Saturday November 8th 2014

Bang! The sound jolted Elizabeth out of her chair, sprawling her on the ground as she scrambled to her feet. Alexandra was up, eyes trained on the door with murderous intensity. Despite the hammer blow of sound waking her, the vampire looked pristine without a hair out of place. The wonders of youth, Elizabeth thought disgustedly.

Bang! Looking through the door's window, she met the furious eyes of Lady Kali. Her face said plainly that they'd open the door, or she would. The door slammed open as soon as Elizabeth retracted the bolt.

Lady Kali stormed into the room, eyes tracking across Alexandra dismissively, before focusing with single-mindedness on Cesare. “How did you get in?” Elizabeth asked.

“I told them they could move aside, or I’d walk over their charred bones.” Lady Kali hadn’t threatened, she’d simply outlined the consequences of their actions.

“Why are you here?” Alexandra asked.

Pulling her eyes off Cesare with visible effort, Lady Kali faced the angry vampire. “He's my friend, where else would I be? I got the call last night that something had happened, and my presence was required to stand for my daughter. When I arrived, my idiot daughter told me the story, and I came as soon as I could.”

Alexandra sneered, her body shifting dangerously. “Oh, the bitch got her mother to bail her out. Great. You know it was your daughter who put him in that bed? Her boyfriend cut him open while she waved her pom-poms and cheered?” Fury sharpened her face into the mask of a predator.

“That’s between her and Cesare, child.” Completely at ease, Lady Kali shrugged off the vampire’s glare.

“Stop.” Flat and final, Elizabeth's words drew angry looks from both women. “Lady Kali, you know better. Without Alexandra, Cesare would be rotting in the forest with his guts food for bugs.” The words ripped the anger from Lady Kali. “And Alexandra, as much as you hate Anastasia, Lady Kali’s her mother. If you can't respect that, at least respect the love a mother has for her child.” Alexandra looked down.

“And neither of you are welcome in this room if you’re going to argue and fight. My … best friend … is lying on that bed fighting for his life while you two sling insults like children. If you can't find the maturity he deserves, then get out and don't come back. Because I don't want either of you in his life if you can't understand that right now, this needs to be about him and not you.”

Lady Kali nodded in both agreement and apology as she dragged a chair over to Cesare’s bed. “My people are outside that door. If the snake tries anything he’ll be put down, not that I think he will.” Taking a seat, she threaded her fingers with Cesare’s. “This went further than he thought it would. He’s going to be looking at cutting his losses, not racking up more debt.”

Elizabeth sat on the bed as Alexandra took a page from Lady Kali and dragged her own chair over to sit next to Cesare. “And what does that mean for Anastasia?”

Lady Kali pursed her lips, words coming slowly. “Not sure. The snake was careful. If Cesare pushes, he could get both Blaez and Anastasia expelled in disgrace. It was fucked to start with, but now it’s a shit storm. Everyone just wants it to go away as soon as possible before it hits the rest of the Umbrae Lunae. Getting Cesare to go with the flow is a big part of that, they’re likely to let him write his own check.”

Without Cesare to bind them together, they splintered into their own worlds as the hours passed. Lady Kali lost herself in her thoughts. Alexandra held Cesare’s hand, her thumb lightly caressing across cold flesh, bible verses whispered into the air as she read from her tablet. Elizabeth brought out her book with a sigh.

“Don’t look so sad. You’d think someone was dying or something?” Elizabeth’s head jerked up at the wry words. His face had gained some color, but his hands trembled along the blanket.

“How much do you remember?” Alexandra asked. She’d let go of his hand in shock, reaching forward reflexively to take it back, she mastered herself before touching him. With visible effort, she clasped her hands together in her lap. Elizabeth set her hand down on his leg as he smiled at her.

Cesare's eyes flashed dangerously. “All the way to getting gutted like a fish. What happened once my guts hit the ground?” Elizabeth and the others flinched at the gruesome visual.

“The wolf was still smoldering when I got there. Anastasia was trying to calm him down and get him away from your body. I body checked the dog into a tree and ... arranged you ... so I could carry you to the hospital.” Hulking shadows of horror shambled thorough her eyes as she remembered the scene. “Anastasia got Blaez calmed down enough to follow us out. I didn't think you’d make it … but I wouldn’t give up on you.”

Cesare slumped back. “How did you find out about the attack?”

“I didn't. I went there to pray. I wanted to ask for guidance,” Alexandra told him.

Cesare nodded absently. “You were the wild card that couldn’t be planned for.” Elizabeth watched him as the other two stilled, recognizing as she did that it was his habit to talk out loud as he worked through things. “You can only control so many factors. The one he couldn’t control would be you suddenly wanting to pray. Other than that, it was almost too perfect. But it didn't need a lot to make it airtight.”

“You think it was a trap,” Lady Kali said calmly. The same calm voice she’d used when she sent thousands to burn alive in pyres dedicated to her divinity.

“It fits. I'm a problem for Abraxas in a lot of ways. Killing me is the best option for him. All he needed was to get me and Blaez alone in an area where no one could interfere. I didn’t think he’d be willing to sacrifice so much to get rid of me. I must have misjudged just how irritating I am.”

“But Anastasia ...” Alexandra protested.

Cesare continued over her words. “Anastasia wouldn't be able to stop him. In werewolf form he heals too quickly.”

“She could’ve tried.” Hard and unyielding, Alexandra faced Cesare, anger rolling off her like storm clouds.

With a sigh, he continued, “Yes, she could’ve. But that doesn't mean anything right now. We can talk about what she could've or should've done later.”

Elizabeth broke into the silence. “Why not have him ambush you?”

“He’d go down with him if he told Blaez to ambush and kill me. This way it looks legitimate, or at least less like murder.” They stared at him. “You’re thinking one dimensionally. Abraxas had multiple goals. Kill me was one of them. But just as important, he wants to break Alexandra. Her continued defiance is eroding his authority and destabilizing the school. What would have happened if they’d gotten the altar?”

“I would have left and my father would have come for the lives of the defilers. The dishonor would be unforgivable,” Alexandra said.

“They never touched it,” Cesare assured her.

“Because of you,” Alexandra said softly.

“Back to the point. So far, we have two goals. Me dead, and breaking Alexandra by either getting her expelled or having her leave on her own. Finally, you have him cleaning house. It seems he's come to know what I’ve known all along, that Blaez is beyond his ability to control. Anastasia’s growing popularity is a threat to him, one that he won't let stand. Getting both expelled and me dead would kill off three problems and leave him as uncontested lord of the school. I didn’t think he’d do it because it would leave him with only Pantagruel to help hold the school together. But at this point, maybe the gambles worth it,” Cesare said.

“What if you’d stepped aside?” Lady Kali asked.

“Blaez would have attacked anyway. But if he didn't, Abraxas would have gotten two wins.” Cesare looked over at Elizabeth. “What happens now?”

“Blaez is looking at being expelled. That you two fought isn’t the issue. That's expected, to a certain extent. Changing like that moved the threat from a few bruises to, well, what happened. We don't allow students to kill each other.” She looked regretfully at Lady Kali. “Anastasia’s looking at the same fate. As a Thagirion, she’s expected to stop students from killing not stand by while a child's gutted.” Lady Kali looked away at Elizabeth's words while Alexandra smiled in satisfaction.

“Neither of those are going to happen.” Kali's head jerked up at Cesare's words, mouth open in question.

Alexandra cut in quickly. “Why? He gutted you like a pig. She stood by while he did it. After all you’ve done for her, she stood by and watched. And you want them to stay.” Lady Kali whipped around, glaring at the vampire, but Alexandra had eyes only for Cesare.

‘What would you do?” Cesare asked.

“Skin him the wolf and wear him as a coat. Drag the akatharton out of school and rip her eyes out. Teach them the consequences of their lies.” She stopped to gather herself, her voice lowered, hardening with hate. “Tell me you want him dead, and I’ll skin the bastard dog and bring you his pelt.”

“No.” The word held a world of meaning. “Sun Tzu said that a general can't fight a war on emotion. What would I gain from having you kill the wolf?” He bypassed Anastasia altogether.

“It would show that you’re strong. By making an example of him, you’d prove you’re a force to fear,” Alexandra said.

Cesare nodded in agreement. “Not a bad reason, even if you’re using it to cover up that you want him dead for what he did.” Alexandra opened her mouth, but he talked over her. “I want him dead. But we have to look at the bigger plan. Blaez is broken. With the right work we can castrate him. If we get rid of him, either by killing or expelling him, we open a spot on the Thagirion. That allows Abraxas to fill that spot with an unknown. Do you want to go through this again?” He gestured at himself, the trembling in his hand stronger than ever. “This is what it took to break Blaez. Do you want to pay the same price for the next one?”

Even more surprising than the words was the way Alexandra stopped in thought. “No … I never want to see this again.” Her words were soft as night falling and as final. Despite herself, she reached out, tracing a fleeting caress across his hand. “You’re saying it's better to keep him in play so we can bag Abraxas?” Cesare gave a single nod of approval. “That explains him, but not Anastasia.”

“Let me be clear. Anastasia is off the table. You won't attack her. I don't expect you to forgive her. I wouldn't if I were in your spot. But you will not move against her.” Alexandra acknowledged the order with a nod. “I'm honored by your offer. But that doesn’t mean I’ll sell my friend out.”

Alexandra looked down at her hands as they smoothed down the blanket. “She’s a horrible friend.”

“Yes,” Cesare said. “And that's between me and her. Hate her if you want, but I won’t walk away from her. No more than I’ll walk away from you.” He slumped back, weariness carving lines in his face. “Those are the personal reasons. The other reasons are just as important. Anastasia is a direct threat to Abraxas's power. Her popularity is working to undermine his own position. While that would be enough, I won't get rid of her for the same reasons it would hurt us to get rid of Blaez. If she’s expelled, then he’ll replace her with an unknown.”

“How are you going to get the Mistress to agree?” Elizabeth asked.

“I don't know. The key will be to spin it to put the guilt of their actions on Abraxas. I think it’s called the Nazi Defense. After all, they were only following orders.”

Lady Kali rose with a regretful look. “I have to talk to my idiot daughter.”

Elizabeth slipped off the bed, feeling heavy and ungainly next to Lady Kali’s delicate grace. “I need to take a shower and change.”