Wings of Blood and Cruelty
A Hemlock Grove fanfic by Glamoured By-Eric
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.-Friedrich Nietzsche
Chapter 8 - Familial Difficulties
Several days ago, Tatiana Vancura was in Venice drinking her espresso and surfing the Internet when she came across an article about the Godfrey gala and began grinning. "Sora!" she said aloud, when she saw Olivia's picture. Then in English, she said, "There you are. Time to pay you a visit. It has been too long."
It took her a few days to get her affairs in order at the villa and to get someone to take care of her menagerie of pets while she was gone. When she finally arrived in Hemlock Grove, she checked into the Hemlock Grove Arms and decided to get the lay of the land for a few days before she made her presence known.
She felt her sister die early one morning and drove to the Godfrey estate only to see what was undoubtedly her sister's body being taken away in a van marked from the Godfrey Institute. She sighed, swearing in Italian, and followed them to the institute.
She parked in the lot and waited. This was going to be fun.
Olivia Godfrey took in a deep breath as she awoke in cold storage on late Saturday morning. The first thing she did was to make sure her tongue had grown back and found that it had which is why she had taken so long to reawaken. Growing back body parts was not a quick endeavor. She looked around in the darkness, felt around her chilly, stainless steel prison and said aloud, "Well, this is bloody inconvenient."
She lifted her hands over her head, which was difficult in the tight space, and pushed forcefully against the drawer door. It made a pinched noise but did not give one iota. She braced her feet at the back and pushed again, and the door creaked this time. Quickly losing patience, she pounded on it with both palms, and it gave a metallic crunching noise and flew open. She snaked her hands out and grabbed the top of the drawer opening and pulled. The drawer slab slid out, and she pushed and pulled until it was open enough for her to get her legs free. Dropping to the floor on her high heels, she was still in her dress from the night before. She pushed the slab back into the drawer and closed it, repairing the bent handle back into its proper place with her strong hands.
Flipping both sides of her hair back and smoothing her dress, she walked as regally as she always did toward the morgue door and exited the room, which was a feat considering she was a bit unsteady.
She influenced anyone she came into contact with into forgetting that they had seen her, and she exited the institute. Having no idea how she was going to get home, she turned to go back inside to call a taxi when she heard a car drive up, and she stopped cold when a voice called out, "Salut surioară. Need a lift?"
After Peter and Roman chowed down on steak tartar on Sunday, Peter went outside to scout the grounds, following his nose to the sniper while Roman made some phone calls. He found the spot where the shooter had lain, got down on all four and sniffed heavily, filling his nose full of the scent. He crouched along the ground and came upon a pair of shoes attached to jean-clad legs. Looking up, he saw that it was Amanda.
"Oh, hey," said Peter sheepishly. "I was just... what are you doing up here?"
"I could ask you the same question."
"I think we can safely say that both of us are here for the same reason."
Amanda replied, "Yes, I think we can. You pick up his scent?"
Peter played innocent as he stood up and scratched his chin. "Scent?"
"Yes, scent. You were sniffing the ground just now like a dog. Is there something you'd like to tell me?"
"No, not really," he said. "But I was wondering why I never hear you coming toward me when you are around. Anything you want to tell me?"
She smiled, shrugged and said, "Just light on my feet, I guess."
A thought occurred to Peter. "Who's taking care of Michelle?"
"Norman. He said he thought I needed a break, so I decided to take a walk up here to see if I could find anything."
"Is that wise considering what happened earlier?" asked Peter.
Amanda shrugged, reached into her pocket and pulled out a shell casing, holding it length-wise between her thumb and forefinger so that she wouldn't leave any prints. "Probably not, but I did find this."
"Sorry, I don't know much about guns other than I wouldn't want to be facing one. Especially from a sportsman," said Peter.
Amanda put the casing back in her pocket. "I also found some vehicle tracks on the grass." She pointed. "Over there."
They walked over to the area, and indeed there were signs that a vehicle had been parked there recently.
"Well, not much to go on," said Peter. "Can I walk you back to the house? I'm heading that way myself to pick up the car."
"Sure," she replied.
Olivia and Tatiana drove to the Hemlock Grove Arms in silence at first. Tatiana broke the silence.
"Don't you have anything to say to me, sister, after all these years? What has it been? Sixty years or so?"
"How did you find me, Ana?" asked Olivia.
"If you don't wish to be found, darling, you should stay out of the society pages. I saw your photo in connection with the recent Godfrey gala."
"I meant, how did you happen to be here today?"
"I was already in town when I felt your life force cease. I knew that you either had met your final death or were regenerating. I followed the van that took your body and waited so see if you would regenerate. Was it a hand, a finger or an ear?"
"Tongue actually. Apparently, I talk too much."
"Ah, I see. Your son... Roman, is it? He's come of age." She laughed. "I can understand why he removed your tongue. It always was a bit sharp."
Olivia's lips tightened but she did not reply.
Michael stormed into the Bishop's study, walked up to his desk, placing his hands there, leaned over and said forcefully, "What the fuck did you get me into?"
"Interesting," said the Bishop thoughtfully then he gestured with his hand. "Calm down, Michael. Have a seat."
"Don't you tell me to calm down, you holier than thou piece of shit! How could Godfrey get shot in the heart one minute and be up and talking the next? I'm telling you I don't like it! It ain't natural."
"There are things in this world that are even hard for me to explain. I think we are dealing with an upir."
"Upir? What the hell is that?"
"For all intents and purposes it is basically a human-like individual with a taste for blood. They are a little
harder to kill than an average person."
"Blood? You mean like a bloodsucker? A vampire? They are just myths."
"Many myths are based on fact, Michael. You should know that a number of them are based on truth considering your position with the order."
"Then how the hell is he walking around in the daylight if he's a vampire?"
"Upirs are able to blend into society, including being out during daylight hours. I was not aware that Roman Godfrey was upir until today. If you want to settle your score with him on your sister's behalf, then you will need to do one of three things. Decapitate him. Cremate him or impale him with a blessed, wooden stake through the heart."
Michael's eyes bugged out. "You having to be shitting me! Do I look like a medieval knight to you?"
"Ah, but you are a knight. What do you think the order is? We have fought evil since the crusades. It is our duty to understand and protect humans against these creatures. Our duty."
"It might be your duty but it is no longer mine. The last time I saw you, I told you we were done. I was done."
"You gave a lifelong oath when you joined our order, Michael. You don't have the luxury of walking away. We need you. More importantly, we need your skills. But right now I am more interested in this girl you spoke of. The one who appeared out of thin air. Tell me about her. What did she look like?"
Michael gave an exasperated exhale and said, "Medium height with long blonde hair. Very attractive. She was wearing jeans and a shirt. She seemed to just suddenly breeze into my scope and then stared directly into my sight as I looked at her. It was as if she could see me at that distance."
"I'm fascinated. Find out more about her. She sounds like someone we have a special interest in. Take the camera with the telephoto lens. I want to see this girl for myself."
"That is a bit presumptuous of you. Haven't you heard a word that I've said?"
"What kind of life do you think you can have outside the order, Michael? After doing all the things you have done for us, you will never fit into normal society. You are fooling yourself if you think you can. You were made for this life."
"Like Clementine? You saw what that did to her. A high functioning alcoholic who was also questioning the order, she called me recently and told me she had doubts. She was also planning on leaving after this last job for you. Did you know that?"
"I suspected that she was losing her faith. Before you make any rash decisions, take your revenge on your sister's killer, Michael."
The bishop opened a drawer and pulled out a wooden stake, reached across his desk and set it down in front of Michael. "The Godfrey's will be hiring security for their home and possibly for Letha Godfrey's funeral so our little sparrows have told us. With your special forces training, you would make an excellent body guard. You have your 'in' so I suggest you take it."
Michael looked at the Bishop and then at the stake. He grabbed the stake and stuffed it in his inside jacket pocket. "You are going to burn in hell, Bishop."
"Quite possibly," replied the Bishop to Michael's retreating back.
AN:
Closing credits would be Zulu Winter: Silver Tongue.
Salut surioară is Rumanian for 'hello, little sister.' Sora is Rumanian for 'sister.'
If I was casting the role of Tatiana, I would cast Monica Bellucci as Olivia's older sister. Haven't found the right actress for Amanda yet.