[rom: the star of sorrow]
Credit goes here. All I did was C&P and change some of the 6s to As. I also found it a bit hard to read the white on black background. A bit of editing for wording, but I can't edit it all so \o/;;
Epilogue - "The Hunter's Afternoon"
"Defile not the land of your habitation, which is stained with the blood of the innocent: neither can it otherwise me expiated, but by his blood that hath shed the blood of another." (Numbers 35:33)
The spring in the Southern Europe came early. The Duchess of Milano Cardinal Caterina Sforza reflected on that, as she stood at a window and watched crowds of pilgrims bustling with activity at the Piazza Sant'Pietro below.
The whole of Vatican was still busy dealing with the aftermath of the Istavan incident, which took place three months ago. The beautiful scarlet-robed woman at the window was no exception. Turning back towards the room, she motioned for a small priest in an impeccably tidy cassock to continue with his report. In a mechanical voice Father Tres Iqus pronounced the whereabouts of one Dietrich von Lohengrin still undetermined. Caterina Sforza was not particularly surprised. If the man was indeed who the report indicated him to be, he was unlikely to have left any traces behind. They were always very, very prudent... “Igne Natura Renovatur Integra. So the Contra Mundi are still very much in good health...” Caterina Sforza, who went up against them a number of times in the past, knew of their prudence more than the most. Father Iqus complained that the resources of the Ax were stretched to their limit by the investigation and asked if there were anyone else who could be asked to assist them. “Well, I wonder... Come to think of it, when was Father Nightroad going to return to Rome?”, inquired the world's most beautiful Cardinal as dryly as she could.
--
In Istavan, still under a shroud of snow, Sister Esther placed a bouquet of winter-roses on the Mother Vitйz's grave. She told her dead teacher that she was leaving Istavan. She had requested a transfer to a church in Rome and now her train was leaving in less than an hour. As she sped towards the entrance gates of the church graveyard, the girl threw a glance towards an unmarked gravestone next to the rows of the graves of the priests who were slaughtered three months ago. If anyone were to learn who slept under that gravestone, undoubtedly her transfer orders would be swiftly replaced by an arrest warrant issued by the Holy Inquisition.
Near the gates, Esther met Father Abel. The silver-haired priest was entering the graveyard with a bouquet of winter-roses in his hands.
“Leaving now..?”
“Yes, leaving now.”
The girl sped towards the carriage which waited for her just outside the gates. The priest walked on towards the graves. Neither of them looked back. Both knew full well their paths would cross again.
In Rome.
Epilogue - "The Hunter's Afternoon"
"Defile not the land of your habitation, which is stained with the blood of the innocent: neither can it otherwise me expiated, but by his blood that hath shed the blood of another." (Numbers 35:33)
The spring in the Southern Europe came early. The Duchess of Milano Cardinal Caterina Sforza reflected on that, as she stood at a window and watched crowds of pilgrims bustling with activity at the Piazza Sant'Pietro below.
The whole of Vatican was still busy dealing with the aftermath of the Istavan incident, which took place three months ago. The beautiful scarlet-robed woman at the window was no exception. Turning back towards the room, she motioned for a small priest in an impeccably tidy cassock to continue with his report. In a mechanical voice Father Tres Iqus pronounced the whereabouts of one Dietrich von Lohengrin still undetermined. Caterina Sforza was not particularly surprised. If the man was indeed who the report indicated him to be, he was unlikely to have left any traces behind. They were always very, very prudent... “Igne Natura Renovatur Integra. So the Contra Mundi are still very much in good health...” Caterina Sforza, who went up against them a number of times in the past, knew of their prudence more than the most. Father Iqus complained that the resources of the Ax were stretched to their limit by the investigation and asked if there were anyone else who could be asked to assist them. “Well, I wonder... Come to think of it, when was Father Nightroad going to return to Rome?”, inquired the world's most beautiful Cardinal as dryly as she could.
--
In Istavan, still under a shroud of snow, Sister Esther placed a bouquet of winter-roses on the Mother Vitйz's grave. She told her dead teacher that she was leaving Istavan. She had requested a transfer to a church in Rome and now her train was leaving in less than an hour. As she sped towards the entrance gates of the church graveyard, the girl threw a glance towards an unmarked gravestone next to the rows of the graves of the priests who were slaughtered three months ago. If anyone were to learn who slept under that gravestone, undoubtedly her transfer orders would be swiftly replaced by an arrest warrant issued by the Holy Inquisition.
Near the gates, Esther met Father Abel. The silver-haired priest was entering the graveyard with a bouquet of winter-roses in his hands.
“Leaving now..?”
“Yes, leaving now.”
The girl sped towards the carriage which waited for her just outside the gates. The priest walked on towards the graves. Neither of them looked back. Both knew full well their paths would cross again.
In Rome.