1. Macabre Marmalade (COMPLETED; EDITING)

XXXVI (16.3)

Young Anadori male set there in front of the regular computer screen. He brought his yellow eyes at Todor and blinked.

"You are mister Todor?" he uttered in surprise.

"That is I," Todor replied flatly.

"Governor is in her office, you can come in right away."

Todor nodded and walked briskly to the door. Without knocking he pushed the door and strolled in. The Governor's office was a large room with a nice view of the city. Holanador sat behind the heavy desk writing something with a pen. The familiar form of agent Hillard stood to her right shoulder. Both of their eyes focused on Todor.

"Ah, my new constable. I see you well equipped yourself. That is good," she said in her no-nonsense tone Todor remembered from her manor.

"I am here. And I came with a warning. Midnight Breeze is planning a coup," he said closing the door behind himself.

Governor looked at him sharply before shaking her head.

"None of that mister Corpus. I will not have you using your title as my constable to wage your private wars. I know you and Mister Breeze had your differences before but he assured him that ..."

"He told you a pack of lies. Two of his vamps together with two cultists and two humans showed up at my house last night and ransacked my living room in a search for my maharoon."

"How are you still alive then?" agent Hillard spoke for the first time.

"I murdered both vamps and cultists. One of the cultists was Anadori mage, the other was Morg warrior. I let two humans go back to send a message to Mister Breeze," Todor confessed.

The man laughed out loud.

"You can't possibly think Governor would believe such an unlikely story. We had a van parked outside of your home, they would have called if anything like that happened."

"Hillard, get out and contact the detail we had keeping an eye on our new constable," Holanador said in cold voice.

"But ma'am," the agent protested.

"No buts, get out. I will call you when I need you."

The man nodded and glared at Todor as he passed him on his way out. As soon as the door slapped shut behind him Holanador got up on her feet and started pacing.

"That is not good, Mister Corpus," she said calmly even though her body language betrayed her distress.

"Why? I hope you are not scared of that old vampire?" Todor prodded her. She stopped walking and sent him an ice glance.

"If it was just me I would have gone into his lair and cleared entire brood out," she said bitterly.

"So why don't you?"

"Because I need to run the entire city. And you can't run a city without money. Which Midnight Breeze has a lot," Holanador admitted sourly.

"Even so, if he gets over the line you must do something," Todor suggested.

"He is smart. Or I should say smart enough to dance that line without crossing it," she looked at Todor squinting slightly. "By the Saint Trinoxia's cunt, you reawakened your mana furnace," she exclaimed happily.

"I did, although my mana regeneration is abysmal," Todor said uncomfortably.

"That is good. We might have a chance of keeping this city as a bastion in the upcoming storm," she went back to her chair and started writing. "But don't make any moves against Midnight Breeze. I swear it if I hear you attacked or killed his people without reason I will come and personally slap some sense into you."

"I can't promise anything. I will say this, I will stay away from him and his men as much as I can," Todor said. For now. But if he gives me the reason I will rid this city of his taint. "One of his vamps confessed that Midnight Breeze was the one who invited the cultists into the city."

"That is great and all but do you have the proof?" Holanador looked at him and nodded. "Well, next time they come knocking and spilling beans don't murder them."

"Yes, ma'am," Todor replied tightly.

The door opened and Hillard poked his head into the room.

"What is it, Hillard? Told you to not come unless I call you," Governor said sternly.

"Yes, ma'am but ... Mister Breeze is in the lobby of the building and demands an audience."

Todor and Holanador looked at each other, understanding flowing through them.

"Will you behave?" Governor asked him.

"I'll do my best,"Todor replied, his jaw locking in place.