The mood in Darrant's Manor had grown increasingly tense as the night wore on, and Gabriel began to notice Eveshka pacing anxiously. Even stranger was that the pair seemed to avoid one another, Julius doing his own packing and leaving the room rather coldly as the Comtesse entered.

As he went about finalizing his flight plans and making sure Kathy and Porter would be have adequate transportation back to Cascadia, his nerves began to wear thin. If two Cainites as powerful as Eveshka and Julius were so distressed over something, then surely the threat was both dangerous and immenent.

Julius went about at a frantic pace finishing his final arrangements and contacting his shadowy 'connections' in preparation for their arrival in Turkey. Gabriel, unable to withstand the unease any longer, retreated to the front deck of the manor, stopping only to pour himself a glass of vitae tainted scotch.

He emerged from the house and was immediately bathed in the cool October air. As he willed his nerve endings to life, he became aware of another presence on the porch. The Comtesse sat motionless near the edge of the porch, no doubt staring off towards the direction of her beloved Touraine. Gabriel took several cautious steps towards her.

[i:2c0761f68f]"Good evening Comtesse."[/i:2c0761f68f] Eveshka's brilliant face, now held stony and frigid, glanced over at him.

[i:2c0761f68f]"Hello."[/i:2c0761f68f] she responded dryly. Gabriel, oblivious to the previous nights events, merely pressed on.

[i:2c0761f68f]"I must thank you once again."[/i:2c0761f68f] he said as he raised his scotch to her, [i:2c0761f68f]"It's been sometime since I could enjoy fine spirits."[/i Eveshka returned her attention to the purple hues of the night sky.

"Glad I could be of use to someone for a change."[/i:2c0761f68f] she nearly whispered. Gabriel, even as young as he was, could sense her sorrow. Her aura was saturated with various layers of self loathing and pity.

[i:2c0761f68f]"So Gabriel, what did you think of my performance yesterday? Was it everything one of my age and supposed breeding should display?"[/i:2c0761f68f] The question was lost on Gabriel.

[i:2c0761f68f]"You're....referring to the Assamite Eveshka?"[/i:2c0761f68f] Her eyebrows shot up for a moment before she remembered of his mind manipulation.

[i:2c0761f68f]"Ah...yes. Assamite Elders, Sabbat maniacs, bloodthirsty lupines, when will it all end?"[/i:2c0761f68f]

Gabriel turned his attention back to the ever darkening blanket of stars.

[i:2c0761f68f]"I would've expected nothing less from one of your potency and reknowned abilities."[/i:2c0761f68f] The memory of the blood, ravaged Assamite shot into his mind.

[i:2c0761f68f]"You know, these stars have actually changed since I was a little girl..."[/i:2c0761f68f] she sighed slightly [i:2c0761f68f]"They rise at different times of the year and we called them different things.[/i:2c0761f68f]"

[i:2c0761f68f]"The benefits of immortality eh?"[/i:2c0761f68f] Gabriel added.

[i:2c0761f68f]"When I was a little girl, the constelation you call Orion used to rise at this time of year....now it doesn't rise until later."[/i:2c0761f68f] abrubtly she turned her face to him once more. [i:2c0761f68f]"Do you believe in Gehenna?"[/i:2c0761f68f]

[i:2c0761f68f]"I do indeed."[/i:2c0761f68f] he nearly stammered his words, being slightly taken aback by the question.

[i:2c0761f68f]"Do you believe in God?"[/i:2c0761f68f] she asked, her face neutral and calm. Gabriel began to feel foolish, no doubt she had some wisdom of the ages to endow on him to crush his feeble Christian beliefs.

[i:2c0761f68f]"I do..."[/i:2c0761f68f]

[i:2c0761f68f]"Do you believe the signs of the times are pointing towards a grand finale?"[/i:2c0761f68f] Gabriel had studied the Book of Revalations relentlessly in his youth, and was indeed a believer, but even with the most devout belivers, time can ravage one's faith.

[i:2c0761f68f]"People have been saying the end is around the corner since I was born...why should I believe them now?"[/i:2c0761f68f]

[i:2c0761f68f]"Well then what is going on?"[/i:2c0761f68f] she said, blinking slightly in surprise.

[i:2c0761f68f]"I suppose with the apparent Red Star and the situation with Clan Ravnos..."[/i:2c0761f68f]

[i:2c0761f68f]"I'm not talking about Cainite crap. I think you'll find that vampires play an almost irrelevant role in the larger picture."[/i:2c0761f68f] now it was Gabriel's turn to feel the pang of insult. He turned to look the Toreador square in the eye.

[i:2c0761f68f]"I'm a son of God before anything else Eveshka, despite my age I like to think I have a fair grasp of my insignificance. After all it's displayed before me nearly every night."[/i:2c0761f68f]

((i'll edit in the rest of the conversation tomorrow...it's late i have to be at work early in the morning.

For someone who claimed to be so full of love, Eveshka had displayed an astounding lack of it. She had been quite prepared to simply drop him like a stone and head off with Kemintiri without so much as an apology. Not, in Julius' opinion a loving way to behave, or even the actions of someone who knew the meaning of the word. It wasn't love Eveshka craved, it was sensation. Constant intensities of passion were her deep set need, that feeling of being alive to dull for a while the awfulness of her existance. Sad old woman.

To get any kind of sense out of her, or even to break into that ancient stubborn mind, he had needed to rant and rage and cause her pain. She'd lost the ability to feel. Needed the drama, needed the stimulation of the extremes of others hearts to even gain a glimpse into the feeling world she tried vainly to remember. Poor sad old woman.

And was this, in time to be his fate? To sponge off the dregs of others emotions to give him some kind of kick start into a half remembered mortal existance? He was young yet, it was true. Blessed with the best of both worlds, the humanity of youth, yet with the power of an ancient. If when eight hundred years he reached, he was as lacking in true emotion as Eveshka, then it would be better that someone slay him. Truly she was a vampire, leeching the blood of others to maintain her unlife and leeching the emotion of others to maintain her sanity. Poor pitiable old woman.

He wouldn't abandon her. For all her faults, he did love her and on some level she believed she loved him. Things would have to change though. He could not continue to maintain the illusion that she felt about him in the same way he felt about her. She simply wasn't capable of it. Capable of love. No wonder a trail of broken hearts seemed to follow in her wake, indeed that part of his which had fallen for her wept now. He was simply glad it wasn't the whole.

She was afraid for her immortal soul, she had told him that, back in Paris where they had started. The scroll and it's link to the biblical apocalypse she feared. Yet, again, she had been prepared to drop it all and run to Touraine with her former lover. With or without her, Julius would now persue the scroll and it's secrets. How much he gave to Eveshka would depend upon her. She would learn that relationships, be they with friends or with lovers were about give and take. Julius was fed up of doing the lions share of the giving. Eveshka's soul would now be her own responsibility and it's fate would depend upon the choices she was about to make.

Julius and Eveshka were alone in his lab. Unfinished business needed to be laid to rest and this was the one place they could be sure of some privacy. The events of the past couple of days, the bruised feelings, it all needed to be aired lest they simply drift apart.

Eveshka jumped up onto the table, crossing her legs, watching, without blinking, as Julius took his skull from it's stand and placed it in it's carrying case. Finally, he took a chair and sat down, facing her.

"I know you are upset with me Julius." Eveshka looked down. "I never meant to hurt you."

Julius half threw up his hands in exasperation and shook his head slightly. "I'm sure you didn't, but then again, you weren't really thinking of me at all, were you?"

Eveshka looked up, piercing his eyes for a moment with her own. "Haven't you ever been sucked in by someone before? Someone so powerful that you cannot resist it?"

Julius pursed his lips slightly, considering the question, as Eve continued, "Someone who just inflames your every base desire and makes you feel high, like you are invincible."

"No." Replied Julius. "I can't say that I have. I suppose magic makes me feel like that. It's like a drug."

"Well," Evesha went on, "I... am old. For all of your power, for all of your mortal wisdom... you are..." Eveshka's eyes met the floor again, "you are young... the older we get..."

Julius interrupted abruptly, "Yes, yes, but when was the last time you actually made any effort to find your own feelings Eveshka? Or has it become so hard that the habit has formed within you to not even bother to try?"

Eveshka looked up, slightly startled. "I still feel. It is just sometimes I get confused between the adrenaline rush of addiction and true love. But... sometimes..." Eveshka's eyes wandered around the room and she shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know. Maybe I do just go from addiction to addiction." She jumped off the table and started examining some strange looking alchemical paraphanalia.

"I don't know Eve. It's hard to me to understand when you say you love me and then..." Julius paused, " You know, Kemintiri is just feeding off you. If you have these problems think how much worse it must be for her."

Without turning to face him Eveshka answered, "I know. I have never been in love with Kemintiri."

"At least you know what you get from me is real" Answered Julius, "and I liked to believe that what you gave me was also real. But... shit Eve, you've given me something to think about these past two days."

"I know what real love is Julius." Eveshka turned back to face him. "And I imagine I have. I so so sorry to have dragged you into this." She turned away again. "If you want, I will just... go, I guess."

Julius had to fight not to roll his eyes at the Toreador's melodrama. "Do you know what real love is, as a distant memory of something you once knew, or as something you experience now? And no, I don't want you to go. Don't be stupid. If you'd left with Kemintiri then, maybe." He paused. "But you didn't."

"Love is the desire for someone else to be happy, to care for their well being, to want to see them smile even if you are not." Answered Eveshka. "Love is a committment to another to say 'I will always be behind you.'"

"Very good, dictionary perfect," Said Julius somewhat cynically, feeling that Eveshka had avoided the spirit of the question, "But see, actions count, not words."

Eveshka turned back and fixed him with a steely gaze. "Yes well, let's see how well you respond when a fucking antedeluvian with the face of a Goddess, and the powers of one as well, comes calling for you wanting your soul." Her voice softened and she sighed. "Your whole point is academic Julius. She didn't come for you. She came for [b:cedddcc2dd][i:cedddcc2dd]me[/i:cedddcc2dd][/b:cedddcc2dd]" The steely gaze dropped to be replaced with a rather hurt look. Didn't he understand?

Julius nodded slowly "True enough, love. You could have let me help you though, but you had to see her alone. I thought we were partners."

Eveshka looked confused. "Partners? As in, like Mates? Ummm... Significant Others? What exactly do you think we are?"

Julius opened his mouth to come out with some stupid retort, but saw in her eyes the question was genuine so answered in kind. "Somewhere between the two, perhaps. I know we were mates, but things change. We've been closer recently, I know it's had an effect on me, hasn't it had one on you?"

Eveshka answered with some frustration "Yes,of course it has. Why do you think I am here talking about this. I love being around you." She looked down and wrung her hands a bit.

"Then stay with me. I don't want you to go." Julius said softly.

Eveshka refused to meet his eyes. "How do we handle the fact that my heart seems to belong to a vampire I don't even know."

"How do you want to handle it?" Asked Julius. "It's your problem, but that doesn't mean I am going to divorce myself from it."

"I don't understand." Replied Eveshka "It's my problem?"

Julius read her aura. She wasn't angry, rather she was sad and confused. "Yes. It is your problem. I can't control your feelings and I wouldn't want to. You are your own person. But I'm here to help you with your problems. I've always been, maybe I always will." He paused. "I do love you Eve."

"But what happens if I meet the [b:cedddcc2dd][i:cedddcc2dd]real[/i:cedddcc2dd][/b:cedddcc2dd] Michelle. I love you too, Julius, I am just not in love with you. I guess I don't understand what you want of me."

"Well, see, here's the thing," He replied "I don't know what you want of me. I'm not [b:cedddcc2dd][i:cedddcc2dd]in[/i:cedddcc2dd][/b:cedddcc2dd] love with you Eveshka, but I'll tell you what I do know. What we've got is a good thing, not corrupted, nor confused by outside influences. What people call a healthy relationship, I suppose, whatever that is supposed to mean. I could be in love with you, I believe." Eveshka nodded as Julius continued. "Just not right at this moment. I do have feelings towards you and they aren't based on power and addiction and all that stupid stuff that seems always to suck you in." Julius looked into Eveshka's eyes. They are based on you."

Eveshka once again refused to meet his gaze and stared intently at the floor, finally speaking in a small voice. "Bond me to you then. That is the only way I can think of keeping my useless addictions in check."

Julius paled significantly. The idea was both unexpected and somewhat distasteful to him. "Is that really something you want?" He asked

Eveshka covered her face with her hands, hiding and trying to suppress the flood of tears that threatened to unleash itself at any moment. "I just don't want to hurt anyone any more."

"And I don't want to hurt you." Julius replied with a pained look. "After all I've done to keep you free... to allow you your own choices." He stood up and gently wrapped his arms around her.

Eveshka looked into his eyes, blood tears streaming down her immaculate face. "Don't you get it Julius? I don't have any choices. without a leash I am dead. I mean [b:cedddcc2dd][i:cedddcc2dd]really[/i:cedddcc2dd][/b:cedddcc2dd] dead."

"No Eve," Replied Julius gently, holding back a waterfall of flowing emotions. "I don't get it, explain it to me."

Eveshka sobbed again, "Lucinde wants me dead, Meerlinda wants me as her own, Renee wants me as her own, Kemintiri wants me as her own. Hell, Rhiannon probably still wants me as her own. Everyone wants me as a possession. That is all I am. That is all I have ever been." She stopped a moment. "Julius, it's the only thing I know."

"But why? What happened in your past to make this so." Replied Julius in a husky voice as he choked back his tears. "I have no desire to own you. I don't own you Eve."

"You know my past as well as anyone else." Said Eve in a steadier voice. "I was [b:cedddcc2dd][i:cedddcc2dd]born[/i:cedddcc2dd][/b:cedddcc2dd] to be someone's property. I was sired to be a trophy. Held at Royal courts to be a decoration." Her voice raised. [b:cedddcc2dd]"I don't know how to be anything else."[/b:cedddcc2dd] Her voice softened again and when she next spoke it was tinged with an aching sadness. "I am nothing else. Everything good thing I've tried to do I've destroyed."

Julius blinked, realising he had missed something. "Meerlinda?"

"What about her?" Asked Eve, suddenly confused at the change of direction.

"You mentioned her." Explained Julius.

"She made me drink of her in order to get you out. That was the price I had to pay to save you..." Eveshka remembered that day, believing that it was her actions and not Morathi that was the reason Julius had been rescued. "and you say I don't love you."

Julius closed his eyes, and rested his forehead on Eve's for a moment. "Meerlinda played you for a fool. Morathi sprang me with help from Ibn Sabbah's people. And I never said you don't love me." He asked the question again. "Is this what you really want, Eve?"

"I have no idea what I want." She replied with a shaked of her head. "I just don't want to be anyone's trophy anymore. I wish I could just turn it off."

A whirl of emotion cascaded through Julius head and then a single point, a clarity of thought. Eveshka could not allow herself the freedom he wished to give her. Someone would bond her. She would let them. Something deep seated inside this Toreador's heart feared freedom and so she would find her own chains, even if no-one sought to capture her. The only real question would be who would bond her and of what material they would forge such chains. If he wanted to protect her, if he wanted to grant her even a part of the freedom he had so long sought on her behalf, then he would have to take the responsibility. Forge the chains from velvet and pray that he was worthy. He opened his mouth and spoke in a steady voice. "Then drink and may God forgive me. If nothing else, I can promise you're not a trophy, not to me." He paused. "You're Eveshka, and that's enough."

Eveshka pulled away from him, narrowing her eyes, her gaze piercing his body, heart and soul. Julius met her gaze, his own eyes speaking of great pain and sadness, but sincerity in his action.

Eve paused. Her mind awhirl. Of all things, of all people, she had expected Julius to refuse outright. Now that the choice was before her, she didn't know what to do. Her lip curled into a snarl and she bared her fangs, sucking air, making a hissing noise. Julius stood silent and steady, waiting for her to make that choice, perhaps the last freedom he could grant her and the most important.

Eveshka's eyes opened wide, insanely, as if on the verge of frenzy, yet still Julius stood, waiting, defenceless. She could take his blood or his life with equal ease. This moment was all about Eveshka, about her future. For this single drop in the ocean of time, if at no time in the past, nor in the years to come, Eveshka would be free.

Abruptly her gaze met his and he felt his will crumble beneath the light that shone from the brow of the Goddess standing before him. Of course, how could he have been so blind. It was foolish to consider that this vision would bond herself to him. She was placed upon this earth for him to worship and serve, unto the end of his days. He belonged to her, his life hers to do with as she would, to live or die at her command. Indeed, the very spirits of the dead were here, to do her bidding. That was, he thought, as it should be. Even death would not take him from her side, from her service. An eternity to give his all to her whims. A great privilege granted to one so unworthy as he.

"Come to me Julius." She commanded, the words echoing in his ears like sweet nectar. He approached her gladly, to bask in her majesty and power. Eveshka placed a gentle hand upon his face, her touch sending waves of pleasure throughout his undead body. She bent her head towards him and with a feral growl her fangs sank into his neck. Julius threw his head back. Yes, food for the Goddess, again, this is how things should be. His own life unimportant, the Goddess must be fed.

As her fangs withdrew, Eveshka released her hold upon Julius mind. He staggered for a moment, as she licked the wound shut. Her arms encircled him and held him tightly as her head came to rest upon his shoulder, crying softly. Julius could do nothing, holding onto her gaining equal comfort from the embrace, his eyes rimmed red with blood as he blinked his own tears away.

[b:3c38389ef3]The Black Sea[/b:3c38389ef3]

Darkness gave way to limited illumination as the two Hardsuits sank alongside each other towards the bottom. Both suits halted their descent abruptly with their suits fans before continuing at a far more gentle speed, kicking up a small cloud of debris as they touched down on the sea bed...

[i:3c38389ef3]"Well done Lucilla... This is one of the deepest dives I've ever made in one of these type of suit... Try to be careful and avoid banging the suit into anything... No need to test the integrity of the suits if we can avoid it.... Now ROV-Six should just be to the North of our touchdown position... I think I can just see the lights... Lets see what it found..."[/i:3c38389ef3]

Morathi carefully piloted her suit after Mooreland in a series of short hovering 'Hops' with the suit's waterfans. She tried to mask her excitement, the ROV's had found something promising, really promising. Not a ship, that much was clear from the ROV's video camera's. Mooreland himself was practically hopping with excitement at the potential of finding a previously undiscovered settlement on the Black Sea bed, although his excitement was more of the promises of fame and glory kind...

Unfortunately for Dr Mooreland if the site did prove of note he would never get to report its location, Morathi would cloud his memories and with the Revenants help on the Ekaterina alter the logs so that this dive never happened as far as he would recall. But for now the aide of an experienced deep water archaeologist would be invaluable...

Both hulking suits landed again in the additional illumination provided by ROV-Six that was circling above them controlled by one of the Revenants up on the surface providing an additional set of eyes on the ground as they looked about the survey site...

The paticular structure they had initially found consisted of the remains of a single building with hewn beam and wooden branches that formed the walls and roof of a structure, remarkably the roof was still intact despite many years of Black Sea debris settling upon it. It was most likely a house and a few sweeps of the Hardsuit's lights indicated there were similar structures nearby, cautiously Morathi followed Mooreland inside the remains, the bulky suit scraping slightly on the doorway.

Inside it was a little darker, the ROV's lights being cut out by the roof of the structure, inside it seemed a little disordered, artifacts strewn about the floor some broken, presumably the result of whatever cataclysmic event that had led to the settlement's current location. Dr Mooreland was carefully indexing the locations of each artifact, photographing them in-situ and then carefully and with considerable care selecting some of the more intact artifacts for storage in the special compartmentalised case he had detached from his hardsuit for the purpose, which would preserve the items in the same water they had been resting in all these years for their trip to the surface, where they could then be treated and preserved as appropriate in the Ekaterina's labs to survive surface conditions.

Morathi watched silently letting the expert do his job, feeling a slight pang of regret that what to Mooreland would be his greatest lifetime discovery would ultimately never be made public. Knowing that the study of the artifacts this dive recovered would have to be done behind Dr Mooreland's back as he would never remember this dive after finding something like this. But such a betrayal was needed, the location had to be kept a secret else it would be bombarded with more publicly monitored studies...

[i:3c38389ef3]"Remarkable.... These artifacts would seem to point to this settlement belonging to a Proto-Sumerian culture.... Lets see what else has survived down here..."[/i:3c38389ef3]

They continued to search the other structures, some not as intact as the first they had visited, the passage of time and settling of debris had led to some collapsing under the unplanned for stresses, they found a few more artifacts of note including some golden trinkets such as bracelets, bridle plates and combs, that Dr Mooreland believed were similar to those developed by the Scythians. Morathi herself found herself drawn to collecting a few of these, choosing some for the rich memories contained in the artifacts that her auspex could sense even through the indirect manipulators of her hardsuit. In particular Morathi's eye was caught by an exquisite brooch depicting a horse warrior, that after showing to Dr Mooreland learned was similar to those found in digs of tombs farther to the east...

[i:3c38389ef3]"Well... Thats about all we can do on our first dive but now we know this is here we can come back... We should head back up and start cataloging these artifacts...."[/i:3c38389ef3]

Morathi agreed and gave the signal to the Revenants on the Ekaterina to start winching them up, giving them the prearranged signal to indicate she wished them to slow Dr Mooreland's return winch slightly so that she was able to be recovered first and de-suit in time for Mooreland's arrival, her face being the first he saw as he cracked open his hardsuit's helmet, her emerald eyes glinting in the reflected illumination of his hardsuit's lights, catching his attention fully as he dimly became aware that the attractive singer he had been working with on these dives was speaking to him.

[i:3c38389ef3]"A shame we did not see anything interesting down there again... The ROV's just found some driftwood in the end.... I guess we will just have to hope for better luck next time Sheridan wont we?...."[/i:3c38389ef3]

Maintaining the eyecontact link Morathi was carefully editing Dr Mooreland's recent memories, patching in parts of memories from previous dives to fill in the blanks of an uneventful routine dive...

[i:3c38389ef3]"...Yes... A pity.... Ah well... A couple more dives at the last few sites and then we are done for this trip.... We can always try again another Year I guess...."[/i:3c38389ef3]

Morathi smiled as it appeared her editing of Mooreland's memories had worked, noting in the corner of her eye that the Revenants were carefully taking care of the Hardsuit's blackboxes and artifact storage cases and replacing them with blanks as they assisted her in helping Dr Mooreland de-suit. Having liberated him from the bulky suit, she gently steered the good doctor towards the Ekaterina's mess hall leaving the Revenants to cover up the dive's discoveries...

**********

Later that evening, having bid Dr Moorland a good night's rest after the tiring dive, Morathi typed up the dive's true discoveries which were now only known to herself and the six Revenants onboard. She had personally edited Dr Mooreland's recall of the dive, and as far as the Russian crew had been concened it had been an uneventful survey. Attaching the photos of the artifacts recovered, she reported that the Ekaterina would be heading back to port and in the meantime she would study the retrieved artifacts as best she could.

This information was then sent of to Julius via encypted satphone uplink. She intentionally did not include the precise GPS location of the settlement that had been found, she trusted the encyption but broadcasts could always be intercepted and even the best codes could be cracked eventually, Julius would understand this caution, thus she would save such information for a face to face report.

[b:03aeaeb24f][i:03aeaeb24f]DATELINE OCTOBER 12, 2002: CNN HEADLINE NEWS: SHOWDOWN IN THE GULF [/i:03aeaeb24f][/b:03aeaeb24f]

[i:03aeaeb24f] Newark, NJ. ATF and FBI agents apprehended an Iraqi national allegedly carrying a "dirty bomb." The name of the suspect has not been released but administration officials have said they are "100% sure he is Iraqi." The Pentagon has not commented upon how this will change its prosecution of the war with Iraq.

Baghdad is no longer considered a secure city as Republican Guardsmen have funneled into the city over the past few days and have pushed Coalition Forces out of several key areas. Coalition members are beginning to tire of now 2 months of ground warfare. They had anticipated several hundred hours at most. More missiles fell on Tel Aviv once again. The Israelis have not commented on losses. Pentagon officials state that their lack of acknowledgement is unusual and could be a sign that losses were significant. [/i:03aeaeb24f]

[i:2b501d3667][b:2b501d3667]Somewhere near Trabzon[/b:2b501d3667][/i:2b501d3667]

What was he up to? Wondered Eveshka as Julius pulled to a halt by a secluded cove on the shores of the Black Sea. All he had said was that they deserved a night off and insisted on stoking up with so much vitae that they both sported a pink, almost mortal flush to their bodies. On the journey here, he had evaded her queries, making small talk and smiling enigmatically at any questions about their destination.

They left the car and Julius led Eveshka down to the beach. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" He asked.

Eveshka took in the surroundings. The sea gently lapped against the smooth sand and under a moonless night, away from the light pollution of the busy town the stars were revealed in twinkling glory, the milky way clearly visible as a ribbon of pinpricks against the midnight blue of the cloudless sky. Eveshka smiled and nodded, as Julius sat down on the bare sand.

"So why are we here?" She asked, still taking in the surroundings.

"I wanted to show you something." Julius answered, still enigmatic, patting the sand next to him. Eveshka raised an eyebrow, taking a seat next to him and looking out over the calm waters. Julius closed his eyes and quite deliberately took a breath. "Breathe deeply, love." He said. "Smell the sea, listen to the crickets chirping their calls to one another, feel the cadence of life about you, become one with it." As Eveshka closed her own eyes to take in a breath of her own, Julius took her hand and placed it to his chest. Beneath her palm, she could feel his heart beating, as his chest moved in and out. "Enjoy the rhythms of life." He whispered. "Feel the blood course through your body, the air in your lungs, the breeze in your face." Eveshka spent blood, as he had, and the pair sat for a moment taking in the night, using the power of vitae to give life to their unliving bodies.

Julius took a smooth pebble from the sand and placed it into her hands. "Feel the rock." He began. "Caress it's smoothness and listen to it's tale." Eveshka ran her hands over the pebble. "Once it was part of a great mountain." Continued Julius, softly, his deep breaths continuing rhythmically. "Listen closely and it will tell of it's fall into the deep of the ocean, the places it has seen. It's journey from shore to shore, from sea to sea, finally to be washed up here. An ancient thing, to be held in the hands on one so young as you."

Eveshka opened her mouth as if to speak, but Julius put a finger to her lips, looking up. "And the starlight. Shone ages ago by burning furnaces of light, travelling for thousands and millions of years, to be witnessed this night by two brief specks in an ocean of timelessness. Two fireflies, buzzing their brief existence like a single tick of the clock in the agelessness of creation."

"But I am old." Whispered Eveshka staring at the rock. "Old and tired."

"What is old?" Answered Julius. "By mortal reckoning, I am old. In the reckoning of most kindred, you are old. The sea says the rock is old, but it laughs and points to the stars. You are as old as you wish to be, or as young. And you are as alive as you choose."

Abruptly he stood, smiling cheekily at her, his eyes twinkling in reflection of the starlight. "Come on!" He entreated and started running for the sea, discarding clothes as he ran, finally running naked into the surf. [b:2b501d3667][i:2b501d3667]"Come on!"[/i:2b501d3667][/b:2b501d3667] Julius shouted again, but Eveshka was already running to join him, laughing and losing for once the millstone of years about her neck, which had weighed her down so much in the past weeks. They played together in the water, laughing and giggling like children, splashing and squealing with total disregard to their status, or their power or the state of their existance.

After a time, they left the water, hand in hand, and lay upon the beach, holding each other, but not as children. The night empowered them as the pulse of nature and their hot breath upon each others bodies exhorted them to test each others strength, pushing one another to new pinnacles of pleasure. They made love as mortals, their heartbeats quickening as each took and gave in equal measure of their bodies and souls.

Finally, exhausted, they lay side by side upon the beach, fingers barely touching. Two breaths in rapport and two heartbeats in tune. Two young souls in concord with each other and with the living world around them, until the first lightening of the sky told of the coming dawn.

[i:eee4daf3a3] The sun had risen onto a dull roar. At first it sounded like thunder off in the distance. Yet it kept getting louder and louder. She looked outside the window of her hut, a crude mud hovel with thatch roofing. She heard her father shouting something. Waterfall? What? That must not be what she had heard. She distinctly heard "Nanna, must be taken NOW. She cannot be out in this, she cannot." Nanna, she had heard the name before. It was the name of their Goddess-Queen. Nanna, who watched over her flock by night in return for being kept from the sun's prying rays during the day. She had only SEEN Nanna once. She was the most beautiful woman she had ever beheld.

She got up and padded lightly out the door to watch as litter bearers carried the great covered compartment in which Nanna traveled. The finest silk carpets and tapestries covered the litter. Inside was the Goddess-Queen herself. Her father, the captain of Nanna's guard, supervised the loading and then walked at the head of the column following a steep trail up the side of the valley. He had not even bothered to say good bye.

Others were out of their huts now. This was not a happy occasion. Something was greatly wrong. The roar kept getting louder and louder. The creek which ran past the village seemed to be rising rather quickly. What a neat surprise. She always liked swimming in the creek after the rains came. She was always a bit of a daredevil. So off to the creekside she went. She started throwing little sticks into the water, squeeling with delight as they took off over the rocks: rocks that were rapidly being flooded over. The rocks beneath the water made for even bigger swells. That was just fine with her, that meant she could throw in even larger sticks and watch them zoom down the creek.

The creek swelled more and more. The little girl turned to go back to her hut and discovered that the lowlands that she had crossed were now engulfed in water. She was standing on a small gravel island. She hadn't noticed the water rising behind her. Her mother stood on the bank, several javelin throws away screaming her name. The little girl immediately realized she had upset her mother and began to cry. Then the rumbling REALLY became loud. It rose to a deafening crescendo. She turned to face the direction of it and saw a wall of water barrelling down the valley, devouring everything in its path. The wall of water engulfed she and her entire village seconds later. It was salty. She sputtered and coughed and tried to swim to shore. There wasn't any shore towards which to swim. She was tumbling down the valley. She struggled valiantly against the violent current. An undertow sucked her to the bottom where she struck her head upon a rock. She gasped and breathed in the salt water. Her body tried to expel it by coughing, but it only brought more salt water into her lungs. As the pain in her lungs increased, she struggled and fought to breath life giving air, she was almost to the surface, almost there, she could see it she could [/i:eee4daf3a3]

Eveshka sat bolt upright screaming in bed, bloodsweat streaming down her naked body. She was not alone. Julius was sitting straight up as well, blood sweat streaming down his as well. They looked at each other, eyes wide with fear. Eveshka said one word in the form of a question. "Nanna?"

Julius merely nodded.


Nearby, Morathi also satup in her bed, bathed in blood. She had dreamed the same thing.

((As did Gabriel if he is in Turkey as well, not sure if he is or isn;t))

((oo... Sumerian goddess of the Moon. Nice. And Scythians, a culture of major league dope smokers. Yup, Gabe should be out there with us too :))

((OOC

[quote:5cad729eb8]Sumerian goddess of the Moon. [/quote:5cad729eb8]

Oh, is THAT who it is. I was wondering, because my two-year old calls my mother "Nanna" and she is old and mean and I was about to go diving in her pool for the secrets to the universe........))

[i:bbd7381365]Chateau Chenonceau, Loire Valley, France[/i:bbd7381365]

In a darkened turret, forty feet above the river Cher, Khemintiri stared out a narrow window into the dark. Below her, on the river, small boats filled with tourists and lovers passed by the beautiful 16th century Chateau. The lights of the small craft transformed the black river into a starfield of white, yellow, green and red, as if in imitation or even competition with the night sky above.

The Chateau itself had been closed to the tourists for hours. The tour guides, janitorial staff and grounds keepers had left for the day. Now, the only occupant was Khemintiri. As the last of the mortals had left, she had prowled silently up from the hidden rooms in the bowels of the foundation through the magnificent rooms above. In what was once the bedroom of Diane de Poiters, she opened a secret door that led to a narrow staircase. From there, she followed the narrow stairs to the turret above.

Now she stood, gazing out of upon the river Cher. Khemintiri never tired of rivers. To her, they were the arteries and veins of the world, their waters the blood. For most mortals, the land of Khemintiri’s life was known as Egypt and it was inexorably linked to the pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx. Not so for Khemintiri. To her, Egypt was still Khem, the black land, named after the black mud along the great river. For her, that river, the Nile, was what defined Khem, not the pyramids, not the Sphinx, not the tombs of the pharaohs; just the river. It snaked through both the upper and lower kingdoms, providing both with life and death. Without its waters, the kingdoms would be nothing but inhospitable desert. And yet, those same waters could bring untold destruction when they flooded.

Like so many things in this world, one had to take the good with the bad.

Khemintiri’s mind had wandered far over the past few nights, wandering and watching. She had followed her former thrall, Eveshka, as best she could, to determine if her instinct had been correct.

It was. Eveshka did not love her and the wizard had helped her see it. A brief flash of anger had passed through Khemintiri when she realized the wizard’s part in this. She decided to destroy him. He was a powerful sorcerer to be sure, but he was young and inexperienced and no match for her if she brought her powers to bear. It would not be a quiet affair, but she would prevail. And if Eveshka tried to intervene – she would destroy her unfaithful lover as well.

The anger passed almost as soon as it appeared. The wizard, Darrant, had actually performed a kindness for Khemintiri, though at the time he believed her to be Michelle St. Claire. Darrant had broken the start of a bond that the renegade Tremere Goratrix had attempted to emplace on her. In the dark Khemintiri smiled slightly, a bittersweet smile that betrayed a sense of loss and appreciation. She would not destroy the wizard – that would be his compensation for his kindness long ago.

As for Eveshka, Khemintiri would let that go as well. The affair had been a short one, and though intense, it had really been between Khemintiri’s adopted persona and Eve, not Khemintiri and Eve. Khemintiri was not even entirely sure how she felt about Eve given that so much of her personality right now was left over from her imprint of Michelle. Khemintiri struggled nightly to find herself, find who she was, and every night she was torn between Khemintiri the destroyer, Michelle St. Claire and Khemintiri the lost little girl. Where any of them really her? Did it matter?

Khemintiri climbed out of the window and made her way to the rooftop, scaling the sides of the turret and then the peaked roof as easily as person might scale a ladder. Though naked, she was not worried about being seen – no mortal eyes could see her, hidden behind a cloak of obscuration. On the roof she stared into the night sky for a moment, and then turned her attention back to the river.

Eveshka was not coming. She had sent Khemintiri to her domain to await her return, as a man might send his wife home to await his return from battle – but Eve would not be coming home. She had love elsewhere. For Eve, Khemintiri was a temptation of the soul, not an affair of the heart.

Still, someone would come. Intentionally or not, Eveshka and the wizard would lead or send the hounds of the Camarilla to Touraine, to Khemintiri. She wondered if it would be another outright betrayal, or something more subtle, more tragic. And who would come? Lucinde? That was very likely, and she would no doubt bring her archons. The wizard Darrant? It was possible but not likely. He had two greater concerns – this fool quest he and Eveshka were on and Eveshka herself. Would he send others? Perhaps. Either way, some one would come.

Khemintiri stood and walked across the sloped roof to the far edge and looked down upon the gallery that connected the Chateau proper to the river’s edge. It had been built in 1575 by Catherine De Medici. Khemintiri smiled. She actually remembered Catherine. Such long times past. Khemintiri surveyed the river’s edge and the gallery.

Someone would come, and they would be coming for her. She needed to prepare. Though there was great danger in staying, there was also great opportunity. In the dark of the French night, Khemintiri began to lay out her plans, and woe be to those that that would cross her……

Eveshka got off the plane at the Aerodrome of Tours. She had flown back to her domain to attend to some business. All of the arrangements had been made. A special guest was arriving soon to her Chateau. Montcalm met her with a limousine for the drive back to Usse after a stop off at Mont Louis. She had to confront Khemintiri. She did not fill her Seneschal in on just WHO this visitor was, but she told him enough so that he would be on his guard.

The car pulled up to Mont Louis and Eveshka went inside. Twenty minutes later she came back out. Khemintiri was not there. Maybe she want back to Chenonceau. The car sped south-east along the Loire to Amboise and then south to Chenonceaux, the town. She stopped for a moment at the long driveway up to Chenonceau the Chateau. Montcalm looked at her, knowing that there was something going wrong with his Prince.

"She's here," said Eveshka very curtly. "Drive. Usse."

Fourty-five minutes later, she arrived at Usse to meet two Jusitcars. One as friendly as a justicar could be, Madame Guil; the other, glaring at her as if she were a piece of vermin. This was Lucinde. Inside her office, Eveshka filled them in on what had happened. She awaited her punishment, sure that her Principality would be taken from her. To her great shock, it was not. Madame Guil seemed very understanding and assured her that she had done the right thing. It was not everyone who could be enthralled to an evil antedeluvian, break the bond, and still have the wits about her to set in motion a chain of events that she was sure would bring down one of the most wanted Cainites in history. Lucinde's reaction was far from what she expected. She DIDN'T react. Didn't react at all. She merely said that she wished to go at once to Chenonceau. No Archons, no interference, she just wished to meet her face to face.

Eveshka felt terrible, she had known that Khem was who she was for several years. They had shared many things. She had never seen anything that would indicate that Khemintiri was evil, vile, debauched, or corrupt. All she saw was a scared little girl having a massive identity crisis. She truly wished that she DID love Khemintiri. But alas, she did not. Not yet at any rate. Who could tell what would happen in the future. Who could even tell if there WAS a future. She sure as fuck couldn't. All she knew was she needed Khemintiri out of her existance so that she could continue to survive. Having Khem around was certain death. She had heard, from Madame Guil, that Lucinde was obsessed with Khemintiri. That kind of obsession was generally predicated on extreme hate.... or extreme love. Eve prayed that it was the latter. She truly felt sorry for the Egyptian Goddess. It was completely in Lucinde's hands now. She only prayed that if her devotion WAS out of extreme hate, that Khem was destroyed, or at least wouldn't come after her. She also knew that because of the bond they still shared, Khemintiri most likely already knew she had been betrayed... again. Eveshka had been trying to block any mental contact or emotional contact. She had no idea if it had succeeded. She just hoped, actually she kinda just hoped that Kemintiri would get away and go someplace to find happiness. Surely everyone deserved happiness. Eveshka was sick of death and destruction. No matter what happened, she was bound for Paris the next night to meet with an old friend of hers. Someone she hoped would not die of fright from seeing her.

(((sorry guys, i've not really been home the past few days. but i'll be posting tomorrow night :)

[b:0c07b7a4e3]Trabzon Harbour[/b:0c07b7a4e3]

The Akademik Ekaterina had docked, Dr Mooreland had already disembarked to return to the project Morathi had borrowed him from, but he had been suitably entranced by the presence of Lucilla Troy that he would drop anything and come to her aid if she called...

Having contacted Julius as to her arrival, Morathi herself was in her cabin trying to ignore the faint hint of smoke lingering in the air from when she had stripped the bedsheets and incinerated them in a sturdy steel bin. The magical flame had very efficiently removed the bloody evidence of her bad dream, but unfortunately the lingering smell of smoke was a reminder that it had happened. A dream of drowning was not particularlly surprising considering the risky dives she had been involved in of late, however there was more to the dream than that. It was more like reliving a distant memory in a similar fashion to when she used her auspex to percieve memories contained in artifacts, perhaps even the fate of the village she had discovered...

If so it could be that 'Nanna' had potentially evaded the flooding, her personal grasp of the period's mythology was patchy at best for the moment, however after spending time with Dr Mooreland on the surveys she had learned a few of the myths of 'Nanna' a Goddess of the Moon, with influence over healing, magic, interpretation of dreams, and the development of civilization. A figure certainly worth detailed researching in light of the dream.

Moving to more practical matters, Morathi carefully opened the special padded case the recovered gold trinkets had been placed in once the Revenants had ensured they were safe to expose to the atmosphere. They were still working on the other artifacts that had been gathered, but gold being what it was had allowed the golden artifacts to be handled so swiftly. The trinkets were finely crafted, And Morathi decided to commence her study of them with the brooch depicting a horse warrior. She gently held the brooch in her hands and focussing her mind to the sole task of studying the brooch carefully opened her auspex to the memories contained inside...

___________________
[i:0c07b7a4e3](( OOC: Sorry this was so short... Been a little woozy after my Parents came back from a holiday in New Orleans, guess they brought back something other than Mardi Gras beads... :( )) [/i:0c07b7a4e3]

[i:3af5eff2cf]Le Chateau d’Usse, Loire Valley, France[/i:3af5eff2cf]

Lucinde pondered the information she had just received. The Toreador Eveshka Shuvolov had just confirmed that it was, in fact, Khemintiri the Setite anathema that had usurped Michelle St. Claire’s identity. In the guise of that particularly ambitious Ventrue, Khemintiri had risen to become Prince of York, an accomplishment Michelle herself had never equaled. Eveshka had served as her seneschal; and her lover. Now, the two had apparently parted ways. According to Eveshka, Khemintiri now awaited Eve’s return at Chateau Chenonceau. Eveshka had come before Lucinde and her Toreador counter-part, Madame Guil, and proclaimed herself free of Khemintiri’s influence.

Lucinde believed her, or, more precisely, Lucinde believed that Eveshka believed she was telling the truth. However, Lucinde also knew that one could not lightly discard one’s attachment to that Setite goddess. The power of that vitae, the beauty of that creature and the danger of her existence were simply too intoxicating. Eveshka may love another, or no one, but she, like most, could still be manipulated by Khemintiri. The question was whether Eveshka’s betrayal of her former lover was staged by the Setite or was it a genuine spontaneous act of treachery. Lucinde smiled within. She believed the latter. Eveshka could be manipulated, but this affair had the ring of truth. Lucinde believed Eveshka was genuine, at least on this night.

As Eveshka related her tale, Lucinde watched and listened. Madame Guil reassured the frightened Toreador that she would not lose her Principality nor would she be punished. Indeed, Madame Guil commended Eveshka on her ability to withstand Khemintiri’s influence as well as she had.

Lucinde tuned the Toreador’s out. She found Madame Guil distasteful to say the least, and that scatter-brained harlot Eveshka was, well, a scatter-brained harlot. Amazing that she could have survived eight centuries. Lucinde did not care what the Toreador’s did to police their own ranks. Lucinde had other marching orders. Khemintiri had, within the last century, murdered and usurped a justicar, destroyed one Prince and usurped the identity of another. All had been Ventrue. Neither the Camarilla nor the Ventrue could tolerate Khemintiri’s continued existence. One vampire could not be allowed to repeatedly embarrass the whole of kindred society and its most powerful clan.

Lucinde rose to leave as Madame Guil comforted Eveshka, who appeared genuinely distraught about the night’s turn of events. Lucinde did not care. It was a waste of time. For better or worse, Lucinde was a soldier. She had been fighting the enemies of the Camarilla and the Ventrue for centuries, first as an Archon and, after Khemintiri destroyed Michaelis, as a Justicar. While the Toreadors would sit and cry and ponder the tragedy and drama of it all, Lucinde had a job to do. A very dangerous job.

As she turned to leave Madame Guil turned her attention away from Eveshka and to the departing blond Ventrue.

“Lucinde, do you go to confront the anathema?”

Lucinde looked back impassively. “Of course.”

Madame Guil smiled. “And you are going alone?” The Toreador justicar raised an eyebrow. “Do you not think that unwise?”

Lucinde’s face remained impassive. “I do not go alone. I came here alone, but I am not with out aid.”

“Your archons?” Madame Guil asked.

Lucinde knew what Madame Guil was driving at. She was voicing the suspicions that many had about Lucinde’s obsession with the anathema Setite.

“Yes. My archons will go with me.” Lucinde answered. “There are more however.”

“More?” asked Guil.

“Yes. I have brought … a host.” Lucinde narrowed her eyes. “The anathema will not escape this time. The Ventrue will see to it.”

Madame Guil’s tone changed to one of indignation, even anger. “What host is this of which you speak? You have no authority to bring such a force into the realm of another without permission.” Madame Guil glanced at Eveshka. “And I am sure you do not have the local Prince’s permission.”

Lucinde eyed the two Toreador’s coolly, and when she spoke, she spoke slowly, her voiced low, soft and yet undeniably powerful.

“I do not ask her permission, or yours. The inner-circle has made the elimination of Khemintiri its highest priority, as has the Ventrue clan. With me goes the will of the Camarilla – for if the Camarilla cannot bring this Anathema to heel, what authority will it truly possess? Khemintiri’s crimes threaten the very foundations of our society. If one can flaunt our laws repeatedly with impunity, what then when many turn on us? Now is not the time for petty infighting. Now is the time for action.”

Lucinde pointed out the windows. “My host awaits. It is my charter to destroy Khemintiri. It is also my charter to destroy those that would aid her.” Lucinde paused for a moment. She did not like to threaten other Camarilla kindred, not that she feared them, she simply saw it as gauche. Still, here, now, it was appropriate. “Do not hinder me. Do not hinder my host, we…”

Madame Guil cut her off. “You … dare … make threats in this Prince’s domain?” Madame Guil arose from her chair, her face twisting in anger and fury. “I think you underestimate our power little Ventrue – and overestimate yours. We could destroy you politically or physically, indeed, perhaps we should given your insolence.”

Lucinde remained impassive. What Madame Guil said was true to a point. She and Eveshka could undoubtedly destroy her if they came to blows her in the room. Eveshka herself was a renowned swordswoman, quite old and of powerful blood. While Lucinde was the professional soldier, a fight with Eveshka would be closely matched. Throw in Madame Guil, and Lucinde would be defeated. Lucinde did not flinch however.

She regarded Madame Guil flatly. Without a word, she strode towards one of the doors. Motioning for Madame Guil and Eveshka to follow, Lucinde passed through the portal and headed down a darkened hallway. She led the now silent Toreador’s through the castle. Soon, they entered the part that was open to the tourists by day. Passing through a gallery filled with a most impressive collection of weaponry, Lucinde made her way to a spiral staircase. In silence, the three women scaled the curving narrow stairs higher and higher until they came to the uppermost tower room. Here, a waxwork sleeping beauty rested eternally, waiting for a prince that would never come. Her resting-place over looked the river below and the dark forest beyond. Lucinde directed the Toreador’s to the panoramic view that awaited them. Cautiously, the two approached the windows and looked out into the night.

Everywhere the Toreadors looked with their supernatural vision they could see figures crouched in the dark. Dozens of vampires, a veritable legion of kindred, stood guard in the night. Darkened figures moving with catlike grace patrolled both sides of the river, in and out of the trees. In the moonlight, their silhouettes betrayed their armaments; deadly shadows armed with swords, pikes, rifles, and scythes. There, in the night, the Toreadors were witnesses to what was truly a host of the damned. Had the Toreador’s been mortal, no doubt the sight would have taken their breath away.

Lucinde addressed Guil and Eveshka. “Khemintiri has made war upon the Camarilla. Now, the Camarilla shall make war upon her.”

Lucinde turned to descend the spiral staircase. At the archway, she turned back to Guil and Eveshka. She a last message to deliver, a barb more personal than business, but one that could ultimately help with her task at hand.

“One other thing,” Lucinde said with a sly smile. “I brought someone with me to help find the Anathema, and I believe you know her Eveshka.” Lucinde’s smile broadened. “Or, at least you think you do. She is staying at Chateau d’Artigny, just outside of Montbazon south of Tours.” Lucinde paused. She could see in Eveshka’s face that the Toreador already knew what Lucinde was about to say, but she wanted to say it anyway.

“Her name is Michelle. Michelle St. Claire.” With that, Lucinde simply smiled and left, rejoining her host to prepare for the battle to come…

Eveshka did not react. She just stared blankly at Lucinde as she left her haven. Eve knew that this day would come. She knew that Lucinde would not resist the opportunity to stick a further dagger into her. Well, the worst was passed. Who cared what some slut protege of Lucinde would say or do. Lucinde. That was another matter. A particularly evil smile crossed Eveshka's face. She closed her eyes and reached out across the short dark gap separating she and Khemintiri. She WAS still bound to her, after a fashion. Khemintiri was likewise bound to Eveshka, after a fasion. The problem was this, was LUCINDE still bound to Khemintiri in that SAME fashion? There was the question. Her psychic projection raced across the Touraine night. It raced over vineyards, forests, rivers, small hamlets of sleeping Frenchmen, all the way to the magnificence of her former home. Chenonceau. Lucinded did not seem to sense her presence. Not in the slightest. Khemintiri however. She sensed it right away. Her black eyes flicked to the direction of the projection and smiled. It was a cruel smile.

"I know you are there, 'Little Firebird,"' said Khemintiri to the blackness. "Come to gaze one more time? Come to watch the hounds of the Camarilla bring me in?"

Eveshka watched and did nothing. She knew that Khemintiri was probing into her thoughts like no being ever had in the past. She knew that Eveshka did not want her destroyed, almost hoped that she made it out. But she also knew taht Eveshka was there for reasons of self-preservation. This was not out of duty, as far as KHEM was concerned. This was survival.