15 Vampire Compensation

The Magister of the Vampire Clan stared into the fireplace fire and remained silent. Scarlet stood beside the chair and knew the unpleasant truth. She had failed. There were competitors in the clan who had denounced her mistake to the Magister.

"Dragon. Dracat. These are the most obscure of creatures. Their connection to the summoners defies understanding. I suspect that these creatures possess mental magic by nature. A dragon summoner can mentally communicate with his pet. This is my opinion. I have received no confirmation of this thought. None of the summoners I knew satisfied my curiosity. A dracat summoner appeared in the city of Ark. There is enough gold in the clan. What is wrong with you? Why didn't you find common ground with the boy?"

"He embarrassed me. I played the wrong game," Scarlet admitted.

"You're a hundred and twenty years old. You've dealt with a dragon summoner. Have you forgotten that they play by their own rules? The boy is weak but has the support of a pet. Did he manage to survive an encounter with the Plas swordsman? Only a naive fool would believe that. Dracat saved his life. How did he do it? Unknown," Angus took a sip of blood from his glass and ended the conversation. "Take the boy the gold. Offer to help him develop. He needs the gold. He is capable of behaving irrationally and does not understand his place in this world. Take a place beside him. Or another member of the clan will do it."

Scarlet nodded and left the hall. She went straight to the summoners' guild. The damned boy would choke on vampire gold! She imagined shoving the coins down the summoner's throat. A thousand coins, one by one, long minutes of suffering.

The vampire walked to the guild door and removed the hood from her head. She entered the familiar room.

"Wishing you a long and bright life, vampire," the master greeted softly from his chair.

"And a long and bright life to you too, Klaus the summoner. I have business with the newcomer. Pete the summoner."

Klaus remained seated in his chair and began to pick fruit from a bowl on the table. The nature of the conversation did not interest him.

The other master was more lenient with vampires. The redheaded summoner spoke up quietly,

"Vampire, would it be so hard to send a messenger with a note and make an appointment for the newcomer? If you have no business with the guild you're wasting our time and yours."

"She's looking for trouble," his neighbor sighed. "This is Scarlet, of the Angus Clan Council. She's known for her explosive temper."

"Klaus, I'm not blind," the redheaded master smiled. "I saw her face in the reflection of the mirror behind your back. Vampires have long known our funny little tricks."

Scarlet shook her head. Summoners. No respect for vampires. Living with one foot in their pet worlds. A summoner can always leave this world. Many Summoners disappear for years. Sassy and cocky blood bags. Not stupid, but not as smart as she.

"I didn't mean to humiliate anyone. You are master Summoners. You're not messengers to the run-up to the Attic and hand the invitation to the newcomer. I have put the guild on notice that the Angus clan is showing interest in a member of the summoners guild. I'm not sure the young man has made the guild aware of his dealings with the clan."

Klaus squinted. The vampire's words did not please him. The summoners didn't like dealing with bloodsuckers. Vampire gold was no worse than other gold. The pets did not tolerate the presence of vampires. Rare creatures could safely stay near a vampire. A summoner and a vampire were a disgusting team for a serious and dangerous business. What was disturbing was the vampires' constant desire for influence and power. But the most negative fact was the knowledge that for centuries there had not been a single vampire summoner in the guild! The summoners treated vampires as strange freaks. A vampire is incapable of taming a pet. A summoner is capable of becoming a vampire. But then the pet would go to his world. The traitor summoner would strangely end his life soon. The vampire clan had no claim on the guild. The guild did not attempt to punish the traitor. The former summoner was simply dying of weakness. Life and strength were draining from the traitor's body with each passing day. Revenge of Magic. Such was the general acceptance of mages.

A door opened behind the vampire's back, and a new visitor appeared. It was a little girl with a bright smile on her face. The girl looked around the room and everyone present with enthusiasm.

"Good morning, child," smiled Klaus. "What brings you to the inner walls of the summoners' guild?"

"I have a note for a young summoner named Pete. This note," the girl showed the envelope.

Klaus shook his head. Sneaky vampires are always trying to show off their cunning. The master reached out and took one fruit from the dish. He held out the threat to the child and said quietly,

"Please have a treat. Run up those stairs to the attic. Summoner Pete lives in the fourth room from the entrance. On the right side of the hallway. You can count, can't you?"

"I can count and write. I'm a good pupil," the girl took the fruit and bowed to the summoner.

The child quickly ran toward the stairs to the attic. The masters sat in silence. Scarlet stood at the door and smiled. It's always nice to have fun with summoners. Soon the girl was back. She was running again and jumping deftly up and down the stairs. At the door, the child stopped and bowed to the masters,

"I gave him the envelope," then the girl turned toward the vampire and bowed again. "I gave him your note. He'll be right in!"

"Well done," the vampire said quietly. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."

The child left the room.

Pete Garrison appeared on the steps of the stairs. His face had the calm expression of a man who had nothing to desire from life. He showed no emotion as he approached the guild exit.

"Glad to greet you, Master Klaus. Good to greet you, Master Bill," the young man nodded his head at the summoners. Then he looked at the vampire. "A long and bright life to you."

"Long and bright life to you, too, summoner."

Scarlet was waiting for him. The note said she was inviting him to a meeting. She didn't like that the young man didn't react in any way to her invitation. The vampire remembered the Master's words and calmed down. First, she would take a step toward him. One day he will pay for his arrogant calm. Now she would test how cold-blooded and calm this boy was. Vampires know well the vices of humans. The boy has weaknesses. And his pet is not capable of covering all sides from a surprise attack.

Scarlet didn't say goodbye to the masters and left the guild. Pete caught up with her outside.

"We can talk outside. It's quite near the guild and no one will disturb us," the vampire began the conversation.

"The weather outside is nice. Yesterday morning was overcast. The weather is much nicer today," replied Pete politely and modestly.

"Compensation," purred Trank.

"I offered words of apology and compensation," the girl held out a pouch of coins. "I admit guilt. Inhospitality is a fault. I am willing to show more attention to you and to warn you of the dangers and troubles of our city. Seven hundred gold coins."

"Greedy. Clever and calculating greedy," hissed Dracat.

Pete reached out his hand and took the money. He put the pouch in his jacket pocket and accepted the apology,

"I've familiarized myself with my problem. It was a drink with trust grain powder added to it. The wonderful grains that lovers so love to chew while on a date. They freshen the breath and help relieve tension. Good for loosening tongues," the young man grinned and continued. "But I know the truth, Scarlet. I'll stand by my opinion of your innocent way of making me compliant. And in any case, I am not prepared to accept your attention and desire to patronize me."

"I want to offer you developmental support. Pete. You want to keep your independence. You're willing to donate blood and sit quietly in the attic and learn the conditions of life in the city. You'll spend two months collecting gold to pay for major expenses. What will you do after that? Save up gold to learn magic? Will you choose the path of the sword? It will be a long time before you consider yourself ready to accept your first guild mission. I am willing to help you and do whatever it takes to make you richer and stronger. My interest is simple. I will receive only your gratitude and ask for no more."

"She's not lying. She's not asking for anything right now. Vampire gold will call us to account. Interesting offer," purred the pet.

"She's hard to deal with. I'm beginning to dislike vampires," thought Pete. "She's offering us an escalating development. It's tempting bait."

"Take it. We're not afraid of vampires," dracat expressed his opinion.

"Your offer is interesting. These things don't get discussed on the street. I think we should go into a cafe," suggested Pete.

"It's nice to hear that you're willing to think about what I said. Come on, let's go get some juice. And no trust. Your first steps are a serious topic for serious conversations."

Scarlet smiled at the summoner. The boy showed interest. He is vain. He the kind of man you can do business with.