II.
The slow persistent tapping of the rain woke Louise from the dream. The biting chill of the cold late-winter night stung as it moved across her face from the open window. She awoke slowly, the heavy memory of everything that had happened in her sleep dampening her return to the waking world. She had asked Rider to wake her when the time to leave was approaching, but his absence from the room made it clear that she had awoken before the appointed hour. It didn't matter at this rate, Louise thought as she closed the window to shut out the cold. She was awake now and returning to sleep would simply dampen her senses further before the night's work.
Louise dressed appropriately for the cold night, opting for long pants and adding a purple scarf alongside her usual jacket. She headed downstairs where she was surprised to only find Grimaud present.
"Is Rider not here with you, Monsieur?" Louise looked around the room absentmindedly as she posed the question.
"I believe he went up on the roof again. Said something about not liking the way the air felt tonight and wanting to keep a watch while you slept. IS it time already for you to leave?" Grimaud couldn't help a concerned look crossing his features as he alluded to Louise's dangerous plans for the night.
"Not quite yet time. I just seemed to find myself awake a little early. Perhaps I'm feeling apprehensive. You did not have to stay up for us to depart, the hour is quite late after all."
"I wanted to see you off properly. It is good luck to see someone leave on a dangerous journey. It increases their chances of returning home."
Louise felt a sense of embarrassed comfort at Grimaud referring to his apartments as her home. Any time she tried to make a resolution to keep the old photographer at arms-length, he had the impeccable ability to do or say something that drew her back in. Despite Rider's own predilections about becoming too attached, Louise was determined to keep Grimaud in her company, and to keep him safe. "In that case I am grateful to you for the consideration."
Louise reached out with her mind to contact Rider. -"Grimaud says you are on the roof. Do you think we will be attacked again tonight?"-
-"I do not know that I expected an attack. But there is something that just doesn't seem quite right. A feeling I can't shake."- Even just hearing him in her thoughts Louise could sense the deep troubled feelings in Rider's words.
-"I won't downplay your intuition. But despite it we need to head out soon. Come down and we'll prepare to leave."-
Rather than a verbal reply, Rider responded by appearing in the room suddenly as he materialized from Spirit form, his full combat gear already adorning his body. Grimaud, who was still adjusting to all the magical elements of associating with the pair, jumped slightly at the chevaliers sudden appearance. Louise exchanged confident looks with her Servant as a way of acknowledging his arrival.
"Well you two certainly seem to be chomping at the bit to go put yourselves in harm's way. I'll not slow you down too much, but I will ask, Louise, that you eat something before you go. I set aside some of dinner for when you woke up." Grimaud pointed to the dining table where an entire meal sat, fully placed and plated waiting for Louise.
Louise smiled to her friend as she sat down to the table. "Thank you very much. I'd be happy to."
"And I'm sure Monsieur Rider would like some wine to commence your evening. There is a bottle there open on the counter with a glass."
"Your hospitality clearly knows no bounds Monsieur Martin." Rider had wasted no time in taking Grimaud up on his offered hospitality and had already poured some of the wine. "I toast you with my first glass!" Rider raised the drink to his host with a hearty smile. Grimaud, as much he wanted to, was unable to stop a smile from appearing on his own face in response.
Once she had finished her meal it was time for Louise and Rider to depart. Grimaud had seen them out the door with one last "Come back safe." as words of parting. Louise had done everything she could to assuage the worries of the older gentleman before he closed the door behind him, no doubt headed for bed where the only thing that awaited him was troubled, concerned sleep.
The rain had paused for the moment, being reduced to a light mist that lent an icy feeling to the already frigid air. Louise decided haste would be their ally, not wanting to be on her scooter when the rain returned in full force. The trip to the catacombs entrance was spent mostly in silence, the duo only breaking it at one point to review the details of the plan.
It was not long before they arrived at the rendezvous point that had been agreed upon with Zoe earlier that day. Louise thought that since she had awoken earlier than planned she might be the first one there, but was surprised to find the de Franchi brother balancing himself on the back of a bench outside the cafe that served as the meeting place. The cafe, along with the other surrounding businesses, had long since closed for the night, but the very public street, and many large open windows made Louise feel extremely watched despite the late hour and complete lack of other people on the streets.
"Madame Saint-Hermine! Ah, I'm so glad to see you came." Zoe kicked his legs out before hopping up from his semi-seated position as he greeted Louise.
"Was there some concern that I might not?" Louise was unsure how to interpret Zoe's words.
"Not on my part." The voice of l'Archer Noire responded as he and his partner materialized. "I myself had the utmost faith, nay, the complete certainty that you and your Servant would be sure to make the rendezvous! And it is in fact my partner who is the loser of our wager for having doubted your resolve." His characteristic smile accompanied an outstretched hand directed at Rouge indicating he should pay what was due.
"Well I hardly know them that well, I can't be faulted for having my doubts." l'Archer Rouge, one eye closed in mock annoyance, handed his beloved friend the owed sum. "But I must say I am quite happy to be proven wrong."
"Well despite my Servant's misgivings I never doubted you for a second, Madame." Zoe seized Louise's hands as he spoke. "Are you ready to depart on our daring investigation?"
"I suppose I am, Monsieur. One thing though, I think the Servants should scout the entrance building first. It will be easy for them to pass unseen by any security personnel and we can make a plan of entrance from there." Louise was a little uneasy at the sudden physical contact from Zoe, but was trying to focus as much as she could on the task at hand.
"No problem at all, as my Servants have already handled such an excursion. I think you will find that the security guards will not be an obstacle for us." Zoe winked as he spoke to put further emphasis on his confident state.
"Oh, well then I suppose there is no issue. Since the Archers have already been inside, we should have them lead the way. Rider and I will follow right behind you." Louise partly trusted Zoe, this was true, but only partly. She was not about to place herself between the unknowns ahead, and a partial enemy behind.
Maria had been stationed across the street from the entrance to the catacombs for what had felt like an agonizing number of hours, the half dozen empty coffee cans and her long ago overfilled ashtray serving as a measure of her prolonged stakeout. Just as she was losing hope that Louise would show, or even that anything would happen, she had noticed a sharp-dressed fellow with a cane approach the entrance building. Assuming she was going to watch the amusing spectacle of some eccentric being ejected from the long since closed attraction, she was surprised to see him enter with little difficulty and then, only a few minutes later, leave alone as if conducting some routine business. She was almost tempted to follow him, but quickly dismissed the idea, remembering the reason she was really here. Besides, the Juge thought to herself, this particular brand of business she had gotten herself wrapped up in ever since the massacre at the hotel, made her more liable to see weird stuff like the odd fellow with the formal clothes and cane. Best to leave it alone unless absolutely necessary.
Maybe thirty minutes later her patience was finally rewarded with the appearance of the person she was waiting for. She could see Louise across the street approaching the catacombs in the company of four other individuals. Maria only recognized the one dressed like a 17th century musketeer, while the other three were complete enigmas to her. Two of them were wearing outdated costume dress like the first gentleman, the fourth one all frills, lace, and bows. Her contact would probably be interested to know that their target had what looked like a real entourage at this point.
Louise could not help but be more cautious about the Archers and the sorts of abilities they might possess. When they had arrived at the catacombs entrance building she had expected to find the guards all simply knocked out, or worse, found them killed as an ultimate removal of the obstacle. She was happy the latter had not been the case, considering Zoe did not emanate such boundless blood lust that he might indulge in wanton killing. What she had not expected was to find all the various security personnel locked in some sort of temporal magical freeze, their own time slowed to an almost standstill. Zoe had explained that their own time was moving immeasurably slowly compared to the mages, and as far as the security guards were concerned, anyone passing in front of them would seem like blurs, ghostly apparitions, or mere momentary hallucinations, a trick of the eyes.
It seemed odd to Louise that the Archers would have possessed such a power and not deployed it during their initial fight, but Rider had postulated that perhaps it was the ability of just Rouge and, since he had stayed out of the fight, had had no opportunity to deploy it. It mattered little to either of them at this point, they had already entered the catacombs, and their concerns were now far more myriad than if the Archers had some unknown ability.
The catacombs of Paris were everything Louise had expected. The initial descent had been mundane enough, aging stone work and a dirt path wound its way for a bit through the subterranean tunnels, passing through several areas that, in the modern era, simply housed tour information. The only thing that had caught Louise's attention was the clear feeling of passing through a bounded field of some sort. She couldn't quite place its purpose, but the fact that it was present at all proved her suspicions that there was likely a mage's workshop of some kind here. Upon reaching the ossuary though, the overall energy had changed.
The tight, claustrophobic tunnels and low ceiling would have been unnerving enough on their own, but the architecture itself added an eerie atmosphere all its own. Thousands, even hundreds of thousands of skulls, real faces of the dead all of them, peered out at Louise from every possible direction. Whole walls were nothing more than leering galleries of the departed staring out at the living who passed by. It was not just the heads of the dead either, every bone from the bodies of the fallen was used in the building of the catacombs in some way. It was as it had been built to be, and as it would always be meant as, a home for the dead.
Louise was at first surprised to find what was generally used as a tourist attraction to be so poorly lit. Despite being underground she had expected to find all manner of artificial light sources in use to ensure the safety of the myriad people who came to explore the catacombs. Zoe was quick to point out though that it was clear much of the lighting had been tampered with, noting smashed light bulbs and destroyed fixtures.
Eventually the group came upon a thick iron gate that was clearly intended to keep the average tourist from going beyond what was deemed safe for public perusal. L'Archer Noire was happy to smash the lock apart, opening the way for the Masters and Servants. The new way forward however offered branching paths.
"Well I'd say it's pretty clear what must be done." Zoe said with a sigh. "As much as I adore being in your company I suppose we'll split the party here."
"Do you have any way for me to contact you if I find something?" Louise asked, more interested in a way to keep tabs on Zoe than anything else.
"Nothing comes immediately to mind I'm afraid. Long distance communication and telepathy aren't really my specialty as far as magic is concerned. I'm lucky these two came with their own built in version." The comment prompted enthusiastic waves from both Archers.
"Then perhaps you will accept my help." Louise pulled a couple sheets of paper out of her jacket's inside pocket and folded them both into bird shapes similar to the one she had used back when the soldiers had attacked her hotel room.
"Here," she said, handing one to Zoe. "If I find something I'll send the one I have on me to find you. It should be able to find the partner bird and then be able to lead you back to me. Alternatively, channel some of your own mana into yours and tell it to seek its sister and it will come find me instead. This way no matter which of our groups find something, we should be able to reach the other."
"Madame I must say you are most impressive. I guess the de Franchi serve the Saint-Hermine for a reason." If Louise had been looking closely enough she might have been able to perceive how disingenuous Zoe's smile was, but a combination of the poor lighting and her preoccupation with charging the paper constructs with mana kept her distracted.
"Think nothing of it, Monsieur. It is times like this that I'm sure the alliance was made for."
"Yes." Zoe said, forcing his smile even more. "Truly a wonderful alliance." The final word pronounced with as much disdain as he dared let be audible. "Well, my Servants and I shall go this way, while you and yours take the opposite route. I wish you the best of luck, and happiest of hunting, Madame Saint-Hermine."
"The same to you, Zoe. Best of luck." With a small wave Louise hurried down the path chosen for her. Rider gave the other Servants a cordial tip of his hat, which they returned, and turned to follow their Master.
Maria had grappled with the idea of following Louise for roughly ten or so minutes, before reaching the conclusion that her curiosity and suspicion were both too great to stay put. The time delay had ultimately served her well though, because shortly before she could exit her vehicle she saw the suited man with the cane return and re-enter the catacombs. This had prompted another few minutes of deliberation with herself about the risks of following. This final bout of thought had been accompanied with the Juge furiously digging in her car for any remaining cigarettes. Perhaps she had thought that it was too unlikely that any additional members of the growing cast would appear, or perhaps she was too distracted by her annoyance and the need to temper it. Regardless of the reason, her hunt for tobacco in her cluttered vehicle caused her to miss the appearance of one final individual entering the tunnel network.
With a final crumpled cigarette obtained, and a note to herself to buy more, Maria overcame her trepidation and headed across the street towards the catacombs entrance. The mist, that had hung in the air up until that point, had started to coalesce and once again fell to the earth as heavy drops of rain. As the Juge, shaking the water off herself, reached the already open outer door she put a reassuring hand on the handgun she'd started wearing on her hip since the business at the hotel had started. She hadn't always carried a weapon on her, but things had gotten too strange and too dangerous lately for her to feel like taking chances. Maria took one last unsure look at her vacant car across the street, the steadily falling sheets of water making the distance seem greater. "God dammit." With a final expletive she headed down into the dark tunnels.
A lone phantasmal, in red platemail and matching poncho, lurked in the shadows of a nearby alleyway. Its eyes, hidden behind a cross-emblazoned shroud, stared unblinkingly ahead, catching every detail of every individual who had entered. Everything it saw was immediately relayed back to its progenitor who, unlike the summoned creature, took a very keen interest in all the details.
"Master." The word coiled out through the slit in the metal mask covering his face. "Your dearest Juge has ignored my warnings and gone along to investigate as well. A shame. With all the additional interlopers, things are sure to be even more dangerous now than when I had warned her." Everything the masked Servant said was laced with confidence, hidden meanings, and false implications, each word always carefully chosen.
"Then she will have no one to blame but herself if something happens. Besides, you actually planned on her doing so from the beginning." The Master replied, impassive, as if everything was happening far away from them. "Louise arrived and went inside. THAT, is all that matters. I'm confident your spies will be able to keep an eye on her while in the depths of the tunnel network."
"We will be incapable of knowing what they saw, or how paramount to our success the details are until they are able to return to the surface." He knew that his Master was possessed of a single-minded fixation, and that nothing could change that focus. But he liked to feed little doubts as often as possible.
"I am a patient person, Caster. I know better than anyone that having to wait for success is an inevitability. But, much like the waiting that precedes it, victory is also an inevitability."