Derek seemed to do fine at his turn at feeding. He was amazed at the amount of self-control he was able to manage if he really focused on it. They went to three more Inns for the night before they all had their fill. Derek’s ability to use his powers of mental domination were improving, although he did not feel any better about using them on others. However, the way he looked at it, this small mental intrusion was much better if it meant his victims get to keep their lives. He already couldn’t wait to get back to the country where he could go back to hunting animals.
And so today was the important day – they were planning to go to the castle, so that Derek could let the House of Lords know that he would be taking over his father’s affairs. Although Derek was nervous and worried, he did feel better that Edward was coming as well – Edward was not only more comfortable around large groups of people than Derek was, but he knew more about Noble behavior than Derek did. Derek came down to the library, eager to see what Edward had managed to scrounge up to make himself look like a servant. He walked in and saw Edward and Claude sitting across from each other and Edward was still dressed in his father’s clothing, which was far from looking like a servant.
- “Why are you not ready?” Derek asked sounding annoyed.
- “Ask your pal Brutus here, ” Edward said pointing to Claude, “he said I can’t go.”
- “You have to go” Derek said almost in a panic – he looked over to Claude, “He has to go!”
- “He cannot go, lad” Claude replied, “the castle will be full of Kindred – they will see another kindred coming a mile away – he will not pass as your servant. It is safer if he does not go.”
Derek looked back and forth from Claude to Edward, the panic in eyes was visible, “But I do not know where to go – I do not know where anything is! There has to be a way!”
- “I’m sorry, Lad” Claude said, “you have to do this alone.”
Derek made an attempt to hide his panic and walked over to the window, to look at the people outside. He was going to walk into a castle full of Kindred, without any idea of where to go, what to do or even who to talk to. He tried hard to keep his panic under control – he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his hands both fisted at his sides.
- “See I told you he would be scared to go alone, ” Derek heard Edward remarking to Claude behind him. His fear quickly turned to anger and he swung around and glared at Edward.
- “I am NOT scared,” he said, “I simply had not planned for this. But it is fine,” he said, “I will be fine, just tell me where to go.”
Edward proceeded to give Derek a detailed description of where the Great Hall was where meetings generally took place. He was actually amazed at himself for remembering everything in such detail. He offered to draw Derek a map, but the angry look in Derek’s eyes made him quickly put his quill down and look away.
- “Now one thing you need to remember,” Edward said, “all that this meeting is, is like a whole bunch of posturing. Everyone talking about how great they are and how rich and how much they squeeze out of their people. There is never anything really decided in these things – its just a bunch of talk.” he explained. He then thought for a minute, the idea of Derek in the midst of all of this was almost ludicrous. He was sorry he was not going to be there to see it unfold “and if you just sit in the corner and shut up – you should be fine.” he said to Derek finally.
Derek seemed to take Edward’s advice to heart and listened intently. Although he was intimidated by the entire prospect he was determined not to let it show. The idea that Edward would think that he was afraid of anything, was all the motivation he needed right now to keep from panicking at the whole situation. He kept telling himself, he was here to put his father’s affairs in order and that is exactly what he intended to do and one little meeting of Lords couldn’t possibly be all that bad.
- “Alright”, Derek said, “good evening then” he said and started to walk out of the room.
- “Not so fast, Lad” Claude said, “You are going to meet kindred there too – probably Ventrue – more from our clan. They are going to ask you all kinds of things, what are you going to tell them?”
- “The truth,” Derek said, “I plan to tell them the truth”
- “No” Claude said, “you can’t do that, lad”
- “Why not?”
- “Remember when I told you about blood – and age of blood? Remember when I told you your blood is old and how other Kindred will covet this? You remember when I told you that other Kindred can never know about me? Do you remember any of that?” Claude asked.
- “Yes I do” Derek said, “but what does that have to do with anything?”
- “You will tell them that your Sire,” Claude said, “me” he pointed to himself, “ran off. You will tell them that I saved you, I made you and I ran off.”
- “I still do not understand why” Derek said, “how are they even going to know the age of my blood just by looking at me?”
- “Because this is your best chance to make it out of there alive. You can tell them everything else, but do not tell them I am here,” Claude said, “you must tell them I ran off and you have not seen me since. Different kindred have different gifts, Derek – you do not know what powers they have – they may be able to tell your age just by looking at you. You must tell them that you do not know where your Sire is. You must promise me this.”
- “Ok, if Vampires in the castle are like you two,” Edward started pointing at the two of them, “then won’t they be able to read minds like you two can do and know that Derek is lying? Won’t they be pissed to be lied to and then like burn or dismember him or something?” Edward asked.
- “No” Claude said, “Derek can keep his thoughts private – he has a gift”
- “What gift?” Edward asked quizzically looking at Derek.
Derek sighed, he didn’t like the idea of lying – even if the other kindred would not be able to read his thoughts, he knew that he was never particularly good at it and it always made him feel dirty. His father had always told him that they were nobles – and lying was beneath them.
- “I can steel my mind so to speak,” Derek said to Edward, “trust me, I have practiced it plenty.”
- “Ok” Edward said, “even so – you are TERRIBLE at lying – anytime you lie everyone can tell – how is that going to work?” He said looking back at Claude.
Claude sighed at both the boys in front of him. He had over one thousand years of experience in this and yet everything he said was always questioned. Sometimes he wondered if he had not taken a more direct approach as kindred of old if he wouldn’t have saved himself some aggravation. And now he had not only one but two young clueless kindred questioning everything he told them.
- “Just trust me on this, lad” he said to Derek, “You MUST promise me – give me your word. Have I lied to you or led you wrong so far?” he asked.
- “No.” Derek said flatly, “you have been said disturbing things, but you so far have always been right. Therefore, I will do as you say – I give you my word. Now, excuse me, I must go” he said as he walked out of the room before he could even notice the look of shock and surprise in Claude’s eyes from his statement.
Once Derek was out of the room, Edward looked back at Claude and raised an eyebrow at him, “You know they are going to kill him right?”
- “Not if they are as greedy as I think they are – and if there is one thing I have learned over the years, Lad,” Claude continued, ” its to never underestimate the greed and lust for power in the heart of every Ventrue.”
—————————————————————————————————–
Derek went into his father’s room, to find his Letters Patent – the documents issued to his family over a century ago from the king, that granted them their title, land and rights as British nobles. At first he couldn’t find them, since his mind was mostly on dreading what was about to happen at the castle. But he finally found them. He was dressed in his best and most proper clothing, which was uncomfortable to say the least. He often preferred his riding pants and boots, but for this he would need all the help he could get.
Armed with his Letters Patent, he went back downstairs, through the kitchen and to the stables once again. He mounted his horse and was ready to be on his way when he say Claude standing there at the doorway.
- “Remember your promise,” Claude said.
- “Yes,” Derek said sounding annoyed, “I am not stupid, you only have to tell me once. And I keep my word so back off.” he said angrily.
Claude smiled broadly at the boy – he was trying not to show any concern because the child didn’t need anything right now to shake his confidence. ”Good luck, Lad” he said to Derek and watched as the boy moved past him and into the streets. As soon as Derek was out of sight, Edward stepped up behind him.
- “So if he doesn’t come back we know they killed him right?” Edward asked.
- “Stay here, Child” Claude said angrily, “I will make sure he comes back.”
- “Wait,” Edward said raising his hand at Claude, “I thought you said that they would spot a vampire just by looking at him and that’s why I couldn’t go – won’t they know what you are then?”
- “They will not see me,” Claude said grinning, “like you, I also have gifts – now wait here and cause no problems.”
Claude slipped out of the stables and into the street. Edward walked up and looked up the street where Claude had gone and he apparently managed to just disappear into the night.
- “Why do I always have to stay here – bored for eternity – what a great life…” Edward mumbled to himself as he went back inside.
——————————————————————————-
Derek made his way to the Palace of Westminster per Edward’s directions. He moved across the river and arrived at the Thorney Island where he saw the large fortified wooden gates guarded by men in Royal uniform. This palace was fairly new and from the stories that Edward told him, he knew it had been his brother’s pride and joy.
He moved in towards the gates, and a guard stood in front of it. The guard didn’t say anything but Derek knew he was waiting for some type of identification.
- “I am the Earl of Kent,” Derek said, “come to join the council for their meeting.”
The guard, a young man probably not much older than Derek, looked him up and down, and walked over to him. Derek could tell that although he did not recognize him, he did recognize Derek’s clothing as being of some station and was not about to question it.
- “The guards inside will need to see you papers, My lord” the guard said to Derek. Derek nodded at the young man. The guard turned around and waved at someone at the top of the gates, where Derek could see a small platform where guards walked back and forth. One of the guards at the top of the gate, waved to someone behind the gate and after about a minute, Derek said the huge doors slowly start to open.
Derek rode past the gates slowly, he saw many more guards inside, all staring at him as he moved past them. He kept his attention focused forward – he was an Earl – all of these guards were beneath him. He moved past the castle’s courtyards to the front entrance, where another guard, dressed more richly than those at the gates, approached him. The guard walked quickly towards Derek, who dismounted his horse and stood by it. The guard bowed once he reached Derek.
- “My Lord, welcome to Palace of Westminster” he said, “with all due respect, my lord, I must request to see your papers.” he said to Derek. Derek handed him is Letters Patent and watched as the guard closely inspected them. He rolled them back up and handed them back to Derek.
- “Thank you so much, My Lord,” he said, “please follow me inside and I will have one of the heralds announce you to the council.”
Derek said nothing to the man, who motioned to someone behind Derek with his left hand. A few seconds later, Derek saw a young boy, no more than 13 or 14 come running out to take the reigns of his horse. Derek inspected the boy who was bowing deeply at him, and finally handed him the reigns. As the boy took his horse away, he started to follow the guard inside.
The castle was mostly built out of stone and the corridors lit by torches. As they walked in, Derek saw an inner courtyard, with flowers of all types, benches and paths. They walked past the courtyard into the main castle building where he saw another man come out to meet them. He could tell this man was not a soldier like the other – he was dressed in a red and gold uniform. He bowed to the guard that Derek had followed, and the guard turned around, bowed to Derek and walked out. The man in front of him – the Herald, Derek assumed – looked to be in his early 30’s perhaps, with blond hair and big blue eyes.
- “This way, My Lord” the herald said. Derek followed him.
They went further into the castle, through stone hallways and corridors, and more doors that Derek could possibly imagine. As he walked he kept thinking that all of this – was rightfully Edward’s. Actually had he not suffered the same tragic fate that Derek had, he would now be King and Derek would be visiting him here just the same. His thoughts distracted him from how intimidated he was by the size of this palace of by the meeting he was dreading which laid just beyond one of the large wooden doors. He thought about what it would be like to see Edward walking these halls, telling everyone what to do but before he got too far into his daydream, they Herald reached for one the large wooden double doors on the left and turned around to face Derek. He could hear loud talking and multiple voices coming from inside the room.
- “Are you ready, My Lord?” the herald asked.
- “Yes.” Derek replied.
The herald opened the large wooden doors and stood inside. The room quieted and Derek stepped in behind him. The room was large, with a large fireplace on the left side, which was lit and a heavy wooden table running across the center of the room. He saw over two dozen men sitting around the table, all richly dressed some drinking and some eating. He saw faces he somewhat recognized from years back and some he had not seen before. However, all of them were now looking back at him expectantly.
- “My Lords,” the herald said, “I give you the Earl of Kent” and he bowed at everyone. He then turned around and bowed deeply at Derek and motioned for him to come inside. Derek’s legs felt like they were made of pure stone and he had a difficult time moving them inside. There were murmurs, and stares – some friendly and some not – all in all too many people for Derek to focus on. He decided to just look straight ahead and keep his head high and walk in.
- “Young Lord Kent!” a man said from the back of the room room. Derek searched the room to see where the voice was coming from. He saw a man who was actually at the head of the table. He had graying hair, properly trimmed and was dressed in very noble attire. Derek recognized the man from one of his trips to England when he was young, but he could not place his name of title. The man was staring at Derek intently with his steel gray eyes and dark eyebrows. Derek managed a meek smile at the man.
The man stood up and motioned for Derek to come to him. Derek gave him another nervous smile and walked past all of the other nobles, fairly slowly to arrive at the very end of the table. The man smiled broadly at Derek, and motioned for him to sit at empty chain next to him.
- “I heard about the tragedy at your estate, and I am deeply sorry – I see that I was misinformed as I was told that you had perished as well. I am glad to see that was not the case,” he said and as Derek sat down nervously, the man sat down as well, “you do not remember me, do you? I knew your father, probably not as well as I should have, but I knew him. I am Vincent, Earl of Hereford.”
Derek could tell by the way that the others were looking at him and at Vincent that he must somehow be in charge. The looks he got in the room now varied from amusement to jealousy. The entire was room was now silent, waiting for Derek’s response to what Vincent had said. Derek wasn’t sure what else he needed to say, as his first instinct was to bolt out of that chair and make a run for it. He smiled at Vincent and at everyone in the room.
- “Thank you, My Lord,” Derek said to Vincent, “I was very young the last time I was in London, so all of this” Derek motioned around the room, “is new to me. I did not mean to interrupt your discussions.” he said looking back at everyone in the room.
Vincent smiled at Derek and looked over at everyone else and waved his hands at them, “well, you heard him – continue!” he said. Derek was thankful that the first part of this was over. Now – according to what Edward had told him – all he had to do is sit quietly in this chair for the remainder of the meeting and not draw attention to himself.
As the meeting progressed, Derek thought more and more that this was an absolute waste of time. The men argued over things that seemed very silly to him, ranging from the borders of their lands, to how many dresses their wives and mistresses bought to other things that Derek did not understand. The meeting was made even more uneasy by the fact that Vincent kept staring at him and smiling. It was innerving to say the least. Derek looked back at him a few times, managed a weak smile and went back to staring at the room and the discussions around the table. Even when he was not looking at the man, he could feel the man looking back at him. All he hoped for now was for this meeting to be over.
Suddenly, and without warning, he felt someone trying to enter his mind – he realized it was Vincent. Derek was used to Claude’s intrusions which seemed much stronger to him. Blocking the intrusion from Vincent was barely a challenge. He looked over to Vincent who continued to smile at him and continued to try to enter his mind. So this was the kindred – if Vincent had not tried this – Derek would never have known his true nature. Claude had told him that Kindred could identify other kindred, but this was a task that obviously Derek had not learned to master yet. He started to wonder how many more of the nobles at the table were also Kindred. After about 15 minutes of unsuccessful attempts to enter Derek’s mind, Vincent finally stopped. Derek was now aggravated more than anything – even though Vincent had not gotten in, it was still incredibly rude. Vincent smiled at Derek who stared back at him with flat look – after this man’s rudeness he did not feel the need to smile and be civil.
- “Fascinating!” Vincent said finally looking at Derek. He began to laugh, “absolutely fascinating!” he said in delight.
Derek didn’t find anything fascinating about this intrusion – not at all.
—————————————————-
Derek sat in the room for almost two hours, having to endure the endless chatter of the nobles as well as Vincent’s constant stares. After two hours, a wave of relief washed over him when Vincent finally got up and announced that the meeting was over. All of the nobles immediately became quiet and looked up at him.
- “Thank you, My Lords for your presence and participation here tonight, but I grow tired and must retire for the night – we shall continue tomorrow evening.”
The nobles stood up and bowed to Vincent. Derek saw this as his queue to make his own getaway, so he stood and bowed as well. As the mass of nobles started to make their way out, Derek quickly started to follow the group – if he could at that moment, he would have bolted up past all of them all the way back to the stables. However an exit like that would draw too much attention, so he walked slowly behind the mass of Nobles leaving the room.
- “My Lord Kent,” Derek heard from behind him, “I wish to speak with you further, so if you would stay and give me the pleasure of your company for a few more minutes, I would greatly appreciate it.” Vincent said.
Derek felt a chill run down his spine. The last thing he wanted now was to speak with this Kindred – and even worse – to be alone with this Kindred with all the Nobles gone. He stopped, took a deep breath and braced himself – and he turned around to face Vincent.
- “As much as I would enjoy your company, My Lord” Derek said, “As you can imagine with the recent tragedy in my family, I have many things to tend to, so I must take my leave.” he said with a smile.
- “I promise not to take up too much of your time, my young Lord,” Vincent said, “please, I insist”
Derek knew that if he left now at the very least it would be rude, at the most he would not make it to the front gates, so he decided to play along for now and see how far Vincent would take this. He was starting to really dislike the man – or Vampire or whatever he was.
- “Of course, My Lord,” Derek said, “It would be my pleasure” he forced a smile.
- “Excellent!” Vincent said getting to his feet. He walked over the doorway in the back of the room and called out, “Phillip!” a few moments later, a young blond boy, looking about the same age as Derek stepped out.
- “Yes, My Lord?” The boy asked. Derek recognized this boy – he was the son of the Earl of Cornwall but Derek hadn’t seen Phillip for years now. Derek wondered what the boy was doing here – acting as servant nonetheless. His family’s lands were quite vast and prestigious, Derek couldn’t think of any reason why he would be here acting this way.
- “Bring me something to eat Phillip.” Vincent said and looked at Derek and asked, “have you eaten tonight, would like something as well?”
Derek could feel the panic welling up inside him. He had a feeling this man was planning to ‘eat’ in front of him and he was afraid of how horrific this would be. He wasn’t sure if he could watch it – but he knew he couldn’t leave. Derek felt trapped.
- “No, thank you – I already dined” Derek managed to say without sounding squeamish.
- “Very well then – just for me, and make haste, Phillip” Vincent said to Phillip.
Phillip looked at Derek and seemed to recognize him as well. The look of hatred and jealousy on the boy’s face upon seeing Derek was undisguisable. Derek wasn’t sure why that was. He quickly searched his memories of the boy to try to remember if he had done something in the past that was rude or that could have generated that level of hatred he saw in the boy’s eyes. He couldn’t even remember seeing the boy more than two or three times in his life – and all times they were formal settings where he did not even have a chance to interact with him. Nothing he could remember of the boy justified the hatred he saw directed at him now.
- “Yes, My Lord” Phillip replied as he left the room.
Vincent turned to Derek once again, and walked back towards the table where Derek was standing.
- “So, young Lord,” Vincent said, “where is your sire?”
Derek felt like all of the blood had drained from his face.