4 Chapter Four: A Friend in Need

Jack stood up again, going through the bags and boxes in his tent until he found another cloak, a plain brown one with no sigils or crests on it. He tossed it onto the bed, frowning as it occurred to him that he had no clothes for her. He was nearly a foot taller than her, and there was no way she would be able to fit anything he had. He went back to his supplies, digging through them until he found a plain white tunic with short sleeves; better than the scraps of cloth that were what was left of her shirt. He also tossed the shirt on the bed, the elf sitting there and looking like she felt awkward.

"I will leave the tent for a bit. Take my cloak off and put those on while I am out."

He saw her panic a bit, eyes wide as she reached out and grabbed his gauntlet.

"Wait, y-you are going t-to leave me alone? W-w-what if someone comes here while you are g-gone?"

He shook her hand off, having too much to worry about already without worrying about her as well.

"I will not be far, and will be in sight of my tent at all times. Stop panicking and do what I asked."

He turned and left the tent, sighing as he pushed his hair back again. This was a situation that was over his head, and he admitted to himself that he needed help. He did not trust many vampires in the army, but there was two that he trusted with his life; and if he was correct, one of them will be looking for him at this very moment, or at least would be soon.

He looked around, knowing that it would not be hard to spot the vamp, and found who he was looking for, the large vampire towering above everyone else as he lifted a wagon by himself, letting another soldier fix the wheel before setting it back down. Jack walked over when the task was finished, crossing his arms and clearing his throat.

"Drake, I need to talk to you."

Drake Henderson, one of two best friends that Jack had known since he was a child, turned around, a grin spreading across his face and showing his fangs as he spotted Jack. Drake wasted no time, walking over and grasping Jack's arm before shaking it, a head taller than everyone else around him; Jack could not remember exactly how tall Drake was, but it had to be nearly seven feet, the tallest vampire in the army. The vamp was a tower of muscle, choosing not to wear armor so he could show off how hard he worked and trained. He had short brown hair with a short brown beard to match, his eyes a lighter shade of red than Jacks, and his face was clear with no scars, due to the fact that most could not reach so high.

"Jack, my brother! It has been far too long; I was beginning to think you were avoiding me. What is it, mighty Night Stalker?"

Jack did his best not to groan, the soldiers nearby looking over at them. It had slipped his mind how loud Drake could be, and nearly half of the camp had probably heard the giant idiot. Jack pointed at his tent, saying nothing as he turned and left.

He cleared his throat when he reached his tent, a small voice squeaking that she was done. He entered his tent, seeing Elaine pouting at him before turning to see Drake ducking through the entrance and standing up. His head nearly touched the top of the tent, and he quickly spotted Elaine, who now wore the brown cloak instead, the hood down and her face plain to see. His grin only spread wider, laughing as he threw his large, beefy arm over Jack's pauldrons and shoulders.

"I can't believe it, you finally brought a girl back to your tent. Did you bring me here to brag? She is cute, sure, but..."

The giant vampire looked at Elaine again, now noticing her ears and eye color. His grin slowly faded away, pulling Jack closer and whispering into his ear.

"Brother...you know that is an elf, right? I don't judge, everyone has their own tastes...but this is pretty risky, and what is this powerful scent of blood I smell? What is-"

"Will you shut up for a second?" Jack growled, cutting the vamp off before rubbing his eyes, feeling tired after a long night. His night had started with him taking place in a large scale battle, and he had not gotten a chance to rest since. He longed to fall into his bed and sleep until sunset the next day, but that was no longer an option.

"Drake, meet Elaine Skyfurst, princess of the elves. Elaine, meet Drake Henderson, biggest vampire you will most likely ever see."

Elaine looked up at Drake, clearly intimidated by his size and saying nothing. Drake, somehow oblivious to this, waved at the elf, is usual grin returning to his face.

"Greetings, and nice to meet you, Elaine, princess...of the...elves."

Drake's jaw dropped to the floor as it finally clicked in his head, slowly looking over at Jack. He shook his head, sitting in a chair and glad that Drake was finally realizing how serious this was.

"Listen, I need help. I saved her from some soldiers, but I panicked and brought her back here. Now I am lost as to what to do, and you are one of the few people I can trust."

Drake regained his composure, closing his mouth and looking back and forth between Jack and the elf, his brow furrowed as he seemed deep in thought.

"You couldn't just find a nice vampett and take the easy road. You just had to be greedy and go after a princess."

Jack glared intensely at the larger vampire, in no mood for jokes, and Drake held his hands up in surrender, chuckling to himself.

"Alright, I'll be serious, but I don't see how I will be much help. You need someone smarter, like Midnight."

Elaine, who had been very quiet during this whole interaction, gave Drake a questioning look. Jack frowned, knowing his friend was right but being hesitant.

"I don't want to involve her if I don't have to. She is logical, and will most likely tell me to turn Elaine over and be taken prisoner."

"Well, yeah, but she is the smartest vampire we know." Drake retorted, finding the second chair and slowly sitting in it, cautious because of how many chairs he has broken due to his size. "I am sure we can convince her to help us."

Jack was not so sure, knowing how stubborn their friend could be. He turned to Elaine, deciding to see if they could solve this on their own.

"Elaine, do you have anywhere else you can go? You clearly had some destination in mind, but even I can't sneak you past the entire army. Is there somewhere else where you will be safe?"

He only grew more frustrated as she shook her head, looking at the ground in defeat.

"My mother wanted us to sneak past your army and try to find the dwarfs to the north, hoping that they would have mercy and hide me away. I have never left the forest, and do not know anything of the surrounding land."

Jack went to speak, having many questions, but a voice from behind him beat him to it.

"That wasn't very smart; the dwarfs have closed themselves off from everyone else, hiding in their mountains and being openly hostile to anyone that tries to reach them. She should have sent you south of the forest, to the human Empire of Duluhan. They are known to be allies to the elves, although they have not sent any aid that I am aware of."

They all turned to see a female vampire standing at the entrance to his tent, crossing her arms with a sour look on her face. She had long black hair, nearly going down to her hips, with light red eyes and a scar on the left side of her forehead. Darlene Winters, known as Midnight to her friends, eyed them calmly before her eyes rested on Elaine and narrowed in suspicion.

"Now, Jack, explain why there is an elf on your bed, wearing your cloak, and unrestrained in any way?"