“A Vampire who had been unable to eat anything except Lettuce since Lockhart had dealt with him”

Vile, Hateful creature. Malicious lies spread from his book and travelled world wide like the stench of rotting shellfish. Wherever the Baron tracked him, his lies had got their first. But no Lockhart was to be found. Vladimir had stalked up and down the crowded streets to no avail. He was cold, wet, tired and hungry. Many people surrounded him yet he could certainly not turn on any of them. Starving and surrounded by food calling out and laughing. He was drawing attention his white waxy skin almost reflected the orange glow of the streetlamps. His Faded once blue and grey clothes from the era when the cavaliers and Roundheads battled stuck out amongst the jeans and sweaters of the pulsating crowd.

He was being watched. He could smell them tailing him. He turned suddenly into a dimly lit doorway and rang the bell. A short man opened the door and looked up into the lofty gaze of the Barons. “ We’re still open for business you could have just walked in” The man said. The baron smiled careful not to show any of his teeth. The man shifted uncomfortably not knowing why he felt this way, what was he thinking he was well protected and sorely in need of a customer. “ Well come in then!”

“Good evenink” The Baron replied stooping through the doorway and sticking to the shadows. “Do you have any rooms to let?”

“At the Harpy inn we don’t usually cater for your kind.” The man said bluntly. “ I can see you properly now in the light, I would strongly advise you to turn around and leave this town at once.”

Vladimir smiled again being careful not to show his teeth. “ I vill not be stayink lonk.” He looked deep into the mans eyes and said very softly “ It could not hurt to give me a room fvor a couple of days.”

The mans eyes glazed over. In a distant far off voice he said slowly “ It could not hurt to give you a room for a couple of days” He pulled out a bunch of keys and slid one off the heavy ring and laid it on the table. Vladimir produced a pouch and enclosed the mans fingers around it.

“Thisss ssshould cover my expenses. Do not breathe a word about me stayink here. Everythink vill be fvine. Leave me!”

The man walked away. A couple of steps later he stopped and shook his head then looked down to the pouch he was holding his grip tightened and he walked resolutely towards the bar.

Vladimir found a table in the darkest corner of the room and ignored the general population of the inn, wizards who were happily drinking and talking freely. A young man with a shock of mousy hair approached the table and sat opposite Vladimir.

“My names Wilbur” He started giving an odd bow.

“vhy have you been fvollovink me vilbur?” The baron asked.

“I thought your sort were supposed to have exquisite manners!” Wilbur said smiling. “I wanted to ask you something.” He paused. Vladimir said nothing and Wilbur took his silence to mean he was to proceed.   “I want to make brooms.  I want you to help me, to finance my plan”

The Baron chuckled highly amused. “ No mortal has been this bold to me in qvuite a vhile. Vot do I care about brooms or even you?”

“ I’m going to make a series of handmade brooms to be imported world wide, made out of silver birch and witch hazel. We will call them Silver Arrows.”

The Baron was now laughing loud enough to attract attention.

“Do you knov vot I am? Vot I did to the last person vho vanted to borrov fvrom me?” He fixed his cold grey eyes on Wilbur who had repressed a shudder. “Make your silver arrovs.”

The Baron then got up and began to stalk through the crowded floor people gaped as he passed and made way for him. Muttering followed him up the stairs. When he got into his room he pulled the curtains shut and sat at the desk. He pulled Voyages with Vampires out of his coat and picked up the quill and dipped it into the ink.

‘ … unable to eat anything except lettuce since Lockhart dealt with him’  The quill crossed out the worn Lockhart and wrote above it ‘Davron’. He then inserted ‘ slugs and other small mammals that live in’ after except.  He modified the sentence so it read very differently.

 ‘… unable to eat anything except slugs and other small mammals that live in the lettuce fields of south Transylvania. The vampire was stranded and severely weakened since Davron fought with him. Davron the "lucky" had only marginally got the better of the misunderstood vampire.’

Much better Vladimir thought. He had nearly completed correcting the whole of Lockhart’s book.  Not that anyone would read it. Dawn was beginning to break by the time he finished. Standing up he hung the sheets of the bed over the curtain rail and turned in for the day.