Dead Man's Shadow, Chapter 3

Very slowly, consciousness returned. Elena’s body ached, but the pain seemed to be focused mainly on her forehead. She tried to raise a hand to feel it but couldn’t move her arms. She strained a bit and felt the motion tug uncomfortably on her shoulder. As her mind began to come more fully awake, she realized that her hands were behind her, tied to a wooden chair. She opened her eyes, finding herself in a dim room, lit only by candles. She had no idea where she was. When she allowed her eyes to roam around the dim space, her breath caught in her throat. A bewildering variety of objects hung from the ceiling and walls, ranging from herbs and other dried plants to what appeared to be bones of some sort. Shelves around the edges of the room held vials of various-colored liquids. Some kind of workbench was directly in front of her, but she could not make out any details due to the concentration of candles there blinding her.
She persisted in her efforts to look at the bench, and as her eyes adjusted, she was able to get a better look at the work table that the candles were set on. A figure stood with its back to her, apparently organizing something on the bench. She tried to move again, but found herself thoroughly bound. A shiver went down Elena’s spine as she had a sudden flashback to waking up in an unknown place, being offered some kind of dark porridge by a smiling woman. She half expected to see Sonya’s face if the figure in front of her turned around.
“You’re not a vampir, are you?” she asked the figure’s back. “Because if you are, I’m going to lose it.”
The figure almost turned to face her. Elena saw the candles reflect off of the hint of green eyes, and Weiss’s voice spoke, sounding offended but also confused. “What? No!” An edge of passion crept into his voice. “I want to see all vampirs put into the ground, where they belong.”
“Oh, good, then we’ll get along.” Elena tried her bonds again and found them frustratingly resilient. “Untie me.”
“No.” Weiss turned away from her again, returning to sorting whatever he had on the bench.
Elena scowled at him. She glanced around the room again, trying to find a pattern behind the objects. When she could find none, she turned her attention back to Weiss. “What is this place?”
Instead of answering, Weiss finished whatever he had been doing on the bench and turned to fully face her. He fixed her with a cold stare. He said nothing for a moment, letting her stew. When he finally did speak, it was a terse, clipped sentence. “So. Who are you, and how do you know me? Talk.”
“I told you, I know Nic Raeder. He told me about you.”
“How do you know Nic?”
“That’s kind of a long story.”
Weiss folded his arms and leaned against the workbench. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Elena winced. “Well, it started when I was interested in exploring the Syrneth ruins in the Walder.”
“Then you’re an idiot.”
The comment took Elena off-guard, not because of the sentiment, but from its very existence. She hadn’t expected Weiss to say anything. “So I was told. Repeatedly.” She mentally shook herself and continued. “I needed a guide. The only person who was willing to take my expedition through the Walder was Nic.” She paused, expecting another comment, but Weiss only stared at her. After a moment, Elena continued. “He helped protect my team. And I trusted him, and, well…” She hesitated. “Eventually, he decided he could trust me. I’m not sure when or how it happened, but…” The ridiculousness of what she was about to say washed over her, and she gave Felix a crooked grin. “He told me that I was his Rüken. I’m still not sure exactly why.”
Weiss raised a hand and stroked his beard in thought. His lip curled upwards. “Why mar your story with something so unbelievable at the end?”
“What?”
“You really expect me to believe that you are Nic’s Rüken?”
Elena allowed the smile to fade from her face. “Why would I tell you all of this and then lie to you at the end? What could I possibly have to gain from it?”
“Perhaps you are trying to use a fictitious relationship with a man you barely know in an attempt to get me to release you.”
“How would that help? Why would it matter to the guy Nic buys Unguents from if I was his Rüken or not?”
Weiss’s expression slipped a notch. “Is that all that you…?”
Elena tried to adopt a defensive posture, a task that was hindered somewhat by being tied to a chair. “That’s all I know about you! He only mentioned a guy named Felix a few times. I only guessed that it might be you because I heard you muttering to yourself in the door. Honest!”
Once again, Weiss regarded her without saying anything. It might have been her imagination, but it almost seemed that some of the hostility had faded from his eyes. “Did he say anything about why he was helping you?”
The question sounded like a test of some kind. Elena met Felix’s gaze directly. “Mathias,” she said. It almost felt like a chill descended on the room when she said it. “He was hoping for a lead on Mathias. He is still trying to avenge Anna.”
Something passed between them in that moment. Weiss’s posture relaxed incrementally, and he nodded once. “Now I believe you.” He straightened up. “So, Nic has found another Rüken? One who shares his disdain for vampirs, I gather?”
“Disdain might be putting it mildly,” Elena said. “Let’s just say my first encounter with one didn’t go well. And neither did my most recent.”
“Well, I suppose this is a good thing, then.” Weiss smiled at her in what was not quite a warm way, but at least felt genuine. “I take it from your comment about buying Unguents that you were listening at the door when I was meeting with Lowe?” When Elena nodded, he continued. “If Nic trusts you enough to tell you about Mathias, I suppose that there is something about you that is worthy of trust. And I know that you aren’t working with the Inquisition, since they wouldn’t be working with an Avalon.” He chuckled to himself. “Although, the resemblance is there. You do look vaguely Castillian. Not enough, though. You are still very obviously foreign.” He trailed off, shaking his head slightly. “Not that any of that matters. Now it’s my turn to tell you a story.”
“Oh good,” Elena sighed. “I hope it’s a long one.”
Weiss’s eyes flashed. He raised a hand in a silencing gesture. “Don’t interrupt me; this is important. Don’t make me regret letting you wake up.”
Elena shut her mouth immediately. A new shiver ran down her back. He spoke in such a matter-of-fact way that she really believed that he had considered killing her while she was unconscious.
The priest in front of her went on as though he hadn’t noticed, though Elena had a feeling that he had. “As Nic told you, and you overheard, I am a Hexe.” He gestured to the room around them. “This is where I make many of my Unguents. If you know anything about the Inquisition, then you know how important it is for me to keep that secret.”
Elena nodded. In addition to their suppression of knowledge, the Inquisition worked hard to eliminate anything sorcerous. The existence of a priest who could use any sort of sorcery would be enough to have them ready for blood. She could only imagine how much danger Weiss’s position put him in. He continued, “I do anything that I have to in order to keep this from them. That was why I knocked you out.”
“Did you really expect me to just say that you make Unguents in the middle of the church?” Elena couldn’t help the outburst. For some reason, this lack of trust offended her more than the fact that Weiss had tied her up somewhere. “Give me some credit.”
Weiss sighed. “I suppose my reaction was a bit hasty, but do you blame me? Mr. Lowe already puts me in a difficult position, and I didn’t want to add to that. Now, let me continue.”
“Right, sorry.”
“I do not know how, but someone in the Atabean Trading Company found out about my… hobby. They threatened to reveal my secret if they did not get what they want from me.”
“The documents?”
“Precisely. You were listening for some time, weren’t you?”
Elena winced. “More than I should have, obviously.”
A faint smile tugged at the edge of Weiss’s lip. “Indeed. Now, I tell you all of this for a single reason. You have to know how important it is for my secret to remain a secret. And I tell it to you instead of ensuring your silence in another way because anyone that Nic chooses as a Rüken is going to be reliable. Do you understand what I am getting at here?”
Elena did. She nodded. “I promise that I will die before I give away anything you’ve told me today.”
“Good.” Weiss fully stood. He moved around behind her, and Elena felt the ropes binding her loosen. She moved her hands out from behind the chair as soon as she was able and rubbed at her wrists. Weiss moved to stand before her again.
“Do you need help with Lowe?” she asked. “I know him. My father had dealings with him. I can speak to him about this whole thing.” Now Weiss’s expression changed to one of mild surprise. He quickly masked it as he shook his head. “Thank you, but no. I’m afraid that this is far larger than just him. I tried to find out more about it the last time I went to Eisen, but I was… busy.”
“Taking care of the Baroness,” Elena said. “Nic mentioned that. Well, if you don’t need me to talk to Lowe, do you need help getting the documents?”
“Why are you so interested in helping me?”
“I can read between the lines. If you know about Mathias and Anna, then you’re closer to Nic than you’ve said.” She looked Weiss in the eye. “And I’m willing to help a friend of Nic’s.”
Weiss did not reply. He seemed to be considering it.
Elena pressed on. “Plus, if the Inquisition is after you, you could probably use some kind of external help. And you said it yourself: I’m obviously not working for them. You need someone that you can trust right now. Nic isn’t here, so I’ll have to do.”
After a few moments, Weiss nodded. “I suppose that you’re right. And if Nic trusts you that much, then I should at least give you a chance.” He offered her his hand. “I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced. I’m Felix Weiss.”
“Elena Hunt.” She took his hand and shook it. “So, what’s the plan?”