Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Old Friends (I)

The governor hurried to the room he hadn't set foot inside in years. Not without nervousness, he took the master key out of his pocket and put it in the lock. Jonlof almost sighed in relief when it turned, as if he had feared it would no longer work.

He opened the door and entered, to find two red eyes staring at him. They were the same red eyes he remembered, the same silver hair, but not the same carefree expression she usually sported. Her seriousness told him that it wasn't a courtesy visit.

"Hello Jonlof, it's been a long time..." she greeted him.

He felt a chill. There was no hostility in those words, but there was a certain coldness. Although, it is also true that he had never been that close to the Blood Queen, but rather his wife was. After her death, they had barely seen each other.

"Hello, Gjaki. Yes, it's been a long time. What brings you to...?" he returned the greeting solemnly, although he stopped suddenly after discovering a familiar figure. "Johil! What's happened to you!?"

It was evident his disheveled hair, his dirty and torn clothes, his bruised face. The governor soon spotted a mark that he had no trouble recognizing, a mark that had undoubtedly been engraved by the other person there. He turned to her, indignant.

"What does this mean?!" he demanded.

"Why don't you ask him?" she responded without flinching.

The governor turned to his son, who looked at him between pleading and frightened.

"I, dad... I'm sorry... It was all a misunderstanding..."

The vampiress didn't say a word while Johil was explaining what had happened. He didn't lie, but tried to smooth over the facts, and some details were left out. He sometimes looked askance at the Blood Queen, but she was simply drinking some kind of tea that she had gotten from who knows where.

Tears were falling from his eyes, as if he felt truly sorry, or wronged for no reason. Gjaki thought they were those of a little brat who wanted to appeal to his father's empathy after a prank. Maybe, he was achieving it. It seemed to be confirmed by the fact that the governor turned towards the vampiress, furious.

"Isn't it excessive to mark his face!?" he reproached her.

"He wanted to rob me, and even tried to kill me. Where do you see a small warning as excessive?" she responded coldly.

Even though her son hadn't told him every detail, the events had been clear enough. Furthermore, the vampiress considered that someone like him should be able to guess or intuit the rest.

"He didn't know who you were! He'd never have done it if he had known!" Jonlof defended her son.

"Oh... So, would you be okay with him attacking and perhaps killing someone else to rob him?" she asked sarcastically, as she sipped some of the liquid her cup contained.

"It wasn't stealing! It belongs to us by right! The auction was in MY city!" he exclaimed, angry.

Gjaki raised her head and stared at him. The cup had disappeared from her hands, as it was stored in the inventory. There was disbelief in her eyes, but above all, sadness.

"You've changed, Jonlof. Do you remember? You were fighting precisely against those who abused their power in this way. That's how we met. Although, maybe, it's not you who's changed. Maybe, it was Hilta's influence that made you better than you were," the vampiress expressed herself wistfully.

"Don't mention my wife! I forbid you!" he shouted, furious, while taking a step towards her, threatening.

"She was your wife, but she was also my friend. You can't forbid me from talking about her. And you... Your mother let me hold you in my arms when you were just a few months old. She had great hope in you, who you'd become. She'd be very disappointed. Of the two," she declared, with more regret than reproach.

"How dare you insult me in my house!? How dare you hurt my son in MY city!?" he took another step closer, totally out of his mind, his fists clenched, shaking with rage.

However, he stopped short when the Blood Queen stood up, his blood running cold. Her gaze was no longer nostalgic, but of a coldness that seemed to reach to the bones. In fact, she wasn't even using Bloodlust or Bloodline.

He regained enough control of himself to remember who he had been yelling at. In the past, she had been his ally, so he hadn't needed to fear her, but he knew what she was capable of. He couldn't help but remember the only time he had seen her furious.

Back then, they had reached a peace with the noble faction. They had agreed on rules, on laws that put an end to their abuses, but allowed them to continue keeping their property and titles.

However, it hadn't been enough for many of them. They had plotted to regain their lost power, which began with the assassination of Hilta, himself, and other allies. He had been lucky, but his wife and many of his friends had not.

As soon as Gjaki found out, the city was engulfed in a bloody night of revenge. They might have been able to deny their involvement to others, but the Blood Queen could read their dreams. She hadn't hesitated to attack them one by one. She had interrogated them through Dream World, and executed the guilty without mercy.

All mention of nobility had since been abolished, and innocent nobles had been forced to reconvert. Maybe in merchants. Maybe in other jobs. Maybe, go into exile.

Many had been too afraid to stay. Perhaps, they hadn't been directly involved, but they didn't have a clear conscience. Besides, she knew it all.

"I could've killed him, gotten rid of the witnesses and disappeared. I could still do it now," Gjaki threatened with an icy tone.

The governor took a step back, terrified that he had angered her. His son pressed against the couch. He had gained some confidence with his father's defense. He had lost it all at once.

"Boom!"

A small explosion was then heard. The governor turned towards the origin, the small room that always remained closed.

"Every bond between us ends today, here. There's no reason to keep this place, I have already destroyed the gate. Remove all reference to me from your coat of arms, and also any insinuation of friendship with me, or my support. Don't force me make an official announcement against you. Goodbye Jonlof. I wish it hadn't been like that."

After saying this, the vampiress opened a Gate and disappeared, as they stayed motionless. Johil was relieved that it was over, but his father was growing increasingly worried. Breaking relations with the Blood Queen was no small matter for his prestige.