"You dare to speak this way here?" Before the Patriarch could stop him, Galsu the Strong charged like a bull. His heavy hands grasping. His eyes wild and ringed with rage.
Galso had wrestled Russians. He'd never lost.
In his meaty fists, more than a dozen skulls had been crushed. No man could hope to fight him with pure physical strength.
In his mind, he had already won.
The Patriarch's heart thudded in his chest. Was there a chance Galso could win against this fledgling?
Perhaps if it was a normal fledgling.
But the way the young vampire held the sword told the Patriarch everything he needed to know. So, while a roar of encouragement rose among those who hadn't seen Vlad kill Mihail, the Patriarch was already murmuring a prayer for the dead.
He bowed his head.
Just as Vlad's arm whipped up and snatched Galso by the wrist.
Galso grunted as his charge was halted in its tracks.
But still he didn't give up.
His strong right hand was free! He lunged for the fledgling's head, and his fingers gripped Vlad's scalp.
Curling his lips back, the big Romani began to squeeze.
It was something he secretly enjoyed. The pop of a man's skull was a novel and indescribable achievement. Could he crush this vampire's head with just one hand?
Of course! He was Galso the Strong! Not Galso the Weak!
Laughter bubbled over his lips as he fought the pain in his wrist.
Any second now.
Bone would break.
Any…
Second…
Now…
His gaze dropped.
And his eyes met Vlad's.
The fledgling didn't look afraid. Nor did he seem to be exerting himself. Instead, he looked bored.
"This…" Galso rasped. "It's not possible…"
"Pitiful," Vlad sneered. "Why are you holding my head? Are you perhaps flirting with me?"
"No!"
"Well. I don't like it." The vampire sighed. Then wrenched.
Galso screamed as his wrist shattered in the vampire's grip.
His hand fell from Vlad's head and he dropped to his knees with a squawk.
Mina snickered.
Lucy gulped.
"Spare me!" Galso shouted as Vlad took a step closer. "Please, Master! Forgive me, and I will serve quietly in future!"
"Tch." Vlad stared down at him, thinking it over.
On one hand, he should kill him. Any challenge to the Court's authority should always be punished with merciless efficiency.
On the other, he wanted the Romani to have a better impression of him than they currently had for members of the Court. He didn't want them to run away in fear.
He'd hoped the clan here had more sense than this useless brute. Had hoped they wouldn't think to challenge him. That way he wouldn't need to bully them. Because that's what this was.
Bullying the weak.
While Vlad was content to bully his brothers, he knew it was to make them stronger. Bullying mortals was a waste.
They couldn't get stronger. They were doomed to be weak unless they were Turned or had some other miraculous opportunity.
It seemed that no matter what way he chose, the men here would think ill of him today. Either they would think him ruthless or think him soft.
What to do?
This is troublesome.
"Vlad!"
His indecision was cut short at Lucy's shrieked warning.
He spun on his heel. The sword flashed.
And the skinny little man trying to plug him in the back with a little knife, froze.
Staring up at the fledgling, the little man's face paled. His eyes widened.
This was Alpar. One of the clan's best hunters. Known for his silence and ability to walk right up to a deer and slit its throat.
In truth, Vlad was impressed. He hadn't heard the man coming. His current body needed to be improved. Its senses were terrible.
Alpar opened his mouth to speak.
Maybe to beg for mercy. Maybe to threaten.
Or call for the others to back him up.
But no words left his mouth.
A thin red line slowly formed, running down the middle of his face.
Neck.
Torso.
All the way.
With a shocked wet sound, the man fell to the ground in two neat pieces as his blood and organs suddenly hissed out of him.
"Alpar!" Stefan cried. "Shit!"
"Stop!" The Patriarch yelled, waving his arms. "What are you bastards even thinking? This is a fledgling of the Black Dragon Court!"
"He killed your Mihail!" Someone yelled back. "He killed your son! What will you do about it?"
"Do?" The Patriarch blinked at his clan. "What do you think I will do? I will beg forgiveness."
And he threw himself down to the ground in front of Vlad and bowed so low his head splashed into the mud.
"Forgive us," he cried. "It has been so long. We have failed to teach the young ones how to act."
"Father!" Stefan snarled.
"Shut up!" The Patriarch snapped back. "And get on your knees! Everyone!"
The old ones knelt first.
Some of the young ones resisted.
But only until someone else pulled them down.
Eventually, not a single member of the clan was on their feet.
"Sloppy," Vlad grunted. He squatted down in front of the Patriarch. "But understandable. I have been told a filthy rumour. That the Black Dragon Court chased the Dragonbound from the mountain. That they failed in their duty to protect the clan. Is this true?"
The Patriarch trembled, torn between speaking the truth and trying not to anger the fledgling any further.
"It is true we were asked to leave," Stefan said slowly. "But the Cunning Woman said it was time to return, so we came as fast as we could! All the way from France, we have travelled to be here."
"France?" Vlad's nose wrinkled in disgust. Then he sighed. "The rumour is true, then. The Court failed its duty. This is unacceptable. I shall force those old bastards to make things good."
"What?" The Patriarch looked up, eyes blinking in disbelief. Could a fledgling talk of his elders like this?
Vlad stood, brushing off his hands before picking up the sword and slinging it over his back again.
He looked down at Galso. "You are lucky today. You won't be lucky tomorrow."
Galso's head dropped. He was nursing his arm and whimpering. "Yes, Master. I understand. Thank you, Master."
"Yes, Master," Baba smirked as she limped out from behind the others. "Thank you, Master. These are the words I told you all to utter. Did you listen? No. You have all forgotten. I told you now was the time to be reminded. You didn't believe me. Well. I think our Master is very good at bringing the memory back."
"You can all stand," Vlad said. "You are not the only ones to have forgotten the proper way of things. It seems the Court has, too. Well. I have not. I remember. She is right. I will teach you. I will teach them. I will teach the world what the Black Dragon Court is for!"
As the Romani men climbed to their feet, some of them shivered at his words.
The cold tone promised there would be no argument.
Follow, he was saying. Or die.
They understood that much.
"I will start with you," Vlad said, his eyes squinting at the Patriarch. "Find us a place to talk. I want to know everything that has changed since the War."
"Yes, Master."
Baba nodded happily as the man scurried back with his sons on his heels. "He is a good man, Master. Strong-willed, but obedient."
"That's as it should be," Vlad said. "It is what I know of the clan."
Her eyes glittered. "You have travelled far to be here. Things must be confusing."
"Some things," he shrugged. "Most things can be dealt with the same way."
She cackled at that. "Refreshing words, Master! My grandmother spoke of such times when the Court ruled with bloodsteel and fear. The clan was bold, too, then. Our hearts were burning with the fire of the dragon. We have all prayed for such a time to come again soon."
"Serve me again, and it shall."
Turning from the old crone, he stepped over to Lucy and patted her head. "You did well."
Her face was a little green, and she was deliberately facing away from the dead body. A few of the Romani had gathered around it, wondering whether they should move it or not.
They didn't want to anger him.
But Vlad wasn't concerned. It was their mess now.
"Is it always this awful?"
"Awful?" His lips widened into a predatory grin. He wouldn't lie to her. If she couldn't endure such moments, it would be best for her to return to her home in the city with her childish romantic books. "The slaying of one's enemies is never awful, silly girl. It is something to be enjoyed."
Mina pouted at him. "I thought I was the silly girl?"
He batted her on the head. "You are both silly. I don't think either of you knows what you are getting into."
"I've seen worse than this," Mina said, puffing out her chest. "You can't drive me away with a little casual murder."
"Mina!" Lucy gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. "How can you say such a thing?"
The other woman shrugged, glancing to where the Romani were now struggling with picking up the pieces of their fallen hunter. "Well. I don't know what else to call it."
Vlad chuckled darkly and answered for them; "It is simple pest control."