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We left Brightam and the sound of the waves and the smell of the ocean behind, and what should have felt like coming back to the world didn’t. I’d met a vampire and saved him from death only to fall for him. I’d almost been drowned for that, but it wasn’t until this journey started that I’d realized I was stepping into a different world.

Auris had not planned a direct flight to Prague, nor had he booked us on a regular commercial plane, but had instead arranged a private flight. Both were a precaution against any pursuing priests, he said. We’d make a stop in Germany, spend a few days there. I was looking forward to that, excited like a kid going on their first school trip.

We landed in Dresden. Despite being eager for the trip in general, I was in that tired-out state after surviving a transatlantic flight. First class had made it easier, sure, but I was ready to finally get to wherever it was we were headed.

It was still night when we deplaned, but the darkness that greeted us in the brightly lit terminal was showing the first signs of fading, draining from the sky and leaving it to the sun.

Auris had only left me my rolling suitcase, both our carry-on bags slung over his shoulder. He took my hand, pulling me from my zombie-like walk toward customs and the rapid tests for Covid.

“It’s still night. Come on, I’ll get you to the front of the line before the sun prevents me.”

I grinned up at him. “My VIP pass.”

“Your ‘go directly to bed’ card, more like. Pick up the pace. The sunrise is relentless.”

I followed and let myself be compelled to the front of the line. Customs was simple enough, but the test still took us twenty minutes with the wait time, and I sagged against Auris in the waiting area, letting my head rest on his shoulder. I wondered whether things would go back to normal soon, whether we’d be able to travel like we had before. It seemed like the distant past now, completely changed over something so small, so seemingly insignificant.

“Was it like this before?” I asked him, mostly so I wouldn’t fall asleep.

“What do you mean?”

“When there was a pandemic. Like the flu or—you saw the Black Death, right?” I’d raised my voice, and across from us, another passenger looked up from their e-reader, their face hidden behind a mask, just like my own. In my sleepy state, Auris not wearing a mask annoyed me, and I frowned, lowered my voice, and said, “And why are you not wearing a mask? I know you can’t get sick, but everyone should wear a mask. It would be another way to hide your face, right?”

He cocked his head and caressed my cheek. I needed a shave, badly.

“I know that sleep deprivation is like being drunk, but I’ve never quite realized just how true that is before. As to your questions, masks often make me more noticeable. It’s my face that hides me, so when I put on a mask, it’s easier for me to be seen.” He shrugged. “It sounds more philosophical than it is.

“I have seen the Black Death wash over the world, yes. As it reigned, it was as if reality had been suspended. No one knew whether they would have a tomorrow or whether those they loved would. There was violence and there was kindness; not always in equal measures, but one did not have the power to negate the other.

“The Spanish Flu was similar to Covid, but history seems to have largely forgotten about it and about the measures nurses and doctors already knew of back then. It’s as if the World War’s carnage looms so much larger in the memory than a disease that killed more indiscriminately. I do wonder how humanity will remember what they’re experiencing now.”

“It’s all online these days. No one is going to forget about it.”

He smiled at me. “Never underestimate humanity’s need to…well, to human, my sweet.”

“That actually sounds about right. Do you ever just want to do something about it?”

His eyebrows went up. “Such as?”

I shrugged. “You can control minds. Do you ever want to walk into a room where decisions are made and make them for those humans who can’t help themselves?”

“That’s not the question. The question is, do I have the right to do such a thing?” He kissed my brow. “They’re coming over to let you through. Maybe we can have the philosophical conversation after you’ve slept?”

I nodded. He was right, of course. One of the staff came over to clear me, and we left the quarantine zone. From the airport, we took a cab to the train station.

I didn’t know whether Auris had the power to make a train wait for us, but either way, it was there on the tracks when we arrived, and all we had to do was get on, find the seats he had reserved for us, and get comfortable in the first-class compartment we didn’t have to share with anyone. I took the window seat, eager to see what the world looked like here in Europe.

After ten minutes or so, the train doors closed and we left the station.

Outside, there was a city waking to cold November air, and before long we were leaving the roofs and tall buildings behind.

Auris rustling around in one of the bags caught my attention. He’d found a mask and was putting it on.

I cocked my head. “I thought you said…” I looked into his eyes. They had turned silver. “You need it now. No mind control.”

“That’s right. No more skipping lines until nightfall.”