Questions and Answers
Over the course of merely two weeks, he'd killed one person and almost killed another. This shouldn't have been happening, and yet, here it was, undeniable evidence that, no matter what circumstances he found himself in, he was still a monster and behaved accordingly.
He hadn't mentioned this in his letters to Professor Armitage, of course not. Come to think of it, he hadn't given an explicit reason for this meeting. So far as the professor knew, Izzy (or I. Alderdice, as he signed his letters) only wanted to discuss some unspecified matter related to the supernatural. He'd tried not to make it seem like a personal matter. Of course, Izzy wasn't about to discuss the events of last Wednesday either. He knew what had happened perfectly well.
Today, Izzy wanted nothing so much as to find a way to find and kill the less-than-innocent, as opposed to the innocent. It seemed like a silly and rather obvious thing to want.
The wealthy neighborhoods still bothered him, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly why, now. He looked the part, though there were still servants who were better-dressed than him. It was two o' clock on a Sunday, and he'd been itching for this day since he'd sent the first letter. He hadn't expected Professor Armitage to invite him over for a meeting; he'd hardly expected for his letter to answered in the first place. The butler had been hesitant, as he would have expected, but once he'd given his name and the last letter the professor had sent him before today, he gave the boy a stiff nod and let him in.
Now they were standing outside the door of what Izzy supposed was a study. The butler gave the door three hard raps, and Izzy tried not to wonder what he was doing here in the first place.
Henry had indeed invited the younger man to meet with him today. Mr. Alderdice's letters had been vague enough, but the scholar thought he detected a man with a load on his shoulders from what had been there. Of course, he wouldn't know for sure until he talked to him.
Hopefully this meeting would reveal more about what had transpired that night with the wolves. Henry still wasn't certain what had transpired with the lad that night, and had written up a detailed summary of what he'd seen for his superiors in the Inquisition. Depending on what young Mr. Alderice had to say in this meeting he might consider the possibility of one day recommending the younger man be approached to join their ranks.
So he'd invited him to his home, to meet with Henry in his study. The room in structure was little different than most studies in upper class London, but decorated quite differently. Henry's years of traveling abroad were on full display. Exquisite Persian rugs covered the wood floor by the fireplace and the desk, and while the expected shelves lining the walls did contain a fair amount of books there were also a number of foreign antiquities scattered amongst them.
The scholar looked up from his book at the knock and marked his place before closing it and rising from his seat. He suppressed a frown of annoyance as he walked to the door: Chen would know not to simply knock when he had a visitor with an appointment, but his Chinese majordomo and friend had been dispatched to Henry's estate in Scotland to oversee some repairs there and wouldn't be back for another few days at best. In the mean time he'd just have to make do with Nigel, who had a much more timid manner than his superior.
"Ah, Mr. Alderice. I'm glad you could make it. Please, come in." He greeted the younger man with a smile and handshake before ushering him into the study. "Nigel, we're not to be disturbed unless there's an emergency."
The whole room was rather intimidating from Izzy's perspective, though he'd had plenty of practice for it in Mrs. Daugney's mansion. However, the professor's study gave the feeling that it was not simply a facade that he could preserve if only he made sure not to lean on the walls too hard. In fact, it was entirely the kind of place he'd expect someone who could put 'Professor' before their family name to have.
Still, he tried not to seem too meek as he walked into the study, first impressions always counted, he knew that full well. Or the first impression when one wasn't covered in human - werewolf - blood. He shook the professor's hand firmly, more like someone twice his age and weight than how he looked. A little trick, usually to throw everyone off but he'd found that it also seemed quite respectable under the right circumstances, such as these. "Yes, sir, pleased to be here, certainly."
Obviously, the professor seemed a great deal different in here than he had back in the street, perhaps because he wasn't holding a gun. He nodded politely and asked, "And how does today find you, sir?"
"Well enough lad, well enough," Henry noted the strength in the handshake but didn't reveal anything in his expression. For all he knew the lad could be one of those people who tried to crush others hands as a show of strength.
"I'm glad you could make it." He gestured toward the pair of armchairs by the fireplace. "Why don't we sit down? The chairs are quite comfortable. I've water if you're thirsty, or something stronger if you wish."
"Thank you, sir," he said, nodding again. He waited for the professor to sit down before him, however. "No thank you, I will be fine," he replied, though he wondered if this was the proper thing to say. Sometimes it was and sometimes it wasn't. The higher you got in class, the more confusing things became.
He looked at Professor Armitage for a moment, trying to discern whether or not he should bring up the topic at hand right now or attempt to make small talk. Personally, he had nothing to make small talk about, and the first option seemed seemed inevitable. He cleared his throat, thinking of how to bring it up, preferably with more tact than his usual thrown brick. "Professor Armitage," he started, "You are involved in the supernatural goings-on in this city? - Defending against them, I mean."
"You could say that," Henry allowed as he sat down. The scholar interlocked his hands and brought his index fingers up toward his chin as he thought about how best to answer the man's question.
"I've been aware of the supernatural for several years now. One of the reasons I've stayed in London recently instead of returning to the field is to help protect against it."
"Perhaps you could tell me what you know and we can see how well our knowledge dovetails?"
Izzy leaned forward and smiled, excited. "Well, that's what I do, you see. Like I told you that night sir. May not have had my wits about me, but I was telling the truth to you. I am a vampire hunter."
He steepled his fingers and gestured as he spoke, "Well, I can't say I knew much about anything else - I mean, I didn't know werewolves and magic existed before a few weeks ago. Thought it was just vampires and," he gestured towards himself, "Me, of course."
There was a certain danger in him telling the professor what he was, but Izzy didn't think of it. He assumed the old man already knew a certain amount of his nature.
"There are a great many different creatures of the supernatural world than mere vampires, as you are beginning to recognize. Werewolves and magic are only the beginning." Henry wondered how the lad could have stalked vampires and not run into this earlier. Perhaps he was still new at the 'profession.'
"Yes, you." Henry leaned forward as well, his curiosity piqued. "I suspected that you weren't of typical human stock based on your actions that night. What exactly are you?"
"Only the beginning?" asked Izzy, a little smile pulling at his lips, "Well, I suppose I have quite a bit to learn yet. What else is there?" There was something that made him suicidally curious about all of this prospect of the unknown. He'd had the same attitude when he'd started working under Mr. Theralt.
It didn't occur to Izzy that Professor Armitage might be a bad person to admit his nature to, but at the same time, why would he? The man seemed alright so far. "I'm a dhampir," he replied simply.
Henry leaned back in his seat, not stunned exactly, but definitely surprised. "Really?" He reached up and stroked his beard, observing the young man in a new light. Based on what he knew of dhampirs it seemed to match, but he'd never actually encountered one before.
This information would definitely be passed up the chain of command in the Inquisition, the others would need to know.
"You're certain of this? Who was your sire?"
"I'm quite certain, sir," said Izzy, a little smile growing on his face, "It's one of the few things I know completely." The professor was giving him a look right now that he wasn't entirely certain he was comfortable with, but he gave no sign that it affected him at all.
He arched an eyebrow in confusion. "My sire, sir? You mean my natural father? Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, professor, but dhampir are born, not made," he looked away for a moment with a smirk on his face. "I'm not sure who he is, unfortunately. If he ever came back to my hometown, I suspect either I or my teacher killed him." His expression grew a little darker, but no less amused, "Personally, I hope I did it."
"Yes, of course. Forgive me." Henry nodded in apology. So, he'd been trained. By whom? Henry knew there hadn't been any organized opposition of the dark forces in the country until the past few years, and that mostly confined to London unless word reached them of something going on elsewhere in the country.
"So you were trained to hunt vampires? How? Who taught you?"
"I was," Izzy nodded, "Since I was about thirteen." He paused at the next question, and then gave Professor Armitage a slightly confused look. "How?" he repeated, "Well, like you'd get trained for anything. Learned how to fight 'em, how to kill 'em, and then I went out and did it, sir. Man who trained me was Uriah Theralt, taught me everything I know. Before that I was only a monster."
Then, he remembered something he wanted to ask. "Do you work for anyone, sir? Those people you were saying were going to take away the wom - werewolf's body?"
"All I can say at this time is the Crown has taken interest in these matters." Henry's expression was not unkind, but his voice was firm. "In time perhaps I'll be able to tell you more, but I'm not at liberty to disclose more information than that currently." The lad seemed honest enough, but there was inhuman blood flowing in his veins. Henry still remembered the look in his eyes after he'd torn out the throat of the werewolf, the glint that spoke of something not entirely under control.
"Is Mr. Theralt still among the living or his profession brought him to an untimely end?"
The Crown? The Crown? Izzy couldn't help but smile. This was possibly the best thing he'd heard since he'd come to London. And this man worked for them, even! That meant there was a chance that he could as well - maybe. At some point. Hopefully soon. "Yes, sir!" he said, a little more excitedly than he should have.
"No, he's still alive, as far as I know. I don't know as there are many things that would kill him, if you don't mind me saying, sir."
The enthusiasm of the younger man's response caused Henry to smile slightly. It was good that Alderdice was pleased with the idea that the Crown had started an organization to deal, too bad he'd never have an opportunity be a full member of the Inquisition. His father's blood would prevent that.
"That's good to hear. Tough old fellow is he?"
"By the standards of dhampir, I suppose he's old," Izzy smiled darkly at this, "Certainly tough by anyone's standards."
"So he's a dhampir as well?" Henry couldn't help but ask, curious. He wondered how many of the creatures were out there, under their noses...
"Yes," said Izzy, nodding, "Only other one I've met, honestly. It's strange how there are so many vampires and so few fit to get rid of them. But then," his expression turned a bit more serious, "Not that many dhampir get past their childhood, or so he told me. It's understandable, even," he straight at the professor with a little smile on his face, "Would you keep something so prone to violence? What looked for all the world like it was demon-possessed? I'm quite fortunate my mother knew what I was, or I daresay I wouldn't be here speaking with you, professor." He laughed suddenly. "I'm sorry."
"I'd imagine not," Henry noted that little tidbit in the back of his mind, something to include in his report for certain. "Your mother understood that she'd been impregnated by a vampire?"
"That she did," said Izzy. He frowned then, and his expression grew harder, "But we're not talking about her circumstances now, sir. Or I'd prefer not to. If you don't mind." He paused for a moment, then added, "Out of respect for her, you understand."
He gave a little wave of his hand, as if pushing the topic out of the way. He smiled. "But tell me, sir, how did you become interested in the supernatural? I don't know many people in the city who believe that what we're talking about exists."
"Of course." Henry accepted the change of topic without rancor. Were he in a similar position he wouldn't want to talk about the circumstances of his conception either.
"I've been something of a world traveler in my adult life, and spent a good portion of my childhood in India as my father held a commission in the army of the East India Company. Over the course of my life I've seen a number of things that couldn't be explained by modern science. I didn't believe in 'superstitous nonsense' of course, not until I was enlightened in the heartland of Russia. An Orthodox monk of all people was the one to remove the veil from my eyes." Henry smiled at the memory, not that it was a pleasant one. "He killed a vampire before it could make me into a buffet, something for which I'll always be in his debt."
Izzy listened to the story, nodding in all the appropriate moments and seeming incredibly interested. But there was something else that he wanted to know. "A great many people think it's all superstitious nonsense, I've found. The village I'm from has quite a history with vampires - there used to be a coven what lived there for a few hundred years - and no one knew! I've always found it quite amazing how blind humans - sorry, most humans - can be. I think it's out of fear, but my opinion doesn't count for much. They were mostly out by the time I was born," he gave a wicked smile, "I don't know as there are any left by now. But if it's not classified," he looked back at Professor Armitage, a little more serious, "How did you come to work for The Crown, sir?"
"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say, Mr. Alderdice." Henry told him regretfully. "The methods used to recruit are secret. I've already told you all I can about it at present." He would write a full report for the Chief Inquisitor about the meeting and what his impressions of young Alderice were.
The idea of a dhampir being a part of the Inquisition was out of the question, of course, but he could still be of some use.
"Oh," this seemed to disappoint Izzy a little bit. However, he smiled politely and nodded. "I understand. But if there's any way I could be of any assistance to you or your organization, I would be delighted and honored. There are a great many vampires in London, as I'm sure you are aware, Professor Armitage, and if I could be of any help to your organization in getting rid of them, nothing would make me happier."
He paused for a moment, tapped his hand lightly on his chest and then added, "Consider me completely at your service, sir."
"Thank you lad," Henry smiled at the young man's enthusiasm. "I'll certainly pass the word along, I'm sure someone will be in touch. How long have you been in the city?"
It was actually happening. He wasn't just bringing in a corpse for someone to fiddle with, he was actually going out and hunting, like he was meant to. Izzy grinned broadly and replied, "Thank you so very much, sir. I'm in your debt." To the professor's next question, Izzy added it up in his head and then replied, "Almost a year now. Ten months, to be exact."
Henry nodded. "How many vampires have you killed since you started hunting?"
Izzy looked at the professor blankly for a moment, then counted up the number in his head. "Sixty-six," he replied finally, "I have been hunting for five years. I have only killed three since I've come to London. It's different here, as I'm sure you realize. There I was a hunter. Here they live in society, which makes me a murderer."
Henry nodded again, feeling a bit like a jack-in-a-box. "It can be more difficult to track them and find an unobtrusive way of dispatching them in the city, I agree." He didn't do most vampire hunts these days, preferring to focus on research and teaching the younger and faster Inquisitors what they needed to know. That combined with investigating various supernatural mysteries that might pop-up kept him busy.
The report on young Alderice was getting more and more interesting the longer the conversation went.
"And there are a great deal more of them here than there are out in the country, which makes it all the more maddening. When I was apprenticed under Mr. Theralt, he used to take cases wherever he could find them, and even then there were months where he wouldn't get any," Izzy continued, but then realized something and backtracked a little, "I'm sure the number makes me sound like Jack the Ripper, eh?" he looked down, "Better'n the alternative, though. Get rid of the creatures that need getting rid of, instead of the innocent ones. He taught me how to control it to some extent, but there's really only one way to truly...satisfy bloodlust."
"Ah yes, bloodlust."
That certainly explained the look in the lad's eyes when Henry had first run across him. He still vividly remembered that expression, as if Alderice were a lion and Henry a particularly juicy looking antelope. Predator and prey.
"What's it like? The need to hunt prey?"
"It feels like the most natural thing in the world," he was silent for a moment, and then explained, "Well, I couldn't really explain what it's actually like, but when it takes all my will to try and keep myself from it. I can tell when it's coming on, but that took quite a lot of practice. Difficult to see things in yourself and such."
He thought for a moment, and then said, "But I could never tell you what it's like after that. I black out, see. I don't know if all dhampir do, I've been told it's different for everyone."
"Is that what happened that night? You'd had the urge, and blacked out when you were fighting the werewolf?" Henry leaned forward in his chair, wanting to understand exactly what happened in the young man's mind two weeks ago. The better he had an understanding of how dhampirs operated the more thorough his report would be.
Izzy thought for a moment, and then replied, "Yes. I saw a great...animal of some sort...what you've told me is a werewolf, and then I don't remember anything until I realized that I'd killed a woman." That was always the way it was, from the time he was a child. That was how it always went, and once it started, he couldn't stop it.
"What are the warning signs that this is coming on you?" Henry itched to get a pen and paper to write everything down, but he restrained the impulse. He'd trained himself years ago to remember details for later transcription, this would have to be one of those times. "You say it took a long time and practice for you to recognize this in yourself, this was another thing your mentor taught you?"
"It's difficult to describe," replied Izzy, "If I had to describe it, it's like something pulling at my mind, and then I want nothing more than blood, like I imagine a vampire might, maybe. Not that I'd die without it, more that I couldn't live without it - if that makes any sense at all, if likely doesn't. Sorry, sir," he paused for a moment, and put his hand over his mouth for a moment, thinking. "And I feel like I can smell everyone in the room, like a butcher's is the best way to describe it. Like meat. I think it's all in my head, though." He nodded before replying, "Yes, that was one of the things he taught me. It's a difficult thing, but I think you'll agree it's necessary."
"Perfectly understandable," Henry nodded in agreement. "Thank you for trying to explain, I know it mustn't be easy for you."
He started as the clock on the mantle and glanced over in surprise at the time that had passed. "Do you have plans for supper? You're welcome to dine here this evening if you wish." The more time he spent the better he'd be able to understand the lad's strengths and weaknesses.
It was now rather unfortunate that Professor Armitage hadn't told Izzy what he was actually doing, because Izzy might have stayed. He honestly had no problems with talking about his nature, because, when it came down to it, he wanted humans in general to know about the world they couldn't see, if only to make his job easier and to know how to protect themselves.
He put up a hand. "No trouble at all, sir," he replied, and then to the question about dinner, he replied, "Oh, that's very kind of you to offer, but I'm afraid I really must be leaving if it's that late." He smiled.
"Of course." Henry stood up. "If you're certain, it isn't any trouble to set one more place." Truthfully Henry would likely make his way to the Whitechapel and eat there before writing up his report. There wasn't much reason to have the few permanent servants he had make an extra portion for himself when none of his relations were currently in residence. If he didn't eat at the ship the scholar often went out to dine with friends or at one of London's many clubs.
"I'm certain," said Izzy, though in reality he didn't have anything planned at all. Maybe cards with the kitchen staff, but other than that his only reason was that he didn't want to look like he was impinging on the professor's hospitality. Izzy stood up, and held out his hand. "It's been an honor to speak with you, Professor Armitage, and I do hope we have more opportunities in the future."
Henry shook it firmly. "As do I lad. You know how to contact me so don't feel a need to stay away."
The scholar opened the study doors and guided the younger man personally to the foyer. "I wish you a pleasant evening Mr. Alderice, and good luck until we see each other again."