Chapter 27
It was a dark, moonless night and all the inhabitants of the ancient castle, Eilean Donan, were sleeping soundly in their beds, all but two. The larger, more powerfully built of the men sat behind Gerard McKenzie's desk and methodically searched through the drawers. At last, he pulled out a deck of cards, the Devil's Tarot that McKenzie had used to determine his future with Shivaun McRae.
Vladimir Druganin laughed, a cold, hollow sound, as he placed the cards on top of the desk. His companion, who had been perusing the books that filled the shelves on one side of the room, looked over and asked; "What have you got there Vlad?"
"Just more proof of what a fool McKenzie was;" He stated, holding up the deck of card so his friend could see them, and baring his fangs in disgust.
"How bad is it?" The tall, thin man asked Druganin.
"Well, it appears that McKenzie wasn't stupid enough to leave anything about the club here for the Clave to find, but other than that, it is about as bad as you'd expect. I will have to re-assume the position of Abbot, and I expect you to be my Circuitor again." The vampire looked sternly at his companion, as if daring him to refuse.
A small, cruel smile graced Dante Serpens' narrow face as the warlock gave his old friend a brief nod of acceptance. He and Vlad had met centuries ago when Serpens was High Warlock of St. Petersburg, and Druganin had been working to unite the vampire clans of Eastern Europe. Both were, powerful, ruthless men, but they had somehow become friends, joining forces to confound their enemies, and the Clave.
Vladimir Druganin was a founding member of the Hellfire Club and had served as Abbot for many years, bringing in Serpens to act as Circuitor during that time. Druganin viewed the club very differently than any of the succeeding Abbots, including McKenzie, had. He did not care about the illicit, exotic pleasures it offered members, he was only interested in the information that could been gleaned from the wide, disparate membership. Surprising how indiscrete people could be when they were partying. He also enjoyed the secret nature of the club, it was a destabilizing influence between the downworld groups and the Clave. As Abbot, Druganin had welcomed the first shadowhunters to the club, and was initially very pleased when Gerard McKennzie had been appointed Abbot. Shadowhunters who were also club members tended to have divided loyalties, and that was a weakness Druganin knew how to exploit.
Dante Serpens looked closely at his old friend, taking in the long, straight black hair, chiseled features, and sharp, glittering black eyes. Druganin was not an easy man to read, but the presence of a small, gold ring, set with a beautiful ruby, on the small finger of his left hand told the warlock some of what he wanted to know. The last time he'd seen that ring it graced the hand of Madeline Pyre. She had become close to Druganin over the last several decades, but Serpens was not sure what the status of that relationship had been. Vladimir Druganin told people only what was necessary to do their jobs, and no one needed to know about his personal life. Still, the presence of the ring was telling, and Serpens would not want to be Gerard McKenzie if the Vampire chose to avenge Madeline's death. "So;" The warlock said, breaking the silence that had grown between them; What are the plans?"
Druganin took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he focused on the most pressing issues facing the club. He had enjoyed his time as Abbot Emeritus, still able to glean as much information as the club could offer, without the responsibility of the day-to-day administration. Now he was forced to take a more active role, or face the possibility that the Hellfire Club would be disbanded. "The way I see it, there are two pressing matters that need to be resolved. First, Gerard McKenzie must be dealt with. He is a shadowhunter and if put to the soul sword, no club secret will be safe. Secondly, we have to deal with the curatio situation. The child must be procured by whatever means necessary."
"What about the other club members who were swept up in the debacle here?" Serpens asked.
"Gorgon, Blackwell, Gray, and M-Madeline were killed in the battle, the other club members don't know enough to be any danger to us;" Druganin replied, stumbling a little over Madeline's name. It was the only sign that she'd meant more to him than all the others combined, and it confirmed for Serpens that he wouldn't want to be in McKenzie's shoes when Vlad got a hold of him.
It was the second objective that really held Dante's interest however. Why risk going after the child again? So what if a few club members had to live with the consequences of their own depraved tastes. "Is it really necessary to risk acquiring the child?" Serpens asked gently, not willing to appear to be openly questioning the Abbot's decision.
"I'm afraid it is old friend, and now is the perfect time to do so. My sources tell me he was spirited away from the battle by a healer, Morag Nightshade. His fathers are currently under arrest, and he himself is wanted by the Clave. The child is vulnerable, and I doubt there will be an easier time to ensure he is ours for the duration." Druganin said.
Heaving a sigh, Serpen's persisted; "Yes, but why take the risk at all, so what if a few members succumb to demon pox?"
"Dante, if anyone but you questioned me..." Druganin left the sentence open ended, and Serpens knew that whatever the Abbot said next, would be his final word on the matter, the warlock would not dare ask again. "If I allowed club member's to fall victim to demon pox, we would soon find ourselves unable to attract those most likely to contract it, mundanes, and more importantly shadowhunters. It does not suit my purposes for the Hellfire Club to have no shadowhunter members."
Silence fell over the two men as they each got lost in their own thoughts. Vladimir found himself remembering his beautiful Madeline. When he'd met her, over an hundred and fifty years ago, he had long given up on the idea of having a consort, but she charmed him. The right mix of beauty, intelligence and reverence for his position. He knew he would never meet her like again, and even his plan for Gerard McKenzie was cold comfort for such a loss. Rising to his feet, Vladimir Druganin moved over to the window where he saw the first traces of dawn beginning to show in the eastern sky. "We have lingered here long enough Dante, It is time for us to return , and begin the work of rebuilding the Hellfire Club;"
Serpens nodded his head in agreement and stepping over to a blank stone wall sending out a blast of strange, poisonous green magic that began to swirl into the familiar shape of a portal. The warlock would be glad to get home, he didn't enjoy travelling anymore, though he suspected there would be a great deal of it required in the next little while. His first order of business would be to find the healer, Morag Nightshade and the child.