Shadow in the Dark
Lynke pushed himself off the muddy road and dashed towards his horse. He swung into the saddle and spurred the horse into a gallop. He could hear D's horse on the path up ahead. As he rode he freed his staff from its usual place tied to his saddle.
"Curse those meddlesome sirens. Can't they just leave folks alone."
D's horse was getting farther ahead and suddenly Lynke lost the sound completely.
He kicked his horse again, "Hurry up, you're supposed to be the one of the fastest models."
He rounded a corner and realized why he had lost the sound of D's horse, D had turned off into the forest. Lynke studied the muddy forest floor. It was clear where D's horse had been it had left huge muddy tracks. The horse was obviously having trouble with the slippery footing off the beaten path.
Lynke dismounted and tied the horses reigns to a tree branch, "From here I'll be faster on foot, try not to get yourself eaten."
The horse whinnied but Lynke was already vanishing into the murky dark of the forest, following the sound of the siren's haunting melody.
**********
D's horse stood at the edge of the foggy swamp as D looked over the treacherous area. Sitting on the log in the center of the bog was the young woman he had seen before. She was clad in a scanty green tunic, her long legs were folded under her and her long wild blonde hair hid her bare feet.
"Thank you for coming to help me," she sang. "Please come get me out."
She held her hands out imploringly.
D dismounted and walked towards the girl stepping heedlessly into the water.
**********
The spongy turf sucked at Lynke's feet as he raced along the trail left by D's horse. He could see the horse itself through a break in the trees just a few paces ahead. He vaulted swiftly onto the animal's back, he balanced precariously on the saddle as he surveyed the scene before him.
The siren was seated on a sunken log her body hidden from view by a rough garment of swamp weeds and her dirty green hair. D was up to his knees in the murky water and would soon reach her. Lynke knew that this close to the siren there was no way D would ever reach him with his voice.
He leapt from the horse's back and landed on an overhanging branch, within moment he was out over the swamp moving through the air far faster than he would have trying to wade through the sludge.
***********
D barely felt the waist deep water as he neared the young woman, he was only vaguely aware of the long weeds which had wrapped around his feet as he waded towards her.. Her ivory skin seemed to gleam like a gem against the backdrop of the swamp and her soft ruby lips were enticing. He reached out and lifted her from the log. She gratefully slipped her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist, without ever breaking off her song. He stood perfectly still as her warm tongue slipped out and flickered teasingly over his flesh, not noticing the weeds at his feet tightening their grasp. Her face was just inches from his and her tongue ceased flickering and darted past his lips and into his mouth. He leaned closer opening his mouth as her tongue darted again into his mouth, her lips meeting his in a demanding kiss.
He half heard the splash behind him, but the melody surrounding them changed and a voice screamed in his mind…danger…attack…kill it.
Holding the girl with one arm he freed his sword and turned in one motion bringing the sword down with a slashing motion. It cut effortlessly through the air and splashed into the murky water. Before he had time to react something slammed into him full force and ripped the young woman screaming from his arms.
"D…D can you hear me? WAKE UP!" D shook his head to clear it and glanced up. Lynke crouched on the log holding the screaming siren by its hair, his staff still extended towards D. Apparently the boy had landed behind him and then flipped over him to escape his sword; at the same time grabbing the siren by its hair to yank it off, and using his staff to push D backwards. D took a step towards them when the weeds around his feet suddenly yanked him under.
"D!" Lynke shrieked as he vanished beneath the water.
"You should worry more about yourself," the siren shrieked as its scaled hand grabbed the front of Lynke's shirt and flipped him into the water. Lynke floundered in the water for a moment as the siren tried to drown him but he quickly recovered enough to slam his staff into its stomach.
Lynke came up gasping for air at the same time as D, strands of the green hair which had bound him still clinging to his sword.
The siren at Lynke, D's blood dripping from its sharp fangs as it screeched angrily. Lynke flipped effortlessly landing with a splash, his staff held at a defensive angle across his body.
"Glaive," he spoke softly.
D had half a second to wonder what he meant before a long sharp blade slid out of the end of his staff, turning it effectively into a wicked looking glaive.
The siren glanced fearfully between its two attackers before turning to Lynke and blasting him full force with a last desperate song.
"Oh shut up."
It leapt backwards to avoid the glaive's blade as it slashed downwards and impaled itself on D's sword. It hissed angrily before Lynke's glaive silenced it.
D let its body slide off his sword and looked down at it. It floated face first in the muddy water, the crimson blood from where it had dug its claws into his back stained the murky water. He looked up at Lynke who still held its head by its hair.
The boy was studying the gruesome mug with a look of revulsion. Deep green scales covered the entire face, the murky eyes were rolled up into its sockets. Drops of its own green blood dripped into the water and its hooked serpentine tongue hung from its gory mouth. Lynke grimaced at the head before tossing it into the water next to D.
"Are you finished being a complete idiot yet."
**********
Lynke's staff was truly a craftsman's masterpiece. D studied the tip but could find no trace of the opening which concealed the blade. He ran his fingers over trying to feel what he could not see, still nothing.
^I can't find it either D. Are you sure you didn't imagine it?^
^He cut its head off. Its here.^
^Well then this was built by an expert D. I can't find a thing.^
The drizzle from earlier in the day had worsened as the day wore on and by sunset it had turned into an icy downpour. Lynke had found a moderate sized cave and the two had made camp inside. The horses were picketed towards the back of the cave, mostly out of the way. Lynke had built a small, relatively smokeless fire and cooked supper for the both of them. While D had gone to gather wood to dry for later in the evening Lynke had changed into clean clothes and had spread his wet ones out to dry.
Lynke sat next to the fire embroidering the cloak he had bought in Duun. He had spent half an hour and his work was quick but concise and neat. The embroidery was fine enough that it would please a vampire if he wanted to resell it.
D was standing in the entrance of the cave studying Lynke's staff.
"In case you're wondering it's voice activated," Lynke informed him. Lynke had been unusually silent since their battle with the siren, speaking no more than necessary.
"Your voice only."
"Yeah."
Lynke was silent for several more minutes.
"Listen D, I'm sorry for what I said earlier."
D looked at him in silence.
"About you being an idiot. It was…uncalled for."
"I made a mistake, it was stupid and almost got you killed."
"I still shouldn't have said that. Sometimes right after a fight I'm really edgy and I say things I don't really mean."
D shrugged and turned his attention back to the staff. D was grateful to Lynke, he had a bad history with sirens. The creature probably would not have killed D in the end, but it could have caused him a great deal of pain before his vampire nature kicked in, not to mention that he would have lost a day or more. But D was not known for his way with words and was unsure what he should say.
"Wake me at one. I'll take the second watch." D turned to find Lynke laying out his blanket next to the fire.
D said nothing but he had no intention of waking Lynke, he could keep watch through the night.
***********
The rain slowed down to a drizzle by midnight and by one the skies were clear. Had D been on his own he would have just mounted up and left, but there was Lynke to consider, and most humans preferred to be under cover at night.
Almost another hour passed after the skies cleared before Lynke awoke. He stood and stretched then looked at the sky.
"I said I would take a watch. Why didn't you wake me?"
"Go back to sleep. I'm not tired."
Lynke gave him an incredulous stare, "You're not. After that battle yesterday and the long ride?"
"No."
"How's your back, by the way."
D had almost forgotten about the siren's scratches. He hoped Lynke would not insist on treating them, they had almost healed.
"Fine."
"You sure?"
D inclined his head in assent.
"Well if you're not tired, and your not hurt, do you have any objection to traveling at night? I don't think I could sleep any longer, and there's no point in staying here. If there were a vampire around here, this cave wouldn't provide us with much protection."
D's only reply was to begin saddling his horse.
**********
It was three-thirty when D heard the bells. They were church bells, ringing wildly. He spurred his horse to a faster gait. Lynke kept up effortlessly.
A few moments later Lynke spoke, "Do you hear bells D?"
"Yes. Sometimes when people are in trouble they gather in the church and ring the bells. They believe that God will hear the bells and give them sanctuary or send them help."
"Oh, shouldn't we hurry?"
As Lynke spoke D spurred his horse to a gallop, Lynke quickly caught up and passed him.
The sign outside the town read Qycken, an old vampire word for quicken or alive. But when they rode into the town it looked dead. All the houses looked normal, but they had an empty feel to them, and the only sound was the church bells. No animals, no late night tavern patrons. Nothing.
"Everything looks all right," there was doubt in Lynke's voice. D sat silently on his horse at the ready.
Lynke rode a horse's length ahead of D looking around warily. He made his way carefully towards the church. They were almost past the cemetery when a shadow slipped out of the darkness and leapt at Lynke from a tombstone.
