Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen
Questions, Questions

The night began like many other nights. I worked at my grant applications while Greywolf practiced his martial arts. Then Greywolf stopped, his rhythm broken. I stopped typing. "What's wrong?" I ask. But I was overcome with a strange urge. To go somewhere. It was the call of the Summoning. I knew it well enough, as Greywolf had done it to me on those rare times when we were apart. I look at Greywolf. "You too?" I ask.

Greywolf nods. "Come, Childe. Get in the van. The Prince, it seems, demands our presence."

I put on my leather jacket and get in the van. "How do you know it's the Prince's doing?" I ask.

As Greywolf starts to drive, he at first does not answer my question. "The place he calls us to is a car rental agency, which he personally owns. Secondly, there are only three Clans among the Kindred who possess the talents of Presence: the Brujah, the Toreador, and finally the Ventrue. And of those three Clans, there are still few in the city with such mastery over Presence. The Prince is one of them. And I cannot imagine why any of the others would bother to use such a crude method when they could simply call."

Greywolf, as usual, was more than likely right. The Prince, it seemed, did not like either one of us. Perhaps it was because we were Brujah. Perhaps it was something else entirely. I look out the windows, wondering what the Prince wanted with us this time. Conclave, if I recall wasn't for a couple more weeks.

We pull into the lot for Enterprise Rent a Car. Ironic, really, that the Prince owned an Enterprise franchise. Enterprise. The word simply screamed Ventrue. I wonder if the Ventrue owned all the franchises. Wouldn't surprise me a bit really. The more I ventured into this dark and shadowy realm, the more I realized how much influence Kindred really had upon the mortal world.

We get out of the van and start walking toward the office. The lights were off, but that's where the Summoning was calling us. Greywolf opens the door. What a surprise, it wasn't locked after all. "After you, my dear." He holds the door open. Ever the courteous one, it seemed. I stroll into the door and look around. I take note of the nearest exits. There was one other door leading outside, and that was a bit to one side and a good ten feet away. I wait for Greywolf, and we continue farther into the building, heading for the door marked "For Employees Only." There was light underneath that door. Finally, a sign of life.

Greywolf once again opens the door and escorts me through. There were a few times when I wished that he wouldn't do that. I guess old habits died hard. We continue through the small corridor that served as the hallway, passing a number of doors that were both closed and led only to darkness. The door we wanted was straight ahead. And to no surprise, it was the manager's office.

This time, I open the door. "You're still going first, Childe." Greywolf told me. I roll my eyes and walk into the room. The Prince was there of course, his feet up on the manager's desk. I didn't like it one bit. Why summon us here and not to the normal gathering place? Something was up, and it probably wasn't good. The Prince wasn't alone either. In addition to the Nosferatu Malik, who Greywolf had pointed out to me the last time I met the Prince, there was Brazil, still wearing his mirrored sunglasses and black leather trench coat over still more black clothing, and two burly looking guys that definitely fell into the goon/ghoul category. I scan the room for weapons and cover. There wasn't a lot of cover, but there were a number of objects within easy reach that could serve as weapons if needed.

I bow to the Prince, in a show of respect. Greywolf also follows suit. "You rang?" I ask.

The Prince does not seem amused by my small joke. Maybe I shouldn't have called him on his use of Gift. Then again, did he expect slavish obedience from a Brujah? If so, he was the fool.
"I have brought you here because I expect you to answer some questions, and it is far more easily done in a borrowed location such as this rather than in the deepest recesses of my own inner sanctum, especially since there is still a chance, however remote, that both of you might leave this place alive."

Now that was something I definitely didn't want to hear. I look to either side to see that the ghoul goons had taken up positions behind us. So much for leaving through the door. "Ask your questions, then your majesty." Greywolf replies, clearly as annoyed as I was at this latest development.

The Prince studies his well-manicured fingernails for a moment. He was obviously stalling. Was he trying to piss us off? If he was, it was starting to work. He looks up at us. "Mister Malik here has brought something rather interesting to my attention." He looks at the Nosferatu for a short moment and then back at us.

"And that might be?" Greywolf puts his hands on his hips. Clearly, he was getting tired of this game. So was I.

"It seems Greywolf, that three years ago, you engaged the services of Mister Malik to investigate the background of one Mara Ravenclaw, a woman who now just happens to be your adopted childe, Raven. Coincidence? I think not. I think it was your plan to embrace her all along."

I turn and look at Greywolf. Had he planned my embrace all along? No, I couldn't accept that. I wanted to hear what he had to say. No, I needed to hear what he had to say.

"Your majesty, you are quite mistaken. The Warlocks' blood magicks do not lie. Her Sire has already been proven to be Anne Bonnie, who chose to abandon Seattle as well as her fledgling. I do freely admit, I asked Malik to look into the woman's background. One of Luna's ghouls had gotten arrested, and she asked me to make sure that he would be properly represented in court. There aren't a lot of Public Defenders in King County that give a rat's ass about their clients. Mara is...was one of the few exceptions."

"I thought you were an instructor in Criminal Law, Raven. Or should I say, Ms. Ravenclaw?"

"I did guest lectures, actually. And the occasional career fair. The Office of the Public Defender is almost always looking for new blood, so to speak."

The Prince smiles at my remark. "Of all the attorneys, they are the most overworked and underpaid." He tells me. Of course, I already knew that. "They can also be the most dedicated to their cause, which is perhaps why an elder Brujah might choose you. So then, Raven, why don't you tell me exactly how your Embrace happened. I really want to know."

I think my life depended upon my story. I pause to gather my thoughts, and begin. "It started out as a pretty normal day. Me and my co-workers decided to go out for drinks at the Black Cock. It's a bar just a few blocks walk from the office."

The Prince nods attentively. So far so good. I continue the story. "So I was sitting with my co-workers having a couple of drinks when this drunk guy comes up to me. He asks me for a date, but I tell him no. He doesn't like my answer, and he makes a nasty comment and tries to grab me. I deck the guy, knock him flat on his ass. The guy is a regular and a total jerk, so all the gals start applauding and he slinks out like a dog.

Prince Marcel raises a hand to stop me. "Did you call the police?"

"I did call them, but they didn't want to take the report because he'd already left the scene and I didn't know his name." I shake my head. It was sad indeed when the cops couldn't be bothered to take a report of a crime.

"What happened next?" The voice is not the Prince's, but rather the raspy voice of the Nosferatu Malik.

I look at the hideous Nosferatu. Even though he wore a fedora covering his head, I could still see the Kindred's greenish skin and deformed countenance. "Against better judgment, I walked home. Alone. I never made it back alive."

The Prince gets up from the chair. "I see. The Anarch Anne Bonnie saw you kicking the guy's ass, and thought you would make a good Brujah."

I nod affirmatively. "She was there. At the bar. I remember seeing her. And I remember being followed while I was walking home. She attacked me. She bit my neck."

Prince Marcel holds his hand up again. "That is good enough."

I smile. Once again, I had passed the Prince's test. The Nosferatu seemed a bit disappointed, like maybe someone had kicked his dog, or spoiled his perfect plan. I look at Greywolf. Had he in fact been stalking me, checking up on me? Or was the investigation just a coincidence? For some reason, I didn't really think so.

"So are you satisfied with my Childe's answer, your majesty?" Greywolf had a rather smug look on his face as he looked directly at Malik. "Because if you are, I believe that Mr. Malik owes me an apology...and a minor boon."

"The lady's answer is satisfactory." Marcel replies, walking toward the Nosferatu. "It seems your suspicions are unfounded, Malik. For once the great detective is wrong."

The Nosferatu's expression does not change. "It is better sometimes to be wrong, than to be right." He walks over toward us and tips his hat to both Greywolf and me. "My apologies, Greywolf. I was obviously mistaken about your intentions toward the lady. For causing her grief, I offer Ms. Ravenclaw a minor boon." He takes off his hat and bows his head to me. I can see patches of dark stiff hair sticking out at crazy angles from his scalp.

Before I could say a word, Prince Marcel intervenes. "Ms. Ravenclaw has not yet been released, Malik. Since she is still Greywolf's responsibility, the boon you offer her belongs to him, and the debt is duly noted."

"Of course, your majesty." Malik seems resigned to his fate. But in the end, the Prince's word was law. That much I had learned during my short time as a vampire.

Greywolf bows once again to the Prince, and I follow his lead. Even dead, I still hated having to kiss someone's ass, but this particular someone could kill me without a second thought. Once we are safely in the van, away from prying eyes and ears that is when I start asking questions. "So, was he right?" I ask. "Were you investigating me because you were concerned about Luna's ghoul? Or did you have some other motive?"

Greywolf does not waver. "I wanted to know more about you." He replied. But he did not actually answer the question. Damn him!

Fine then. Two could play this little game. "Okay, so what was the name of this ghoul? Maybe I'd remember him...or her." Truth was, I could remember the names and faces of all the people I'd defended as a P.D. Okay, maybe not all of them. There were some transferred cases that I couldn't remember too well. And a few that I had never had a chance to see before the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence or because some other lawyer had swooped in and taken the case.

Greywolf hesitates. Now I knew the truth. Malik had been right all along. Greywolf might not have been the one that Embraced me, but I knew that he had assisted in it. He had been the one driving the van that night. This I knew. "The ghoul's name was Ray. But you would probably know him better as Raymond Bates."

Bates. Shit. I did know the guy. Maybe he wasn't lying after all. "Yeah, I remember him. Burglary charge. He broke into a mini storage unit."

"Actually, he didn't. The unit belonged to Luna. One of her daytime havens." Greywolf glances at me as we drive. "Not every Kindred can afford a cozy haven. You learn to work with what funds you have. Mini storage units are cheap, and quite safe, since the kine owners monitor the units with security cameras both day and night. The trick then is to have someone coming and going to let you in and out."
I nod. "And that someone was Ray." Okay, so maybe I was just being paranoid. Greywolf had just been kind enough to take me under his wing. But why would he do that? I guess so he could have a Childe to raise, since the Prince had denied him the chance to create one of his own. But that seemed so...maternal. Not really like a Brujah. But then, in many ways, Greywolf and I were not the traditional Brujah, who rebelled against anything and everything. We were more towards the older Brujah, who had a cause, a passion, a calling. My calling was the Law. Greywolf's calling, I still wasn't sure about, but I had a feeling that it had to do with keeping the peace between the Anarchs and the Camarilla, and walking the thin precarious line between the two. And until he finally released me from his teachings, so too, did I. Perhaps even more so than Greywolf.