The Continuing Adventures of Draco Moonbeam

Ava voiced her ideas about a plan to escape. And Draco signaled his approval or disapproval of the various ideas through his silent gestures and facial expressions. Ava continued various ideas until Draco gave enough satisfactory responses that it felt relatively complete and doable.

Serapha listened only, knowing that she lacked the experience to understand what they were capable of.

Ava picked the lock to the cell door. She and Draco got out, stretched a bit, then took positions behind the door leading upstairs.

Then they waited. According to Ava, the guard would return later to check on them and to give them a second helping of leftover slop from upstairs.

They waited patiently. When they heard the doors in the stairs swing open, they stopped all talk and whispering and went completely silent, except for Serapha who was instructed to keep talking as if they were in the cell with her.

The guard opened the door to the dungeon and entered. In the dim torchlight he looked at Serapha but didn’t exactly comprehend where the other two were until it was too late.

Draco jumped on the man’s back and quickly threw his hand over the guard’s mouth to prevent an alarm. The bowl of rations went flying.

Ava also burst out from behind the door and went into the back of the guard’s knees, knocking him down. She then grabbed his short sword out of its sheath and stabbed him twice in the neck until he stopped struggling.

Draco dropped the guard to the floor, then took a club off the guard’s belt.

Serapha left the cell and joined them, excited to be out. Draco put a finger on her lips in an effort to keep her silent. She nodded.

They looked at the door leading upstairs, then at each other. Draco looked at them expectantly. The girls nodded that they were ready.

They began a slow and quiet ascent up the stairs. Draco led the way, wielding the club just in case. Ava was close behind with the sword. Serapha brought up the rear and held the torch high so they could see where they went.

There were twenty steps to each flight of stairs, then a small landing with a door. At each door they listened quietly for a minute before Draco determined that no one was behind it and pushed it open slowly.

The stairs turned left ninety degrees and continued upward.

They repeated this pattern four times.

At the top of the fourth flight of stairs, Draco could see a bit of light emanating from the other side below the bottom edge of the door.

They were at the top. Male voices could be heard in casual conversation on the other side. There were two distinct voices.

Draco looked at the girls. He held up two fingers. Then motioned to the door. Then he held up one finger and then pointed at himself. Then he held up that finger again and pointed to Ava. She nodded.

He threw open the door as hard as he could and rushed through. Ava was right behind him. Draco immediately went to the surprised guard about 10 feet away on the left and smashed the club into his head with a heavy sideways blow. He fell immediately, unconscious.

Ava went straight to the other guard on the right and stabbed him in the chest as he was reaching for his weapon. Then while he was reeling backwards from the blow, she stabbed him again a little higher up. Blood gurgled from his mouth as he fell.

Draco looked surprised at her display of viciousness.

“Don’t think that I don’t know something about defending myself,” she explained.

They were in a well lit part of the Manor. A guard room. Probably in one of the two towers that flanked the mansion. A door led directly outside. Light was visible through a barred window on one wall. No one else was present. Serapha threw down the torch into a corner.

Draco pointed at the door. Then he motioned for the girls to follow him. They nodded.

He ran out the door leading to the courtyard grounds. The girls were close behind. He led them at a fast run around the side of the manor towards the front where the setting sun was quite visible above the walls encircling the small fortress. The shadows were long. A cool evening breeze rustled the leaves.

The path to the front gate was clear. And although there were guards at the gate, it was currently open.

Draco went at a full run towards the open gate. Ava ran a little faster but didn’t get far ahead, waiting for Draco to lead. Serapha ran as well.

The two guards there were probably half asleep when all three ran past them. They were slow to react but managed to raise an alarm after Draco and the girls were out.

Draco ran as fast as he could to the church. He only looked back to see Ava next to him. But Serapha had run in a different direction away from them. Draco didn’t have the time to worry about where she had gone.

Once they reached the church, Draco ran inside and found the priest at evening prayers. Brother Wenton jumped up, startled yet happy to see him.

“Mr. Moonbeam! You’re ok!”

Draco shook his head. And opened his mouth making babbling noises.

Ava explained, “the Sheriff cut out his tongue. He can’t talk.”

Draco nodded.

Outside he could hear the commotion as people began to gather.

“You lost your magic!” exclaimed the priest.

Draco nodded.

“I might be able to finally help you.”

The old man ran to the back and out of sight. He returned in twenty seconds holding a metal flask that looked more appropriate for whiskey than anything a priest could use it for.

“Drink this. It’ll help you speak again.”

Draco took the flask and drank its contents. It was a sweet concoction that made him tingle with warmth everywhere, especially in his mouth.

“It’s a healing potion,” added the priest. “I’ve been saving it for a special occasion. Seems like that moment is now.”

And as he drank he could feel energy and vigor in every part of his body. And most amazingly, his tongue grew back in a matter of seconds.

“Incredible!” said Draco, his ability to clearly speak restored.

The old priest looked at Ava.

“Let me get you something warmer to wear."

And once again he ran to the back.

The noise outside grew to include shouts.

“Bring him out!”

“The murderer needs to die!”

Draco wasn’t sure if some of those voices belonged to some of the guards or if it was just the townsfolk.

The priest returned. He was holding a folded up brown cloth. As he approached he shook it out to reveal a priest’s smock.

“Take this! It’s made of thick cotton. It’ll keep you warm.”

Ava offered a quick thank you and took off Draco’s shirt as the priest looked the other way.

She handed the shirt back to Draco who quickly put it on. Then she pulled the smock over her head and down to her legs. It fit like a dress, and rested at her feet. She pulled the waist cords taut and tied a knot in them.

“Thanks… ?”

“My name is Brother Dygart Wenton.”

Draco raised an eyebrow as he realized he never knew the priest’s given name.

“I’m Ava Burning Fox,” said the girl.

And Draco was surprised again because Ava’s surname revealed a foreign culture.

“Nice to meet you, young lady,” said the priest offering his hand.

Ava shook it as Draco said, “The formal introductions can wait. We’ve got some things to attend to!”

More shouts came from outside as the villagers began to pound the doors with their fists and kick with their boots.

Draco pushed the doors open. The villagers quickly backed off in fear. There were three guards in the mix. Draco looked at the folks.

“I’m no murderer, and I’ve done nothing to your children!”

“That’s a lie!”

“Hang him!”

A guard unwisely yelled, “He’s a sorcerer! How else could he escape?”

“A sorcerer?!”

“He’s cast a spell on us!”

“He has the priest in a hex!”

The people backed up even further, even still accusing Draco of all the evil they could imagine, leaving the guards alone to confront him. Some of them even went back to the doorways of their shops and homes for refuge. But they continued to shout and watch from safety.

“He didn’t kidnap me!” shouted Serapha, arriving at the edge of the town center with her parents. “It was Sheriff Pautch who took me!”

The people looked shocked. And right on cue the Sheriff arrived, flanked by two more guards.

“Is that the Hunter girl?”

“They said it was the sorcerer!”

“They said he killed her!”

“But she’s alive!”

“Sheriff Pautch lied!”

Then Serapha added, “That man is Draco Moonbeam. And he rescued me!” She pointed right at Draco.

Sheriff Pautch looked uneasy as the townsfolk began to approach him. They seemed angry at him.

In mere seconds they surrounded Pautch and began to pile on top of him, punching and beating him. He fought back and threw them off but they kept coming.

“Enough!” yelled Lord Morlys. Lady Vara was to his left. Morlys and Vara walked into the square. “Arrest that man and the priest!” commanded Morlys.

The people stopped instantly, unsure of what to do.

“Those are your children’s killers!” yelled Draco, pointing to Morlys and Vara.

Pautch threw off the villagers as he stood up. The other five guards rallied to his side.

All the people ran for cover, watching the spectacle.

Morlys circled his hands above his head and shouted something in an unknown tongue.

Instantly the remaining light from the setting sun disappeared. Night came on them in seconds and the Moon shone brightly, illuminating the square.

Sheriff Pautch and his guards fell on their hands and knees and in moments were fierce wolves.

Draco pointed his right hand at the wolves and yelled, “Haya fuego!”

A burning fireball leapt from his hand into the wolves, setting their fur on fire. The big black wolf, Pautch, rolled to put out the flames and avoided the majority of the pain. The others quickly succumbed to fiery deaths. They transformed back into burning men.

Pautch began to approach Draco.

Morlys raised his hands and shouted something else in unintelligible words.

The cool breeze quickly turned into a howling wind. The vampire lord strengthened it. Soon many branches, leaves, dust and dirt was flying through the air, dropping visibility to almost nothing.

Vara raised her hand to the sky and shrieked out other unknown words. Instantly the wind was accompanied by a vicious hailstorm. Draco and others felt fist sized balls of ice flying at them.

Draco yelled, “Cancelar!” And the wind around him was calmed, and the ice didn’t reach him, even as it continued to affect everyone else more than 10 feet away from him.

Pautch was running now and almost upon Draco.

“Haya fuego!” Again Draco launched a fireball at Pautch. But the wind blew it off course, landing far away from the werewolf.

Pautch leaped at Draco, knocking him down. Draco tried to hold off his fangs, grasping the wolf in the neck.

Ava lunged at the wolf catching him in the face with a wide slash. The wolf yelped but kept biting at Draco.

Ava stabbed again, this time driving the short sword into the creature’s neck. Pautch stopped struggling and rolled off, dead. He, too, turned back into a man, bleeding from his neck.

Draco stood up.

He held his right arm high and yelled, “Haya sol!”

Immediately the sun came out again, appearing in the sky, bright over the town.

Morlys shrieked in pain. He covered his eyes as did Vara. The wind and ice vanished.

“Haya sol!” Draco yelled again pointing at Lord Morlys. Suddenly the brightness of another sun shone from Morlys’ forehead. The vampire dropped to his knees.

Vara shouted, “You’ll pay for this, mortal! I curse you with illness and early death!”

She knelt by her Lord and uttered some more words and instantly the two of them vanished.

And a quiet stillness reigned.

The townsfolk, sensing the danger had passed, slowly came out into the sunlit square.

They marveled at the brightness of the sky.

They kicked the carcasses of the men who were once wolves.

They hugged each other and came towards the church.

Serapha was the first to reach Draco. She hugged him.

“Thank you, sir! You saved my life!”

Her parents also thanked him profusely, shaking his hand, and offering him a place to stay should he ever be in need. Their home was his.

The villagers offered apologies to Draco and to Brother Wenton.

“How will we know that they won’t ever return? That we’re safe?”

Draco said, “They won’t ever return as long as that sun shines.”

He looked upwards and said, “Permanezca!”

“You can rest assured. This second sun won’t ever leave you in the dark. It will stay, burning brightly above the town square without moving or setting, from this day forth. You may need dark curtains in your homes to sleep, but vampires hate the sun. They won’t return here. They’ll find a different place to go. One that they can rule in darkness.”

The villagers returned to their homes, rejoicing in their liberation. And in the security a second sun offered them.

Draco, Ava, Serapha, her parents, and the priest all went to the Hunter home. There they celebrated with fine meats and wine the safety of their town and especially their daughter. They gave Draco and Ava a place for the night and outfitted Ava with nicer clothes.

The next day Draco prepared to leave.

“Can’t you stay longer?” pleaded the Hunters.

“I’ve already delayed my travel too long. My employer expects me to get moving.”

Brother Wenton shook Draco’s hand. “You’re a fine man. This town’s savior. And I’m glad to count you as a friend.”

Draco hugged the old man. “Thanks. You really saved me.”

Ava asked, “Can I accompany you? I’ve got nowhere else to go.”

Draco nodded. “You’ll be a welcome traveling companion.”

And with that the two of them gathered their things and began the road to Voridia again.