From Embers

33 - Here Comes The Sun

Thickly tangled brambles tugged on Mara's clothes. Their thorns grabbing at any part of her that their pointy ends could touch. Night was soon to fall and she wanted to be on the other side of the forest before then.

Her horse had long gone. Left behind several day's ago. Mara's supernatural speed meant that she could travel faster than the beast and if she spotted a human it was much easier to hide one body than two. Finding animals to eat, however, wasn't as easy. The Low Lands gave her the many options of rabbit, badger, and deer to pick what to snack on. The fall meant rabbits could hear her coming from a distance. The crunching leaves underfoot always gave her position away. The last time she'd tried to snag a deer, one almost impaled her with it's antlers. So badger was the only thing available, and that's what had gotten her in this thorny mess in the first place.

All dryads seemed to never be home. She'd knocked on several trees, but her search wasn't fruitful. It was the only way she could warn her grandfather about Nilos' betrayal. In a fit of rage, her tiny fists grabbed the weeds holding her back and yanked them apart. The thorns dig into her skin, red dripping down the stems.

"Come here you rotten animal," she said to the peaceful badger who'd obviously thought himself safe in the thick of the bushes. It screeched when Mara sunk her claws into it. He tasted drab, but after almost two days of running with no food, Mara was thankful for whatever blood she could get.

A twig snapped. "Are you okay?"

Mara swung her body to look at the stranger. Fangs still deep in her meal, she stared like a deer in headlights. "Who are you?" The words were muffled, but the teen must have understood her.

"I'm Sofia." The stranger looked inquisitively at the young vampire.

Mara felt uncomfortable when Sofia didn't stop watching her eat. With hopes that it would scare her off, Mara kept on sucking.

Doe-like brown eyes blinked. Sofia's lips pulled to a frown. "What's a child doing all by themselves? Are you lost? Where's your clan?"

The empty badger hit the ground unceremoniously when Mara threw it away. Mara wiped her face on her sleeve, glaring. "I have no clan and my sense of direction is perfect, thank you. The White Oak Inn is nearby, I'm staying there."

"I work there," Sofia remarked. "Haven't seen you check-in before."

"That's because I haven't yet."

"Would you like me to escort you there?" A wicker basket rested on Sofia's hip, and she pointed to the berry bushes behind her. "I've just finished collecting gooseberries, some company going back would be appreciated."

"Since it would help you, I don't see why not." Mara turned her nose up at the berries. Blood always tasted sour when her dinner had ingested even a few of them.

The lid of the basket swung open, and Sofia offered the contents to Mara. The vampire shook her head. Her lips looked as if she'd eaten a handful of the fruit all at once. "I only like blood."

"Merrill's clan stay at the inn when they're passing by as we cater to many types of supernaturals. My gooseberry jam is a big hit with them."

There was something familiar about how Sofia behaved that Mara couldn't put her finger on. There were little mannerisms that made Mara feel like she'd met the girl before. Sofia couldn't have been older than fourteen human years and Mara hadn't met any other humans before Jai-Jai.

The lack of elf ears or wings made the vampire suspicious as to who Sofia could be. She didn't smell like a mud human, but there was a paleness to her skin and her teeth looked larger than average. Blonde hair stuck up in all directions as it fought to escape the elastic holding it all together. She couldn't help the growl that escaped her throat. After Nilos, any blondes she met represented someone who would betray her.