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Chapter 1 - Introductions
[Council Chambers of Almadea, Kingdom of Almeda] "Guard, show Griffin in." The words echoed out the door and into the antechamber as the guard complied with the order. Lieutenant Thaddeaus Griffin, still standing though the waiting room offered a wide variety of comfortable seats, entered the council room at a brisk walk. He stopped before the crescent shaped table and sharply saluted the four men who sat there. "At ease, Lieutenant." The order came from his immediate superior, Commander Temkin. Since he was not a member of the Royal Security Council, the commander was not one of those seated at the table. He stood, instead, behind and slightly to one side of Captain Brighton as befitted the commander of the Royal Guard's Elite Forces. Captain Brighton was the Chief Commander of the Royal Guard and held one of the council seats. As he came into a rest position, Griffin registered the presence of the other three council members. Lord General Falstead, Chief Commander of Almeda's military forces occupied the seat next to Brighton. Next to the General was Captain Hodges, Chief Commander of the City Guard. At the head of the table sat Chancellor Ranscomb, Head of the Security Council and second in power only to King Alouain. Griffin was certainly in august company. It was the Chancellor who spoke to him. "We appreciate you coming on such short notice, Lieutenant. I trust we haven't inconvenienced you?" Summoned to a council meeting in the dead of night the day he returned from a particularly difficult undercover mission? No inconvenience. Not for Lt. Griffin. He knew his duty. "No, your excellency." The chancellor smiled. "Good. Can we offer you some refreshment before we continue?" He gestured to the flask of brandy that sat at the table. "I'm afraid I must decline, Excellency, but I thank you for your kind offer." Alcohol dulled his perceptions and for such an out of place meeting, Griffin wanted his mind to be clear. "It is as you said, Commander Temkin. A man of restraint. Very well." Chancellor Ranscomb clasped his hands together and tapped his chin with his steepled forefingers. "Commander Temkin assures us that you are someone who can be trusted, someone who has the particular skills and experience that is needed to complete a very dangerous mission. Would you agree with the Commander's assessment of you?" There was no hesitation. "Without question." "Some might say it borders on arrogance to have such a high opinion of oneself, Lieutenant. In your case, however, I see nothing but confidence. That is good, because the task we have for you is difficult in the extreme. "Let me come right to the point, Lieutenant. We have reason to suspect that a high ranking government official here in Almedea is not entirely what he seems." The Chancellor motioned to Captain Hodges. "You might be aware of the increase in violent killings that have struck the city in recent weeks." Griffin nodded. "Most of these can be attributed to the turf war between the two major thieves guilds. We've tried to ensure that their violence doesn't spread out to innocents - if the guilds want to kill each other off, that's fine by us. Several of the killings, however, don't fit the profile of a guild war." He paused for a moment, as if for dramatic effect. "They appear to be the work of a vampire." A vampire? Griffin couldn't help but be skeptical. He glanced at Commander Temkin. "It's true," Temkin said. "I examined the bodies myself. Twin holes in the neck, and a substantial energy drain of the victims resulting in premature aging before death." Before assuming command of the Elite Forces, Temkin had been Chief of the E.F.'s Arcane Threat Bureau. If anyone in the Guard could recognize a vampire attack, it would be him. "The City Guard was able to trace the killer back to the Palace district," Captain Brighton said, "But the trail ended there in the Royal Administration Building. Whomever the vampire is, he had access to the building and was intimately familiar with its layout. He was able to cover his tracks sufficiently to avoid capture." Griffin raised an eyebrow and the Chancellor gestured to him. "Please, Lieutenant, speak freely." Griffin addressed Captain Brighton. "Sir, there must be more than five hundred people who work at the RAB. Any one of them could be the vampire. What makes you think it's a high ranking official?" "This person is extremely smart. He knew exactly when to strike and what to do to avoid being caught. It is highly unlikely that a simple drudge at the RAB could be the killer." "The victims were not random," Chancellor Ranscomb added. "Each was a key figure in ongoing political debates. Eliminating them was difficult and opened beneficial pathways for several initiatives that were thought to be defeated in Parliament. No, the perpetrator of these heinous crimes - the vampire - must be someone in a position to benefit from his handiwork. Your task is to find this vampire and eliminate him." Griffin blinked. "I have no doubt that I can track the vampire down, Excellency. But killing him might prove more difficult. Once he's found we're likely to have only one shot at him and I have no experience in vampire hunting." "Which is why you'll be working with someone who does." A movement to the side caught Griffin's attention. "May I introduce you to Davian M'reaoux." [Davian - A village a few miles outside of Almedea, the day before??] Darkness was slowly being replaced by the hazy grey of dawn, still more than an hour distant as Davian stirred from the place he had occupied for more than four hours. He had waited and watched, stilling his mind and body until his lungs took a breath not more than twice in any one minute. He felt the chill of the dank night in his muscles, the one real risk of such a state, but a necessary risk. Davian had been hired to follow and watch for a lone thief. This thief had not been all the communities leadership had suspected. The local thieves guild had no knowledge of her and since he had been asking questions were alert to her presence. That must have been what spooked her. She had vanished into the night. And what was worse was that he had not been on top of the situation well enough to follow. But then, that wasn't what he'd been paid to do. The old men would either pay up for further services or ignore the situation out of fear. Few could stomach the thought that vampires were more than child's tales, but they all knew it for the truth. Humans. Davian snickered as he moved toward the rising sun and back into town. The cleft in the forest where this one was hiding was easy enough to find again. Davian broke into a loping run that ate distance. He would present himself at first light to the men running this place. He could already see their response to his news. Could almost smell the fear. [Inside the Council Chambers] Standing outside the stone building where the old men met, Davian growled. They had responded as he knew they would, but that did little to make him happy. The gutless cowards, or were they penny loving mongrels?, would have nothing to do with removing the 'factor' as they so lovingly masked the vampire haunting their hovel laden city. He would have to move around to find more employment. Idleness irked Davian. Tossing the splinter he had been using to clean under his fingernails, Davian moved off down the street, his long legs carrying him quickly toward the inn where he had been staying. At least when he bothered to stay there. The two gold coins in his pocket were enough to last on certainly, but he enjoyed the finer things in life and those were not cheap. Arriving back to the room, he discovered a note wedged into the corner of the frame of his door. He slipped it out, 'We have need of a person such as yourself, please come to Almedea and meet me at the fountain in Centralsquare. I will tell you more then.' The note was unsigned and in a plain handwriting. Although the paper was of a very fine quality. The note had finally led him here, to the Royal Security Council Chambers and this meeting. The room was mostly empty aside from those who sat facing the officer from their ranks named Griffin. He spent the exchange between the officials estimating the worth of the newcomer. He certainly held himself with a air of professionalism that Davian admired. "Davian will suffice." He had held rank in other places at other times and in the end rank meant little to him. Their hierarchical systems most humans relied upon held no appeal. He gave a somewhat lopsided smile that did not touch his eyes, but held out his hand in greeting. "Sounds like we will be working together on this one." It was a statement of the obvious, but had any known him it was also a sign of his nervousness. He did not want to have to struggle to keep another person alive, especially if this vampire they'd mentioned was as powerful as he thought likely. Turning to the council, still seated behind the crescent shaped table, he said, "I understand the conditions of the contract. But I will remind you once again that I insure no other's survival." [Griffin] He shook the man's hand out of reflex, taking in his tall lanky frame at a glance, but paid him little more heed than that, until the remark about insuring his survival. "I assure you. Mr. M'reaoux, I am more than capable of insuring my own survival." He turned back to the Council. "May I assume that I will be in charge of this assignment?" "You will be the direct liaison with the Council, and for all intents and purposes, you will be the lead, yes," the Chancellor replied. "However, this is not, and I stress this most highly, NOT an official investigation of the Council, nor of the Royal Guard, Elite Forces or military. It would not do to have royal spies sneaking about disrupting the lives and work of the government's high-ranking officials, especially when some of those officials are themselves Peers of the Realm. For the record, anything you and Mr. M'reaoux do, you do of your own accord and without sanction of the Council. Do you understand?" Griffin gave a stiff nod in the affirmative. This would not be the first mission where he would be cut off from official government aid. Many of his past assignments had required him to go deep undercover, some in other nations entirely, and he knew the routine well: Should you be discovered the government will disavow any knowledge of your action....and all that malarkey. Still, in the past he had only been responsible for himself. Now he had an outsider to look out for as well. Without a clear line of authority this could get complicated. "Good." The Chancellor motioned to Captain Hodges who produced a scroll and passed it across the table. "On the scroll are the locations of the last three murders and notes as to the trail the perpetrator took back to the RAB. You'll also find information on the victims - their political ties, family status, etc." Griffin nodded again. "The bodies are being held under guard in the dungeons in the interest of security. Commander Temkin will take you there if you wish to see them. Are there any questions?" [Davian] Keeping his face studiously still, Davian gave no hint of the irritation he felt about the council deciding on their own accord that this soldier would be in charge of anything. But then, he reasoned, let him be. It's his ass on the political hot rock then. Davian would do just what he has always done. "We will not need to see the bodies," he aimed the comment both to the council and to Griffin. In reality, he fully planned on seeing the bodies. But he would not play into their hands, nor be caught seen working with them in any way. Too many holes would be left open for his liking. He would let Griffin decide for himself later if he would like to sneak in with him and see them. Or he could go now. Davian cared less what the man wanted to do really. He already had ideas about his target. Probable mechanisms of moving around and staying public, ways the vampire could have worked its way up the chain of command, and other theories. But they would remain such in his head until he had a better idea. "You and I, later," he paused to make sure Griffin understood, "will need to find a place to meet up and exchange details." [Griffin] He was staring long and hard at his new partner, or at least, he appeared to. In reality he was looking less at the man. His eyes unfocused a fraction and the vampire hunter was suddenly wreathed in a shifting pattern of light. Griffin took in the man's aura with practiced ease. He could tell that M'reaoux disliked being in the council chamber, not out of fear - there was no sign of the gray streaks that identified that particular emotion - but rather that he disliked, or even resented authority. His statement about not wanting to see the bodies had been an outright lie, and that lie mingled with the authority issue. More than likely, he wanted to see the bodies, just on his own terms. Griffin frowned. He hated working with lone wolves. Still, the council had given him an assignment and he meant to fulfill it. He meant what he had said earlier. He had no experience in hunting vampires and he would need this man's help. If he had to do things in an unorthodox manner to accomplish the goal, he would. He nodded at the hunter. "As you wish. I would like to see the bodies, even if you do not. There is a small pub in the market district where we could meet later. It's called the Dancing Bear. We could meet there later this afternoon, say four o'clock?" [Davian] Giving the man a glare for his lack of thought, Davian nodded tersely at him. Keeping their movements quiet, even amongst those on council seemed a prudent move. But then, the more he thought about it, this Griffin was probably so enamored with his own rank and prestige within the system that keeping their movements secret was a concept beyond him. "Late afternoon it is." He started to turn and leave the chamber, but then had a thought. Turning back to the men sitting at council he gave them a good look. "I'll need some spending money. Blood gold to be specific. I have an idea." He said not another word, but knew there might be questions. He would not answer them. The gold he cared nothing for, but the one he meant to hire would. Without it, he would not be able to hire anyone. Lord Ranscomb looked toward Griffin, then back to Davian. His eyes never leaving Davian's, he continued without consulting the others on council, "Griffin will bring it to you this afternoon." So it seemed that Lord Ranscomb had a strong personal interest in his own survival. Or he lost something recently. Or perhaps Davian was reading too much into the situation. Giving a curt nod to those seated and another as he turned, to those standing, he strode from the chamber. Gaining the hall, he continued his marched progress, his boots making a light thunk, thunk on the hardwood floors. Glancing back over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't be followed, he ducked into a privy closet and pushed the latch across the door inside. Settling in, he waited. He had ideas and thoughts. He needed answers, so he would follow until he gathered those answers. [Griffin] The red of anger flared briefly in M'reaoux's aura as he agreed to the meeting. The man was complex, difficult to read. Griffin was fairly certain that the hunter's desire to be secretive was the cause of the momentary ire. The glare told him that M'reaoux thought him foolish to share such information with the others in the chamber. In truth, Griffin agreed with him on that point. He had spent enough time undercover that he knew the necessity and even inherent safety in withholding information from his superiors unless it was absolutely necessary. Commander Temkin would understand that need. The others, particularly the Chancellor, would not. And so he made the appointment, fully realizing that another meeting point would need to be established in the future. He smiled at the mention of money. Of course a hired mercenary would worry about such things. M'reaoux couldn't know about the Elite Forces spending account or about the numerous caches of gold Griffin himself had secreted about the city in case of emergency. No, gold would not be a problem. Griffin turned once more to the council as the hunter left the room. "I have no further questions, Excellency. If you have no need of Commander Temkin, perhaps he could show me the bodies now?" The Chancellor agreed. Griffin saluted and the two members of the Royal Guard Elite Forces headed for the door. "One more thing, Lieutenant." Griffin spun on his heel. "Excellency?" "This matter is of the utmost importance to the security of the realm. Take whatever measures you deem necessary to maintain complete secrecy." "Yes, sir." His perception still shifted, Griffin saw the edge of sharpness that permeated the chancellor's aura. He had just been given official sanction to eliminate witnesses. It had almost been a direct order. He grimaced inwardly at the thought. "Good luck." ----- Outside the council chambers, Commander Temkin led Griffin down a back hallway to a set of curving stairs that led to the dungeon. The passage was neglected, rarely seeing use. "What do you think of our vampire hunter?" Temkin asked as they started down the stairs. The stairwell was narrow and the torches that backed the walls gave off an odorous black smoke as Temkin lit them from the taper he carried. "He has his own way of doing things, that much is certain. I'd say he's obsessed with secrecy, but I can't say that I blame him. If I hunted vampires day in and day out, I'd want my movements to be secret as well." "You keep your movements pretty secret as it is." Griffin smiled. "Comes with the job. What can you tell me about the victims?" "Nothing that's not already in the file. The only thing they have in common is their political influence and the manner of their death." They rounded a final curve and the stair leveled out into a damp passage. The reached a locked door and Temkin produced a key. The door swung open, silent in spite of the cobwebs that hung about it. The Royal Guard knew of all the passages in the castle and kept certain short cuts in good order. This one was used for those times when someone needed to get to the dungeon level unnoticed. They passed through the dank tunnels in silence until they reached a door, flanked by two members of the Guard. Recognizing Temkin, they came to attention. Temkin opened the door and the two stepped into a small room. Torches burned in wall sconces, their flames holding straight in the still air of the chamber. The room looked as if it had once been used as a torture chamber, though such practice had long been abolished in Almeda. Two of the bodies were lying on stone tables, the third on a machine that must have been a rack. The hairs of Griffin's arms stood slightly on end. Magic was in use here. "I've cast a preservation spell about the bodies," Temkin said to the unasked question. "True, it will distort the energies, but we felt that was better than the decomposition which would have taken place otherwise. Go ahead, have a look." Griffin shifted his perception and examined the first victim. The swirling energy of the preservation spell made it difficult to see if any signs had been left by the attacker. Griffin compensated by filtering Temkin's aural signature and the glare of the spell reduced to a more manageable, softer glow. "That one is Horace Ferintal. He was the first one we discovered. Notice the twin puncture wounds in the neck." Griffin turned the corpse's head and took a closer look. The twin holes were small and centered on the artery. Griffin focused his Sight, seeing past the glow of the preservation spell. Sure enough, a small amount of residual energy was left in the wound. He examined it carefully, taking special note of its unique pattern. "The traces are certainly faint, but they are there." Temkin smiled. "I thought you might see them." Griffin inspected the other two bodies in turn. Each had an identical residual energy trace. "They're the same in all three vics," Griffin announced. "We're dealing with the same perpetrator here." "As we expected. Do you think you'll be able to recognize the guy's aura if you meet him?" Griffin shrugged. "Would that it would be so easy. Vampires are shape-shifters, right? My gut feeling tells me that vampires can manipulate their auras, much like I can. In order to recognize him, he'd have to be in his true form." "Not much to go on." "No. But, hey, look on the bright side. At least we'll know if we catch the right vampire." "Once you've got him." "Oh, we'll get him. I just hope we can do it before he strikes again." [Davian] He waited. Time did not mean a whole lot to someone who waited as he had learned to do so long ago. It was probably an hour or two later when he finally heard the steps of those from the council chambers entering the hallway. He had also noted that Griffin and Temkin had opened a door just down the hall and vanished behind it. That would be his route later. Once the steps had faded, he slipped the latch open and passed out of the privy closet. He took a deep breath to clear his nose of the smell of the place and proceeded on in the same direction that the councilors had gone. They seemed to have split and gone their independent ways, which was all the better. Davian saw Ranscomb walked down a flight of stairs and followed. He made no special pretenses about not being seen, no one would know him on sight. Finally catching the Chancellor alone in a stretch of hallway, he took a few large strides and began walking alongside the man. The Chancellor gave a glance over his shoulder, but withheld any startlement he felt at suddenly having a visitor. "Walking alone even after the recent events?" Davian seemed to be carrying on an innocent conversation to anyone they might happen to be seen by in the halls. Without giving the Chancellor a gap to reply, he continued. "What is your personal tie into this investigation?" Direct and to the point. Lord Ranscomb was not a small man, he seemed to move well and evidenced some training in fighting and self-defense. He gave Davian a glare but answered just the same and without raising his voice or acting abrupt. "That is my concern and will not further your investigation at this time. If I feel it important in the future, I will make sure you get word of it. Now if you don't mind, I must do my official duty as Lord Chancellor and return to the castle." He turned down a side hall and Davian let him go without another word. Not wasting his time or energy on deciphering the old man's comments,
Davian returned to the hallway down to the dungeons. He expected at
least a few guardsmen, but he would get through one way or another.
Griffin might still be down there, which was just as well. He had no
reason to hide his movements from his partner in this operation. Temkin noticed his presence and gave a small nod while Griffin was staring intently at the body of what appeared to be a middle-aged man. The clothes were of a good quality, but nothing extraordinary. But something caught his eye. Something that wasn't exactly right about the figure. Stepping up beside Griffin he looked harder but could not place what it was that had caught his eye. He looked at Temkin, then back to the body. "Preservation spell," Temkin had answered his unasked question. "Remove it. There is something amiss with this one." He looked
back at the other bodies, but could find nothing unusual about them.
Temkin looked at him shrewdly and then glanced at Griffin. Griffin nodded
an affirmative to Temkin who pulled a metal rod from a pocket. He merely
tapped the body and a slight magical shimmering seemed to occur. "Lycanthrope," Davian pointed out as he stepped back and regarded Griffin again. This job was becoming more complex by the hour. [Griffin] He was surprised by the appearance of his new partner, but only for a moment. The more he thought on it, the more it seemed in the man's character to show up when least expected. Griffin watched M'reaoux's examination with particular interest. The man certainly looked competent, his air one of a professional interest. The pronouncement that the victim was a lycanthrope was made in the same way. "A lycanthrope?" This was a surprising turn of events. "Which one is that, Commander?" "That would be Jeremy Woods," Temkin responded. "He was a city planner. His most recent project was the expansion of the sewer system into the Wallside area near the river." Almedea had grown quickly in the past decade or so thanks largely to
the competent As shocking as it was that a werebeast had been part of an important city bureau, another question begged answering. Why in the world would a vampire want to kill a city planner - and a lycanthrope at that? "I think we need to visit Overlook Park." |