3 Ender

Ender rode from the coast to Castle Mont. He could see his familial home atop a grassy hillock jutting from the forest as he cantered over the mounds of sand bordering the edge of the vast expanse of water. The vampire breathed in the salty air, the sharp intake of breath forcefully reminding him of the wound leaking blood down his side. He didn't bother to hold pressure on it with his hand or fashion a dressing.

The damage would heal within the day's ride to the keep. Well, he hoped it would. He always healed slower if he hadn't fed in the last day or so. The castle wasn't visible to the human eye from the shore of the beach, but his heightened senses could make out the outline in the distance and catch the faintest hint of smoke coming from the castles many fireplaces.

He had sent his men back to the nearby town to assure the residents that there was no longer a threat. Soldiers from Lord Astrophel's keep with which he shared a northern border had breached the edge of his province, ransacking three small villages in succession and attempting to seize the fort. Vampires fought their battles with human blood; soldiers ever expendable in the quest to take land from one another. He supposed beings with such long lifespans had nothing better to do than fight and scheme against one another.

Nearly fifty men had lost their lives for Lord Astrophel for no gain to themselves or their Lord. Ender, who showed no real overt concern for human life, for the most part, was more concerned with retention rather than expansion. Preserving resources was just smart tactics in his mind.

Brushing amber-colored curls from his forehead, he paused to survey the battlefield he was leaving behind. The skirmish had coalesced on the beach, the sea creating a natural border, making eliminating Astrophel's forces quick work. The victory was short-lived as Ender had sent the human soldiers under his banner back to the fort to relay the message that the borders were safe, for now. It would take time for their enemies to gather enough men to launch another attack. Border towns were sparsely populated; for this reason, most humans and vampires preferring to live closer to the keep of their Lord.

Ender nudged the black stallion onward, checking the gash at his side. A spear had pierced him taking him by surprise during the short battle. He wore no armor, relying on his preternatural reflexes, and if those failed, his ability to heal quickly.

They did forsake him today though, much to his surprise, for the first time he could ever recall. Sustaining such an injury was almost unheard of for one of his kind. What might kill a man would only leave Ender with a scar, the pain already diminishing despite the copious amounts of blood pouring out.

He would need to feed soon if he didn't want to fall from his horse. He rode toward the trees in the foreground, taking in the sight of the forest. The smell of wet earth and pollen filled his nose. Ender paused to discern the different animals in the woods ahead of him. Spring was rolling onto the land, and the vegetation boasted relief from the winter under the sun forming leaves. Ender preferred the darker portion of his days, and while the sun did not harm his vampire skin, his eyes did not care for the harsh glare the daylight cast upon the surface of the sea.

He briefly paid a thought to the fae that lived in the wood between the sea and the castle. They were a mischievous lot known to set traps for humans and steal their pocket coins. They were no more than a nuisance to Ender, though. Winged demon rats, his brother Lucian liked to call them. The cunning of the fairies was little match for the speed or wrath of the vampires living on the hill. Humanoid in shape but not in size, they could be useful for acquiring information due to their inability to lie, but getting a direct answer from them was near impossible.

Ender continued his journey home, the wound in his side dripping less blood and easing in severity. He scanned the surrounding area for the heartbeats of nearby animals he could devour. Surely this would speed along his healing. Broad and muscular, even when he was human, it was difficult to take him down in a fight. The speed and strength of the vampire blood in his veins now made him a force of nature. He quickly dismounted his horse and drained a nearby elk.

Only moments had passed by but long enough for a nearby fae to giggle at the spectacle. They seemed to delight in violence. Ender wondered if he didn't as well. The smell of battle, blood mixing with dirt, and sweat was intoxicating, and one of the few times he felt as though he were still alive. It was similar to the feeling Ender experienced while hunting his prey. He wiped his mouth with an already dirty sleeve and climbed back onto his mount. The animal blood would suffice for now until he could satiate his appetite properly back within the castle walls.

A few errant faeries followed him along under the brush as he rode at a moderate pace, glancing at budding flora along the way. Ender did not care for how things grew, having been consumed for so long with thoughts of death. The kingdom of Ibudal was not a bleak place in the landscape, really it was quite majestic, but King Undair left its citizens to crime and magic unprotected in most areas of the realm. Undair allowed vampire clans, along with humans who lived within their provinces, to rule their lands in the kingdom so long as taxes were paid to the crown.

The king paid little mind to the invasions from bordering countries or skirmishes between the clans in his nations. Instead, setting his gaze and army on expansion and acquisition of foreign territories, to what end, Ender could not guess.

His father participated in the politics, entrusting the province to Ender and his brother for safekeeping while he kept court at the capital. Ender's job was to maintain the borders. The vampire had been doing so for the better part of the century. Shaking himself from his ponderings, he patted Murf. Ender still cursed his brother for naming his horse that and continued on his way.

An hour into the forest, the vampire attempted to reign his horse in as Murf started and reared back on his hind legs, nearly bucking the vampire off completely. A crashing noise permeated the treetops as Ender's keen eyes picked out an object to his left, falling quickly through the branches above him. A woman was falling through the trees at an alarming rate. His abilities allowed him the speed and timing to get to her location quickly, but not fast enough, he realized.

A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach as he thought surely she would die upon impact to the forest floor. In the moments he watched her fall but could not reach her, he was able to pick out every detail of her falling form.

He noticed the hand stitching on the hem of her blue dress, the ribbon falling towards the sky as her hair unbound in the air, the smell of apples wafting toward him. Frozen in time, he briefly registered how odd it was that he cared so much about a single human life. Just as quickly as she was falling, she stopped.

He watched, surprised for the second time in one day, as she hovered an inch above the ground and slowly lowered onto a patch of grass. Clearly not dead, he looked on as she dug her hands into the grass, feeling the earth below her, her eyes closed tight. Her blonde hair had come loose from its braid and fanned around her.

Was she smelling the air? He thought to himself, feeling as though he was intruding upon a private moment. He noted her smell, vibrant and alluring, but something foreign lingered. Human, she appeared, but her blood told him a different tale. He listened to her heartbeat race faster and louder as panic overtook her slender form. She opened up one eye and then the next.

He thought he should say something calming as not to startle her further after her sudden descent.

"Aye miss, ye fell from the sky."

She bolted upright and met his dark red eyes with a blue steel gaze that stirred something inside him; he believed to be long dead.

"Brundah!" he whispered violently to himself, drawing his knife from his belt.

Recognition of the word glazed over her face, fear residing in her eyes now.

Witch.