The door cracked open with a low, grinding creak, swinging slowly,
then a little faster before it banged against the opposite wall.
Inside it was dark, nearly pitch black. The only light source came
from some dim oil lamps in each corner of the room. These lamps cast
upon the floor. But it didn't look like the floor at all. It was a
writhing, flowing current of black mist instead. It crept along the
walls, seeming to have a mind of its own as it licked at the ceiling,
coiled around the corners.

In the back of the room was a throne. It was not made from wood, or
from plastic or cloth. It was made from bones. Some bones had been
bleached with age, while others were so fresh meat was still rotting
upon them. A man sat upon this throne, back straight, dark eyes
narrowed. His skin was dark, nearly black, and he was of clear
African decent.

Beneath each hand was a skull:

Under his right hand was the skull of a demon, its decaying tongue
falling between its teeth on one side.

Under his left hand was the skull of another vampire, the skin
drooping and sloughing away from brow and cheekbone.

He was dressed in black robes, and a hood was dawn over his head.
This hood cast his features in deep shadows, and only the whites of
his eyes were really visible. When he spoke, his voice was of the
deepest and darkest baritone, the kind that shook one's heart enough
to stop it.

"Knocking has always been an essential part of your survival. Why do
you disturb me in this manner?"

The servant bowed her head, her hair falling across her eyes. She
shook visibly. "I am sorry, Master, but you said that you would be
hungry around this time. I wish only to serve you."

Badahur was silent as he watched the young woman. She wore baggy
black pants and a white and green halter top that accented the jade
in her hazel eyes. Her lower lip quivered as Badahur rose to his
feet. The motion was graceless, but full of a raw, unbridled power.

He looked beyond his servant, past her through the doors. Then he
looked directly into her eyes, though she would not know it. She was
unable to see past the darkness that his hood created. Her breath
caught in her throat as he walked toward her, and sweat marked her
palms and under her arms.

Badahur reached out with his right hand, placing it against the side
of her face. He watched her eyes, and seeing how they widened
delighted him. But as he drew her Prana into himself, his eyes
closed, and that left him with a feeling unlike any other. He made a
sort sound, of which he did only rarely, before he pulled his hand
away from her. He offered her a faint nod before he walked past her,
his robes shifting and gently fluttering in his wake.

The door to Badahur's room opened in a manner that only one who was a
rightful Priest of the Blood would dare to do. There was no knock, as
the woman walked forth from the shadows, letting them twist around her
feminine form because she could and not because she needed to, and her
presense in the room caused all the Temples subjects to scatter out of
her way.

Leda stopped before Badahur. She looked to him as he sat upon his
throne of bone some of it still fresh and rotting, and did not look in
the least pertrubed by what she saw. A worthy Priest or Priestess had
no place shrinking in cowardice before what was a mere natural part of
the course of life.

"Badahur....I hear that there is a Peace Treaty being negotiated in Rome
and a Declaration of War in London. We were not invited. Of course that
does not mean we dont have the right to go. I am considering
a voyage from the temple. I would be honored if you would accompany me,
but, if you are otherwise engaged, perhaps another time?"

Leda fingered her sacred blade, the blade which only a fool of
servant would dare touch, not even to clean and polish it, even
that was forbidden.

"I do crave blood..." Leda said.

As she was a Soul-Eater initiated Priestess Elect., she did not mean it
in the sense that she hungered for blood. Leda meant it in the sense
that she wanted to kill something.

Leda looked to Badahur like he was one of the few beings in this
world she respected because, he like she, followed the same path. It
wasn't like when she was somewhere where she had to be in company of
non-believers, those without honor or purpose. They were a
misunderstood lot, but she didn't feel the need to have to explain to
anyone, because she knew what she knew about the one they served, it
was enough.

"Would you like to accompany me?" Leda asked, looking to Badahur.

The black mist that played around her form began to dissapate
somewhat. She was aware of some of the cowering servants and blood
cursed initiates in the temple, as she was always aware of
everything, even though it seems she was focused completely on him

He inclined his head to her, the shadows across his face flickering,
rippling like cloth in the wind. "Yes, I would be happy to join you,
if only to see the looks on everyone's faces." His lips pulled back
into a shark like grin.

"To think, they did not think us important enough to invite..." Leda
began to walk from the temple. "And we are right here, in London....
its not like we are far..." She began walking towards the old theatre
that was serving as the meeting place. "I suppose all kinds of
inferiors will be here."

He walked at her side, generally ignoring everything and everyone in
the area. He moved with a graceless superiority, the predatory
swagger in his gait prominent and terrifying. His nostrils flared
when she spoke, his lips still grinning. "Oh, they will be. And they
will know their place."

A man was speaking at a podium, making his case to the others. "The
Prince of London has overstepped his bounds. He is guilty of
murdering more than one Psychic and Elemental Vampire, he has risked
us all with the unvieling, and its high time someone sentenced him to
death. You all know he will bring this city to ruin, and...." The man
suddenly stopped, all stopped as the priests of the blood entered the
room. As if whatever he had to say was suddenly lost by their
presense.

Leda could feel the lie in his words. He had no powers to conceal the
lie, which made it more ridiculous that he tried to lie in such a
direct manner to her. She sighed and looked at Badahur. "Idiots, the
whole lot of you..."

"Not that I really care whether you kill yourselves or not, but I do
care, that you didnt think we were important enough to invite to
something of this nature." Leda said

"Not that its importance is relevant, seeing as you lie." Badahur
lifted a hand, and pointed a finger at the man who had been speaking.

He was young, obviously ignorant as to what they were. He spoke unto
them words which made it obvious. "Who precisely are you that I
should care?"

"They are priests of the blood...." Someone said, trying to explain.

He compounded his insult by saying the exact wrong thing. "Oh those
idiots that worship the big blob of blood."

Leda looked to Badahur. He had been more than stupid, he had broken
the law

Badahur wasn't looking at Leda. He was looking at the man, subtly
trying to get into his mind.

There was of course the immediate desire to rip out his heart and
make him eat it. She moved over to him, and she slipped behind him,
touching him, using her ability to cause pain with the slightese of
touches. "You chose the wrong words."

He slipped to his knees under the attack, the pain, from a rare
vampire ability.

Leda wanted to kill him right then and there, but she could not do it
unless he chose to attack.She hated the rules sometimes for that.

"Stop, please...." The pain continued so long as the physical contact
did, and Leda had not even given him the mark of condemnation yet,
she was merely making a point to any of the other idiots in the room.
She began to feed from his soul, enough to remind him and all of them
it was her right

Badahur kept a watch over the others, almost as though daring them to
try and interfere with what was happening.

Leda touched his forehead and said. "This is the Mark of
Condemnation. Just as you cannot hide from the creator of us all, you
will not hide from this. It is judgement. You have one month, to make
it right, or to face death."

She let him go. She looked to the others in the room. "Does anyone
else wish to blaspheme, insult our honor, challenge us, anything?"

There was no one who said a thing. She wasn't too awfully suprised by
this.

"The Outer Temple has always been open to all of you. Its more
respect than you have shown us, by not allowing us here." Leda said

"I want to meet this so called, Prince of London...." Leda said.

"Where is he?" Leda asked

Leda knew he had to be in that room somewhere, no one of that kind of
power would not be in such a place. LEda looked to Badahur, she
wanted to know which of them it was.

The man spoke up and said. "The one you mean is me....I am son of
Lucius, and I have claimed this city."

Leda smiled a bit. "Is that so? What power one claims is irrelevant,
its the power one has...that matters. You are bold, being right in
the room, even under hidden pretenses, as they try and decide whether
or not to kill you."

Leda was amused by this. It showed a bit in her face.

Leda moved over to him, simply because she felt like it, and grabbed
him from behind. Most people, especially people of power had a hard
time not fighting being reduce to cattle like this. She was actually
suprised that he did not fight her. She fed from him as she had from
the other, using the touch of pain to make it, less than pleasurable
for him, then let him go. It had been years since someone had been
able to bear that without fighting or struggling. She wondered if he
could with Badahur though.

He moved over to the prince, and placed a hand against the top of his
head. He didn't feed from him, but looked into his thoughts instead.
What power did he have that allowed him to withstand Leda's torment?

Leda found it curious also, she had not before seen it. Not in
hundreds of years. Perhaps it was a power unknown, she couldnt
believe it was just a matter of willpower. Inferiors were supposed to
be weak in this regard.

He looked to Badahur, sensing that something was trying to slip into
his mind. Obviously forced thoughts of the kind that young vampires
were taught to think upon such an onslaught came. He was reciting the
national anthem over and over in his mind followed by an old German
Drinking song.

When he finished looking, he pulled his hand back from him, his eyes
partially narrowed.

"Do you require something out of me that you cannot get by asking?"
The man asked.

Leda wasn't even sure what kind of vampire he was. Normally she could
tell, but with some, it wasnt so obvious.

I was going to say no, but since you insist on hiding
something...then yes,

Sensing psychic intrusion was not unusual. Lots of vampires could do
it. Most did not come right out and say they had

"Its habit..." He said. "More than anything else. Conditioned
programming, I wasnt even sure at first you had directed the power
towards me, remember most of this room came here to try and get me
killed."

"If we kill you, it wont be after signing a paper we have asked
permission about." Leda said

Seeing as how I had my hand on your head... are you honestly that
ignorant?

He looked to Badahur. He knew that the other man had been marked. He
had not realized what he had done if anything. "You marked me, didnt
you?"

He didn't answer the question, and when he spoke his voice was low
and dangerous. "Either let me in...or you will noy enjoy the
concequences.

He let Badahur into his mind. "I did not mean offense..."

It concerned Leda that he had not even seemed to realize that Badahur
had touched him

With free access, he slipped into his mind again to see whatv was in
there.

He let Badahur in there without fighting him, and it was obvious then
that he was directly influenced by something very powerful a moment
ago, because he truly had not even seen Badahur move over to him nor
felt the contact.

His name was Alexander, and he was only adopted by Lucius. He was not
actually his son.

A vision would come directly to Badahur of a creature emerging from
the depths of the blood. It came from this mans mind

He kept eye contact with Badahur through all of it, his emotions were
not readily apparent, but it was obvious that he could see the same
thing. He was aware of it now

He blinked when he saw this creature. If that was all that the Prince
had to offerr, he withdrew.

Leda looked to Badahur. She wished she could see what he saw. As it
was, she did not have that kind of ability. She had one of her own.
Since she was uncertain if he was a threat, or what, she touched him,
branding his soul so he could easily be found again. Not a mark of
condemnation. Just a soul trackng device mechanism. "A little
something to remember me by."

Leda began to leave. She waited until they were alone and said. "Its
fun, when they dont know whether or not they are condemned. But if
they are too stupid to know the law, they deserve it."

"I think however, he knows more than he claims...What did you see in
his mind?" Leda asked

He nodded as he moved away. Then he explained to her what he had seen.

"Could it be, he saw the one we reverance?" Leda said. The possibilty
occured to her. "That his mind was altered not by any of these, but
by the blood?"

"It seems most likely that either Alexander was unable to realize that
you were touching him because he was under psychic attack from others
in the room and it truly distracted him from this, or that he was
unable to do so because the blood stirred something within him. He may
be a prophet or a visionary. Perhaps this is something to bring to the
attention of the elders."

Leda mused over it for a moment and said. "Since he has not the Mark of
Condemnation, since he inspite of his ignorance or deceit did not break
the law, I wanted to be able to track him again somehow."

The other man, whom she had personally given the Mark of Condemnation,
began heading towards the Outer Temple. He would never be permitted to
go into the Inner Temple because he was not initiated into the
mysteries, but the Outer Temple was open to him.

Leda turned from Badahur and said. "I am curious...I am going to follow
this one...see what he is doing."

Leda slipped into the temple where she saw the one with the Mark
of Condemnation fall onto his knees in the outer sanctuary.

Leda listened to his prayers. She watched from a distance as he was
seeking counsel from one of the Priests of the Blood on
what he could do to make ammends.


The Priest. moved over alongside of him, and looked down at where he
was kneeling.

"I, should not have said what I said. I wish to know how to make
ammenda..."

"You will not make it right until blood spills." The Priest of the
Blood informed him. "You must either be cut down by a Priest or
Priestess of the Blood, or you must cut one of us down, or, there is
one other possibility. You can cast yourself into the lake of
Blood and if the one we reverance choses to be merciful,
you will not be destroyed. If you want to do the latter, I can prepare
you for it. You are in essence placing yourself completely at
the mercy of the blood which created you. Taking punishment from
it instead of us. That is the purest of fates. The one most
pleasing."

The man looked at the Priest of the Blood. "I may not come
out of it alive, right?"

"No..it is possible that the blood will devour you. But your
courage might be rewarded with mercy." The priest said.

"I want to do it." He said. He had heard horror stories of this. But the
young man truly thought, that if he had offended his creator, that
he wanted to make amends, to plead forgiveness.

"If you want to do a penance first, scourge yourself, cut yourself open
and offer a quantity of blood, experience vocare...the great torment.
All these things will not escape the notice of the blood."

"Vocare...." He said. "I want to experience the greatest of agonies
outside of being cast within...."

Leda watched, listened. He was a very brave man.

The Priest of the Blood gestured for him to be led into a private
chamber where he would experience for all intents and purposes
totally and complete sensory overload of pain and pleasure
which a properly trained ancient vampire could make last
for years. As it was this man had to be cast in at the end of
thirty days so the torment would not last any longer than that.

Leda moved over to the High Priest. "Do you think that the blood
will consume him?

"I honestly dont know Leda, but in the end, he wants to do this,
he choses the more honorable course, I wont dissuade him. Faith demands
that we dont dissuade them."

The appearance of the Priest and Priestess of the Blood in London,
and the subsequent granting of the Mark of Condemnation to Zachary
Holden, the Psychic Vampire, and the strange exchange with Alexander,
the son of Lucius, did not escape the notice of any who were within
the
place trying to decide whether or not they wanted to go to war.

Now, thanks to the Priestess Leda, they knew that the Prince had been
in the room all along.

They also knew that the charges against him were false. The meeting
of council to put him to death seemed ridiculous now that it had been
put in everyone's faces.

"If what we really want is war." One of the Blood Vampires, a man
named said. "Then no paper is going to start or halt such an affair
is it? Not really. Why are we even trying to make an official
business out of something like this, it just seems, ridiculous."

"In the future we must, always remember to invite the Priests.....we
might have been harmed for offending them." There was a note of
fear in the voice of the Blood Vampire as he spoke. "We dont
want the wrath of the blood upon us. Zachary is most likely going
to die for his words, I hope you all learned from this."