“I heard the same,” I said honestly.
They waited for me to say more. And kept on waiting. I treated it like a staring contest, determined to win. “We seem to be straying far from topic,” Daniel finally said. “The point is, we mentioned a Shepherd in St. Louis, and Master Temple’s secondary response – after laughter – was that you and Roland had Missouri… on lock. I presume that is a compliment?”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “Yes, I believe it was meant as a compliment.” In fact, it was a big compliment from Nate. I couldn’t let the three wizards see how much it meant to me, but it was like a professional basketball player acknowledging a good shot I had made during a street pickup game. Nate was deadly, a nightmare to bad guys. For him to say I had Missouri under control was huge. It also didn’t slip my mind that Nate could have been angling for the Conclave to insert me into St. Louis as their local Shepherd.
But that wasn’t happening. Firstly, because I wasn’t going to be a Shepherd. Not after Roland’s secret got out.
Secondly, I wasn’t moving to St. Louis. Although it was a clever move on Nate’s part.
Daniel watched me again, studying my face. “Yet you hardly know him…” he reminded me.
I didn’t hesitate. “Word gets around about what we’ve accomplished in Kansas City.”
Christopher nodded, looking interested. “Indeed, it does.”
Richter piped up. “I’m going to meet my Maker before these two get around to it, so let me cut to the chase,” he said in a rasping breath, a no-nonsense kind of guy. My favorite. I was used to cantankerous men after working with Roland, but I knew this man had things to teach Roland in that regard.
He took a sip of water and leveled his gnarly eyebrows my way, staring at me with those milky eyes. “We are considering promoting you to Shepherd, Miss Penrose.”
My heart stopped.
Chapter 33
It kicked in after a few seconds as I struggled for words. “Call—” I attempted to correct him.
He snapped his fingers. “Silence, or I’ll devolve to calling you little girl,” he warned, faint amusement in his threat.
I smiled, nodding as I closed my lips. He was fun. But this was bad.
“We wanted to meet you in private before we made our decision. You seem capable, of that there is no doubt,” he said respectfully, a hundred unasked questions darting in the depths of those ancient eyes. “But there is something you are hiding, and we must have obedience in our flock.” I didn’t react, simply studying the three men before me. I could understand why they thought that, and wasn’t offended by it. I had a lot of personal secrets, concerns, and even frustrations with these guys. I also knew that after our trip, I had zero chances of becoming a Shepherd. Instead, I would be a traitor.
But…
What held me up was something in his eyes. I studied the other two and saw the same thing. They seemed to be concerned about something else entirely, and it wasn’t me. Something to do with their argument before I arrived? The other Conclave meeting with the Shepherds? They had shot glances back and forth this whole time, silently reminding each other to consider whatever it was. Maybe it was the recent murder. Or Roland. Had they already discovered his lie and decided to probe me to see if I was innocent? Was that the real reason he hadn’t been invited to either meeting? I began to grow very, very uneasy, but kept my face respectfully neutral.
Underneath all of this, I was also a bit angry. Because I had told Roland repeatedly that I didn’t want to be a Shepherd. Had he not told them?
Then I thought about that, and remembered how they wiped memories of those who messed up in their training. Or… maybe also initiates who refused the call to promotion. Was that why Roland had persisted so intently for me to join him as a Shepherd? Knowing it was a one-way street? That I joined or had my brain scrambled?
I took a deep breath, and lowered my eyes, speaking softly but clearly. “I’m sure you are aware of my… unique circumstances. Being left on the steps of Abundant Angel as a child.” I heard them murmur softly, sounding like sympathetic prayers. “As a rule, I play my cards close to the chest. Roland has helped me open up, but it’s still a weakness of mine. And coming to the Vatican for the first time, meeting the other Shepherds, you…” I trailed off, not sounding scared, but respectful. “I am understandably tense.”
Richter rasped out through his aged vocal cords, doing his best to sound pleasant, but not succeeding. “If you can’t trust men of God, who can you trust… Callie?”
I looked up, smiling sheepishly. Who indeed? I thought to myself, not letting the question show on my face. Instead, I nodded guiltily. “I’ll work on it.”
Daniel clapped his hands softly. “Well, we are short a Shepherd, and if Missouri is as busy as we hear, we need another soldier on the ground. She has my vote.” The other two grunted their agreement, and my smile almost shattered from fear. Before I could decide what to do, Daniel continued. “Of course, we will have to discuss with the others, first. Once they’re finished with the Shepherds. Until then, keep your nose clean. We have a few urgent matters to attend, but we wish to move your… hearing,” he said the word disgustedly, as if annoyed by it, “to tonight since you’re a day earlier than anticipated. But first, we must discuss and pray on the idea.”
I nodded woodenly, mind racing. “Not that I’m not honored, but are there no other students available for the promotion?” I asked, trying not to sound unappreciative.
Christopher sniffed disgustedly. “None with more than five years under their belts. They can’t even be let off apron strings yet. Glorified choir boys, with only a few beginning their martial arts studies.” I forced a fake smile at that.
But inside I was shaking. Roland and I needed to hurry our asses up. Or I might just be the first Shepherd hired and executed in the same day.
The Angel in Kansas City had also offered me a job of sorts. So, now I had two Heavenly armies wanting me on the payroll.
And I didn’t want to work for either. It wasn’t that I had a problem with God. It was that I liked to meet my boss, and have more discretion in my duties. Even then, I wasn’t a fan of rank and file jobs. Being a good little soldier. I worked alone, or with a small group. Blindly obedient was not on my resume. I needed to save the wolves before one of these two groups swooped me up as a fresh recruit.
Nephilim or Shepherd. Heaven or Vatican.
With nothing else to discuss, the three wizards dismissed me, seeming eager to leave out the side door – but not before giving me a polite, encouraging wave goodbye. I returned the gesture before I walked away, trying to appear calm. Not afraid, but not excited. Meaning, I tried not to collapse to the ground in terror.
I left the room and saw no Shepherds in sight. Understandable, since they were meeting with the other Conclave members. Still, I had hoped to see a few here and there. Or at least some of the visiting Shepherds’ students. Then again, Christopher had made it sound like the other students in training were derelicts – only five years under their belts. Picking a student was a big deal, and it took Shepherds a long time to find someone worth their time – what with them being busy smiting monsters all day.
Rather than going in search of the rooms Roland had found for us, I decided I needed to walk off some of my energy. Otherwise I would sit in the room throwing knives at a bust of Mary Magdalene or something. I was still in the clothes I had arrived in, totally out of place as I saw Sisters, Cardinals, Bishops, and other official people wandering about in close conversation or peaceful contemplation of the religious book in their hands. I saw several teenagers running around as if chased by a demon, only to realize they were probably clerks for the various departments.
The Vatican wasn’t just a church. It was a mega-corporation. Global. With dozens of departments, representatives, churches, legal issues, and public opinions to appease.
Not even considering the secret Conclave and Shepherds.
I spotted Roland walking down a sidewa
lk in calm, measured strides, as if having somewhere important to be, and that it was best not to disturb him. He spotted me, and although no reaction showed on his face, he subtly shifted course so that we would cross paths as if by coincidence.
He slipped up beside me with a dip of his head, and soon we were walking the same direction, as if by chance, to any watchful eyes. Nothing to see here.
I caught Roland up to date on my meeting, speaking softly under my breath, keeping a polite smile on my face so as not to look suspicious. Roland did the same, nodding absently, pointing out random things as if giving me a tour, but his eyes…
They flashed crimson twice while I spoke.
“Everyone is acting weird lately. The Shepherds suddenly called to a meeting, only half of the Conclave meeting me for a recruitment speech, and then urgently leaving…” I sighed, shaking my head. “Think it’s something in the communion?” I asked, hoping to get a rise out of him.
It definitely did.
His face turned horrified, likely considering it a viable threat. I placed a palm on his arm to let him know it was a joke and his fangs flashed out. He hid them, looking suddenly embarrassed. “That never happens,” he quickly blurted. Then, hearing how that sounded, he blushed crimson.
I winked at him. “I hear it happens to the best of men.”
He groaned.
“Maybe it’s because of the approaching full moon,” I offered, searching for anything even remotely explanatory.
Roland rolled his eyes. “Nice redirect,” he complimented. “But I doubt it. None of the Shepherds are werewolves.”
“How many Shepherds are vampires?”
He looked sick for a moment. “None.” He jerked his hand clear of mine. “I did some digging and came up with nothing. Like we heard, Crispin, Windsor, and Fabrizio are clean. Their alibis checked out. Worse, I can’t find anything suspicious about the Conclave. They were all seen in Mass together by independent sources, and before you ask, none of them left.”
I muttered darkly under my breath. “I guess that leaves Constantine’s office,” I offered. He shot me a saddened look, nodding.
“My thoughts as well, as distasteful as it is.”
“The Shepherds won’t like us snooping around.”
“That’s just too bad,” he said, altering our course. “This way.”
After a few minutes of silence, I forced myself to speak casually. “Thanks for letting the Conclave know my interests in working for them. It really helped to be unaware of the job offer. I think it was the blank look of horror that really pushed them over the edge, making them realize I was perfect for the job. That’s some hardcore reverse psychology skills you have, Roland—”
“I’m sorry, Callie. I never told them you weren’t interested, for obvious reasons,” he interrupted, reminding me what refusal meant. The brain scrambling.
I was still pissed about it. “You had to see this coming,” I muttered. “Bringing me here, you had to know something would happen.”
He met me with a harsh glare. “I had other things on my mind…” he hissed between clenched teeth. I nodded, still angry, but realizing my anger was unjustified compared to what he had on his plate. That he was a vampire on borrowed time, standing in the center of the Vatican and about to be fired, killed, or burned at the stake by his friends when they found out.
“This is the second job offer I don’t want,” I said, kicking a small pebble. “Angel minion, or Vatican minion.” A nearby Sister scowled at me, and I averted my eyes sheepishly.
It was like magic, the ability for a Sister to make a person wince in guilt.
Roland found that entirely too funny, so I punched him in the ribs.
Chapter 34
We had arrived at Constantine’s office twenty minutes ago after a nervous clerk had let us in, not having anyone higher in the pecking order to turn to, and terrified of the menace radiating from Roland. I had winked at him, smiling wide, before placing an arm around his gangly shoulders, letting him know we wanted to pay our respects to Roland’s mentor. To make sure his stuff was well taken care of, and that we had no intention of taking anything. He could even watch us if he wanted to do so.
Imagining his boss finding us all in the room at the same time terrified him into trusting us.
He had unlocked the door and scurried back to his small cubby in the empty bullpen, since all the other Shepherds were on patrol. He fidgeted at his desk, shuffling papers in quiet desperation of discovery. I had estimated that we had fifteen minutes before someone came to yell at us, but twenty had gone by already. We found nothing helpful.
“Maybe he was working on a case that went too deep?” I repeated. Roland growled at the desk, shoving a drawer closed with more force than necessary. I closed my own side table drawer and we both turned to the last piece of furniture in the room. One of three filing cabinets. We had searched the other two, and after spending a lot of time and finding nothing remotely mysterious, we had decided to check the more personal areas in the room – desk, side tables, bookshelves, and loose stacks of paperwork by an armchair – before circling back.
Roland’s hand touched the handle and began to pull the first drawer open. I heard excited conversation from the room beyond and immediately let a sad mask wash over my features, as if on the verge of tears at having to search through a departed friend’s office, but resolved to the task at hand. We both turned. Roland’s stormy glare somehow fit the situation at hand as well. Anger at the loss of a friend.
A stork of a man entered the room, his face beet-red as his body quivered with indignation. He began hooting and hollering at us in a constant stream of sounds that didn’t even sound like words. Just pure, unfiltered outrage. Either that or he was speaking in Tongues. Or cursing us with ancient magic. Roland held up his hands in a calming gesture.
I simply stared back, impressed at the man’s ability to say so much without taking a breath.
Roland approached him, speaking in a soothing tone. “My name is Roland, a Shepherd from Kansas City. I was Constantine’s student, and wanted to make sure his personal effects were—”
The stork of a Bishop began slapping Roland’s chest in fury, ordering him to leave, that he was trespassing, and numerous other heinous crimes. My ears actually throbbed at the shrieking as Roland unsuccessfully tried to calm him down.
As if things weren’t bad enough, Fabrizio and Crispin suddenly burst into the room, faces ready to kill. “What’s going on?” Crispin demanded, eyes shooting from us to Bishop Stork.
The red-faced cretin leveled a shaking arm at us. “They were snooping through his office—”
“There you are!” I blurted excitedly, smiling at Crispin as if relieved.
Roland sighed, also looking relieved to have a fellow Shepherd in the room. “We were checking for clues, something that maybe only I might recognize,” he admitted, frowning at the huffing bishop.
The Shepherds turned to me as if we had never met, eyes menacing at our trespass. Everyone needed to calm the fuck down. I nodded instead of unleashing my temper. “I’ve helped on a few homicide investigations in Kansas City, and wanted to see if any of it had rubbed off.”
Their faces didn’t change, and the stork began to voice his opinion again, but Fabrizio held up a hand, silencing him. Then he turned back to us as Crispin seemed to scan us and the office for stolen items. “This should have gone through the proper channels. Let’s go.”
Roland’s face turned into a storm cloud again, both angry at the curt dismissal and that our search had been fruitless.
“You were all gone!” I argued. “We couldn’t find the proper channels.” They didn’t flinch, continuing to glare. Roland muttered under his breath and left the room, the Shepherds following him like prison guards, leaving me behind with Bishop Stork. He had his finger pointed out the door, commanding me to leave. I took a threatening step towards him and he actually squeaked in surprise. I altered course to stomp past him. “We were only trying to help,�
�� I seethed.
I could have sworn I caught him sticking his tongue out at me, still shaking with the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He looked old, as if made of dried paper over thin bones, and I considered that this might be the most excitable moment of his life, and that he was past the age where he could handle such things safely.
I spotted the young man who had let us in. He looked on the verge of a panic attack. But why? Did he know something? Was he hiding something? Or was he terrified of the fallout he was about to receive from Bishop Stork? Maybe he wasn’t guilty, but it sure looked like he knew something. “We’re only trying to help,” I said, in a much softer tone, frowning sadly.
He just stared through me, his eyes far away. I heard Bishop Stork shout something at him, and the clerk jolted before clumsily scurrying over to the bishop, passing me without a word.
I sighed, chasing after the others as they stepped through the outer doors. I wondered why Crispin and Fabrizio had seemed so angry with us. I could understand them not wanting us to snoop around, and being defensive of an enraged bishop, but it had seemed more personal. Like they suddenly distrusted us. Like we were suddenly enemies. Which was the exact opposite of how we had last seen them before their meeting.
I slipped through the door leading outside to find Crispin glaring at Roland, who stared back blankly. Not yielding, but not challenging either. Crispin looked up at me, eyes flashing from head to toe as if checking to see if I had stolen something in the brief span of time I had been unsupervised. Anyone else giving me a look like that would have had a blade shoved against their throat or a mouthful of loose teeth, but I knew we were on thin ice here. We needed freedom of movement to clear the girls from the murder, and we needed to do that quickly – before Roland was forced to kill someone and drink their blood.
Whispers: Feathers and Fire Book 3 Page 17
