Strange City Page 16

  Anastasia watched the Princess walk out of sight, and turned and stepped out of the alleyway. The fires had already died down, leaving nothing but gray ash to swirl about in the eddies of wind that blew through the city

  She shuddered, realizing how far she had fallen in so short a time. She contemplated things: if she contin­ued along this path, she would have to present herself before the Prince before too much longer, or else her Sire would have to defend her before the Camarilla.

  As she walked home, healing the thousands of tiny cuts on her body as she walked, she failed to notice a pair of gleaming red eyes watching her from a dark­ened alley.

  Anastasia invoked the powers of the Path of Finding, the path she had herself created, and followed the threads of possibility through the city to the church that Selena had described over the phone.

  A white-haired vampire met her at the door to the ancient church, black, woolen cowl draped across his mocking grin. She had garbed herself in her ritual Tremere robes. The Eye, the Wand, and the Athame of her office hung from the sash. The vampire turned and called out to the gaping hole of a stairwell leading down: "One comes before the Gate, demanding to be allowed in to Hell! What should I tell her?"

  "Tell her that all are equal in Hell, and that she seeks her own doom," came a voice, the ritual response. Ana thought it was Selena's, echoing up the stairwell.

  The white-haired vampire smiled and blood oozed from the sides of his mouth. "Blood. Blood, Blood. We are all equal in the Blood." He grinned and reached out his hand, in it he held a burlap bag, open "Your things of office, you will leave them behind All are the same in Hell."

  She heard a girlish scream, a human scream, echo­ing up from someplace, someplace far away, "Ana! Don't listen to them! Ana! Get away! Get away from here!" it was Sofie. She was silenced, Ana knew not how, but the quiet was brutal.

  Anastasia hesitatingly placed her Wand in the bag, followed by her Athame, and finally, her hands shak­ing and knuckles white, her Eye, the dark, round onyx jewel glittering in the candlelight. Glad she was that he did not ask to remove her ruby earrings. The white-haired devil vampire then began to laugh, threw back his head and let his fangs grow. She saw his forked tongue dancing about his lips and she shuddered.

  The toll is paid! Lay open the gates for the Damned!" he said, his voice a shrill mockery of humanity.

  Two heavy cast-iron gates, which had obviously been a decoration in the days when this place was a working sanctuary, flung open. They were covered with entrails from some unrecognizable sacrifice, and the charnel smell coming up from the steps was enough to cause nausea in even Anastasia, whose tastes had been dulled by centuries of unlife.

  She carefully stepped down the stairs, bracing her­self: they were slippery with blood. She would've cer­tainly been driven close to frenzy if she hadn't been so full with blood, she realized. Everything seemed to appeal to the Beast within her, and she knew it would soon wake from its uneasy slumber.

  She suddenly felt a revolting caress, felt sinuous fin­gers touching her body from all around, and she stood stock-still, knowing that anything that happened here would be a test of sorts. She felt softness on her arm and around her neck and smelled a mixture of woman scent, fresh blood, and earth. She felt a kiss on her shoulders, on her cheek and on her forehead, and she endured them. She saw the blood-and-earth-streaked face of the one who blocked her way further: a Sabbat woman with streaked red hair, and a wicked smile.

  The woman turned and called down the steps as the man had, before, "Hey-yah! Hey! There's one here at the stairs of Hell, coming down the stairs! She wants to pass! What shall I tell her?"

  "Tell her that she is doomed, and follows her own folly! Tell her that all truths are bared in Hell, and in Hell, all are naked, so that fires may burn them," Selena's voice again, Ana thought for sure.

  The Sabbat bitch smiled a greedy smile as she put her claws up to Anastasia's fine Tremere robes, and ripped it off, exposing her naked body underneath. The woman leered at her, She threw the fine velvet aside and growled at Anastasia "Go forth with you. Damned soul! Get ye hence!"

  She felt a strong hand push her down the stairs, and nearly fell the intervening distance, but caught herself as she came in sight of the floor. The room was bathed in red, the heat was thick and heavy here, Black smoke choked the ceiling, blackened the place, from the many small fires that had been lit here. A hole rose up in the center of the place, and that was the only way smoke could get out.

  Selena stood, naked, the headdress of Hell on her head. Two large oiled and tattooed men stood to either side of her, and she had a black glass dagger in her hand.

  "So, there comes one to the fires of Hell, to see what she can see! Why do you come, little girl?" Selena said, mockingly, laughing.

  "I come to join the Black Hand," Anastasia said, hoping that the reply was sufficient, not knowing the proper response.

  "You? You? Foul creature, do you think you're wor­thy for the strength of the mighty Black Hand? Do you think the Strength of Caine would take you into their order? How arrogant and stupid a child you are Take her! Punish her for her insolence!"

  The two guards grabbed Ana from either side, and she did not resist them. They bound her feet together, and clasped iron around her wrists. She felt totally powerless, and it was oniy the comforting presence of the twin ruby earrings that kept her from losing control.

  She recoiled in horror, however, when the wooden stake struck her heart, and then she was mostly para­lyzed—her heart was not fully penetrated, so she could still move a little. Then she felt twin spikes, twin hooks pierce her back in throbbing pain, and felt her entire weight placed on them. She was hanging on twin meathooks, her feet dangling in the air. Her feet left the ground. She felt her supply of blood leaking down the sides of the wounds, felt the terrible cold of the steel that passed through her whole body. She was totally immobile.

  Ana felt the Hunger begin to well up in her as the blood flowed out of her faster and faster. Staked though she was, she began to struggle in her grisly bond, and for the first time a sound issued from her mouth, a low growl, animalistic, and full of hunger

  "Yes!! Yes, Anastasia! Now you see! Now you know! Let it come, Anastasia. Do not fight it. You will be reborn! You will be reborn as one of the rightful daughters of Caine! Let it come! Let your hate reforge you!" Selena whispered in her ear, and she retched blood in response. Selena petted her as if she were a sick child.

  Anastasia knew that they were trying to make her one of their own, breaking down her humanity and forcing the Beast in her to come out She shook with impotent rage

  Then she saw Sofie. The white smock she'd been wearing when they took her was torn and bloody, but she was still breathing, still alive The two brutes brought her in and chained her to the wall, her hands over her head, facing it. Selena then took a scalpel and began to cut the smock from her, and Anastasia had to watch in horror.

  Sofie s back was a network of lines that were bleed­ing once the smock was cut away, and the fresh smell of the blood wafted over to Anastasia and filled her with self-loathing, desire, and disgust.

  "Do you desire her, stilt, Anastasia? Well, I'm afraid that there's another who does as well. The right of feeding has already been claimed," Selena waved to the white-haired devil, who laughed maniacally and leaped forward. He grabbed Sofie's arm and sunk his fangs into her, feeding on her rich vitae.

  Anastasia howled. She struggled on her hooks, so much so that Selena was afraid she'd be ripped in two by the meat hooks, Frenzy was past her as she watched what that white devil did to Sofie while he fed, and she felt every ounce of her humanity strain­ing as she was forced to endure the torture along with her love.

  When it was over, they opened the manacles and Sofie slid down the wall, the blood from her wounds causing a sickly wet slap on the flagstones.

  Anastasia was an angry Beast then, and it was only Selena's powers of domination that kept her in con­trol. Fixing a look in Ana's eyes
, Selena told her "Silence!" With that, Anastasia calmed, but the fire behind her eyes was still there.

  Selena stepped before Anastasia, who mustered all the control she had. In her hand was a bloody piece of cotton, one of the shredded strips of Sofie's frock. "Do you find this delicious? Did you like what we did?" she asked Anastasia, holding the strip under her nose.

  Anastasia swallowed back the black bile rising in her throat and nodded, trying to let the feral fire in her eyes reflect madness, trying to convince Selena that her attempts at destroying her humanity had been successful. Selena smiled as Ana licked at the blood on the cloth.

  Selena stepped quietly over to Anastasia and removed the meat hooks from her back. She unlocked the chains that bound her arms and legs, and the stake which pierced her heart. "You must now stand, newest member of the Sabbat. You must now partake in our Rite of Initiation. Share blood with us, Anastasia. Prepare to become known by the One-Who-Walks."

  Anastasia smiled dully, but said nothing more, try­ing to show feral light in her eyes. She barely retained her sense, her humanity, but as long as she had will left, she would survive.

  While they prepared the cup of blood for their hated ritual, she quietly undid the earrings on her ears, and popped the ruby stones from their fasten­ings Anastasia watched in horror as Selena raised her hands in silent supplication to an unseen force. "Oh, One-Who-Walks, Dread Zarastus, I implore thee. come forth and mark one of your own!" Selena lit. one by one, big black candles that were arranged on the altar where the blood cup rested.

  Anastasia slipped the rubies into her mouth and closed her eyes, willing them free of their enchant­ments. She had to swallow quickly as potent vitae washed into her. flooded through her- [ust two quarts of blood from her Sire, but it was potent blood at that, the blood of Etrius, the archmage! When next she spoke, it was not only in her own voice. Her Sire"s voice mingled with her own. and she spoke with unearthly tones.

  "Selena! Long have I sought another chance to bat­tle you. now it seems my Chitde will carry the fight for me!"

  Selena whirled, hearing the voice of her ancient enemy, Etrius who had betrayed her and all her kind and branded them all with the Curse of Tremere.

  "Etrius?" she called aloud, her voice quavering with barely controlled fear. Her hands dropped to her sides, and the flames on the black candles were snuffed immediately.

  "Etrius?'

  "Let us say my power is in the blood. Selena! Taste its strength!" And with that, Anastasia sent twin curling bolts of lightning shooting at the Sabbat priestess.

  She had no time to delay, and took the full brunt of the powerful blast, her hair singeing off in the pro­cess. Again, twin blasts flew forth from Anastasia, and she could feel the waning power of her Sire's blood being spent in their very essence. She screamed aloud in pain, but that did not stop her from reacting to the attack. With two grand gestures, she raised her arms and made a flinging motion at Anastasia.

  Almost immediately, Anastasia felt invisible shack­les to replace the iron ones that had held her before. With her Sire's blood gone from within her, and with the near-shattering of her own mind, she could not think of a counter-charm to break the bonds. They were proof against her magic, as well. She struggled against them, in vain.

  Selena smiled as she watched Anastasia struggle, the Sabbat priestess's face scarred with black gashes from the lightning. With a simple gesture, Selena sent the nearby stake back into Ana's heart, paralyzing her again. The white-haired Sabbat brought Selena the twin earring settings.

  Selena smiled. "I see. 'Principle Focus of Vitae Infusion; isn't it called . . , your Master's vitae? Tsk, tsk. Your sincerity was ever at suspicion, of course, but I had begun to believe that you were ready to embrace the Beast within you. I can see that I was foolish to think one of Etrius's whelps would ever see the true source of Kindred magic. I have risked much in initiating you to this, our sacred order, Anastasia! You have cost me much, and caused a sacred rituai to be ruined. And now you will pay the price for your lack of vision!"

  With a gesture, Selena made the invisible chains pull her down to the floor, where she was forced into a kneeling position near the center of the room.

  'Sofie doesn't seem to be feeling well. Poor dear. I'm afraid she's going to bleed to death. You're going to be forced to watch her slowly die, unable to do a thing to help her." Anastasia struggled again, but to no avail.

  "I imagine that we will see your attitude change during the night, and I think that tomorrow night you may be ready to join our ranks. That is, if you are still alive. You see, the sun comes in to this place. There's a tiny hole in the ceiling, and a tittle beam of light fil­ters down here on sunny days. Of course, tomorrow could be dreary. I do hope so for your benefit."

  Behind her, Selena's warlocks were gathering together the items they had used in the ritual.

  'Oh, and, Anastasia, in case you were wondering: this room is warded against all Disciplines and mag-icks, except mine, it was only the potency of your Sire's blood that broke the ward, and then only briefly. You'll not find an easy escape from this place!"

  Selena left after donning her robes, sweeping her cloak behind her, her pack of Sabbat warlocks follow­ing. She heard Selena say, "No! Leave those here. They can only be used by her Sire to follow us," There was the soft clink of a bag dropped to the ground, and the group departed. Upstairs, she heard the scrape of iron against stone as the gates were slammed shut.

  Anastasia passed into a numbness, locked as she was by the magical chains Her mind raced, going back through all her magical training, trying to find some­thing, anything that would save her There was a gray time, and Sofie moaned and passed in and out of consciousness.

  Soon, the light of the sun began to show down from the hole in the ceiling. Sofie stirred. Anastasia turned her head slightly toward her, having discov­ered that the magical chains allowed her a little free­dom of movement.

  "Sofie! Sofie! Are you awake?" Anastasia called. A wave of sleepiness washed over her as the sun was rising in the sky.

  "Sofie!"

  Soh'e's eyes were half-open, and she looked up at Anastasia. "Ana?"

  "Sofie! You have to get me that bag Get me the bag, sugar. ] can save us both."

  Sofie crawled her way toward the white cotton bag, wordlessly. Ana wasn't sure if she realized what she was doing, She carried it back in her teeth, and Ana saw in horror that one of her legs had twisted around, broken and utterly useless.

  Sofie upended the bag and Anastasia watched as her Eye, her Wand, and her Athame spilled out onto the floor. "The Wand, Sofie. Give me the wand. That stick there. Tuck it in my hand"

  The sunbeam was burning its way across the floor Anastasia's heavy-lidded eyes were barely able to stay open, Sofie uttered a muffled shriek of pain as she moved her body to put the Wand in Anastasia's hand.

  Closing her eyes, Anastasia invoked her will, the Blood within her, and the power that streams through both. She felt the Wand react to the power, felt it grow­ing warmer and warmer. She felt the power within her begin to form. When she had shaped it to completion, she let the power go. She felt a surge go through her chains and then ... nothing. Nothing had happened.

  "Damn it! The power wasn't enough, and now [ have only a scarcity of vitae! I've failed you Sofie!"

  Sofie looked at Anastasia "Ana? Is that you? I'm gonna die, aren't I? You're really here?"

  Anastasia nodded. "Yes, I'm here"

  Sofie looked wide-eyed at the sunbeam, burning its way across the floor. "You need blood? I could give you mine."

  Anastasia turned away from her. "No, hon, that's fine. You need all of yours. I'm just trying to figure out,.."

  Then she smelled the fresh scent of her lover's vitae Sofie had cut her wrist with the Athame "Don't waste it," she said, as she moved forward, forcing her wrist to Ana's mouth, Ana looked at her, and saw the commitment in Sofie's eyes.

  "I love you Ana," Sofie said. "I can't live life without you."

 
Ana took Sofie's wrist into her mouth, Ana steeled herself but could not resist the tremendous ecstasy that flowed through her. Giving in to that feeling, Ana brushed Sofie's mind in a familiar way, and the men­tal bond they always shared during lovemaking was established, For a second it was as if time stood still, and their souls mingled in that connection. Sofie had made her decision, and gave of herself, Ana felt her lover's last drops of blood leaving her body, fett her essence slip across the connection.

  With but single gesture of the Wand, Anastasia was free.

  Anastasia put the white rose on the gravestone, and finished her ritual A drop of blood was called for, and she took it from her tears. She drew a pentacle on the marker, calling for all spirits in the area to watch this place and keep it safe. She took some of the earth from the fresh grave and put it in a pouch

  She had called Etrius to arrange for the burial, he was happy to hear from her and even managed to show sadness at her having lost Sofie. He was more than willing to help her with the financial arrange­ments: provided that she present herself to the Prince of San Francisco immediately.

  She walked back down the hill, closed the cemetery gate behind her, and stepped to the waiting limou­sine. Her driver was a ghoul of the Tremere elder, who had already telephoned her at her brownstone to pay his respects As the limo passed through town, up Russian Hill, on the way to Sebastian's Club, she caught a glimpse of her former home, her Ivory Tower, the brownstone she and Sofie shared. She realized that it would never do as a Haven in this city, that she would have to move uptown, perhaps closer to the Chantry.

  Whether Selena had known she had escaped or not, the Sabbat bitch had not come seeking her. Perhaps she wasn't as powerful as she had thought. Anastasia was still deeply concerned about the name Zarastus, One-Who-Walks . . . could that be her Sire? Or perhaps a darker creature, for the Sabbat were said to truck with forces from Hell?

  She would meet the Prince garbed in her robes of office, having reclaimed and mended them from the vestibule of the church. Checking them before she changed In the limo, she found something, something which told her that Selena wasn't finished with her.