It's a Ring Thing
#53 of The Moonrise Chronicles
This is, I think, the second to last story in this series for a while. I believe I know where I want it to go, but I will need to do some research before I get started on that section of it. Can't have me making mistakes on the history of the Kind. That would be sacrilege.
A few
hours later everyone gathered together. Edward's chest was healed, but like
Maggie, he was going to retain a scar for the rest of his life. Maggie was in
the master's face over the matter of the armor and weapons. He was doing his
best to be diplomatic.
"Yes,
yes. I understand your distress. When we made those items, they were meant to
be used as a threat, so that all members of the kind would behave within the restrictions
set down by the rule we agreed upon."
"Sort
of like the atomic bomb? Behave or someone will come along and drop it on you?"
Leonardo
knit his brows in confusion. "A-tom-ic bomb?"
"Never
mind. It's something better left unsaid. Who did you make the armor for?"
"For
the pope my dear. It was his way of having a method of exerting control over
the kind. He was not of the kind, though he held no ill will against us. But as
I think I can see in you, we tend to have little use for beliefs that hold no
real sway with an intelligent mind. I would never say there is no God, but for
someone who is supposed to be all seeing and all powerful, he seems to need an
awful lot of human help in furthering his goals, whatever they are."
"So the
pope created a werewolf assassin?"
"NO! I
think you would call him more of an arbitrator. A go-between. But on an equal
footing with the kind. It's hard to exert your authority without a way of
backing it up. His suit and weapons carried as much sway as did our
transformation."
"Alright,
alright. It sounds reasonable. But the weapons. Why didn't you let me pull the
sword out?"
Leonardo
pulled the sword off of a side table. "Here, feel the surface of the blade."
She ran
her fingers from the tip upwards, feeling the surface to be smooth but rather
irregular. When she reversed course, however, her fingers stopped abruptly. It
was a little like sharkskin. "How did you manage to do this?" she said in
amazement.
"We didn't
do it on purpose. The alloy from the rock created crystals when mixed with the
steel. Even adding other metals didn't help it much, and in the end adding a
touch of silver, may God forgive me, finally reduced them to a size that wasn't
obtrusive. It was not my intention of making these confounded things as
dangerous as they are. If you had tried to pull it out, there was a good chance
you would have removed the contents of his chest cavity. I'm not sure that even
the kind could have recovered from that."
"That accounts
for the pain and difficulty in removing the daggers from my shoulders. They hurt
like hell!"
"Yes,
they do. I should know, for I too have wounds from them. I could not in good conscience
leave them go without seeing how dangerous they were. It was decided to keep
the information about their power quiet, and even the pope did not know."
Maggie frowned.
"You know, I'd like to claw your eyes out, but then what good would that do? I don't
think you were using your brain to its full capacity when you did all of this."
"Now
see here! I did what I felt was right. It wasn't like I had any soothsayer to
direct my decisions. I went with what I had to work with. So please don't judge
me by your present position in time. It will not do!"
"Sorry.
I guess it's easy to second guess when you have more of the facts." Maggie actually
managed to look contrite.
"Your
apology is accepted. Now, if you don't mind, I think we need to look to the
future."
"Not so
fast. What out the papal bulla?"
"What of
it?"
"Did
you ever read it?"
"No my
dear. What the pope did didn't affect me."
"Then
maybe you should some time. I would suggest you be more aware of how your
actions have affected the kind. Many have likely died over the centuries
because of it."
"And again,
what can I say? There is always death in the world. Some of it is necessary,
and some of it is not. Do you grieve for your friend the cardinal?"
"No.
But what of all the innocents!"
"And what
of all the guilty who lived? We can debate these things until we are tired, and
resume them again at the light of day. What has been has been. Now let us look
to where we are headed. I believe we have divergent desires."
Maggie crossed
her arms and frowned. But Edward ran his finger down her back, making her
scrunch up and shiver. "Look Mags, he's right. Let's worry about what we can
do, not what is done and over."
"Humph!
If you say so. But remember, they say you can't know where you're going unless
you know where you came from."
He
tickled her ribs. "Then we still need to figure out where you came from, don't we?"
She giggled
and then put her frown back on. "Russia, remember?"
"Yeah,
I remember. And there must be more of your kind out there, or else that Bernard
fellow would not have known your smell from the rest of the kind."
"We'll
figure it out eventually. We need some way of getting there, and for the
moment, we're stuck right where we are."
She
seemed satisfied and put her head on his arm. Leonardo had waited patiently
until their discourse was finished. "My
friends, I feel that this place will do us no good. Having seen how advanced
your culture is, I feel that we must leave here, and perhaps never return. I only hope that your official monitoring
group has dispersed."
"Our
what?" Edward asked with a look of bemusement on his face.
Maggie
poked him. "I think he's talking about the police. They began firing at us."
"Oh? What
happened to them?"
Leonardo
looked ashamed. "I had to disable them. I now know that they could not have
inflicted any real harm, but at the time, they were being a distraction."
"Oh
great. You attacked the local cops. Just fucking great! We'll have to get to
our vehicle to get some clothing, and then try to sneak off to who knows where
to escape them. I really doubt we'll ever make it off this continent without passports.
So I think we're stuck here!"
Maggie punched
him. "Chill out father. Where there's a will, there's a way. Let me sneak out
and see what's going on. If I can get to the car, then I'll bring back some
clothes."
"Oh,
really? Just like that. Are you forgetting the keys?"
Emile
jangled something from the side. "Do you mean these monsieur?"
"Well I'll
be. Where did you get them?"
"They were
still on your person when we dragged you back here. They were in your pocket."
"Well,
that's something. Alright Mags, if
anyone can do it you can."
The lid
to the workshop was lifted, and she scampered out, transforming as she did. A
naked girl would draw more notice than a stray dog, even if there were rumors
running amok that there had been a wolf attack recently. Then all they could
was wait in the darkness.
She
returned, full of smiles and an armful of clothing. She tossed the keys back to
Edward. "Both cars are there, though I don't know what you intend to do with
your little baby. You're the only one here who knows how to drive, and I'd
suggest we get a move on it soon. The place is still crawling with cops."
"I love
good news," he said sarcastically. "So how do you suppose we're going to get
out of here?"
"Give
me time to think. Even if we do make it out without a hitch, we don't have
anywhere to go, now do we?" Then she got a dreamy look on her face.
"What is
it?"
"Nothing.
I think I'm going to call in a favor."
"A
favor? From whom?"
"A
friend. I think I know where we need to go."
She
refused to say anymore. They got dressed and worked their way out of the
workshop and onto the grounds of the chateau. There were officers stationed at different
points, and there seemed to be an investigation going on to one side, but they
were paying little attention to anyone on the grounds.
Maggie leaned
up to Edward. "Do you think I should tell them to dredge the river for a hand?"
He had
no idea what that was about. "Uh, I'd say we keep quiet and get the hell out of
here."
They
exited the wall, turned towards the parking lot and climbed into the Fiat.
Edward put it in reverse and headed back the way they came. They made a stop
back at the abandoned farmhouse, where the twins said a final goodbye to their
feral friends. From there, it was back to Rome.
Edward
got them booked back into their old hotel, which seemed more than willing to
grant them enlarged accommodations. It was always good to leave a large tip
when one left a fancy place like this. Once they were settled, Maggie slipped
out, coming back a few hours later.
"I
talked with my friend. He says that he would like to meet all of you,
especially you Leonard da Vinci."
Edward
shook his head. "Maggie, I find you to be extraordinary, but that doesn't tell
us a thing. Anyone alive today would love to meet the master. Who is this secretive friend you are talking
about?"
"You'll
find out soon enough. He's sending a limousine around in an hour."
Leonardo
cocked his head. "Lim-o-seen?"
Maggie laughed.
"A vehicle that is equipped like a palace. You'll love it!"
When it
arrived, Edward looked it over for some clue as to whom it belonged. As it
turned out, it was a rental. The inside was posh and well outfitted, but
lacking a few things he thought were standard. He could have used a drink from
the bar right then.
He knew
he needed it even more when the beast of a car pulled into the grounds of the
Vatican. It hardly mattered that the
ring would have neutralized it effects. There was a psychological effect to be
reckoned with. "Maggie, are we going to see the pope?"
"Of
course! He told me he owed me after leading him to that secret chamber. He's a
bit sad about the end of the Cardinal, as he wanted to know more about this
league he had. They are still hauling out the silver coins, and he says the
Vatican Bank will be financially secure for a hundred years once they cash in
on their value. And the artifacts and books down there will keep scholars busy
for an equal amount of time."
Leonardo
smiled. "So some good has come out of this?"
Maggie was
wiggling in her seat. "I'm not much of one for religion, but this guy sits well
with me. He's what the whole thing's about. Given enough time, I might even go
to church."
Edward's
jaw dropped. "Really?"
She
smiled. "Hell no! But he is kind, so you be nice to him. He's a good man. And I
know a good man when I find one."
They
were escorted up to the pope's private quarters. All along the way, there were
men in black suits. He might be meek, but the church was taking no chances with
his safety. Edward had a feeling that the fact that a young girl made it into
his chambers without anyone noticing may have been an embarrassment to the security
team.
The
double doors opened wide as they were ushered in. The pope was sitting at his desk,
apparently writing a letter. He set down his pen and turned. "Maggie cara, io
sono così felice che sei tornato! E vedo che hai portato i tuoi amici!"
She
coughed a little into her hand. "Not everyone speaks Italian."
"My
many apologies! Welcome, welcome. Please find a chair and sit."
Everyone
sat down. "My friends, I have done much to improve the church since being
elected to this position. As the duly appointed shepherd of God's flock, it is
my duty to clean up all things that do not fit in with the church's purpose. I
have removed accounts from the bank, and this new source of cash that my little
friend here uncovered has done much to strengthen the financial structure of
that hallowed institution. I had no idea that there was such an organization
within the church, and I assure you, there never will ever again."
He
turned to the old man with the beard. "And
you are, though I find myself hardly believing the word coming out of my mouth,
the one and only Leonardo da Vinci?
The master
heard his name, but was unable to understand anything more. Maggie slipped her
ring on the pope's finger, finding little room there with all his others. "Now
try."
The pope
repeated it.
"Ah,
yes, I am he. A little worse for the wear after my recent revival, but it is I nonetheless."
The two
set down to talking for the next hour, and while the others were ignored for
the moment, they didn't feel left out. How could anyone feel left out while
sitting in the pope's private quarters while he and the great Leonardo da Vinci
had a private discussion? It was a momentous occasion, and one likely never to make it to the history books. However Edward finally leaned over to Maggie. "You gave the pope
your ring?"
"Yeah,
for now."
"Why is
it working for the necessary translation? The rings only work on the kind." The confusion was plain of his face.
She gave
a little smirk and wrinkled her eyebrows. "I know. Pretty cool, huh? He doesn't
know a thing about that either so I think we should just leave it that way. Ignorance is bliss after all."