Kellan ran through a cemetery throwing frightened glances over his shoulder, clearly fleeing from something, but I could not see what. A protruding root snared his foot, wrenching him to the damp grass, turning over and scrambling away from something just out of my view. Darkness swallowed everything leaving me in a void of nothingness.
Slowly color dripped in from somewhere above me, the droplets of reality swirling together into another surreal scene. Before me, a deformed man crouched, weathering blows from two walls of muscle that tried to pass as men. The man reminiscent of Quasimodo was clearly a Nosferatu and, judging from their displays of brutality, were either Brujah or Gangrel. They were taunting their victim, but their words warped and twisted in on themselves and what reached my ears was little more than gibberish. The crouching figure whipped his head in my direction, our eyes locking. His face was hideous, but I'll never forget those clear emerald eyes.
Once again, the scene dissolved to nothing before I was suddenly dropped into the Spokane river. A blond woman carried a child once again, fleeing from some unseen pursuer. The child glanced over the woman's shoulder, and I caught a glance of three distinct eyes through the auburn hair falling in front of her face. A Salubri! The alert of hunting dogs tore through the silence; then, I fell through the world.
The void once again greeted my disembodied self. However, unlike before, I was not alone. Two massive slitted eyes bore into my soul for an eternity before a sibilant feminine voice poured out from the all-encompassing void. "My child, you are running out of time. Your siblings have caught on to your trail, and the ancient sect war will descend upon your latest home. If you wish to protect those precious to you, find allies and grow your strength. There is a relic in the graveyard of an abandoned church to the northwest. Your blood will lead you to it once you're close. Take caution, young one; it lies beyond the domain of your siblings. Gaia's brood, the Garou and the Gurahl, hold the land and are not welcoming to your kind. I wish you luck, my daughter."
A knock sounded at my door, jarring me from the oracular dream. "Are you awake, my Angel?" The smooth baritone of my custos, the title for the ghouled aids of the Lasombra, sounded clear despite the door in the way.
Still attempting to reorient myself, I called out to Kellan, "I'm awake, mea cara, come in."
Kellan had grown into a fine young man. He was six feet if he was an inch, with onyx black hair, matching my own, cut short and swept to either side of his masculinely angular face. My eyes narrowed as I saw the patterns of a scepter woven into his oxford shirt. "Mea cara, were you aware that the shirt you're currently wearing bears the symbol of the Ventrue? You know, the arrogant bastards that have been at odds with my clan since before the great flood."
"I didn't realize it was clan propaganda. Though admittedly, the thirteen patterns should have been a bit of a tipoff. I'll look for the Lasombra crest when I go shopping tomorrow. In other news, I've found someone who hopefully possesses the phlegmatic resonance you requested. Breakfast is an artist I've commissioned to paint a mural in the living room. He's working upstairs for the next hour or so. Please enjoy at your leisure, my angel."
"Well done, I'll take you up on that. I need to clear my mind; then I'm off to find Quasimodo."
"Another daymare?" he asked, concerned, "they've been happening more and more frequently."
I nodded, "yeah, something's coming, and we need to be ready for it. There are three people I need to find, and I need to make a deal with the Garou for passage through their lands. I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete; I need more information, so I put a word in with the Harpy during the last Elysium. I know what you're thinking, but no. I will not risk you going into enemy territory needlessly. For now, look for a blond woman with a young girl. The woman is roughly five foot six and has a beauty mark under her right eye." I turned to Kel. "I'm going to drink breakfast; then we'll see if we can't scrounge up a location from our tracker."
I removed my fangs from the artist's neck and licked the wound, just to be clean and help it heal. Locking eyes with him, I called upon the dormant power in the dark parts of my soul, purring, "Forget." A vacant look settled over his face for a second before he shook his head.
"Ah, you must be the owner of my house. What do you think of the mural so far? I was going for a surrealist spin on the Helios myth. Instead of pulling the sun across the sky, an entity would instead draw the blanket of night over the world."
"It's quite good. I am fond of the concept of the night being the dominant one. I can tell from the brush strokes that you truly love your work. I'm sure the finished mural will be well worth the money. Be proud of your talent," I smiled encouragingly.
"Thank you, Ma'am. I'm glad you like my work. As it's getting late, I think I'd better get home. I'll be back tomorrow around ten o'clock, does that work for you, Ma'am?" He said, preening under the praise.
"Ah, yes. Please, don't let me keep you. Enjoy your night, Mr. Balrose." I saw him to the door and then went to fetch Kel. I have a driver's license, but I have Kel, so why would I?
I stepped out of my SUV, Lincoln Navigator, in front of a seemingly derelict warehouse and watched as Kel drove away. It's a nice ride but a challenge to find parking. I strode inside and looked around. Broken glass bottles and food wrappers lay strewn across the floor, and the faint scuttling of rats echoed through the empty space. A rusted iron catwalk spanned the now-defunct factory floor. I had made an appointment with one of the local Nosferatu information brokers. Kellan entered and stood guard behind me.
A labored raspy voice called out, "I had intended to arrive first, but it seems 20 minutes wasn't enough to best you." I could see him crouching on the shadow-vailed walkway above, but he didn't need to know that. Cutting off my internal musings, he continued, "I'm not one for small talk, so what are you looking for?"
"I take it you must be the one calling himself Alibaba, yes? I need you to track down some people for me. Discretely. No one can know about my interests. Can you promise me total secrecy?" I asked, voice devoid of emotion.
"That's a tough ask. It's possible; it'll cost you more than money, but it's possible. I'll track down your quarry for ten ETH per person and to buy my silence, a forgotten or rare secret. Those are my terms." He crept from shadow to shadow trying to obfuscate his location. Honestly, it was adorable that he thought I couldn't see him; he must not have met many Lasombra.
"I have no issue with the monetary price, but how rare of a secret do you need? Would you accept information on an antediluvian relic?"
"Oh? What kind of information?" He queried, trying and failing to hide his excitement.
"The location of a vial of Ravnos' blood," I challenged, voice level and steady.
"Bullshit! Ravnos died burning in the sunrise. All his blood is ash," he spat.
"First off, Jalin, Ravnos was a woman, not a man; and second, do you really think the walking apocalypse that is an antediluvian would be tricked into the sun? Especially, the master of trickery and illusion?"
"Tell me the location, and we'll see if you speak truth."
I cut him off, staring at him in the shadows, "I'll pay you the cash up front, but I won't be swindled out of my secrets. If you want the location, find my people, and don't let anyone find out. That is the deal, Jalin." My own shadow lengthened and started reaching for him of its own accord.
He flinched and conceded, "very well, who are you looking for?"
I gestured Kellan forward, in his hands, a folder. "Here is a file containing sketches and descriptions of whom we're looking for. One is a woman with a young girl; the second is a Nosferatu. I have little information to go on, but I know their faces. If I find more on them, I will, of course, pass it on to you. Kellan, wire our friend 15 ETH upfront, and we'll pay the rest upon delivery. Does that suit you, Mr. Alibaba?" my tone made it clear that it wasn't really a question.
"That's fair. Leave the files there, and I'll see what I can find. How should I contact you?"
I waved my hand dismissively and gestured towards Kel, "just text my custos, Kellan, here. He manages most of my affairs. I look forward to hearing from you soon," and with that, I turned and strode out of the decrepit warehouse, Kellan Trailing behind.