“Three of the most powerful Giovanni in D.C. had gone missing, and Lucretia and Carlo were twiddling their thumbs from the safety of the Shadowlands. What was the point of a “working relationship” with the Sabbat if the Giovanni had no protection? Lucretia and Carlo seemed to have written their “dear uncles and cousin” off already. I thought of Cedric, facing down a mad cult on Roosevelt Island. I thought of Joan, racing to the edge of the Bubble with Ruth at her heels. I thought about how I ran to save them both without hesitation. I promise you, listeners, if someone tries to take one of my Malkavians, I will dive into Hell myself to bring them back.
“Carlo said the Sabbat seemed in disarray, as “disturbance seems to follow their leaders. He left on the train to Baltimore and put Sascha in charge.” I did not know who “he” was, but I assumed one of the ones in the bleachers overseeing Il Gran Ballo. Gwen told Carlo: “trust me to take care of this.” I could tell Carlo wasn’t happy, but he didn’t have any other options. Gwen asked if Vivian had an assignment yet. Vivian didn’t. Gwen said she wanted Vivian at the anomaly site and under her supervision. Vivian said: “I look small, but I can carry much.” Vivian sounded eager, but I could not tell if that was genuine excitement, or another manipulation.
“We left the Shadowlands. I couldn’t Obfuscate us all, but I covered Gwen while she called Sascha. On the phone, Sascha said: “I didn’t expect you to call from this phone. I hope my friends are okay. I wouldn’t want my friend, Zachary, to meet an unfortunate end.” As politely terrifying as she sounded, it was comforting that Sascha cared enough to threaten Gwen over our safety. In all the excitement, I had forgotten that Gwen had successfully avoided being linked to the party crashers at Il Gran Ballo. Despite Sascha’s vast intelligence network, the Giovanni support of the illicit Malkavians was still a secret. I could only hope the same could be said for the Tremere.
“It was hard to speak in Obfuscation, but I managed to say “I am well” in Enochian, which mollified Sascha. Gwen said: “I am embarrassed to have to call so soon after our last meeting. Family members of mine have gone missing recently. They are now in the custody of Necromancers of your sect.” Sascha said she had not been involved in any dealings regarding Gwen’s family, but it was possible. Like Sascha told us, members of the Sabbat did not require the Archbishop’s permission for every little murder or kidnapping. Sascha told Gwen she couldn’t promise their safe return, but she would make inquiries. In return, Gwen promised the map of Enochian Sodom.
“Gwen tried to offer her family’s services in exchange for Sascha helping her root out the Necromancers. Gwen said: “anything they might have promised you, we can do better.” I think Sascha was intrigued but demurred any further commitments. Sascha said: “I can tell my good friends of the faith to give a wide berth of the family, but I cannot do so for the Prophet and his friends if they stay in D.C. It is best they leave tonight.” I nodded, though Sascha couldn’t see me.
“I wanted to give Sascha something in return for all the generosity she’d shown us. I meant to say something innocuous like “goodbye” or “farewell” in Enochian, but the words “may you outlast the darkness” fell from my lips. Gwen hung up, but not before I caught a small gasp from the phone. Whatever I had said was meaningful to Sascha, though whether it was due to learning more Enochian, or that it had some historical or religious context, I could not tell you.
“Gwen and Vivian took one car while I Obfuscated Rose, Ben, Nathaniel, and myself in the other. We drove the long way to the Temple. We couldn’t risk going south and getting too close to Andrew’s Airforce Base. It started snowing as we left D.C., which made Obfuscation easier but the drive even longer. It was two hours to dawn when we found the Temple with the help of Rose’s nose. All that was left of the farmhouse was blackened timber and twisted metal.
“Outside the Temple, Cedric sat at a long folding table with Dr. Ziegler and three men I didn’t recognize. The men wore heavy coats against the chill as they made complicated gestures at each other and the papers strewn before them. It took me a moment to recognize it as sign language. These must have been the professors from Gallaudet University. I watched Cedric sign, and to my surprise, I could understand him. Cedric signed: “thank you very much for your assistance. Now please, look into my eyes.” The three men looked at Cedric. Bland, relaxed smiles stretched across each of their faces. It’s funny, listeners. I assumed the power of Dominate lay in my voice. And yet, Cedric rewrote memories with merely the steady gestures of his hands. When Cedric was finished, he pushed his wrist against his upper teeth. Dr. Ziegler dipped his head and held the bloodied wrist to his lips. When Dr. Ziegler finished, he led the professors to his car, where they began signing to one another as if nothing had happened.
“After closing his wound, Cedric stood and led Gwen, Ben, and me into the Temple. Inside, the two Coordinate Consoles were covered in sticky notes with colorful strings linking them. The professors had determined that one console handled “Geographic” coordinates, while the other handled “Chronological” ones. We could use them to set our position in space and time, respectively. The professors had come up with a rough translation from the Enochian system into ours, though Cedric warned that they had to make a couple assumptions. Had the Enochians known the world was round? Did they know earth orbited the sun?
“Asa and Rose joined us in the Console Room. Asa had convinced the thin-bloods to stay a few more days while he and Rose taught them to hunt and protect themselves. Apparently, Pam and Chris couldn’t even grow fangs. Long term, Asa and Rose wanted to send them to the Anarchs in the “Free States.” Ten years back, Jeremiah Banks had promised Jinx and Rose he would take Allie there. Of course, Jeremiah had lied and kept Allie staked in a basement for ten years until he was ready to feed her to Ruth. Still, it seemed a better plan than any I’d thought up so far.
“Asa seemed a little better, but he still looked troubled and distant. He didn’t even seem upset when Ben said he ghouled Nathaniel. I’d expected Asa to chastise us or ask how we felt. Asa had been so upset after giving blood to Frieda’s ghouls, though he had done so rather than let them wither in agony. Perhaps Asa understood we had made the same choice. We told him about Sascha’s Sabbat Salubri, Samael. Try saying that five times fast, dear listeners. Asa was upset that one of the seven who pursued Golconda would be complicit in their atrocities, but we convinced Asa to at least hear him out. Samael might have information that could help Diane.
“After the meeting, I spoke with Joan about the two laughing ghouls. Joan said: “their minds were broken terribly by the sickness. I quieted them. Guided them. They are sleeping for now.” I asked what would happen when they woke up. Maybe we could use Dominate to make them forget? Joan said: “they will be scarred forever. We cannot erase this without warping their minds further, and that will cause problems.” I offered to enter their dreams like I had with Jordan, but I couldn’t disguise how exhausted the idea made me feel. I had barely escaped Jordan’s madness, and it required a ghost possession to restore my voice. Joan gave me a small, sad smile. She told me to let her take care of it. With her guidance, the two Giovanni would pull through.
“I told her to sleep well, and that I was glad she was here. It’s funny, listeners. I met Joan December 3rd when she took George, Desirée, Thaïs, and me to OTCAL. That means I’ve known her almost exactly a month. Yet, she’s one of the most important people in the world to me. But she’s convinced that every moment she stays alive risks a paradox that will destroy everything she’s fought for and everyone she cares about. I need to tell her how I feel before it’s too late.
“So here we are, listeners. It is dawn on January 2nd, 1995. I’ve spent the last hour recording this in one of Mekhet’s empty rooms. Ben’s been updating our notes in our bedroom. He “borrowed” the leftover string and notecards the professors had used in the Console room. We’ve learned so much in the past few days. Ben makes sure we don’t forget anything. We can’t afford to screw this up. So, before I head upstairs, I’ll say goodnight to you all. I know that times are scary right now, listeners, but you can’t stay up all night worrying about it. Sleep well. Hold your loved ones close. You never know how long you have until they’re gone.”
*
“I flew above a field next to a dirt road. It was night. I didn’t recognize any landmarks, so I rose higher and higher in the air until the horizon curved. Yes, my conspiracy-loving listeners, I can prove that the world is round. I saw it in a dream. I could see sunlight glinting far, far in the distance. The land I had risen from was distinctly shaped like “France.” I dove back down and waited. A few moments later, a man rounded the bend. He carried a small pack. At his side, a small horse pulled a cart. He had long, matted blonde hair, but despite the grime his face was beautiful. Innocent. Cherubic. He looked like an A-list actor playing a vagabond in a Robin Hood film.
“He muttered to himself: “I do know it. Passages. It’s out. Gateways find one another.” He looked into the air and continued: “The end. I shall not worry. It shall come.” He pulled a few pages of rough, yellowed paper from his pack. They were covered in fractals and gibberish. I tried to read it as he said: “the mystery language.” Then he looked up and stared intently just above my left shoulder. “Is that you, Lucita? I wish. Or wished.” Listeners, aside from Caine, this is the first person who has ever acknowledged my presence in a vision of the past.
“I tried to get his attention as I yelled: “I am the final prophet! Do you know me?” He stared past me and said: “am I dreaming? I don’t know what is real anymore.” He turned to the horse and said: “You’re my only friend. I might eat you tonight.” I tried again and yelled: “speak to me your name!” but the vision faded and I was left gasping on the bed beside Ben. My blood left strange patterns on the muslin. They reminded me of the markings in the man’s papers. I told Ben of what I had seen in the dream and he wrote it down. A few notecards were already stuck on the walls with tape. There was a section labeled “Dreams” and he placed below it a new notecard with the words “French man – Ref. Passages, Horse, Gateways, Seraphina.”
“Before we could make plans, Sascha’s phone rang. Gwen answered. Sascha said: “what could be done has been done. The family should be quiet and grateful. I will contact the family through other methods. I hate this technology. It is dangerous.” Gwen tried to ask more questions, but Sascha refused to give further details over the phone. Gwen said she would go to the Embassy with Vivian. Rose offered to stay behind to guard the Temple and train the thin-bloods. Meanwhile, the Malkavians and Asa would go shopping at Oxon Hill Mall in Maryland on the Giovanni dime!
“Listeners, I was never a ‘mall’ person. Not exactly the scene for a nighttime radio DJ with a sleep disorder. However, ‘going shopping’would be the first normal thing I did since…I don’t know, honestly. Since I died? Maybe watching Indiana Jones counts. But this wasn’t a vacation. We needed supplies to travel through time and space. Not that we planned to do it right away, but better to prepare ahead. Also, the Malkavians needed to feed. I’m not sure when the last time Joan fed was, and the joyride that Cedric, Comet, and I took to pick up a few cops was six days ago.
“Asa took one truck with Cedric while Ben drove the other with Joan, Comet, and I. It was strange, listeners. We were under different Obfuscations, yet Ben and I could see Asa’s truck just fine. I peered through the windshield using Auspex. The “bubbles” Joan and Cedric had formed around our trucks were connected. They moved in perfect sync even as horns blared and the trucks weaved around traffic. It didn’t even seem to bother Joan that we had the radio on. Tuned to the news, this time. Fortunately, it didn’t seem anything awful had happened the past few days. Just protests and arrests and random acts of violence and murder that definitely aren’t the Sabbat. Funny how your threshold for “awful” changes when compared to the apocalypse.
“It was just past 8 PM when we parked. With their eyes still closed, Cedric and Joan exited the trucks in unison and faced each other. Then, they relaxed and I felt the bubbles pop. We agreed to split up and meet at 11:45 PM, each carrying our designated lists. Cedric, Comet, and Ben went to get the bulk of the supplies. Asa was going to go with Joan and I, but then he said he needed some time alone. That left Joan and I to shop.
“Our list was mostly clothing. None of the Malkavians had packed before fleeing D.C., and even though vampires don’t sweat, clothes still get dirty after a few days mucking about in a snowy field. Also, we’d just burned down our closest laundry machine. Joan’s dress was torn from where she’d run through the woods. Her socks and shoes were filthy with mud. I hoped that our fellow shoppers either wouldn’t care or would assume that she was an outdoorsy kid. Joan’s hand slipped into mine as we walked. I don’t know if it was I who reached out first, or her. It made sense, of course. Kids her age go to the mall with a parent. I was Joan’s dad. She was my daughter.
“I admit, listeners. I had never once thought about where ten year old girls shop. Let alone ones born a thousand years ago. We walked past a few that looked promising. Gap Kids, JCPenney, Limited Too. I decided to stop at a Sketchers, first. Shoes are easy, right? Everyone needs shoes.
“Joan sat on a bench while I picked a half dozen sneakers for her to try. Unsurprisingly, the centuries-old vampire had not kept up with modern children’s shoe sizes, so neither of us knew what would fit. I asked Joan what she liked, but she only said “I dress as is appropriate. It is difficult to stay up to date with modern trends.” I joked that, as someone who’d worn the same band T-shirt and jeans ensemble for the past fifteen years, I agreed.
“I tried to distract myself with the shoe boxes, but the words bubbled up regardless of how I tried to ignore them. I blurted out: “I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you.” I looked up into her too-old, too-young face. I was afraid I’d see that disappointment writ all over her features, but she said: “you can never disappoint me. I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you.” I looked down and slipped one of the sneakers on her feet. It was the right size, but the soles lit up as she put pressure on it.
“Joan pursed her lip and watched them blink in one of the tilted mirrors on the floor. She said: “I think you want me to be whimsical.” A laugh bubbled up in my throat at the sight of a thousand year old vampire shifting her weight from side to side as the LEDs inside her shoes lit up blue and pink. “No, no,” I said, “I want you to be yourself. Whatever you want. I just…I am whimsical. I want to make everyone happy. Especially when things are awful. Helps us stay human, as silly as it is.” I pulled out another pair and helped Joan change her shoes. Dirt from her socks had already stained the light-up shoes. She had run all the way from Clifton to Manassas. I looked the distance up on the road map, later. Joan had run five miles through the woods to bring us the Demon hand and lead Ruth away from Nikoli and Samal. And in one version of reality, that act had cost her life. I said, “And I want to make sure you have good running shoes. Just in case.” I tried to keep the easy smile on my face, but it felt stretched thin. As Joan helped me clean up the extra boxes, she said: “you do a good job, Zachary.” She picked three of them to buy. One of them, I noticed, was the light-up sketchers.”
“The next couple hours were a blur of fabric and cash registers. Shoes, socks, underwear, pants, skirts, jackets, shirts, and even hats. Along with refilling everyone’s standard wardrobe, we raided the thrift stores for clothing that would fit multiple time periods. Stuff made out of wool, corduroy, cotton, linen, and the like. We might not exactly match the fashion of the time, but at least we wouldn’t walk out into the 1920s in a bunch of plastic and neon. I kept expecting Gwen’s card to decline, but the thing kept cheerily beeping at each purchase.
“Far too soon, shutters went down across storefronts, and only a couple restaurants remained open. Joan lingered at the food court while I pushed our overflowing cart to the truck. I expected it would be easy for Joan to feed. She’d pretend to be lost and ask a nice old man or woman to help her find her parents. I thought about feeding, but I was still pretty full after Sascha’s feast. I didn’t want to live in someone else’s head tonight. My own was good enough for me.
“We’d been loading supplies into trucks throughout the night, but it was still shocking to see how much we’d crammed in there. There was all sorts of vampire survival gear: tents, blankets, sleeping bags, blackout curtains, fire starter kits, fire extinguishers, climbing gear, walkie-talkies, and dozens more. I felt a little silly putting my box of CDs and handheld radio in the back. But either no one cared, or they understood. Blood keeps me fed. Music keeps me sane.
“Fifteen minutes to midnight, we got into the cars under Cedric and Joan’s overlapping Obfuscation. It seemed silly to expect that Number Four would search at exactly the stroke of midnight, but perhaps having a flair for the dramatic was one of the job requirements. We drove North around D.C. to cross at Point of Rocks. Half an hour in, I felt a strong poke at the back of my neck. It felt like the person behind me in class was trying to get my attention. I closed my eyes and let Comet pull me into the Cobweb. The car was empty except for Comet and I, and soft lights like streetlamps occasionally flashed through the dark windows.
“Comet spat: “you need to talk to your friend!” I gave him a questioning look. Comet rolled his eyes: “you need to teach your Childe how to feed. We walked all over the mall, but he wouldn’t pick anyone.” Comet was right. Desirée had taught me to feed with charm, while Thaïs taught me to use violence. I needed to teach Ben. I asked Comet how he learned. I regretted it as soon as the words crossed my lips. I didn’t mean to remind Comet of the woman who sired him. Comet said: “Prentiss kept me starved. Made me eat disgusting things. When Cedric got me out, he taught me how to sneak around and wipe memories. Then I went to the Anarchs and taught them. I can be quiet when I want to be.”
Comet continued: “It’s weird, you know. Joan worships you so we all have to. I don’t, by the way. I don’t think you know what you’re doing.” I laughed aloud and then laughed harder at Comet’s shocked expression. “Oh, thank God,” I said, “I don’t know what I’m doing! I’m trying to save the world, but I have no idea how to do it. I’m figuring it out as I go.” Comet stared. He’d been expecting a fight. But Comet was right. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve trusted the wrong people. I’ve hurt those I care about. All because I believe in the plans my future self has laid for us. Because I believe in the people who believe in him. Is this just some centuries-old circular con job I’ve pulled on us all? Comet shoved my shoulder to get my attention and said: “that’s worse, right? You do realize that’s worse.” Comet cut the connection and kicked the back of Ben’s seat. Comet told him to pull over at the nearest gas station. Asa, driving Cedric in the truck behind us, followed.
After we parked, Ben slammed the car door and yelled: “Comet! You told him?” I tried to tell Ben it was okay, I needed time and help to learn how to feed, too. Asa walked over and said: “Before I was Embraced, I was a nurse. I swore I would do no harm. Diane told me I would have to hurt people, and I chose it anyway. What we can do is the least harm. Non-malfeasance. We take what we need. Nothing more and nothing less.” Ben nodded and said: “I can’t not eat. The end of the world is coming. I have to pay the toll.” Ben looked to me and said: “unlike you, Zachary, I did choose this. Maybe my head wasn’t in the right place, but I did choose this.” Ben straightened up and his eyes focused on the truck stop. “I’m not unattractive. I could pick up a guy at a gas station.” Ben turned and walked away without a backwards glance.
“Listeners, I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped like in Looney Tunes cartoon. I scrambled after him. I tried to justify my actions as I jumped into a shadow. I was looking after Ben. Protecting him. If Ben lost control, I could stop him. If something went wrong, I could alter memories. All of that was true, of course. But that wasn’t why I slipped into men’s bathroom behind Ben.
“I leaned against a sink as Ben entered a stall. The one next to him was occupied. Ben closed the stall door and sat without taking off his pants. He hadn’t locked the door. Ben tapped his foot. There was a pattern to it. The man beside tapped back and then opened his door. He was a large man with rough features. He looked like he’d spent the last few nights on the road. I could smell where he’d wiped the salt and grease from some fries on his jeans. I didn’t know when I had turned on my Auspex. The man entered Ben’s stall. The door closed behind them and locked.
“I couldn’t see, but I could hear everything. Ben stood up. The man reached forward and palmed Ben’s jeans. He unzipped them and reached inside, rubbing his hand up and down before stopping. “What, you not into this?” The man’s voice was even rougher than he looked. Hints of cigarette smoke and Pepsi drifted through the air. Ben shrugged and pulled the man’s hand from his pants. “Maybe if I do you, instead?” Ben’s voice was low and husky. Ben knelt and the man leaned heavily against the stall door to give him room. Another zipper. Fabric rustling.
“Ben inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. Ben leaned forward. He hadn’t closed his mouth. I could hear his tongue rasp against his lower lip and then something else. I stared at the stall like my eyes could grow lasers and burn through the aluminum. The man’s body heat filled the air. Ben is as cold as the linoleum floor he is kneeling on, but the man didn’t seem to notice. I couldn’t fault him for being distracted. Ben leaned back and then forward, again. The man’s jeans slipped down a little further. The man’s fingers slid through Ben’s hair and gently gripped the back of his head. I had never felt so much with Auspex, before. I knew it was too much, but I couldn’t stop. I had to know.
“Ben pulled back. Then his lips pressed to the crease where the man’s left thigh met his belly. Ben inhaled and bit down. The man moaned. It was the second time I had heard his voice. Everything felt so loud in my ears, yet the entire exchange had been nearly mute. Ben drank. I listened to the man’s heartbeat. It slowed but stayed even. Ben licked the man’s thigh and stood up. He braced the man against the stall door as he pulled his boxers and jeans back up. Ben said: “You remember this as the best sex you’ve ever had. Now go home and go to sleep.” Ben sat the man on the toilet and opened the stall door. Fortunately, I was still in Obfuscation and Ben walked past me without a glance. I slipped out the door and pretended like I had been guarding the bathroom all along. As I would have been, if I was a good friend and Sire.
“I asked Ben how he was feeling. Stupid question, I know. Ben shrugged. He said: “maybe it’s misogynistic, but I don’t want to hurt a woman. This way, I don’t have to.” I nodded, though I didn’t really understand. I watched as Asa watched Ben get back in the car. Ben seemed a bit embarrassed and ashamed, but he hadn’t been surprised. Clearly, Ben had done this before. Asa had noticed it, too. I saw him tap his feet in the same pattern before getting into his truck. It was a very, very quiet drive back to the Temple.”
Canticles of the Prophet Zachariah:
Negotiations
Notes by Anthony
“Inside were Carlo and Lucretia, as well as two I hadn’t met before. One was a tall, skinny man in a tailored suit. He looked pissed. The other was a thin, young woman. She looked a lot like Gwen, but her small smile seemed far less sinister. That made me even more wary of her, to be honest. At least Gwen is open about her intentions. They were introduced to us as Andrew Milliner and Vivian Rossellini. Andrew Milliner was an “envoy” from the same Anziani as Gwen, whatever that meant, and Vivian was one of Gwen’s actual cousins.
“Carlo didn’t want to speak in front of us, but Gwen convinced him that if anyone could rescue their missing family, it would be our ragtag band of misfits. Gwen deduced that it was the “out of town necromancers” that had lured Carlotta, Rocco, and Giorgio away. Carlo had sent “junior family members” to search Rock Creek Park when the sun was out, but the ghouls found nothing. Gwen asked about Rocco’s “working relationship with the Sabbat.” Carlo replied: “as long as we show up to their events, smile and play our parts, they leave us alone.” I could tell Gwen was furious. I couldn’t blame her.