I rewrote Abel's part in this chapter. It was one of the sticking points for me and the reason I keep delaying writing this story. I had to fix it before continuing to chapter 14.


A small breath escaped Lilith. There was very little over what the queen was planning here. She glanced around the guards' chambers. She had slipped in through the window with the professor not long after the sister they had brought had distracted the guards outside the room. The queen's personal chambers were too well guarded for them to get in even through a window. It had been a slight chance she would be able to gleam information about what the queen was planning from these chambers.

"Anything?" Lilith asked as she set down a stack of papers where she had found them.

"Maybe." William frowned around the pipe. He lifted a document.

Lilith moved over to him. Strange symbols of no language she knew covered the parchment. "It's encrypted?"

William turned the paper, his eyes narrowed. "It seems familiar," he muttered. He pulled out a small book and started to jot down the letter. "I'll have to take a look at this later." The page was a copy of the letter's contents. It wasn't as good as taking the letter, but there was less chance at someone realizing they had been there if they left it rather than taking it.

"We should go." Lilith started for the open window.

There was a brief sound of the professor following before the soft sound of his cane paused.

"William?" Lilith looked over her shoulder.

The man had stopped, his gaze locked on a small box.

Lilith frowned and moved over to him. The box was just of cigarillos with a mark on them.

William's gaze flickered from the box and back to the encrypted message he had copied. A slight frown appeared around his pipe. "We should go." He moved back to the window. Lilith followed him. The two of the scaled back to where they had first slipped out of the palace. There was no sign of any guards as they landed back into one of the rooms the Vatican had been given.

"Do we have a list of the guards both sides brought?" William asked.

"Yes." Lilith frowned. "Here." She pulled out a sheet she kept on her. "His Holiness gave me this so I could better analyze the guards from the empire and Albion."

William nodded. "God," he breathed. His eyes widened, skin whitening.

Lilith peered over the top of the parchment. There was nothing strange about the list of names the queen had provided. "What is it?"

"I know this name." William tore his gaze away from the names.

A frown pulled at her lips. "Which?" And how? Perhaps it was someone William had read about in history. This had to be.

"Isaac Butler."

The name was familiar from more than just the list. There had been a man in the UN who had the name. His influence and riches had funded the Red Mars Project as well as herself and the Nightlord sibling's creation. No one outside of those with bascules and crusnik nanomachines could ever hope to live this long.

"We should report back to His Holiness and Cardinal Sforza." William folded the paper. He headed off.

There was little they had discovered. Lilith followed the professor.

William pulled back out the notebook. "I know why this is familiar," he muttered, hand on his chin.

"Hmm?"

"It's the same as we used at university." He lowered his hand and started to jot down notes beside the copied letter.

What little Lilith could see, started to unfold as a letter to someone in the Vatican. "It's to Brother Myles." One of the Albion guards had been in on the plan with Myles? No, there was no pointing fingers until they had the full letter decrypted. "We need to figure out if this guard was working with Myles or not."

William paused. He frowned around his pipe. "He was." He passed her the deciphered message.

Her heart froze. No, this was worse than if it had just been a guard working with Myles. Lilith started off at a brisk pace.

"We need to warn them, now."

William hurried after her.

The only bright side to this was the fact it looked as if the guard, this Isaac, had only been in contact with Myles. If he had gotten into content with Cain as well – Lilith shuddered. It was only a small ray of light in the darkness which now shrouded the meeting.

Sunlight filled the room. Both Pope Gregory and Cardinal Sforza were seated close to a window. A small table was placed between them.

Lilith's stomach churned as the scent of food wafted to her. She shoved back the need and stopped before the two, bowing.

"What have you discovered?" Gregory asked, looking up from the remains of his meal.

"Nothing good," Lilith reported. "We found a letter in one of her majesties guard's rooms. It pointed to the man working with Brother Myles."

"His name is Isaac Butler."

Caterina frowned.

"I don't know if he's the same Isaac I knew or not, but the cigarillos were familiar," William added.

"Cigarillos?" Caterina's monocle flashed as she looked up. "I doubt it could be," she whispered. "Do you know what the guard looks like?"

"No." Lilith frowned. "However, the letter goes beyond just saying he was in contact with Brother Myles."

"Queen Evelyn was in on it. She gave Isaac the orders which were passed on to Myles," William continued.

"And perhaps from Brother Myles to Cain," Lilith finished.

"Meaning Evelyn wouldn't want peace to come." Gregory rubbed his eyes.

"It does explain why she's trying to corner the emperor," Caterina pointed out. "Still, I doubt her schemes this morning was all she had to get the war to continue." Her gaze slid to William. "Professor continue looking into this matter. We must discover what the queen in planning."

"Understood." William bowed.

"Take Nihilum with you," instructed Gregory. "I would rather have our strongest fighter at our side if something comes up during the meeting."

"Of course, your Holiness." Lilith bowed. She left the small area to relieve Thomas as a guard.

Movement made Lilith look towards the side of the room the empire had been given. Abel stepped out from behind the cloth.

It wasn't yet time for the meeting to start. There was still a good thirty minutes until the hour break was over.

Solomon was a step behind Abel. He took the lead while the guards fell in behind Abel. His pace quickened with each stride.

"—tortured." The word came to Lilith as a whispered breath none but herself and other crusniks could ever hope to catch.

Tortured?

The doors shut behind the imperial group.

There was no way this Abel would harm the chance at peace. He had fought too long for it.

Still…

x – Abel – x

The doors snapped closed behind Abel.

"Yes, Majesty." Solomon set a quick pace. "I managed to bring him and his guard to your chambers. Ilka is with them."

Damn it all!

What had Wilson and his guard done to anger the queen? Speak with Lilith? It was extreme to go as far as to torture them.

"Where were they found?"

"Outside."

Abel's heart stopped.

Out… side? No way. But this meant that the queen would have left them for dead.

"Did the sun hit them?"

"A little," Solomon confessed. "Luckily we found them before the afternoon sun would strike them. Perhaps we should consider ourselves lucky they weren't placed where the morning sun would strike them."

"Most likely to keep everything unknown from us," Abel stated.

"True. The Albion party would have to have moved through where we're staying to get to that side of the building."

It didn't take back the intent of what had happened. If they had been any later… if. It hadn't happened and that was what was important in the here and now.

"How bad are they?"

"Bad."

Abel breathed. His breath light, inaudible to Solomon.

Two of Abel's guards bowed to him as he and Solomon neared one of the doors. The door opened, but by a servant rather than one of the guards.

The harsh scent of tainted methuselah blood hung heavy in the air. His heart flickered. Images of battlefields both past and ones which might never occur flashed over his eyes. His hand twitched. The light movement giving him enough clarity to follow Solomon into the chambers.

Another guard knelt, tending to the female guard who had been with Wilson. Bandages covered her face. Ragged, pained breaths rattled from her. One of her eyes was heavily covered in bandages, blood spreading over the once clean cloth.

Ilka knelt before the couch.

Abel bit the inside of his mouth, forcing back a sudden intake of shocked breath.

"Wilson," the name came, steady, almost calm. Abel moved to stand beside Ilka.

Silver was being drawn from one of the deep gashes. The tainted blood poured into a glass.

Wilson's eyes flickered. Both eyes were swollen, one glued shut from the swelling and his own blood. The eye that opened, opened only just enough to make out the bloodshot color bellow.

"Abel?" the came as a rattled breath.

"I'm here, old friend." Abel knelt down.

Wilson reached up. His fingers trembled, hand shaking. "I," he rasped, "I should never have left."

Abel's eyes lidded. Was Wilson speaking regrets over leaving the empire? It sounded as much. If only he hadn't. Perhaps this war would have ended sooner. Perhaps his level headedness that had once served to make them such a great team back on Mars would have drawn Abel from his rage sooner.

"I wanted to go home. For everything to be as it was before we left."

"Wilson." It wasn't good for him to speak right now.

"Now, they're going to die because of me."

Abel's jaw ached as he gritted his teeth.

"Please, save my family, my people, Abel." A tear trickled from Wilson's eye. "I know I lost the right to ask, but please. She'll kill them." His breathing grew heavy; the words labored.

Abel released his friend's hand and stood. The gentle rise and fall of his chest was enough to know Wilson still drew breath.

"Majesty, he needs a doctor, one far more skilled at this than I." Ilka didn't take her eyes from her work. "I fear I am drawing too much blood out with the silver.

"My family are," the words broke as Wilson struggled.

"I will do what I can for them, Wilson." The words tore at Abel.

If he wasn't an emperor, if he had been a priest as he had been eight centuries from now, perhaps he could have made a foolish promise to protect them. But he wasn't. No matter how much his heart screamed at him, Abel couldn't make such a promise. Wilson had made his decision to leave the empire.

"That is all I can promise."

A light smile twitched at the corners of Wilson's bloodied lips. "It's enough."

"Ilka, I'll send Alain to replace you here. Head for the meeting when he arrives to take his place." After all Alain had medical training on a level a little higher than Ilka did. He gestured for one of the guards to fetch Alain.

Abel stepped back so as not to disturb Wilson and his guard.

"Are you planning on demanding the queen release them?" Solomon asked, eyes narrowed.

"No," Abel whispered. "It would do far more harm than good to become angry and make such demands. I will negotiate for their release." Abel sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Though I have reservations she will listen given how she was during this morning's talks."

Solomon bowed his head. "True. I admit I am rather worried what will happen."

"It does sound as is she doesn't want peace. Yet, all it sounds like Wilson did was speak with Lilith. What else could have caused her to view him as someone who should be removed?"

"Perhaps that's it. Queen Evelyn could see these talks and how the Vatican is reacting to them as a betrayal."

"True. But there were no letters from Cain to anyone in the Kingdom of Albion." Yet, it would make sense to have three working to prolong the war. Who from Albion would even have wanted this war to being with given their relationship with the empire in the past? Not to mention the fact that the queen had been more than willing to have Wilson and his people join her ranks.

Alain slipped into the room. He bowed to Abel. "Majesty, I have come as requested."

"Thank you, Alain." Abel gave a small smile to his servant.

Alain straightened and moved over to Ilka. She passed him the materials and stood. "I'll wash my hands and join you at the meeting, Majesty." She bowed and vanished through another door.

"We should be going," Abel stated and turned. A chill raced through his body. He wasn't turning his back on Wilson. Abel would do what he could, but his priority had to remain the empire itself.

"Don't tell me you're angry?" Alexander asked when Abel and Solomon joined Alexander and Barack in the hall.

"More numb than anything else," Abel confessed.

"Numb? Hmm, that's odd. Normally you would be angry over this. Are you feeling all right?" Alexander's voice was serious.

"I am. I won't do anything to compromise the peace."

"Peace? Seriously? After what those bastards did to Wilson?" Alexander scowled. "Albion shouldn't be—"

Abel glared at the pilot. "I understand where you're coming from Barvon, but peace is what is the best from the empire as a whole."

Alexander opened his mouth.

"Do you want your children to grow up never knowing peace?" Abel cut him off. "Do you want this war to be dragged out until we needed so much manpower to maintain no one was left to tend the fields and livestock?" Abel breathed. His ears rang with the simmering anger he needed to sooth before the meeting.

Alexander snapped his mouth shut at this. "You would never let your people go hungry," Alexander whispered.

"I wouldn't," Abel agreed. "But, if this war dragged out, we could loss more soldiers than could be reasonably maintained. If I could, I would give everything to keep every last one of you, Wilson and those in Albion included, safe. But that is selfish of me to think. I can't do what my heart wants to do. I have to think on what's for the best for all of my people, for the empire as a whole."

Alexander nodded. "Yeah, I guess I was thinking about the good old days when Wilson hadn't chosen his birth country over the empire."

"No matter what's happened, they made their choice," Barack pointed out. "I don't want them to surfer anymore than you do, but if it was a choice between keeping them safe or keeping Abel safe, my choice would be clear."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it already. It was stupid of me to say something like that," huffed Alexander.

Abel quickened his pace.

Abel and his group were the last to arrive back at the meeting chamber.

"If I had known you'd be late, I wouldn't have bothered coming," stated Evelyn, gaze cool as she looked at Abel.

"Forgive the lateness," – Abel gave a slight bow of his head as he took his seat – "a matter of importance came to light during the break."

"See it doesn't happen again."

Abel smiled. "Would you be so kind as to tell me where your advisor is?"

"Not here," the queen replied curtly.

"Not here?" Abel's eyebrows rose. "Surely Mister Walsh would have sent someone in his place?" Abel pressed with a sweet voice.

"Tch." The queen glared at him. "I don't know where that demon got off to."

Didn't know? Odd. Either she was lying or honestly didn't know.

Abel's gaze flickered over face. It was difficult for even him to tell. Was this a power grab then? Is so, why? And by who?

"Did you not say yourself you didn't need an advisor this very morning? I find it difficult to believe my people would be the first to learn he and his guard had been tortured, but you are unaware of it."

Her eyes widened. Her expression changed to one of utter rage. "What happens to my people is none of your concern. When he dies, it will be on your hands!" A smug look passed over her face.

Really? She was being an open book now.

Gregory stiffened.

"I would be willing negotiate for those Returners in Albion who wish to return to the empire being allowed to do so."

"They willingly joined my nation," Evelyn almost purred the words. A smile spread over her features, eyes glittering. "Thus, you don't have the right to demand their return to your nation."

Abel smiled. "Thus, the reason I said 'negotiate' and 'for those who wish to return.'"

"And, if I refuse, you will what? Attack us? Continue this war?" Her smile grew.

"That is far from what I implied."

"So, you plan to treat them like slaves." Her smile darkened. "My, and here I believed a monster like yourself would treat other such creatures the same."

"Here now, Queen Evelyn, the emperor is trying—"

"Will not enter negotiations to trade my monsters," she cut off the Pope. Her eyes glittered. "What now," – her lips curled – "emperor."

"Monsters?" Abel cocked an eyebrow.

Caterina's stiffened. Her gaze locked on a point just beyond Abel.

"Ah, I see my advisor has arrived," Evelyn almost purred the words.

"Forgive my lateness, your Majesty," a hauntingly familiar voice seemed to shiver through the air.


(Author's Note: Original: Wow, didn't realize it'd been so long since I updated this story.

For those wondering, I've not forgotten about what happened with Cain and Seth in the last chapter. It will come up again, just not in this chapter and perhaps not in the next one.

Author's Note Update: As was stated above I rewrote the second half of this chapter. It was the reason I wasn't continuing with the story.)