chapter 2- Hope you like it. Please vote. If you find an error don't hesitate to point it out, the only way I'll learn is if I know what I did wrong. I'm introducing some new characters. Let me know if they need stories of their own.
mac
000
Keslur landed his mount not too far from the Rusty Bucket. He watched quietly from the shadows of a tree as Bets, the barmaid, walked out. She sighed and headed toward a small path in the woods, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"You be careful now!" Nan called from the door. "If you see a walker you come running back this way. You hear?"
"I heard. I promise." Bet's called back over her shoulder. "See you in a week."
"I'm glad things are starting to slow down." Nan told Egan as he came to stand behind her.
"Yep. Poor girl needs a break." Egan said. "I'm glad we managed to get her to take some time off."
"I can't wait to throw her a birthday party!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "Carrot cake."
Keslur smiled as he watched them walk back into the inn. This was just too easy. He hopped off his mount and sent it off. He wouldn't need the thing for now. He sped up a bit and caught up to Bets. He walked a few steps behind her and thanked his lucky stars he was a vampire. No one had ever heard him sneak up on them.
He smiled as he watched her generous backside swish in that sexy unconscious way that some women had. He loved how she looked. She was only about five foot two but she was very curvy in all the right places. Keslur had never really liked women that were skinny. Every time he looked at a skinny woman he just wanted to go and offer her a sandwich.
"It's not up for discussion Bets." He heard the girl mimicking someone, perhaps Nan. "Fifty years in this boring, stupid, place. I've got to get out of here!"
Bets stopped suddenly, picked up a rock, and threw it at a tree. Keslur's eyebrows raised up high as he watched the rock actually embed itself in the tree. That was different.
Keslur heard Bets groan as she caught sight of a walker shambling toward her, the sound having drawn it. He raised his eyes to the thing and started to push at its mind when Bets distracted him.
"You're a bit close to town. Poor baby. Are you lost?" Bets said to the walker. She went and patted it on the head like one would a dog. "Come on. Let's get you back to the woods."
Bets smiled at the walker. She took his hand and led him quite a bit deeper into the woods and pushed him toward a few others that were milling about. He went easily enough. The walkers always liked to be together anyway. Bets might bad mouth them in front of the others in the village because she didn't want anyone to find out that she didn't have any problems with them. But unlike anyone else she knew she'd never killed one in her life. She always tried her best to get them to stick to the woods, away from the most populous parts of the village and its surroundings.
"I'm off. Stay in the woods." Bets blew them a kiss and headed off to her own home.
Keslur was intrigued by this. He remembered at the inn how she'd spoken to Ni about killing them and here she was making sure they didn't actually get killed. So she secretly didn't mind the undead, probably even liked having them around. She seemed an affinity with them. They hadn't tried to attack her at all.
"What the hell?" Bets asked and then flipped around to look up at Keslur. "Who the hell are you?"
"You couldn't have heard me." Keslur said to her.
"You were pushing pretty hard on the mind buttons." She told him dryly.
You're a telepath? He asked her.
I am. She answered back.
"I heard you say you've been here for fifty years. Are you immortal than?" He asked.
"Gods, I love having this conversation." She sighed. "I haven't aged in thirty years, so yeah, I'm probably immortal."
"I think I'm in love." He said with a big smile.
He watched her fingers curl into her hands as if she were holding something round. Then to his amazement he saw fire ignite in both hands.
"My name is Keslur Iceheart of the Bloodborn Vampire clan." He said and pushed back his hood.
Bets could see him clearly in the light of the full moon and she was a bit surprised. He looked like someone that you might see walking down the street. He was handsome in a somewhat aristocratic way with his high cheek bones and hawk like nose, but not intensely so. He had mop of curly dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He was a bit pale but not white. More like maybe he'd been sick recently and now he was starting to get over it.
"You're a vampire?" She asked her fire extinguishing. "Really?"
His entire eyes bled to red and he flashed some fang at her. She swallowed and wanted to take a step back but refused to let herself.
"Gods!" She took a deep breath and let it out. She always gave people a chance though. It's just how she was. "Well, my name is Bettissali Sariel. Everyone just calls me Bets though."
"Sariel?"
"My father's name."
"And he was what?" Keslur asked curiously.
"Beats me." She said with a shrug. "My mother got lost in the woods when she was a teenager and was raped by a," she hesitated, "man."
"You hesitated."
"She was out of her head with fever when they found her. She swore it was a demon but nobody believed her."
"Until you stopped aging."
"Yes. By that time she was dead though."
"I'm sorry."
"She was a good person all her life. She's in a better place now."
"Question for you." He smiled, showing a bit of fang.
"Okay." She really had to wonder why in the name of the nine hells she was standing out in the forest having this strange conversation with this Vampire.
"Would you like to visit your friend Ni?"
"You were one of the men at the inn the other night!" She said accusingly. "What have you done with Ni?"
"She's spending the winter at my Enclave with my friend Danroth."
"Why would she do that?"
"He was very convincing." He told her emphasizing the word very.
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes.
"Come now my dear you have a week off. Wouldn't you like to get away from here?" He smiled a crooked smile.
"I suppose." She said hesitantly.
He laughed with delight and then gave a whistle. His mount, whom had merely been waiting for his call appeared out of the forest. He hopped on and held out his hand.
"On that thing? Are you crazy?" Bets asked horrified.
"Have you ever flown?"
"No."
"You'll love it. It's exhilarating." He reached out and hauled her onto the mount in front of him. "Hold on."
He didn't even wait for her to say she would join him. Of course he had to be right. Flying was one of the most fun things she'd ever done. Scary but fun. Keslur's mount was fast and the scenery seemed to just wiz by. After a few minutes he took off his cloak and wrapped it around her.
"I don't need it." She told him.
"You will."
Keslur dipped the mount steeply, pulling it up when they were a mere few feet from the ground. He guided it into the portal that Aiden had waiting for him and heard Bets gasp. They'd come out right over the frozen sea, about fifty feet from the shore of the island.
Aiden, who been waiting for Keslur to get back, saw him and closed the portal. He hopped onto his own mount and flew up to meet Keslur.
"It took you long enough!" Aiden shouted over the heavy north wind.
