Realms of Valor/One Last Drink

"One Last Drink" is a short story by Christie Golden included in the 1993 anthology Realms of Valor.

Summary[]

In Marpenoth of the Year of the Open Tome, 892 DR, the vampire Jander Sunstar is in Mistledale, awaiting the arrival of his sire, Cassiar. Although Jander loathes spilling the blood of the innocent, he has no choice but to obey Cassiar. Knowing his lord will be arriving in town to feed that very night, Jander bids farewell to his newfound friend, Rhynn Oriandis, a fellow elf and a member of the Riders of Mistledale. Jander enters the Black Boar Inn and waits for Cassiar's arrival.

When he realizes that the Black Boar's patrons for the evening includes a wizard, a cleric of Lathander, and the experienced fighter Rhynn, Jander hatches a daring scheme to be rid of his master once and for all. When Cassiar arrives with three fresh vampire thralls, they immediately kill some of the civilians present, including the wizard. As soon as Cassiar brings a victim upstairs and is out of earshot, Jander communicates a rough plan to Rhynn and the cleric in Elvish. The trio manage to slay Cassiar's vampire retinue, but not before the last one can cry out a warning to his master.

Cassiar, somewhat annoyed, comes back downstairs and confronts Jander as Rhynn helps the civilians flee. The vampire lord kills the cleric with ease, and is about to kill Jander as well when Jander manages to coax a black cat into attacking Cassiar. Jander uses this opening to attack Cassiar, but is easily overpowered. As Cassiar gloats, he is staked from behind by Rhynn.

Jander tells Rhynn to "finish the job" and stake him too, but she refuses. She brings him a pail of mare's blood and bids him to use his newly won freedom to search for a cure for vampirism so he may return to Evermeet one day. Jander obliges, gratefully, and takes one last drink.