- Whispers of an assassination attempt on Lady Caterina are validated when a vampire, Ion, attempts to contact her unannounced.
- Lady Caterina is at the Vatican Embassy in Carthage, one of the stops on a foreign tour during which she hopes to allay some of the damage done by her uncle, the Archbishop Alfonso d'Este, when she gets word from her brother Francesco that a group of vampires are plotting her assassination. He advises her to return to Rome, but Caterina refuses. Suddenly, an explosion is heard near the Embassy and, moments later, a young vampire appears in Caterina's chambers. He orders her not to move, and when she asks who he is, he begins to threaten her. Before he can do any more than identify himself as a messenger from the Imperial Will, Gunslinger Tres bursts into the room and starts shooting silver bullets. Tres hits the young vampire in the left shoulder, but he manages to escape out the window while shouting, "I knew we should never have trusted the Vatican!"
Caterina is concerned that this may have been an attempt by the Empress to continue peace negotiations with the Vatican. Certain that the vampire has taken shelter somewhere in the vicinity, Abel sets out to find him. Sr Esther wants to accompany him and help destroy the vampire but, much to her chagrin, Abel orders her to stay put until needed. The Department of Inquisition has also gotten wind of the attack and sent three air battleships led by department chief, Brother Petro aka the Knight of Annihilation, and his vice chief, Sister Paula aka the Lady of Death.
The young vampire, Ion Fortuna, has indeed holed up with his foster brother and companion, Radu Barvon. Radu wants to return to the Empire with the bad news, but Ion feels that the Empress's order is absolute and that he must try again to speak with Caterina. Even when Radu points out that the explosion and fire might have been deliberately set by Hardliners, dissenters from the Empire who are working to prevent Vampire and Terran cooperation, Ion steadfastly maintains that he must carry out the Empress's mandate.
Abel has discovered where the vampires are hiding. Unfortunately, so has Esther, and it is Esther who gets there first. Holding a gun, she aims it at Ion, but Ion throws a blanket at her. In the fight that ensues, Ion is knocked to the ground, and his wound starts to bleed again. Suddenly, a blade is held to Esther's throat. It is Radu. Also as suddenly, Abel appears behind Radu and orders him to lower his blade. Abel then slaps Esther's face for her deliberate defiance. Ion and Radu just have time to introduce themselves and state that they have a message from the Empress for Caterina when an explosion rocks their mansion. It is the Inquisitorial army approaching.
Abel volunteers to stay behind and stall the army while Ion and Radu escape through an underground aqueduct that leads to a cove near the coast. Abel orders Esther to take them to Caterina. to protect them. and to obey his orders this time. Petro is excited to find that he's being challenged by Abel Nightroad, a Deputy Enforcer, and does his best to take the infidel down. Unfortunately, before Petro can do much except wield his lance and shout out his titles and intentions, Abel slips off a balcony, falls to the water below, and a large chunk of cliff falls in with him. Certain that Abel is dead, Petro returns to his duty -- to destroy the vampire who attacked Caterina.
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