Legend of Ransera

That day, Eitan was unable to tear himself away from Onneifer Airfield until he went home for a late supper. He was still rather exhausted from the ongoing efforts to ward the entire city, but he wasn't the sort to admit weariness when there was work to be done. When he arrived home, his Dienerin took his coat, but then young Devil took the coat from Dienerin, wanting to help. Eitan smiled fondly, tousled the young Lysanrin's hair, and went to check on his wife and newborn son, as well as his toddler. Lucrece let him kiss the babe's forehead, and she stuck her tongue down his throat, but then she pinched his backside and sent him to eat.

The titular head of household sat at table in his shirtsleeves, and a plate that had been kept warm in the oven was brought to him by a servant even as Dienerin brought Stefan to meet him. He smiled, blinking owlishly, and took a spoonful of soup, patting the table next to him so his brother-in-law could join him. A copy of the letter had been brought to him, so the reading of it was out of the way. Discussion required the two of them, however.

"Master Donivan will be spending the night as a guest of the State," he said. "On the morrow, Lessnau will interview him. He's a subtle one; he's likely to draw out details the man doesn't realize he knows. I don't understand why Dreyfus is being coy. Dreyfus is the only Monteliyet you know personally. He did like to wax poetic about wolves when it came to his family. Probably has them embroidered on his knickers if he wears any."

While the late admiral, Eitan's father, had quietly allowed the family's noble—at one point royal—blood to be known, he didn't call himself the Lion of Zaichaer or any such self-aggrandizement.

"If Dreyfus Monteliyet yet lives, it's certainly convenient that he comes crawling back when the worst of things is done. Order agents were all over Karnor, even in Kalzasi, trying to bring people back into the fold. So, it would seem he no longer considers himself a member of the Order. If you want to give him an audience, then I will insist upon being there. I can shield you from any magics he had or has since claimed. He always did seem a little too fond of arcane power. If he is within Zaichaer's dominion, then there are Zaichaeri citizens under his power and it is incumbent upon us to ensure that power isn't corrupt."

Eitan stared at the mouthful of food pierced upon the tines of his fork, as if trying to remember what he was supposed to do with it. After a moment, he ate it, swallowed, and gazed ruefully at Stefan.

"We can discuss now, but we will be lacking in concrete information until Lessnau reports in. If you wish to invite him to the High City to meet, the Order will secure a location such that you will be safe. If you wish, we can deliver Donivan to him via the Searing Victory and meet with him on his own turf." There were some aspects of this that Eitan was clearly taking control of, but he was also allowing Stefan agency to make decisions, and Stefan knew he could persuade Eitan to bend or change with a cogent argument and solid facts.

"I was not in a position to read his personnel file when he supposedly died," Eitan admitted. "A great deal of such records were lost in the destruction of the old Hall of Reconciliation, but I have Minders looking it up. Regardless of what they find, we will suss out the truth between us. Whether Dreyfus Monteliyet in fact or fiction, this person is playing at something, wanting to connect with the highest office in the High City."

When Stefan changed the subject, Eitan smiled wearily, nodded, and patted his hand. The rest of the meal passed with a little conversation and more comfortable, companionable silence.


On the morrow, rested and back to exuding an air of exact, exacting perfection, High Sentinel Angevin and his brother-in-law, First Minister Dornkirk, met in the latter's office. It was good, he thought, for a head of the military and the head of the Order to show some deference and respect to the civilian leader of Zaichaer. It was important for the people to realize that those branches of the government served them as much as governed them.

Seated and drinking tea served by one of the Dienerins, Eitan gave his report.

"No documents exist that support Monteliyet's death," he admitted, "but I have it on good authority that there was an investigation into his disappearance. Someone didn't trust the evidence. But, in any case, the man Donivan knows his master as Dreyfus Monteliyet, and a settlement has grown up around an old Monteliyet property to the north of the city proper." He pushed a memo with demographic information gathered from the man with and without his permission. He also knows that his master is afflicted with the Rune of Vitalis. Ein Vampir." He sighed, but it was not yet late enough in the day to pinch the bridge of his nose. There was no headache quite yet.

"It remains your decision whether and how to meet with him, but I spoke to Beeman about digging up what we know about the threat this person might pose, and intend to question Valencia as well."

"As you wish, First Minister," he said smoothly, with a smoother smile. "Dienerin, please set up a meeting with Ms. Grey at her earliest convenience."

"Aye, sir," said the younger of the Dienerins. He still responded as though he were a military man and not a veteran and Eitan would give him a commission if he so desired, if only he would remain in Eitan's service. He didn't know what he would do without the valet at this point.

Eitan took a sip of his tea and set it aside until it cooled. He was glad that spring had come and that he wouldn't be drinking tea as quickly as it could be made to stay warm even in the dog days of summer this year.

But ere the meeting with the would-be Monteliyet, he would have a packet to read from Beeman and the Minders, as well as a briefing on whatever the covens knew of him and vampires in general. It would fall upon him to keep the leader of the free world safe during this conference. Never mind the free world; he would have to answer to Delia if a single hair upon Stefan's fair head were harmed, and he feared his sister's wrath more than he did any monster with rune-cursed blood.

For a few minutes, he let his dark eyes rest upon that head, downcast at his own mountain of papers.

The strange revelation that came with the birth of his twins still weighed heavily upon Stefan. Eitan didn't always know what to do, and he hated that. But, eventually, he got back to his own work and his cooling tea.