9.00 pm 12 hours until Sunrise. 10 days until the Succubus Club
And so, I was back in the Italian Forum restaurant owned by Dominic. This time, however, locked outside the private dining room as Izac prepared for his meeting. Sure I’d remembered a second door, I started wandering the main dining area while turning on Auspex. Two auras, not one, were inside the room. One was a swirl of red, brown and a little orange, the colours I usually associated with Izac. The other was calm, light blue with a hint of violet excitement. I thought, for a second, about intervening. I was supposed to be looking out for intruders. But the auras gave the impression that the two people were sitting down. This would be Izac’s guest, another vampire by the faded quality of the colours.
I left them to it and ranged my sight around the restaurant. Little coloured auras lit up my vision, and I allowed myself to enjoy the interplay as individuals interacted. A couple sat quietly eating dinner as their auras clashed violently around them. This would be their last date, or they would soon be breaking up. At another table, a rowdy group of partygoers shared celebratory colours so thoroughly that they spread a cloud of good cheer around them to other tables. I looked up and peered into the private lives of those in the apartments above. Couples, their passion so in sync that their auras were indistinguishable. I couldn’t tell where one ended and another began. Lonely singular auras of silver, sitting or lying still, probably watching TV. A warm blob, a parent and a child in a cloud of vermillion, white and rose.
Hovering above it all, probably standing on the roof, five auras arranged like a pentagram. The shape was what caught my eye. I would have thought of them as just individuals in penthouses or people enjoying their roof garden if not for the five-pointed star pattern they made. Maybe this had something to do with Izac’s guest. Perhaps it didn’t. At least, it was odd enough to be worth mentioning.
Constructing an overlay of five dark people within the auras, I sent the image to Izac. He flinched. All his aura lighting with orange and black in an instant. Then, an acceptance of the message, like a mental nod of his head. He’d received and understood, if grudgingly.
In the tastefully decorated private dining room, they sat opposite each other at the solid mahogany table for twenty diners under the gentle light of candles. Gowned for a night on the town like a beautiful screen idol from another era, Izac’s sire turned her eyes to Izac.
“So, what’s up?”
Izac felt his anger, a burning thing inside him. In his mind, he remembered his sire as something akin to a mothering figure. She’d pulled him out of the filth that had been his unlife. Found the man inside the monster, nurtured it, and supported and gave him purpose. He had to admit, his memories of that time were patchy at best. Still, he wondered if the woman opposite him was the same person at all or had his memory rose tinted their time together.
“What’s up? Is that all I get?”
“Do you want me to be all dramatic? I thought we had a more honest relationship than that, Izac, or are you really that much of a sop.”
“Tell me,” The burning anger rose, killing all fear or nervousness he’d had over this meeting, ” The night we met, what were the names of the two engaged people?”
“It doesn’t matter…” She tried to brush it aside as if it were as inconsequential as knowing the name of a blade of grass.
“I think it does.”
“Really. Do you remember each one of those you left dead in that street?”
“I remember them…”
“Do you remember their names?”
Izac was silent. He didn’t, to his everlasting shame.
“Their families? The ones left behind? Were they just so many steps along the cobbles?”
Izac raged against the coldness of her words, the truth they told, and the guilt they brought to the surface. He changed the subject.
“Where have you been hiding?”
“Accurate choice of words. Where it suits me.”
“I’m guessing the five hangers-on outside aren’t yours?”
“No,” She acknowledged with a nod of her perfumed head, “And they’re not His either.”
“That begs more questions than it answers,” Against his better judgement, Izac found himself drawn into the intrigue of the conversation, “Look, I’ve done what you asked of me, and more…”
“No, no, no. You started what I asked of you. You have barely begun, but you do have options. Izac, I am not your enemy here. You are my child.”
“A child you left out on the street for nearly a year…to do what?”
“To learn, experience, prepare…”
“Learn…oh, I learnt…”
“Hmm? Tell me you learnt nothing from that time.”
“I learnt plenty, but not enough.” Izac thought about his interview with the Prince, the disaster of losing his heart and now…
“You weren’t supposed to succeed the first time. You were merely meant to get your foot inside the door, and you have. You have an opening, a potential. These things don’t happen in a single night. They’re planned for, worked on for months…years. They take time, preparation, and experience until…the moment. You only get one, and you have to be ready. Now, you understand the gravity of the situation more and why it needs to be done.”
“I do…” I Izac thought out his next point carefully, “ And yet, why can’t we just live and let live.”
“Now, it is my turn. Really?” She bit back sarcastically.
“Yes, he’s…a monster. But he keeps the peace, lets people do as they want here.”
“Is that what that hole in your chest tells you? After you have seen the degenerate, he is?”
Izac blanched, and even the few words he could string together evaporated in the rebuke.
“Nothing to say?”
Izac’s brown eyes, only moments ago, righteously indignant, slipped away from hers, growing round with the fear he had tried so hard not to feel.
“I’m lost. I have no fucking idea what to do. I’m spiralling. The beast has come back, and I don’t know why…”
“Shhh, it’s fine. You’re exposed to others who share your affliction. It’s only natural that you should feel the corruption,” She replied, not in a cold voice or even the sarcastic, but in that motherly, comforting way that said, ‘Yes, things feel bad, but that’s okay.’
“That’s why you’re here, to fix things. You know the old ways. You’ve established the practices and stayed true. Don’t you see, you’ve done well? If you hadn’t, I’d have had your head in the middle of the table and told your friend to come in and smile,” She gestured to the outer door with a graceful wave that only lent weight to her words.
“You’ve done your job very well. You’ve stayed the path. You’ve allowed yourself to be the perfect bait. Now, the next steps are purely up to you.”
“So, it’s all up to me? While you sit in the stands and cheer me on?”
“No, I’m going to wait my moment. There’ll only be one of those. The moment wasn’t then,” She points at his chest where the ache of emptiness lay, “But now you’re closer than you’ve ever been. You played your cards well. If you plan to kill a king or…Prince, you must be close to get the dagger into their back.”
“It’s not going to be as easy as staking him and be done with it.”
“No, it isn’t, but don’t you see. He’s emptied you. He thinks you’re his pet assassin. How better to hide the weapon?”
“That’s all I am? A tool?”
“We all are. You’re not special,” She laughed as if she’d told a joke at a dinner party of two in the near-empty room, “Izac the Great? More like Izac the pedantic!”
“I don’t want to be a tool.”
“You can always be dead. The choice is yours.”
“Once this is finished, I’m done. I won’t be anyone’s tool.”
“Of course,” She appeased his righteous anger, “We’re not like the others. We’re not callous. We have standards, morals. We’re working towards a better existence.”
“And the others?”
“What about them?” She asked as if the discussion of the coterie was beyond her thoughts.
“When this is all done. They know who I am.”
“So, lots know who you are.”
“You’ll leave them be?”
“I didn’t say that,” She looked down at her hands, neatly clasped in her lap, “Look, you can make of yourself whatever you want. You can be the great Serpentslayer, but I don’t know if the high and mighty act is for you. Or you can just slay your dragon and wander off in Peace. Not everyone needs to be destroyed.”
It wasn’t the answer Izac had wanted, but he let it lie and changed the subject.
“Do you have any information to help me? Anything at all?”
“Of course,” She smiled benevolently, and once more, Izac felt a little of the nurturing support of old, “I’m not your enemy. You could buddy up, convince your friend outside to help cosy up to the Prince and poison his heart. You could meet with the founders of his Masquerade. A few of them are still around. There’s always more than one way to skin a viper.” She stretched out, getting comfortable with the conversation and enjoying the sound of her own words.
“It’s really up to you. I can give you everything you need, every poisoned blade, every cloak and dagger. But, you have to be an adult about your part in this. Stop all this woe is me. ‘Boo hoo they lied to me!’ Step up!”
For my part, outside in the main restaurant, I noticed Izac’s browns and oranges disappear under a flair of broiling red. Like an invisible volcano spewing forth a burning cloud of fury over the whole room.
??? Door open and come in ??? I tried to project the enquiry. The roiling red bubbled down to a simmer, but there was no other response to be gleaned from Izac’s mind, so I let it be. At least he was still alive.
“You don’t have to be such a dick about it.”
“No, but the point needed saying.”
“What sources are at your disposal?” Izac asked, after a moment to collect the thoughts his rage had scattered across the room.
“Information, means, favours. Are you planning to plunge the knife yourself, or will you make an opportunity?”
“No, you can do the deed yourself,” Izac said with some finality, almost relieved, “I’ll just supply the opportunity.”
“See. You don’t even have to get your hands dirty.” She smiled, and it was not benevolent or nurturing but predatory.
“After all, I don’t want to be anything special,” Izac grumbled almost to himself.
“You can be. But you’re not going to be. You’re better than that.” Her tone was civil, but to Izac, the words sounded patronising and mocking, “I’m not trying to antagonise you, just show you the way things are.”
“Is there a way to contact you? Talk to you besides this? This is problematic…”
“No, this is fine. At any time, I could tap you on the shoulder or have you kidnapped, if you prefer. I don’t need status reports. I’ll be keeping an eye on you. Or, if you like, we can have code phrases, be all spy-thriller and meet for martinis. I promise to do my hair nice.” She swept a hand over her perfectly dressed head.
“And you’re not trying to antagonise me?” He scoffed in reply.
“I’m being sincere. Look, I only get credit as the producer of this little production. You’re the director. You tell me.”
He stared at her. All the bitterness and distrust he’d harboured for months poured out in one glance.
“I give you everything you want, gifts beyond compare and because I don’t couch it in flowery language or say ‘I’m proud of you, son,’ somehow it’s poison to you.”
“Sorry if trust is hard to come by, but have you looked at my situation? Right now, he’s the only one I can really trust, as he knows I can’t work against him.”
Her pretty painted face blanked as she stared balefully at her child.
“Do you really think you can trust him? Well, you can trust him to corrupt you thoroughly. He will degrade you until you’re eating nothing but excrement.”
“He doesn’t need to lie to me. He’s got me by the balls!”
“Exactly! He will make you his willing servant and make you love him.”
“Unlikely,” Izac replied adamantly, with all the will of the good-boy behind it.
“Well,” His sire sighed, “ I’ve lived a little longer than you. It gives you perspective. Besides, you’re not even his favourite.”
“I don’t think I will get to be as old as you are.”
“You could. It depends if you survive this Gehenna or not.”
“Gehenna,” Izac repeated as if saying the word itself may bring on the end of the world, “It’s coming.”
His sire ignored his gloomy prediction and changed the subject.
“As for these particulars. Once there was a paradise on earth, a new world and six vampires of noble intentions, the others, obviously not as noble as us, of course, wanted to live in peace. Here, they made their Masquerade, and it worked for a while. Then your buddy wormed in, poisoning it from the inside, making it the rotting corpse of a domain you see now. All facets of the nightlife now are his corruption.”
“Where are the founders now?” This was new information, and Izac leaned in unconsciously to catch every word.
“Let’s see,” She leaned back as if getting ready to tell a story, “Of the founders, two have met their final death. One is in exile in the Capitol. One lives happily down south in some place called The ‘gong. One is frustratingly pulling her hair out on the island down south, and one…well, the one in the City of Art seems to have been betrayed. Their childe is now in charge, at least.”
“These people tried…would they be willing to help?”
“Oh sure, for revenge, why not? Anyone would take a shot for that.”
Izac wondered if he and his sire had different opinions on what inspired people to act. He kept it to himself as she continued to dredge up details about each of the still-living founders.
“Abram, the original Prince, a Ventrue. Lives in an exile of one. He’s in the country town, the Capital. The one in the City named after shit, fitting for the ones you call Sewer rats… the ones you’re paranoid about. Their name is Wid. He seems to have a soft spot for the foundries. The next one who is still active in Tasmania is a child of the moon, Agaricus. The last, the mystery, was called Montague Layton, of the same clan as your bodyguard outside. That was at least the last time I heard. Those not as noble as us tend to be…predatory by nature, so who knows if they still exist or not.” She gave a delicate shrug. The death of ancient and good-intentioned leaders were of no consequence to her.
“You can see it in our good Prince. His rule is one of greed, decadent selfishness, addiction and debasement. Not much of a basis for loyalty if the moment comes.”
“He has the confidence to hold his own,” Izac had to admit.
“Oh yes, he plays the game well. He builds a fine Masquerade…but it is all a mask. It has no substance. There was once a pretty garden here, a paradise… and along came the serpent.”
“So, how am I meant to contact these founders? They seem to be well spread out.”
“It’s up to you how you want to talk to them. Via a proxy, set up a rendezvous, make a detour in an arranged trip. Maybe your wealthy employer can help there. Over day train, a jet…, bribery… but that’s only one way. You could do a lot of favours for the local kindred. You could buddy up with the Prince and make him love you. Make him want you.”
“His eyes are certainly on me. How many eyes do you know are keeping track of me?”
“Everyone. Remember, only me, your coterie, and the Prince know what you are. To the rest, you are a mystery. That makes you interesting. The greatest mystery to many is how you’re still walking around among us. You’re interesting to all those who don’t know you. Consider it a compliment.”
“Despite all that’s been said here, I want you to know I have great respect for you.” She said, and for the first time that evening, the anger that had seethed in Izac was extinguished under her unvarnished sincerity.
“You have kept to the path and will be rewarded in good time. You know how to play your part and not abuse those around you. It’s a shame you never had a chance to live a life. But this is how it is. ”
After being cast out alone for years, the mean taunts and ridicule of his principles, Izac swallowed a knot of emotion nothing like those he’d carried into the meeting. Regardless of their difference in treating others, he found that he deeply admired her, too.
“I have a request, if I may. Leave the coterie alone.”
“How long and from whom?”
“From you. They don’t follow the same path as us, but they are good people just trying to survive…well, maybe not Giovanni… they’re just people deep down.”
At this Izac’s sire burst out into laughter. She threw her delicate ankles up, flicking her fine evening gown aside and showing her slim calves.
“Did I make a joke?” Izac sat baffled by the complete change in behaviour.
“Oh, my dear childe. Most haven’t had a chance to be good people! You have a child of Charbs who is angry at the world but does not know what to do about it. Help us all when she does. Your friend outside has had a sordid life. He may mean well, but as the years roll on and the bodies stack up, he will forget his nobler ideals. We can see him taking a life for a paintbrush stroke. And the third base, like the animal he names himself after, causing trouble wherever he goes. And if there’s even a pang of regret or self-reflection, he simply forgets it! By choice, he can never grow, never develop into something better…just like an animal. He will constantly piss on the rug and not know what he’s done wrong, regardless of how many times you press his face into it. And we both agree the cousin fucker doesn’t have any qualities worth keeping.”
And there we were, summed up and discarded before most of us had had a chance.
“So, what you’re saying is leave them to die to their own hands. Fine. I will raise no hand, no plan or proxies against them for this one important task.”
“And after?”
“My word is binding. I am not your enemy.”
Why did she keep saying that? He’d expect an enemy to be cruel. He was only mad because he’d thought she was better than how she’d been treating him.
“I’m just trying to prevent knives in my back.”
“You’re fine. You are mine. Do your task and choose what to do with the rest of your existence. I didn’t make you. I chose you…”
“Why?” He’d never had the words, the thought or the courage to ask before, but if not now, when?
“When you hit rock bottom, ascending is much easier.”
“But I was happy,” Izac lamented.
“Happy? You weren’t happy. There was always something missing. You adjusted to this half-life so well. What well-adjusted person could live in the shadows as you do? Haven’t you noticed that?”
Izac grudgingly nodded, “It’s been dawning on me.”
“A struggling artist with nightmares of a life he’s run away from. A degenerate that had no prospects outside of behind bars. A child clearly tormented and abused, unwilling to accept any friendship beyond the darkest, deepest rooms alone together.”
“They’re all wounds that can be healed with time,” Izac, our defender, came to our rescue.
“Lifetimes,” She retorted, “ A normal life would not suffice to heal those wounds.”
“So, it’s a slow process.” Izac sighed. She may have given up on his friend, but at least right now, he hadn’t. “Any last pearls of wisdom?”
“Remember, I believe in you. Ruin friendships, break hearts, don’t worry about the collateral. Because the lives you’ll save and the suffering you will stop will make multitudes of worlds better. Remember, I care for you. Anything else you would ask of me? Who knows where and who knows when, but we will get to speak again.”
“You couldn’t teach me a discipline, I suppose,”
“Which one? You know the most important.”
“To be unnoticed. Obfuscation.”
“You don’t need to hide. That is not your role anymore. Obfuscation won’t help you, merely draw more eyes to you.”
“Fine. I guess it won’t matter much anymore. I’ll try to get into his good books. Then someday, he’ll come back and play his mind games.”
“Then play them back. Preempt his games. Make things his idea. Suggest things that may seem terrible, but you won’t break your principles. If he wants you to kill, anticipate and have someone in mind. Prepare for every honeyed word, every smart retort. You know who you’re playing with, but he doesn’t know you. He thinks he does. Now, any kind words for your sire?”
“You haven’t changed a bit.”
“Enjoy the rest of your night.” And she made to go via the back door.
“You don’t know whose up on the roof, do you?”
She looked up as if to see through the false ceiling, steel girders and concrete, “I don’t know who, but what. Children can fall to many things. In this case, it seems to be demons, devils, and elder things. Some of your companions seemed to have dabbled in such things. The things above hear the call of their kind. They are here for them, not you.”
Izac was under no illusion as to who they could be. He relayed the message, flashing back the image I had sent him with his sire’s warning, “…they are here for them, not you…” with images of Luna and myself. In his mind, an unknown third person appeared, without a face. Somehow, he understood there were three involved.
“I have to go. Take care you’re not followed.”
She laughed as if it were their little joke.
“Goodbye, Cat.”
Moments later, he opened the door, revealing an empty room behind him. Spotting me not far away, he strode up, a man with renewed purpose but also deeply concerned.
“Finished?” I asked.
“Done. Yeah, those people…the five? They’re here for…the pocket watch.”
“What?” Finding out people were following me was not a surprise, the Prince had his spies everywhere. That it had to do with the watch and its occupant was disturbing.
“We need to get back to the Crowbar,” Izac commanded.
“Er..yes…the bar.” and I followed.
And then my phone buzzed. It was the Prince.
“Good evening,” I answered.
“Good evening. Watch ya doing?” The Prince sounded in a playful mood. Better for me, I still had to confess what I’d done to the house.
“Spending some time with my new friend, Izac,” I said truthfully. There’s really no point in lying to the Prince.
“He is a treat, isn’t he?” I looked up at Izac’s concerned glance, and the furrows only deepened.
“I’m getting to know him.”
“He has so many wonderful qualities. He’s delicious.” Delicious? Now, I’m a discerning man of the world. I pride myself on my good taste. Izac is many noble and good things…delicious does not spring to my mind when looking for descriptive words. However, to each his own, perhaps?
“Inspirational, you might say. Is he there with you now?”
“Yes, would you like to speak to him?”
“In a moment. It’s not Our place to say, but be careful. Various groups that don’t listen to Us have been found taking an interest in your coterie. It would be such a shame after acquiring you all and seeing what you can do together just to have it all go wasted. So many nights, we should spend all of them together.” A cryptic message. I put it aside and focused on the surface conversation.
“We are heading back into the loving bosom…one might say, right now.”
“Good. Could you put the mystery man on for a moment?”
“Of course,” And I handed the phone to Izac, who looked at it as if it were a venomous snake, “The Prince is asking to speak with you.”
He took the phone grudgingly, “Hello”
“Hi there,” There was a seductive lilt, a feminine coy sound to the two syllables.
Izac replied in his best tradesman fashion, “How can I help?”
“So rude. You don’t call, you don’t write, and after all, We’ve done for you.”
“Forgive me, I’ve been busy,” I could almost hear Izac’s eyes roll, but over the phone, it sounded suitably genuine.
“What have you been up to?”
“Spending time with my new friend, Rain.”
“Ah, I’m sure you have. I like Rain a lot. He is so much fun. You should be really kind to him. It’s hard for someone to go through that much loss and still have a smile. Treat him well.”
“I intend to. Thank you, Prince Sarrasine. Would you like Rain back?”
“Sure. Now, behave,” And even from outside the call, I could hear the curl to the lips, the almost teasing nature of his words. I gave Izac a look of surprise. Certainly, the Prince seemed self-assured around him, and why shouldn’t he when he literally holds Izac’s heart in his hand?
The phone was handed back.
“Yes, how can I help you?”
“I heard some troubling news that involves Us…slightly. Has anything unusual happened of late at the property We gave you?” He asked, all coy pretext gone from his voice. He was serious. Though I knew it would be better coming from me, I didn’t want to confess what had happened over the phone and certainly not before getting the story straight with Dominic.
“That may be a discussion for face-to-face.”
“I appreciate discretion. Anything we need be concerned about?”
“It’s all well in hand at the present, though I would like to give a detailed explanation in person.”
“Understood. No secrets from me, though?”
As if I could, “No secrets from you.”
“Nothing that would threaten us. No plans, no schemes…no rouges or scoundrels in our domain.” Nothing to do with the house…
“Rogues and scoundrels…I have a few werewo… dog-related issues.” We were crossing the street, walking back to the Crowbar. Maybe it was the thought of the five individuals back at the restaurant, maybe it was a paranoia required to live through these nights, but I could feel eyes and ears all around me.
“The dogs can be troublesome. Very well, as they say in these modern nights, We’ll book a reservation. We will send you a message and let you know the time.”
“Thank you.”
“Now, you enjoy the rest of your night and treat Izac well. He’s always eager to please.”
Oh, God! Izac certainly drew the short end of the straw. I glanced up at him with a knowing look, “I think he has a good and noble heart.” Izac winced and shook his head.
The Prince, of course, laughed, “He sure does.” And the line went dead.
“Really?” Izac said as my phone returned to my pocket.
I shrugged, all pretence swept aside, keeping to my promise to always be truthful to him and Luna, “I needed the laugh… I…no, it would do nothing to tell you what this night has been.. I now I have a meeting with the Prince…but now, to the bar! Out of sight from our friends above?”
After a few hours outside the bar greeting guests, Stallion decided he needed a break and a snack. Heading for the bar, he found the sparkling Delief, as usual, making drinks.
“Hey there! You’re…now let me guess, you’re Pony, right?” She said with a smile as she saw Stallion.
“What part of me looks like a pony?” He replied, looking wounded.
“Do you really want me to tell you?” She replied in a friendly, teasing way that I’d have admired if she hadn’t tried dominating me the first night we’d met.
“Go ahead, this should be interesting.”
“Well…your shapely arse, for one.” She smiled as the compliment was rebuffed by the awkwardly prudish Stallion.
“How can I help you, Pony?”
“Stallion.” He replied uncomfortably.
“Sorry. Stallion. I’ll remember. Would you like your regular? I’ll put a little something in it, just for you.”
“Yeah, I guess if it fucks me up, I’ll know who to look for.”
“Look sorry, please forget my youthful transgression,” she said, and she sprinkled a little something into a drink that smelt delightful to the hungry Stallion.
“And don’t forget to put in a good word with the boss.”
He took it and sipped. It was good. He could already feel the high-end buzz that had nothing to do with the alcohol. He found a seat and sat down to enjoy his drink, waiting for the night to begin.
Luna was in the library, the Encyclopedia Vampirca closed on her lap, her eyes scanning the shelves around her. She was looking for a place to put the book. Somewhere, she could find it again quickly, but not out in the open where others may see it. She decided on a corner between what looked like old account books. A large tome amongst many other large and boring tomes. When she was happy with her deception, she went in search of information on the Followers of Set and was rewarded with a book called Lore of the Clans.
Taking to her seat once more, she dived into the book. The Followers of Set often call themselves the Children of Set, with a small minority that identified as The Ministry, though they are not taken seriously by the rest of the clan. They believe they were descended from Set, the Egyptian god of the dead, and not Caine like the rest of the kin. They believed the universe was winding down and, therefore, entropy was the only real power. With their ties to Set, they were heavily involved in the Egyptian philosophy of life and death. Those they chose to bring into the clan usually came from three categories: Enslaved people, the heavily religious, and the very corrupt, those who ruin lives. They were not good people, but she could say the same about herself…Izac and me.
“I am really glad to see you back in one piece,” Izac said as the two of us walked around the block back to the bar.
“Thank you, “ I replied, uncomfortable at the reminder of that night, “though as I said, I don’t really feel I am….at least not the same, anyway.”
“From what I was told, you were stopped before anything bad happened,” He said, and I saw Stallion, his hands on the stake in my chest, my hands over his, hearing myself plead for him to help or kill me in the attempt…
“So I suppose that’s good. That is good.” I heard Izac say, and my thoughts snapped back to the street in front of the Crowbar.
“Sorry?”
“From what I heard, you went a little…crazy. Frenzied.”
“I…did…I…and the bane took its opportunity.” I saw that tongue again, my tongue, three feet long, ending in viper’s fangs. Izac looked at me blankly.
“The thing…I picked up in the basement…anyway it’s gone now…into Lupara.”
“At least it’s not in your head.”
I laughed a little at that, “No, though I wouldn’t want to say there’s nothing up there, but I have to admit it’s quiet now.”
“At least there’s less to contend with, and that’s good.” He was trying to be kind. I struggled to find words to describe the emptiness. Maybe I didn’t need to. He was walking around with a hole where his heart used to be. What a pair we made. Hollow men trying to show a little kindness.
“And despite our interactions, I’m sorry for how I acted. It was a very disproportionate response.”
“You’ve already apologised for that. It’s forgotten.”
“I know, but I feel like I need to do it again.” Maybe even Hollow men can be kind.
When we arrived at the entrance to the Crowbar, Stallion was conspicuous by his absence.
“Stop, where’s Stallion?” Izac said as we looked around the street.
“He was out here earlier. I spoke to him.”
“And now he’s not.”
“Maybe he was called inside,” I said and was about to lead the way in when Dominic’s car turned the corner. Izac’s blank, doom-laden face followed the car down under the bar.
Dominic took in what had happened to the Porche. His lovely Porche he’d kept pristine all these years only now to suffer such a cruel fate. In the heart of Sydney, he couldn’t imagine how Izac had found a deer or kangaroo to run down. His phone was in his hand, and searching for Izac’s number before he’d even uttered a sound.
Izac sighed and pulled out his phone.
“This conversation was always coming,” He said, pressing the green handset button, “Mr Giovanni?”
“ Izac? Why is there a werewolf-shaped dent in my vintage vehicle?”
“I did mention it the other night, and you said not to worry and to bring it back. To be fair, there’s sixty grand in a duffle bag.”
“Fine,” The word came out with more syllables than usual, “But do you mind coming down to the garage and telling me exactly what happened.”
“No problem, I’ll tell you exactly what happened, “Izac said confidently, “I’ll be there in a minute.”
The line was broken from the other end.
“I mean, if he was trying to murder someone, he could have told me first…at least I would have known he got some enjoyment out of it.” Dominic lamented at the destruction wrought on his broken baby as Bruce came down the stairs and entered the garage.
“It’s amazing he’s told you anything, he was embarrassed,” Bruce shrugged, walking over to stand beside his boss. They contemplated the damage together.
“Yes…he does live up to that good-boy moniker.”
“I thought Rain was the one who was meant to be a problem.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Rain is a problem monster. Do you know what he did to his best friend? Lenny, I believe he was called? Ghouled him to get him off drugs. No warning.”
“Ghoulings a pretty good gift. You ghouled me, right?”
“Yes, but I ghouled you eyes wide open. You knew what was what. He did it without warning.”
“Sounds like he did him a favour. I’ve enjoyed my time. Maybe I was wrong about Rain.”
With a grimace, Dominic changed the subject, “Go and take that sixty-thousand from the duffle bag. We’re going to get this fixed, but first, I want to hear what happened.”
“Ah, I want to hear this,” Bruce cooed, anticipating the uncomfortable scene to come.
“You can, he’s on his way now.”
Stallion was onto his second drink when he spotted Izac and Rain casually walking into the bar. They looked like two handsome young men about town, just assessing the bar as a good spot to spend some time. One, roguishly handsome, scanning the crowd. He looked like someone out of old black-and-white movies. The other, tall and brooding, tinged of loss or regret. It made them both look interesting and without trying, they caught the attention of others around the room.
Izac was texting on his antiquated phone as Rain caught Stallion’s eye. The little man turned to Izac as if in question. Without a word of response, Izac walked over.
“We’re heading down to the carpark. Do you care to join us?” He asked Stallion in a way that sounded like it wasn’t his idea.
Why would he be invited downstairs? Still, he’d been on the outside of things for a few days now, “Uh, yeah, sure. I might as well see what’s going on.”
“Yes, come and witness the berating of Izac,” Izac didn’t seem all that pleased about it but led the way downstairs, the ever-cheerful Rain silent behind him.
“Berating? What did you do?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Izac replied cryptically in his beleaguered voice. Geez, what was wrong with these guys?
“Should we bring him along?” I asked Izac as I saw Stallion, already glassy-eyed at a table inside, only two drinks into the night. He was either losing tolerance for his favourite drink, or Delief was taking liberties with her cocktail mixes. Probably the latter.
“Threes are crowd…,” He replied, contradicting himself by inviting Stallion along.
I peeled off into the VIP lounge and found a willing friend for a snack. I’m sure Izac’s cat’s and steaks are food for him, but there was more to any existence than…mere existence. That moment of shared humanity, the pulse of a living heart, the rush of life was worth more than any number of friendly cats.
I raced down the stairs to see a silent Luna had joined Izac before a dishevelled Dominic, a sour expression scarring his usually serene face. The Porche’s bonnet was dented in, and the chrome bumper was crumpled by an impact with something large and irregular. Flakes of seventy-year-old black enamel chipped away from the dents, exposing the grey metal underneath like a jagged tear. It seemed the Porsche, like everything beautiful recently, had been fucked up by someone. It was hard to look at.
“See, this is why we can’t have nice things.”
“It’s repairable,” Izac defended as if carelessness was excusable because it could be reversed.
“Nice to know something can be,” I grumbled, more to myself, but he picked up on my snark.
“Broken things can be fixed, Rain.” He added. It seemed he was getting me back for that jibe about his heart.
I saw Dominic’s eyes flash with blue fire as he inspected the damage. Did he really think Izac would have killed someone with the Porsche? He inspected the car for a moment or two before turning back to Izac.
“How did that happen?” The damage was stark enough to enlist a response from Stallion, swaying on his feet.
Dominic stepped over, put a hand on Izac’s shoulders and led him to the front of the car.
“Do you know what that is. A beautiful vintage car, had from new mind you. Now look what you done to it. What did you hit?”
“I wish I knew,” Izac said, and for a tall man, he suddenly looked like the kid before an angry parent, “I didn’t see what we hit. We looked. If there had been a body, we would have gone to them immediately to see if they were dead or not.”
Dominic was silent for a long while, assessing what Izac was saying.
“You’ve been with the werewolves a while. Do you know if any of them can obfuscate?”
“Not to my knowledge. They mostly just turn into big furry dog-like creatures.”
“See, Izac, when you hit something in one of my vehicles, not only are you damaging a lovely piece of machinery, you’re making it my problem too.…look at it…that’s not going to buff out.”
“It can be fixed. That’s why I’m giving you the sixty thousand…”
“And that is also why you are not currently connected to a battery. Because I don’t know if you understand how much I love this car.”
“And I’ll help fix it.”
“And so you’re not dying. But there is something I’d like you to do. Contact your Mother Pasta. Make sure it wasn’t one of her children by mistake.”
“I’ll make the call,” Izac agreed. It was a valid fear. We didn’t need another excuse for a werewolf-vampire war. Surely, one was enough.
“Best case scenario, you hit a sewer rat.”
“That was my thought too.”
“Now, where is that duffle bag?” Dominic announced, and I was reminded of the plain sports bag we’d left the feral ghoul bar with. I hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time. Silently, and from inside his jacket pocket, Izac withdrew a wad of cash. He handed it over to Dominic, who quickly made it disappear.
“The bag is up in the office. That is unless Bruce has done something devious with it.”
“Not at all, “ Bruce shrugged innocently, “It’s your money boss. I just came to hear this feeble excuse for a story. Sounds like there’s a few holes in it. He didn’t see what he hit? What was he looking at? He missed seeing an entire person. I don’t think he’s being entirely honest.”
“Oh, please do elaborate,” Izac wasn’t taking any of Bruce’s guff, shirt fronting him in front of Dominic.
“Now, let’s see what shit we’re in first. At least there’s no death lingering on the car, I can assure you. No one died.” Dominic said, and both Bruce and Izac backed down a little. Izac looked relieved that who or whatever it was was still walking around.
Maybe someone else he could fix?
“I’m just saying, Boss. It’s like he’s set you up for something.” Bruce, the pitbull, had a hold of Izac and wasn’t willing to let go just yet. “Your car is evidence of something nasty, and it’s here in your place.”
Dominic revealed the wad of cash and tossed it to Bruce, “Get one of the boys to clean her up and send her to the repairers. See what they can do for her.”
“Would you like a new colour?”
“I’m partial to classic black. At least until this dies down.”
“She’d look good in a dark green.”
“She’s not an English racing car,” I groaned, lamenting Bruced lack of taste.
“Okay boss, I’ll be back later. Unlike Izac, I know how not to hit things.”
“You have that a little wrong, Bruce. You hit things when you mean to,” Dominic replied, and the two of them laughed. Had to be an in-joke.
“Good one, boss.” Bruce swung the keys of the old car around his finger and took her away, a cheery beep as he left the carpark.
Dominic’s face still held a self-satisfied grin as I stepped up to catch his attention.
“Mr Giovanni?”
“Yes, Rain,”
“I received a phone call from the Prince. He has heard rumours about Pyrmont. I want to discuss with you the story before I meet with him.”
“He’s the Prince. Tell him the truth,” Dominic looked perturbed I should suggest anything other, “There was a mishap, and I cleaned it up.”
“Yes, but what truth? Are you happy for Ambrogino’s name to come up. Lucretia’s? The house is no longer mine, but theirs.”
“It’s the families,” He stressed. I wasn’t sure if Ambrogino saw it that way, but I let it slide.
“Say I rang the family, and they sent someone to clean up the mess.”
“But the present house ownership. It was his gift. He’s going to ask.”
That had Dominic thinking for a moment, “Tell him I have it under stewardship and that I am currently sorting out new accommodation for you.”
“Very well.” One difficult conversation down…, “I do have another discussion topic, something a little more delicate. If I could meet you in your office at your convenience?”
“It is convenient now,” He said, but he didn’t look like moving anywhere.
“I’ll meet you in your office then,” I said and went in search for the tree.
I actually had no idea where it was. Last time I”d seen it, Stallion and Giuseppi were fighting over it in the Time Out room. I had no idea if Giuseppi had taken it into his head to hide it away for ‘safe keeping’ or if it had just been forgotten under the blanket Stallion had wrapped it in. It was odd to imagine because Stallion attempted subterfuge, I now had the tree (somewhere), and I couldn’t even thank him for it. He didn’t remember.
I wove through the crowd in the VIP room and finally made it, with no little trepidation, to the sliding door of the Time Out room. For once, my luck was in, and my little tree was waiting for me, forgotten by everyone but me. I grabbed it up and checked it for damage before taking it upstairs to where Dominic was waiting behind his mahogany desk.
Now left alone in the garage, Izac and Luna stood to one side as Stallion the other. Luna refused to even make eye contact with Stallion, but our noble-hearted Izac attempted to fill the growing silence.
“So, are you doing much Stal or are you free?”
“Just keeping this place running, it seems. If I’m needed, I’m ready to step up. Other than that, I was just sipping on some…juice. How about you and Luna? You went out earlier with Rain?”
“Business…” Izac replied uncomfortably, aware that there was very little he could share with or even had in common with Stallion. Making up stuff wasn’t his strength. “Yeah, that’s all done now…. It went good….we spent some quality time together and all that.”
Stallion shook his head at Izac’s formal response, “Why do you have to make things sound so gay?”
“What…what’s wrong with being gay?”
“Nothing, if that’s your thing.” Stallion sipped on the drink that he’d brought with him. It seemed even poor Stallion could see how shifty Izac was being.
“Er…but…”
“You seem a little flustered. Do you want to go sit down?”
Not for the first time, Izac wished I would come back and fill the air with useless, friendly babble.
“Done…anything with tomatoes…lately, Stallion?”
“Tomatoes,” Stallion brightened as if Izac had hit upon a favoured topic, “Funny you should mention that. I was just thinking you could put a tomato on someone’s head and grab a bow and arrow, you know, as if to do a trick shot, right? Then you shoot them right in the eye.” He seemed very pleased with his trickly plan.
“You’ve been learning a thing or two from Mr Giovanni, haven’t you?”
“No, no. It’s just when people cross you, you think of things…revenge and the like.”
“What does that mean?!” Izac couldn’t imagine what Stallion could be referring to. What did he even remember of the last few days? He looked to Luna for help, but she shrugged and refused to engage with Stallion and his nonsense.
“O-kay Stallion, If you need help with anything, you just let us know.” And Izac drew Luna to his side.
Dominic was ready, the look of the superior, the management, the Sire with a capital ‘s’. Being careful not to scratch his table’s highly polished surface, I placed the tree on some loose paper and sat down. Now that I was here, sitting across from the man who could well have me killed for what I was about to say, I found it hard to begin. Ironically, the truth is always a good place to start.
“There are a great many things… I have no idea about in this new life of mine. Somehow I’ve seemed to stumble into interesting yet…dangerous things without even meaning to,” I gave a small, depreciating smile, which was rebuffed by the granite-like expression on Dominic’s face.
“But you’re taking your time now, aren’t you? You’re not rushing headlong into everything.”
“That is my intent. But there are one or two things still left undone or incomplete from…before,” I gestured to the tree. It sat there, a very ordinary bonsai, “And things are coming to a head that only indirectly concern me.”
“Tonight, I spied five individuals on guard at the restaurant. I’d thought at the time they had to do with Izac and his…companion. It seems they weren’t.”
Before this, Dominic had been somewhat humouring me. I’d asked to speak to him in his office, and he’d obliged. Now, I had his interest. This was his domain. What happened in it was his concern. He craned closer, the leather of his seat creaking quietly.
“Not for Izac’s contact? Then what were they there for?”
“It seemed they were there for me…and the tree.”
“Are you still packing?” He asked, no longer the cool, urbane executive, but the gangster that hid only just under the surface. His slang went over my head, and he rephrased, “Do you have Lupara with you?”
“Yes, I opened my jacket. Beyond the enveloping darkness of the black velvet lining, Lupara’s handgrip would have been just visible peaking from behind my back, “I go nowhere without her.”
He now glanced at the tree. The blue fire of his Undead sight still burned, and I could see him trying to determine if it was necromantic in origin. He glanced around and above it as if reading its aura or spotting something more that was invisible to regular sight.
“What’s the deal with the tree? What’s so important about that?”
“I had an opportunity to help Avel, my mother.”
At this, he looked up and around the room, his glance stopping at a spot just behind me. I could only imagine he’d spied her there.
“It’s something she wants, “ I continued, “ Something I’d like to give to her. The tree will make that happen. But it seems it also had to do with the five people watching tonight.”
I was being intentionally vague. If I could impress on him the idea that if the tree were gone, then the problem of the watchers would also be gone from his domain. The rest could be dealt with later. I only hope that didn’t mean a bullet to my head and a hasty burial.
“I’d like to resolve the matter of the tree for Avel as quickly as possible, and I believe, if I understand how your business works, that the farm may be the best place for it.”
His glance moved between me, Avel and the tree, ”What’s the deal with the tree?”
“It’s….to give her a new body, a new chance of life.”
The leather chair groaned again as he sat back and lined up what he knew of such things with what I was saying. I sat in silence and waited for his next question. Up to this point I had been selective but truthful. Depending on what his next asked would determine how truthful I could remain.
“I mean, I could take you to the farm,” He seemed confused, maybe a little concerned about my request and when he said it like that, so was I.
“I hope if we resolve the tree issue for Avel, the people following us tonight will have no reasons to stick around.”
“What are you hoping to do for Avel with the tree?” My flimsy truth was only partly obscuring the broader issue. He was an intelligent man, he’d see through it eventually, but hopefully, we’d be on the road before then.
“Avel is perfectly fine the way she is, you know that don’t you? You know I’ve made no play for her?”
“You haven’t, and I respect that. Ambrogino could have taken her, and at my request, he let her be, for that I am also grateful. But don’t you see? While she’s tied to me, she is vulnerable. I nearly died. What would have happened to her if I had?” A hitch in my voice I had not intended gave sincerity to my words. Oh God. Adrift and alone in that…dead place, prey to everything. I had to pause and regain control before continuing.
“This is something she’s asked for. I don’t necessarily think it’s a good idea, but…”
“She asked for this?”
“She asked for a second chance. That’s what the tree can provide.”
“Hmm,” Noncommitedly, he went back to his contemplations. Before he could ask any of those difficult questions, I decided to give him a demonstration.
“The tree needs feeding, “ I said and cut open my wrist. I dropped blood onto the leaves. The blood quickly disappeared, absorbed into the tree, “It doesn’t need to be vitae, just blood. The tree will eventually need a place to be. I’d hope to feed it on the remains from the Nosferatu bar. That is now out of the question. So, I thought…your farm. That’s why I want to go out there. Finish what I started and free your domain of these…interlopers.”
It must be said, once Dominic has made up his mind, he is a man of action. He picked up his phone and sent a text message to Bruce.
IF PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR ME I’LL BE OUT AT THE FARM.
“Are you ready to do this?” He asked me. After all the build-up I’d made, his decision suddenly left me surprised.
“Yes…ah…yes. Let’s finish this.”
He looked at his watch, “If we need to, we can rest there before heading back.” He stood, grabbed a set of keys off the rack and headed back to the garage. I scrambled to grab the tree and follow.
“You two going somewhere?” Izac said almost with relief as Dominic and I returned to the garage. Dominic opened the SUV and I placed the tree on the back seat, held in place by its blanket and a seatbelt. The action of making the tree safe gave me a moment to think. I didn’t know what lay in store for me at the farm. I had no idea what the tree would ask of me or what Dominic’s reaction would be once it was complete. That it had to be done was certain, but at that moment, it felt like this might be the end.
Closing the tree in the car, I turned to see Izac and Luna. I wanted to tell them so much, but there was no time, and this was not the place. If Luna was to be free of at least this one demon, I had to go.
“Hey, ah, Lenny’s not going to be around anymore. I’d like if you could…no…I don’t think you need to worry about him.” They quickly felt the mood shift as I reached out a hand to take Izac’s.
“Is everything okay?” He asked.
“He’ll be better off. It galls me I let him go, but…he’ll be better off…without me.” I looked at Izac’s solemn brown eyes, and he started, understanding dawning.
“You two know my mind. Make something of these nights.” I shook his hand.
“Rain,” Izac now said with genuine concern, “You make it sound like you won’t be coming back.”
A sudden lump rose in my throat as reality hit me. I had no idea what was coming for me.
“I hate riddles,” Luna said, frustration, concern and anger warring with her features. I took that as a good sign. Those you don’t care for don’t bother you.
At this time, Dominic and Giuseppe were busy moving large black bags from upstairs into the boot of the car. Four in total, they looked very much like body bags. Yes, we were going out to the farm. This was how Dominic’s bar ran without creating a breach to the Otherworld. No one died on site. Stallion, the third of us Hollow men, was happily sipping on his drink and watching on, oblivious to Giuseppi’s grunts of exertion or my own emotional state. Izac watched with disgust at the bags, but he said nothing.
I caught Luna’s eye, “If you see Brendan…keep him alive…” I stumbled over the thought. Another one of my friends I had failed, “Whatever you can do….I don’t know…I don’t know…”
“You’re asking me to move mountains,” She grumbled, and I could see the struggle in her. Fear, distrust, concern and maybe even panic. How did we get here? There was no time to find out.
“I’m just asking you to be you,” I said adamantly.
“Oh what, my fire against millions of dollars?” She bit back, a small spark. I took heart.
“No, none of us can do that. Just do what you can to keep him alive. That’s all I ask. People like Brendan are why we need to save Sydney.”
‘I don’t even know the guy,” Stallion slurred from his front-row seat at the drama unfolding in front of him, “Can you at least tell me more about him?”
Izac stepped aside to talk to Dominic as I waxed lyrical about Brendan to Stallion, “What the fuck is going on?”
“Whatever do you mean? We’re just taking a short run out to the farm.”
“I asked to go, Izac,” I said, interrupting their argument, “It’s the tree…it’s about the tree. The tree is going out to the farm.” I hoped that was enough. I hoped Izac wouldn’t ask any more questions that would in turn make Dominic question the tree’s existence. Fortunately, Dominic shrugged at my interruption, oblivious to the deeper message I was trying to send to Izac.
“Once for all, we’re dealing with the tree.”
Let me go.
Izac didn’t look happy. He turned to Dominic, “Don’t leave five people out there.”
“Four people, “ Dominic countered, “There’s a very important distinction.” I cold shiver ran up my spine.
“I hope to come back with another,” I said, and Luna leaned into Izac. He finally relented.
“The ball’s in your court, Rain.”
“Better out there than here, right?” I nodded, putting on a brave face.
“Be careful,” His two words were laid with so much weight I nearly buckled under them.
“Thank you,” I squeezed out to a too-tight throat and climbed into the passenger seat.
As Dominic drove out, I was once more reminded of Lenny and the library where I’d left him earlier that evening. It had been Dominic’s suggestion. It was just one of those random things that pops into your mind when nothing else can be done. Like remembering your mother’s birthday present as the plane you’re in falls out of the sky.
“Oh, and Mr Giovanni, the library you mentioned. There seem to be restrictions on what days we can go.”
“Oh? I was never informed.”
“There is an agreement between the Tremere and the Mages. Sundays seem to be a good day if you were intending to visit, that is.”
“That has nothing to do with us.” He said airily as if a human-vampire magic battle was of no consequence.
“Yes, they don’t want to see us there.”
“I don’t normally. I usually just send someone out.”
“I figured it was something like that.” It was too late for me, “It was a very good place, though. Thank you for suggesting it.”
“It’s an excellent place for occult knowledge,” He turned the car onto Victoria Road and headed west, “You know, if you like, we could go down there one Sunday. See if there are any books on the Dreaming.”
“There is one,” I smiled, grasping the thin lifeline his words offered me, “I know where it is. We’ll go together.”
“Excellent,” And like that, Dominic and I were on a road trip together.
9.50 pm 11 hours until Sunrise. 10 days until the Succubus Club
*****************************************************************************************
Luna’s thoughts:
I Feel My Shadow
Bodies.
The catacombs called libraries are a place of death. A place of rebirth. What one can find in the words, thoughts, and creations of past and present minds bound to nothing but spines tethered with parchment.
Normal people don’t hide in the bones of forgotten souls.
Good thing she’s dead as well.
The thick black leather of the book compliments the deep mahogany of the study desk as Luna relaxes into the seat.
Encyclopaedia Vampiria stares back at her and she has to bite back a grin.
Rain and Izac can have their exclusive party, gathering information or experience. Luna can do what she does best.
Research.
215 pages in this book. A to Z filled with names of vampires worth the ink to blot on the page in a pen probably older than her.
The first name wasn’t even a question of who. It was where.
Page 148.
Sarrasine.
The walls of mosaic tiles are laid in a room of vast walls and a forest of columns.
A black and red scaled body of a snake appears. The face is blurred but its body is undeniably defined as it takes up wall to wall, column to column. Is he engulfing himself? Her? The room she’s creating?
A mimic of Anubis forms on the wall near his head. A mimic… a relative…
Sarrasine is a follower of Set.
Flecks of gold. Six on the Serpents head inlaid in the cut tiles.
Sixth Generation Serpent, embraced in the rule of Justinian during the Byzantine Empire. Explains the look of this room.
Is this Serpent his real face? A mask of light to cover a dark interior?
Who ever gave a ruler the benefit of doubt?
He treads through the shoe prints left by Venture before him, following a path from Great Britain to Australia. He wears the face of a Rose but he smells of shit.
Some rose bunches appear in levels of decay along the walls of this room.
Soon, a seated figure in the stylistic choice of the Egyptians during the New Kingdom, appears on the far wall. “Trusted Advisor of Venture, Abram.” A guillotine appears above the figure’s head.
No such thing as a “free city”, is there?
Not in Luna’s experience. Everything has a price. Even the concept of “Freedom”.
Behind her a column repeats the body of Abram. The number seven is graffitied into his form. Alongside him, five more indistinguishable, seated figures appear. A cup filled with blood rests below them.
Jyhad. Beyond the ancients games. Were they in a basement as well? The Serpents of light against the masquerade. It is obvious who won in this city of free criminals.
Reg Meg was a name in passing. A Brujah who brought unrest to Sydney twice since her self-exile into the outback. Her name marked in red appears with Abram.
The four figures remain nameless.
She’ll have to go, page by page, scanning for any mention of the word Australia or First Settlers to possibly track these allusive figures. She has to.
A-Z, Z-A. They cannot hide from her.
Agaricus was the first name to appear with Abram and Red’s considering they were only a handful of entries separated.
Malkavian. Prince of Hobart, Tasmania since 1804. He broke the Jyhad and allegedly preaches a co-existence with kindred and kine beyond the ancients games on the island to this day.
Nosferatu Wid names the fourth figure on the column. He possesses no distinguished entry.
Another dead end. Four names is good but it is not enough.
The time is crawling in. Lingering too long is more suspicious than she wants to be.
These spines to anyone else might muddle together but the art of shadows is more than an art of hiding. It’s an art of knowing how not to be perceived, how to blend in.
The book is placed in an area she knows where to eternally find it and yet out of mind for those casually perusing.
Next is to learn more of these Followers of Set. Ideology makes the world go around.
“We’ve got to make a stand somewhere, haven’t we?”
“I’m not asking you to choose now but the door is open.”
Maybe she really is doomed.
Is this the change she wants?
Her hands pull down a book hidden amongst unfamiliar faces.
Cutting off the head of a Serpent to replace him with what? Another fucking snake?
Is that where the Six disagreed?
Serpents, Camarilla or something almost unattainable but it almost looks like a red apple.
A true free city. One of Carthage magnitude. One where there is no ancient games, Jyhad, or Masquerade.
It’s a true death sentence.
Her phone buzzed before she could get too deep into the book about the Followers.
The number belonged to Izac.
“Are you safe right now? Some people watching us, has something to do with the watch.”
Fucking bitch. She’s been a predictable veritable in the equation since the start of this show. One ideology for another. She fights for none and one of them will get her killed.
Her reply was fast, “in Dominic’s library. If they make it into here I’ll be surprised.”
“We are in the carpark. All of us. It’s about the car.”
“I’ll come down.”
Stallion, Rain, Izac, Dominic and Bruce were all locked in a light dispute when she walked down into the garage under the establishment. The action seemed almost second nature. Obfuscating in the shadows simply observing the interaction.
She has done this her whole life. Letting the conversation happen around her.
She refocuses when four soft thuds echo from the back of the concrete room. Rain stands as flimsy as a bendable ruler. In his arms sits a bonsai tree that haunts Luna as much as her memories.
Now that’s a real monster.
What?
All Roses are just full of rot.
Notable NPCs
Abram: Ventrue, and one of six founders of Sydney Masquerade
Agaricus: Children of the Moon, and one of six founders of Sydney Masquerade
Ambrogino: 5th Generation Vampire, Cappadocian and Elder of the Giovanni Clan.
Avel: Rain’s mother, a wraith.
Beelzebub: Fallen angel and entity in Rain’s pocket watch.
Bobby Lisner: Malkavian seer who lives in an old Sewer pipe in The Rocks.
Brendan Virgil: A.K.A. Miss Divine Intervention. Rain’s close friend.
Bruce: Ghoul of Mr Giovanni
Cabolut Hazzim: the name given by a vampire who cleared out the homeless at Rain’s old squat
Detective Woodman: NSW Policed premiere detective and a sufferer of schizophrenia. He has an assistant currently called Notetaker.
Doctor Willis Hodge: Ghost acquaintance of Dominic Giovanni’s from the Coroner’s Court.
Founders of Sydney Masquerade: Those still alive: Abram, the Ventrue, in Canberra, Wid, the Nosferatu in Woolongong, Agaricus, Child of the Moon, Tasmania, Montague Layton, Toreador current whereabout unknown.
Francis Tuttle: Name given in charge of the investigation into the deaths of homeless in Surry Hills.
Garcia: Sire. Unknown location.
Giuseppe Giovanni: Ghoul of Mr Giovanni. Some sort of relative of Mr Giovanni.
Lenny: Rain’s Ghoul and artist friend
Lucretia: Childe of Ambrogino, now caretaker of the Pyrmont House and teacher to Dominic
Madeline Blackwell: Ghoul of Mr Giovanni, working at the State Coroners Court.
Montague Layton: Toreador, and one of six founders of Sydney Masquerade
Night Rider: Red-haired vampire? Works for the Prince.
Pangea: a Nosferatu (tunnel builder)
Paul: a Nosferatu of the sewer rats
Prince Sarrasine (Sar-ras-seen): Toreador Ruler of Sydney*
Sparrow: a Nosferatu of the warren in Pyrmont, closest to home
Teeth of Titanium: Werewolf dingo met in Leichhardt.
Tom: A sleeping head awakened by Dominic in the Dreamtime.
Wid: Nosferatu, and one of six founders of Sydney Masquerade
Glossary of terms:
Anarchists: a faction of Vampires. Caused issues in Los Angeles recently, killed the Prince.
Antediluvian: from before the time of the biblical flood. The third generation that were the progenitors of the thirteen clans of vampires.
Bone Gnawers: A pack of werewolves
Blood hunt: A process to destroy a vampire who has broken a tradition. Specifically mentioned in the sixth.
Blood worm: What a possessed vampire can turn into.
Black Spiral Dancers: A pack of werewolves that worship a being of entropy.
Canaanites: Those descended from Cain, the first murderer and vampire.
Camarilla: a faction of Vampires closest to the Princes. Believe in hierarchy and order.
Clan or Bloodline: From one the 13 antediluvians.
Christopher Charlton: Rain’s pseudonym.
Marauder: A mage gone mad. Living in his own pocket dimension that answers to the whim of his broken mind.
Diablerie : the drinking another vampire blood and soul
Favour: How Vampires pay for things they want or need doing.
Fetter: A place, person or thing that binds a wraith to the Shadowlands.
Ghouls: Servants of a vampire who have been fed vitae. They are loyal, stronger, and more resilient, and sometimes, they show other powers gained from the blood. They must receive the blood at least once a month or they return to being human. Can be addictive.
Glasswalkers: A pack of werewolves Izac is familiar with this
Hunter: Members of the Society of Leopold, a branch of the Catholic Church. Fanatical vampire hunters and killers.
Kin: Vampires, a name among themselves
Kine: Humans
Marauder: a rouge mage, often mad. They are likely to act in a way that exposes the Otherworld of the Masquerade to exposure.
Masquerade : The rule that keeps vampire society safe. Hiding ones nature from the world.
Men in Black: An international unit dedicated to controlling supernatural and alien entities.
Sabbat: a faction of Vampires that believe that the progenitors of the clans will one day awake and eat all their young.
Traditions: Six laws that vampires live by.
Vaulderie: A ritual where Kindred swear loyalty to each other.
*Sarrasine, a novella by Balzac. Sarrasine is a sculpture who is infatuated with an Opera Singer, Zambinella. She thinks herself cursed and deflects his advances. At a performance, Zambinella is revealed to Sarrasine to be a castrato. In a rage, Sarrasine attacks the singer, only to be cut down and killed by their bodyguard.
A Strange Life 