Spinning Fate's Threads

Sorry, gang. Totally exhausted. Replies next time. Thanks for reading.



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Abel stared around at the great hall as though he had never been anywhere impressive before in his long life. But nothing he had ever seen before began to match the opulence presented there. Massive columns of gold veined white marble held the arched ceiling of the great hall contrasting with the solid black marble floors. The gold, sliver and bronze filigree work that decorated the main archway was so delicately made it looked as though it might shatter at the merest wrong look. Underneath all the trappings of elegance, there was a low hum of power that seemed to vibrate into every corner of the place.



Heads began to turn from the moment Morrigan and Rhiannon arrived at the entryway to the room and Abel noticed a very odd mix of people. Among the silk and lace there was a fairly even number of rough woven wool and bright splashes of tartan colors along with a myriad of blue woad markings.



Abel’s eyes traveled the length of the great hall and came to rest on the elderly woman seated at the top of the dais at the end of the room. It looked as though her great age had barely bowed her frame and she appeared to be the epitome of what an elder queen should be though she wore no crown or diadem to mark her as such but she didn’t need one. Her grey touched white hair hung in thick braids on either side of her head, a heavy black and silver veil covered the crown of her head and pooled around her thin shoulders. Her heavily lined face rose from the sewing in her lap, her dark eyes looking over the arriving party carefully.



“Cailleach,” Gun said quietly into Abel’s ear. “She’s the one who has the last say as to whether or not Blaze can officially adopt you.”



Abel had clamped his hand so hard around Gun’s that his fingers had gone white. “I think I’m more afraid of her than I am of Morrigan.”



“You probably should be. Morrigan is the war goddess but Cailleach rules over death itself.”



Cailleach set the sewing aside and stood then walked to the bottom step of the dais. She motioned the party forward and everyone, including Morrigan, obeyed that silent summons. When everyone had gathered around the bottom step, she smiled at them all softly. There was a decidedly grandmotherly appearance about her but Abel knew that to underestimate anyone here would be a mistake.



“Edana,” Cailleach said, her voice strong and steady. She put her hand on the top of Blaze’s bowed head, stroking her fingers across the intricate braids before withdrawing. “Welcome home, child.”



“It is an honor to be in your presence, Elder,” Blaze said quietly then reached back to take Abel’s hand, drawing him forward to stand beside her. “Dark Mother, may I present Abel Nightroad. It is my wish to adopt him officially as my child and member of my house.”



“I understand. What do your husbands wish concerning this matter?”



“I have spoken with them at great length and this is their wish as well, Elder. They will be here for the ceremonies.”



Cailleach nodded. “What say you, Takara?”



“I will gladly accept him as my brother, Elder,” Takara said, reaching out to take Abel’s other hand.



“You know that it is your responsibility as an older sibling to teach him the ways. He will be under the family’s protection for the first year and a day. That falls to you more than it does to Edana and the rest of the family. Are you willing to do this?”



Takara squeezed Abel’s hand reassuringly, feeling the rising panic in him. “Yes, Elder.”



Cailleach took Abel’s face in her hands, tilting it up so he was making eye contact with her. It was an unnerving thing for him; he could have sworn he saw flickers of different things in her eyes. “Child, most of your misery is of your own making. Come and sit at my feet for a while. I would speak with you alone. Or as alone as one can be in this bedlam,” she said ruefully.





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Catherina rubbed a hand across her tired eyes. She had been up well before dawn handling paperwork and trying to piece together what there was left of the Vatican’s records. She had contacted all of the hospitals, tracked down everyone she knew to be alive and informed them that Alessandro was alive and safe. She had informed Alessandro of Francesco’s affirmed death, though she hadn’t told him the gruesome details. He didn’t need that invading his nightmares along with everything else he’d had to endure the past few weeks. Seth had been with him at the time and hadn’t said a word; only put her arms around his waist in silent comfort as his eyes welled up with tears he tried to blink back with little success. She had hugged Catherina as well, understanding whole heartedly what it felt like to lose a family member, even if it was one you didn’t exactly see eye to eye with most of the time.



She sighed and glanced at the clock again. She hadn’t realized she’d been up so late. Tomorrow was bound to be an odd day. They were leaving to go to Abel’s adoption ceremonies. She shook her head, musing it was so odd to think of Abel being adopted as though he were a child. She chuckled a little at that thought, in so many ways he still was a child or at very least behaved like one even though most of it was contrived. This would be good for him, she thought. He needed to belong somewhere other than with the AX because she doubted it would exist after she was gone. If it even existed now after the Vatican had been blown to bits and was still scrambling to get its members back together.



She supposed it wasn’t so strange to be thinking about one’s mortality when surrounded by the Methuselah and those who were even more long lived than the Methuselah. At least she knew that Abel and Tres would be taken care of long after she had passed away.



She sighed heavily as she locked her makeshift office, planning on heading to the kitchen for a late snack and then to bed. She let out an involuntary squeak of surprise when she heard a voice behind her.



“You’re up awfully late, little bird,” Isaak said, leaning casually against the stair railing and grinning around the clove cigarette in his mouth.



“I hardly think that’s any of your business, von Kämpfer,” she said coolly.



He shrugged. “Perhaps not,” he said, crushing the butt of the cigarette under his heel and striding over to her. “But I was never very good at minding my own business.”



She glanced up at him and noticed the slight tinge of pink to his skin that usually wasn’t there. “Who did you kill tonight, von Kämpfer? You look almost healthy.”



“No one who would be missed, I can assure you. My Mistress has forbidden me to kill any innocents, which is fine as far as I’m concerned. They don’t taste nearly as good as the sinners,” he said, licking his lower lip and baring a fang in a half smile. “Though I imagine you, little bird, would be quite delectable to nibble on.”



She stared at him open mouthed for a moment, too shocked to speak. Isaak grinned even wider at her expression. “You really shouldn’t leave your mouth open like that. It might prompt the unscrupulous to take advantage of it,” he said, reaching to run his thumb across her bottom lip.



She snapped her mouth shut instantly, earning a chuckle from him. “You would know all about the unscrupulous.”



“Hmmm, the little bird has sharp talons. Really, Terran men must be the biggest imbeciles in the known universe. To fear your position and your strength so greatly that they forget underneath it all you’re a woman. But I like strong women. They’re so much more interesting than the little milksop females who simper and whine about everything.”



Catherina tried to step away from him but found she had backed herself up against the wall. “I think the glut of blood has made you lose your mind.”



“And I think the weight of this ridiculous hat makes you lose yours on occasion,” he said, snagging the voluminous hat from her head and sending it sailing down the hallway before putting his hands on the wall on either side of her. “Now, back to your being delectable.” He leaned forward slightly so his lips were a fraction of an inch away from her ear. “I wouldn’t mind tasting what’s under your pretty golden curls and I don’t mean these,” he said, reaching to tease one of the heavy locks that fell across her shoulders.



There was a very audible double click behind him and Isaak felt cold steel pressed to the base of his skull. “Ah, but it looks like that will have to wait for another night,” he said, turning to face Tres. “Master.” He clicked his heels together in mock salute and strode off down the passageway humming to himself, pausing momentarily to grab Catherina’s hat before disappearing around the corner.



“Takara should have killed him when she had the chance,” Catherina said, finally gaining her composure again.



“Probably,” Tres said, holstering the guns. “But he has information that will no doubt be valuable to all of us. Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you?”



“No. Just petty insinuations,” she said, shaking her head. “I was going to get something to eat but I think I’ve lost my appetite now. Thank you, Tres.”



“No problem at all, my Lady. Inform me if he harasses you further. Shall I escort you to your rooms?”



“No, thank you, I’ll be fine,” she said, moving to start up the stairs. She paused and looked back at him. “I hope Takara realizes what a lucky girl she is to have you.”



“I’m unsure as to how to reply to that statement, my Lady.”



“You don’t have to.”