Debbie spent a lot of time hanging out around the quartermaster in the following week. Larten was often called away to the hall of the princes to deal with wartime issues and while he had assured her that he would bring up her concerns to the council and that she would ultimately get her chance to meet the prince's herself - all new vampires were to be presented to them thus - she had not yet been called forward. She liked being around seba, and despite the fact that he was forever rushing about, instructing underlings and being called away, he spent any down time he had speaking to her, telling her about the running of Vampire Mountain and any interesting historical titbits that came to mind, as well as providing her with all the parchment, quills and candles that she asked for.

She had been using these to send Larten letters. With his business in the hall of prince's they hardly had enough time to really talk, but even if she did have time, it would be difficult to address these tender issues to the stern-faced stoic vampire. On paper though, she was far more confident and eloquent on paper, where she could consider each word and it's placement in the copious amounts of free time she found she had. She imagined that if she were try to actually tell him any of this in person, she would just trip over herself, blurt out nonsense and damage any chance that he might see her as a competent adult who deserved any kind of respect.

The first letter had been the most challenging. It had taken her over two days to write it and rewrite it until she was satisfied. Eventually, she settled on the following:

Larten.

We've been together for a while now, long enough to have gotten to know each other. So much has changed since you came into my life. I'm really grateful that you allowed me to follow you during your quest and I hope that I've been helpful, a valuable asset, but more than that I hope that I've made you happy and that you enjoy the time you spend with me as much as I do you.

What I mean to say is that I wonder if you consider me more than just a friend. Would you consider it? I've grown very fond of you lately. Do you think there could be more between us?

Debbie.

It was short, but she felt that it had the right balance and sensible reservation and affectionate sentiment and that she would not come off as childish or overemotional, something she was very much guarded against. Larten did not seem like the type of person who would enjoy that kind of attention. The note was cautious and gentle, but even so, it took her another day for her to find the courage to slip it under his door - if she had to call the square strip of hide a door - and walk away. She hadn't shown the note to anyone or told anyone who it was for, even though Seba had gently teased her about it when she let on that it was for someone special. It was good natured however, and he encouraged her to have fun with it, making her feel like a high school girl. Along with the letters, she left little gifts for him, starting with the white mountain flowers wrapped up in delicate spider web. After that, with the help of Seba, she hunted down some sweet red berries and caramelised them in honey from the beehives in the mountain.

A week had passed and in return for Seba's help, she started working under him, ferrying supplies throughout the mountain. Through this, she became very familiar with the tunnels and halls, learning their names and all the most convenient short-cuts, but really, it was so it could distract her from her niggling doubt. Larten had not sent her a response yet and she was starting to get worried. What if he truly did not share her feelings? What if she was wasting her time, or worse, embarrassing herself. She only saw him occasionally at meals and every time she tried to talk to him, he made some excuse and disappeared. It wasn't long before she suspected he was avoiding her, but she finally knew it to be the case when she spotted him walking towards her down a tunnel and she stepped forward, smiling. Upon seeing her, however, without missing a beat, he turned on his heel and strode swiftly in the opposite direction. Disheartened, she had lowered her head and continued on her way, heartsick.

She was surprised, therefore, when she returned to her room to find a note laying on the ground just inside the door. Her heart racing, she snatched it up and, sinking into the chair, read it hurriedly, holding her breath.

Dearest

I think of you every second of every day. You are the brightest light, the sunlight in my dark eternal night. I would give every extra day that I have been given on this earth to spend one night in your sweet embrace, to feel your sweet bosom against my chest, to see your naked skin by moonlight. You have captured my heart and fired up my passion. Be mine, sweet ebony and I will make you feel divine!

It was not signed

She reread it, blushing furiously, her face glowing, not from pleasure or flattery, but from cringing embarrassment. Putting her head to her mouth to stifle the sudden urge to giggle hysterically, mouthing the words "eternal night" and "fired up my passion" incredulously. She had never taken Larten for such a poor poet, such a flamboyant ridiculous sweet-talker. She could barely stand to read it a third time, but she did, her face caught between horror and mirth. She would have to show this to Seba. Larten wasn't going to get away with this without being teased to within an inch of his life.

Folding the letter up, she set off for the quartermaster gleefully. Seba greeted her warmly.

"My dear, you are not needed here until tomorrow. Is there something I can do for you?"

"You have to read this!" She spluttered, handing over the note, a devious smile on her face. "You know that letter you saw me writing and I wouldn't tell you who it was for? Well, it was for Larten - and I got a reply! Look at it!"

Seba looked confused at first, his brow wrinkling. Unfolding and studying the letter, she saw him mouth the same words that had jumped out at her and his face redden. Eventually, he said; "My dear… I'm afraid there has been a mistake."

"What?" her face fell. She had expected him to laugh and jeer with her, to make fun of their mutual friend, but instead, he looked subdued, even downright worried.

"Debbie… Larten did not write this. He cannot. Few of us were born late enough or rich enough to have received a formal education and Larten is no exception to this rule. He cannot read or write."

She stared at him. "I… I'm sorry?"

"He is illiterate," Seba reinforced, speaking slowly. "Indeed, he received your letter and asked me to read it to him. I hope you will forgive me for breaking your confidence, but he would not have known its contents without me doing so."

"I can't believe this…" Debbie moaned. "Of course, it makes sense. He told me he was from a poor family. I should have thought of this…"

"Here," Seba said, his face becoming warm once more. "Let me show you something."

He took her to the back of the storeroom where they were and, moving aside large empty boxes, he revealed to her an alcove in the rock. Inside was assorted writing tools and a long roll of parchment. Seba bent and picked it up, handing it to her.

"Larten has been trying to learn, spending much of his free time here, asking me to teach him. He wished to be able to read your letters privately and reply to them in kind once he understood the nature of your correspondence." He handed her the parchment and she unfolded it to find, scrawled in black ink, the letters of the alphabet along with little images denoting their phonetics, a drawing of an eye beside the 'I', a drawing of a spider beside the 'S' and so on. Seeing this, her heart contracted and she smiled weakly, imagining him hunched over a table by candlelight carefully etching these symbols with a quill. This must have been why he had been avoiding her, waiting to present her with a reply himself, in person. She could see where he had been practising at the bottom of the scroll, where he had etched, in careful, surprisingly neat handwriting, words such as 'also' and 'affection' and 'Debbie' and - she traced the letters with her fingers, her eyes shimmering - 'love'.

"Miss Hemlock? Debbie?" Seba's voice brought her back to herself and she nodded, replacing the scroll where they had found it. "I think we need to bring out attention back to the reply you received, because-"

"Shoot!" she exclaimed, "but if Larten couldn't have written it, then who did?"

"Exactly," Seba mused, reading it over again.

Debbie thought, sighing deeply. There was a specific person that came to mind and the more she thought about the grey-haired creep, the more she was sure it had been him. He hadn't been able to talk to her again, but that wasn't for lack of trying. Every time she saw him make an excuse to sit next to her, or to happen to be going down the same corridors as her, she had evacuated the space swiftly and directly, leaving him in the dust. Feeling a little ill, she realised he had even used the same terms to describe her - 'sweet ebony' - the first time they had met. She shuddered with revulsion.

"Do you know a vampire called Alec?" she asked.

"Perhaps, though the name is not immediately familiar to me. He may be new to the mountain like yourself."

She told him about her encounter with him and Seba let out a low whistle. "I am sorry, my dear, but I am afraid that this might be a normal occurrence for you, at least at first. You see, vampirism is a very… masculine lifestyle and many of us do not mix with humans. It is not common to see a female of our kind, so we tend to… overreact."

"So you're saying that I should just expect this sort of behaviour?" she accused, horrified.

"Expect it, yes, but do not tolerate it. We are wolves by nature, and so we are taught to hound our pursuits tirelessly, persistently, steadily. You, however, are just as much a wolf as any of us. Remember that."

She stared at him, frowning darkly, not liking the sound of that one bit. Sure, she had felt changes in her since she was blooded and, thanks to Larten, had taken steps in mastering these new abilities, but what were simple strength and speed without actual fighting skills? She looked down at her hands, examining the smooth unmarked skin there. No clawed wolf's paws there, she sighed inwardly. Maybe, it was time to change that.

XXX

Three weeks later

Vanez Blane was scarred, beaten and blind, but that hadn't stopped him from demanding that she quit pulling her punches.

"I can feel it!" he has hissed at her. "Don't just assume that because I can't see you, it doesn't mean I don't know what you're doing!" and with that, he had hooked his leg around hers and toppled her forcefully, causing her back and shoulders to slam painfully into the ground. Bones unbroken, she had gotten to her feet as quickly as she could, shaking off as much of the ache as possible. "If you keep doing it, I'll keep putting you on the ground, young lady. In sport or war, no one is going to be pulling their punches for you and your courtesy is not going to be rewarded."

Alec jeered and clapped a little way off. He had yet to miss a single one of her training sessions, cheering her on disingenuously and announcing to anyone else watching in the games hall that he was supporting his friend, while declining all challenges from other vampires. She didn't let him distract her, however, focusing solely on her teacher, working until her muscles screamed for her to stop and waking up every morning, stiff and sore and doing it all over again. She thanked her vampire blood for the ability to go eight or nine hours straight training and working out, knowing such exertion would kill her if she were still human. After day three, she did as Vanez told her and began to really put herself behind every blow and movement and it was only then did she start to notice real progression. Sure, the blind games master floored her every time, but now she could last two or three full minutes before that happened.

On day six, he pitted her against other vampires he was training, all male, all taller and broader than her. She did not blink, nor comment on this fact, but just focused on turning them into collections of arms and legs and torsos. That day, she beat one of two opponents, sending them away with bruising and headaches. The next day, Vanez had begun their training by challenging one particular vampire to a spar, only to spend the boy away with a broken arm. Horrified, Debbie watched as the loser stumbled out of the ring, grinning and waving over a medic, taking the defeat good naturedly as if he had just lost a friendly game of cards, and not have his bones shattered in a thunderous bout with a vampire twice his size. Vanez then turned on her, stretching and grunting, saying; "And that's what we do for fun, princess."

On day twelve, she broke her first bones, both the ones in her calf. The pain had been blinding but she limped away, gritting her teeth, calling for one of the medics that hung around the games halls for events such as this, pushing away Alec, who rushed forward in melodramatic concern. On day thirteen, she returned to training, but under advisement did not spar. On day sixteen, she was back in the ring, this time taking out three out of four opponents, with ruthless consistency. She had attracted regular onlookers and fans who cheered her on and began to make bets for and against her. Every so often, she would notice a figure in red in the crowd and she'd wave to her mentor, wondering what he might think of her new hobby, though he never seemed to have time to stay after her training to speak to her. Alec on the other hand, always had time to hang around her afterwards, before she managed to lose him.

On day twenty, she beat Vanez, taking out one of his teeth in the process. Instead of chastising, however, he clapped appreciatively while Alec whooped.

Today, on day twenty-one, after striking down a particularly large opponent, she heart Alec jeer; "Come on my black beauty! Dominate them!" and she froze, her fists clenched so hard that her shaking knuckles turned white. Enough was enough, today was the day.

"Alec, get up here!" she roared. "You wanna see domination? I'll beat you so hard that you'll be darker than me by the time I'm done with you!"