Mitzi was huddled against Darius.She didn’t want to be here, she really didn’t.But they had to know for sure if Brady was out there still or if he was truly dead.Zane reassured Mitzi that she was totally safe forever, even if Brady was still alive somewhere.He had wanted her turned into a vampire before they made this journey through the thick forest and to where Brady’s commune had lived, but she wasn’t ready for it yet.“Mitzi,” Darius had groaned, “You are going to get older every day.” He was so afraid that she’d slip through his fingers, lost to the age of time, but even if she were old when she was turned, she’d become young in body again.
“Are you ok?”It was Zane that spoke.His voice was concerned and soft.He looked down at Mitzi with his mercury silver eyes, his disheveled black hair falling into his face.Mitzi was breathing heavy and fast as she looked back at Zane. “Please Zane, do I have to go on?Must I go there?If I tell you how many lived there, can’t you just count the skulls?”
“Its not quite that easy.” Zane stopped and drew Mitzi to him.Darius released her, afraid for her.He knew that Zane had rescued her from this place so many years ago, he knew that Zane could make her feel safe now.Zane had conquered her biggest nightmare.Darius just smiled faintly at Zane as Mitzi began to weep in Zane’s arms.“Mitzi.” Zane put his hand on her head and wrapped her hair in his fingers and he held her to him.“I know it must seem like just yesterday.You have gone through so much, you have survived more than any mortal I know.But, you made it.You had the guts to stand up to me that night.” Zane pulled her away from him so that he could look into her eyes.Hers were glossy and red and she sniffled. He went on. “Me, you stepped forth and spoke to me - without having been asked to speak first.Every human in this empire knows what happens to mortals who speak to the most powerful vampire without being spoken to first.”Mitzi tried to talk but her mind was frozen and her words died before they reached her mouth. She only nodded, looking down so that her hair, after having been mussed by Zane, fell into her face.Zane spoke low and seriously. “Mitzi, I should have set you on fire in front of everyone and let them watch you burn.It would have been slow and torturous.I should have impaled you alive and roasted you.But, I didn’t.I knew you were innocent and faithful to me, and I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Darius grimaced at Zane’s words.He didn’t want to think of poor Mitzi burning alive like that.He did have to agree though with the fact that his best friend and emperor was a very cruel vampire.“Zane…” Mitzi couldn’t seem to finish her thought, or even get it out at all.She shook her head from side to side and her hair fell more into her face.Zane reached up and brushed it away for her.She looked up at him, afraid.
“Mitzi, we need you.Unfortunately, you have to come to the site of where that hut was.” Zane stopped to look intently at her.“My goal was not to instantly incinerate those mongrels that put you through all that you had to go through.It was for them to burn so they felt it.Only you know where the hole out the back was.It is possible that Brady could have slipped through it.”
Mitzi uttered a feeble whimper and shuddered against Zane.He held her and rubbed her back, looking at Darius.Darius looked worried for his poor little human wife.He didn’t want to bring her here anymore than Zane did, or any more than she wanted to be here.He knew what had happened to her here.It nearly brought him to tears when he looked at her shuddering, and all that had happened to her had been nearly twenty years ago.By the way she shivered with fear, you’d think it had been yesterday.“Mitzi,” Zane spoke, “we need to go.There is nothing here, no mortals for a distance.Darius and I will need to feed and we can’t leave you alone.”
“Ok.” Mitzi nodded aggressively, as if her sudden resilience would make the fear go away.“Ok.It isn’t far from here.I remember this path, even though it is so overgrown now.”
