There's Always a Morning, page 14
Ramsey ended up in a coastal town six weeks after his departure from Quest. It was a busy town, with a trading port and a few taverns along the waterfront where he was certain to find a proper meal. Still, he was careful. No need to call attention to himself. He had got a room in one of the inns, and the common room there was always crowded, giving him the perfect excuse to go to the taverns. He sat in one corner, pretending to drink while watching the patrons. He had to choose carefully. He wasn’t the only newcomer in town, but in the event of a vampire attack, any newcomer would be suspect, even in a town that depended on newcomers.
A man shuffled into the tavern, gazing around almost furtively before seating himself on the edge of a bench, near the door.
“I thought it was made very clear you aren’t welcome here anymore.” One of the servers glared at the man. “I’m sure the master told you that. We all heard him.”
The man spoke in an almost whine. “Just give me a drink, and I’ll be on my way. I can pay. Please, just one drink.”
“Don’t make me kick you out!” the server said, anger radiating from him. “We don’t serve no rapists here!”
“I didn’t do anything he wasn’t asking for,” the man said, his whining taking on a sullen tone. “And the magistrate didn’t think it was my fault. Why do you all keep punishing me? It’s only a drink!”
“I don’t care what the magistrate says,” the server said. “It’s Tuck that pays me, and we all like Tom, and whatever you may say, he’s a good kid and wouldn’t ask for anything from the likes of you! Get lost!”
The man rose, muttering something to himself before shambling off. Ramsey rose silently, placing some coins on his table. The man would do. It didn’t look as if anyone would look closely into his death. If the angry glares he got from most of the people inside were any indication, there were plenty of people who might even be glad of his demise. Not that Ramsey meant to kill him. Drain him to the point of death, certainly, but he was going to leave him alive. After all, it was only fair that he should be given a chance to be saved.
Ramsey cornered him against a building. The man wasn’t drunk, but it was likely he didn’t even realise what was happening till Ramsey’s fangs had pierced his neck. Ramsey really hated feeding from the neck. He preferred the wrist. It was easier and cleaner. His powers kept the man still and pliant, so that was something. He dropped the man on the ground once he had drunk his fill, and dabbed his lips with a handkerchief.
“How long have you been standing there?” he asked, not turning, having recognised the heartbeat even in the middle of feeding.
“Not long.” Ramsey turned around at that. Mathew looked the same, a little bit worn, and sleep deprived, but still alive and whole. His expression was neutral. “You’re not easy to track down.”
Ramsey lifted an eyebrow. “And why were you looking for me?”
It would be a shame to kill Mathew, but if he had come after Ramsey, there could only be one reason. He was a hunter, after all.
“I need your help,” Mathew said. “In taking down the rebel hunters.”
Ramsey stared at him. “I thought you said this was your problem and that you were going to handle it,” he said. “And I’m certain you said this isn’t my fight.”
“And you said rebel hunters were actually your fight.” Mathew sighed. “Look, I didn’t come here to argue. I was wrong. We were spotted in Quest and barely made it out alive. We split up, Henry and the rest went to the Hunter Council, and I came looking for you.” He paused. “I could really use your help, Ramsey.”
Ramsey considered Mathew’s words. It was what he was planning on doing anyway before he had been injured and they had gone to Quest, so why did he feel so reluctant now?
“Have you any idea how to find them?” he asked. “Or even who they are?”
Mathew nodded. “Some of them,” he said. “We intercepted some communications from the House at Quest. Henry and the others would be bringing reinforcements to take down the ones who had taken it over, so we needn’t go back there.”
Ramsey was surprised. He hadn’t expected Mathew to notice his discomfort regarding Quest, but he appreciated it all the same. “Where are you staying?” he asked.
Mathew shrugged. “Nowhere, as of now. Every inn was full. I just got here around an hour ago, in any case.”
“I’ve a room,” Ramsey said. “You’re welcome to share.”
“Thank you,” Mathew said. “Will you help?”
Tenacious. “I don’t know,” Ramsey said. “But I know that I won’t be making any decisions tonight and certainly not in this stinking street.”
Mathew closed his eyes as Ramsey put his hand on his shoulder. The next moment, they were in Ramsey’s room in the inn. It wasn’t much, but it was large, and the bed was big enough for two. Ramsey snuffed out the candles before climbing on to the bed, feeling Mathew take the other side of the bed.
“Good night, Ramsey,” Mathew said.
“I’m going to kick you out if you snore,” Ramsey said, though he knew Mathew didn’t.
“What if you do?” Mathew asked, his tone teasing.
“It’s my room,” Ramsey pointed out. “So, if I do snore, I suggest you stop your ears.”
Mathew snorted. “I know you don’t, anyway,” he said. “Good night, and thank you.”
Ramsey stayed awake for a while even after Mathew’s breathing had evened out. He had to help Mathew, not because Mathew had asked for it, but because the rebel hunters needed to be stopped. They were a danger to every vampire. Ramsey thought of Peter and the rest of the children he had rescued, of every child who might be out there, not even knowing about the Centres, being forced to survive on their own... How safe were they with people like Hugh and Mason and Haskins around?
Decision made, Ramsey closed his eyes and surrendered to sleep.
R
amsey was woken by the uncomfortable weight of Mathew’s leg on his body. Mathew was wrapped around him and he was shivering. Ramsey sighed. The room was cold, far colder than it had been in the night. He extricated himself with some difficulty, ignoring Mathew’s attempts to hold on before managing to grab the blanket from the foot of the bed and throwing it over Mathew who immediately snuggled into its folds. Ramsey chuckled as he lay back down and snagged half of the blanket. Mathew snuggled closer to his side. It was much warmer now.
“Wha’ time is it?” Mathew asked, his speech slurry with sleep and a yawn accompanying it.
“Still the middle of the night,” Ramsey said. “Go back to sleep.”
“Too cold,” Mathew murmured, and he was still shivering slightly.
“It’ll pass,” Ramsey said. “I thought hunters were used to hardships.”
“I’m used to most things,” Mathew said, yawning again. “Could never get used to cold, though.”
Ramsey rolled over to face Mathew. “How did you find me?”
Mathew grimaced. “With a lot of difficulty. But you weren’t using magic to travel and that helped once I found the first town.”
“Using magic’s not a favoured way of transportation for me,” Ramsey admitted. “Doesn’t help in blending in if you keep disappearing every now and then.” He paused. “But what is the urgency, Mathew? You needn’t have hurried as you obviously did. When was the last time you had a proper night’s rest?”
It wasn’t concern as much as curiosity and Mathew stared at him, surprise in his eyes. “You can’t read minds, can you?”
“Not one of my powers, but it is rather evident from your appearance that you have not been resting or sleeping, and also the fact that you found me so soon. That first town should have taken you at least two weeks to find.”
“Nearly three,” Mathew said.
“Exactly.”
Mathew sighed. “They know about you,” he said. “The rebel hunters. Haskins had sent them a very detailed description and a sketch which is a good likeness of you.”
Ramsey stared, surprise robbing him of words. Of all scenarios he had envisaged, this was hardly it. He was touched, nonetheless. It was gratuitous and foolish, but he was still touched.
“Mathew,” he said gently. “I can take care of myself.”
“I know that!” Mathew said. “Don’t I know it, but... Ramsey, this is my fault. If you hadn’t had to kill Hugh to save my life, you wouldn’t have got involved in this! You wouldn’t have been poisoned and nearly died, and I... I just had to make certain you’re all right, that you’re safe.”
“I would have killed Hugh in any case,” Ramsey said. “And these rebel hunters are threatening my kind, so it wasn’t like I could have stayed away and done nothing. Don’t blame yourself for my choices, Mathew.” Another thought occurred to him. “Do you really need my help?”
“Always.” Mathew sighed. “That was no lie. Besides, the best way for both of us to be safe is to work together to take them down.”
“And your friends are all right with this?”
“Are yours?” Mathew asked.
Fair point. Ramsey had to concede that.
“So, what you now suggest is we ignore the fact that both your kind and mine know we’re working together and also the fact that neither are happy and are more likely to kill us than the rebels, but keep working together all the same.”
“They won’t kill me,” Mathew said. “The Hunter Council, and I don’t think the vampires will kill you, but the rebels... they’ll kill us both, exterminate our kinds and kill any innocent who stands in their way. So, yes, I say we ignore whatever other dangers and focus on the real threat here.”
Ramsey was surprised and more than a little pleased. Mathew appeared to have become quite pragmatic. It was a welcome change. “Do you know where these rebel hunters are?”
Mathew nodded. “I know of one place. And I’ve the names of a few, and there are two who I was friends with once... I can make educated guesses as to their whereabouts.”
There was a shadow on Mathew’s face as he spoke and a heaviness in his tone. It must hurt to have to hunt down men who had once been his friends. Ramsey was beginning to understand why Mathew had sought his help rather than that of other hunters. Mathew must have realised that Ramsey would have no qualms in doing what needed to be done, unlike him and his hunter friends who had nonsensical notions when it came to taking of human life.
“You are silent,” Mathew said after a moment.
“You do know that they might be expecting us.” This wasn’t something they could keep under wraps. “Haskins might have told them you and I are working together.”
“I know,” Mathew said. “But I do think we have a better chance together. I know that hasn’t been the case in the past, and that’s partly my fault, but-”
“I got stabbed because I was careless,” Ramsey said. “You saved my life.”
“That’s not why... Ramsey, I don’t want you to help me because of that.”
“I told you already,” Ramsey said, rolling his eyes. “I’m helping because they constitute a threat to my kind. And your saving me only made us even. After all, I did save you from Hugh first.”
Mathew smiled. “You did.” He paused. “I... I think if we hadn’t been arguing, Haskins wouldn’t have been able to surprise you and stab you... I do feel guilty about it.”
“Is that why you saved my life?” Ramsey was amused. “Mathew, if our argument distracted me, that’s my fault, not yours.” He paused a moment before continuing. “If you hunters have a code against killing, then why were you sent after these rebels?”
Mathew looked surprised. “How did you know?”
“That you were sent to kill the? It stood to reason. You were alone. If you were meant to apprehend them and bring them to the council, there should have been more of you. So, why did they, if you are not killers?”
“It was the council’s decision,” Mathew said after a moment. “They... they felt that the rebel hunters’ actions had put them beyond all mercy... that killing them was a necessity...”
“But you don’t agree.”
“I don’t know what to think anymore.” Mathew’s voice was low, and he looked lost. “All my life I had been taught that we shouldn’t take human lives... that we should protect everyone, even if they aren’t good people... I couldn’t understand it... I argued with all my instructors, till one of them told me that if we resorted to deciding who was worth protecting, who was worth living, whose life had value, then we were appropriating a power and wisdom that isn’t ours... he said that every life we fail to save when we are able to, is a life we are destroying, that it is our choice, and if we make that choice, then we become as evil as the people we condemn...”
“But you aren’t convinced,” Ramsey observed.
Mathew put a hand on his forehead, almost covering his eyes. “I’ve never been,” he confessed. “If...if or when I save a bad person, I’m condemning the innocents he may hurt in future... but my instructor told me we can’t be responsible for the choices others make... we can be responsible only for our own choices...”
“Sounds straightforward to me,” Ramsey said.
“I don’t know…” Mathew said, sounding weary. “Most other hunters... they accept what they are told, but I never could, but still I followed it... and now, the council just decides that the rebels should be killed? What gives them the right?”
“I’ve never found humans especially coherent or comprehensible,” Ramsey admitted. “And I’ve never been able to understand how you can decide the worth of a life based on some arbitrary concept of ethics.”
“You saved my life,” Mathew said. “But you killed Roger. What made me worth saving?”
“I wasn’t starving when I met you,” Ramsey said. “And you weren’t a threat.”
“I might have been,” Mathew muttered.
“And I would have killed you in that case,” Ramsey said.
Mathew was quiet for such a long time. Had he fallen asleep? Or was he marshalling arguments?
“I like your brand of morality much better than I like the hunters’ or even mine,” Mathew said after a moment, surprising Ramsey. “Good night, Ramsey,” he murmured, “I don’t know if I ever thanked you for saving my life. Thank you.”
Ramsey rolled his eyes before turning around and closing his eyes, whispering back,
“You’re welcome, Mathew, and good night.”
M
athew was not in the inn when Ramsey woke the next morning. He wasn’t worried. Mathew was a grown man. But it was annoying all the same. He wanted to get going. Mathew had said he had ideas about where they could find some of the rebels. Also, if Mathew found him here, the Vampire Council could too, and far more easily. So could the rebels. Using his powers to travel was the only way to throw any pursuers off, and now that he knew there were such, he had no other choice.
Should he leave Mathew behind as well? Just go on the run for a few years till the hunters’ interest in him waned? Stay away from it all? It was so tempting, but how could he do that? Why not, though? He had already informed the council about the threat. They could take care of it. But if they were like Horton, it was likely they would underestimate the danger. Besides, despite everything the council did, there were still rebel vampires and children who killed accidentally, and they always attracted the hunters’ attention.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be gone so long,” Mathew said as he entered the room.
“It’s all right,” Ramsey said. “Pack anything you have. We’re leaving.”
“What’s the hurry?” Mathew asked, though he started gathering his things.
“By your own admission, you were in a hurry to find me. Isn’t it possible you could have been followed? After all, if the hunters know about me, they must surely know that you and I have worked together and that you could lead them to me.”
Mathew looked a bit stricken and also contrite. “I never thought of that,” he admitted. “It was foolish of me. You’re right, of course. They could have followed me. Give me a moment.”
Ramsey paid his tab and they left the inn, walking towards the port.
“Are we catching a boat or something?” Mathew asked, looking excited.
“No,” Ramsey said. “Just looking for a busy place to hide, so we can leave.”
“Oh.” Mathew looked disappointed. “I like travelling by boat.”
“So do I, but we do have work to do. Where’s this place we need to go to? Where the rebels are?”
“Raven,” Mathew said.
It was a city two days’ journey to the west. Ramsey had never been there. Raven had a reputation for not encouraging strangers.
“Hardly the safest place,” Ramsey said. “But it would be ideal for the rebels.”
“I think they have taken over the House there as they did in Quest.” Mathew looked worried.
“It would make sense for them in a place like Raven. Think about it. They have to be operating out of somewhere. They are organised. They have weapons, money. Raven is more or less isolated due to their policies. It would be ideal for them.”
“They’ve always been friendly to hunters,” Mathew said, a thoughtful expression on his face. “They would question any strangers, but not hunters.”
“So how do we get there without attracting attention?” Ramsey asked.
“If they are quartered there, it is possible the gates are being watched by them,” Mathew said. “And if as you say they know we are working together, they would be on the lookout for us.”
“Depends on how fast they could have got a message across from here,” Ramsey said.
“Are you prepared to take the chance?” Mathew asked.
“Is it possible for the two of us to take them out by ourselves?” Ramsey asked. It would not do to underestimate hunters.
