Forever Young The Beginning (57 page)

“
I feel bad enough already,
Marie, but I’m glad you said that. I have his violin along with the
belongings he left behind. He said something about being able to
travel faster afoot than by carriage?”

“
We run faster by far than a
horse does and can do so for long periods, Anna. It is one of many
things that make us different from you humans. I think Ian is
slowly recovering. He may be sensitive, but he’s resilient too. You
can be thinking about that while you’re in Nice.”

“
Thank you for explaining so
much to me. I’ve hated myself for so long over this affair. I’ll
consider what you’ve said. I saw a girl with Ian at
Bern.”

“
That was Alyssa. She’s a
fashion designer and I don’t know if she would be willing to give
up that for Ian or if he’d ask her to.”

“
Does she know about
him…about you?”

“
Yes. She only recently
learned when he saved her life. She accepts him, and really, she
loves him. She’s a protégé of mine, but she’s not one of
us.”

Anna nodded her understanding as Marie
continued. “The thing about our existence that is so hard, Anna, is
that we must lie daily to those humans around us who we love and
who are our friends for their sakes. It’s a heavy burden for each
of us that we can never put down.”

Ian wore clothing that was normal and
nondescript as he walked daily at the market/bazaar in Barcelona.
He had grown quite proficient at cutting all of his hair off and
shaving his head and beard every morning at the new inn where he’d
taken a room. Of course his imprint caused it to grow back quickly
after his next feeding, so it was a thing he repeated every two
days.

He’d grimace and punch a fresh hole in
the same earlobe each morning and put a gold ring through it. His
sun glasses and a broad-brimmed hat would complete his disguise to
be off for a day of watching and waiting. After introducing himself
he’d made an arrangement with Geraldo the florist to signal him if
he saw Carlos Chavez.

As patient as is any successful
predator, a cold resolve now governed him. His quarry would
eventually show himself. The tenth day after he had come to
Barcelona he saw a group of five well-to-do young men ride into the
market/bazaar area and tether their horses. They looked to be
careless and wealthy, as if they owned the place, so Ian gradually
edged closer to them.

They were heading for a place that
sold women’s scarves and other accessories. Ian edged closer and
closer, all while appearing to be focused on other items in the
area. He looked as if he was just another shopper casually looking
at nothing in particular but everything in general. As he looked
over at the florists’ booth, Geraldo Perez the cemetery
groundskeeper/florist nodded and stretched his hand way above his
head to indicate that it was the tallest one. This was the group
and he thought he could already tell which one was
Chavez.

Just as the tall handsome man went to
reach for a scarf to inspect, Ian placed his right foot behind the
man and rudely reached across in front of him using his right arm.
The combination of that and using his vampire strength judiciously
resulted in the tall man being knocked flat on his back in front of
his four friends and some thirty witnesses nearby. Ian then stepped
on the man’s stomach as he struggled to rise and continued along
the direction he had been going, appearing to ignore him and to be
still looking at merchandise.

Carlos struggled to his
feet, his face beet red and contorted with anger. “Senor, you are a
clumsy pig and someone needs to teach you some manners.” Ian turned
innocently to face him, tilting his head to one side. “Pardon
senor, but is the imbecile who was just flat on his back
calling
me
clumsy?” There was a tittering of laughter from the onlookers
nearby. Ian had refined his Spanish during the time he had been in
Barcelona and now he sounded as if he had been born
there.

Carlos’ face grew bright red as he
stepped forward and slapped Ian across his face, and then stepped
back. Ian smiled mirthlessly and said “Oh my! He slaps like an
angry little girl. What has angered you, senorita?”

“
I demand satisfaction
senor!” said Carlos, his red face now becoming even redder if
possible. He was livid and doing his best to control a tremor and
to keep a genteel bearing in the face of this insolence.

“
Yes, I suspect that you do.
You’ve never earned anything in your entire useless life so instead
you demand everything, do you not?”

“
You have the choice of
weapons, senor!”

“
Weapons? You use weapons
senorita? What weapons? A fan perhaps or a kitchen spoon?” Laughter
erupted from the now-growing crowd.

Carlos shouted as loud as he could
“Choose your weapon, Senor!”

“
You may choose my weapon,
senorita. I see that you’re wearing a saber. Is that something that
you really use senorita? If that’s what you use, then that’s fine
with me.”

“
Sabers it is then. Dawn
tomorrow, here.”

“
Dawn? Must I get up that
early tomorrow when I’m here already? Do you not have cooking and
cleaning to do tomorrow senorita? Can we not settle this now? I see
that your friends all have sabers. Perhaps they could lend me one.
You decide while I go have a drink.” He turned his back then and
walked a few paces to the adjacent business. It was a place with
tables arranged for drinking. He ordered two glasses of wine,
tossing a silver coin on the counter top. By now a large crowd had
gathered. They were hushed so as to hear every word spoken. A voice
from behind him said “Here is a saber, senor. You have your
wish.”

Ian turned and it was one of Carlos’
companions holding out a saber and scabbard. Ian took the first
goblet of wine and drained it without stopping. He reached and took
the saber and picked up the second goblet of wine and followed the
man back toward the others, who were moving toward the area of the
fountain and pond. Ian followed them there. A man who had been
watching since the beginning got closer to him as he walked that
way and said in a low voice. “Senor, you should know that you’re
fighting Carlos Chavez. He’s the finest swordsman in all of
Spain.”

“
Is he? Will you be my
second then, senor?”

“
Well, yes but…”

“
And what is your name
senor?”

“
Hector, senor; Hector
Ramirez.”

They walked up to the waiting group,
the large crowd following. There was the buzz of conversation as
the crowd spread itself in a very large circle around the
group.

One of Carlos’ friends stepped forth
“I am Senor Chavez’ second. Have you a second, senor?” he asked
sarcastically.

“
Yes. Meet Hector Ramirez”
he said, beckoning Hector to his side.

The two shook hands and greeted each
other. Carlos’ second then said “since we have no one to preside,
we two seconds can do that if it is agreeable to you, uh Senor… I
did not get your name, Senor.”

“
Piggy.”

“
Very well, Senor …Piggy.”
He gestured to Carlos who then came to stand beside Ian. There was
a brief period of questioning each party to see if bloodshed could
be avoided as required by custom. The two both replied that there
was no avoiding bloodshed. So Carlos’ second spoke then. “A
grievance has been declared which can only be settled on the field
of honor. Senor Chavez is the grievant and Senor Piggy is the
offender. Swords have been chosen. Please present your weapon to
the other man’s second now, both of you.”

The sabers were examined, pronounced
satisfactory, and returned.

“
Senor Chavez, do you want
quarter if quarter is asked?”

“
I leave that to Senor
Piggy.”

“
Senor Piggy?”

“
The Senorita has no worry.
I promise not to cut one of her breasts off.”

“
No Quarter then,
Senor!”

“
Very well then; no
quarter.”

“
You will now face each
other. Neither of you will strike a blow until I give the command
to begin. If either one strikes a premature blow the second for the
other may shoot him down. Present the second’s pistols please.” Two
pistols were brought forward by Carlos’s companions and duly
inspected. Both confirmed that the pistols were acceptable. Before
stepping away, Ian took a drink from his wine goblet and gave it to
Hector saying “You may drop that pistol, Hector, but you may not
drop my wine. Hold on to that because I’m going to want it soon
enough.” He then walked until he was at the center of the circle
created by the crowd which now numbered above four
hundred.

He faced Carlos across a distance of
some twenty feet. Carlos took off his hat and gave a curt bow and
tossed it to his second who had followed him out. Ian took off his
hat, bowing and displaying his bald head, sun glasses, and an
earring in one ear to the witnesses. He then put it back on and
drew the drawstring tight, cinching it.

Carlos’ second said in a loud voice
“Begin!”

Carlos immediately launched a
blistering attack. Ian merely fell back and matched it parry for
stroke for some three minutes non-stop. Carlos stepped back and
looked anew at his opponent. He again launched an attack, using
different moves and weaving from side to side at times.

Ian merely parried him stroke for
stroke until finally Carlos got in really close and began to set up
for a killing thrust. Knocking his blade aside and snapping his
foot upward and planting it in Carlos’ stomach, Ian pushed him
violently backward so that he fell.

Ian skipped over to Hector with his
arms sticking straight out from his shoulders and his sword
dangling; looking like a child playing a game. He took the goblet
and took a hasty drink and handed it back to Hector. Spinning away
barely in time he fended off a murderous assault by Carlos that
lasted for some six minutes. During this time, Ian put a small cut
on Carlos’ right shoulder and then shortly he cut the even harder
to reach left shoulder, finishing with a small cut on his
face.

Carlos stepped back accompanied by
hard breathing. Ian again put his two arms out like a child and
skipped over to Hector to take another drink of wine. He barely did
give the goblet back to Hector again as Carlos renewed his attack
once more. Instead of parrying him, Ian arched his back and managed
to run ahead of Carlos in a circle, staying just out of reach of
his glittering sword tip. All of the while he waved his sword
wildly as if he was a child playing a game. Several times he
shouted “Senorita! Catch me if you can!” The onlookers laughed each
time he shouted it.

He continued this for some four
complete circles and then suddenly he pivoted and ducked very low,
lightning quick under Carlos’ attack and cut him along his right
side in passing. Carlos continued past until well out of sword
range and put his hand on the cut. He drew his hand away with a bit
of blood on it, looking murderously at Ian as he walked this time
to get his wine goblet and take another sip. Handing it to Hector
he turned once more as Carlos bored in murderously with great skill
and power. Ian merely parried, but no longer gave any ground. He
again flicked his foot up and shoved Carlos onto his back and again
walked to get a sip of wine.

There was no counter attack this time.
Seeing that, Ian weaved as if he had a bit too much to drink and
fumbling his sword, he dropped it with a ringing sound onto the
cobblestones. He picked it up as Carlos panted, watching him. Ian
had faked some labored breathing as the duel had progressed, but he
in no way looked as tired as Carlos did by now. He allowed Carlos
to catch his breath and merely stood with his head tipped to one
side a bit. Then he began to walk toward Carlos to engage him.
Allowing Carlos to parry every stroke he made, he even slowed his
attack some to match his opponents’ now-faltering strength and
speed. Appearing to tire he began to back away from Carlos then and
Carlos gamely bored in with everything he had left. Ian whirled and
ducked quickly under a murderous slashing attack and spun past,
once more opening a cut on Carlos’ other side as he passed by.
Waiting patiently for Carlos to catch his breath, he faked his
breathing to look as if he was as tired as Carlos. Then he even
backed away and sat down on the cobblestones, his sword lying at
his side as his shoulders heaved.

Carlos again scrambled to bore in,
renewed in confidence at seeing his opponent so tired. Ian
scrambled to his feet and parried him and gave ground for a bit
until suddenly he reversed things and began to force Carlos back as
he pulled his sun glasses down on his nose. Quickly he stepped in
close and each grabbed the other’s sword arm. Face to face with
him, Ian made his eyes glow brightly as he said in a very low voice
“Philippe’ sends his regards, Carlos.”

Carlos’ eyes widened suddenly in
surprise and dread as he saw Ian’s eyes. Ian snapped his foot up to
Carlos’ chest and pushed him away as he shoved his sun glasses back
into place. He then mounted an attack that backed him to the edge
of the pond. There was a glittering display of thrust and parry
when suddenly Ian ran him through, flicking the blade free in an
instant. He walked over to his second, Hector as Carlos collapsed
into the pond, dark blood coming from his pierced liver. Ian took
the wine goblet and drained it and handed it back to Hector with
the borrowed saber. “Much thanks, Senor Ramirez. Via con Dios
amigo.”