I awoke refreshed and excited that night. A lot was going on in the city; the members of DX were meeting and the new Prince, Lord Ian of Toredor, was holding his first session of court. Also, I had not seen Lord Brendon since the party for the Justicar, and was anxious to hear if he had discovered anything further about my husband.
Not bothering to call Chicago, for my sire was away in Spain and Dominic probably had responsibilities of his own to mind, I set out. Lord Ian’s estate was quite a distance from my apartment, but in truth, I didn’t mind the walk. That is, I didn’t mind the walk until it began to rain. I have never much cared for being wet, so I ducked behind a wall, checked to make sure no one was around, activated Shadow of the Beast, and flew away as a bat.
In minutes I was at the doorway of the house of the Prince, so I resumed my form and walked in. Lounging on the stairs and in the main hall were the rest of my DX family, as well as Lord Ian, Lord Brendon, Lady Meredith, a tall man that I’d never seen before, and Rover, the Malkavian under the belief that he’s a dog. Pierce whispered to me that he’d heard that the tall guy was Chris, the city’s new sheriff. Josie arrived a few minutes later with Vincent, and it appeared everything was underway.
Apparently, we were each going to be ‘interviewed’ by the Prince before DX could meet, and though I grumbled along with the rest, I didn’t really mind; after all, I had nothing to hide. Not surprisingly, I was soon led into the small meeting room, and the heavy, sliding wood door was closed behind. Lord Brendon took one of the two soft chairs, I sat on the side couch, and Pierce sat warily in an ornately carved rocking-chair. Lord Ian calmly stroked a beautiful black-and-white cat which sat aloof on the footrest of the chair.
"Well Eternus…" the Prince began, but I hated being given the brush-off, so I circumvented him.
"You want to know why I’m in the city, what I want, and am I a threat to you and your rule," I stated.
"Um, yes."
"I first came to Swarthmore in mid-March, looking for my sister, the late Ta’jid Noviev of Gangrel. When I learned that she had been killed in a Sabbat attack, I communicated with my sire, who bade me stay in the city a few more weeks to wrap up any lose ends. Since my lord Zythe knew Pierce, having fought with him during the Detroit Invasion, he advised me to seek his council. I did, and it was on that night that I was brought into DX." I paused and lifted my left sleeve, showing the brand.
"After speaking further with my sire, we decided that it would be best if I remained in the city for, more or less, the next year. I had heard from my late sister that the Gangrel who have passed through Swarthmore have included a violent arsonist, Assimites posing as clan-members, and antitribu traitors. If possible, I mean to clean up the name of Gangrel in this city."
Pierce nodded in support, and I saw that neither Lords Ian or Brendon had a problem with what I’d said; the former looked to be agreeing, and already thinking about what to tell me so he could get to the next DX member.
"Well, if you have any problems, or any ideas, or anything you think should be addressed, well, by all means, I hope you will feel free to bring them to me and we’ll see what we can do. That will be all for now, could you please send in Katrina?"
I rose, and so did the cat, who strode to the door and waited for me to open it. I did, and summoned Katrina for her ‘interview’ with the Prince and his second-in-command. One by one, all of DX entered that room and returned again, having no idea what was to happen next. We all knew that Lord Ian didn’t like having us in the city, but could he really take action and throw us all out?
Vincent went for his interview, and when it took longer than the rest of ours had, Josie started to get upset.
"Why do you think they’re taking so long? Are they going to throw us out of Swarthmore?" she asked after minutes of humming anxiously.
"Josie, you must stop and remember just what Vincent is. He’s Lasombra, and even though they are a noble clan from before the Sabbat, and even though he is antitribu, this city has just survived a major attack. The Prince is well within his rights to be suspicious," I reminded her.
"But Vincent isn’t bad, honest!"
"I know that. You trust him as you trust the rest of DX, and if you do, then so do I. As long as we know the truth, who cares what Lord Ian thinks?"
She didn’t answer, just began singing softly. I wasted the time in idle chatter with Katrina and Lady Meredith, and Josie amused herself by throwing dog treats to Rover. Mace was called away on business, but promised to return before the end of court. After quite a while, Vincent strode out of the meeting room, followed by Lord Brendon, and Prince Ian. Pierce stuck his head through the doorway and motioned for the rest of DX to join him. We filed in.
Rover sat by the door listening for eavesdroppers, and the rest of us sat in the many chairs or on the expansive couch. Pierce reminded us again that we were to look out for what was going on in the city; in other words, who and who not to trust. He welcomed Eddie South and Vincent to DX, and though I had faith in the latter, I wasn’t too sure about the former, he just looked sleazy.
I discovered that Vincent was an elder, and that was very interesting indeed. What was an old Lasombra antitribu and his 16 year-old Daughter of Cacophony tag-along doing in Swarthmore? Certainly they posed no threat, but I found myself interested in, what I assumed to be, their highly checkered past. Vincent explained that he was the prime candidate for the position of Keeper of Elyseium, and that the Prince would probably let him serve it.
After that, both Pierce and Larcen addressed us, then, I had something to say. I warned my DX family that there was a chance that my husband, Wen Fu, was still alive, possibly walking undead, or worse. Everyone said they’d keep an eye out for him, and I felt a great deal better. Wen Fu, if he was even still around, couldn’t possibly hurt me when I had the support of a bunch of Brujahs, could he?
People were starting to arrive for the first night’s session of Prince Ian’s court. I greeted those I knew, but spent a deal of time sitting at the base of the large, ornate staircase which graced the font hall. Lord Brendon approached, and motioned that I follow him up the stairs. Fearing the worst, I did. We stood in a small central hall surrounded by walls of bookcases, and Lord Brendon drew the Mirror of Malkav from his pocket.
"Eternus…" he began slowly, and I knew that whatever was coming could not possibly be good. "I’ve spent some time looking into the Mirror, and I believe that your husband is still around, but I don’t yet know if he’s mortal or Kindred. I need another picture of him, perhaps a strong emotion you connect him with."
I thought hard, dredging the recesses of my memory for a sentiment of the man. My face wrinkled as I felt him, became him.
"You bitch!" I shouted against my own will, and involuntarily, my lip curled in disgust. Lord Brendon instinctively backed away, but kept his eyes locked with mine, though I was blinded with the drunken, raging thoughts of Wen Fu.
"I see you! You think that you don’t belong to me? Ha! Daughter of squalid pigs, I will always be your master! Bow to me, bitch! No? See her, your precious little Sao-kan, the dog-spawn that you gave me instead of a son? I’ll kill her, I swear!"
Lord Brendon was still looking into my eyes as the anger faded, and to my surprise, Larcen bounded into the hall.
"Can’t you see we’re working on something?" asked the Malkavian, a little put off that his concentration had been broken.
"Are you OK, Eternus?" the Brujah asked, concerned. I nodded. "I’m sorry, but when I hear, ‘I’ll kill her, I swear’, I do tend to jump to conclusions," Larcen retaliated, before heading back down the stairs, almost knocking into Josie, on her way up. There was still a trace of the wrath of Wen Fu on my face, and I think it scared her, so I tried to smile, to reassure the young one. Seeming worried, Josie retreated, but I knew that she was lurking on the landing at the top of the stairs, and had not gone down to rejoin the court.
With a shout, Lord Brendon stared deep into the Mirror, light shooting out in all directions. My hands clasped over my mouth to prevent me from crying out, I watched, hoping against my greatest fear.
"He’s alive, among the Undead," croaked Lord Brendon, struggling to focus on the Mirror. "It, no! He’s, he’s here! He’s on this coast!" A final burst of light shot out, and the Malkavian was forced to shove the Mirror away, and lean, terribly exhausted, against one of the bookcases.
I waited for the final verdict. Suddenly I turned, and noticed Pierce and Lady Meredith standing behind me. They both seemed confused and scared.
"What’s going on here?" demanded Pierce. Lord Brendon held up the Mirror, and that one motion had a dramatic effect on the two elders. Pierce stepped forward into the hall to speak with him, and Lady Meredith pulled me back towards the stairs.
"Are you crazy?" she shouted, "Why are you messing around with that?"
"It’s all right, I can handle it, and don’t take her away! Eternus needs to be here, I’m doing this for her."
"Well, if that’s what you want, but I’m going to be right here on the stairs," replied Lady Meredith, and, with an expression which showed that she obviously thought the world would end within the next few minutes, she retreated to the landing, finding Josie in the shadows. Pierce, seeing that something important was going on, also started to leave.
"Lord Brendon, I just wanted to tell you that’s it’s going down tonight, but we’ll speak more when you’re finished here."
When they had gone, Lord Brendon turned to me, and if he’d been mortal, probably would have taken a deep breath to calm himself, but I already feared the worst.
"Eternus, I found Wen Fu. He’s on the East Coast, and, well, I’m more than sure that he’s been Embraced. However, there’s something really, really wrong with his aura, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and I’ve seen a lot."
"Is it bad?"
"I’m not sure, but it is very different, almost unreadable. It could be that he has become a very powerful Kindred, or it could be that he’s a Garou that never realized it, but I’ve read Garou on occasion, and I’d know if he was. No, I think he’s definitely one of us," spoke Lord Brendon, then he began expounding, Malkavian style(rambling, really), on the different kinds of auras he’d scanned, along with an extended history on the creation of the clan Tremere.
Fatigue was showing in the kind-hearted man, so I thanked him extensively and headed for the stairs. Lady Meredith was still there on the landing, she asked if everything was OK, and I assured her it was. Half-way down the stairs, I stopped.
"Lady Meredith, your kind are powerful sorcerers who know much of magic. Tell me, is Lord Brendon putting himself in danger by using the Mirror?"
"It’s hard to say, because I don’t know much about it. Why, did something go wrong?"
"No, but using it seemed to tire him, take a great deal out of the man. I know that he wants to help me, but I don’t want him to hurt himself," I replied.
"Well, keep an eye on him for me, I’m concerned as well."
With that, the two of us went down to join the party, now in full swing. Lord Ian was in council with Chris, the new sheriff, and more people kept pouring in. I met a Tremere, Otto, who was new to the city, although the young man seemed a bit brash, and Martin Oliver, a Tremere in a trench-coat and shades who just stared at everyone. I also met a dashing Italian, Lord Sebastian Giovanni, apparently the older brother of Lord Dante Giovanni, one of Swarthmore’s former Princes.
Lady Meredith and I were speaking, in fact, on there being new Tremere in the city, when Vincent approached us. Speaking softly, as he usually did, he made polite conversation, then right-out asked Lady Meredith to teach him Thaumaturgy. She refused as tactfully as possible, and went off, probably to council with the two new Tremere. Vincent took the seat beside me.
"That was rather brave of you," I commented.
"Well, I figured if I was going to ask her, I might as well be up-front about it," he replied.
"A good policy to have."
We sat for a few moments in silence, and I noticed Josie hovering around the wall in the next room, and remembered how she’d come up behind Vincent, trying to get his attention, while he’d been talking with Lady Meredith and I. I excused myself from his presence so he and Josie could speak, and went into the meeting room, finding it occupied by Eddie South and Jack Lupus. I joined their conversation, but in-as-much as I had spent my mortal, and immortal life as a member of the female gender, I couldn’t really relate.
Tired and anxious, I returned to the main hall, and wandered to the thick front door. Outside, the rain was pouring down torrentially over everything, and I could smell the wet earth. My hands fell lightly against the cold glass. Wen Fu was out there somewhere, and soon he would come for me. Again, the image of my young daughter, Sao-kan, flashed though my being. Cringing, I almost curled up, my soul ached.
"There you are, Eternus."
I turned and saw Pierce heading towards me. My face twisted into a mask of sorrow, and I hid against the door. The big Brujah came over and touched me gently on the shoulder.
"Please, tell me what’s wrong," he implored, and I felt that as one of the leaders of DX, he had more than a right to know.
"Lord Brendon looked into the Mirror again at my behest. He told me that Wen Fu is a Kindred, and he’s here, on the East Coast."
"Don’t you worry about him. You’re DX, and we’re here, we’ll all protect you. You’re family."
"I know, but Lord Brendon says that my husband’s aura is like nothing he’s ever scanned before, and that guy has seen a lot," I replied, "Pierce, I trust you and know that you and the rest will stand with me, but you have no idea what Wen Fu is capable of." A blood-red tear made it’s way down my cheek.
Pierce tenderly wiped it away, and assured me that I had nothing to worry about. At the time, I tried to accept his words, although the way thing went, he turned out to be wrong, dead wrong.
Time passed as it usually does, and I felt the party start to stagnate. For the last ten minutes, Lord Ian, Lord Brendon, Lady Meredith, Chris, Larcen, Pierce, Vincent, and Josie had been in the meeting room, the door guarded by Katrina and Eddie South. Tempers on that side had been rising steadily, and I was becoming concerned over what would happen. Slavo, the Nosferatu, came and sat next to me on the stairs.
"Things are getting a bit riotous, no?"
"That’s for sure."
We spoke for a while about musical styles, and I must say that musicians are quite interesting people; I can see why the Toredor like them so much. Soon we were joined by Monique, the Ventrue Ghoul, and she prattled on for a while about fashion and hem-lines. To tell the truth, I wasn’t really listening, I was more concerned about what was going on behind closed doors. Apparently, so were others. Otto, one of the new Tremere, was picking a fight with Katrina.
"So, what’s going on in there?" he asked slyly.
Katrina shot him an exasperated look. "I can’t tell you, and actually, I’m not even sure what they’re doing."
Still, the little guy didn’t let up. He told her that he was a powerful Tremere, and that if there was a Primogen meeting going on, that he should be involved(I guess he conveniently ‘forgot’ about Lady Meredith). When that failed, he and Lord Sebastian Giovanni tried to bribe her into letting them through. That didn’t plan didn’t prove fruitful, so they tried threatening my DX kin. I wanted to help, but in truth, pitied the fools, for Katrina and Eddie were Brujah, two of the best fighters in the city.
Backed by Lord Sebastian, Otto lit into Katrina, and Eddie South joined the fight. I stood, but kept back, not wanting to get drawn into things, but not wanting anyone to get hurt or killed. The four of them were a blur in front of the door, and everyone who’d been milling around came to the main hall to watch the fight. It looked like my friends were winning, but then Otto used some kind of magic to knock Katrina back through the door. I winced, but saw that she was hanging by her collar, which was clenched in Larcen’s fist.
He lightly put her down, glared daggers at the two trouble makers, then stepped out into the main hall. Silence held all who had gathered to watch the brawl, which was, as it turned out, nearly all in the house.
"Kindred of Swarthmore, your Prince," he declared.
I bowed on one knee, expecting to see Prince Ian strut out for his first session of court, but was confused and horrified when Lord Brendon followed, holding in his right hand the severed head of Lord Ian of Toredor. He stood in the center of the main hall, and shouted at the head, telling it how it was no good, he’d deserved to be Prince anyway.
Pierce walked out with Vincent, and I saw Lady Meredith helping Josie over to the stairs. Great Dragon! Had they beheaded him in front of her? I backed up closer to the wall, and Vincent, on his way over to Josie, stopped next to me. About to ask what in Cain’s name had happened, I was stopped as Alexandria, the Tzimice antitribu, in full form, barreled into the room and attacked Lord Brendon.
Instantly, she was wrapped in Shadow Tendrils cast by Vincent, and Pierce tried to cleave her with his sword while Larcen and Katrina shot round after round. Instinct took over and I drew my Wolfclaws, moving forward to slash her as best I could, for my weapons might be more primal than a gun, but they do aggravated damage. Finally, she slumped forward in torpor, and we left it to Chris to either finish her or remove her from the city.
Things had gone terribly, terribly wrong, and I needed a moment of clarity. I found Lady Meredith watching over the unconscious Josie. For a while I said nothing, wishing that whatever had happened had not, and wishing that it hadn’t gone on before the innocent eyes of the young Daughter of Cacophony.
"Eternus, I guess you have the same question everyone has had," spoke Lady Meredith.
"In doing so, you would assume correct," I replied.
"Well, there’s not much to say. We were just talking with Lord Ian and he suddenly went berserk. He was screaming and throwing things, almost in some kind of ultra-frenzy. Luckily Vincent, was in a position where he could incapacitate him while Pierce did the only thing he could."
"And Josie?"
The Tremere sighed. "I hope she’ll be all right, she’s seen a lot tonight, a lot that I’ll bet she didn’t want to see. However, she did help save us."
"How?"
"After Lord Ian went off and started endangering us, Josie started singing, nervous habit I guess, and well, he was frozen." I nodded, remembering my sire telling me of Toredor’s Bane. "That second was all Vincent needed to take action."
She started to say something else, but was interrupted by Chris, who ushered us into the meeting room for an emergency Primogen meeting. I took the rocking chair, while Lady Meredith and Lord Sebastian Giovanni sat on the couch. Jack Lupus situated himself on one of the chairs, the other was taken by Prince Brendon, while Pierce sat on the large footrest and Chris hovered by the door.
"Now, I’d like to lay down some rules," began Lord Brendon, "I know that all of you are thinking, ‘Wait, a Malkavian for Prince? That’ll never work!’ but let me tell you that I know how cities work, and I know how to rule. We Malks are always spat upon by the other clans, but our insanity is not for nothing."
He continued, telling us that he was issuing a state of emergency in Swarthmore, and no one was to enter or leave. He wanted us to be up-front with him, and not to turn little problems into revolutions. Also, he decreed that only Chris, the sheriff, was to be armed. Pierce was radically opposed to that, but then again, he’s a Brujah, and guns are their tools of trade.
Suprisingly, Jack Lupus also spoke against the arms ban. He said that, although he believed that guns in the city were beginning to become a problem, he saw no reason why no one but the sheriff should have one. Why should the Prince try to get rid of weapons, he argued.
"I beg to differ," I put in, and drew my Wolfclaws, "you and I, Jack, we carry our weapons with us." I meant it too, he’d once been Gangrel, so he still had his claws.
"Yes, that’s right. Some Kindred are already equipped with what they need to survive, and people like Eternus and Jack, thankfully, have enough sense to use them correctly, for self defense, people!" shouted Lord Brendon.
Lady Meredith sighed, reached down and pulled up one of her pants’ leg, drawing the small derringer she kept, and handed it to Lord Brendon. He seemed abashed, and a little embarrassed to be robbing to petite woman of her weapon, but reneged, saying that she was an Arcon and needed to defend herself at all costs.
A knock at the door stole all attention from the Prince, and William Blair stuck his head in to announce that two police officers were at the door, and they were looking for Ian Harper. I was about to panic, fearing that they’d burst in, and find someone in breach of the Masquerade. Then more cops would come, and we might all die. Lord Brendon, however, was calm. He took the Mask of a Thousand Faces from Chris, and before our eyes, morphed into the appearance of Lord Ian.
We waited tensely, trying not to look at Chris, who was now unmasked and looking hideous, but then, that’s what all Nosferatu have to deal with, I guess. Finally, Lord Brendon came back and told us we wouldn’t have to worry about the police. Again, he reminded us of the new rules of the city, then let us go tend to our own endeavors.
I sat on the lower landing of the stairs, trying to think things through. There was some commotion by the front door, and from the snatches of conversation I heard, it appeared that the police had returned, and Slavo, wishing to help his Prince, had also appeared as Lord Ian, but at the same time Lord Brendon did. Now there was shouting, and I had no desire to spend my night in a holding cell and die at dawn.
I activated Shadow of the Beast and, in wolf form, fled up the stairs. In the upper hall I found Mace, Monique, and Josie. They were frightened at first, so I returned to my natural form long enough to explain that the police were clearing the house, and we should try to hide.
Mace and Monique herded Josie into a small bedroom, bathed in shadow. The poor girl looked terrible; tired, weak, physically sick. The Ventrue told her to get into the bed; she was a niece of Lord Ian’s, she’d fallen ill, and her mother and sister were sitting up with her. I was the household dog, which was all right with me. Soon, silence was all that ensued from the downstairs, and I grew worried. Mace told me to go down and scout around, and carefully, I did.
The house was empty, and I heard loud conversation from the outside. On silent paws I padded through each room, and was startled when I saw Vincent step from the shadows.
"The officers took everyone outside, but I haven’t seen Josie, is she safe?"
I nodded, and with the relief evident on his face, Vincent was again cloaked in impenetrable shadow. That’s what I like about Lasombra antitribu, they’re powerful, and they’re on your side. I crossed back though the main hall on my way to the stairs, and suddenly all the Kindred came pouring back into the house, followed by four policemen, each armed.
I whimpered like a dog would and headed up the stairs. One of the officers moved to stop me, but I wagged my tail and whined again.
"Heh heh, good doggie," he said and petted me on the head. I loped up the stairs, narrowly avoiding another cop on his way down. Had my friends been discovered?
No, they were still as I had left them. I dropped my disguise again to tell Mace what was going on, and comfort Josie with the information that Vincent was alive and unharmed. Seconds wore into minutes, as we sat silently in that small room. I heard footsteps on the stairs and growled.
"Shhh, no, don’t growl," murmured Josie, agitated and confused. I nuzzled her arm to show that I wouldn’t harm her, for I don’t think she quite understood that it was me using Protean to change my shape.
A shadow crossed the hall floor, and I prepared to leap at our attacker. It was Larcen. I reverted to human form, and he told us that the police had been ‘dealt with’, but it would be wise to evacuate the house for the evening. Mace took Monique with her, looking for Eddie South, while Vincent appeared out of the darkness, carrying Josie out to Larcen’s truck. I saw Katrina’s car behind us, and she and Pierce were ready to go. Five minutes later we were all resting in the living room of her apartment, grateful that the night was nearly over.
"Well, now what?" I asked.
"What do you mean, ‘Now what’?" returned Larcen.
"I assume that the death of Lord Ian was planned and executed by members of DX, so, now that Lord Brendon is in control, what is our objective?"
"I guess we’ll just have to play it by ear for now," Larcen said, "you were right though, Lord Brendon contracted us to help him get rid of Lord Ian."
Just then there was a knock at the door. Cautiously, Katrina drew her gun and stalked over. When the door opened, Mace, Monique, Eddie South, and Catherine walked in. Truly, I was glad to see them.
I was, however, very concerned about Josie. Vincent was sitting in a recliner, talking with Catherine, but the little girl was curled up on the floor. I went over and knelt down.
"Josie? Can you hear me? Are you all right?" She did not answer me, but only curled up tighter.
"I want you to listen to me, OK? What you saw happen tonight probably frightened you. It was very, very wrong of Pierce, Larcen, and Vincent to have done what they did while you were in the room. I will talk to them about that, but I don’t want you to be upset. All things in nature are born, as are we, and all things die, as do we. The way Lord Ian died was violent, but I assure you that he is now in a better place. You are OK, you’re not going to die, and nothing like that is ever going to happen to you, understand?"
She nodded, and came a bit further our of her ‘stupor’, hugging her doll and making it dance. I, wanting to see her smile, went into Shadow of the Beast and was again wolf. Like a dog, I bowed and wagged my tail, and soon saw her grin. Fatigue over-came me and I was forced to become human again and sit in one of the comfortable chairs. Eddie South apparently thought it would be a good time to bother me.
"So, did you find your husband, Lo Mein, or was it Egg Fo Yon?" he asked with a snide smirk.
I went off. Enraged that he could take such a thing that lightly, I shouted what Wen Fu had done, and, scared and stressed, began pacing. Larcen came over, and I told him what Lord Brendon had told me. Like Pierce had done, he told me that I was in DX, and that we were family, that no one could ever hurt me without going through all of them. I trusted that.
It was a half-hour before dawn when I got to my apartment, and I didn’t even bother calling Dominic. So much had changed in only one night, and I feared that much would change in the coming ones. But for now, Swarthmore slept, waiting for sundown when the gamble would again be taken. The die had been cast, and everything was up to fate now.