Katherine woke with a start with the heavy book lying on her chest. The next rap on her door was louder and she jumped up and went to the door and unlocked it. She opened it a crack. It was Vincent. He smiled at her through the narrow space of the door, "Just as I remember you from Georgia!"
She pulled the door open wider and grinned up at him. "Only this time I'm not going to threaten you with arrest."
He chuckled good-naturedly and then sobered. "It's time to get ready. No breakfast until after. I believe they allow water, but nothing else."
"All right," Katherine replied. "Have you heard anything from the Dominus?"
"Nothing this morning," Vincent replied. "He was prowling the halls until very late in the evening. When Father and I switched standing watch, I ran into him."
"He should have been in his room," Katherine said. "I guess he had a lot on his mind."
"Yes," Vincent murmured. "Get ready, Katherine. I will see you again when the summons comes."
She nodded and closed the door. She took a quick shower and applied very little makeup but added a bit of mascara and some lip stain. She took the gown off the padded hanger and slipped it over her head. The bodice laced up in the front and she cinched it in enough to nip at her waist, but she made sure she could move around in the gown. She put on the slippers and laced them up and tied them at the back in a neat bow. She slipped her family ring on, pinched her cheeks for color, sat on the end of the bed, and waited.
There was no clock in the room and no windows so Katherine could not make out how much time had passed. Then there was a sharp rap on her door. She jumped at the sound, and she hurried to the door and unlocked it. She opened it wide, and the Chamberlain greeted her. "Good morning Katherine. It is time."
She gave him the key and stepped out into the hall. Nerves made her mouth dry up and her heart began to speed up. This was it! She would be facing everyone in the Oculus! Enemies and allies would be there to apply pressure on her to select them. She knew she would seek Vanderau, she only hoped that he could overcome them and reach her!
The Chamberlain walked silently beside her. As they reached the end of the hallway they walked past the elevators to stand at the top of a wide staircase that descended to tall brass paneled doors. Two guards stood with lances crossed and lining the staircase were all the Huntsmen. Vincent and Martine began the descent with Katherine and the Chamberlain one step behind.
The Indago formed a line of two men abreast with Martine and Vincent bringing up the rear. The lancers kept their spears crossed and the Chamberlain turned to Katherine. "The Indago will proceed you through the hall. Then you will walk to the end of the hall and stop at the doors. Martine and Vincent will be right behind you."
"And you?" Katherine asked.
"I will be here waiting." The Chamberlain said. "When the doors open, walk straight ahead, and stop in the center of the Oculus. Martine and Vincent will stop briefly to either side then move to take up their guard behind the Dominus and Sauvageon. You will not see anyone at first but let your eyes adjust. There may be questions, or they may begin testing you. If Sauvageon did his job, and I know he did; you will know what to do and how to respond."
"Thank you, Lord Chamberlain," Katherine whispered.
The Chamberlain nodded. The lancers reached for the door rings and uncrossed their lances, the spear blades striking lightly together making the steel sing, one octave above middle C, Katherine heard the music in the blades. The Indago marched through, pausing at the doors of the Oculus as they opened to admit them. The doors closed and Katherine stepped up and passed the lancers to begin her walk down the hallway to the doors at the other end. She did not look back, she knew that Martine and Vincent were behind her. She stopped at the end of the hall and waited.
The doors whispered open, and two lancers stood holding each door open. Faint sunlight filtered through the open eye of the dome. The high dome was painted a deep sky-blue color. Some whispers coursed around the room. She squared her shoulders, lifted her head, and walked straight to the center of the Oculus. She looked down and the dream she had been having for a year or more became reality! She knew almost immediately, there would be no questions but a direct assault on her psyche!
Katherine let her vision acclimate to the gloom of the domed room. The seven families were arranged at tables with two additional members seated at each table for a total of twenty-one – the same number of Indago were present in the room arranged around the back wall of the room. Then one by one the middle-seated Sept member rose and announced his or her name to her.
Vanderau rose and stepped around to stand on the outer ring of the mosaic floor. "I am Nicklaus Alexander Vanderau, Dominus of the Septum Noblium Familarum."
The woman to Vanderau's right rose and came to stand in the outer ring, "I am Claudette Priam, second lieutenant of the Septum Noblium Familarum."
To the left a man who used a cane to aid him came and stood in the outer ring, "I am Frederic Gaillez, Septum Noblium Familarum."
"Jean-Luc Rares, Septum Noblium Familarum"
"I am Gallego Makarov, Septum Noblium Familarum." Katherine heard the challenge in his voice and could feel the power flowing off his body. He was stronger than the others and he did not keep tight control as the others were doing.
Next to enter the outer ring was a man in his mid-forties. "I am Rupert Swartz-Bahn, Septum Noblium Familarum."
The last to join the outer ring was a tall distinguished British man. He bowed, "Gentle lady, I am Jonathan Hennigan-Orden, Septum Noblium Familarum."
Katherine surveyed them all where she stood. Then Vincent and Martine left her side and took up position behind Vanderau and Sauvageon. Then it began!
They all stood around her, not moving then there was a soft murmuring incantation that each one of the family members began to repeat over and over. From every position around her, power tethers began to form and spiral outward. Each one was different and unique in design and color. They were faint at first then began to pulse with power as they continued to repeat the incantation. Then Rares, Makarov, and Gaillez's tethers grew brighter and began to snake out toward Katherine. The power tethers slithered around her wrists and the fourth from Hennigan-Orden.
Each one had was different composition and feeling. Makarov and Rares were the strongest. Each strengthened their barrage from either side. Katherine absorbed the light and felt a sudden and intense giddy power that began at the top of her head and ran like ice water down to her feet. Then Swartz-Bahn and Priam's tether coiled around each wrist, and she was held in place by six of the Sept.
"Come on boy!" Makarov taunted Vanderau, "Let's see what you have!"
Vanderau whispered the incantation and his bright power tether began to take form as it headed toward Katherine. Bound as she was by the three power tethers around each wrist and forearm, she began to exert her powers. They gasped as they felt her siphon off some of their energies and began to move her outstretched arms inward toward her body. She could see how each tether was different. She had been standing at the center of the great sun, but she squared her shoulders and positioned her feet apart and her right foot slightly in front but planted firmly in the circle of the tiled sun design. Very slowly she began bringing her hands together. She caught and took hold of Vanderau's tether in both her hands. She hung onto it like a life rope, and it split and began to wind around to join the tethers that encircled her wrists and forearms. More pressure was exerted to break her grip on Vanderau's tether.
Katherine felt tremendous power and just like in her dream she absorbed the light and felt powerful beyond belief! She looked down at her wrists and began twisting and weaving the tethers together around Vanderau's own sparkling power tether.
Seeing what she was trying to do, Rares and Makarov began to see they needed additional help and looked to their family members behind them. Katherine now held one thick tether in her hands with Vanderau's tether at the core. The six could not disengage without losing their connection with Katherine and were forced to watch as she began to fuse the tethers into one glittering rope of light.
It was unexpected for most in the room, but Sauvageon began to smile. She was truly the most powerful natural potential he had ever seen or read about! Makarov glared and turned to his family members, "Lend me your strength!" The two men at Makarov's table spun their tethers to Makarov and he laughed, "I will have you yet!"
"To me!" shouted Rares to his family members.
The other family members began to yield their power to their Sept member, but none grew significantly stronger. Katherine began to sweat as their combined tethers began to grow stronger as the members of the Sept grew more confident.
Makarov began a different incantation and then he looked to Priam and Swartz-Bahn, "To me!"
This jolted through Katherine, and she cried out as the assault began in earnest. She could feel the cruelty in Makarov as he continued to slam against her, trying to break her down. With Priam and Swarts-Bahn combined with his family, Makarov was gaining. He was in her head, "Still think you will make me bow? I will never bend a knee to the likes of you or Vanderau!"
Rares managed to hold his own, but he called to the remaining families to join him, and then he looked to Sauvageon who still had not been called to aid Vanderau. Sauvageon was waiting. Then Vanderau made his move and he pressed further against the combined tethers of the other families, he could feel them yield to his strength. Then something happened. Rares shouted out, "Sauvageon, you bastard! To me!"
Vanderau turned and looked at the old gladio. "No!"
Sauvageon slowly rose and he released the Drake. Like a volcanic spiraling flow of lava, he sent his tether not to Rares or Vanderau, but straight to Katherine! The dark coils circled her feet and as they rose, the image of the man from her dreams appeared. "The Drake is yours, Katherine! It is my gift to you! Take it!"
The power of the Drake spiraled up and the immense power filled her. Then the sunlight pierced through the eye of the Oculus and Katherine began to fuse the power tethers together. She glanced up and the dark molten tether of the Drake spun around her like a fiery tornado! "Thank you, Pierre," Katherine whispered. With a single massive jerk, she snapped the power tethers from them, including Vanderau and they began to wrap into a rope of glittering opals with bright white cores she lifted her arm over her head, and the liquid white fire formed into a blade. The intensity of the cores coming together drove her to her knees, but she held the blade of light aloft.
Sauvageon sank into his chair and watched as the form of a giant with colossal white wings appeared behind Katherine. It bent down, Katherine rose to her feet, and the form stepped into her human body. Now the blade was condensed into a bright shining column of power. Katherine then lowered the blade and pointed it at Vanderau. A blue-white power tether shot out and Vanderau cried out as the power core came to him and slammed into his solar plexus, filling him with the same sunlight as was flowing from Katherine.
"I am the power and the glory of the light!" Katherine said, her eyes fastened on Vanderau, "We shall be as one, I am your blade!"
With that, the light around her grew in intensity and strength. It became a bright silver sword that she grasped in her right hand. It seemed to sing with low harmonics. Katherine let it flow through her and around her. It was so powerful and incredible that she felt invincible! She turned slowly to each of the stunned families. To Makarov she pointed the end of her blade at him, her blue eyes still burning with the cold frosty light of the entity within her, "You will kneel to the might of your Dominus!"
Immediately everyone including Makarov went down to one knee. Vanderau could barely breathe! He felt the power of his blade throughout his body and mind. He moved out to join Katherine in the center of the Oculus.
Katherine turned to her Dominus and turned the hilt to him. "Your will Dominus!"
He took the sword and sheathed it in the scabbard at her hip. "It is done!"
Katherine looked to the still and grey form of Sauvageon, he was gone but the Drake lived in her now. His final gift to her and the Vanderau family. Martine touched his fingers to the old Gladio's neck, he looked up and shook his head. "He is gone, Dominus."
"He's not gone," Katherine said, touching her heart and laying a hand on Vanderau's chest, "He lives on in here."
Vanderau looked to each of the members in the Oculus, "I will not seek retribution on those who tried to injure me and cause harm to my gladio! But I will not hesitate if I hear of treachery and collusion of family members against me for as long as I remain Dominus! If you have any doubts about your ability to follow my rule, let me know now and it will be dealt with, and you will be expelled, and new members will be selected! Go now and think on it – the Chamberlain will hear your petitions."
The room was filled with murmurs as they all began to file out. Katherine felt wonderful! The power that flowed through her was like being shot from a cannon into the stars! She felt powerful. Stronger than anyone in the room, including Vanderau. But she was his blade now, and she would be his until the end of time.
"Katherine, it is over, mon coeur!"
The light in Katherine flared suddenly and she found she was reluctant to let go of the surging power that flowed through her veins! She could fly away if she wanted to! Then an odd presence came to her, the Drake! "Katherine! Katherine, let it go – we will be here when you need us!"
"We?" She spoke aloud and Vanderau tried to reach her again.
"Katherine! Katherine, please!" Vanderau pleaded.
Martine signaled for his men to exit quickly through the doors. Something was not as it should be. Vincent came closer, now that Katherine was gladio, his duties were now transferred back to Vanderau. It was Martine who caught his arm. "No, son! The Dominus must temper his blade! You can do nothing. Help me with Sauvageon."
The two of them lifted the limp body of the old gladio and they carried him out. Once inside the hallway leading out of the Oculus, the Chamberlain was waiting with a gurney and two security guards. "We will take him." The Chamberlain said, "You must remain here outside the Oculus until the Dominus has tempered his blade."