Hidden Truths - Ethan

1 - The Council Meeting

I'm standing here for more than five hours, not daring to move my feet while observing my environment. The big meeting room is filled with silent talks from the people around the big oak table in the middle. The ministers of the council are used to have a monthly meeting to get updates from the different areas of the kingdom. Usually, it would be nearly over, but this time we did not even start. Tristan is a very patient vampire for his age. He sits there quietly watching for a while now only giving short answers when asked. The talks are not of an official character but full of irrelevances.

Tristan's restless fingertips on his armrest in the big wooden chair tell me that his patience is fading with every passing minute though. He seems to be mostly annoyed by the fact that there is an empty seat on the right of the table. He himself established the law that there cannot be a meeting when a vampire of the council is missing.

This was necessary for the past as they tried to overcome each other with simple tricks. They could hinder the other ones from attending. Therefore, they would not have been able to be overrated with requests they want to get through. Now, this seems ridiculous and it never happened before that a member of the council just went missing without a word.

I am pretty happy that I don't have to deal with those politics like Tristan. When it comes to me, I would give our Lord a crown, as the humans did to that woman in their royal family, and let him rule independently. I had that conversation with Tristan a while ago and my conclusion was that all these democracy tendencies are ridiculous, but on the other hand, I would not need to bother as long as I make sure that Tristan will not be harmed.

The missing member is the minister who is dealing with the beasts, Sir Warlow. I actually forgot his first name, but I do not care too much about it. About two hours ago, Tristan sent out Eve to find him but she has not returned yet.

I can feel my body getting stiff and I straighten out again. I think Tristan caught that at the corner of his eyes. He sighs and rubs his ice-blue eyes with the palms of his hands before speaking up for everybody to hear.

"Good people of the council, I think we can end that here. Let us give it another try in two days. Thank you for your attendance and in case somebody gets notice of Sir Warlow, I will await your report. If somebody speaks to him, let him know I want to have a private talk."

The last sentence was unusual and I bet he wants to scold Warlow for his unexcused absence. The other members do not seem to mind at all, as they get up without another word to Tristan but happy chitchatting to each other. The servants that were standing at the sidelines are now hurrying to offer their services and serve the bottled blood we use to look more civilized.

I also drink this, but I am still one of those vampires who like to hunt once in a while. Well, actually I love to hunt and do it fairly often compared to most others. Our rules are easy to follow. Tristan does not allow any cruelty to the humans and the corpses must be hidden or can be brought to Dr. Johnson in the basement. I stopped bringing him all of my bodies as he always gives me that look of disbelief that I killed another.

After Tristan's announcement, he leans a bit in my direction and I hurry to bow down to hear his instructions. I know when he does not want to repeat himself.

"I don't know what happened, but I hope he has a rather good excuse for that. Isn't there another vampire out there who I need to welcome to London?" he asks more rhetorically. "Yes, my Lord. His appointment was a few hours ago," I answer while taking a quick look at the big grandfather clock in the corner.

"Bring him in, we kept him waiting way too long," Tristan orders. "Yes, Sir," I answer before taking a last look at the round of the council members. I bring my clothes very quickly in order before walking out of the big hall with fast-paced steps.

It is common for foreign vampires to come to announce their appearance in our kingdom to Lord Blackwood. This barrier makes it possible to control the number of vampires wandering around in this territory. A few centuries ago, I was hunting down vampires who do not follow the rules and I should be happy that there are so little incidents now, but I cannot help – I am bored and somehow annoyed by this. These days I feel more like a butler and manager of the guards.

When I open one wing of the big double door, I can see a man sitting outside in the corridor at one of the posh armchairs. He is wearing a hat that has rounded edges instead of the normal top hats. Usually, I get to know when there are new trends in men's fashion, but I have never seen this one before.

Realizing that he is half-asleep, I announce myself by loudly clearing my throat. The man is startled as he nearly jumps up when he sees me approaching. I am not a very tall man, to be honest, but I try my best to compensate it with confidence in my appearance and walk. I make a gorgeous wave with my hand in the direction of the big door that is only slightly opened at the moment.

"Mr. Nowak? Our Lord will now welcome you. Can you please tell me how you would like me to officially announce you?" I ask with a cold but polite tone.

"Dr. Nowak, Sir," the man with the glasses and stiff collar says quickly and tips his hat. A bit less nervous he repeats, "Dr. Andrej Nowak, a physician, and explorer." He blinks a few more times obviously to get rid of the sleepiness in his eyes and face. He is neatly dressed with a brown suit and his white bowtie wrapped around the collar.

"Alright, Doctor Nowak, my name is Ethan Vinge and our Lord's name, you may already know, is Sir Tristan Blackwood. If nothing told further, please call him Sir or Lord Blackwood. After your meeting, I can arrange a little tidbit, in case you haven't dined today," I instruct him with a strict tone, which I am used to having with my recruits too.

"Don't go to any trouble," he says politely.

Before he could answer anything further, I turn around and roll my eyes as I can see that he is not taking off his hat in advance. When I enter the hall again, I raise my voice to announce the stranger and once more moving my arm to signal our guest that he can step in now.

Dr. Nowak steps forward, finally takes his hat off in front of our Lord, and bows deeply. "Lord Blackwood. Thank you for receiving me," he says with a distinct accent.

~~*~~

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