Book 2 Chapter 27: Promises Kept and Failed

Tristan

July 30, Earth Time, near Nice, France

Tristan and Caterina decided to take their time going to Nice, renting a car with Eliza and Saint-Georges and driving all the way. They left late in the morning, took the ferry, then stopped on the Amalfi Coast. The Vampires asked for a room together, which made Caterina wink at Tristan and joke about little baby Vampires hanging from the candelabra.

They followed to Naples, Pisa, and Genoa. In Pisa, Saint-Georges assured them the Realm's tower was straight. Eliza suggested they should correct the situation, as a crooked one brought more tourists. They stopped in the Casino in Monaco, from where they left with a bit more money than they entered with. They cheated, of course. Caterina by counting cards and the Vampires by moving the dice or the ball into the right groove. Tristan had an aversion to gambling and spent his time at the bar, enjoying the view of his beloved having a good time, her reddened cheeks, her smile.

They pushed to Nice late in the night, stopping in a cottage Eliza booked online, all for themselves. The night was full of scent: pines, flowers, and somehow the lateness of summer made him think of the beauty of a woman in her full bloom. A bit like Caterina, though she was still in her late June, if Tristan applied the metaphor. But she was going to be like that summer night, one day, and he was looking forward to it, and all the voyage it entailed, to that point and further.

She fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed, snoring softly, too tired for making love. That was for the better. Tristan threw some water on his face, accelerated his metabolism to get rid of the alcohol in his system, and left the room, knocking at the Vampires' door seconds later.

Eliza opened the door, dressed in a tight leather suit. She held her dagger at the ready. Behind her, Saint Georges was casually leaning on the wall, arms crossed.

"Mario called," she said directly. "The bait worked. The boogies picked up our trace in Monaco."

"How many?" Tristan asked.

"The Space Mage, Petronius, two awakened, probably body type, and eight Orders, mixed. They're on their way as we speak. Caterina's cousin is staying in a nearby villa. The GPS location is on our phones. He hired about a hundred guards, but they won't be part of the attack. They're insurance. Mario suspects they are retired special forces. Lots of firepower, drones, you name it."

"I know what Eliza does. What can you do?" Tristan asked the knight.

"I'm twice as fast as a normal Body order, and have short and medium-range teleports. My sword," the man gestured toward a rapier hung on his belt, "siphons both health and lifeforce. If I hit the neck, it delivers a double hit at the same time, leaving a Vampire mark."

"You should go take care of the cousin, and leave the rest to us," Tristan said.

"It would be better if we kill the attackers first and we move together to the second group."

"My AOE will cut off magical powers. Your teleports will stop working, and since you're still too low level, Eliza will have to babysit you. She's very tough physically; she'll do well in close non-magical combat."

"He's right, darling," Eliza said. "Go take care of the cousin. Kill everyone, leave the Vampire mark. Take photos. Mario will spread them around. Other contractors will think twice before coming for us."

"I like how you think," Tristan said.

Saint Georges nodded and vanished, leaving behind a faint scent of ozone.

"I want to take them alone," Eliza said immediately afterward, which meant she knew Saint Georges wouldn't have accepted it. It was one of the reasons she went with Tristan's plan.

"I doubt I'm able to trap all eleven in my Dark Void. It's smaller than my previous AOE."

"AOE or not, I don't care. If they insist on coming after us, it means they were all the way in Georgescu's plot. They're accomplices. They killed my best friend, and I didn’t have many, to start with."

"Petronius will go directly for Caterina. Do you mind if I kill him?"

"Yes, I mind. Keep him alive. I'll drink his blood," Eliza hissed.

"Fine," Tristan sighed. It was an extra bother, but she was his friend.

He exited her room and returned in his suit. Sitting on the floor, in the position Pops had taught him, he began meditating. The one problem with his Dark Void was that it was slowish to start. An unavoidable second, but for people with reflexes and space magic, enough to jump away. Tristan let himself drift in a state of relaxation, pushing the skill forward. A channeling that was slowed and kept on the brink of activating. Not often had he the luxury of anticipating an attack; however, the summons to a trial had been suspicious from the start. Someone had used Mariuka to have him in a specific place at a specific time. If he was the main target, and the Cousin co-opted after Tristan and Caterina had become an item, or the mobster wanted to get rid of him to reach her, it was not important. Only the results were.

Since getting the third tier, he had invested in his Spirit stats, training and allocating his points there. He hoped that would give him an edge.

He felt the portal a split second before it manifested, and activated the Dark Void at the same time. Petronius appeared in the center of the room, a gun in one hand and a short sword, like a gladius, in the other.

"Hi," Tristan said.

The man seemed to see through the darkness, as he pointed the gun directly at him. The hammer clicked without effect. Toying with his prey was futile, and Tristan sent his tendrils forward. Two wrapped around the man's hands, two around the ankles, one around the neck, one around the mouth, and the last four thrust into a lung, a liver, a kidney, and the stomach. The gladius fell on the floor. Petronius tried to scream, but Tristan's dark tendril squeezed, muting his voice. He then tried to jump, and widened his eyes when he failed.

"Shush. I don't want my girlfriend to wake up."

The space mage mumbled something through his gag. Begging for his life, probably.

"Sorry. Can't do that. If you ask me, you've ruined your second chance."

Terrible screams were coming from outside. Not directly. The Dark Void's surface was transmitting them, like a membrane. Tristan lowered the sound. There was a possibility Eliza lost the fight, but she was a tough cookie to kill.

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Worst-case scenario, Saint Georges would carry bits of her in a jar for a year, until she regenerates. That would prove his true love…

The screams became rarer, yet more desperate. Petronius reiterated his wails.

"If you have some cyanide in a tooth, I suggest you chew on it. Any second now, Eliza will come and feed on you."

"Mercy," the man managed to beg.

"You and your pals killed her friend, and now you're attacking me for the second time. The question is… when I dismiss my Void, will you be able to teleport away? Hm… let's siphon your Mana, just in case."

Five minutes later, Eliza banged his fists on the Dark, and he canceled it. Petronius was hanging on Tristan's dark tentacles, half conscious. He didn't go anywhere. Eliza grabbed the mage like a rag doll and left the room. There were no screams.

He went outside a minute later, expecting to find her feeding. Instead, she had just stabbed the man in the heart.

"There was almost no lifeforce left," she said, a bit accusatory.

"I didn't want to risk letting him escape."

"I know. Come."

She dragged the dead body on the ground, and Tristan followed, even if she was not his boss anymore. Eliza had sounded somehow dramatic. Rehearsed. Like she had thought of that single word for a long time. She stopped near a semi-truck and threw Petronius over a pile of bodies. With him there were eleven in total. From where they were, they could see the sea, glittering under the moon.

"My father's mansion is that way," she pointed toward the Mediterranean. "Mario's there," Eliza pointed north. "The villa Caterina's cousin rented is on his lands. No police will come."

"Neat?"

Where's she going with this?

"I used to play here with Caterina. By here I mean where we stand. She's only three years younger than me. Albeit I look like an old deformed witch," Eliza sneered.

"You’re beautiful in your own way," Tristan said candidly.

"Just stop speaking before I kill you. Caterina matters more to me than I do to her. I was a weird kid, obsessed with ballet, with no friends to speak of, and she was nice to me. This cottage was an old lady's, who was happy we came here to play. The inheritors don't like it and want to sell it. Caterina dreamt of living here since she was eight years old. She loves this place. She could afford to buy it, but she loves you and fears you'll get bored. She thinks you're addicted to adventure and killing people."

"Really?" Tristan gasped. "Absolutely not. Things just happen."

"If you love her, buy it. Ten acres of vineyard and forest, for a mil. Really cheap. Take it as an older sister's advice."

She went away, driving the semi, while Tristan stared into nothingness. Killing people or making wine and swimming in the sea? The choice was easy.

I'll tell her first thing in the morning…

The judge, a stern-looking old man, scolded Tristan for five minutes after he announced he would represent himself.

Mariuka's lawyer presented their case, citing specific legal codes, then called her to testify. The girl was tearful and mostly sincere. Her true sentiments, in his opinion, were somewhere between an infatuation and a sincere affection. While telling the story of their interactions, she frowned from time to time, looking at Caterina with that specific young-person befuddlement, when they're almost on the verge of understanding something but then fail.

She's wondering where Sandra is…

"Mister von Melk!" the judge shouted, stopping his line of thought. "It's the third time I've called you."

"Sorry, your honor," Tristan bit his lower lip. He was sure the judge's impression of him wasn't the most favorable.

"Raise and make your case."

"I plead guilty, your honor," Tristan blurted.

"This is a civil case, Mister von Melk," the judge interjected. "You cannot be guilty. You can be liable. Ten ducats fine for wasting my time on something so basic."

"Sorry, your honor," Tristan said before searching for Mariuka's eyes. "I apologize for failing to maintain a gentleman's standard. I admit my attitude could have led you to believe I was in love with you.

"And… I do love you," he said gently, stopping for a moment before continuing, "But not as a woman, as a sister. You're like family to me. I know that's uncomfortable to hear, and I'm sorry. One day you'll meet someone you'll care for the way I do for my fiancée. When that day comes, you'll understand why I couldn't pursue your love, and you'll thank me for not taking that chance away from you.

"Your honor," Tristan turned his eyes toward the judge, "I'm fully willing to pay Mariuka fair compensation, in the form of a dowry, in a trust fund she'd touch when she'll be of age."

"Fully willing to pay, huh?" the judge rolled her eyes. "But not to marry her?"

"My heart is taken."

Suddenly, he lost his equilibrium and almost fell. Maruika had jumped at him, wrapping her arms around him and tucking herself against his chest.

"Thank you for taking care of me… I thought you... had other motives… You're a true knight."

Speechless, he patted her head. Caterina stretched a hand, ready to pull the girl off him, when Mariuka detached from Tristan by herself.

"I don't need any dowry, your honor. I'm fine. I renounce my claim. Being his friend is enough reward."

Behind her, the Futaks were desperately signaling no.

The lawyer cleared his throat. "Your honor, please don't take her words into account. Her legal tutors wish to maintain the claim."

"It's our duty as responsible parents to take care of your interests," Mariuka's adoptive mother said, avoiding Tristan's eyes. "However, we would like to have the dowry set at the standard minimum for our status, that being five hundred ducats."

Whatever social norms or face the woman wanted to save, Tristan didn't care. Five hundred was a reasonable amount, and he had been willing to pay the full thousand in the first place. Not that he was unhappy by the reduction. He had a plot of land to buy, after all.

"Dear Madam, you are not entitled to speak freely in my court," the judge said coldly. "I'm fining you ten ducats. Now, everybody take their seats and listen carefully. I will deliver my decision on the spot, without any delay. Write it down," the man said to the clerk present.

"The initial claim was for a thousand ducats. I'm taking into account the reduction of the claim. The second amount is more reasonable, and would have been granted if the two had been engaged in sexual intercourse. However, your lawyer and Miss von Futak testified this is not the case.

"While still different from Earth Laws, the Protectorates don't recognize what happened as a breach of promise. It was, at best, flirting, and the young gentleman had saved her and the kid from multiple dangers. Case dismissed."

"I'll still gift her the five hundred," Tristan said.

"Ten ducats fine for speaking out of order. This is not all. While still underage, at sixteen, Miss Mariuka has the right to work. " I have here," the judge said, raising a paper, "the legal charter of your enterprise, the Chaos Company. Every working member, regardless of what they do, is entitled to a share, and you are entitled to two. Miss Mariuka stayed in your castle for a month; is this correct?"

"Y-yes?"

"Did she cook, clean, do any work?"

"Y-yes?"

"Not much, your honor. I had to take care of the little one," Mariuka said.

"Do you have your accounts with you?"

"N-no?"

"How much is your company charging for a day of work?"

"D-depends, your honor. A thousand ducats if there's a fight."

"I've been on the Realm. There are fights all the time. I'm finding you liable for paying Miss Mariuka a correct wage. Out of the goodness of my heart, I estimate the amount at two thousand. During that month, she had a child with you. In the protectorates, employers are obliged to pay an extra to working mothers. Encouraging natality and increasing the workforce. Plus a thousand ducats. Another thousand will be the fine for not declaring her as an employee and paying the taxes. Rejoice, as not all is as bad as it sounds. I will cancel the twenty ducats in previous fines. You have until the end of the fiscal year to pay the amount. That’s it. "

The judge's hammer didn’t hit only the desk; it also hit Tristan's head. Caterina nodded toward the judge and the Futaks, fondled Mariuka's shoulder, then pulled the slack-jawed Tristan after her.

"C'mon, it's not so bad," she said outside. "Only two million, right?"

He choked, unable to answer.

"C'mon, we can still buy the cottage," she said, elbowing him gently. "I pay for the house. You can buy the doorbell."

"I can't afford the doorbell," Tristan hissed. "That fine is all the money I have."

"Oh…"

"There's not much choice. I must accept Sam's gig."

"What gig?"

"The tournament?"

"Ah, yes… I helped Sam with some contacts. The profit margin is really good."

"He wants me and the company to be security. I was going to refuse him."

"What's the problem?"

Tristan raised one finger. "One asset is easy to protect. Two, maybe. Dozens? Too many things could go wrong. Like idiots who'd get drunk and start brawls in taverns, because their dream is to fisticuff an elf in a fantasy world."

She searched for his hand. "I like the cottage, but I'll go with your call."

"Let's buy it," Tristan said. "You love it, I love it. I'll put two thousand ducats and work toward the fine for the rest of the year. And about Sam's thing, I'll sort it out."