Chapter 13

Turns out, the ‘private place’ Kote requested was the whole of the Dark Wind itself. Faith chased everyone out, and then locked the door behind her, leaving a few bottles of wine and wineglasses at the suite we had. The cushion, as expected of Faith, was perfectly comfortable, and Kote sighed with pleasure as he sank into it. Jin, however, only sat stiffly while I poured the wine.

“Firstly, I would like to apologize for Jin’s behavior just yesterday night. Frankly, I knew nothing of it, till I dropped in on him first thing today. I saw the state of his room, the blood on his hand, and it was easy to infer the rest. Shall I trust that you are dealing well with whatever craziness Jin might have shown you yesterday?” The way Kote said it; it was almost as if a parent apologizing for the mischief caused by a naughty child. Jin, for his part, acting the naughty child, as he winced at the Kote’s words.

Since we were speaking business…

“Dare I ask how often does he go…?” I trailed off, making up my lack of words with a little action of twirling my forefinger beside my forehead. Again, Jin cringed as he glared at me. Fiddling with the corner of his black gloves, he smoothed out the creases in his red trench coat again and again, looking for things to do.

Kote laughed.

“Relax, it does not happen often. When I took Jin under my wing, he was but a child, poorly kept in an asylum. They did not understand his bouts of craziness, his nonsense about a species called the nightstalkers. However, you can rest your heart’s worry, for he has few relapses now.”

I wasn’t sure if I was to be comforted by that fact, or scared that Jin would go mad again. I figured I didn’t want to be there when Jin went crazy again. There was a prickling on my palm, and I scratched it idly, before realizing Jin was doing the same.

“What about the blood-bond?” I asked, and there was a subtle change in the politeness in Kote’s eyes. It flattened for a short second, and his slight smile faded away, while Jin began slinking further and further away from his master. I felt my stomach drop into a pit.

I’d expected that Kote knew everything. I thought it was understood that the blood-bond had been made. Even though it hadn’t been spoken, but… I thought Kote knew.

“Any words on this, Jin?” Kote’s voice became dangerously low, and I couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably myself. I tried my best to give Jin my apologetic look, but he wasn’t looking at anyone as he tried his best to turn away.

“It was in my intention to forge a bond. But I did not realize it done, till the words and intention were already out of my lips. Forgive me, for I did not realize what it may mean to you. I… I was already in debt with Dru, and I saw a future where we would need each other’s help.” Jin admitted in a small voice, which I couldn’t believe I was hearing. Here I was, just another normal nightstalker, and before me were Jin and his master.

Jin, the Ancient who was so strict, stern and fierce. And here I was, watching Jin cower before his master, who had only spoken softly –and lowly –to him. From Jin’s reaction, I knew never to tread of Kote’s toes. I was curious of what he would do, but was afraid at what I would see at the same time.

“Am I right in assuming it was a loyalty blood-bind? Nothing else; only blood-debtors?” I couldn’t understand half the things Kote was trying to ask, but Jin understood it just fine as he nodded quickly.

With that, Kote sighed a little, and then turned back to me, his eyes back to its soft green. The small sparkle in his eyes was –thankfully –there as he gave me a quick questioning look.

“Did he ask you for permission? Before binding your blood to his?” Kote asked carefully, and I was suddenly wrenched into the night before. Jin had been angry, and though I started out shivering before his presence, I found my strength as I stood up to him. Jin somehow saw it, went to his table, and drank from his cup. Broke the cup. Slashed his hand, slashed mine and gave me that maniac grin.

Held out his hand to me, as if greeting me in a handshake.

Do you, Dru Lorna Reyzon, agree to be tied in debt and favor to me, Jinika Hironagina? Do you, Keeper of Seattle, keep your loyalty to a blood-bind between us, to help me, Keeper of the Asian islands, if need be? Even if it runs against the Laws and Customs of our kind, we will agree to each other’s life debt?

Those had been his words; his questions. Yeah, I figured it counted as him asking for permission.

I nodded, and Kote actually laughed, the air of tension suddenly gone when as Jin exchanged looks with me. Looks like Jin wasn’t the only one with madness relapse. Was I the only sane nightstalker here?

“You knew he was going mad, and yet you dared to take him for his words? You saw his grin, and yet you shook his hand, firmly binding your blood in loyalty?” Kote asked, wiping tears from his eyes as he finally toned down on the laughing, watching me through eyes which I could only say as ‘awed’.

I shrugged, unable to find words, and then nodded when I realized the shrug didn’t pass off as an answer. Kote stared at me with open wonder, as Jin did his master. Then the Master Ancient scooped up the wine glass from the table, raising it up.

“Cheers to someone who had the guts to stand up to Jin, and blood-bind with him while he was in his delirious mind!” Kote said cheerily, and then he downed the wine in one gulp. Red flushed a little in his facial color, but it faded quickly away as he settled back into the cushion, a lazy gaze on me. I wasn’t sure if that was the work of alcohol, or just part of the unpredictability of Kote I had come to know.

“What do you want to know about the blood-bond? How it works?” Kote started asking, and I nodded enthusiastically. That had been what I wanted.

“It is pretty simple. When you are in dire trouble, you may call for Jin for help, as long as the favor you are trying to collect does not go against his principles. If need be, you may even ask Jin to turn his back on Nightstalker Customs and Laws. The same thing goes for you. There is no limit to how many times you collect a favor, but Jin –of course –has to be willing to help.”

I looked down at the one-lined, almost-faded scar on my palm, then up at Kote and Jin.

“Call?”

This time, Kote grinned and reached for my hand. Before I could do anything, he dug his long nails into my hand, and drew a line just above the scar where it had just healed. There was a little pinprick of pain as he pulled across, then it faded when he lifted it.

“Look up, Dru.” Kote’s voice drew my attention from my hand, and I almost jerked out of my seat in shock when I saw Jin kneeling beside me, his head bowed. How had he…? When had he…?

“That’s what you do if you want to call him. You can rise now, Jin. We’ve got more pressing matters to discuss.”

It was all too soon that everything was pushed aside, and Kote drew in a deep breath.

“Now that apologies are gone; business. Dru, I’m here for one reason. Vin.”

I felt my face go politely puzzled. What did Kote have to do with Vin?

“You may have heard rumors of me stepping down from nightstalker matters, and it may have come to a shock for you to see me here today. But truth is often vastly different from the rumors that may have twisted it. All this while; there is reason for my solitude. May I presume that you know of the never-ending war between the nightstalkers and sorcerers?”

I struggled not to give him an instinctive ‘Duh’-look.

Kote sank even further into the cushioning, slouching a little. He drew in a deep breath, and while he sighed, I saw the true lethargy of his age upon his face. For a moment, he looked nothing like the young, red-haired man he appeared to be, but the Master Ancient he was.

“Of course you would know of it, as a descendant from the Reyzon family.” Kote said, answering his own question.

“All this while, I have been trying my best to make peace with Families. The Leroy and Zerrange have been carefully receptive of my efforts, but one thing stands in our way. Someone, in fact.”

I sucked in a hissing breath, my mind clicking in place immediately. Xavier’s parents and sister –the Valentino family. My parents –the Reyzon family. They were both families of the Big Four. The ones who had the best witches and wizards. The same nightstalker who had killed them.

“Vin?” I took a whispered gasp, and Kote nodded solemnly, giving me a look, as if he understood what I was going through. I’d never met this Vin before in my whole life –save the glimpse in Xavier’s memories, but there was a sinking feeling. If he was going around killing the Families, then…

“Yes, war. The Families, save Anneson Reyzon and Xavier Valentino, have been openly hostile towards my attempts recently, for Vin has just recently destroyed the Reyzon family. As we speak, Anneson Reyzon is still missing, and Xavier –well, you know him. I tracked down this Vin, and I’d dragged up many dirty confessions from him. From what I gather, Vin was a secret creation, someone made and not announced. He was made and hired as an assassin, given in depth information on his quarries. But, if he were a secret creation, then he would not be known to anyone, save his master and myself. And yet, I had Jin’s servants walking around, asking for him. It was natural that I got curious.” Kote spoke his words evenly, but I couldn’t help but feel my heart squeeze a little.

If Vin was in Kote’s hands, then I would never land my grasp on him. I hadn’t realized Vin to be such an important nightstalker. If I couldn’t get Vin, then Xavier would stay here until he realized that I wasn’t doing anything. And then the Hunter would…

I halted my train of thoughts, jerking back to reality to realize that Kote had asked me a question.

“I’m sorry?” I gave him a blank look.

“Why do you want him?” Kote asked carefully again.

The truth? Or the half-truth? I settled for the half-truth, since the full truth –the one including Xavier –would probably piss of Kote. Even if my luck was so good that Kote wasn’t pissed off at me helping the Hunter, Jin would no doubt torture me for my keeping a lie from him. I was playing with fire here.

“I presume that you know my real name before I was turned, that I was Lorna Reyzon?” I asked, and Kote nodded. There was a reason why he hadn’t asked; he wasn’t sure which generation of a Reyzon I was. For all he knew, I could be my parent’s parent. I could my parent’s ancestor, and he wouldn’t know.

“I am sister with Anneson Reyzon. My parents –Mina and Stephan –were the two Reyzon that Vin murdered. I am not one who seeks revenge on my parents, but there is reason I need Vin dead. As you know, he has killed the Valentino’s, save Xavier. He has murdered my parents, save Anneson. He has caught sight of Anneson, and though my brother has trained to protect himself, I fear for his safety.”

Kote’s and Jin’s face turned politely curious at my words, but I didn’t know what they were trying to ask. What? Was there a problem with me fearing Anneson’s safety?

“You fear for your brother’s safety? Correct me if I’m wrong, but were you not made just a few decades ago?” Jin finally opened his mouth to ask, and I nodded, feeling my own polite and curious face rise to the surface.

“Then weren’t you made when your brother was only a baby?” Kote asked the second question, and it looked –for a moment –as if they were planning out the questions between each other as they exchanged looks. Still biting back rude questions to why they were looking so curious at my family story, I nodded calmly in answer to Kote’s question.

“And you still care for his safety?” Jin asked the golden question, and I stiffened visibly. What; was it against a Nightstalker Law to care for your very-humane sibling? Damned if I was breaking a rule here. Anneson was mine to protect, no matter what.

“And you have a problem with that?” I challenged in my coldest voice. I swear; it wasn’t my intention, but it just came out on reflex as my fists clenched visibly.

“No! I’m sorry if it angers you or anything. I’m just curious.” Jin redeemed himself quickly, and though the spark of my anger was still there, I managed to calm down enough to unclench my fists. Kote had said nothing about my sudden burst of anger, and I didn’t dare to look up at him, and see what expression the Master Ancient may have at my childish, stupid protectiveness of my brother.

By rights, I should have convinced myself that Anneson could protect himself. He had trained with the NHS. Not only could he protect himself from nightstalkers, he could also hunt them down and kill them –or so I hoped. Anneson had no doubt been trained by our parents too. He had grown so big, and here I was, fretting over his safety like a flustered mother hen.

“Forgive us for our rudeness, Dru. We did not realize how faithfully you would protect your brother. I respect your fire to protect Anneson. But there is the issue of Vin.” Kote changed the topic quickly and deftly, like how deftly he could move his delicate fingers. Not only did the Master Ancient have a thief’s hand, but also a thief’s mind.

Dead end. I couldn’t see how I would pluck up my courage to demand for the Master Ancient to release his hands off his captive.

“Truth be told; I have no need for him. Yet, I fear he may slip through my fingers again. He must die; for the war between nightstalkers and the sorcerer’s will be blown into light should he sow more discord between our already-strained ties. But can I trust you to dispatch of him quickly and safely?” Kote spoke frankly, and I jerked my eyes up to look at him in shock.

He was considering of handing Vin over to me? Just like that?

“You can trust me. I need him dead more than you do. But… Just like that? You’re going to hand him over to me just like that?” I asked quickly, before I lost my opportunity to ask.

Kote only replied with a careful look to me, eyes flickering over to Jin once, before landing back to me.

“I shall treat this as you helping me rid the world of another nightstalker who threatens our existence. There will be no negotiations, just assurance that I will have Vin dead by the end of this week. Will you give me that assurance, so that it may be returned with trust from my side?” For a moment, I heard Jin’s careful question in Kote’s voice, and immediately recognized the one responsible for giving Jin his careful and dangerous mind.

This time, I couldn’t stop my confident smile. “You have my assurance, Kote. Even if I die trying to kill him, I have someone who wants him dead even more so than I.”

It didn’t really hurt to reveal Xavier’s part in this now, right?

“Who?” Kote didn’t really didn’t need prompting to get an answer from me.

“Xavier Valentino. Vin killed his sister and his parents.”

“That was the reason why he called?” Kote’s mind was apparently a genius, since it would take me quite some time to connect the dots. But hey, I was just a normal nightstalker, and look at the Master Ancient sitting before me, drinking from my wine glass, drinking my wine, breathing the air of my domain.

I nodded, smiling now that I was at ease. Vin was going to be handed over to me, without a price. I would either help or watch Xavier kill Vin, dust my shoulders and walk away free as anything. Killing two birds with one stone, Anneson would be safe from Vin too. Then I would only have my mess with Wind to deal with.

There was quite silence for a short while, then Kote poured more wine, finishing it in a large gulp. “Jin, can you leave us for a short while? I may need to speak with you later, in Japan.” Kote asked, and Jin nodded seriously, before excusing himself. Together, we watched Jin exit the nightclub in silence, and then there were only Kote and me left.

Kote drew himself up, straight-spined, and poured another glass of wine. It seemed like something was bugging him as he moved, but I didn’t dare ask as I sipped on my wine. Damned, it was strong. How did Kote stand it?

“Do you truly know who I am, Dru?” He asked suddenly; and I looked at him past the top of my wine glass to see him swirling the wine thoughtfully, watching it carefully.

“Kote, Master Ancient and the master of Jin?” I took my best guess, but Kote only chuckled as he sipped delicately on the wine now, instead of plain gulping it down.

“Yes, I am all those. But I am more. Before I was made nightstalker, I was known as Kote the Dark, Kote the Fearless, Kote the Arcane. Many things; I did in the folly as a child, and gained the fame that I never should have graced myself. After I became nightstalker, I saw a whole new world with new eyes, and I knew that my past could not be changed. I set out to change my future, and though my future turned out to be pleasant, I could never stop dwelling on the past. I never stopped asking questions: What would have happened if I hadn’t taken the train in London at 7.30 that day? What would have happened if I hadn’t eaten fries in Los Angeles at 9.00 that night? Would my life have changed if I took the 10.25 bus in Peru, instead of the 10.30 bus? All these questions; I never stopped asking. The answers were never there for me, but I never stopped.” He stopped for another sip.

“But everything changed when I met Wind. Though he was only a minor servant back then, he knew what he wanted. He came from a wrecked family –all these you have already known. But once he was changed nightstalker, he knew his future; he knew what he wanted. Never once; he asked about his past, and what he could have changed. I remembered smiling when I chatted with him. I remembered cheering him on quietly while he dueled fiercely. I saw Wind as a determined nightstalker. But I didn’t know his heart.”

I was kind of curious to know how everything was slowly evening out to Wind, but kept my mouth stubbornly shut. Kote didn’t really look drunk, but he’d taken more than a few drops of that strong wine; god knows if he’s really drunk or not.

Then, suddenly, Kote slammed the glass on the table before us, succeeding in making me jump. I got a sudden flash of what had happened the night before: Jin had thrown his cup at the door. Goodness, was Kote going to turn mad like Jin? God help me, I couldn’t deal with a crazy Master Ancient now!

Yet, Kote looked perfectly sane and sober as he leaned close to me, staring into my eyes. I couldn’t help but watch his depthless green swirl steadily, as if he was scanning me. I freaked out at that thought, though I forced myself to stay still.

“I told you about Vin and what he was supposed to be when he was created. Vin was supposed to be a secret creation. No one knew him, other than his master. Vin’s murdering, Vin’s killing; all of it wasn’t his idea. No, Vin was only a servant. Vin’s master was the one who gave Vin all the information the nightstalker needed. Vin’s master was the one who guided him towards the Families. Vin’s master was the one who made him do everything, the one who is actually the one sowing discord between nightstalkers and sorcerers. Vin’s master is the one we must capture and kill, Dru. He is the one who wants Anneson dead; not Vin.” Kote said; his voice almost hypnotic as he stared deep into my eyes.

Personally, I felt like my soul was bared before him, for him to inspect and study while he looked through my eyes.

With a sigh, he stood up, drawing his eyes away, leaving me feeling bare and confused as hell. Why would Kote speak of his past, then of Wind, then of Vin’s master?

“I have no idea how to make this easy for you, but I trust that you can deal with it yourself, Dru.” Kote said, turning his back to me as he started towards the door.

Then he stopped at the door, one hand on the doorknob. He looked back at me, and I saw the struggle in his eyes, while I tried my best to comprehend.

“Wind is Vin’s master. He’s the one who wants Anneson dead.”