`~Southern Nevada Correctional Center~
~Sandy Valley, 30 miles south of Las Vegas~
~Women’s correctional wing~
The redheaded woman laid there in her cell. The two bunks were both made up but there were only signs that she was the only one interned here. It had been empty for some time.
Rebecca Fortune, didn’t like having anyone else in here with her, especially some woman who thought she would be the bigger and badder one. This wasn’t her first time in prison, the first time she’d done 5 years for manslaughter for helping her two former boyfriends take down someone for a bad drug deal.
Then she’d ended up with others that tried to save her, but in the end, they couldn’t. She’d even fallen for one of them, but she got tired of the life of mother and potential wife after giving birth to twins. She was the former fiance of Blaise “Hazard” McClancy. But then she’d met a man, a man with money, lots of money. She’d married him, and talked him into things. They both got caught taking a casino for hundreds of thousands. The putz she’d married got off pretty light in relation to her. She had a year left, he got out 4 months ago.
She’d not seen or heard from him yet, but in a week she was going to be allowed a conjugal visit with her husband.
She didn’t want it now.
She didn’t want anything but to get out and run, to find something better. To find her destiny.
She was thinking like Blaise had always told her, and like that insufferable bastard that trained her and him, Ian Childress.
“Fortune!”
She laid there, looking up at the ceiling.
“Fortune!”
The guard slammed his fist on the door, she got the hint.
“What the fuck do you want?”
“You have a guest. You got 1 hour.”
She furrowed her brows and looked at the door.
“My guest comes next week for a good fucking, if I give it to him. I’m not expecting any other guests.”
The guard laughed at her.
“Oh, I’m sure your hubby will get a good knob job. But this guy is in a suit, and has credentials. Says he’s your new lawyer for the issues of your kids when you get out, so I think it’s important.”
This had her interested. In six months she was due out and then she’d have to fight her now ex-fiance for the custody of her twin daughters by him, Kaylee and Kylie McClancy. The courts had ordered custody to him and that whore he was sleeping with now, the Japanese bitch that once broke Becca’s nose in an altercation, as well as her husband’s. Taking her kids back from Blaise would be fine justice to her. She’d take the things away he loved the most.
She stood up and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. Wearing the orange jumpsuit of the Nevada correctional inmates, not a very flattering look for someone of her beauty, but all she had right now. She stepped up to the door and waited for the guard to open it. There were no bars, just heavy steel doors with a small ballistic glass window that could be opened from the other side if they had to take someone down.
The door opened and she stepped out and waited for it. She didn’t flinch when the balding prison guard grabbed her ass and gave it a bit of a squeeze. The guy was an ass, and he’d done it before and worse. Never got to outright assault, but one day she was going to make him pay. After getting his jollies off she listened to him as he breathed heavily, his bulk not taking well in the two hundred yard walk to the visiting area.
All without a word, she walked up to the door and he swiped his card. The door unlocked, he pulled it open and let her enter then shut it behind her.
Standing there, one foot on a pulled out chair, in a perfectly tailored suit was a Greek god. No… the nose, the face, this man was of Italian lineage, quite pure too. He was a roman god as far as she could tell. A briefcase sat on the table in front of him, already opened.
“So you’re who Angelo sent?”
Angelo, her husband who she didn’t want anymore still had a lot of money. He’d done well if this guy was as good as he looked. The man flinched though, and gave her a wink for some reason.
“Yes Mrs. Costa, your husband sent me. Please have a seat.”
He said that as he held out his card for her to take and then read. She took it, and read it quickly as he pulled out a chair for her.. a gentleman as well as being a roman god. Well… well..
His card gave him some impressive titles and credentials, and a name: Guy Long. He didn’t look like a “Long”, but she could be wrong. She looked up at him and smiled.
“So, Guy? What do you have for me. I was told we only had an hour.”
He nodded and stayed standing as he pulled out some paperwork from the brief case, stacked it and then looked at her and smiled.
“I’ve come to speak to you on how you’re going to get your children back from Mr. McClancy when you get out of here. But the hour is not what we’ll need for it.”
She looked up at him as he then looked at her and his eyes flashed. She felt as well as saw the ripple of power head out from his body. It was like a globe around him that expanded out, a heat ripple in looks to those who could sense it. She wanted to get up, to run away suddenly, but she’d seen this type of stuff before when hanging out with Blaise’s family, they weren’t normal and her life hadn’t been since she’d hooked up with him.
She stared at him, feeling the wave of power creep over her body, but nothing happened.
He walked over and went to touch her on the shoulder, but she reached up and grabbed his hand.
“It won’t be necessary.”
He smiled wide with perfect teeth.
“So the rumors are true, you are a spell breaker.”
“I’ve heard. Not the term that Mr. Childress used when he figured it out. But I don’t know fully what that’s supposed to mean. You’re one of them. So Ian decide to have me put under due to my threats to Blaise and his whore of a girlfriend?”
He laughed, a good manic laugh, right in her face.
“No, I am not part of the Order. The Keeper, that bastard child of a Vampyl, is not on my Christmas Card list. I’m someone completely different who would like to see them get their due course. In fact, I’d like to make you an offer.”
He said that with a thick accent, no longer hiding behind a facade of magic. He was more then Italian, he was down right Latin.
“An offer I can’t refuse, think you’d do your countrymen better not continuing stereotypes.”
She was defiant now, she hated magic and all it had to do with. She wanted out of that life, but had fallen face first into it when Ian Childress had figured out she was a bit more then some former street punk. Now she had to deal with this.
“Well it is true I am from Rome, but much has changed since I was born. Please, let me introduce myself. I am Gaius Cassius Longinus. I doubt you’ve heard of me though.”
Becca had been born and raised a Catholic. If this man was correct she was looking upon an canonized Saint of the Catholic Church.
“I am a former Roman Legionnaire, of some importance, and currently head of the church’s efforts to destroy The Order of the Hammer. And to be blunt, I’d like to offer a spot in that to help me… I’d like to see you help destroy their newest Captain of the Knightmare Brigade… you’re ex-fiance and father of your children.”
She looked up at him, impressed slightly at first and then it hit her.
“Gaius Longinus, Legionnaire? There haven’t been….”
“Legionnaires for thousands of years? Well not really. Hundreds. But yes, I am over two thousand years old. I am one of the punished paragons, Like Ishram, Lilith, and Caine.”
“The Wandering One, the Roman Soldier who struck..Saint Longinus?”
“Yes, the very same. You see the church’s stance is that I ended his misery when the shit hit the fan, so I’ve been canonized as a saint since the 4th century. That is when I was asked to take up a role… I still serve in that role and I’d like your help.”
She started to tremble a bit. She had been raised a catholic, turned against it, but now there was a Saint, the blind Legionnaire who had his blindness cured after he speared the sacrificed christ on the cross to end his misery when a storm and earthquake started.
But for what he’d done, he was also punished. He converted, was forgiven to a point, but is just as immortal as the immortal ones who turned their god down.
Now, he stood here, she looked around. She could see the lecherous guard who always tried to play with her frozen in mid stride outside the window as he had started towards the door. They’d have as much time as they needed, Longinus had frozen time itself. The paragons lived outside the real world to a point. They could control reality, in becoming immortal in the way they did they knew one of the secrets of creation itself. They could alter reality to mortals.
“What do you need?”
He smiled at her, those perfect teeth again. She wondered what it would be like to sleep with a saint…
“Well I would have a few options for you, but the one I want would be for you to finally, spellbreaker, to face what it is that you are in potential to be. Recently Ian Childress sent one of his own, a Vampire named Lia Ambrosi to kill my hand.”
“Your hand?”
“We paragons have the ability to make an… assistant… to act as our emissary to the real world. Mine was a man who you have met, Ian Childress’ half brother.”
“My, my. You did that one on purpose.”
“Yes, but Childress hated him, and while he was a great wizard and sorcerer, he was no warrior. Ian took exception to him and had him killed. Now I need a new hand, a new liaison, and I’d like that to be you. If you do as I need, then I will give you the ability to carry out your desired tasks.”
She smirked at him and then laughed.
“Well you’ll have a six month wait for me to think about it, right? I’m stuck here…”
He smirked back, and shook his head.
“I’d need you soon. Maybe next week. And I and my associate could get you out of here.”
Now she was intrigued fully.
“You drive a hard bargain… associate?”
“My dear, you are once known as ‘Destructive Everything’ as a nickname. My job, my goal is to bring about the end of the world so that people like me can finally get their rest and well, to also see everything else gone. The world is not good enough to save. Heaven will be a very empty place. I’m sure that what I would have you do would be right up your alley. You wish destruction, and so do I, and my associate. But I will grant you this. He’s one of us, one of the good guys who has seen what this world has become. He’s an angel.”
She grinned wide now, her face dropping a bit, but her eyes staying on him.
“What would I have to do? How long would this take?”
As she asked that he nodded to her and she felt him release the hold on the area, his spell dropping down. The guard fell over his own feet outside as he snapped back to real time. Mr. Longinus pulled a book out of his briefcase and handed it to her.
It was a bible.
“Well now Mrs. Costa, we will take care of everything we can for you so that you’re ready to become a mother again. Please, they let me bring you a gift that will help guide you from here on out. I personally find the study of Romans to be quite enlightening.”
She took the book, smiled and nodded as the door opened.
“What’s going on in here?”
They all looked at the clock, officially based on the clocks time, 45 minutes had passed.
“We were just finishing up, officer. Mr. Long seems to have my best interest at heart. Hopefully this all comes to the conclusion we need. I’m ready to go back to my cell now.”
the officer looked at the man in the suit and then back to Becca in her prison garb. Nothing was amiss at all, except Becca now held a book.
“What’s that?”
Longinus couldn’t help but chuckle as she answered.
“Mr. Long brought me a new bible. It’s been a while since I followed it’s teachings. Maybe it’s time I took them more seriously.”
The guard nodded and then looked around before grinning wide.
“Well, let’s get this over with now. You have a good day Mr. Long. C’mon Mrs. Costa, time for jail again.”
She went with him willingly, flipping through the bible. When she got to where Romans should have been, she found the pages were original, and they were exactly what she was looking for.
~Order of the Hammer’s European Headquarters~
~Outside Madrid, Spain~
The man walks down the hallway, the acolytes of the Order moves out of the man’s way. It might have been the leather armor he wore, as he was in full dress garb for his kind and station. It might have been the dual Katar swords he bore strapped to his thighs, not the normal dagger length ones, but they resembled short swords. It also might have been the obvious field around him, as reality itself tried to fold as he walked. He was a being of power, something that should not be.
At one time he was a regular vampire, but now as the Hand of Caine, he was the most powerful vampire on the planet. He was more then vampire, he was Caine’s chosen. Caine’s right hand man, his liaison to the mortal world.
His name?
Lazslo Vlassy, the fraternal twin brother when a human to Lia Ambrosi, nee Vlassy.
No one challenged him, it was forbidden to challenge one of the Hands of a Paragon unless you were either a hand or a paragon, or quite daft and wished to not only have your mortal form destroyed, but your immortal oul. And Lazslo knew where he was going.
He walked through, his boots soft but durable coming down on the stone as he found the spiral staircase that lowered down into the bowels of the earth. He didn’t bother with a torch, and just kept walking down until he had descended into the throne room of the man he’d come to see.
But he was no man, the Paragon who lived here and resided over all of the Order, Ishram Ableson. Son of Abel, killed by Caine and demanded the ultimate price and was denied. Punished as Caine was till the end of days.
Lazslo could tell Ishram was not the only one here. He knew the other one would be here, his counterpart, Korwyn Malek, the hand and son of Ishram.
Ishram looked up from his seated throne, he’d put on a show for Lazslo since he could sense him for miles. A few of his handmaidens, wearing not much else then gossamer skirts were there as well.
“Hail, Lazslo Vlassy, Hand of Caine, chosen of mine uncle. What brings you to my home?”
Lazslo took two more steps before Ishram, looking over and seeing that Korwyn bore his dual Kopeshes strapped across his back. Ishram himself would not need any weapons. But he was not here to make war.
Lazslo reached into his travel bag bore at the small of his back and then pulled forth a bronze scroll case and held it out to Ishram.
“I come with a message from mine father, Caine, Lord of Nod. For his nephew, Ishram, Lord of the Order. I bring the First Scroll of Prophecy penned by the Grigori Virtue Penemue. The Fallen Scribe of Heaven.”
Ishram smiled wide, with perfect never defective teeth as he opened his hand and the scroll leaped from Lazlo’s hands to his. Ishram broke the seal and then smiled even wider. He looked up at Lazslo and nodded to him.
“Thank you, Hand of Caine. My uncle sends word properly. Korwyn! Prepare for a trip.”
Korwyn stepped forward, looking at Lazslo intently.
“Where am I going and who needs to die, father?”
Ishram chuckled and then held the scroll out a bit, but not where he was indicating for Korwyn to take it.
“Not just you. You and Me. Lord Vlassy will need to head back right away so that mine Uncle can prepare for our arrival.”
Ishram looked to Lazslo who took the hint, the offer of the scroll was accepted. He needed to tell Caine, but they knew that a paragon was on the other side and wanted to stop what was to occur. He couldn’t just message him. He’d have to go back to Trenčín on his own and tell Caine to his face.
“I offer you my home for a night, Lord Vlassy, but I know you must return before we arrive. We will be traveling slow so as to not raise the signals of my departure. If you would like to rest for a bit though, please do… and if you require any services or a feeding I’m sure one of my ladies would assist you.”
Lazslo nodded and looked at the ladies, who didn’t seem to bother that he was a vampire. Then again they dealt with Vampyles all day, as that is what Ishram and Korwyn were.
He could afford a few hours of rest before heading back to the place in Slovakia that Caine had hidden at for centuries.
“I will take you up on your offer. I know you will have much to prepare, you will need to power an amulet of concealment for yourself. I thank you for your hospitality.”
Ishram nodded, and then turned to Korwyn Malek.
“See that our guest is taken care of. I must also prepare the silver scroll. It has not been touched in millennium. Please, enjoy your stay. Korwyn will take care of you.”
Lazslo nodded, giving half a bow as Korwyn scowled at the vampire.
~A Few Days Later~
~Yellowstone National Park~
~Near the Firehole Falls~
~In a large rented cabin~
A collection of people are sitting around. A large man with long black hair, native looking is reading through a large, old book. 3 others of the same type sit behind him doing other assorted things. One is cleaning his nails with a large knife that does not look of native design, but more old middle eastern. Another is flipping through what appears to be the latest issue of Playboy. Yet another is starting at a almost muted TV, showing something on what appears to be the History Channel the words “Bible”, “Revelations”, “Apocalypse” can be heard.
A woman, black hair, and a pretty form gets up and walks to the door and opens it, it had not been knocked upon. Standing outside, getting ready to knock is a man seen earlier… Gaius Longinus. His smiles that disarming smile at the woman.
“Good day, M’Lady Nyx. Is your uncle in?”
she smiles back, her hand going to her hair to play with a loose curl.
“Yes he is, I have summoned him already knowing you were on the way. Please come in.”
She stepped aside and Saint Longinus stepped in, walking past her. As he did, the others barely looked up, fallen angels in employ of her uncle, Astaroth.
The human bonded form of Astaroth stepped out from the back bedroom, wearing only a pair of sweat pants. His body covered by the angelic markings that denoted the body bore the spirit of a fallen seraph inside of it.
“Hail Longinus, I take it you bring good news?”
“Yes, the girl is interested… very, very interested. She has been given the bible with the ritual in it. I don’t think she’ll have a problem carrying it out.”
Both men suddenly stop, a visible wave of power comes over everything and everyone in the room. The other three all get up, drawing weapons out.
Standing in the middle of the room now is a woman of unearthly beauty, long black hair, pulled up into a coif of a crown on her head, and a nice dress. she looks at the other woman in the room, “Nyx… I knew you’d be here! Did you not get my messages?”
Nyx, the angel of night, looks at the others and gives a half smile at the intrusion, “No, mother. I had not. I’ve been busy working with…”
The new woman turns around and looks at the two men who were just talking and she smiles. She recognizes one by look from legend, the other has changed, but she knows his feel well.
“My, my… Gaius Cassius Longinus and my forhter brother in law, Astaroth. This is a suprise. I take it Ishram and Caine are still giving you trouble your saintship, and for you to be invovled then… oh, prophecy is afoot!”
Astaroth nodded his head to her, the paragon Lilith, Nyx’s mother to his brother, Sammael, a former flame of his own, and the first being to ever deny the god of creation.
“Yes, prophecy is afoot. The blank angel has been born and come of age. But she has ended up with Childress and his branch of Ishram’s Order over here. What brings you here?”
“I came to see my daughter, but seeing you two is not bad either. Taking a break from my own hunt as it is.”
This peaked Gaius’ interest to no end.
“Your own hunt?”
“Yes, a bit of a problem child of a vampire. One that my ex-husband has shown an interest in and I can let no day go by that she does not suffer. A vampire named Lia Vlassy, although she has married another vampire, Virgil Ambrosi and now bear his name as well.”
“Lia Ambrosi, as in the Order Operative that killed my hand a few months back?”
Lilith, the first paragon arched her eyebrows at them.
“Lia Ambrosi is in the service of The Ishramson?”
“He’s her personal trainer. got her up to speed to become a world champion and an assassin, he is making himself out to be some sort of warlord like us paragons. He has two hands, Lia is his left.”
“The hand of assassins and subterfuge. Who is his right?”
“Blaise McClancy, a fey blooded one, cousin of Fey Childress, also known as Queen Mab.”
She nodded to them, plans and ideas going through her head now. Gaius could see the look on her face. He’d heard his ‘sister’, as in a fellow paragon, had a thing for a certain vampire that had killed his former hand.
“Well I know that Lia has proven to be a problem for me, so I could only imagine what type of issues you’ve had with this angel… just too bad you’re not after Lia as well. We could probably do wonderful work together.”
Astaroth coughed and looked at the living Saint.
“Mrs. Ambrosi took something of mine, thus I’d have no problems helping to take her down a notch. You are a shrewd tactician Lilith, maybe you could tell us where we are going wrong and you could get your opportunity to teach the vampire a lesson.”
Lilith smiled wide at that. She’d been working alone, her former lover and husband, Sammael, the devil himself had shown an interest in this upstart vampire. She would teach her, but maybe making complete and total havoc for those who would support her would be fun as well.
“Well, tell me about this angel then and we shall see, yes?”
Astaroth spoke first, he knew her well, for this body only had so much time left in it, and he needed the blank slate of an angel born on the earth to become whole again. He knew Dani all too well.
“A Sioux woman, Danielle Lynn Northsky. Generations from Kokabel, a virtue.”
“I know who Kokabel is, a problem in his own right. Especially since they let him back into heaven after he sold out Azazel, Samyaza and… you and your brother.”
Astaroth nodded to her, and his face formed a scowl.
“She has a husband, Joshua Brand, a Saquamish from Washington State. His brother, Grayson is a Guardian of the Order, has been for a long time.”
This caught her interest more.
“They have planned this then. Tell me, how much does she love this Joshua?”
“Very much… the bastard saved her from my first child that was supposed to house me. I ended up using a further relation because between him and Ian childress, they made him insane. He’s locked away, useless to me now. I run out of time, and I need the prophecy to be finished. I need to get her to the Caldera and soon.”
Lilith laughed at them.
“So tell me then, why is this Joshua Brand not a prisoner of your underlings and being held as a bait?”
“Never got a chance. Your daughter looks like all the others, including Mrs. Ambrosi’s former lover. They know her.”
Lilith laughed more.
“Well, they do not know me. I will catch your bait, then they will come for him, and we will have them deliver themselves… you will just need to make sure you’re ready on the Hell’s Plain.”
All three met eyes to eyes, and the deal was made and met.
To be continued…
