Larten Crepsley's Daughter

Reaching the Mountain

Father, Gavner, and I were the only people in our group who could take down the bear since Darren was still a half-vampire.

I climbed up the tree and leaped onto the bear's back, trying to distract her. "Father help!" I screamed. I couldn't take down this three-hundred-pound bear by myself.

"I'm right here!" he flitted to aid in my attack, and the beat was trying to swat at him.

  "Lilly!" Darren called with helplessness.  He looked pained that he couldn't do more to help because he didn't have the powers of a full vampire. 

The cold air flew all around me as the bear violently swung me over her shoulder, causing me to fall through the air and onto a nearby tree stump. 

  I landed on my back, and pain shot through my body like electricity. I was going to have bruises the next day. 

  The bear's roaring was deafening, and I could smell the blood off her breath. 

Gavner was there to snap her neck, ending her before she could do any more damage. The giant beast collapsed like a tree to the ground, dead. 

Wincing, I got up from the ground and made my way to the rest of the group. Darren rushed forward to hug me, and the hug felt like we hadn't seen each other in years. Ignoring the pain, I hugged my boyfriend back; we looked at each other, and then he kissed me. 

   

"Are you okay?" he touched my face, seemingly making sure I was physically there instead of a ghost. 

  "I'm alright, don't worry," I smiled gratefully, giving him a gentle kiss. "You were brave, taking on that bear," he was full of wonder. 

I suddenly felt ashamed that I did such a reckless thing.  I could have died because I wanted to be brave. 

  "Thanks, to be honest, I don't know what I was thinking," I replied shamefully. "What are you talking about?" Darren inquired, putting his arms around me. 

  "I was trying to be brave, but in the end I knew I was just trying to be a hero," I had no idea why I was feeling so embarrassed. 

 "Lillian, you acted and tried to solve the problem. Acting quickly is one of the most important attributes of a vampire," Father had been listening to our conversation, and he had wanted to make me feel better. 

  "You have the strength and wisdom beyond any vampire I've ever met. There's no need to be discouraged," said Gavner. He was like a kind uncle to me, and had always believed in me, even when I was first turned into a vampire. 

 "Lilly, you inspire me everyday. I hope to become a great vampire like you one day." Darren smiled his cute smile at me. 

  "Darren," I blushed, smiling gratefully. "See Lilly, there's nothing to worry about," my father smiled kindly. 

My father and my friends gave me the reassurance that I did the right thing. 

Soon we were able to reach Vampire Mountain. 

A stone skull was carved in the base of the mountain with fangs on its teeth, which was funny because neither one of us had fangs. 

  The mountain was surrounded by a fortress of spiked rocks surrounding the lower and higher levels of the landscape. 

From what Father had told me, Vampire Mountain had been around for thousands of years and the original Vampire Princes were still there. 

Mika Ver Leth, one of the Princes, was friends with William Shakespeare. After Shakespeare passed away, Mika drank his blood to preserve his memory. It was bizarre, but it was one way vampires stayed close to loved ones even after death. 

Death was something I wanted to avoid, especially for Darren. I sadly knew for a fact that the Princes weren't going to take too kindly to Darren. 

My boyfriend's fate would be determined.