CHASE

Chapter 25

     A few meters away from O Canto, in an abandoned land, which was waiting to be claimed, the earth was moving. Skillful vampire hands moved the soil above the waking corpse. He closed his eyes as the moonlight penetrated through the rushing clouds as if absorbing the moon magic that lulled him. He lifted his stiff, naked body without a trace of embarrassment. He ran 10 miles in less than a minute. He stared at the seductive current that urged him to enter the bank to come and luxuriate in the river's essence libido. As he floated on the luscious river waves, he turned his face to keep an eye on the shy celestial body – the moon. When Orsmund found himself free from filth, he neglected the gentle presence of the apparently murky water. Even though its slip was tender and innocent. This one glided with desire and ambition for all the members.

     So, he returned to one of the rooms at O ​​Canto. An employee, compelled by him, brought him the clothes folded over his arm. Automatically, the boy went in and out in a lifeless posture. After getting dressed he walked over to Fragqua. He opted for the road that didn't lead to the mansion where Aurora resided. Deliberately, he walked two blocks with feeble footsteps echoing on the parallels. It was just after nine at night. Some of the inhabitants who took the way home waved at him without caring who it was. Away from the tavern window and with supervision he glanced inside. The table where he used to sit was unoccupied. Despite the establishment being full of customers. He walked towards his usual place followed by sidelong glances. Silence accompanied the bewilderment for a moment. Orsmund heard some of the more exalted hearts of those who planned to corner him. Especially the sound disguised in Raimundo's gait as he came to the table to put down a clay mug full of his best beer. The heavy thud against the wooden top served to convince the owner himself to speak to Orsmund as much as to make those around him shudder.

     "That's forgotten!"  Orsmund raised his hands in the air, blocking his apology. As well as obstructing him from revealing the crime he had committed to those who didn't know him.

     Grateful and guilty, Raimundo simply nodded at him and went back behind the counter. With the intent of false gratitude, Orsmund raised his mug and pretended to take a long drink.

     The other regulars were absent under the influence of the late hour. There were now four humans and a vampire. One of the individuals could well be excluded from the count. The one who had fallen sideways into the chair, notoriously, faint. The Viking got up and walked with feline demeanor to the balcony.

     "I know him!"  He slammed his fist into the marble.

     "Who?"  Raimundo's lip stretched slightly. His shoulders were tense.

     "Who attacked you!"

     "How..."  The eyebrows were closer to a bond.

     "He's a monster!"  Orsmund interrupted him and saw him close his mouth and press his lips together.

     "Who?"  His eyes gleamed with anger.

     Raimundo's irritation startled the two men who were watching them, making them willingly surround Orsmund. The Viking stopped himself from rolling his eyes and his facial expression lost symmetry with contempt.

     "I know how to destroy him!"  He leaned his torso forward ignoring the static henchmen at his side.

     "And you'll tell us how to do it, right?"  Raimundo flexed his knuckles in a forced fist.

     "Obviously."  He muttered.  "Tomorrow! At a late hour of the night. Gather your best men!"  He Loaded in the emphasis of reference to your false ambush. The number of elements who thought they had attacked him.  "I will be happy to instruct you!"

     "What makes us believe in all that? We want evidence that leads us to trust!"

     "Consider that issue resolved!"  He added with a wicked smile. The compulsion would strengthen these beliefs.

     That said, he glanced sideways at the pair of men who were following the course of the conversation. In response, Raimundo beckoned them to leave their current posts. Since they diverted their attention to the one who was fallen. As they both lifted him over their shoulders, Orsmund left without turning to anyone else. He still turned towards Aurora's mansion. However, he let himself be guided by the simple tremulous song of a nocturnal bird of prey. Outside the confines of Fragqua, he sat on one of the branches of a cork oak. With his hands clasped and his chin resting on the left knee of his bent leg and the other suspended in the air. Absentmindedly, he watched the hunting process of a wild owl.

·

     In the tavern's clandestine basement were nine men and a cursed Viking. A long wooden table was centered in the space. Candlelight warmed the musty air, creating a dark and heavy atmosphere. The table had ten seats. Four chairs on each side and one on each top. One of these being occupied by Orsmund with Raimundo on his left. The other by a man of a demanding age and the most elegant dressed there. Since the remaining unknowns were exclusively younger.

     "Allow me to introduce them!"  Raimundo started clockwise.

     "Mauro. Let's just say it's our... Fragqua's consultant. He was the one I turned to for guidance in organizing this event."  Mauro's skin was almost as dark as his iris. It took a little while for Orsmund to believe how he was accepted into his bosom. Since this one was one of the darkest, he had seen in this locality. It became disconcerting, only from the point of view of the rules to which this people adhered.

     "Hector. One of our justice administrators."  Unlike Mauro who was the only one without facial hair, Hector had long sideburns and a bright mustache. Like Mauro, they wore formal suits that indicated respect.

     "Guilherme. One of our protectors."  Orsmund recognized him from the night before when Raimundo had become excited. In that moment, he sported a brave look, and his burly frame was matched by his determination.

     "Duarte. Heir to our founders. He made himself available to invest in whatever we need!"  A chilling shock ran through Orsmund's tendons.

     With an effort, the vampire didn't leap at him to rip out his throat or torture him for Aurora. He closed his eyes to stop himself and then looked more closely. The clothing he wore was the most expensive of the time along with a carefully ornamented staff. He concentrated on the face. Above his asymmetrical lips was a thin, outlined mustache. A nose that is too long and the right eye partially blind. He abstracted himself from the growing violence and paid attention to Raimundo's voice and not to Duarte's disgusting breath.

     "Uberto. Guilherme's cousin. He may seem like an easy target to shoot down, but don't be fooled, he's brilliant!"  Many hours ago, he participated in the duo in the tavern in order to put pressure on Orsmund. He wasn't burly like his cousin. He tended towards a scrawny physique and was of impressive height. However, they met the other night. The one after Arlete's murder. He guarded the tavern.

     "Arthur. One of the executors of the judicial court."  Like a giant bear, probably uncomfortable in the chair. Relative to his size and bald head, these features reminded Orsmund of his brother Harmand. His clothes were disproportionate to him. The seams threatened to tear. He was leaning on a pair of big hands.

     "Tarcísio, the daring one. That's what we call him to this day. Luck never left him!"  He carried an impulsive look and, of course, declared himself, courageously, resistant to a good fight. Orsmund read in his expressions that Tarcísio would be the first to volunteer to sacrifice himself as a martyr.

     "Benjamim, my son."  Everything was like the father except those eyes, innocently, deceiving.

     "I came to support my father!"  Benjamim interfered.  "I loved Arlete! Like a sister!"  His explanation made the vampire suspicious. His body language, heartbeat, and irregular breathing indicated that he loved her much more than that.

     "Like you can see!"  Raimundo said.  "We are absolutely committed to catching this... this son of a dog!"