Again, I don't own Shadow Hearts Covenant.
She drank the last of the coffee, the strong brew now cold. She set the cup down and, tucking her gloves into her belt, went back to the hotel. Her room was on the second floor above the street and she paused to knock on Nicholai's door across the hall. After waiting a moment, she went back down to the desk.
"Excuse me, has Cardinal Conrad returned?"
The desk clerk looked through the boxes for the room keys and shook her head.
"No, officer, he has not," the young woman said and Kallen nodded, climbing back to her door. Where could he have gone? It's been hours and we have to leave early, she thought, then shrugged it off and entered her room. In a few minutes, she'd removed her outer clothing and washed quickly in the small bathroom. She was sitting on the bed brushing her long hair, when she heard the stairs outside creaking under a weight. She paused, thinking it might be Nicholai but then she heard two voices outside and one was gruff. She listened carefully but could not make out their words and so let it pass, continuing to brush her hair.
The next day they continued their journey, arriving in Rome just before dusk. They skirted the Vatican, coming to a halt at the gates to Apoina Tower, rising in the early night sky and piercing it with garish and haunting spires. Yellow light shown in the few high windows, flickering with obvious candlelight and Kallen felt a cold shiver run up her spine, causing her to pause before the steps.
"This place," she said softly.
"Apoina Tower," Cardinal Nicholai provided. "Come on, it's this way." He climbed the wide steps to the front door, opening it with little effort. They entered the ground floor, a large parquet design on the tiled floor and in the main alcove, silent yet magnificent, the Pieta, the grieving Madonna, her dead son draped across her knees. Kallen stood, her hand clutched to her breast, fingers tight around the German cross that hung there. This room, this place, weighed her heart down and she did not wish to continue.
"Is this your first time in the Vatican?" Nicholai asked as they paused to look around the room, his eyes seeing the room with familiarity while Kallen's were filled with something else.
"Yes," Kallen remarked, her face a growing mask of worry.
"I brought you here for a reason, Lieutenant," Nicholai continued, walking around the main floor, stopping to admire the Pieta. "I brought you here because I need to do some careful preparation before we go to Domremy. There's a certain… item that I must have in order to complete this mission."
Kallen was puzzled. Her orders stated she was to escort and guide the young cardinal through Domremy, and when he'd suggested they go to the Vatican in Italy… so many miles away through dangerous territory to retrieve something for the demon… why hadn't she protested then? Why had he not brought it with him before? A nagging feeling was beginning to tickle the back of her mind, but she put it aside for the sake of her orders.
"A certain item?"
"Yes," the cardinal replied. "A sort of – good luck charm. It's used for exorcisms," he concluded and then pointed toward the far stairs that wound around the tower. "It's here, inside Apoina Tower, or as it is also known, the Tower of Atonement."
Kallen swallowed her gasp but he heard her and turned to face her.
"I see you've heard of it."
Heard of it, Kallen thought. The most heinous history of the church was here, from the torture of witches to the murder of innocent children. Oh, she'd heard of it all right; even on her Grandmother Doris's knees, she'd heard the tales of noblemen, who had lost in battle being imprisoned here; or princesses of noble houses, thought to have died from illnesses, actually dying of torture or isolation. She'd lapped up these tales at her grandmother's knees, shuddering in excitement over the stories, and never once believing them real; never once believing that the Tower of Atonement actually existed.
"For many years," Nicholai continued, not noticing Kallen's hesitation, "dangerous heretics, and others like them, were kept imprisoned there. It's filled with the spirits of those who went mad from the torture. That's why it's a safe resting place for the item I seek. All those who have been tortured and died here have filled this tower with their malice."
"I knew it," Kallen said softly, trying to still her heavily beating heart. Nicholai indicated the stairs again.
"Let's go."
Hesitantly Kallen followed the young cardinal up the circular stairs, each step echoing in the empty building, each click of her heels on stone sending shivers down her spine and her nerves tingled through her body. By the time they made the second floor landing, she was shivering visibly. Nicholai turned to indicate which path to take and noticed her shaking, arms wrapped around herself, her eyes wide.
"What is it?" he asked, suddenly concerned that there might be something actually wrong with his escort.
"I-I'm not sure," she said, her voice quavering. "I was thinking of Domremy and that... demon," she said. "When we met, in the church, I didn't sense the malevolence that I feel from the people in this tower."
Nicholai tilted his head in thought, his eyes focusing sharply on the lovely lieutenant. What did she feel from him, he wondered. "Could it be because you were so afraid then?" he asked.
Kallen hesitated before answering, remembering the huge monster, the Demon of Domremy as they called it, towering over her – the light of its eyes piercing her heart and soul. She'd shuddered in fear that day – how could she not when that creature killed all but a handful of her men. But even then, there was no malice in its face, no ire, only...
"That may be part of it, certainly. He was frightening and fearsome, but..."
Nicholai waited for her to continue and when she didn't he prompted her.
"But?"
"He was ... beautiful."
"Interesting word to use," Nicholai said, trying to control his desire to laugh - that a demon would be considered beautiful. But then he turned speculative green eyes onto the young lieutenant and considered her words. She thought he was beautiful; what did she see when she looked into the demon's eyes?
"Also," she continued, "he seemed sad." She said not another word, but turned in the direction they'd been climbing and continued up the stairs. Nicholai watched her climb, the movements of her body, the strength, and the power she held in check with her own will; she was a worthy companion, albeit a bit green in the fighting skills – but she could also be so much more. But the moment passed as her steps took her past the bend in the stairs and he hurried to catch up.
Kallen let the hot water in the bath soak away the strain of the night and the filth and the blood and the fear. What she had seen today chilled her like nothing had – not even that demon in Domremy. They had climbed to the top of the tower, the upper floor, and battled each step of the way. Once they'd passed the second floor, the spirits and souls of the place, locked within a tower of hate and revenge, sought their release in combat. Kallen had learned the sword at her grandfather's hands, hearing of his combat days, of his days using the sword in duels; but the learning of it had left her sadly lacking in the using of it. Fortunately for her, Cardinal Nicholai was adept at the sword and gave her a few survival pointers along the way.
Kallen reached up and grabbed the bar of soap from the box, lathering up the sea-sponge until if foamed a rich lather of rose scent. The hotel in Chiusi wasn't big, in fact the best amenity it sported was the bath, but after fighting for hours in the tower and fighting that... that monster! Kallen shuddered, sponging herself with the soapy foam, washing away more than the dirt and sweat of a night of combat. The Guardian, Nicholai had called it, and looked with glee in his emerald eyes when it suddenly appeared next to the dais holding the item. He actually looked like he had anticipated its coming...
"Ah, there you are..." His voice came back to her as she ducked under the water to wet her long hair, running her fingers through, loosening the tangles. He had known it would be there, had known it would attack, had known... What else had he known, she wondered.
The shampoo also smelled of roses and she washed and rinsed her hair then dunked once more for good measure, sluicing the soap from her body before climbing from the tub. A large towel waited on the nearby commode and she snatched it up, quickly rubbing it up and down, the chill air giving her goose pimples, and she leaned against the tub drying herself off.
There was so much about Nicholai that puzzled her. Yes, he was a young cardinal, the youngest she'd ever met... not that I've met many, she thought with a smile. And he was handsome, oh yes, very much handsome. And at any other time, and any other place she would very much like to explore more of that handsomeness. But there was more here than met the eye. Why have her come with him when he could have gotten this wand, this Yadorigi thing, before ever he left Italy. He said he needed her with him, and yes, it had been easier with the two of them; but he did most of the fighting, she admitted to herself. Her skills had been lacking and it became painfully obvious when she panicked more than once on their way up the tower; the hideous creatures that crawled from darkened corners and through the stone walls themselves set her heart to pounding like an anvil in her chest and her palms to sweating more than once. At one point she'd lost it completely, falling into a breathless swoon on the floor, and when the battle was over Nicholai had offered a sip of brandy from small flask and held her while she shook in utter terror.
All right, she admitted to herself, I'm not the greatest fighter in the world – all the more reason to have someone else with him in that tower. And if he only needed her as a guide, why drag her to Italy in the first place? And...
She rose from the cold porcelain of the tub and wrapped the towel around her, standing in front of the door mirror and, taking up the comb, began to straighten her wet hair.
"And where did you go that night and whom did you bring back with you," she muttered softly to herself but the bruised and tired woman in the mirror did not answer.
A/N to my Reviewers (Offers boxes of Virtual Cookies)
Raven Shinobi: Thank you for the review. Yes, I did a "little" research – don't see any reason to overwhelm the reader, but little details can be fun. Thanks again for commenting.
Puffy! - Neptune can be seen the same way I did: Google search. You'd be surprised what you can find on the Web. Roth? Um, no, just sounded better than Gunter or Hans or, or, or… hehe. And yes, there will be "steam".
Adularia: Yeah! I've tightened it up a bit since the first go around. Hope you enjoy the rest. And thank you so much for the review. Warms my heart!
Bella mia! Yes, a reference to our wonderful Lucia and boy there will be more of her here too and a surprise or two. This was supposed to be a short, short piece for the Nicholas Shrine… looks at word count and pages… Nope, can't call it "short" anymore. There will be twists and turns (sadly, I never learned to drive in a straight line XD ) and some slightly AU moments, but only to fill in the gaps.