Outside Chinook, Library at the Manor, Mid September
Niculai was flummoxed. Not something that happened to him all that often. As the War Prince for the Anvidai and head of the Ashen War-Kin, he was decisive and direct. The leaders of the Anvidai had always been warriors and members of the Ashen War-Kin, those that protected the Anvidai from anyone that would harm them. So he regularly made decisions that could end not only his life but the lives of his brothers and sisters in the Ashen War-Kin. His siblings who fought the guerrilla war against the Undying with him. So it wasn't common for him to be struck speechless. In fact he couldn't remember it ever happening before. Niculai had been a lot of things in his long life but struck speechless had not been one of them. Niculai was far better know for his yelling than his silence in fact.
Niculai stared at the letter sitting on the antique desk that he used. What the hell was he supposed to do with this? Out of the blue a letter from someone he had almost forgotten about. And boy didn't that realization sting more then a little. Ingretta had been the letter writer and he owed her far too much. Ingretta's mothers dying wish had been that he take care of her newborn infant. Obviously he'd failed in his duty to the female. At the time he'd had far too much on his plate trying to warn and succor not only his people but the Rom that they often lived among as well. The Romanian government had opened its doors to the Nazis, who would kill anyone they decided was different or beneath them. They had already proven that over and over. So he'd left the girl with one of the families that the Ashen War-Kin were escorting.
Niculai no longer saw the well appointed library that he used as an office. All he saw before him was the past. A past that he had thought had been left behind in the old country. Instead of books Niculai's eyes saw the deep old growth forests that covered much of Romania at that time. Instead of the scent of the fire that burned behind him in the marble fireplace, Nic smelled the sharp tang of the forests that surrounded the secluded villages in the high mountains of rural Romania. Above him there were stars instead of the painted ceiling of his favorite room in the War-Kin mansion.
Niculai had another reason to be afraid for his people and those that had helped them in the past and the present. The Undying had effectively taken over the Nazi party in the guise of the Vril Society. The Undying had long made it their practice to either create or infiltrate authoritarian groups in the hope that they would lead to world domination. A group like the Vril Society had been tailor made for the Undying. Using the Vril to take over the Nazi party just saved them the trouble of taking over the Nazis. Not that work would have stopped the Society, it just meant that the Nazi leadership did the work for them. And since the Undying always wanted to stay well behind the scenes that worked out even better.
So Niculai was trying to get as many of the Anvidai, and any others groups that would be at risk, as safe as possible from the incoming Nazis as he could. He and his fellow Ashen War-Kin were guiding and protecting the ever expanding group to a safer place, probably the USA. At this point though all Nic and his Siblings wanted to do was to get their charges out of the immediate line of fire until a safe harbor could be found. Many of the Anvidai were living there already and even if the majority didn't go to the new world it wasn't going to be safe for them to live here any longer. So he'd ordered a mass exodus to get as many of those that looked to him safe as possible.
The refugees weren't going to be able to do much more then hide in the deep wilds of the high mountains until the War-Kin could get them to safety in batches. But at least they'd be alive and it wasn't the first time they'd hidden in the deep caves after all. The Anvidai had done so many times in their very long history and without a doubt would do so again. Niculai was intent on not just saving his people but those groups that had aided the Anvidai for generations. He was going to save as many of the members of the other groups that would go with them. Nic knew that it wouldn't be anything like all of those that were in danger but with any luck it would be most. If he only got the women and children to safety then Nic felt he would have at least made a small payment towards all of the help that had been given to his people over the many centuries that the Anvidai had lived in this part of the world. Niculai wished that he could help all of the Romanian people but there weren't enough warriors and in all the Anvidai clans combined to save Europe from what the Undying and their willing Nazi protegees would do before they were stopped.
Once he'd gotten as many people to safety as possible, Niculai had gone to the family that was temporarily fostering the newborn. His original plan had been to take the babe with him to the new world where the majority of the Anvidai would eventually join him. But when he saw how much the woman that was caring for the infant loved her Niculai hadn't had the heart to take the babe away. He'd contemplated taking the nursemaid's husband along as well but the couple hadn't wanted to leave their clan to travel to the states. Niculai wasn't going to force them to come with him so he'd spoken to their Clan Head and made his desires clear. The Clan Head was to keep Niculai appraised of how the newborn was doing and if she needed anything else either he,the clan head or the adoptive family was to contact him. Niculai would make sure that whatever was needed happened. After that all he could do was hope since that clan had planned to stay in Europe for as long as they could.
The antique chair that Niculai used at his desk creaked as he leaned back but he didn't hear it. The sturdy dark wood complaining as he shifted his weight. The chair matched the desk he used for working at here in the War-Kin mansion. Niculai looked around the grandly appointed library, not really seeing the floor to ceiling book shelves. Behind him the fire was a warmth on his back that he didn't register. Generally being in this room helped calm him which is why he used it as his office rather than one of the more formal spaces that the mansion offered. it was so much easier for him to keep his temper in places one liked than in all the formal fanciness that was more typical of the actual offices spaces in the War-Kin mansion.
But all of that calm had gone right out the window as soon as he had read the letter from Ingretta. No, all he was feeling was guilt for forgetting about the female that had sent him the letter before him. The letter that asked him for his help. Anger at the clan head that hadn't followed instructions and kept him appraised about the female that had been left in his care. In fact the infant had been the second child left with that clan during the diaspora from eastern Europe. Anger flared anew, stabbing through Nic and warred with the guilt in him until he was hard pressed to say what he felt.
There hadn't been a lot of details listed in the letter. Just her name and how to contact her if he decided to help. Which, duh, of course he was going to help. Not just because it was his job but because he owed it to her. It didn't matter what the problem was he was going to help as best he could. The letter had been mailed two days earlier to the P.O box they used since the mansion didn't have an address. So no mailmen delivered here. Not that one would be able to see the mansion thanks to Pyetr's Ahshee, even if there had been an actual address that could get mail. Nope as far as the Human world was concerned, the underground compound and the mansion over it didn't exist.
It was clear to Niculai that the letter writer was afraid. He wasn't sure what exactly she was afraid of but her fear was almost a stain on the page. He was going to follow her instructions for getting in contact with her. No matter how convoluted they were. There was no way he wasn't going to help. Niculai was determined to not fail her a second time. And with that thought in mind, Niculai reached out for his phone to put thoughts into action.
This was going to require the help of the household's majordomo Mikal. It was Mikal who actually ran the mansion for all that Nic was supposed to be the one in charge. Mikal ran the lives of everyone who lived in the mansion or trained in the center. Not that he'd ever admit that of course. He was going to have to call Chinook Herald to place an ad. That was how he was supposed to get in contact with Ingretta. He would post an ad with his direct contact info in the personals section of the wanted ads. And if all went well she would contact him. Then maybe Niculai could find out what had happened to her that she felt she needed to reach out to him like this.
Why hadn't she just gotten his business line number from any one of the numerous people that had it? Or even just come by the house he used for audiences if she couldn't or wouldn't discuss the problem over the phone? It wasn't like his people couldn't contact him. Nic was fairly easy to reach any number of ways after all. There was a number just for his people to call and leave a message. One of the Ashen War-Kin always responded and if someone needed Niculai specifically they could just request a call back or make an appointment to see him in person. There were even a few Anvidai only closed Facebook pages that were moderated by members of the race that she could have used. So why all this cloak and dagger stuff? It just didn't make sense. What could she have done that was so terrible?
Niculai thought about the last time he'd seen Ingretta. She'd been a child of about ten then only about a decade after World War Two. Ingretta had looked up at him with such solemn eyes. Nic had told her Clan Head, Troov Foress, to keep him appraised of how she was doing. After all, her mother had placed Ingretta into his care at her death. Which is why Nic was responsible for Ingretta, in a very real way. The Foress clan had stayed in Europe longer then most others had. In fact, they had been one of the last clans to leave the old world for the States. They were a very traditional clan had hadn't wanted to loose their last tie to the homelands.
When had he last heard from Ingretta or her clan? Niculai realized that it had been a couple of decades. Once she'd made it through her Tempering alive he'd figured she was going to be fine. When he'd heard nothing further he thought that she'd gotten on with her life. Maybe found a mate and had a family. After all, if she'd needed him or something had gone wrong someone would have contacted him, wouldn't they? Well clearly not considering the letter he'd gotten from her. So it was up to him to find her and fix whatever it was that had gone wrong. He wasn't going to let her down again. Not if he could help it.
Niculai waited for Mikal to show up. He was ready to get on with the rest of his work. It was going to be a very long night at his desk if he didn't get a move on. After all he had to finish his desk work before he could do what he really liked, fighting. He looked down at his leather clad legs thinking that he was grateful he wasn't one of the Human leaders that had to stay behind a desk. His people had a long standing tradition that their rulers lead from the front lines. That was why he was the War Prince not the king or some such. Thank all that was holy for that fact. Niculai knew he would have gone completely around the bend if he couldn't go fight the Undying. With that thought, Niculai buckled down to his work he had to finish before he could go out in good conscience. At least he was already dressed in his fighting clothes of black leather. And his weapons were near at hand so there would be no delay once he was done with the hated paperwork.
The soft knock brought Niculai's awareness out of his paperwork and back to the world at large. His nose told him who it was as much as the knock did. Mikal had arrived to find out what it was that Niculai needed of him. It only took Niculai a couple of minutes to fill Mikal in on what was required of him. The older male's bow was deep and reverent. It also made Niculai very uncomfortable. Mikal had served his father and known all of his life, so Niculai didn't really feel that he'd done anything to warrant all the deference. After all he wasn't half the ruler his father had been. He was much more comfortable fighting then he was leading. There was however nothing that he could say or do to stop the other male from giving what he felt was due, if only to the station that Niculai held. So to keep from making the Mikal uncomfortable Nic put up with the bowing and shows of respect. It was after all the way that the all of those that served in this household felt, even his siblings in the Ashen War-Kin. But boy did Nic wish that they would stop.
