Priest was asleep, as well as Joseph. Allison and Pearce had slipped onto the same ship that Sapphira had booked passage. Italy was apparently her destination and after Pearce had paid the ship captain obscene amounts of money, they had been granted a form of leeway, so long as they weren't seen. In other words, they were paid stowaways. The sun was high in the sky and Pearce watched as Allison drifted off into sleep. Pearce didn't want to wake Priest. The question he had right now wasn't pressing so he let them rest.
When Joseph woke Pearce let him feed on him. It kept the illness Joseph had been Changed with at bay. After Joseph was no longer at risk of having the illness overwhelm him, Pearce watched as Joseph hid, watching Pearce just as Pearce watched him.
Priest woke next. The Thirst burned horribly in his throat. Priest tried to resist drinking Pearce's blood, but wasn't able to do so. The Thirst was satisfied when Priest removed his fangs from Pearce's wrist. Priest cautiously moved and hid just as Joseph did. Allison was the last to wake and the last to feed. Pearce felt a twinge of his own Thirst and managed to squash it.
"Priest," Pearce softly called. Priest was silent as he waited for Pearce to speak. "Where in Italy are we going?" Pearce questioned in a whisper.
"Venice," Priest replied quietly. It was more than just not being caught, it was the instinct to not draw too much attention to himself.
"Venice," Pearce repeated. Priest only nodded with confirmation. "Where in Venice?" Pearce questioned. Priest gave Pearce a confused look and Pearce had the distinct feeling that he had asked a stupid question.
"Venice is the city. The masquerade will be taking place when we arrive," Priest said.
"Masquerade?" Pearce inquired. Priest nodded.
"A festival. There's fireworks, dancing and competitive games. People everywhere come to Venice to celebrate and wear masks while celebrating," Priest told Pearce.
"That sounds... Interesting," Pearce stated. Priest was silent again.
"We aren't going to have an easy time finding her if she's wearing a mask," Allison sighed.
"She's not going to want to linger for too long by the time we arrive," Pearce mumbled, squashing the twinge of his Thirst again. Pearce glanced at the slight gleam of where Joseph's eyes were still watching him. Even Allison fell silent to not draw too much attention to herself. Pearce leaned back, resting his head on the small space they were crowded in. It was going to be a long trip and Pearce would need to feed during the trip. Joseph as well as Priest would also have to feed. Allison would also need to feed during the trip and Pearce simply wouldn't have enough blood in his body to feed all three of them.
Pearce also had to keep in mind that no one could be seen by the crew or by Sapphira. If Sapphira saw them, they probably wouldn't survive. If they were seen by the crew, they would be tossed onto a lifeboat and left adrift at sea with supplies for humans. Pearce knew how merciless the sea could be. In a ship, hidden away there was still the possibility of sinking. In a lifeboat, that chance was greatly increased.
This trip wasn't turning out to be at all in their favor. But it was something that was too late to turn back from now. The night passed by in silence as Pearce and Allison taught Priest and Joseph to survive from rat blood.
They despised rat blood just as much as Allison and Pearce and didn't understand why they were being shown to feed on rat blood. A swift, barely audible explanation was provided before the silence settled over them again.
This was the nightly routine. Pearce would feed Joseph when he woke and then the four of them would feed on the rats. Not too much to draw suspicion. Just enough to be able to survive.
Italy was in sight. Pearce was thirsty. Joseph's illness was slowly overwhelming him, held at bay for the time by the rat blood. Priest had never wanted to look at a human like nothing but food, but his Thirst made it impossible for him to see anything but food when they left the ship. Allison was the one who paid the captain again, barely suppressing the urge to rip his throat out and drain him dry.
They were in Venice, Italy. People were filing into the streets, wearing masks and Renaissance clothing. The smell didn't seem to bother them. The smell was horrible for everyone else who wasn't used to it. Pearce glanced at Priest and slowly gestured for Priest to lead the way. Priest headed down familiar streets bordered by canals that smelled like sewage.
He brought the small group to a beautiful house. It was a hotel, as Allison was used to calling such a place. There was a quick conversation in Italian and then they were shown to a resting place. They left through the window and went their separate ways to feed.
They were lost and had never been more grateful when Priest found them. He brought them back to the hotel and both him and Joseph fell asleep after they cleaned the blood from their mouths.
"Welcome to Italy," Allison sighed.
"Welcome to Italy," Pearce mumbled with a slight feeling of unease.
Priest was essential here in Italy. If they lost him, they wouldn't ever know how to get anywhere, any of the customs or how to speak to anyone here. If Priest ran because of the fact Allison and himself were far older than Priest, he would never be found by them.
"This is going to be frustrating," Allison commented.
"Only if you make it that way," Pearce stated. No explanation was needed. Allison seemed to intentionally terrify Priest at times for entertainment. Now she wouldn't be able to do that. Not unless she wanted them to remain lost in Italy. Allison sighed and went silent. Pearce wondered if Sapphira would rest for the day or not, but he couldn't wake Joseph or Priest. They wouldn't be able to stay awake at this point in time right now anyway.
"We should do our best to rest," Pearce said. Allison sighed and gave a sound of agreement. She went to the separated area and pulled the covers over her body, falling asleep after a short period of time. Pearce managed to fall asleep as well after locking the door and pulling the curtains closed.
Italy was either going to be interesting or absolutely horrible. One way or another, Pearce intended to drive the point to Sapphira that he was more than an enemy to just glance over her shoulder for as an afterthought. That meant casualties. And Pearce knew that when he created a casualty for Sapphira, she would retaliate. He could only hope that Priest wouldn't be one of those casualties on his side. After all, Priest was essential in Italy.
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Blood of the Trinity
सामान्य साहित्यSet in Victorian Era in London, England, this follows the story of Father William AKA Priest, who encounters a Vampire named Sapphira Delauny, who is a Pure Blood Vampire of a powerful family. At first Priest is unaware of Sapphira's true nature. La...
