Chapter Twenty Four
London, England 1811
"Whatever your quarrel is, it is with me not Constance!" Giacomo said and De'Avante laughed.
"You call the slaughter of my family a mere quarrel? YOU slaughtered them!" he shouted and Giacomo frowned, his hand resting on the handle of the silver blade sword.
"I am not Roberto Vincenzi!" he shouted and De'Avante walked closer, locking eyes with him.
"I know full well who you are, Mon Ami, and I place your father's blame on you!"
"So you wish to take your revenge by slaughtering my family?" he asked then looked at Constance. "What about her? She had done nothing to you."
"It was her kind that gave him the means to destroy my family," De'Avante said, pointing to the silver blade sword.
"No, her grandmother gave this to me!" Giacomo said and a smirk spread across De'Avante's face.
"Oui, after your father had…retired. You never asked where it came from?"
"No," Giacomo said while shaking his head and De'Avante laughed.
"Well, I will give you points for journeying all this way for the woman you say you love," he said and Giacomo's eyes widened.
"I DO love her!" he shouted and De'Avante tilted his head to one side.
"Then prove it, Mon Ami, fight for her!" De'Avante said then removed the steel blade sword from the scabbard on his back and a wicked grin split his face.
"No, please, he is an expert swordsman!" Constance said as Gaicomo looked at her, kissed her cheek and sighed.
"And I am a hunter!" Giacomo said when he removed the silver blade sword out of the scabbard and held the handle tightly in his hand. Swinging the silver blade sword side to side then holding the silver blade sword up with the blade facing him, Giacomo glared at De'Avante and De'Avante smiled, holding the handle of the steel blade sword in his hand with the blade facing him.
"Whenever you are ready!" he said and Giacomo nodded his head. Constance backed toward the wall when Giacomo and De'Avante started fighting and the sound of metal slamming against each other echoed through the cell. De'Avante was surprised on how well versed Giacomo was with a sword as the silver blade sword sliced through the sleeve of the white shirt De'Avante was wearing and smoke rose from the wound on his arm. De'Avante hissed as his fangs appeared and slimed clung to the top fangs. They moved around the cell, neither giving the other room to counter attack, and blood was rolling down from the wounds on Giacomo's chest, right arm and left leg. Constance prayed that Giacomo would strike the killing blow when he fell to his knees and the silver blade sword fell to the ground.
"No!" Constance shouted as she ran to him and caught him as he slid to the right. She could see the blood rolled down his stomach as she quickly grabbed for the silver blade sword, stood up and held the handle tightly in her hands.
"Come now, Cheri, do you really think you can fight me?" De'Avante asked as he walked closer and, screaming an inhuman scream, Constance drove the silver blade into De'Avante's chest then pulled the silver blade out. Looking down, De'Avante looked at the blood rolling down his chest then looked at her and growled. "You seemed to have missed."
She watched as he fell to the ground unconscious and walked closer, holding the silver blade sword over her head.
"My l-love?" Giacomo gasped as she turned to look behind her and ran to him. Kneeling down, she placed the silver blade sword back into the scabbard as she lifted him into her arms and he looked at her. She stroked his back while kissing his lips and he breathed ragged breathes through his nose.
"Please, Darling, don't leave me," she said but he shook his head and placed his hand on the handle of the silver blade sword.
"I need y-you to take this an-and hide it where he will ne-never find it. Then you mu-must go. Run a-as far as y-you can. He won't st-stop until he fi-finds it and y-you," Giacomo said then a guttural breath bubbled in his throat and he closed his eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks when Constance felt something bump into her back and she turned, seeing the tiger behind her. Carefully picking up Giacomo's body, she draped his body over the back of the tiger then held her wrist out. Cross flew to her wrist as they walked toward the shadows and vanished while cold tears of hate rolled down Constance's cheeks.
The moon was full while a body wrapped in white linen lay on stacks of wood and Constance slowly walked toward the pyre. She was wearing a black gown and the wet grass tickled her feet. The silver blade sword hung from the scabbard that was strapped around her waist and a lit torch was in her hand. She looked down at Giacomo when she kissed his lips then covered his face and tied the hood closed. Standing back a bit, she lit the wood as the pyre exploded in a red, yellow and orange fireball and she watched her love's body burn. Cross sat on a branch in to tree behind her and the tiger stood to her left. She looked at the tiger when it started sniffing the ground then walked off, fading into the shadows. Sighing, she waited until there was nothing left but ashes then quietly turned and walked away.
The creaking of the mast made her heart ache as Constance stood near the railing and watched the ship moving away from the dock. She had decided to go to the Colonies and prayed that Roberto had arrived there safely. She scanned the people moving by when a figure wearing a hood caught her eye and her heart clutched in her chest when the figure lowered the hood he was wearing and Roberto gently waved at her.
"No," she whispered, but knew it was too late and the tears rolled down her cheeks.
Las Vegas, Nevada 2011
The tears rolled down her cheeks when Cassandra opened her eyes and rolled onto her back. She didn't remember anything after Jean-Phillipe had turned into smoke except for a loud rushing of wind in her ears and blackness. She looked at the stone ceiling as she sighed and wiped the tears out of her eyes.
"So that's what happened to Giacomo. Oh, Peter, why couldn't they have had a happy ending? Are we going to have one?" she thought then sat up and looked around the room. The stone walls surrounded her a she looked up and saw the tiny window high up on the wall. She looked at the wooden and iron door then saw that she was lying on a straw mat and something stuck out of the straw. Reaching over, she moved the straw when her heart caught in her chest and she looked at the faded, black, wooden box. Her hands shook as she opened the lid and dropped the faded, black, wooden box to the straw, Inside was the bones of a severed finger and she picked up the tarnished ring, looking at it. "Shit, this is her ring!"
Cassandra didn't know if she was going to cry or be sick as she placed the bones back into the faded, black, wooden box and closed the lid. Getting up, she walked to the center of the room as she sighed and folded her arms around her body.
Peter sat on the floor in the panic room with his wrists on his knees and he looked at the monitors. Jane and Charlie were standing outside the door but he wasn't coming out and he hadn't changed out of his stage clothes or makeup. The police had been called after Cassandra had been taken and they had searched the entire showroom. They searched under the stage and in the dressing rooms but he refused to let them up to the penthouse. After threatening to get a search warrant, he let them up and was slightly amused when they saw his collection. He showed them all the permits for the weapons he had but they didn't find Cassandra and he had talked to a sketch artist, who made a drawing of Jean-Phillipe.
"Like that is going to fucking work!" he thought when he felt like he was being watched, looked at the corner of the panic room and saw Cross sitting on the box where Jane had placed his wine and Boe was lying on the floor. He felt guilty that he didn't include Cross in the show and knew he would have to answer a lot of questions if Boe suddenly appeared on stage.
"I am so sorry," he sighed as Cross nodded its head and Boe stood up, walked to him and settled on the floor next to him.
"Peter?" Jane's voice called out as he looked at the monitor and she looked at the camera. "We're going to bed. I set the alarms and locked the lift. If you want to come out, I'll make you some warm milk or maybe a double Midori."
"I got all the drinks I need in here!" he said then let go of the intercom button and she nodded her head, walking away. His placed his fingers behind his head after lowering his head and locked his fingers together. He felt like crying, screaming and trashing everything in sight as he sighed and unlocked his fingers, lifting his head. Getting up, he walked to the door when the door hissed open and he looked at Cross. Holding his wrist out, he watched Cross fly to him and land on his wrist. Nodding, they left the panic room and the door closed behind them.
The door opened while Peter, Cross and Boe came into the room and Peter turned the light on. Jane and Charlie didn't say anything as he closed the door and took the wig off, tossing it across the room. Removing the sideburns, moustache, goatee and the eyebrow ring, he placed them on the dresser and rubbed his hands through his hair, making it stand on end. He looked at the bed when he saw his black jeans, black leather boots, black belt, black t-shirt, black leather jacket and his armaments lying on the bed and looked at Boe, who only looked back and tilted its head to one side. A few minutes later Peter was fully dressed and armed as he looked at Cross and Boe and finally got the joke.
"Crossbow," he whispered then checked to see if the rifle was loaded and wished he was. His mind screamed out for a drink as he took the silver packet of cigarillos out of his pocket and pulled a cigarillo out with his teeth. Placing the silver pack of cigarillos back in his pocket, he took out the silver lighter and lit the cigarillo. He placed the silver lighter back in his pocket when he realized he had no idea where Jean-Phillipe had taken Cassandra and growled. "Now what do I do?"
He watched while Boe headed for the wall as he followed the tiger and noticed the black wallpaper seemed to ripple and the silver leaves moved back and forth. He remembered that Boe had led Giacomo to Constance as he looked down at Boe and saw the answer in the tiger's eyes. Turning, Peter held his wrist out as Cross, who had been sitting on the dresser, flew to him and land on his wrist. Placing the rifle against his shoulder, he looked down at Boe and smiled.
"Right, let's kill something!" he said as they walked into the darkness and the silver leaves moved back and forth.