Apples don't fall far from the tree, even if they land in your neighbour's garden.
Pub Affairs
It's not easy running a pub.
First, I had to buy some of the most expensive suits in the store. This was necessary because I had made a few phone calls to Hajnal's suppliers to secure contracts. My calendar was suddenly full of appointments, and to appear credible and like a good businessman, I had to dress well.
I got two suits, depending on who I was meeting. The navy blue suit with a black tie suggested a calm, experienced client, inclined to compromise but not easily fooled. The black suit with a defiant red tie sent the message that I was the boss, not to be messed with, and they were lucky I even entertained the idea of doing business with them.
I tried on the suits at home and showed Alex and Rolo. I opted for the blue first, striding into the room with a casual air and my most devastating business smile. Alex whistled, and Rolo looked at me as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Indeed, I just oozed professionalism.
"I don't think the suppliers will stand a chance against you," Alex grinned. "You look credible enough."
Rolo muttered something about clothes making the man. Then I entered in my alpha male outfit, giving the two guys a superior smile. Alex laughed, and Rolo looked stunned again.
"Even better, mate!" Alex laughed.
Rolo muttered something unintelligible.
Once I had the look, there was the pesky paperwork and various orders to take care of. It's a lot harder than one might first think. After about an hour, I sprawled out on the desk in agony among the piles of paper.
I decided to pass the finances to Rolo. Of course, he wasn't thrilled, but there was nothing he could do. I told him that if he took the job, he could drink my cocoa during his working hours. He agreed and got the job done in no time. Even I was surprised at his talent for accounting and money management. I was proud of myself for finding the right pillar for my new business, though not so much when the kid had already destroyed the third cup of cocoa. He sent me a slyly satisfied smile, and I grumbled to myself.
Alex temporarily took over the kitchen because the old chef Hajnal had retired — a problem I'll have to solve soon. I also needed to find a bartender, so I put up an ad. Meanwhile, I started renovating the place at night. Alex helped, of course, and sometimes I'd give some tasks to Rolo to keep him busy. The kid didn't like it and kept pouting, but I told him that if he didn't want to starve, he should work.
We picked up the creaky, rotten parquet flooring and replaced it with dark brown wood-grain tiles that were easier to clean. I fell in love with the tiles, and they were on sale, so it was worth it. I had to put on my most charming smile to the manager to get it cheaper, but I convinced him that since I was buying a lot, he should take pity on me. We agreed on seventy-five percent.
Rolo would sometimes turn green when uncovering the dirt under a stinking board or two, always whining — even though the upstairs was cleaner than the downstairs. Alex laughed as he carried huge bags on his shoulders, mixed some grey mass, and set to work tiling the lower floor. He was experienced in construction, so I left this task to him and only helped when needed. Of course, that didn't happen often. Once, he saw that I'd left out those idiotic white cross-shaped plastic spacers. How was I supposed to know what they were for?
Instead, I set about repairing the chairs and tables. Most of them creaked, and I figured a heftier guest might collapse them. I sanded them down, treated the wood with an ebony stain, and reupholstered them with beautiful burgundy cushions. We finished most of the downstairs in a couple of nights, and Alex started tidying up the upstairs floor. We replaced some chairs and tables with stalls with long padded benches for larger groups. I threw out the old curtains and repainted the banister.
We also spruced up the bar by replacing the lights and adding more lighting to the drinks. Meanwhile, I slowly wrapped my fingers around all of Hajnal's suppliers and most of the important people in the monster world.
I plopped down on one of the chairs loosening my tie. Rolo was bouncing between calculations in his head, occasionally scribbling something, and I shoved another contract under his nose. He glanced at me and furrowed his eyebrows.
"What's the problem?" I sighed. I was really tired after three meetings that day.
"On the contrary," he said. "These new contracts bring in an extra thirty-six percent. I don't even want to know how you get people to agree to these deals."
I gave him an innocent smile. "My charming personality is the secret."
He rolled his eyes. "I want more pay," he declared.
"Bullshit," I said, wondering when Alex would be done with my sandwich. I wanted to eat before the first job interview.
"But..."
"You get what I got for a whole night's work and you only work for a few hours," I said. "I won't give you more than that."
"Cheapskate," he hissed.
"Greedy," I said with a sardonic half-smile. "If you don't like it, look for another job."
He shut up and went back to his calculations. After dropping off the contract, I retired to the office, which was now mine. I hadn't changed it much, prioritizing the pub. I changed to a simple black shirt and jeans.
After changing, I had a scant 15 minutes to eat before six. Much to my surprise, the ad had reached many people. I sighed, anticipating a long few hours.
I sat comfortably cross-legged in my chair, fiddling with a fountain pen. Alex let the first candidate in. I glanced up at the guy, who approached with a cocky grin. He couldn't even sit down before I called out to Alex:
"Next!"
The Weasel was immediately outraged. "But you didn't even listen!"
"Get out!" I waved him toward the door. "I am afraid you'll drink all the alcohol you can get your hands on!"
Of course, the next one was the Weasel's mage friend.
"Next," I sighed, waving my pen. "Let's not waste each other's time."
He didn't take it personally, turned back with a hum, and remarked to Alex that we had done a good job cleaning up. Surprisingly, many humans turned up for the interview, but I couldn't hire them if they didn't know about the monsters. I turned them away quickly.
Some showed up just to see me or have a few words. Mostly, they were asking for alliances, not a bartending job — mages mostly associated with Livius, vampires from Crimson's circle. Fortunately, the dwarves and Titania spared me. I couldn't find a single worthy candidate, but I didn't expect immediate success.
Alex had started setting the table, and Rolo, less enthusiastically, was helping him.
"You're on the Kaleidoscope again," Rolo noted casually, knowing I hadn't read the paper yet. "They say you're following in your father's footsteps, taking over the world, and could start killing indiscriminately at any moment."
I straightened my napkin with a lazy, contented gesture before replying. "Well, now that you mention it, I was debating whether to have a bloodbath on King Street in the morning or go shopping."
Alex, seeing my mock-scorned expression, laughed and then choked on his beer.
"Can I join you?" said Rolo.
"To which one?" I asked absently.
Rolo couldn't help smiling. The cat stared thoughtfully at his screen.
I had to establish my presence among the kings, ominous and terrifying, until the new Fifth King was as feared as his predecessor. Perhaps even more. Ephraim could only take people's lives, but while I fiercely protected my own, I could uncover others' secrets and put my enemies in situations where they wished for death.
Sometimes I used subtle threats, other times I spread sweet rumors of bribery, corruption, and incompetence until everyone feared for their place and accepted my alliances out of sheer desperation. Everyone knew what happened to those who betrayed the Hueless King — I made sure of those rumors — and nobody wanted to suffer the consequences.
However, aware of a king's power, they were reluctant to enter into alliances: they knew their pact would be eternal and unbreakable. I found amusement in the challenge, whispering in the ears of certain people until I won everyone over. But some people, notably a man called George Willingham, couldn't be manipulated as much as I would have liked.
The app always wrote rubbish about me, but it only elicited a satisfied chuckle. Every attack was a display of fear, desperate anger, and despair. They knew nothing of the Fifth King and could find no hold on him, while he could corner anyone. In that respect, I was unlike any other king.
Sure, Crimson kept an iron fist among his vampires, but he didn't care about other races — he had enough trouble with disobedient ignobles. Titania was similar, taking good care of the fae, but the rest of us only interested her to the point of torture. All mages acknowledged Livius, but the dark ones disobeyed him the least, constantly working to create a separate nation. Livius tried to minimize their damage and keep them in check. The dwarves were peaceful bystanders, seizing every dirty opportunity to make a deal, but otherwise, the king of the dwarves had no desire to get involved.
But there was something else that set him apart from the other monarchs: the Hueless King was like a phantom, an elusive shadow that haunted everyone, but no one knew what he really looked like. He was mysterious and elusive, yet threatening enough to be feared.
Finally, the food arrived—some astonishing pasta dish Alex had whipped up. I sat back, enjoying the aroma, and picked up my fork. Rolo and Alex joined me at the table, the tension of the day momentarily dissolving.
As we ate, Rolo looked up from his plate, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"So, what's next on the agenda? You've got the suits, the contracts, the pub renovations… What's the next big move for the Hueless King?"
I chewed thoughtfully, savoring the rich flavors before answering. "Well, securing reliable staff is a priority. We need a solid team to run this place smoothly. But beyond that, I'm focusing on strengthening our alliances. The more connections we have, the stronger our position."
Alex nodded, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Makes sense."
"Rolo, how's Mose's magic holding up?" I asked, leaning back in my chair.
Rolo glanced at me before answering. "Mose seems stable physically, but his magic is a mess. It's so wild that it starts acting up the moment his control slips. He can't maintain control for long periods."
I nodded thoughtfully. "Has Mose ever tried to drain you?"
Rolo froze for a moment, his eyes wide. "Nope. But I think it's because he doesn't dare to even touch me."
I rubbed my chin, considering the implications. "We'll all be heading to Livius's court soon. Mose included."
Rolo's eyes widened in surprise and reluctance. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Bringing Mose along? His magic is too unstable."
I met his gaze firmly. "The magic accumulated at Livius's court might help Mose adjust. It could be exactly what he needs to learn control."
Rolo sighed. "I hope you're right. It's a big risk."
I gave him a reassuring smile. "We'll manage. We always do."
(...)
As night fell, it was time for business.
The city of Pécs had several shady neighborhoods, but I usually turned up in the most infamous one. The cute little hideaway of the dark mages didn't really have a name, so I decided to call it Deadend. Fancy, huh?
It wasn't just dark mages who frequented the place but also people like me, who liked to do business with them. Because we were useful, the dark mages tolerated us. At least for a meal or a drink. We usually met in the only restaurant-like place around. As this place didn't have a name either, I just called it the Yellow, because the house itself was yellow.
The secret to not being attacked by dark mages is to blend into the crowd completely. Most of the time they don't even notice you. Dark mages are always running somewhere.
I entered the restaurant, which looked more like a rundown shed. It had an old counter but no barman. If you wanted to order something, all you had to do was write it down on a piece of paper available at every table. The tables were made of old, dark, weathered wood, and although the chairs didn't look any better, they could bear the weight of a man. I sat down on one of the chairs. At a table further away, two young men stood up and moved to my table instead.
"Look, Olie, who has suddenly appeared here," said one of them.
"I don't know, Ed, isn't this kid a bit young to be wandering around in a dangerous place like this all alone?" said the other innocently, "He hasn't even grown his fangs out yet."
"I think my fangs are big enough to bite your throat, Olie," I said, and the two big men laughed.
I smiled too. Olie and Eddie are old acquaintances of mine if you can call a few years' acquaintance old. In the monster world, that was a long time. Monsters usually couldn't stand each other's company for long. It was even more so with mages, I think.
"You're in a biting mood today, Shay," Ed said with a grin.
"Feeling frustrated, Shay? How about we burn off that extra energy together?" Olie suggested with a flirty grin.
I'd be sick to my stomach before I'd find any pleasure with that idiot, that's for sure.
"Olie, you forget that I have taste," I said, and the two brutes laughed again.
Somehow Olie could never stop teasing me, yet I was quite amused. Not everyone dared to talk to me like that nowadays, and sometimes it was refreshing to meet them. It made me think I was a tiny bit normal. Just having a beer with some friends in a shady pub and passing the time. Yeah, then the illusion faded, and I came back to reality.
Putting the joke aside, I got serious. "What's the situation?"
The two mages' expressions turned serious as well.
"More and more covens are getting 'invitations' from the Shadows," Ed said, "And if someone declines the invitation, they get a cute little gift. A package with a human head inside."
"A head?" I raised one eyebrow.
"Yes, the head of someone you love," Ed said.
"It's only a matter of time before our coven gets an 'invitation' too," Olie pursed his lips.
"That doesn't sound very hopeful," I said.
"Moreover, even if we deny it and side with Livy, in the end, the light ones would treat us no differently. After all, we are dark mages," Olie rolled his eyes.
"How long can you stay on the border?" I asked.
"Not long," Eddie admitted, "Things are speeding up."
"Maybe we can hold out for a couple of months," Olie said, "Until the 'light ones' show up with a bigger force, the Shadows won't be trying to round up the neutrals so hard."
"And the unofficial 'invitations'?" I asked.
"Livy recently sent a white one to us 'to provide a starting point for possible future negotiations.' And the Shadows send its followers all over the place to promote their ideas," Eddie said.
"The undecided covens have made their leaders unavailable, but they can't play that game forever," Olie explained, "And I hear Livy has contacted the other kings."
"Yes, I heard about that. Red is reluctant to get involved, the Dwarf has flatly stated that as long as there is no talk of a business relationship, he will not interfere, and Moonseye is more inclined to the dark side," I stated. "That is what is officially known."
Eddie visibly shuddered. "I'll never be able to figure out how a monster like you can always know what the big dogs are up to."
"I have my ways," I said suggestively.
"And unofficially, what do you know?" Olie asked.
"Red has his own problems with vampires," I said, "However friendly he may be with Livy, he won't take any chances. Moonseye, though she loves a fight, is unlikely to help openly, but more so in the background. And the Dwarf will help both sides for a good price, but only covertly, of course, as is proper."
For a moment we all fell silent and digested the information. It was a useful deal for all three of us. Olie and Eddie could see their situation a little better from the big guys' point of view, and I could see the little guys'. A lot of little things go a long way. We were always as honest with each other as we could be because we were on the same side. Always swinging between the major powers in a neutral zone. And the longer we can all stay in that neutral zone, the better.
"And what about the Phantom?" Olie asked.
A sly smile spread across my lips. I thought they'd never ask.
"The Phantom doesn't stand with the light or the dark. However, he has managed to do something Livy has never done before: he has successfully removed three members of the Shadows. That is why he will be the first to be attacked."
The two mages turned pale.
"Don't be among the dark ones when this happens," I suggested, "The Phantom will soon devour them. Have a good night, boys."
With that, I got up and walked out of the restaurant humming.