Anarameha

Chapter 14

Bran Malakeni was not a happy vampire leader. He'd been summoned to a meeting with Garlet Moss, a gangster that ruled the underworld of Geniprea. Pulling on the thick jacket that hugged his tall frame, Bran stared at the figure in the mirror. Bran appeared paler than most vampires. He longed for a time when the vampires dared to travel to the higher levels. The humans that lived in their hunting grounds were not suitable for their diets, and it left many vampires lacking in the much-needed minerals that were almost always found in the other humans.

Tired of living in the drains, tired of being under the thumb of a merciless gangster. Like many vampires, Bran wished for the days of old. Back when the king ruled this city and not a monster. At least when this was a kingdom, it was good. Life wasn't great, but it was far better than it has been since the coup.

They resided in the drainage system peacefully because Garlet had offered them a treaty. It was primarily one-sided, but Bran had little to do with the original agreement anyway, so he could do nothing about it. He just had to accept that someone had foolishly agreed to this life.

They were at the mercy of a gangster who did not play nice. If he was being summoned to a meeting, then Bran knew that it meant that something was threatening that treaty.

There was no information, no indication as to what this was about. All that he knew was that one of Garlet's goons appeared at his office and stated that he was expected to attend a meeting with Garlet tonight. Failure to attend would be met with harsh consequences.

When the goon disappeared, Bran checked with his advisor if he knew of anything that was out of the ordinary. The vampire shrugged at him and said that life was normal as far as he knew. They both knew that it meant that something had happened, and they were yet to learn of it. Bran did not like that at all. He hated that he appeared clueless. Garlet wouldn't mock him, but the vampire knew that he'd be thinking he had no control over his members.

He would play nice. He would give Garlet whatever he wanted. The vampires as a race owed a lot to Garlet, not that any of them wanted to say it too loudly.

Bran was grateful that they could live in the drains without being noticed. He had to be happy about it. He had to live with this world and not complain because if he did, he would be tossed into the wasteland.

Garlet was the one that showed them the vast area that was an untapped source of space. He was the one that ensured the government workers ignored what they saw in the drains. He helped by connecting the vampires with contractors who would build the apartments and buildings without gaining attention from the government. They even connected them with power and water.

The fee? Sometimes they were called upon to be a removal service. Bran never made any of his coven members kill someone that the gangsters wanted dead. He always made members of the security team do it. They were better equipped and were well trained, just in case it got out of hand.

The guard stood as Bran approached. As expected, he raised his arms out and let the man pat him down and search for weapons. They even checked through their hair. Bran always thought it was a tad extreme and glared at the guard as he flicked the thick black hair out of his eyes.

His advisor and security guard were checked as well. It was common practice for everyone, but Bran was in a bad mood, and he hated being summoned as if he was nothing more than a pet.

"You'll have to leave the weapons in the cupboard here."

The guard showed them to the cupboard, where another of Garlet's security personnel was waiting. Once everything was unloaded, they were ushered into the private dining room.

Garlet stood with a warm smile.

"Bran, thank you for coming at such short notice."

"Well, I wasn't given much choice."

Saying nothing in response, Garlet gestured to the seats. Bran and his advisor sat while the guard remained near the door.

"It has been brought to my attention that one of your followers has not been obeying some of the rules."

Bran sighed heavily. It was as bad as he thought it would be. The risk of these actions could affect so many. It angered him to think that someone was being so callous.

"Who and which ones?"

"Marama Legelen. I had a visit from a human private detective earlier this evening. She'd engaged his services to investigate a human. I say it like that because that's how he'd said it to me. His words, and I quote, I am searching for a human, a vampire asked me to find information."

Bran could see the distaste on Garlet's face. He hoped that the gangster could read his own disapproval. He knew what Garlet was telling him. This human, the private detective, clearly didn't know about vampires, and Marama's told him. Such things were not allowed, and Bran was positive that Marama knew that.

"Now, I have known this man for an extremely long time, and he is one of the clueless. Or should I say he used to be? Because he's not anymore. He sat where you are and told me in great detail about this paranormal race living in our drains."

Garlet leaned on the table, staring at Bran.

"She told a human about your race, Bran. You know that is forbidden."

With a sigh, he nodded.

"And what about the person he was asked to investigate?"

"A nobody. Some random woman. Do vampires investigate their meals?"

"No," Bran grumbled. "She has been assigned. What am I to do about the male?"

"Nothing. He was not mentioned and is of no concern to me. She will be punished in accordance with the agreement, right, Bran?"

"Of course."

He gritted a smile. Dealing with Marama was not a problem for him. She'd fall into line with a firm chastising. The problem was that the agreement was strict. Breaking a rule of the forbidden resulted in death. To keep a gangster happy, Bran had to kill Marama.

"Good. I expect it to be done without delay. That is all."

Garlet flicked his hand with disinterest showing on his face.

He wouldn't say another word about this to Bran unless he found out that this woman survived. If that happened, there would be issues. To ensure that his request was met without problem, Garlet would send a spy into the area to search for the woman. There was benevolence to be found, though only a fraction. Garlet would allow him a day in case the woman was hard to find. After the day, Garlet expected good news from his spy.

Bran, his advisor and the guard, left the room, hiding their displeasure that this had happened. After collecting the weapons, they left the restaurant.

"She's a damned fool," Bran spat out angrily.

"Agreed," the advisor replied. "She risked the stability of the treaty by requesting a human to investigate another human, also advising the truth of our race. What was she thinking when she did that?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that I'm not buying this whole line about the woman being a nobody. Marama will die today, but she will answer questions beforehand. And have Jiro brought to my office as well. Maybe he can shed some light on this mess."