A/n - this has been the hardest chapter to write!
Many thanks to all who have been reading the story, on A03 I've reached over 200 hits and on the comments have been a help to keep going. Please enjoy :)
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The filtered light of the Empire greeted them as they filed out of the ship, the soothing warmth welcoming. As promised there was a palace car waiting to take Ion and Astha home.
"Rest well you two!" Abel cheerfully waved.
"See you in a few days Nightroad." Ion grinned and jogged over to the car.
Astha looked at him for a long moment, before bowing to Seth. "I'll be back this afternoon to report, your Majesty."
"Alright, Astharoshe, if you wish." Seth nodded before she started walking towards the cars.
Abel stood a moment longer watching Astha, concern worrying his brow until their gazes locked briefly and she gave him a slight smile.
"Till later, Nightroad." She turned away to join Ion in the car.
"Now, we need to get you in the Palace and in a room to recover in. I've already let Baybars know you are coming and he's one of my most trusted guards. You're under my orders to sleep and eat as much as you can till this evening when we can talk." Seth sat beside Abel in the car, her tone very serious.
"You've gotten bossy in your old age." He grinned and shifted back to avoid her punch to the shoulder.
"As Empress it's my right." She smirked.
"Of course your Imperial Highness." That got him a stern look.
"Ok, ok I'll stop. I will rest a bit and eat all the food you send me. Tonight we need to figure out what I need to get stabilized."
"You only just got here Abel… can't you stay a little before you leave again?"
"I don't think I will have a choice… I have to find Him before something else happens." Abel finished quietly, looking down at his hands.
"Give me a week?"
"I'm making no promises Seth. If I can't keep the monster under wraps here I'll leave to avoid any bloodshed."
"I understand. We can fix you, I know it."
He smiled warmly at her firm resolve.
"So… are you still a priest? Or a free agent?"
Abel furrowed his brow, "While I can't return to the Vatican because several of the inquisition saw my body, Caterina did give me a set of my robes as a just in case. So yes… I'm still a priest."
"That helps then as those who met you before will remember you as Father Nightroad."
He nodded, his features smoothing out as he relaxed.
"Thanks, I'm just not quite ready to give up the church, it has been a home of sorts for the last while."
Within minutes they reached the palace side gates to find Baybars was waiting for them patiently within the entranceway.
"Ah yes, the priest, I remember you now." His baritone voice so deep it was almost hard to understand.
Abel smiled at the imposing captain of the guard. The man was of the few who were taller than Abel, with an impressive breath of shoulder and obviously muscular build. He wore the rich burgundy colours of the yencei, trimmed with extra gold braid displaying his status as captain. His complexion was quite dark, swarthy and strong featured. Long thick dreadlocks draped around him adding to his impressive presence.
"Hello, Sir."
"Good morning Baybars, as per our earlier chat, Father Nightroad is staying in the left wing of the guest quarters. I won't need to see him till late evening when he's rested." Seth spoke as they walked along the hallway.
"That is easy enough to arrange."
"While it is a little out of the norm, could you be his guard for the time he's here."
"Are you expecting trouble?" Baybars raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
"While it's fairly unknown yet that he is here and should be safe in our lands, I can't ignore the fact that their ship was shot down because it was Empire bound."
Baybars nodded, his long dreadlocks momentarily obscuring his face.
"It will be so."
"Great! I will see you both later this evening. Rest up Abel." She waved at them both and turned away to go down a different hallway.
Baybars motioned for Abel to follow him and set off at a steady long strided walk. Abel easily kept up, enjoying the chance to walk with someone as long legged as he. After many hallways and doors they arrived at his room.
"You will find food and drink inside already, please rest up as the Empress requests." Baybars bid his adieu, leaving Abel at the door.
Inside was a well stocked dinner cart with a variety of foods and drinks, Abel felt a bit spoiled by the extravagance, having been a poor priest with only four dinars in his pocket the last decade. Setting down his bag, he helped himself to a plate of food and looked around. The room was quaintly furnished with a bed, side tables, a small desk and a full bathroom which was more than adequate for him. The windows were curtained shut to allow full darkness to the occupant, a great perk to allow him to sleep given it was already late morning.
"Now to shower and sleep like the truly dead," he mused aloud once finished his meal. He set aside his clothes, carefully gathering up Lilith's cross, momentarily pressing it to his forehead before laying it on the bedside table.
"Really things could have gone much worse out there." He muttered before going in for a quick shower.
The water soothed some of the tension out of his lanky body, and it was all he could do to dry off enough to pull on some pajamas and crawl into bed. Exhaustion hit him like a ton of bricks as he fell headlong into slumber.
Late afternoon found Astharoshe Asran, Marquis of Kiev and Duchess of Odessa reporting everything that had occurred on the original mission to the Empress, Augusta Vradica. Gone was the somewhat private companionship of early morning and in its place was the cool formality that was the core structure of the Empire.
"In conclusion, Cardinal Caterina drove a hard bargain but in the end the main goals expressed were met, Your Imperial Majesty. Starting later next week the first shipment of textiles should be met at our western border with an exchange of barrels of wine coming from her estate in Milan. Also Abel Nightroad has joined us for assistance as requested." Astha bowed her head forward and brought her open hand across her body to above her heart, signalling the end of her report.
She was resplendent in her blue jewel toned formal uniform, edged with white, silver and red accents. White thigh high boots, dark red leggings, elbow length gloves, her bolero jacket fit snugly over her strong shoulders, the corset dress hugging her shapely body with an attractive flare of a short skirt at her hips. Her ivory hair had regained its faint illuminating shine and body that had been lost in the rigours of the forest barely thirty six hours ago. The trademark red was boldly on display across her brow, no longer a pinky mix in tousled tangled hair. This was what Astharoshe Asran was supposed to look like, a woman with confidence and strength of character. Seth smiled as she accepted the signed papers from Astharoshe.
"I thank you for your service Duchess. Let us hope this new venture proves fruitful for us both. Please await me in the east garden for some further discussion." The Empress nodded towards Astharoshe in dismissal.
The formal portion of the trip had been discussed and would have the council happy with the outcome. Seth wanted to know more about what happened in Londinium, and later between her brother and Astharoshe. She closed up the last few books on her desk and set down her large imperial hat.
She heard a light knocking from the doorway. She looked up to see Baybars walking into the room, his dark swarthy complexion and long black dreadlocks giving him the slight appearance of the pirates of antiquity.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes...mostly." The large man shifted his weight back and forth on his feet for a moment before answering further.
"Call me crazy, but after finding out about the Baron of Luxor's ability with fire I refuse to put odd occurrences aside... and since Father Nightroad came in this morning, the cleaning staff have notified me of several random exploded lights while working in the rooms along that wing." He shifted his feet again.
"Hmm… that is a bit odd. Have maintenance check the circuitry as it could just be a fluke?" He nodded, bowing respectfully before leaving.
Seth shook her head, as she slowly walked out of the office and to the garden where Astharoshe waited. In 800 years her nanomachines had never activated uninitiated before. Was the veil between the two entities so thin that in the oblivion of sleep his electrical affinity affects his surroundings without his knowledge? She worried about his instability with the full fusion, since it was not a real success with Cain, the crusnik having taken over their brother's consciousness and ending with terrible results... With Abel would it just be a matter of time before 02 takes over as well? She shuddered to think of that reality.
The friendly chitter of a small squirrel broke her away from her heavy thoughts.
"Oh, hello there Abel." She greeted the little light grey squirrel warmly. It bobbed and came up to her foot, sniffing and moving in the jerky fashion of the small creatures.
"Abel?" Astharoshe questioning voice carried over the few shrubs that provided the privacy the garden gave from the palace entrance.
"Oh, sorry, wrong Abel. My little squirrel friend here was given the same name since they are both silver haired." Seth chuckled a little as the squirrel ran ahead to the benches and climbed up along to perch along the back.
Astha was sitting comfortably on a white cushioned garden bench in the cooling evening air when Seth walked around the shrubs, she stood again and bowed to her Empress.
Seth smiled and waved her to sit. "This is informal, please Astharoshe relax a little as we have a fair bit to talk about."
Astha nodded and sat back down, a bit of a cautious expression on her face.
"Was the report not complete?"
"Oh no, it was fine and I'll go through the papers later, I just want to know more about what happened in Londinium." Seth sat on a small bench across from Astha.
"Before I start, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course!"
"If I may be so bold…Why bring Abel back here?" A bit of surprise fluttered across Seth's features at Astha's question. "I know it sounds a little weird coming from me, given I have taken him as my tovarish but... Why the rush and extra concern? What do you feel in regards to him? Again, my apologies if I have crossed you."
Astha looked at the Empress's forever youthful face, her dark hair in a pixie cut fluffed around her cheekbones, large luminous emerald green eyes and a pale pink lips. The expression went from warm to contemplative, her eyes focusing inward more so than at her surroundings. When she focused back on Astha the warmth had returned.
"It is alright, Astharoshe, your mind is why you have the job you do. Abel helped a lot in his last visit here and in that short time we found a very comfortable friendship. He reminds me very much of someone from my past and I'm sure some of that bleeds over. In regards to the rush to get him here… I decided that since we were requesting his return already I felt it was best he recovered here as soon as possible. Then with the crash which was upsetting to say the least, considering I had Ion and you aboard as well." She paused for a moment. "Abel is a trustworthy man, past the foolish facade and glasses is a brilliant mind, with a softness I can see in how he truly cares about people. I have been around long enough to know it when I see it."
Astha nodded, feeling a bit improper having questioned her Empress. "It helps me a lot to hear your view of him… that we do see some of the same traits. Again I apologize for my boldness."
Seth waved her off and reached over to pet the little squirrel as he moved over to her lap.
"Now, what exactly do you want to know about the rest of the trip?"
"Were you told much of how he was injured or by who?"
"Caterina while obviously very upset by the whole thing, but quite tight lipped. It was a head injury that resulted in a coma for several days. Professor Wordsworth was his main caretaker for that time and they kept him in the medical rooms of the underground verses the busy Terran hospitals."
"Nothing about how he was hurt?"
"It was sketchy but what I picked up from listening was they all thought he was dead, and it happened a short while before the attempted coup of the Londinium palace. Queen Bridget had not yet passed when Abel was reported initially as fatally wounded by Professor Wordsworth. When we reached the Island after the coup, we were then told that Abel was in a coma and they were unsure of when he would wake. Ion may have more information from Esther as I did not get an audience with her during our time but she was present during the altercation." She sighed a little, thoughtful. "I find it odd that they all seemed so shocked at the fact he had been hurt. When I worked with him in Venice, he went to the hospital and was treated like all the other victims of my carelessness." The memory of that conversation flirted across her mind, where as soon as he was satisfied with her answers he had casually removed his medical equipment, returning to work without any residual injury. "Though on further reflection he seems to heal very quickly."
"Good agents are like that, tough and hard to care for. Like yourself I would be very surprised to hear of you being hurt in the field." Seth smiled.
Astha blushed faintly at the praise. "Fair enough… Again not much was said either on who he was fighting other than it was someone trying to steal old technologies from the ghetto. Most of the event came down to Orden involvement of the Albion throne's coup."
"Learning about the reach of the Orden was both a blessing and a curse I'm finding." Seth sighed softly. "Ignorance is bliss but I am glad we have a name for this menace to both our Empire and the Terran world... Has he spoken of the fight?"
"I admit I have not asked him, but Ion mentioned that Abel said he was caught by surprise by his assailant."
A small bell chimed from the doorway signalling a servant had arrived. Moments later a friendly servant girl walked in carrying a tea service tray and a bowl of fruit. A quick curtsy and the girl disappeared back into the palace.
The squirrel jumped off Seth's lab to check out the cups as soon as they were set down.
"I doubt tea is in your diet little guy." Astha waved the silver squirrel away and served tea.
"Now… what are your thoughts towards Abel since his injury? You were worried about my safety on the ship and given your earlier question I am curious."
Astha took a sip of tea, giving some thought to her reply.
"I was... perhaps a bit over reactive to a few things that had happened after we encountered those men that were following us…"
"What happened?"
"Being he's from the Vatican and the rumours of how the AX agents are all augmented or somehow enhanced… and I'm not sure exactly what I saw to be honest... but it didn't feel like Abel for a few moments. That was not the first time I have questioned my eyesight, the other time was when we had to jump out of the ship and my parachute failed. He caught me… with use of well… wings or some kind of flying device."
Astha expected some surprise from the Empress's youthful face, but she took in the revelations without a twitch, casting her gaze towards the squirrel the only reaction.
"We all have our own demons," Seth said quietly. "The Vatican does exploit that to some degree… Abel has expressed his need to talk to you about his so that you both can continue to work together." Seth took some grapes to give to the little squirrel, giving Astha a few moments before changing the subject.
"So the ship you were coming back on was shot down from the ground?"
"Yes, when I saw the locator light on the missile it was coming up to us from below."
"And the men you and Abel stopped in the forest were connected?"
"Yes, Ion overhead them when he was separated from us that they had orders to shoot down any ships going to the Empire. Then last night the four I killed, were under contract to shoot any survivors and take them. They were armed for methuselah passengers ...Oh, while we were waiting for your ship, we were talking about how we seemed to have problems along the way to Milan. Abel suggested that the Orden could have had a hand in that."
"That doesn't bode well…"
Seth sat quietly as she mulled over the information, taking a few sips of tea. Absently she reached out to pet the squirrel as it finished its grapes.
"How is he today?" Astha finally asked after a while, unable to put off inquiring about him any longer.
The Empress smirked a little. "Eating and sleeping apparently. I will be seeing him in a little while... with the new information I will ask him to help us as an agent rather than the cushy job of a trade envoy."
Astha nodded and finished her tea, setting the cup down.
"I am comfortable with him overall even with the current… observations, and working with him has taught me new perspectives. Seeing how you have placed your trust in him, I will continue to do the same."
Seth smiled, nodding in agreement.
"I will not order you to do anything you are not in agreement with, as I believe choice is a powerful thing. I do feel he is a person that is worthy of our trust and I'm happy to hear you still hold him in favorable regards." She paused to set down her own empty cup. "Now the palace is not really the best place to gather information regarding the Orden, so depending on how quickly he wants to get back to work we could have him moved to your estate to allow him more freedom if you are willing."
"If you have need of me, I am always ready, my Empress. My home is always open." Astha said more formally.
Seth smiled again before standing up, "I've kept you long enough today. Be well and I will send you communications regarding Abel, no worries."
Astha smiled in return as she stood up, taking her hat and bowing respectfully. "Thank you for the candid talk, it has helped me greatly."
Seth grinned and scooped up the squirrel. "What can I say? In all my years, a good talk over tea always seems to help a friend."
Astha smiled warmly, "Thank you, Seth, I look forward to hearing from you."
Astha chose to walk home from the palace, her estate being about half an hour away. The busy streets were a comforting din of noise, various vehicles travelling past, the ebb and flow of people walking along the streets. Her mind wandered over the conversation with Seth.
The connection of the church to what Abel suffered from, what he called the mark of his sin… wings and a predatory gaze… the seemingly strong electric shocks she had received from him twice now. It made a lot of sense now especially given the initial reactions of the AX members to Abel's injury, the idea had even more substance. She had wondered what his extra talent was to be in the AX agency, as he was a founding member and obviously close to the Cardinal. Being augmented had be to hard on a person, but why did he hide it so much? What would make him think he was more methuselah than Terran, what had the church done to him?
Baybars stood in the hallway of the guest wing. Of the eight lights along the hallway, the three closest to Abel's room were blown. Scanning along the walls nothing else looked damaged or a cause for shortages… peculiar he thought. It was nearing 7 o clock and Augusta wanted to see the priest soon. He raised a meaty hand and knocked on the door loudly. There were sounds of someone stumbling into what could possibly be a chair, some muttering and then the door opened presenting the slightly disheveled silver haired man. He was fresh from the shower, his hair still wet and draped around his shoulders, and he was wearing what looked like an unadorned version of his priest clothes, all black and conservatively tailored. His glasses slid down his nose as he looked around, jumping slightly when his gaze found Baybars.
"Oh! Hello Sir! I will be but a moment!." Abel said apologetically, turning back into the room to grab a ribbon for his hair.
"Good evening, Father Nightroad." Baybars greeted while Abel finished tying up his hair. "I'm to escort you to the Empress as soon as you are ready.'' Baybars looked into the room covertly, his suspicions seeing nothing to warrant the electrical disturbances.
"Of course, sorry to keep you waiting!" Abel apologized, "please lead the way."
Abel followed the captain along the various hallways within the palace, as confusing as any cathedral he had ever been in. The long rest and almost sickening amount of food helped settle the crusnik, as far as he could tell. Lilith had surfaced a few times while he dreamed, guiding him to quieter memories and pressing the issue that the food, while a temporary fix was not enough.
They arrived at the doorway to a room, that was more like an office than a meeting room, with a few bookshelves along the walls and a large ornate desk with plush chairs set around it.
"Please wait here, the Empress will see you shortly." Baybars bowed slightly and left the room.
Abel stood by the bookcases, looking over the room in search of anything that showed more of Seth's personality. The Empire loved color, jewel tones and intricate details embellished with metals. This room was no different, warm wood tones along with lush fabrics of aquamarine and topaz, he wondered if it was influenced by Seth's love of pre Armageddon history.
He missed so much after Lilith's death and had selfishly left Seth to deal with the aftermath of the War. To physically see that she was able to build and manage the Empire impressed him immensely. While she was trained alongside him when they prepared for Mars, her focus had little to do with running an Empire. Random thoughts fluttered along his mind as his eyes scanned over the volumes of books.
One title caught his attention, "Historical Accounts of the Methuselah Human War." He read out loud. Part of him wanted to ignore the book, another was morbidly curious about looking at the darkest time of his existence. He reached out with a white gloved hand, sliding it mostly out of the bookcase.
"I wouldn't read that, it's rubbish." Seth said from the doorway.
Abel startled initially, nearly dropping the book before he slid the book back to its spot. He turned and bowed to her.
"Good day, your Imperial Majesty Augusta Vradica." He greeted formally.
A cheeky grin spread across her face as she closed the door.
"Good day, envoy of the Duchess of Milan, Abel Nightroad." She replied before walking around to the office chair behind the desk.
"I'm not entirely sure what I need to do as an envoy, last time was most definitely not the norm." He sat down in the casual chair set in front of the desk, the chair actually being deep enough to accommodate his lanky frame.
"I was hoping to have you sent here away, so this was somewhat already in the works with the trade agreements, Astharoshe has done all the work here really so there isn't much you need to do as an envoy."
"When I left last time I told you I was going after him. My coming here, regardless of the situation wouldn't be much more than a brief visit."
"I know, but even a short visit is better than nothing."
"I...I can't argue you there."
"Besides, you can start your search from here. We need help with the Orden, Astharoshe mentioned that you already have suspicions about their involvement with this trade talk."
He nodded in agreement, "the Orden will lead me back to him, and if I can stop him then perhaps I can destroy them as well."
"That's a lot for you to take on."
"It's what I have to do, to set things right again."
Seth sighed as she met his eyes, stubborn resolve heavy in those light blue eyes.
"Ok, I won't stall anymore." She reached into her desk and withdrew a small vial filled with a dark red liquid.
"So… this is all I usually have to take to replenish my crusnik. From what you've told me your system has done some changes and is in a constant need for fuel per say?"
Abel looked down at his hands, gloved and pristine white on the outside yet feeling the dark, repulsive stain of blood on them.
"Yes... It seems to be a constant need now, the only break I've had from the ache was after I found the pilots dead and I let the crusnik... recharge… I'm sorry Seth."
She nodded quietly, his obvious discomfort rolling off him in waves.
"You do what you have to in the field." She paused and got up, walking around the desk to kneel beside him, her hand resting on his.
He raised his eyes to look into hers, mournful icy blue to knowing emerald green.
"You've changed so much yet not at all. Gone is the simmering anger but still a gentle soul wrapped in a mind that hates injustice."
He smiled softly and slid out a hand to pat hers.
"Perhaps, as it seems I am always fighting something."
She stood back up resting a hip on the corner of the desk, pulling back from the endearing moment.
"What do you think you need to get to optimal levels for the crusnik?"
"If I indulged the cravings...buckets."
Her eyes widened, "not sure I have that much in storage."
"Logically a small concentrated portion would be sufficient but Lilith keeps urging me that they need more, that food and sugar won't be enough…"
"Right, you said that you can communicate somewhat with the new nanomachines, a fascinating development scientifically speaking, if a bit terrifying."
"Heh, yeah it can get crowded in here." He gestured to his forehead.
"Has she told you much about where they came from?"
"Only that they travel from host to host, consuming everything they can… and absorb some of their host to carry over. It's the difference between 02 and Lilith. 02 is the old alien host and Lilith is well…like her."
"And the ability to keep the host alive is incredible… you were headless and Cain survived being turned to ash in the atmosphere…"
Abel was quiet for a moment. "Cain can't seem to keep his form and wanted my records from the lab… when that didn't work he wanted my… corpse."
"So how will you stop him? It seems neither of you can actually die." She asked quietly, her gaze weighty.
He sighed, and stood up, walking over to the bookcases, fidgeting with his gloves and then Lilith's cross.
"I…. I don't know how yet. Perhaps only our weapons, my scythe and his lance can actually hurt us proper as they are a part of us. I am hoping to gain some knowledge from conversing with Lilith but so far I can't control the engagements consciously."
"What happens if you were to lose?"
"Armageddon happens again? He wants to burn the world and make it anew… no pressure to succeed." He finished sarcastically.
Seth let out a long breath. "Nope, none at all… easy peasy." She matched his sarcasm.
Coming back to her he opened his arms for a hug, needing to ease the dark foreboding the conversation had brought.
She quickly obliged, her small frame setting her head just above his diaphragm, where she could easily hear his heart thudding in its soothing steady rhythm and his arms enfolded her giving her comfort she had truly missed.
"I fully admit I'm terrified to fail, but I must defeat him at all costs... too many have suffered since that day we discovered these damned things." His deep voice resonated through his chest as he spoke. "What you've done here is amazing, giving those we brought back and their descendants a home on a place that had forgotten them… I find that since the fusion my mind drifts back to Mars and then the War when I dream. Perhaps it's because it's all her nanomachines remember, but it's like picking at an old scar till it bleeds. I see now that Cain was lost to us the minute we injected him."
"Then I must do my part. Let's figure out how to manage the cravings so you don't become like Him, that you stay you and not a puppet to the crusnik." She broke away to look into his eyes, seeing his stern determination in the azure blue depths, reminiscent of the angry lieutenant she remembered from so long ago.
"I'll try anything...I had to warn Astha before things got away on me last night. I used to have complete control of this monster and now it's like a rabid dog on a chain."
"Are they already taking over?" She asked quietly.
"No, I am still quite aware and conscious of when it's my thoughts and theirs. It's the hunger… it lashes out under any stress it seems."
Seth went back to her desk and flopped into the plush chair.
"Dehydration doesn't work, suspension syrup was mediocre at best, the virus dies out within days, and storage needs to be dark and cold at all times. I'll need a few days in my lab… are you ok to see Astharoshe in the morning?"
"Yes, I think so."
"She asked about you earlier, she thinks the Vatican augmented you and I didn't confirm or deny that logic. Her mind is trying to find answers to help understand you. I have a feeling she will be more open to the truth than most."
Abel sat down again too, a large sigh expelling from him as he mulled over her words.
"I don't know how… given she's technically food… Wait, does Baybars know about the crusnik?"
Seth smirked a little. "Yes, I have always told my head bodyguard about it in case I ever have to activate. It keeps them from wanting to attack me instead of whatever threat I would be fighting."
"Oh! That is kind of a good thing to avoid."
"Yeah… I'm talking from experience. Your closest friends need to know about it before they see it in use, the shock of it is overwhelming to most."
Her words brought back memories of Esther's shock and break down from when she witnessed his monstrous form the first time.
"I've never willingly told or shown anyone… especially if they could be on the menu." Abel said ruefully and then was quiet for a little while, thinking. His gaze wandered over his hands and long legs till they stopped at his well worn boots, triggering him to stand up.
"I have to contact the Professor! I promised I would let them know when I reached the Empire. He too was going to work on a blood supplement."
Seth's eyes widened at his sudden movements.
"I have a secure line you can use… but who the Professor?"
"An exceptionally smart man I know, and a good friend. He is the one who figured out the crusnik could survive on sugary foods to a point."
She nodded and reached into her desk to get out a communicator.
"Take it with you, so if he calls back you can answer right away."