The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

A Possible Complication

"It was a carefully concealed secret," Lash said into Kassidy's ear, which she promptly repeated before adding: "He kept them in a hidden storage chamber deep underground, locked in stasis."

"I demand the immediate return of any Vorinov liliths that you liberated with your operation," Trotsky tautly said. "I will personally see to their protection as they are returned to their Houses and estates!"

Kassidy looked over at Ionescu, who she thought would have been just as quick to make such a demand. Only to find him thoughtful.

"I think there's more to a simple handover here. Isn't that so, Colonel Kassidy?"

"You would be correct, Commander Ionescu," she said before making a gesture. From the shelter of T3 where they had taken cover as soon as the two opposing forces of vampires appeared, the extraction team began moving out four at a time with a lilith in a containment suit slung between them.

Seeing the gesture and hearing the soldiers begin moving behind him, Ionescu turned to see what was happening. And he immediately hissed in dismay.

"As you can see, commanders, we don't know which liliths belong to which clans at this point," Kassidy explained as the first of the liberated liliths with her four soldier escort was carried past the stunned vampires and into the ShadowEagle.

"The process Romanescu used to put these liliths into stasis included vast amounts of zombie lotus and various other artificial medications and chemicals. It's a delicate process to remove them from their containment suits and stabilize them enough to return them to consciousness. At which point we can ask them which clan and House they owe allegiance to."

Kassidy paused there to look from Ionescu to Trotsky and back again.

"Unless you have a full medical facility nearby and an understanding of the decanting process, of course," she said.

"Kadasa!" Trotsky hissed. "We have no such facility nearby. Only our field hospitals."

"Bucharest would be the closest for us," Ionescu admitted with a frown. "But I get the feeling, Colonel, that this all-female Silver Legion of yours is some kind of special M'tada unit, if you're on a Conclave sanctioned operation. With that accent, you're European so it would be the European Queens' Conclave that sanctioned it. Which means you likely have a base within easy flight with these advanced transports of yours that's equipped with the medical facilities required to safely bring the liberated liliths out of their stasis states."

"And you would be correct with that assertion," Kassidy indicated.

Ionescu grunted then abruptly nodded.

"Very well, Colonel. The Blades of Shadow will stand down and allow you to finish your operation and leave this location unmolested. As long as you can assure me the Conclave will contact Bucharest if any Nosferatu liliths are amongst the liberated so we can make arrangements to return them to their Houses."

"And the Ice Wolves will do the same if the Conclave will contact St Petersburg with the same information," Trotsky hastened to say, dismayed that Ionescu had beaten him to it.

"Of course, commanders. I will see to such a communication personally," Kassidy said in reply with a nod to each vampire. "You have my blood vow on it!"

As Lash watched the Nosferatu troops and the Vorinov troops begin pulling back, Dru nodded in satisfaction beside him.

"I've heard of this Ionescu," she said. "Smart vampire. Sees quickly to the truth. And House Ionescu honors the protocols, one of a handful of Nosferatu Houses that still do."