Water Five

            “If you can do something, do it, if not surrender.” Gleen told him.

            “I’ve never surrendered before.” Dash told him.

            “It’s only a game.” Gleen said looking at the cards in his hand, an obvious win and laid them down.  “I win.”

            “We should be going.” Dash told him before Gleen put away the cards then jumped on the back of the horse.

            “So we’re taking the job the letter spoke of?”

            “No one has been able to defeat this vampire, we will.”

            “Careful, you’ve finally just recovered from our last big battle.  Do you really want to be slammed into another wall?”

            “That won’t happen.”

            “I hope not, neither of our bodies will take too many more of those.”

            They rode south toward the one who sent the letter to get the details of the job as well as half the money up front.  The letter was offering six hundred thousand to anyone who could kill the vampire, which was an outrageous amount for just one vampire.  It caused most people to wonder why it was so high, in the end it only attracted morons and fools.  There for since no one would take it, it attracted Dash’s attention and Gleen could only wonder why.

            They rode on for a few days and when they arrived at a town to rest, an old woman, calling herself Grams, insisted they stay at her house to the point of dragging Dash by the arm the whole way there.  Gleen put the horse in the stable then joined Dash in the woman’s house.  She lived only with her daughter and granddaughter on the outskirts of town.  It was a cozy atmosphere in some gathering room, Dash sat across from the Grams’s daughter, Cassy, while Gleen leaned against a wall, and Grams was in the kitchen.

            “Talk spread fast through the village that two hunters were coming this way.” Grams said when she brought them drinks.

            “Mom heard you were heading south, she’s eager to open her hospitality to any passing stranger.” Cassy said sitting her cup down.  “And I’m afraid one day it won’t be for her good.”

            “Oh Cass, calm down.” Grams said while turning her attention to the vampire hunters.  “It’s just me and my Cass, as well as our dear Reba.”

            “Who will never marry.” Cassy grumbled softly.

            “Where is that child anyway?  She’s been stuck in her room all night.  Reba!”

            “She refuses to marry, even for the welfare of the farm.  I’d ride her into town and leave her there if I could, but she’d just follow me home.  She’ll never leave this farm.”

            “What?!”

            A young woman poked her head out from the corner of the hall and peered into the den at Cassy.  Her black hair hung messy to the side she was leaning in through the door way.  She pushed it aside and soon her attention shifted around the room then she caught the one thing that wasn’t supposed to be there.  With piercing blue eyes she glared at Dash for what appeared to be no reason which lasted for a long moment.

            “If this is another man you’re bringing for me Cassy, you can send him back right about now.” The woman said calling her mother by name, turning to leave she found Gleen leaning against the wall previously hidden from her sight.

            “Good evening.” Gleen told her.

            “Huh?” She replied in a softer tone then disappeared down the hall,

            “Reba!  Get back in here!” Grams demanded and waited for her.  “Why don’t you fix the hunters a meal?”

            “Hunters?!” She said turning to them and burst into giggles.  “You’re the guys all the fuss is about?  I heard one was like seven feet tall, but not some scrawny guy in a sombrero and another in spandex.  I expected big, buff guys loaded with weapons.”

            “Now you see my point.” Cassy sighed, referring to why Reba would never marry.

            “I’m heading off to bed, goodnight.” Grams told them.

            With Grams now retiring to her room Reba could now say her snide remarks to them without harsh punishment seeming how her mother had given up on her.  She took in their appearance, it was apparent they were not at all what she had heard they would be.  Gleen could only imagine what she would come up with and hoped Dash’s patience would held out.  He had dealt with rude people before, but this girl was doing it just for the fun of it and as he watched there seemed to be something under is all.

            “So where you from Dash?  Is it just you two and the horse that travel?” Reba asked, but Dash remained silent.  “Um Cassy, I don’t think our friend here speaks.”

            “He does too, he told Grams he was heading south.”  Cassy said barely putting up with it herself.

            “You mean south to the border?”

            “Reba!”

            “Look at him!  He’s from Mexico!  He’s going back south of the border!” Reba said looking Dash over.  “He wears a sombrero and one of those cheap cloaks they sell in Mexico!  You don’t think they have actually killed any vampires, do you?!”

            “Reba!” Cassy yelled slapping her across the cheek.

            “I’ll go to bed now.” Reba said leaving, but pocked her head back in.  “And no speaka es Spanol!”

            “A regular charmer, isn’t she?” Gleen asked once she was gone.

            “Yes.” Dash told him.

            “You’ll have to explain some of those references to me later.”

            “Well, I’ll let you get your sleep.” Cassy said heading to bed as well.

            “You do realize that Grams will ask us to stay.” Gleen told him after they each laid on a couch.  “For some reason I think we should, the job can wait for a little while.”

            “Very well.”

            True to what Gleen had said Gams asked if they would stay a few days and help with the much needed farm work in exchange for a place to rest.  Like anything that didn’t involve killing vampires or was even slightly human-like, Dash was hesitant.  Even with the hesitation he agreed like he told Gleen he would, a few nights if only to make Grams feel safer at night.  From the look Reba gave them he could only wondered what she was planning for them, but whatever it was they would just deal with it.

            They were working in the barn, Dash was throwing hay bales up to Gleen on the upper level, when Reba came out to them.  Gleen could only imagine what remarks would come with no one else around, lucky enough Dash’s sword leaned against the barn a good ten feet again.  If needed he could snatch it up with his chain if by chance the girl pushed Dash too far, of course he wouldn’t blame him for it.  Oddly she just stood there and watched them, almost in awe as they throw and caught the large hay bales as if they were nothing.

            “You know it would be easier if you used the rail crane.” Reba told them.

            “It is not needed.” Dash said throwing another.

            “So you can speak.” Reba said looking him over again without his cloak.  “Why didn’t you speak before?”

            “He doesn’t speak very much.” Gleen told her.  “Being a vampire hunter will do that to you if you live long enough.”

            “How many vampires have you killed?”

            “It’s not a question of how many, but of which ones.” Gleen explained when he jumped down.  “We only go after the strongest and any who we come across on the way.  We are presently after the last of the ancient vampires.”

            “An ancient vampire?  But they are too powerful for anyone to kill.”

            “Someone has to kill them and we’re the best qualified to do so.  We’ll send him where we sent the rest of him kind.”

            “The ancient ones are said to be invincible.”

            “No one is invincible.” Dash told her.

            “Yeah, we sure got the scares to prove that.” Gleen said jumping back into the window.  “Well, back to work.”

            That night while everyone else was in the house they fought, not to kill the other as most would mistake it for, but to train.  Reba watched secretly from a window mesmerized by the unnatural skill she saw they demonstrate.  Each used so much force sparks were flying everywhere, falling like rain around them, and the clang of metal to metal could even be heard in the distance.  This continued nearly all night before they went into the house to get some rest before they set off the next morning.  While Dash was readying the horse Gleen thanked they for the hospitality and they were off, only to find Reba waiting for them by the gate.

            “Be careful.” She told Dash, then ran off.

            They rode off and arrived at the village the letter had originated, only to learn the vampire had taken the employer’s daughter, explaining why it was so high.  They were to kill the vampire and bring back his daughter, alive if she was unchanged or they knew what to do.  He gave them half up front and they were on their way further south after the vampire.  It was a race to beat the vampire before it reached its castle, wherever that may be.

            When they caught up with it Gleen throw Dash on top of the carriage the vampire was driving, but he was thrown back off.  The girl had called out to the vampire, the vampire had even told him she came under her own free will.  Hearing this made even Gleen wonder if it was true and if she knew what he truly was.  At the moment they could only follow and find out was going on here before they got into something over their heads.

            “Do you ever feel people aren’t telling us the whole story when we take these jobs?” Gleen asked, but Dash was silent.  “A vampire is a vampire, I guess.”

            They followed the vampire to the most despised castle in the world, due to all the evil spirits residing there.  No hunter that entered there had ever returned from there still human, or even in one piece.  Lucky of them they weren’t even human to begin with and into the castle they went like any other castle.  Bones littered all the floors and even Dash could sense the dark presences throughout the castle.

            The spirits reminded him of the shadows and to make things worse the castle was a maze with many dead ends.  Rumbling sounds could be heard through the castle as they soon found the paths changed without any pattern that could be seen.  To make things even worse they soon began to find secret passageways leading to new areas.  It was a pure miracle they managed to run head first into the vampire, Dash pulled his sword while Gleen held the girl as the battle commenced.  For being an ancient they were evenly matched so it was obvious this was going to take a while and Gleen had nothing better to do turning to the girl.

            “Why do you stay with him and call to him as he battles?  You are not changed.”

            “He doesn’t wish to change me.  My father never told you that he and I are in love.”

            “Dash, wait!” Gleen yelled stopping them.  “Vampire is it true, have you fallen in love with a human?”

            “I do not have to answer to you.”

            “Why is she still human?”

            “I do not wish her to lose her light.”

            “Dash, we’re done here.” Gleen said removing the girl’s bracelet and held it up.  “The girl is dead.  We’ll bring this back as proof.”

            “I thank you.” The vampire said when Gleen released the girl.  “Now we leave you.”

            “He was the last of the old ones, what now?”

            “This.” Gleen said placing a hand on Dash’s chest illuminating a light within.

            “What have you done?” Dash asked feeling a bit dizzy.

            “You still have your powers, but your eternal curse is gone.”

            “What now?”
            “Get the money and go back to Reba to see what happens.” Gleen said tossing him the bracelet.  “I give you the chance to have a life.”

            “What about you?”

            “I haven’t been given that chance yet.” He said opening the dimensional hole.  “Farewell.”

            “Good hunting.” Dash said giving one of his very rare smiles and Gleen just smiled back before jumping through the hole.