Sorcerer's Code

  VI

  "Did you get anything from him?" I asked, once we were safely away from the White Orchid.

  "Lies and tales to frighten children," Tal muttered. "Nothing useful."

  I arched one eyebrow. "What did he say?"

  "He babbled something about a vampire," Tal said, and the disdain in his voice was thicker than the black Mard I'd been drinking. It was starting to go to my head already – the world was not quite blurry, but I was having trouble thinking straight. "As if anyone truly believes in vampires."

  "Now… hold on just a second," I said, trying to keep my words from slurring. "Everyone here believes in vampires, because they're quite real and well-known. Are you telling me that an Arbiter, a defender against the horrors that lurk in the darkness, doesn't believe in something as simple and common as a vampire?"

  He turned, stopping dead in his tracks, to glare at me. "You must be joking. A man possessed of a thirst for blood who wanders around dark alleys at night and preys on the unsuspecting? There are plenty of deviants out there who might fit that description, but there is not any such thing as a vampire."

  "What do they teach you at that Tower?" I asked, the fire of liquor in my belly giving rise to courage I never knew I possessed. "A vampire isn't a man at all – it's a creature, no different than the worst kinds of corrupted horrors that you fight. They're akin to demons in that they often take the shape of a man, but instead of seeking to spread corruption through guile and deceit, they simply drain the life force out of living beings."

  He continued to regard me skeptically. I blathered on; alcohol had the tendency to bring out the scholar in me. "It has to do with the equations detailed by Naegra Omishad in his seminal work Manna Defined, in which the vampire can…"

  "Enough," Tal said, holding up his hand. "These creatures, if they exist as you say they do, must for some reason avoid the eastern lands. I have traveled these Old Kingdoms for many years, and never have I encountered such a demon."

  "They tend to act quietly," I answered. "There probably aren't enough people in the east for them to bother – all of you are so spread out like you are. They rarely have to move once they establish a haunt that they like. I've never heard of a case of one attacking an Arbiter, though…"

  "It must be incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid," Tal growled.

  Thinking was becoming more and more difficult. "If there's a vampire here strong enough to kill an Arbiter…"

  "This city is in a large amount of trouble," Tal finished. "How do we find it?"

  I chewed my tongue thoughtfully. "Come with me. I have an idea."