face silhouetted by the light. "Because I was in Jander's power, and couldn't disobey him." 
	
	"Well then it was no fault of yours! You're not a killer."  
	
	"But I am!" Aidan's words were a snarl of self-torment. The firelight now reflected off of his bared fangs. "Sure, I hated myself for what I did, and I tried every way I could think of to get out of it, but then, then..." He clenched his fists and dropped his head. "Once I started, I enjoyed it. It was... I can't even tell you how good it was. And it was only after I finished that I came back to my senses. I could do that anytime, to anyone, even one of my friends. I've almost done it to Flame Song. And what if I do? What if I lose control?" He shook his head. "I can't live with that." 
	
	Belak came over to Aidan and put his rough hand on the young aerian's shoulder. "And that's why you won't, lad. You're a good person, Aidan. I'd trust you with my life. So would Tara.  So would any of the Queen's Own. You know that." 
	
	Aidan said nothing. After a long moment of silence, Flame Song spoke. "Belak, I couldn't agree with you more. But I think that it's time for us to go. We've outstayed our welcome here, and we don't want to abuse your hospitality. I think that tomorrow we should leave." 
	
	"You know you're welcome here for as long as you want to stay." 
	
	Flame Song smiled. "I know. But it really is time we went home." 
	
	So it was that the next afternoon Flame Song set out for home with Littlespark snugly bundled up. They reached home just before sunset. Not long after the last rays of light had faded from the sky, Aidan set out after them. He paused at the door to Belak's house and said, "Thank you Belak, for opening your home to us. And..." he paused a long moment, then said, "Thank you for your trust." 
	
	"What else are friends for?" said the dwarf with a grin. "Now get going." 
	
	Aidan nodded and stepped outside. With a leap and a flash of feathers he was gone into the night sky. He soared through the still night with the stars bright overhead. The wind washing over his wings was freezing, but he didn't feel the cold. Below he saw the low hill that their house was built under. He circled lower and landed in front of the entry tunnel. He hesitated for a moment at the door. He could turn around and leave. All he would have to do was stay outside until sunrise and it would all be over. But then he thought of Flame Song, and of Littlespark. Flame was right. She shouldn't have to grow up without her father. With a sigh he opened the door and stepped into the warm firelight. 
	
	Inside Flame Song was cradling a sleeping Littlespark. She looked up when he entered and her face lit up with a smile. "Aidan." The way she said it was so full of love, that Aidan was ashamed of his suicidal thoughts. She loved him, and he loved her. Who was he to try and end that? He smiled a real, heartfelt smile for the first time in days. Then he walked over to Flame Song and sat down beside her. He put his arm around her and hugged her. The moment was abruptly broken by a sudden awareness of the scent of Flame's blood. He hadn't eaten in days now, and he was very hungry. He jerked away and stood up. 
	
	"What is it?" 
	
	He shook his head. "Flame, I'm sorry. I... I'm not sure how I can deal with this. I just want to be near you, but when I am, all I can think of is hunger. I don't want to hurt you! I'm so sorry." 
	
	"Don't be. I've actually been thinking." She smiled warmly at him. "You remember the last world we visited, the Lavasida from that world?  He was a vampire, and had been for many years.  I remember he told me once that he lived on animal blood."
	
	"Animal blood..."  Aidan blinked.  He hadn't even thought of that.
	
	"We can at least try it! I can hunt live prey. I used to help my mother catch rabbits live so she could teach my little brothers how to hunt all the time. I could do the same for you!" 
	
	Aidan's head came up and he looked at Flame's excited face. "You're right," he said with dawning hope. "I could even make live traps." 
	
	"Yes! Here, you keep an eye on Littlespark. Our mixed up day-night schedule has her all back to front, so I don't know if she'll stay asleep. I'll be back soon." And with that she handed the baby to Aidan and went out the door into the freezing night. 
	
	It was several hours before she finally came back. Littlespark had, as predicted, woken up. She had also needed to be changed. Aidan was in the bedroom with her lying on the floor when he heard the door open. He was trying to get her to hold still long enough for him to get the cloth diaper pinned on her. When she heard the door, she waved her arms and said "Mama!" 
	
	"Yes, Mama. Very good Spark." 
	
	"Mama!" Littlespark said again, and suddenly she squirmed free and crawled at lightning speed into the main room. With a sigh Aidan picked himself up off the ground. He heard a sudden crash from the front room and Littlespark squealed, but it sounded like her delighted shriek, not her scared one. More curious than alarmed Aidan went to the doorway and looked into the room. Flame Song, in human form, was sprawled on the floor. The crash had obviously been the sound of her tripping. She had apparently been successful in her hunt, for a live rabbit, white in its winter coat and with a terrified expression on its face, was hopping around the room. And crawling after it, giggling and squealing and naked as the day she was born, was Littlespark. The sight was so ridiculous, that Aidan started to laugh. He laughed so hard that he had to lean against the door. He laughed until his stomach ached from laughing. Flame Song picked herself up from the floor and said irritably, "Don't just stand there, do something!" 
	
	Aidan just laughed harder. Flame Song shook her head and went after Littlespark. Aidan finally managed to stop laughing and pounced on the rabbit. He held it carefully, tight enough to be sure that it didn't get away but not tight enough to hurt it, and stroked its ears until it stopped trembling. "Why don't you go and get a diaper on her and I'll go see if this is going to work," he said. 
	
	Flame Song nodded and carried Littlespark back into the bedroom. Aidan decided to go into the kitchen. He carried the rabbit in and set it down on a counter. It stayed where he put it as if rooted to the spot. "You know I find that even with you, bunny, I'd rather not do this. But better you than Flame Song, I suppose." He picked the rabbit up again. [i]Waiting won't make this any easier,[/i] he thought, and bit down on the rabbit's neck. The fur got in the way a bit, and it was messier than he would have liked, but it didn't take long for him to drain it dry. He licked blood off of his lips and looked at the dead rabbit. Somehow it was easier when Flame Song brought one home already dead, or when he found one dead or dying in a trap. Killing a defenseless bunny that he'd held and petted seemed so much worse. He sighed. At least it had worked. It was good even.  It wasn't the incredible euphoric rush of human blood, but it had taken the edge off of his hunger. 
	
	After making sure that no traces of blood were on his face he went out into the main room. Flame Song was there with Littlespark again nodding off in her arms. "Did it work?" 
	
	"Yes. It's not the same, but it worked." 
	
	Flame Song smiled at him. "I'm glad. And really, this works out perfectly. There's my dinner, all ready to go. You're not the only one who's hungry after a long day." Her smile broadened into a grin. "Just let me tuck Spark into bed." 
	
	Aidan dropped down onto one of the cushions scattered on the polished wood floor and stared into the fire. Flame Song's footsteps went into the spare room, and he could hear her crooning a soft lullaby to Littlespark. After a bit her footsteps emerged. He continued to watch the mesmerizing patterns of the flames. She went into the kitchen, and he heard the steps change from the crisp sound of booted human feet to the almost inaudible padding of firecat paws. There was a soft thud of the dead rabbit being pulled onto the floor, and then tearing and crunching sounds told him that Flame Song had chosen to not bother with cooking the rabbit. [i]I guess my eating habits aren't really any worse than hers,[/i] he thought with a smile. [i]What a family we make. I wonder what Littlespark will be like when she grows up?[/i] 
	
	Flame Song emerged from the kitchen in human form again and sat down next to Aidan. They sat for a long time staring into the fire together. Flame Song idly reached out and poked at the burning logs with her finger. Aidan remembered his panic the first time he'd seen her do that, but as always the fire did her no harm. 
	
	"You know, you saved my life three times the other day. It was the fire immunity I got from you, though I forgot about it, that let me live through that fire. And then you brought me inside before the sun could touch me, and gave me the blood I needed to heal. I don't know what I'd do if you were gone." 
	
	"I don't know what I'd do without you either, Aidan." 
	
	There was another long comfortable silence. Flame Song looked over at Aidan. The firelight created dancing shadows over his face. He would never be able to go out in daylight again, she knew. She sighed. If only... and then thought again of Lavasida.  Both vampires by that name had gone out in daylight without a second thought.  How had they done it?
	
	"Aidan, will you miss the sunlight?" 
	
	He sighed. "Yes. I've always loved the night, but I'll miss the day a great deal." 
	
	"I was just thinking. There has to be a way to sun-proof vampires. Haven't you seen Lavasida often enough by daylight?" 
	
	"I... yes! Yes I have. He has an amulet that the Tara gave him.  It protects him from sunlight."
	
	"Well then, I'd say that's definitely our next order of business. We need to send to Tara for an amulet for you." 
	
	"Flame Song, what would I ever do without you?" 
	
	"I don't know." She laughed softly and leaned closer to Aidan. "What would you do with me for that matter?"  She kissed his cheek and whispered, "I put the baby down in the spare room tonight. I thought we could use some time alone." 
	
	Aidan got up and drew her to her feet. He kissed her and replied, "You know, I've always wanted to sweep you off your feet, and I've never been able to manage it." Then he suddenly did just that, picking up the taller woman without any effort. He kissed her again more deeply and added, "I suppose there are some advantages to being a vampire."
	
	Flame Song put her arms around his neck and said, "Why don't we go and see if we can find any more advantages?" Aidan carried her into the bedroom and shut the door behind them. 

	-----
	
		Flame Song awoke the next morning with Aidan snuggled comfortably around her, his arm draped over her. He was warm, but it was a bit eerie to not be able to feel or hear him breathing. Usually when she woke like this his breath was tickling the back of her neck. "Aidan? Are you awake?" 
	
	"Hmmm?" he relied drowsily. 
	
	"You know it's a little weird to be laying here with somebody who isn't breathing. I'm used to having you breathing down my neck in the morning." 
	
	"This better?" Aidan said, and blew a warm breath over her neck. She giggled. 
	
	"That tickles." 
	
	"Mmmmmm," was Aidan's only response. 
	
	The house was silent. Littlespark was still asleep, probably tired out after chasing the rabbit around in the middle of the night. Flame Song twisted around and kissed Aidan again. "Spark is still sleeping you know." 
	
	Aidan yawned. "Sorry." His eyes had closed again. "Sun's up, too tired, 'l take a rain check." 
	
	She smiled. It had taken a long time for her to get used to some of the odd sayings that Aidan used but she knew what that one meant. She got up and got dressed for the day. Aidan's new nocturnal habits could get to be a nuisance, but she didn't really mind. So she spent the day around the house while Aidan slept. She painstakingly wrote a letter to Tara, telling her their story and asking if she could send an amulet for Aidan. With the snow now on the ground she wouldn't be able to send the letter until spring thaw, when the passes opened, but she wanted it to be ready to go as soon as possible. She played with Littlespark and fed her. She was starting to eat solid foods now, and gaining an increasing vocabulary of simple words. About noon she started to nod off, and Flame Song put her down for a nap. 
	
	She tiptoed out of the spare bedroom and into the room where Aidan was sleeping. "Aidan?" 
	
	He opened one eyes and said, "Yes?" 
	
	"Spark is down for a nap, so I thought we might use that rain check of yours." 
	
	His eyes were closed again and he didn't answer. With a smile and a sigh Flame Song lay down on the bed next to him and curled up. [i]Oh well,[/i] she thought. [i]I could use a nap after last night anyhow.[/i] 
	
	And so their days went by. Finding it nearly impossible to get Aidan to be coherent during the day, Flame Song and Littlespark gradually switched to a more nocturnal schedule. Aidan seemed to finally be coming to terms with his new existence, though at times he would still sink into depression. The winter passed slowly, and the long dark days came. The sun would barely lighten the sky but did not rise about the horizon. The cold deepened, and even Flame Song with her thick furry coat ventured out no more than she had to. Aidan got better at hunting, keeping all three fed with a combination of vampiric speed and the power of flight. He could surprise prey from above and would usually take his own meal then and there to avoid having to feed in front of Flame Song. He was adjusting to this life, but he still wanted to protect her from all aspects of it as much as possible. 
	
	At long last the sun peeked above the horizon. Gradually the days began to lengthen. The weather was still bitingly cold, but spring would come soon. Then the temperature began to rise and the snow began to soften and melt. Flame Song kept an eye on the distant mountains, and when the solid white began to show streaks of the gray stone beneath, she knew that the pass would soon be open. 
	
	She dug the letter she had written out and handed it to Aidan. "What's this?" he asked. 
	
	"It's a letter to Tara, explaining our situation and asking if she can send us an amulet. Fly it over to Coppertop tonight and see that it's mailed to her as soon as possible." 
	
	Yes sir!" He gave her a mock salute. 
	
	She laughed. "Get going then!" 
	
	Saluting again, he spun around sharply and marched out the door. Flame Song grinned at his retreating figure. He was starting to act like his old self again. She hoped this was a good sign. It was hard for her to see him so depressed. 
	
	It wasn't too long before Aidan returned. "I had a bit of a time getting it mailed. Aretha needs mail slots you can just put a letter thought anytime. I finally found someplace open that could send it on to Snowcap. They were a little suspicious of me. I guess Belak wasn't lying when he said that the dwarves aren't comfortable with me anymore." He sighed. "But in any case it's now on its way. The fellow I spoke with said the first spring caravan would be going out tomorrow, so we had good timing." 
	
	"Well, now we just have to wait, I guess." 
	
	So they went about their lives and waited. Only a few weeks had passed when a knock came at their door about noon. Aidan opened his eyes, but couldn't quite summon the energy to get out of bed. With a yawn Flame Song got up and threw on a robe. She went out into the main room and closed the door firmly behind her to make sure that no trace of sunlight would leak into the bedroom. She opened the front door to find Belak standing in the entryway. She blinked at the brightly sunlit landscape that silhouetted him
	
	He looked at her and blushed just a little. "Sorry, did I wake you?" 
	
	"It's all right Belak. So what brings you here?" 
	
	The dwarf held out a small package. "This. It arrived just this morning. Seems Zenobia Starchaser, you know her, was wintering at Snowcap when your letter arrived, and she made a very fast trip to Porttown and back again." He shook his head. "I think she might be a wee bit mad, sailing this early in the year, but she got it here quick enough."  
	
	"Thank you for bringing it by Belak." 
	
	"Ach well, it wasn't much. I'll let you get back to sleep now. I forgot that you all would likely be keeping odd hours these days." 
	
	Flame Song waved goodbye as Belak left. Then she shut the door and returned to the bedroom. "Aidan, did you hear?" 
	
	He was sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling his trousers on and blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "Yeah! Let's go and test it out now!" 
	
	"I..." Flame Song hesitated. What if it didn't work? Aidan would be hurt, might even be killed. She shook her head. No, she trusted Tara too much to really doubt her, but she couldn't help but worry. 
	
	Aidan grinned at her as he slipped the amulet over his head to rest on his bare chest. It was circular and set in the center with a red stone. "It matches your other one," said Flame, pointing at the black iron torc that Aidan always wore around his neck. 
	
	"Yeah. I'm getting a collection of jewelry I can't remove. Now all I need are a couple of rings, a bracelet, and maybe an earring to match." 
	
	Flame Song laughed. It was good to see Aidan in a good mood again. He left the room and strode to the front door. Drawing a deep breath, he jerked it open. Diffuse light flooded into the room. The sun was too high in the sky to shine directly into the house, but only a few feet in front of Aidan in the entry tunnel, the shadows ended and the sunlight began. "Well, so far so good" he said and drew another deep breath. At the back of her mind, Flame Song was wondering why in the world he was doing that, since he didn't need to breathe anymore. [i]Just force of habit I guess.[/i] Aidan stepped forward quickly, as if he didn't want to put this off any longer. His bare feet entered the sunny patch, then the rest of him gradually moved into the light. From behind he seemed like an angel, haloed in golden radiance. 
	
	"It works!" Aidan laughed out loud and repeated, "It works! It really works!" 
	
	Belak, now nearly half a mile off on a low rise, heard the joyful shout and turned around. He saw Aidan laughing with his face tilted up and his arms reaching out towards the sun. He smiled at his young friend, and then turned and headed home. 
	
	Aidan stood with the warm sunlight washing over him. It seemed like now he could live again. He looked at Flame Song, who was stepping out of the tunnel behind him. She came and stood next to him, smiling widely. He looked at her with the sunlight on her face, a sight he had thought never to see again. He remembered their earlier conversation about her age. [i]I don't want to ever live without her,[/i] he thought, [i]but maybe, just maybe, two hundred years together will be just long enough.[/i]