‘None other, my Prince.’ I bowed, then stood straight.
He couldn’t speak. Slowly his face went purple. Finally he said, ‘Is this your idea of a joke? Get out — out!’ He pointed a trembling finger at the door. Men were closing on me, hands on their sword hilts. I rushed the Vlad’s table, sprang up onto it, drew my sword and held it on his breast.
‘Tell them to come no closer!’ I snarled.
He held up his hands and his bodyguard fell back. I kicked aside platters and goblets and made a space before him, throwing down my sack. ‘Are your Greek Christian priests here?’
He nodded, beckoned. In their priestly robes, they came, hands fluttering, jabbering in their foreign tongue. Four of them.
At last it got through to the prince that he was in danger of his life. He glanced at my sword’s point lying lightly on his breast, looked at me, gritted his teeth and sat down. My sword followed him. Pale now, he controlled himself, gulped, and said, ‘Thibor, what is all of this? Would you stand accused of treason? Now put up your sword and we’ll talk.’
‘My sword stays where it is, and we’ve time only for what I have to say!’ I told him.
‘But —,
‘Now listen, Prince of Kiev. You sent me on a hopeless quest and you know it. What? Me and my seven against Faethor Ferenczy and his Szgany? What a joke! But while I was away you could steal my good men, and if I were so lucky as to succeed . . . that would be even better. If I tailed — and you believed I would — it would be no great loss.’ I glared at him. ‘It was treachery!’
‘But —, he said again, his lips trembling.
‘But here I am, alive and well, and if I leaned a little on my sword and killed you it would be my right. Not according to your laws but according to mine. Ah, don’t panic, I won’t kill you. Let it suffice that all gathered here know your treachery. As for my “mission”: do you remember what you commanded me to do? You said, “Fetch me the Ferenczy’s head, his heart, and his standard.” Well, at this very moment his standard flies atop the palace wall. His and mine, for I’ve taken it for my own. As for his head and heart: I’ve done better. I’ve brought you the very essence of the Ferenczy!’
Prince Vladimir’s eyes went to the sack before him and his mouth twitched at one corner.
‘Open it,’ I told him. ‘Tip it out. And you priests, come closer. See what I’ve brought you.’
Among the thronging courtiers and guests, I spied grim-faced men edging closer. This couldn’t last much longer. Close by, a high-arched window looked out on a balcony and the gardens beyond. Vladimir’s hands trembled towards the sack.
‘Open it!’ I snapped, prodding him. He took up the sack, tugged at its thong, tipped the contents onto the table. All stared, aghast.
‘The very essence of the Ferenczy!’ I hissed.
The part was big as a puppy, but it had the colour of disease and the shape of nightmare. Which is no shape at all but a morbid suggestion. It could be a slug, a foetus, some strange worm. It writhed in the light, put out fumbling fingers and formed an eye. A mouth came next, with curving dagger teeth. The eye was soft and mucous damp. It stared about while the mouth chomped vacuously.
The Vlad sat there white as death, his face twisting grotesquely. I laughed as the vampire stuff wriggled closer to him, and he gave a cry and toppled himself over backwards in his chair. The thing had intended no harm; it had no intent. Larger and hungry it might be dangerous, or if it were alone with a sleeping man in a dark room, hut not here in the light. I knew this, but Vladimir and the court didn’t.
‘Vrykoulakas, vrykoulakasP the Greek priests began to scream. And at that, though few could have known what the word meant, the great hall became the scene of furious chaos. Ladies cried out and fainted; everyone drew back from the huge table; guests crushed together at the door. To give the Greeks their due, they were the only ones who had any idea what to do. One of them took a dagger and pinned the thing to the table. It at once split open, slipped free of the blade like water. The priest pinned it again, cried, ‘Bring fire, burn it!’