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The light was so dim, I couldn't make out his face except for the outline of long hair and the stock of a shotgun jutting over his shoulder.
"This is Carmina, daughter of Alexis Sargosa." I glanced sharply at the nun. This was a fine time to finally start using my real name. "The Troika call her Meridian Six.">Me.
A soft knock on the door announced the acolyte's return. "The Chatelaine will see you now."
I nodded and followed her out into the corridor. I'd considered wandering around earlier while I waited, but I didn't want to be rude. The corridor's ceilings hung low over sconces lining the walls, giving off a warm glow. Funny, from the outside this building seemed condemned, but inside it was clean and peaceful.
"Are we below ground?" I asked, noting the lack of windows.
She nodded meekly over her shoulder.
I waited for more information, but she didn't offer any. The sisters, I guessed, probably built this sanctuary in abandoned tunnels dug during the Blood Wars. I'd heard how the humans and vampire rebels had dug warrens under the cities for quick escapes during skirmishes. Now, the dirt walls had been plastered over, but the echoes of old fear clung to the air like the musk of turned earth.
We reached a door, and the acolyte knocked. "The Chatelaine is waiting."
"Thank you, Sister--"I let the word hang there for her to fill in.
She avoided my eyes and scuttled off. Her red robes swirled around her ankles as she rounded the corner. I wondered briefly how she ended up living in abandoned tunnels below the city, offering succor to fugitives like me.
"Six?" The Chatelaine's voice pulled me out of my musings. I took a deep breath, raised my chin and marched into her inner sanctum.
She sat behind a battered wooden desk. A single low-watt bulb hung from the ceiling. The threadbare tapestries stretched across sections of the walls did nothing to dispel the chill. One depicted a unicorn bleeding in a cage and another a knight fighting a dragon.
"Nice," I said, more to get the conversation going than out of any real appreciation for the artistry.
"Functional," she countered. "They help insulate against the dankness."
I took the seat she offered. The ancient metal chair creaked in protest. I cringed as the sound echoed through the cave-like room.
The Chatelaine stared into a vid-screen, an alien bit of technology for such an ascetic setting, but, then, she was a vampire. And vampires loved their tech.
I couldn't see what she was looking at, but whatever it was, she found it damned interesting. Warning bells went off in my head. Noticing my sudden stiffness, she turned the screen toward me.
My own face stared back at me. My stomach fell as I read the ticker beneath the old photo. "Fugitive still at large. The Troika is offering a reward of ten thousand charns for her capture--dead or alive."
"Meridian Six, age twenty-three, daughter of rebel sympathizer, Alexis Sargosa," she read, her brows rising. "Wanted for violation of Troika code 439."
My stomach churned, and my hands grew damp. Given the conditions of the rectory, it was possible the Chatelaine was mentally tabulating the repairs she could make with that kind of reward.
I lifted my chin, waiting for her to make the next move.
"Code 439?" she said. "That's assault, correct?"
I gave a jerky nod to confirm that was, indeed, the crime assigned to Code 439, but I didn't feel the need to confess my innocence. After all, if things had gone as planned the charge would have been murder instead.
The nun's eyes took on a speculative gleam. My fingers slid down my leg toward the shard of metal I'd strapped to my ankle using a bit of bandage the nuns had left in my room. They'd been smart not to leave me with any glass or cutlery, but the metal bracket had torn away from the bed frame easily and its sharp corners could inflict some pain.
"Keep your weapon where it is, child. The Sisters of Crimson are no friends of the Troika, no matter how well they pay."
I paused and looked at her. "Ten thousand Cs would buy a lot of food for your acolytes, sister."
"True, but then I would have a debt on my soul I'm not prepared to repay."
"If you knew all of this I'm surprised you let me in here to begin with. Some consider me quite dangerous."
Her lips lifted in a slight smile. "Especially the Troika."
"What makes you say that?"
