Journal - In Between

The return home was quiet. Everyone was exhausted. Each of us had turned into our own moments of reflection and introspection.

The most surprising was Blanka herself. Quiet, head down over her journal. Cornel had practically passed out against the glass, but the rumble of the tires over the road obscured any sleep noises he was making. And I could guarantee he was making them with his mouth lolled open and face pressed awkwardly against the glass. I dozed, but only for brief moments. I was continually being startled awake. I’d gasp, then check on everyone from the passenger seat then I’d descend back into the haze.

This meditative state that Bjorn dropped into appeared to be healthier than I expected. Driving, hands on the wheel, even when darkness seemed to shroud his eyes. That sense of control; deciding the direction he was going, possibly gave him a grip on the darkness he kept at bay. The way his dossier read, it sounded like he’d lived multiple lifetimes. Ultimately, he was limited to the life he had in front of him. The things he’d seen, he likely could not process--much less cope with--in the remaining time he had.

I was starting to get a backlog of this myself. My escape was hitting the road; disappearing into the wilds of some far off place. Perhaps I could afford the time soon. The one thing about being with my allies--my friends--was that I didn’t feel lonely. Which brought me to a realization; I didn’t know that I had been lonely up to this point.

Looking back at Blanka without being obvious was difficult. I wanted to keep an eye on her. Almost losing her on that ferry was devastating. I kept playing back through the choices in my head. Had we not boarded the ferry, it would have been anyone’s guess as to what would have happened to her after that. Each “what if” thought struck like a hammer striking an anvil. Each time the sharp clang would send a chill down my spine.

Blanka was aggressively writing. The act of it brought a crinkle around her young eyes as she bore down on the paper. She had gone silent during our initial banter in the car. I could see that her encounter with Aaron had shaken her. I saw only a moment of it when shaking her free of his influence when on the docks. I felt that she needed a shock like this to know how badly things could go, but, while she needed something to shock her out of the complacency of youth, she didn’t deserve to be hurt in the process.

As soon as Aaron was dealt with and we returned to the hotel, we didn’t wait to tie up any loose ends. We piled all of our equipment into the boot, settled our time at the hotel, and began our journey back to Nachtricher headquarters. I took a note of the different accounts I did need to settle:

Bridgette, she asked us not to kill the Cardinal. I figure I owed her an explanation.

I hoped the family of the man whom we killed would be compensated, in some way, by the church. What happened to him… what the Kalderari did to him… then what we did to him… the whole matter was wholly unfair.

Some explanations of the brutal death of the man that was under her care would also be acceptable, but that simply was an unfortunate series of circumstances. Even though our part in it was essential for the safety of the town, it was a brutal finale.

In a way, the Kalderari paid penance with a sacrifice of one of their own during the assault on the church. Still, I took little comfort in the thought.

Vadim? I’ll figure out what to do there. Thank him for his involvement. Sympathize with his loss. Then, there would be a chance to give him a path of diplomacy for the betterment of his people. If they wished to be treated fairly, there would ultimately be an exchange. I’d definitely make him work for it. I have enough paperwork to do as it is.

Hours passed and the morning turned into afternoon. We stopped for petrol only once with the investment in bluegas. The one stop gave us a nice view of the lush, dew soaked valleys. Mist clung to the lowlands and slowly receded with the approach of the sun. There were scattered gray clouds, but they couldn’t keep the sun at bay. It didn’t change the temperature much, though.

Our arrival at the castle brought on a little disgust from Bjorn.

“Who’s in charge of your security?”

I blinked at the question.

“My security? Nachtrichter?”

“Yes, dat.”

“I know who should be-” I stammered, “If there’s a problem, you should bring this up with the Special Agent in Charge.”

“Angelica, yes?”

I nodded in response. As we moved up the road and directly into the castle proper, he gestured at the unguarded opened gates and scoffed. I could imagine that Angelica was going to hear an earful.

The courtyard was nearly empty outside of some vehicles parked neatly near the entrance between the dorms and the Keep. We exited the vehicle and each of us walked in different directions. Bjorn was headed to the Keep. I went the opposite way, moving toward the kitchen. I wanted a little  breathing room between when he visited and I gave my final report to Angelica.

I hadn’t eaten anything since just before the ferry ride. That was hours ago. I was famished. It was right between lunch and dinner when the cafeteria was most likely to be unoccupied. That appealed to me; the effort of social engagement right now was the last thing I wanted.

Walking into the room, I saw only one person: Elsbeth sitting with a book. I made a guess that she’d been there since noon. A plate with only traces of a meal was next to her.

Elsbeth glanced up.

“Hello, Bani.” She said politely with a nod.

“Afternoon, Elsbeth.” I said, returning the nod.

She returned quickly to her book. It was a sign letting me know that she didn’t want to be interrupted. I busied about the kitchen area, pulling together a grand sandwich with meats and cheeses from the icebox along with some crisp greens. I layered the meat with spicy mustard and butter and turned on the gas stove and dropped it on a pan to toast the bread.

A few minutes later, I moved out of the kitchen with a plate in hand, balancing the warmed sandwich along with some unruly pickles. I saw Elsbeth mark her place in the book and close it and place it on the table. It was a plain volume, clothbound with red fabric backing. Gold letters graced the spine, but I couldn’t read the title in the dim light.

“May I sit?” I asked.

She smiled and nodded, gesturing to the seat across the table.

Elsbeth appreciated the social contract. It was clear when we were going through training. The minutiae of interaction that shows a mutual respect for the other. Exchanging pleasantries was a way, in a sense, to put her at ease. She appreciated the custom, the sensibility, the order of it. She was extremely level headed which made her one of the easier people to converse with. You knew almost exactly what to expect.

As a counterpoint, she rarely deviated into the inane and silly. Her straight-laced nature was both her strength and her weakness. She would not be a good drinking companion. Or, I would assume she wouldn’t be. Outside of our brief moments working together before graduation, she was very much all business.

“How was your mission, Bani?”

“Successful! Although, I am going to have some scars after this.”

I touched some tender spots on my chest. Elsbeth scrutinized me as she saw me wince with the effort. I immediately realized my mistake as she bounded forward, lifting up my shirt. 

“Wait!”

I tried to hold her at bay, but she’d already seen the damage.

So much for knowing what to expect.

“You need to come with me to the infirmary. Now.”

She had entirely moved beyond the pleasantries on the express train to pure business. I was floundering in her territory and she wasn’t going to let me get away with anything. I was hustled toward the infirmary, wincing, longingly looking back at the plate with my sandwich on it.

Elsbeth is the daughter of two Montanicans; both of which were well respected field medics during the war. Her calling was the same as theirs. Unfortunately, her ability considerably outmatched the needs of peacetime. Her coming to Nachtrichter was one of the ways she had been able to put those skills to good use.

I was told, in no uncertain terms, to lie down on one of the narrow operating beds in the infirmary. She had nearly gotten my shirt off before we’d entered the room.

“Why did you not come to me sooner?”

She was more than indignant.

“I didn’t even know you were here!”

She grumbled to herself, gingerly peeling back the bandages and inspecting the wounds. One of her eyebrows raised for a moment.

“I recognize some divine healing.”

“Something I got from the Cardinal just before we put him down.”

Her eyes widened at that. She waved a hand in front of her, making a practiced gesture. It was something I’d seen before, I assumed it was a prayer of sorts, but not being at all religious, I didn’t know what she meant by it. Elsbeth is extremely faith driven.

After inspecting the wounds, she looked at the ones that were still weeping. She rubbed her hands together and placed them on two of the more significant wounds and closed her eyes with a whispered prayer. Her hands became hot--just short of unbearably so--but it only lasted a moment. There were points of sharp pain as I felt my skin crawl and shift under the pressure of her palms.

As she leaned back, she took a breath and shook her hands out. I had never actually needed to be under Elsbeth’s care, but I had seen others who did. This was an eye-opening experience.

“I-I don’t know what to say.”

She interrupted me.

“There’s still more to be done. Stay there. Let me do my job.”

She moved through the cabinets, pulling out a small sewing kit with a hooked needle along with a series of bandages, disinfectants, and analgesics. The overhead medical lamp was switched on and quickly leveled at my gut. She set to work deadening the area then stitching shut what remained of the wounds.

Clean, precise, and focused. I had an entirely new respect for Elsbeth. I knew she was good, but this work was exceptional.

After the finishing touches on the last gunshot wound, she stood up and inspected her work. She nodded upon review, reached up and switched the medical spotlight off.

“You are under my care, now. You do not leave this room. I will bring you food so you can rest until you recover.”

As she spoke, her face was deadly serious.

“Make sure you find Cornel. He was worse off than I was.”

That set her off again. Elsbeth shook her head at me, clearly noting my lack of priority.

“You need to rest, Bani,” Elsbeth said, pointing at a more comfortable bed across the infirmary, “I’ll be back to check on you.”

She gathered up a mid-length felt coat from the back of one of the chairs and departed. She was on a mission.

I waited for a moment before sitting up. The outer doors had shut. I expected that I was in the clear unless she spotted Cornel sooner than I hoped she would. I didn’t want to wait to find out. I donned my shirt quickly, noticing that nothing hurt as I lifted my arms above my head. You don’t realize how much pain you were in until the pain is gone.

I gathered my things from around the room and moved into the cafeteria. My sandwich was still there, the bread had grown somewhat stale, but it was edible. I snatched it from the plate, grabbed the pickle, and made my way out to the courtyard.

Enough time had passed that a visit to Angelica would be appropriate. I made my way there, hoping not to run into a fervent Elsbeth along the way.

---

“I am sending you this letter as an introduction. My name was Judith Eckardus,” I read the opening sentence aloud.

The letter started with an explanation of origins. An almost pragmatic view of history. This Judith was born 1457 IC. Sought after for her beauty, her husband elevated her from merely a slave to the wife of a noble, Lord Staufen.

I continued.

“Public records will show that Lord Staufen was murdered by his wife shortly after his return from a two year campaign for the Quadradine Order of the Church of Vedicia.

“During my husband’s campaign to rid the county of demon spirits, he became possessed by one. I killed my husband out of self defense. In the process I contracted an affliction of the blood that persists to this day. A side effect of the disorder is that the ravages of time do not affect my appearance. I have been called many things over the centuries. The most apt description--to borrow from literature--is to say I am a vampire. Your contacts within the Talamasca should be able to verify my story.”

I looked up at Angelica.

“A vampire?”

I gave her an incredulous look.

“Keep reading,” Angelica prompted.

“Since that time I have been known by many names, most recently Bella Davor. I understand your organization is charged with the enforcement of the Legerdemain Accords. A covert operation under your command. I appeal to your charter.”

I stopped. I had to. I rubbed my forehead with my right hand as I spoke.

“She’s around five hundred years old and she’s asking for help? You can’t be serious. I’m still getting used to the idea that there are actual vampires. Have you met one?”

Angelica shrugged, but she had a smirk that spoke volumes.

Bjorn had just been in here and there were two used glasses from what they had consumed from earlier. I did notice that Angelica smiled just a little more in this state. She was warmer company when business wasn’t the only thing in her head.

I decided to partake a bit myself and poured some Appenzellar for myself without ice. I figured I might as well join her. I lifted the bottle toward her with an offer to refill her glass.

“Just that much,” She said, holding her finger apart an infinitesimal amount.

I splashed some into the glass as an approximation. 

“But they do exist. Vampires.” I said then mused to myself, “What have I signed up for?”

“This is entirely voluntary. While she appeals to our charter, we’re not exactly set up for what she’s asking. Keep reading, you’re getting to the interesting part.”

I continued.

“I have only known of a few of my kind in all my years, as we tend to keep to ourselves. That said, I had discovered recently that one of us had been captured by a secret organization reporting to high ranking members of the Clovian court. This in itself is not unusual. What is strange is they did not destroy him upon capture. I believe that they are keeping him captive for use in experiments contrary to the Legerdemain Accords.”

Angelica put up her hand. I stopped reading and gave her my attention.

“She’s talking about Echelon. This is a concern. The experiments are clearly a violation of the accords, not that that’s any surprise coming out of Clovia, but their studies could represent a major threat. If they’re building up for conflict, we know that they’ll do almost anything to win the next war.”

I nodded at that. I could imagine Bjorn’s skin crawling at the thought. I should have had the same reaction. Perhaps I lack imagination. I was still in the “I’ll have to see it to believe it” category.

I looked ahead in the letter.

“She doesn’t seem too concerned about it,” I said, then continued reading, “I do not bring this to your attention in an effort to rescue him, his fate is likely sealed. A deserved fate to be sure. My motives are more personal.”

Angelica interjected, adding some color to the words.

“It is likely this other vampire is under lock and key deep in Clovian territory and, likely, untouchable by us. We have people close, but not that close.” Angelica said this, but seemed to question if that was an appropriate amount of disclosure.

I didn’t react, but my curiosity was piqued. I finished the passage.

“In exchange for your protection, I offer my services and considerable knowledge. If you are interested in further discussions I will await your contact. Enclosed are box tickets to the Grand Theater for the evening of Saturday the 5th. If you wish to entertain my offer I will look forward to seeing you at the theater in Genf. Bring a single white rose tied with a black ribbon and you will know me in kind.”

Midway through the reading, Angelica slid two tickets over the desk toward me.

“I’m not much of a theater goer.”

“You’ll do just fine,” she said with a smile, then hastily added, “If you wish to do it. Again, this is entirely voluntary.”

“Will it help with our charter?” I asked.

Angelica leaned back in her chair with the thought, her red curls bunched behind her as she did so. Angelica was petite and kept her appearance more toward bookish, but I knew she could doll herself up if she needed to. Blanka and her shared similar expressions, but I could tell that Blanka’s appearance was a little longer, and slightly taller than her mother’s.

I realized that Blanka seeming taller was simply an impression. It was a little concerning that I don’t remember ever seeing both mother and daughter in the same room. I felt an internal pang of regret at the thought. I wondered if Angelica felt the same.

She finally spoke.

“I’m sure you’ll get something useful out of it. Vampires are exceptionally dangerous and an ally of that nature may be helpful, but also unpredictable. You know as well as anyone that people can change under pressure, or the lack thereof.”

Angelica leaned forward out of her chair and leaned on her desk pausing briefly to sip the Appenzeller I poured, then continued her thought.

“When the stress of this moment is gone, would she maintain her disposition toward us? You are going to have to determine that. She’s got, oh, four hundred fifty years of experience on you. So, I’ll leave that to your best judgment.”

She finished the remaining Appenzellar and put the glass down firmly as another thought came to her.

“That is, if you choose to pursue the investigation.”

I grinned at her. Her cheeks were a little flush. Angelica would be a good drinking companion. Entertaining even while discussing the intricacies of diplomacy, posturing, and how out-of-my-league I was going to be.

“You’ve done your own research, correct?”

Her head bobbed loosely in response.

“And all the situations she’s been in checked out? Clovia has her under siege?”

“Yes. They’re turning her world upside down.”

There was a moment of anger, or, perhaps, disgust in her expression, as she said it. That was enough for me to make a decision.

“Sure. I’ll do this.”

I swept the tickets in my hand and gathered the letter together.

“I can choose my team?”

“Whoever isn’t already on mission. Are you going to work with Bjorn again?”

“Absolutely. I trust him implicitly. And he keeps me in check when I start to trust a little too much. His contract still applies, correct?”

“He’s decided to join us.”

I smiled broadly at that.

“Excellent to hear! How did you convince him?”

“He didn’t need much convincing. He’ll be taking up residence across the hall.”

I scrunched my face at that.

“Oh, come now, Bani. Many members of Nachrichter live in Habsburg Castle, it’s not that unusual.” She said with mock scolding, “Speaking of Bjorn, though. He’s had very good things to say about you. This is something I’ve been considering both because of the experience you bring and the fact that you were one of our top graduates.”

She slipped a mimeographed page in front of me, filled out with my name and new rank: Senior Special Agent. I leaned forward and looked at the page.

“How about that!” I smiled at the page, “This means I can legitimately pull rank now?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Bjorn is a Senior Special Agent, too, correct?”

“Yes. His experience brought him to that level.”

“Good. He’s saved my life… our lives, plenty of times already. I’m glad to hear it.”

“Your,” she paused for effect, “briefings have said as much. You may want to consider what that word means.”

“Oh! You read my book?” I said with feigned delight, “Remember, you are the one who hired a delinquent author with far too much to say.”

She shook her head at that then put a pen on the desk in front of me.

“If you accept, sign it. We’ll get started on your updated pay rate. You deserve it.”

I put down the page, skimmed the details for anything untoward like vampire food. I took the pen and drew out my name with a flourish and noted the current date. Angelica pushed back from the desk and stood in response.

“Congratulations, Senior Special Agent Bani Elkind.”

She extended a hand with the words and smiled. I took her hand--gentle, but firm--and shook twice. Once we disengaged, I swept my glass off the desk and shot the rest of the Appenzellar then placed it gently down again. I made my way for the door.

“If you need to evict your new tenant, let me know. I’d be happy to help.” I grinned at her as I stepped through the door. “You’ll know when that needs to happen, too. It’ll be about the time he brings a hog into his room and says he has business with Odin.”

The smile on her face faltered for a moment. It briefly changed to a look of bewilderment as I closed the door behind me.