Canticles of the Prophet Zachariah:

Domine,

obsecro te

Notes by Anthony

“I had been floating above a city for some time before I realized I was dreaming. It looked European, with narrow streets lined by an eclectic mix of ancient and modern buildings. I was halfway to the ground before I realized the shadows were from the bright sun behind me. I flinched and covered my head, but I didn’t burn. The part of me that remembered being human wanted to turn and bask in the warmth, but I knew it would bring me no comfort. I descended to street level and looked at a newspaper. Though I couldn’t read it, I could tell it was in German. The words “Austria” and “Vienna” were repeated enough times for me to guess where I was. 

“I made myself a body and wandered the streets for what felt like hours. Alexandria and D.C. had been so quiet at night since the riots. Here, things were normal. A middle-aged woman carefully inspected vegetables before dropping them in her grocery bag. Children laughed and shrieked in the park. A pair of old men argued with fondness in their tone at a nearby coffee shop. 

“I felt something pull at me from a shed near a fountain. I slipped through the walls and below the concrete floor. Inside, glowing wards lined the walls of a dark, stone staircase. I knew that if I were physically there, my flesh would be seared in an instant. I descended the stairs until I reached a stone chamber. It hummed with magic. A man lay on a strange table, which Gwen later identified as a bier. He shook and moaned. The flesh on his face twisted unnaturally. His skin darkened from a ghostly white to a deep brown and back again. His features shifted between those of at least two men. It reminded me of what Sascha had done to my arm, but far less controlled. 

“A tall, skinny man leaned over him, looking concerned. Later, I gathered his name was Etrius. Etrius spoke in what sounded like Latin or Italian. I was trying to memorize some phrases to repeat for Gwen later when I felt another presence beside me. Asa. His blue eye glowed before vanishing completely. I reached out, trying to find where Asa had gone. I felt him somewhere nearby, but he wasn’t alone. I could feel Gwen and Rose, their minds burning brightly. I pulled on those connections one at a time, and I felt them solidify beside me. Only Asa was visible in his medical scrubs, while Rose and Tala stayed invisible. Gwen translated what Etrius said for us later:

‘Master, please, we need your council now. As you ordered, the fat Toreador is dead. Our agents now have freer reign. The Mad One arises in a fledgling. He is helped by a Salubri. Our best agents are on their trail. Master, I beg you to rise.’

“Etrius waited a moment, but I could see the hope fade from his eyes. He exited the room, leaving us alone with the insensate man. The man’s features solidified. He was now a dark-skinned, older man with a peaceful expression. A third eye on his forehead blinked open and focused on Asa. Though he spoke in the ancient language only I understood, I knew the words were for Asa:

‘Find for me the Voice of Samael.’

“The man on the bier spasmed, and his face shifted to that of the pale, cruel man. He sat up and looked around the room. Though his eyes did not land on us, I knew he could sense our presence. He called out ‘Etrius!’ and gestured to the walls as he stormed from the room. The wards glowed more brightly, and the blood beneath my skin boiled. My flesh bubbled red and split open. I fell to my knees and screamed, trying desperately to put out the invisible fire beneath my flesh. Asa grabbed my shoulders: ‘Wake up, Zachary! You need to wake up!’

“I tried to scream, but there was no air in my lungs. I gasped, and the stench of straw and manure filled my mouth. Ben was looking at me with concern and confusion. I had left a trail of blood from his lap to where I now huddled against the barn wall. Asa and Ben sat with me as I shook and cried, telling me I was alright. I was safe. I was awake. After a few minutes, the phantom sensations of boiling alive faded enough for me to calm down. 

“Rose had left the barn to speak with Gwen, who joined us. After confirming that we all experienced the dream together, Gwen shared some bad news. She had left her wraiths, Patrick and Clyde, at the Sabbat Ball. There was at least one other necromancer there. Patrick and Clyde followed the necromancer as instructed and were attacked. Patrick was able to escape, but Clyde was taken by some unknown force. The barn began to shake. The doors flew open and closed. Hay bales were thrown across the room by some unseen force. I thought I was still dreaming, but Ben grabbed my arm and pulled me outside with the rest. 

“All except Gwen. She stood unflinching against the maelstrom. Her voice was like steel as she called out: ‘John Edgar, stop!’ In an instant, everything was still. John Edgar must have been expressing his rage or grief at Clyde’s loss. I guess even ghosts could care about one another. 

“I went inside Big Frieda’s house to shower off the blood and loose hay while Asa spoke to one of the ghouls. I don’t think it went well, because the second I left the bathroom Asa grabbed me and practically dragged me out as he apologized to the woman. Outside, Rose approached us with Denny’s soda cups filled with blood. Asa and Cedric drank, but I opted for the blood bags. I know she said her blood was infertile, but I remembered seeing Brandon’s and Andrew’s lives when I drank their blood. I didn’t know what I would see if I drank Rose’s blood.

“Well, now you’re all caught up. Apologies for the long recap, I’ve been taping these messages when I could find the time at Big Frieda’s farm. Recorded most of the Il Gran Ballo this morning, but didn’t have the chance to tell you about our exciting journey at Denny’s and Big Frieda’s until just now. I’m circling the barn now, enjoying the night air as I talk to you. You should travel out of the city when you get the chance, listeners. There is so little light pollution out here. So many stars. It feels like they outshine the sun. It feels like the future is limitless.”

* * *

“Cedric and Comet stayed at the farm while Big Frieda, Rose, Gwen, Asa, Ben, and I piled into the truck. There weren’t enough seats, so Asa and I sat in the bed. We drove for about an hour into the woods. I couldn’t see any landmarks, but Big Frieda apparently recognized the spot. She parked, exited the car, and transformed into a mountain lion. She bounded before us as we walked, clearly annoyed at our slow pace through the forest. We came to the edge of a cliff, and Rose told us she would go ahead with Big Frieda and announce us to the Sisters. I looked across the valley and saw nearly a dozen animals climbing down. Rose and Big Frieda joined them with ease.

“I started down first, followed by Ben, then Asa, then Gwen. Some of it was like a hiking trail, while other parts were like sliding down a rocky wall. All was well until my foot slipped. My insides lurched. I scrambled for something, anything to hold on to. Someone grasped my collar and pulled me back, practically carrying my whole weight until my feet found the ground again. I looked to the side and saw Ben. He held my jacket in one hand while his other clutched a tree branch. I reached over and grabbed his arm. I will admit to you, listeners, it was only partially to steady my footing. I wanted to touch him. His muscles were like warm steel under his thin sweater.

“I told him he was strong. It was a stupid thing to say, I know. But, for context, Ben is about hundred pounds lighter than me and stopped me hurtling down a cliff without breaking a sweat. Ben smiled at me. He seemed surprised, too. I guess George didn’t lie about my blood granting super strength. Asa nearly slipped a few minutes later as well, but Ben and I kept him steady. 

“At the bottom, two mountain lions approached us and transformed into very beautiful, very naked women. I tried to look anywhere else while also not like I was avoiding looking at them. A third arrived with a backpack, and the women opened it to reveal a set of long, white dresses. They each put on one and handed the rest to us. Gwen and Ben fit theirs easily, pulling the dresses over their clothing. Asa had to take off his shirt but his fit as well, showing off his muscled chest and arms.

“I wasn’t so lucky. I looked at what was clearly the biggest dress they had brought. A thousand memories flashed through my mind. If you’ve ever been a fat kid, you know I’m talking about. If not, well. Imagine the last time you felt out of place. Maybe you overheard your friends talking about a party you weren’t invited to, or you walked up to your usual lunch table and realized there wasn’t a seat left. You don’t belong here; they say without words. You don’t fit. You take up too much space, and no one cares enough to make room for you.

“I blinked too many times and laughed. Another thing you learn as a fat kid is to never let them know when they’ve hurt you. I slung the dress around my shoulders like scarf and sat down next to Ben. A few minutes later, Rose returned. She said the Sisters were ready, but she needed something from Gwen, first. She asked that Gwen promise to not tell her family about the Sisters or their cave, and in return, Rose would not tell her Sisters about the Giovanni. Rose asked Gwen to swear it on her sister’s grave. Gwen laughed, though she agreed to not tell her cousins. 

“Asa and Rose seemed skeptical, but I decided to take her at her word. Gwen clearly values her family above all else, but she also values the things we have discovered together as a “coterie.” She knows that there is something important binding us together, and Gwen would not risk the opportunity to learn more with us lightly. I don’t believe Gwen would betray the Sisters, or us, for anything but an existential threat against her family. At least, I have to believe that.”