Finding Hendrickson in this big manor wasn't a difficult task for Savannah. Having a reasonable talk with him was the hardest part. That greedy sly will certainly find a way and benefit from her misfortune, as much as he could, exactly the same way he did every time.
She was thinking about how she was supposed to start her request without making herself vulnerable to his attacks. Their last discourse wasn't friendly, even when she was genuine in her concern about his physical state.
She pitied him, when she saw his degraded state and figured out what happened, to the point where she was going to fulfill any demand he was going to ask for. Well, After all Savannah was grateful for the help he offered to their little family years ago, and still aiming to help him despite the divergence in her and his viewpoints as well as the way they like to accomplish things.
However, he returned her pity by diverting the conversation to an unpleasant subject while preying into her personal choices and the relationship with her mother.
When she stood before his chamber holding the door handle, rolling it down, she stopped at the last minute after a flash of thought reminded her that Nicolai is the old-fashioned aristocrat who always expect others to follow his habits. And certainly he didn’t like someone to enter his private place without permission.
Savannah murmured: “it’s alright, you can take things your way, since I am the one who is going to ask for your assistance.” By all means, she was going to do the exact opposite of what he liked in other circumstances.
She straightened her back as well as her neck, shin bending forward, trying to mimic a butler from an aristocratic household. Joining her right hand behind her back as she brought the back of her other hand knocking lightly as if she was from the fragile upper class.
One tap, then two, then three… Yet, no one answered. And she was certain that he was inside.
She pressed her lips together fully after she swallowed spittle then tried again but with extra force. Her patience was drained when she didn’t receive a quick response, thus she swung the door open.
The Chamber was dark, filled with the fainted jasmine fragrance. Unusually, Savannah noticed after she stepped inside the disarranged bed covers, the misplaced black coat, even boots were thrown in the middle of the floor.
Nicolai Hendrickson, the most organized man she had ever known, he surpassed even her dear uncle, he was only comparable to the Crocotta women that were well-known with their extra arranging tendency for every item no matter how small it was.
He is now living in a mess.
Savannah commented between her lips: “His mental condition has finally reached the bottom. All that high and mighty attitude has been just for show. Uh-oh, he really hates others to see his vulnerable side.”
Between the folds of the obscurity, her pale yellow eyes glimmered and her head leaned toward the small wooden door at the corner. Its handle moves up and down before a long shadow emerged from its slit.
A silky long black hair scattered on his shoulders and drops of clear water trilled on his wet face. He excellently hid his startle when his eyes noticed the glimmering light of the pale yellow color.
He threw at her an intense look of reproach before the hand of pain molded his visage. When the pain became unbearable, he lifted his hand and pressed his thumb and index fingers on his eyelids, then said while he was trying to surpass this pain: "It’s not decent to get into someone's private room without his permission. It is even worse for honorable young...”
“Said the man who picks on others without their knowledge.” She sated refusing to let him finish his sentence.
Unfortunately, Nicolai was in bad shape otherwise he would enjoy this altercation. He dutifully admitted he was lost and walked to the nightstand. He took from the drawer a small glass bottle the size of his hand, it was half-filled with a crimson thick liquid. When he opened it and poured a couple of crimson drops into the water glass; a vivid intense fragrance leaped to Savannah sensitive nose.
It was the scent of jasmine, but unlike the scent of the jasmine that arose from Hendrickson. This scent was powerful and condensed, thick and heavy, to a degree where Savannah felt a bitter taste stuck in her mouth. Contrary to Nicolai jasmine smell that gave the impression of someone disappearing in the horizon.
In one mouthful, Nicolai drank all the water mixed with drops of the crimson liquid, Next, he sat on the bed, his face covered by his palms and with a weak voice he asked: “For what reason the black star came to see me?”
Savannah took a deep breath, trying to give her voice a flavor of seriousness and discontent: "What, other than our accord, I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it in our last meeting because I feared that my mother will overhear us.” She took a brief recess, filling her lungs with the air again, then she continued: “Don’t tell me that you have forgotten that, you still didn't honor your part of the commission and here you are creating new problems for us.”
Nicolai tried to understand what Savannah comment was hinting at, then the outline of the Aratcanthrope from his recent vision flashed in his memory and made him recall the fact that this man was still alive.
He comprehended that Savannah must have encountered him inside the farm, that’s why she hinted at the story of the half successful Mt Ninurta operation. After catching the cord tip, Nicolai memory regurgitated the entire events that led him to trap the Aratcanthrope in this farm, and the reason behind it.
He also remembered his request from Savannah in exchange that he won’t disclose her secret intention to her mother. However, this scheming was something from the past, when he was in his finest condition. But, today, things have reformed, the power balances have changed and Nicolai goals have shifted with it. Hence, he stated pretending to not understand what she was implying: “Are you talking about the albino informer you have sent to this farm, rest assured, I plead to your mother to give him to me, but I was rejected.”
The displeasure reflected on Savannah eyebrows despite her attempt to conceal it. Her tactic to initially blame him for being incompetent in order to minimize his agility before getting to the main point, failed. Nicolai without being aware made her feel like an open book, and she wondered if he had figured everything.
Yet, in the end, she was right, the one who was the reason behind her mother finding out about Kanari animated piece was him.
In an attempt to obscure her reaction, she walked toward the window seeking to open its curtains, she stopped at the last second after she recalled that impure vampires can’t support the strong sunlight for more than a few minutes. Those were rumors that she overheard in one of her missions and there will be no harm in confirming them.
With one hand she held the curtains as she shifted her head in the direction of Nicolai, beholding his response.
Savannah lips formed an upside down smile…
Nicolai's reaction was boring like always, like in all the matters that concerned his life and death.
A person who doesn’t feel the fine line that separate life and death, there is no point in threatening him by death. Better humiliating him or restricting his freedom, this noble vampire Count is really known what he is doing. No surprise her mother lady Akila chose to taste the waters better than launching a direct blind attack.
At last, Nicolai declared: “There is no reason to retaliate against me like this, I know that you are still mad at me regarding the matter of Bi-an…”
“I am mad at you because of a lot of things.” Savannah interrupted him, questioning his objective, did his insensibility against death decreased, or he was telling her what she wanted to hear?
Whatever, this was not what Savannah has come to explore.
Glancing outside between the gaps of curtains, she looked at the clouds to calm herself and focus on her true objective…
Nicolai just admitted that he had met Rokah, the questions were: when, where and how they met? How could Nicolai convince Rokah to work for him and did this meeting relate to Rokah personality accelerated development and caused Kanari signal to be lost?
Savannah problem was; how she was going to get an honest answer to all of her inquiries from Nicolai without arousing his doubt about the state of ignorance of her mother about Rokah true identity. Well, there is always the possibility of cutting his throat if nothing will work to silence him.
She gambled: "So you have personally met him? What do you think?"
“You know, I am your mother biggest fan in what it regards the art of animation.”
Savannah lips curved as she was adjusting the curtains so no drop of sun ray could infiltrate the room, she asked herself about what would be Nicolai's reaction if he found out that Kanari was the real animator of Rokah. She was sure that his reaction will not be dull as earlier.
She looked at him and said: "You answered, but you didn’t respond to the nature of my question.”
He lifted his head towards her, following her steps and opened his tired eyes, he clearly understood what she was hinting at, thus he said: “What? Are you going to give him to me if we sat and discussed the complexity of his personality as if he was alive?”
