CHAPTER TEN

Creatures Of The Night

It was no good. Donnova couldn't sleep. She rose to see Sheila and Diana sound asleep, and then let her head fall back onto the excuse for a pillow. A minute later, she got up. She walked to the open doorway and watched the males. She didn't understand how they all slept so soundly, not with the incessant noise � the howls, the shrieks, the moans, and all the other sounds she couldn't identify. Even the unicorn breathed the deep breath of sleep.

She decided on a walk and quietly slipped out. The air outside was neither warm nor cool, and there was no wind. The sky was clear, and only a sliver of one of the three alien moons was lost in shadow. Beyond the fence that surrounded the Oldbano home and their guest house were countless restless souls � insomniacs mindlessly milling about inside the four walls of their collective tomb. Donnova couldn't decide whether to feel disgust or pity for their blunted, meaningless existence. She thought of her silver-skinned, voiceless mother, who could only grunt like a fish out of water. A Dark Siren in exile on a world where everyone hated her. And all because, as the stories went, she truly fell in love with a mortal man.

"Valmun be with me," she sighed as she whispered her little Dark Prayer.

She looked up and around at the enclosing walls and sighed, deciding she'd spoken a bit too soon regarding the horses. She hadn't been expecting a fortified town full of madmen. Damn Dungeon Master and his old map, she thought. There was no way to secret horses from here, or to purchase them. She doubted she had enough money, anyway; she doubted they even cared for coin, self-sufficient as they were here. And it was likely to be that they only kept what horses they needed for farm and travel and, therefore, would not have parted with a single one in the first place.

Ultimately, it was of no importance. It was only that she was eager to get to their destination. She wanted something to do, wanted to get the whole ordeal over with. Though it seemed that Venger may not be aware of their quest, each passing moment could change that and bring him upon them.

Still, there was no harm in having a look, she thought. She would seek the stable.

She figured the best place for a stable would be as far away as possible from Sanctuary's "wild half." The southeast corner would serve best. Observing closely the meandering inhabitants, she set across in the same manner as they moved � like mindless sleepwalkers � so as not to draw attention to herself.

She avoided locking eyes with anyone all the way across, but remained vigilant. The only time she felt compelled to look up was when she realized someone was following her. The same figure moved from behind one building to another. And her stalker hid every time she turned her head. For all she could see through the shadows the one time she glimpsed him fully, either his head was misshapen, or he wore a hood. It made her shiver, in spite of herself.

She looked for him now and again as she went, but he had gone.

Right where she had imagined, she found a stable and small corral where a few bridled horses with roached manes stood perfectly still, obviously asleep. She heard other horses within. She looked around, but there was no one close to this area of Sanctuary. She climbed over the fence, and unbarred the wide stable doors.

Blackness.

She quietly made her way straight through to open the opposite doors to let in more light. She pushed one door wide open. As she began pushing the other door out, it creaked, and she heard muffled, nervous neighs from several horses behind her.

"It's alright. I'm one of the sane ones," she said to them offhandedly as she pushed the other door open.

She turned to go back inside and gasped at the sight of a figure standing in the opposite doorway � a gangly, black silhouette against the moonlight. It didn't move, didn't make a sound, but inspired dread all the same.

"Oh, hello," Donnova said pleasantly. "I didn't mean to intrude. I'm a guest of Oldbano's�"

She hadn't seen it move, yet it was suddenly right before her, so close that she saw only a flash of bare chest and neck before strong, vise-like arms held her fast, crushing her. There had been no time to react, and now she couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even breathe. She tried desperately to break free, but to no avail. It was as though a statue had come to life and wrapped itself around her. Then, her mouth opened in a breathless gasp as she felt a piercing pain in her neck.

Vampire, she realized as her vision blurred and her body numbed.

She felt as though she were floating, falling, dreamlike through the air. Curiously, the pain melted away, along with the will to fight. She wanted only to relax in those powerful arms and fall into peaceful slumber. Nothing else mattered. There was nothing else. Then, there was the feeling of being lifted, of flying backwards.

Her back slammed onto the ground outside the stable. She was vaguely aware of the sounds of horses grunting, of hooves scraping and stamping as she lay still, wide-eyed, staring into the starry night. She felt at peace as she surveyed the sky. The stars twinkled at her, the cool air was soothing on her face, the three moons shone so brightly. . . .

Something wasn't right.

Three moons. . . . Three moons!

With a jolt, she came to her senses. Dull pain in her back became sharp and her lungs fought to refill themselves as her mind raced to reconstruct what had just happened. She struggled to get to her feet, but her limbs moved as though through quicksand. She made for her sword, but discovered it missing from its scabbard. Frantically, her eyes searched the shadowy darkness for the creature that had attacked her, while her hands cast about for her weapon.

A guttural noise issued from the shadows within the stable, and Donnova froze in fear. Then, he emerged � naked, hunched, and staggering. He was bald, and his ivory skin seemed almost to glow in the moonlight. He was bent double, but tilted his face up to look at her. There was a mixture of pain, confusion, and anger in his expression. His lips drew back to reveal blood-covered fangs, and his hairless brow hooded his eyes. It shocked her to find his mien to be more menacing than Venger's.

She pushed herself backwards as he moved unsteadily towards her. Her palm landed atop the cold metal of a blade and she moved to try to reach its hilt. The vampire took another step and convulsed. Dark blood-vomitus splashed onto the ground where Donnova had just been.

"Poison!" he bellowed, and spat more blood. "How do you thrive with such bile in your veins?" He looked at her again and caught sight of her hand inching for her weapon. "Come to slay me?" he asked in an amused and condescending tone.

"I didn't know you were here!" said Donnova. She wondered at how that pitiful excuse for a dragon could have neglected to mention a vampire living in the stable among all the other drivel they'd endured from her that evening. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we can both forget I was here."

Her hand closed around the hilt of her sword, but the vampire placed a foot upon the blade. He jerked her up hard by her collar and brought her face inches from his own. His breath stank of blood.

He said nothing, simply stared at her. His silence both frightened and angered her. There was no one to help her if he meant to kill her, and he was too fast and too strong to defeat unarmed. And if he did intend to kill, what was he waiting for?

"You came to steal my horses," he whispered.

"No, I�"

"Money does not interest me . . . worthless as your blood."

Hearing this, the idea of offering a certain little unicorn in trade came to mind, but she knew there was no chance of that happening.

"Unicorn. . . ." The vampire breathed the word, savoring each syllable with a vile grin. He promptly dropped her back to the ground. "I've never tasted unicorn," he mumbled to himself as he walked back into the stable.

Donnova realized that he had read her mind, and wondered what more he might now know. Sword now in hand, she stood and followed him back inside.

She couldn't see him until he turned his eyes on her. And even then, all that was visible of him were their two points of dimly reflected light.

"Two horses for the unicorn," he uttered in quick whisper.

"The unicorn isn't mine to bargain with, blood drinker."

"Oberkind! Lord Oberkind! And do not pretend to care about meaningless notions of property or possession, Donnova! As far as I'm concerned, Uni is already mine. I must have her! You are simply . . . making a delivery," he said as he flexed his nimble, clawed fingers. "Fail me, and I'll rip you in pieces and feed you to them," he threatened with a nod toward Sanctuary's other half.

Donnova ignored the threat and looked toward the horses in their stalls. Time to bargain. "Two aren't enough."

Oberkind sighed. "No, I suppose not, not for seven. Three. No more."

"Agreed."

"Then go."