Saints of Evil | Trepidation Trilogy | The Empty World Sequence

Twenty-Three

They were driving into Berlin from the East, in Sweet's blood-red antique Ford Vampire with hover conversion, because the Porsche Joy had given him had been forgotten in their hasty departure from Karachi.  Neither car had much of a back seat, so Angel sat with her legs drawn to her chest, and Quick sat on the edge of that seat bent over her computer.  Not safe at these speeds, but if they wanted to risk decapitation or painful burns and mutilation, well, they were Sweet's elders.  Anyway, Sweet wasn't about to get the gorgeous car Amadeo had gifted him with into a wreck.  It had originally been owned by Orchid, and Sweet wouldn't dream of wrecking anything that bound him to Orchid.

     "I've got a picture of Isolde," Quick said.  She turned her computer in her lap so that Angel and Sweet might try to get a look at the digitized photo.  Sweet took his eyes from the road long enough to see that Isolde was not very much like Rozz or Salome had been.  She was voluptuous and zaftig, pictured with long crimped and braided dark hair, in bondage attire including an oh so tightly cinched corset. 

     "Oooh, Frauline Wagner's juicy," Sweet giggled.

     "She put this photo up on her home page," Quick explained.  "But the bondage gear does explain a few things."

     "Eh?" Sweet asked.

     "Alaric was rather forceful with Rozz, rather controlling with Salome at least.  Don't you suppose he's found someone who shares his interests?"

     Sweet shrugged as he drove.  "I always had this idea that people who were into that masochism and such were coincidentally pretty kewl."

     Angel laughed, and Quick said, "Like you, Cher?"

     Sweet shook his head, "Nah, not like me playing slave to Joy because I thought her a goddess, or thinking Christ oh so attractive.  You cured me of that, My Love.  I mean like Thierry and Athen.  You know what I mean, right, Angel?"

     "But Thierry's only coincidentally Masochistic and Athen only coincidentally Sadistic.  Believe me, most of the people who are into that are like most of the people anywhere.  The majority of people are always terribly normal.  Fat balding men who wear leather masks and want to be flogged after wielding power at work all day and women with bad hair and crooked teeth who feel the need to steal some power cinched into a corset.  I always found it all rather dull."

     "They show you the ugliest swingers and dominatrixes on those American television shows because the puritan traditions of the country won't allow them to promote such things as glamourous.  And then it's all very shocking when a rock star puts on a pair of opera length rubber gloves and some black vinyl."

     Sweet laughed aloud.  "And you just know all about America, Frauline Klein!"

     "Quick, please," she said.

     Sweet pulled the car into a drive between two houses, knowing that Angel was about to tell him to do so.  Aje was waiting for them here, in the house across from Alaric's.  Angel had told them Aje had gone ahead to set up the surveillance equipment. 

     Angel opened the ornately wood-trimmed door and went up the stairs in the entrance hall, looking just like one of the kids on the streets they drove through, in over-sized shirt, and fitted vests and leggings.  Quick was back to ratty, once-modest, somber dresses with skirt knotted at her knees. 

     Aje was in one of the upstairs rooms, surrounded by various devices and the images and voices of Alaric and Isolde.  But there was no furniture or decoration in the house.  He threw a small box at Sweet.  Sweet only had to move a finger and the box froze mid-air in front of him.  Sweet smiled.  He liked knowing how to use this power.