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oliversrarebooks · 2 days ago

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The Rare Bookseller Part 93: Alexander's New Plan

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tw: mind control, ableism

November 1925

"I think this would be suitable for this evening," said Alexander, holding a simple black frock with a wide neck and a ruffled pinafore.

"A dress, sir?" asked Oliver. He hadn't chosen his own clothing since returning to the manor. In fact, he'd done almost nothing by himself, his brand new cane and wheelchair both gathering dust as Alexander insisted on carrying him everywhere and doing every little thing for him. The vampire seemed to relish this treatment, or perhaps simply Oliver's helplessness. As much as it pleased Oliver to make his master happy, he did miss those quiet mornings when he would steal downstairs and make coffee for them both, settling down in the library and savoring a moment of solitude.

"Lily and Vivian will be visiting this evening, remember? I would like for you to look your best. I can't have Lily outdoing me in the thrall department." Alexander held the dress against Oliver's chest, and, seemingly satisfied, lay Oliver on the bed and removed his undershorts, as though he were a doll.

Oliver meekly acquiesced to the treatment, allowing Alexander to pull the dress over his head and smooth it out, attach the pinafore with small pins, and brush out his hair. The look was completed with white stockings and black Mary Janes. A picture of obedient innocence, he imagined.

"I should tell you that this isn't merely a social call," said Alexander, inspecting his handiwork. "Lily is working with me on my plan to destroy my sire for good, and Vivian is a key part of that plan. It will be a discussion, and you're invited to listen and perhaps participate."

"I appreciate that, sir," said Oliver, surprised but pleased that he was being included. He was certainly eager to hear about their plans for dealing with the Maestro.

"There's something else important that you should know." Alexander walked over to one of his bookcases, and picked up a letter that had been set on top, handing it to Oliver. "Do you remember when I first visited you in the hospital? I told you that my sire had delivered an invitation to me. That was how he discovered you were missing."

"Truthfully, sir, I remember very little from that night." He could remember his anxiety, pleading with his master not to enthrall him, and then a blissful blur of hypnotized sleep once his request was denied. It was for the better, really, as he'd been so miserable in the hospital before his master's visits.

Alexander chuckled. "I suppose you wouldn't. Well, at any rate, the invitation you're holding is the one he delivered."

Oliver pulled the note out of the envelope. Elaborate, perfect handwriting adorned the thick, creamy paper -- and what was written there chilled Oliver to the bone.

"A gala, sir? Your sire is holding a gala?"

"It's a rare thing, only a few times in a decade. It's a chance for him to show off his wealth and power and obedient thralls, and to cow the rest of vampire society into submission," he said. "Any vampire of importance will be there, dressed to the hilt with their best thralls at their side. There will be dancing, and refreshments -- well, blood. There will be entertainment in the form of hypnotized thralls displaying their trained skills. And my sire will indulge himself in forcefully drinking from other's thralls, killing and torturing any who dare disagree."

"Must we attend, sir?" asked Oliver, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, unfortunately. I've already made arrangements with a seamstress and a shoemaker to procure your outfit," he said. "Unfortunately, the plan to rid the world of my sire will not be ready in time, and we can't have my sire becoming suspicious. The last time I tried to kill him, I unwisely rushed, and it ended in failure. I don't intend to make the same mistake."

Oliver swallowed his anxiety and nodded. He did want to give his master's plan every chance to succeed, but he couldn't help but dread the thought of spending an evening in the company of Alexander's sire and an entire host of strange vampires.

As if reading his mind, Alexander began to rub his back for comfort. "My sire will have other thralls to occupy his time with during the gala. I'll do my best to keep us both out of his way. And you're so obedient, Oliver, that you won't have any trouble with it, I assure you."

Any doubt or distress that Oliver might have had was chased away by Lex humming in his ear, commanding him to be at ease. Alexander had been enthralling him more frequently since his return from the hospital, perhaps concerned that Oliver would become discontent if he didn't smooth over all of his anxious thoughts. While some distant part of Oliver wished he could think a bit more clearly about the situation, he was helpless against the power of the song, sinking into it easily.

His trance was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Without asking, his master picked him up and began to carry him down the stairs -- because of course Oliver had practically moved in to Alexander's room. Alexander told him that his own bedroom had been moved downstairs, but he'd only seen it once or twice. He wasn't sure how he was going to learn to walk again, with his master seemingly unwilling to leave him to his own devices for more than a few minutes. Perhaps, in time, he could bring it up with his master. Perhaps once the plan to destroy his sire had been carried out, and his master was less on edge…

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Alexander set Oliver in his wheelchair and answered the door.

"Hello, hello!" said Miss Lily cheerily. She was bundled up against the cold in an expensive looking fur coat. Just behind her was Vivian, in a more practical black wool coat, looming at least a foot taller than Miss Lily. She had a worn leather satchel hanging off of her arm.

"Right on time," said Alexander, allowing them in.

"Oh, Oliver, it's good to see you again!" Miss Lily invaded his personal space, ruffling his hair affectionately. "I should have visited you in the hospital, I really should have, but you can see I was a bit preoccupied with dear Vivian."

"I understand, sir." Oliver couldn't help but wonder just how much time Miss Lily had poured into making the fierce hunter such a docile servant. It was hard not to be a little jealous of Vivian, spending days sleeping in deep bliss under Miss Lily's care -- not that his own master's song wasn't just as pleasant.

Alexander waved them all towards the library. "We have much to discuss."

"So serious," teased Miss Lily.

"You know as well as I do that this is no laughing matter."

Miss Lily sighed. "I know that. I'm only trying to lighten the mood."

His master pushed him into the library, picking him up and settling him on the couch partially in Alexander's lap, a position which allowed his master to hold him close and toy with his hair, as though he were a lap dog. Across from them, Miss Lily sat down primly, and Vivian knelt on the floor, setting her head in Miss Lily's lap and looking up at her, enraptured. If there was any doubt that Vivian's mind had been thoroughly changed, the look on her face would have erased it.

A wicked smile crossed Alexander's face. "Hm, it seems that I'm not the only one who hasn't learned their lesson."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Miss Lily stubbornly.

"I seem to recall quite a few lectures about growing too attached to thralls --"

"I'm exactly the right amount of attached to my Vivian." Miss Lily pet her hair. "She's high quality, very useful, and a delight now that she's been properly trained. She would fetch top dollar on the auction house. Perhaps more than Oliver, if she hadn't been a hunter."

Alexander raised an eyebrow. "You know very well I'm not talking about her value in the auction house."

"Have I done something wrong, madam?" asked Vivian, troubled.

"You haven't done anything wrong at all, dear. Lex is just placing his nose where it doesn't belong."

"After all the grief you gave me about Fitz and now Oliver --"

"The topic of the meeting is the plan to kill our sire," said Miss Lily. "Are you certain that it can't be done before the gala?"

"Don't think I don't notice you changing the topic," said Alexander. "But no, I think it would be cutting things far too close. The gala is only a few weeks away, and more importantly, Fitz doesn't wish to be around when it happens."

Oliver looked up. "Mr. Fitz is visiting?"

"He is, and for a very important purpose. And he'll be leaving again before our attempt on our sire's life, so that he doesn't get caught in the crossfire."

"Um…" For a moment, Oliver couldn't help but wonder why Mr. Fitz was allowed to head for safety, while Oliver would not, but he knew that his master must have his reasons. After all, Mr. Fitz was a vampire now, even if he had been a thrall just like Oliver.

"Excuse me, sir," said Vivian. "But if I were the one to kill the Maestro, then we would not have to wait for Mr. Fitz's arrival at all."

"I've told you before that it wouldn't work," said Miss Lily. "Your runes weren't enough to withstand me and Lex. They won't be enough to withstand our sire. Our chance would be lost for good."

Oliver was struggling to keep up with the conversation. "So what is the plan, then, sirs?"

"I have to be the one to do it," said Alexander grimly. "My sire never tries to compel my mind under normal circumstances. Even before my turning, he was completely determined to dominate me without compulsion. I can easily draw close to him without him attempting to control me. I'd only need protection against his powers very briefly, for the few seconds when he realizes the weapon is in my hand."

"Will that work, sir?"

"I hope to hell it does. I haven't tried to kill him so directly since the first time, when he shut me down effortlessly with his compulsion. If he lacks that, if he's taken off guard by its failure…" Alexander trailed off, lost in thought. "And I'm hoping that Lily can serve as backup, as well. She'll also be branded with the protective rune."

"But sir, the rune is only meant to guard humans from enthrallment. It might not work on vampires," Vivian objected. "And the bond between vampire and sire is different from enthrallment, as well."

"That's why I've been conducting extensive research into the matter." Alexander gestured to a stack of ancient looking books, some of them appointed in rich bindings and encrusted in gold and jewels, while others looked like little more than scrap left in the trash. It was one of those dilapidated books that he set on the table, folding it open to a page filled with runes. "There are ways to adapt a witch's magic to work on vampires. Of course, the existing literature is spotty, and deals entirely with creating offensive magic to work against vampires, but there's no reason why defensive magic can't be adapted following the same principles."

"May I, sir?" Vivian scrambled up to her knees to peer at the book in awe, carefully flipping a fragile page. "Where did you find this? I've heard of magic research along these lines, but could never find an actual record of it."

"I believe this is the only copy of this particular book in existence," said Alexander. "It's much the same for a good portion of the magic-related books in my library. Witches, wizards, and warlocks are all far too secretive, and many of these books existed in small quantities to begin with -- and now the only copies have come to rest here, in my possession." He picked up one of the ornate books, showing it to Oliver. "Do you remember this one?"

"Oh, yes, sir. I sold that to you, almost a year ago." How could he ever forget? Oliver had assumed that the magic within was simply a fraud or hoax, but the fancy trappings and the book's rarity allowed him to sell the book for a tidy sum. At the time, he'd had no inkling that witchcraft was real, any more than he knew Alexander was more than a mere human.

"An invaluable find," said Alexander, looking fondly at Oliver. "I believe I can piece enough together to create a protective rune that will block a vampire from his sire's influence."

"And that's why we need to wait for Fitz's arrival," said Miss Lily. "We won't know if Lex's theory pans out until we've tested it, and for that, we need a vampire that one of us has sired. Fitz will be our little guinea pig."

"I'm not sure if he'll love or hate being called that," said Alexander. "But yes, that's the plan. Fitz will arrive and allow me to test whether or not my changes to the rune block commands from one's sire. Then Fitz will leave again before the deed is done, because he doesn't want to risk being here in the aftermath.

"In the days after my sire finishes with his gala, he'll be unusually exhausted from the stress and preparations, letting his guard down more than usual. I only need call on him in the manor, with Lily in tow. I'll pretend as though I'm there to beg for leniency for Oliver -- he won't accept, of course, but he won't pass up an opportunity to torment me. And when he does, I'll pull my weapon. He'll try to compel me to stop, of course, but just one sliver of protection should be enough for me to send the silver straight into his miserable, withered heart. We'll all finally be free."

Oliver nodded. They'd be free, free of the terror of the Maestro and his torments at their backs, free to do as they pleased. Or, in his case, his master would be free, and Oliver would benefit. Still, he couldn't help the anxiety gripping him.

"It's too risky, sir," said Vivian bluntly, echoing what Oliver was thinking. "With all respect, you aren't a trained hunter. If you miss your one chance, we may not get another shot."

"And that's why I'll need you to train me to the best of your abilities," said Alexander. "I may not be the strongest or fastest of vampires, but I'm still more physically capable than most humans. I should be capable of this." He sounded as though he were trying to convince himself as much as Vivian.

"You can do that for us, won't you?" Miss Lily lifted Vivian's chin so that she was gazing into her eyes. "You can train Lex in all of the secrets of the hunters, to give him the best possible chance of destroying our common enemy, can't you?"

From the adoring look in Vivian's eyes, Oliver knew she wasn't about to deny her madam anything at all. "I can, madam. I'll do my best."

"I want training, too, sirs!" Oliver blurted out. Everyone turned to look at him quizzically.

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Thanks for reading! Next week, Oliver learns a new skill!

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