The Cat Burglar - 16. Priorities

“Kavan.”

Someone was nudging my shoulder. Instinctively, I jerked away from the hand touching me. Only half awake, I saw Aykut beside the bed, looking down at me.

“A donor has been sent for you.”

I lifted my head. “A donor?”

A blond human waited by the door. When our eyes met, she instantly took a step forward. “Do you prefer to drink from the neck or the wrist, signore?”

To be honest, I preferred to stay in bed, but at my age, I couldn’t afford to follow my mutinous mood and skip a meal, so I fake-smiled at her. “The wrist will be fine, thank you.”

After swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I reveled briefly in the feeling of my bare feet touching ancient, smooth, grey marble tiles. “What’s your name?” I always tried to treat donors decently and not like nameless servants, or even cattle, as some of my fellow vampires in Mother’s clan did.

“My name is Claudia.” By now, she was bouncing on her toes.

I looked around the room the Count had given us, and I nodded in the direction of a table and two chairs with dark blue upholstery in front of a high, small window. “Let’s go over there.”

Claudia was beside me as soon as my butt touched the seat, holding out her arm. I ran my thumb over the thin skin of her wrist, then grabbed it and pierced the most promising vein. Her blood was delicious, sweet, and fruity. “Did you eat pineapple?”

She blushed and nodded eagerly. “Ilaria loves it when my blood tastes of it.”

“So, you normally feed her?”

Her blush immediately spread from her face down her arms. “Sometimes.”

As soon I had closed the wound, Claudia took a step back. “I am to bring you to the reception area now; the Conte wants to talk to you.”

I looked down at my rumpled suit. “Erm....”

“One of Graciela’s people brought our bags over last night. Your toiletries are in the bathroom. I will prepare a suit in the meantime.” Aykut pointed at a small door.

Relieved, I caught Claudia’s gaze. “I’m going to take a quick shower first.” One thing I’d learned while living with older vampires was most of them valued outer appearance and etiquette. You simply don’t see a centuries-old city Master wearing a suit you slept in. On my way to the bathroom, I mouthed a thank-you to Aykut.

Now that I was freshly showered and adequately clad, my donor led me via a small lateral stairway to an empty room. It seemed the Master of the City liked to make people wait like every really important person in the world.

It was a nice room. On the right was an ornate double door and a generous fireplace framed by blue-veined white marble. A black fire grate protected the floor from flying sparks, and above it hung an elaborately-decorated mask. Welcome to Venice!

There were no chairs in this room. I hated standing around with nothing to do, so I briefly considered giving my sire a quick call to inquire about Emil and Gideon, but something told me being on the phone and chatting with Konstantin while waiting for the city Master would have been frowned upon.

Without anything else to do, I walked over to the blue and gold painted mask to inspect it more closely.

Just when I stretched my fingers out to touch one of its shiny feathers, the double doors opened and Conte Ballarin entered. I quickly pulled my hand back and pushed it into the pocket of my trousers.

He came over and stopped beside me. “This type of mask is called Scaramouche, after a character from the Commedia. Do you like it?”

“It’s beautifully done in the colors of Venice, blue and gold.” I tilted my head to the right and squinted. The paint wasn’t showing any cracks. “It’s older, but not ancient, right?”

He put his hand on my shoulder. “Indeed. A beloved friend designed it for me after the celebrations and parties finally returned during the 1960s.” He chuckled. “It gained me many admirers.”

“Yes, I read about the ban on a website. The authorities forbade all carnival festivities because of the increasing number of crimes done behind the masks.”

He squeezed my shoulder. “Very good, this happened in 1797 to be exact.” Taking my arm, he led me back into the room he’d just come from. It was some kind of parlor, a word I had never used before in my life, even in my head.

Its fireplace was in exactly the same spot as it was in the neighboring room. Probably so they could use the same chimney.

I was nervous, and recounting unneeded data helped me to calm down. This time it was stuff I read about Venetian palazzi in some travel guide. Jeez.

“Please sit down.” The count pointed at two comfortable-looking chairs with golden velvet upholstery arranged in front of the fireplace. The ancient clock sitting on the black marble mantle ticked loudly. It felt ominous. My nerves were for shit.

“Did you feed enough, or should I order some more blood?”

I lifted my hand. “I’m good, thank you. Claudia took excellent care of me.”

“Good.” He took the second chair across from mine, crossed his legs, and leaned forward. “What had started one day as an opportunity to shrug off the structure of society, as the masks were hiding our true identities, had become a means to commit all kinds of crimes, robbery, assassination, and other illicit activities.”

I had a little problem following his line of thought at first, but then I got it. He was simply continuing our previous conversation, and I was about to get a history lesson.

Leaning forward in his chair, he explained, “Nowadays, the carnival is one of Venice’s biggest events. The festival takes place at the end of February with all kinds of parades, concerts, and private parties, with citizens and tourists dressed up in elaborate costumes. If you’re still here, you can experience some of it for yourself.”

“Um....” I didn’t know how to answer that as I hadn’t talked either to my sire or Master Caspian yet, and I still didn’t know what to think about the invitation.

“You’re hesitant to accept my offer.” He sighed. “I’m old, very old, and I’m still waiting to find my One Childe, or meet my bloodsong.” He stared at the ticking clock. “When my sire first told me about the two most important people to a vampire, I was instantly convinced the fates would gift me with both.” He chuckled. “I mean, how could they not, right?” He shook his head. “I was young and arrogant back then. But decades passed, centuries too, and now—” He shrugged. “I’m still arrogant and very much alone.” He balled his left hand into a fist, only to immediately relax it again. “It just makes me furious when a vampire rejects fate’s precious gifts while others...” He got up from his chair. “I don’t have any right to judge as I don’t know anything about Gideon and his motives, but I felt his fear! How can one—" he closed his eyes, then lifted his hands placatingly. “As I said, what do I know?” A ringing sound interrupted him, and he reached into the inner pocket of his suit coat to pull out his phone. After swiping the screen, he answered. “Yes.”

After listening for a short while, he turned to me. “He’s here in the room with me.” The Conte listened again to the caller, then passed me his phone. “For you.”

I frowned at the screen, but it was black. “This is Kavan?”

“Kavan.”

“Konstantin.”

“How are you?”

Here I was bursting with a thousand questions, and my sire asked me how I was. “Are you going to tell me my flight itinerary?”

“Listen, the Conte called me yesterday and told me that he invited you to stay in Venice for a while. He thought you might need a break after the incident before the ball.”

“That’s correct, but I’d—"

“We think it’s a good idea.”

I gripped the phone so hard, I thought I heard a cracking noise. “We?”

“Master Caspian and I. You should accept the generous offer. Venice is an exciting city with many sights, and let’s not talk about the museums.”

I was stunned. “Museums?”

“He said you can stay as long as you need, weeks or even months.”

Months? “What? I don’t want to stay here for weeks, let alone months!” Then I remembered that the Master of this City was in the room with me. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Venice is gorgeous, and as you said exciting, but what I really want is to fly home. My brothers and—”

“Gideon will be here in a few hours.”

“Why? He resigned from his position as first Legate and left the clan!” And then I got it. “This isn’t about what I need, huh?” Then I understood entirely. “Master Caspian doesn’t want me there when Gideon arrives.”

“I didn’t say that. There might be a little tension in the beginning when you both live here again but in time—”

“Let’s cut to the chase. Master Caspian wants me out of the way. Gideon might be willing to return into the fold of the clan, whoo-hoo, and my presence would lessen the possibility of this outcome.”

“No, Kav—"

“And while we’re at it, we better ignore the fact that the master himself alienated Gideon when he forced the bond on us.” I inhaled deeply. I was so furious, I thought I might explode. “And now, because his nifty plan didn’t work out as expected, and Gideon refused to be manipulated by him and rejected me two times, no make it three, Caspian wants me out of the way so he can have him back anyway. I mean, we don’t want him feeling uncomfortable as it could jeopardize the happy reunion.” Then I had another thought. “Did the master offer him his old position?”

“Not yet, b—"

“I see. And what did you do?”

“Maybe after giving it some time—”

“What? I might be allowed to visit my brothers, my only family. Did you even try to be on my side, sire?”

“Kavan.”

I walked to the window and stared into the darkness. “All the bullshit you told me about how special our sire-childe relationship is and how uber special it is to be a One Childe, was just bullshit, huh?”

“Kavan!”

“No!” I lifted my hand to interrupt him, even though he couldn’t see me. “I understand now. Positions are more important than your so-called vampire family.” I scoffed. “What an idiot I was. I actually thought you were a-a father. I can see now the only family I have are my brothers. I never had any luck with fathers anyway.”

“Kavan, you don’t understand—”

“I understand just fine.” I squeezed my eyelids closed as hard as I could, trying to prevent the tears from welling up, the rest I swallowed. “Call Aykut home.”

“Why? I understand you two became close friends.”

“We did, but I don’t need a day guard anymore, right? I’m staying in Venice. I’m not traveling anymore.”

“That’s right but—”

“Call him back!”

“All right, all right. I will do as you ask,” Konstantin spat.

I pressed the end button and gave the phone back. Before the Conte could comment on the conversation, I quickly asked, “Can I go?”

Much to my astonishment, the Conte accepted it silently. “We can talk later. I’ll call someone to show you the way back to your room.”

Aykut was holding his phone in a death grip when I entered. “Why are you sending me home? What did I do?”

I went to him and pried the phone from his hands and took them in mine. “You did nothing. You’re my trusted friend, and that’s why I need you to carry out a special mission for me.”

“A special mission?”

I opened the wardrobe, pulled out my sword, and held it out to him. “I want you to return this to Konstantin.”

Aykut instantly took a step back, crossed his arms, and shook his head. “Why do you want me to commit a grave affront? It’s your sire’s gift to his One Childe.”

“Exactly.” Then I told him that I wasn’t allowed to go home and why. I wrapped my arms around me. “I felt so honored and loved when he gave it to me and told me his own sire had given this very sword to him before she left him.” I threw the dreaded thing on the bed. “Today I learned it means nothing.”

Aykut touched my arm. “Don’t make any rash decisions. Maybe you don’t know all the facts.”

“Then he should have taken the time to explain those facts to me.”

“Maybe he couldn’t for whatever reasons.” His hand tightened. “Think about this. Giving back the sword will hurt your sire severely. It could damage your relationship beyond repair.”

“He hurt me too. Maybe he’ll realize how much when he gets the sword back.” I threw myself in the chair. “He didn’t even try to talk Caspian out of this.”

“You don’t know this.”

“He would’ve told me, don’t you think? And when this destroys our childe-sire bond, then it wasn’t strong enough in the first place.”

Aykut took the sword and ran his finger along the blade. “It pains me, but I can see your point.”

“Then you will do it?”

“I will.”

Aykut left a few hours later. I knew my, Konstantin’s, sword, was safe and in good hands.

“If you could explore Venice, what would you want to do first?” The Conte leaned back in his chair, looking at me with raised eyebrows.

I had read more about Venice and its sights after Aykut left. “I guess I want to do some of the usual stuff like visiting some of the museums Konstantin mentioned, St Marc’s Cathedral, the Doge’s Palace, things like that.” Then I remembered something. “It’s probably not doable though, as they’re not open at night.”

He folded his hands on the desktop and smiled. “I’m surprised. Why do you want to visit the museums? Isn’t that too boring and stuffy for a young man? Old paintings, statues, chipped Greek pots, yellowed letters, dusty books, or plans of historical ships?”

“Our parents used to visit museums with us. Afterwards, Mom and I sometimes discussed the paintings. When I look at paintings today, I always wonder if the work of an artist reflects them or what their principal or customer paid for.” I shrugged. “Maybe it’s a mix between both or something entirely else.”

The Conte nodded. “An interesting approach to art. A little cynical though, don’t you think?”

I shrugged. “Maybe. Mom said she would never sell her artistic photographs. What she sold were documentaries. Selling her art would feel demeaning to her. Others, her patrons, might try to make her change her approach. Her art was her own.”

He fixed his eyes on me. “Is there more?”

“More?”

“Other things you want to do here.”

And suddenly I told him my wildest ideas. “I’d like to stargaze in the center of St. Mark’s Square, lying on my back.”

His eyebrows went up. “What about all the pigeon droppings?”

I laughed. “I don’t care.”

“In theory, the view is spectacular, but light pollution will probably spoil your fun. Maybe we‘ll take the boat one night; out at sea you could actually see some stars. Something else?”

“I would like to climb the monolith with the winged lion behind the Doge’s Palace and look him in the eye. I like places with a view.”

He smiled. “I know, my soldiers saw you perched on top of the Dogana’s roof one night.”

“They did?”

“I’m the City Master, Venice is mine. Of course, I’m told about strangely-behaving foreign vampires.”

I laughed. “Okay. I’d love to explore Venice by roof and sample the city’s scents and sounds as well as by foot. I want to count bridges and watch the water flowing languidly to the sea, because it is your city’s lifeblood, her very soul. I want to touch walls that have been touched by people from all over the world and by people who lived centuries ago. Maybe I can feel their—” I frowned, trying to find the right expression. “—I don’t know what to call it. Vibes? Energy?”

“Did you sense something when you walked the city?” His eyes suddenly glowed with a strange light.

I thought about his question. “Maybe.” Sometimes it felt as if I should be aware of people no one else saw.

“Your powers are derived from the shadows. There is a gift...shadow sight. Maybe you’re on the brink of finding it.” He leaned back and looked at me with narrowed, almost predatory, eyes.

I didn’t want to discuss my gifts. Konstantin had expressly warned me about this. Nervously, I pretended I didn’t know what he was talking about and continued with the next point on my list. “Can I drink blood flavored with Venetian spices?”

He laughed. “What? How would you do that? Do you want to feed from a restaurant’s cook?”

I was glad he didn’t insist on following his former train of thought. Or he was aware that he stepped over a line? “Something like that. I read all about enotecas, osterias, their unique menus, and traditional recipes. I will never be able to eat the food those guides praised, at least not directly.”

He got up from his chair. “I can see you already gave this list some thought.”

“I had time on my hands after Aykut left. I’m staying much longer than I anticipated now and could expand my list.” Even to my ears, I sounded extremely ungrateful, and I immediately tried to smooth my comment, especially as I remembered he’d listened to me complaining to Konstantin the other day. “I’m sorry, Conte. Others might be over the moon....”

He waved my excuse away. “Don’t worry. Your reaction is verifiable. Konstantin could have handled the entire situation much more delicately.”

“Thank you, Master.” I was relieved I hadn’t insulted his beloved city with my thoughtlessness. He wasn’t responsible for the mess I was in.

“I have a few suggestions of my own to add to your list. As you were so intrigued with my mask, would you be interested in visiting a mask workshop and studying how to create your own masks?”

“I would absolutely love it. Do you think I would have time to make one for my brothers too?

He smiled. “By any means. As you said, time is not of the essence anymore. And—”

Someone had knocked.

Smiling, the Conte turned to the door. “Come in.”

A man and a woman entered the room.

“Meet two of my soldiers. This is Ilaria.” The Conte gestured at the woman. Her short, blueberry-colored hair gleamed in the overhead light when she tilted her head, looking at me curiously.

“You’re the one who sneaked a sword in right under Alberto’s nose.”

I bowed exaggeratedly. “Two, actually.”

The Conte shook his head at us. “And this is Mauro. Both will be your guards and guides when you explore the city.”

Mauro immediately saluted haphazardly and grinned at me. “The double G-team at your service.”

I looked at him blankly. Huh?

Ilaria rolled her eyes. “Guide and guard, double G. He thinks he’s funny.”

The city Master ignored their banter and turned to me. “These are two of my best soldiers; I chose them because I thought they’d suit you best.”

I held his gaze. “Suit me best?”

He nodded at Mauro. “He might not look it,” he lifted an eyebrow, daring the man to contradict him, “but he is actually a veritable historian. He knows much about Venice’s official sights as well as her secrets.” His gaze found the female vampire. “Ilaria however, won’t hesitate to follow you to any of your explorations by roof escapades and will probably have some suggestions of her own, too.”

It’s surprisingly cold in Venice during the winter months. Daytime highs are around the mid-40s, and it can get down to freezing at night. It’s also the driest time of the year. Crowds are at their lowest number. The best time to visit for my kind.

The Conte had chosen well. Ilaria loved scaling buildings with me. We perched on many roofs and watched the city and her people together. She was absolutely thrilled when she learned that I could hide her in the shadows with me if she stayed close enough. She enjoyed climbing the winged lion’s column and even straddled the poor guy. And because it was so much fun, we decided to scale the second column too, and the crazy woman kissed St. Theodor on the cheek and patted the dragon’s head.

Mauro answered all my questions: what’s the name of that church? Who lived in that palazzo? and so on. “This is an impressive church. What’s it called?”

“San Zaccaria.”

“I never know the different styles. Which is it? Gothic or Roman?”

“It’s actually a mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles. However, most people come here because of its flooded crypt.”

“See, as I said, no clue. Can we see the crypt?”

Mauro grinned. “That’s why we’re here.”

Inside, I couldn’t help but whisper. “Who is buried here?”

“Some of Venice’s earliest Doges, who were her religious and political leaders.”

The shimmering water somehow enhanced the overall feel of the space. The stone columns and vaulted ceilings, combined with the standing water, made one creepy tomb, though. Mauro winked when he saw me shivering. “I can show you the palazzo where the composer Wagner died of a heart attack next, if you dig creepy.”

“No, thank you.” Suddenly the line between the planes became too thin.

The double G team and I slowly made our way through my list, checking boxes left and right. We tasted quite a number of famous or not-so-famous cooks, who were amazingly spicy. Mauro was absolutely delighted by my way to spice up our diet.

As expected, Venice was a city full of history, secrets, and mysteries, vibrating with life, and death, even in winter.

The thing was, I missed my brothers. I was on the phone with them often. They were angry at Caspian and Konstantin when they heard what happened. Nate told me one night that Doc had a major fight with Konstantin. They didn’t mention Gideon in our conversations, and I didn’t ask.

Sometimes when we roamed the city, I felt as if I forgot something or left my keys or wallet at home. It made me crazy.

As the carnival came closer, and the number of tourists increased, I took the Conte up on his suggestion to visit a workshop and eventually create my own mask.

The class was led by two vampires, who knew a lot about the old techniques, but we laymen just made them from paper and glue which we pressed into different molds.

The painting and decorating with gleaming glass stones, and/or feathers was my favorite. In the end, I made five masks in total. One for each of my brothers, a plague doctor mask for Sebastian, a black half-face wolf mask for Aykut, and, of course, a vampire mask for me, a black foundation covered with short black feathers with a drop of bright red ‘blood’ running down the chin. Hiding in plain sight.

When Ilaria and I came back from a trip to Murano, Claudia was waiting for me in the hall. “You have a visitor,” she stated, and she pointed at the room with the golden and blue mask.

“Oh, perfect that will be Reimo. He said he would deliver the latest masks I made after the glue is dry.” I hurried over and opened the door. To my astonishment, there were two chairs standing by the fireplace this time. The Conte got up and gestured for me to enter. “Kavan.”

Then the person with their back to me stood up. Gideon.

My gaze collided with the Conte’s. I felt betrayed. “What’s he doing here?”

He nodded at Gideon. “Why are you here?”

“Kavan. We need to talk, I—”

White hot fury singed through me when I saw him standing there casually, as if nothing had happened. My claws sank into the palms of my hands, blood welled up between the fingers of my fists and I spat, “Definitely not.” With that, I left the room.

Thank you for reading chapter 16.
Comments and reactions are very welcome.
 @Valkyrie  for being a patient editor.