A Cup of Blood

by Troy A Hill

  My demon could hear all three of my captors' hearts beating. Hunchback's was the loudest. I found my strokes mimicked his pulse. Up-down… Bah-beat…

  My demon had already started to take some control from me. The way my hands moved with the beat of Hunchback's heart showed me how much control she had. I would be lucky to have any say in what we did when the ropes parted.

  Just a little longer, I told myself to calm the blood-demon and tried to keep my movements small. I didn't want to attract attention.

  The knife in my hands was still at an awkward angle, but I could feel the progress I made. I sensed every time a strand parted. This was slow work. Up-down. Bah-beat. Like a heartbeat. Just a little longer…

  Hunchback surged to his feet and startled me. I thought he had noticed my movements. No. He was just early to piss. While he was up, I knew he'd want to check on me again. I had to hurry and free myself. He was sure to notice the slices I had made in the ropes.

  My captor moved toward some scrub at the edge of the camp, away from me. He worked at his leggings and pulled himself free of the cloth.

  I sawed frantically at the bonds as his stream of piss hit the grass. The bonds finally parted.

  Hunchback grunted and finished before I could free my legs. He strolled toward me. I stopped and tucked my wrists under a fold in my skirt.

  He yawned as he peered at me, then grunted in satisfaction. I almost sighed in relief. He wasn't as thorough as he usually was. I might be able to free my legs.

  He took a step back toward the fire. He paused, then turned and bent down behind me.

  I sent a warning to the wolves. Mother still wasn't close enough. But I sensed her shift from a trot to a flat-out run at my warning.

  “We are pack… we hunt together…” Greyback’s thought came into my mind.

  “She’s loose!” hunchback yelled.

  13

  Fight the Demon

  Hunchback's pulse thudded in my ears.

  My demon screamed to be let loose.

  She sensed blood and fought for control. I tried to push her back into her cell in my mind. She wanted to charge, but I forced my arm to slash out at Hunchback with the knife. I still couldn't see Hunchback with my own eyes. Greyback ran toward us. His eyes stayed at the path he ran, not at the camp. That meant I was blind to my attacker. I knew he was there, but couldn't tell where. I had to slash wide and blind to drive him back and give me time to cut the rope around my ankles.

  Mother was still several minutes away. She must have sensed my mental touch. A distant howl echoed through the night. Two lonely wolf voices sounded for a few seconds in the distance. But I didn’t have time to wait for them.

  Hunchback backpedalled, then rushed toward his weapons back by the fire. The apprentice roused himself and rubbed his eyes. Onion Breath flung his blanket off. Greyback ran toward him.

  I grabbed the ropes around my ankles. This time I could leverage the knife. I cut the ropes with one slice. My other hand went to my bag tied tight around my neck. No time for finesse. My fangs were out. Inside the bag, I could see a red glow. My eyes had shifted. They glowed deep red when I thirsted. This bright, and I'd be lucky to get the bag off before my demon took control of my body. It took all of my will to get her to move the little knife to the bag.

  The silver knife sliced my skin as my demon slid it under the bag. We snarled in pain at the new wound.

  Greyback’s vision bounced as he ran, but I could use it. Hunchback had his knives and lunged at me. I spun away and jerked the bag off my head.

  For the first time in a full day, my eyes were mine again. But my body wasn't. My demon rolled us onto my feet. Our right hand gripped the small knife. I wanted a sword, but the blade was all I had. My demon screamed again for blood and pushed my legs. She tried to rush at the guilder. I hung onto a shard of control. Just enough… maybe I could get one of their knives. My demon demanded blood, and I couldn't fight her anymore.

  Onion Breath, in bare feet, circled me. He slid to one side, and The Hunchback was on the other. They wanted to flank me. Onion Breath's silver seax and his smaller knife glistened in the dim light.

  “Get the crossbow, NOW!” Hunchback bellowed at the apprentice, but never took his eyes from me. I tried to lock his gaze with mine, but he knew to avoid my eyes. Damn, my demon and I had to do this the hard way. I sent a warning to Greyback.

  “We are pack…”

  My demon lunged. I tried to direct the movement. We had the same goal. Take out one of my captors.

  Greyback growled and charged at Onion Breath. My demon lunged at Hunchback.

  The firelight danced along the tree line and scrub and cast eerie shadows on the ground.

  If I noticed little details like that, it meant my blood-demon was in total control. I pushed and got us to jerk away from Hunchback's thrust. His long seax just missed my belly.

  Onion Breath spun away from the Greyback's charge. But Petram was on him too. Still no sign of Mother or Brother. If my demon could get blood from Hunchback, I might get enough control back and not only get myself out of this battle but also keep the apprentice alive.

  Hunchback slashed again. I made us dodge his seax. Step and dodge. But my demon had other ideas. She tried to step in and grab his head to bare his neck. Silly demon.

  Hunchback scored a hit with his off-hand silver knife. My demon and I screamed from the pain. But that scream gave me the tiniest bit of control back.

  My left hand flashed out and grabbed his right hand and twisted hard. The bones in his forearm snapped in my grasp. He dropped his seax. One knife down. I wanted to grab it. I pushed and tried to get us to bend down. With a longer blade in my hands, Onion Breath wouldn't stand a chance against me.

  My demon screamed in my mind. She was in control of my body. No long knife for me. She smashed my right knee hard into his crotch. For once, a smart demon.

  Hunchback’s mouth opened. After a beat he shrieked in agony. His neck was bare before us. My fangs were already long. We bit into his neck, just as a wolf cried in pain.

  My eyes darted toward the fight.

  Petram limped and circled the guilder. A bloody gash leaked crimson into the fur along his side. Greyback crouched low, ears back, fangs bared, ready to leap. Onion Breath tried to keep a blade pointed at each wolf. He twisted around as Petram circled him. Growls filled the air around the guilder.

  His eyes shifted away from the wolves and locked onto me. He saw me, my mouth locked to his compatriot’s neck. His eyes went wide as a look of grim determination settled on his face. He raised his seax and rushed me.

  Greyback leapt and lunged in toward his side. Off balance, Onion Breath struck out with his long blade. The old wolf was committed in his leap. He tried to twist away, but Onion Breath flicked his arm into the wolf’s path. His silver blade flashed yellow in the firelight as it plunged into my friend. My demon took her second swallow from Hunchback’s neck. Greyback eyes met mine in the dim light of the campfire.

  “We are pack… we hunt together…” His thought trailed off as he slumped and died on Onion Breath’s blade.

  Damn that Witch Hunter!

  Sorrow gripped my heart, and my demon took the last of my will from me. I didn’t care then. She could have control. My new friend had died to protect me.

  Onion Breath yanked his blade from my dead friend. He lunged toward me.

  My demon bit down as I attempted to gain enough control to dodge the blade. I tried to pull our face away and turn to fight. My demon demanded we drink. More blood. NOW!

  I pulled our head away, but she bit hard. We ripped his throat out. Blood sprayed from the wound and covered my face and chest. Two swallows of blood nowhere near enough for my demon. She wanted more. I had enough control to toss the Hunchback toward Onion Breath. That forced him to twist away from his friend’s corpse.

  My control didn't last. I wanted to grab for Hunchback's blades. The tiny knife I had wasn't enough to deflect that long blade of Onion Breath's
. I wanted, I needed Hunchback's seax. With it, I could decimate Onion Breath.

  My demon screamed. She didn’t care about tactics, nor about swordplay. She wanted blood. Lots of blood.

  The demon won. She had control, but I kept our eyes on those damned knives.

  Greyback's killer watched me. My demon charged him. He expected it. His blades flashed. My demon screamed in pain each time the silver knives scored a hit. My demon wouldn't give me enough control to grab his wrist and disarm him. Stupid demon. I knew how to fight. She only knew how to feed and used blunt force to make it happen.

  Petram moved closer. A growl rumbled from his chest. He circled. My demon paid him no mind. She focused on the food before us. She demanded blood, and there was a human full of it right in front of us.

  Attack. Feed. NOW. We lunged.

  Again, the silver blades flashed and scored minor hits. They hurt. My demon thrust my knife forward. I tried to guide my arm, into an opening in his defence. It worked. My knife plunged into his shoulder. Onion Breath gasped in pain, and his eyes darted toward the blade in his flesh. My demon released the knife and scratched at his head. Onion Breath dodged.

  His left arm trembled. He lunged again, and I pushed my demon to sidestep. She did so, but screamed, and tried to dive back to go for his throat. Stupid demon. That would have earned us another slash.

  My opponent’s left arm, the one we had plunged our knife into, twitched and slumped to his side.

  My demon charged again. I pushed hard and forced us to angle for his injured side. He spun, and his left arm flopped to his side, quivered and refused to do his bidding. His good arm slashed out. I aimed a blow at his wrist, as I pushed the demon to make us step into his measure, close to him. That would make him awkward in his parry. He dodged the strike enough to keep his grip on his weapon.

  Petram chose that instant to charge. He went for the back of the man’s bare legs. Teeth sank in through the stockings, and I smelled the blood that swelled out around Petram’s bite. Onion Breath slashed with his blade. It sliced Petram’s shoulder. The young wolf yelped and slunk back. But he had distracted my opponent enough.

  We grabbed our prey around the back of his neck. My demon concentrated on the pulse in his throat. But I grabbed Onion Breath's knife hand and twisted hard. He screamed. His bones snapped. My demon already had my fangs in his neck. She was in total control.

  Stupid demon.

  The first taste of his blood was sweet nectar. Both my demon and I sighed as the fluid flowed into our mouth. We closed our eyes. Bliss. Blood. Life energy trickled into us. Neither one of us sensed Onion Breath move.

  Intense pain tore into our chest, right below our breast.

  Stupid, stupid demon.

  Onion Breath's injured left arm still worked. Tricky guilder. He had plunged his other knife into my chest. The silver of the blade burned cold and tore at my soul.

  Again, in agony this time, the demon bit hard and ripped open the neck of my assailant. His blood fountained out. We got just a small swallow before our prey collapsed at our feet. His blood steamed onto the grass as he died.

  14

  I'm Sorry

  My demon shrieked in agony. The silver knife in my chest tipped the balance. The few swallows of blood we had from our two captors were not enough to heal even one of my older wounds.

  Pain and agony gripped me. The silver burned my soul. Where the silver was, my magic wasn't. That part of me was dead. The silver cut the magic and separated my soul from that part of my flesh. To heal I needed blood; blood with power; blood with life.

  My demon smelled blood. A lot of blood. But we heard only one human pulse. My demon shifted our eyes up. The apprentice stood alone, his heart thudding in his chest.

  He clutched a crossbow; the string pulled back and cocked. He raised it. I could smell his fear. I could see it in his eyes. His hands shook so hard he could barely keep it pointed at me. The firing channel was empty. He had forgotten to load it. The Apprentice still held it in his trembling hands and pointed right at me.

  My demon sensed living blood. We could hear his blood pulse through his body. Cups and cups of blood. Maybe enough to heal all of our damage. His body was full of what the demon screamed for. Swallow after swallow… We would feed from him. Take his life, to save my own…

  The apprentice… The one who slipped me his knife, so I could escape. My demon wanted to feed, to drink, to bathe in blood. But… I couldn’t… not the life of the one who helped me. I’d rather die myself than harm someone who had risked everything to do what was right.

  This would kill me. He had risked so much. I’d rather die the true death.

  My master’s voice flashed through my mind. “Let love win,” he had told me often. The apprentice risked his life for me. I had a debt to repay. He deserved the chance to run back to the girl he loved.

  My demon shrieked as I grabbed what little control I could find. I wanted my body back. The memory of that young man not using me flashed before me. I remembered the warmth of his hand when he pressed the handle of his little knife into my palm. I couldn’t let my demon destroy him.

  His lips moved in fear. He kept repeating one phrase.

  “I’m sorry…”

  The demon in me screamed: Blood! Food! Pain! Agony!

  FEED NOW!

  “I’m sorry…” he whispered into the night.

  He trembled with fear. My demon craved his beating pulse, his energy, his life. I pushed. I stamped. I growled. Finally, I got flimsy control over my body.

  I licked the blood from my lips. The taste enraged my demon, and she clawed at my control. This would probably end my life. I was that wounded. But I owed the young man so much.

  My demon tried to move my legs. I fought her to freeze my muscles. My demon screamed and pushed harder. I battled back. First one leg trembled, then the other as we battled for control. My demon raged and screamed in my mind. But I ignored her voice. My voice creaked out one word.

  “Run.”

  I repeated it, louder.

  “Run… Run home to Bethan. RUN!” I fell to my knees. My legs were mine to control. I hoped that I could maintain that long enough. My demon wailed and pounded at my mind. Her mental claws ripped at me. I winced and doubled over at the pain she triggered in my mind. Every wound from the silver blades flared. Agony.

  I had to maintain control. I had to. He had saved me. I owed that young man his life.

  My demon could outrun him and outfight him. Even if he got on horseback, I knew we had the speed to catch him. He had no fighting skills. Just an unloaded crossbow. My demon wanted him.

  Not this time. Let Love Win!

  I pushed my demon back toward her cage. When I slammed the mental door shut on her, the pain exploded. The silver blade was still in my chest.

  I closed my eyes tight and blocked out my sight of the apprentice, but heard the rattle and twang as he dropped the crossbow. It fired its empty channel at nothing. I heard the thuds as he ran toward the horses. The beat of horse hooves faded into the distance. All three horses had run off. Damn. I had hoped he'd leave at least one. I couldn't chase them. If I did, my demon would focus on the human. I kept her cell closed. My body was mine.

  My demon screamed again. The agony and the lack of energy crashed on me all at once. I toppled over. All my energy was gone. Even my demon couldn't save us now. Her strength was spent. I had won.

  “Run home to your love,” I breathed into the night. “You’ve earned it.”

  Darkness swallowed me for a brief time. Then I felt a wet nose pressed against me. My hand moved until my fingers found the hilt of the silver blade. With a sharp tug, I pulled it out of me.

  I lay on the grass. Petram, my solid as a rock friend, licked my face. I had won. My demon didn't even stir at the wolf's pulse.

  My furry friends had helped me. I was sorry that I hadn't been able to save Greyback. But his death, to protect me, to protect his pack, was what I needed to win the battle and kill the cr
etins.

  Petram lay next to me as I felt my energy fade.

  I had won. I let go of the anger. I closed my eyes to the pain and welcomed the true death. It could claim me. After all of my centuries. I was content.

  Above me, the blanket stars twinkled. I let that blanket drift down over me as I lay chilled in the grass. My vision clouded as I felt my mind drift. My pain was still there, but no longer important. I embraced my grief about Greyback, my friend who died protecting me.

  Through my clouded vision, I imagined a line of red fire zip through the night. Then bright white light washed the night away.

  We are pack… we run together... I relaxed as I slid into the true death.

  15

  Dreams

  Do you wish to live?

  A female voice? Wasn’t I already dead? Was this a dream?

  Do you want to live again?

  That was a silly question. Of course, I do.

  I don't remember dreaming, ever, since I became undead. But, now I was. I floated through a misty white dream world. Shadows of people, of animals, of trees all, moved past me. The tinkle of water, the fall of footsteps, the howl of a lone wolf in the distance, all drifted past me.

  Sleep is when we are dead. We're undead, we Children of the Night. Dead… but not…

  When the sun is in the sky, I let my body sink into the earth where I lay dead. My mind is clear during that time. Asleep? Dead? For me then, they're the same. Then, as the sun sets, I awaken. My thoughts return, magic fuels my body. I live once again and can pass as one of the living. But, this time was different.