Page 50 of Dawn Caravan
Which was often the case with older immortals. They usually traveled too much and lived in too many places for their accents to be classifiable. Added to that, they often spoke versions of languages that had long ago become extinct.
“A guess?” Ben asked. “Even a region would be helpful.”
“I would say…” Juvan pursed his lips. “Eastern Europe. Perhaps Austria or Hungary.”
Wildly different languages, but it gave them a place to start, and they did have a Hungarian lead.
“How did the pictures come?” Ben asked.
“Delivered by courier. A man.”
“Age?”
Juvan muttered, “I am shit with human ages, but he was experienced. I would say forties or fifties.”
“Language?”
“English.” Alcide was catching on. “But he did have an accent.”
“Was it familiar?”
“Russian but not Russian,” Alcide said. “If you know what I mean. He sounded like he learned English from a Russian.”
So the courier was a man in his forties or fifties who learned English from a Russian and worked for a vampire in either Hungary or Austria. Since Hungary was in the former Soviet Bloc, Ben guessed the Hungarian connection was the next one to follow.
“This has all been so interesting.” Tenzin picked up her blood-wine again. “And the concert was excellent.”
Juvan glanced at Ben. “I like him. He’s not the best, but he respects the microphone.”
“Thanks,” Ben said. “I think.”
“You’re welcome.” Alcide slapped his shoulder. “It is all about respect.”
14
Ben and Tenzin were silent on the flight back to the mainland. Ben ran through every piece of information he’d gathered along with all the new revelations from the brothers.
The Hungarian connection. That was the one. He’d been thinking they should go to Ankara next to explore the lead in Turkey, but after their meeting with Juvan and Alcide, Ben was definitely thinking Hungary was the lead to follow.
“They liked you,” Tenzin said.
They were flying above the clouds, an oddly silent and peaceful place over the twisting wind currents that rose from the heated surface of the sea.
“They didn’t like me,” Ben said. “They like you. They tolerated me.”
She appeared to think for a moment. “That is possible.”
“Probable.” He flew silently for a few minutes. “How did you earn a favor from them?”
“I spared their lives.”
Ben glanced to the side. “Who wanted you to kill them?”
“Your uncle.”
Okay, he hadn’t been expecting that. “Giovanni? Why?”
Tenzin narrowed her eyes. “You do realize they’re very horrible criminals, don’t you? They traffic in drugs, guns, even in humans.”
