Disclaimer: I own nothing except my three (four if you count dead people) OCs, whose backgrounds are heavily influenced by Sylvia Engdahl's novel Enchantress from the Stars. Anything you recognize is from the Trinity Blood manga, by Kiyo Kyujyo, or the novels, by Sunao Yoshida.

Chapter 12

"Hmm. The wound has not festered, has it?" Radu Barvon, the Baron of Luxor, asked his childhood friend, Ion Fortuna. It was a rhetorical question, as Radu already knew the answer was negative. In fact, the only reason he called it a wound and not a cut was to save his Tovaras's pride. A Terran dealt the same wound would have been fully functional by now, but because the bullet that grazed him had been made of silver Ion's body was not healing. Even worse, his strength and senses had been reduced to Terran levels. Smiling slightly, the tall, blue-haired Methuselah said, "Then it requires only rest, and in time you will be whole again, Ion." Like the child he resembled Ion pouted, puffing out pink cheeks and exclaiming, "The humiliation! That our noble flesh should suffer injury at the hands of a Terran!" The air had been let out of his cheeks, and tears would have gone quite well with his expression. But of course, the proud noble Ion Fortuna would never cry. "And that such trifling injury would render us immobile. Bedridden! It is a pathetic damnable spectacle! They have brought us low, to their womanly level of disease and weakness!"

"It can't be helped," said Radu unpityingly. At times like this it was so easy to think of Ion as a spoiled brat, the sort of person that the world would be better off without. If only he could be finished off right now…but the plan…Unaware that he was being ignored, Ion continue to rave against the Terrans. "-un-evolved apes! How dare they-" Radu interrupted once again, stating in a matter of fact tone of voice, "All things sicken. And silver is poison to our blood, worse than ultraviolet light." He placed an unlit cigarette in his mouth and made his way over to the small Methuselah's bed, pondering how best to make Ion shut up. His voice could be so aggravating at times! "Luck was with you, Ion. It is only a small wound. Surely one who shoots so badly could not be a threat?"

"Of course not! Even had that woman not warned us we would never have been defeated by am mere Terran. Thou knowest it is so! Radu? Thou look not well." Indeed, Radu's face had gone quite pale. A woman had warned Ion? It couldn't possibly be…"Tovaras, what did this woman look like?"

"She was wearing the uniform of those detestable Terrans, but spoke the language of our noble homeland. She had long hair, brown we recall, and a womanly build. Why dost thou ask, Radu?" Radu gulped. It seemed that Ion's savior was the same woman who had crushed his wrist last night, not fearing his fire. But if she had been there when he attacked, why had she warned Ion? How could she possibly know that he came in peace? How had she beaten the mechanical doll to Sforza's quarters? Questions spun around Radu's head and he absentmindedly grabbed the wrist that had been injured last night. Ion's voice brought him back to himself. "Radu? Radu?" Releasing his wrist and putting a quick smile on his face, Radu covered his moment of distraction by directing all attention back to Ion. "Well. You always do your best to provoke attack. Did you, Ion?"

"We did nothing of the sort! All we did was attempt to communicate with the brazen swine!" Ion threw his pillow at Radu. Radu disposed of the bloody bandages he'd been holding and hugged the pillow to his chest. "The 'outer' Terran are said to be combative. So unlike our race in that respect, are they not?" He smiled fondly as he said 'our race'. Then the smile was gone from his face, replaced by what, in a less handsome man, might have been called a sneer. "And so, Ion, what's the plan now? That meeting was a colossal failure. So we will nurse your wound and then you will travel directly home, yes?" There was a small pause, almost as if Ion was actually considering the option. "No!" Ion shouted, and it sounded like he was trying to convince himself to stay in this hostile land, rather than return home to grandmother. "To us, to the boyars, Augusta's commands are absolute! We will recover and successfully complete our task." Radu's smile returned. He would have a second chance to complete his task, then. Or perhaps it would be more apt to say that Flamberg would have a chance to complete his task. "As you wish. In all things I am your assistant." Here Radu threw the pillow back at Ion, hitting him in the face. "By your side to the bitter end, Tovaras-" and what a bitter end it will be, Radu mused. Knowing nothing of his soon to be betrayer's thoughts, Ion simply replied, "Our apologies. Your work is also hard."

"Not at all. Are you thirsty? You've had nothing but water for the past forty hours." Radu removed his cigarette from his mouth, rolling it between his fingertips. He knew what Ion's answer would be. "Yes. We are getting thirsty. Could you bring us some 'water of life'?"

"Of course." Radu had already turned away from his friend and was walking to the room's only door. "Light on the opium, please," Ion requested, "and also"

"Add a pinch of sugar, right? I know your preferences." Radu's cigarette had found its way back to his mouth, which was now smiling at his tovaras. "So sayest thou, but then brings us a drink too opium heavy," Ion pouted. "You're a lightweight with a sweet tooth," retorted Radu. "Sugar isn't good for you."

"Hey! Radu, wait!"

"What is it?" Radu wasn't smiling now. Indeed he looked slightly worried. But there was no cause for it. All Ion could say was, "…Be careful around flammable objects!" Radu teased his tovaras in return, "Your hair looks like a porcupine." Then he left and shut the door. He had an important call to make, and could only hope the Inquisition wasn't too paranoid to accept tips from an anonymous source.

Back inside the room, Ion tousled his 'porcupine' hair. We're the same age, he thought,"Yet he talks to us as if we were a child!" Lying down in the comfortable bed, his thoughts turned to the errand he had sent his tovaras on. We have no thirst because of the silver poison. "Forgive us our lie, Tovaras. Right now our once glorious body is as weak as a Terran." Pulling aside the window curtain from where he lay, Ion looked out over Carthage and at the Terrans going about their lives in the sun. Radu, when was it that we stopped walking out under the sun? Thinking of the sun and its deadly rays led Ion to murmur "If they attacked us now, it would surely be our end."

If there is one thing that is true in this universe, it's that Fate has a warped sense of humor. So of course, that's when Esther walked in.

Esther had followed Lilith and Father at a discreet distance until they reached the building Father had pointed out earlier. As they entered through the front, she snuck around back and climbed in a window. Taking deep breaths to calm her fast-beating heart and sweating out of nervousness, she ascended what appeared to be a servants' staircase, quietly peering into rooms along the way. In only one did she see anything. As she turned the doorknob with a soft click, a voice filtered out. "So soon returned? Didst thou 'forget' the sugar again? Thy tastes are…" The Marquis of Hungary had looked the part of a vampire. Tall and pale, with dark hair and clothes, he was the image of the perfect villain. The child before her was not. An angelic face with golden eyes that she-he? rubbed sleep from, sleep mussed golden hair… Esther was dumbstruck. But not enough to stop aiming her gun. "Er…uh huh?" was all she could mange to say aloud whilst inside her thoughts raced. I follow Father and Lilith and somehow I find this? What a pretty young …girl? No, no breasts…boy? Naked. Naked boy. Must apologize. Or get out first, then apologize… "Te…" said the boy. "Tea?" said Esther. Then he roared, "Terran!!", and suddenly that face wasn't so angelic. Esther recognized the word and her mind screamed Vampire! The fight that followed was brief. The boy-vampire had Esther pinned the ground and bared his sharp teeth. "Thou pest, thou worm, answer!! Who sent thee?" Sensing that no answer was forthcoming, he prepared to rip her throat out. Esther saw this and thought He's going to kill…As if I'd let him! "Yoouu!" she screamed, slamming the butt of her gun into his bandaged arm. He reared back in pain, giving her an opening. Suddenly their positions were reversed and she was the one on top, prepared to kill, while he lay prone underneath her. "Don't move," said Esther. "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit you are under arrest."

"Kill us then, wench! We, the honorable boyar, would never suffer the humiliation of capture by a filthy Terran!"

"Honorable? Honorable men don't kill a jailed programmer who hasn't yet stood trial, and they don't assault Lady Caterina!" Esther practically screamed the last part. She would have continued, but Radu chose to interrupt.

Radu had known the moment the girl entered the building. At first he figured the soft tread belonged to a servant, eager to avoid disturbing their masters. But then he remembered that they had no servants here in Carthage, and there were no doors in that part of the safe house. What purpose would a Terran have, for it could only be a Terran with the sun shining so brightly outside, inside the house of a Methuselah that they would enter through a window? Nothing good, for certain. So he followed the sound of footsteps until he caught sight of a young, red-headed nun. Could she be an assassin sent by the Vatican? From the way she moved, it was unlikely. She seemed too young, too untrained. He watched her open the door to Ion's room, and the brief scuffle between them. He heard the anger in her voice when she mentioned Cardinal Caterina. It would have been perfect for his plans had Ion been killed by subordinate of the Cardinal, but the stupid girl wanted to arrest him instead. So Radu decided to step in.

"That ends. Now. Terran." Radu stepped into the room, wreathed in smoke from his now-lit cigarette. "Put down that toy." He held a knife almost idly, but Esther had no doubt that it could and would be thrown with deadly accuracy and speed. Whoops seemed an understatement, but it was all she could think, besides There was another one!! The small Methuselah spoke. "We have the situation under control, Radu."

"Do shut up, Ion. Once more. Put down your 'weapon' and step away from him."

"No. You put down your weapon," said a new voice, and Radu felt the cold muzzle of a gun against the back of his head. "If you throw that knife," Father Abel Nightroad continued, "I will do something horrible to you. Something very horrible!!"

"Father! Lilith!" Esther exclaimed. "You're safe now, Sister Esther," said Syeira. "Stand up slowly and come over here." Esther complied. As she did so, she explained, "Father, Lilith, these two are boyars-nobles of the Empire. We should take them to the Embassy for questioning." Her voice was filled with pride at having found the two vampires. "Would you excuse me for a moment?" Abel directed his question to the boyars, who looked at him curiously. Esther was still watching them, so Abel drew her attention with a soft "Miss Esther,". As soon as she turned to look at him he lifted his hand and brought it down with a resounding slap across her face. The boyars were clearly confused, and Syeira pasted her best look of condescension on her face. Though she probably had more experience dealing with insubordinate subordinates, she'd decided to let Abel handle Esther, as the young nun's emotional attachment to the priest would give any scolding he delivered far greater impact than one of hers. Why, the red head looked like she was going into shock from the slap! "I am sure that I told you to please wait outside. So not only did you disregard my orders, you engaged in hostilities. Who taught you to act this way?" Abel's voice was as frosty as a winter morning. Esther slowly lifted a hand to her cheek, her eyes welling with tears. Abel didn't spare her a glance, looking instead at Syeira. She nodded, understanding that this was where she came in. Stepping forward, she knelt before the Methuselah before the and began to speak in the language of the Empire. "Please forgive our rudeness. My name is Lili Stone and I currently serve Cardinal Caterina Sforza as a member of the State Special Service Annex. My companion is Abel Nightroad of the same. We have come under orders from our superior to offer you both protection and sanctuary. Syeira was peripherally aware of Abel softly translating her speech for Esther, and of Esther's gasp of outrage at the idea of protecting vampires. Ion and Radu seemed startled at her use of their language. Ion eventually said, in Imperial, "Raise thy head. We are-"

"Forgive my impertinence, excellencies, but I know well who you are. Ion Fortuna, noble of Moldova, Tzara Methuselute; Earl of Memphis. You are Spatar, the bearer of the Empress's sword and as such relay Augusta's imperial command. And you, Radu Barvon, are the Baron of Luxor and his tovaras. Likely his vice envoy and an inspector under the orders of the Empire, am I correct?"

"How is it that thou knowest this, Terran?" demanded a flustered Ion. Syeira smiled. She wasn't about to tell Younglings about a mind dive. So instead she said, "I find it prudent to keep up with the politics of my home country." Both Methuselah gasped. "And yet thou wear the garments of a Terran of the Church!" exclaimed Ion. "My story is a long one, too long for telling now, but I joined the Church in hopes that I could change the prejudices of those around me, especially on the subject of Methuselah. All I wish for is peace between our two races, and on that subject...may I take your presence here as an expression of the desire to open diplomatic negotiations with my superior?" Abel had stopped translating for Esther after giving her the names and titles of the Methuselah, so Syeira spoke the last part of her speech in the language of the 'outside'. Ion answered her question in the same language. "At first, yes. Now...We cannot trust the Vatican! Opening fire upon us, unprovoked, last night, invading our sickbed today? Though we are thankful for thy warning last night, we cannot agree!"

"Please understand, excellencies!" Abel piped in. "Both incidents were misunderstandings on our part! There was a Methuselah who assaulted the cathedral immediately before your excellencies' arrival and-"

"What? An attack?" Ion, in his confusion, momentarily abandoned his grand speech patterns. Raadu looked speculative, and Syeira had to admire his acting as he said, "Some other Methuselah? Ion, the radical faction in this city?" Syeira played along. "What do you mean, Baron, by radical faction?" Abel looked like he wanted to ask the same question. Before the baron could answer, a great rumbling filled the air. "Take cover!" yelled Abel, and moved as if to shield Syeira and Esther with his body as Radu did the same to Ion. Parts of the ceiling collapsed. A dazed Ion asked his tovaras, "What is this..."

"That noise...it's a tank!" Oh, like you didn't already know that, thought Syeira. Radu really was a great actor. If only he wasn't part of a group trying to destroy the world, he would have made a great Agent. Ion stammered out a "W-what?!" before the voice of Brother Petros cut through the noise to reach them. "Excuse us!! We, the Department of the Inquisistion, are here to ensure the peace of this city!! I am the humble head of the Inquisition Brother Petros!! All vampires on these premises! You are to come with us!"

"This isn't good," Abel murmured to himself. Not realizing a normal human wouldn't be able to hear his voice, Syeira muttered, "Thanks, Captain Obvious." He shot her a surprised look, but continued. "Is there an escape route?" Radu answered him. "Uh...yes. There's an underground waterway, accessible from the emergency stairs, but..."

"Then go! Now!" Abel yelled over the noise of the Inquisition. "No!" It was Ion who spoke. "We can't trust...thou art in league with these feral soldiers."

"I trust them this time, Ion. And therefore you will trust in me. Trust in your protector, Tovaras." Objections defeated by Radu's words, Ion conceded. "We will ready ourselves." Abel and Syeira looked at each other, and she nodded to him, indicating that it was his turn to take the lead. "Right! Next. Now...Miss Esther. I shall leave the rest to you and Lilith. I must hold them here for a little while. I will entrust the nobles to the two of you." Esther, as if eager to prove that she could follow orders, immediately said "Yes, sir." Syeira opened her mouth to protest, but shut it. Why did she want to stay and fight alongside Able when their was a Rosenkreuz member to be watched and killed? Abel was a capable man, he didn't need her help, yet...He must have sensed her hesitation, because he placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I'll be alright. Trust me." She nodded, and whispered back, "I will. Don't make a fool of me for it," and they parted ways.

Father Abel Nightroad faced Brother Petros from the balcony. "So you've come, Brother."

"Well, well, well."

AN: thanks for taking the time to read my story! Now, would you take one more minute and review it? It doesn't have to be lengthy, a simple "I'm like your story" would make me happy. An "I don't like your story" is also acceptable (though why you've read this far if you don't like it is beyond me).