Leisha glanced up at the blistering sun lingering in the sky above her. She may have been immune to severe sun damage, unlike the other vampires, but she still felt the effects of it when she was directly exposed to it for a long duration. Her head was pounding and her eyes burned from the brightness of light. Her body had been wanting to sweat all day, and so she’d traveled slowly, stopping to rest in the shade and prevent her body from the bleeding sweat that threatened. Not only did sweating blood look unavoidably conspicuous, but it made her need for feeding more pressing.

By the angle of the sun, it would be setting in just a few hours. She would be able to get to the village by then. Leisha was still puzzled over Ellery’s disappearance. She was not one to rebel against Ptah, and she was one of the most able warriors among the vampires. So, when she did not arrive at the appointed rendezvous in Paris, both she and Ptah were surprised. They had waited in their hotel for a few nights, and then Ptah had sent her and Nikita to investigate.

They had found her trail without difficulty and saw that she had traveled south instead of north. They followed Ellery to Lyon and discovered that she had journeyed to a small village on the edge of civilization. It was curious behavior, and Leisha hoped to find Ellery soon and bring her back to Ptah before he sent out her death warrant as a punishment. That was why Leisha was traveling during the day as well as the night. Nikita seemed fine with being a bit behind and would be catching up to her as soon as he could.

Leisha saw a caravan coming toward her on the dirt road and slowed to a human pace before they would be able to see her. When they were just a few feet before her, she smiled and greeted them pleasantly. The caravan was made up of Gypsies selling and trading their wares. The man at the front smiled back at her, then frowned in the direction of the village.

He pulled the reigns and stopped his cart, then jumped down and approached her. “Bonjour, madame. Please pardon me for being so forward, but do you travel to that village yonder?”

Leisha replied in flawless French that she was headed there to look for her sister.

The man paled at the response and grasped her arm. “Conge, leave now before they discover you,” he said urgently while pulling her towards his cart.

She gently pried his hand away and asked him to explain himself.

A woman stepped down from a different cart and walked toward them. She looked to be in her late forties, but held herself with a quiet grace that made her seem younger. “Your soeur, she has dark blue eyes and light brown hair, yes?”

Leisha nodded. “Oui.”

The woman’s dark eyes filled with pity. “The people claimed her to be a witch. She did strange things that no one could explain.” She hesitated, then reached out to squeeze Leisha’s hand. “They burned her to death earlier this morning.”

Leisha felt confused more than anything. Obviously, a small village would not be able to take Ellery unless she allowed them to. There was definitely no way possible that she would have stood there while being burned to death. But how would she be able to deceive them into thinking they had killed her? Fire did kill vampires. She would not have been able to stay in the fire for an extended amount of time or she would have died.

  ”Where is her maid?” asked Leisha. Ellery’s human servant would be able to explain what had happened. 

The man and woman exchanged glances. “She died, as well,” answered the man. “It was not the fire; she simply fell dead as soon as your sister’s screams quieted. I think the shock of it was too much for the poor girl’s heart.”

Leisha stepped back, and then fell down hard into a sitting position. It couldn’t be true, but the accounts seemed to point to Ellery’s death. Leisha realized that she was trembling at the possibility. 

The woman was trying to give her some water to drink, but Leisha waved her away. “Merci. Thank you for telling me. I will await my husband and he will see to me. You should keep moving, it will be getting dark soon.”

They were reluctant to leave her, but Leisha forced them to go. She sat in the dirt for about seven hours before Nikita came upon her. When she told him what the Gypsies had witnessed, he processed the information, then said, “She is dead. We will go and report to Ptah, then.”

Nikita was always unaffected by everything, but this time his nonchalance gave her fury. She punched him so hard and fast that his head snapped back. “This is Ellery we are speaking of! She can not be dead! Why would she allow such a thing?” Leisha moved to strike him again, but this time he was prepared and dodged her blow.

Nikita grabbed her wrists and lunged to pin her body with his own, his expression indifferent. “I do not know why she wanted to die. It is curious. However, you can not dispute the facts. Her human servant died the moment Ellery did. That is proof enough that Ellery did, in fact, die today.”

He got to his feet and offered a hand to help her up. Leisha ignored it and stood up on her own. His dispassionate attitude helped her to mask her grief, but inside, she felt herself shattering. The only friend she had was gone. How would she be able to survive without Ellery?