Sern returned to the guild late in the morning, buffeted by strong winds. Thunder rumbled from dark clouds, hanging low in the sky. Exhausted but wide awake from worry, he entered the courtyard, walked up to the door and knocked. The hatch opened almost immediately and the lookout glared at him.
´Horseshoe,` Sern said before the man asked anything.
He grunted a reply, closed the small hatch and opened the door.
Sern plodded in and studied the man. ´You worked the night shift?`
The man shook his head and crossed his arms, eyeing the boy. ´No, just got 'ere. Why?`
´Who had the door before you?`
´Aissa,` he said sourly and glowered at him. ´She's prob'ly in the dinin' room by now.`
Sern nodded, thanked him and went looking for her. There weren't many people at this early hour and luckily there was only one woman in the room. Tall and muscular with short-cropped hair, and armed to the teeth, Sern almost got scared just looking at her. She was a perfect guard, he thought as he walked up to her.
´Hey, got a moment?`
She looked up from her food and stared at him with grey, narrowed eyes. A scar ran down her left cheek, making her look even more dangerous.
´Umm, I got word you had the night watch,` Sern said nervously.
´What d'you want? Spit it out,` she snapped. ´I'm eatin', and I wanna sleep as soon as possible.`
Sern fidgeted but did as he was told. ´Did the elf come in tonight?`
Her eyes narrowed as she considered the question. ´No, he didn't.`
´You heard if he's returned?`
´I haven't.` She shook her head. ´Anythin' else?`
´Um, no.` Sern replied, disappointed.
´Then leave me alone.` She went back to her meal and ignored him.
Sern watched her for a few seconds in silence before ambling back to his room. This is bad, he thought. Where had Ranloo gone? If he wasn't back, that meant he had indeed gotten into trouble. Fairly certain that Ranloo was alive, he didn't feel a need to go and alert the others yet, but it made him anxious not knowing where his friend was. He was out in the city somewhere, hungry and alone. That was like an invitation to trouble.
Sern entered his room and sat down on the bed, removed his lockpicks and began cleaning and sharpening his knives. He'd ask for help to go out searching if Ranloo hadn't come back tomorrow, he decided. He'd give the elf half the night. Finished with his knives, he packed them away and lay down to sleep, exhausted from all the running and walking.
* * * * *
Tealas paced back and forth, his brows drawn together in a deep frown.
Odefin sat on a bench, eating on a piece of bread. His eyes followed Tealas' movements through the room. ´Tea. You need to calm down,` he said after a while.
Tealas turned on him in a flash, eyes blazing. ´It got away!` he yelled.
Odefin's eyes widened but he swallowed the piece of bread before replying. ´Yes. I know.`
´You don't seem too concerned,` Tealas said sourly and crossed his arms, tapping the floor with a foot impatiently.
´And you seem too concerned,` Odefin replied and brushed some bread crumbs from his beard. ´You need to calm yourself. It's not good to stress like this. Maybe we should take a break?`
´The bloody vampire got away, and you don't care?` Tealas shouted and pointed towards the window. ´It's out there, killing people and getting away with it as we speak!` He resumed his pacing, muttering under his breath. Taking a break, indeed. How could he even consider it at this time?
Odefin sighed and stood. ´To be honest,` he said carefully. ´I think he's sleeping somewhere in the dark, underneath the city. He's not going to be able to do anything for a while, and I think he'll be extremely careful when he wakes up. We almost got him.`
Tealas spun around and waved a finger in his face. ´We almost got him. That's right. Almost!` He glared at Odefin, eyes burning from fatigue. ´The sucker'll be extra careful now,` he huffed. ´What's good about that? It means it'll be harder to find.` Frustrated he ran a hand through his blond messy hair and walked over to the map on the table again. He had marked the last place where the vampire had been seen. But it didn't help that he knew where the vampire had been, he despaired. Jaris was a maze of streets and hiding places. A dark warren filled to the brim with criminals and monsters. They had to get serious. They couldn't let this continue. They had to kill this vampire before he became too strong.
´We need to get the family or the boy,` Tealas said and turned to look at Odefin who flinched as if struck.
´Tea. We can't involve his family in this. Besides, they're in the elven kingdom, like the rangers told us. It'd take a month or more to get to them.` He shook his head and looked out the window.
´We can ask the mages at the Im temple for help. They'll know a way,` Tealas said softly. ´We know their names and where they live.`
Odefin studied him, his fingers tapping the windowsill. ´I don't like it, Tea. And what are we talking about here anyway? Teleportation? Do you realize the cost?`
´I don't care about the cost!` he hissed. ´I care about getting that monster!`
Odefin's mouth pressed into a thin line. ´You need a break, Tea. Before –`
´A break? Really? You would just let it go? Let it kill and become stronger than it already is? Do you realize how hard it'll be to catch if we don't find it now? The monster's already way stronger than it should be! I'm not taking a break.`
´Calm down. Alright. But you know what happened that time.`
Tealas took a deep breath and looked at his friend, his eyes softening. ´It won't get to that,` he assured him. ´I'm alright.`
Odefin nodded slowly. ´I hope so. Still, I say we try to get that boy, use him as bait to get the vampire.`
A faint smile graced Tealas' lips for a second, then he shrugged and turned back to the map, rubbing the scar on his neck absently. ´Agreed,` he said quietly. ´Let's pull the city guards away from the streets, have them disguised and see if we can trap the vampire when it comes out. Unless we can catch it in the sewers before that, of course.`
Odefin nodded and sighed quietly. Probably in relief that he'd calmed down, Tealas thought. Odefin didn't like when he got upset.
´Let's get some rest,` Odefin said. ´We need to be alert tonight.`
´Let's get this bastard,` Tealas agreed in a whisper, still studying the map.
* * * * *
The next night found the Hasvien twins talking to Sern in a corridor. He was telling them what he knew about Ranloo's whereabouts, and that he needed their help to find him if he didn't return later in the night.
´He got hunted and made 'imself scarce,` he said. ´He'll probably try and get back here as soon as he can. But with all the guards around it'll be tricky.`
One of the twins nodded, the other merely frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Sern couldn't tell who was who, but it didn't really matter. They listened, and that was the important part.
´Is he always causing trouble like this?` one of them asked.
Sern felt a twinge of annoyance at the twin's tone but didn't let it show. ´He's a vamp. So yeah. But that's 'cause he hasn't been one for long,` he explained as patiently as he could. ´He's a strong ally, but if he doesn't get anythin' to eat he'll be a real danger to everyone.`
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The twins glanced at each other. ´So, you want us to go out looking for a potentially hungry, hurt, and very dangerous vampire, and help him?` one of them said and shook his head.
Sern blushed, anger and embarrassment fighting for the upper hand. He took a deep breath to steady himself. ´Look, he won't attack us,` he reassured them, hoping it was true. ´But he'll probably kill whomever he sees first out in the street. An' that's why we're not going out immediately. It'll cause a commotion and get us unwanted attention.`
The twins agreed but didn't seem convinced. ´Are you sure he won't attack us?` one of them said. ´He attacked Pei last time we worked with him. We don't want a repeat of that incident.`
So that was Aedil, Sern thought and tried to see any distinguishing features between the two. But the only difference he could find was their current positions. Pei had his arms crossed and looked more angry than Aedil who leaned back against the wall, his thumbs stuck into the belt to his breeches.
´He won't,` Sern replied. ´He knows friend from foe if he's not starvin'.`
They nodded but still didn't seem convinced. They didn't need to be, he thought. As long as they helped him search. ´We'll wait a few more hours.` He nodded to emphasize his words. ´If he hasn't returned by then, we'll go out an' look for him. Yeah?`
´Yeah, I guess we will,` Pei sighed.
´You won't stop pestering us until we do anyway. Right?` Aedil laughed.
´Meet me in the room behind the stage in three hours,` Sern said, relieved they had agreed to help.
The twins left and Sern looked around the corridor, wondering who to talk to next. Felisei probably. She'd jump at a chance to help Ranloo, he thought with some annoyance. He walked towards her room. Then he'd find Listarl. He was surely going to help. He didn't know if he should ask the chemist or not. Diquarl probably wouldn't be much help in a search anyway. And he was terrified of Ranloo. At least Sern thought he was after what had happened last time.
The three hours passed slowly for Sern. He went down to the basement to check on Ranloo's room now and then, to see if he had returned. But it was empty. He sighed as he looked around, his nerves tingling. Restless, he headed to the meeting room and waited there. Time crawled and his relief when the door finally opened, revealing the Hasvien twins closely followed by Listarl, was huge.
´Any sign of the vampire?` Listarl asked as he saw Sern pacing the room.
Sern shook his head and stopped.
´So, we need to go out then,` one of the twins said, scratching his well-cropped beard.
´Yeah, we do,` Sern agreed with a sinking feeling in his stomach.
The door opened and Felisei and Diquarl entered the room as well.
Sern looked in surprise at the chemist, he hadn't talked with him. But the more that assisted in the search the better. ´Alright,` he said, gaining their attention. ´We need t' find Ranloo. I think he hid in the sewers, but he's gotta come back up an' I guess he'll try t' get back here. We should spread out an' look around the Dirak district an' the area between there an' the guild.` He studied the small team. Their solemn faces watched him attentively.
´Anything we need to be aware of before we go?` one of the twins asked.
´Watch out for city guards an' Eldon patrols. If they spot you, especially if you're with Ranloo, you'll get hunted.`
´I think we knew that already,` Listarl rumbled and laughed.
´Alright, let's go,` Sern said, too worried to join in in the laugher.
Outside, they were pelted by heavy rain.
´Sarek is in a bad mood today,` Aedil commented and pulled his hood up as thunder rolled over the city.
´You don't say,` Felisei agreed, gritting her teeth and squinting against the rain.
´Shall we?` Listarl gestured for them to leave.
´I'll go alone,` Sern added before they separated. ´I know him best an' he won't attack me. You should probably go in pairs.` With that he left, moving along the streets towards the Dirak district again. His stomach was unruly and his heart beat too fast from worry. Hunching his shoulders against the weather he vanished in the dark.
Felisei and Aedil teamed up, taking a different route. The twins had decided that since they were the best fighters, they should team up with their weaker allies to protect them. Pei and Diquarl left together and Listarl, confident he could take Ranloo on if he needed to, went alone. Rain fell like a waterfall from the sky and they were all drenched within minutes.
Sern saw very few city guards that night. Strange, he thought, uneasy and tense. Just the other day there had been more than usual. Now, the streets lay empty and unusually dark. The rain had doused most of the street lanterns and the clouds blotted out the moons. Something was wrong, he was certain. Had they gotten Ranloo? Was that why? Or was it some trap? Maybe it was just the weather.
Nervously wandering along the streets, he spotted a drain. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure nobody watched, he leaned forward and called, ”Ranloo? You there?” He strained his ears for an answering voice. But the only reply was the gurgling water. Sighing, he went on, at times stopping to call down other drains. Once, he caught a glint of light reflecting off metal in the corner of his eye. He turned around just as a figure vanished behind a corner. Frowning, water dripping off his nose and running into his eyes he stood staring at the empty spot for some time, barely daring to breathe.
´Don't be stupid,` he muttered to himself after a while, deciding it was nothing. But didn't dare call out again for a long time.
He backtracked to Hill Street where Ranloo had vanished. The hole still gaped open, but nobody guarded it now. Water rushed into the hole and it was impossible to see anything down there. He wouldn't have stayed here anyway, Sern thought and went in the direction he thought Ranloo had run. He walked and shouted for hours. He didn't give up until a bleak sunrise turned the world from dark blackness into a dreary grey half-light. Ranloo was nowhere to be found. Sern's eyes stung from desperation, he shivered violently from the cold, and his stomach grumbled. But worst of all was not knowing where his friend was. He plodded back to the guild, dragging his heavy feet.
The others hadn't had any luck either. Aedil and Felisei had met some city guards, but that was all. They hadn't found any traces of the vampire, no words of his whereabouts. They were all empty-handed. Upon their return to the guild, they learned that he hadn't come back while they were out either. Sern couldn't sleep that morning, tossing and turning in his bed. It was close to midday before he finally fell asleep, exhausted.
* * * * *
Odefin spoke with the colonel while Tealas stood a bit further off, discussing with a tired night guard. It was late morning and the guard had been up all night. He had supposedly seen a boy running around in the streets, calling down the water drains in the street, close to where they had lost the vampire. It was possible it was the vampire's friend, out looking for him. That was good, Odefin thought. It meant the vampire hadn't gotten back to his friends yet. And that meant they might be able to catch the boy. The guard had followed the thief for a while but lost him in the rain close to Riverside district. Then there was the issue with the missing guard. One of the night guards hadn't turned up this morning, and no matter how they searched they hadn't been able to find him. The downside of having them go out alone in disguise instead of in groups, protected by their numbers.
´The Sol, Garvina Asiid, told me earlier that a young man, an Im acolyte, had seen the vampire three weeks ago around the library,` the colonel said.
´Three weeks ago? Why didn't he say anything earlier?` Odefin asked.
´He probably didn't realize what he was. He's just a boy,` the colonel replied. ´There was also a break-in at the library the other night. I believe it was the vampire again. We encountered him only a few blocks off after all.`
Odefin nodded. Why would a vampire need to go to the library? What had he been after? Regardless, it was interesting, and they had another place to keep an eye on. Maybe the vampire was interested in reading and would come back there again, he mused.
´Let's go and see if we can find the missing guard,` Tealas said and looked over at them. Odefin nodded, pulled up his hood and donned his gloves. The weather was horrific, but they had to get this done. It could be the vampire's doing after all. The guard Tealas had spoken to, Uli, accompanied them. He would show them the area the missing guard had patrolled. They left the guard station, mounted their wet horses, and rode off after the man.
More than an hour passed in the steady beating of the rain before they got to the right area. They rode up and down the streets, checking anything that seemed suspicious. They looked into every alley, asked everyone they met for the missing man, and even knocked on doors. It was slow and tedious work and time seemed to stretch infinitely as the day proceeded into evening.
Tired and cold from the pelting rain, Odefin stepped into a narrow alley to check it out. Something lay in the dark corner below a narrow stone staircase. It looked like a pile of trash, but something about the shape made Odefin take a closer look. Trash, old cloths, and a worn sack covered something. A pair of legs? He grabbed the edge of the sack and lifted.
´Tea!` he called and squinted up the stairs. The shape of a man with a hat emerged at the top. Odefin couldn't make out any details in the rain. ´Come here!` he called. ´I found something.` He looked back down to the body hidden under the trash. It could be the guard, but he had to pull him out to make sure. He could only see the legs, the rest was covered.
As soon as Tealas came down, followed by Uli, they started pulling the body out. It became clear they had indeed found the missing guard. The body wasn't in very good condition, having lain there all through the previous night and the day under a pile of trash in the rain. But he was still recognizable and they could make out bite marks on his bloated neck. Tealas cursed and Uli watched with a pale face.
It was getting darker and nightfall would soon be upon them. They decided to stay in the area in hope of catching the vampire. Maybe he still hid nearby. They would be ready this time. Walking back to the horses they split up as to appear like easy targets, but not far. They wanted to be within shouting range of each other if the vampire attacked any of them. They also agreed to lead their horses since a walking target was easier than a riding one. Then they waited in the rain as darkness fell and thick fog began to rise.
It didn't take long before Uli's voice echoed down the alleys. Tealas immediately mounted his horse, uttered a prayer to Eldon for light, and set off at a gallop towards the sound. As he came close enough to see the figures fighting in the street, he jumped off his horse, pulled out his crossbow, and slid a bolt into the groove as fast as humanly possible.
He won't get away this time, he thought as the clattering of hooves approached from the other direction. Good, Odefin would block the vampire's path if he were to flee. Uli swung his sword and roared at the vampire. He jumped aside, his long dark hair whipping out behind him, moving faster than the guard could follow. The vampire lashed out, tearing deep gashes in Uli's arm with his sharp nails. The sword was knocked aside and landed with a loud ringing as Uli screamed.
´I have you now,` Tealas said under his breath as he aimed and fired.