Apprenticeship
Prologue
Author's Comments: Ever since the middle of book 6 in the Vampire Hunter D series, the premise for this tale was in the back of my mind, just waiting for Kikuchi to make it happen. When the book ended and this tale still had not been told, but was given the red carpet of opportunity, I decided to tell it for him. It's been a while since I've written anything and even longer since I've written a fan-fiction, so I hope that, despite my lack of constant practice and the occasional long periods of waiting which will inevitably occur, you still find the story enjoyable. I've tried to incorporate a little of Kikuchi's style into the descriptions, but the rest is either me or the characters.
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A dark silhouette rode into the small, dusty town upon a cyborg horse. The sun was just beginning to cast its long red fingers of light over the stone houses, the lazily rotating windmill, and the network of fences that marked off empty pastures. Several women were sleepily walking toward the single well in the middle of the town with clay pots balanced on their hips or shoulders. A thin tawny-haired dog raised its head to eye the traveller with curiosity, but quickly laid it down again with a yawn. The only things that seemed to be awake already were the millions of short yellow daisies that grew around every building like guarding sentries. Even the wind was too tired to blow yet.
The rider urged his mount forward toward the bleached white sign with bold black letters that read, "Suzu City Hall", seemingly oblivious to the awed stares that turned his way. When he reached the building, even before he had a chance to dismount, the front door flung open and an exuberant young man greeted him.
"I am so glad you could come on such short notice!" the man greeted. "Please, come in. Quickly!" The tall, handsome man looked jealously at the women who had stopped in their paths to the well and were now staring, not at himself like usual, but at his angelically beautiful guest.
The stranger dropped his horse's reigns in front of the hitching post, rather than bothering to tie them to the provided ring, knowing full well that his mount would still be there when he returned.
As soon as his guest had stepped under his roof, the man shut and locked the door. Waving a hand toward a set of red velvet, high-backed armchairs, he said, "Have a seat, D. I will call Arnel and we can start with business right away." He strode toward the door only to stop abruptly a moment later. "Dear me! Where are my manners? You've had a long travel, I'm sure. Perhaps you would prefer to rest and refresh first?"
"No, thank you," the dark traveller said in a voice like fine silk.
"A glass of water, perhaps?"
"I would prefer to get immediately to business."
The young man stared at his guest for an odd moment and then nodded his head once and continued to the door.
"Arnel," the man called across the hallway and into the next room. "The Hunter has arrived. He is anxious to begin." There was a muffled reply and the man returned to sit across from D.
A moment later, Arnel arrived, carrying all forty of his years on tired shoulders. He wore a dark burgundy robe, but beneath that, he was already dressed for the day ahead. He stood awkwardly before the two men, waiting.
"I thought you might tell our Hunter exactly what happened-everything that you know."
Arnel thought a moment, bowed his head, and began.
"I am Arnel Stover, Mr. Halflinger's secretary. Every morning before the sun rises, I get up and walk through the city to be sure that nothing is amiss after the night. We have no defence systems here, after all, for our coffers are small and our economy barely keeps us fed. Any beast, dragon, or mutant could come waltzing in whenever he wanted. There is little worry of that, though, because there is nothing here that any of them would want, save ourselves."
"Which is plenty enough to loose!" the handsome young man added hotly.
Arnel nodded his head gravely. "Plenty enough, indeed."
For a moment, neither man spoke. Then Arnel drew in another breath. "Two weeks ago, the day that we sent you the message, when I made my rounds, I saw a light in Miss Stensal's window. You or anyone else might not think anything of it, but it's a fact that our women stay up long into the night and do not arise until about this time. To see one awake before dawn instantly made me wonder what was going on. I didn't even bother finishing my round before I knocked on her front door. Her father, naturally, was awake and let me in. When we went to her room, however, we discovered that she was not even there. She had been in bed, but now she was gone. Immediately, I hurried here to tell Mr. Halflinger and we searched the town together, but there was no sign of the girl."
Arnel stopped suddenly, his face creased with concern.
"Where was the girl's father during the hunt?" D asked in a monotone.
"Oh, he came with us, naturally," Mr. Halflinger answered. "The poor man was wrought with worry, certain of the worst. Before long, I became certain, too."
The Hunter waited, silently.
The moment stretched out longer than necessary as both townsmen waited for their guest to ask the obvious question, which D was not inclined to ask. Finally, Mr. Halflinger stirred uncomfortably in his chair.
"Nilla returned."
Both men watched the Hunter carefully, waiting for his reaction to the announcement, but none came. D waited silently for the tale to continue.
Annoyed that his coup de grace had no effect on the Hunter, Mr. Halflinger begrudgingly told the rest of his story. "She had escaped. She was, as best as we could tell, unharmed. There was a big ordeal, but at the end of the day, she was back in her father's house. That night, she was gone again."
"When did she return?" D asked, his voice as level as the desert horizon.
"That's the odd thing. She returned the day after she left, only to be kidnapped again. And she hasn't been back, since."
"For all we know," Arnel said quietly, "The Countess may have killed her this time."
Mr. Halflinger's dark scowl cut into the older man. Such thoughts were not to be entertained, the look said. Arnel bowed his head again.
"Did anyone check the girl for injuries?" D asked.
Mr. Halflinger stiffened, knowing exactly which kind of injuries most interested his guest, but he answered calmly. "Her mother did. There were none, save a few scrapes and bruises that she got while escaping. Nothing serious."
"Did Miss Stensal say who the Countess was?"
"No," Mr. Halflinger answered hesitantly, "but we know all the same. The Countess de Rodmira is our...well, we pay tribute to her in exchange for our safety against the other dangers. We do not have a defence system, but the Countess keeps everything at bay."
"What kind of tribute do you pay?" the Hunter asked.
"Livestock, grain, crops. We used to pay her money, but that has long since expired. Last month she took the last of our cattle, this month we would have had no goats, but I hope she...well, she might think Miss Nilla is our payment." Mr Halflinger crossed his arms in defiance. "I'd hate to give her our goats and I refuse to give up Nilla, but if she expects to get both, she can go to hell!"
"If your coffers are empty, how do you expect to pay me?" D's voice was very quiet, just barely loud enough to reach his audience.
"I—I have a small inheritance from when my father passed away," Mr. Halflinger answered. "My father kept it buried, hidden from the Countess in hopes that we could add to it and eventually afford a less costly means of protection. We have never added to it. All 200 dalas in gold are still there. I'm...afraid...that's all the entire village has."
"And where shall I stay while I hunt the Countess?"
"Well," Mr. Halflinger glanced furtively around the room, "Nilla's father might put you up, since you are helping to retrieve his daughter, or...I might be able to arrange something else."
"Don't bother."
With that, the darkly clad Hunter stood and showed himself to the door.
Once outside, D glanced at the buildings that lined both sides of the street. The path made a circle at the well so that the City Hall was the only building facing out towards the wild frontier, which stretched out flat as far as the eye could see. On his right, the terrain buckled and rippled in little hills, eventually rising so high that the tops split like over-baked bread. To his left, a sparse outcropping of trees formed a pleasantly shaded area that was perfect for walks and picnics. Behind the City Hall, the frontier continued to stretch on endlessly.
"What do you make of it?" a hoarse voice came from the vicinity of D's waist.
"It's not the exact truth," D responded, stepping forward to gather his horse's reigns.
"That's what I was thinking. After all, if the Countess is protecting the town, why bother with the nightly rounds?"
"It's more than that," D said simply.
The voice did not inquire further. They both had sensed the same thing.