Z’s incessant giggling stopped immediately as they heard Evan’s ragged breathing. They turned around, their bright yellow catlike eyes filled with rage.

“How did you get in here?” they questioned, half in awe and half in fury.

Evan wasted no time in rushing to Ashi’s writhing body. He wasn’t dead yet, but Z still had a sharp dagger to his throat.

Ashi hissed a sharp breath through his teeth. “Evan, stay back—”

Z snarled and kicked Evan back with their high-heeled boots, right in the stomach. “You aren’t meant to be here. I should have killed you after

all,” they growled, their dagger threatening to pierce the skin on Ashi’s neck. “You can’t stop me.”

“Z, stop!” Evan yelled, adrenaline rushing through his brain and spurring him on. He didn’t dare get any closer to Ashi, lest he get kicked again. Evan cursed loudly as he realized that he had forgotten to get a weapon. What a smart assassin he was.

He looked around the room, thinking of anything he could use against the maniac vampire. A weapon, a distraction, anything. For now, he would stall.

“Z, don’t do this,” he began, his eyes scanning the room. “Ashi’s just a pawn.”

“Ashi?” Z smirked, their knife not leaving Ashi’s neck. “Is that his name?”

Evan gulped. “Don’t do this.”

Z rolled their eyes. “Listen, sugar, I don’t listen to petty assassins with no motive sent out to kill me by the every-so desperate Guild.”

Evan gritted his teeth. “Look, we can solve this—”

“Is your friend a necromancer, by any chance?” Z spat. “Because, if not, there’s no way we can ‘fix’ this. This man killed almost everyone I’ve ever known and loved and he deserves the same fate as theirs.”

Evan’s eyes moved to Ashi. He hadn’t spoken. He looked incredibly guilty, and almost as if he accepted his fate.

But Evan didn’t.

Evan’s eyes traveled around the room one last time and finally found what he was looking for. A broken beer bottle in the corner of the room. He sure was having good luck with bottles today.

Evan slowly stepped towards the corner, Z’s eyes tearing into him.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Z hissed.

“Z, let Ashi go,” Evan said firmly, taking another step towards the shards of glass from the bottle. “Your family wouldn’t have wanted this.”

Z narrowed their eyes, curling their upper lip. “You don’t know what my family wanted. If someone wiped out your entire race, you’d want the last of your kind to avenge you, no?”

Evavn was two steps away from the bottle. “I’m not sure. I’m not sure I’d want to be avenged.” Evan was looking straight at Z, though he was moving slowly towards his prize.

“You’re doing something. What are you doing?”

Evan slid another step closer. “Nothing.”

Z growled, but their knife didn’t part with Ashi. “Stop. Stop it. Stop doing what you’re doing.”

Evan grinned, stepping closer and grabbing the neck of the bottle, then lunging at Z. The bottle shattered above Z’s head, making them cry out in pain.

“What the hell!” Z screamed, their knife finally leaving Ashi’s neck. Evan took this opportunity to heave Ashi into a standing position. Ashi stumbled backwards, surprised.“Evan, what are you doing?!” Ashi yelped.

“I’m saving you, dumbass!” Evan countered, pulling Ashi towards the door.

Z snarled, running towards them with a knife. “Get back here,” they screeched, slashing blindly with their dagger. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you both! Burn this boat to ashes and leave your crew stranded!”

Evan barely missed a wide slash from Z’s sword. He carefully ran at them, side-stepping their knife. He grabbed their wrist, wrenching the weapon out of their grip. Z kicked him again with their sharp boots, but Evan hung on. He knocked Z to the ground, smirking. He brought the knife down to their neck. He had won.

“Have anything to say now?” Evan asked smugly as Z struggled below him.

Z hissed, their cat eyes wild. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” they repeated, snarling.

Ashi looked absolutely terrified. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again.

Evan stared at him. “Well, Ashi, I just saved your ass.”

Ashi gulped, his face gaunt. “Th-Thanks, I guess. That was brave.”

Evan narrowed his eyes. “Ashi, what’s wrong?” Ashi rubbed the red spot on his neck where the dagger was just seconds ago. The captain said nothing.

Evan shook it off and turned towards Z again. “I think it’s safe to assume that if I let you go you’ll go on a rampage and kill everyone here, right?”

Z clawed at Evan’s arm. “I. Will. Kill. You. And everyone you love.”

“Get a rope, Ashi, let’s get this nasty vampire in the brig.”

***

Now, to the Bonavis’ crew watching in horror, the sight of the captain of their ship and the now roped up vampire that had killed their cook being pulled along by an overenthusiastic teenager they had been hired to drag halfway across the continent might have been a bit peculiar at the very least. But after everything that had happened, they were too exhausted to really care. In fact, things like this were becoming increasingly normal.

Z had finally started to calm down, but they were still hissing threats under their breath as they walked. “I’ll tie you up, see how you like it, and throw you off the boat,” they whispered furiously.

Evan let out an exasperated sigh. “You really don’t shut up, do you?” Evan growled.

“No,” Z responded, tight lipped.

Being the chatty vampire’s polar opposite, Ashi still hadn’t spoken a word. He looked grim, his face downturned, a stony expression on his face. Evan didn’t want to pry, considering the stories Z told him. Evan wouldn’t be too happy if he did those things either.

Evan marched Z to the brig, the vampire struggling to remove their restraints.

Evan kicked Z behind the prison bars, mimicking their high-pitched giggle. “Behind bars,” he grinned. “Where you belong.”

Ashi stood behind him, peering into the dark jail cell. He looked slightly sick, his face pale as a sheet.

Evan shut the door to the brig, pulling Ashi aside.“You have got to tell me what is wrong with you,” Evan demanded in a low whisper.

Ashi just shook his head. “Where is Elameere?” he asked in a rasp.Evan narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t matter. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Ashi huffed, turning away from Evan. “I don’t need to listen to you. I’ll find Elameere myself.”

Evan rubbed his temple. “Ashi, what’s wrong with you?”Z giggled, but this time it was more sinister than anything. Evan whipped his head towards the fanged prisoner. “He’s not doing well with the poison, isn’t he?”

Evan blinked. “What poison?”

Z gasped dramatically, “You didn’t know?”

Evan’s heart began to pound. “What poison?”

“Oh, wow, you really didn’t know.”

Evan banged a fist against the metal bars of the prison. “Alright, alright,” Z said. “I’ll tell you.”

Ashi’s eyes were wide, but he didn’t seem surprised in the least. “So that’s what that stuff on your knife was.”

“Z, this isn’t funny,” Evan sighed. “Ashi, tell them it isn’t funny.”

“It’s not supposed to be amusing to you, darling,” Z responded absently, picking at the dirt under their fingernails. “It was a backup plan.”

“Evan, I’m okay,” Ashi assured Evan with a fake smile. “It was just a bit of poison on their knife, nothing life threatening.”

Z raised an eyebrow. “That was not a ‘little bit of poison.’ You have three days, at best.”

Evan’s eyes traveled between the two people in front of him. “You’re kidding.”

“I’m not.”

“They’re not.”

Evan slumped against the wall. He didn’t want to lose Ashi. And just when he thought he’d saved him.

“I can make you a deal,” the vampire said. “Since I’m the only one who knows how you cure your precious captain, you transport me safely and courteously back to my home, and I’ll help you out.”

“You sick bastard,” Evan snarled. “You absolutely sick bastard.”

Z leered at Evan. “I said ‘courteously.’ I’m not going to help you if you talk like that.”

“This is not a negotiation!” Evan shouted.

“Oh, but it is.”

Ashi laid a hand on Evan’s arm. “Hear the vampire out. It’s the only way.”

Evan looked again between the two.

This wasn’t going to end well.

“Well, are you going to accept my offer or what?” Z asked, leaning back against the stony wall of the prison.Evan sighed. “Fine, damn it. I have no choice.”

Z smirked. “Oh, this is going to be fun. I look forward to our partnership.”