“You mean vampires would have to listen to this person, right?”
I assumed it was just vampires as I doubted this was a position any supernatural species could apply for.
“No, everyone— human, supernatural and otherwise would answer to this person.”
“Does everyone else know this?”
His words were careful when he said, “It has been brought to their attention in the past.”
My eyes narrowed. I wondered how many of those people were still alive today and whether their descendants would still agree.
“Why hold this in Columbus?”
I loved my city, and it just got better every year. We were considered one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. and were popular with young professionals, but we were no New York or even Chicago for that matter. I could think of a dozen cities not more than six hours from here that would be more attractive for this kind of thing.
“There are several reasons.”
My ears perked. Sounded like he was about to teach me something. Finally.
“The first is that several ley lines run through the city.”
That was news to me. Mainly because I had no idea what a ley line was.
“This city has power. Much more than the average city. It’s one of the reasons it has such a strong supernatural population. It’s also located in the heart of the potential applicant’s new territory. It’s customary to hold a selection in the territory in question.”
“So I’m assuming since this is such a big deal, you’re concerned with selection tampering.”
He gave a small nod.
“It has already taken place.”
“Thought you just announced this conclave thingy recently.”
“It’s been expected for decades. The former leader made his intention to step down known to many. Some of the applicants took the initiative to start making moves against their competition.”
How enterprising of them. Sounded like a plot from one of those Renaissance political dramas. The one with the family of the pope.
Another thought occurred to me. “You’re not expecting me to provide security or something.”
His scoff of derision stung a little – I had talents that had proven useful in the past – but not much given that these applicants would probably be pretty heavy hitters in the vampire world. I don’t want to say they could squash me like a bug, but it probably wouldn’t be much harder than that.
“So what do you want from me?” I asked, ignoring the lack of confidence in my security skills.
“There are several tests an applicant must pass to be chosen. Some are tests that every vampire passes at some point, while others are tailored to the selection.”
Fascinating stuff, but not what I asked.
“Perhaps the easiest one to pass is the ability to prove you can sire another vampire.”
He paused as the waitress stopped by our booth.
“Can I get you folks anything else?”
Liam shook his head.
I propped my chin on my hand and gave her a big smile. “Yes, my friend would like a milkshake, I think chocolate would suit him.”
“Alrighty then, one chocolate milkshake.”
