The Prince's Bride
Naliasar sat there quietly. After a moment of silence, she spoke.
"So, what does this mean? Vampires are real?"
"No one really knows, and if they do, no one's saying anything. But one thing we do know is that if Vampires exist, and that guy is a Hunter, then some crazy Vampire is going to want revenge, and he could take it out on the whole town. That's why we're in supposed danger."
"So, will it really happen? Is the town going to be destroyed?"
"I don't think so. I don't believe in Vampires. Don't listen to Trevor, he's paranoid. Remy too, his father's got him brainwashed."
"Mikial…"
He looked up. Naliasar never used his full name like that.
She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"I feel bad for the Vampires! I really do! Why can't the Hunters see that this isn't their fault? Are they stupid?! Why are they so mean?"
"Naliasar…"
*****
"Dad, how long are we going to be here? I want to go home."
"A little bit longer, Remy. We've still got to catch dinner."
The two were laying on a rock that jetted out over a pool not too far from their cabin.
Remy sighed. Any longer and his eyes were going to pop out.
His dad was doing nothing but watching the water, net in hand, waiting. He knew the only way to catch a fish was to place your net in the water and let it rest there. Eventually the fish would get comfortable, and wander over to explore.
But they had been living off this pond for a few years, and the creatures that lived there seemed to be catching on.
"Gotcha!" His father pounced. Startled, Remy jumped to his feet. He lost his balance and slipped off the rock and into the water.
Standing up, holding his net triumphantly to display a small fish flopping madly inside, Remy's father grinned proudly.
"See, son? That's how you do it!" When he heard no response, he looked around to find that his child was not by his side.
"Remy?"
"Dad!" The small boy caught his attention. He was swept downstream.
"Remy!" his father cried. This creek emptied into the river, and the current was too strong for his son.
The cry sounded far. It caught the attention of Remy's mother, Sheila Hoover, Mikial and Naliasar Engel, the shopkeeper and her husband, who was also the town locksmith, and Lonnie Cranch, the mysterious stranger suspected of being a member of the Hunter's Guild.
The 38-year-old man had been outside, wandering through the trees, scoping out his environment. He was downstream from where the cry stemmed, and instinct told him to get closer to the water. After a few seconds, he saw a small figure speeding in his direction. It was a child!
Acting purely on impulse, Lonnie jumped out over the creek and grabbed a tree branch hanging in front of him. It instantly bent, letting the man plummet into the current below. He barely resurfaced in time to grab the child by the arm.
He pulled the kid onto his back and warned him to hang on tightly. Lonnie tried pulling the two of them back to shore. Perhaps he could have accomplished this on his own, but with the added risk of losing the child it was impossible.
He had no choice but to wait for help to arrive.
"Hey!" Lonnie yelled. He prayed someone would hear him, but with the sound of gushing water drowning out his voice, he didn't put much hope into that method.
"Hello! We need help over here!" The man continued to shout.
"I can help you."
Lonnie looked above him. There, sitting comfortably on a branch of the tree, was a vampaneze.
"Who are you?" Lonnie asked warily.
"But I won't," the creature continued, ignoring his question. "It's really too bad, since you're the only one here I can comfortably talk with, what without having to worry about slipping up and revealing my true identity. But, 'oh well', I suppose. I think I'll go to that village over there, since you're busy at the moment."
He hopped down and waved to the distressed hunter, "See you."
Lonnie could do nothing but watch as the creature sped off toward the unsuspecting village.