0341: The Vampire’s Daughter, Book Four

“I am not old enough to know of the Mountain Princess except through the lore of our kind,” the clan leader finally said. “The story goes on to suggest that when you come back there will be great suffering and a prodigal child.” He looked closely at Susan after saying those words.

“Does it? I was unaware,” Mina responded, pushing Susan behind her.

“Can you prove what you say?” the vampire asked.

“No more than you can prove I am lying.”

“Then we have a difficult situation. If you are telling the truth, then I will surly die in any attempt to kill you. If you are lying, then you have made a fool of me.”

“Would you rather be a fool who lives another day or one that takes on a fight beyond his capabilities and dies?”

“You won't kill him,” Susan said from behind Mina. “It's not his time yet.”

The vampire stood silent for a long time, looking Mina in the eyes. Finally, he said, “I would rather live to fight another day. Even if that day is the end of days.” He bowed, and left.

After he left, Susan popped out from behind Mina and excitedly said, “You never told me you were a princes!”

Mina smiled, her ward was so adult in what she did and said that it was easy to forget that she was still a child. She liked these moments, she liked to see that Susan was young and fun loving. “I don't want to disappoint you, but I am no princes. It was just what they called me.”

“Oh, well I've always thought of you as a princess,” Susan said, before walking to the bed. “It's getting late. We should probably sleep.”

“Yes, but I want to be up early tomorrow night so we can leave the city. My Sire will surely know that I have abdicated my duties and come to these shores. I suspect my Sire will be angry.”

“Yeah,” Susan said, putting even more fear into Mina.

“The city is no place for us to hide. We'll move to the mountainside. I know of... At least I used to know of a monastery that will take in my kind.”

“They will,” she said. “But it's different now. Good night,” Susan said, jumping on the bed and snuggling under the covers.

Mina didn't bother to ask her how she knew or what she knew. There was no chance of getting an answer that would resolve either question. Mina opened the closet and walked inside.

The next evening, Mina practically leaped out of the closet. “There are vampires in the area. Many vampires. We must leave quickly before there are any more confrontations.”

Susan was looking out the window. “I don't think we need to rush.”

“What?” Mina asked, walking over to the window and looking out onto a sea of people. “My God,” she said.

“I think people know you're here.”

“This is amazing. I don't understand.”

“Yeah, I know. There's so many people. And vampires,” she said, pointing to select sections of the crowd.

“You can tell which are vampires and which are not?”

“Sure, can't you?”

“In a crowd like this, I can't tell until I am close to them. But you can tell from here.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know how many there are?”

“Lots.”

“I don't understand why I slept so late,” Mina said, finally noting that it was well past the time she normally woke.

“I guess you were meant to see this,” Susan said.

“That's wonderful, dear, but how do we deal with it.”

“I think they're here to see you,” Susan said, still looking out the window. “We might as well go down and say hello on our way out of the city.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“It is, kinda.”

“What if they attack us?”

“They don't mean you any harm, at least most of them,” Susan responded.

[The Vampire’s Daughter: An ongoing vampire story. Copyright Reuben Gregg Brewer, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010. All rights reserved.]