The Obscurati by Wynn Wagner

was heavy, like it was solid metal. This time, the man stayed outside the room.
    It was a large conference room. The décor was understated. It didn’t scream wealth, and it wasn’t overly fancy or frilly. Windows took up one long wall, and they gave a terrific view of the city of Bern. I can only assume that there were also steel plates hidden in the windowsill or the ceiling to turn the conference room into a fortress or to block out the sun during the day. A large conference table took up most of the room. It was far too large to have been brought into the room in one piece. It had to have been built in place, and it looked like solid wood instead of particleboard or laminate. It was ringed by about twenty leather chairs. At the head and foot were chairs that matched the others but had added arms. I had no idea how they could even get the pieces of this table into the room using the shaft. The regular lift didn’t have doors on this floor. Some vampires can lift a hippopotamus and a humpback whale at the same time, but the top of the table was bulky and showed no signs of scratches. It seemed too large to fit in the shaft. Getting it up to the floor in one piece must have been a challenge. Whoever the building’s manager was had a really tough job. Maybe they removed the windows and used a crane.
    Fifteen or so others sat around the table. Pierre was one of them. He was sitting at the head of the table in one of the armed chairs.
    On the wall behind Pierre was an oil painting of Queen Cécile. It looked very old. The painting was something you would find in a museum, and the queen was wearing the kind of dress that hadn’t been seen since the 1600s. I’m sure it was the latest fashion when she posed for the painter.
    “Come in, please,” Pierre said. “Sit.”
    He was pleasant, not barking orders, but he made sure he motioned toward armless chairs on the side of the table, like he assumed I would head to the empty big chair at the foot of the table. Moi?
    He didn’t use our names, and he didn’t introduce us to any of the others in the conference room. It was almost evenly divided by gender. Some of the women looked petite and vulnerable, but I would guess they could handle themselves in a fight. I didn’t think it would be safe to test their strength.
    Hamlet and I took chairs on the closer side of the table. We had that wonderful view of Bern across the table.
    “We have a situation,” Pierre said aloud in English. “Every few hundred years, all of the various vampire kings and queens get together for a short meeting, face to face. They communicate with each other all the time using mind-words, but they like to see each other too. Queen Cécile is hosting the next meeting, which will be in a few weeks.”
    He paused, either to let us all take in what he had said or to formulate what he was about to say. His English was very good, but French was the language he preferred.
    “When the royals are here, it leaves their homes unprotected. They have guards and warriors, but each king or queen is the oldest or toughest vampire of that area. It leaves their homes more… umm… it invites opposition. We don’t have to worry about that, but you need to know that all our royal visitors will be on edge. They have left their territory, and vampires can be overly protective of territory.”
    He waited again.
    “You are here because we have to keep our visitors safe. They are the best fighters in the world, of course, or they would never have become king or queen. I need everyone here to maintain a perimeter about a kilometer out from this building. Every one of you can fight, some more insanely than others.”
    He looked at me and winked. I scrunched my eyes at him.
    “If a rogue or unauthorized vampire tries to head to the building, we must stop it. If you spot several vampires, use your head to ask for help. Nobody should drop their guard or leave a position. We need you to stay in place to watch. If there is an