Other Places 3: Detours (4 page)

Like
the police.

There
was no one out along the fake red brick walk area, and the benches were exactly
where they always were, along with their huge concrete pots and fake ferns. It
wasn't decorated very well, and really needed a water fountain to be put in, he
decided. A nice big one, that people could get into and splash around in,
making a mess. Like in the movies.

Marissa
did her best to act like a proper lady, it was true. Zack had noticed it both
times they'd met. That didn't mean stupid however, or incompetent. Her eyes and
other senses strained to pick out any hint of attack from the area around her,
and she seemed ready to let go of his arm and fight, if anything happened at
all. Nothing did. It was so early that Candles and More hadn't even opened yet,
though it should have, almost forty minutes before. The Yoghurt World was well
lit though, but they didn't close, except for special events. The last time
he'd seen it was when Bey had come for an investigation. Hopefully the Vampire
on his arm didn't have that kind of reputation. The reason they'd closed before
had been due to the entire local Vampire community going into hiding.

Lenore,
Zack's very cute girlfriend, who looked about ready to work at a country fair
in her light blue dress and white apron, actually managed not to look shocked
when he walked up at least.

Then,
even with the Vampire on
his
arm, she didn't seem to get who it was,
until they were almost in front of her. On the good side that meant she really
wasn't the jealous type, since he could get away with walking around with other
girls. She'd always said that was the case, and he knew it was true, but it
still felt funny to him. Of course that went two ways, so when she took other
people to bed he couldn't say much.

"Marissa
Constantine?" There was a baffled look and then a small bow to go with it.
"To what do I owe the pleasure? Is it time for an accounting? I assure you
that our books are in good order. Let me run and get those for you..." She
did that very quickly, before either of them could say a word, and was back
with a large black ledger not five seconds later. "Here, please, have a
seat, or would you use my office?"

Zack
had to search a bit, using the woman's own memories, but it was right there.
She
wasn't
Bey Transmorguir, the killer of rogue Vampires. That was
simply a fact. No, she was, more or less, their version of the IRS. When she
came to town, people got
audited
.

Those
that failed their audits, died.

The
Vampire Council member bowed a bit, and let herself settle into one of the
brightly colored yellow and orange booths. The vinyl barely made a sound at
all, under her light frame.

"I'm
not here for that yet, though I do have a date later this year for it? If you
don't mind me looking now, that will save time. I'm sure they're in order. It's
always so nice looking at your work, dear." The book was handed over,
somberly, and the older woman didn't mention having just been in captivity.
Apparently, work came first.

Even
before eating.

"Do
we have any blood left? Perhaps we could free a bottle up for Marissa? I'll pay
for it." That seemed important for some reason, though it didn't leap to
mind. It was correct anyway, he could tell, since his girlfriend didn't do what
she normally might and try to give it to him for free. She normally would have
tried to give him anything she could, after all.

She
also didn't try to explain why that was, and took his card when it was handed
over for the purchase.

"Would
you like anything? I'm working on a new hazelnut and banana treat."

He
nodded, since he really could use the extra calories. Really he'd need a bit
more than that too, but he could wait a bit and not make a pig of himself.

Publically.
He was totally going to do that the second he got alone, he decided. One thing
that starvation for months had taught him, was that food was too important to
miss out on. It seemed a pretty intuitive lesson, like most people would simply
understand it, but until you nearly died from lack of it, he doubted most
really could.

He
shrugged.

"Could
I get, oh, six of them? Just to try out, of course."

There
was a thump, which was a single cool finger on the open ledger.

"Ah,
yes, you have an open account here? Unlimited food for yourself and all mall
employees? Does that count for the blood?" She addressed the last bit to
Lenore, who actually gave her a small smile back and shrugged, which was
probably very rude, normally, since it would be like her doing that to the
Secretary of the Treasury. "It hasn't before and he paid today. That...
would be a good idea. It's all in an effort to pay the debt we owe as an
organization. I've been tempted to make twice daily deliveries down to the
Trolleinkein embassy, to try and catch up." She clearly thought it was
funny, but Zack knew that a lot of them really did need to eat more than they
had been.

He
nodded.

"We
could get them to come and pick that up? So you won't have to leave the floor
here. I figured they'd all be down here ten times a day, to tell the truth.
Just like I figured they'd half live at the new cafe, since they get to eat
there for free, too."

That
got Marissa to murmur softly, but with a bit of focus, and he realized, magical
energy flowing into it, Zack picked it up.

"You
court them, as well?"

He...
hadn't really been thinking of it that way. They were friends of his, or at
least some of them were, and far from home. It was hard for them to get enough
to eat, and he had access to nearly unlimited food, so of course he'd think of
them. But, really, the idea wasn't a horrible one, was it? Courting them, as
the Vampire had suggested.

So
he nodded.

"Naturally."
It made him sound wise, and since he'd just decided to actually make an effort,
it wasn't even a lie. "The Mages too, if I can get Lisa to stop hating me.
That's going to take some work."

There
were no follow up questions to that, since the woman was clearly lost in her
numbers suddenly. It didn't take her long to go over the whole thing either,
and at the end she tapped the black book with her right index finger.

"There
are errors." She didn't sound mean, which was nice of her.

Lenore
winced, as if she were about to be flogged.

"Bad
ones?" Her eyebrows wrinkled upward, as if worried, but the auditor shook
her head, being back to her normal girlish self.

"Not
truly. You simply owe several people funds for work done, and have not paid
them yet. A Jennifer Stone, and also a Hiram Stone? The first for shop tending,
the second for wards on several local concerns? That should be seen to. It's
important to pay our debts in a timely fashion, lest they be forgotten."

Lenore
bowed, and didn't make any excuses, or even mention that the mass firing of
people a few weeks before had gotten in the way of prompt payment.

So
Zack did.

"Jennifer
is the one I asked you to meet with, if she comes in later? Hiram is her uncle.
They haven't been around for a while, since the Mage Guild let them go. It
wasn't the best plan ever, on their part, but..."

His
girlfriend made a face toward the still closed shop across the way, "it
was truly so. Lisa, the Ambassador's Assistant found out that Zack is..."
Then she went silent.

Because
clearly she was under orders not to mention what he was to the woman. Probably
others as well. It would take work to keep that hidden now however. Most of the
Vampires already had heard, at least among the ones
he
talked to.

The
elder Vampire growled lightly.

"So,
who ordered you to not speak?" She rose, and looked ready to menace the
other girl, who looked a bit younger, and
was
, by about seven hundred
years.

Zack
cleared his throat.

"My
girlfriend
."

That
got everyone in the room to stop and look at him, as if he were insane, for
about a tenth of a second. Then... A nicely warmed pint of blood was delivered,
in a thick ceramic mug. It was enough that Marissa sat back down.

"I
forgot myself, Mr. Hartley. Being captured and locked away with no food tends
to make me... edgy." Then, like a good little girl trying not to slam the
whole mug of blood at once, she started to drink. Her lips ended up with a red
stain, but that was the only sign that what she'd been consuming wasn't tea or
cider. Possibly a shake of some kind. A fancy one, in a big mug, but still,
that wasn't a horrible idea.

It
had a very refined sound to it, really, Zack thought.

Lenore
didn't act shocked at all, and simply took the mug back, when it was offered,
not speaking at all. Then she washed it before turning again, and finished
making Zack his treats. Each was a tiny bit different, which had to do with the
fact that she wanted to test the concoctions, like she'd mentioned, he was
willing to bet.

Finally
she spoke, her voice subdued.

"Are
we at war then?"

The
rather fussy seeming hermaphrodite shook her head, making the short light brown
hair fly a bit.

"I
think not. It was Vampires that took me, at least. I suspect Gene, of the
Council, The Wanderer. I have no real proof, but he's recently changed his mind
about the new blood rules. Before a week past he stood with me firmly,
against
it. Then he changed his mind, which isn't his normal way at all. It is, of
course, a trick of some kind. People forget his cunning, behind his cherubic
features. Regardless, those that subdued me were of our people, Lenore. No
matter how that happened. So at worse we need only see to an execution. That or
locking my fellow away for long enough that he recalls that it is
not
an
enjoyable experience." She waved toward Zack then, her hand never pointing
at him directly. "I called on the Line Walker, when I chanced to recall
that I had a new speaking device. As luck would have it, I managed to call out.
No other numbers answered, but Mr. Hartley was kind enough to come and retrieve
me. Now I have to ask if that was part of a plan? Perhaps to indebt myself to
you?" She looked down at the table, not at him.

"That
wasn't a plan of mine, and I won't count it as a debt, past what we already
agreed to? That way, if it was someone's plan, they'll have failed already. I
do love messing with plotters like that. Or at least I think I do. It always
made people seem cooler, when they did that on television." He smiled,
which got one in return, from Lenore.

"Thank
you, dear. Still, this does create a debt, which might be the reason? Who'd do
such a thing? Given... Well, Bey asked me not to mention Zachary's nature to
you, if you didn't bring it up first. Truly, I wouldn't have anyway, since
almost everyone knows already, but that might not mean he's behind it, or if he
is, that it was linked to other things. Not that he's incapable of planning
ahead like that, but he guards Zack rather zealously. He might play with you,
but not
him
, I don't think. He owes too much there, and Zack has been a
true friend to him, which would be enough all on its own. I once saw him fight
a hundred Vampires, for wronging a merchant that had offered him free apples, thinking
he was starving." She had a worried look on her face, which for once
didn't seem all that contrived.

The
council woman nodded.

"I
can see that for myself. Very few would come for me, even if begged. Mr.
Hartley did it without even discussion of price. Then, what is being asked...
Merely meeting a new contact? It doesn't seem like what your kind would do,
does it? Is this a trick, perhaps?"

There
was a soft chuckle from behind the counter then, as the six treats, all in
large containers, came across the counter. Zack tried not to leap across the
room at them, but he was a bit hungry. He sat quickly and started to eat
without waiting, making a point to consider each of the dishes of frozen yogurt
carefully. There would be a quiz, after all.

His
girlfriend fixed the Vampire Council member with a very frank look.

"Truly?
I don't think so. He is a Greater Demon, and his powers are vast, but his word
has proved good so far. That may change, over time, or it might all be a trick,
but that could be said of anyone, might it not? I think you can trust him not
only as
much
as those on our own council, but more so. He seldom lies,
in fact. I think he can now, however, is that right, Zachary?"

He
grinned, but swallowed his food before speaking.

"Yep.
I have to make myself sort of believe it, but it's a thing I can do. I don't
bother most of the time. It's easier that way." For him at least, since it
took less energy.

It
was about then that he noticed a rather furtive and disheveled form trying to
sneak into Candles and More. It was Lisa, and she seemed like she'd been up for
days, at
least
. She looked over her shoulder and froze, when she noticed
him watching her. For his part, he didn't do anything at all, except take
another bite of his food. That wasn't a mistake, since anything he did then,
including smile, or wave, would be taken as hostile by the woman.