Chapter One
"Ok, kids, class is over. Time to go." Pa'das handed her baby to Jander. The little one loved to be held by him. He was almost like a father to her.
When Jander had come to the town 5 months ago, he hadn't realized what a great friend he would find there. He had met Pa'das only a couple weeks after he arrived. They had fast become friends, and Pa'das brought him to be an assistant teacher at the little one-room schoolhouse. Mostly, he watched little Korrieana and helped the students when they needed it. Korrieana giggled and smiled happily, playing with Jander's necklace.
"She loves that necklace," he remarked to Pa'das.
She grinned and told him, "What do you expect? It's such a pretty thing, more fit for a woman!" She was always ribbing him about his necklace.
The door burst open and in trouped a group of burly men, glaring at Jander.
"May I help you?" Pa'das asked, moving for where she kept her bow. She could sense that the men were going to be trouble.
"That one," the man speaking pointed to Jander, "is a dirty vampire. We come to get rid o' him."
"Put down the babe," one of them snarled.
Jander gently disentangled Korrieana's plump little fingers from his necklace, and placed her on the floor. She started to wail, knowing something was up, and stretched her arms out to Jander. Pa'das moved in and picked her up, shushing her. She tried to catch Jander's eye to see if it was true, but he wouldn't look at her. That gave her the answer.
Jander held out his hands in front of him. "Please, I mean no harm. I will leave." He couldn't look at Pa'das, couldn't stand to see the look of fear and loathing that was surely on her face. He loved her, although he would not admit it to himself.
"I'm not thinkin' yer getting' anywhere," the apparent leader of the group snarled. He jumped at Jander with a stake in his hand. Jander, as quick on his feet as ever, dashed for the window and leaped out, landing lightly on the ground and running away.
He passed the border of the woods, the damning bloody tears rolling down his face. It hurt more, each time he was rejected from a town, and hunted by his apparent friends. He was sure these would come hunting, also.
Back in the schoolhouse, the men ran out after Jander. Pa'das just stared after them. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Too many people judged others on what they were, not who. She closed up the schoolhouse and went home to pack. She would be leaving as soon as possible to follow Jander.
* * * * *
Pa'das stopped at Jander's house on the way out of town. She carried a pack on her back, her bow and quiver, and Korrieana in a pouch. She left a note for Jander in the secret place they had, a loose stone in the wall. Inside his house, she grabbed his weapons and tools. He loved to carve, and made beautiful pieces. She figured he would want his stuff.
She left the town, and no one stopped her to see where she was going. Pa'das had only been in town for a week before Jander came. She hadn't made any friends other than him. Pa'das was a wanderer. Having friends only made it harder to leave them behind. Pa'das loved Jander, but she didn't know if he felt the same way about her. His friendship was too precious to her to destroy like that.
* * * * *
Jander easily lost his pursuers. They weren't all that adept at tracking, and made far too much noise. Besides, almost no one could follow a vampire when he didn't want to be found.
Jander collapsed by the side of a tree. Night was falling, and he was starving, but he didn't want to hunt just et. Jander's sharp ears picked up a low growl in the nearby clearing and then the giggle of a baby.
* * * * *
Pa'das and Korrieana traveled all day. Pa'das had no clue where Jander had gone, so they just wandered aimlessly through the forest. Not so aimlessly, though. Pa'das had always been able to somehow sense when Jander was near, and she followed that sense now.
Finally, night was falling. Pa'das found a nice clearing, and decided to make camp there. She called her animal friends, knowing they would watch over Korrieana, and herself. The animals were better sentries than she could ever hope for.
Rest easy, Soorefina (soo re fee na), the huge panther that followed her everywhere said. I will keep Korrieana safe, and watch over you.
I know you will, Pa'das told her. Thank you, my friend.
Pa'das lay down on her bed roll, the fire blazing in front of her. She knew that Soorefina would make sure Korrieana didn't get too close to the flames or wander off, and cover her when she slept.
Soorefina felt the precence of some evil in the woods, close by. She let out a low, feral growl, moving in front of Korrieana to protect her. Korrieana looked to where Soorefina was growling at, and giggled. She knew it was only Jander. The little girl tried to roll over to where she knew he was, for she was only six months old and couldn't crawl yet, but Soorefina blocked her way.
Pa'das jumped up with a start at Korrieana's giggle. She looked to where both Korrieana and Soorefina were staring, and knew that it must be Jander.
"Jander?" she called. "I know it's you. Come out. Please." She waited, hoping he would appear, but he didn't. "C'mon. Please?" She waited some more, but he didn't appear. "OK, but your stuff, at least as much of it as I could grab, is in my pack. Come and get it at some point. I know you can hear me."
She waited once more, hoping Jander would step into the clearing. When he didn't, she rolled over to go back to sleep. Before doing so, she gave Soorefina a warning.
Let him come and get his stuff if he wants. He won't hurt us. Leave him alone, understand?
You're crazy, Soorefina told her, but OK. If you wish.
Thanks Soorie. Pa'das went to sleep.
* * * * *
Jander froze when he heard Pa'das' voice. He had been moving to leave quickly, before she woke up. Unfortunately, he hadn't moved fast enough. He entertained thoughts of going into the clearing, but knew that he couldn't. Still, her voice stopped him. When she said that she had his things, Jander decided to wait until both her and Korrieana were asleep, and then sneak in and take them.
Their fire burned low, and Korrieana finally slept. Jander silently crept over to Pa'das' pack. Just before he got to it, Pa'das woke up. She lept to her feat with a gasp, sword in hand. As soon as she saw who it was, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank the goddess it's only you," she said, and replaced her sword in its scabbard.
"'Only' me?" Jander asked incredulously.
"Sure. You could have been bandits or something like that, but you're just you."
Korrieana woke up, and saw Jander. She grinned and reached up for him to pick her up. He didn't move, almost as if he were frozen. Korrieana's sweet little face began to pucker up.
"She's going to start wailing if you don't pick her up," Pa'das remarked.
"And you'd let a vampire," he spit out the word viciously, "touch your child?"
"You could have killed either one of us at least a million times these past months," she stated matter-of-factly, "yet you did not. Why should I, or Korrieana, fear you now?"
Jander just stared at her. Korrieana let out a whimper, and he moved to pick her up. A huge black panther burst out of the bushes, and between him and Korrieana.
"Soorefina," Pa'das said sharply, "stop it!"
You can not-
I can, Pa'das interrupted her. There is no threat from this one.
Soorefina backed away, still lowly growling. Korrieana started to wail, but Jander scooped her up before she could get really started. She quieted right away and began playing with his necklace.
"What-" Jander asked, at a lost as to what had just occurred.
"She's Soorefina, my guardian, I guess you could call her. She trusts nothing and no one around me and Korrieana. I'm sorry, I should have though of that."
"I am glad to see that you have such a loyal companion," Jander told her. "But, why are you out here? Especially with Korrieana. They can not have thrown you out for associating with me?" He was deeply troubled that he might have brought harm to his dearest friend.
"No," she laughed. "I am a wanderer. Korrieana was born on the road, and knows how to live on it. I think she enjoys it. Also, I can not live in a town where they so obviously judge people by what they are, not who they are. It may be human nature, but I could not live in a place where it has been demonstrated, without a doubt. I left because the whole town knows that you are not evil. They are fools to be so blinded by fear…. Plus, I know how it feels, sort of. "
Jander merely raised his eyebrow. "Oh?" he said.
"Please, a witch with a bastard child?" Pa'das bit her lips, realizing she had said to much. Too many people had turned from her when they found what she could do.
"What do you mean?" Pa'das' tone had brought him from his depths of self pity. That, and holding the giggling bundle of fun named Korrieana in his arms.
"That's not a normal necklace, is it?" Pa'das quickly changed the subject.
"No, it's not. It allows me to go out into the sun. You're not getting out that easily. Now, what do you mean? You said your husband was dead. And as far as I'm seeing, you're no witch." Korrieana had fallen asleep in Jander's arms, so he put her into her bed.
Pa'das knew that there was no getting out of answering his question. She trusted the elf, and opened her big mouth. But, perhaps he would understand. Hopefully, he would understand.
"I never had a husband. Korrieana's father, if that he could be called, was one of my friends. What a fool I was to buy that. And as to being a witch, I can talk to animals. That little talent had gotten me thrown out of many a town." She looked at Jander as if daring him to mock her.
"It seems we both carry around our own devils," Jander remarked quietly.
Pa'das rushed over and gave Jander a huge hug. Surprised at first, he stiffened, but soon wrapped his arms around her. Their understanding of each other solidified their friendship, even more. They offered comfort to each other through that embrace.
"Come with me," Pa'das said. "I don't know where I'm going, and I doubt you know where you're going, but at least we can travel together."
Jander drew back. "I don't know," he said, worried about what people would do to Pa'das if they found he was a vampire and she knew.
"Please," she begged, looking at him with puppy-dog eyes. She knew he could never resist that look.
"All right," he said, and smiled, for what seemed to be the first time in ages. It felt good to be traveling with someone who knew his secret.
You must be kidding, Soorefina said to Pa'das, thoroughly disgusted with this turn of events. She stalked off, but didn't go far, not really trusting the elf.