It was nighttime in the Empire of the True Race, just a few hours past sunset. The Duchess of Kiev sat on the balcony, quietly petting her pet tigress, Binas. She looked quietly up at the sky, grief apparent on her pale features. News had just reached her that the Empress had been murdered. Only a few others, namely the Duchess of Moldova and a few other high-ranking nobles as well as Baybars, probably knew of her death. A mournful sigh escaped her lips and she looked down at Binas, who was currently resting her head on Astha's thigh. "I can't believe she's gone..."
Suddenly, the tigress perked her ears; sitting upright attentively for a moment before leaping from the balcony. Binas landed spryly on the grass and looked up at her mistress, tilting her head as though waiting for the duchess to say something or act.
Astha stood and leaned over the balcony, looking down at the big cat. " Binas? Come here, girl." She called, gesturing for the tiger to return.
Binas ignored her, instead turning and padding into the forest that bordered the main grounds of the Asran estate. The feline had heard something in the trees and picked up a familiar scent.
"Binas?" Astha tipped her head to the side before jumping over the balcony rail, landing easily before darting into the woods after Binas. She found the tigress standing in front of a wounded figure, sitting on the ground and half-propped against the trunk of a nearby tree. Binas licked at one of the figure's bloody hands and pressed her nose into the man's palm with a low, rumbling purr. The clouds that had been obscuring the two moons shifted, allowing several shafts of moonlight to pierce the tree canopy and illuminate the stranger. A sharp gasp escaped the Methuselah's lips when she recognized the mangled visage of Abel Nightroad.
The priest hacked up a clot of dark blood and attempted to raise his head. He looked up at the duchess weakly, taking a long moment to recognize her through the exhaustion that clouded his mind and the sticky blood that was obscuring his vision. Abel's clothes were practically in tatters, hanging from his injured and bleeding frame like rags. Broken glasses barely retained their perch on the tip of his narrow nose. "A...Astha…"
"Tovarish!" She dropped to her knees beside him, concern swimming in her usually confident and harsh golden eyes. Astha took the hand that Binas had been licking in her own, the other gently brushing back matted strands of silver hair from his filthy face. "What happened to you?" The words came in a whisper, as though she was afraid of the answer.
"Astha...S-Seth she's..." He coughed up more blood, dripping down his chin and staining the shredded remains of his vestments. Even the pauldrons on his shoulders had claw-like gashes in them. Abel tried to speak again, but what should have been words only managed to escape in the form of an unintelligible rattle of shallow breath.
Carefully, the duchess pulled him close and cradled his wounded body; stroking his hair. "Shh, I already know." But how did he? Abel had not been in the Empire in months; having returned to his duties at the Vatican for the time being.
Abel's lips parted once more as he tried to force the words. "Astha... I…" His blue eyes rolled back in his head and closed as he collapsed, unconscious.
"Hold on, tovarish!" Astha slung one of his arms across her back, holding it there with one hand while the other wrapped tightly around his thin waist. She sprinted back to the mansion in full haste-mode; if she had been a Terran, he would have been impossible for her to carry. At least not that quickly. Once back inside, Astha sent a few of her Terran servants for bandages and other items such as antiseptic and hot water that were necessary to clean his wounds. There was no time to get him to a Terran hospital, and there was no way she was going to let her partner bleed out in her home.
The servants returned and tended to Abel's wounds, refraining from asking their mistress any questions about why she was having them tend to a mere Terran. Astha ordered them to prepare a room for the unconscious priest and carry him there once his injuries had been attended to. The duchess, meanwhile, paced in her living room. Did she inform the Duchess of Moldova of Abel's spontaneous appearance on the grounds of her estate? When he was in such a condition and right after they had been informed of the death of Her Majesty the Empress? She stiffened, eyes widening as some small part of her mind made a faint connection between the time of Abel's reappearance and the time she had been informed of the tragedy that would undoubtedly shake the Empire to its very core. No, Abel would never do something like that… Would he? Despite the trust she placed in the typically idiotic priest, a thrill of doubt ran through her. Perhaps it would be best for her to wait until he awoke to get some answers before contacting anyone.
Abel woke later that day, confused as to where he was or how he had gotten there in the first place. He stared up at the ceiling of the bedroom for several minutes, trying to recall everything that had happened last night. Though his mind was still hazy, it came crashing down on him soon enough. Tears welled up in his pale blue eyes as the bloody image of the carnage that had greeted him in the palace; Cain's violent rampage and the devilish grin he wore upon the sight of Abel's horror at seeing Seth's headless body, nuzzling his cheek against the gory head in sick amusement.
Is something wrong, little brother? I only wanted to pay our dear little sister a visit.~
The crusnik bolted upright, letting out a cry of pain from his wounds and curling in on himself. In this condition, it was honestly a wonder that he could even move. He was swathed in bandages, mostly covering his torso and neck; although there were several on his arms and legs as well. His face felt swollen and bruised, many of his injuries more severe than they appeared to be. Whoever had patched him up had certainly done a fine job. With slow, almost mechanical movements, Abel forced himself to stagger out of bed; leaning heavily against the wall as he made his way towards the door. The building, or mansion he guessed it was, seemed somewhat familiar to him; like he had been here before several times. Blindly, Abel wandered through the halls until he reached the living room; only to fall down next to the couch. "Come on, Abel," he hissed, gritting his teeth as a shudder of pain rolled through his aching body. "Get up…" With a grunt of effort, the crusnik forced himself to stand; jerking back slightly in shock at the sight that greeted him.
The glowing tip of Astha's xenon sword, Gae Bolg, was pointed directly at his chest. Her fangs were bared as disbelief and rage warred for dominance on her face. "Is it true, tovarish?" The duchess practically sneered the word, planting her feet and readying herself to attack Abel. By this time, rumor had gotten out that a Terran matching Abel's description had murdered the Empress and fled the Imperial Palace in a bloody mess.
"A-Astha? What are you doing...?" He stammered, eyes widening. Abel held up both hands as if to stave off her imminent attack. "Is what true...?"
"They said you're the one who killed her, Abel!"
"W-what...?" The crusnik's eyes widened in appalled horror at Astha's words. The nobles thought that he had been the one to tear Seth's head off and lay waste to most of the palace? "I-It wasn't me... Astha, please. You have to believe me!"
Astha wanted desperately to believe him; to be completely sure that he was telling the truth. But he was the only person in the Empire that matched the description of the man seen fleeing the palace, and with his wounds… "There was blood on your clothing, Abel! You were wounded like you had been in some sort of battle!"
Abel fumbled over his words, whimpering slightly from pain and exhaustion; as well as the accusing look and tone that the duchess was using. "I...I...I was there but..." His knees trembled and gave out, causing him to fall to the floor and look up at Astha with a pleading expression. "Please, Astha…"
The Duchess of Kiev fidgeted for a moment, trying to make up her mind as to whether she trusted his words or not. At last, she sighed and dropped the harsh glare; giving into a look of pity. "...I want to believe you. I really do, but you have so much that's against you..." She lowered Gae Bolg, disarming it and putting it back on its sling on her hip.
"Why would I want to kill her, Astha...?" The male groaned heavily, everything that had happened crushing him like a stone weight on his shoulders. "She's gone...just like Lilith...damn it Cain..." He choked on his words and began sobbing, letting his shoulders slump and covering his swollen and teary face with his hands.
She let him cry for a moment; then gently grabbed hold of his upper arms and helped him stand, pushing him to sit down on the couch. In all honesty, Astharoshe would have loved to yell at him or throw him around just to get the old Abel back, but she knew it would not help anything and he was too severely injured. "I'm sorry, tovarish." The duchess murmured, sitting beside him and wrapping her arms around him.
All Abel could do was hug her back weakly and sob wordlessly into her shoulder, somehow comforted by her presence. He wanted to tell her just how he felt, but the words refused to come; only leaving his mouth as quiet whimpers before escalating into anguished wails.
Astha rubbed his back soothingly. As a noble of the Empire, and one of few who could be considered close to the Empress, Seth's sudden death grieved her deeply. But she knew it hurt Abel far more; after all, Seth was his younger sister. "Tell me how I can help you, Abel. You have to get out of the Empire."
"I'm...I'm not sure that will help, Astha. I don't think anywhere is safe...With Seth gone...the Empire will..." The words came in a whisper, broken by quick gasps as he cried.
The ivory-haired female nodded. "Don't say it. I already know." She sighed softly and glanced away, looking off into the distance at nothing in particular as she thought. "If I help you, I'll have to run too."
Abel looked up from Astha's shoulder and took in a shaky breath. "Albion...I don't think the Vatican is safe..."
"It wouldn't be safe for me, at least... How are we supposed to get to Albion when I can't walk in the sunlight?"
"You just can't expose your skin to sunlight. A hood or cloak or something...maybe some of that special gel that helps Methuselah walk in the sunlight?" He suggested, sniffing and wiping his eyes on his arm.
"The UV protection gel? I think I might have some…" Astha nodded resolutely. "Albion it is then, but first you need to feed." She knew that he needed her blood to heal so that they could escape. It was still a strange experience, being fed on by the crusnik, but it was vital right now. That was why there was little hesitation in her voice.
"...I'll be fine..." He mumbled, looking at the floor. Astha was right, but he was afraid of losing control when he was so weak.
"You can't even stand, tovarish!" The duchess snapped, wishing he would quit being so stubborn. "I know you need it."
Abel looked at her for a moment and then gave in. "...Alright, you win this time, Astha..." He shifted automatically to eighty percent power output, the crusnik taking over in its desperation for Astha's much needed blood. Clawed hands firmly grasped her shoulders and he brought his fangs to her neck, pausing only long enough to locate a decent vein before sinking his teeth into her throat.
"Good." She winced when he bit down, noticing that it was much more forceful than usual. Normally, Abel would only drink for about a minute or two if even that long; but he showed no signs of slowing down. Astha felt weakened, like he was draining too much from her. The duchess hissed slightly and shoved at the crusnik, attempting to dislodge him. "Abel… Tovarish, stop."
If he could hear her, he showed no signs of it. The crusnik's sharp claws dug further into her shoulders as he continued to gulp down blood; losing himself in his thirst. A low growl rumbled in his throat and he pulled Astha closer to get a better hold on her neck.
Astha cried out in pain and shoved at him more forcefully. "Abel, stop! You're hurting me!" He was taking too much, and her instincts screamed for her to try and get away from him in any way possible.
At Astha's scream, Abel seemed to snap out of it; immediately letting go of her and pulling away. He stared at her in shock as he returned to normal and she scrambled away from him; moving to the far end of the couch and holding her hand to her neck. "Astha...I'm sorry..." The male shook his head in frustration and turned away from her wide eyes. "Damn it...I can't even keep myself in line..."
The duchess swallowed, wincing at the jab of pain from where Abel had bitten her. She shook her head weakly. "I-it's fine, Abel. You needed it..." Astha let out a soft gasp before she managed to stifle it, hoping that Abel had been unable to hear it. "Could you get me some Water of Life, please?" She panted, rubbing the bite as the bacillus in her blood kicked in and stopped the bleeding; slowly healing the wound.
Abel nodded, practically tripping over himself in his haste to get her what she asked for. He made his way to the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with an entire pitcher of water and nearly a handful of tablets. Wordlessly, he dropped the tablets in the water and let them dissolve before pouring her a glass His hands shook as he passed it to her; worried that she was upset or afraid of him. Or perhaps that he had injured her too badly in his, in the crusnik's, urgency to feed. "H-Here..."
She took the glass gratefully, drinking it down as fast as she could. "Thank you, tovarish…" Astha set the glass off to the side and tried to stand up, but Abel put a hand on her shoulder and gently forced her back down; sitting beside her.
"Don't force youself...we..." He cut off, mentally kicking himself for being powerless to keep from going eighty percent. "I overdid it..."
Astha leaned against him for a moment while she recovered. "We need to get on our way before Baybars and the Yanceri come here to ask questions..."
Abel forced a grim chuckle. "Or Ion...or The Duchess of Moldova..."
She nodded weakly, once again forcing herself to stand. "Right. Let me go grab a few things and we'll be on our way."
The crusnik shook his head slightly and pulled her back down. He poured her a second glass of the Water of Life and gave it to her, patting her shoulder before standing up himself. "You drink. I'll pack."
The duchess nodded, sipping from the glass; albeit more slowly this time. "Alright, tovarish..." Brass-colored eyes watched him walk out the door in the direction of her chambers. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, thinking through everything that had happened. Astha was going to leave her home; her title; everything she had behind for her tovarish. Then again, that was part of being someone's tovarish; and they were even more than that to each other. Her eyes opened again, full of resolve as her hand tightened around the fragile wine glass; threatening to crush it in her grasp. She had made up her mind to trust Abel with her life, and she was not about to go back on that promise now.
Abel returned about fifteen minutes later with a small bag of personal effects; namely nondescript clothes they would be using to conceal their identities as Terrans on the way to Albion. He looked at the bag; then glanced at Binas who was curled up on a large cushion in one corner of the room. "Unfortunately, I think Binas is a bit too big to fit in here." The male gave an apologetic half-smile that did not reach his eyes, and there was real sadness behind it. He was asking Astha to leave everything she loved behind. It was selfish of him, but hopefully God would forgive him for being that way just this once.
Astha sighed, but nodded nonetheless. "The Duchess of Moldova will look after her for me. She's always had a soft spot for cats."
" That she does..." He knelt down when Binas got up and padded over to them, her tail twitching. Abel smiled faintly at the friendly tigress and began to pet her when she looked at him curiously; ears pricked forward. " Sorry, Binas. We can't take you with us..."
The tigress turned to Astha, letting out a faint meow and tilting her head at her mistress. The duchess smiled tightly and kissed the large feline on the top of her striped head. Truthfully, Binas had been Astha's only real friend and companion for several years. "You be good for Mirka while we're gone, okay girl?" Her voice was strained, and she forced herself to try to sound cheerful. "And play nice with Ion."
"Binas always had a soft spot for him. Like a mama tiger with her young. Right, girl?" Abel murmured, smiling weakly. Binas nuzzled into his hand, purring and butting her head affectionately against Abel's thigh. Due to Abel's frequent visits to the Empire to see Astha and help further relations between the Vatican and the Methuselah, the tiger had become as fond of the gangly priest as she was of Astha.
Astha took a deep breath and stood, scratching Binas once more beneath the chin before turning to her partner. She touched his hand and looked directly into his eyes; her gaze becoming serious and no-nonsense. "We should go now, tovarish..."
The crusnik nodded, his own face solemn. "Right, Astha..." He took her hand and led her towards the door. Binas yowled softly and tried to follow them, but stopped when Abel turned and held up his hand. "No, Binas. You need to stay here. Astha will send a letter to the Duchess of Moldova so that you'll be looked after." The tigress sat down and lowered her head when Abel started leading the duchess towards the door once more. Together, the two fled out into the night; heading towards an airport where they would board a ship that would take them to Albion. After that? Only God knew where this path would lead them.