The Hunt

4

Griet led River on until they reached a door in a lonely corridor where she pulled out a key. “He ordered me to prepare his rooms for you,” she explained as she unlocked the door. They entered a small, circular room. A lantern hung from the ceiling and the flame in it flickered. There had to be some sort of air circulation in these rooms and tunnels. To River’s left there was a second door, directly in front of him was a curtain.

Griet shut the entrance door behind them. She smiled at River. “I know, all this must be a shock for you, but believe me – it’ll all be well in the end.”

River smirked darkly. “Right. I’m just going to be made a vampire against my will.”

The light blonde woman smiled on. “You’re prejudiced, but that is something your Master will discuss with you. Believe me when I tell you he is the best you could get. I still wish he would’ve accepted me as his fledgling.”

“What, you asked to be made a vampire?” River wanted to know incredulously.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that, although I’m sure you will finally agree. It’s common for a female vampire to seek a new Master, a new protector, if the old one dies. I asked your Master, but he refused me. I suppose he wanted to create a fledgling of his own first before accepting anyone in this fashion. He’s not really known for liking female vampires either – I should’ve known.” Griet shrugged and opened the door to their left. “This is the bathroom. You will share that with him.” A small room with a shower cabin and a washstand came into view.

“Excuse me if I ask so frankly, but where is the toilet?”

“Oh, right, I always forget that. There is one a little further up, for the servants; you can use that. I’ll show it to you when we’re finished here.”

She went back into the entrance area. To the right there stood a sideboard. She opened a drawer. “Towels.” She shut it and opened another. “Candles and matches.” Griet pointed at a basket. “For the dirty laundry. Someone regularly fetches it and brings the fresh laundry back. They’re only allowed into this room; they may not go beyond the curtain. Your Master doesn’t want them there. I supervise the servants; that’s how I know.”

Griet lifted the aforementioned heavy curtain. Behind it, a larger room came into view. The first things River noticed were the bookshelves that covered the walls. Even at first glance he saw that most of the tomes were very old. Seeing his amazement, Griet offered some information. “Your Master is responsible for handling any kind of trouble that we have with other species. In some cases that plainly means killing the trouble maker, but he usually tries to communicate first. That’s why he needs a broad knowledge of the species he deals with.”

There was an old fireplace nestled in between the shelves and large, comfortable looking armchairs stood in front of it.

Griet motioned to another, smaller curtain that covered a narrow passage. She slipped through it. River followed behind. Inside, it was utterly dark. He heard a match being stricken. A flame came into view. Griet lit a candle. “This will be your place from now on,” she told him.

The candle stood on a small bedside table that in turn stood next to a simple wooden bed. There was a wardrobe as well. The walls were painted white which made them reflect the light best. Still, it was a lifeless room. River opened the wardrobe. There were clothes for him with his initials embroidered in them. Everything had been planned.

River swallowed the lump in his throat. “Where does he sleep?” he asked with a quiet voice.

“I don’t know exactly. There must be a hidden entrance to his chambers. The Masters usually keep their bedroom hidden,” Griet replied.

“I was under the impression that he has just become a Master today. Where has he slept so far?”

Griet smiled. “Well, his Master has died a few decades ago. The Master of his maker, who automatically became his new Master, let him stay here and take up his Master’s duties, so I suppose he also inherited his Master’s rights, even without a fledgling of his own.” She looked away when she added, “Some people envy him for being in our leader’s favour.”

“The leader is his Master?” River asked to verify what he believed to have understood.

Griet nodded.

River pondered what other questions he should pose – now, that he had the chance to do so. “What rules will I have to adhere to?”

“I cannot tell you. That is something between you and your Master.”

Yes. Everything depended on Andreji, now. The man who had betrayed him. The man who held his life in his hands.

Griet touched him on his shoulder. River shied away. “Don’t be so anxious,” she tried to calm him. “Your Master is a fine man. He will treat you fairly, I’m certain.”

“The way he lured me here was not fair at all,” River countered.

Griet looked sheepish. “I don’t know about that.” She seemed to make up her mind. “You will receive daily deliveries of food. They will be deposited in the entrance room.” She looked about. “I guess that is all I can do for you at this point. I’ll just show you the toilet, and then we’ll have to part ways.”

When River returned alone and still found the rooms deserted, he opted for a second hot shower. He collected what clothing he would need from his chamber and spent several minutes under the hot water. His feet and legs were still cold when he rubbed himself dry. The coldness of the air around him did not help either. He was glad that at least someone had thought of that and had filled his wardrobe with warm clothing. That did not banish his thoughts of his colleagues, though. While he was sitting there and mourning over the loss of his freedom and comfort, they might even not be alive anymore. It seemed surreal somehow. He could not really grasp what happened to him right now. It was as if it did not happen to him but to someone he was just watching.

River sat down on the fur in front of the fireplace and tried to get a fire going. There was a huge basket full of wood standing beside the fireplace. That did not help him in the least, however. After wasting a whole box of matches, he angrily threw a chunk of wood across the room in despair. How was his life going to be like from now on? He felt exhausted, and lonely.

After a few moments of paralysis, he slowly got up, put the chunk back in the basket so Andreji was not unnecessarily provoked, and decided to seek whatever comfort his new bed could give him. It was thick eiderdown. At the beginning it was as cold as everything else, but then it grew warm and cosy.

Despite his improved physical situation, River’s mind did not stop playing the pictures of the recent events in an infinite loop.

River must have dozed off. He awoke with a start from the sound of someone entering the adjacent room. The footsteps were followed by sounds that River could not interpret. After a while, the footsteps came closer. The curtain that divided his chamber from the main room was pushed aside. Andreji’s silhouette stood out against the dim flickering light that River guessed was a fire. He glared back at the deceiver even though he could not make out any details in his face.

After a moment, Andreji turned and the curtain fell back into place. Only a small corner of the passage remained uncovered, mocking River with a glimpse of warm light. The thought of sitting in front of a warm fireplace was enticing. The thought of facing Andreji was not.

River lay like that for a while, watching the flickering light, unable to fall back to sleep. No, he was not going to be such a coward. He had not tried to flee because he was not stupid, but hiding from reality was out of the question. River pushed the cover back, slipped into the sweater he had taken off before going to bed, and dived into the warm shoes that had been laid out for him.

Pushing the curtain aside, River saw the back of Andreji’s head protruding from one of the armchairs. His right hand was holding a glass of water on the armrest. River stepped between the two armchairs. “May I take the other seat or do I have to sit to your feet from now on?” he asked provokingly.

A smile flitted over Andreji’s face. He did not take his eyes off the fire. “The custom would be to deprive you of all contact for a few days so you would be eager to spend your time with me. Then I would let you lie to my feet every now and again. Of course you would not be allowed to speak to me, let alone in such a tone.” He took a sip of water. “You are lucky I have no appreciation of such games. Take whatever place you like and make sure you are at my feet when someone enters, if you know what is good for yourself.”

“Or else?” River dug deeper.

“Or else I will be deemed too stupid to deal properly with a human and be deprived of the privilege of having my own fledgling.”

That shut River up. He did not want to imagine what use they would find for him then. He sat down in the other armchair, eyeing Andreji’s glass. “Do you have more of that?” he asked timidly.

Andreji shot him a glance and stood up to fetch another glass. “I suppose you were not in the mood for such things earlier?” he said when he handed the water to River.

River enjoyed the warmth of the fire for a while in silence. It was strange; although he knew that Andreji was a bloodsucker, he felt safe in his presence. It was unreal somehow. Of course, his picture of Andreji had changed, but he had to review his picture of vampirism as well. They were not the mindless monsters that Lukas had claimed they were. Which did not necessarily mean they were less dangerous. Still, River could not keep from feeling that he was in no immediate danger. Not him.

“Are they…,” River felt the need to know; nonetheless he dreaded the answer, “Has their punishment already been executed?” He looked at Andreji.

The man was as distant as ever when he shrugged. “I guess so.”

“Aren’t you interested in that? After all, you were the one who set the trap for us!”

“I merely did as I was told. This has nothing to do with me.” Andreji still looked into the flames.

“Nothing to do with you? After all, you’ve received a nice ‘thank you’-gift for your efforts, haven’t you?!” River accused him.

Andreji eyed him. “Are you referring to yourself?” he asked, a smile grazing his lips. “Believe me, I did not ask for you.” His raised eyebrows underlined his statement.

River laughed out dryly. “Right. And that’s why your little friend talked me into joining the mission despite my misgivings!”

Andreji got up. “Believe what you may. This,” he pointed with a finger towards River and then towards himself, “was really not my idea.” He took a few steps away from the fireplace. “As to your friends – forget them. They are not your concern anymore. They have killed without making sure that their actions are justified, and now they have paid for it. Be glad there is no blood on your hands.” He turned around and approached a nearby shelf.

“Has your Master been killed by a beast hunter?” River asked, wanting to know if that was the reason for Andreji’s hard judgement.

Andreji faced him once more. “No, he was not.”

“How has he died then?”

Andreji smirked. “That is hardly your concern. I am the Master, now. Good day.” He pulled the shelf forward, disappeared behind it, and moved it back into place.

The fine flavour of strong coffee rose to his nostrils. For a moment, River thought he lay in his bed, and Nancy had come home early in the morning from one of her parties or a mission and had made coffee to stay awake until her meeting with Ray as she so often did. Something was wrong, though. He was not lying in a bed. The memory of the previous day shot back into his mind and with it a feeling of suppression. He opened his eyes to see where the scent came from.

Andreji sat next to him again and held out a steaming cup. River realised he must have fallen asleep in the armchair. He felt beaten as he sat up and massaged his face.

“Good evening,” Andreji greeted him.

River rid his new ‘Master’ of the coffee, thanked him, and inhaled the scent. It was unmistakeably instant coffee, but one of the better sorts. Slowly becoming aware of his surroundings, River noticed that the room was better lit than he had seen it so far. Apart from a flaring fire, there also hung several lanterns on hooks from the ceiling. Their light came from small oil lamps inside of them. For a moment, River considered the possibility of setting his captor on fire with the help of the fuel, but he quickly discarded that idea. It was too risky. The small amount of oil would not be enough. In addition, he did not see himself hurt Andreji. Even if he managed it, there were too many of his kinsmen in these tunnels. In a way, Andreji was his life insurance. He was his protector, or so he had claimed.

River noticed that his Master’s attention still rested on him. “What will happen to me, now?” he asked therefore, using the opportunity.

Andreji sighed. “Well, it was determined that you are to become my apprentice. That logically means that I will have to teach you. It is ironic how wishes can come true and you suddenly wish they had not, is it not?” He smiled ironically.

River dropped his gaze and took a sip of his coffee.

“Seeing the poor material from which you have derived your knowledge so far, I guess it is best you turn back to the books in the beginning. There is a small list of beings on the shelf,” he motioned to one, “that I want you to discharge first. Paper and pencils are in the sideboard in the entrance area, if you need them. Your food is there as well. In case you want more coffee, you will have to heat water in the kettle over the fire.” Andreji pointed to a kettle that stood next to the fireplace. The pack of instant coffee was right next to it. He rose. “If you have any more questions, we will deal with them when I return.”

“You have a job?” River enquired.

“Yes,” Andreji replied and seized his coat. “You can read in front of the fire, but please try not to leave any scorch marks on the books.”

“Will I be safe here, without you?” River asked before Andreji could disappear behind the curtain.

“Everybody has seen you yesterday. They know that you are mine; they will not dare touch you.”

River nodded in acceptance of that answer.

Andreji went through the curtain. River heard a heavy wooden door close. He was alone again.

He emptied his cup and then went over to the shelf, curious to see what Andreji wanted him to study. He skimmed the list. There were no book recommendations. River’s gaze drifted over the hundreds of books that covered the walls. That looked like a lot of work. On the other hand, it would keep him busy. This way he would at least not have to ponder over his bad fortune all the time.

A growl in the lower regions of his body informed him of his hunger. He put the list back and went into the entrance area, where a pack of buttered bread lay on the floor. “Great,” River murmured and retrieved the writing material.

Unenthusiastically, he chewed on the bread that was anything but fresh whilst he perused the book titles to see which one might be of help. Within a few minutes he had reduced them to about a quarter of the original quantity – many of them were written in German, a few in French and a huge number also in Eastern European languages that River could not even identify, let alone understand. In fact, he had had a few years of German lessons at school, but he questioned his abilities in reading German books nonetheless, especially since these books looked very old.

He picked out a few leather bound tomes, hoisted them to the fireplace, and dropped them there. The fire had gone smaller and the wood started to dissemble. River put two new chunks on it in the hope that he would at least manage to keep the fire going, even if he was too stupid to light one.

The work was a little tedious without a proper table, but it captured his mind anyway.

After having written down a few pages of notes, River noticed the urgent need to visit the toilet. His heart beat faster as he thought of leaving the safety of Andreji’s quarters, but he had no choice. The corridors had been deserted when Griet had shown him the way; perhaps he was lucky.

He slipped through the wooden door. It was dark outside. He hardly saw anything. River went back, stepped onto one of the armchairs and lifted one of the lanterns from its hook. Armed like that, he took a few steps into the corridor with hunched up shoulders due to the cold. A light chuckle made him freeze.

A man stepped out of a side path. He scrutinised River. “Well, well, your Master seems to be tough on you.” That thought pleased him apparently, or so his smug smile suggested.

For a moment, River just stared at him, not understanding what he was referring to and afraid of how their encounter was going to proceed. Then he recalled that he needed to avert his eyes.

“I went to see your Master in the smithy, but he was not there. Is he at home?” the man continued.

“No, sir,” River said to the floor. “He went out. Do you wish to leave him a message?” he managed to ask, hoping politeness was valued amongst vampires.

“No, boy, I will come back another time.” The man turned and left.

River hurried to reach the toilet and was back in front of the heat radiating fire within minutes.

After warming up, he went into the bathroom to fetch some fresh water to drink. His gaze fell on the mirror. Now he knew why that man had grinned so smugly. River still looked totally messed up from his uncomfortable night in the armchair, almost as if he had had no sleep at all. His hair was tousled, his face not in its proper shape, his eyes were small.

River fumbled for a comb, but the only one he found held a few white hairs. Would Andreji mind? River righted his hair and carefully cleaned the comb before putting it away.

He splashed cold water in his face; that was all he could do to look fresher. His looks really were not important, now, anyway, or were they? The towel shone in a bright, cheerful colour, River noticed. He had had no eyes for that the previous evening.

There was no clock in the room, so River had no idea what time it was. His stomach grumbled again. Half-heartedly he ate a few more morsels of the dry, thinly buttered bread and dove back into the books. His mind suddenly wandered over to the shelf Andreji had disappeared behind the evening before.

He went over to it. Despite the relatively good light, River could not see any opening. He pulled at the shelf as he had seen Andreji do, but to no avail. After scrutinising the place once more, he shrugged and took up his official task.

Some time later, River heard the heavy door open. He jumped up and moved a few steps to the back of the room, uncertain who was entering. After a few moments of sound coming from the entrance area, the heavy curtain was thrown aside and Andreji stepped into the room. He threw his mantle over one of the armchairs, eyeing the mess of books and papers on the floor.

“I see you have been busy. How are things proceeding?” he asked in a business-like tone.

River shrugged, pretending to be calm, but still staying alert. The time alone had given him the opportunity to come to his senses. No matter how nice Andreji seemed to be, he could never be sure of the vampire’s motives, could he? “You’ve got an interesting book collection. But am I mistaken in thinking some books aren’t exactly reliable?”

Andreji smirked. “Oh, they all have their value. I do not keep rubbish. You just have to know how to read between the lines.” He held up a plastic bag. “Yours. I thought you would like something tastier.” He put it on the floor, seized his coat again and headed past River towards the shelf behind which his room was situated.

River turned towards him. “Andreji?” he called out to hold him back.

The taller man looked at him sharply, an eyebrow raised. “I think not.”

River was confused for a moment, until it dawned on him what he had done wrong. “Sorry, I’m just used to calling people by their first names. Didn’t mean to upset you.”

In the semi-darkness, River thought he saw Andreji smirk. “What do you want?”

“You said we could talk when you’re back. I need to know where we’re standing, what exactly you expect of me, what you are planning.”

“Eat,” Andreji said curtly and pulled the shelf forward effortlessly. “We’ll talk later.”

River sighed and went back to the fireplace. In the plastic bag he found chopsticks, a plastic box with an assortment of fruit pieces as one could often find in supermarkets these days, and a hot aluminium box like the ones from take away diners. He put that on his lap and opened it to find a mix of chicken, rice, and vegetables that smelled quite good, definitely a hundred times better than his ‘breakfast’.

He considered his present situation while he ate. His first reflex in the face of his apparent helplessness had been to adapt to the situation to make things as easy as possible for himself. Yet, was there no other way? That was not really a solution, was it? He did not want to be Andreji’s ‘fledgling’. Putting it plain, River did not want to become a vampire.

Was the way Andreji seemed to regard their relation not an advantage? Perhaps River could trick him into a situation that enabled him to flee. From his present standpoint, that looked like the only possible way. The problem was that it would consume time. River needed to earn Andreji’s trust first. He could only hope that he was not mistaken in his ‘Master’ and would be able to stall any bloodsucking activities (he shuddered and stopped chewing).