39 Ender

The daylight faded into soft dusk over the sea as Ender rode with the group toward twinkling lights in the distance. They were nearing the fishing town of Skars, and after the day's events, Ender was anxious to be off his horse and in the warmth of the town's inn. He had frequented the establishment while traveling before and remembered that the ale was quite good.

Caroline had ridden beside him for the remainder of the journey, humming softly to herself while regaining her strength. After a few hours, she did not appear entirely as exhausted as she had when they first left the beach. Still, her crystalline blue eyes reflected the fatigue that could not be completely cured without solid sleep. He noticed too, that the witch hadn't stopped smiling to herself either. The vampire was almost sure that his advanced sight had allowed him to memorize every inch of her beautiful face.

He was ever mindful to keep a keen eye on their surroundings and was the first to pick up on the lamps in the distance, signaling their arrival to inhabited lands. The vampire trilled a short whistle indicating to Silas, who had not left his position at the front of the group, that they were approaching what the old man's human eyes could not yet see.

The group rode into the fishing town just as the last rays of the setting sun folded under the water's edge. Ender could hear muffled conversations behind quickly shuttered windows in every direction. The folk by the sea were often used to travelers but wary of them as well. He supposed two vampires, a pair of witches, and one surly old human would elicit that type of reaction.

Silas passed by a few different establishments before leading the party to the Silver Shell, an inn settled against the road that bordered the long stretch of beach that led to the bustling village. Ender wasn't sure why the old man had chosen this inn above the others, it appeared just as ramshackle as the others and carried the distinct smell of day-old fish. He assumed his oldest friend had traveled in these parts before and was less likely to owe this particularly barkeep a substantial amount of money.

In any case, when the vampire entered, he was pleasantly surprised to find the common room clean and bright. A musician was standing atop one of the tables singing a bawdy song about a sailor and his dinghy much to the small crowd's amusement. The atmosphere was warm and lively, and if Ender thought he might enjoy it if the cacophony of sounds were not grating on his nerves.

Lucian secured the rooms with a middle-aged barkeep, who smiled brightly at her new guests and motioned for them to sit a large table while Silas lugged a few of their bags up a staircase to their sleeping place for the night.

Lucian flopped dramatically down into a simple but well-crafted wooden chair and heaved a sigh of relief,

"Thank the gods that ride is over, aside from Caroline altering the course of history with her sea spells, that was the most boring adventure I have ever been on," he said while taking a mug of ale from a pretty serving girl with a wink. The girl blushed profusely before handing the rest of the group their drinks.

"You know we are going to do this every day for the next two weeks, right?" Aniyoh said to Lucian with a snort.

"Please, woman, don't remind me, I'm trying to enjoy my mediocre beverage and my view of the not-so-mediocre serving girl," Lucian replied with a devilish grin.

"Me too," Aniyoh said, flashing a grin of her own, and the two knocked their mugs together in a hitherto unseen act of solidarity before bursting into peals of laughter. Ender saw Silas chuckling into his pint, and Caroline seemed to be giggling while blushing scarlet at the same time. He assumed she must just now be picking up on Aniyoh's preference for partners.

Ender felt a warmth begin to grow in his chest, a feeling he had not realized until now he associated with Caroline. Before he knew it, he found himself laughing at the table with the group as the music continued to course through the air from the center of the room. Somehow this felt different than trading war stories with Silas under the musty beams of the Wilted Rose. For the first time, in recent memory, the sights and sounds didn't bother him so much.

Ender watched as Aniyoh got up and tried to coax the serving girl into dancing with her among the other patrons who had started to pair off in the open space of the common room. The minstrel transitioned into another lively jig about a donkey and horse locked in a barn together. Lucian wasn't far behind the older witch, a devious smile playing across his handsome features. Ender found himself left alone at the table with both his oldest and newest friends. He hadn't seen Caroline or Silas talk much throughout their first day, but then again, Silas did not talk much with anyone except him.

Ender continued to let the feeling of camaraderie and budding contentment wash over him. The group had an albeit loose plan for presenting Caroline to the King, Aniyoh was free from the sleazy merchant, and he was hopeful the journey would pass without much, if any, need for violence. As much as the vampire disliked sitting and letting his guard down, he found it somewhat easier now that he was surrounded by friends.

"What is this?!" Caroline nearly shrieked from beside him. He thought the look of disgust on her face would be visible to those across the room who heard her screech.

"It's ale, brundah. You don't like it?" Ender said with a chuckle.

"It tastes like warm feet!" she said, pushing the pint away from her.

Silas laughed, taking the girl's glass to replace the one he already drained. "And you know what warm feet taste like then do ya miss?" he teased.

Caroline gave the old man a sidelong glance before cracking a dazzling smile, "Well, no, but it is what I imagine warm feet would taste like if you bottled it up, put in a mug, and sold it to thirsty sailors."

"Aye, that's a fair assessment," Silas said with a nod, tilting his glass at the girl, "you get used it though."

"That's grim Silas," Ender said, but neither he nor Caroline could keep the laughter from escaping. "Tell me, my friend," he continued, "you've been around a long time Silas, what do you think of the plan for Caroline to present a peace offering to the King?"

Silas took a long draught of his ale before answering, "It is not without merit. You know as well as I do son, peace is a dream of the youth. Live long enough, and you learn that it will eventually come to the sword."

"Aye, but we will try negotiating first. We have the leverage," Ender replied. He noticed Caroline shifting in her seat, growing uncomfortable at the discussion.

"You'll need more than a pretty face and magical powers to win over the King, lad. Soldiers, men, horses, some show of force will be needed for Undair to take you seriously," said Silas.

Ender nodded slowly, mulling over the old man's words. "Thank you, Silas. I will think on that." he finished hoping to put the conversation to bed. There had been enough plotting and scheming while they rode into the town.

He looked over to Caroline, who was standing up and brushing off her pale blue dress, though it did not look rumpled in the slightest to him. She fingered the braid hanging over her shoulder in a nervous gesture before muttering, "Excuse me, I just need some air," before exiting the raucous room quickly.

"Strange girl," the old man said with a shrug before downing Caroline's abandoned drink.

Ender thought Silas looked slightly relieved at the girl's departure but dismissed the idea when a serving girl approached with another ale for the human. Lucian and Aniyoh returned to the table, back to squabbling like an old married couple. The calm he had felt earlier was rapidly dissipating in favor of nervous tension.

"Where's Cari?" Aniyoh said brightly, cheeks flushed after her exertions on the dance floor. The witch's expression faded to concern almost as if she could sense the unease between them.

"Went out for air," Silas mumbled behind his glass.

"I think I will too," Ender said quickly returning to his ordinarily stoic demeanor before weaving through the small crowd of revelers without so much as a backward glance to his confused compatriots.

As soon as the door opened, the vampire, greeted with fresh salty air, found his mind begin to clear substantially. He knew there was some truth to Silas' words and began to run through different scenarios in his mind while he searched around the outside of the inn for Caroline.

Around the back of the building, he saw the road they had traveled on earlier that day. A long sloping beach lay beyond that, small waves lapping at the shore. It was quite lovely in the moonlight but also practically defenseless should he be attacked.

Had Ender been human, it would have been nearly impossible to pick out Caroline's tiny form standing in the sand under the moon, her cascading hair unbound now and blowing gently in the breeze. She shone like a beacon in the night to his vampire's eyes.

With lightning speed he had not been born with, Ender reached Caroline in mere seconds. Not wanting to startle her, he stopped a few yards back and walked at a slower pace through the thick sand. Ender did not mind the sea at night. It was less offensive to his eyes during the day as well as quieter than the stuffy inn.

But the area was vast and open, and under the night sky, it made him vulnerable. Any vampire could approach him, and without any cover, he would be hard-pressed to protect both him and Caroline. A breeze blew his red-gold curls away from his face, but Ender was grateful for the light wind blowing. It sent the sickly intoxicating scent of Caroline away, making it far easier to ignore the growing hunger pains.

"I knew you would come for me," the witch said without turning around.

"I'll always come for you," he said, approaching her from behind and taking her small hand in his gently. He thought of how fragile she was and how mindful he must be of his strength, worried that one ill-timed movement could cause her serious injury.

"You won't hurt me, Ender," she said quietly, still staring at the sea. Pale moonlight was reflecting off the water, highlighting her soft cheeks and round eyes. She looked like an otherworldly creature, delicate and beautiful, but powerful and terrifying at the same time. Not for the first time did he marvel at the paradox before him.

He briefly wondered if Caroline could hear his thoughts but was coming to understand that she was simply beginning to know him. She knew what could not be summed up in mere words. Caroline saw his actions and knew them to be his way of speaking to her.

"No, I won't," he said reassuringly, almost to himself. "I am sorry if the discussion was upsetting to you back in the inn," he said.

She looked up at him from her place at his side and gripped his hand more tightly in hers. "The conversation didn't upset me; it was...Silas," she said. "He wasn't lying, but I could sense something in his words. There was a hesitancy that I can't place my finger on," she said with a frown. Ender had almost forgotten about her ability to discern the truth. She must be becoming more adept at the skill he thought.

"He's an old man, brundah, the only thing Silas does quickly is drink. I trust him, though, and he will help keep you safe." Ender replied.

"I can keep myself safe," she said with a grin, "Aniyoh has been teaching me."

"I do not doubt that brundah," Ender said unable to hide his laughter, "But you and I are bound to one another now, it is my duty to keep you from harm."

"We keep each other from harm," Caroline corrected, leaning her head against the vampire's upper arm. She clearly took his words to mean more than what the contract bound him to. Her scent wafted up to his nose, filling him with a thirst for something she could not give him. He was able to push aside the hunger, though, but barely.

Ender felt like he was constantly fighting two battles. The external forces determined to harm him, and now Caroline, and the battle within himself to temper his hunger. It occurred to him that his words before did mean more than what the contract dictated. A deeper drive forced him to put her well-being before anything else. He focused on the warmth radiating from her skin through the thin linen of his shirt and felt the hunger abate.

Ender reached his opposite arm over and took her small chin in his hand, realizing this was the first time in his life since being made into a cold, bloodthirsty creature, that he cared for someone as he did when he was human. He felt her arm reach around his waist as she turned slowly to face him. It seemed now, the memories of that time before were faded and disjointed.

"I do not want ever to be apart from you, Caroline," was all he could think to say while gazing down at the witch and staring into her crystal eyes.

"You don't have to," she replied. He could feel her breathing become shallow as his face lowered close to hers. Ender wrapped an arm around her slight frame carefully as years of defiance and brutality melted away within him.

"Until my last breath," the vampire whispered.

"Until my last breath," the witch repeated.

Ender lowered his lips to hers, and when they met, the warmth he had been feeling flowed into him as now a fierce heat that he feared might consume them both. Under the light of the moon, her lips met his eagerly, kissing him both softly and with an earnestness that spoke of never letting go. All of the nagging sounds and sensations that flooded Ender's mind every minute of every day faded to a calm void within Caroline's kiss. He could stay there forever. Ender was home.