“Excessive aggression.”I repeated the words, each syllable sharp with contempt.“Is that your clinical term for what happened to Ruth?To Rebecca?To all the others?”
Desiderius cleared his throat.I caution against continuing my line of questioning.
“Science requires precision of language, Miss Bladewell,” Gallow replied.“Surely, given your higher orders, you expected as much.Though perhaps our superiors briefed us differently.I’ve learned to trust their wisdom in such matters.We all had a role to play, and it seems all worked out as they’d planned.”
I bit back the rage that threatened to overwhelm my carefully constructed facade.“Your serum destroyed my flock more effectively than any German trap could have alone.”
Desiderius squeezed my shoulder.“Which made our final objective easier than even we had suspected when all of this began.”
“When it began?”Gallow asked.“When did this begin for you?”
“Long before you and Gantry showed up to recruit us.Why do you think we’d gathered so many, pacified them with religious fervor, waiting for the opportunity to send them into the Order’s service?”
I crossed my arms, attempting to go along with the ruse.I still wasn’t sure how Desiderius was able to put all the pieces together in a way that didn’t conflict with whatever Dupont had told Gantry before our return.
Gallow’s eyes narrowed as he studied us more carefully.“Yet the three of you—the only subjects who resisted treatment—are the sole survivors.A curious coincidence, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Not coincidence,” I countered.“Caution.We stayed behind when we realized Mercer was leading them into a trap.”
“You claim you anticipated the ambush?”Gallow adjusted his spectacles.
“Not specifically,” Desiderius interjected.“But we recognized the pattern of movement from the German forces.Their retreat was too coordinated, too deliberate.They were drawing our forces deeper into the compound rather than fleeing.”
Gallow leaned forward, his fingers forming a steeple beneath his chin.“And you didn’t warn Captain Mercer of your suspicions?”
“Would it matter?”I asked.“Your serum had made him and the others deaf to anything but the promise of blood and victory.”
Catherine remained silent beside me, her eyes downcast, her posture submissive—exactly as we had instructed her to appear.Her trembling was not entirely feigned; hunger and grief had left her genuinely weakened, adding authenticity to our performance.
Gallow studied her with the dispassionate interest of an entomologist examining a pinned butterfly.“The young one appears severely compromised.She requires blood.”
“We all do,” I acknowledged.“But that’s not why we returned.”
“No?”Gallow’s eyebrows rose.“Why did you return, Miss Bladewell?”
I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze directly.“Because as you’ve already noted, we had orders.Orders that predated your arrival, Dr.Gallow.Orders directly from the Order of the Morning Dawn.”
The claim hung in the air between us, bold in its audacity.Gallow’s expression shifted from skepticism to cautious interest.
“That raises more questions,” Gallow replied, a hint of skepticism befalling his face.“Who gave you your orders?Be careful how you answer, Miss Bladewell.I know those who rank higher than the likes of General Gantry.There are only a select few who could have arranged all of this.”
I hesitated, momentarily trapped by the deception.I knew enough about the Order to claim membership but not enough to name a specific authority figure who might have directed us.The silence stretched dangerously as Gallow’s suspicion visibly mounted.I had to hand it to him, he was clever.He was testing us.
Desiderius laughed.“You wouldn’t believe us if we told you.”
Gallow leaned back in his chair.“Tell me anyway.It may or may not confirm your story, which will play a significant role as to the report I intend to send to the General.”
A confident grin split Desiderius’ face.“Our Orders came from Vladislav himself.”
Gallow flinched, his normally composed features contorting with shock before he could master himself.“Impossible,” he breathed.“Vladislav is dead.Has been for decades.”
“Rumored dead,” Desiderius continued smoothly.“But if you’ve done your homework, and you know who I am, you know I have more than enough reason to know better than you.”
I maintained my composure with effort, though internally I reeled with confusion.Vladislav?The name meant nothing to me, yet clearly it carried enormous significance to both Gallow and Desiderius.I had known Desiderius harbored secrets—his centuries of existence ensured that—but I had never suspected he possessed knowledge of figures who both exhibited high-ranking authority and were supposed to have been dead for decades.
Gallow stared at Desiderius with new evaluation, reassessing everything in light of this revelation.“You claim tostillserve Vladislav’s interests?After all these years in America, masquerading as a monk?“ His laugh held no humor.“How wonderfully ironic.”
“The Order’s methods have always been complex,” Desiderius replied cryptically.“If you know anything at all about Vladislav, you know he doesn’t make short-term plans.I’ve been playing his hand for longer than you’ve been alive.”
