Xing Jiu walked quietly through the streets of Ren Xue City. It was a quiet night but here most nights were. It was very unlike his home in the Dream Clan. Still he found it comforting to be alone. Without his sister there was little appeal in the company of others and other than Ka Suo, Li Luo, and Lan Shang his friends were all dead.
He knew immediately that the girl stumbling towards him was not already a guest in the city. He had been here long enough to know every non Ice Clan person here and he had never met her. Her blonde hair definitely would have been recognizable as it was such a rare hair color. That and her clothes were strange to him as well. Just as he was about to ask her if she was lost she started speaking.
"Please help me. They're in trouble. My family is in trouble. I have to save them," she nearly fell on the ground but he caught her arms and helped her back up. She looked at the sky, "The sun is rising. No, it's too soon. How can the sun be rising," he glanced up then back at her now completely confused. It was barely approaching midnight. The sun had several hours left.
The girl's breathing became labored as though she was over exerting herself. She looked at her right forearm and pulled her sleeve up revealing a mark that looked like a dragon curled up on itself. The mark began to glow a yellowish red color and suddenly the girl let out an ear piercing shriek. He resisted the urge to cover his ears knowing her pain was likely to make her pass out. As expected when the light finally faded and her scream ended she lost consciousness. He caught her and picked her up. He couldn't leave her here. She needed help.
As quickly as he could manage he carried her and her bag to one of the empty guest rooms. Once she was safely in a bed he went to wake the magic healer to have a look at her.
"I've healed all that was wrong with her body. Honestly that wasn't much. Her spirit seems to be what's damaged and only she would know why. Unless she told me I would have no idea where to begin with healing her," the healer reported.
"I may be able to answer that question for you. Just allow me some time to enter her dream," Xing Jiu replied.
The healer nodded and stepped off to the side as the head dreamer sat down to do what he does best. Within moments he found her dream and was able to enter it.
He found himself in a round room made of stones. It appeared to be a bedroom. The girl lay shivering under thick violet covers on a small bed. He checked for signs of danger before approaching her. He placed a cautious hand on her shoulder and she gasped looking up at him.
"Who are you," she asked.
"My name is Xing Jiu. I'm here to help you," he replied.
"I'm so cold. Why am I so cold," she kept her arms wrapped around herself.
"You may not be used to the climate in Ren Xue City. It is very cold here," he explained.
She shook her head in confusion, "This isn't some cold city. This is my home. It's only cold here in the winter."
He frowned unsure how to be gentle about this. Hopefully she adapts well and wouldn't get too scared, "This is a dream. You're asleep in Ren Xue City."
She shook her head, "No. That's not right. I'll prove it," she got up and walked towards the curtains on the wall, "When I dream I'm in my room my window overlooks a meadow but in reality that meadow is in place of a boring old court yard," she threw the curtains open only to close them and hiss in pain closing her eyes, "Daylight. How could I not know it was daylight," she went to the table next to her bed and grabbed a strange black device that she put over her eyes like a mask. Then she went back to the curtains, " See, you look out the window and there is a boring old…meadow."
"Do you believe me now," he asked.
She nodded and returned to the bed still shaking from being cold, "Even if this is a dream and I'm asleep in some frozen city that's not why I'm cold."
"Are you sure," he questioned if she understood that her dreams could be effected by the world around her body as she slept.
"I'm sure. I'm a damphier. We aren't usually bothered by heat or cold in the environment. We only shiver or overheat when we're sick…Am I ill," she wondered.
"You tell me. All I know is you came to me for help. You were worried about your family and then you passed out," he told her.
She tried to think and then shook her head, "I couldn't have been worried about my family. Father takes care of us. Maybe I was worried about returning to them. You said I'm not at home and I know nothing about this Ren Xue City. That must mean I'm lost."
He shook his head, "Even if you are lost you said they were in danger and that you have to save them."
Her eyes widened, "Me save them? I'm the weakest one in my family. If they can't protect themselves. There is certainly nothing I can do."
"All I know is what you said. It's up to you to remember the reason you said it," he shrugged.
She tugged the blankets around her more tightly, "Did anything else happen? Maybe some details that could spark my memory?"
He nodded, "There was a mark on your arm. It started glowing and then you screamed and passed out. You said something about the sun rising."
"Sun rising," she pulled the sleeve of her nightgown up showing her mark. It was faded and merely outlined where it had been red before, "No," her voice was pained, "No that can't be," tears began flowing and he pitied her for whatever this meant, "No," she cried out a few more times before screaming.
"It's alright. I'm here. Just let it out. You can tell me what's going on later," he sat down and held her in his arms.
She spent several minutes sobbing in his arms. A few times he heard her cry out for her father. After a short while even her dream self was too exhausted to keep the tears flowing, "He's dead. That's the only thing that would effect my servant mark like that."
"Servant mark," he asked looking curiously at the mark on her arm.
"Damphier are half human and half vampire. Humans have less self control and more impulsive tendencies than vampires while vampires are stronger and more dangerous than humans. The combination of those traits resulted in a race that gave the vampires a reputation of being demons as we were often mistaken for them. Humans began hunting us so we went into hiding and let our races fade into their myths and legends. A spell was cast on the damphier race. All damphier would be bound to a vampire master at birth. Our spirits would need that bond or they would feel lost and without purpose. Once a master dies a new one must claim the damphier servants or the servants would fade and die. My father was my master," she explained.
"So your mark lost it's color because your master is dead," he pitied the girl and wasn't sure how to help her.
"Yes," her eyes widened suddenly and he could tell she was remembering more now, "I was hoping to have enough time to find a new master before the fading started. Now I won't be able to wake up unless someone claims me before I completely fade away."
"Perhaps I can help," he offered, "What exactly do you need for a new master?"
"I need someone who is kind enough to help me but still willing to be firm. I need rules and boundaries and consequences if I break them. Basically my spirit needs to feel that it has a purpose and is cared for," she described what her teachers had told her as best as she could.
"Alright. I can seek someone from your clan with those qualities to come claim you," he nodded.
She shook her head, "No, not from my clan. I can't save my family if a vampire claims me. It has to be someone else."
"Why," he asked.
"I need to become queen when I return. Otherwise I won't be able to free my family. Our laws state that a damphier who can convince a non-vampire to claim him or her rather than condemn or kill them will be honored as a ruler over our society. It's so rare that we are seen as what we want to be and not just what we once were," she looked away from him with sorrow in her eyes.
He considered this for a minute. On the one hand she seemed to be telling the truth and he was good at sensing lies in dreams. On the other hand he knew little to nothing about her or her clan. To take her on would be a risk but if he didn't she was likely to die and he couldn't ask anyone else to take this much of a risk for a girl none of them knew.
"Alright, then I'll claim you myself," he decided the risk to her life was too great not to help her now.
"You mean it," she looked at him with hope in her eyes, "You'll help me?"
He smiled and nodded, "I am Xing Jiu the leader of the dream clan and you have my word that I will help you complete your mission in any way that I can."
A tear slid down her cheek, "Thank you."
He nodded again to acknowledge her gratitude, "Now how does this work?"
She pulled her shaking form from the bed and knelt in front of him offering him her arm, "Just take my wrist and place your thumb in the center of my mark," she waited for him to do so before giving further instruction, "Now just state your name and that you claim me as your servant. My name is Kallum."
"I Xing Jiu claim you Kallum as my servant," he stated.
Her mark began glowing and the dream began to dissolve around them. She was preparing to wake up now. He retreated from the dream and woke up.
He stood up and went to the girl's side. She still appeared to be unconscious and the healer was checking her vitals. He waited a few moments expecting her to wake up. Finally the healer shook his head.
"Her heart stopped. There's nothing more we can do," he stated sadly.
"That can't be. She told me how to save her and I did exactly what she said," Xing Jiu was shocked. Hadn't he claimed her in time?
"I'm sorry. She may just have been too far gone," the healer told him.
"Can I be alone with her for a minute," he asked.
"Very well. Shall I bring Ka Suo to keep you company? You seem to have grown attached to this girl rather quickly," the healer observed.
He nodded, "I would appreciate that. Thank you."
The healer left and Xing Jiu held Kallum's hand as tears made their way down his face. He was beginning to feel useless. He hadn't been able to save his sister or his friends and now in spite of his best efforts he had lost this poor child too. After several minutes of taking the situation in he had calmed enough to be curious about the mark in the dream. Now that she was dead would she still have it? He gently took her arm and pushed her sleeve up to her elbow. There it was but he could have sworn it had originally been red. In the dream it was a mere outline and now it was a purple similar to the spell of the dream clan. Was this because he had claimed her? He was her master now but how far did that go? An idea hit him and though it was a long shot he would feel like he just let her die if he didn't try it.
"Kallum, wake up," he shook her shoulder gently, " Kallum, you're not really dead. Wake up," still nothing, "As your master I Xing Jiu order you Kallum to wake up and live."
Her body spasmed and she took a deep breath arching her back. Her eyes shot open and she started coughing.
"Healer," he shouted.
She rolled to her side looking pained in between coughs and covered her ears, "Ow. Not so loud Master. My hearing is sensitive."
"I'm sorry," he apologized rubbing her shoulder, "I didn't know."
"That's alright," she replied, "I'll teach you."
At that moment the healer and Ka Suo rushed into the room. The prince's eyes widened in shock, "I thought you said she was dead."
"She was. She had no pulse, no brain activity, no retaining spirit, nothing. She was gone," the healer stated rushing to the girl's side and checking her vitals again, "Now her pulse is too rapid."
"That's normal when a damphier is forced out of a healing sleep early," the girl replied, "I would have been fine to wake on my own in another hour."
"I'm sorry for waking you early but you didn't warn me you would be playing dead for a while," Xing Jiu gave her a firm look.
She gave him a sheepish smile, "Sorry. I should have told you about that. I forgot you've probably never even heard of my clan."
"I'll let it go this time but don't scare me like that again," he told her firmly.
She nodded, "Then I should probably let you know that damphier are allergic to sunlight and I was asleep outside for at least an hour. I probably have sun poisoning and will be sick for the rest of the night."
"You need to be more careful where you choose to rest. I'll take care of you until you're well but once you're better I expect you to be more responsible for your own health. You can't help your family if you can't even take care of yourself," he said strictly.
She bowed her head in shame and nodded, "Yes Master. I should have been more careful."
"Master? Head dreamer what in the three kingdoms did you do in that dream," the healer asked.
"I gave her what she needed to live. Someone to keep her in check. She is of a race cursed with servitude. Without their masters they die," Xing Jiu said quietly watching her as her body began to wake up and realize that it was ill. Her skin was turning a shade of red that looked like it hurt very much.
Ka Suo nodded, "I'm sure Xing Jiu is doing what he feels is best for her. What is your name," he looked the girl in the eyes.
She looked at Xing Jiu as if she were unsure if she should answer. He gave a small nod to reassure her that his friend was safe, "Kallum. My name is Kallum."
"Welcome to Ren Xue City Kallum. I am Ka Suo. Xing Jiu is one of my closest friends. He will treat you well. If you ever need anything don't be nervous to ask him or myself," he smiled at her then turned to Xing Jiu, "As always the palace kitchen is open for anything you may need. She's welcome to whatever you see fit to give her. I'll leave you to care for your new charge my friend."
After Ka Suo and the healer left Xing Jiu didn't really have to turn his focus to the girl as it was already there, "Are you hungry," she nodded, "What would you like to eat?"
She shrugged, "I don't know what there is."
"Are you allergic to any foods," he asked.
She nodded, "Garlic and heirobotane."
"I've heard of garlic. What's heirobotane," he was a little unsure about the second one.
"It's a flowering herb with small light purple flowers," she replied.
"I don't think they use anything like that here. I will double check to be sure though," he tucked the blankets more securely around her and kissed her forehead. She looked confused but not offended and he was glad for that, "Get some rest. I'll be back with some breakfast for you soon."
She nodded and rolled over. A rest sounded good. All she wanted to do was sleep lately. She knew she had other things to do but she needed to get better first. The delay was her own fault. She should have gone straight to the city. There would have been time to mourn later. For now she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
TBC…
