CHAPTER 8

"what is wrong, ser...ain't nothin' here...just walk right in, we don't keep them doors open this hour of the night," he said, scanning around as if fearing to see someone. Then he waved his hand, summoning me in.

However, I had finally figured out what was the issue.

the damn threshold rule..how could I have forgotten it...no vampire could enter a private property without being invited inside by the rightful owner or someone with such permission..this must be it, I decided to give it a final try..just to test the theory...the man had after al asked me personally to come in.

Slowly, I approached, and to my surprise, there was nothing. I walked straight right in without a problem.

The men who were now standing roared in laughter. "Ain't he a clever one, this fella!" chuckled a smashed bloke, hugging his tankard and wobbling about. "Played us all like fiddles, yah did, good ser!" The rest of his table mates roared louder at the guy's remarks. The innkeeper, however, did not look amused.

"Another lord, I suppose... not heading to the Wall too, are ye?" the guy asked, stumbling toward us. "You are too drunk, Megin... why don't you go home to your wife?" the innkeeper suggested, seemingly hoping to get rid of the lot. That got me curious, though. Why what the guy had said was so accurate, well at least in part. So what made him suspect I was headed for the Wall... and what did he mean by another lord? I, however, decided such questions would be ill-timed.

"We ain't drunk nothin' yet; cunts can wait," the drunk guy countered to more roars. The innkeeper seemed resigned but not happy; he turned to me. "Apologies, ser... how may I help you?" he said, shifting his attention back to me. We had now arrived at the counter, and he had gone back to his serving spot. I could see the glint of hope mingled with greed in his eyes. He probably thought the night wouldn't be wasted after all. It was easy to see his thoughts. Part of the reason he appeared to be in a bad mood was that the guys who were drinking in his tavern were actually some of the House Umber household guards. The overly drunk chap was the captain. This would explain the reason why he was still open this late at night.

The problem was that these men did not pay the guy. Normally, it was a debt, some of which were never paid. That explained why he was so eager for the men to leave. I mean, most tavern keepers encouraged their customers to keep drinking... it's how profits are made. This realization, however, made me feel terribly bad for what I was about to do. I mean, I was no better than these men... I too was here to extort him all the more... I knew I shouldn't care, and part of me actually didn't, but still, another part was abhorred by the idea of my forthcoming action. I tried to imagine what the guy's attitude towards me would be if he knew he was not going to get a dime from me.

"Ser," the man's voice sounded impatient. "Well, I am in need of a room for two nights," I answered, suppressing my objecting side... it's called survival, I reminded myself. "But first, I shall need to see the room."

The twinkle in the man's eye intensified, and it was not just him. I could see that the rest of the room's occupants were closely following our conversation. I realized I could not actually carry out the mind trick here, not because I couldn't, but because it would be more convenient if no one else was in on it.

"Of course," the innkeeper said, laying down the towel he had been using to wipe a tankard. "This way, please." He began to lead me towards a wooden staircase concealed behind the main door. "Make haste and pour us another round," the drunk guy yelled after us, and the innkeeper cursed under his breath, grabbing a torch that had been near the door.

I still felt their curious looks on my back as I took the staircase, but I did not give them a look. I had avoided it since learning who they were. The last thing I needed was some soldier with a wounded ego; it would make my stay short and certainly less pleasant.

Stopping before the third door, the innkeeper turned and stretched his hand to hand me the torch. I took a step back before I stopped and composed myself; this freaking fear of fire was beginning to get to me. Realizing that he wanted to unlock the door, I forced my mind to ignore the discomfort and took the torch. The innkeeper gave me a brief curious look but then turned and unlocked the padlock, pushing the door open. He took the torch from me and stepped aside to usher me into the room.

I entered the room, and the innkeeper followed me inside. The flickering flame from the torch he carried illuminated a modest yet clean space. The air in the room was heavy with the scent of aged wood and a hint of mildew. A lone wooden window covered by wide cracks allowed only a sliver of moonlight to pierce through, casting patterns across the worn wooden furniture. The man proceeded to mount the torch on another stand inside the room.

"Here you are, ser," he said, turning to me. "This room will serve you well for two nights," the innkeeper said, gesturing towards a sturdy-looking bed with a faded quilt and a small table at the side.

I nodded, still cautious about the firelight. I took a moment to examine the room. "It seems suitable. I'll take it."

The innkeeper's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, and I could practically see the coins adding up in his mind. "Excellent choice, ser. That will be four silver stags for the two nights. Payment in advance, if you please."

Here was the moment I had dreaded; I guess it was now time when my vampiric abilities had to come into play. And for fuck's sake, don't be immune.

I took a step closer to the innkeeper, looking into his eyes. "You know," I began, my voice taking on a hypnotic tone, "I've had a long journey, and I find myself in need of rest. However, I'm afraid I'm short on coins. Perhaps we could come to a different arrangement."

Even as I said these words, I noted they sounded very alien to me; they sounded like pleading, something that my Dracula side had never engaged in for millennia. I mean, here we were, just the two of us... I could just implant that suggestion in his mind, no pleasant words, or alternatively, I could enforce it with fear, and why not... I was Dracula, the most powerful of my kind... so why was I here playing words like a damsel?

Simple. That other half... slowly, my human side that had previously been suppressed under the weight of Dracula's superiority was now beginning to fight back. It was beginning to exert its presence, and now, for the first time in decades, Dracula was forced to cope with reason. He was forced to understand human emotions. True, he had dominance in this dual relationship, but he could not exist outside of it nor fight it. A middle ground had to be established where both sides had a say, and none felt lesser.

The innkeeper's expression softened, his resistance giving way to the influence of my vampiric persuasion. "Well, ser, we could work something out. Maybe there's a service you could provide in exchange for your stay."

'Now that sounds like I am a damn beggar.' A temper was trying to surge inside me, but I held it at bay. I couldn't believe I had given control to a human to lord me with its opinion. I took a deeper breath. 'You need this,' I consoled myself inwardly, 'you need him.' What's more, I had to be lowkey. With the fire suppressed within me, I turned to the innkeeper.

"I'm glad you're reasonable," I replied, my persuasive abilities easing the tension in the air.

The innkeeper's demeanor shifted as he hatched a plan. "You see, ser, most of the patrons you saw earlier, especially the House Umber guards, are regulars. They owe me a considerable sum for their drinks, and they usually don't settle their debts. I know they will be paid come the morrow. If you could assist me in collecting those debts, I'd consider your stay settled."

I arched an eyebrow at the unexpected proposition. "Collect debts for you?" I asked furiously. I found myself wondering whether the mind trick was working at all. The audacity of this man!

The innkeeper nodded, his eyes glinting with a mix of desperation and hope. "Aye. If you can ensure they pay what they owe tomorrow, your room for two nights will be covered. It's a fair deal, isn't it?"

I hesitated, weighing the options, but then something occurred to me, what could have given the guy the impression that I could force those soldiers to pay his debts? This made me recall the drunk guy's words. The man had appeared to believe that I was a lord heading for the wall, to be precise 'another lord. So who was the fastest? As far as I was concerned, no lord had joined the watch in GOT canon. It was a unique proposition, and while it felt like a deviation from my usual exploits, it also presented an opportunity to establish goodwill in this unfamiliar place.

Still, if what he said was true, then the lot owed him a lot of silver. Collecting that much would certainly outdo my debts here. "Very well. I'll help you collect the debts, but that shall cost you four silver stags. Payment upfront, if you please." I repeated the words he had said to me earlier with my palms outstretched. To my surprise, the innkeeper didn't resist.