“Can you mess with his mind, his memories?”
Desiderius shook his head.“Silas was protected against us, and so will they be.They’ve devised ways to hinder our ability to harm them, ways I suspect they’ve gained from witches but tell each other came from angels.We will have to stick to our story and not say more than we must.Can you maintain such a deception?”
We spent the next hour crafting our deception in detail.Say as little as we must, and not a word more.The Order of the Morning Dawn had not survived centuries by being careless—they would test us, probe for weaknesses in our story.We needed answers to every question, reasons for every inconsistency.
I still wasn’t sure they would buy the story.But Desiderius had an answer: “Matthias can vouch for our authenticity.We must pray it will suffice.”
“You trust him?”The question emerged sharper than intended.
“I trust his fanaticism.He genuinely believes the Order offers salvation.He’ll support any vampires willing to embrace their mission.”Something flickered across Desiderius’s face—regret, perhaps, or disappointment.“I made him what he is.That guilt belongs to me.But his delusions might serve our purpose.”
Thesoundcamejustbefore midnight—deliberate and rhythmic.Footsteps.It wasn’t Ruth or Rebecca, they were still trembling on the floor.Desiderius rose from his position, though I noticed the slight tremor in his hands that betrayed his hunger.Ruth and Rebecca stirred in their corner.
“It’s him,” Desiderius confirmed, already moving toward the entrance.“I figured he’d sense me, he’d find us.”
Matthias slipped through the doorway with the reverent step of a pilgrim crossing the threshold of a holy shrine.His wounds had improved since we’d last seen him—but the gouges on his face still wept dark blood.
“Sire.”He grasped Desiderius’s hand.“You came.I knew you would.The Lord spoke to my heart, telling me you would see the righteousness of our cause.”
Desiderius allowed the contact, though I saw his jaw tighten.Behind Matthias, I secured the door again, checking the shadows beyond for any sign he’d been followed.
“You’re alone?”I asked.
Matthias turned to me, that unsettling intensity focusing on my face.“Of course.This is a sacred trust between us.I wouldn’t profane it.”He looked at each of us in turn, his expression beatific.“You’ve all come to embrace redemption.This is a glorious day.”
Ruth pushed herself upright against the wall, her voice rough with thirst.“Your superiors—will they accept us?Four unknown vampires seeking to join their cause?”
“Unknown?”Matthias actually laughed, though the sound emerged wet and broken through his damaged throat.“You underestimate the Lord’s providence.I was specifically asked to recruit any of our kind who might be sympathetic to the cause.Brother Marcus himself pulled me aside before I left.”His good hand clutched at his chest.“He said the Spirit had moved him to expand our numbers.That the time of judgment approaches faster than anticipated.”
“How convenient,” Ruth muttered, but Matthias either didn’t hear or chose to ignore her skepticism.
“They’re desperate,” he continued, his words tumbling over each other in his eagerness.“The consecration of the weapon requires more faithful souls than they anticipated.Willing vessels to carry the Light of Judgment into the dark places where our kind hide.”He looked directly at Desiderius.“Your centuries of experience would be invaluable to them.They speak of you in the archives, you know.The Dutch Purifier.Your work in Amsterdam—“
“Ancient history,” Desiderius cut him off, though annoyance flickered across his face.
I stepped forward.“Tell us about Brother Marcus.What should we expect?”
Matthias’s expression grew solemn, as though he were about to impart holy scripture.“Brother Marcus is...exacting.He came to the Order from the Benedictines, bringing with him their discipline and attention to detail.Though, the Papists excommunicated him.”
“Excommunicated?”I tilted my head.
I watched Matthias with a wary eye as he spoke of Brother Marcus, his words painting a picture of a man both revered and feared within the Order.
“Brother Marcus is a man of iron will,” Matthias began, his gaze distant as if recalling memories long buried.“He entered the Benedictines a humble novice but rose through their ranks with a zeal that bordered on fanaticism.His dedication to the Order’s cause is unrivaled, as is his commitment to purge our kind from the world.”
I listened intently, noting the reverence in Matthias’ voice.Brother Marcus seemed to command respect and obedience through fear, his reputation preceding him like a dark shadow cast by a hidden sun.
“He was excommunicated after an incident involving his family.His sister was murdered by a vampire.Some say she died on the spot.But there’s a rumor that the vampire turned her, and Marcus had to stake her and burned her body himself.Can you imagine how difficult that must have been?When the Church chastised him, he found allies in the Order to help him hunt down the bloodsucker who did it.”
“And that’s why he was excommunicated?”I asked.
Matthias nodded.“To accomplish his goal, he not only conspired with those—the Order—whom his bishop believed were enemies of his faith, but he tortured his sister’s killer.He boasted of his success.He was fighting a demon, like any of Rome’s exorcists might, but not with vain rituals and superstitions sacraments.”I resisted the urge to correct him, having experienced the power of such things myself.“He used weapons, whatever he needed, some of them… well, let’s just say that I believe an angel guided him, but his bishop believed he’d conspired with a witch.”
“What do you think?”I asked.
“I believe Brother Marcus communicates with angels.I believe that what he’s done, what he still intends to do, is God’s will.It’s a holy mission.It’s no wonder that a Papist bishop wouldn’t see it, for they’re agents of the devil themselves.”
I almost bit my tongue off.A part of me wanted to argue, to defend the Church that had offered me hope, even if my experience with Father John hadn’t been ideal.I knew the truth—because Father O’Malley demonstrated it, his love proved it, and the Sacrament had been my salvation.For a time, at least.
