"Ouch!"
Eira winced hard as Betai pressed the damp cloth against her neck. The bite wound throbbed like hell, and the sting of the herbal salve didn't help.
"Bloody hell." Eira muttered, teeth clenched. "That bastard nearly tore my throat out."
Betai didn't laugh. Her expression stayed grim as she dabbed the wound softly. She was worried. "You always find a way to get yourself into trouble, don't you?"
Eira groaned, and sighed. "It's not like I go looking for it. Trouble just seems to adore me."
Betai shook her head, the corner of her mouth twitching in reluctant amusement before her tone hardened again. "A dancer must be spotless. No wounds. No blemishes. No bruises. You know that."
"Realistically, that's not possible…" Eira muttered, wincing as the cloth pressed on.
"Then make it possible." Betai snapped lightly. "If you want to remain a dancer, you better learn how to stay out of vampire claws."
Eira didn't argue. She just sat still, letting Betai clean the blood off her collarbone.
Betai sighed, her tone softening. "Tell me again, how you ended up stepping on the toes of a vampire. Of all people!"
Eira gave a dry laugh. "It wasn't my fault."
Betai paused mid-motion, then looked at her sadly. "It's always a human's fault, Eira. Always. That's how it works here. If you want to survive, you have to be smart. Sensible. You don't talk back. You don't challenge them. You don't breathe too loud when near them."
Eira's jaw tightened. "I think humans should fight back, and regain control of their land."
The air between them stilled.
Betai stopped what she was doing. Her eyes met Eira's. "That's easier said than done. No one's willing to lead. No one's willing to die for it. Anyone who tries gets killed before the idea even finishes forming in their head."
Eira exhaled as she studied her fingers. "Maybe one day, someone will grow a spine."
Betai froze.
Turning slowly, she set the cloth down and narrowed her eyes. "You're not thinking of growing that spine, are you?"
Eira smiled innocently, eyes glinting under the dim light. "Me? I wouldn't dare. I'm not that bold."
Betai's lips pressed into a thin fine line. She didn't look convinced, but she let it go.
She turned to the bandages by her side, and wrapped Eira's neck gently.
"By the way, why do you want that crystal so badly?" She quietly asked after a moment. "You risked your life for it."
Eira hesitated, staring into the flickering flame of the oil lamp beside them. Shadows danced across the stone walls. "I'm running an experiment. If it works, it could help my family. That's all I can say."
Betai said nothing for a while, then nodded slowly. "I love that you care about your family. But you have to be careful. Some vampires are pure evil. They don't care about human lives. They'll kill anything in their way, and the courts will always side with them."
Eira smiled faintly, her eyes were tired. "I know."
Betai rambled on, her voice low and exhausted. "This world doesn't forgive the bold. It eats them alive. Sometimes I wish I could go back…"
Eira watched her with softened gaze. Then she asked, "Do you like the name Sera?"
Betai blinked. "Sera?"
"Do you remember?" Eira said softly. "When we first met, I called you Sera."
Betai frowned. "Yes. I thought you were confused. Who is she?"
Eira gazed at her, eyes misty and distant. "Sera is my best friend, and pretty much my sister. We went to university together in Switzerland. She was crazy. Loud. Always laughing. She once danced on the lecturer's desk during finals week." Eira couldn't help laughing at the last part.
Betai tilted her head. "I don't understand half the words you're saying."
Eira blinked away a tear, laughing under her breath. "Don't mind me. I talk rubbish sometimes."
Betai nodded slowly, still confused, but said nothing more.
"You'll meet her very soon." Eira whispered. "Sera."
Betai nodded. She finished the bandaging, and sat back to rest.
After a long comfortable silenced, she quietly asked. "Is that crystal really important to you, Eira?"
Eira nodded. "Very."
Betai sighed and stood up, smoothening her sleeves. "Wait here."
She disappeared into another room, her footsteps echoing faintly down the narrow corridor.
Eira sat in silence, waiting as she was told.
When Betai returned, she held something in her hand.
It was a small, rusty compass. Its glass was cracked, and its needle trembled faintly
She placed it gently in Eira's palm. "It shows where the undead are. So you can run, or avoid that area completely."
Eira stared at it, speechless. "You're giving me this?"
Betai nodded, reaching into her robe pocket. "And this." She held up a jade pendant shaped like a half-bitten fish.
"What's that?"
Betai smiled. "It's an association token. Take it to the south of Eilwin Street, and ask for the black market entrance. Look for a man named Johuy, and show him the token. He runs the market. He'll give you another pure crystal for free."
Eira's mouth fell open. "Betai… you didn't have to…"
"I'm doing this so you won't put yourself in danger again." Betai said firmly, cutting her off. "You might not make it alive if you go to another bloody mine."
Eira stood and hugged her without thinking. Betai stiffened at first, but then relaxed, and hesitantly patted her back. "You're a strange one."
Eira laughed softly against her shoulder. "You have no idea."
She reached for the pendant, but Betai pulled it back with a scowl. "Where do you think you're going?" she scolded.
"To find Johuy?"
"You're not healed yet."
"I feel fine." Eira protested.
Betai softly pressed her bandaged wound, and Eira yelped in pain.
"Fine huh?" She shook her head. "You can go once you're not screaming in pain from a simple touch"
Eira pouted. "Fine."
—
Days passed, and Eira healed quickly. Her strength returned, and her neck stopped throbbing.
By the fourth dawn, she couldn't sit still anymore.
She packed her satchel, tucking the compass and pendant inside, and left the quarters, after dropping a note on Betai's table.
The streets were quiet and cold. She followed Betai's instructions, winding through alleys and backstreets.
Eventually, she reached a butcher's shop, where the scent of raw meat masked everything else.
Behind a row of hanging carcasses was a narrow passage, barely visible beneath the shadow of an old stone arch.
A man with a long scar running down his neck stood guard. Eira nodded at him, then pulled out the jade pendant and held it up.
He studied it carefully, then nodded once. "Come in." He said in a gravelly voice.
He turned and pushed the heavy iron door behind him. It creaked open, and a warm gust of air brushed against her face.
Eira exhaled and stepped inside.