The Guide

by Trudie Collins

  Sam looked around and noticed River and Oak sitting by themselves, as far away from the others as they could get, while still being inside the circle of light cast by the fire. “Why are they over there by themselves?” she asked, nodding her head in their direction.

  It was Tor who responded. “Sprites do not eat meat. The smell of it cooking makes them nauseous so they eat their leaves and berries as far away from us as they can. They will return once the meal is done. By the way,” he added, as an afterthought. “Make the most of the meal tonight. The butter will probably run out tomorrow and the remaining bread will get harder each day. We will not be passing through any villages before we reach Vada so we cannot resupply. You will be sick of eating dried beef with hard bread and cheese for each meal before long.” He looked up at Hawk, who was sitting opposite, talking quietly to Bellak. “Though it looks like having a vampire with us will be quite useful,” he continued. “If he can keep us supplied with fresh meat, this journey will be much more pleasant than I was expecting.”

  It was not long before Seth announced that the stew was ready and everyone leapt up, forming an orderly line next to the fire. There was enough for everyone to have a full bowl and a couple of slices of bread, thickly buttered, with apples for dessert. The stew tasted wonderful. Sam had tried rabbit before, but it had not tasted anywhere near as good. Seth was obviously an accomplished cook and before the meal was over, Sam had him promising to give her a few lessons. The wine had been kept cool by a spell and complemented the food well.

  When the meal was over, a volunteer was chosen to take everything to the river and wash up. During the quest, a sort of routine had formed itself whenever a camp was set up. Seth cooked, often with assistance from one of the women, Torrick took care of the horses, Oak and River took care of their nutritional needs and everyone else had to take turn in cleaning up, except Hurst of course. The rule seemed to be ‘those who cook do not clean’, which suited Sam fine. She vowed to make sure she did something to help with each meal. Anything was better than cleaning dishes, especially with cold water.

  As the night began to draw in, Sam found herself sitting next to Hawk and curiosity overcame her fears. “So where are your fangs?” she asked. She suddenly realised how rude that must have sounded and her fear returned, but Hawk just laughed.

  “They only appear when I feed,” he replied. “I take it you have never talked to a vampire before.”

  Sam shook her head. He seemed so normal. If she had not seen him when he emerged from his coffin, she would never have believed he was not just another man. “Where, or should I say when, I come from, vampires are just a myth; monsters in films and books, no offence.”

  “None taken. Many people see us as monsters. They forget that we were once human, just like them, before being attacked by a vampire. If a vampire drinks blood from your body, but leaves you alive, you become one of the undead, doomed forever to live off the blood of others. I try to avoid biting humans, but make sure they are well and truly dead if ever drawing human blood is my only option. I would not wish my fate on my worst enemy.”

  “So how did you become a vampire?” Sam pressed on, feeling more relaxed as the conversation continued.

  “Ah, the delightful Lady Stephanie. She was gorgeous. Everyone wanted to be with her. She attended all the parties, dancing with everyone, though eventually I made her mine, at least for a while. Nobody realised that she only ever left the house at night. Her parents knew she had been attacked, but managed to hide the secret well. She took lovers, though not very often. When they started to pester her about going out to lunch instead of a late dinner, she killed them. Her parents covered it all up of course, hid the bodies in bushes by the side of the road and had someone leave in the carriage pretending to be her latest conquest. Somehow they always made it look like bandits had attacked the carriage.

  “People were beginning to grow suspicious, though. I should have listened to the rumours, but whenever I was warned that all of her lovers ended up dead, I just took it as jealousy. One night, after we had been seeing each other for a few months, she told me she loved me. Unfortunately, I had grown to love her too and told her so. She said there was only one way we could be together and then bit me, drinking just enough blood to turn me into a vampire without killing me. I was livid when she confessed what she had done. I flew into a dreadful rage and walked out on her.”

  Hawk was looking at the ground as he recounted his past, and when he looked up, Sam saw tears were forming in his eyes. “I went back to see her the next night, to apologise and ask her to marry me, but the butler would not let me in. My reaction had upset her so much she had walked out into the sunlight that morning, killing herself.” He smiled a little ruefully. “The sad thing is, if she had told me what she was before taking my blood, I would have let her turn me into this...this thing, and we would have been really happy together. I guess she just did not trust me enough.”

  “I am so sorry.” Sam found herself warming toward Hawk. He was not a monster at all, just an ordinary man that something dreadful had happened to. “Is it true that garlic keeps vampires away?” she asked, hoping to take his mind off his loss a little.

  “No.” Hawk seemed to have no qualms about talking about what he was, even though he appeared to hate himself. Others who were relaxing by the fire edged closer; the conversation had obviously sparked a lot of interest. “I have never heard anyone connect garlic to vampires before. What made you ask that?”

  Before Sam could reply, Bellak interrupted. “It is what gets written in the books from where she is from. A lot of the ‘monsters’, as she would call them, from here are just fiction, figments of someone’s imagination to her.” Sam did not like the way he said her with such disgust, but swallowed what she was about to say, deciding he was not worth bothering about. Bellak continued, explaining that over the last few centuries, a number of people from her history had appeared there. Many wizards had investigated, but none have discovered how. Current thinking was that they were falling through some sort of hole in time and then automatically getting sucked back. From what Bellak had heard from those who arrived later, most of them became writers when they got back to their own time and wrote about the creatures they saw in this world, pretending to have dreamed them up all by themselves, making up rubbish about them when they had not bothered to find out the truth. He spat on the ground and glared at Sam, as though it was her fault. Not that she cared. He had said something that she liked the sound of.

  “Did you say that they were sucked back to their own time, almost as if the universe knew they did not belong and set things straight by itself?” Excitement began to build inside her. “This can happen to me? I can go home?”

  Bellak seemed almost pleased when he replied. “You were brought here by a spell rather than through a rip in time. It will not work for you.” With that he stood up, turned his back on her and walked off into the nearby trees.

  Sam stared at his departing back, the sinking feeling in her stomach slowly spreading to her legs. Being given hope and having it ripped away was worse than never having it in the first place. He said all of that just to build her up then drag her down again, she was sure.

  Seeing how distressed she was, Ellen started people talking again by asking Sam what else myth and folklore said about the various creatures that were supposedly not real. Sam went on to explain about stakes through the heart and crosses for vampires, silver bullets for werewolves, centaurs, dragons, unicorns, Pegasus and other Greek, Roman and Norse mythology. Hawk, in turn, filled her in on the truth about some things. Sunlight was the only way to kill a vampire. It burnt, like real flame, which was why he slept in a coffin all day. He could survive without it, as long as he was in the shade, but preferred the coffin as it totally sealed out the light. Putting a stake through a vampire’s heart wasn’t a good idea as it would annoy it and you would probably end up dead, or worse. Crosses had no effect at all. Ellen explained about werewolves. When in wolf form,
they cannot be killed, but when in human form they are as vulnerable as any human and anything that would kill a man would kill a werewolf. Someone bitten by a werewolf would become one, though the death of a werewolf would cause all of its victims to revert back to being human. In some respects, death was a cure. Nobody around the campfire had heard of anything to do with most of historic mythologies, but flying horses, unicorns, centaurs and dragons existed in the current time, though Sam was disappointed to find out that they were just vicious animals with no intelligence, killing for fun as well as for food. Ogres also existed, though they were not the mindless beasts fiction portrayed. Patrick was even friends with a band who lived on his island.

  As the fire died down, the night began to get cooler and sleep started to overcome Sam. Everyone tried to find a soft piece of ground to sleep on and wrapped themselves in their blankets. Hawk would keep watch all night with the men taking two hour rotations to join him. After an hour of tossing and turning, failing to get comfortable, Sam got up and sat beside Hawk. He had developed animal-like hearing so heard her approaching, but did not acknowledge her presence until she was close enough for him to avoid the need to talk above a whisper.

  “You are not used to sleeping outside.” Sam was not sure if it was a question or a statement, but she shook her head anyway. Despite the dark, Hawk saw her head move. Night vision was another gift a vampire possessed. “Why not use my coffin. It is quite comfortable and I have no need of it until the sun appears.”

  Sam was not sure she liked the thought of sleeping in a coffin, but anything was better than sleeping on the ground. It felt like every muscle in her body ached, especially her legs, and a good night’s sleep might ease them a bit. Spending all day on a horse strained muscles she didn’t even know she had. Thanking Hawk for his kind offer, she climbed onto the wagon and slipped into the coffin. He was right. It was surprisingly comfortable. It even had a pillow. She pulled her blanket over her and was soon asleep. She did not stir when, a few hours later, Hawk checked on her. The blanket had slipped off one shoulder, so he gently pulled it up again and tucked it under her, like a parent taking care of a child. Surprisingly, she did not wake when Samson decided she needed extra warmth and jumped into the coffin with her. She just rolled away slightly as he settled down next to her and laid his head on her legs.

  She did not, however, appreciate being woken up just before dawn by a tail hitting her in the face. Sitting up, she growled at him. “Go get yourself some breakfast,” she snapped. “You’re a wolf, go hunting.”

  Samson also sat up, but did not stop wagging his tail. “Why? Humans have nice meat for breakfast, why should I find my own?”

  Sam growled again. “You are the laziest wolf I have ever met.” She neglected to mention that he was the only wolf she had ever met. The sun was beginning to appear so she quickly got out of the coffin. Minutes later Hawk appeared and leapt in. As he closed the lid over himself she was sure she heard him mutter something about dog hairs.

  Following a quick breakfast, they packed up and started out again. After an uneventful morning, they stopped for lunch before getting back onto the horses. Sam found herself riding beside Seth and she moved closer so she could talk to him.

  “So what is the story with Patrick?” she asked. “I have been wearing these clothes for a few days and I am beginning to look like a tramp, but he is always immaculate. How does he do it?”

  Seth looked her up and down. “You have a good point,” he said. “When we stop for the night, we will have to see if anyone has any spare clothes that will fit you so you can give yours a quick wash. As for Patrick, he cares more about his appearance than he does his life. And he has Ellen, of course. He must have a dozen different silk shirts in his pack and almost as many trousers, not to mention the number of different boots he has stored in the wagon. Each night he hands them over to Ellen to clean and mend, which she always does, with a smile.”

  “I wondered why she was singing to a bundle of clothes last night. She uses magic, doesn’t she?”

  “Of course,” Seth replied. “She has offered to clean all of our clothes, but most of us prefer to scrub them in lakes and rivers whenever we get the chance. I find it quite relaxing and it gives me something to do while I bathe. I wonder how long it will take Hawk to figure out his clothes are being cleaned for him.”

  While Seth was talking, a dark shadow passed over the company. Sam looked up and was surprised to see that there were no clouds in the sky. She was about to ask Seth what had caused the shadow when she heard Tor calling out.

  “Everyone find cover. Now. There is a dragon above us and it looks hungry.”

  Chapter 6

  While everyone dug their heels into their horses’ flanks and steered them toward the nearest trees, Sam remained stationary, too eager to see a real life dragon to be concerned about any danger. Seth had managed to drive the wagon through a narrow gap in the trees by the time the dragon flew overhead again. Looking up, Sam could just make out the long tail before it disappeared from sight. Within seconds it was back, slowly spiralling downward.

  “Sam,” came a shout from the undergrowth. “Get over here before it sees you. Horse and rider make a nice lunch for a dragon.” When Sam didn’t react, the voice continued. “They sometimes like to cook their food first, if you get my meaning.”

  Sam gently patted Thresnine’s neck. The horse did not appear to be worried. “You don’t seem afraid. Should I run and hide?” she asked.

  Thresnine pondered the question for a while and eventually replied, “That is up to you. Horses never hide from dragons. If it is our fate to be eaten, so be it, but we will not run to provide sport for them and we are too proud to hide.”

  “Then we both stay.” Sam watched the dragon’s slow descent, mesmerised. It was burnt orange in colour, with huge, muscular legs and three toes on each foot, ending in long sharp black claws. It could easily pick Sam up with just one foot and one slash of a claw would kill her instantly. It flew with its long neck stretched out in front and bellowed a challenge at her as it passed overhead, fire coming from its gaping mouth. When the stream of fire ended, the mouth stayed open, exposing huge fangs. The tail was almost as long as its entire body and it moved it slightly to turn itself around. By the time it landed in the road, not far ahead, it had turned around to face her, its large black eyes staring intensely. Sam slid off Thresnine’s back and slowly walked forward.

  “Stay here,” she whispered as she passed the horse’s ear, ignoring the ‘what does that little idiot think she is doing now?’ comment Bellak yelled out from where he hid in the trees to her left. Moving closer to the magnificent beast, she realised that she was beginning to shake, but from excitement, not fear. She was approaching the most wondrous creature she had ever laid eyes on. It was magnificent. The dragon’s eyes never left her.

  When she was close enough, it spoke. “Why do you not run and hide, little one?”

  Sam stopped, stunned. It had spoken words. It had not made animal noises that she could understand; it had actually spoken words to her.

  “Should I?”

  “We shall see.” The reply did not fill her with confidence, but she continued to edge closer anyway. Soon she was close enough to feel the dragon’s hot breath on her skin. As she held out her hand, the dragon lowered its head, allowing her to reach its muzzle. She gently rubbed the bridge of its nose, a tear running down her cheek.

  “Why do you cry, little one?” the dragon asked.

  “You’re beautiful,” were the only words Sam could say. She was stroking a dragon! At that moment she didn’t care if she got eaten, it would have been worth it. The dragon suddenly pulled away from her, stretching its neck into the air to its full length. Sam jumped back in surprise, then realised it was posing. It was showing off the lighter orange scales that ran down its throat.

  “Do you really think so little one?” Sam could only nod her head. “In that case I think I will not eat you. At least not yet.” It looke
d like it was smiling.

  “What do I call you?” Sam asked. The head came down lower again and it stared straight through Sam’s eyes and into her mind, or at least that was how it felt.

  “I am Salabine, daughter of Fenfire and Hebcale, granddaughter of Karten, Pallow, Dramkin and Yossor.” She sounded proud as she recited her family.

  “I am Samantha, daughter of Frank and Amy, granddaughter of Fanny, Bill, John and Phyllis. You can call me Sam.”

  “I am pleased to make your acquaintance Sam, but I think ‘little one’ suits you better.” The dragon then yawned and lay down on the ground, wrapping her wings around her. “Forgive me, but it has been a long journey for me so far. Do you mind if I lay while we talk?”

  “Of course not.”

  They talked for what felt like hours, while the rest of the group remained hidden. Sam told Salabine all about her world and how she came to be with the others and Salabine told her all about her own life. She had never spoken to a human before. Usually they ran and hid whenever they saw her, which upset her greatly. She had only ever eaten a human once and vowed never to do so again. She didn’t like the taste.

  Sam was shocked when she noticed the sun beginning to set. “I need to sleep soon,” Salabine informed her. “Tell the others in your party that they can come out now. If you make camp here, I will light a fire for you and we can continue our conversation in the morning.”

  “Sure,” Sam replied, getting up. Her legs had gone stiff from sitting in one position and she limped slightly for the first few steps. As she approached the trees, she called out for Bellak, who immediately demanded to know what was going on. Sam explained about dragons not being the stupid beasts she had been told about. Instead they were highly intelligent animals that could communicate with humans, if humans ever gave them the chance that was. Bellak was amazed, as was everyone else who heard what Sam had said. Stunned faces looked at her from all directions.