The Hunt

24



River came out of the Aikido centre. He had taken on the beginners’ course in the evening; that left him with some spare time during the day. It was a children’s course. At times he felt they were doing things behind his back. River was still not fluid in colloquial French, after all. However, generally speaking, the chaos stayed off. That was more than he had expected.



He had noticed Andreji’s motorbike standing in the shack this morning. He must have come back when River had already gone to sleep. Now, River headed for the bus station to catch the last bus to the country. He crossed a small square on which an old chapel stood. The distinct sound of music emerged from it.



Was that Andreji talking to the lady at the entrance? She shook her head, but he seemed to be set on convincing her of letting him in. He was successful.



Intrigued, River hurried over to the lady and said he was late for an appointment with the man who had just gone in. She rolled her eyes exasperatedly, motioning for him to go through without paying because the concert would be over in twenty minutes anyway.



River sneaked in and looked for his Master. It was hard not to notice him. His white hair flowing gently over his shoulder onto his chest, his eyes closed as he listened to the music. Old Irish Christian songs.



River took the seat next to him and looked up at the older man. It was rare to see him this open, especially in public. His young fledgling took in the atmosphere of the place. Biblical scenes were painted on the wall. The place was decorated with flowers.



Three songs later, the concert was over and the audience left. River leaned towards Andreji. “Are you religious?”



His Master’s cheeks moved up as he smiled. “Not really.”



“Why are you here, then?”



Andreji looked up at the ceiling. “Memories. I was not welcome in the church during Sunday mass, but I enjoyed listening secretly to the monks in the nearby monastery in my youth.”



“This wasn’t exactly a monk choir, was it?” River asked mockingly.



Andreji shrugged. “It was Christian music as well. I used to live in Ireland, for a time.”



They watched the people walk out. “Where were you last night?”



“England,” Andreji answered curtly. It was plain that he was not eager to talk about it.



River ignored that, however. “Couldn’t you have taken me along?”



Andreji laughed out dryly. “No.”



“You were working on your revenge plans?” River deducted.



“Yes,” his Master conceded. “But I think I am done with that, now. It does not give me the satisfaction I seek. I guess it is time for me to move on.”



Well, River definitely seconded that.



“Was there a special reason why you wanted to accompany me to England?” Andreji wanted to know as he rose from his seat.



“Well, now that you ask – my relatives are worried about me. You know, during my escape attempt, I turned up there and they noticed that something was wrong. My cousin called me a few weeks ago to know what was up. It would be good if I could pay them a visit to assure them everything’s fine.”



Andreji nodded in understanding. “Fine. I will have business to attend to in London at the end of the week anyway. Get yourself a good helmet and call your relatives. I will drop you off in the morning and fetch you to go back to France in the evening. Is that alright with you?”



“Yeah great. Thanks.” River meant it. He was glad that Andreji bothered taking care of all these things – storing River’s belongings, giving him back his cell phone and stuff, and now enabling him to keep contact with his family. He could just as easily have said that River was better to forget his past life now that he had started a totally different one.



“I would let you travel alone, but you know that Britain is not safe for us,” Andreji explained.



“Is it dangerous to go to London? I don’t want to get you into any trouble…”



Andreji shook his head calmly. “Do not worry.”



They had reached Andreji’s motorbike and the man donned his helmet. “I am on my way to feed,” he said since River obviously expected to be taken along.



“Oh.” River took a step backwards. “I guess I’ll find another way to go home. Cab or something.” He turned to leave.



Andreji seized his wrist with his usual, tight grip to hold him back. “How about you go to a video rental shop, pick something out for us, and get yourself a nice drink somewhere afterwards, and I try to get this done as quickly as possible and fetch you afterwards?”



River was surprised for a moment. It was not like Andreji to propose any mutual leisure activities. “Don’t be like that,” he said, “It gets my hopes up too much.” The young man had spoken that out jestingly, but there was some seriousness in it.



Andreji cocked his head. “So back to our snarky little word fights? They were fun at the time, but would they not get a little tiring in the long run?” Amusement trickled through his every word.



River hit him on the upper arm playfully and turned to go. “I’ll send you a text message to let you know which bar I’m at,” he called over his shoulder.







Three days later, Andreji spread finely weaved tissue on the table in the library. Piece by piece, he wrapped five weapons in it and put them in a bag.



“That one is beautiful!” River exclaimed as he looked at a sword approximately half a metre in length. It had an unusually broad blade that was richly engraved.



“That is a Cinquedea, a weapon that was commonly worn by civilians in Northern Italy in the fifteenth and sixteenth century.” Andreji wrapped it and put it away.



They got ready, Andreji locked the door, and they drove of, towards London.



An hour before sunset, Andreji dropped River off near his uncle’s flat. “I will fetch you around midnight.” With that, he was gone.



That was going to be a long day, River thought.







At the end of it, he sat on the stairs to the apartment house where his aunt and uncle lived. He had dozed for an hour or two on the couch after lunch, just as he had done so many times when he had still been a child and his aunt had kept an eye on him while his mother worked, so he was not as tired as he had expected. The evening in one of his former locals with Eriko and a few friends of hers had been so much fun that there just had not been any opportunity to grow tired.



The good thing about his aunt and uncle was that they did not ask many questions. They were content with being told that everything was alright in River’s life again and he even had a job in teaching the art they had taught him. Naturally, his tête à tête with Andreji was not a matter that was discussed between them. His mother’s brother and his wife were old-fashioned people; they had found it bizarre already that River’s mother chose not to seek the safe haven of marriage. River assumed they did not even know that he was interested in men. He definitely had not told them. His sexuality was something he just did not feel obliged to discuss with anyone.



Of course, Eriko had started several attacks on him, trying to find out more about Andreji. River had not even given her that name. It was safer that way. For all parties involved. He justified his tight mouth saying that at the moment they were only friends with benefits and there was no point talking about it. That was close to the truth and still miles away.



The sound of a motorcycle made River rise from his cold seat. Andreji stopped in front of him and took off his helmet.



“Has everything gone the way you wanted it?” he asked, eyeing his fledgling.



“Yes, everything’s fine,” River answered, mounting the bike behind the taller man. “And with you?”



“Business as usual.” Andreji waited for River to done his helmet.



“I hope you are still fit; I would not like to feel you drop off onto the street in full speed because you fell asleep.”



“Ooh, my Master is worried about my well-being…” River snorted. “Don’t worry, I’m awake.”







At around five o’clock, they entered the house. Andreji had already glanced disgruntled at the lightening sky.



“Is that a problem already?” River asked, half concerned, half curious.



“It might be, if I were underfed,” Andreji replied as he got rid of his gloves and jacket. He headed for his rooms.



River yawned as he watched Andreji. “Can I join you?” he asked spontaneously.



His Master shrugged without even turning.



River hurried after him into the dark. “Is there enough room on your comfy stone bench for two?”



A deep chuckle. “Hardly. Perhaps you should get yourself some sandwiches and water for later.”



River’s question was hardly answered, but he did as he was told.



When he came back, he shut the doors behind him. “Could we not light a candle or something? I’m not yet a vampire, in case you haven’t noticed… I don’t see a thing in the dark.”



Steps sounded above him. He heard a lamp being switched on. The light streamed through a square hole in the ceiling. Andreji appeared on the edge of it. “Throw your meal up.”



River threw the bottle of water first, then the pack of food. Andreji caught everything.



“Step on the stool, so I can pull you up,” Andreji ordered him subsequently, kneeling down to reach for his fledgling. His tight grip under River’s arms, and River was lifted to the first storey.



“What about a ladder?” he asked playfully.



“Safety precaution. Where there’s no ladder, no one looks up. Or did you know I was sleeping up here?”



River smirked. “No. I thought you were having naps on that uncomfortable thing down there. Cheater. Why haven’t you shown me this on our little introduction round through the house?”



Andreji shrugged as he undressed. “I did not think about it. You know about it, now.”



True. Somehow, River did not mind. It did not seem to be of importance.



“Please cover the hole with the lid before you go to sleep,” Andreji said as he lay down in bed and pulled the cover over himself. Before River could retort anything, the elder man had already closed his eyes.



With another yawn, River looked around in the room. It was not furnished very richly. A few cardboard boxes in one corner, a sideboard along a wall and the bed. No windows, of course. River pushed the lid onto the hole and crawled into bed beside Andreji. He put out the light.