by Jon F. Merz
“I’m not well versed in the geography of this region.”
Felix frowned. “Then how did you come to be here in the first place?”
“A woman, of course.”
“Yes, that’s right. You did mention the Burgermeister’s daughter.” Felix sighed. “You’ll have to be especially discrete with your liaisons from here on out as well. We can’t afford to have you gallivanting around with every woman who catches your eye. Our enemies would be able to track you down easily that way.”
“I’m not to be a monk, am I?”
Felix shook his head. “Of course not. But you are to be a ghost. Someone who zips in and out of the lives of the lovers you wish to take. But nothing more than that. I’m afraid our life isn’t one that makes for good husband material.”
Wolfric frowned.
Felix watched him for a moment and then chuckled. “You can’t tell me that upsets you. Not with your history of paramours and maidens?”
Wolfric shrugged. “I mean, sure I enjoy having fun and all, but at some point, aren’t we supposed to settle down and start a family?”
Felix gathered up a few loose branches and walked over to a patch of barren ground in the clearing. He squatted and drew out his tinder box. In seconds, he had a fire going. “I imagine at some point in the future, people will finally break the shackles of supposition. This notion that they’re supposed to do something because everyone else does it has always struck me as ludicrous. What is the point of being alive if all we do is copy one another? Where is the joy in that? Where is the adventure? What makes your heart beat faster?”
“But if not that, then what?”
“What indeed,” said Felix. “What is it that drives you to do more? To do better? To feel alive and free? Certainly not doing what every other fool does.” He shook his head. “I’m not entirely certain what I believe in as far as God, but I have to believe that if he truly exists, he would not want his children simply imitating each other for the sake of it.”
“But if we don’t do what is expected of us, don’t we risk being alienated by our peers?”
Felix eyed him over the growing fire. “And what harm is there in alienation? So you no longer have the company of lesser fools? I hardly think that a bad thing. It is far better to be on your own or with a small group of trusted friends, than be with people who have never known risk, passion, or aspired to anything other than the so-called approval of the masses.”
He fell silent then and Wolfric watched him feed the fire tenderly, as if coaxing a timid animal along. Felix looked up and nodded.
“Take your time with it. A good fire must never be rushed except in certain situations. Otherwise, it will die out before it can do you any good. Take the time to build the base of it and then slowly add enough wood without suffocating it. Treat it well and it will take care of you.”
“We need food,” said Wolfric.
“Indeed. Why don’t you go see what you can find for us to dine on while I tend to the fire here?”
“Uh,” said Wolfric. “I’m not very good at hunting. Most of the time I’ve spent foraging for food has been conning my way into a meal at the local tavern.”
“And it’s a wonder you have as much meat on you as you do,” said Felix. “But no worries, necessity is the greatest teacher of them all. Take this.” He flipped a knife to Wolfric. “Find a rabbit or something to cook over the fire. Bring it back here and I’ll show you how to dress it.”
Wolfric rose and winced again as he was reminded of his aching backside. He turned the knife over in his hand. It was superbly balanced, with a plain handle wrapped in leather. “Beautiful knife.”
Felix nodded. “Don’t go losing it. The blade smith who made that for me does not churn them out. It took him quite a while to make that for me.”
Wolfric headed away from the fire and stepped into the dense wood. He was grateful for his enhanced night vision, which all of his kind possessed. It enabled him to see into the shadows where the animals of the night lurked, looking for their own sustenance. He was worried about wolves, but then he gripped the knife tighter in his right hand and felt better.
He crept along the banks of the small stream and waited for several moments in total stillness and silence, hoping and praying that a small rabbit would venture forth.
None did.
After an hour of waiting and catching nothing, Wolfric walked back into the camp dejected. He had failed and now he would no doubt have to endure the shame that Felix would inflict upon him. As strange as it was, a big part of him wanted to show Felix that he was capable of becoming a…Fixer. He rolled the name over in his head and found he quite liked the way it sounded. Basic and yet mysterious. As if there was far more to the name than what it suggested. He had no doubt there was. The question was: would Felix tell him about it?
He plopped back down by the fire and Felix looked at him. “Why the long face?”
“There was nothing out there. Nothing at all.”
Felix smiled. “Well, the animals don’t come to you just because you happen to be standing completely still by the bank of a stream. No matter how long you are there.”
Wolfric looked up. “You saw that?”
Felix sniffed. “Of course I saw you. I tracked you as soon as you left the fire. You didn’t hear me though, did you?”
“No.”
“Because you were only focused on the task I gave you. On one hand, that is admirable. I respect the focus you had while you forced yourself to stay still for a fairly long period of time. But in our business, we must not only focus on what is at hand, we must be constantly aware of everything around us: the ebb and flow of life, the variables of our constantly changing environments, everything. It is only then that we will see the world as a whole and we will be able to dip in and out of it as necessary. Which in this case, means dinner.” He reached behind his back and pulled out the carcasses of two rabbits he had apparently killed.
“You got the rabbits while you were tracking me? How?”
Felix smiled. “I will teach you, Wolfric. I give you my word. All I ask for is your allegiance and trust. If you are able to summon those, along with a healthy dose of endurance and aspiration, then you will be able to do everything that I do. And more.”
“Promise?”
Felix placed a hand over his heart. “It is a vow I have already given to the Council, my young squire. And one that I happen to take quite seriously.”
A branch cracked in the fire and the mood broke as Felix smiled again. “Now come, and I will show you how to dress a rabbit and prepare it for cooking. I don’t know about you, but I am famished.”
Chapter 6
When they’d feasted on the rabbits and herbs that Felix had collected and cooked, Wolfric leaned back and let out a contented burp. “That was a fantastic meal. Thank you.”
Felix nodded. “You helped prepare it, so part of your gratitude should go to yourself.”
“We wouldn’t have had the rabbits if you hadn’t caught them.”
“Yes, but never shirk your own accomplishments when they should be acknowledged. That is also important. Never loving yourself enough to know when you’ve done well is a grievous mistake many people make throughout their lives.”
“I’ll work on it, like everything else.”
Felix drew a small bag from inside of his cloak and tossed it across the fire to Wolfric who caught it easily enough. “Take a look inside.”
“What are these?” Wolfric drew the leather bag open and felt a group of small objects tumble into his hand. He looked at them individually. There was a tiny dagger, an hourglass, a miniature axe, a small figurine of a soldier, a horse, a crucifix, and a set of scales. Each of the miniatures had been cast in what looked like pewter or lead. Wolfric couldn’t tell which. But he marveled at the intricate detail apparent in each.
“Souvenirs from your assignments?”
Felix shrugged. “Perhaps. Maybe I just like looking at them from time-to-time
. Sometimes, after all, memories become attached to things. Perhaps holding those objects gives us a chance to peer into the past and recall what we experienced.”
“An interesting assortment, that’s for sure,” said Wolfric. “Do you carry them everywhere with you?”
“When I need to.”
“Why?”
Felix ignored the question. “Tell me something: which one of them do you fancy?”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Which of those objects do you feel drawn to?”
Wolfric examined each of the miniatures again. He admired the dagger for how solemn it looked. The horse looked grand and regal. The axe looked as though it could cleave its way through a tiny forest. The hourglass with its tiny sand intrigued him when he turned it over and over again. The soldier looked proud and fierce. The crucifix appeared inlaid with miniature jewels and gleamed as the firelight caught it.
But the scales occupied him the most. They seemed fully functional with each cup bound by incredibly fine chain that could either be weighed down or not and the other side would move as a result. Wolfric found himself playing with it more than the others.
Felix chuckled. “It would appear as though you’ve made your choice.”
Wolfric looked up, suddenly aware that he’d lost some time having become so absorbed with the scales. “I apologize. I found myself drawn to them. I don’t know what came over me. It won’t happen again.”
Felix waved his hand. “Put the miniatures back into the bag and hand it back to me.” He smiled. “Don’t worry about how you reacted. There’s no fault in it at all. In fact, you might say that what happened was exactly what was supposed to happen.”
“Sometimes, I honestly have no idea what you mean.”
Felix took the bag back. “There are some within our community who think that we are destined for the roles we play in life. That our calling is preordained, if you will.”
“That God gives us our direction in life?”
“If that makes you feel better - giving God that responsibility - then by all means that is enough. Or if you happen to have a more flexible relationship with the divine, as I do, then it might be something else entirely that dictates what we do in this life. Either way, the scales you found yourself drawn to are a symbol of what we do as Fixers. And that same set that you became so absorbed in were the same ones that so absorbed me when I was approached to become part of our elite brotherhood.”
“So you’re saying I was supposed to choose the scales?”
Felix cocked his head. “It depends on whether you believe in free will or not, I suppose. If you think that things are preordained, then it makes sense that you would choose the scales if you were supposed to become a Fixer. However, if you happen to believe in free will devoid of divine influence, then you could have chosen anything among the bunch and yet you chose the scales.”
“So which is right?”
“Whichever makes you feel comfortable. The process is irrelevant, the end result is more important. In this case, you chose or were destined to choose the scales. Either way, it was the right object. That is what matters.”
“And what if I’d picked something else?” Wolfric took a breath. “Would that have meant I wasn’t supposed to become a Fixer?”
“Not necessarily,” said Felix. “As I said at the start, this is not a field that has many members. I was chosen by my teacher to assume his role when he finally passed on. Just as he was by his teacher, and so on back to the very start. Back to Kendrick.”
“Kendrick?”
“The first Fixer,” said Felix. “He was the first to take up the role on his own when he saw the future. Some say he was gifted with the ability to sense patterns and trends that would someday affect us. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I do know that his work resulted in the formal development of our role within our society. And he no doubt saved the lives of many of our brethren by doing what he did all those years ago.”
“How long?”
Felix shrugged. “Many more years than either of us could count. A millennium? More? As long as we have been around on this earth? I don’t know. All that matters is there are those of us who are willing to take on the responsibility he first assumed and ensure that what he fought to protect is not lost.”
Wolfric watched the flames lick through another piece of wood. “So not choosing the scales…?”
“Ah yes,” said Felix. “As I said, this is not an exact science, by any means. The scales drew me to them as they did my teacher. But does it work that way for all who would become a Fixer? I do not know the answer to that, either. All I know is the scales seem to find who they are suppose to find.”
“Are they enchanted?”
Felix sniffed. “You might be inclined to think that given their apparent power over us, wouldn’t you?”
“I might.”
“As would I. But I am assured they are merely a miniaturized versions of their real life counterparts. Any enchanting that happens may only exist within the minds of those who see them.” He winked at Wolfric. “Then again, perhaps there is something more.”
“And other times, I don’t feel like I’m getting all the answers from you,” said Wolfric with a sigh.
“Good, that is because you may not be. Maybe I am testing you. Again. Because as I warned you, everything is indeed a test. Even when you think you are done or beyond me, I shall be watching. Evaluating. I need to be sure you are capable of everything that is expected of you. Even if you don’t even know that about yourself.”
Wolfric sighed. “And will you be accompanying me when I go for a piss or a shit in the woods?”
“You’ll never know if I am,” said Felix.
“At least not yet,” said Wolfric with his own grin. “But eventually, I will learn. And then perhaps it will be me who spies upon you when you least expect it.”
“That will hopefully be the case, although I certainly would not want you watching me defecate. It’s not a very appealing sight, I assure you.”
Wolfric leaned back into his bedroll and sighed. “What will I be learning tomorrow?”
“I’d imagine it will be another fun-filled day of learning the extent of what your backside is capable of enduring in that saddle,” said Felix. “We’ve another several days of hard riding before we reach the outskirts of Vienna.”
“And once there?”
“Once there, I will show you the sights of the city. You will learn how to blend into the cosmopolitan landscape as well as you will learn to be at one with the dark forests that surround us even now as we grow drowsy. You must be equally at home in any environment where we might be called upon to function. There is nothing to be gained from only being comfortable in one location and not another.”
“I’ve heard wonderful things about Vienna,” said Wolfric.
“It is a fantastic city,” said Felix. “But for now, rest. We rise at dawn and ride throughout the day. There may also be one of two stops in between where I will show you a few other things.”
“What other things?”
Felix chuckled again as he closed his eyes. “Wonderful things, my young protege. Wonderful things indeed.”
Chapter 7
Felix was true to his word, Wolfric discovered. Almost with unerring accuracy, his teacher rose shortly before the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon. They had some blood from the flask that Felix carried, which seemed to always be full, and then mounted up for the day’s travel. Felix eased them back through the woods and out on to the main road they had left the evening before.
They rode together in companionable silence for several hours. Wolfric discovered that the initial wave of pain when he mounted his steed seemed to have worn off mercifully and that he was able to better flow with the undulations of his horse instead of fighting against it. Once or twice, he thought he saw Felix look over in silent appraisal of his riding technique.
He might have even nodded to hi
mself.
But Wolfric was careful not to let the vague approval get him cocky. Felix had made it clear that he would tolerate none of that. He expected Wolfric to try his hardest and Wolfric was determined to prove his teacher right in his initial assessment: he could become a Fixer.
That was the weird part, he decided. He’d only known Felix for a few days and yet his desire to seek his approval was something he’d never experienced before in his life. Then again, Wolfric hadn’t had much of a life up to that point, so he supposed this was to be expected.
Sure, he’d had fun. But something had always felt like it was missing. No matter how hard he tried to reach for something better than what he had, it never seemed to materialize for him. He wondered if perhaps God was simply telling him that none of the other stuff in his life had mattered one bit. Perhaps it was all driving him toward this point in his life and meeting up with Felix.
And to think that he would be working for the Council. It amazed him, frankly. Growing up, Wolfric had heard stories about how the world of vampires had started coming together after the dark ages. A group of powerful vampires had formed the beginnings of an actual governing body and set down the laws that they expected all other vampires to adhere to. In exchange, vampires all over the known world got protection and even money.
But the Council had seemed almost like some mythical faraway thing when he was growing up. They were off in some big city somewhere far from the scrawny hamlet Wolfric had been raised in. Surrounded by the deep forests on all sides, the idea of interacting with the Council didn’t even seem like a remote possibility.
Yet, here he was. And a part of him thrilled to the prospect of it. Carrying out secret orders dispatched from the Council, intrigue, adventure…it was almost too good to be true.
“This way.”
Felix’s voice broke into his thoughts and Wolfric snapped back to reality, chastising himself for daydreaming. It was hard keeping his focus when the steady rhythm of the horses lulled him into a daze.
Felix brought them off the main road and through a copse of trees that broke away from a clearing a few feet further on. Felix dismounted and motioned for Wolfric to do the same.
