Genre: General
Rating: um... PG?
Author's Note: Yes, it's another vampire story... but I started writing this before I even knew about Twilight AND my vampires are quite different. I'm curious to hear what people think about it and I want to know if I should continue.

A red waning moon lit up the night sky like a beacon in the fog. The tall cornstalks wavered in the cool breeze, waiting for more. On a small plateau, a dead spot in the fields, sat an abandoned old caliber. The metal dented, dried blood caking the dull blade. The handle graced with old gold foliage, it glimmered with hope. A figure of a man graced the plateau, his almond shaped canary-yellow eyes gazing at the blade with disgust. His jaw set in a prominent scowl, high cheekbones, pointed nose and pale skin made him ethereal; the effect deepened with the red light grazing his skin and brightening his messy ebony hair. He straightened his clothing, a ripped shirt that could have been an old flour sack and semi-new denim pants made him look normal; nothing unnatural about this fellow. He eased himself down beside the sword, his eyes remaining on the blood that ran all the way down the blade, as if the blood had spawned from the wielder itself. He couldn’t help the shiver that ran down his back. An inhuman scream echoed around the man, his eyes narrowed in warning. His hand itched for the blade; the blade seemed to respond in kind. The blade trembled and shook, moving ever closer to the hand held out for it.

As the man gripped the sword, his eyes turned lime-colored and he stood ready. The blade parallel to the ground above his head, body turned away from the enemy that remerged from cornstalks. It had pointed teeth, no eyes, bat-ears and a large muscular hairy form. A deformed man, one that had partly turned, and one that deserved to die. The man swung the blade, and he couldn’t help but let shock cross his face. How had they come so fast? His grip tightened on the blade, and he parried a few strikes thrown. The claws were deadly, a poison-excreted once embedded in the skin. He couldn’t afford to get hit tonight. He swung the blade in a counter-clockwise motion, removing another thing from his sight. As he stood over the misshaped figures of what was once man, the blade trembled and the man bit his lip. He couldn’t afford to let loose a scream of pain. He watched as blood from his sword-hand began to flow, coating the sword in a red mist. This was the price for being chosen by the blade, for using the blade. The man threw it into the ground, cradling the damaged hand in another. He couldn’t ignore the blade, it summoned the monsters here. It summoned those things to the mortal plane. It should be locked away, forever. It only causes pain.

But I give eternal life the sword seemed to hiss at him. It beckoned him closer, beckoned him to take the handle once more. He licked his dry cracked lips, and took that step closer. Why did he listen to it? Why did he even bother trying? The sword was cursed, a burden given by the Gods. Use me, take me! The man spat on the sword and turned away, crossing his arms carefully. As long as his blood flowed, this sword would remain awake. He just had to hope the blood would clot soon. The sword began to glow the same color yellow as his eyes. Then I guess you don’t want my present. The man paused in leaving. Why would the sword give him anything? What could the sword give him? The sword seemed to chuckle and a chanting filled the air. Terrified screams echoed over the fields as the nearby farmers heard the inhuman cries.

A magic circle drew itself around the man, the center two feet before him. The language wasn’t anything seen before and the sword laughed, the maniacal chuckles filled the air as a female appeared before him. Her eyes opened a ruby red as bright as the moon, skin paler than lace, and lips as pouty and red as the rose. Her figure was thin, tiny, garbed only in a thin black dress, feet bare, her lips opened in a smile revealing pointed teeth. Another turned vampire.

The circle dimmed and the girl took a step back, bowing before him. ”I serve only you, milord. Do with me as you wish.” When she rose again, the man took a closer look. Her eyes looked only straight ahead, no movement, she didn’t even blink. She was blinder than a bat. What good was a blind undead slave going to be? This was his gift? She wasn’t worth anything.

”What is your name?” He questioned, and she smiled.

”You can call me Void, which is the name gifted to me by the sword.”

”Void, huh?” He paced back and forth, feeling the tingle on his sword hand. He was healing already, not much longer and the sword wouldn’t be able to comment. ”Void, do you know how to destroy the sword?”

Void’s head tilted to the side like a lost puppy. ”Destroy the sword? Why would you want to do that?” She shrugged and placed her hands on her hips. ”No matter, we must find the Waters of Eternity and throw the sword inside.”

”It is that simple?”

”It’s completely simple, my lord.”

He bit his lip, a nervous habit. ”Then lead the way, Void.” Void nodded, curtsied almost mockingly and lifted the sword up to him. He gazed back and forth between Void and the sword. The sword trembled in anticipation. As long as he didn’t attack with the sword he wouldn’t be harmed.

Void trailed behind her master, white locks glittering in the morning sun. She listened to his footsteps, hearing the way his muscles flexed when he walked. She could almost see the blood flowing through his skin. She cleared her throat, and listened to his grip on the sword tighten, ready to strike on impending danger.

”Is something wrong my Master?” She questioned, stepping quicker and closer to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and could feel the muscles tense. He really didn’t trust anyone, did he? ”Is everything okay?” He relaxed, stopping in mid-step to make eye contact. Void could feel his gaze on her eyes, and she deeply wished to be able to see. Were his eyes truly as bright as she was told? Was he as attractive as she was told? Would she ever know?

He sighed, ”Everything is fine, Void. You startled me and I overreacted. I’m sorry for scaring you.” Void nodded. When he continued to walk, Void stuck close. She didn’t want to risk getting lost because of a few distractions. The wind blowing through the corn was distracting enough; a sound never heard before was difficult to get used to. She gripped his shirt tightly, hearing another unrecognized noise.

He chuckled, and Void felt him pull away. She heard him stop and turn in the corn. ”You okay? Did you hear something that scared you?” Void nodded, she knew what would calm her down somewhat, but was it polite to ask now? Was now the right time? ”Anything I can do to help?”

Void brought herself to nod. ”Master, what is your name?”

He laughed the sound deafening in open abyss. ”Is that what has been bugging you?” His laughter subsided into chuckles. There was a smile in his voice, ”Call me Kristopher. It’s the name my father gave me.”

”…Kristopher…” Void whispered. She repeated the name a multitude of times, with different accents and tones. ”Kristopher.” Once the same sunk deep into what seemed every crevice of her brain she smiled. ”I like your name. It is very lord-worthy.”

Kristopher nodded, taking in Void’s appearance again. She certainly wasn’t bad-looking, quite gorgeous in fact. But she didn’t look anything remotely like the other vampires. The lack of fur, the batty ears… Though her sight was gone, that was the one thing she shared in common with the others. ”Void, aren’t you a vampire?”

Void began to giggle, the sound faint on the wind. ”Of course I am, Master Kristopher. I look the way I look, because I am a pure blood. Those of which you fight were changed after birth; I’ve been a vampire since the day I was born.” Her giggles continued, until she sighed. ”Because I am pure, I am gifted different attributes… I can walk during the day, I don’t need to feed very often, and I look human. I think I am blessed to be a pure blood.”

Kristopher turned and continued to walk. Blessed to damned? Was every pure blooded vampire this optimistic? Or did he just happen to be stuck with the oddball for a slave? Did he even agree to her being his slave? He glanced over his shoulder at her, seeming to prance along behind him. Her being a pureblood must mean she’s something like a queen in her kind, right? Not many pureblood remain…

Kristopher sighed, hearing the faint sounds of people. They were getting close to the nearest town. Here he had planned on scoping out the area, possibly finding any kind of lead on the Waters of Eternity. But if only Void knew about it, wouldn’t he have to get information from more purebloods?

”Void, how many people know about the Waters of Eternity?”

Void smiled, and sped up to walk alongside him. She easily had to take two steps for his one. ”Um… I know about them because of the book.” She placed her hand out, allowing her hands to graze the sides of the cornstalks. ”The Book of That Which Kills Vampires; the legend states the forgotten blade is said to have been forged by a vampire lord. Thus wouldn’t it make sense that the blade can only be destroyed the same way as a vampire?” Kristopher didn’t see the logic. A sword doesn’t bleed like humans, nor would drowning it kill it. Void’s smile grew. ”Maybe once you learned more about vampires, you’d understand more about our kind.”

Kristopher shook his head. ”No thank you. I don’t want to learn any more about vampires than necessary.” He peered at her over his shoulder, taking note of the small pout on her dainty, cherub-like face. Was she really a vampire? ”I could kill you at any time, Void. You’re nothing but an enemy to me.”

”I could be a wonderful ally too.” She sped up beside Kristopher, her hand grasping the back of his shirt. ”You don’t know anything really about my kind, do you? But we know everything about yours. Don’t you want to even the playing field?” Her grip tightened, and Kristopher could hear her nails tearing the fabric. He made a note to go buy a new shirt in town.

”Go ahead, Void. Tell me more.”

She smiled, making it hard for him to belief she really was blind. But it was there in her eyes, no response, and no glimmer of light. Staring into those blank, lifeless eyes, Kristopher could feel himself being pulled in; into the darkness of death. ”I, as stated earlier, am a pureblood. I am like royalty. All tainted blood serves me.”

Kristopher blinked his eyes, breaking out of a daze. She could probably cast magic too, or was that just a rumor? ”Have you changed any? I heard vampires can change others with just a bite to the neck.” Her smile dropped, and she lowered her face to the ground. ”No, only purebloods can change with a bite, others must actually think and process the idea before biting. And as you can tell, they don’t really think at all.” She sighed. ”They’re a disgrace to my kind. But every bite a pureblood gives makes another change.”

A couple hours later, Kristopher sat beside a burning fire, watching as the flames licked at the sky. He stared into it, feeling all worries and cares washing away. At the sound of a giggle, he looked up to see Void sitting on the opposite side of the flame. Her eyes were closed, head cocked back, listening to the sounds of cicadas in the swaying grass. They finally had made it out of the cornfields and were wandering the open plains. Upon the setting of the three crimson suns, Kristopher decided it was time to take a break. Travelling for seventeen straight hours would make any man tired, but this pure blood vampire before him hummed and giggled as if the journey just started. Were all vampires this carefree? She giggled again, pushing some stray hair behind an ear. She smiled up at him. ”Are you tired? I didn’t hear you eat or anything at all. Are you hungry? Maybe I should go look for some prey?”

Kristopher snapped, ”I don’t want anything a vampire would eat.” He glowered at her, faintly aware she couldn’t see it. Her smile dropped a bit, worry appearing on her face. ”Are you sure? I don’t think I’ll be able to find any fruits or vegetables nearby.” He sighed, realizing his folly. Vampires probably ate the same foods as mankind, except for the occasional bloodlust. ”I can go try… but I won’t be able to tell if they are ripe or not.”

He watched her stand, her back to the last remains of the sunset. Her already other-worldly look intensified, and his eyes narrowed. If there had been any doubt in his mind before, the way her skin glowed against the setting suns was pure proof. When humans stood in sunlight, their skin lightened, maybe even turned a few shades darker if left out for a long period of time. Vampires however, didn’t just radiate the moonlight. Their skin glowed even faintly in the darkness. It gave them a mysterious, waning look; like the moon in human form. It was how they tempted mankind. The supernatural glow was the sign of a vampire. She half-bowed and turned towards the sun, walking towards whichever direction she deemed was more profitable.

Kristopher added more dry weeds to the flame, feeling the chill of the night. With Void here, would the changelings still come after the sword? Would the vampires still try to change more? He placed his hand on the sword, feeling it vibrate. No amount of vampires made the sword vibrate with power, so what was it doing? What something reacting with it? The sword stopped, and a grunt seemed to emit from it. Kristopher could feel himself purse his lips in worry. Did a vampire die, did one die nearby? Or was blood spilt, and the sword angered at the loss of a feeding?

He heard rumbling coming from behind him, were the ruins of a small hut-town remained. He used the ruins before on previous wanderings, but he decided tonight the huts weren’t the best. The small campout was a rest stop to the next town, and Kristopher knew from experience that movement kept the vampires off his heels. But would the presence of a vampire alongside him at all times ruin his chances of getting rid of the forgotten sword, the sword of damnation, the blade of hell?

A screech of inhuman proportions came from the closest hut, and Kristopher drew the blade. He felt the heartbeat of the sword, the bloodlust, the need for a feeding. A changeling crawled out from the straw building, clawing blinding in pain at anything that moved. The heat vision had not kicked in yet. Kristopher’s eyes narrowed, the man couldn’t have been bitten too long ago. Maybe there was another pureblood nearby, or even Void had succumbed to the opportunity and bit the sleeping man. Would she, so close to one she knew killed her kind? He heard another cry and he froze. How many were there? How many are there now? Would more show up, and would he be able to handle them all? The sword began to hum with power, sensing all the prey nearby.

He readied himself for attack; the changelings were the most unpredictable in attack maneuvers, depending on life style and training when they were alive, and the skills passed on from the vampire all effected what came out after the bite. He watched as one gain footing and look up in his direction. He could still make out its face, small, chubby, almost childlike. The eyelids looked sown shut, and the once used veins were dried and protruded from the pale, lifeless skin. If he hadn’t seen them before, Kristopher would have recoiled in fear and disgust. Changelings always looked the worst right after the change; as time went on, they would become more animalistic, almost bat-like if they lived that long.

The scream came again, and Kristopher recognized the tone: hunting time. He cursed as they began to charge, clawed hands reaching out towards him, fangs the size of fingers protruding from mouths. He began to count it down, and his eyes changed to lime-green as the sword sang. One, two, three were down instantly with a swing of the blade. This early in the process of change was an easy kill; any five year old trained in basic combat could kill these, and Kristopher wanted to yawn as he killed two more.

The moon glowed red with blood, and a figure emerged from the hut farthest from Kristopher. The figure had eyes that shined like the silver moon, and he seemed to float on rivers of blood as it stepped closer to Kristopher. The figure was a man, and his eyes narrowed when they landed on Kristopher’s form. They lowered to the sword, and they flashed the color of blood. ”You have the sword,” his voice was raspy, deep and instilled fear into what seemed like Kristopher’s very soul.

”I do.” Kristopher whispered, knowing full well the man, no… pure blood, could hear him. This man was like Void, he had the same… form as void, only masculine. And he definitely had power. It radiated off him in waves. ”I will take the sword back, it belongs to our kind,” the man spat his walking speed increasing to that of a run. The sword began to hum again, and Kristopher raised the blade. He’d have to kill the pure blood with one stroke, or else the pureblood would surely kill him. This he knew.

”STOP!!!!!”

The vampire with eyes the color of the moon stopped in mid attack. Kristopher could see the hands with elongated claws, a weapon pure bloods seemed to draw on will, and the extended fangs. This vampire meant business, and was stopped by the sound of Void’s voice as it echoed on the plains. Void stood nearby, her ruby red orbs focused on the duo; an unnerving sight. The vampire withdrew his claws, his fangs pulling back inside his mouth. ”Dammit Void, what are you doing awake?”

Void stomped her way up to Kristopher and the vampire, her blind eyes filled with rage. She dropped a couple of rabbits at Kristopher’s feet and turned towards the vampire. ”What does it matter? You will not harm him.”

A growl emitted from deep within the vampire, and Kristopher felt irritation collide with anger. Kristopher couldn’t help but note this vampire had anger issues, and lots of them. ”Void, just because you’re older does not mean I am not allowed to kill you.”

Void’s eyes flashed a color, and she emitted a growl of her own; deeper, guttural, and a thousand more times terrifying. Kristopher decided it was time to step back and allow the vampires to do what they did best. This was one of the many reasons vampires never travelled in packs, they all had conflicting opinions and plans, and were willing to kill to prove their point. No doubt it struck a nerve when the vampire mentioned Void was older. She looked like she could be eighteen, and he… maybe twenty five, if lucky. Though the lack of light was a factor, Kristopher seriously doubted it would change very much of his appearance. Age was known to be an issue with vampires, the older the vampire the more seniority and thus power the vampire had over others. ”You know I have a job to do.”

”Be a slave to the…Sin?” He spat, his fangs protruding over his bloodstained lips in anger. Kristopher’s eyes narrowed. A sin, I’m a sin… he wondered, is that what vampires thought of humans as? Sins? Then what were they? This would have to be lesson two of vampire culture, and Kristopher was anxious to find out more.

”Sure, I’m slave to the Sin!” Void stepped backwards, listening to the vampire’s breathing. ”But I have a purpose now, it may be temporary; but I have a purpose. It’s better than your aimless wandering, Abyss!”

The vampire named Abyss snarled, and Void hissed in return. Defying the chain of command seemed to be another issue. ”Who gave you the right to have purpose? Why were you chosen out of all of us?”

Void calmed down, a confident smirk spreading across her face. ”I get it, you’re jealous.” Her voice was filled with smugness, and maybe a tinge of amusement.

Abyss’ gray eyes widened. ”I am not jealous!” He looked over at Kristopher, and it dawned on him. Abyss was only a recent born, his eye sight hadn’t left him yet, and he was only living on emotion and impulse. Void had been around long enough that reason finally allowed itself into her mental thought process. It would only be natural for one to want to be favored. But favored by who is the question.

”You’re just mad that I was chosen by the sword.”

”No!”

Kristopher rolled his eyes, it was becoming childish. He stepped between the two. ”Void, I thought you knew better.” Her blind eyes rested on him, her smirk relaxing. She nodded and stepped back. Kristopher rested full attention on Abyss, who continued to scowl. ”And you Abyss, why are you here?”

Abyss cursed, bearing his teeth in growl. ”The sword is ours; a mortal like you doesn’t even deserve to be in its presence. How you manage to even hold it is incomprehensible.” His growl was drowned out by Void’s own. Kristopher held back the urge to chastise her; she was only trying to protect him. But was it an actual priority of hers, or was it just because he wielded the sword? Or was it something else completely different? Abyss avoided lashing out at Void, being a younger vampire he would be lucky to last longer than three minutes.

Kristopher rested the sword on his shoulder and sighed. ”Is it such a bad thing that I wield the sword? Maybe it was made by a vampire, but meant to be controlled by a human.” Even Void’s expression turned somber. Kristopher looked to Abyss, judging by his actions Abyss would probably explain for him. Kristopher paused; maybe he could convince Abyss to follow Void. The vampire would certainly be more informative than Void. She always bothered to make her actions mysterious, thinking carefully before speaking.

”A mortal cannot be the king of vampires.” Void whispered, eyes closed shut tightly. Kristopher took a breath and looked toward the loyal slave of the sword, the very sword that pulsed in his hand begging for blood. The sword… it made him a king of vampires?

”I think it’s time you gave me a hint, Void.” Void’s eyes opened, flashing the color again. Kristopher caught a glimpse of twilight in her eyes. Maybe that was why Abyss backed down so easily, something about the dull eyes becoming so brilliant so quickly. It increased his heart rate slightly; he could feel it beating in his ears, an undoubtedly in Void and Abyss’ as well.

”You want a hint?” Void smiled at Abyss and nodded. ”I shall give you a hint to finding the Waters of Eternity, a key to destroying the sword.” Abyss resembled a codfish, he even went to speak up, Void cutting him off. ”My first hint for you,” she took a deep breath and began to recite:
A liquid that flows swiftly
Every living thing has it
One can be killed by it
One can be saved by it
Let the Waters of Eternity flow
For when they stop, all life does
Void closed her eyes, sighing. Stars dimmed, sky darkened, the very air stopped. Silence echoed around them, until Kristopher’s heart beat once more. ”So it is a riddle?” Kristopher asked, heading back toward the dwindling fires. Void followed, keeping her head down, motioning for Abyss to follow. Abyss tailed behind, his eyes watching the strands of Void’s hair as she walked briskly toward the fires. Kristopher sat on his rock, stabbing the sword into the ground. A scream came from the sword, separated from its owner, separated from its food source. Abyss cringed in pain, while Void merely ignored it; a trained slave of the sword. No wonder the sword chose her, she was used to the screams and pains of being surrounded by death. ”Void, the hint you gave me is clearly a riddle.”

”It is a verse from the Book of That Which Kills Vampires.” She answered calmly; her hand reached into the cinders of the fire, her long narrow fingers glowed before the fire burst into a colorful flame. It circled around like a cyclone, a small spark of blue at the base. The blue danced along the ash, sometimes along a lick of flame, but it would fall back into the base before dancing all over again. So she was able to cast magic after all. There was some truth to those rumors. ”It is a whole chapter; the Waters fill an entire chapter.”

”It is in the chapter before they mention the Sword,” Abyss spoke up, kneeling opposite Kristopher. ”It’s referred to by different names, different phrases, but it always comes back to the sword. The sword is the last meaningful vampire artifact, and many will kill to get it back in vampire hands.”

”What is so great about this sword?” Kristopher reached into a small pouch at his side. He pulled out some fabric and began to clean up the blood. It was taking too long, he thought as he managed to tie it around the wound. He could feel Abyss’s eyes watching his hand, the bloodlust probably welling up inside of him. Only his fear of Void held him back, the eyes filled with want and worry as they flitted back and forth between his dilemmas. ”It is said the sword is the creator of our kind. You destroy the sword, you destroy our kind.”

Abyss glared at the emotionless Void. ”I don’t understand why you’ll let him destroy the sword. You were born of that sword, how can you let your creator die?” He stood up in anger and began to pace back and forth, the flames casting shadows across his face. The image made the young vampire dangerous, lethal… his anger was tangible, radiating off him like the heat from flame.

Void answered calmly, smiling at Kristopher; her dull eyes alit. ”I can only do what he tells me to. It would be stupid for me to resist, Abyss.” She flicked hair over her shoulder, and began to finger comb it. ”Even if I resisted, and the master accepted it, the Sword of Rebirth would kill me. Our creator destroys us just as easily as it creates us.”

Kristopher watched the conversation without a hint of interest. ”If all this information if coming from the Book of That Which Kills Vampires, where can I find this book?” This book could be the guidebook to vampire hunters everywhere. It could be the help vampire hunters need to kill their thriving predator. Though, his mind supplied, if I get rid of the sword and get this book, we could get rid of vampires altogether.

”There is only one book known left in existence.” Abyss muttered, his pacing slowing down as sanity reinstated itself. ”Last I heard, one of the only true Vampire Lords had it.” He glanced over at Void. ”The lord with the black hair and the orange eyes, what’s his name? I’ve never seen him, only heard of the guy.”

”Misery, Lord Misery.” She sighed, her face showing her displeasure. This vampire apparently inspired more than just anger; it was another disappointment Void had in her race. Was she ever proud of what she was? ”Misery is known throughout the mortal world for his lack of… finesse when hunting.” She stopped raking her hands through her hair plopped herself beside Kristopher, her head resting near his hip. ”I have heard Sins call him the Butcher.”

The name struck a chord in Kristopher, a face flashing in his brain. A face he’d seen on posters passed through hunters. The mullet cut hair, bangs falling into cat-shaped blind orange eyes. The fangs that protruded from blood stained lips set in a smile. A face Kristopher reckoned he would remember for the rest of his life. ”Doesn’t he hunt near the port cities?”

Abyss nodded, pausing in his pacing, ”Generally, Lord Misery hops on a ship, feeds on some passengers and gets off with everyone else. No one knows any different, unless the Sins have the courage to scream. Then he kills everyone but the crew, changes the crew and gets off at the next port, letting loose his newly changed children.” His pacing continued, watching as Void’s eyes slowly began to close. ”Hey Void, are you okay?”

Her eyes flickered open. ”Just a bit anemic, I’ll be alright.” She closed her eyes, her sleepy-eyes and mannerisms betrayed her voice.

Within seconds, Abyss’s eyes widened and he moved forward baring a forearm. ”She hasn’t fed recently. She’s about to go into hibernation.” He extended his claws, slicing a section of his arm, and the blood began to flow. He pressed it against her bottom lip forcefully, ”Drink it, Void. You’re useless to your master like this.” Kristopher watched as Void’s lips parted and her fangs bit into his skin. The tainted vampire blood flowed into her mouth and slightly down her chin. Abyss pulled away after a few seconds, shaking the arm, trying to get rid of the feeling of venom spreading. ”I’ll never get used to that. The arm gets numb after a bit.” He sighed and watched as the vampire pale color returned to normal. The snow white skin turned a little bit tinted, a sign her body took the blood.

She yawned, wiping her chin. ”Thank you Abyss. I needed that.” She smiled up at him, licking the blood off her fingers. ”Sorry I didn’t realize how long it had been since I had last fed.” At Kristopher’s questioning nudge she continued. ”About ten years since my bisou, I usually feed off small animals. To remain a healthy vampire I should drink human blood.” Kristopher couldn’t help but chuckle. The idea of a healthy vampire seemed paradoxical, seeing as the vampire breed was undead. However that word rang inside his head. Bisou, bisou, what was a bisou? Void stood and stretched, the cat-like motion making Kristopher scoot away. This vampire wasn’t at all like the others; she even refused to drink human blood. What was wrong with her? Kristopher frowned, watching as Void headed back towards the huts. “Where are you going?”

“You left your food over here, my master. You need to eat as well, or we will have you collapse on our journey.” Her long, narrow fingers grasped at the ears of the rabbits; lifting them off the ground. The way her fingers flicked around the ears was disturbing in its own way: Kristopher could almost see how quickly she could reach around the neck of those tiny animals, snapping their necks. Within a few quick strides the slave dropped the coneys at his feet, a small smile on her face. “please enjoy.”

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