A tall thin man with a long brown beard stood in the gates. He was wearing fine clothes and carried a cane which he leaned hard on. He shifted his gaze from the guards to Vlad.
"Are you the fledgling?"
Vlad nodded, but chose to say nothing. Behind him, Mina peeked out around his shoulder at the tall man.
"I'm Mina," she squeaked as his eyebrow raised.
"Ah," he said. "My name is Heinrick. I serve Master Westenra. Please. Come this way."
Vlad followed Heinrick into the compound of the Merchant's Guild. The place had a lot of security he could see. And guessed there was plenty more he couldn't. A faint tingle across his skin made him think the Guild had a sorcerer among their number, too.
One who'd put some magical formations in place.
He shivered as he passed through some of them. The feeling was like walking through cold ethereal curtains.
Heinrick noticed him shudder as he passed through a stronger veil. "The barriers are more subtle within the main building," he said. "They should not be so uncomfortable within. No insult is intended, fledgling."
"It is fine," Vlad said dismissively.
In truth, he understood the need for the formations and would have been surprised if there hadn't been any at all. The Guild's warehouses would be below the main hall and would store their most precious treasures.
Their gold and silver would also be kept there.
If there were no formations, Vlad himself would have been tempted to creep down and make himself comfortable with their belongings…
"It's cold," Mina piped up suddenly.
"Silly girl," he sighed. "You said you had no magical ability."
"I didn't lie!"
"If you're cold, it means you can feel the magical formations," he told her. "You must have some aptitude. Even if it is insignificant."
"What?" She made a face at him, not sure if she should be excited or offended. "What do you mean? I can do magic? Truly?"
He shrugged. "Who can say for sure? But being able to feel the chill of its presence is a start."
"Will you teach me?"
"Silly girl! I told you I can't teach you these things. You will need to consult the Brides for that. Those witches know all kinds of magic. If they accept you, they will teach you. If not, you might find your own way."
"Vlad!" Elder Miklos called, stepping from the shadows.
It wasn't his sudden appearance which surprised Vlad. But that he'd used a vampire technique called Shadow Step. It was a difficult art to learn, and from his observations of the elders, he hadn't expected Elder Miklos to know it.
He blinked at the elder, who chuckled and mistook Vlad's shock for ignorance of the technique.
"Stop gawking, boy," Elder Miklos said, not unkindly, as he lightly slapped Vlad on the side of his head. "I was worried when we found you had disappeared. It seems I had nothing to worry about. What is this? Have you kidnapped a local girl?"
"I have not," Vlad scowled.
"My name is Mina," the girl said, still hiding behind Vlad's shoulder. "I'm going to be his Bride."
Elder Miklos frowned. "What lies are you telling the girl, boy? You cannot just abduct a girl and Turn her!"
"I know that!" He batted her on the top of her head. "She's a nuisance. That is all. But I promised to introduce her to the Brides."
"You shouldn't make such promises," Elder Miklos sighed. "Especially not for something so difficult."
"Why is it difficult? I will take her to their tower and push her inside. Anything else is up to them."
Elder Miklos gave him an odd look.
Which is when Vlad winced inside. Had he revealed something he shouldn't have?
"Their tower?" Elder Miklos breathed the words slowly. Tasting them. "The Tower of the Brides is a myth, Vlad. What books has Elder Amir shown you? I will need to discuss this with him when we return."
"I can't remember," Vlad said, accepting the excuse. He scratched his head. "Anyway. It can't be hard, can it? It is not my place to ask them to accept her. I will just take her to them."
"You said you'd recommend me!" Mina cried. "You said you'd take responsibility for me!"
"Don't put words in my mouth," Vlad hissed. "I said I would take you to them. Perhaps I will say some words. But I am a fledgling. What weight do you think I carry? Perhaps Elder Miklos-"
The elder's eyes narrowed shrewdly.
He looked from Mina to him. Then bared his fangs in a humourless grin.
"Don't pass your troubles onto me, boy." He shook his head, lowering his voice so Heinrick couldn't hear. "I will not accept the burden of this little girl. The most I can do for you is tell you the Brides are no longer visiting the Court. Some years past they announced they would retreat for a time. In truth, their magic has surpassed our skills, and they do not need the backing of the Court. It is something we do not speak of. I only tell you this so you understand you may not be able to fulfill your promise. In which case, you may indeed have some responsibility for the girl."
So. Those witches have indeed run from their obligations, Vlad thought darkly.
"Tch," he growled. "How bothersome."
Mina grabbed his sleeve tightly. "You promised you'd take me to them."
"Hush, silly girl," he told her. "I will do as I said. If you don't trust me, then do as you will. I will not stop you from leaving."
"I'm not leaving!" Her fingers felt like steel needles. "I'm your Bride now!"
Elder Miklos chuckled at them. "Ah, Vlad. The Court had such hope for you. To see you brought down by a simple girl is both amusing and disappointing. Come. Roland is waiting. He wishes to speak to you. For the sake of the Court, I think you should listen."
Vlad gave up trying to disentangle himself from the girl and nodded. "I will listen to him."
Inside the hall, a long table had been set up. Roland was seated at the head.
He waved at a chair to his right, which Vlad took. Lucy scampered onto the seat next to him, trying not to be seen.
Roland at first disregarded her, but Vlad caught a look of surprise flit across the merchant's face as he got a close look at the girl.
So, he recognised her.
Was the girl right that her name held some meaning in this new era?
He would need to find a way to ask without raising any more suspicion.
Already he felt he'd managed to make Elder Miklos think there was something wrong with him. He didn't need to provide the elder with more evidence to form any baseless accusations which would be difficult for Vlad to counter.
Until he knew more about how he was resurrected into this younger body, Vlad was reluctant for anyone to know his secret.
He'd already learned the value of secrets and the power they could have.
It would be best to stay silent.
Roland, too, understood this. He said nothing to the girl, and his gaze slid to the elder before returning to Vlad. Smiling, he clapped his hands and a servant scurried into the room with a bottle in hand.
No words were said as the servant poured a glass for Vlad and the elder.
Vlad put his fingers around the glass, accepting the ritual of giving drink to a representative of the Court. The blood would come from a close family member of Roland, no doubt.
That was usually the way of it.
A sign of trust and commitment.
Blood to blood.
Elder Miklos sipped without hesitation and Vlad followed suit.
He'd let the elder drink first. Had almost forgotten to let him do so. Etiquette demanded the senior vampires drink first.
As a former Count, Vlad sometimes found it difficult to remember his place.
"We thank you for your gift," the elder said formally. "And we come as formal representatives of the Black Dragon Court. Let our words be engraved in stone."
It was a promise to deal honestly and faithfully.
A deep commitment.
Vlad said nothing, but he was surprised. It was a heavy promise. Basically, anything said in this meeting would be upheld by the Court. Any agreement would be honoured. Any promise would be kept.
The Court must owe this man, Vlad thought, lifting his glass.
Mina watched, fascinated, as he drank. "Is that…?"
"Blood," Vlad said with a nod.
"Ick."
"You want to be a Bride?" He snorted at her. "You should get used to it."
She bit her lip.
Roland tilted his head. Then looked to the elder. "You are accepting Brides again?"
"This is not certain," Elder Miklos sighed. "I am unsure of the relationship between the two, as I have only just heard of the promise our fledgling has made. However, I am afraid our fledgling may have made things difficult for himself. The Brides have not accepted any into their number for some time."
Roland nodded.
His glance flicked to Mina again. "Young lady, why do you wish to be a Bride?"
Mina looked down, trying to hide her face. "Well… It is something I have long dreamed of."
It wasn't a reason and didn't answer the man's question.
But before the merchant could speak again, another voice snapped sharply from the doorway behind them; "This is unacceptable!"