Page 21

Cliff-Hanger Special

T he path to the falls narrowed precariously as Tandy led Vlad along the cliff edge. Late afternoon shadows stretched across the rocky terrain, the approaching blood moon already influencing the quality of light. Below them, jagged rocks waited in silent menace.

"The falls themselves are just beyond this ridge," Tandy explained, gesturing ahead with elaborate tour-guide enthusiasm. "But first, I've prepared a special viewing area. Just through these trees."

She guided him off the main path toward a small clearing that offered a partial view of the falls. Vlad followed, his hand casually resting near one of the many tools on his belt. His eyes never stopped scanning---the path, the surroundings, and Tandy's increasingly suspicious behavior.

"Here we are!" Tandy announced cheerfully. "The perfect spot for professional vampire hunters to appreciate natural wonders!"

As Vlad stepped into the clearing, his boot struck a nearly invisible wire stretched across the ground. Instantly, a net woven with silver threads dropped from the trees above, enveloping him in a tangled mesh designed to incapacitate warlock hunters and their tools.

"What the---" Vlad struggled against the net as Tandy's smile transformed into something colder, more calculating.

"Vampire hunter trap," she explained with clear pride.

"One of Ronald's more useful contributions.

The silver threads disrupt hunter magic.

" She circled Vlad like a realtor, showing a property's best features.

"I've been trying to get you alone since you arrived.

You're quite the obstacle to my commission structure. "

Vlad ceased struggling, assessing his situation with surprising calm. "Impressive, Ms. Keyes. Didn't think you had this kind of preparation in you."

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Tandy replied, retrieving a dagger from inside her jacket.

Unlike her usual flashy accessories, this weapon looked ancient.

"I'm not just some desperate realtor. I'm Ronald's chosen representative in Cauldron Falls.

His inside person. His favored business associate! "

"I see," Vlad nodded thoughtfully. "And that's why you're wearing his mark?" He gestured to her gold bracelet with its distinctive fang pattern.

Tandy's composure faltered slightly. "How did you---"

"Been hunting vampires for years, love. Ronald always marks his helpers. In Denver, it was watches. In Phoenix, cufflinks. He likes to brand his possessions."

"I am not a possession," Tandy snapped, her professional veneer cracking.

"I'm the future Minister of Real Estate for Fangtasia Falls!

I have business cards already printed!" Her hand tightened around the dagger.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to ensure you don't interfere with tonight's ritual. "

As she raised the dagger, Vlad's demeanor shifted.

The theatrical hunter disappeared, replaced by something cunning and more efficient.

With one practiced movement, he activated a small device on his belt.

A blinding flash erupted, accompanied by a high-pitched whine that shattered the silver threads in the net.

"Years, Ms. Keyes, years," he repeated, untangling himself from the ruined trap. "Did you really think Ronald's outdated hunter trap would work on me?"

Tandy backed away, shock replacing triumph. "That's impossible! Ronald said the silver threads would neutralize any magic!"

"Ronald isn't exactly up to date on technology," Vlad replied, advancing toward her. "Now, about that dagger---"

Tandy turned and fled, sprinting back toward the cliff path with surprising speed for someone in three-inch heels. Vlad pursued, his longer strides quickly closing the distance between them. At the narrowest part of the path, with the sheer drop yawning beside them, he caught her arm.

"Let go!" she shrieked, slashing wildly with the dagger. "Ronald sends his regards! That's what people say during assassinations, right? I saw it in a play once!"

When Vlad caught her wrist mid-strike, Tandy's desperation escalated. With her free hand, she made a sharp gesture toward his face, her fingers contorting into the configuration for a basic stunning spell.

"Obstupefacio!" she shouted, her face reddening with effort as she channeled all her meager energy into the spell.

A pathetic spark---no larger than a static electricity pop---fizzled from her fingertips, barely visible. It traveled approximately three inches before dissipating into nothing.

Vlad didn't even blink.

"Was that supposed to be magic?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

Tandy's face flushed with humiliation. "It works better indoors," she muttered, the lie transparent even to her own ears. "And with proper preparation. And during certain moon phases. And---"

"Save it," Vlad interrupted, not unkindly. "I've seen witches with limited abilities before. No shame in it. Plenty of successful people can't cast worth a damn."

"I'm not limited," Tandy insisted through gritted teeth. "I'm just... magically specialized. In real estate. That's a thing. It's very niche."

Vlad's expression showed he wasn't buying it, which only fueled Tandy's frustration. She tried to jerk away, resulting in their precarious struggle at the cliff edge.

"You know," Vlad said as they teetered on the brink, "Ronald's promises about the falls water enhancing your abilities? Another lie. Magical water can't create power where there's no foundation. At best, it would give you slightly stronger fizzles."

This revelation hit Tandy harder than any physical blow could have.

Vlad tried to pull them backwards, but Tandy fought with the desperation of someone who saw her dreams of redemption and vampire real estate dominance slipping away. They struggled at the cliff edge, loose rocks tumbling over into the abyss as their feet scuffed dangerously close to the drop.

"You'll kill us both!" Tandy screamed as she lost her footing, dragging Vlad perilously close to the edge. For a moment, they teetered on the brink, Vlad gripping Tandy's wrist while his other hand scrabbled for purchase on the rocky path.

"Then stop fighting!" he grunted, pulling them both back from the edge with considerable effort.

Tandy's heel caught on a rock, sending her sprawling onto the path with Vlad maintaining his grip on her wrist. The dagger clattered away, but her free hand plunged into her jacket pocket, emerging with a small vial of glowing orange liquid.

"One more step and I'll drop this!" she threatened, holding the vial over the cliff edge.

"It's Ronald's special formula---concentrated and highly volatile!

One drop in the falls water and it's permanently tainted---useless for anything but Ronald's purposes!

Although between us, it might just be spray tan with glitter added. He's very secretive about the formula."

"Ronald's cologne?" Vlad raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Planning to gas me into submission with eau de vampire?"

"It's not just cologne!" Tandy insisted, holding the vial over the cliff edge. "It's a binding agent. Or a claiming substance. Maybe an arcane territorial marker? To be honest, I wasn't really listening when he explained it. I was mentally calculating my commission on vampire vacation rentals."

"Clever. Insurance policy, is it?" Vlad said, still maintaining his grip.

"Call it leverage," Tandy countered, her business instincts resurfacing.

"Let me go and I'll save the falls. Try to take me in, and Cauldron Falls becomes a vampire hot tub, whether Ronald wins or not.

I've prepared a whole sales presentation for 'Fangtasia Falls'---complete with time-share options and a very competitive monthly maintenance fee structure! "

A tense standoff followed, with Tandy balanced precariously, Vlad still gripping her wrist, and the vial of orange liquid held directly over the drop.

"Here's the thing, Tandy," Vlad said, his voice surprisingly conversational. "I've spent my life hunting vampires and their helpers. Know what I've learned? Everyone thinks they've got leverage, until they don't."

With unexpected speed, he twisted her wrist, causing her to drop the dagger but not the vial. In the same motion, he pulled a silver whistle from his belt and blew a short, sharp note.

The response was immediate. From the trees above the path, a large raven swooped down, cawing loudly.

"AHH! BIRD ATTACK!" Tandy shrieked, instinctively ducking and losing her balance completely. She screamed as she began to fall backward---only to be yanked forward by Vlad's grip.

She collapsed onto the path, the vial still clutched in her trembling hand. Her designer suit was now covered in dust, and one of her acrylic nails (the one painted with a tiny house) had broken off.

"My familiar, Poe," Vlad explained, nodding to the raven, now perched on a nearby rock. "Been with me since Budapest. Excellent timing, as always."

The raven nodded and cawed in smug agreement.

“He’s not much of a talker.” Vlad smiled.

"You... you nearly killed me!" Tandy gasped, sprawled on the dirt path. "Do you have any idea how much this suit cost? It's my 'betray the town to vampires' outfit! Dry clean only!"

"No, you nearly killed yourself," Vlad corrected, carefully taking the vial from her unresisting fingers. "Always the way with Ronald's helpers---so eager to please him they don't see they've been set up to take the fall. Literally, in your case."

He examined the orange liquid critically. "This is just his tanning solution, with some fancy sparkles added. No magical properties whatsoever---except making vampires look ridiculous."

Tandy's face flushed with humiliation. "That's not possible! He told me it was a special formula---that it would taint the water and make it usable only for vampires!"