Chapter Nine

Unwanted Stranger

Wrapped up in his touch, Crystal did not notice the screeching that sent waves of shock through the trees. Aiden slowly raised his head in the direction of the shrill noise. Crystal stared into his eyes which reflected the sight of two dark figures coming straight towards them.

Crystal's eyes widened and turned her head to look in the same direction that Aiden was looking. "What are those?" she cried.

With a solem expression, Aiden said, "Vampires."

Another screech rang through the skies and became louder.

Although Crystal knew that she should run, she stood as if her feet were nailed to the ground. Aiden also did not move his feet. But, he did look around for something. Crystal was curious what it was that he was searching for.

A winged creature appeared through the trees. It was a horrible beast with leather skin and a wide mouth filled with dagger-like fangs.

What do we do? she thought to herself.

Suddenly, another beast followed the first and they both flew like two screaming buzzards scrounging for a kill.

Crystal's head snapped back to Aiden although Aiden had moved from where he was. He quickly scanned the area for something.

"What are you doing?" Crystal asked. Aiden did not give an answer.

Instead, Aiden shimmied up a tree. Crystal lifted her head to watch him. Aiden grabbed a branch and broke it off. With a lot of power, it hit the ground and pullverized the grass below it.

*****************

Crystal screamed and kicked as she was raised into the air. She did not see them coming and neither did he.

Aiden quickly raced to the ground and to the fell tree. With a hatchet that he had in his pocket, he chopped away at the tree until it was merely a steak. When he was finished, he swung the knapsack over his shoulder. Then he grabbed the steak thankfully and ran to find Crystal.

******************

"You are going to make a nice bride for him."

"Yes! You will be his favorite..." a voice replied.

Crystal blinked her eyes open groggily and stared into the grey eyes of the two vampires. "What am I doing here?

A vampire with pale skin and dressed in a beautiful red dress said, "Why, you are where He will meet you. On this cliff, he will fly and take you as His bride."

The other one who was slightly plumper and clad in a green dress chuckled. "You will like Him a lot more than that Elf-boy that you were with."

Crystal felt her face beginning to turn pink. Rage had begun to build and she wanted to strangle the two of them to death.

"You wouldn't want to be doing that," the skinnier one said and hissed, "We are already dead!"

Crystal felt her heart race. 'They can read my mind...' she thought to herself and tried to stop thinking all together.

"Now don't go trying to do that," the skinny one said. "We all know that you will be dead when He bites you."

Crystal's blood chilled at the thought of becoming one of them. She lowered her head in despair to see a few trees fall as a figure below them passed. Her heart sank at the thought of Him and closed her eyes.

"Do not despair, child. It will not be long. Besides, Sinister would want Him to do this anyway."

Crystal did not respond. She did not want to talk to the two vampires.

*************

"You two haven't changed. Have you?" a voice called out to the vampires. Crystal did not raise her head. She knew it was whoever was coming to get her.

"Oh! Now you are a sight for soar eyes! I do wish that you could take her now. She is such a bother!" the plump vampire complained.

The stranger's voice chuckled and walked over to Crystal. She felt herself become tense and braced herself for the vampire's sharp teeth to penetrate her flesh.

But it did not come. Instead, the stranger picked her up and carried her to the side of the cliff. "I bid thee fair maidens farewell," the stranger said and jumped off the side of the cliff.

Crystal screamed and could hear the laughter of the vampires in the background. As she felt herself falling, she could smell a familar smell. Was it him?

**************

"Now that wasn't too much of a bad fall," the stranger said as he let her safely on the ground beside her.

"Who are you?" Crystal said opening her eyes and looking into the face of a vampire as frightening as anything she had ever seen. He had a pale face like the others and jet black hair. His fangs seemed longer somehow.

The figure bowed politely and when he did his fangs fell out, his hair became more red and color returned back to his face.

"Aiden!" she squealed delightfully. "I thought another vampire would kill me," she said between tears.

Without another word a screech resinated through the trees and bored into their ears.

"Give her back!" a voice cried as a large vampire came into few. When he was close enough, he advanced on them. Each syllable he pronounced was filled with hatred and disgust. "My brides took her for my keeping. You stole her from me. Why did you do it?" The vampire was clad with a black cloak and black shirt and pants. He had a wide brimmed hat that left a shadow over his eyes.

"Because I do not belong to anyone!" Crystal screamed back at him.

The vampire was not fased by Crystal's remark and continued advancing on them.

Aiden suddenly whipped the steak he made out of his pocket. With a snarl, the vampire stepped back. "If you do not leave her alone, I will drive this through your heart and then through the other side. Hopefully it will break your spine."

The vampire hissed and with a quick swipe of his hand drove Aiden flying through the air and hit a tree. "That was easy. Now you are all alone for my wish, little Missy," he snapped towards Crystal.

The steak lay a few inches from Crystal's hands and she reached down to grab it. Finally, she did and raised it towards the vampire's heart.

"No!" the vampire whined. "Why would you kill me when I have an important warning to give you."

"What warning?" Crystal asked.

"Sinister's attack. Alittle more than a month from now, Sinister and his army of beasts will attack your petty little kingdom of Salcurien. He has announced that it will be on the Summer Solstice which happens to fall on a full moon. You might as well warn your crummy little kingdom. But it will only bring panic to them. There is no way you can prepare for the evil that will vanquish your town. You are all better of dead anyway." With the last word said, the vampire knocked the steak out of Crystal's hand. She screamed as it fell.

Her scream was shortly interupted by the scream that echoed hers. It was the scream of the vampire who stood within an inch of her. It fell to the ground.

Crystal stared at the beast and noticed a steak droven through its back and Aiden stood directly behind him, smiling. "Well, I guess I missed his spine..."

With a light laugh, Crystal raced to him and hugged him. "Thank you," was all she said as she stood embracing him.

"...remember...it is the summer solstice..." a voice from the ground whispered and finally a choking sound stopped its breathing.

With the last breath of the beast taken, Crystal felt an immense pain in her stomach. She doubled over in pain and fell beside the fallen vampire.

Back