Her finger moved
again, pressed on to the next with a smooth precision that came through
practice, she concentrated harder in the silence, but the noise of her
competing thoughts and desires pushed out what normally had always been one of
her most person times of the day. Even
calling up the memories of her mother, her soft hands around hers guiding her
through the process did nothing, she was becoming lost, her finger slipped
again and she paused, her fingers turned white and she squeezed tighter, her
forehead furrowed, then her whole body tensed tight and finally began to shake,
her eyes snapped open and she threw the object away.
“Six
hundred and seventy eight years and I can’t remember any longer!” she cried as
the beads hit the wall, broke and scattered about the room.
“I’m
losing, I’m changing and I’m so hungry, I want it so bad, more than I want what
has given me comfort all my life,” she lamented as she picked up her shattered
prayer beads and then the crucifix which she brought up to her face. “Surely
my deeds do not warrant such and end as this or do they,” she said and kissed
it more out of habit than comfort, for today and since she’d bitten Diata she’d
had none and each day brought less and less and more of the hunger that was
starting to consume her every thought, both waking and sleep.
Lady
Alice Hamilton had managed to push them down day after day, she only needed a
few more and she would be able to save Claire, her only direct descendent, it
was that love, as strong as any mothers for her child even across the large
expanse of generations that keep her going.
Claire was the connection between the baby she lost fleeing the Great
Pestilence and the baby she’d found again 699 years later, that desire to save
her baby kept her going and kept the evil at bay, but evil, as she’d been told
by her mother never slept nor did it die by anything except love. Alice closed her hands around the collection
of beads.
“Love,”
she said and went to get dressed.
The
morning was still cool as Lady Alice Hamilton alighted the first of eight steps
at the base of the Majunga Cathedral, a structure of five stone towers, the
shortest ones on the outside, then two taller ones inside of those and finally
the tallest in the centre making up the Norman Tower centre at the top and the
three sets of doors at the base. Alice
stepped out of the soon to strong sun and into the cool and a little damp of
the Narthex. She glanced to her right
and left, stone sets of stairs on each side led up the balcony seats, she chose
the right and headed up.
Alice turned right
at the top of the second set of steps and into a much narrower, only wide
enough for her, stairway made of wood that sharply ascended back and forth in a
series of ten step, then a turn and up again. Back and forth she ventured
mindful of the rough brick walls on either side of her.
Lady
Hamilton reached the end of the climb and stepped into a small four by four
foot room, the bell ringer’s pulpit.
Alice moved to the inside wall and the ladder bolted to the wall that
led straight up into the bell tower itself via a small trap door some ten feet
above her head, in no time she was inside the belfry. The vampire switched on the small flashlight
she’d brought along, its yellow/white light reflecting the dust and bugs in the
air. Alice ignored them and crawled
along the wood floor her eyes and the beam focused on what she was here
for. A small smack from the blunt end of
the flashlight dislodged her prize, she had her piece and suddenly she didn’t
feel the hunger anymore. She unscrewed
the back of the flashlight a placed the stone inside for safe keeping before
moving back to the trap door and down the ladder.
“I
told you I can smell them from a mile away.”
“She
always has been able.”
“I
wish you could teach me how you do it.”
“You
can’t learn it; it’s just something you’re born with, a gift if you will.”
Alice
turned to face four female figures, each one wearing identical robes, much like
a monk only each of a separate colour, one white, one black, one red and the
final one a sickly green.
“Give
us the stone heretic and things can be made easier for you,” the one in red
spoke.
“You
do not know the meaning of word, that robe is not stained red by anything other
than the blood of innocent people and your compatriots here are no better,”
Alice spat out the words.
“The
heretic has a temper, this one’s going to be fun,” said the one in black.
There
were very few things Lady Alice Hamilton took offence to, but being called a
heretic was right near the top of the list, she felt her temper rising and made
a mental effort to push it down.
“Come
lets begin before the heat of the intrudes, this air is already becoming
stifling,” the white robed woman said in a bored voice.
“If
you leave now you might just make it in time to return those costumes before
the penalty kicks in,” Alice mocked.
“Enough,”
the last one to speak, the green one said and took a step forward.
Alice
whipped around on her heel and smashed her foot into the woman’s jaw send her
sideways and careening into the wall.
Neither
the Apocalyptica nor any of its minions,” Lady Hamilton said. “Will have me without a fight and not before
I send a few of you to hell,” she snared and something of a low primordial
growl filled the background of her words.
Their
eyes opened a little wider at her voice as they closed ranks and rushed
her. Alice dashed sideways seized the
bell rope in her hands and spend towards the wall on her way kicking the legs
out from under the sickly green coloured
woman as she hit the cement floor hard on her back. She continued on several steps then launched
her feet up the wall and attenuated her body sideways as she climbed the wall
the tense rope acting as brace to push her up and along. The vampire dashed along several steps then
sprang off the wall in a wide arc and crashed the trio of their feet like so
many bowling pins. The pendulum crashed
into the main bell above them just as Alice cart wheeled around the sprawled
trio and over to the green robed woman and crashed a foot down hard on her
sternum to the bell tolling, its sound muffling the cracking bone.
“I’ll
avoid the obvious cliché,” she said as the woman coughed up blood.
Alice
turned around just in time to catch one of the trio, the red cloaked one,
coming right at her and unwise move at any time. Lady Hamilton waited until the last possible
second then dropped to the floor her lower legs catching and tripping the on
rushing woman in a leg lock. Just as she
smashed to the floor Alice twisted her body, which had been laying
perpendicular to her opponent, back across the woman’s body, the aristocrat’s
hands cupping and locking under the womans chin. Alice released her legs and volleyed off the
flats of her feet, her torso twisting overtop of the women as her lower body
move the position itself so her feet would land at the womans head. In mid flight, her body gliding through the
air she snapped her upper body to bring it back in line with her bottom half
and in so doing snapped the red cloaked woman’s neck quite excellently leaving
her body face down but her head face up as she released her grip.
The
vampire aristocrat was instantly set upon by the remaining two, they rushed her
and seized her arms just as she came to her feet and slammed her against the
brick wall driving knees and fists into her stomach and sides to soften her up
which they did most effectively in seconds.
Alice buckled to her knees in a wash of pain as the black and white
robed assassins removed the braided rope cords from their hips and quickly tied
them about her wrist and ankles and then joined them to each other.
“I’ll
watch her, not that she’s going anywhere you get the ropes from our fallen
sisters,” one said to the other.
She
was back in seconds and the two went to work on the winded and sore Lady Alice
who’s effort to struggle and resist was met with several sharp punches to her
sides and stomach that stopped her efforts instantly. The Apocalyptica worked silently and quickly
after that only taking a minute or so to finish off their handiwork.
“I
can’t think of a better way for you to die than in this predicament. The Heretic’s Subjugation, used extensively
during various Inquisitions with total success as I’m sure you are aware off
having been around for them all,” the White robed assassin offered.
The
vampire was all too aware of the fate that awaited her. The victim was placed on her knees with her
hands clasped together in front of her and place in a traditional praying
position. The two ends of the rope
binding Alice’s hands ran up and over her shoulders and down her back where
they were tied about her ankles. Another
rope ran from her wrists, circled around her waist and was tied in the two that
ran down her back in a special way so as the slightest movement caused not only
the rope encircling her waist to cinch inward but as well it forced the ropes
down her back to tighten as they slipped inside a specially tied knots, thus
forcing her to be pushed down into a more prostrate position. One final piece of the puzzle needed to be
added and Lady Alice Hamilton watched it emerge from her sleeve of the black
woman’s robe.
“There
are many designs but this one has always proven to be the most effective,” one
said as she showed it to Alice who recognised it right away.
“I
see her eyes tell us she knows a little of her fate, perhaps she knows more,
but I think we should explain it anyway, just for the tormenting fun of it,”
the white robed Apocalyptica honeyed.
“I
agree sister. This one’s called Satan’s Claw,” she said producing the carved
object about 8 inches in length.
“You
can see from the intricate work that every curve is a receptor for the female,
the two horns on top stimulates you endlessly once the statue is imbedded far
enough into you. Of course once that
happens you are constantly pleasured by the devilish device, which in ancient
times the device was powered by a spring to ensure some stimulation while the
mechanism lasted, today it is powered by a battery to ensure endless pleasure so
that the ropes are constantly tightened until your back is snapped and you are
killed,” she added then reached down and placed the Satanic Phallus against
Alice’s pussy.
“Try
not to move heretic or perhaps you want to, what’s one more sin to take to hell
with you and to think you nearly had your hands on this most sacred object,”
the white one said as she picked up the stone.
“Let’s
retrieve our fallen sisters and leave the heretic to die in sin,” one said to
the other as they each picked up a fallen comrade and left Lady Alice to her
fate.
Their
footfalls had barely dissipated when Alice’s lips delicately separated and
began to envelope the head of the devil in her soft firm grip as the rope drew
and pulled her down, even the slightest motion was deadly to the bound
person. The pulsating devil moistened
her, even the little she had consumed of barely his head was alright feverishly
at work within her, his carved details locating and invading every pleasure
point she had. She grimaced in wilful
defiance to its touch her body racked in torment from pain and the dreaded pain
of approaching pleasure. Alice jerked
downward swallowing a tiny bit more of the humming phallus but it was enough to
induce scream driving orgasm that bucked the vampire up and down her bound
hands mocking her in a submission of prayer while drawing her down and bowing
her more. Alice drew in half the demonic
phallus as she was pulled down her mind now blown wide open in carnal ecstasy
as the device drove her insane with stimulation. Alice swirled her hips in desperation to
dislodge her tormentor, she fell forward resting on her knees and elbows the
ropes bowing her dangerous back upon herself.
The aristocrat pushed with her pelvic muscles in a bid to work him free
of her. She soon realised the mistake as
the phallus induced stimulation even as she tried to extract it, the shape and
etchings climaxing her to uncontrollable motion. Her arms were pulled back she crashed to the
floor the phallus driven fully into her wet mound.
Alice
felt the horns secure her clitoris in their embrace and then her body spasmed
as she exploded in joy and gyrated uncontrollably as the orgasm went on and on
unabated until she thought she’d expire from pleasure. The rope pulled back endlessly as she was
bowed backward her hands nearly touching her feet her body adding the sensation
of exquisite pain to her endless pleasure.
The chamber reverberated with her screams the two emotions intermixing
into one long endless symphony of torment for Alice until the decibel level
reached and apex. Her last thought was
of Claire, “Love” she screamed and then she was gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
She’d
often read about people who had out of body experiences at death only to come
back and resume life almost all of the people reported being surround by in a
warm bright white light that made hem feel loved and safe and when they
returned to their bodies they no longer feared death when it would come again
for them and where changed people almost always happier better souls, Lady
Alice Hamilton was not one of those people.
The
place Alice found herself in was empty, a void beyond human understanding the
complete absence of anything, even she was nothing and yet somehow still
existed though she felt nothing as was nothing.
Alice shuddered at the recollection and wiped a tear from the corner of
her eye, the memory still having the power to affect her like nothing in her
past had ever been able to do. She
splashed more water on her face and when to sit on the edge of her bed in her
hotel room.
“I
suppose I should be thankful I’m still alive, but in reality it just means I’m
one step closer to becoming truly lost,” she said before staring to dress. Alice new the only thing that had pulled her
back from the void she dreaded slipping into and truly becoming a soulless
person was her last thought of her love for Claire and her willingness to sacrifice
everything to save her, she was not sure she could count on that to save her
again or worst was the thought that maybe she didn’t want to. Alice busied herself with dressing and
picking her jewellery to push those thoughts from her mind. She finished dressing and packing and left
her bags at the front desk with instructions that she would have them picked up
in a few hours.
When
she came back to this reality Alice thought only a few seconds had past and
when she saw the rope bindings and the Satanic phallus on the floor near her
seem assumed, although not entirely convincingly that she had managed a miraculous
escape of some kind. It was only when
she’d stumbled out of the church and back to her hotel that she new everything
was wrong. First the front desk asked if
she was alright as they hadn’t seen her for a while and then when Alice glanced
at the date on the morning paper that she new she’d lost an entire day.
Alice
made inquires in all the right places which in truth weren’t too many in a
place this small and soon found the two unaccounted for Apocalyptica women had
left on seaplane the previous day. She
intended to be right behind them, even if it was a day behind the trail could
still be picked up. Until that time she
sat in a café by the beach passing the time with a drink.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“I’m
terribly sorry to interrupt but I believe this belongs to you,” a woman with a
very proper English voice said as she placed the stone on the table in front of
Lady Alice Hamilton.
The
vampire put down her glass of Double Diamond, her favourite and looked up into
the face of a very beautiful woman.
“It
is yours isn’t it or have a made a mistake, if I have please accept my
apologies for intruding,” the woman said and reached her hand for the stone.
“No,
no you haven’t made a mistake, the stone is mine and I’m very grateful for its
return,” Alice recovered as her hand closed around it.
“No
doubt Claire will be as well,” the woman answered and saw the expression on
Alice’s face change.
The
woman put down her small but stylish leather briefcase. “May I have the pleasure of your company and
join you for a drink while we wait for the seaplane Lady Hamilton,” she
requested.
“How
could I refuse when you have naturally peaked my curiosity and I am indebted to
you for this,” Alice said pleasantly as she slipped the stone safely into her
small purse.
“A
beer, seems an odd choice for a woman of your stature, but then again perhaps
not such an out of place refreshment given the chanciness of the water in
places and times such as this as well as other places and times,” the woman
said and acknowledged to the waiter that she wished for a vodka and tonic with
a lime.
Alice
studied this woman in the interval, she was immaculately attired in a while
silk and cotton skirt and halter, her tanned long legs daring and dazzling as
she crossed them, the contours of her skin and rolling delight to the eye. She
had all the self confidence in the world, an assurance of her place and her
purpose in it and those who were meant to be part of. Alice was certain she was the next act in the
play, but unsure if she would continue on as a character, but was curious to
find out.
Tara
received her drink and took a sip as she eyed Alice a thrill going through
every part of her at the sight of this woman.
It was an emotional she very rarely let lose, so used to playing a role
and wearing a mask she sometimes found it hard to just be herself, a person
nobody really knew, for in her world, she could never let that out fully, yet
with this woman, the connection and she hoped the time was at hand to do so, still
she would be cautious no telling what she had been told about her.
“You
are very skilled at dangling sentences and innuendo, but that can be tiresome
and you do not strike me as the tiresome type, rather the opposite I should
think,” Alice said taking a drink.
“Then
I shall have to meet those expectations.
Lady Tara Ashton-White your Ladyship, it is a very great pleasure to
finally meet you, I planted the story about your assailants leaving in the
right ears so I could assure this meeting” she said with a smile and an
extended hand which Alice shook, her face expressionless as she did.
“I
see you’ve heard of me, acquaintances no doubt telling tales in the school yard,”
Tara said calmly.
“To
say that your reputation not be mention your organisation, proceeds you. I find it highly ironic that a woman who did
her best to kill Claire would be so very interested in her welfare,” Alice said
with a tone.
“You
mustn’t believe all you hear about me, Lady Hamilton, that is only one side of
the equation.”
“And
are your mathematics skills that great that you can balance this equation,”
Alice asked with a tip of her glass.
“Yes,
if you’ll allow me the indulgence on the matter and several others,” she
replied and seeing Lady Alice nod slightly she began noting that the woman was
cool under what see was sure was crushing curiosity.
“I
was a COIL agent and a very good
one, but I had no desire to end my days, however long they may have been as
just an agent, being used and yes sometimes abused, by my own side and other
sides. I wanted more and let that be
known, I rose up through the ranks and because of my abilities, title and
connections not to mention my growing up in India I was able to become COIL’s
Head of Operations for the Indian Sub Continent. I later realised upon reflection that I would
have been better to stay, to use the vernacular ‘just another agent’ but I
wanted more and I got it.”
Tara
took a longer sip on her drink that usual and continued. “Whether you believe me or not, I had nothing
to do with what happened to Claire when she came to me in India. I have never told another person this, the
things that happened to her were strictly DOOM operations, I have my own
troubles to contend with, only mine were with COIL and I was unable to aid her,
but I was so happy when I heard she’d survived,” Lady Tara said
“A
fanciful start to an interesting tale, I can’t wait to hear how it ends up,”
Alice said sarcastically.
“I
have no doubt Claire told you the entire mission details and from her side I
certainly appear to be a COIL
Judas, but I see I shall have to build some trust between us before you will
listen and perhaps accept my side of events,” Lady Tara said as she reached for
her folder and extracted some papers.
Lady
Tara Ashton-White opened the manila folder and her expression visibly changed
from one of cool confident woman into what Lady Alice could best describe as
excited schoolgirl as her hand reached out and rested lightly on Alice’s wrist.
“It
is true!” she gasped. “Please excuse my
forwardness but I just had to know. You
really are 684 years old, oh my God. I
apologise, I don’t usually gush like this but….”
Alice
patted her hand clutching her wrist in a reassuring way that helped to focus
the woman.
“You
may take comfort in the knowledge that the very few people who know about me
have exactly the same reaction, which naturally leads me to inquire as to how
you know,” Alice asked.
She
watched the SNARE agent turn back into the cool calculating woman she was
before.
“You
cannot live as long as you have your ladyship and not leave at least some small
record of your existence whether intentional or unintentional. You seem to have had a long and I will say
distinguished career to kings and queens of country and they seem to have kept
quite a dossier on you,” Lady Tara said as she patted the folder. “You also seem to pop up here and there is
times of crisis, the references are at times archaic and I had to sift through
many a dusty volume of history in long forgotten corners of libraries and
archives to make the connect,” Tara answered.
“You
are a born researcher, I compliment you on your tenacity and scholarly
abilities but I must confess I feel a little like my privacy has been violated
in a way, not by you, but by those people I trusted over the centuries,” Lady
Alice said taking another sip of her beer then seeing the reaction on her
counterparts face.
“Oh
yes, you were quite right about the beer, but I started when I was six, water
was not to be trusted, brackish at times people strangely fell sick from
drinking it, so beer was always preferred, very weak of course, you had to
drink a great deal to get drunk, but it was safe and it gave you all the
necessary vitamins and calories you needed to stay healthy, Lady Alice said
tipping her glass up in a salute and taking another sip.
“How
did you find them?” Alice asked as she put the glass down.
“Quite
by accident actually, I was there looking for my records and something I could
use to convince COIL that I was not the traitor they thought I was, my visits
to official government records offices, were shall I say of a clandestine
nature, as I am not welcomed since my unfortunate incident. I stumbled upon them in complete error, they
were misfiled, I counted believe what I was reading anyway to make a long story
short I smuggled them out along with my files and then did my research on your
Ladyships most fascinating life,” Lady Tara said her voice getting excited
again before she calmed it quickly.
“At
any rate, these belong to you and nobody else,” Tara said pushing the manila
folder toward Alice.
“And
that?” Alice inquired referring to a second folder Tara had her hand on.
“This
is the one I took about me, I want you to look at it, but I must have it back,
this is part of my building a trust factor between us and hopefully others,”
she said sliding it over.
Alice
in good manners left hers and opened Lady Tara’s and began reading and scanning
over the minutes as she flipped pages forward and back, checking facts and
dates with what Claire had told her and others before she put it down after ten
long silent minutes.
“COIL
and your own country sold you out because you discovered this secret and
threatened to expose it and you if they didn’t destroy it,” Alice said.
“I
was never kidnapped by SNARE, that organisation was a creation of some COIL
mind as part of the plot against me. I
was in fact kidnapped by COIL and interrogated for two weeks in Sri Lanka. The part about me escaping is true, the part
about me killing my fellow agents is not, I could never do that, even after
what they did to me for those two weeks.
If those agents, who were probably acting on a false tale told to them
about me, died then COIL did it to
cover their own tracks,” Lady Tara said her voice cracking a bit.
“So
you turned up again and they had no choice but to keep you on as you had
carefully woven a web of security around yourself with regard to your personal
safety and the release of information should anything happen to you,” Alice finished.
“COIL
put me in charge of Ops for the Indian Sub Continent, but under very close
observation,” Tara said.
“Yes
a woman named Pushpa if I recall, she is a very good friend of Claire’s,” Alice
said referring back to the folder to confirm.
“Pushpa
was a wise choice a highly skilled agent, she kept a very close watch over me
for which I was eternally grateful for you see, she was a confident of mine
from the start, in fact my only one, until today. She played her part perfectly, saved my life
when COIL assassins used the secret entrance into my office to drug me. You see Lady Hamilton, they were afraid I was
going to tell Claire my little secret, pass it on to an agent they truly could
never totally control, Lady Tara Ashton-White said.
“Claire
did mention to me that she did hero worship you a bit and even told you so upon
meeting you,” Alice added.
“Yes,
she did gush a little the way I did a few minutes ago, you have no idea how
happy that made me feel, to have a woman of her exceptional abilities look up
to me that way, I knew I could chance telling her everything, but that’s
exactly why I didn’t,” Tara resigned.
“Because
you didn’t want to see her hurt,” Alice said softly.
“There’s
a part of me that believes COIL sent her on that mission knowing she’d meet up
with in the hopes that I would tell her so they could then eliminate the both
of us, two agents they could never control for I don’t need to tell you that in
this business its all about control,” Lady Tara offered with derision in her
voice.
“But
wasn’t that de Roy man in charge of COIL at that time and wasn’t he a DOOM
convert?” Lady Alice questioned.
“This
is higher than that, these decisions are made at a level and in the shadows
most people cannot even imagine, things have not changed that much from when
Cromwell ran Elizabeth’s secret service,” Tara said.
“Despicable
man,” Lady Hamilton said nearly spitting out the words.
Tara
had to contain herself, this woman had actually met him, questions flooded into
her mind, yet she stopped the flow and retuned to the matter at hand only after
a concerted effort.
“As
for the other incidents with Claire, the lipstick tracker was so Pushpa could
save her from another attack from the Silkworm Seema. The trap in the house was an act of treachery
from a DOOM plant by the name of Raj, Claire took care of him. I knew I had to flee, draw the COIL and
whatever DOOM operatives away from Claire so she and Pushpa would be safe. I returned to deliver the poison dart of
Claire, by that I mean, fake poison dart to make the plan all make sense in
Claire’s mind. The dart was merely a
suggestive hallucinogen that allowed Pushpa who was waiting in the bushes, to
suggest to Claire the drug was designed to cripple her for life, but that she
had saved her thereby cementing the bond between them, Pushpa is a excellent
ally to have,” Lady Tara explained.
“So
she is still your friend then?” Alice asked.
“My
only eyes and ears inside COIL, she tells me missions, so my agents, ah yes,
that part I forgot,” Lady Tara smiled a sexy smile. “I purloined the SNARE name; after all it was
a good creative story from COIL so why not bring it to life, make them live in
a nightmare of their own creation so to speak.
I have a few agent’s, all excellent, we are a small group, but very
effective. Pushpa provides me with
intelligence on COIL missions so
we can avoid contact with them and in the event we do clash my agents are under
direct orders not to harm them seriously.
I have no loyalty to COIL, but I do have to the men and woman,
especially the woman, they have some exceptionally talented young agents. Pushpa also knows the secret, keeps it close
and works to uncover more as she is united with me on this,” Tara stated.
Alice
said nothing for a long time, she just thought, it was Lady Tara who spoke
again.
“I
was going to tell Claire, but then, she ran into the current situation that
brings you here your Ladyship. Which brings me to another point on this matter,
you. What do you think COIL would pay or
do to get their hands on you Lady Hamilton?
A woman impervious to poison, cold, heat and as beautiful as you are,
you would make almost the perfect agent.
Your DNA would be priceless to them and you’d have no choice in the
matter, truly Alice and please forgive me for saying this you’d live forever
and ever, world without end. They would
just create another Lady Hamilton, one after the other, just as they intend to
do with me, Claire, probably with Alex Chase and Paige Worthington and a few
other select ones and we’d have no choice in the matter and worse neither would
our copies and it all would have been done without our consent or knowledge had
I not found out,” Tara said in a sour tone.
“But
if they knew about it, then really wouldn’t it be up to the individual to
choose?” Alice asked.
“If
that was their choice then they would have been told about it and not had it
buried in classified files,” Tara said reaching down and tossing out a folder
from her case that spilled documents.
“All copies I made.”
“There
are some names here I know, but I must confess I do not know the inner workings
of the organisation nor most of its agents,” Alice said as she scanned the
list.
“The
ones with a check beside them are dead already; they appropriately named this
little project Lazarus. Playing God and
being God are two separate matters. COIL
had control of my destiny as an agent I freely gave that to them when I signed
up, but I never gave them permission to create me again and again to suit their
purpose,” Lady Tara snapped.
“Why
tell me all this, you know there’s every chance in the world I could think you
are lying and this is all just some made deception for you to play out as some
form of plot against your former employer who found you actually were the quisling
they suspected you were,” Alice ventured.
“Or
I’m telling you because you’re the one person who isn’t tainted by COIL ’s poison about me. The person who would listen with an open mind
and know what I say was genuine and trust that I was telling the truth,” Lady
Tara smiled.
One
advantage of living a long time was that you were better able to discern a
charmer verses a person telling you the truth.
Lady Tara’s smile came from her heart, it was pure and true as were her
words, she needed no more convincing, of the others she was not so sure, but
that was for later, if she made it. Alice
pushed down a sudden menacing bolt of her hunger and willed herself to focus,
her effort was caught in Lady Tara’s eye and she reached out a hand to Alice.
“No!”
Alice yelled, more at herself than at her companion, but it was not interpreted
that way.
“I
sorry I didn’t mean to be overly familiar, please accept my apologies for
overstepping,” Lady Tara said in a truly sorry voice.
Alice
finished her struggle and looked up as Lady Tara collected all the folders
except the one that contained Alice’s data, which she had left.
“I
had to try, I hope you understand, thank you for listening, I’ll not bother you
again,” Lady Tara Ashton-White said as she made to leave before Alice put a
gentle arm on her elbow and stopped her.
“I
am dying Lady Ashton-White, not a physical death, but a spiritual one, I cannot
explain how, but I am being transformed into nothing, it has happened once
already and I’m losing my will to control myself and keep it from consuming me
once and for all. For me there is a
world with an end, a void I will slip into at some point soon and not be able
to return from. It calls me now and all
I have to do is say yes to the hunger and give into the ravenous evil that
thirsts inside me,” Alice as she looked Tara in the eye.
“What
awaits you that is so evil,” Lady Tara asked as she stroked the woman’s arms in
comfort.
“The
complete absence of everything, even myself,” Alice answered.
“And
the hunger, its me, my blood you hunger for isn’t it?” Lady Tara asked.
“Its
so much more than that Lady Tara, the blood is so sweet, but its nothing
compared to what I really want. I want
to feel you surrender to me, to acknowledge me, to give me what you give no
other, just a little of it, then I can pull the rest from you and watch you die
in succulent regret, that is the sweetness I crave, but refuse to let have me
until Claire is cured. The love of my
child, then as now keeps me here and I will not be drawn away from it.”
“What
will you do then,” Lady Tara asked knowing and dreading the answer.
“We
will just keep that our secret as we both know what must happen, but rest
assured I will explain everything to Claire that you have told me,” Alice
answered as she again looked fine.
“I,
I would be remiss if I didn’t say this and I take no pleasure in saying it,”
Tara hesitated.
“Then
I will say it for you, I know that stones can cure me, but Claire is my child,
my second child, and this one will not slip away from me. She carries on for me,” Alice said and saw
the bewildered look on Lady Tara’s face.
“Well
we ample time before the plane comes and I’m quite recovered would you like to
here my story,” Lady Alice smiled and upon receiving a nod ordered another beer
and a drink for Tara.
“Before
I begin I noticed a large bound dossier in your case that you have glanced at
several times and then at me, what is it may I ask?” Alice smiled.
“Nothing,
it is not important now, given the situation,” Tara tried to wave it off.
“Come
your Ladyship no secrets between us ladies,” Alice laughed as she reached over
and pulled it out.
“The
Effects, Consequences and Responses to the Citizens of London 1665 to 1666,”
she read allowed and looked at Lady Tara
“My
PhD dissertation, I had hoped to present it later this year,” Tara said
reaching for the dossier.
“You
not only make an excellent spy, so I’m told, but apparently a superb research
detective as well. I see the records the government kept on me were quite extensive,”
Alice said.
“I was hoping to ask you to look at it, given
the fact that they do indicate you were back in London for the entire outbreak,
and then send it back to me if our encounter went well, but given the
circumstances, I won’t burden you with it,’ Lady Tara explained again reaching
for the document.
“Nonsense,
as the survivor of two great plagues and many smaller ones I consider myself
quite and expert on the matter,” she smiled.
“Seriously, it would be a pleasure, but I think we need to go a little
further with this,” she said going into her purse and pulling out a key and a
blank card the size of a business card and began writing on it. “Take this key and this card and go to this
address in London, present the card and everything will be explained and
provided for you,” Lady Alice said.
“What
language is this and where am I going,” Lady Tara said in a puzzled voice as
she started at the card.
“Early
Middle English, just the way my mother taught me to make the letters and as to
where you are going, my home in London Lady Ashton-White and my library,” Alice
answered with a smile. “You see trust
comes full circle. If by chance I do not
return, I shall take the privilege of the first address. Congratulations Dr. Lady Tara Ashton-White,”
she said raising her glass.
“Just
when you think there are no more surprises in the world, now to my story,”
Alice said.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
One by one the
women returned from their respective quests, Alex being the last to arrive and after
the usual welcoming hugs from the others she turned and smiled as Aki wearing
her best kimono silently appeared in the doorway of the room. Alex walked over and they joined hands before
embracing then the smile disappearing from both their faces at the precise same
time, then they left together without a word to the others.
“It’s like they
share one mind,” Paige said with a sigh.
“That may not be the blessing you think it is,” Mrs. Hawthorne
added.
“Oh I don’t know two heads are better than one and all that,” Kiko
mused.
“When do we proceed with Claire?” Alice focused the talk in a
sharper tone than she would have liked.
“I thought we
would do it after dinner, kind of a welcome back for all and to toast our
future success,” Kiko said flatly then felt she needed to add. “Claire is my blood sister, there is no one
closer to me than her, but you have all become my family as a result of this
exercise and I wish to honour you all as part of my new family and I think some
people need to spend some time together and perhaps others need to unwind.”
Alice took the tone for what it meant as well as the message and
didn’t push it they have several days to spare and several more hours one way
or another would not matter. She simply
smiled, bowed and let and the others trailed out after her.
Dinner was a more subdued event than Kiko could have imagined. Alex and Aki talked low amongst themselves,
Kiko somewhat surprised at the rudeness of The Poison Geisha given all her
training. Mrs. Hawthorne seemed very
pensive and forward looking, Alice made small talk but seemed totally inward
and stiff, Kiko would have thought she was in pain if that had been possible
which she knew it was not. Only Paige
was herself so Kiko took to her to make the time pass rather than undo the
calculus of emotions in the room.
“I think it is
time that we complete this epic quest to save Claire. Alice has the stones we recovered and she
will lead the ceremony,” Kiko said as she rose from her sitting position.
The paper door in the dining room was slide open by a student of the
school, the women filled out and followed Kiko down a hallway out into the
circular open reception and training area down another short hallway and into
the room where Claire’s body lay on the floor another student closing the paper
door as the last person entered.
Alice placed the
stones at the cross points where lines would have intersected to form the
pattern of a crucifix then led each women to a place she wished them to
stand.
“Should we join hands and say something,” Paige blurted out.
“No need,” answered Alice.
“Most of what happens in the universe we never see, so it is with this,
the miracle is in seeing the outcome not the pomp and circumstance. We just need to patient and wait,” she added.
They waited quietly until Kiko bolted from the circle and sailed
through the air her extended leg slamming its heel into the jaw of one of her
students her body spinning like a top before whirling to the ground the clang
of the sword she had held in her hand echoing across the room. The rest was a blur that even they could not
piece together after reflection. It was
all a blur of swords and cutting air and steel hitting flesh as the women
battle an equal number of students who fought much better than they should have
been able to. It was over inside of a
minute the guards vanquished as Alex finished the last of three she had taken
on then turned to face the others. She smiled puzzled by the horrified looks
from the group, licked her lips, her taste buds just recording the minute
sensation of acrid liquid as she swallowed.
“What?” she began before her throat and mouth filled with blood the
deluge spilling forth drowning out anymore of her words.
She looked down, then up again at the faces of her comrades, they
still bore the horrified expressions, hers was more awestruck, as if she’d
witnessed a magician’s parlour trick and was unsure of the reality she
occupied, hers or his. Then she looked
again and the present washed over her!
Alex’s knees weakened, Aki and Alice rushed forth catching her and
holding her up, Alice reached behind and pulled the sword from her back, the
blade receding from beyond the six inches it had emerged out the front of her
chest and back through her body, its discarded clashing sound on the floor
reverberating like a death toll!
“Alex!” Aki, her voice soft and panicked said as she took the weight
of her soul mate and lowered her to the floor her hand cradling the spy’s head
until she placed it on her under folded thighs as she leaned over her. Alice was at her feet seeing if there was
anything she could do, but knowing in her heart the wound was mortal.
Alex tried to speak, but the blood streamed and flowed from her
mouth allowing only a tortured gurgling sound intermixed with coughing that
only increased the volume of the red mass as her eyes widened and flashed with
the knowing realization of mortality spent before her. Her arms reached up shaking with the effort
it took to move them until they found Alice’s hands in hers. Their eyes locked together as each looked
into the other. The spy coughed several
times her body convulsing in its efforts to dispel the blood from her throat
and keep her from drowning in it. The
red effluent pored forth from her as she twitched and desperately tried to
speak, the only sound a guttural cacophony of wheezing air forcing its way from
her mouth, Alice desperately fighting the temptation to taste it.
Her eyes dimmed, her body stilled and she was gone.
Across the room among the stones a pair of eyes opened.
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