“Sora?” Emma whispered.

  “I’m right here!” Sora called out from behind a box.

  “Shh, keep your voice down. We need to go. Quickly.”

  Sora frowned and looked around the room. “We can’t leave right now. We just got here. I heard the commotion. Can’t we just hide in one of these boxes?”

  “You don’t think those guards will turn over boxes looking for us?” Emma asked and grabbed onto the little girl’s wrist. “Besides, I am not asking. If you wish to stay with me, you have to listen to me.”

  Yet, time was already up. The moment Emma whipped around, she became face to face with a guard. The young man gripped the sword on his waist.

  “And where exactly do you think you’re going?”

  Emma didn’t want the little girl to see more violence. She’d already seen enough, yet she hadn’t the time to worry about potential traumas. It was always something that future Emma could worry about.

  With that resolve in her mind, she summoned her sword, Karck. Using all of the might granted to her by her undeath, she thrust it forward. Cold steel met leather armor. It slid right through, continuing until the tip exited the man’s spine.

  His eyes widened. He looked down at the gaping hole in his chest in disbelief.

  “Close your eyes, Sora.”

  Emma watched the man’s blood flow. It sent an ache into her teeth, and it made her rumble with hunger. It was there she realized that the food from earlier hadn’t truly done anything to sate her. Only this crimson liquid looked appetizing anymore. She checked on the little girl, ensuring she’d hidden her eyes.

  Finding what she wanted, the vampire held back no longer. She sank her fangs into the dying guard’s neck.

  Blood rushed into her body. It filled her with ecstasy. She felt more changes coming along, yet she didn’t have time to dwell on those. Emma simply finished her meal and dropped the remnants to the ground with a thud.

  Another guard rushed over from all of the commotion. He gred at Emma and ran at her with his sword.

  Despite never wielding a sword until recently, Emma knew that the way this guard carried himself was wrong. Everything about his form screamed a novice. There were too many openings.

  The way he carried his sword over his head desperately. The way that he charged recklessly towards danger while screaming.

  “Vampire!”

  Emma slipped into her mist form much easier after her meal. The cold mist fshed forward, until she made herself whole again. Once more, she was met with widened eyes.

  The man hadn’t the time to bring his sword down. His life was ended swiftly by a sword cutting through his neck.

  Emma gripped Sora’s hand and began down the stairs. Two more guards blocked her path. This time, she made Karck into a staff and sent two shards of ice straight through their chests.

  Screams filled the lowest floor of the bar. Everyone looked towards Emma, shouting in horror. Monster. Vampire. Monster. Vampire. Monster. Vampire.

  The only calm was the small tugging hand of the little girl. Emma looked down at her and sighed. How much more torment will she bare?

  In a desperate attempt to escape, Emma flung her staff towards the ground. With both of her hands, she grabbed onto Sora, carrying her like a princess. The vampire leapt onto the staff and used it like a hover board. Ice particles swept the floor in front of her. She slid through the crowd, managing to escape the pursuers and nd outside of the front door.

  “Guards! Chase after her!”

  But Emma didn’t waste any time. The world of frost and snow outside made her feel invincible. She sprinted away with the little girl in her arms.

  It didn’t take her long to shake her pursuers by slipping into an alleyway. When she could no longer hear their feet or calls, she finally decided to set Sora down. “I guess it’s not every day a vampire gets chased around the city.”

  Sora looked up at Emma nervously. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? I got us both to safety didn’t I?”

  Sora shook her head, pulling on Emma’s coat. “I’m not talking about that. They all were calling you a monster.”

  A faint smile graced Emma’s lips, and she leaned down to pat the little girl’s head. “Were you really worried about that? I mean, they’re not exactly wrong.”

  “They are!”

  Emma rushed to cover Sora’s mouth and listened for noises around them, making sure her scream had not been heard. “Listen to me, Sora. You have to be quiet now. The guards will be on alert for a little girl and a monster.”

  Sora removed Emma’s hand changing her tone and lowering her voice, sounding defeated. “You’re not a monster.”

  “Okay, you win. I won’t call myself a monster. Would that make you happy?”

  “You also can’t think about it.”

  “How would you know if I thought about it?”

  Sora grabbed Emma’s cheeks with her hand and squeezed them. “I will know. Your face will give it away. Don’t think that I’m dumb just because I’m a kid.”

  “So you admit you’re a kid now? Earlier you were all about being a grown up.”

  Sora smiled finally and hugged Emma. “If I admit to being a kid, does that mean you will take care of me?”

  Emma felt a pang in her heart. She dared not to look Sora in the face and turned her head. The vampire frowned and looked at the snow instead. “I’m not someone that will take care of those who don’t wish to care for themselves.”

  Sora circled around, so that she was face to face with Emma. “I see,” Sora said, tilting her head in the process, “is that why you’re looking away?”

  “N-no, I’m looking away because I don’t even want to look at you right now. You’re way too persistent, Sora.”

  The little girl smiled, seemingly figuring out something about Emma in that moment. “Okay, I’ll be quieter for now.”

  “Good.”

  Emma looked around the alleyway, trying to position herself within the city. The only problem was that many of the buildings around her looked the same. It was some kind of housing district for poorer denizens. Each stone building was the same as the next.

  “I guess we can’t stay in this city for too much longer.” The vampire sighed and looked towards the rooftops. “Though, jumping around might not be the best option. Maybe we can steal a horse.”

  Sora’s eyes widened. “You really pn on stealing a horse? Out here, they only have draft horses, so the escape will be slower.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “I learned it from my father. Look at all of this thick snow. Only a draft horse can move through this with ease.”

  Emma once again looked at the little girl, awe stricken. “Are you some kind of savant?”

  “What’s a savant?”

  “Never mind,” Emma said, taking the girl’s hand. “Let’s get out of here.”