Eternal Night

(III) Chapter 15: The Contingency Plan

It was mid-December and winter had all but buried Budapest in thick blankets of snow. As consequence, the streets had gone quiet, the protesters which had been at the wall surrounding the north district since Francesca's call to arms a couple of months ago now having since taken refuge indoors from the storm. The city was still slowly hemorrhaging civilians on a daily basis, even more so now that news of the Spider's execution had spread.

What surprised everyone, however – except for maybe Frankie – was how his network had been virtually eradicated almost overnight, a feat owed to Louise and the Dracul Sânge, who had taken it upon themselves to quietly and effectively squash any would-be heirs to Basilio's criminal empire. Those that had been under his employ in the brothels, if they could manage it, fled in droves for the Oradea tunnel, the song of freedom a soft, lilting tune that hung in the air like a yuletide carol.

Marcus Augustine, however, had also gone notably quiet – not a hair nor hide seen by anyone; not even Feng's shadows could get a read on what the usurper was up to. This, naturally, left those remaining members of the alliance feeling especially wary, but they were quick to take advantage of the lull this latest winter blizzard had brought on.

Carmen's was constantly abuzz with activity. The news that Lilith had promised Augustine an army for the war ahead was now the chiefest of concerns. For nearly a week, Frankie was under a constant state of interrogation as she recalled whatever useful information she could conjure up from Basilio's memories. When that well began to run dry, it was divide and conquer, as meetings were arranged with protest organizers to see who would be willing to fight when the time came.

Unfortunately, with the mass-exodus of Budapest's citizens, the alliance was finding themselves short on bodies for the coming final battle, and while the lycans were more than willing to make up the difference in numbers, it left the vampires – Frankie in particular – wary of placing even more of a burden on the shoulders of the werewolves. They had borne the brunt of this conflict for so long, and while everyone was grateful for the support, this fight wasn't theirs alone. Frankie was forced to acknowledge that the only way to stave off mass-lycan casualties when things finally came to a head with Augustine would be to buffer those numbers with fang as well as claw.

They needed vampire support.

But with numbers dwindling by the day as people fled or isolated themselves in their own homes and communities, and with an unforeseen shortage of blood as humans and dhampirs continued to go missing – even with the Spider's death – things began to feel more uncertain than ever.

It didn't help that Frankie had become more and more distracted by the issue of the Dracul Sânge and the blood-hex. Usually with Jacob or Lyra or both in tow, she would disappear for hours on end to meet up with Bernardini to get the latest on his research, or she'd meet with a few of the stragglers in the witch community that remained in the city to pick their brains for information.

While no one else seemed to question her preoccupied state, Vladislaus, on the other hand, had become all the more concerned by it. He tried to exercise trust in her judgment – but it was becoming more difficult to so. Countless times now, he had opened up an opportunity for her to let him in, to tell him what was going on and what she was working on that required so much secrecy. He had tried on more than one occasion to lead by example, to divulge information to her in a show of good faith, as if maybe it would prove to her that he could indeed be trusted. But still, she remained tight-lipped.

Francesca was fully aware of his growing frustration, and while she did what she could to placate him, assuring and reassuring him in those moments when tensions grew and disagreements persisted, the continued secrecy had only served to drive a wedge between them. That mental link between them, that bridge forged by their blood-bond, had begun to grow in length as the distance slowly, but sure, increased.