Scene 10

They were on the road again.

Hands firmly around the reins D could still hear his symbiont laughing, cutting and mocking. Doris was a good distance behind, the dhampire's superior strength and horsemanship outpacing her easily. It might appear that he barely gave her a breath but the hunter could extend the stride of his steed more and leave the woman entirely in his dust on the plains.

But much to his own chagrin, the dhampire found he liked having her around. Liked it a lot.

Wouldn't say love, not yet, maybe not ever.

D kept his gaze ahead, peering at the smog westward from the Capitol. It would probably be another day or two of hard riding. A day if he was alone, two if he had Doris with him. Of course sending her back wasn't an option right about now. She might get back on her just fine, probably would, but she wouldn't have that. And, truthfully, neither would he.

In fact, the dhampire checked his steed's stride just a tad to let her catch up to him. When the young woman reached him, D said, deadpanned, "We'll have to make camp somewhere. Let's go on for another hour or so then we'll stop." Then the hunter was off again, his long flowing cloak and dark hair trailing behind like a stream of ebony ribbons.

To leave her in his wake as he longed to leave the feelings she inspired in him. D didn't have the time to contemplate them, however as his keen eyes caught another dark form in the distance. Out came his long sword in a flash as if it just magically appeared in his upturned hand. His silver spurs lightly graced his horse's flanks but it burst forward as if energy crossed through his ankles into it.

More vampires. A dozen, maybe more. Where were they all coming from?

When the steed was still some distance away D bolted from the saddle like a spear of darkness. He tore into the mounds of vampires, sword spinning. Where Doris was at that moment mattered not at all to the dhampire, consumed by the killing lust of both a hunter and of Noble blood. Claws swung his way, scoring not a single hit.

D was death incarnate.

One of the creatures of the night took a swipe at him, but D slashed out with his blade and it fell apart, upper body one way and the lower body another. Another leapt at him from the side and ended up a sorry mess on the grass. The hunter spun and ducked, hair flying out like a river of crystal darkness, hat remaining on his head all the while.

From the corner of his eye the dhampire saw Doris join the fray without a word of complaint, her whip whirling around and around. She worked her way to him in the middle of the sea of dripping fangs and claws. Back to back the two fought like some well-oiled engine, fully in tune with the other's moves as if they had hunted together for years, not been in each other's presence for a few days.

D bent down to cut a vampire down to size. Before it's body hit the grass its head was off his shoulders taken from them by a single clean slash. Another vampire met its fate in a similiar fashion. While the dhampire hardly needed the help, Doris held her own, a vampire torn apart into large gray matter with her whip.

There was something peculiar about some of the vampires...they appeared as child-like dolls, immitations of real humans, as if they'd never grown into their own. Among them were the fully-grown Nobles, but even those too seemed diminished somehow. It wasn't until Doris gave a loud gasp that he read the reason off her face as easily heard the words from her lips.

"The children, D!" She stumbled back as if physically struck, though none of the vampires had hit her. "It's them! We can't hurt them! We can't!"

Like the time she was zombified by Count Magnus Lee the young woman encircled his arm, impairing his movements. D gave something that was not quite a snarl, but certainly a sound of annoyance. Though he thought to hurl her aside Doris hung on, drawing his sword-arm back. With a little real force she wouldn't be able to stop him but it was what she said, anguished, that stayed his hand.

"D, it's...it's Dan!"

A ten year old boy approached. Dark hair, bright eyes, big cheeks. There could be no denying the truth of it. Nor denying the truth of the veins of blood in those eyes, the stains upon the cheeks or how matted the hair was. No denying that the Noble had taken him and if he wasn't lost yet, he soon would be.

Would it be kinder to just slay him now? D's sword rose as of its own accord. In his mind's eyes was the image he'd had back in the tavern, that of the body of a child at his feet, the life dimming from its eyes...

"No!" screamed Doris, and dragged his arm back down again. She grasped so desperately at his cloak that the dhampire had to look at her, to peer into her lumious, tortured eyes. "We must find who changed him and kill them. We need to save Dan!"

Though one would scarely ever say the hunter had an ill grace it was without his usual calm demeanor that he commanded, "Get on your horse."

"My...horse..."

To the huntress's stammered reply D glanced over a shoulder. Doris's horse was nowhere to be seen. His own stamped and snorted nearby. Because of his supernatural aura his steed stuck around, bedazzled by him. But Doris's had no such compulsion and took off when confronted by the vampires.

His brow furrowed just the slightest D said, agitated, "Get on my horse." Then with a strong arm he almost launched her up the saddle, not even looking to see if she got on as he bisected another of the creatures of the night. The dhampire took care to avoid cutting down the children, considering them less of a threat anyways.

Then in a single bound the dhampire was up in the saddle, seated behind Doris. He clucked his tongue and the cybersteed gladly fled westward. D wrapped a single arm around the young woman, startling her. With the speeds he was urging the horse to, Doris could fall off, and while a strong fighter on her own couldn't possibly slay all those vampires.

Nor would she. Doris might rather die than harm her brother, no matter what his state.

The pseudo-Nobles pursued, closing on them. "Take the reins," D said, passing them over to Doris. She took them without complaint, her eyes on the road. His sword swung out, keeping them at bay. His arm never left her waist, even as the dhampire laid a number of vampires low. Again his blade avoided the children, not wanting to hit one by accident.

Would Doris ever forgive him for killing Dan, if it came to that?

At last they reached their destination, a fast-flowing river. Both D and Doris glanced back in unison at the Nobles as they rushed towards them. The diameter was too large to jump over and it extended so far as to make running along it a liability. At his command, the young woman halted the horse just a few steps from the rocks. Then D stood up on the horse, his sword swinging from one side to the other. This forced the creatures back, affording them enough of a pause to enact his plan.

Dropping back on the steed, his arm back around her, D said, "Take a deep breath." Then he took one of his own and bid his horse into the river.

Doris didn't scream, not like he expected her to. She did shake in his embrace, but maintained her composure even as they plunged in the water. Air bubbles slipped from her lips as she dangerously depleted her oxygen. Neither D nor the horse had any need of air; the horse was mechanical while the dhampire didn't breathe. So when the dhampire swallowed down some air it wasn't for him.

The horse galloped along the bottom of the river, aiming for the other side. D knew the vampires woudln't follow them in, and while his own combat skills nearly flat-lined so immersed, with them away it wouldn't be necessary. But no matter Doris's amazing constitution she was fading under the water, desperate for air. His sword returned to his sheath.

With a gloved hand D turned Doris face to him. In her eyes was terror, but also trust.

With his mouth to her's the dhampire breathed life into her.

That was why he'd taken his own deep breath. As his lungs contracted from the loss of oxygen her's expanded, restoring her strength. They were almost to the other side now, so D wordlessly commanded his steed to the surface. With a splash of water they broke, water streaming behind them as the two arrived on pebbles of the river. Vampires howled at them, frustrated, made futile.

Their lips seperated.

The darkness of the smog from the city seemed to infest D's heart as Doris turned away to face the road ahead, not saying anything. Had he offended her? Did she not see he had done that to save them, to save her? The dhampire had kept them alive even while avoiding killing her brother and the other children.

She had seemed so enamored before. What was different now?

Neither said anything as they rode on, the dark cloud coming ever closer.