I do not need a holiday.”
“Well the truth is, Jaegar, I need you to do this. I need you to go to your ancestral home and reside there for a while. In that time, I need you to watch my brother.”
“Ok, you now have my interest. To what avail?” Jaegar’s head tilted slightly to the side in anticipation.
“I believe that my brother, Talek and his wife Senara, your Uncle and Aunt, are planning something that they should not be.”
“Tell me more.” Jaegar's eyes narrowed as he focused on Rìghfuil.
“I don’t have more. All I base this on, is one killing that was unsanctioned and unconcealed.”
“When does Talek ever lack caution?” The expression on Jaegar’s narrow face was thoughtful. His eyes stared intently as he considered this information.
“As far as I know, Talek, Senara and their children, have acted without caution. I want to know, everything. What I do not know and even more than that!” Rìghfuil’s voice thundered throughout the hall so loudly that the paintings on the walls shook. Jaegar’s face was stony and his entire demeanour was unchanged as if nothing had happened. There was a silence that settled the air and finally, Jaegar spoke decisively,
“Consider it done.”
Chapter 4 - Going Home
Jaegar opened up the door to a large, floor to ceiling cupboard. Bending down low, he picked up his old, black duffle bag, bringing out into the spacious room. The entire room was made from stone bricks which gave the appearance of being carved individually by hand. The cupboard, bookshelves, bed and tables were all made from wood and glistened with a dark, warm mahogany.
Contemplating the duffle bag, Jaegar could not recall the last time he had used it and so he shook it out vigorously, in case of dust or insects. He then neatly threw it onto his four poster bed before turning back toward his cupboard. Hanging on the rack were various shirts, suits and ties from many different eras.
Not only did this room belong to Jaegar but the entire wing was assigned to him. He could shut his area off from the rest of the blood seekers and there were times, when he did just that. He lived a quite solitary life. Often Rìghfuil was the only being he spoke to in the course of a week. When allocated an assignment, he would leave the castle and set about stalking his prey. As Rìghfuil’s most efficient and successful hunter, it would never take him a great deal of time to hunt down the human and neatly dispatch them. Sometimes he would drink deeply of them savouring the warm blood as it travelled through his system. Other times, he would take pleasure in watching the blood drain from them as their lives would empty, along with the blood.
His work required subtly. The humans were never to know of the threat of death, or indeed, the thirst of the Blood King. There had been times in history when humans had discovered the presence of a vampire and this had never gone well. Jaegar had always believed that this was somehow behind his parent’s unusual death. Jaegar was not born into the service of Rìghfuil. He had been orphaned at an age too young to make sense of things for himself. From his understanding, his remaining family had held a meeting and strangely decided to hand him over to Rìghfuil. Rìghfuil had agreed to take on the responsibly for Jaegar and in fact was the only real parental figure he had ever known.
As far as anyone knew, Rìghfuil had always been the ruler of the living dead and this had made him an unusual choice to raise an infant vampire. Technically, Rìghfuil was a blood relative to Jaegar. He was an unclel brother to Jaegar’s father. There had been three brothers, Rìgh, Talek and Enor. Enor was Jaegar’s father and he had died, along with Jaegar's mother, leaving the two remaining brothers behind. The eldest of the brothers of course, was Rìghfuil himself. Third in line had been Jaegar’s father. In the middle of the two was Talek. Talek lived in the mortal world. Talek was the one Rìghfuil had asked Jaegar to go and observe.
After some contemplation, Jaegar chose shoes and clothing to pack into his duffle bag and hoisted it onto his shoulders. His black hair was tied neatly and hung down his back, under the duffle bag.
Jaegar then turned and left his room without looking back. As he strode along his corridor he moved quickly to reach the end of his wing. Flinging open the large oak door, he pushed it shut once on the other side by leaning heavily against it. Jaegar then walked along the landing, occasionally glancing downward toward the Goesek-kasa milling around below.
These creatures were the lowest form of blood seekers and were simplistic in thought and design. Although most vampires held them in absolute contempt, Jaegar himself treated them as pets. The total blood seekers in Rìghfuil’s service was made up of forty-two vampires and sixty-seven Goesek-kasas. The vampires controlled the Goesek-kasas and would use them to assist with hunting down humans who were allocated to die. Sometimes the Goesek-kasas were just let loose, other times, they were led on a chain by vampires. Jaegar, rarely used them as his pride in his own abilities would not allow assistance when it came to hunting. In fact, Jaegar had never failed, except for the one time that he alone believed had been a failure.
Jaegar deftly hurried down the long stair case and eventually came out into a room full of hungry Goeseks. They noisily scampered across the floor, in search of any morsels left behind after their last meal and Jaegar adroitly walked through the chaos without changing his step. The Goeseks seemed to calm in his presence some even looked upward, toward his progress. These creatures, the Goesek-kasas had once been human although there was nothing human about them now. Most were mistakes made by vampires when taking a human life but some were deliberately created. There were rare times when a human could be altered into becoming a vampire but it was difficult to attain and more often than not, lead to failure. Jaegar had never created one and never intended to either, evenso, he had some sympathies for the creatures. The Goesek-kasas did not walk upright but would scamper on all fours, rather like that of an oversized dog. Their faces were barely recognisable as human and looked far more like a beast. Their jaws were oversized and the actual jaw itself could snap wide open rather like a snake, without any pain or damage to the creature. It helped them to lock onto their prey with their long sharp teeth.
Eventually Jaegar opened the far door and walked out into the Throne Room, stopping before Rìghfuil.
“I’m packed and ready to leave you.”
“But of course you will return to me with news.” Rìghfuil spoke with a certainty of a king who had never been disappointed by his hunter.
“Indeed.” was Jaegar’s dry response.
“I am sure you have a plan, as you usually do.”
“Yes.” Jaegar adamantly responded but after a pause, he continued, “I’m going home and I will open my doors to allow them to call on me.”
Rìghfuil looked at Jaegar with surprise.
“You’ll see. They won’t be able to help themselves. Curiosity will dictate their actions and that will be their undoing.” Jaegar stated.
“Then I wish you well Jaegar.” Rìghfuil shook hands with Jaegar and patted his shoulder at the same time.
Very soon after and without another word, Jaegar turned and walked from the Throne Room and then from the castle that had been his home for his entire life. He started the journey toward the home he had been born into, that awaited him, in merry
