Chapter Thirteen

School trudged on. Little of true significance occured between the holiday following Petra's first year and her seventh year. They fought, and won; they studied and became more skilled with magic. Petra became known across the school as being a brilliant tactician and merciless adversary. Chesi and Vlad kept a distance between them; both having a clear intrest in each other yet unwilling to so much as have a conversation. And Alid stayed nearby, always there with a blade or a dropped textbook when it was needed.

It would be Chesi who finally broke the peace.

"Vlad may be connected to a demon."
"What's this now?"
"I think Vlad has a shadithic pact. In seven years a human would have shown some sign of aging. What's more, have you ever met any of his ex-girlfriends?"
"Yea, I think I killed her though."
"Actually I did, she was charging you and she had a sword." Alid drew two fingers across his neck, "Clean decapitation; didn't even stain the carpet."
"That's the other thing; I've never seen him bleed."
"Chesi; if he were dead we'd know it. I've seen zombies before; there's no denying it when you see one. Your blood gets boiling and everything in you wants it dead, again."
"When I see him, that's exactly how I feel."
"Chesi, that's called sexual tension. It means you need to let your hair down more often."
"It means he's undead and may well be in league with a darker power, and I'll prove it."
"Do so, by all means. And if he isn't.."
"He is!"

Chesi was rarely this loud about anything. At the very least it was worth finding out just what it was betwen the two of them.

"Vlad!"
"Yes Captain, vhat can I do for you?"
"Chesi thinks you may be undead. I'm going to cut your leg off, wait five minutes, and see how much truth their is to it."
"VHAT!!"
"I'm kidding, we're just going to cut your pinky off. I'll get Kora to sew it back on if you bleed longer than a minute."
"Is this how you test if someone s alive?"
"I'd accept your continued conversation, but Chesi insists on making sure."
"Absolutely not. This is barbaric, an outrage."
"Alid?"
Alid held up Vlad's left pinky.
"Vlad, How's your hand feel?"
"Like a dragon is biting it; but it hurts far more to think you vould even for a moment harbor the idea that I could be undead. Vait, vhere is my pinky?"
At which point he just began staring dumbfounded at the oozing stump.

"Well Chesi; he seems alive. He's reacting oddly I'll admit, but the dead don't bleed."
"Demons Petra! They wouldn't make it so obvious."
Chesi unslung her hammer and faced Vlad.
"You have one minute to tell me where and when you were born, your parent's names, and why every girlfriend you've ever had has tried to either kill or seduce me."
"Earth, Yuri and Nessana, and what buisness is it of mine what my former girlfriends do?"
"Apparently not enough!"
"Calm down Chesi; if their was a demon involved it would have taken the time to know such things; they aren't stupid after all. There's a simple way of knowing, and I know who knows."
"Show us. Vlad, I'm afraid we're bringing you with us for now."