Chapter 7
The children had been kept all together inside a room that was like an open, circular dungeon with cave entrances along the walls beneath stone arches. The children were chained up along the walls, and they were all safe and accounted for. The best part was that none of them had been changed.
Inga and D released the crying children from their bonds and they led them out of the cave, Inga in front with the smaller children and D in the back. The walk out of the cavern was easy-going until the came close to the end.
The cave walls began to collapse around them and Inga picked up the smallest child and began running, the rest following obediently. D urged the children behind to run as fast as they could.
Inga saw the light at the end of the cave and she screamed for everyone to hurry as she sprinted out of the entrance, the child still in her arms. However, she did not stop running until she was a good distance away from the caves.
Inga stopped and put the child down, panting from the effort, but she immediately went to counting the children who had followed her out of the cave. She counted nine, and she recounted three times, always getting the same number. D and the last child were missing.
She picked up the crying little one that she had just put down and turned towards the caves and screamed for D, but her answer was only the rumbling of the caves and a cloud of dust and sand. D was nowhere to be seen, nor the child.
Inga began to fear for the worst, but the child in her arms stopped crying and was looking towards the direction of the caves and he pointed.
"Look!" the little child shouted.
Inga peered into the dust cloud again and saw a growing dark figure come from it. When it came into view, Inga gasped and kissed the little boy on the temple and hugged him tight so she could wait for D to come.
D smiled a little when he saw Inga holding the little boy. Perhaps one day he would come home to that. On D's shoulder was the missing boy, who was unconscious, but alive. He had received a bump on the head from one of the rocks, but there was no real damage. D took care of him first and set the boy on the ground and propped up his head carefully.
The little boy in Inga's arms squirmed out and Inga let him run to the other boy.
"Brother!" the little boy yelled as he ran.
D looked over at the little boy and held out an arm to catch the youngster, which he did once the young one reached him.
"You're brother is fine," D assured him. "He's just unconscious at the moment."
D looked over to Inga, then turned to the boy. "Can you take care of him for a little?"
"Yes, sir," the little boy said and sat next to his brother and watched him.
D nodded and got up slowly. He was covered in dust, but he was not physically hurt, thankfully. He turned and walked to Inga, who was holding herself and suppressing her tears. She looked so beautiful that he would give anything just to spend the rest of his life with her.
When D finally came in range, Inga threw her arms around him and kisses him hard on the mouth.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again," she scolded with tears streaming down her cheeks.
D kissed her forehead. "I won't."
He looked into her eyes and decided to kiss her beautiful lips, which were so sweet and tempting. As he kissed her, he lifted her off the ground and squeezed her gently before setting her back down on the ground. He kissed her temple before whistling to his horse, which came out immediately and snorted.
The children were awed by D's beast, but D picked up the little boy's brother, who had regained consciousness, and seated him on the horse first, followed by his brother.
"You'll all get turn riding and walking so it's fair," D told the children who were disappointed that they did not get to ride yet.
The children agreed to this and D and Inga walked on either side of the horse, the rest of the children around them. They switched places after equal intervals and every child was happy to ride the horse or be carried.
The Hunters and the children reached the town by noon. The families of the boys were waiting by the entrance and the main road was crowded. There were people in windowsills, on balconies, and some even sitting on the roofs.
Once the parents of the children were in sight, the children ran to greet them. Their parents received them with open arms and showered them with kisses and affection. D and Inga followed, leading the horse, but the town militia stopped them when they heard the cocking of riffles.
"You're not commin' inta this town, y'all hear me, dunpeals?" the sheriff told the hunters firmly.
Inga was shocked. They had risked their lives in saving their children, and this is how they were repaid? This was inconceivable. She became angry and wanted to blow that damn town sky high.
"Dunpeals aren't different from vampires," one of the mothers yelled back and held her babies protectively. "You'll bring more vampires onto us all, or you yourselves will take my babies away from me."
Inga was a bomb waiting to explode now. Ever part of her just wanted to let it go and completely massacre every single one of them. How ungrateful could they be? She stepped forward, but D grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. She barred her fangs instead and snarled, but she did not resist D.
"Already tryin' ta cause trouble," the sheriff observed cockily. "You dunpeals can't be trusted, just like that mother over there said to y'all."
Inga clenched her fist and growled, but she screamed back at the sheriff. "Hey, Sheriff! I dig your accent, but it's not going to save you when I come to kill you later. I know you're just dying for me to come and attack so you can fill me up with little holes, but I'm sorry, because that's not happening. I don't have time to deal with a low-life like you. It's a waste of time, just like this job. Next time you get vampires around, go kill them yourselves, because you won't be getting help from any hunters after I tell them about you're hospitality."
The Sheriff went deathly pale and Inga turned away from him and mounted onto the horse. D turned and followed, grinning as he looked up at her. The grin faded when he mounted up behind her.
D turned the horse and got ready to gallop off, but he decided to have the last say and turned to face the sheriff. "You won't prosper here. This town-will die."
With that D spurred on his beast and headed towards the mountains, towards his home. The town was small and quiet in its seclusion, but it was beautiful, and it could be called home to anyone-even the most powerful dunpeal.
The children had been kept all together inside a room that was like an open, circular dungeon with cave entrances along the walls beneath stone arches. The children were chained up along the walls, and they were all safe and accounted for. The best part was that none of them had been changed.
Inga and D released the crying children from their bonds and they led them out of the cave, Inga in front with the smaller children and D in the back. The walk out of the cavern was easy-going until the came close to the end.
The cave walls began to collapse around them and Inga picked up the smallest child and began running, the rest following obediently. D urged the children behind to run as fast as they could.
Inga saw the light at the end of the cave and she screamed for everyone to hurry as she sprinted out of the entrance, the child still in her arms. However, she did not stop running until she was a good distance away from the caves.
Inga stopped and put the child down, panting from the effort, but she immediately went to counting the children who had followed her out of the cave. She counted nine, and she recounted three times, always getting the same number. D and the last child were missing.
She picked up the crying little one that she had just put down and turned towards the caves and screamed for D, but her answer was only the rumbling of the caves and a cloud of dust and sand. D was nowhere to be seen, nor the child.
Inga began to fear for the worst, but the child in her arms stopped crying and was looking towards the direction of the caves and he pointed.
"Look!" the little child shouted.
Inga peered into the dust cloud again and saw a growing dark figure come from it. When it came into view, Inga gasped and kissed the little boy on the temple and hugged him tight so she could wait for D to come.
D smiled a little when he saw Inga holding the little boy. Perhaps one day he would come home to that. On D's shoulder was the missing boy, who was unconscious, but alive. He had received a bump on the head from one of the rocks, but there was no real damage. D took care of him first and set the boy on the ground and propped up his head carefully.
The little boy in Inga's arms squirmed out and Inga let him run to the other boy.
"Brother!" the little boy yelled as he ran.
D looked over at the little boy and held out an arm to catch the youngster, which he did once the young one reached him.
"You're brother is fine," D assured him. "He's just unconscious at the moment."
D looked over to Inga, then turned to the boy. "Can you take care of him for a little?"
"Yes, sir," the little boy said and sat next to his brother and watched him.
D nodded and got up slowly. He was covered in dust, but he was not physically hurt, thankfully. He turned and walked to Inga, who was holding herself and suppressing her tears. She looked so beautiful that he would give anything just to spend the rest of his life with her.
When D finally came in range, Inga threw her arms around him and kisses him hard on the mouth.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again," she scolded with tears streaming down her cheeks.
D kissed her forehead. "I won't."
He looked into her eyes and decided to kiss her beautiful lips, which were so sweet and tempting. As he kissed her, he lifted her off the ground and squeezed her gently before setting her back down on the ground. He kissed her temple before whistling to his horse, which came out immediately and snorted.
The children were awed by D's beast, but D picked up the little boy's brother, who had regained consciousness, and seated him on the horse first, followed by his brother.
"You'll all get turn riding and walking so it's fair," D told the children who were disappointed that they did not get to ride yet.
The children agreed to this and D and Inga walked on either side of the horse, the rest of the children around them. They switched places after equal intervals and every child was happy to ride the horse or be carried.
The Hunters and the children reached the town by noon. The families of the boys were waiting by the entrance and the main road was crowded. There were people in windowsills, on balconies, and some even sitting on the roofs.
Once the parents of the children were in sight, the children ran to greet them. Their parents received them with open arms and showered them with kisses and affection. D and Inga followed, leading the horse, but the town militia stopped them when they heard the cocking of riffles.
"You're not commin' inta this town, y'all hear me, dunpeals?" the sheriff told the hunters firmly.
Inga was shocked. They had risked their lives in saving their children, and this is how they were repaid? This was inconceivable. She became angry and wanted to blow that damn town sky high.
"Dunpeals aren't different from vampires," one of the mothers yelled back and held her babies protectively. "You'll bring more vampires onto us all, or you yourselves will take my babies away from me."
Inga was a bomb waiting to explode now. Ever part of her just wanted to let it go and completely massacre every single one of them. How ungrateful could they be? She stepped forward, but D grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. She barred her fangs instead and snarled, but she did not resist D.
"Already tryin' ta cause trouble," the sheriff observed cockily. "You dunpeals can't be trusted, just like that mother over there said to y'all."
Inga clenched her fist and growled, but she screamed back at the sheriff. "Hey, Sheriff! I dig your accent, but it's not going to save you when I come to kill you later. I know you're just dying for me to come and attack so you can fill me up with little holes, but I'm sorry, because that's not happening. I don't have time to deal with a low-life like you. It's a waste of time, just like this job. Next time you get vampires around, go kill them yourselves, because you won't be getting help from any hunters after I tell them about you're hospitality."
The Sheriff went deathly pale and Inga turned away from him and mounted onto the horse. D turned and followed, grinning as he looked up at her. The grin faded when he mounted up behind her.
D turned the horse and got ready to gallop off, but he decided to have the last say and turned to face the sheriff. "You won't prosper here. This town-will die."
With that D spurred on his beast and headed towards the mountains, towards his home. The town was small and quiet in its seclusion, but it was beautiful, and it could be called home to anyone-even the most powerful dunpeal.
