Vlad eyed the ruin of the old tower which had once served as his own.
He'd spent that past few nights sitting on the rubble and looking at the stars.
Remembering what the castle had been.
He'd discovered that the Court wasn't just bleeding money. It was now borrowing it. Mostly from the merchant who still bothered to climb to the castle, but also from moneylenders in the city below.
Vlad wrinkled his brow in distaste.
He hated moneylenders. They reeked of greed and lacked compassion.
Their blood would taste foul, he knew. But he refused to taint his body with their filth.
The only other breed more repulsive were tax collectors.
Vlad really didn't like tax collectors and considered it his duty to slaughter every single one he'd ever encountered. Especially Turkish tax collectors.
The breeze shifted, moving over the castle with cold creeping fingers.
As though the ghosts of his past were returning to dance through the castle. He could almost feel them brush past and reach out with their frozen fingers.
Vlad shivered a little.
Then rounded on the gathered fledglings at his back, his scowl returning quickly as he remembered Ferenc's last moments. The vampire Prince had suffered greatly.
Blinded by rage, Vlad pointed his stick at the rubble of his old tower.
"What is this shit?"
"It's Count Vlad's tower," Tibor said softly, knowing it wasn't what Vlad wanted to hear but also knowing that no answer would only infuriate him more.
"No! Anyone else?"
Metto piped up quickly; "Is it a symbol of our failure?"
"You and your obsession with failure," Vlad growled. "You guys will always fail if that's all you think about. No!"
"It's a memorial to-" Ist began.
"No! Damn it, you bastards. Do you need to be beaten to understand?"
"It's just a pile of dumb rocks."
"Who said that?" Vlad hissed. "Stand up! Who said it?"
Bally, his face red, winced as he rose cautiously to his feet. His knees trembled as he anticipated Vlad's hand slapping his head.
He saw the hand fall, but it was a blur.
Then he gasped in shock as the hand landed gently on his slim shoulder.
"You are a dumb shit, Bally," Vlad said calmly. Clearly. "But you are also right. It is just a pile of dumb rocks."
"Really?"
"Yes." He sighed. "Is the Black Dragon Court going to be a graveyard to past achievements? Or will we make our own?"
"Umm, make our own?"
"That's right." Vlad patted the little vampire on the head. "And our achievements will be greater than theirs because we're starting with nothing, right? Less than nothing. We're starting with shit! Aren't we?"
"Yes, brother!"
"Yes, brother," Vlad echoed, his voice carrying a sorrow which made everyone uncomfortable. This was his last chance to stop what he was doing. To change his course. "Ah, to Hell with it. Always forwards… What are you bastards doing? Why aren't you cleaning this shit up?"
"Clean it up?" Jenos gulped. "What should we do with it all?"
"Are you stupid? You take the rocks and you put them over there! We will fix the wall with them. And as you pull the rocks out, you search!"
Hans scratched his head. "Search for what?"
Vlad eyed the big vampire with a suspicious look. "What do you think you might find in a place like this?"
"I don't know."
"Exactly!" Vlad lashed out with the stick which cracked across the big vampire's bicep and caused him to flinch. "What are you waiting for? Move! I can't believe I need to keep shouting at you bastards! Do you want to make my throat sore?"
The fledglings scrambled to get to the rubble before anyone else.
Then they started hauling the stone away from where the tower had collapsed. Vlad looked on, his eyes revealing nothing of the pain he was feeling.
When the tower had been presented to him, he'd felt pride.
Overwhelming pride.
I'll build it all again, Ferenc. I swear I will. Even if I have to built it with my own flesh and blood!
Jenos stumbled, carrying a block too large for him to handle properly on his own. But instead of leaving it, he started pushing it along through the mud like it was a heavy ball.
Vlad rolled his eyes.
The elders watched all this from their window.
Elder Janus shook his head. Somehow, it felt like he was watching a desecration. "Should we stop them?"
"No," Count Bela said, his lips curled into a calm smile. "You heard the boy. It's just a pile of dumb rocks."
Elder Matyas chortled. "It's a good thing Laszlo isn't here. He'd have popped a vein for sure."
"Where did you find him, my Lord?" Elder Miklas asked, his face pale in disbelief as he watched a standing section of the tower collapse under the fledgling's careless ministrations.
Dust and debris scattered among the fledglings as they danced out of the way while Vlad screamed at them and called them stupid.
Count Bela shook his head. "He was lost in the forest. In truth, his veins were thick with impurities. Elder Amir expected him to die during his first night. I saw little hope for the boy, but felt a moment's compassion, I suppose."
"Hmm." Elder Jonas plucked at his lip. "He's a tenacious little shit. I'll give him that. But I worry we're giving him too much power."
"Leave him be," Count Bela said, injecting a note of weariness into his voice. "We can't grow our Court without strong fledglings. He has a fierce spirit, but it is suitable."
"Suitable?"
"Are we not the Black Dragon Court?" The old Count's eyes twinkled brightly. "Perhaps, if we're lucky, he'll grow to become a dragon himself."
Tibor lost count of the number of stone blocks he carried from one part of the castle to the other. At first, he'd tried to keep count. But it was too much effort to keep it in his mind.
Galosh whined softly in Tibor's ear; "Why doesn't he carry some, too?"
"Feel free to ask him, brother."
"Me?"
"You're the one who's curious."
"Aren't you?"
"Not really."
"So, you're content?"
"I didn't say that," Tibor said with a tired smirk. "But I'm not stupid enough to ask questions I know will make him mad."
"He's already mad," Ist muttered from beside them.
"Madder, then," Tibor shrugged.
Galosh opened his mouth to say something more.
But then a glance to where Vlad was fixing him with an angry scowl told him Tibor's example was the safest one to follow. He bent down and snatched up another heavy block before scurrying away as fast as he could.
As the pile of rubble grew smaller, a few trinkets started to be uncovered.
Nothing special.
Some candle holders.
A twisted dagger.
Broken goblets. Lots of goblets.
Vlad's lip curled as he remembered entertaining Brides. They'd find plenty more goblets before the night was through.
Finally, when the pile looked small enough, he approached. His heart felt heavy and he was unable to shake the steady stream of ghostly memories which shifted through his mind.
So much of his life had been spent here, in this tower.
Beneath the remaining rubble, parts of the stone floor were starting to show.
Hans stepped close to retrieve a block.
"This one," Vlad said, tapping the stone he wanted the fledgling to take.
Hans didn't think twice. He grabbed the stone and waddled away.
The next fledgling took the stone next to it, slowly clearing a space.
Thinking hard, Vlad bent down and used his hands to clear the dust from the floor's surface. He counted out six tiles from the edge.
Frowned down at it a few times.
Then glanced at Galosh who had paused nearby to catch his breath. "Galosh? Go get me a pick."
"A pick?"
Vlad gave him a withering look. "Big tool. Used for digging."
"Right," Galosh said defensively. "I knew that."
By the time he returned, Vlad had cleared a wide space around the tile and was sitting on a block with the long stick across his lap.
"You want me to dig?" Galosh asked.
"I do."
"Where?"
Vlad pointed at the tile. "Right there."
"Here."
"Exactly there."
"Alright."
He hit the tile.
Once.
Twice.
And then, to Vlad's delight and regret, the ground beneath Galosh collapsed and the vampire plunged into a dark shaft with a shriek of horror that ended in a yelp of pain as he hit the floor below.
Vlad smirked.
"What the Hell?" Tibor rushed forward, only to find Vlad's stick pressed into his chest. "Galosh…"
"What? Are you going to jump down after him and break your legs, too? What good will that do? Then there would be two of you with broken legs."
"Then what-"
"Go get some rope."
"Oh. Right."
"And send someone to fetch Elder Janos."
"You actually want the elder here?"
"Tell him Galosh has found something incredible."
As Vlad watched Tibor shoot away, he turned back to the hole in the ground and slumped in defeat.
"My treasure," he sighed. "My precious treasures. Ferenc, you bastard, I hope you see the sacrifice I am making…"
Now he'd have to start all over again.