Chapter Theme Song: "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young

Lying on a nest of pillows Sarah looked years younger than sixteen. The delicate innocence that had drawn both Max and the old Master to her was plain to see. There was only one thing that marred the image of her youthful frailty. There were dark bruise-like rings under her eyes and her unnaturally pale complexion that had intensified more so after the events of that night.

Marking was always a strenuous ritual on both the master and fledgling vampire. It took time before both vampires fully recovered. The aftereffects were typically felt for a few days as the body adjusted to the new bond that was forged. Once set it was nigh impossible to break.

That was why in vampire society the fledgling trade was considered to be the most influential way a vampire could achieve rank and title as well as new territory. Alliances were created between vampires while territorial borders were adjusted in order to comply with the terms that were negotiated.

Blood never lies. Blood always binds.

Lucard remained silent as he watched Sarah. After a time he reached over and gently brushed away a few strands of her hair from her face. As he did so the girl reacted to his touch.

Already the sacred bond between them was growing in strength. This was a good sign. It offered a fleeting feeling that the old vampire regarded as hope.

He waited patiently as Sarah slowly joined him in the realm of the undead.

Sarah groaned when she opened her eyes and quickly shut them. Even though the room was completely dark her eyes stung, dry and irritated. A powerful wave of nausea swept over her and she gagged into a pillow next to her head.

"It is all right." Lucard murmured softly as he took a white linen handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped away the streak of blood that was coughed up.

She winced at his touch but did not shy from his hand. Her entire body felt out of sorts and impossibly heavy. As if her limbs had somehow atrophied or turned to lead.

Everything hurt. Every inch of her from the ends of her hair to the bottom of her feet. It was unbearable.

The heavy down filled duvet under her, the feather-filled pillows around her, even her clothes seemed to be the cause of discomfort. Sarah did not try to move because instinct told her that the soreness she felt would only intensify.

"Light..."

She wheezed weakly. Her teeth ached as she tried to articulate that one word. There was nothing but darkness in that bedroom. The bright gleam of Lucard's eyes irritated her own but there was nothing that could be done about it.

Lucard folded the bloodied handkerchief and placed it on the night-table.

"It is all right."

He reassured her once again and waited as Sarah struggled to open her eyes once more. The Master noted with a hint of satisfaction that her eyes almost glowed in the encompassing gloom. It was a sure sign of recovery.

The brighter the eyes the stronger the will to live.

Two of the other of Max's girls had not made it this far before they given up. They had wasted away in a matter of hours.

A single fat tear slowly trickled from the corner of her eye as Sarah forced herself to look up at the figure that towered over her. Prone and helpless she wanted to know why she was that way. But it hurt too much to speak.

She hissed in pain as the salty tear began to sting her skin. Lucard wiped it away with such care and gentleness as if she were a newborn infant.

The first hours were crucial in securing a fledgling's faith and loyalty to its new Master. Once the fledgling developed an imprinted dependency on the stronger vampire the bond formed would be unbreakable.

"It hurts...god it...hurts...why?"

Sarah whimpered as her eyes filled with thick bloody tears. As they spilled onto her tender skin Lucard wiped them away. One after another after another.

"I know. I know." He whispered. Every whimper, every cry she made was reflected back onto him until it suddenly became overwhelming.

Lucard paced the room as his mind swam from the conflicting emotions that he channeled from Sarah. He had to lean his back against the wall and his broad shoulders sagged forward under the weight of everything he had to bare.

Age, responsibility, power, the past, loneliness...all this pressed down on the master vampire as he watched Sarah tremble in the darkness.

How many times had he gone through this? How many times had he been faced with failure? All those girls never made it. Each of their deaths had sliced him to the core and each time it became a little more difficult to handle.

There was only so much that he could take but under no circumstance must he allow himself to become overwhelmed. If he wallowed in a melancholy stupor he would present himself as a target to his rivals and enemies, of which he had many.

Once the word went out that old Lucard was no longer fit to govern the territories or sit at council it would only be a matter of days before he was taken out by another vampire, one who wished to take his place. That was the way things were. It was how vampires had managed to survive in the ever-changing fast-paced world.

It was the survival of the fittest and the old Master was playing a deadly game with time. A game that had proven time and time again that it would always win in the end.

"Y'alright boss?"

Lincoln voice was edged with concern as he sent Lucard a mental nudge.

His bond with the old vampire was exceptional. He could always feel when something was amiss with his master. No matter the distance between them. It was what made him the ideal bodyguard and it certainly made other vampires very uneasy. More than once Lincoln's finely tuned sense had allowed him to bail Lucard out of some pretty nasty situations in the nick of time.

"I am fine."

"No you're not. You're even givin' me a headache. So what's the verdict?"

Lucard breathed in deeply out of habit as he watched Sarah.

"I think she will make it."

The old vampire could feel Lincoln's grin in his mind.

"Sure she ain't much t'look at but that little spitfire'll fight it through, you'll see."

"Are you always so sure of everything?"

"Sure am. If I weren't, I'd be dead."

Lincoln's voice laughed in Lucard's head. The Master permitted Lincoln the opportunity to take good look at the newest addition to their little family through his eyes.

"You think she'll take after me?"

Lucard growled softly and Sarah whimpered fretfully at the sound.

"Lord I hope not."

"Why's that?"

"Lincoln one of you is more than enough for this world."

"That's because I'm special. You want me to get you anythin'? You feel like you're ready for the grave and Boss that's puttin' it nicely."

"I thank you for your concern but no. I will be staying in here today. It is too soon to leave and the sun is on the rise. When was the last time you had more than two hours of sleep?"

Lucard carefully sat down on the far edge of the large bed before he began to untie his shoes. A proper gentleman never slept in footwear unlike Lincoln who was prone to sleeping in everything or nothing at all.

"Good question. Hmmm. Probably a month now."

"You do not need me to remind you what happens when you go too long without getting more than a few hours to balance yourself out. I do not want a repeat of what happened in Berlin."

"Well I can't do nothin' about that now can I? Unless someone whacks me one over the head with a bat and half the time that don't work. I friggin' hate this. Why do I get to be the one with the sleep disorder? Aren't us vamps supposed to go cold durin' the day?"

"You know I could do it if you would permit me."

"Temptin', I swear, but I got you and the kid to worry about now. What if somethin' happens while I'm out?"

"Lincoln if I know Von Ruben he will not dare try anything until I have made the agreement public and notified the other Masters. Until then he will keep to himself and tolerate my presence on his land. I think Sarah and I will be perfectly fine for a few hours."

"I dunno Bossman. I don't trust that guy as far as I can throw him and I could toss his sorry ass into another state if given half the chance."

"You are never going to let that train yard incident go are you?"

"What d'you think? I'll get that bastard one day, you wait and see. I'll get him good. Real good."

"Maybe but not today."

"Yeah I guess. Anyways, you do what you gotta do and I'll try to amuse myself with Regis. See you at sundown."

Being a master vampire meant that it fell solely upon him to look after the needs and wants of his fledglings. If Lincoln needed to be forcefully knocked out to prevent him from going off the deep end due to excessive exhaustion then Lucard made sure that Lincoln received his precious few hours of solid rest every month or two.

Lincoln would brood about it for a day or so but like most things concerning the insomniac vampire, he would soon get over it.

As for Sarah he had to do whatever he could to ease her discomfort. Feeling very much like a doting parent the Master vampire shifted beside her.

"Don't leave...please."

She tried to focus on him but all she saw was a bloody blur.

He gathered her hands in his and mused over how petite they were. Fragile dove wings compared to his massive paws that could easily crush a man's skull on a whim.

"I will be right here."

He reached over and gently brushed the calloused tips of his fingers across her forehead. Concentrating for a moment he willed his new fledgling into a deep untroubled sleep. Without so much as a cry Sarah drifted off into peaceful oblivion where discomfort and fear could not reach her.

When he was satisfied that the pillows were arranged so that she was safely cocooned Lucard stretched out on the bed. Like an old dragon with a precious treasure in its clutches the Master vampire carefully positioned himself beside Sarah. Possessive and protective nothing would disturb them on this crucial day.

He would destroy anything that thought otherwise.

"Come to me in my dreams, and then by day I shall be well again for so the night will more than pay the hopeless longing of the day..."

Lucard's deep voice murmured the words of Matthew Arnold as the sun broke over the horizon. As he drifted off instinct took over and the bright predatory glare of his eyes dimmed before they closed. He was utterly dead to the world when the songbirds began to greet the new day but their cheerful songs fell upon deafened ears.