Just Another Slave Story

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

3 years later. 

I crouched on the low lying tree branch aiming my bow at a buck less than 5 yards away. Calming my breath I let the arrow loose just as a pinecone fell from the branch above me alerting the buck to my presence before he ran away. 

I cursed; I hadn't been able to catch anything in days. Hopefully my traps would have something for my starving belly. I made the rounds checking all five traps coming out with only a single rabbit for my trouble. It wasn't much but it would do, at least I only had myself to feed. 

It had been three years since I fled my childhood home. For two of those years I had studied vigorously under the tutelage of Captain Theodore. He taught me how to make my own bow, and how to make the traps that provided me with dinner tonight. He taught me what plants were useful, and how to defend myself with only my hands or a small dagger. He had helped me learn the skills I needed to survive. 

Of course, at the beginning I thought he was crazy. I was a lady. There was no way I was going to fight and live in the wilderness. My tune changed very quickly when I learned I was to catch my own sustenance if I wanted to survive. He said he wouldn't waste his time on me if I wouldn't cooperate. 

Theodore became a second father to me. He had saved my life and I would never forget that. I paid him back the only way I could, by growing stronger. Of course, it didn't last. One day I was out on a hunting trip when I heard a shrill whistle/shriek. It was one of our signals. It meant "vampires: run".  

That was the one promise he had made me swear too. If we were ever found I was to run. There was no way we could fight them off. They were too strong. Right then I had to make the hardest decision of my life. 

I disobeyed. 

I couldn't run fast enough. Sprinting as quickly as I could I headed to where our camp was. As I neared the tree we had set a hollow in I got chills across the back of my neck. It was too quiet. The tears were already coming to my eyes as I scrambled into the hollow. Please let them have taken him alive I thought to myself. That was not to be. Theodore was lying flat on his back with his eyes staring unseeing into the ceiling. There were two circle punctures in his neck and his skin was pale as snow. They had drunk him dry. My anger could not be contained in that moment. I cursed the entire vampire race to hell. 

I could not stop the tears. I had not cried since two years before. I was officially alone in the world. My savior was no more. I had buried him and though I felt guilty I did not leave him his sword as a warrior deserved. I vowed to teach myself sword craft, the one thing he had not allowed me, and kill those that had taken his life.  

That was exactly a year ago today. Maybe that's why I'm thinking about it so much. Today was my 18th birthday. I hadn't remembered until I finished burying him what the day was. That was the day I lost hope in any heavenly body looking out for me. 

I had decided a few weeks ago that today would be the perfect day to take revenge. Exactly a year since his death, I would kill as many vampires as possible. I had no idea what vampires exactly had killed him, but that didn't matter in my mind. I would make as many suffer as possible before I was brought down. 

What better place to do this than at my old home Baylean Manor, now home to second son of the vampire King. He would be my target. The plan was perfect. They probably knew about the secret passage under the castle by now, so I would go during the day when the vampires were asleep. Of course they had shifter guards who kept watch at this time, but I knew one last secret about the manor that they would never know. 

There was a hole at the base of one of the towers that housed the master suite. I had discovered it when I was a very young girl. I had been playing hide-and-seek with a childhood playmate (before I grew out of such nonsense) when I hid in between a bush and the tower wall. I heard footsteps coming towards me and in my excitement I fell back against the wall. Never had I expected the bricks to collapse behind me. 

I was amazed with my discovery. Being a selfish child I told no one about my hideout. As the years went by I realized that hole was at the base of the stairs that led to the master suite. There were no guards in between those two points as there was only one door to the tower and that was guarded from the other side. 

I would use this secret to exact my revenge. 

The plan worked flawlessly as I smuggled my onto the castle grounds. There was one close call as I saw a panther patrolling the area around the manor, but I soon made it to the hole. My heart let out a cry of relief when the bricks still gave after years of not being used. 

I stealthily made my way up the winding staircase and reached the room in no time at all. At this point nerves began to take hold of me but I banished them from my mind. Inching the door open I let my eyes get grow used to the dim lighting. As my eyes adjusted I was shocked by what I saw. There was a bed in the center of the room, and on it was the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life. Was he a vampire? He looked so human. 

Steeling my heart I pushed that thought aside. This monster would be my first kill and then I would take down as many of his subjects as possible before I was killed. I knew I would not survive this day and I was alright with that. 

I finally gathered my courage and made my way towards the sleeping figure. Slipping a knife out of my boot I approached the bed with shaking hands. There would be no going back after this. Looking at the creatures face one last time I prepared to plunge the knife into his heart. I stopped in mid thrust as my body froze with shock. His eyes were open and he was looking straight at me. An enormous pain erupted in my head and I quickly blacked out. My last thought was one of sheer terror.  

He had been smiling.