The Price of Power"So, what happens once we reach your estate?" She places her hand on his leg and smiles back. "First, since it's so close to dawn, we sleep darling. Then tomorrow eve, there will be a short meeting with the other Pack leaders to coordinate our plans and from there, we make the short trip to Belluno and begin the siege of the two cities that we're going after this time. Belluno should be fairly easy to take. We've had spies in there for months. Trento, on the other hand, may pose some problems." Jon looks at her curiously. "Why do you feel that we'll have problems? From what you've told me, we have more than enough people to take out both of these cities." She thinks a moment before replying. "We do darling....as long as all we have to fight is the Camarilla. We are moving into Giovanni territory here. I have had various meetings with the Dons of this area. The old men seem a bit resistant to change and like things the way they are right now, though they seem to change their minds every time I speak to them. If they become involved in this on the wrong side, it could cause trouble for us." She frowns slightly. "I don't like unpredictable circumstances, my dear. I just hope that when we reach the estate, the information I've been waiting for will be there." Jon smiles and leans over to kiss her gently. "You seem to have a knack for making everything turn out the way you want it to, Alexis. I'm sure this situation will be no different. You know that I will be standing by your side every minute. Nothing will take me from you." The limo pulls up and parks in front of the main doors of House Narciano. The driver gets out and opens the doors for his passengers. As they exit the car, the large double doors of the mansion open and the two walk up the stairs and enter the foyer. An old man in his late 70s-early 80s wearing a butler's uniform steps into the room to greet them, leaning heavily on a cane. Alexis walks ahead of Jon and embraces the old man gently and speaks to him in Italian. "Grandfather, it's good to see you again." She takes note of the cane and gives Angelo a small frown. "You're getting worse I see. I wish you would accept my help." The old man reaches out with a wrinkled hand and touches her cheek. "I have led a full life, child. When my time comes, I will go naturally." Angelo looks behind her at Jon with a warm smile on his face, then looks a bit stunned, as if he had expected to see someone else. He quickly recovers and bows to the stranger, speaking in broken, heavily accented English. "Welcome to House Narciano, M'lord. I am Angelo, the Chief Butler of this estate." Jon steps forward and gives a slight nod of his head, looking at Angelo oddly, remembering the look on his face. "I am Jon Ashton, a...friend of the Contessa's." Jon looks at Alexis, obviously confused by what is going on. He meets the same look of confusion in her eyes as she looks between the two men, then turns to Angelo. "Jon is my Templar, Angelo. A...bodyguard if you will. Why do you look at him in such a manner?" Angelo bows again to Jon, then looks to his granddaughter. "Forgive me. child. I had expected to see the man that was here with you last time. Macabre, I believe his name was." She frowns at him, a look of non-recognition in her eyes. "I know no one by that name Angelo. You must be getting a bit senile in your old age." She laughs softly, then assumes a business-like demeanor. "Have our guests begun to arrive yet?" Angelo nods. "Yes M'lady. They are in the guest house as you instructed. I made all of the necessary arrangements for their comfort." She glances out the window and notices the approaching dawn. "Good, very good. Jon and I will take our rest then. We'll see you tomorrow eve." She leans over and kisses his cheek, then leads Jon up the grand staircase and down the hall to the master suite, ignoring his look of curiousness at the way she treated someone he believed to be a simple servant. As they enter the sitting room of her chambers, he can hold back no longer. "What was that all about down there?" She walks to her writing desk and begins sifting through the pile of papers and letters there. "What exactly do you mean? I recently discovered that Angelo is my natural grandfather. As for the other...." She trails off and shrugs. "I have no idea. He is very old. I'm sure he must've just been confused." She tosses letter after letter, and file after file on her desk, then sees what she was looking for. She breaks the seal on the parchment and reads, a small frown on her face that only grows darker the further down the page she gets. "What does it say, Alexis?" Jon walks to her side, a look of concern on his face. She looks up at him, her eyes flashing. She hands him the letter and walks away, a tired look in her eyes as dawn draws ever nearer. Jon watches her a moment, then looks down at the paper. Shadow Jon sighs and lays the letter on her desk then follows her into the bedroom. He finds her already in bed and fast asleep. Wearily, he undresses for bed and climbs in next to her, then pulls her close to him before he drifts off to sleep, turning over various thoughts and plans in his mind.  Part 2: Siege |
