The Bloodpack
Chapter 2: Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Scotland, United Kingdom
Circa AD 2000
Asad lingered in the shadows of the building, listening as the sound of an all-out brawl raged on inside the pub opposite. He had no taste for such sport, if it could be considered as such.
He had landed in Edinburgh last night. Unlike Chupa, Priest was not a hard man to find. Just follow the trail of broken bones and wrecked bars, and he would surely be at the end of that trail.
He was the last remaining son of a rather influential vampire family based in Edinburgh. His family had a long history of warriors and it was said that Priest was no exception. The only change was the setting; he was notorious for taking part in brawls. Whether he started them was a subject open to debate.
A chair flew out of the window and landed on the street, splintering on impact. Asad raised a brow as a man quickly followed the way the chair had gone, landing with a loud "oomph!" and a few choice words. He quickly got up and went through the window again, no doubt tackling an unfortunate man to the ground.
Asad sank back into the shadows. He was not eager to become part of this fight.
Priest was passing the broken window when something heavy and hard landed on him. Hitting the ground, he narrowly avoided being impaled by a broken bottle. He cursed loudly and threw the man off him.
When he stood up, he was surprised by a solid punch to the face. He cursed again, this time more violently than before. He reacted in kind and he was rewarded with the satisfying crack of bone even as he moved to the door, which was hanging at an odd angle.
He grinned. He revelled in the chaos, but it was time for him to go. Off in the distance he could hear the first wailing of a police siren. His family would kill him if he was arrested again.
"I'd love to stay and play," he said, bowing from waist down, "But I'm afraid I have to run."
He ducked out the door, narrowly missing being bowled over by a thrown man.
Priest grinned as he headed out into the street, partially from the thrill of the fight. He had a nasty cut to several parts of his body, but they would heal before tomorrow night.
Immediately he noticed the figure in the corner. His hand strayed to his side, where his Berretta was. He disguised it by making his movements look as if he was touching his side, and added some cursing to complete the effect — he looked as if he had been injured.
He added a stumble to his steps and headed across the street, as if he was heading home.
"You're not fooling anyone," the figure said. Priest straightened and drew his gun, holding it near him and stopping his advance in the middle of the street.
"Who're you?" he demanded. "What do you want?"
"I am Asad," the figure said, stepping out into the streetlight. "I am in the service of Overlord Eli Damaskinos."
He recognised Asad. "We've met before."
"I was at your cousin's wedding four years ago," Asad nodded.
"No-one's gettin' married now. What are you doing here?" Priest asked, replacing his gun back in the holster.
"I have a proposal from Damaskinos," Asad explained. From his pocket he produced a truce key, one that Priest had seen only once before. "You know Blade." A low hiss confirmed his information. "He killed your brother in America. Recently he's become more of a threat than ever. Damaskinos is forming a team to track and kill Blade. He wants you to be part of this team."
Priest practically growled in response. "Yes."
Asad held the truce key out. Priest took it from him, barely sparing a glance. "So, when, where and how?"
Damaskinos' lieutenant passed him an envelope. "All the details are inside." Priest glanced over his shades and ripped the top of the envelope open, glancing through its contents.
"I'll be there," he confirmed. Asad nodded and both of them glanced at the end of the street. The sirens were getting louder.
As Priest took off in the other direction, he glanced over his shoulder. Asad was gone, blending again with the shadows.
