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                A few

hours later everyone gathered together. Edward's chest was healed, but like

Maggie, he was going to retain a scar for the rest of his life. Maggie was in

the master's face over the matter of the armor and weapons. He was doing his

best to be diplomatic.

                "Yes,

yes. I understand your distress. When we made those items, they were meant to

be used as a threat, so that all members of the kind would behave within the restrictions

set down by the rule we agreed upon."

                "Sort

of like the atomic bomb? Behave or someone will come along and drop it on you?"

                Leonardo

knit his brows in confusion. "A-tom-ic bomb?"

                "Never

mind. It's something better left unsaid. Who did you make the armor for?"

                "For

the pope my dear. It was his way of having a method of exerting control over

the kind. He was not of the kind, though he held no ill will against us. But as

I think I can see in you, we tend to have little use for beliefs that hold no

real sway with an intelligent mind. I would never say there is no God, but for

someone who is supposed to be all seeing and all powerful, he seems to need an

awful lot of human help in furthering his goals, whatever they are."

                "So the

pope created a werewolf assassin?"

                "NO! I

think you would call him more of an arbitrator. A go-between. But on an equal

footing with the kind. It's hard to exert your authority without a way of

backing it up. His suit and weapons carried as much sway as did our

transformation."

                "Alright,

alright. It sounds reasonable. But the weapons. Why didn't you let me pull the

sword out?"

                Leonardo

pulled the sword off of a side table. "Here, feel the surface of the blade."

                She ran

her fingers from the tip upwards, feeling the surface to be smooth but rather

irregular. When she reversed course, however, her fingers stopped abruptly. It

was a little like sharkskin. "How did you manage to do this?" she said in

amazement.

                "We didn't

do it on purpose. The alloy from the rock created crystals when mixed with the

steel. Even adding other metals didn't help it much, and in the end adding a

touch of silver, may God forgive me, finally reduced them to a size that wasn't

obtrusive. It was not my intention of making these confounded things as

dangerous as they are. If you had tried to pull it out, there was a good chance

you would have removed the contents of his chest cavity. I'm not sure that even

the kind could have recovered from that."

                "That accounts

for the pain and difficulty in removing the daggers from my shoulders. They hurt

like hell!"

                "Yes,

they do. I should know, for I too have wounds from them. I could not in good conscience

leave them go without seeing how dangerous they were. It was decided to keep

the information about their power quiet, and even the pope did not know."

                Maggie frowned.

"You know, I'd like to claw your eyes out, but then what good would that do? I don't

think you were using your brain to its full capacity when you did all of this."

                "Now

see here! I did what I felt was right. It wasn't like I had any soothsayer to

direct my decisions. I went with what I had to work with. So please don't judge

me by your present position in time. It will not do!"

                "Sorry.

I guess it's easy to second guess when you have more of the facts." Maggie actually

managed to look contrite.

                "Your

apology is accepted. Now, if you don't mind, I think we need to look to the

future."

                "Not so

fast. What out the papal bulla?"

                "What of

it?"

                "Did

you ever read it?"

                "No my

dear. What the pope did didn't affect me."

                "Then

maybe you should some time. I would suggest you be more aware of how your

actions have affected the kind. Many have likely died over the centuries

because of it."

                "And again,

what can I say? There is always death in the world. Some of it is necessary,

and some of it is not. Do you grieve for your friend the cardinal?"

                "No.

But what of all the innocents!"

                "And what

of all the guilty who lived? We can debate these things until we are tired, and

resume them again at the light of day. What has been has been. Now let us look

to where we are headed. I believe we have divergent desires."

                Maggie crossed

her arms and frowned. But Edward ran his finger down her back, making her

scrunch up and shiver. "Look Mags, he's right. Let's worry about what we can

do, not what is done and over."

                "Humph!

If you say so. But remember, they say you can't know where you're going unless

you know where you came from."

                He

tickled her ribs. "Then we still need to figure out where you came from, don't we?"

                She giggled

and then put her frown back on. "Russia, remember?"

                "Yeah,

I remember. And there must be more of your kind out there, or else that Bernard

fellow would not have known your smell from the rest of the kind."

                "We'll

figure it out eventually. We need some way of getting there, and for the

moment, we're stuck right where we are."

                She

seemed satisfied and put her head on his arm. Leonardo had waited patiently

until their discourse was finished.  "My

friends, I feel that this place will do us no good. Having seen how advanced

your culture is, I feel that we must leave here, and perhaps never return.  I only hope that your official monitoring

group has dispersed."

                "Our

what?" Edward asked with a look of bemusement on his face.

                Maggie

poked him. "I think he's talking about the police. They began firing at us."

                "Oh? What

happened to them?"

                Leonardo

looked ashamed. "I had to disable them. I now know that they could not have

inflicted any real harm, but at the time, they were being a distraction."

                "Oh

great. You attacked the local cops. Just fucking great! We'll have to get to

our vehicle to get some clothing, and then try to sneak off to who knows where

to escape them. I really doubt we'll ever make it off this continent without passports.

So I think we're stuck here!"

                Maggie punched

him. "Chill out father. Where there's a will, there's a way. Let me sneak out

and see what's going on. If I can get to the car, then I'll bring back some

clothes."

                "Oh,

really? Just like that. Are you forgetting the keys?"

                Emile

jangled something from the side. "Do you mean these monsieur?"

                "Well I'll

be. Where did you get them?"

                "They were

still on your person when we dragged you back here. They were in your pocket."

                "Well,

that's something.  Alright Mags, if

anyone can do it you can."

                The lid

to the workshop was lifted, and she scampered out, transforming as she did. A

naked girl would draw more notice than a stray dog, even if there were rumors

running amok that there had been a wolf attack recently. Then all they could

was wait in the darkness.

                She

returned, full of smiles and an armful of clothing. She tossed the keys back to

Edward. "Both cars are there, though I don't know what you intend to do with

your little baby. You're the only one here who knows how to drive, and I'd

suggest we get a move on it soon. The place is still crawling with cops."

                "I love

good news," he said sarcastically. "So how do you suppose we're going to get

out of here?"

                "Give

me time to think. Even if we do make it out without a hitch, we don't have

anywhere to go, now do we?" Then she got a dreamy look on her face.

                "What is

it?"

                "Nothing.

I think I'm going to call in a favor."

                "A

favor? From whom?"

                "A

friend. I think I know where we need to go."

                She

refused to say anymore. They got dressed and worked their way out of the

workshop and onto the grounds of the chateau.  There were officers stationed at different

points, and there seemed to be an investigation going on to one side, but they

were paying little attention to anyone on the grounds.

                Maggie leaned

up to Edward. "Do you think I should tell them to dredge the river for a hand?"

                He had

no idea what that was about. "Uh, I'd say we keep quiet and get the hell out of

here."

                They

exited the wall, turned towards the parking lot and climbed into the Fiat.

Edward put it in reverse and headed back the way they came. They made a stop

back at the abandoned farmhouse, where the twins said a final goodbye to their

feral friends. From there, it was back to Rome.

                Edward

got them booked back into their old hotel, which seemed more than willing to

grant them enlarged accommodations. It was always good to leave a large tip

when one left a fancy place like this. Once they were settled, Maggie slipped

out, coming back a few hours later.

                "I

talked with my friend. He says that he would like to meet all of you,

especially you Leonard da Vinci."

                Edward

shook his head. "Maggie, I find you to be extraordinary, but that doesn't tell

us a thing. Anyone alive today would love to meet the master.  Who is this secretive friend you are talking

about?"

                "You'll

find out soon enough. He's sending a limousine around in an hour."

                Leonardo

cocked his head. "Lim-o-seen?"

                Maggie laughed.

"A vehicle that is equipped like a palace. You'll love it!"

                When it

arrived, Edward looked it over for some clue as to whom it belonged. As it

turned out, it was a rental. The inside was posh and well outfitted, but

lacking a few things he thought were standard. He could have used a drink from

the bar right then.

                He knew

he needed it even more when the beast of a car pulled into the grounds of the

Vatican.  It hardly mattered that the

ring would have neutralized it effects. There was a psychological effect to be

reckoned with. "Maggie, are we going to see the pope?"

                "Of

course! He told me he owed me after leading him to that secret chamber. He's a

bit sad about the end of the Cardinal, as he wanted to know more about this

league he had. They are still hauling out the silver coins, and he says the

Vatican Bank will be financially secure for a hundred years once they cash in

on their value. And the artifacts and books down there will keep scholars busy

for an equal amount of time."

                Leonardo

smiled. "So some good has come out of this?"

                Maggie was

wiggling in her seat. "I'm not much of one for religion, but this guy sits well

with me. He's what the whole thing's about. Given enough time, I might even go

to church."

                Edward's

jaw dropped. "Really?"

                She

smiled. "Hell no! But he is kind, so you be nice to him. He's a good man. And I

know a good man when I find one."

                They

were escorted up to the pope's private quarters. All along the way, there were

men in black suits. He might be meek, but the church was taking no chances with

his safety. Edward had a feeling that the fact that a young girl made it into

his chambers without anyone noticing may have been an embarrassment to the security

team.

                The

double doors opened wide as they were ushered in. The pope was sitting at his desk,

apparently writing a letter. He set down his pen and turned. "Maggie cara, io

sono così felice che sei tornato! E vedo che hai portato i tuoi amici!"

                She

coughed a little into her hand. "Not everyone speaks Italian."

                "My

many apologies! Welcome, welcome. Please find a chair and sit."

                Everyone

sat down. "My friends, I have done much to improve the church since being

elected to this position. As the duly appointed shepherd of God's flock, it is

my duty to clean up all things that do not fit in with the church's purpose. I

have removed accounts from the bank, and this new source of cash that my little

friend here uncovered has done much to strengthen the financial structure of

that hallowed institution. I had no idea that there was such an organization

within the church, and I assure you, there never will ever again."

                He

turned to the old man with the beard.  "And

you are, though I find myself hardly believing the word coming out of my mouth,

the one and only Leonardo da Vinci?

                The master

heard his name, but was unable to understand anything more. Maggie slipped her

ring on the pope's finger, finding little room there with all his others. "Now

try."

                The pope

repeated it.

                "Ah,

yes, I am he. A little worse for the wear after my recent revival, but it is I nonetheless."

                The two

set down to talking for the next hour, and while the others were ignored for

the moment, they didn't feel left out. How could anyone feel left out while

sitting in the pope's private quarters while he and the great Leonardo da Vinci

had a private discussion? It was a momentous occasion, and one likely never to make it to the history books. However Edward finally leaned over to Maggie. "You gave the pope

your ring?"

                "Yeah,

for now."

                "Why is

it working for the necessary translation? The rings only work on the kind." The confusion was plain of his face.

                She gave

a little smirk and wrinkled her eyebrows. "I know. Pretty cool, huh? He doesn't

know a thing about that either so I think we should just leave it that way. Ignorance is bliss after all."