Taking the road out of Ammeldorf, past the village’s half-ruined walls, one walks through a stretch of isolated farms. The dirt road out of town passes by fields of subsistence crops. But this sight is short-lived, for the farmland ends swiftly and the forest begins, soon to engulf any traveler. In the dusk, the treeline looks like an array of spears impaling the last remnants of a dying sun.

  Vadja walked to the left of her captor, slightly behind him. What an aggravating bastard, this vampire was. His casual gait and lazy smile, the fact that he showed no worry for her escape – infuriating.

  “You’re waiting for the night to take hold, aren’t you?” Vadja said, breaking a long silence as the trees engulfed them. The question was more rhetorical than anything. “Once the last dregs of the sun are gone and darkness has seized the skies, your true power will return, will it not?”

  “Are you trying to show off your knowledge of my kind, mongrel?” The vampire turned to look at her to offer an obnoxious smirk. “I remain unimpressed.” He looked away. “But you’re right of course. It’s the only reason we’ve been traveling by foot. I would never choose by preference to conduct business before nightfall, but I couldn’t give your peasant compatriots time to prepare, could I? They’ve come to expect us after nightfall, but they must learn – they’re never safe.”

  “You certainly attracted a crowd, menacing those people in the waning hours of day,” Vadja replied, looking ahead into the deeper forest. A pause, then she spoke again. “Do give me your name, so I can mark your grave properly.”

  The vampire laughed. “Oh, finally some wit from you. Good. I’ll tolerate threats if they’re entertaining. My name is Lothar. Now, do me the same kindness.”

  She stopped in her tracks, looking at Lothar with her bestial eyes. “Vadja.”

  “Good dog,” Lothar purred, grinning with his wicked fangs. “Well, Vadja, it’s almost time to -”

  Without warning Vadja pounced like a wild cat, leaping fully into her captor and sinking her claws into his neck. Snarling, Lothar pushed her off and she hit the ground. It stung, but she got back on her feet just in time dodge the vampire’s sword.

  “Bitch!” He screamed. “I’ll save my mistress the trouble of killing you!”

  Charging forward, Lothar reached out to grab Vadja’s throat only for her to catch his hand in her maw. She bit down, savouring the feeling of ripping flesh with her own teeth. Such an enticing taste. The Beast within quivered in excitement.

  Lothar swung his sword at her head, but she reacted in time. Letting go of her enemy’s hand, Vadja dodged away. The blade only cut her cheek. She fell onto her back, however, and Lothar pressed the advantage. He leapt onto her, Vadja catching his blade with her hands. The edge cut into her palms but she held firm.

  “You know, I almost admire how hard you fight,” Lothar said, voice low and hoarse. “You look positively beautiful with blood flowing from your fangs. Alas, my allegiances lie elsewhere – as do yours!”

  Vadja snarled, her grip tightened around Lothar’s sword. It cut deeper into her hands as he put ever more force behind his weapon. But a desperate knee to Lothar’s gut solved the problem. With the inhuman force behind her strike, Vadja pushed him off her. Landing on his feet, Lothar swayed for a moment before raising up his blade again.

  “Oh why did you have to be a dog of the Church?” He groaned. “You’re wasted doing the bidding of humanity’s shepherds. In the right hands, you could be such a lovely weapon.”

  Rising to her feet, Vadja cracked her neck to the side and spit blood from her mouth.

  “I was born with a Beast inside,” she said. “It threatened to rule me. But now it is tamed. You want to know why I’m not flocking to your side, why I won’t fawn over you, you self-satisfied prick? Because I am in charge of my own fucking life! My mind is my own, my body my own, my soul my own! By the grace of God I am in control! Go to hell!”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  With a roar, Vadja charged, ready to tear out Lothar’s throat. But just as the two were about to collide, they were forced apart. A steed charged through, hitting them both. As the mount wheeled around, Vadja pushed herself off the ground and stared at the rider.

  That brat from the village. Fucking hell.

  Pepin von Achen, clad in chain mail, drew his sword to point it at Lothar. His horse stomped the ground with its hoof, as if to help its master’s attempt at intimidation.

  “You think you can insult my family’s realm and the people in it?” Pepin shouted. “Prepare to return to the depths, fiend!”

  As the boy raised his sword, Vadja stepped in front of his mount and stared him down.

  “Leave,” she growled. “For your own sake, leave. You’re still a child. You have no chance at surviving this fight, let alone winning.”

  “Does honour mean nothing to you?” Pepin demanded. “This monster is mine!”

  Lothar chimed in. “Listen to the boy, will you, dog? Let him have his glorious battle. I’m sure his family will be so very proud.”

  The vampire let out a harsh, choking laugh.

  Pepin’s face twisted in rage. “You devil!”

  Before Vadja could react, the boy charged on his steed. She rolled to the side, unable to avoid being trampled. Pepin entered into a melee with Lothar. The vampire easily dodged the wild swings of his sword. Grabbed the reins of Pepin’s horse, Lothar yanked them. It panicked and Pepin struggled to stay in the saddle. Lothar wrapped his free hand around the horse’s neck and twisted. With a last pathetic whinny, Pepin’s steed gave out. Its corpse fell crumpled to the ground and Pepin tumbled off.

  Vadja ran intercept Lothar, but the vampire moved too fast. He pinned the boy down and dug his fangs into Pepin’s throat. Before he could drain the boy, a swift kick from Vadja knocked Lothar away. The vampire gained his footing at once. His mouth was painted crimson, blood covered his lips and chin. Pepin’s jugular bled freely, spurting from torn flesh.

  Inside Vadja, the Beast grew drunk on that metallic scent, aching to deal death. The lusts of the animal within and human outrage at the taking of an innocent life mingled into the single-minded need to annihilate her enemy.

  Claws raked Lothar’s face and left gashes over his high cheekbones. Snarling, he grabbed Vadja by the throat and lifted her into the air. She struggled for breath, gnashing her teeth. The edges of her vision darkened.

  “Stupid little mutt,” Lothar said in a voice like grinding stones. “Never lose your composure in battle.”

  Vadja stared down her enemy with luminous, bloodshot eyes. Her lips twisted into an unhinged grin.

  “I’m going to fucking break you,” she growled, low and quiet. “I’ll tear your body into a thousand pieces and scatter them to the wind.”

  “You’ll do no such thing,” Lothar snapped. “Your insults and threats are pointless. You’re dead -”

  Filled with desperate strength, Vadja wrapped both her hands around Lothar’s lower arm, below the hand that was strangling her. She channeled all her remaining strength and jerked her hands up. A sickening snap filled her ears, followed by the sound of Lothar’s agony. Just as intended, she had broken his arm. Bone jutted out of his mangled flesh. He lost his grip on Vadja and she tumbled into the dirt.

  Lothar stumbled to his feet, swaying a little with each step.

  “Bitch!” He cried. “My mistress will make you beg for death!”

  “Then let her come and fight me herself,” Vadja shot back.

  Deep, ragged breaths filled her lungs. She was not any more steady on her feet than Lothar.

  “Oh, you’ll see her soon enough.” Lothar’s voice returned to that earlier condescension. “Goodbye for now, dog.”

  The vampire’s body started to dissipate, transforming into protean darkness. The shadowy mass he became twisted in turn into a swarm of bats. Leathery wings beat a flight into the skies. Their chittering and flapping filled the air, leaving no trace of Lothar for Vadja to pursue.

  Closing her eyes and clenching her fists, Vadja took a deep breath. The Beast’s rage began to recede. She turned to Pepin. The boy lay on the ground, alive but just barely – breathing shallow, brow drenched in sweat, hands clutching his neck to staunch the blood.

  Vadja took her sword and cut off a length of cloth from her cloak. She walked to the wounded youth, lifted up his head and removed his hand from the wound on his throat, then wrapped the length of cut cloth around his neck. Tying it at the end, Vadja looked at her makeshift bandage and sighed.

  “There’s little I can do for you,” she whispered.

  It would endanger the locals for her to return to Ammeldorf – that vampire bastard would just show up again to threaten them. But perhaps she put him in the mood to retaliate. There were no safe options at this point.

  Pepin coughed, spitting up droplets of blood.

  “Take me to my father,” he rasped. “Once we’re out of the woods, we go east. You must take me.”

  “Very well,” Vadja replied. “I’ll have to carry. This won’t be comfortable for either of us.”

  Still kneeling over him, Vadja lifted the boy up in her arms. The added weight was little burden to her. He may have been the same size as her, but her curse brought with it great strength. Men twice as large as Vadja could not hope to match her sheer might.

  The trek began. Vadja took the trail Lothar had been following, headed for the far end of the forest. Eyes trained forward, she marched. Trees loomed, their limbs rustled. Cold pervaded and the nocturnal winds brought the distant scent of carrion.

  The coming days would be full of death, there was no avoiding it. God willing, hers would not be among them.