Kain walked away while his two lieutenants argued. He walked to the edge of the outcropping and looked around. There where too many places for something to hide. The sleet made it impossible for him to listen for the faintest heart beats. Esie had warned them about this path and they had not listen to her. Kain was not going to rest tonight. She was frightened of the Anthrophagites. Vampires did not frighten her as much.

A blast of water hit Kain. He stumbled back, thinking it was a cross wind blowing in the sleet. Another hit him. He yelled in agony. Raziel and Turel ran to his side. Turel reached for their cloaks.

"Our cloaks, gone!" Turel yelled.

Another blast of water, this one hitting Raziel. Raziel screamed. Esie began firing her crossbow out into the black of the night. A scream echoed into the outcropping.

"Get back!" She yelled at the vampires.

A jet of water flew in. This one just missing Turel. He growled, but jumped back. Esie dropped and rolled, shooting her bolt strait up. An human fell. He was dressed in strange leather and was carrying a cross bow looking device that had water tanks attached to it. As he gasped his last breath, Kain could see the man had filed his teeth to razor points.

"It's Sauwran." A voice echoed into the out cropping. "I cannot wait to see what you will taste like."

Esie face turned pale. "Show yourself, Alanic." She shouted back.

"I see you keep strange company now. You should be with us Esie, you know that." The voice taunted back. "You had eaten flesh too."

"That was different." Esie loaded her crossbow. "I only did what I had to, to survive. You enjoyed it."

Kain heard a new heartbeat. He looked up and saw a hand slipping over the edge of the rock. Kain reacted, he hit the ledge underneath it with a telekinetic blast. Another one fell, this one female. The blast was a weak one. But what ever kept the dark gifts muted was starting to fade away. That was a promising sign.

"They can climb anything." Esie told the vampires in a low voice.

Turel suddenly yelled. A bolder one had jumped on to Turel's back and was biting him in the shoulder. Turel reached back and ripped the man off him. Slamming the wretch to the ground. Turel returned the bite.

Raziel changed into mist. Kain began to try to knock more of the rocks down, with his blast. More Anthrophagites were exposed. Esie carefully shot each one as Kain destroyed their hiding places. Raziel returned with one over his back. He threw the man down. The other Anthrophagites were fleeing.

"Alanic. I should kill you now." Esie raised her crossbow and aimed it at him.

"So your new friends won't find out your little secret." Alanic laughed. "Doesn't matter, you're all dead soon. We've seen what you have dug up. They are already in the Valleys."

"To think I lied to your family. To protect you." Esie pulled the trigger and shoot Alanic.

"What are you doing?" Turel asked. "He could have gave us information."

"No, he was stalling." Kain pointed. "They are regrouping."

Raziel kicked Alanic over. Their cloaks were in his backpack. The vampire quickly put their cloaks on. All four ran out. The Anthrophagites stayed back, fearful to press an attack. The vampires found a small cottage, that had been recently abandoned. After securing the cottage. Esie began to unpack for the night. Kain stopped her. "Explain what Alanic meant by, you should be with them."

Esie sighed. "Five years ago we had a civil war. I was sent with twenty solider to attack a rebel base. A freak blizzard came up. We were caught in the pass. No way out until the thaw. Our food ran out. Most of the creatures are inedible. A few of the soldiers died. We had to eat their bodies to survive. Alanic was my second. He began to kill others. Instead of waiting for them to die. He became an Anthrophagite."

"A cannibal." Kain clarified.

"No, far worst. They can only eat raw flesh. They will raid villages and steal children. And some are rumored to become degenerate vampires." Esie explained.

"Blasphemous." Raziel whispered.

"The vampire connection is only a legend. We do not have many of your kind here." Esie explained.

"But he thought you would become an Anthrophagite." Kain said.

"Yes, but I never had the hunger. Yet, if my people knew, they would kill me." Esie explained. Only three of us survived. Alanic stayed behind. Tareel killed herself a few months later. I am the only one who has not gone mad."

Nothing more was said to Esie that night.