A Cardinal Sin
#50 of The Moonrise Chronicles
Sorry if the editing is a little lax.
Her
dress spilt into its component pieces as Maggie morphed into the deadliest
thing her psyche could come up with. She raced to the man grasping the sword,
who let go of it, leaving it behind as the impaled man dropped to the ground.
In the hands of this attacker sprung forth two daggers. His black cloak slipped
aside, revealing the highly polished armor underneath.
Maggie
was blinded by rage, but she still had her uncanny senses. She figured that
silver was involved, and while in mid leap, she tucked and rolled to land on
the other side of him. Her nose came away with a scent she had hoped not to
encounter again. Cardinal Medici.
"Hello
little bitch. I suppose you thought you were so smart, revealing my league to
the pope. It hardly matters. We haven't found another ring for decades before
Bernard found you and yours. It seems to me that I have been wasting my time
sitting down in my safe little chambers waiting for something to happen. So I
thank you for ridding me of my slothfulness."
Maggie
was too angry to speak. The rage was building inside her second by second. She
was no fool, however, and she knew quite well she was no match for his armor
and weapons. He might look old, but she instinctively knew that he was
dangerous. And she could also see a ring on his finger. It was obviously why he
could wear the silver armor.
She
took to pacing around him, moving ever faster. With each circuit she grew
smaller, allowing her to be more mobile and agile. Her pace quickened until she
could tell he was dizzy from trying to keep his back from being exposed. She
suddenly slammed on the brakes and leaped at his head, raking his face with her
claws.
He
screeched. "You little bitch!" But within seconds his face was healing.
"I will
kill you painfully for that indignity. Once I have your ring, I'll fill you
full of silver and watch you burn!"
She
spread her front paws. "I have on no ring you sniveling little boy-banger. If
you're going to make a threat, have the balls to back it up."
He
looked carefully and stopped. "No ring? What have you done with the ring? This
man doesn't wear it. And where are my boxes?"
"Go to
hell you fucking asshole!" she growled back.
"I very
likely will, in the end. But if I have more of the rings, you little whore,
then I can postpone that day for many, many years. Now tell me where they are
at, or I will kill this putrid man you have the nerve to call your father."
That
made her pause. Kill him? She looked down. Indeed, if the sword had been
silver, he would have turned into a crisp by now. But he looked very much dead.
As she focused on this body, she sensed no odor of blood in the air. So he was,
at this exact moment, neither dead nor alive, but at least not destroyed. Yet,
without his ring on, he was very much incapacitated. It was probably impossible
to heal with that thing skewering him as it was.
She
would have to try and lead the cardinal far enough away to dash back and yank
it out. She felt like she could take this guy, but she was wisely assessing the
situation second by second, and she knew that right now, the more help she had on
her side the merrier. She simply had no way of getting their attention right
now.
That
thought and that thought alone only steeled her resolve. It was her fault in
assuming the cardinal was going to be put out of commission by a mere
bureaucracy. She should never have made such a foolish assumption. He was a
werewolf after all, and quite capable of trailing them wherever they went. It
was quite possible, in fact, that he had only just arrived, coinciding with
their return from downriver. The chances were pretty good he didn't even know
there was help to be had.
So then
it was going to come down to making a lot of racket. If she could get this
battle heated up and noisy, maybe someone, anyone might give notice. The
problem was, the parking lot was close to the river, and away from the shops.
What could she do to get people to notice?
Noise.
She
bulked up a little more and ran straight for the cars. One after another, she
dived onto their hoods, shaking them until the alarms went off. She spared the
poor little Alfa, knowing full well it didn't have one. And if Edward survived,
he might appreciate her gesture. Soon
the entire lot was blaring and lights blinking, turning it into an impromptu
flash mob.
The
lights were blazing off of the fortress walls, and the echoing blare of a
multitude of horns provided the cacophony she needed. It was, at present,
enough to at least distract the cardinal with the barrage of sound and light.
To her, this noise was just a rave party.
Sure
enough, the disturbance attracted attention. Not a single person who arrived could
make out exactly what was going on exactly. From all appearances, there was a
medieval knight locked in battle with a horrific wolf. But everyone knew the
reenacting was over for the day. So why the hell was this going on and why now,
so late in the day?
That
was when three more wolves appeared from the direction of the city, and people,
leastwise those wise enough, fled back the way they had come. Whatever was
going on, they wanted no part in it. That left a few fools and the perpetually
ignorant remaining on the scene. In this case luck favored the foolish, and
they were granted a sight unlike any ever witnessed for hundreds of years.
Two of wolves
were nearly identical, but the third newcomer was all gray and much more
massive. His eyes were glowing like smoldering coals, much like Maggie's were
at this exact moment. He stopped just
short of the cardinal, glancing at the lifeless form of Edward's body. With the
cardinal distracted, Maggie made a swipe to remove the sword, but Leonardo
kicked her away. His voice was like molten iron they way it flowed out of his
mouth.
"Don't
you dare touch it!"
In her
heart, her anger knew no bounds at his words, but since it was the master who
bid her to stop, she acquiesced. But he had better have a damn good reason! She
returned her attention to the cardinal.
He had
dropped his cloak, showing off his armor and weapons. Leonardo sunk his teeth
into Maggie's tail and dragged her back. "Don't get near him. Without a ring you'll
be dead before the moon rises. "
She
suffered through his restraint about as well as could be expected. She snapped
at him and turned to pace around the cardinal. The twins took up a similar stance,
carefully keeping their distance and not getting too close to him. They had
little experience with silver, or attacking something that was bigger and more
powerful than they were. But like Maggie, they were very much put out by the
body laying there, impaled by a sword. They had killed before but never out of
anger, or hatred, or spite; they had only ever killed to survive. They were
going to learn that survival took many forms.
Cardinal
Medici was sizing up his new adversaries. "So you have managed to find some
allies I see. How fortuitous for you. Two of them appear to be nearly as young
and stupid as yourself, and the old one has at least the semblance of wisdom on
his side. Perhaps he could be persuaded to see on the side of reason?" It was a
question directed at the old master.
"I am
always one to side with reason. What have you to say to me that might convince
me that you are nothing more than a murderous rogue?" asked the master, quite
hotly.
"I am
Cardinal Antonia Alessandro Medici. I, by right of my family name, claim the
rings that were made by Leonardo da Vinci as my own."
"Do you
now, upstart? What makes you think you have the claim over any ring but one?"
"Because
my family commissioned them, that's why!"
Leonardo
transformed back to his human looking self. His beard and hair had grown back
because of his abrupt transformation. Despite being nude, he still cut a
commanding figure. "The Medici family commissioned one ring. I made ten. Since
you have one on your finger, I see no reason why you would need more."
"You
act as if...you....know...personally..." The cardinal paused. "You can't possibly be..."
"I am
who I am, regardless of your weak-minded assessment. And I know that you wear
one ring of ten, and that wearing anymore than that will do you no good. You
can either be satisfied with what you have, or you can persist and risk losing
everything. I have seen greed eat up men greater than you could ever dream of
becoming."
But the
cardinal was now intensely scrutinizing the old man. "We are in Amboise. That
can be no coincidence. But it is impossible. You died five centuries ago!"
"I was
merely laid to rest, and I rested for a good long time. I thought that maybe I
was awakened to no good purpose, but I am beginning to see that maybe the fates
have something more in store for me than I was first able to comprehend. Yes, I
am Leonardo, of the village of Vinci. And yes, I am personally acquainted with
the rings because I helped to make them. And when I tell you that you have
rights to only one, I think I know what I am saying."
The
cardinal let down his guard momentarily. But he was still watching the youngsters
as they paced him, a few yards out. He focused on the old man's hands. He let
out a cry when he saw the ring there. "So you intend to take the rings for
yourself then! I see where the missing ring has gone! You have stolen it!"
"You
are a fool and no credit to your name. I cannot steal what is already mine. And
if I wanted more, al I would have to do is ask."
"Ask?
You mean this fool gave you his ring?"
Leonardo
was getting exasperated. "He did and yet I gave it back. As I did with the
young lady's ring."
"Wait.
What? Two rings?" He eyes narrowed. "You opened one of my boxes didn't you?"
Maggie
sat down and did a little dog laugh, with her tongue hanging out. It made him
furious.
He
whipped around to Leonardo. "You opened the boxes?"
"I
opened one. It was empty. Of the other boxes, they opened one and the other
cannot be opened except under very special circumstances. I assume your ring
was in the empty one?"
The
cardinal was absorbing all this as best he could. "No. Mine was...never mind
where mine came from. One box was empty. Then the chance of getting all ten is
nearly impossible."
"Like I
said, having more than one ring would not really help you."
Maggie
sensed a lie. But what did it matter, if all the rings weren't able to be found
to be brought together?
"I do
not believe you old man, even if you do happen to be Leonardo da Vinci. The
family secret says that they will make one of the Kind invincible for
eternity!"
The
master laughed. "And how would anyone know? No one has ever had all the rings
together long enough to test that hypothesis out. Eternity is a long, long
time. And no one, not you and not I have
any right living that long."
The
cardinal began sprouting hairs, where his skin was visible. "Just look at you,
you old fool. Look how long you have lived with only the one!"
The
master sighed. "I survived this long because of my inventive foolishness. I
extended my life without actually living it. Being frozen in time doesn't
constitute living, my overzealous friend."
"Regardless
of your method, I have to assume that you did it with the use of a ring."
"In
part, yes. But not in its entirety. Part of it was how I put my mind to use.
There is much to be said for creativity."
"Bah! I
crave power and longevity, not creativity. What use is that?"
Maggie
stopped and stared at him, with a look of near pity in her eyes. "The master is
remembered to this day for being the most creative person ever. Few today can
compare to his brilliance. No one ever says, what a power mad fiend he was."
"Shut
up girl. You are nothing but a syphilitic blight on the face of this planet!"
Her
pity dissolved into the ether. "I will be a blight on your life, what little of
it you have left."
This
whole time she had been sizing him up. She had also been quietly warning the
twins to stay back. While she was younger than they were, she was also a little
more hardened to field combat. After telling them to keep their distance, she
resumed her position near the cardinal. He hadn't missed her return, keeping
his focus between her and the old man.
He knew
which of the two was more dangerous.
"I will
have my rings! If I must kill you all, then so be it! I have killed for less
reason than the lofty goal of obtaining my ultimate dream, so killing you will
be no crime, as I see it."
Maggie ran
circles around him again, avoiding running into the master as she dashed faster
and faster. Then, like before, she stopped and his time darted forward, not
high, but low. Leonardo tried to yell for her to stop, but he was too late. A
dagger came down and slammed into her shoulder. Her momentum carried her a few
yards away, where she came to a stop.
But she
wasn't down. Her arm twisted around unnaturally as she reached for the dagger.
She drew it out and licked the blade before throwing the knife over the wall.
She geared up for another pass. Again, the cardinal stabbed at her, and it seemed
that she wasn't as fast this time around. The other dagger sunk into her other
shoulder. She rolled to a stop a few feet away and was motionless.
That
left the twins, who were still wisely lurking back in the dark, and Leonardo
who was trying desperately to defuse the situation. He knew more about the crux
of this situation, including details on the weapons and armor being worn by
this man calling himself Medici. With Edward down, and now Maggie, Leonardo's
only defense lay in his ring. And in his words.
"My friend,
this is pointless! Having all the rings is a fool's dream. There was a reason I
sent them to the four corners of the earth when I did."
"Yes,
because you didn't want anyone to possess their full power!"
"No,
because I didn't want anyone to feel like they should even try. What one rings
does ten rings does only just as well."
"You
lie! I have a note written by Cecilia Gallerani that states that the rings
multiply the effects and that wearing all ten granted the wearer full invincibility!"
Leonardo
swore under his breath. "Did she write such a thing? And how would she have
ever known? She was not of the Kind."
"But
she knew, did she not?"
The
master sighed, remembering her lovely face, and shoulders; her breasts and her...
"Yes, we knew each other well. But as for the rings, I do not know how she
would ever have come to write such a thing."
"But
you do not deny that what she says is true, now do you?"
"What
would be the point? I have told you they do not. But without having all of them
gathered together to test my words, you will never know for certain. Thus we
are at an impasse."
"Correct.
And since I see you have on a ring, I feel that I must relieve you of it. I will
find my boxes soon enough, and whether they contain rings or not, I will keep
them for my own."
The master
sighed. His eyes lit up momentarily. He pulled off his ring. "If you think that
this that important to you, then here, take it." Leonardo flipped it through
the air. The cardinal stretched out his hand to grab it. At the same instant, a
set of jaws came down on his wrist, severing the hand from the arm. Blood
spurted everywhere as his screams filled the night air.