Laini watched the sky grow darker as Mihr prepared a small fire, signaling the end of a long and disappointing day. An unusually cold breeze swept over them as Laini glared at her surroundings.
"Something is amiss." She whispered. Mihr cracked rocks between his hands but, suddenly, he stopped and the flint tumbled to the ground through his fingers. Laini spun around and stared at him as he rose to his feet. Mihr, also, began to scan the trees for the source of the disturbance. His brow furrowed as he attempted to focus in any single direction.
"Ghost?" She asked.
"No," Mihr said sharply. Suddenly, the sound of hooves came bounding around the corner and, in a single motion, Mihr leaped to grab Laini out of the panicking creature's path. They both stared as it continued to run as fast as its legs could carry it. Mihr suddenly covered his ears in pain, Laini grabbing his shoulders to prop him up. The shrieking was intense it nearly brought tears to his eyes.
"Mihr?!" She yelled.
"A brother..." He grimaced, "He is screaming."
"You can run faster than me, Mihr! If it's the girl--!" Laini pulled him to his feet. Donning his gauntlet, Mihr ran in the direction the horse came from and with a sudden burst of speed, darted between trees, dashed over rocks and limbs and knocking over the weaker timber in his wake. He could hear Laini yelling words, but couldn't make them out as the distance between them grew.
Frantically, he searched ahead of him for the distressed angel, calling to anyone who would hear him. Mihr tried to project to his brother that he was running for him, but the creature was too loud in his ears. Suddenly, he saw the body of a man lift himself up, wiping his mouth with one arm and, to Mihr's horror, clutching the body of a young woman whose head fell onto his chest. Was he too late?
Were they too late?
Mihr skid to a halt and threw a disk of light towards the man. It surrounded him, squeezing his arms tightly to his side and wrapping his legs together. With blood trickling down his mouth, he vainly attempted to thrash his way free, but to no avail. Mihr, with a gesture of his hand, lifted the man to his feet and lashed him to a tree. The tendrils of light now binding the man began to burn into his skin. Slowly.
Mihr caught the girl in his arms before she fell and saw her eyes wide in panic. She's still alive, and with a sigh of relief, held her to his body to keep her warm. Mihr ran a hand along her forehead to measure the extent of the damage. She just looked up at the new man holding onto her, her eyes now relaxing, appearing to be very tired. Mihr's expression changed from gentle worry to incredible wrath as he turned his gaze to the vampire who straightened up, recognizing a real threat when he saw one.
"Well, now. If it isn't the shadow himself." Mihr snarled wagging his finger as a parent would to a disobedient child. "You're in trouble, young man."
"Oh, I didn't notice. Thank you!" the man replied, his eyes still glowing a bright, menacing orange but now, a clear nervous brow crept along his face.
"How much did you take?" Mihr demanded.
"Enough!" The man screamed. "I'm not the only thing prowling these lands, you know and I can't starve myself..."
Mihr lifted his head, the sounds from his anxious brother splitting his ears. In a whispered, mixed voice of his own, barely audible to humans and in a language no mortal creature can recognize, he placed a hand gently on Celeste's chest and assured the angel within that his charge was safe. He waited a moment while the guardian managed to slowly become silent, but it was clear to Mihr that it pained him to retreat. Her heart began to slow and a wave of calm overtook her. She took a deep breath in.
Mihr looked at her and for a moment they stared at each other. She was simply thunderstruck. "Celeste?"
"Who the hell are you?" Celeste's rough manner came through as she regained her composure. Mihr sighed with relief.
"All in due time, my dear." He chuckled and patted her gently on the shoulders. "We have a bit of a situation."
"The hell we do." Celeste squinted at the man lashed to the tree and pointed, shouting as loud as she could in the Lakota language, "Who are you and what did you do to me!?"
The man looked up and laughed in reply "You speak Lakota! That'll make things very interesting."
"I'll show you interesting..." Celeste furiously tried to wriggle free of Mihr, desperate to do any kind of harm to the tethered man.
"Ohanzee Otaktay." A woman's voice broke through the clearing. Celeste stopped fighting long enough to peer over Mihr's shoulder and stared at the black woman who glided past them, her face alight with fury. She suddenly went blank and before she knew it, Celeste was laughing. The three others in the clearing all peered over at her as she tried to muffle the noise with Mihr's shoulder.
"Ohanzee Otaktay? Really?" She glanced at the Lakota man and slapped her face again. His face went dark with anger. She felt herself choke a little but was still giggling with utter glee.
"You have a problem with that, Waisicu?" He sneered.
Laini stepped in between the pair, her rage surpassing his in every respect and the smile she carried on her face was of pure malice. Ohanzee shrunk against the tree, this woman clearly frightened him.
"Well..." he said softly, peering up at her, his head tilted to the side with a smirk, "if it isn't the goddess from on high. Come to mingle with the common folk, have we?"
She slapped him. Hard. His own blood trickled out of a now fresh cut on his cheek and he very simply turned his head slowly back to her. Celeste tightened her grip on Mihr's arm. "I wouldn't be coy now if I were you."
"Apologies." He smiled, licking his lip. "I just thought some reverence was in order."
"I told you the next time we saw you we would kill you." Laini stood up straight and with a tilt of her head, began to think hard. The tension rising with every breath. Mihr cleared his throat, catching Laini's attention.
"What are you doing down this way?" Asked Mihr, Laini cocking an eyebrow. She wanted to know as well. "Stieger last placed you far to the north."
"You really need to ask?" Ohanzee spat. "I thought he finally made an appearance."
"Lies." Laini replied with a hiss.
"Why would I? And why would I risk exposure knowing that you and your ilk are hunting rogues?" He snapped. "Culling the numbers as if we are animals to slaughter..."
Laini's nostrils flared but Mihr cut her off.
"What made you think so? He hasn't been seen or heard from in years." Mihr continued his interrogation.
"A trail of bodies from Cheyenne territory to here." Ohanzee motioned with his head. "There's a clearing just behind us full of bodies and...well, parts of bodies."
"I sense doubt in your voice." Laini sneered. Ohanzee simply smiled.
"Too much-wasted blood..." He chuckled. Laini looked down at him with utter disgust.
"What in the hell are ya'll blatherin' on about?" Celeste asked. The three glanced at her, unsure of what to say. Mihr and Laini exchanged looks. She wasn't laughing anymore and as her strength returned, so too did her attitude.
"Laini..." Mihr groaned. "Perhaps, we can leave the vampire alive for the time being?"
Ohanzee looked genuinely stunned.
"Why would I do that?" She asked indignantly.
"Oh, Mihr. You're a saint." Ohanzee bellowed in feigned praise. The angel snarled in his direction. "I promise, I will sing songs of your gallantry for many days to come."
"I'm not doing it for you." Mihr gave Celeste a light squeeze. Before he left her side, he made sure she was able to stand on her own and walked over to Laini. "I will go confirm his story. If it's true, we can set him free."
"Mihr..." Laini started but he shook his head.
"I don't think a blatant show of violence is a good footing to start on when we haven't even begun to try and convince her to join us. And she has no idea what she's looking at." Mihr whispered at her. "Besides, we let that demon go? What's a vampire compared to that? And this is Stieger's quarry..."
Laini squinted in thought and consideration. Instead of words, she simply sighed in agreement and motioned for him to leave. Mihr vanished into the trees. As he ran behind Ohanzee, he and Laini stood glaring at each other, the tension rising again. Celeste leaned up against her own tree with her hand still on her neck. Her only thoughts were how she must be dreaming, nothing happening is real or she fell off of her horse and hit her head.
Her horse.
"Where's my horse?" She suddenly demanded. Laini and Ohanzee both turned their heads again at her. The tethered Lakota man smiled sheepishly, Laini's eyes blank and unyielding. With this raising of her voice, Celeste felt her head grow lighter and she couldn't feel much in her extremities. She shook her head in an attempt to keep herself from falling over.
Laini took hold of Celeste's face in both her hands. She felt warm and welcoming, despite her obvious irritation at the captured creature tied helplessly to the tree. Celeste also felt something else, something she had never experienced in the touch from another being before. Familiarity. Knowing. Understanding.
The feeling was instantaneous. A sudden sense of kinship that made Celeste feel safe. But she also felt that maybe she shouldn't feel safe. There were so many questions, so many reasons to not feel safe. Especially from the one now cradling her head.
"Who...?" Laini placed the tips of her fingers on Celeste's mouth and gave her a quiet hush. Celeste felt herself stand up a little straighter.
"Answers are coming, I promise. But, first, I need you to just observe for the moment." Laini ensured Celeste could stand well enough on her own again before turning back to Ohanzee who was glaring at them both. Celeste stared back, studying him.
"Ohanzee Otaktay...Shadow that kills many." Celeste thought to herself. An apt name, of course, especially if she finally believes that he is truly a vampire. And a vampire? What to make of that?
The sound of twigs and the three looked over as Mihr wandered back into the clearing, his brow furrowed in thought.
"He wasn't lying." He said. Laini let out an audible and frustrated sigh. "And it's not a vampire. Rather, I can understand why he thought it may have been the Celt, but..."
"Too much blood," Ohanzee repeated. This was a particular point he insisted was important.
"Right..." Mihr glared disapprovingly. Laini lifted her hand to her chin and gave it an inquisitive stroke.
"Well, I'm sure that whatever it is will make an appearance sooner or later. Though..." Laini took another deep breath in, eyes closed and hand still raised. The clearing fell eerily quiet save for a small breeze. But the trees, Celeste observed, didn't move despite the wind. All was still. The girl found herself taking a step back, staring first at the branches and then at Ohanzee as if to ask him what was happening. He simply grinned, amused at her bewilderment.
This woman and this other man. A vampire was one thing, she had a basis for myth at least for what Ohanzee Otaktay was but these. This woman and this man. He, a stunning southern dandy and she, beautiful but dressed in the simple garments of servitude. She, however, was clearly in charge.
Who were these people?