Chapter 45
Liam Riley had not slept. Instead he had wandered through the old church... occasionally pushing blocks on the twelfth century stone walls while Marie-France and Val slept restlessly in his office. Ever since first Eleanor, and then the "Swordmaster" had pushed blocks and opened secret apertures within the church a few weeks ago, Liam had spent more and more time here... seeking to find one they had not shown him. Sometimes he wondered if it were all a sham... something to keep him busy and off balance... and yet... Darius had spent eight hundred years in this church. Surely he'd had secrets. And Eleanor had told Liam to look.
As yet... he had spoken of his search to no one. This was, as yet, something he felt for some reason that only he should be aware of. Besides, Eleanor had asked him to say nothing. Liam smiled at the thought of the strange immortal. For a moment he considered getting the key from its hiding place and seeking the lock it fit... but it seemed to him to make more sense to find first the lock and then retrieve the key.
Suddenly a thought occurred to Liam. So far he had been seeking a door or an opening within the church... but what if it were outside... on the outer walls. He'd determined that he only need reach as high as a man might reach to find what he sought... otherwise it made no sense to keep searching... and he'd already been round the inner walls once now. Unless he needed to use some pattern of pushing... and he did not think so... there had to be something here.
Liam glanced into his office. Marie-France was curled up in the over-sized chair with his coat thrown over her, and Val had thrown some old hangings onto the floor and was quietly asleep on them. They would never miss him. Liam stepped out of the church into the quiet of early morning. If he were to search out here... he'd best do it now before parishioners began arriving for early mass or passersby on the street began to make their way to work or market along the street.
Cautiously he made his way to the courtyard side of the church and slipped behind the bushes that grew near the walls. He raised his arms and began to push stones one by one. He'd barely begun when he felt the tingle of an immortal behind him. Turning and expecting to have to explain his actions to Val or Marie-France he was startled to see no one. "Hello? Who's there?" Liam stepped out from between the bushes. He had no fear of an immortal on holy ground. After all... not even the most evil of them would desecrate this place.
The immortal was close... very close. He glanced about the courtyard but saw no one... "Curious," he thought. There was definitely someone here. He stepped back onto the paved stone walkway and turned about... seeking who was nearby. Once again he saw no one... but he felt...
Liam turned just in time to briefly see something strike him in the head. For a moment he saw stars. Shaking his head... he was only momentarily stunned and tried to back away. Another blow fell. This time... the pain in his head was like an exploding burst of red light! It had been a long time since he had felt pain like that! Liam fell to his knees. He was only barely conscious when he realized he was being dragged some distance away. He struggled to no avail. A third blow sent him spiraling into unconsciousness.
There was no one about to see the priest being dragged off the property.
***
At first Valeraine was not certain what had awakened her. She sat up and noted the presence of Marie-France stirring slightly beneath Liam's coat. Liam? Valeraine stood and quickly crossed the office to the entry to the church nave. Gazing about the church she saw no one... and more importantly... she felt no one. Liam Riley was gone!
Valeraine glanced behind her at the other immortal and then padded quietly through the church and out the main door. Perhaps he had only stepped outside for a moment and was nearby, just outside of her sensing range. She saw no reason to awaken Marie-France until she needed to. Seeing no sign of Liam and feeling no one nearby... Valeraine crossed into the courtyard and looked slowly about. Perhaps he had gone to one of the other buildings. The girl stepped all about the churchyard but felt nothing. Liam was definitely gone.
A small pool of blood caught her eye on the paved stone walkway. Crouching down... she felt the blood and knew it was fresh... perhaps only moments old. Once more she stood and looked about... Seeing another few droplets near the gate Valeraine walked in that direction. A few more were on the sidewalk outside... Valeraine hesitated... was this a trap? A way to get her off of holy ground? She took a deep breath and closed her eyes... attempting to sense the presence of any other immortal in the area. Once again she felt nothing.
She was about to return to the church to awaken Marie-France when she did feel someone. Valeraine grasped the hilt of her small sword hidden within her dark coat and backed further on to the church property. Her blue eyes darted up and down the street... seeking the source of her disquiet.
***
London
Cassandra and Nathan had managed to re-climb the Gray manor house overnight and Nathan's electronic decoder key system had worked wonders with the entry pad allowing them entry and a chance to turn off the alarm system. Then it was a matter of waiting for the light.
Concerned that the Watchers outside would notice even flashlights moving through the house... Cassandra and Nathan had waited in an upstairs room for dawn. Now the light was shining through the windows of the empty room.
Cassandra was actually surprised at the bareness of most of the rooms... as if whoever lived here... did so only in a few of the rooms and did not often open his doors to outsiders. Surely that was another sign that the illusive Edward Gray was likely an immortal. Of the rooms on the top floor... only two had furnishings. And the windows of those rooms had heavy drapes over them. One bedroom had only a bed and a chair... the other was a little more sumptuous, in its choice of furnishings, and it had a closet filled with men's clothing.
Cassandra sorted through the drawers and rods of the closet noticing the types of clothing and the sizes, but found nothing anywhere to give her any clue as to who this immortal was. Even the bathroom was simply a bathroom. As she was leaving it though... her foot hit a hair clasp of some sort. She reached down thoughtfully and noted it was a woman's... and that a few strands of long dark hair were caught in it. She pocketed the clasp and continued her search.
Satisfied that there was nothing on the top floor... she and Nathan carefully made their way down the wide marble staircase to the main floor. Once again... most rooms were empty. In a den were a couch and a small television... not even a late model, and an old stereo unit. She glanced through the albums noting mainly '60's rock and roll. A stack of CD jewel cases testified to some more recent acquisitions. Again... nothing of interest.
"Psst!" Nathan motioned her into what might have been a ballroom once upon a time. Now it contained some punching dummies, a few weights... some basic equipment. "His training facility," Nathan grinned.
Cassandra nodded her agreement. The immortal worked out here... in private. She ran her fingers over the weight bench and tried to visualize the man who must live here. But as they had for the last few years... her visions remained hidden from her. She had no sense of who he was or anything about him.
"Look at this." Nathan's voice caused her to turn. "He's got a few spares." Nathan had found a cabinet with several swords from various periods in it.
Cassandra stared at the swords blankly. She turned away, "Let's see what else we can find... he must have an office somewhere."
The kitchen was likewise reasonably bare. A few long-term staples... some beer in the fridge... but nothing perishable.
Cassandra's nose wrinkled and she looked at the coffee maker. Inside the drip basket there were drying coffee grounds... used but not quite dry. A bit of mold was starting to grow on them. How old? A few weeks?
"Basement." Again it was Nathan who had found the next clue. Eagerly Cassandra followed him down the stairs into a darkened and relatively empty basement. There were a few trunks of old clothes... but again... nothing of substance.
"Either this is all a sham... or this guy has really hidden his personal belongings well," Nathan murmured, letting his flashlight play over the stone walls and into the dark corners.
"It's all too empty," Cassandra agreed. "He must have something hidden here... why else go to all the trouble to make it appear that there is nothing here." She paced about the basement and then halted in mid-stride looking about. "Does it strike you that this cellar is strangely smaller than the above floors?"
Nathan flicked his light back and forth pausing at the corners. "Now that you mention it..."
"Secret passage? Or a hidden room?" Cassandra wondered as she ran her hands over the walls...
seeking anything... either real or psychic that would clue her in. Her fingertips paused over a stone that felt oddly smoother than the others. She pushed and was rewarded by a "click" and a slight shifting of a nearby panel. "Check it out!"
Nathan whistled, "Jackpot Cassandra... electronics." He pulled out his equipment and attached it... entering the code program. Within a few moments... something beeped and evidently disarmed. The outline of a passage became apparent.
Nodding at Cassandra, Nathan continued to view the code's progress as it disarmed one system after another. This little gizmo had run him a high price...not to mention he'd spent several hours learning the basics of how to run it, but it would be worth it if he earned the psychic's thanks.
Cassandra slipped into the passage feeling she was making progress. But within a few feet... she had come up on a dead end. "Nathan!" she called as she backed out. "Dead end!"
Nathan sighed... "Multiple systems... multiple codes... he's smart... this one. He's set double-blinds on almost everything. This could take all day and into the night."
"Fine," said Cassandra. "I have time. Keep at it." She sat down on one of the old steamer trunks to wait.
