Chapter Twelve: Caldric

Caldric seemed almost…nervous as he placed his wineglass back on the tray and moved to sit on the piano stool.

Aralyn took another sip of her wine, trying to accustom herself to the unusually tangy drink. Once she got past the rather thick consistency, and the thought that she was indeed drinking blood, the intricate flavors came through.

There were hints of chocolate, blackberries, and cherries, coupled with spices, and a faint whisper of something floral she couldn't quite place, edged by the faint taste of metal. She swirled the wine in her glass, watching the dark liquid catch the light of the chandelier overhead.

It was like nothing she had ever tasted. Horatio was certainly a talented vintner. One who might have added a dash of something magical or otherworldly to create such a masterpiece.

Talking of masterpieces, Caldric's fingers hovered above the piano keys, as if awaiting a signal from some unseen conductor, a slight tremor in his hands. For a few heartbeats, he seemed frozen in time, as if grappling with an invisible force that both compelled and restrained him.

"Relax," Aralyn told him. "I'm not exactly a critic, so don't worry." She picked up his wineglass and handed it to him. "Here. And may life be eternal, and blood be warm!"

He cracked a smile, and then lifted his glass to his lips and downed the wine in one go.

Then, as if breaking through an unseen barrier, Caldric began to play.

The first notes were soft and tentative, a whisper of sound that slowly filled the room. Aralyn sipped her wine, letting the music wash over her.

As the simple melody began to build into something fuller, the music conveyed a story, and as she closed her eyes, she was swept away into a landscape painted with sound. The melodies wove together tales of ancient forests and secret realms. Each note seemed to pull at the threads of her imagination, leading her deeper into this enchanted world.

Evoking deeper emotions and more vivid pictures in her head.

With her eyes closed, she swayed in time to his playing, swept up in the music. Then her feet began to move, and she cradled the wineglass to her chest as she waltzed around the room.

His hands on the keys became more confident, the notes louder, seeking to command her.

But when she opened her eyes, Caldric's expression was one of frustration as he watched his hands on the ivories. The lines on his brow deepened, and his jaw tensed.

Then, as suddenly as he'd started, he stopped. "It's the wine." He closed the piano and stood up abruptly before he stalked out of the room.

Aralyn stared after him. Her training had not covered how to comfort a temperamental vampire.

No, that was unfair. Caldric was not being temperamental. Or petulant.

She downed the rest of her wine and placed the glass on the tray before she followed him out of the room.

She might not know how to comfort a vampire, but she did know how to distract one.

"Do you want to know the reason I was five minutes late?" she asked when she found him on the patio at the back of the house, staring up at the stars.

He turned to look at her, fixing his pale eyes on her face for a moment before he said, "Seven minutes."

She smothered a smile. "All right, seven," she conceded, her voice teasing. "Do you want to know why?"

He didn't respond immediately, his eyes drifting back to the sky as if searching for something beyond the stars. "I suppose I have nothing more pressing to do."

"I was at the tavern," she began.

"I'm sure the company there was more stimulating than it is here," he replied.

"As a matter of fact, it was," she agreed. "The Regulars are nothing if not entertaining."

"I'm surprised you bothered to come at all," he said sharply. "But then you are not here for entertainment, are you?"

"No, I am not." She stepped out into the cool evening air and sucked in the smell of night-scented jasmine.

For several long moments, they stood in silence. Then at last, Caldric sighed heavily, and half turned to look at her. "Are you going to tell me what you want to tell me?"

"Only if you want to know," she replied.

His shoulders slumped a little, and he shook his head. "Are you purposefully trying my patience?"

"Yes."

"Is that how you tackle vampires, hunter, you taunt them into submission?" His voice held a note of wry amusement.

She stepped closer. "You have discovered my secret."

"Please, tell me why you were seven minutes late?" Caldric asked, his voice turning playful. "For I cannot bear not knowing."

"Because my uncle and his friends have managed to get their hands on some very interesting information," she began.

"Oh?" Caldric looked up at her. "I assume it's important for this escapade of yours."

"Of course it is. I'm sure you've no interest in hearing about any family gossip."

"I suppose not." Caldric closed the key cover. "Let's hear it, then."

"They managed, and I don't know how, to get some information on the security measures the Tolionis have installed in their basement, where they keep their collection of artifacts."

Caldric narrowed his eyes. "And where did they come across this information?

Aralyn shrugged. "Who am I to say? My uncle is quite the hunter himself, so I've heard."

"I suppose it runs in the family, hm?" Caldric said dryly.

"I suppose it does." Aralyn couldn't tell if there was some greater meaning behind his words, but it was so hard to tell when he talked so plainly. "The main thing is that I trust what they say, and it's a good thing they found anything out, otherwise I think this whole thing would have been a waste of time."

"When you say ‘security measure,' you're not talking about these newfangled ‘cameras,' are you?" Caldric asked.

Aralyn chuckled. "How long have you been locked up in here? No, I'm not talking about cameras, or rather CCTV. I think that would stand out too much among the Gothic architecture."

"At least they haven't strayed that far into the modern world in my absence," Caldric said. "Do they still have Rockinal the cave troll standing guard? Did they say anything about the Minerva Veil? I remember that being quite the spectacle when it was triggered back in the day."

Aralyn shook her head. "No, neither of those things."

Caldric sighed. "I suppose time does still change things, even for vampires. What methods of protection do they employ now, then?"

Aralyn listed them off on her fingers. "First, the basement is locked by a door that requires the blood of one of the Tolioni family. Once inside, the room is said to be filled with Kraller spider webs, which are difficult for a mortal to see, and then there's some kind of puzzle lock on the boxes the artifacts are kept in."

"How rather convoluted." Caldric placed his chin in his hand, leaning on the patio railing. "I can only assume that simple guards and hexes are below them, so they have to find these exotic things to impress, even if they are less effective."

"I, for one, don't mind if they choose showy but poor ways to keep their valuables safe," Aralyn said. "Vampires of a certain renown always seem to get cocky."

"Is that not the same for so many mortals?" Caldric gave her a knowing look.

"I suppose you're right," Aralyn conceded. "I guess we make up all sorts of traditions and customs just the same. Maybe it comes with boredom."

"Something I hope we'll manage to avoid," Caldric said.

"I'm sure trying to steal from one of the most powerful families of vampires will help with that." Aralyn looked up at him. "That's why I'm here, remember."

"You mean you're not going for the dance and the Sanguignon Rouge?" Caldric chuckled, a surprisingly melodic sound, like a low cello note. It wasn't a sound she had heard before, and she found herself smiling without even realizing it.

"After everything, I'm actually a little disappointed that I need to steal something." She laughed. "I never thought I'd say it, but I'm actually kind of looking forward to the ball. Even if it is a vampire ball."

"You've never been to one?" Caldric asked.

Aralyn shook her head. "Vampires aren't really my crowd."

Caldric snorted. "No, I meant just balls in general."

"No. There aren't many chances for parties when you're always either hunting or being hunted." Aralyn had never thought about the other side of life that she had been missing out on until now. What it was like to dress up nicely and drink fancy champagne from small glasses with important people.

"You're certainly jumping into the deep end with this one, but I hope, despite the company we'll be with, you might even enjoy it."

Aralyn looked down at her hands. "Seeing as you're there, I'm sure it won't be so bad."

There was a beat of silence, and she could feel his eyes on her, but she broke it before he did. "So, none of that sounds familiar to you?"

"If you mean was any of that in the house when I last visited, then no," Caldric said. "However, these aren't unknown things to me."

"Care to elaborate on how I should defeat these? Or are you planning on coming down to the basement with me?"

"I don't think I'm quite the cat burglar that you are." There was that rich chuckle again.

"Perhaps I could give you lessons to return the favor for all the dancing and…etiquette lessons." Aralyn laughed with him. "I could see you dressed in black, slinking around, rifling through…I don't know. What would you be trying to steal?"

Caldric rubbed his chin and looked off into the shadows of the round hall. "I don't know if I want anything enough to steal it."

"Okay, because you're incapable of wanting anything at the moment. But what about before?" Aralyn leaned against the piano, closer to him. "Do you remember if there was anything you wanted before the curse?"

Caldric frowned and looked down for a long moment. Aralyn watched his face. It remained like stone, and she wondered what kind of man he used to be before he was turned. He obviously had a passion for music once and cared deeply for his sister. But beyond that, he was a mystery.

"A cat."

Aralyn blinked at him. "A cat? That's the one thing you wanted from your old life?"

Caldric shrugged. "We never had one. I always appreciated how aloof they were. I thought if I were to ever have a companion, that would be it."

"So much so that you'd steal one?"

Caldric grunted. "No, I wouldn't steal one. All right, how about a golden fiddle?"

"More like it." Aralyn took a breath. "Anyway, first things first. How and when do I get away from everyone to even make a start on breaking into that basement?"

"The dance will be in two halves. The first will be while wearing masks, while the second half everyone will have their faces revealed. If you can get someone else, preferably wearing a similar outfit to you, to wear your mask during the first half, you could slip away then," Caldric said. "You'd want to be back before the masks come off, though, to avoid suspicion."

"Will people be watching us that closely?" Aralyn asked.

"Yes," Caldric said levelly. "I haven't been seen there for a long time, which would turn heads on its own. But having you there as well…I'm sure word will get around pretty quickly that I've brought a vampire hunter to the ball."

Aralyn pursed her lips. She had been hoping that no one would realize, as she was a stranger to this part of the world for the most part, but after her encounter earlier, she had a good feeling that it wouldn't take the vampires long to realize. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"As long as we play our part correctly and don't get ejected from the ball. One of the strictest rules of all is the amnesty." Caldric turned so he could lean on the piano. "As long as we're part of the procession, we'll be safe."

"And I guess if I get caught skulking around their prized artifacts…"

"We'll be fair game," Caldric confirmed.

"All right. I'll be wearing a red dress. A vampire ball should have plenty of people wearing red." Aralyn pushed away from the piano and began to pace. "So, I get someone else to wear my mask, slip away while everyone else thinks I'm still dancing, and then…spend the evening looking at a locked door."

"Yes, we'll need to get some blood from one of the Tolioni family members…no easy feat," Caldric said. "Vampires are quite protective over their blood."

"Is there any one of your traditions that we might be able to use to get what we need?" Aralyn asked. "I'm guessing I won't be bringing stakes in with me."

"No, we'll be searched as we go in. To prevent just that." Caldric drummed his fingers rhythmically on the piano top. "Once inside we'll need to be quick thinking and figure out how to get the blood from Bertram or Sylvi."

"Hm…" Aralyn thought for a moment. "I don't like leaving things to chance like that. If we can't get past the first obstacle, then there's no point in this whole thing."

"I'll have a think as to any other way we could overcome this."

"Before that, you have an obstacle to overcome," Aralyn said.

"Me?" That sounded like it took him off guard.

"Yes, that creative block of yours. How are you supposed to come up with solutions for traps and puzzles when you can't even play that piano of yours?"

Caldric looked thoughtful. "Okay, what do you suggest?"

Aralyn gave him a sideways glance. She wasn't expecting him to agree so readily. "We need to get you out of this place. It's far too stuffy."

"Are you going to suggest going into town?"

Aralyn nodded. "Yes. It's time we did something I think might help. And I think we'll find that something in my world, rather than yours, this time."