Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust (37 page)

         The stout tavern keeper
shuffled slowly to the stranger, wiping his fingers on his leather apron.
"What can I do for you? A bed for the night?"

         "I am just taking a
break. I have a long journey ahead of me and I wish to have some wine."

         Suspiciously, István
raised an eyebrow. "Will you be able to pay the wine?"

         A golden coin landed on
the counter as an answer.

         The tavern keeper's eyes
instantly began to gleam like the gold piece. Respectfully bowing again and
again, he announced cheerfully, "For that, you can always have meal and
drinks at my place, for as long as you live."

         "Do not take on more
than you can handle," Lilith scoffed. Searching, she looked around.

         István demanded of his
daughter, "Ljudmilla, make sure that the dice players leave. I need that
table. For what it's worth, they are still nursing their first and only beer of
the evening anyway!"

         Outraged voices sounded
from said table, but the stranger raised her hand, silencing the innkeeper.
"I will sit there."

         István's eyes followed
her pointing finger. "What? The table in the corner?" Desperately he
tried to change the stranger's mind. "It's so dark there, unworthy of your
presence."

         Lilith stood firm

         "You, Andrej, take a
seat somewhere else. I need that table," István pleaded. He didn't dare to
throw the tall man out.

         "Hold it. I will sit
with him."

         István was stunned, but
obeyed. "As you wish. My daughter will bring you some wine. In the
meantime, why don't you take off your cloak?"

         "No. Give me two
glasses and your best wine. And I mean
wine,
not the usual watered down
brew."

         Flabbergasted, István
looked from the guest to Andrej, whose face didn't betray any emotion.

         On her way to the table,
a drunk staggered into Lilith's path and stumbled. Searching for something to
hold on, he reached for her cloak to regain his balance. The vampire took a
step to the side and the man fell thudding to the floor, where he started to
snore loudly.

         The others crowed with
laughter at the sight.

         She stepped over the
fallen and sat down on the wooden bench, putting up her legs on a nearby chair,
her back resting against the wall.

         After István was out of
earshot, Andrej hissed, "What for heaven's sake are you doing here,
Lilith?"

         "Are you not even
the slightest bit happy to see me?"

         Andrej scowled. "No.
And what have you done to the poor Anatol?"

         "Who, me?" came
Lilith's innocent reply. "I was nowhere near him."

         "You know that you
have certain means and ways. I doubt he fell off his chair on his own, his face
as white as a chalked wall."

         Lilith snorted in
disgust, as they were interrupted.

         Unsure, Ljudmilla
approached, trying to act and speak elegantly. "We do not have any
glasses, but my father is hoping that our most expensive tin mugs will meet
your approval."

         Lilith nodded and
István's daughter used a big jug to fill their mugs. After a rather clumsy
curtsey, Ljudmilla hurried to get away.

         Andrej lifted his mug and
announced, mockingly, "To my noble patroness." He took a sip and
asked again, "What are you doing here?"

         Lilith didn't answer and
she didn't touch the wine. Instead, her eyes roamed over the interior of the
tavern and the present men. The whole room was stifling and warm. Thick patches
of smoke drifted through the air. Her gaze stopped on Rouven and Anatol, who
were still having a fiery discussion.

         Suddenly, Anatol screamed
at the top of his lungs, "We all are in grave danger!"          Everybody
present glared at him.

         "You have caused a
wonderful mess," Andrej hissed at the vampire.

         István came from behind
his counter, pushing his belly through the rows, until he reached the two young
men. Impatient, he turned Anatol around and glowered at him. "I won't
allow any rebels in my tavern. Go home! And don't come back, until you're clear
in the head again!"

         Rouven grinned stupidly
and slurred, "That was great."

         Anatol felt treated
unfairly, but he could stand the sympathetic glances from the others even less.
His eyes darted to the table where Lilith and Andrej sat. Dizzy, he ran towards
the door, which closed banging behind him.

         "The boy is a bit
hysterical," Lilith mentioned, amused by the scene that had taken place.
"Although interesting."

         "What?" Andrej
asked, annoyed. "Why interesting?"

         "I could say,
useful
,"
she added.

         Andrej rolled his eyes.
"It's of no use. There is no way to have a normal conversation with
you." He took another sip from his mug.

         "Ooh, the fine
mister. Always so serious. Cannot have any fun, huh?" she mocked.

         He grumbled something
unintelligible and stared into his mug, as if hoping to find something
important at the bottom of it.

         Slowly, the crowd
dissipated and the tavern emptied. People went home because of the late hour.

         Sighing deeply, Lilith
rose. "I did not think it would be so very boring among humans."
Glancing at Andrej, she added, "Here I thought it was only you, but now I
know they all are like that."

         The young man refrained
to answer, swallowing the snide remark that lay on his tongue.

         Realizing that she
wouldn't get a rise out of him, Lilith left the place as fast as she had
arrived.

*****

         Sadden was relishing the
unbelievable silence at the castle. She highly valued the fact to be all alone
with her thoughts for once. The vampire sat in the large ceremonial room at a
long table, which was covered by a vast number of yellowed scrolls and
parchments. "All this information is unimportant and useless. If only I
knew what I am searching for...whatever I am searching for..."

         Exhausted, Sadden leaned
back and rubbed her temples. "I have forgotten so much... I wanted to
forget it all, and now I am forced to remember." Tired and listless, she
rose and was startled.

         Lilith's eyes were fixed
on her while she leaned against the wall with crossed arms.

         "I do not have to
ask for how long you have been standing there, do I?"

         Lilith shrugged her
shoulders and walked to her teacher. She glanced at the documents before taking
a seat at the table, putting one leg over the other.

         "Do you intend to
keep sitting there?" Sadden asked patiently.

         Again the young vampire
shrugged her shoulders.

         "You are not very
talkative? A while ago, you had more to say. Has it something to do with your
little trip to the village?"

         Lilith exhaled sharply.

         "Uh huh..."
Sadden couldn't suppress the smirk that formed on her face and asked,
"Where is Andrej?"

         Indifferent, Lilith
shrugged her shoulders once more as said tall man entered the hall. "I
wish you a good night, Sadden. I'm frozen stiff and so glad to finally be
somewhere warm." He quickly walked to the blazing fireplace, shook the
snow off his coat and warmed his hands at the bright flames.

         Sadden strode to him and
asked seriously, "How was the funeral?"

         "Father Ion Marlin
is on his last journey to eternal peace," he answered, rubbing his cold
hands. "The people have agreed to not send word to the church."

         Sadden frowned. "I
do not know what to make of that."

         "Well, look at it
this way. No one will come knocking at the main portal, trying to find a way
into the castle, in order to convert me to come to church." Mocking,
Andrej made a horrified face before dissolving into laughter. "Or to see
what devilish things are going on in here."

         Convinced, Sadden nodded
slightly and returned to the table. She rolled up the scrolls and placed them
back into their leather protection cases. Trying to break the uncomfortable
silence and tension that had fallen, she inquired, "Did you have a nice
talk at
The Howling Wolf
?"

         Andrej pricked up his
ears and wrinkled his forehead. "You really gave her permission? I didn't
want to believe that." He ignored that Lilith stuck out her tongue at him.

         Sadden didn't and shot
her a sharp glare. "I thought her mature enough to not cause any trouble
and to have control of herself."

         Andrej grinned broadly at
Lilith. Then he became serious again. "I also heard something else. It
seems as if someone lets the cattle out of their stables at night. Probably to
feed the wolves. They never were so close to the village's borders like this
year."

         Lilith scowled at Andrej.

         "I want these
undertakings to stop immediately. The wild animals can fend for
themselves," Sadden responded firmly to that.

         Annoyed, Lilith gave in
and nodded. As if nothing had happened, she returned to the former subject. She
crossed her arms and sighed dramatically. "He is sooooooo boring. It is
getting on my nerves." she pointed at Andrej.

         Sadden raised an eyebrow,
smirking inwardly.

         "So, the fine lady
is bored stiff with me, yes?" Taking big steps, he went to fetch a long
spear from the wall at the opposite side of the hall. That granted him Lilith's
undivided attention. Andrej weighed the weapon in his hands, testing the
balance and decided it would do nicely. "I see that quite
differently."

         "What are you
intending to do?" Lilith asked puzzled while she quickly leapt up and
instinctively took a defending stance.

         "Choose your
weapon," Andrej demanded calmly.

         "A duel? You wish to
fight with
me
? How astounding. Did the wine give you the courage?"
Lilith didn't have to think twice. She grabbed a light sword from above the
fireplace. "You honestly think that fighting you will be a challenge for
me?"

         "I think you
shouldn't always judge so fast. As far as I see it, you're nothing more than a
spoiled little brat."

         "What did you call
me?"

         "Oh, excuse me. I
meant an
immortal
spoiled little brat."

         They began to size each
other up.

         "What do you know
about me, huh?" Lilith asked disparagingly.

         "A lot more than you
know about me. Let's begin with the heart in your chest, as cold as the body in
which it
doesn't
beat."

         "Ha ha," Lilith
said bitterly and started a direct attack.

         Andrej had seen it coming
and countered, holding the spear protectively in front of his body to deflect
her uncontrolled blow. The young man continued, as if nothing had happened.
"In my opinion, you are drinking far too much blood, which makes you
aggressive and insufferable. Or is there another reason?"

         The vampire was furious.
The way Andrej goaded her demanded a fitting response. Lilith kicked against
the spear, which the young man was still holding in front of him, and forced
him back a couple of steps.

         "I also don't think
that you have any special powers." Andrej advanced, but the young vampire
jumped aside and hit him powerfully in the back with her sword's handle. His
face contorted at the sharp pain that ran down his spine.

         "Really?"
Lilith asked, then she laughed loudly and pursed her lips. "As if it would
be of any interest to me what
you
think."

         Their eyes firmly locked,
they circled the heavy oak table in the middle of the room where Sadden still
stood.

         Lilith smiled, playing
with the rapier in her hands.

         "You drain other
creatures off their blood, only to prolong your own existence."

         To hear these hurtful
words from Andrej caught Sadden's attention. Until now, she had never thought
about how he felt about vampires. Her eyes rested on her friend. She knew the
words were spoken in the heat of the fight. Despite that, she got the
impression that it sounded like a reproach.

         The two duelers didn't
notice Sadden's sudden hesitation. Completely engrossed in their fight, they
also didn't see her storm from the room.

         Lilith waved challenging
at Andrej. "Humans are attaching way too much importance to the drinking
of blood. How often did I have to hear that we get a mental or even sexual
satisfaction from it." Provoking, she ran her fingers gently from her
throat to her candid décolleté.