First impressions are always the most important.
Meeting the Kings
Moses searched the kitchen for a while but found no garlic anywhere. He wondered deeply if broccoli was effective against vampires—because if not, he was in big trouble. Did he have time to run to the store?
Felis leaned against the wall of the pantry to catch his breath. His master had told him to put a preservative spell on every single food item, as he was leaving the mansion for the foreseeable future.
He watched as the snake waited motionless for its prey. No one knew how the animal had gotten into the mansion, but Lord Mazen had kept it alive for rodent control. Of course, Felis had suggested more modern mouse traps, but Mazen had taken a liking to the animal. It was a tiny, harmless snake, and once his master had cast a spell to prevent it from wandering outside the warehouse, Felis had no objection.
A little while later, a tiny mouse scampered around the corner, and Felis froze. The snake struck so fast that Felis could barely follow the movement. Its teeth dug into the mouse's body. The tiny animal twitched a few more times, then stopped moving. The snake swallowed its prey whole, and Felis made a terrifying juxtaposition with their positions.
Coffee slid the last jar into her bag and then ran downstairs. Her father was waiting. She hugged him tightly, but Mr. Blutkaiser just shook his head in disapproval and motioned for her to go before he changed his mind. Coffee smiled and crossed the threshold. Mr. Blutkaiser had no idea that someone was waiting patiently for his daughter just around the corner.
Moses and Rolo met somewhere halfway.
"Hello," said Mose.
The kid narrowed his eyes suspiciously but said nothing. Silently, they continued on their way. Moses did not ask what Rolo was doing in
Rolo was carrying a bag lazily on one shoulder, but Moses could faintly feel the magic vibrating in it. Moses packed all the things he had prepared for the journey into a leather satchel. Lilinette almost laughed in his face when she saw him packing in a traveling bag and told him that he was still thinking too much like an unmagical person. Then she showed him how to charm a bag.
When they reached the little discount store, Moses grabbed a basket, filled it with sweets and snacks, and topped it with two heads of garlic. Rolo quickly joined him with a colored ribbon and some wrapping paper. Without question, he slipped it into Mose's basket, and it went without saying that Moses would pay for it.
The mage allowed himself a sigh. Rolo spotted the garlic and raised an eyebrow.
"We've been invited to a vampire's den," he explained. "It might come in handy."
Rolo waited a moment for the other to exclaim that he was joking, but Moses remained just as serious. It was too much. How could someone with such a serious head say such a stupid thing? The tiny discount store was filled with Rolo's mirthless laughter.
"Do you really think vampires are scared of a head of garlic?" he asked in disbelief.
Moses shrugged. "If not, you can still throw it at them," he added, and they laughed together now.
Then Moses paid for the goods and they left the shop. Rolo seemed to be in a good mood, striking up a conversation with Moses.
"I wonder how you know ancient runes," he said. "Is your house as well protected as ours?"
"I have quite a strong defense, and I have some traps," Moses boasted.
His chest swelled at the thought that someone was finally interested in his magic. He saw the curious spark in Rolo's eyes.
"You can come over sometime if you'd like," he offered, but Rolo didn't seem all that touched by his enthusiasm.
He had no way of knowing that the boy was only asking because he suspected that the other might be in possession of a really rare spellbook. The excited sparks were not an expression of his interest in Mose's magical talent, but it was just then that it became certain to Rolo that it must be a cursed volume. Still, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get in and find it...
"After the first date?" Rolo grinned mockingly.
He had expected the other to be embarrassed, but Moses stood his ground.
"I already have a cat," he said with a slight smile, and before Rolo could say anything, he added, "She's the jealous type."
Rolo found the boy increasingly interesting. He was now interested not only because he couldn't understand how it was possible for such an unlucky idiot to join their famiglia or because he was using strange runes and magic he hadn't known before. Rolo then became interested in the person Mose really was. It seemed he had to prove to Moses that he was no mere house cat. He was a werecat. Rolo made a sound that was a transition between a human sigh and a cat's purr.
Meanwhile, Radanovics was already trudging along the road, bored, watching the landscape pass by, wondering when they would reach Szentgotthárd. Luna's caravan whistled past him, followed by four similar but differently painted caravans. Rada almost fell out of the window, staring at the cars speeding down the highway, defying the speed limit.
Szabolcs Szedresi was loading the bags into the trunk, while Ábel, with his soft drinks and crisps in hand, opened the back door with a hum and put his cargo there for safekeeping. He did take out a lollipop and, after unwrapping it, put it in his mouth. Once they were both inside, Szasza warned the boy once more to fasten his seatbelt, as Ábel sometimes forgot to do so on purpose. (He didn't really like being tied down.)
Alice threw the shower gel and cologne into the bag, then started to wonder what he had forgotten. Of course! He wanted to slap his forehead. In the bedroom, Des was still sleeping soundly.
"Deni!" cried Alice for the sixth time that day, "Get up! You want to miss your brother's coronation?!"
Des muttered something unintelligible in reply and turned to the other side. Alice snorted and tore the blanket off him. This proved to be a bad idea, for Des was sleeping naked as usual.
Alice threw the clothes at him, but as that didn't help, he sighed deeply. Des grumbled and pulled the shirt over his head to shield against the light. When Alice had lost all hope of dragging the bastard out of bed, Des finally got up and walked into the kitchen as he was.
There, he poured himself a black coffee in his favorite mug and gulped it down. It didn't make him feel any more awake, but that was no wonder—he'd come home at three in the morning with a coronation present for his brother.
He saw the two large suitcases and was relieved that Alice had at least packed for him too. He suppressed a smile and grabbed a piece of toast from his plate—his boyfriend really had thought of everything. Alice stepped out of the bedroom, clothes in hand.
"Get dressed, we're going to be late," he grumbled.
But Des just pulled him to him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Alice was surprised and couldn't place the gentle smile playing on the other's lips.
"What was that for?" he asked, but his voice still had a hint of grumpiness at the other's negligence.
"Because I love you," said Des, grinning.
Alice muttered something under his breath but kissed him back.
(...)
Alex checked one last time that everything was there, then zipped up the suitcase. "Shay!" he growled, "You want to be late for your own coronation?!"
"Mmph... leavemealone...," I mumbled, hugging my pillow tighter. "Five more minutes."
Alex sighed, exasperation evident in his furrowed brow. He disappeared for a moment and returned with a mug of steaming cocoa. The rich, sweet aroma coaxed my eyes open. I reached for the mug, but at the last moment, he pulled it back. My eyes narrowed at him, brimming with irritation.
"Get dressed first," he ordered, his tone brooking no argument.
Reluctantly, I stood up. Alex visibly relaxed, thinking he had won this round. In a swift motion, I snatched the cocoa from his hand and plopped back onto the bed. I took a triumphant sip, savoring both the taste and Alex's dumbfounded expression. Then, just to drive him even more out of his mind, I lifted my foot and motioned with my head towards the sock.
Alex's patience snapped, and he threw a pillow at me. I laughed, dodging it just in time to save my cocoa from spilling. "Relax, Alex," I teased, enjoying his misery. He muttered something under his breath about not wanting to think about what would happen when I was actually crowned king. I laughed.
Once ready, we met up at the train station where the others were waiting. Des was yawning with dark circles under his eyes. Alice leaned against a suitcase, chatting with Moses. Rolo was absorbed in his book trying to ignore the world, but I could tell he was paying attention to the conversation between the other two because when they laughed, he smiled, barely perceptibly. Coffee and Mica were holding hands, and Mica waved at me, his smile radiant despite a hint of embarrassment. Hm, did I miss something?
"Hi, guys," I grinned. "Ready to visit the vampire lair?"
At exactly three o'clock, a black limo rolled up. We all stared, wide-eyed. Mr. Blutkaiser didn't skimp on the theatrics. Uniformed men opened the door for us, and the inside of the limo was even more luxurious than expected. It looked even bigger from the inside: half an army would have fit comfortably inside. Mr. Blutkaiser really must like fancy things.
Des and Alice fell asleep almost immediately. Mica and Coffee whispered to each other, and Rolo read, occasionally glancing out the window. Alex watched the passing landscape, dozing off now and then. Moses nibbled on sweets, and I stole a few when he wasn't looking, earning an eye-roll from Rolo.
When the car stopped, we stepped out in front of a massive wrought iron gate. As it opened, the car pulled into a grand parking lot. They opened the door in front of me and I stepped out and gave a huge stretch.
The mansion before us was twice the size of Mazen's house, with guards who looked like they'd been standing there for ages. Escorts relieved us of our luggage and led us to the lobby, where we were expected.
Rada lounged on a sofa, snapping to attention when we entered. He gave me a mischievous half-smile and nodded. Judging by the look on Rada's face, he had been sprawled there for hours.
The fae doctor leaned against the wall behind an armchair where Ábel sat reading. Ábel jumped up as soon as he saw me, tossing his book to the doctor, who caught it effortlessly.
"Shay!" Ábel shouted, leaping into my arms.
I ruffled his hair. "Hi," I said. Ábel purred—a sound I used to think was exclusive to cats.
"Luna?" I asked, looking around.
"She'll come straight to the ceremony," Coffee said. "She has some business to attend to."
"Hm, okay," I said, letting it go. "Then let's have dinner! I'm starving!"
Leading my group to the dining room, I opened the door to the sound of someone banging on the table. Crimson's voice echoed, complaining about something.
"He is..." he shouted. "not one of us! He..."
"He doesn't understand why there's this pathos," I finished, unimpressed. He knew exactly when we crossed the property line. Crimson wanted me to hear his complaints, probably hoping to unsettle me. Good luck with that.
"I'd say it's nice to see you again, but that would be a shameless lie," I said, sending a glare at Coffee. She had neglected to mention her ex-fiancé was the vampire king. Crimson's lips curved into a slight smile as he stood and approached.
"Oh, you're earlier than I expected," he said. Of course, lie me more, filthy vampire scum. "I hope you had a nice trip..."
He aimed a clawed swipe at my eyes as a welcome. I ducked with a defiant smile on my lips. Crimson readied his other hand for another strike, maintaining his polite facade.
"Yeah, the car was gorgeous."
We raised our hands almost simultaneously, our fists clashing mid-air.
"Nice welcome," I mocked. "You nearly killed me."
"That was still far from killing you," he replied with an unchanged smile.
"Yeah, about half an inch," I said. "But that wasn't thanks to you either."
He chuckled, glancing at our trembling hands. It was hard to tell who was shaking more.
"I wouldn't have thought you had the strength of a vampire," he began, his smile darkening. "At least in part."
I'd heard that somewhere before... As if on cue, the ground slipped from under my feet. I crashed into a wall, more than ten feet away. Dusting myself off, I stood up.
"Hey, Red," I began in an ominous tone, "this is my favorite shirt."
A dangerous smile tugged at his lips, masking his anger. He didn't seem to like the nickname very much. I could see in his darkening eyes that he wanted to rip my chest open right here and now. His eyes were like thick crimson blood. Of course, it wouldn't reflect well on him if he killed a royal candidate before the coronation ceremony had even begun. But the real reason he didn't give in to his desires was because he was still afraid of my unknown abilities — I guess not everyone would get up immediately after a punch like that. In fact, some would probably never get up again.
"This advanced self-healing seems to be a useful skill," he noted.
I smirked, giving him a mocking wink. "If that was your strongest punch, you need to start to fear for your throne."
He continued to try to maintain his calm demeanor, but I knew he was at the end of his control.
"I was afraid that if I used all my power, you wouldn't be able to put yourself back together," he said. "I can hit you again, but I can't guarantee you'll survive..."
"Now, now," Livius interjected with a conciliatory smile. "This rivalry is unfit for kings."
"He's not king yet," Crimson corrected.
"I don't need fancy titles to know who I am," I added smugly.
Crimson laughed. "Should we feel honored then?!"
"I don't care about ruling," I shrugged. "I have only one purpose."
"And what is that?" Titania asked.
It was the first time she had spoken since my arrival.
"I want to protect my famiglia. If any of you touch or insult my friends, I will not forgive you," I said. "Consider that a threat."
"Aida says you are a brave one..." Crimson began. ("Or rather a fool!" Titania interjected.) but isn't this a bit too much? To threatening kings? Unheard of!"
"No, I don't think so," I replied. "I decided to share my views from the beginning."
Their problem wasn't with that but the way I presented them. But I couldn't resist being cheeky. The temptation was so great, so great!
"I'm king. I don't need your approval, support, or welcome parties. I don't need to be on good terms with you. I don't even have to like you. My being king doesn't make us allies. Though you are all older and more experienced, it will take more than that to earn my respect."
The king of the dwarves laughed heartily. Crimson puffed, trying to pierce me with his eyes. Titania turned away in annoyance. Livius chuckled, amused. Although three out of the four kings had met me before, I was present as a different person. I patted myself on the back for making a memorable first impression as the Hueless King. For now.
Dinner was tense. The kings had their own table, and I sat opposite Crimson. He watched me warily as if waiting for me to drop my guard and he might stick a knife in me. Sometimes, I sent him sly smiles, raising his blood pressure. of course, he didn't show it much, but it amused me anyway. This must have been the case with Livius and the dwarf because I sometimes heard giggling noises from either side of me. Titania remained cold and unfeeling.
Alex and Rolo exchanged a look, sighing almost simultaneously. Mica and Coffee chatted undisturbed. Des eyed the kings' table blandly, while Alice shook her head disapprovingly.
"I don't think I could handle that kind of pressure," Mose mused.
Everyone hummed in agreement, except Rada and Ábel, who were engrossed in their conversation. They were both despicable bandits, after all, so I wasn't surprised at their incredible rapport. They laughed out loud, occasionally exchanging what seemed like serious banter, nodding in agreement as the other spoke — as if they were oblivious to their surroundings.
Des glanced more and more rebellious towards the royal table, and Alice seemed to fear with every move he made that he might leap up, draw his sword, and challenge the king, who seemed to him the strongest, to a fight. Alice sighed worriedly — surely he didn't want to think about how we were going to survive these few days.