For All Things Eternal

Chapter 5

Two dozen Dhampir now ran towards me from about fifty feet ahead, and behind me now only five feet away were the two Felis gaining on me fast. They had also been turned Dhampir. I had known from the moment I saw them racing behind us, chests still as if they didn't even need to breath. Dhampir had been considered creatures of myth and legend, but rumors had been floating around for years now that they actually did exist. Nobody knew for sure, but I'm now positive that if they had found out the truth, they didn't live to tell the tale. My father would tell me stories when I was younger, before my mother had passed, about them. He would claim they lived in the caves and mountains around Andarius in an attempt to get us to stop sneaking out of town to explore them. It only piqued our interest more.

He told me of how they have an extra set of fangs, hidden behind where our elongated canines sat, and that they had no need to fill their lungs with air because they were considered undead. Like me. Trapped between life and death in a constant state of being. They were immune to diseases and some drank the blood of living things to satiate their hunger. Others simply just needed raw meat to survive or even have a strange power that allows them to feast on people's dreams. Thankfully I had none of those things. I still needed air in my lungs, ate normal food and had no sick craving for blood or dreams. The only thing we have in common is I can't get sick, and if I could I would have been dead by now. That and we undead are damn hard to kill.

I felt a slight flicker down the bond to my shade, giving me the signal that everything is in place. We have a strange link, not one of words but of feeling that allow us to communicate over distances, and the moment the felis had caught up to it I knew that it had taken off in the other direction and turned back to the clearing as well, drawing it away from the rest of the party as they began their ascent up the ridge. Trying to give them time to catch their breath for a moment before making the climb.

My eyes landed on the man I had seen earlier who was inspecting Katar's

body and I found him watching me carefully, gauging my strength, my speed. He let out a quick two tone whistle and all the dhampir surrounding him froze, halting their charge and watching with anticipation. After I was done with these Felis, I knew exactly who my next target would be. As if sensing my thoughts a grin tugged at his lips as he crossed his arms, waiting. Like he was watching a play unfold before him with twisted delight. A snarl escaped my lips as I loosed my hold on my power ever so slightly just as the two felis were about to dig their sharp claws into my back. The world folded around me, cast in shadow, then came back into view with blinding speed.

Suddenly I was no longer being chased by two Felis, but one, and I now stood on the opposite side of the clearing where my shade had been previously. Quickly I dropped into the snow at my feet and slid, extending one leg and grinning as a startled yelp sounded above me. The tan furred Felis went flying overhead, not expecting me to stop so suddenly and hit the ground hard as it tumbled a few feet away. I didn't risk a glance at my shade but knew it was attempting to out maneuver the other two to buy me some time. Before I could blink, a fireball erupted from the trees behind me, slamming into the cat-like creature and setting its fur ablaze. It let out a screech as I leapt to my feet, twirling my blade and slamming one of the ends straight down into its writhing form. It struck the creature right in the heart and I twisted my blade abruptly, not even cringing at the sound of tearing flesh as the creatures screams stopped abruptly.

I whirled to find Corym standing a few feet away, breathing heavily and nothing but anger burning in his eyes. Another flicker whent down the bond to my shade pulling my gaze away to find that Averen and Thalia had taken out one of the other two Felis and were struggling with the last one. Thalia was bleeding heavily from a gash to her thigh and Averen had taken a hit to the face, giving him one gnarly black eye.