Embracing a new life

Chapter 21: Prelude



‘What’s this about? You know more than what’s been told you on the phone last night, don’t you?’ River asked Andreji the following evening when the man was in the process of dressing. He reached for his trousers as well.



‘It’s an old affair. A potentially dangerous one. You would do better to stay at home,’ replied his lover without divulging any information.



‘Scratch that. I want to know what’s going on in your life! I thought we’d passed the point where you keep big secrets; at least once I know they exist.’ River left the bed and seized his gun, checked its magazine, and put it into his holster. ‘So,’ he said when Andreji gave no further objections, ‘Where are we headed? Same place as last time?’



‘No. There’s no need for a mere dozen of people to meet in a cave carved out for hundreds,’ replied Andreji. He did up the buttons of his shirt and donned his coat.



River swept up his hair and grabbed a tie to bind it together. Andreji came up behind him. ‘So, where else are we meeting?’



Suddenly, River felt a firm grip around his hands that were still fumbling with his hair at the back of his head. With relentless force, he was pressed face down onto the mattress. His baffled protests were swallowed by the cushion. With one leg, Andreji pressed down River’s legs and thereby effectively kept him from struggling; with his hands he wound rope around River’s wrists. Once he had very aptly applied the binding there, he shifted his weight and directed his attention to River’s feet, binding them with the same piece of rope, so that by the end of his efforts River was so tightly tied up that he could hardly move.



With a sigh, Andreji sank down on the brim of the mattress and carefully aided River to turn his head to the side. ‘I’m sorry to leave you in this position,’ he said in answer to his young lover’s glare, ‘but I cannot risk you following me, even if I had the nerves to argue with you about this matter until you claimed to stay behind at your own will.’



‘And why to hell is it so important to keep me from coming that you believe it legitimates such drastic measures?’ River ground out.



Andreji caressed the trapped man’s cheek, softly, as if to apologise for what he was doing to him. ‘I expect that you will free yourself within the hour. In the small bureau in the corridor, there is an envelope containing some papers, a credit card, and the keys to an apartment in Copenhagen. If you feel inclined at all to at least hear my explanation before you make up your mind about tonight, you will wait for me there. Should I not turn up there within the next week, do yourself the favour and take the next plane to America or Australia. Perhaps Australia would be best. Just away from Eurasia. In your present state you should be able to suffer the sun in the First Class, with drawn curtains and shades.’



With every word Andreji said River grew more anxious. ‘What the hell is going on?’



Andreji shook his head. ‘Let’s say I like playing dangerous games, and while I usually manage to weasel my way out of tight spots that I occasionally manoeuvre myself into, I am uncertain of tonight’s outcome. I might find myself in a situation in which I am happy not to have to worry for your safety as well, if you get my meaning.’ He rose and walked to the door.



There were several things on River’s tongue from ‘What have you gotten yourself into?’ to ‘If it’s that dangerous, don’t go (and unbind me)!’ but he knew those words would be wasted.



When Andreji turned to look at him one last time, there was a flickering in his eyes. Had he been a different person, he would have said something. Yet he was the tall, white-haired, shuttered man of River’s choosing, so he merely inclined his head. ‘Copenhagen,’ he promised softly.







Andreji arrived at Sunan’s house just when Fabien did. The short Frenchman with the sharp gaze grinned from ear to ear, exposing perfectly white teeth. Oh yes, he was in love with himself and in love with the thrill. ‘The big night we’ve all been waiting for, is it?’ He chuckled and his eyes almost glowed with glee. ‘Excited?’



Andreji directed a look at him that conveyed his reserved demeanour. ‘I had grown fond of acting in the shadows. I confess, I am a little worried of what might come, now. I do not particularly care for war.’



Fabien patted him on the back. ‘Sometimes an open confrontation is necessary…’



His white-haired leaguer grimaced in doubt.



They settled down on seats in a circle of ten chairs. Some of them were taken already, but due to Andreji’s reputation of being a solitary person, there were no attempts to ask him about the goings on.



His head resting on one arm, two fingers on his lips, Andreji watched as Fabien socialised with the others, chatting animatedly. He mentally analysed the other Council members. Some of the Asians and Africans would not make it. Sunan divided his life between Norway and his home country which enabled him to be there, but this life style also caused controversies amongst his clan and caused some of his people to turn against his policies. Two of the seats had been staffed with new Council members that were less inclined to suffer Sunan’s constant preaching than their predecessors. The balance of power had shifted in Alaric’s favour since the last time he had been a point on the agenda, but the situation was nonetheless precarious.



And the way Fabien acted, all his unrelieved hormones, did not bode well. He was going to seek confrontation.







River tried to loosen the ties by moving his hands, but all that did was excoriating his skin. Looking around, he saw no sharp objects that he could utilise to cut the rope either. Only after several minutes did he think of the obvious: his spirit. River didn’t dare burning off all the rope, but at least the spirit severed the part of it that bound his hands and feet together, so that he could get up and hop to the bedroom door.



Half an hour later, he had found a knife and cut his bonds. Having dressed and gathered his things together, he found the keys to Andreji’s hire car and emptied the drawer that his Master/lover/captor had mentioned and drove off. Strangely, he was not as upset as he would expect given the circumstances. More precisely, he was not upset at Andreji, despite his rude behaviour. For once, the man had taken the time to at least partially explain why he had acted that way, and his reasons had sounded sincere. That, of course, meant that River was constantly puzzling over what was happening now in the Council, with no small amount of anxiety.



Since the last ferry had already left, River took the long way through Sweden and only arrived in Copenhagen in the early morning hours. The satellite navigation device led him into the centre of the city. The house he stopped in front of looked quite expensive, with an own basement garage and Art Nouveau ornaments. Finding a key card amongst the contents of the drawer, River gained access to the garage and with the help of the slip of parchment that held the address and apartment number, he slid into the correct parking lot.



When he stepped out of the car, he suddenly heard the voice of a woman that seemed to speak to him. Not that he understood a single word. The brunette approached him with her car keys in one hand and a bag hanging from her shoulder as if she were about to leave and put forth her hand. ‘Mette Olsen.’



River smiled in greeting, shook hands with her, and gave her his name. ‘I fear I don’t speak Danish,’ he added apologetically.



‘Oh, you’re from England!’ the woman immediately switched to his language. She seemed in her early forties, with short hairs and sportive garments. ‘That explains why we never see anyone! My husband and I have been living here for five years, and there’s never been a car in this parking lot. We were wondering already.’



River shrugged. ‘I fear I can’t help you there. The apartment belongs to a friend. But yes, he travels a lot.’



‘Oh, I see. Well, I must be off. My shift starts soon.’ The woman went back to her car, waving good-bye, and drove away.



When River unlocked the door, the stench of newness inundated him. Moving through the pristine rooms, River had the impression that Andreji had never been here, that no one had ever inhabited this place. A bed and an inflatable armchair were the only pieces of furniture in it, and the mugs the electric kettle stood in their original packing next to an unopened packet of tea. The young man really had to wonder about his lover. Was he paranoid or did he have a reason for buying real estate all over Europe of which he did not use the half in order to be prepared for the eventuality of having to flee?







The seven days were almost over. River had tried to distract himself by buying English newspapers at the main station and lending DVDs that he watched on his laptop, but in truth, he had grown more and more restless with every passing hour. Why to hell was Andreji not calling? Had truly something happened to him?



He was just preparing his umpteenth cup of tea and contemplating whether he should follow Andreji’s prompt to leave the continent when his mobile finally gave off the long awaited sound. His heart beat faster and he sprinted to the bed on which the mobile lay. The display showed the name he had longed to see. ‘Andreji, finally!’ he called into the phone with relief.



‘No, Jawid,’ he was corrected by a rough voice.



River’s face fell, fear seizing him. ‘Why? Where did you get his mobile? Where is Andreji?’





A/N: One more chapter to go.