The messenger arrived the following evening.
Sneering, he demanded to be led to Count Bela immediately.
"Pathetic leeches," he muttered. "Skulking like roaches in places they don't belong."
His name was Selim, and he was strong. His werewolf form was a frightening thing with midnight black fur and rows of fangs. But he was in his mortal form and dressed in mail armour.
A long sword was strapped to his back.
A mace slung from his waist.
A dagger in his boot and another on his belt.
Not that he would need it for these pathetic creatures. How long had it been since they had felt power in their withered veins?
Although, there was something unsettling about the way the young ones had gathered in the courtyard. They watched him with cold glittering eyes.
He never liked it when vampires looked at him like this.
He wanted to charge into them and teach them their place.
But this was not why he was here.
Two guards, mostly ceremonial, clattered along behind him. Their uniforms were similar, but more plain. They didn't have the strength to wield the sword, so carried heavy maces. Each had a shield crossed over their back.
Again, they shouldn't need it.
Even if the little ones were frisky, the elders would know what was right.
As he was led to the doors of the supposed Great Hall, he couldn't help but sneer again. The place was almost a ruin. There would be no defending it should the Clan come in force.
Although, something was strange.
He'd been here before and the marks of war had been everywhere. There'd been charcoal on the walls. And there had been more rubble. It seemed like the leeches were clearing it away.
Had they got ideas beyond their power?
Well.
Selim would remind them of their place tonight!
"I, Selim of the Full Moon Clan, greet the Count of the Black Dragon Court," he called arrogantly as he strode into the hall. He noted the elders were all there, curled up in their seats like little bats. One of them was asleep. Doddering old fools. "I come formally. Sent by Clan Head Fikret to investigate the foul murder of his nephew. There is a claim that the Black Dragon Court has murdered him! My Lord would know the truth of it!"
Count Bela fixed the messenger with a bleary gaze.
Selim wanted to tear out the old one's throat.
There was nothing inside that skull except dust, he thought.
"We greet the messenger of the Full Moon Clan," he said, his voice raspy and weak. "Alas, we can offer only poor lodgings."
"As expected," Selim sniffed. "But we will not stay here in this place. There are enough fleas biting our flesh on the road."
Count Bela smiled, the insult going over his head.
"How can we assist the Clan?"
Selim squinted at him.
Was he truly this stupid?
The other elders, too, seemed befuddled. They looked to each other like simple creatures. It was hard to believe the legends of this place.
"I already told you," he squeezed out. "My Lord wishes to know the truth of his nephew's cowardly murder!"
"Murder?" Count Bela blinked. He glanced at another elder, who looked equally shocked. "There has been murder? Why did I not know? Which fledgling was murdered?"
"Not a fledgling!" Selim grated. "One of our clan was murdered here! On this mountain!"
Count Bela looked more confused. "There was a member of your clan here? I don't recall having a visitor. Elder Amir? When was our last visitor from the clan?"
The elder in question tapped his chin in thought. "It would be a year. Perhaps two? Time is strange in the mountains these days."
"It was not that long!" Selim scowled. He hated dealing with vampires. Death had surely addled their brains. "It has been only two weeks at most."
"Two weeks?" Another elder gasped. "And we did not greet him properly! Please send our apologies to the clan, messenger. We meant no disrespect! The clan has always been welcomed here at the Court…"
Count Bela nodded, then shook his head with a dull expression. "By chance did this visitor stay with the fledglings? Do they know anything of this visitor?"
"He didn't stay here!" Selim repeated more forcefully. "He was on the mountain!"
"On the mountain?" Elder Amir cleared his throat awkwardly. "And he did not come to us? Was he on his way? Did he get lost?"
"He did not get lost…"
"Hmm…" Count Bela made a show of thinking. "Elder Matyas? Did you by chance have any visitors?"
"I did," Elder Matyas confirmed. "It was the merchant from the city. What was his name? Elder Amir, you keep records. What was that merchant's name…?"
"Roland, Elder Matyas."
"Ah, yes!" Elder Matyas snapped his fingers. "That was it. Have we asked if he saw this visitor? Perhaps he could tell us what happened."
"Merchant?" Selim frowned. "When was he here?"
Elder Matyas pursed his lips.
Closed his eyes.
Nodding slowly.
Then opened. "Five years," he said at last. Then looked to Elder Amir. "Is that about the right of it?"
Elder Amir pulled out a small book and flipped slowly through some pages while Selim's jaw dropped open.
"It seems about right," Elder Amir said. "He brought some supplies. Timber. A bit of spice for the Renfields."
"Oh! The Renfields would know if the visitor stayed here!" Count Bela croaked. "Send for a Renfield!"
"This is a waste of time," Selim muttered angrily. "There are bodies of my people on the mountain! The Full Moon Clan wants to know who did this thing! Answers, you stupid leeches! We want answers! Or we shall return in force and dig the answers out of your ashes!"
Count Bela cocked his head.
Blinked.
"I do think we should ask the Renfields," he said hesitantly.
The sleeping vampire snorted and opened his eyes. "Did someone say bodies on the mountain?"
"Indeed, Elder Janus," Count Bela said cheerfully. "There's a messenger from the Full Moon Clan. He says there are bodies on the mountain from his clan."
"Oh." Elder Janus scratched at his chin. His eyes looked as stupid as his face, Selim thought. "I don't know about those. But the fledglings found a body. All torn up it was."
"What body?" Selim asked. A torn body might be something interesting.
"Hmm?" Elder Janus looked from the other elders to the messenger. Confused. "Didn't we talk about this?"
"We did, Elder Janus, but this one is from the Full Moon Clan, not the League."
"Oh."
Selim squinted. "What has the League got to do with anything?"
"It was their body," Elder Janus said. "I'm sure we talked about this. Didn't I say it? The fledglings found it."
"And it was torn up? How?"
"Tch," Elder Matyas sighed. "It's not pleasant to talk about. The thing was barely recognisable. If not for the insignia, it could have been anyone."
"It was the League," Elder Janus said firmly. He scowled like a crotchety old man, leaving Selim feeling a little dizzy. Folding his hands, Elder Janus gave Selim a firm glare. "Those bastards are always hunting our fledglings. But this one met a bear in the forest."
"A bear?"
"Obviously," Elder Janus said with a heavy shake of his head. "What else would rip a man's body up like that? Only a bear."
"Or a wolf," Selim offered.
"Wolf? Here?" Elder Janus looked around at the other elders. "When did we get wolves on the mountain?"
"Where is the body?" Selim asked, close to grinding his teeth. "I wish to see it."
"You want the body?" Elder Janus looked surprised. "What for? Are you going to eat it? It's a bit old and smelly."
"No, I'm not going to eat it! I want to see it! And its belongings, too."
Elder Matyas broke in quickly; "Belongings? Why? They're ours! We found them! You can't have them!"
"I don't care about pathetic trinkets," Selim snarled. "I want to confirm the body was killed by one of my kind and that it is truly from the League!"
"Killed one of your kind?" Elder Janus blinked. "What are you talking about?"
From a corner of the room, Vlad watched the little play the elders were putting on. He was standing like a guard and had been asked politely to say nothing.
As the play unfolded, he silently reconsidered his opinion of these old vampires again.
They deftly twisted the dog's thinking and aimed him at the League while making the dog think it was naturally what had happened.
It was something he thought Ferenc would have enjoyed greatly.
He could almost feel the Prince beaming down on the Court, guffawing loudly as he was prone to do when amused.
As the messenger stormed out of the Great Hall, cursing wildly under his breath, Count Bela's gaze slid to Vlad.
And the smile which crept across the count's face was one of smug pleasure.
Unable to stop himself, Vlad returned the smile before leaving.
He wasn't about to let a dog wander loose about the castle like this. He would watch the beast. Only when it had left would he relax again.
Outside, in the courtyard, the fledglings stood like statues.
Watching Selim and his guards as they followed Martin to where the body had been buried. Glancing once at the fledglings, he noted their dead eyes.
And bruises.
They had so many bruises on their faces. There was even a woman among them with swollen lips and a cut above her eye.
What had they been doing?
He shuddered.
Creepy bastards.