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[center][i][h1]The Calm Before the Storm[/h1][/i]
[i][h3]Part 3[/h3][/i][/center]

[center][b]Lachance Stronghold – Henderson, Nevada
Time: 7 a.m., One Day Before Satellite Attacks[/b][/center]
[hr]

Ethereal light filtered through the long corridors of the Lachance Stronghold, pulsing with the ebb and flow of the mysterious tree that sat at its center. Marie fluttered her eyes as thin wisps of white passed over her vision. She’d slept for maybe four hours, but any amount was enough to recover from the previous night’s bender (and not the fun kind). Her muscles were stiff, but she felt rejuvenated. Lady Lachance’s spells had worked to calm her nerves and restore her strength. In spite of her encounter with the Silver Sorceress, Marie felt well enough.

Holt took his place at the foot of her bed as a jet-black feline with bright eyes and hazy features. He turned to Marie once he felt he stir.

[color=90ee90][i]Feeling better?[/i][/color] his subtle concern sounded in her mind.

Marie yawned, sitting up and edging herself to the bedside, running a few fingers through her hair to move it from her face.

[color=ffe4b5]”Mostly,”[/color] her response was curt, as if Holt had slighted her somehow. Perhaps it was a culmination of the past few days’ events that had soured her mood so.

Marie quiclky dressed herself from the bag she’d left the day prior. A simple black dress with a long, tied belt and a few minor trinkets on her arms. She looked a little cliche, but at this point she was used to it. Without saying another word to Holt, Marie made her way into the corridor, moving away from the collection of bedrooms and studies. She poked her head into the room housing Ben’s wolf to find it empty. He must have found his way to a bed, she thought, comforted in the fact that he had made it through his ordeal safely. 

Rounding a corner, Marie found a large dining hall straight from a bygone era, fitted with a long table and several small booths and benches, adjacent to a kitchen with a wood burning oven. Almost nothing in the witches stronghold held any touch of modernity. It was there she found the young vampire in their company . . . well, she [i]looked[/i] young, but Marie couldn’t be certain of her actual age. She moved slowly to a chair at her side. 

[color=ffe4b5]”Another early riser?”[/color] Marie questioned in passing, helping herself to a pot of coffee that had been thoughtfully prepared by their hosts.

Katarina had heard the White Witch’s coming. She had slept uneasily, surrounded as she was by unfamiliar surroundings - a stronghold of witches, a concept most unfamiliar to the Prussian - the only strongholds she was truly used to were those raised by mortal men; [i]festungs[/i], [i]schloesser[/i] and fortified burgs, homes of the cityfolk of the lands. Though, the more rustic, ‘old-fashioned’ surroundings suited her more easily than the polished steel, plastic and glass that dominated the modern construction projects of humanity. A wood-burning stove. A long table not unlike those used to hold great feasts of bounty in the days of yore, in [i]her[/i] days, the days of her youth. 

However, Kat had been able to anchor herself to one thing in the area; Benjamin. She had worried and fussed to herself over her actions earlier - he’d offered his own blood to heal herself, despite his own parlous state of health… was it simply to shut her up before she did something else? Or did he truly put her well-being before his own? She scoffed to herself - much like she had done for him, perhaps. She took out a cigarette from the inside pocket of her open jacket, and placed it between her lips, before taking out a lighter and striking a flame to light her guilty pleasure. She sucked in deeply, inhaling the toxic, yet soothing fumes. It would have little effect on her anyway. The dead did not suffer the illnesses of the living.

[color=921111][b]”It comes with the condition, [i]fraulein[/i]. When the sun protests at one’s existence, you find ways of overcoming such difficulties.”[/b][/color] She decided to tell it to the witch straight. She likely already knew Kat was a vampire, so there was no use trying to hide it. Kat just hoped that her presence had not been regarded with hostility. [color=921111][b]”It has been an interesting twenty-four hours, hasn’t it? First we meet in strange circumstances, and then this… Ambassador shows up, and then all of a sudden, there we are, fighting for our lives against an imminent threat to our very existence. Fascinating… were it not happening to us.”[/b][/color]

Marie chuckled, taking a timid sip of her coffee for fear of burning herself. The same thought had crossed her mind from the moment she met Benjamin and his strange group of friends. Had she not employed his help, had she instead chosen to pursue Gwyneth’s possessions on her own, how might things differ?

[color=ffe4b5]”I can’t say I’m thrilled with the current outcome, but I guess we should get used to it.”[/color] Marie turned from her mug to look at Kat, [color=ffe4b5]”Such is our way, I suppose. The mortal world doesn’t take too kindly to any of us . . .”[/color] The words didn’t feel quite her own, but Marie agreed with the sentiment nonetheless. 

Holt perked up at Marie’s comment before losing himself in thought.

[color=921111][b]”I’m in two minds about this mortal world. On the one, I look at how far humans have come in this time, and I marvel at what they can do, what they can create, what they have learned, all without the knowledge of that which lies beyond their grasp.”[/b][/color] Kat chuckled and inhaled another lungful of smoke from her cigarette. The cheap and artificial taste of the smoke began to rankle with her refined tastes, but it would have to do nonetheless. It served to calm her nerves at least. [color=921111][b]”And then, we have encounters with the other side of the mortal world, and I really think it can go fuck itself.”[/b][/color]

Kat looked over at the witch. She was young, but something about her seemed… out of place, something ethereal, something not quite all there. As though something was attempting to re-manifest itself using her flesh as a mortal form. Katarina was no stranger to the concept of re-incarnation - indeed, as a vampire she was perhaps an example of the macabre abilities of the necromantic and the arcane - but she couldn’t quite pin down what made this woman tick. What drove her? And from whence had she drawn such power as she had done? [color=921111][b]”Pardon my French… and if you’ll excuse me, might I have the pleasure of knowing your name, [i]fraulein[/i]?”[/b][/color] It wouldn’t do to ignore names.

[color=ffe4b5]”Marie,”[/color] she didn’t hesitate to respond. [color=ffe4b5]”You can call me Marie. Time was that I would be more hesitant about giving away my name, if you can even call it my name.”[/color]

[color=90ee90][i]It is one of them,[/i][/color] Holt spoke aloud, appearing on her shoulder as a large raven, [color=90ee90][i]and it is yours, regardless of when it was earned.[/i][/color] Already he could feel the change Puck had warned him about. Holt wondered if there were anything he could do about it, or if it was all meant to happen exactly as it was.

[color=921111][b]”Marie, hm? A pretty name. One that evokes memories of playing in the fields, in the fresh spring of the world.”[/b][/color] Kat shook her head and took a long drag on her cigarette. [color=921111][b]”Well, then, well met, Marie. The name is Katarina, of the House of von Reisech. Formerly known by mortals as the Red Countess… though those days are [i]long[/i] gone, and I hope will never return.”[/b][/color] Kat shook her head, as dark memories flashed through her mind - she shuddered to think of herself rising to such power once more, though the allure was intoxicating as ever… The idea that she could rise like a phoenix from the ashes of her land, burnt to a cinder by the forces of God and his Son… and rule once more as absolute ruler of a vampiric paradise. The idea of rebuilding the Tower, and harnessing the magics of the lands into great edifices of vampiric might, to cloak the sun and rule a land of eternal night… all she needed to do was rebuild her strength...

No. She would not. The Fall happened for a reason. She would not make the same mistake twice, no matter what these humans did. If they revealed themselves to be the snivelling treacherous fools that they were in the 17th century, then more fool them for thinking themselves different. Kat would have no part in their downfall. She noted the appearance of the raven atop Marie’s shoulder with scarcely a passing interest. Witches needed their familiars, did they not? [color=921111][b]”The familiar appears.”[/b][/color] She snickered and finished her cigarette. [color=921111][b]”I thought I was being watched.”[/b][/color]

Holt nodded. 

[color=90ee90][i]Naturally,[/i][/color] Holt responded, the sound of his voice seeming to come from all directions. 

Marie moved her shoulder a little to disrupt him. 

[color=ffe4b5]”He’s mouthier than usual too, but I guess that’s part of his charm.”[/color] Marie turned away for a moment. Holt remained a constant reminder of an old tragedy, one that she wouldn’t soon forget given her new found alliance with the Ambassador.

[color=ffe4b5]”Red Countess?”[/color] she changed the subject, [color=ffe4b5]”Exactly how long ago? I might have you beat. From what I can tell, Gwyneth was born somewhere in 1490, though I don’t know the exact year . . . oh that’s right,”[/color] Marie realized that Kat may not be completely up to date with the “pack’s” current dealings. Everything happened rather fast. [color=ffe4b5]”Do you know why Ben and I are travelling together?”[/color]

[color=921111][b]”... No. But over time, I have developed a fairly comprehensive idea as to why you need Herr Reeves in particular. You, as a witch, are no doubt looking for artifacts of great magical power, and his abilities are invaluable for your search - after all, it’s not every day that you find someone so gifted, right? So you track him down and enlist his assistance on your journey… and in return you probably agree to protect him and help him learn his ways about that which he has to suffer. Cicero once said that man has to suffer to be wise - I never put much stock in Ancient Roman philosophy… but that one sticks out in my mind above all others.”[/b][/color] [i]Man must suffer to be wise…[/i] It struck closer to home than Kat would like to have admit.

Marie took another sip of her coffee, soothed by the warmth such a small comfort provided. Kat’s assessment was a testament to her analytical skills. She certainly looked wise beyond her years . . . but the youthfulness vampirism offers can be deceiving. 

[color=ffe4b5]”A good effort,”[/color] Marie nodded in agreement to parts of Kat’s explanation. [color=ffe4b5]”You’re right that I need his nose, but he found me . . . well, we sort of find each other. He bumped into me at a museum in New York. I accidentally triggered his transformation with a bit of magic. That’s when I found out about his gift. I was looking for this,”[/color] Marie held the hagstone around her neck. [color=90ee90]”Ben . . . Benjamin led me to it even when I didn’t know what I was looking for. It had the same scent as me.”[/color] 

Marie brought forth the small box collected from the Ambassador the night prior: an ornate jewelry box with natural carvings and a simple copper latch. 

[color=ffe4b5]”As did this. They belonged to me once, a long time ago. You can call me Marie, it’s the only name I’d ever known until about three months ago, but really my name is Gwyneth Owens. And to make a long story short, these items hold pieces of my memory, the memories I lost when I died. I don’t know what sort of spell I did to make myself come back, but it came with a price. If I find all of my old possessions, I can figure out who I was, regain all the power I lost in death.”[/color]

Marie unlatched the box to reveal the many small bone, copper, and wooden coins etched with a variety of occult symbols. She hadn’t the slightest clue how to read any of them; Gwyneth must have created her own method of divination.

[color=ffe4b5]”I’m also not here to protect Benjamin . . . at least, that wasn’t my original intent. I had to make a deal with a particularly powerful demon to open the door in my mind that housed Gwyneth’s memory. It came at no consequence to me, but the same isn’t true for others. Ben’s trying to redeem me, I guess. Figured it might be the same with you.”[/color]

Katarina remained silent, and listened as the witch regaled her tale. It slid into place as a key would a lock - all of this explained quite what Katarina had seen when she first laid eyes on Marie. The sense of re-incarnation, the feeling that someone from the beyond was attempting to reach out and claw their way back into the material world. She watched as Marie opened the small box and revealed its contents. Sadly, like Marie, Kat had no idea what the symbols meant - her expertise was in the necromantic, not divination. Still, she at least understood where everything was going - and what Marie was doing in her quest. Her quest to… find herself, in a strange way. Kat remembered another quote by Cicero, one that perhaps was more pertaining to Marie’s, than her own, misfortunes. 

[color=921111][b]”Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things. Cicero, [i]De Oratore[/i], chapter one, verse five. Perhaps there’s something to be learned in that for us both. Memories of who we were, what we once were, and what we are now. You seek to recover yours, to become that which you once called [i]you[/i]. Whereas I seek to distance myself from my past. From that life I once led as the Countess. God and his faithful sought my undoing… but perhaps spared me for a second chance. Maybe it was fate that led us both to Benjamin Reeves. Maybe coincidence. Maybe a higher power than even fate itself.”[/b][/color] Katarina fingered the iron cross hanging from the choker about her neck.  

[color=ffe4b5]”Wouldn’t have pinned you as the religious type,”[/color] Marie replied with the smallest amount of venom in her words. She didn’t mean to sound cross, just another instinct, a remnant of the memory she’d received the previous evening, chased by witch-hunters and men of the cloth. 

[color=90ee90][i]It is a dangerous thing you hold,[/i][/color] Holt commented on the cross around Kat’s neck. [color=90ee90][i]A relic of the past that should remain there. Take care that you do not draw the ire of they who crafted that cross.[/i][/color]

Katarina narrowed her eyes and looked around. [color=921111][b]”Draw the ire of they who crafted it? I was given this by my mother, fae, whilst she still walked this earth as a mortal human. I remember the magics that corrupted them, the craftwork of the devil’s own spawn, the craftwork of someone who tried to make me little more than a pawn in a Luciferian game of chess.”[/b][/color] She resisted the urge to curse those who sought to bind her to their will… the lecherous old fool Revinskas and his minions of the Devil. In a way, Holt was right, of course. It was a relic of the past, but it was one that marked Katarina for whom she was. She was a vampire, yes, but one who could stand before the men of the faith and stand tall, stand defiant.

[color=921111][b]”... My mother always said to me… [i]Gott liebt alle.[/i] God loves all. Some people forget that. I am... lucky that He did not.”[/b][/color] Kat took out another cigarette and lit it. [color=921111][b]”Do you smoke?”[/b][/color]

Marie shook her head.

[color=ffe4b5]”No, my folks were pretty big on being a tobacco and alcohol free household. And sorry about that,”[/color] Marie apologized on Holt’s behalf. [color=ffe4b5]”He mistook your cross for the ones used against us yesterday. Even so, dancing with devils is in my job description. Employed by an imp, in consort with dark spirits, once regular meetings with The Man in Black, the life of a witch. Though I can only imagine what it must have been like in my prime . . .”[/color]

[color=90ee90][i]Yes, the lives of witches in Gwyneth’s time were far different to now,[/i][/color] Holt spoke up, [color=90ee90][i]A time I sorely miss. Forgive my assumptiveness, Katarina. I too have been scarred by self-righteous men and their ideals, as has every other witch I’ve served. We work best when we are as far from God’s light as possible.[/i][/color]

Marie had never seen Holt so open to speech with strangers. Perhaps he saw something familiar in Kat, a memory of a time he enjoyed, if he were capable of the emotion.

[color=921111][b]”Things were simpler in the 16th century, weren’t they?”[/b][/color] Katarina smiled and looked at the wall opposite them, from her chair. [color=921111][b]”You asked after my… ‘nickname’, I recall. It was what the men of Europe had christened yours truly after news of my reign seeped forth from Neuhausen. Tell me, Marie, did you ever learn of the catastrophes of the Reformation? Did you ever, perchance, learn of a great terror that swept across the lands of the Baltic Sea during the late 16th century and early 17th century? Of a terror only stopped by a grand coalition of the Christian powers, only stopped when a knight strode forth to banish the great evil which had rooted itself in the lands of Prussia?”[/b][/color] 

Kat’s demeanour grew grave. 

[color=921111][b]”Did you ever learn of what happened in the fields of Konigsberg? And why none live there to this day?”[/b][/color]

Marie thought for a moment. It all sounded vaguely familiar, but despite having attended university in Boston, and despite her mother being a history professor, she was mostly unfamiliar with the finer details. Holt, however, was more familiar with the tragedies Kat was rattling off.

[color=90ee90][i]You mean to say that you were responsible for the crusades in that region?[/i][/color] Holt inferred, [color=90ee90][i]There is a region entirely uninhabitable because of dark magic, is that your work?[/i][/color] 

[color=921111][b]”Yes. It was I who was responsible for the atrocities committed in the Baltics. It was I whom the kingdoms of mortal men despised, and it was my land they invaded and despoiled, throwing down all that I had sought to construct from Neuhausen. The ruins of my land still bear the scars of my work, the scars of my… my crimes. You may know the area by many names - Konigsberg, the old German name. Kaliningrad, the Russian area of occupation… to me, it is simply what I have lost, and what I shall never regain.”[/b][/color] Kat lowered her head, seemingly ashamed of what she was about to say. Her lifeless cheeks blushed red, torpid veins filling with blood at the remembrance of what she had done, and how it had impacted on the world.

[color=921111][b]”They call it… the Maelstrom.”[/b][/color] Kat looked up at Marie, and if Holt was there, at Holt, too. [color=921111][b]”The Maelstrom was created, so I have read, from a dangerous overspill of necrotic energy that coalesced into the form of a great storm, a storm so terrible in its rage and fury that it blights the Baltic coast to this very day. I did not know of the Maelstrom’s formation… until recently. It had been born sometime in the 18th century, from what I have been able to read, in the very spot where Schloss Neuhausen once stood, a monument to my legacy. From there, its influence and effects have expanded, and now cover an area… I don’t know how large. It is guarded constantly by the Russian Federation… they used it in the 1970s as a nuclear testing site. As if they needed any more reason not to go there… but it was my fault. It is my magic. Without its creator, it has undergone a rampant rapid expansion of influence. I dread to think what it has done to the surrounding areas… Wouldst that I have known the effects of what my actions have done to the world...”[/b][/color]

She looked back down at the floor. [color=921111][b]”[i]Nec scire fas est omnia.[/i] One cannot know everything.”[/b][/color]

Marie offered a hand to Kat as comfort. There were subtle similarities between them that Marie could appreciate, despite their vastly different histories.

[color=ffe4b5]”This may sound cold, and I don’t mean for my words to undermine the path you’re currently seeking, but you . . .”[/color] Marie hesitated, slightly ashamed of what she was about to say. [color=ffe4b5]”You did what was within your power to do. Magic offers us all that we want for a price, and if you can pay that price, what’s the harm? I don’t necessarily condone some of the horrors you hear from people in our line of work, infanticide and all that, but what I’ve come to realize is that we, those of us with this sort of power, can’t be held to the same standard as everyone else. Needs must, and in a time where your very existence is protested by a vast majority of the world, you’ll do whatever it takes.”[/color]

She could feel the words pouring from a place of understanding, some empathic link with Kat that came from the deep recesses of her mind, perhaps from a memory she didn’t know she had. It was a lesson Marie had learned several times over: witches are selfish, magic is selfish. 

[color=ffe4b5]”I wish that Benjamin and every other misguided magical being would understand that sooner. By all means, if you’re seeking repentance then repent, but ask yourself why every now and again to make sure you agree with the answer.”[/color]

Kat frowned, and took the hand with a degree of reluctance… her skin would be icy to Marie’s touch, an unnatural chill that manifested only within the undead, within those afflicted with the Blood Kiss. Instinctively, Kat raised her body temperature to at least mitigate the effects - not to mention keep Marie comfortable - and looked back up at the witch. 

[color=921111][b]”I suppose you’re right. Repentance without meaning is nothing more than empty words. I did what I thought I had to do… but I will not go back to that. Any man may make a mistake, but only an idiot persists in his error - Cicero again - and my errors are clear to see. But...  Magic is a weapon in our fight for survival, you’re right, and of course, with weapons come consequences. Those unwilling to accept the consequences should not invite weapons upon them. Right?”[/b][/color] [i]A convenient excuse… and a pleasant lie. Deflecting responsibility for your actions onto those who you argue provoked them.[/i] Kat smiled, though perhaps for not the reasons Marie would have thought. Hypocrisy was a powerful weapon to those well-versed in its utility. 

[color=921111][b]”Initially, you know, I sought out Benjamin for the same reason as you. I wanted his help.”[/b][/color] Kat withdrew her hand and shook her head, a sheepish - and sly - smile on her face. [color=921111][b]”But the first time I laid eyes on him… I must confess, I felt a stirring in my heart I have not felt in centuries, Marie… Oh, it sounds ever so ridiculous, doesn’t it? But it’s true, it really is!”[/b][/color] She laughed - a genuine, humoured laugh, a sound that had been long forgotten by mortal ears. [color=921111][b]”Even now as I speak, I think, ‘Kat you must be crazy’. But I don’t know, Marie… I… I wouldn’t say I… loved him, I suppose, but… I… guess perhaps, part of me does feel that way inclined? I’ve barely met him, and already I feel as though I share a bond with him. Whether that will last is of course up for all to see, but… I look at him, and I feel as though he… makes everything worth it. That maybe I’ve been given a second chance for a reason.”[/b][/color]

Marie laughed with her, glad to be having the type of chat she’d been missing over the last few months. 

[color=ffe4b5]”No, I don’t think you’re crazy at all! And I know what you mean. I think Ben just has that effect on people. I’m drawn to him as well . . . in a younger brother sort of way. It’s called imprinting, but I didn’t think it worked both ways. But love’s like that, I guess. You never know when it’ll get you, or where, or from who . . .”[/color]

Marie looked up at Holt, who turned and cocked his head, sharing a look of remorseful remembrance, then joy. 

[color=ffe4b5]”You’ve been around a while so I’m sure you know this, but hold on to whatever you two have. It’ll make his transition into our world and your transition into his much easier. Plus, love’s fun! Infuriating most of the time, but fun.”[/color] Marie paused for a moment, racking her brain for a pertinent addition.

[color=ffe4b5]”More happy happy love, forever warm and still to be enjoyed, forever painting and forever young. John Keats, since you like quotes so much.”[/color]

[color=921111][b]”I might have been around for a long time, Marie, but in some ways, I’m still just some teenaged girl trying to find her first steps through some areas of life. I sired - vampirised, that is - many of my own in my time, but I never loved any of them, really. I saw them as tools, weapons. Not the way I see Benjamin, far from it. I mean, I’m still worried for him, even though your friends’ rituals seem to have taken effect on his system - I would have helped if I was in a fit state. John Keats… hrm, not a familiar name. He must have been after my time… Though Aquinas did say that to love is to will the good of the other - and I do will good upon that man. Hopefully that silver won’t have too much of a lasting effect.”[/b][/color]

She took another drag on her fresh cigarette and nodded. [color=921111][b]”Makes what life I have worth living.”[/b][/color] She picked up the assault rifle from the floor, the rifle that she had… ‘acquired’ from the Hounds earlier and used to such deadly effect. [color=921111][b]”Part of me feels that Thirst is too outdated for modern times. Swords were all well and good in the days of yore, in the days of the clash of steel. Now it’s the bark of the powder and the flash of the gunfire.”[/b][/color] Kat looked over at Marie. [color=921111][b]”Remember one thing, Marie. Always stay one step ahead of your enemies. Like that Ambassador. We may have to work with her, but she’s still an enemy…”[/b][/color] To emphasise her point, Kat pulled the charging handle on the rifle.

[color=921111][b]”I think I’ll also need new spells. My old repertoire can’t react fast enough.”[/b][/color]

[color=ffe4b5]”Never been a big fan of guns,”[/color] Marie mumbled while finishing off her coffee, pouring herself a second mug. She fell silent for a few moments, mulling over Katarina’s remark about the Ambassador. [i]Is she an enemy?[/i] Marie asked herself. While the Ambassador was no doubt looking after herself in whatever deal made between she and Gwyneth, it came at Marie’s benefit. She couldn’t help but look at the Ambassador as more of an ally . . . even with their history.

[color=ffe4b5]”She’s useful,”[/color] Marie finally spoke, [color=ffe4b5]”whether or not I see her as an enemy will depend on how far she gets me to my goal, and what she does after . . .”[/color] Marie stopped again, collecting her thoughts.

[color=ffe4b5]”But I feel your pain on that last note, my witchcraft isn’t exactly suited for the heat of battle. Fortunately, Holt carries me through a lot of the more stressful moments.”[/color]

[color=921111][b]”She’s only as useful as long as her goals coincide with ours. Remember that. That’s probably how she works too… we shake hands, with a knife behind our backs.”[/b][/color] Kat snickered and finished her cigarette. [color=921111][b]”Typical French diplomacy, eh?”[/b][/color]