Authors: Emma Taylor
Esther crouched in the darkness beneath Dallin’s window and hurriedly pulled her gown over her head and adjusted the folds until it fell properly. She could hear Cannon Upchurch talking to his son in low tones, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. His speech was slurred and nothing was making much sense over the deafening sound of her own rapid heartbeat in her ears.
She looked around in the dark, getting her bearings and making sure that no one was about before she set off toward her home. Walking straight and nonchalantly, as if she was simply out for a stroll, she wound her way through the village toward her home.
The soreness slowly worked its way out of her legs and she started to feel like herself again. She prayed silently that no sign of her activities would be visible on her dark dress, but she doubted her mother would notice. She was so busy with talk of suiters and what not lately that Hannah rarely seemed to notice her daughter at all.
Coming up to her home, she slowed her steps, trying not to seem too eager. She could hear her mother rocking idly in her chair, likely reading a book or knitting.
She opened the door and stepped in, greeting Hannah warmly.
“Good heavens girl. Where have you been off to? And what happened to your dress?”
Esther looked down, noticing the large patch of dirt where her dress had landed on the ground after she’d tossed it out the window.
“Oh that? I tripped in a rut and took a small tumble.” Her mother gasped, but Esther ignored the melodrama and continued, “Tis nothing, really. I didn’t even turn my ankle, just simply fell to my knees like a clumsy child.”
“Perhaps you oughtn’t to go out after dark.”
“Oh Mother. Truly, I’m fine.”
She leaned down and brushed the dirt from her dress.
“I’ve warmed some water in the hearth for you to have a bath tonight, if you please.”
If only you knew, Mother.
“Thank you, Mother.”
“I’ll be off to bed now and I suggest you do the same once you’ve finished your bath.”
“Of course, Mother.”
Hannah walked by Esther, kissing her daughter tenderly on the top of her head as she walked by. Hannah stopped, taking a long look at Esther before she spoke.
“Swett child of mine, whenever did you become a woman?”
She sighed heavily and left the room, not looking for an answer to her question.
Esther went to the bath, using a dowel to remove the kettle from the fire and poured water into the tub. Her mother had brought two more large pots full of water into the room where they took their baths and for once, Esther was happy that her mother was so pushy.
She poured the first pot of cool water into the tub and checked the temperature. Still a little hot, but not scalding, she poured a bit more cool water in, to get it to just the right temperature. Relief filled her as she slipped naked into the warm water and began scrubbing. After Dallin’s very thorough love-making, the heat of the bath was absolutely heavenly.
She leaned back against the edge of the tub, letting her head fall back and her eyes close for just a moment.
Esther had never had a better day.
***
The following night, Dallin walked through the town with Gavin, his patrol partner for the night. Gavin was a few years older than Dallin, but there was a world of difference between the two men. Gavin, who had never worked in his life and was born to a life of privilege, had spent most of his days playfully wielding a sword in his pursuit of knighthood.
Within minutes, Dallin realized that Gavin had a greater chance of becoming a king than he did of becoming a night. He talked incessantly about all things regarding swords, yet the moves he showed off to Dallin as they began their patrol reminded Dallin of games he’d seen the young boys play amongst themselves.
If Gavin were to show his
skills
to a real knight, Dallin imagined that the only reaction would be laughter so forceful that the knight would certainly fall from his horse.
Dallin let Gavin drone on. As much as the young man’s bravado annoyed Dallin, the constant chatter was distracting and helped pass the time.
They came to a fork in the road and Gavin went left.
“Are we meant to go this way?” Dallin asked and looked down at the map in his hands that outlined the different quadrants to be patrolled.
“It matters not. All we must do is stay out here for the night, waiting for a vampire to show itself.
If
we see one, we’ll simply dispatch of it and be on our way.”
Gavin chuckled under his breath and Dallin wondered if he’d gone mad. What was the point of having a plan if the sentries were incapable of following said plan?
Gavin continued and Dallin was tempted to leave the man to his folly. But they had been ordered to never separate, and Dallin knew that somehow, Gavin would blame
him
if they were caught. Swearing under his breath, Dallin followed Gavin north through the heavily wooded forest.
Gavin’s monologue continued and Dallin thought to himself that they would never be able to hear a vampire coming if the man didn’t shut up soon.
Gavin finally exhausted himself nearly an hour into their patrol. The silence was almost deafening. Dallin looked at the sky, mentally ticking off the time in his head.
“We’ve been out for more than an hour, I believe it is time to return to the village.”
He looked up to see if Gavin agreed, but the man was standing in place, his feet rooted to the ground and his face slack with fear. He stared over Dallin’s shoulder with his mouth hanging open, but no words came out.
The hair stood on the back of Dallin’s neck, and too late, he turned. His hand went to his stake an instant before a large form slammed into him, taking him to the ground.
The stake rolled out of his hand and came to rest just out of his reach. The large man snarled above him and Dallin struggled to hold him at bay with one hand, while searching blindly in the dark with the other.
“Gavin. Help. Quick, hand me my stake. Or kill him.”
Gavin stood stock still, staring at the pair grappling on the ground. Dallin tried to break the spell, but gave up, focusing on fighting the vampire. Liquid spattered on the hard ground and the smell that filled the air was unmistakable. Dallin didn’t have to look at Gavin to know the man had wet himself in fear. The vampire stopped for a moment, looking at Gavin, who screeched in fear at the sight of the monster.
Suddenly, able to move, Gavin turned and fled, leaving Dallin to fend for himself. The brief moment the vampire was distracted had given Dallin the moment he needed to grab the stake. He held it tightly in his hand, but the vampire was too close. He stabbed wildly in the air around the figure, trying to connect with tissue and get him to move so that he could find the heart.
The vampire reared back as Dallin stabbed the man in the neck. Blood seeped slowly out of the wound and the vampire lunged toward Dallin, mouth wide. The pain was all-consuming and for a moment, Dallin couldn’t figure out the source of the pain.
He continued to flail blindly with the stake, but the vampire’s closeness gave him access to his back. With a scream, Dallin shoved the stake between the vampire’s shoulder blades with all his might as he felt the life draining out of him.
The vampire stopped abruptly, his face bewildered an instant before he dissolved into dust and floated away on the wind.
Dallin stood slowly, wiping the blood from his face and mouth, spitting onto the ground in front of him. His neck was on fire and his head was pounding, but he was alive. He stumbled through the woods, heading back in the general direction of the village.
He tripped over his own feet more than once, but he pushed on until he saw the light of his own cottage in the distance. Dallin was close, so very close, but he was fading fast.
The blood rushed in his ears and he stumbled to the ground. He felt strong hands on him an instant before he lost consciousness, but he didn’t have time to wonder who it was before the darkness claimed him.
***
Dallin awoke hours later, his body on fire and raging with fever. He blinked away the haze, squinting to see in the bright light that filled his small room.
He was lying on his bed, shirt removed, a soft voice talking to him gently. When his eyes opened fully, he saw Esther staring back at him, her face tight with concern.
“Dallin. I thought I’d lost you.” With that, she burst into tears of relief, dipping a rag into the bowl of cold water she held and tending to his wound.
“What happened?” Dallin’s voice cracked and his mouth was dry. He was incredibly thirsty, and when he swallowed, he felt as if the lining of his throat was sandpaper catching itself.
“Gavin came back to the village, screaming that you’d been killed and blubbering like a buffoon. He’s still with the town doctor. His mother said her son was addled and would never be the same again. Oh Dallin, I was beside myself with grief when I saw you in the dark, stumbling toward your home. Your father carried you here and I slipped away from the crowd, undetected.”
She grabbed his hand, held it to her lips and kissed him tenderly.
“Dallin, I have never been so frightened in my life. I’m so glad you’re all right.”
Dallin pulled his hand away from her, struggling with the thirst building within him. The sound of rushing blood filled his ears, even as his heartbeat slowed.
“Dallin, what’s wrong?”
He motioned to the bite on his neck, shielding his eyes against the morning sun with his other arm.
“It’s alright, Dallin. If you were going to turn, it would have happened by now.”
Dallin sat up, putting his feet on the floor and trying to stand. Esther protested, but he pushed on, stumbling toward the door and pushing through it, into the sunlight.
His skin felt afire and he fought to stay upright. He moved quickly, heading for the gate and the forest beyond. Esther followed him, shouting his name and trying to keep up.
From the other side of the square, Dallin heard the collective gasp of those gathered, though hearing something that far away should have been impossible. Almost as one, the crowd realized that something was wrong and the single shout of “after him!” echoed in his ears.
He ran. His steps quicker than before. Dallin could hear Esther behind him, and close on her heels was the crowd, screaming for his blood.
Dallin ran for his life, heading for the one place that stuck out in his mind; the clearing where he and Esther always met. Stumbling, running and nearly falling, he could hear her calling to him. He was running from her as much as the crowd, trying to protect her from himself as his body transformed beneath his flesh.
He burst through the thicket and into the clearing, but Esther was right behind him, heedless of the danger that she’d placed herself in.
“Esther, you must leave. I am a danger to you.”
She stood before him, defiant, her red hair framing her face like an angry flame.
“I will never leave your side, Dallin. You would never harm me. Our love is stronger than this evil, you
must
fight it.”
He tried, the pain of his need for her life’s blood physically draining him. He fought the hunger, and the tremendous thirst.
Behind her, the first villagers pushed through the trees and into the clearing. Stakes held high, their faces full of fear, they advanced on him.
Someone shouted for Esther to move, but she refused. The group stood in a half-circle around them, both too afraid to advance on Dallin, and much too afraid to let him escape.
Dallin’s throat was on fire, the smell of so much heat and blood overwhelmed him. He wanted to grab the nearest man and drain him of every drop of blood within him, but he wrestled against the need and held fast. He had Esther to think of.
Gavin stood in the front of the group, his face twisted with rage. Dallin caught his eyes and sneered at him.
“I thought you’d gone daft with fear. Did you tell the others how you wet yourself and ran like a frightened girl?”
Gavin roared with anger, shouting, “Liar!” He lunged at Dallin. Gavin aimed his stake at Dallin’s heart, and Dallin closed his eyes, ready for the sweet release of death.
A sickening, wet sound filled the air and Dallin was shocked that he felt no pain. He opened his eyes, wanting to watch Esther’s sweet face for his last moment before he burst into ashes and into oblivion, when he heard a heavy thud.
Esther lay on the ground in front of him, stake protruding from her chest, light already fading from her eyes. The metallic smell of her blood assaulted his nostrils and he railed against his need to drink.
His hands reached out, cupping Esther’s face as Gavin’s wail sounded, more distant than it should have been.
Esther reached out, her cold hand against his cheek, her eyes locked with his.
“Dallin Upchurch, I will wait for you, from here to eternity.” With a shudder, her heart stopped and her head fell limp.
Dallin stood, rage exploding within him. The midday sun burned his skin, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.