Lee didn't know what awakened her from her dream that night. This time there were vampires in her dream, and a lot of details. She could still hear the song ringing in her ears.
When she shot out of bed after waking from her nightmare, she saw Heero staring out the window.
"Heero? What's going on?" She stepped up behind him and saw an angry group of people standing at the entrance to the inn. The light from their torches flickered over their faces, making them look menacing. In the middle of them were four people, each carrying a body.
"Four people were just killed by vampires. They're blaming it on our presence."
"That's ridiculous!" Lee cried. She watched as Catherine tried to ward them off.
Then, there was a thumping sound at their door. Heero whipped out a dagger from no where and approached the door cautiously. Lee stood back and left him to his work.
"Let us in!"
Lee breathed a heavy sigh of relief; it was Quatre.
Heero opened the door and let Quatre and Trowa in then locked it tightly behind them.
"What's going on?" Quatre gasped. "Why are they after us?"
"They think the vampires were angered by our presence. Four people were just bitten." Heero explained. Quatre glanced out the window and gasped.
"Please, this is not their fault!" Catherine cried.
"Yes it is!" Cried a man in the mob. "The vampires are disturbed by their presence. We have to give them what they want!"
"Please! This is madness!" Catherine screamed. "Go home, all of you!"
"Nonsense! If it weren't for them, the vampires would not be angry with us! And they wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your inn!" The man turned to the group. "Burn it down! And arrest that woman!"
"NO!" But the mob closed in on Catherine and grabbed her and dragged her away. Then they tilted their torches to the wooden house and set it a blaze.
"Oh my God! What are we going to do!" Lee shrieked.
"Stay calm," Heero ordered. He grabbed all his stuff and ran out of the room. The other three followed suit. Heero took them to a back window and he jumped out.
"Are you crazy?" Lee screamed.
"It's the only way out of here without being mauled!" Heero said from below. "Now jump!"
Quatre and Trowa jumped out the window, but Lee had a few problems. She finally got the nerve when the roof started collapsing. She leapt out the window and Heero caught her. He put her back down on her feet and started to lead them away. But they were too late. The mob had surrounded the building and they closed in on the group.
The four bunched together, hoping to defend themselves, but there were too many angry villagers.
They were pulled apart and one person grabbed Lee, while others surrounded Quatre, Heero and Trowa and tied them up.
"Why are you doing this?" Quatre cried. "What have we done?"
"You've come to slay the vampires! And they know that! You've angered them, they demand your blood!"
"Oh no…" Lee whined. "What are you going to do?"
"The vampires demand a sacrifice!" The man screamed over the noise of the crowd. Heero, Quatre and Trowa looked at her with terrified eyes. She didn't like their expressions.
"W-what does that mean?"
"They going to present their monthly sacrifice, and only young, female virgins are eligible."
"Oh my God! They do it every full moon! The old woman said the full moon is tomorrow! This was what she was warning us about!" Lee exclaimed. Then that meant that they were going to present her to the vampires! Well, she wouldn't let them. Lee started to kick and scream and claw and bite. Anything she could think of to get away from them. The guys were safe until after the sacrifice, but she...there was almost no escape for her.
She tried in vain to get away, but failed at all her attempts. Finally, someone hit her over the head with something hard and she was knocked unconscious.
Lee woke in a cold cell; the sun was just beginning to rise. Her bag was gone, and she was wearing a beautiful white gown. It came off the shoulders and hugged her chest, and flowed around her feet at the bottom. Someone had done her hair and carefully propped her up so she wouldn't ruin it. The outfit even came with shoes.
She would have looked gorgeous, if it were not for her puffy eyes and red face from all the crying she was doing.
Her so-dark-green-it-was-almost-black hair was out of its usual ponytail. Parts of it were crimped and on her forehead was a tiara that was decorated with jewels resting against her head. Flowers were woven through braids in her hair and it was topped off with sparkles on her hair and face.
This was what they would present her in. She would only have to wait a few more hours before the vampires would come and the Dark Lord would kill her. At least, maybe, she would get to see the vampires' castle. Unless the Dark Lord himself descended from the mountain and killed her right there.
She prayed that the guys would be able to save her.
She crossed her legs in front of her and hugged her knees. She cried there until noon, when food came.
"Eat up, you want your blood to be full and sweet when the vampires come for you." The man said. He snickered and slid the food through the opening in the door. Lee glared at him until he left and refused to take the food.
She just stared at the meal, she wouldn't give the vampires the pleasure of drinking from her and getting a good meal. Maybe then they'd get really pissed and destroy the entire village.
She buried her face in her knees and stared to sob.
Quatre looked out the barred window of the cell the three boys had been thrown into. The sun had started to set, and they would take Lee away any minute now. They would probably see her being taken to the sacred grounds where they would tie her up and leave her for the vampires.
Heero had managed to get their shackles off, and was working on the door. They had been knocked out for hours, and had lost valuable time. They would have to save Lee before it was too late. Quatre froze when he heard the sound of trumpets. The ceremony was beginning!
"Hurry up, Heero!" Quatre hissed, "We only have until the sun sets!"
"I know!" Heero growled back, but this lock has been enchanted."
Trowa and Quatre watched helplessly as Heero fiddled with the lock. They looked out the window and saw that people were already heading down to the grounds. Soon they would catch a glimpse of Lee, right before she was left to be the meal of the vampire’s Dark Lord.
"Get up, girl." The man came in and opened the door. Lee stood up on shaky feet and waited.
"Its time," He said. Lee froze in fear. She couldn't move. Finally, the man pushed her out the door. Outside two more people grabbed her and they practically dragged her down the streets.
The villagers cheered from their houses, and many came with them down to where they would leave her. They crowded around and sneered at her, pointing their fingers and glaring. Lee could hardly stand it. She looked behind her and saw Quatre and Trowa standing at the window to a prison cell. It was too late for her now, she knew. The guys would never be able to get out in time. It would only be a few short hours before she died.
They went down a hill, deep into the forest and to a small clearing. In the clearing was a wooden post, with a crossbeam across the top. The beam was made of metal and had two shackles attached. The people holding her pushed her up against the pole and locked her hands in the shackles.
Then, a preacher of some sort came forward and started muttering strange words in another language. Then he dripped Holy Water on her, or something similar, and people cheered.
"May our village be safe for another moon!" The Preacher cried. The crowd cheered and Lee lost consciousness once again.
Lee heard two soft thuds from around her and slowly opened her eyes. She saw two blurry figures standing next to her and they were talking softly.
"Quatre?" She wondered when she saw that one of them was blonde.
"Your friends can't save you now." Said the blonde, but it was a woman. "Untie her!" The blonde ordered.
The second figure leapt forward and took off the shackles.
"We'll take her to Duo from here. And no snacking!" She warned. Lee allowed her eyes to focus and saw the advisor from the elfin village, Dorothy, and a second vampire with her. The other was a male, with short black hair and brown eyes and a black mustache.
The second vampire picked her up and started to fly off, Dorothy followed.
When Lee finally processed the situation in her mind, it was too late to try and escape. They were flying high above the ground and spiraling steadily up the mountain. She gasped and held on tighter to the vampire holding her, her snickered at her.
"I see you’re awake," Said Dorothy as she flew alongside them. "Stay that way, The Dark Lord prefers it when his prey struggles." Both Dorothy and the other vampire laughed. Lee could feel tears as they began to sting her eyes. She didn't want to die this way!
She saw a castle in the cliff side coming towards them. It was, without a doubt, the vampires' castle. The two flew in a large window and landed in a big circular room.
It was well lit by torches and had a pale rug on the floor. In the center was a thick stone table with locks for her arms and legs attached. The edges were decorated with an intricate pattern, and Lee was sure she could make out bloodstains near where the neck would go. But maybe she was just imagining things.
The male vampire set her down on the table and quickly snapped her arms and then her legs into the cuffs. He snickered at her once again and then left. Now only Dorothy remained.
"Good evening," She smiled, "My name is..."
"Dorothy, I know." Lee cut her off, turning her head to try and hide the tears.
"How would you know?" Dorothy asked, confused.
"I saw you at the elfin village outside Maroon." Lee said. She hoped that by keeping the vampire talking, she could extend her life.
Dorothy only smiled and said, "The Dark Lord will be here shortly. Enjoy the last moments of your life." Then she turned on her heel and left. Lee's breath got caught in her throat and her chest tightened. She closed her eyes tightly, and then jumped when she heard a door open. There was a swooshing sound and she felt a presence hovering beside her.
Lee forced her eyes open and found herself staring into a pair of bloodshot violet eyes. It was the Dark Lord.
He looked no older than she was, maybe seventeen or eighteen years old. He had long, chestnut brown hair in a braid and unruly bangs. He wore black clothes and a black cape with a mischievous grin that reminded her of the brat who lived down the street from her.
The Dark Lord grinned and in an instant jumped onto the table. He was right over her now, straddling her at her hips. He looked at her and then he pushed the hair out of her face and off her neck. Lee was too afraid to do anything; she couldn't even cry or scream. She wanted to scream for help, but her voice was stuck in her chest. Lee took a deep breath as she saw the smile fade off his lips and he leaned forward, heading for her neck.
With one gentle hand, he tilted her head, allowing him greater access to her neck and lowered his mouth to her. She prepared herself for the death. She wondered what it would feel like to be bitten on the neck and then to have your life sucked right out of your veins. She wondered if it would hurt, if it would go numb or if it would tingle, she wondered if she would be able to scream. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't what she got.
She felt a sharp prick of his teeth and the pressure on her skin, and then it just...stopped. The pressure remained, but the pain faded away. He sat back up and looked into her eyes. Lee was gasping for breath, wondering if he was finished, and why she wasn't dead yet. His eyes seemed to radiate warmth that wasn't expected there. He took his hand again a pushed the hair from in front of her eyes. His violet eyes bore into her, and Lee wanted nothing more than to look away, but she found that she could not.
After a moment, he laughed to himself and sighed. "I must be out of my mind," He said, "Dorothy is going to kill me."
Lee was very confused, and she searched his face for something to give her a clue as to what was happening. He stared back at her, and then slipped off the table. He started pacing back and forth while muttering to himself.
"I'm going out of my mind," He muttered, "What am I thinking? I can't do this! It's not right! It's not fair! What's wrong with me? Why can't I do it?" He looked at Lee and grinned.
"You are one lucky chick." He smirked, "You caught me on a bad day." He stepped back up to her side. He saw a cut under her hair, and pushed the hair back to examine it. It was probably the result of when someone knocked her over the head.
"Did they do this to you?" He asked. Lee couldn't answer; her voice was still gone.
With one quick and painless swipe of his hand, the Dark Lord reopened the cut and watched the blood flow out with interest. Now Lee was finally able to gasp in enough air to let out a shuddered sob.
"Relax," The Dark Lord sighed. He waved his hand over the cut and it closed again. Then he wiped up the excess blood with his finger and licked it off. Lee shut her eyes again, and the flood of teams came flowing down her cheeks.
"Oh, please don't do that." The Dark Lord begged. "I promise I won't hurt you."
Lee wasn't sure if she believed him or not, but either way she couldn't stop crying. He lowered his face again and kissed her cheeks, wiping away the tears. Lee shivered at his touch. His hands were like ice and so were his lips. Plus, she wasn't too thrilled about being kissed by a vampire.
The Dark Lord sighed and sat up. "DOROTHY!" He bellowed. His sudden outburst made her wince.
The door opened again and Dorothy pranced in. Her devious smiled disappeared when she saw that Lee was still alive.
"What's wrong My Lord?" She asked. "Not hungry still?"
The Dark Lord shook his head. "I can't do it," He sighed.
Dorothy's frown deepened. "My Lord," She scolded, "You realize the only way you can..."
"I know!" He cried, "Just...just get her out of here. Give her a room somewhere."
Dorothy curtsied and said, "As you wish, My Lord." Her wicked grin returned as she stepped aside and watched the Dark Lord stalk out. She then stepped up to Lee and undid her restraints. "Perhaps..." She said, and then she trailed off. Her expression was thoughtful as she helped Lee up and led her by her arm out of the room.
Lee was completely silent as she followed Dorothy through a maze of hallways and to a narrow spiral staircase that took them up a tower. At the top was a small door. Dorothy opened it and ushered Lee inside.
"This your room. We'll bring meals up to you here until we are instructed otherwise. Don't try to leave. It’s impossible, I assure you."
Lee didn't say anything as she stepped into the room and watched Dorothy slam the door behind her. She listened as the echoes of her footsteps died away.
Lee turned and examined the room.
It was circular, as well, and to the right was a door leading to a brightly-lit bathroom. There was a canopy bed against the far wall of the room, right next to the window. To the left of the door was a dresser with a mirror sitting on a rug. Two tall candles sat on either side of the dresser. There was also a desk to the right of the bed, directly across from the door, sitting on yet another red rug. On the desk were quill pens sitting next to a jar of ink, and paper was set out nicely in the center. The rest of the room was pretty much empty, except for the torches on the walls and the red rug with yellow trim in the middle of the floor and the nightstand next to the bed.
Lee approached the bed and ran her hand over the velvet scarlet blanket and white silk sheets. She pushed on the mattress and the pillows. The pillows were stuffed with feathers, and the mattress was equally as soft. She walked into the bathroom and saw that everything was made of marble with gold finishings.
The tub had no tap, just like the one in the inn, but it was already full of warm, bubbly water. She wondered if all the bathtubs were enchanted or something. She ran her hand over everything in the room and examined it. She couldn't help but feel relieved for having been spared, but she was afraid too. She thought maybe there was a worse fate ahead of her.
She sat on the edge of the bed and stared out the window. She could see the flickering lights of Terra valley below the castle. She despised that town more than anything in the world. She wanted to see it burn; maybe she could burn it down herself if she ever got out of the vampires' castle.
She lay down on the bed and stared up at the red canopy. She felt so tired that, after a moment, she fell asleep.
