Prelude (Underworld Lucian Fanfiction)

3 - Chapter III: The Deer

Three hours had passed since he had ascended the staircase...

...and Raze had still not returned with the deer.

Seated against the monastery door, Lucian was teaching himself a lesson in patience, tapping his left knee maniacally with a knife-handle and fiddling with a golden pocket-watch in his right hand. Almost four minutes had passed since he had last checked the time, an unyielding part of his brain always counting in silence. It was a strange habit, one he had developed over the centuries, so much so that he could not remember a day when he did not count since the death of...her. A coping mechanism, a friend had once called it.

Three minutes and forty seconds.

Lost in thought, he had almost forgotten the blade in his left hand, the watch-case held his attention so much. It was an exquisite piece of workmanship, the front and back engraved with a fearsome hawk, a long golden chain attaching it to the grey coat folded on the floor. Like the coat, he had already laid aside all his gentlemanly attire in preparation for the deer bleeding. His torso was bare, his lower half covered in a pair of ancient leather breeches scrounged up by Tanis. Allowing the watch to hang from the chain, he watched it turn slowly just shy of the sunlight. Always just shy of the sun, for there was no sense in letting it glint for far-off eyes to see.

Catching it in his palm abruptly, he pressed the clasp, eager as the watch opened with a sharp click, reading the time at a glance. 7:04 am. The minute hand continued to tick, tick, tick, just shy of the hour. He snapped it shut, allowing his thumb to run over the engraving again. He turned it over, almost gentle as he examined the precise imagery of the golden hunt. The original had been silver, but the watch-maker had been willing to refashion it from scratch after realising how taken Lucian was with the device. Twice he had visited the London shop just to observe it through the glass, and both times the watch-maker had been shocked when he would not touch the piece, not even to try it on. Only gold for the wealthy, the watch-maker had naïvely joked from behind the counter, writing up the order with wrinkled hands, young enough to be his great-grandson twelve times over.

He clicked the watch open again.

7:05 am.

Damn.

He should have paid the watch-maker to make it go faster. How long did it take to find a deer? It was the Hungarian countryside, for bloods' sake. Five steps in the forest and you tripped over a fawn.

Dropping the watch on his coat, he abandoned the knife and now leaned back on his palms, staring intently at the forest edge, scanning for movement. Raze had headed north, and more than likely would return from the same heading. The grounds were empty, the silence complete save for birds. The rain had stopped ages ago. Except for the entrance, all the inside doors were closed against the sun. He didn't need to see through walls to know Tanis had already removed his wrist from the bloodseer's teeth by now. No matter...she would get her blood soon enough.

If Raze ever returned.

Unable to resist, he glanced at the open watch again.

7:06 am.

Damn.

He had already prepared as much as could be prepared without the deer, and now there was nothing to do but wait. He hated waiting. There was probably an ancient book to flip through behind him, except he couldn't muster the required patience to focus on a page right now. He had the knives, the rope, the basin, the fire...all he needed was the damn deer. He picked up the knife and began tapping the seconds away, switching the blade from hand to hand.