Black Mountain was swept with bitterly cold wind. Tamana felt its bite as she waited.  Not for the first time she wondered: how did her father endure this?
        Suddenly the wind died.  There was no sound.  None at all.  Even the ox remained motionless.  It was as if time had frozen around her.
        Then the wind came back…with a vengeance!  Tamana felt her clothes whipped around her.  Her hair broke loose, and was lifted into a large, dark cloud around her head, obscuring her vision.  She couldn’t catch her breath.  The ox lowed its distress, straining in its harness.
        “YOU ARE NOT THE ONE!!!!!”  An angry voice cut through the darkness.
        Tamana  fell from the ox-cart.  “STOP!  STOP IT, PLEASE!”  She yelled against the wind.  “I HAVE WHAT YOU WANTED!  PLEASE STOP!”
        The wind died.  She gulped in air, and tried to stop her heart from pounding. 
        “Who are you?”
        “I---I---I’m…”
        “Speak up girl.”
        “….Tamana.  My name is Tamana.  I’m… Rohan’s daughter.”
        “And where is the tanner?”
        “My father is ill, my Lord.  I came to make the delivery.”
        “I see.”  The vampire climbed aboard the ox-cart. Tamana followed.
        “What-what are you doing?”
        “I will drive the rest of the way.”  He took the whip from her hands, then whistled the team.
        Tamana refastened her hair, and tried to pull herself together.  She had the feeling that this was going to be the strangest night of her life.

        The building was enormous, blotting out the moon.  The closer they went, the larger it became, until its blackness enveloped them, eradicating all light. The vampire drove the oxcart, his unblinking eyes fixed on some point ahead of them. Then he pulled up on the reins.
        “Why are we stopping?” Tamana asked.
        “Because we now must enter the castle.”
        “But---but I can’t see!”
        “That is--- unfortunate.”  The vampire’s low voice rumbled.  “But we have no need of light.”
        Invisible hands lifted her from the cart.  She was placed feet down, and then she heard the vampire’s footsteps walking across what sounded like a wooden bridge.  “Wait---wait!” she called out, softly.  She ran into the vampire’s back.
        “Ow.”
        “You asked me to wait.”
        She pulled herself up, then held onto the vampire’s cloak. “O.k. o.k.  I’m right behind you.”
        They walked into the inky blackness.
        Eternity could not be as long as that walk.  Tamana’s ears strained against the silence, as her eyes had long ago given up the battle against the dark. Occasionally her companion would speak, to tell her if there were stairs or a corner, but other than that…
        “Take care…” the vampire rumbled, “that you do nothing to offend Lord Kain.”
        “Alright.”
        “And do not speak until you are addressed.”
        “Yes.”
        Tamana walked into his back again.  “Ow!”  She dropped his cloak.  “Listen, when you stop, warn somebody!”
        There was a sound.  Deep chuckles came out of the darkness, the sound of men, laughing.
        “Ah, a guest.” An aristocratic voice said.
        “Human, from the stench.”  Another voice added disdainfully.
       “Lord Kain,” the vampire rumbled.  “My Lords, I present Tamana, daughter of Rohan, the tanner.”  This was it?  This was it!  Tamana pushed the hood from her head and wished that she could see.  She reached for the vampire who had lead her there…but she was alone.
        Tamana took one hesitant step forward, tripped on her cloak, then fell. Laughter rang around her, several different voices chiming in at once.  She drew her cloak up, then staggered up on her feet.  “L-lord Kain?” she said.
        “Silence!” An arrogant voice chimed.  “Speak only when you are addressed, human!”
        “I-I’m sorry.  I intended no---”
        “Silence!”  Again came the raucous laughter.
        “That’s enough.”  It was the first voice again. It sounded bored, and vaguely disapproving.
        The sudden presence of light made Tamana flinch. Her eyes ached at the brightness, and a few seconds passed before the images in front of her were resolved.  A lantern floated in the air, casting shadows all around the room.  And before her… a group of men stood.  All their skins were as pale as ivory. But most frightening were their lips, lips as black as the castle around them.  They stood back, smirking at her from the shadows.  Only one of them was close enough for her to see well.
        This vampire was tall, taller than the rest. Unlike the others, his hair was white, and the yellow eyes glittered with intelligence. The aristocratic features and powerful build declared at once that she was facing a true nobleman.  This then, was Lord Kain.
        “You must forgive my children.  We so seldom have…visitors…that I’m afraid they’ve forgotten their manners.”
        Tamana swallowed.  Then the blood, which had drained from her cheeks in fear now came roaring back to her face full force.  For the light fell upon Kain, and for the first time she noticed that he wore no shirt, nor jerkin.  Every inch of his powerful form was caressed by the light, and she remembered that before a vampire is a vampire they are first human.  She closed her eyes to attempt to force the image from her mind.
        Kain chuckled.  “You are braver than most of your people, girl. I know men who wouldn’t stand before me with their eyes open, let alone closed.”
        “T-thank you, Lord Kain.”  She managed to stammer.  She forced her eyes open, then forced her eyes to hold his.  “I-I’ve brought your merchandise.”
        “So I see.”
        Kain stepped toward her suddenly and she shrank back--- only to back against her own crates.  How had they arrived?  She’d heard nothing to indicate that they were being moved.  She moved out of Kain’s way and reached for the crow bar attached to the side of the first crate.
        It wasn’t necessary.  Kain wrenched the top from the crate. “Ah, my bracers. And I trust you have the other items?”
        Tamana pulled out the invoice.  “Yes, Lord Kain.  You ordered four pairs of chaps, three sets of bracers with extenders, and sixteen leather hair ties.” She pulled out a set of boxed items, and handed them to him.
        An enormous vampire named Dumah was next.  “Dumah.  Two pairs of doeskin gauntlets, spaulder straps repaired and a set of bracers.”
        The small, handsome vampire named Raziel (the one who had complained about her smell!) was next.  “Eight shoe inserts, two pairs of leggings, new spaulder straps and two new pairs of red doeskin gloves.”
        The vampires gathered around her, behaving much the way human clients did. She took one customer at time, and for a while her fears were forgotten.
        “Make a fist.”
        Kain tightened his talons obediently, then relaxed them.  Tamana laid her hand, one half the size of his, in the middle of the vampire’s palm. “Does it pinch anywhere?”  She probed gently.
        “No.”
        “Are you certain?  An improper fit will affect your sword-grip, my lord.”
        “A human, concerned about my sword-hand.  Will wonders never cease?”
        “You are my father’s client.  I want you to be satisfied.”
        “I am satisfied, child.  But why didn’t Rohan come himself?”
        “My father is old, Lord Kain.  I fear that soon he will die. So I am here, to do what I can to maintain your favor towards our village.”
        “I didn’t think that Rohan would send his daughter into my clutches so readily.”
        Tamana rolled her eyes.  “Oh, he certainly disagreed, my lord. But…once I’ve made up my mind…he usually sees the light.”
        “And you were not afraid in the slightest?” Kain asked, removing his new bracers. He laid his hand upon her shoulder, and smiled when she stiffened in fear.
        “Only a fool would not be afraid to come here, my lord…”
        “…But?”
        “But, I am no creature of darkness.”  She was trembling. She pulled away from him and went back to her wares.
        “And what… exactly… does that mean?” Kain asked.  He sounded puzzled, as if he actually didn’t know what she meant.
        Tamana took a deep breath.  “I would tell you, my Lord, but I fear your reaction to my words.”
        She pulled out the measuring tape and began to take Kain’s measurements.  She looked only at the tape; she had no desire for him to see the deep blush which colored her features.  Across his shoulders, and down his back.  Around his waist.  She had never been this close to a man in this state of undress before.
        “Speak freely, Tamana.  After all, we will need to work together.”
        “My Lord, I…”
        Kain took her hands and forced her to look up at him.  “That---wasn’t a request.”
        Her face colored even more deeply.  “Yes, Lord.” 
        He released her hands.  Again she took a deep breath.  “It’s just that…Lord Kain, have you ever been to my village?   Personally?”
        “Not since your father was a young man.  Not since he became my armourer.”
        “Well, our village is poor.   Many of us live in poverty, and death is our only hope of release.”
        Kain chuckled.  “A familiar tale.”
        “Yes.  Well, many of our women look to your stronghold for escape.”
        “They’ll find no escape here.”
        “In death, your servants have more than we would ever see in life.”  Tamana continued, as if she hadn’t heard him. “And so the women dream of your favor, your sons, and this un-life.”
        “Really?”
        “Were you to visit our village, you would see them, Lord.  Women of all ages, necks and bosoms exposed, strolling the streets.”
        “Sounds tempting.  And are you one of them?”
        “No, Lord.” Despite her fear, contempt had crept into her voice. “I am not one.”
        Kain lifted an eyebrow, unaccustomed to such a tone.  “Why not?”
        “Because I am plain.”
        Kain looked at her.  For the first time, really looked at her.  Her brown hair was coiled into a tight little bun.  Her mouth was wider than normal, and her small eyes were set far apart.  Her body was average weight and build, but her feet were large. Even her hands were not soft, but well-callused from a life of hard work.
        “I see nothing wrong with you.”
        “Your sons and servants are only interested in the beautiful, the slight, the delicate women.  ‘Night creatures,’ we call them.  Skin so fair that the sun would damage it.  Hair so light that the slightest breeze causes it to coil against their cheeks. Those are the women who are taken from our village.”
        Tamana packed up her measuring tape.  “That is why I came here, my Lord.  Because I knew that neither you nor any of your sons would touch me.”
        “You’re saying you’re not ‘our type’.”
        “No.  You’ve said it.”
        “Jealous?” Kain asked.
        Tamana’s back went ram-rod straight.  “Not of them.  And not of you, either!” She threw her kit together and slammed the box shut. His hand rested abruptly on hers. 
        “I did not intend to offend you,  Tamana.”
        An apology?  From the vampire?  “It's not your fault, Lord Kain. I…should be grateful.  After all, I will live to bear children, and grow old.  That is a gift in and of itself.”
        Kain looked into her eyes.  And she could see that he did understand. “Raziel!”
        “Here, Lord Kain!”
        “Take Tamana home.  Her work here is done.”
        The lantern went out.

        The six months between her first delivery and the next went without much excitement.  Her father passed away soon after her return, and although she was lonely, the work kept her busy, as well as supervising her subordinates.  Three more of the vampire girls died.  But these were common events in the life of a village. 
        Although such common gossip seemed to keep her new masters entertained.
        Tamana knelt at Raziel’s feet.  “How do you do it?”
        “Do what?”
        “Wear out the soles of your boots?  I thought that vampires flew everywhere.”
        “It requires a lot of power to transform from one shape to another.  The more we transform, the more feeding we require.  Its easier to just walk or ride.”
        She ran an idle finger down the middle of the vampire’s foot. Raziel jerked abruptly, causing him to almost fall off his chair.
        “Sensitive feet.  A sign of a big heart.”
        “Spare me your fortune-telling. Just replace the sole.”
        Tamana slid the leather piece inside the metal boot.  Then Raziel’s foot slipped in with a ‘fooop’.  As he fastened it, she commented, “One of your fellows doesn’t share your enthusiasm for walking, then.  We’ve lost three of our vampire-girls in the past three months.”
        “Three?  But---we’ve recruited no new servants.”
        Tamana looked at him.  “Are you sure?”
        “Only Kain would know for certain.”

        Kain rolled the map he was reading, and looked at her.  “No. Neither I nor any of my kin have taken any more servants.”
        “But those women---”
        “Are certainly dead, but we did not take them.”  He placed the map back upon its shelf.
        “Understand, Tamana, that I do not doubt your word.  But I and my fellows gain nothing from wantonly slaying humans.  We need to feed but rarely, and one human woman, left alive, will recover from a vampire atta-ahem, congress, within a matter of weeks.  So it behooves us to have not one paramour but several, whom we can visit over many months.  That way, we do not overfeed.”
        “I see.  But each of these women were found with punctures on their necks, and drained of blood.”
        “Intriguing.” Kain said.  “Either we have a rogue vampire---or you have a murderer in your village.”

        The cemetery was small, with flat pieces of slate serving as headstones. The three ‘new’ interments were easily spotted.  Kain slowed the horse.  “We’ve arrived,” he said.  “ ‘If’ you care to take a look.”
        Tamana peered carefully around Kain’s back.  The trip from Black Mountain had been swift, too swift for her taste.  The battle horse ran at breakneck speed, as if death held no concern.  After the first few moments, the girl had shut her eyes, and wedged her head into his back.
        The horse shook its head, and stomped its massive hooves.  Kain stroked its neck. “Time to dismount.”
        She released her hold on the vampire.  He dismounted, then held the horse still as she descended.   Then they both turned to the graves.  “I don't understand.  The graves look unchanged.  Aren't vampires taken three days after death?” she asked.
        Kain approached the new graves. "Normally, yes."   His eyes glowed yellow. 
        “However, the bodies are still here.  And they are not vampires.”  The fire in his eyes died as quickly as it had lit.
        “No?   Then…they’re really dead?”
        “Yes.  I would say so.  Still, there is only one way to be sure.”
        Like beaming lanterns, Kain’s eyes glowed white. He gestured at the graves with one hand.  “HAARH!”
        Dirt exploded.  It showered slowly through the sky, landing silently around the massive holes.  Then the ground began to shake.  Tamana looked at Kain.  Was this the power of the undead?  Or something worse?
        The small pine boxes emerged from the ground, pushed up by the earth. Then the ground stopped moving.  Kain walked over and seized the front of one box.
        “What---what are you doing?” Tamana gasped.
        “Looking at the bodies.  Are you coming?”
        “B-but that’s sacrilege!”
        “Do you want to know what is going on or not?”
        With timid steps, she approached the open box.  The smell of rotting flesh almost knocked her off her feet.
        “Oh.  Ugh.”
        Kain glanced at her, watching her turn green.  “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a dead body before.  Are you sure you’re from Nosgoth?”
        “I-ugh---I’ve just lived--- a very sheltered life.  What---what are we looking for?”
        “Anything that you and your vampire-fearing friends might have missed.”  Kain reached forward and caught the body by the collar.  He tugged.  The gown tore from top to bottom, exposing the rest of the corpse.  Insects fled, interrupted at their work.  Tamana lost her battle to maintain her composure and threw up.
        “Hmmm.” Kain said, unmoved by anything that occurred around him.  “There.  That answers a lot.”
        “What…what answers…?” The girl gasped.
        Kain pointed at the feet of the corpse.  “There.”
        Two dark bruises, roughly two inches wide encircled each ankle.  “Whomever killed this girl left her hanging upside down for a long period of time.”  He then examined the neck.  “Hm.”
        “And?”
        “Puncture wounds.  Puncture wounds in the neck.  And bruising.  Suction.”
        “Isn’t that  the way you--- drink--- blood?”
        “No.  It’s too--- precise.  Normally, when a vampire drains a foe of blood, any open wound will do. Or canines can tear any kind of hole. Delicate punctures like these are usually reserved for…intimacy.”
        “I-intimacy?  You mean…like sex?”
        Kain ignored her.  “But there are only two puncture wounds.  And the flesh around each has been torn from the force of the blood-flow.  Hardly the act of a lover.  As you and your friends observed, there were no other injuries to the body.  The blood was therefore drained from those two points.” 
        The vampire sucked in his breath.
        “What is it?” Tamana asked.
        “I have to go, the sun--!”
        It was true.  The sun was rising.  The trip back from Black Mountain had consumed most of the remaining night. 
        “Kain---!”
        “Take care of the horse!” the vampire gritted, as his body faded.  “I shall see you tonight!”
        “Alright---but what about…”
        But Kain was gone.
        Tamana shuddered.  She was alone, in a graveyard, with exposed corpses at sunrise.  She had to get home before someone saw them.  She took the reins, and pulled her hood up.  It had been a long night.
 

        “A fine animal.”  Halive stroked the great horse’s mane.  “Wouldn’t mind keeping him myself.”
        “Don’t get too attached to him,” Tamana warned. “his owner’s coming back for him tonight.”
        Halive examined the massive bridle and bit.  “Your father’s finest work.”
        “Yes.  Are you sure you don’t mind keeping him for me?  He wasn’t happy with the oxen.”
        “No, I don’t mind.”
        They left the stable and went back to the forge.  She was silent as Halive began to pump the bellows. Hot air was sucked in, then blown out again.  She had to admit, she loved watching the muscles in his back, as he worked with the metal.  Suddenly he turned around and looked at her.
        “Tell me, Tamana, whose horse did you say this was, again?”
        The girl squirmed.  “Lord Kain’s.” She mumbled.
        “What!?!  What are you doing with the vampire’s horse?”
        “I’m just watching it, for a little while.  Sunrise caught him by surprise at the graveyard…”
        “The Graveyard!  The open graves…!”  He grabbed her shoulders.  “The devil comes to claim his own!”
        “No.  No, Halive.  That was my fault.”
        “How is anything that devil does your fault? Did he touch you? Did he…!”
        Halive pushed her head from one side to another, looking at her neck.  Tamana tried to explain what had happened.  “…So Lord Kain was equally curious to see who had murdered these girls.”
        “Like he cares!”
        “Halive, why would he lie?  He’s the most powerful man in the region: No one can stop him or deny him.”
        “He’s playing games with your mind, Tamana.  If anyone dies, its more likely their fault. The vampires…who knows what they think or feel?  You’re--- we’re nothing more than playthings to them.”
        She shook her head.  “Halive, we deal with the vampires, everyday.  Our lives are no more than toys.  But--- they let us live.  I don’t think we can count on a murderer for such courtesy.”
        If Halive was uncomfortable at that moment, it would get worse by nightfall.  Tamana arrived at sunset, and led the horse from the stable.  The blacksmith watched her without uttering a sound.  The moment the sun vanished behind the mountain, and the sky turned black, the fluttering wings came.  Two men stood in the courtyard, dressed in elegant red and black suits. 
        “Lord Kain, here is your horse, as promised.” Tamana said. 
        “Thank you, Tamana.  Your ox has also been returned.”
        The two vampires looked at Halive, hanging quietly in the shadows, then back at Tamana. “Your young man?” Raziel inquired.
        The girl turned beet red, again.  “N-not really, no.”
        “But he means something to you.”
        “Yes.”
        “Then he may live.” Kain stated, flatly.
        “If its any of my business, my Lord, why are both of you here?”
        “I told Raziel of your inquiry into those girls' deaths.” Kain said.  “I also told him of the strange punctures upon their necks.  He has a rather novel theory that I thought you should hear.”
        “Well?”
        “In another section of Nosgoth, the humans are quite clever.” Raziel said. “They devised methods for pumping water from wells and milk from cattle using tubes.  I thought that perhaps your girls have been drained in a similar fashion.”
        “And?”
        “After the draining, the liquids are usually stored in some fashion.  If someone is storing blood in such a manner, we should be able to detect it.”
        “How?”
        Raziel smiled.  And laid his finger next to his nose.
        Kain mounted his horse.  “I look forward to the report.” The horse reared and took off at a gallop.
        “Shall we begin?” Raziel asked.

        The women draped themselves languidly around the village, the moon white on their exposed throats.  Tamana rolled her eyes in disgust and pulled Raziel behind her.  For although the vampire kept his features hidden behind a cowl, he kept stopping and staring at the available blood supply.
        “Have you smelled anything, yet?”
        “Not…so…far…” The vampire said distractedly, as yet another bare-shouldered beauty went by.
        “This is all my fault,” Tamana grumbled.  “I should have reminded Kain about this.”
        “About what?”
        “These women.”
        “Oh.”
        Halfway through the village, Raziel stopped.  He grabbed Tamana’s shoulder.
        “Now what?”
        “I thought you said that the cemetery was behind us.”
        “It is.”
        “But the smell of the dead is much stronger.  Ahead, and to the left of us.”
        Quickly, they left the village proper.  Raziel changed shape, headed in wolf-form into the woods.
        “Wait----” Tamana shouted.  “Wait---I can’t keep up with you!”
        She ran into the woods behind him, searching.  “Raziel!” she hissed.  “Raziel!”  The moon faded behind her as she entered the tree-line.  The familiar forest vanished just as quickly.  Where was he?  Tamana moved slowly, trying to feel her way.  “Raziel!”  She whispered.  “Raziel!”
        After twenty minutes of wandering, her fingers hit a smooth surface. “Ouch.”  She pulled her hand out of her mouth and wrung her fingers.  Who would put a fence in the middle of nowhere?  Slowly she ran her hand up and down.  It was a full fence.  If it were daytime, it would be difficult to see, but now it was impossible.
        Carefully, she followed the line of the fence, curving further into the forest.  Whatever was behind the fence…was big.
        “Tamana.”
        “Ah!” 
        The vampire’s eyes glowed red in the dark.  “It is I, Raziel.”
        “Oh, Praise the Gods.”
        Raziel flinched.  “Please choose your oaths with greater care.”
        “Sorry.”
        “Come here.”
        The vampire led her around the fence.  “Where are we going?” she asked.
        “You’ll see.”
        They stopped and Raziel released her hands.  He made a gesture, and a gentle glow filled the forest. Tamana put her eye against a space between the boards.  There was just enough light to illuminate the pile of human skulls behind the fence. 
        “Oh…oh no.”
        “This area has been fenced off from the rest of the forest. Someone, I think, wishes to hide this.”
        “How--- how big---?”
        “Its about forty feet across.  I’m not sure exactly how deep.”
        “How many people?”
        “I don’t know.  But most are in advanced states of decomposition.”
        “Why…why can’t I smell it?”
        “I don’t know… I can.  Perhaps they are using some form of chemical mask.”
        As they moved out of the forest, Tamana saw a glint of something metal on the ground.  She bent and picked it up.  The elaborate metal shape made little sense.
         The girl glanced back at the fence as they walked towards the village. The tall wood panels reminded her of something…

       Visiting the home of Lord Hanir and Lady Pelar was always a treat for Tamana. It gave insight into the lives of Nosgoth’s privileged upper class.  The insulated stone walls were a far cry from the wattle and straw of most of Nosgoth’s lower classes.  The doors and floors were surrounded by wood paneling.  Suits of metal armour lined many of the hallways. And oil lanterns hung in most areas.  The sweet smell of spices filled the kitchens and halls, as if every day were a festival.
        It was too bad she was only here on business.
        Lady Pelar was standard for the women of this village.  She was tall, and her hair was a shade of blonde bordering on white.  Tamana imagined that she was once a vampire-bride candidate, but found a wealthy human Lord instead.  Now, tiny but visible crows feet had begun to dance around her eyes.
        “Ah, Tamana.  You have my shoes?”
        “Yes, Lady.”
        “Let’s see them.”
        Lady Pelar always ordered three pairs of shoes, one pair every four months.  The soles were cut extra slender, for her feet were small, and paler than butter.  Tamana quickly, but gently tied the shoes to Lady Pelar’s feet.  She had to be careful, however.  Once, on a visit with her father when she was small, she’d seen a serving girl tie the Lady’s shoes too tightly.  Lady Pelar had slapped the girl so hard, blood was drawn.  Then Pelar fainted.
        “It is well-known around the village that you have some ‘special’ clients.”
        “Yes, Lady?”
        “Tell me…what is it like--to serve--- them?”
        Tamana squirmed.  She didn’t like where this conversation might lead.  “It is the same as with any other client.”
        “ ‘The same’? ”
        “I take their measurements.  I bring them merchandise that they order.  I fit it.”
        “Hm.  And none of them has bothered to-importune you?”
        “No.”  The vampires had developed the tendency to call her 'Lady Tamana' behind her back, but it was a jest as she understood it.
        “But you’re such a-healthy girl.”
        “As you say, my lady.” She threw her items back in her travel pack as fast as she could.  “I have an appointment with the village blacksmith.  I must be going now.”
        “Very well.”  She rang the bell.  “Balan. Show Tamana out.”

        Balan chuckled as he walked Tamana to her wagon.  “The old woman made you uncomfortable, eh?”
        “A little.”
        “Well, it’s just that we’re all…curious…  You serve the vampires.  You see them.  And yet, you haven’t died.”
        “I am nothing to them.” Tamana said off-hand. “I’m too ugly for a blood-kiss.  And they aren’t recruiting servants.”
        “No?  But I imagine that they’ve had their fill, what with the last three.”
        Tamana kept her mouth shut.
        “Its too bad, in a way, that they’ve chosen to ignore you.”
        “Why?”
        “Well, I’d like an opinion.  Or maybe, a comparison.”
        Balan put his hand on Tamana’s shoulder and spun her around, pining her to the wall.  He pulled his lips away from his teeth, revealing a metal bar, and a second pair of---canine teeth, sharper than any human’s.  The girl gasped.
        “Nice, aren’t they?  And I bet they feel every inch as good as the ‘real’ things.”
        “I…wouldn’t….know…” Tamana struggled, trying to break his grip.
        “I’ll bet you’d like to find out.  I know I would.”
        Tamana ducked under his arm and ran for the door.  It was unlocked. 
        Balan was right behind her.  But when he went through the door, she was gone, but her oxen remained.
        He smiled.  “Sorcery, eh?  I knew you’d pick something up from those damned bloodsuckers.  Did you fly away, witch?  Or run on all fours?”
        He turned and went back into the house.  Tamana rose from behind the door. She had to get out of there.  As she rose, something sharp poked her hip.  She reached into her travel pouch.  Tamana had forgotten the strangely worked metal…until now. She palmed the metal piece and took off at a gallop for Halive’s home.

        The blacksmith stared at the piece of metal work.  He picked it up in his hands and rotated it.   “By the Gods---Tamana, do you know what this is?”
        “Tell me.”
        Halive left the room suddenly, then returned.  He carried a loaf of bread with him. He laid the loaf on the table.  Then he picked up the metal piece.  “Watch.”
        He pressed the metal bars together over the loaf.  Two curved pieces launched from inside the apparatus.  Two holes appeared in the bread.
        Tamana blinked.  “I don’t understand…Halive…”
        “I don’t understand, either.  I---I think that these are meant… meant to create wounds.”
        “Wounds…like the vampires?”
        “But why?” Halive shook his head.  “Vampires have canines which enable them to drain their victims.  Why would they need these?”
        Her encounter with Balan fresh in her memory, Tamana knew the answer.  “Vampires wouldn’t need them.  But a human would.”
        “Why?”
        “I don’t know.”  Tamana said.  “But I know who I can ask.”
        “Not the vampires.”
        “Yes.  Halive…I have to ask you to retrieve my oxen from Lord Hanir’s home.”
        “Why?”
        “I had a small run in with Balan, and I’d rather not have to confront him again.”
        “You’re not afraid of vampires, but a weasel like Balan bothers you?”
        “I think---that he’s a lot more dangerous than they are.”

        Hesitantly, Tamana rang the enormous bell.  The vampires wouldn’t be expecting her this soon after an order, but…
        The softest spoken of Kain’s clan, Melchiah opened the door.  He led her in. Much to her surprise, lighting had been installed.

        Kain was in his study, going over another enormous map of Nosgoth.  This one had lakes, rivers and streams clearly marked.  He lifted his head when she came in.
        "Tamana.  We weren't expecting you."
        "I know, Lord Kain, but there's something I wanted you to see."  She pulled out the apparatus and placed it in the vampire's hand.  He turned it over and over.
        "Melchiah, summon Raziel."  The vampire departed.  Kain rolled up his map, clearing his desk.  Again, he picked up the curious device. 
        "A device designed to puncture human flesh, creating vampirish wounds?" Raziel frowned.  "Why?"
        Kain depressed the metal bars.  The sharp wires lanced forward into his palm, creating, for the briefest instant, two holes.  "Where have you encountered these, Tamana?"
         "I found that set at the hidden grave in the forest.  Then Balan, the Lord's son, tried to bite me with a set."
        "The Lord's son.  Considering how much that man hates me, I find it ironic that his son would choose to emulate me."
        "I hardly think that he emulates you, Lord Kain." Tamana said.  "I've never seen you with the kind of 'toys' that he likes to play with."
        "Regardless, you now have the solution to your puzzle.  Those girls were obviously murdered by someone else, not us."
        Tamana nodded.  She had the solution.  "But, Lord Kain, girls are still being murdered."
        "Then I would suggest that you take it up with your human lord."

        Lord Hanir's manse seemed a thousand times bigger from the vantage point of a supplicant.  The young woman found herself wishing that Turel, or Dumah had accompanied her.  Instead it was just herself and Halive.  Dear, brave Halive.

        Fourteen knights stood around the hall, ranged out in a semi-circle on either side of the throne.  Lady Pelar sat next to her husband, her hair tucked beneath her snood, ghostly and ethereal next to his squat and frog-like form.  His stern jaw stuck out, ringed by a dark bristle of beard. 
        Tamana peered up at her escort.  No matter how old he became, she couldn't ever see Halive as looking like that.  His sharp blue eyes would always be keen, his shoulders always broad.  The dark blacksmith's apron merely enhanced the lean muscular build.  One powerful hand clutched the hammer which was his stock and trade.  He looked prepared to take on an entire battalion of knights.
        And all for her sake.
        "Tamana the Tanner and Halive the Blacksmith!" The page announced.
        The frogish lord squirmed on his throne.  "Well, get on with it."  An impossibly deep, impossibly bored voice said.
        "Um....okay.  My Lord, my Lady."  Tamana stepped forward hesitantly.  "As you know...I make leatherwork for the people around here.  And sometimes I do work for Lord Kain."
        Lord Hanir grunted.
        "Two months ago, I was discussing the deaths of several of our 'night creatures' with him."
        "He uses a lot of servants, that one." Lady Pelar commented.
        "Yes, so 'tis rumoured." Hanir said.
        "Yes my lord, 'tis rumoured." Tamana said.  "And that is exactly what Lord Kain said.  He had no knowledge of any girls becoming servants for himself and his sons."
        Lady Pelar laughed.  "And what did you expect my dear?  Him to just admit to his appetites?"
        "Well, yes.  Everyone knows that Lord Kain and his sons are vampires.  He freely admits it.  And he has no qualms about displaying his powers.  So...why would he deny taking those girls?"
        "Perhaps he fears to rouse the people to action."
        Tamana couldn't help it.  An expression of sarcasm crossed her face. Besides Halive, there was hardly anyone who could be 'roused to action.'
        "Uh, no one has taken any 'action' in the thirty years since his arrival. Why would they start now?"
        "Its those damned guilds." Lord Hanir said.  He shifted again. "Kain pays them an outlandish sum so that they will do business with him.  I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't behind the people's cowed attitude."
        "You mean, he pays a fair price for his merchandise, and forces you to do the same." Halive said.  Tamana stared at him in surprise, then shook her head.
        "At any rate, Kain took me to the graves and showed me evidence that the girls were not taken by vampires.  They did not rise from the grave, their bodies were given to the worms. Later, in the forest, I found a large gravesite, a pit, filled with bodies.  I think that those bodies are those of the vampire girls.  We were supposed to think that they were being resurrected but they were merely being dumped in a pit."
        "That pit was probably just the work of thieves, no doubt, dear girl." Lady Pelar said.  "You know the countryside is infested with them."
        "Yes, that's true. But then, I found these next to the pit."
        She pulled the apparatus from her pocket.  One of the knights took it from her hands and gave it to Lord Hanir.  He played with it, then gave a sudden exclamation.
        "Ouch!  What is this?"
        "It is a device," Halive said, "designed to puncture human flesh.  One places it in one's mouth, then by working the lower jaw, one can puncture deeply enough to draw blood.  Tamana brought me the one you see."
        "If it’s used properly," Tamana said, "it could duplicate the bite of a vampire."
        Lady Pelar reached over and poked curiously at the device.  "Why? Why would anyone make such a thing?"
        "Some people derive great pleasure in inflicting pain upon others.  I think that the person who murdered the girls, enjoys pretending that he's a vampire."
        Several of the knights gasped in surprise.  Or perhaps it was recognition.
        Lord Hanir sat back in his throne.  "I assume that you have someone in mind.  Go ahead.  Make your accusation."  Lady Pelar clutched her hands to her breast.
        "Last week, I visited your home to bring your lady-wife her shoes.  As I was leaving, your son attempted to force his attentions upon me."
        "You?!"  There was a low chuckle that went through the gathered knights.  Halive clenched his hammer and Tamana hoped that she was the only one who heard his low growl.
        "Yes.  I had to admit to being surprised myself.  Everyone knows how ugly I am."  She threw them all a look that would have slain them if she'd had the power.  "But he was only interested in asking me to compare a 'real' vampire's bite with his.  He was wearing those teeth."
        An expression of despair crossed Lady Pelar's face. "No...it's...impossible."
        "I knew the guilds would go to any length to discredit my family, but this is ridiculous," Lord Hanir sneered.  "My son, a vampire?  Never."
        "I didn't say he was, my Lord.  I said he likes to 'pretend' to be."
        "I think, that this is a plot." Lord Hanir said.  "A plot by the guilds to take over the town and discredit my family.  You're both of the guilds.  No one would believe you.  It will merely be your word against mine.  And you are no one to be feared.  You are no one!  Take them out."

        Tamana and Halive were shoved outside Lord Hanir's manor.  The 'bite' was thrown out with them.  "That was a close thing, Tamana.  I thought he was going to have us jailed."
        "Or killed."
        "Or killed."
        The tanner sighed.  Halive looked at her.  He didn't like to see her so crestfallen.  "You did your best, Tamana."
        "I know.  I should have known that he wouldn't care if a few villagers die.  As long as he can frame Lord Kain and try to fan the people's fear.  But now more girls will die.  And I can't stop Balan by myself."

        She was still depressed when the time for the delivery came.  Sullenly she handed the vampires their wares.  Dumah, Rahab, all of the brothers noticed her unsmiling demeanor.
        "What news of your village, Tamana?  Anything happening there?"
        "No, my Lords.  Everything is the same as it has always been."
        "Surely not, for you no longer smile and talk.  Has your young man been ill, or had an accident?"
        "No.  Halive...Halive is fine."
        "Then what is it?  What weighs upon your heart?"
        "It’s nothing."
        "Surely not, Tamana." Kain said, emerging from his library.  "I take it your meeting with Hanir did not go well?"
        "No, it didn't."
        Kain nodded.  "He wasn't convinced by your evidence?"
        "No, my Lord.  He was more interested in framing you than stopping his son from committing murder."
        "Hm.  I am not surprised.  When I first arrived here, years ago, Hanir was the only Lord in this region.  The people tithed twenty percent of their commerce to him, and he paid little in return for the craftsmen's work.  I, however, value good merchandise.  And I pay the current fee for such services.  This forced Hanir to do likewise, or lose the loyalty of the guilds.  He's hated me for that ever since."
        "Yes, I know.  But now more of the girls will die, true death, simply to satisfy Balan's lusts."
        Kain chuckled.  "You surprise me, Tamana."
        "Why?" 
        "Because you care so much about the lives of these women.  Women to whom you are nothing more than an outcast."
        "It’s just...it’s...okay, they're stupid.  But I think everybody should live however they want to, not have their lives taken from them on a whim by a murderer."
        Kain looked into her eyes.  "If it means this much to you....then perhaps....'we' can bring Lord Hanir the proof he needs."

        The night was clear and unseasonably cold.  The wind howled with unaccustomed force, running the 'night creatures' home for shelter.  But there were those who sought other company...and other shelter.
        Balan downed his third ale and looked around.  The bar was two-thirds empty.  Only the most desperate losers were out today, or those who really had nowhere else to go.  And worst of all, they were all men. 
        Then his luck changed.  A small figure entered the bar.  Small for a man, perhaps.  A tall woman? 
        Although the body was disguised by a voluminous robe, there was a certain distinctive sway in its movements, a certain softness in its steps.  A soft voice was heard ordering an ale.  The bartender looked at his customer, and a redness colored his cheeks.
        Balan smiled.  A woman.
        She sat in the corner booth, and Balan followed her with wolfish eyes. Then, she drew down her hood.  Long, lustrous black hair hung around her thin face, making her even more pale than most of the vampire girls.  The full red lips had a slight pout which suggested memorable nights. 
        Not usually his type, but with the regular girls driven inside by the cold, Balan really didn't care.  Besides, the black hair marked her as a stranger to this village.  No one would care if a stranger went missing....
        After three hours, the strange one rose, and left.  He noticed her drink was untouched.  Too bad.  If she were drunk, she'd put up less of a fight.  Not that it mattered.  Drunk or sober, she belonged to him.
        Walking carefully behind her, he opened his mouth, and jiggled his jaw. The canines moved into position, the first bar resting against his upper teeth, the second bar resting on his tongue.
        Mine, mine, mine, Balan sang in his thoughts.  In the moonlight, at the corner of the tavern's wooden walk, the woman stopped, stretched, and bared her neck.  Balan braced himself in the shadow.  Then, two powerful hands reached out and dragged her into the darkness.
        "You're mine!"
        He spun her around, pushing her hard against the wall.  Balan pulled her close and dropped his head and pressed his lips against her strangely cold flesh.  As his tongue pressed against the metal bar, he felt the strangest sensation.  It was as if he were being lifted from the ground. 
        He was being lifted from the ground. 
        "That's strange," a masculine voice said.  "I was about to say the same thing to you."
        The 'woman' had grabbed his forearms, and now 'she' was pushing, steadily pushing him into the air! 
        Raziel, First of Kain's lieutenants, released one of Balan's arms, allowing his full weight to slide down past the other, dislocating his shoulder.  Still gripping the arm, he slammed Balan against the wall.  The young man's entire body shook from the impact.  He offered no resistance as he slid helplessly to the ground.
        Unconscious, Balan's mouth opened briefly, but Raziel pushed it closed. 
"Now, now, we can't have you losing those.  Not after all this trouble."

        For a second time, Halive and Tamana went before Hanir and Lady Pelar, near sunset.
        Again Tamana addressed the Lord and Lady.
        "When I was here before, Lord Hanir, you refused to believe that your son was attacking young girls in this village in the guise of a vampire." 
        Lord Hanir grunted.
        "Well, this time, I've got stronger proof of my claim." As she spoke, a strong wind blew through the throne room.  The lights guttered, and darkness seemed to swirl through the chamber.  Halive grabbed Tamana and pulled her against him, up against the wall.
        Then, the lights burned once more, yet more dimly.  And in the center of the room stood Kain.
        Lord Hanir rose to his feet.  "Kain!" He snarled.  "Guards!" 
        The soldiers readied their weapons.  Kain laughed, and a green bolt flew from his hands.  The men froze in their tracks.
        "I'm afraid they're 'incapacitated'." Kain said.  "They can, however, see and hear everything that occurs in this room." 
        "What do you want, fiend?"
        "Myself, nothing."
        "You seemed to doubt my veracity the last time I was here, so Lord Kain volunteered to assist me."
        "W-well, Tamana," Lady Pelar said, "your tale was, incredible, to say the least!"
        "Well, tonight then, my lady, I have the proof."
        "Bring him in, Raziel."  Kain said.
        Staggering, bound, his jaw tied shut, Balan was roughly escorted in by Raziel.  Having cleansed his face of the makeup, the First Lieutenant was in no mood for gentleness. He threw Balan to the foot of his father's throne.
        "Hmmmff." Balan groaned.
        "I'm afraid," Kain said, "that your son was out, looking for 'action' when he almost made a fatal error.  That error was mistaking a colleague of mine for a victim."  A swift talon-slash removed the binding from Balan's mouth.  The stress made his mouth open, revealing Kain's version of evidence.  Blood spilled down Balan's mouth: the fake canines had bitten his own lips.
        Hanir clenched his fists and pounded them on the arms of his throne chair.  Lady Pelar pressed her hands upon his bosom in a maidenly gesture of despair. "My son...!"
        "There is your proof Hanir.  I am not the one murdering the women of this village.  But I suspect that you knew that already."
        Tamana stared from one Lord to another.  As did Lady Pelar.
        "What do you mean?"
        "Just that, if you had hoped to stir the populace against me by 'creating' a vampire scare, you are badly misguided.  Especially if you think that I'm going to let you get away with it."
        Kain's words, his voice, had a strange effect on Lady Pelar.  Her breath increased rapidly, one hand rested upon her bosom and the other clenched itself repeatedly.  Her eyes were wide with fascination.  She had never before seen the vampire lord.
        "You dare to threaten me?" Hanir huffed.
        "I don't threaten, human." Kain said.  His mouth curved into a smile, its shape subtly hinting at the canines behind it.  "I don't have to.  However, a word of warning: I wouldn't be happy if anything happened to Tamana.  I've grown quite fond of her and her friend.  And I won't be pleased to hear my name bandied about by your rumor mongers.  You can kill your villagers if you wish, but make sure you take credit for it yourself.  Leave me and mine out of this."
        Again the candles blew out.  When they rose again, the vampires were gone.  Hanir glanced at his wife, then at the men at arms.  All of them had heard these accusations.  He had to make suitable answer.  He slumped angrily back into his chair.
        "Don't just stand there fools," he snarled.  He pointed at his son. "Arrest him!"  Lady Pelar had grown increasingly flushed.  She rose to her feet swaying.  "My servants, to me!" She called.  Three young girls raced from behind the curtains, as the Lady fell, to catch her.  They fanned her and called her name, holding out smelling salts, until she regained herself.  They helped her away to her chamber.
        Tamana and Halive took the opportunity to leave as well, as fast as they could.
 

        A little distance outside the manor, Tamana and Halive paused to catch their breath.
        "Well, Halive, it seems we're still alive."
        Halive glared at her.  "No thanks to you and that vampire."
        Tamana chuckled.  "Maybe, maybe not.  But I think it was kind of Lord Kain to include you under his protection."
        "KIND?!  If my neighbors hear of it, I'll have to move!"
        Tamana chuckled weakly, and put her arms around him.  "Poor dear."  Halive's face crimsoned, but he didn't complain at all.
        "Ahem."
        Tamana looked up.  A young girl, pale as the moon, stood before them.
        "Are you the Tanner?"
        "Yes?"
        "Lady Pelar wishes that you come at once to attend her."
        "Lady Pelar?  Why?"
        "She says there is something that you need to hear, but she is too weak to leave her bed.  Please come."
        Halive scowled.  Tamana thought for a moment, then decided.  "Halive, you go home.  I'll see what Lady Pelar wants."
        "But you'll have to go back in---!"
        "No, its alright.  I'll go in by the servants’ entrance.  That will take me to the women's quarters without going past the men-at-arms.  I'll hear what she has to say, and be home before midnight."
        "You're sure---!"
        "Yes.  Now, you go home.  And please be careful, for my sake."

        The black coach rumbled its way by the backroads, taking the long way up to Black Mountain.  Raziel chuckled as he turned the small apparatus in his hands.  "To think that such a small piece of metal could cause such trouble."
        "Yes," Kain said.  "I have to admit, it was a clever device.  I wouldn't have thought that humans would covet our blood thirst, or be able to simulate our abilities."
        "But they did, and have."  Raziel stared at the device, then smiled.  He opened his mouth and positioned it inside.
        Kain shook his head.  "Don't you have fangs enough without extras?"
        Raziel laughed.  Then he frowned.
        He pulled the device from his mouth.
        "What's wrong?"
        "This device...it’s....too small."
        "Too small?"
        "It’s too small for a man's mouth."  Raziel's eyes stared out into the distance.  "The bodies in the pit...How old is that fellow, Balan?"
        "Tamana says he is twenty."
        "Then...he alone cannot be responsible for these deaths.  For as many bodies to be in that pit, he would have had to start when he was ten!"  Raziel turned to his Lord.  "We'd better go back.  I think that Lady Tamana is in considerable danger."
        Kain snarled.  "Of course!  Summon your brothers...I think I shall need a diversion."

        Halive waited.  It had been two hours since Tamana was called.  He stood in the torchlight, waiting.  Waiting.  Where was she?  The sun had set, the night watch started.  He grunted then pulled his hammer.  He would go to the women's quarters and find her.  And may the gods help any who tried to stop him.
        "Not so fast."  A voice spoke from the dark.  Halive froze.
        Kain emerged from nowhere, it seemed.  "Where is Tamana?"
        "In there!" Halive growled.  "She went in two hours ago.  I've not seen her since!"
        "Alright.  I'm going to try and find her."
        "You?! Why?  Why should you care?"
        Kain smirked.  "At ease, friend.  I have no interest in your woman. I will see her returned safely to your arms.  Trust me, and remain here."
        Kain vanished.  Halive could scarcely credit his eyes, as a flock of bats suddenly sprayed into the night sky, streaming up into the tower window. From the courtyard came the sounds of battle, war cries and death screams.  Halive seized his hammer, and charged in that direction.

        Kain stepped into the darkened room.  He could sense them up ahead.  Two humans.  One exuded a strong fear-scent, and the other… was excited. Aroused, perhaps would be a better word. 
        “Lord Kain,” the woman’s voice whispered. “You honor me with your presence.” Though her voice was a whisper, it echoed resoundingly around the chamber. A soft whimper followed it.
        “Lady Pelar.  And Tamana?” Kain said.
        “A sacrifice, Lord Kain.  To the god we both worship.”
        “And what god could that be, witch?”
        “The god which grants power, the god which grants eternal youth and beauty.  The god without which we are nothing.  Blood.”
        Lady Pelar threw a switch, and bright light flooded the chamber. When the shock wore off, Kain opened his eyes to a nightmare.  Tamana hung suspended over a machine.  Several long, snaking tubes rose from the metal body.  At the end of each tube was a thin needle.   Kain had little trouble deducing what their purpose was.  And his hooded and robed host stood next to an elaborate control panel.
        “So our mysterious ‘vampire’ stands revealed at last.” Kain sneered.
        “You were not deceived?”
        “No.  The false ‘fangs’ that your son possessed were formidable.  Too large to leave the punctures we saw.  And those that we found in the graveyard…were too small for a man to use.”
        “Well done!  Perhaps you’re more suited to be a detective than Lord of Nosgoth.”
        “Perhaps.  But there is one thing I don’t know.  Why?  Why are you killing these girls?  Why do you take their blood?”
        “For the same reasons you do.”
        “You may be mistress of 'this' Hell--- But you are no vampire!”
        “No.  But I wanted to be.”  Lady Pelar pulled back her hood, allowing her long, silver-white hair to fall to her shoulders. 
        “A Night-Creature.”
        “Yes.”  She pushed a button.  Tamana screamed as she was rotated towards her fate.  One of the machines shuddered to life.  A needled tube reared slowly, seeking its latest victim.  “For the Blood is the Life.” Lady Pelar chanted.  She detached a whip from a belt, which she wore beneath her robe.  “I wanted to be eternally young, Lord Kain.”  The whip uncoiled.  “I wanted to be eternally beautiful.” She gripped it tightly.  “But no matter how many nights I waited, you never came.”   Lady Pelar stroked the black whip.  “I took a human as my lord and husband.  But I never stopped thinking about you.  One day, a stupid and careless girl from the village hurt me, while tying my shoes.  I slapped her.  Her blood spilled on my skin, and the skin appeared younger, softer than it had ever been.  Perhaps I didn’t need you after all. Perhaps, all I needed was the blood itself.”
        She pushed another button and a bottle rotated underneath the waiting machine.  Tears slid up Tamana’s face into her hair.
        “And your depredations were blamed on me, and my sons.”
        “And no one would be the wiser.  My husband disliked my habit, of course, but when he saw how it turned the people against you…he purchased all of this equipment for me to use.  Pain and suffering and fear of the unknown,”  LadyPelar chanted.  She raised her whip. “All of these cause the blood to course faster! Tamana…such a healthy girl!” 
        The whip sang towards the helpless prisoner.  But it failed to strike. Instead it coiled back, cutting Pelar’s right cheek.  The woman leapt back, her hand flying to her face.  “W-what?!”
        “It takes more than a lust for blood to make a vampire.” Kain snarled. His eyes began a white-hot glow that Tamana had seen before.  Lady Pelar’s arm rose and the whip snatched from her hand as if someone had taken it.
        “No!  NO!  You would not come for me…but you rescue this ugly beast!”  Pelar reached for her waist again, and this time she flung something.   The object missed, striking the wall behind the vampire’s head. Kain flinched and grabbed at his neck.  Smoke rose and coiled from the spot where the water had splashed.  Holywater! 
        “Damn you, witch!” The vampire Lord hissed. He crouched and leapt across the pit, knocking Pelar from the controls, and pinning her to the wall.  The scent of blood on her cheek made his eyes glow red as he fought for control.
        “Yesss!”  The woman hissed.   She did nothing to fight him off.  She wrapped her arms around his back, and her body went limp against his. “Hurt me, Kain.  Punish me!”  She threw her head backwards, exposing her throat. But the two flying bodies had jarred the primed equipment.  A black rubber loop extended itself over Tamana’s head, coiling around her throat and tightening, holding her neck in place.
        “Kain!” Tamana screamed.
        The vampire lord threw Pelar aside and turned to the control panel. 
       “DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!!!!” The woman shrieked in anger.  She threw her arms around Kain’s head and neck, attempting to turn him around.  The vampire reached up and seized her by her neck. 
        “I grow tired of this.  If you wish to have your blood drunk so desperately, then here!”
        Pelar’s body flew through the air and into her machine.  The force of the blow made the rubber tubes collapse in upon themselves, coiling about her body, impaling her with the weighted heads.  The suction began, and Pelar jerked in agony as she suffered the same fate as her victims. Unable to free herself, she died in minutes, her blood bottled now to no purpose.
        The door opened.  And  Raziel, Dumah and Turel entered, blood staining their lips and swords.  “The hall is cleared.” Raziel reported. “All foes defeated.”
        “Well done, Raziel.” Kain chuckled.  “I too, have met with success.”
        Halive, the mortal blacksmith, forced his way past the vampires.  He stared up.
        “Let me down from here!” Tamana yelled.
        Kain smiled.  He gestured and the thin pole supporting her broke.  Slowly, she was lowered to the ground by the vampire’s telekinesis.   The two vampires watched as the girl was freed and embraced by her mortal lover.  Then they looked at the still twitching remains of Pelar.
        “I don’t understand, Kain.” Raziel said.
        “What do you mean?”
        “Why you would free Tamana, and ignore the obvious charms of Pelar?”
        The elder vampire chuckled.  “’Tis simple, Raziel. Beautiful women can be found in every city, in every country, in every century.  But a good tailor, and a good armorer, those are true rarities.”