Dawn Chorus: Vocalization
Author’s Note: In my pretty little head, that means prologue. I couldn’t just up and leave this AU alone. Darn ass kicking vampire hunters being so fun to write. To get any of this, you'll need to read Midnight Sonata. Otherwise you'll be lost. Hopelessly, hopelessly lost.
Dawn Chorus: Vocalization
By: Liz B
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Andrea “Andy” Viviano had never been inside the Waldorf-Astoria before. She’d seen a lot of pictures and had driven by once or twice, but it was the kind of place she only dreamed about actually being inside. Those dreams were coming true today. She stood off to the side of the lobby with her apprentice Anna Morasca, waiting for a custos to appear. She was a little worried about the attention they were attracting, but the Consilium moved at its own pace. When they were ready, they’d see her.
The Consilium was the ruling body of the Centuria ab SoI, a secret society dedicated to hunting lamiea, vampires. Actually, the Consilium also ruled over the Knights Templar and the Free Masons, sister groups to the Centuria. It was made up of nine Judicis, three from each branch. They only met when there is big news or big trouble to discuss.
Andy had dealt with the Consilium twice before, once when she was given full antepilana status and then again when her friend and fellow antepilanus Valdimir Dracula was put on trial. While she didn’t really have anything against the Consilium and the Judicis, she never liked going to meet with them. There was just too much pomp and circumstance involved, hence why she was loitering in the lobby of the Waldorf-Astoria in a suit and stole.
The Consilium came to New York two weeks after receiving her report on her latest encounter with Stephen, a lamia and Erus, who was currently at the top of the Centuria’s most wanted list. The letter informing her of the Consilium’s arrival and that they wanted to see her was pretty unclear as to the why, which was typical. Like any ruling body of any secret society, the bigger the air of mystery the more power you had. However, for Andy, it just frustrated her.
Standing around like this was just making her more annoyed. The security guard hadn’t stopped eying the two of them since they had walked in. She figured it was probably the stoles. Both she and Anna wore perfectly tailored suits which blended in with the rich muckity-mucks, so process of elimination said the stoles were the culprits. Anna’s stole was brown, with the red sun and cross symbol of the Centuria at the bottom of the left side along with one gold stripe. It showed she belong to the Centuria and was a discipulus, not a full antepilana. Andy’s was white with the same sun and cross symbol, but she had two gold stripes and one silver one. Hers meant she was a full antepilana and one of the Caerimonia Obtinere, one of seven. In her mind, they looked like rejected Jehovah’s Witnesses and were going to get thrown out if the custos didn’t show up soon.
“So, you don’t know what they want?” Anna asked casually, trying to look bored. Andy knew her apprentice well though, and figured she was freaking out inside. Since her big secret, that she was a half blood lamiea, had been revealed, Anna had been waiting for some sort of repercussion from the Centuria or from Andy. The paranoia was a tad annoying, but Andy could tune out most of it.
“Nope.”
“How come they wouldn’t tell you?”
“The same reason you’re asking me questions. To annoy me.” Andy glanced at her and Anna glared. “Relax, kid, they just probably want to know why I didn’t kill Stephen when I had the chance or how two innocent bystanders got involved and sworn in.”
“I’d like the answer to that question too.” Anna muttered under her breath and Andy rolled her eyes. Two weeks ago they’d faced off against the most wanted lamia in the world and she’d had the chance to kill him. Instead, she’d let him go, saving the lives of Anna, Vlad and the two innocent bystanders. Anna was still angry that she’d let Stephen get away, and she guessed so was the Consilium.
“And there’s our escort.” She spotted another well dressed man with a stole and started walking towards him. He didn’t say anything when they reached him, just turned around sharply and started walking towards one of the restaurants. They were led to a private dinning room where the nine Judicis sat, with black stoles and corresponding symbols. All of them were men. While parts of the Centuria were being updated, it was still an old boys club.
The custos went over to the middle Templar, a fifty-something man with a white goatee, and whispered in his ear. The man nodded and regarded Andy with distant blue eyes.
He started speaking in Latin. “Soldier, Holder of Scared Rites, Andrea Viviano, the Counsel welcomes you and your student.”
She bowed slightly to him and replied in Latin. “Thank you, Counsel. It is an honor to speak with you all. What can I, servant to you and the Lord, do for you?”
“We read your report on your latest encounter with the vampire master Stephen.” The lead Templar continued, “The banished soldier Vladimir Dracula is mentioned quite heavily.”
Andy blinked a little, she hadn’t expected them to bring up Vlad. He had been part of the Centuria but when he had tried to save an atriensis, he had been kicked out, banished. She had been the one to catch him and bring him to stand trial. He had shown up to help them, she honestly didn’t think it would be a problem when she included it in her report.
“Uh, yes sir.” She said bringing herself back to the present, still in Latin. “Soldier Dracula…”
“Banished soldier,” A Mason with salt and paper gray hair said, holding up a finger.
Andy nodded, “The banished soldier Dracula explained to me he heard the compulsion. His involvement in this was simply because he carries the sword Excalibur.”
“He is banished,” The Mason spoke up again, “He should not have been allowed so much involvement. He has already shown sympathy to vampires in the past.”
“Forgive me, Judges, I do not understand. A Holder of the Scared Rites must answer the compulsion. We have no choice but to act on what He tells us.”
“You let Stephen go.” A Centuria member with a scar over one eye spoke up, “Did this banished soldier tell you to do so?”
“No, Judge. As I said in my report, innocent bystanders would have died had I tried to kill Stephen. I did what I believed was right.”
“You let our greatest enemy go, with no harm when there were two Holder of the Scared Rites present and your apprentice.” The second Centuria member said. Andy’s jaw nearly hit the floor when she saw him.
“Magister Feodor.” She said in English without thinking. The last time she had seen her old teacher was years ago when she had gone to his Russian estate with Anna to start her training. She hadn’t seen him since.
Feodor smiled at her, “Hello Soldier Andrea. Please, explain why you let him go when you had the upper hand.”
“I simply did not see things that way, Judge. Only two of us were armed. Two had no training in how to hunt and kill vampires. I believe I made the right choice.”
“Why bring,” A Templar glanced over the papers in his hands, “Detective Goren with you? He was a factor in your decision not to kill Stephen.”
“Judges.” Andy drew herself up, “I do not see why you are picking at this so much. I did what was right to save innocent lives. We are to put innocent lives above killing vampires aren’t we? Or has that policy changed?”
“We do not trust the banished soldier.” Another Mason said, “He has been unwatched for too long by the Company.”
“Since you are requesting permanent patrol here, Soldier Andrea, part of your duties would be to watch him. We have already secured you a house on Staten Island, you shall hunt from there.” The goatee-ed Templar said.
“Judges, Staten Island is not located conveniently to hunt. The sanctuary is a much better place to hunt from.” Andy looked between the Judicis, amazed and really pissed off. They were making mountains out of mole hills. What had happened with Stephen was just another case that hadn’t ended the way everyone would like. They’d done this with her for Vlad’s trial and when she’d been named a full antepilana. Damn, these people were experts in annoying.
“Soldier Andrea, you and your student will be moved to Staten Island if you want to stay in New York. Otherwise you will pack your things and be moved to Denver where there is a recent surge of hell hound activity.” The goatee-ed Templar continued as if Andy hadn’t said a thing.
Andy paused before answering. She really wanted to stay in New York. Her Uncle, who had brought her into the Centuria had patrolled New York, having his old beat would be a nice way to remember him and she was damn tried of running around after Stephen. He could be someone else’s problem for awhile. Any way, her guess was Stephen would want them and if they stayed put, he’d stay put.
But, Anna had a painful past on Staten Island. Making her live there was pretty cruel on the Consilium part to pick it for a place for them to live. She couldn’t consult with Anna either. Apprentices weren’t allowed to speak during official proceedings. They weren’t recognized until they reached full antepilani status. She didn’t want to spy on Vlad either. She still was his friend and wasn’t going to turn on him just because the Consilium was paranoid. She wasn’t happy about it, but it looked like she was going to Denver.
And then she was speaking with no conscious control, the coactu, the compulsion had taken over and she was just along for the ride. “I will do as the council wishes.” Apparently she still had unfinished business in New York. Damn it.
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Dawn Chorus: Vocalization
By: Liz B
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Andrea “Andy” Viviano had never been inside the Waldorf-Astoria before. She’d seen a lot of pictures and had driven by once or twice, but it was the kind of place she only dreamed about actually being inside. Those dreams were coming true today. She stood off to the side of the lobby with her apprentice Anna Morasca, waiting for a custos to appear. She was a little worried about the attention they were attracting, but the Consilium moved at its own pace. When they were ready, they’d see her.
The Consilium was the ruling body of the Centuria ab SoI, a secret society dedicated to hunting lamiea, vampires. Actually, the Consilium also ruled over the Knights Templar and the Free Masons, sister groups to the Centuria. It was made up of nine Judicis, three from each branch. They only met when there is big news or big trouble to discuss.
Andy had dealt with the Consilium twice before, once when she was given full antepilana status and then again when her friend and fellow antepilanus Valdimir Dracula was put on trial. While she didn’t really have anything against the Consilium and the Judicis, she never liked going to meet with them. There was just too much pomp and circumstance involved, hence why she was loitering in the lobby of the Waldorf-Astoria in a suit and stole.
The Consilium came to New York two weeks after receiving her report on her latest encounter with Stephen, a lamia and Erus, who was currently at the top of the Centuria’s most wanted list. The letter informing her of the Consilium’s arrival and that they wanted to see her was pretty unclear as to the why, which was typical. Like any ruling body of any secret society, the bigger the air of mystery the more power you had. However, for Andy, it just frustrated her.
Standing around like this was just making her more annoyed. The security guard hadn’t stopped eying the two of them since they had walked in. She figured it was probably the stoles. Both she and Anna wore perfectly tailored suits which blended in with the rich muckity-mucks, so process of elimination said the stoles were the culprits. Anna’s stole was brown, with the red sun and cross symbol of the Centuria at the bottom of the left side along with one gold stripe. It showed she belong to the Centuria and was a discipulus, not a full antepilana. Andy’s was white with the same sun and cross symbol, but she had two gold stripes and one silver one. Hers meant she was a full antepilana and one of the Caerimonia Obtinere, one of seven. In her mind, they looked like rejected Jehovah’s Witnesses and were going to get thrown out if the custos didn’t show up soon.
“So, you don’t know what they want?” Anna asked casually, trying to look bored. Andy knew her apprentice well though, and figured she was freaking out inside. Since her big secret, that she was a half blood lamiea, had been revealed, Anna had been waiting for some sort of repercussion from the Centuria or from Andy. The paranoia was a tad annoying, but Andy could tune out most of it.
“Nope.”
“How come they wouldn’t tell you?”
“The same reason you’re asking me questions. To annoy me.” Andy glanced at her and Anna glared. “Relax, kid, they just probably want to know why I didn’t kill Stephen when I had the chance or how two innocent bystanders got involved and sworn in.”
“I’d like the answer to that question too.” Anna muttered under her breath and Andy rolled her eyes. Two weeks ago they’d faced off against the most wanted lamia in the world and she’d had the chance to kill him. Instead, she’d let him go, saving the lives of Anna, Vlad and the two innocent bystanders. Anna was still angry that she’d let Stephen get away, and she guessed so was the Consilium.
“And there’s our escort.” She spotted another well dressed man with a stole and started walking towards him. He didn’t say anything when they reached him, just turned around sharply and started walking towards one of the restaurants. They were led to a private dinning room where the nine Judicis sat, with black stoles and corresponding symbols. All of them were men. While parts of the Centuria were being updated, it was still an old boys club.
The custos went over to the middle Templar, a fifty-something man with a white goatee, and whispered in his ear. The man nodded and regarded Andy with distant blue eyes.
He started speaking in Latin. “Soldier, Holder of Scared Rites, Andrea Viviano, the Counsel welcomes you and your student.”
She bowed slightly to him and replied in Latin. “Thank you, Counsel. It is an honor to speak with you all. What can I, servant to you and the Lord, do for you?”
“We read your report on your latest encounter with the vampire master Stephen.” The lead Templar continued, “The banished soldier Vladimir Dracula is mentioned quite heavily.”
Andy blinked a little, she hadn’t expected them to bring up Vlad. He had been part of the Centuria but when he had tried to save an atriensis, he had been kicked out, banished. She had been the one to catch him and bring him to stand trial. He had shown up to help them, she honestly didn’t think it would be a problem when she included it in her report.
“Uh, yes sir.” She said bringing herself back to the present, still in Latin. “Soldier Dracula…”
“Banished soldier,” A Mason with salt and paper gray hair said, holding up a finger.
Andy nodded, “The banished soldier Dracula explained to me he heard the compulsion. His involvement in this was simply because he carries the sword Excalibur.”
“He is banished,” The Mason spoke up again, “He should not have been allowed so much involvement. He has already shown sympathy to vampires in the past.”
“Forgive me, Judges, I do not understand. A Holder of the Scared Rites must answer the compulsion. We have no choice but to act on what He tells us.”
“You let Stephen go.” A Centuria member with a scar over one eye spoke up, “Did this banished soldier tell you to do so?”
“No, Judge. As I said in my report, innocent bystanders would have died had I tried to kill Stephen. I did what I believed was right.”
“You let our greatest enemy go, with no harm when there were two Holder of the Scared Rites present and your apprentice.” The second Centuria member said. Andy’s jaw nearly hit the floor when she saw him.
“Magister Feodor.” She said in English without thinking. The last time she had seen her old teacher was years ago when she had gone to his Russian estate with Anna to start her training. She hadn’t seen him since.
Feodor smiled at her, “Hello Soldier Andrea. Please, explain why you let him go when you had the upper hand.”
“I simply did not see things that way, Judge. Only two of us were armed. Two had no training in how to hunt and kill vampires. I believe I made the right choice.”
“Why bring,” A Templar glanced over the papers in his hands, “Detective Goren with you? He was a factor in your decision not to kill Stephen.”
“Judges.” Andy drew herself up, “I do not see why you are picking at this so much. I did what was right to save innocent lives. We are to put innocent lives above killing vampires aren’t we? Or has that policy changed?”
“We do not trust the banished soldier.” Another Mason said, “He has been unwatched for too long by the Company.”
“Since you are requesting permanent patrol here, Soldier Andrea, part of your duties would be to watch him. We have already secured you a house on Staten Island, you shall hunt from there.” The goatee-ed Templar said.
“Judges, Staten Island is not located conveniently to hunt. The sanctuary is a much better place to hunt from.” Andy looked between the Judicis, amazed and really pissed off. They were making mountains out of mole hills. What had happened with Stephen was just another case that hadn’t ended the way everyone would like. They’d done this with her for Vlad’s trial and when she’d been named a full antepilana. Damn, these people were experts in annoying.
“Soldier Andrea, you and your student will be moved to Staten Island if you want to stay in New York. Otherwise you will pack your things and be moved to Denver where there is a recent surge of hell hound activity.” The goatee-ed Templar continued as if Andy hadn’t said a thing.
Andy paused before answering. She really wanted to stay in New York. Her Uncle, who had brought her into the Centuria had patrolled New York, having his old beat would be a nice way to remember him and she was damn tried of running around after Stephen. He could be someone else’s problem for awhile. Any way, her guess was Stephen would want them and if they stayed put, he’d stay put.
But, Anna had a painful past on Staten Island. Making her live there was pretty cruel on the Consilium part to pick it for a place for them to live. She couldn’t consult with Anna either. Apprentices weren’t allowed to speak during official proceedings. They weren’t recognized until they reached full antepilani status. She didn’t want to spy on Vlad either. She still was his friend and wasn’t going to turn on him just because the Consilium was paranoid. She wasn’t happy about it, but it looked like she was going to Denver.
And then she was speaking with no conscious control, the coactu, the compulsion had taken over and she was just along for the ride. “I will do as the council wishes.” Apparently she still had unfinished business in New York. Damn it.
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