The Blood Alchemist Chronicles

by Alexia C. Praks

  Ren immediately straightened and stepped into the threshold of Daniella’s bedroom. Then he closed the door and leaned against it, his arms folded across his chest. An amused smile was playing across his lips as he watched Daniella make a disgusted face when the medicine appeared before her.

  Well, no one would blame her if she refused to drink that dark liquid, because it wasn’t pleasant—Master Zhang’s version especially. If he remembered correctly, the medicine, which originated in the Kingdom of China, was made from boiling many herbal roots, anywhere between nine to eighteen substances. Ren himself had experience with it, and it was the bitterest thing he had ever tasted.

  Daniella eyed the concoction warily as Li handed her the steamy potion in a Chinese teacup. Though her expression said otherwise, she obediently took the offered medicine, knowing she had no choice but to take the remedy if she wanted this damned headache to disappear.

  Shin chuckled and said, “Good medicine always tastes bad.”

  Daniella asked, “Have you ever tried it, Shin?”

  When Shin shook his head in the negative, she offered, “Want a taste, then?” and shoved it toward his face.

  Shin chuckled as he pulled back. “No thanks,” he said.

  “Thought so,” she muttered. Then before her aversion to the bitter medicine got the better of her, she drank the whole lot in one go.

  It was then that Ren straightened because he sensed an unfamiliar qi entering the premises of the Romano House. A moment later, he opened the door, which drew everyone’s attention to him. He said, “Tristan is bringing in a guest.”

  Not a moment later, Tristan appeared, along with another mysterious man who looked to be in his early thirties and dressed in dark attire.

  Tristan said, “Master Romano, Robert is here to see you.”

  Robert, a veteran blood alchemist working under Marco at the Shadow Organization, tipped his cap in greeting to Marco and said, “Sir, there is an emergency meeting, and your presence is required at headquarters.”

  Marco nodded in understanding and stood. To Daniella, he said, “Rest well and get better. Don’t do anything intense. Understand?”

  Daniella nodded, though her fingers were crossed at the back.

  Ren saw her expression and knew she wasn’t likely to stay put as Master Romano proposed. He shook his head in mirth at the fact that she would once again secretly disobey her foster father. Indeed, he would have to keep an eye on her on behalf of Master Romano.

  Li said, “I’ll walk you to the door.”

  Marco nodded, and the two, along with Tristan and Robert, left the room.

  * * *

  Once the door was closed again, Daniella said at large, “Do you suppose that their meeting is likely to be about the serial murder?”

  Ren nodded his head. “Undoubtedly.”

  Shin sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Nasty business, these supernatural killings. I heard this one is a tough nut to crack. Just glad I’m not the one dealing with it.” He turned to look at his brother. “It must be hard for you, Ren.”

  Ren wasn’t about to give any indication as to how gruesome the killings were, how hard it was to track them down, find out where they came from, and what motive they or their leader had.

  Daniella eyed Ren with expectation and gave him a sweet smile. Ren saw her hopeful expression and knew she was pleading for information. He shook his head in the negative and said, “Sorry, Dan, at this point in the investigation, it’s confidential.”

  Daniella begged. “Just a little. What are they like, these killings? What about the dead bodies?”

  Ren chuckled. “I’m sorry, Dan, but my lips are sealed. All I can say is never go out alone at night.” He eyed her intensely. “That reminds me about last night. Why did you suddenly run off? I was very worried when we couldn’t find you.”

  Daniella licked her lips and said, “Well, I don’t actually remember. But Papa Marco said we met up at the waterfront and then we came home together.”

  Ren narrowed his eyes at receiving that information. He wondered what Master Romano was doing in that part of the notorious town, which wasn’t part of his jurisdiction. Suddenly, something intense and uneasy nagged at him. “Did you encounter anything strange last night after you left the tavern?”

  “Oi, oi!” Shin frowned at his brother. “What is this? An interrogation? What are you so worried about?”

  Daniella stared blankly at her hands, which were relaxed on her lap. Slowly, she shook her head. “Like I said, I don’t remember what happened after I ran off. I just remember being by the waterfront and then thinking about you and Shin, whether you both were going to turn up or not. Then I got worried and decided to return to the tavern, and then…” She frowned. “Then nothing. It’s as though what happened after that just got wiped out of my mind.”

  Ren folded his arms across his chest as he stared at Daniella, wondering. Of course, this wasn’t the first time he noticed her losing her memories. He had encountered at least ten other major scenarios, since he and Shin had moved into the Romano House four years ago, when Daniella would lose her memories of certain events. Not to mention this was followed by her headache. Every time that happened, he never failed to notice both Master Romano and Master Zhang keeping a close eye on Daniella, as if they were afraid for her, which of course made sense, as they were her foster fathers, after all.

  He, too, worried about her, as did Shin and everyone who lived in the Romano House. They were family, after all. But then again, Ren had always had the instinctive feeling that there was something more beneath Master Romano’s and Master Zhang’s caring. And no, he did not have any doubt that both Master Romano and Master Zhang loved Daniella with all their hearts, since they could never have their own children, being in that type of relationship between two men that society frowned upon. Deep down, however, Ren knew there was something more.

  Daniella raised her eyes and saw Ren staring at her with such dark eyes that it worried her. “You look troubled, Ren. What’s wrong?”

  Ren shook his head in response and said instead, to avoid her question, “You must be starving. I’ll get Mrs. Green to make you something to eat.”

  Daniella nodded. “Thanks, Ren.”

  Some half hour later, after she had a nice, hot bath, Daniella found that her headache had finally disappeared and her strength had started to return. Thus, once she was dressed in her usual boy’s garments, she headed out into the dining room. There, she found Mrs. Green had just finished preparing her a hearty meal of beef stew and freshly baked bread. The smell was certainly delightful, and her mouth watered.

  “It smells wonderful, Mrs. Green,” she said as she came in to sit down.

  Mrs. Green chuckled. “A hearty meal for you, my girl. Enjoy it.”

  Daniella gave her a bright smile and nodded. “I will. Thank you so much.”

  Mrs. Green said, “Don’t worry about it.”

  A moment later, the woman left to prep the evening meal, leaving Daniella alone to enjoy her food. It wasn’t long before Ren turned up, followed by Shin. The Saito brothers came to sit next to her, Ren on the left and Shin on the right.

  Shin said, “That smells good.”

  Daniella said, “Mrs. Green made this especially for me. It’s mine and you’re not allowed to have any.”

  Shin chuckled. “You greedy little pig.”

  “I’m not a greedy little pig,” Daniella retorted. She turned to Ren and said, “Although, Ren can have some.”

  Shin pulled a face. “That’s favoritism, Dan. I thought I’m one of your best friends.”

  Daniella chuckled. “Of course you are, and that’s exactly why I treat you the way I treat you.”

  Ren raised a brow and asked, “What about me, then? What am I to you, Dan?”

  Daniella turned her eyes to Ren and blushed a bright pink. She cleared her throat and said, “You’re my best friend, too.” She grunted and frowned at him, embarrassed. “Why do I have to declare this sort
of thing to you brothers?”

  That made Ren laugh, which pleased Daniella. Once he managed to stop, he grabbed her hand, the one holding the spoon, and guided her to scoop some of the stew in the bowl. Then he directed her hand, and the spoon filled with stew, toward his mouth.

  He parted his lips and took in a mouthful.

  Daniella blushed as she watched him eat, while Shin said, “You just want her to feed you.”

  Ren smiled and said, “It’s delicious.”

  It was then that Tristan, Michael, Chris, and Jude turned up. The four Masters of Disguise came into the room and took their seats around the table.

  Tristan said, “You missed out on the finale last night, Dan.”

  Daniella raised her eyes at Tristan and asked, “What did I miss?”

  Jude chuckled and said, “The Saito brothers and the Hasting brothers taking down Theo and his gang members.”

  Michael said, “Four against some thirty odd men. It was surely a sight to behold.”

  Daniella blinked. “Really?” Now she wished she had stayed behind to see the spectacle. She was sure it would have been a wonderful experience.

  Jude said, “It was fun, the dueling. Thanks to you, Dan, for starting it. And it’s even better that the Hasting brothers offered to take care of the damages.”

  Daniella looked up from her food to Jude and said, “I didn’t start it intentionally, if you must know. Theo was very insistent.” Suddenly, she paled. “None of you have told Papa Marco, have you?”

  One by one, the men shook their heads.

  Chris said, “Although, I have no doubt Master Romano will find out in no time.”

  They all had to agree with that, and Daniella felt a little sick just thinking about it.

  Tristan said, “Too bad our suspect didn’t turn up.”

  Shin added, “If the Hasting brothers hadn’t gotten involved, things would have gone smoothly, though.”

  Daniella nodded in agreement. “They were causing us a lot of trouble.”

  Ren said, “Can we surmise that they were there for the suspected coachman as well? Or was it for something else?” He eyed Daniella with curiosity.

  Daniella noted that he was watching her and blushed. “They were definitely there for the suspected coachman.” Of course, she couldn’t very well reveal to everyone here that damned Lord Zachary Hasting had been there specifically to get his hands on her because he believed her to be the prime suspect of the maid’s murder.

  She changed the subject and asked, “So are we still going ahead with the plans tonight?”

  At her question, Tristan nodded. “Yes.” He glanced at Shin and said, “That reminds me. I have to find the right outfit for Shin.”

  Shin narrowed his eyes at Tristan with suspicion. “Nothing too outlandish, please.”

  Tristan chuckled in amusement. “My, don’t look at me as though I’m going to throw you into the pit, Shin. I promise to play nice. You just leave everything to me. I’ll make sure you look splendid for the occasion.”

  Of course, Shin didn’t trust him one bit where that was concerned and said, “I’d rather have Michael prepare my outfit, thank you very much.”

  Tristan pretended to look wounded while everyone laughed.

  A moment later, Chris cleared his throat and said, “Why don’t we go through the plan again?”

  Everyone nodded their heads in agreement at that.

  * * *

  An Uninvited Visitation

  Master of Disguise Coterie: A team of notorious, eccentric actors whose love for the performing arts led them to form an exclusive association. Operating under The Shadows, their main role is to disguise and infiltrate in order to obtain information.

  Marco Romano, Blood Alchemist

  * * *

  A hackney arrived at the corner of Park Lane at exactly twelve o’clock that night. The driver—a grim-faced old man who wished he was home and in front of the fire instead of driving these four drag queens to Hasting House—picked up his canteen and took another sip of the whisky. He swallowed the liquid in one big gulp and wiped his mouth clean with his sleeves. He blinked several times, noting that his vision was getting blurry again. He was not drunk; he assured himself. He was just very tired from overworking, that was all, driving Madam Rose’s courtesans around the streets of London all day long to visit their eccentric guests.

  Suddenly, in the gloominess of the night, off in the distance, he saw two hazy shadows materializing—as if out of nowhere. He blinked, wondering why the two shadows were standing in the middle of the road at this ungodly hour. He unscrewed the lid of his canteen once again and, with shaky hands, brought the rim to his thin, pale lips, intending to have another wonderful drink of that intoxicating liquid.

  “Halt!” A voice shouted.

  The sudden command both surprised and shocked the driver, which caused him to jerk in his seat and the whisky to splash onto his face. He coughed as some of the alcoholic liquid got into his nose. When he had managed to stop and calm down, he turned his attention to the two shadows again.

  “I said halt!” The command came once more, this time louder.

  In response, the driver pulled the reins, and the horses hissed and came to a complete stop inches in front of the two shadows. The small one jumped high, did a beautiful flip in the air, and then landed lightly and cleanly on the seat beside him. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a saber was pointed at him, which caused the driver to jerk back in fear.

  Against the backdrop of the dim gaslight lamp along the street, the driver noted that the small sword was like nothing he had ever seen before. This one was blood red and glistening like a ruby. The weapon was pointed at his chest, of course, and the driver felt like fainting all of a sudden.

  When he raised his eyes, he noted that the wielder of this beautiful demon look-alike sword was merely a boy.

  Indeed, this youth in disguise named Daniella Romano asked, “Did you not hear me telling you to stop? You and your horses nearly ran over us. Did you intend to murder us?”

  The driver swallowed hard at the accusation. Now look here, he thought, but didn’t voice aloud. Who was about to murder whom? It was he who should fear death, not the other way round, what with that very sharp blade pointing at his chest.

  “Please, hand over the reins,” Daniella said, waving for the driver to move aside. “We’re taking over.” Then she turned her attention to the tall, lean shadow still standing in front of the horses. “All clear, Ren. Let’s get Madam Rose’s women out and ours in.”

  She turned back to the driver and said, “Don’t worry, mister. We’ll return the carriage to you once we’ve delivered our people to Hasting House.”

  The driver blinked in confusion at her meaning, and then he looked at his canteen, thinking that the whisky was responsible for all of this happenstance. For truly, this certainly wasn’t real. A boy wielding a blood-red sword at that. There was no doubt in his mind that this was indeed his hallucination.

  “Now, get down please, mister. The carriage will be returned to you momentarily,” Daniella said as she nudged him from the driving seat.

  As the driver obediently and slowly got down from the high seat, Ren came around to the side and opened the carriage’s door. Inside were four exotic drag queens, all dressed in oriental silks and lace.

  Ren said, “I truly apologize for the inconvenience, ladies, but can you please get out of the carriage for the time being?”

  The glamorous drag queens looked at one another in confusion before one voiced, “But we have an appointment with our dear Lord Hasting in five minutes, sir.”

  Ren calmly said, “Ah, as to that, there has been a changed in plan. Another group will be in charge of entertaining Lord Hasting now.”

  “Really?” the blond one said. “We weren’t told.” He sounded annoyed.

  Another said, “Well, what do you expect of Madam Rose? She never tells us anything.”

  The blond said, “And she expects us to follow her ev
ery word. One of these days, I tell you, I’m going to make her sorry for her highhandedness.”

  Ren didn’t bother to explain to them there was no such thing as courtesan replacements for this engagement and this was supposedly a stickup. Of course, they’d had no choice but to borrow, as Chris had stated, Madam Rose’s unique carriage, which had a specific sealed logo, if they wanted to look authentic and didn’t want suspicion to arise when they arrived at Hasting House.

  He said, interrupting their complaints, “Please, ladies, time is of the essence. You don’t want to make Lord Hasting wait, now do you?”

  The blond, who apparently was the vocal one of the group, said, “You’re right. We don’t want to upset our dear Lord Hasting. He’s one of our regulars and pays very well. Although, I’m still unhappy with the change in plans. But please be quick about dropping the other group off because it is cold out here at this time of the night.”

  Ren nodded. “Of course.”

  One by one, the drag queens disembarked the carriage. With the clip-clopping of their shoes against the cobbled stone, they hurried to where the driver, currently situated on the side of the street and sitting on the stone path, was drinking his whisky.

  Once the carriage was cleared, Ren signaled to the team by whistling into the night. In the midst of the foggy street, another four courtesans appeared, all dressed in exotic silk kimonos, which defined their tall, lean figures. Their faces were beautifully made up in the very fashionable oriental trend, and their wigs, which were also in the oriental style, were intricately coiffured.

  The new courtesans filed into the carriage one by one. First, there was Tristan, the leader, who wore a dark-orange, magenta, and brown kimono with the pattern full of falling leaves, conveying the sense of autumn. Next was Michael, who wore a pale kimono that captured the image of winter, full of light snow and dark-blue sky. Behind Michael was Jude, who wore a kimono that gave an appreciation of summer, the pattern sketched with green land and wildflowers. And lastly, there was Shin, who, oddly enough, had the loveliest kimono with the design inferring spring. The silk material was painted with Sakura flowers, indicating the ambiance of rebirth and youth, which unsurprisingly caused Shin to radiate exquisiteness.