Bane

December 6, 1993

Bart stood in the den of his home, the home once Clayton's, once Emily's. The broken home of Jonathan, and David Walker. He pondered whether or not to meet with Gina in the drawing room, but given the circumstances, today was no day for discussing old traditions, and arguing philosophical differences. She stepped up to her role, a role Bart thought she would flee. Grifford was certain she would fail, and demonstrate her unworthiness to The Order, and he was mistaken. He was mistaken too often, anymore. "...and so, it is done."

Bart Walker frowned at the tear stained face of Gina Guerrero. 

Her redrimmed eyes said it all.

He cleared his throat. "I know it can't have been easy, Gina... but you've saved your mentor's life, restored - advanced - his station, and increased his holdings."

"Would you send your father away, Bart Walker?"

"Bishop isn't your father."

"He's more a father than Victor Guerrero."

Bart fell silent.

She was right, of course, and more than right, she was correct... but The Order had its politics, and its politicians, and when those such things reared their ugly heads, bad things followed. "The Rowans."

"What?" Gina stared at Bart.

"Your next assignment. The Rowans. Tonight we declare war on Coven. All Coven. Our inside sources determined tonight we strike at the Rowans."

Gina narrowed her eyes. They felt stiff, if it were possible, and raw.

"Tonight William Plow - the brother of Lillian Plow - and his circle will meet at the rowans. Some bullshit about a medicine circle. Kill them. Kill them all."

"...at The Rowans."

Bart nodded. "If your loyalty is with us, yes."

"Say, wasn't there a recently transferrer member of our order - you may know him, he's pale as Casper's ass - that met an unfortunate accident out there in that grove of rowans?"

Bart felt his heart skip a beat. "Judge Randall Grifford is not his brother. Id you don't trust his word, trust mine."

Gina crossed her arms. "Just so i unserstand, you know, so we're clear. When I get there, and there's a cadre of Griff's loyal assassins, and I wipe them out... will I recieve as kind a punishment as exile, like Bishop? Or is it straight to the gallows for me?"

"The judge - our Judge - assured me there's no trickery, or treachory involved. We can strike a blow that will spark war, and force Lillian to act. If she acts, she dies. She, and all her circle with her. You have my word."

"First, my only judge sits in a throne on high, in Heaven. I may be willing to accept Griff's authority in The Order, but he is not my judge. Second: Bart Walker, I want to trust you. I'm not Hutch, and I'm not Cameron, and I'm sure as fuck not blood, like David. I've  know you for like maybe ten seconds, and so far I had to relocate the only man I'd consider a father to some shithole, and now you want me to go where that man was betrayed by a Grifford?"

"...but not this Grifford. He's not a pious man, youre right... but who among us here are? We are too few in numbers to sink to the practices of Pope Urban the sixth, or risk Medici scale assassination plots."

"You're blind in your devotion to The Order. If you can pretend that one brother wouldn't do what another did because 'Randall isn't Samael', then how could I trust you anymore than Griff? Wasn't it Samael Grifford that took the head of a church cadinal in defiance of the demand to dissolve The Order? Did Randall stop him? Did anyone?"