The Hunt

The council had been dissolved for the evening, and a throng of people again filled the theme chambers.



The group of Scottish vampires had been led into a backroom where there were cushions to sit on. It was obviously designed as a room to hold discussions in. The former leader had been excluded from this private meeting. After an hour of tentative approach, the clan arrived at the agreement to try a new organisational concept that would lessen the importance of the leader and allocate a more active role to the other members. Under these conditions, Demyan accepted the responsibility that was offered to him.



Andreji’s arm gently wrapped around him, River once more drifted through the crowd. Small groups of people that talked animatedly filled the hallway. Two men had a heated discussion in Greek, or so River guessed. A little further on, three people were involved in kissing and fumbling.



They were not the only ones. In a corner, a woman in a pompous dress was pressed against the wall by a man. A thin red stream ran down her neck from where their lips met. A few metres away stood an observer, eyeing them with a fascinated gleam in his eyes.



A man dressed in a tailcoat, wearing a top hat and carrying a cane, threw a disapproving glance at the display as he passed them by. “Some people have no sense of decency!” he murmured appalled to his companion who wore a high-necked crème-coloured lace dress.



Loud voices resounded in a room to their right.



“I think they are staging a play,” Andreji steered River to the entrance. They had to remain standing there since the room was packed already, but the stage was elevated so that they still saw the actors.



They watched for a few minutes; then River wanted to go on.



Andreji led him into a side corridor. It soon shaped up as a merchants’ path. There were tailors for the different époques, emphasising their expertise since they had learned their craft in those years when their fashion had been en vogue, carpenters and antiquaries who dealt in genuine furniture, and instrument makers who offered instruments that were nearly forgotten by modern society.



“Andreji, my friend!” someone called out behind them as they watched how a rebec, a forerunner of the violin, equipped with three cords, was made.



The two of them turned around.



“I’ve been hoping to meet you here!” a not very tall but stout man with an impressive moustache called out as he hurried towards them from the opposite stall. He shook hands with River’s Master. “Care to come over for a moment? I’ve got something I’d like to talk to you about.” He hurried back to his wares.



They sauntered over to him. There were a few examples of his work as a blacksmith displayed on his table; a book with photos and descriptions supplemented them.



He smiled apprehensively at Andreji. It seemed that ‘my friend’ had been a slight exaggeration. “You see,” he eagerly recommenced his quick talking that seemed his way of overcoming his nervousness, “I have been charged with the restoration of this huge collection. Unfortunately, there are a few pieces that are either embroidered with silver or are made completely out of it. The owner insisted on having all the repairs made by contemporaries, so… I thought you might be interested…”



“Fine. Give me a pen and a piece of paper,” Andreji replied.



The man fidgeted for a moment until he found the items.



Andreji wrote down a number and a short instruction. “Give that to your client and tell him to call me bearing in mind what I have described there.”



He made to turn, but halted as the merchant looked hesitant.



“I thought you could do the job on my behalf… You see, business is not going that well lately and I could use a bit of good reputation. If I tell the client that I cannot do half of the job, he’ll most likely withdraw the whole order…” He did not dare look at his colleague, knowing very well that he did not look his best with such a suggestion.



Andreji smirked. “So what do you have in mind? Selling my work under your name? Adding a few percent to the price so the business is profitable for you? –I do not think you are aware of my prices. I am known to be one of the best blacksmiths available for historic weapons and do not accept half of the enquiries I receive. I take my time, doing only the interesting, challenging jobs in best quality. People know that and pay accordingly. Of course, silver blades are extra charged because of their toxicity. My work is known and will not pass for yours, be assured of that. Furthermore, my prices would look very bad on your bill.”



The merchant motioned conciliatory. “I see, I see.” He was suddenly very interested in rearranging his stock in the wooden boxes behind him.



Andreji lifted up one of the swords and examined it intently. Then he leafed through the book, looking at the photos. “Fine. I have a suggestion.” He pulled out his mobile.



The merchant turned around with anxious expectation on his face.



“Give me your telephone number and I will refer people to you whose orders do not interest me – as long as there are no complaints about you.”



The other man beamed. “Very gracious!” He gave Andreji his number and they shook hands.



River and Andreji went on.



At a stall, deeply emerged in thick folders full of sheet music, they found Demyan.



“They have some extremely rare pieces here!” he enthused about the range of goods.



Andreji threw an amused glance at River and smiled.



“I assume you have been to the instrument makers already?” he asked his Master whose eyes, big like that of children on Christmas day, were glued to the notes.



“Hm?”



Andreji smirked meaningfully. “He has always been a dreamer,” he murmured into River’s ears. He held his fledgling in his arms for a moment.



“Shall we go to the goldsmith?” River suggested.



“As you wish.”



River was overwhelmed by the quantity and diversity of the handmade jewellery. There were not only colliers, bracelets, and rings but also belts, embellishments for shoes and hats, and even little embroidered hand mirrors, combs, and perfume flacons. River took a closer look at one of the flacons.



“Looking for a present for your Mistress, young man?” the merchant addressed him. “The perfumes to go along with the flacon are sold right over there.” He pointed to the opposite stall.



River turned around to look for Andreji, since the misunderstanding could only derive from his absence. He stood merely two metres away.



“Oh, I see,” the merchant made the connection immediately. “My apologies,” he directed his words to Andreji.



Andreji nodded calmly.



They sauntered over to the recommended stall (after River had discarded the idea to buy a present for Eriko, noticing the price of the flacons). The perfumer emphasised on the unmatched quality of his goods since they were made of one hundred percent natural flavours in contrast to modern mass products. There were indeed some ladies who fawned over the fragrances and seemed to buy enough to last until the next convention.



“Surely these merchants have shops somewhere, haven’t they?” River asked Andreji. “They can’t just sell their goods every five years!?”



Andreji smiled. “Of course not. But it’s convenient for the locals to buy what they need when the merchants come to them instead of having to travel to Southern France or Romania.”



“But how do they keep their shops? I mean, they can hardly stand behind the counter all day,” River was eager to learn.



Andreji shrugged. “They have human employees that take care of the trade whereas they concentrate on the manufacturing.”



River’s curiosity was still not satisfied. “Won’t their employees get suspicious if they never turn up during daytime?”



Amusement spread in his Master’s face. “Suspicious of what? They might find it strange, but humans will always accept a rational explanation. Such as ‘he’s an eccentric’. Lately there are some vampires who even openly admit that they cannot bear sunlight, since there are diseases with that effect. The existence of vampires is the last thing humans are willing to believe in.”



River nodded in agreement.



They arrived at the end of the merchants’ corridor. It opened out into a little hall where a slow waltz was played and a few couples were dancing.



“Care to dance with me?” Andreji asked with a playful smile.



“Are you serious?”



Andreji held out his hands.



“But I don’t know how!” River said half nervous, half stunned.



Andreji’s smirk widened. “I will show you.”



“Now, in front of all these people!?”



“When else?”



“Fine,” River recollected himself, “it’s your feet.”



After five minutes of chaos, River’s feet grew accustomed to a simple pattern of dancing steps. Being a gentleman, Andreji did not comment on the missteps here and there. After a quarter of an hour, River started to enjoy it.



“So, what are we going to do next?” he enquired. “I mean, Britain should be safer, now, shouldn’t it? Is there really a necessity to stay in France?”



Andreji shook his head slightly. “I guess my assistance will be needed concerning the reorganisation of the clan.”



“So back to Scotland?” River said with misgivings. His memories of the place where not the best.



“Back to Scotland,” Andreji confirmed. “To get rid of the old confinements and start something new.”



“In any case, I think you still owe me some answers,” River remarked.



Andreji lifted an eyebrow. “Do I? I thought I had delivered plenty of those tonight…”



“It’s just that with every of your answers, there op up three more questions.”



“In that case, it would be wiser not to give any answers from now on, would it not?” Andreji concluded.



“Not unless you want to get along with your fledgling,” River warned.



Andreji smirked and made an unexpected turn that threw River out of balance.







http://crab.rutgers.edu/~pbutler/rebec.html#6

http://www.sogno-d-oro.de/link-ergacc.html





A/N: Now you\'re wondering why there are so many things left unanswered. It\'s quite simple - I am almost certain that I will be writing a second volume. I never planned to actually show how River turns into a vampire, but it\'s good plot material and there are so many things hinted at in this story that I can use that a second volume sounds very promising. In fact, I have a pretty clear idea of it already.



I would very much appreciate your opinion on the story or just a short message that you have read & enjoyed it.