Dumas looked for the young whelp he'd taken in. He'd taught him everything he knew about hunting, killing...in spite of himself he'd come to love the lad, but where was he?

Atli was fully grown and it was normal for him to spend a few days out in the wild hunting, trapping game for other families nearby. He was a vampire not a helpless human child. But nearly a week had gone by, and Dumas was worried. The Dwarf bustled around his house getting a pack ready for travel.

He and his wife, gone many years now, had built the house together. He was living longer than he should have so they'd moved out to the wilderness to be alone. Other Dwarves had started to take note of his longevity. How could they not? He had been their king! Damn Arkesh and his father, Dumas grumbled. The other Dwarves had murmured and it was his beloved wife their Queen, Aleabh, who told him it was time to let their son take the throne.

They'd faked his death in grand style having him buried in a landslide supposedly. In true Dwarven fashion, his son the Prince Adni had built a magnificent vigil to his demise. Dumas had looked upon it with awe from the back of the crowds, wearing the scratchy clothes of a commoner.

He'd watched his son already a man with several children ascend to the throne, with pride. Adni was a fair ruler and Dumas' heart had swelled with the pride and love of a father watching his rule from afar. Aleabh had taken her leave of the Dwarves with the excuse of returning with Daedela, their daughter, to the realms of the Sprites. Daedela was always more sprite than Dwarf and was not at home in the mountains but in the forests of her grandfather. He'd been able to go with them, rejoicing with Daedela when she discovered he was still alive, but saddened at the cause of his absence.

Damn Arkesh, he thought again. The Fay had captured Dumas alone, turned him... Into a creature they wanted to use. Aleabh had found him. He had begged her for death because of that horrid prophecy but she would have none of it. Every Vampire found by Dwarves was killed because a Vampire would be the cause of Aleabh's death.

They had assumed it would be intentional.

Aleabh had taken him into the wilderness and told him she'd known all along what her fate would be. And so they'd built this house together and waited, while Dumas watched generations of his red and silver-haired descendants take the throne.

He watched Elves come and marvel at the line of Dumas for the Elves held the sprites in awe. They'd formed an alliance with the Mountain clan of Dumas for anyone worthy of the hand of a sprite was worthy indeed of the friendship of the Elves.

So the clan of Dumas and the Elves of the Tintagel and Knesset had good relations throughout the generations while the other Dwarven kingdoms traded with the Dumas clan for the much coveted elven goods as they would not go to the Elves themselves.

Dumas came back to the present abruptly standing in his kitchen with a pipe in his mouth, the memory of Aleabh fading from his mind. Where was Atli? The sun was setting and while there wasn't much that would attack a full-grown vampire there were a few things out there to be wary of. He felt something was not right. The sun was fading the last rays rising up as it dipped below the mountainous horizon. He'd go to the Elves this time. He should have taken Atli there before but that would betray his existence and he'd never been ready to do that before.

Dumas slipped a water skin into his pack. Heading to the Elves was his best bet. But first, he'd track down his protege. If he couldn't find him Aiquiel was his next stop.

She'd made that damned prophecy before about Aleabh, and then again about Atli.

If she still lived. She'd told him once long ago, he'd live long enough to see the Fay driven from the land, she herself was ancient, without the benefit of not aging. He smiled grimly. She'd certainly be old even for an elf.

Shrugging on his pack he looked around one last time. "Good bye Aleabh," he said to the house. "I'll be back soon." ________________________________________________________________________________