Blaze had been travelling in the human world for nearly one hundred years. The changing of the world had been wondrous at first, until she realized that whatever connections, whatever friends, she made would change and die while she would stay the same. Zee Zee excluded of course. So when she first heard about the vampire coven in Rewer city she decided to check it out.
“Are you sure that Frande was telling the truth when he told you there were vampires here?” Blaze asked Zee Zee, who was hidden beneath the fall or her hair so as not to be seen.
“I’m sure mistress, though he said they would be hard to find. They’d have to be if they’ve survived this far into the twentieth century.”
Blaze looked toward the smog filled sky and sighed. “Maybe we should leave then. We’ve been here for over a month and I miss the sight of the stars.” She turned her gaze to the ground and kicked at a discarded soda can. “Not to mention that this city is filthy.”
“Give it another week mistress. If we haven’t found them by then, the we’ll leave.”
“Fine Zee, if that’s what you think is best.”
Zee Zee had been Blaze’s guardian/servant for as long as she could remember and she was the only one who followed Blaze when she ran away to the human world. Blaze expected her father had something to do with that. The small sprite was extremely loyal and smart, if a bit of a spoil sport. And while Blaze had detested having her ‘guardian’ follow her at first, they were now good friends.
The pair continued on in silence. They took the back alleys and less travelled roads as much for the peace they offered as for the likeliness of finding vampires and they were so lost in conversation that Blaze completely missed the young man standing in the shadows.
The man stepped out and Blaze stopped in her tracks, cursing under her breath. “Who are you?” She asked, shaking her head slightly to better conceal Zee Zee.
“My name’s Cole.” The man replied, but made no move to do anything.
Blaze looked him over. He appeared to be about nineteen, but there was a look in his eyes that seemed much older. He was dressed in black jeans and a black hooded jacket. He seemed like any normal teenager, but the absolute stillness of his stance set off all Blaze’s warning bells. She listened closely and was met with silence. He had no heart beat and when she looked closer she saw that he wasn’t breathing either. Finally I seem to have found what I’m looking for, she thought.
“Blaze” She said and stuck out her hand, a grin spreading across her face. “Nice to meet you.”
Cole looked taken aback but shook her hand none the less. “What are you doing in our city?” He demanded of her, but she could still here a hint of uncertainty.
“I’m searching for vampires.” She figured she may as well tell the truth. After all, it wasn’t like he could hurt her or anything, not with her powers. Zee cursed from beneath her hair and she couldn’t help but laugh. The sprite had always had a problem with her bluntness.
“What are you laughing at?” Cole asked, dropping her hand and giving her a bemused look.
“Oh, nothing.” Blaze replied. “So are you one?” He voice held a just a touch of eagerness. A fraction of what she was holding back.
“One what?”
“A vampire of course.” She laughed again. “why else would you have no heartbeat and take no breaths.”
Cole looked surprised. “I guess he was right.”
“Who was right?”
“The coven master. He said you were some manner of supernatural creature, but I didn’t really believe him.” Cole explained. “He’s had me follow you for the last week, to find out what you were, but it wasn’t until the fire that I suspected you were anything other than human and even then I wasn’t convinced.”
He seemed to be speaking to himself more than Blaze, but she responded anyway.
“What do you mean you’ve been following me for the last week? And the people who died in that fire had it coming!” Then she muttered under her breath, “stupid chauvinistic pigs.”
“Mistress!” Zee Zee exclaimed in her ear, not used to Blaze using any foul language.
“What was that?” Cole asked and Blaze reluctantly shook Zee Zee out of her hair.
“Cole meet Zee Zee. Zee meet the thing we’ve been looking for, for the past month.”
Cole made an insulted sound. “I am not a ‘thing’, thankyou very much. I am a vampire, next in line to rule the coven.” He said with a self importance that seemed to remind him of his purpose. “Now please state you species and your purpose for being in this city.”
Blaze sighed. “I’m a demon if you must know and I’ve already told you my purpose. I’m looking for vampires.”
“Which you’ve found. Now what do you intend to do next?” Cole asked.
“Become a vampire of course.” Blaze replied as if it were the most logical thing in the world. “I’m tired of the world moving on without me. I figured if I became a vamp at least a few people would be stuck with me.”
Cole gave her a look of sympathy that said that somewhere in his past he had felt exactly the same way. “I’ll take you to the coven master then, only he can make the decision on wether or not someone should be turned.”
And so Blaze had followed him and her knew life had started. The coven master had been hesitant at first, but the lure of having such a powerful addition to his coven finally forced him to give in. Blaze had thrived in the coven and was well suited to it. She found she was immune to fire and sunlight via her demon heritage and the effects of other things were lessened as well. But she always felt like she was on the edge of the coven, looking in but not truly part of it. Sure the others talked to her, but she had no real friends apart from Cole and Zee Zee.
She had been in the coven for thirty years when the coven master was defeated. An attack from a rival master had been nearly fatal and he had relinquished hold of the coven to Blaze, who was by far the most suited. She had been worried at first, Cole was next in line and had been for many years, but he was smart and knew she could do a much better job and when she finally agreed he had stayed by her side.
Cole treated Blaze as an equal and while most masters or mistresses would take offence, Blaze drew comfort from it. He was the only one who called her by her name.
Blaze had loved the power at first, the control. It gave her a sense of belonging she had not felt for years. But after a while the echo’s of the coven’s emotions and thoughts, which came with the role of Mistress, started to get to her and she began to miss the freedom she had, had in her earlier years. It took over a year for her to make the decision to leave, though she would always let Zee Zee think it was just another of her spontaneous decisions.
