Hidden Truths - Ethan

13 - The Mountain

There are a lot of furs lying out. All their furniture is made out of them, incorporated with bones and wood. It's much cozier than I have expected. Lyall offers me to sit at one of the tables.

"Now, we are alone. And I listen," he simply says while we sit down.

I take another moment to look around. "Nice," I compliment before looking back to Lyall.

On one hand I really have to be careful how to start this, but on the other hand, I doubt that there is any other way for me than straightforward. I wouldn't be able to act differently anyway.

"There is only one reason for me to be here and it's because Warlow can't come anymore. I'm not sure how much you heard already while I was announced, but there is a problem that needs to get solved. Now you and I need to find out what that means for our alliance."

Lyall nods slowly. "I only heard that you took Warlow's place. I thought you guys just had a new election but I'm getting the feeling it's something different?"

"He's dead - including his human companion," I take a moment to see Lyall's reaction.

Lyall frowns. "Dead? How's that?" He really seems to be surprised - or is a very good actor.

"Pretty obviously not because someone really wanted me to take his spot," I grimace slightly. "Did you notice something odd lately amongst your people?"

Lyall narrows his eyes at me. "You think that it was one of my people killing them?"

I raise an eyebrow. "I think that you can't blame me for asking this question." I lean forward, placing my elbows on the table while trying to figure out how to make that sound less blaming. "Look, that's a pretty direct way for some to blame the other side. I don't want to guess - I want to find answers." My opponent is calm but watches each of my movements closely.

"Do you have any evidence that it was one of us?"

"If I would have evidence of that, I wouldn't sit here to talk with you," it slips out of my mouth before I could think a second time about it and Lyall growls at me.

"So we are just the simplest answer to your question? Is it like that?" His eyes have a slight glow and I know that I'm on thin ice with what to say.

"Actually, you know as well as I do that there will always be vampires who see it that way. I'm not one of those. I was looking at the corpses on my own and I'm not convinced at all," I lean back again and open my arms in a gesture of conclusion. "Hence why I'm here instead of speculating."

Lyall frowns again but seems to be appeased for the moment. "I doubt that it was one of mine. See, even if one of mine would have killed the vampire, to regain his appearance: Why would he kill a human, as you said? None of my people got lost the last days. Not even in weeks."

He also leans back. "If you insist, I can call them to come here, so you can see them. I guess you know what to look out for to find evidence they didn't kill a vampire,..." his statement fades out.

I am pretty surprised that he actually offers that. I didn't expect that level of trust and goodwill. On a second thought - that might be a trick to see if I trust him or he is simply bluffing. That's tricky.

"As much as I would love to make sure on my own that their aura is not soaked with death spirits, I think I'll take your word for good." Seeing his lips slightly twitch I'm not sure anymore if he is just pleased that I trust him or if it was a victory for him.

"I wouldn't want to see that case treated fully openly as of yet - and as for the human... when someone kills a vampire to get back who he was, do you really think a human would make much more of a difference then? Unfortunately, she was one of these ladies whose company is paid with coins. So it would be an easy kill."