Chapter The opposite of allies

Modern Times...

Anjael listened to the homily, sang, took communion, and went to confession. When she came out of the confessional, Detective Biaz was sitting in the pew, staring up at the statue of Mary.

She folded down the kneeler, knelt, pulled her pashmina over her head, and began saying her Rosary.

Halfway through her third decade, he asked, "Why did you do it?"

"They deserved... Hail Mary, full of grace..." She continued, completely nonplussed by his interruption.

"You aren't a judge or jury," he muttered.

When she finished the first Rosary, she turned her head slightly. "Was there not enough evidence? The half a semi-trailer of illegal drugs."

"That was a lot, but you also left your ass-print in blood on the seat of the SUV and bloody fingerprints everywhere when you searched it." He reached for his cigarettes then remembered where he was. "Did you have to tear the panels off? The department won't get anything when the resell it at auction."

"I don't have fingerprints," she giggled quietly, then coughed to cover her mirth, "And it isn't like I carry a mechanic's tool set with me." She started saying her next Rosary.

He sat and waited patiently until she finished before asking, "How many more do you have?"

"Four Rosaries, ten Our Fathers, and ten Absolution for the Dead for each one."

"Jezzuz, you'll be here all day... hey!" He rubbed his check where her tail slapped him.

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain in a church," she snapped and began again.

Biaz stood grumpily, "The FBI is here. They are taking over the investigation. You need to get clear of this." He walked out to visit his wife and parents in the columbarium.

Special Agent Kemper found Detective Sargent Biaz sitting the Our Lady of the Angels. "Do you leave crime scenes to go to church often?"

The detective put out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe and put the butt in the pack. "I find some scenes require more prayer than others."

"You're very religious."

"Not really, I've just seen that Shakespeare was right." Biaz walked toward the alcove with a praying angel, lit incense and bowed his head for a moment before looking at the werewolf. "There are more things in heaven and earth then dreampt of in our philosophies."

"So what do you think killed those men? There was a crucifix at the scene and all were wearing religious jewelry of some kind," Kemper demanded as he followed.

"Faith only works for true believers and mercy only comes to the truly penitent," Baiz stopped and looked around the sanctuary, Anjael was gone. He looked up at the statuary but didn't see her there either.

"Who told you that?" Kemper looked around too, wondering what the human was looking for.

"A demoness," Kemper answered softly then he walked out of the church.

Anjael watched the werewolf look around again then follow Biaz out. She shook her head then went to the roof, stripped out of her simple black dress, and launched herself skyward. It only took half an hour to reach her newly remodeled penthouse. She landed in the rooftop garden and pulled her dress over her head.

Lazarus was waiting for her, and he did not look happy. "You shouldn't be flying in the daylight."

She could smell Woods was down the hall. "It's fine, no one can see me."

"That's not what I mean. The light still hurts you," he growled as he stepped closer. He sniffed then his eyes narrowed. "Why do you smell like Biaz?"

"Jack came to Mass this morning. It's Elaine's birthday." Anjael went to the kitchen and began making herself some quinoa with carrots and onions. Lazarus looked away when she added mealworms to a sauté pan of garlic, curry seasoning, and sizzling butter. Just to goad him, she asked, "Would you like some?"

His growl made her laugh so she teased as she stirred, "I never imagined werewolves would be so squeamish."

She put a layer of spinach salad in a bowl, then added the hot grains and spicy sauteed mealworms. The werewolf shuddered as she licked the spoon with her forked tongue. "It's just a curry."

"Bug Curry. Can't you eat anything normal?"

"It's an acquired taste... I eat what I can when I can." There was a buzz of the intercom. "Yes?" she answered around a bite of her brunch.

"Ms. Wasi, your furniture is here." The building manager was an old friend of hers by human standards.

"Thank you, Bill. Can you send them up?"

"Sure thing, and thanks for the donuts this morning. Krispy Kreme krullers are my favorite."

"You're very welcome. I knew I'd miss your birthday because you're off next week." She announced happily, then took another bite as she turned back to Lazarus who was eyeing her suspiciously. "What?"

"When did you have time to pick up donuts that you can't eat?"

"I went for a flight this morning and picked them up. Who do you think paid the franchise fee to build it here? My old military friends all love that place."

Lazarus leaned forward until his nose brushed her ear. "I don't believe you, Anutari. I saw this morning's news. I know it was you." He leaned back then walked out, calling over his shoulder. "Enjoy your bugs. I know the only reason you eat them is to bother me." The hate in his tone hurt more than the bullets which hit her this morning as she tried not to think about the reason she learned to like eating insects, about the times when they were the only thing she had to eat. They were her comfort food when her demoness felt particularly bloodthirsty.

/\^^^/\

1240 C.E.

Anjael sat in the middle of a meadow singing and braiding flowers into a crown to go with her necklace. From the woods, Prêtre Tomas and King Roi De Loup watched with his son Lycaon. A dragon dropped through the trees and landed lightly beside them. Most of the dragons had left the lands influenced by the Catholic Church after Pope St. George put a bounty on them, but this one had returned, chasing a great evil.

"It's entered the forest. The is a path of dead grass that wasn't there yesterday." Argonth scanned the edge of the meadow.

"I don't like it," Roi announced, "It is too close to dusk. If it turns black with the night, it will be too hard to kill for the ten of us. Lycaon, run to the abbey and tell Lord Ouroboros where we are."

"Yes, Father," the teenager answered then shifted into a lanky black wolf. With a slight whimper, he looked over his shoulder at where Anjael laid like she had fallen asleep. She looked like the perfect innocent victim with scent-blocking tincture hiding her true smell.

"Lycaon, go!"

He ran as hard as he could, trying not to worry because there were a half-dozen wolfen warriors ready to attack. His mother was an oracle and she had been very pensive about aiding the dragon to hunt a unicorn. Unicorns were an old nemesis to most species and even more evil than Deamones. Their rapturous beauty could hold any young and innocent mind enthralled while they consumed their soul. The enthrallment became like an addiction with many young females and even some young males returning over and over to the same place to fed the same soul-eating Unicorn until they withered and died. That was what happened to Argonth's sister. She knew the dangers of Unicorns but after she was enthralled the first time, she craved the ecstasy of the experience to the point of deceiving her family and friends. She snuck away until at last the Unicorn killed her. It fled the vengeful Dragon Horde to the forbidden home of their ancestors, but Argonth found it at last and now they were using his best friend as bait to trap and kill it. The young wolf, however, knew that live bait often ended up injured or killed and he worried for the albino Bibre Cruor.

As he sprinted up the trail to the Abbey, he heard the screeching bellow of the Dragon and the high-pitched neighing of a Unicorn echo across the valley, and he stopped. Whimpering, he didn't know whether to finish his run to the Abbey or return to the meadow to help. Smoke billowed from the direction as the forest caught fire. On the wind, he could hear the trilling clicks of Anjael calling to her Uncle, and Lycaon wondered what went wrong. Then his father's powerful howl of warning cut off and Lycaon collapsed into his skin at the feeling of his father's death. The sun began dropping below the horizon. As soon edge of the burning sphere vanished a dark form dropped next to him and picked him up then powerful wings carried him.

"My father died." Lycaon whimpered.

Ouroboros looked down at him. "I know, pup, but we have another problem. The Knights Templar killed Roi, Argonth, and the Unicorn. She said they were trying to bind her with emerald chains before she was silenced."

He glided through the smoke and landed in the scorched meadow. Setting Lycaon on his feet, the juvenile ran to his father. The Lycani king had been hacked into several pieces and all the wolves beheaded with many arrow wounds that smelled of silver. As Lycaon gathered his father's remains, Ouroboros walked over to the Unicorn and broke off its horn. Prêtre Tomas' blood was on the horn, but he didn't see the monk as he scanned the meadow. Bending, he clawed open the unicorn's stomach and removed its organs so it could not revive, then noticed a movement by the dead dragon. He rushed over hoping Argonth was still alive but instead there was a human climbing out from under the corpse.

"Help me, Monk!" The man demanded and Ouroboros realized the human didn't know what he was because he was wearing a monk's robe and his wings hung against his back like a leather cloak.

"Oh sir knight, the others have left. I can aid you to return to them." Ouroboros hoped to find out where they took Anjael.

"You killed my father!" Lycaon snarled and leapt on the human before Ouroboros could stop him.

"Lycaon, no!" Ouroboros pulled him off the knight too late. He held his hand over the man's neck wound. "Sir Knight of the Templar Order, where did they take the girl and the injured monk?"

The man stared at him then gurgled a word. "D-deee-mon."

He died spitting blood on Ouroboros' monk robe. Ouroboros cursed and bit the man, draining his blood. The blood connection created to the man's memories was tenuous, but Ouroboros glimpsed a castle set into cliffs with a flag by the gate. The image was fleeting then gone. He cursed the fact male cruor did not have the blessing of the queens to read the full memories of those dying and retain the memories.

"He was from a castle set into cliffs and on the top of a mountain butte with an indented top holding the main buildings that would make them almost invisible from the ground. A white banner with a red cross was hanging at the gate above rope ladders." Ouroboros had never seen such a place.

Lycaon stared at the dead human in horrified regret as he stammered an apology. "I... I'm so sorry, Lord Ouroboros... When I smelled my father's blood on him, my wolf just wanted to kill him. I... I... I should have thought about Anjael and Prêtre Tomas. Please forgive me."

Not missing being young and impetuous, Ouroboros nodded. "We will take your father's remains to the pack, perhaps someone there knows of the place. It is our only hope to rescue them."

/\^^^^/\

Landing in the heart of the pack town, Ouroboros set Lycaon on his feet and the young Lycani carried the bundle containing his father's body. Lord Griffe De Loup walked stiff legged toward them.

"Go to your mother, Lycaon." Griffe smiled gently as he embraced his grandson. "Walk with dignity, you are the king now."

After the juvenile Lycani walked away surrounded by his father's top warriors, Griffe turned to the Bibre Cruor dressed in a monk's robe. "What happened?"

"I do not know, my lord. They lured the Unicorn into the meadow and just as they surrounded it for Argonth to fight it, a group of Templars attacked. The Unicorn injured Prêtre Tomas and after Anjael tried to defend him, they overwhelmed her and chained her. She said they were slaughtering the Lycani. Somehow, they silenced her. I found Lycaon halfway up the mount to the monastery. There was a wounded knight left behind under Argonth's corpse, but Lycaon's wolf killed him before he could tell me where they took Prêtre Tomas and Anjael." Ouroboros accepted the comfort of his old friend as Griffe placed his hand on the other's shoulder.

"Do you have any idea where they may have gone?"

"I took his blood to see his memories, but it was too late, I only received a glimpse of a castle hidden in the top of a steep mountain or butte, the only access was by climbing rope ladders. The banner of the Templars hung by the gate." Ouroboros shook his head. "I do not know where such a place is."

"Neither do I but we shall find it... Go warn, Prêtre Jaques and the monks, if they took Prêtre Tomas and Anjael then they may come to Saint Martan-Du-Caginou looking for other Cruor. I will inquire of the Vampyri, per chance they know of such a place... Or perhaps Queen Guine can ask the Moon Goddess."

"Let the queen grieve. I will search and come back." Ouroboros leapt skyward and flew as high as he could then made a wide circle.

At the Abbey, he warned Jaques and the other Benedictine monks, then he packed healing supplies and a large bag of golden coins from many countries. Men liked gold and perhaps he could buy the location from one. Flying northward in a broad arc, he continued to search. He did not see the group of Templar Knights or anyone traveling. Twice he swooped low over camps, scenting for Anutari and clicking, but they were merely gypsies or traders. He found a track north with many fresh hoofprints. The horses had been running hard. Prêtre Tomas scent was with them but not Anjael's. He followed as far as he dared then sought shelter when dawn touched him. Gouging a furrow in the ground, he covered his body to protect himself from the sunlight. He could not petrify in the sunlight; he would need to continue the search as soon as the sunset.

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