Embracing a new life

Chapter 12: A lesson

Andreji had stayed for some ‘quality time’ (River smirked) after Jawid had departed. Yet, now, a week had passed, and River had heard of neither of the men. Again. He really kept Andreji on a long leash (well, considering who was fledgling and who was master this description of their relationship would probably have alienated some people, but the blond could not help feeling this way), but sometimes he was wondering what truly went on in the other man.

A while ago, River would simply have assumed that all his apprehension had been justified and Andreji indeed did not care for him or had grown tired of him. However, the way things had developed between them, the way Andreji supported him and above all tried to meet River’s conception of a sound relationship, he discarded that idea immediately. The white haired man’s claim that he merely was not used to this kind of relationship was genuine. Andreji was no liar, even though he undoubtedly liked to deceive people. Still, seven days were enough, really. If Andreji needed a nudge, he was getting one.

River climbed swiftly down the rocks from where he had parked the motor scooter that Trish had lent him in the garage of their camouflage house. Soon after he had entered the tunnels, he encountered Griet who had her day off and was heading out to roam Edinburgh’s nightlife. She sent a kiss hand towards him, grinning, as she swept past him.

A little further on, River faced the grim visage of Murtagh. The former leader – for some reason that went beyond River’s immediate understanding, although he guessed it had something to with not having anywhere else to go – still occupied a room down here, but kept mostly to himself. His favourite fledgling – the petite brunette who had initially lured River into the vampires’ liar under false pretences – had forsaken him after his dirty work had been revealed (amongst other things he had killed her twin sister and had kept Demyan captive for half a century). Some clan members did not share the general opinion of him; a few thought he had been faulted and kept him company. All in all, he was doing quite well, considering that he had just been thrown off his ‘throne’ because of his despotism and his unscrupulous manner of achieving whatever he wanted, even at the cost of breaking the rules he had set himself and of disposing of those who had stood in his way.

River sometimes wondered why Andreji was suffering that. It did not really fit into his picture of the pragmatic man he thought to know. Having said that, the half-Japanese found himself at the beginning of the circle once more. Andreji’s motives were hidden in the dark.

He passed the common room.

“River!” someone called for him.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Demyan was walking towards him. He smiled. “I have been meaning to catch you on your own for quite some time already,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “Would you care to join me for a spot of tea in my room?” he asked amicably.

“I actually was just on my way to Andreji,” River objected half-heartedly.

“Just for a few moments,” Demyan requested.

River shrugged. “Fine.” He was not really in a hurry.

He followed Demyan and soon found himself seated in a relatively small room, filled with a bed, a small table lined with two comfy armchairs, a piano, and many books. He had been here before, of course, but just now a question crossed his mind. “Why are Andreji’s quarters so spacious in comparison? I mean, I know you refused Murtagh’s room, but even that one was smaller than his…”

“In fact,” Demyan answered while he prepared the tea, “Andreji’s quarters are the actual quarters of the leader. Murtagh abandoned them because they reminded him too much of his predecessor, his maker. To be frank, I think he did not know how to open the door to the master bedroom anyway.” He winked. River had not figured that trick out yet either. “Alaric was an… unusual person. He could do things that you could not explain rationally. That frightened the most of us. In addition, he had quite the temper. I can well imagine that Murtagh was not too fond of the memories he associated with those rooms…” He set the teapot and two cups on the table and sat down.

“What was life like, back then?” River was eager to learn.

Demyan leaned back, his animated face – such a contrast to how Andreji looked most of the time – showing that he tried to find a suitable description. “It was rougher… less civilised. Many of the elders regarded mankind as their food and pleasure stock, using them at will. When you travelled – and we travelled often – you had to always face the possibility of being attacked because you had accidentally entered the territory of a rival clan. Amongst some, however, ideas spread that it was better to be cautious. More and more beast hunters had taken up business and hunted our kind, and law and order was much more efficiently enforced than before so that the likelihood of being detected grew. In my estimation, Murtagh only shared those beliefs because he knew that his master disapproved of them. Alaric always condescended to him, at least I never saw him treat Murtagh with kindness or respect, only with spite, and Murtagh made a point of working against him wherever he could.”

Demyan filled their cups, now that the steeping time of the tea was over.

“How did Alaric treat you?” his guest enquired.

“Treat?” Demyan smirked. “He ‘treated’ me with disregard. I doubt he really took notice of me.”

“Didn’t he have to accept you as Murtagh’s first fledgling?” River reasoned.

Demyan shook his head. “The rule that the leader decided over the timing and the identity of the first fledgling of each clan member was introduced by Murtagh. Setting up restrictions was not Alaric’s style. He spent most of the time away from the clan in any case, so who should have enforced them?”

River thought for a moment. “If you don’t mind me asking,” he started cautiously, “how did you become Murtagh’s fledgling?”

Demyan smiled to show the question did not bother him. “Well, I was a scholar. I had studied at Paris, and I was madly in love with the fine arts. Alaric was a very physical person, and Murtagh had not been able to live up to his expectations, so I guess he saw the perfect opposing model in me. I was still quite inexperienced and quickly fell for his charm and his promises, not to mention the physical attraction he exuded.” Demyan fingered his cup, running his digits over the old-fashioned golden ornaments on it. “I soon discovered that he was not the person he had claimed to be but rather fork-tongued and crooked. That is why I was so taken with Andreji and decided to have a fledgling of my own only a few decades after my own transformation. He was such a straight forward guy, not someone to hide the truth, even if it hurt.”

River nodded minutely, silently thinking that there were quite a few things that Andreji had kept secret.

As if thinking the same, Demyan enquired, “Has he spoken about Alaric to you?”

River shook his head.

Demyan sighed wearily. “I keep asking him how they met and what went on between them, but he keeps denying me any answers, claiming that he wishes the past to remain untouched. Such a stubborn man!” Demyan had just recently learned that Andreji had known the man. “One would think I have the right to know what he did behind my back with the leader of my clan, all those years when I did my best to protect him from these people!”

River placed a hand on Demyan’s shoulder. “Don’t let it get to you. You know Andreji. He just doesn’t like talking about his past.”

For a moment Demyan looked hurt, but then his face cleared. “I guess it cannot be helped. I always knew he was not telling me everything that went on in his life, after all. It is just a confusing thought that we both knew a person at the same time and I was not aware of it. Did he keep it purposefully hidden or has neither of them been aware of each other’s true identity either?”

River just shrugged his shoulders.

“Anyway,” his host brushed the topic aside, “talking about stubbornness – how are you getting along with him?” He pierced River with a knowing glance that spiked the urge in the young man to defend his lover.

“Quite well,” he replied therefore, and it was not a lie. He wanted to go more into detail, but did not find the right words without giving away too much of what was going on between them. He had a sense that Andreji preferred things to remain between the two of them. “He’s the best lover I’ve ever had,” River added eventually to emphasise his statement, even though it sounded a little weird in his own ears. Still, it was true. Andreji was not always easy to handle, but River had never felt for anyone like he did for that man.

Demyan studied him for a long moment; then he broke into a smile. “That is good. I was a little surprised to find out he had taken that step. I was not certain he had it in him. If you need help or advice, you know that you can count on me, do you not?”

River rose from his seat. “I do. Though I think that Andreji’s a mystery that I have to figure out myself.”

Demyan smirked. “You are probably right.”

The biting stench of vinegar greeted him as River opened the door to Andreji’s quarters. To his left, the bathroom door stood ajar, and as he pushed it fully open, the sight of Andreji balancing on the brim of the shower cabin and scrubbing the tiles greeted him. With a smug expression on his face, the young man leaned against the door frame and enjoyed the view of broad shoulders, long, white hair hanging tousled in its tie, and trousers stretching tightly over Andreji’s delicious backside when the man leaned forward. In the end, a whistle escaped his lips.

His lover straightened up and gave him a glance that told River pointedly that he was going to pay for his cheekiness sooner or later before he resumed polishing the tap.

River giggled and suppressed the urge to give Andreji’s butt a good squeeze before turning to the library. Without the biting stench of vinegar, he thought, he would not have been able to resist temptation…

To his surprise, he found the library in a state of relative chaos – at least in comparison to the neat order he was used to. Books lay open on the floor, used tea cups littered the side table, a blanket hang rumpled from the couch as if Andreji had slept on it. Nice guy that he was, River acknowledged that Andreji already made an effort to put this place into a better state and decided to be gracious and help him by folding the blanket, taking the used tea bags to the trash, and carrying the cups to the sink, where his master was presently rinsing out the sponge.

“Doing some research?” he asked to initiate conversation while he watched Andreji washing the dishes.

A non-committal “Hmm” was all that he received for an answer.

Such un-communicative behaviour usually did not bode well, so River chose to postpone his plans for the evening. He had been thinking about a nice massage, followed by more intimate physical contact… -But this was apparently not the right time. “What’s it about?”

“Just some foreign pieces of wrought iron work that Jawid asked me to take a closer look at. I was researching how they had been made.”

River nodded, even though Andreji was standing with his back to him and therefore could not see the motion. “So you’ve been in contact with him? I thought I was the only way he could reach you?”

“Once I knew he was back in the country, I knew how to reach him.”

“I see.” River folded his arms and leaned against the door frame. “So you have been meeting him. Why didn’t you take me along?”

Andreji sighed wearily. That caught River’s attention. Usually the man was into playing games when he did not want to talk about something; showing his weariness of the subject immediately was a clear sign that he truly was not in a good mood. Well, at least he knew, now, that the man had a reason for not seeking him out – he was usually not much use in this state.

Andreji halted in his movements. “River. Imagine two people who have been knowing each other for several centuries. Can you imagine that they would like to spend a bit of time on reconnaissance after not seeing each other in a decade? Without a third party involved?” He gave River the look.

“Of course I can. I was just asking. No need to snub me like that.”

Andreji averted his gaze and held up a hand. “Point taken.” He resumed his task, rinsing out the last cup and lining it up with the rest on the rim of the sink.

“Are you busy or can we spend some time together?” River asked straight forwardly.

“As long as you do not expect me to make grand conversation today, I am all yours.”

Well, River doubted that ‘all’ part in his lover’s statement, but he was going to take what he got. He retrieved the water cooker from the library and filled it.

While River threw a few fresh chunks of wood onto the fire (central heating obviously surpassed the clan’s enthusiasm for modern living) and took care of the tea, Andreji sagged on the couch, placing his arms on the backrest, dropping his head back, and closing his eyes. “So, what is it going to be tonight?”

“Hm?” River made while he handed Andreji his cup. The man declined.

Raising his eyebrow but refraining from commenting on the fact that he could have told him he did not want tea beforehand, River put it down on the table and took a seat next to him. “Well,” he answered eventually, “I could use an opinion on my latest pieces, if you don’t mind. Trish has given me some good tips, but a second opinion is always welcome.”

“Go ahead.”

River jumped up and retrieved his laptop from where he had left it in the corridor. While it booted up, he proceeded to tell Andreji about his latest jobs. “…I wish I had a longer, on-going project, though,” he said in the end, “Something I can concentrate on for a while instead of switching from one commission to the next and having to do a lot of work to get commissions in the first place.” He opened the folder that held his finished pieces and showed them to Andreji one after the other.

Stretching his legs, his lover gazed lazily at the screen. “Why do you not apply as illustrator for books? Those water colour works that you showed me a while ago reminded me a lot of illustrations of children’s books…”

River snorted. “You read children’s books?”

The shadow of a mischievous smile flitted over the older man’s face.

“No, seriously,” River replied to his suggestion, “I don’t think I would stand a chance. Illustration is something people go to school or university to learn; any employer who reads my vita will only laugh and feed it to the shredder.”

“You never know before you try. Perhaps a written application might not work, but there are other ways of catching an employer’s attention,” Andreji pointed out. He reached for the lid of the laptop and shut it. “Let us practice.”

River frowned confusedly. “What are you going on about?”

“You have been urging me to start your training for ages, do you not?”

River was off the couch in an instant. “Are you serious? Now?”

Andreji shrugged with a smirk and vanished behind the bookshelf that hid the entrance to his bedroom (or at least River had always assumed that it was his bedroom) to emerge a moment later in a plain black T-shirt and a variation of those simple cream coloured linen trousers that he had worn when the two men had first met.

Right. Training clothes. River hurried into his own room and rummaged through the spare garments that were still stored there. Within moments he was ready.

Andreji led him through a labyrinth of apparently rarely used tunnels further and further down. “What about your night vision?” his dark voice echoed through the narrow channel and engulfed River.

“Oh, I don’t think I’m of much use in that field yet,” the young man replied while he stumbled after him.

“Well,” Andreji’s voice was rich and carried a playful note, “we will see.” With that, he threw the torch that had lid their way in a wide arch. In its light, there suddenly appeared the faint outlines of a huge underground cave. After three quarters of its way, the torch hit a stalactite and dropped to the ground, where it disappeared with a splash and was extinguished by an underground lake. “…Or I will.”

“I’m sure you’ll enlighten me as to the benefits of a training session without light,” River commented dryly.

“You are a creature of the night, River,” Andreji emphasised, his voice sounding strangely distant. “Use your senses in the dark; they are one of your major advantages. No matter if you prefer to maintain a lifestyle that resembles that of humans, you should know your true nature. As long as you do not, it will not be wise to seek Jawid’s presence. He has no patience for people who deny what they truly are.”

Nice little speech; and what now? “For what purposes should I put my senses to use, tonight?”

“Find me.”

So that was why Andreji’s voice had grown more and more distant. River sighed. Hide and seek. When had he played that for the last time? Talking of children’s books, eh? Who knew, perhaps Andreji’s bedroom was overcrowded with stuffed animals… That thought evoked an involuntary snigger in him.

Back to the task at hand. River did the obvious and followed Andreji’s voice. Until his feet made contact with the brim of the lake, that was. He pricked his ears. Not the teensiest sound. His eyes did not provide him with any information either. It was pitch black.

“Can you actually see me? I mean, there is no light at all in here. Surely even night sight can’t help in such a place, can it?”

No answer. Well, that would have been too easy. Andreji might be stubborn and evasive, but he was not dense. River fumbled around until he stumbled over something. He bent low and felt the items – Andreji’s shoes. So he had stolen away.

Senses. Eyes – ruled out. Ears – did not help. Feeling around – in a cave of that size? Taste – would surely not help. Smell. But how would that assist him? Vinegar. Andreji had worked with vinegar. Perhaps that smell still clang to him? River had not noticed, though. Still, it was the only thing he could think of.

River copied Andreji’s tactic and slipped out of his shoes. The floor was cold, but that could not be helped. He made sure to breathe easily and tread as carefully as humanly – no, vampirically (or however you called that) – possible. Even though this was little more than a game, his heart rate went up.

For a while, River smelled nothing. Then a scent hit his nostrils that he had not expected – blood. “Andreji? Are you all right?” The smell was still faint, but when he proceeded, it grew stronger. His nose led him on, until he bounced into something warm and soft.

A low chuckle welcomed him. “That was a promising start.”

“Are you hurt?” River asked concernedly.

He heard a match being lit, and a moment later, a new torch was flaring to life. Andreji held out his bleeding wrist. “You have not fed from me in several weeks.”

River could not avert his eyes from the blood, even though he had not been prepared for such an offer. His last drink had been several days ago. “Are you sure that’s even necessary?” he objected half-heartedly while his mouth watered.

“Drink,” was the simple command that answered his concerns.

River sank to his knees, seizing Andreji’s hand, closed his eyes, and pressed the wound to his lips.

Satisfied calm spread over Andreji’s face as he observed the man at his feet.