An Invitation
"Alex, there's a vampire priest here to see you," yells Ralph.
I bolt up the steps to find Father Miguel cautiously fiddling with what looks like a remote control as Ralph explains the buttons to him.
"…and if you push the blue button the type flashes on the little screen. Once I make some more adjustments, the red button should narrow the type down to clan or breed…"
"RALPH!"
"My supernaturals detector works!"
"So does my foot, which is about to collide with your ass. Go upstairs."
"But---"
"Upstairs!"
"Precocious child," says Father Miguel as Ralph storms up the steps. "And here you thought you'd never have children."
I wave a hand toward the couch. Father Miguel sits down.
"Seems the move from Philly has done well for you. So what are you doing now to pay the bills?"
"….Freelancing."
"Freelancing? You mean cleaning, don't you? I heard you've taken some jobs from the scourge that he didn't want to dirty his hand over." I raise a hand to ask him to keep it down. Heather's out, but Ralph is surely listening at the top of the stairs. They don't know about my side jobs with the scourge.
Father Miguel leans closer to me. "Same job, different sect."
"I'm helping maintain order. I'm keeping the streets safe."
"And I'd bet your feeding really well, too. It's so much easier to rationalize the diablerie when you know they deserve it."
I walk across the room and open the door. "Goodnight, Father."
"Don't you even want to know why I'm here?"
"Not if you're going to berate me."
We stare at each other for about a minute before I close the door and sit back down. The sad part is Father Miguel doesn't even use Jedi mind Trick. He just has this way of looking at you that makes you feel like a five year old.
Father Miguel was my one link to sanity during my tenure in the Sabbat. While he is loyal to the clan, he left the Sabbat two hundred years ago. He use to tell me stories of how the sect use to be. How it would rage against the machinations of the Methuselah to protect both kindred and kine. How being a paladin for the Sabbat use to be tantamount to a holy calling. But that was before it degenerated into a bunch of thin-blooded gangbangers led by an overbearing leadership of elders more manipulative and destructive than any Prince or Primogen.
"Why are you hear, Father?"
"Mendoza has been destroyed. As has Gabriella."
Mendoza is the Bishop of the New York Sabbat and my grandsire. Gabriella is the most powerful Sabbat priest in Atlantic City, and on more than one occasion she almost succeeding in wrestling power away from the young Prince there.
"Who?"
"We believe the Angel has returned. And with a vendetta against our clan."
I feel something churn in the pit of my gut.
"Wow! A real angel? I wonder how that will come up on my scans?"
Father Miguel rubs his temples. I just rest my head in my hands to collect my thoughts.
"Hey! Maybe the Angel knows the voices that talk to Heather! If he could get them to stop bothering her so much---"
"Enough, Ralph," I say without looking up. "He's not a real angel. He's a gargoyle with issues. Go across the street. Get Jason. Then get Heather on her cell and tell her to get Craig and Josh over here. We got a major problem."
"Yes!" Ralph jumps off the steps and makes a stupid pose. "This looks like another job for the Justice League! Evildoers beware!" He runs out the front door.
"What was that all about?" says Father Miguel, still staring at the now open door.
"Nothing, just my personal hell."
"So, what did the child mean when he talked about Heather's…voices?"
"The Heralds. They---"
"Heralds? She's a Hunter? You live with a Hunter?"
"You get use to them."
"Them?"
"Well, Craig is her mentor. He's got this whole passive-aggressive thing going on with me right now, but at least he's not actively trying to end my existence any more. Josh is Heather's protégé, except the poor kid has no dexterity at all."
Father Miguel just stares blankly at me. He looks around the room as he tries to reconcile the information. "Do you think it wise to live in a house where three Hunters have access to you?"
"It's o.k. Heather's my friend. Beside, Ralph has spells and alarms on my coffin downstairs."
"Spells!? The boy is a mage?"
"What? You think he bought that scanner at Kay Bee toys? I expected you to catch on quicker."
"All that's missing is the werewolf living in the back yard."
"Nah, George has his own place."
"What?"
"Welcome to my hell."
"You shouldn't reveal this information so willingly."
"There's no point in hiding anything. Confession being good for the soul, and all."
"I am here as an official representative of the Amici Noctis, Alex. You're services have been requested to track down and destroy the Angel once and for all. You are considered the most---"
"Expendable?"
"I was going to say most competent. You know how good you are at finding those of our kind who do not want to be found. And you obviously have other…resources our other choices could not call upon."
I go into the kitchen, open the fridge, and pull out my special bottle. I pour two cups and place them both in the microwave for 10 seconds. When I return to the living room, I hand one to Father Miguel. I spike mine with a half shot of whiskey.
"So what is the Friends' motivation to actively recruit me to do something I'm gonna have to do anyway? What's really going on?"
"Perhaps you wouldn't mind adding a little something to mine as well?" He holds his cup out to me.
"Oh crap." I pour a whole shot into his cup and give it back to him. He swallows it in one gulp.
"Belzitane went against the policies of the Amici when he sent Carlos after you. He never petitioned the Court of Blood. He offered your Amaranth to his other childe without the consent of the clan. This from a man who has sat on the Court of Blood three times himself."
"I'm sure the rest of the clan was just heartbroken over it."
"Believe it or not, you do have a few benefactors among the Friends. Myself included. We have been watching your progress closely. But your sire still has several powerful allies, so we cannot have him destroyed without just reason. If you handle this situation for the clan, your status will increase dramatically. You would be demonstrating loyalty to your fellow Keepers. They would be favorably inclined to award any petition you requested."
I stand up and step back from him. "Wait a minute-"
"You could extract your revenge without fear of the consequences." He stands and walks toward me. I continue walking backwards from him.
"You have gone as insane as him if you think-"
"The Sabbat would have no choice but to stand down against the Court of Blood. The rest of the clan would hold you blameless."
"If you think for one minute…besides I got sewer rats following me. I start pulling assassinations for the Friends---"
"I have already received the appropriate clearances from the Prince. The Council is well aware Belzitane has been poking around in New York. He will call for the Blood Hunt as soon as I let him know the Court's ruling. All things considered, the Council will turn a blind eye to any indiscretion during the hunt."
I'm standing against the wall with Father Miguel no more than two inches from me. "And if I say 'no""
"You don't want to do that," he whispers in my ear. "The Friends will take a dim view of your worth if you do. There is no reason to decline. Belzitane's obsession has made him a weakness to the clan. And we do not tolerate weakness. You deserve this vengeance. Revenge for your fiancé's death. Revenge for defiling your father's grave. Revenge for using your mother as a pawn. It is righteous vengeance."
I hear the screen door open as Jason and Ralph walks in. Father Miguel steps back without taking his eyes off of me.
"You know, when Ralph told me a priest said we have to hunt down an angel, I was really confused," says Jason as he looks Father Miguel up and down. "Now I'm more confused."
"Father Miguel was just leaving."
Father Miguel walks pass Jason and pats Ralph on the head. "You will let me know should you figure out how to differentiate between the clans with your little contraption?"
"Sure! Once I get it perfected, I'll sell you one cheap!"
Father Miguel opens the screen, but turns to me before walking out.
"Your answer, Alex. I need your answer."
I nodded. He smiles.
"You can deliver your petition to me once the Angel has been dealt with. I will be your patron to the Court."
To finally be free of my sire. With the blessing of my clan. With the blessing of the Prince. All I have to do is kill the Angel.
Goodbye Hell. Hello Abyss.
|
|
