Diamonds Shatter

Chapter 5

5. The Poetry of Viscous Angels

Dimitri and Nick walked into the Stinking Rose only to be assaulted by a wave of garlic and sweet spices. It was not exactly a bad aroma, just strong.

The place was crowded with the dinner time rush; it was a hot spot for tourists. But Dimitri did not stop to take it in; he ignored the commotion, the cute host waiting at her podium, and the savory aroma of the Bagna Calda, a specialty there.

Dimitri just cut straight across to the bar. As he passed the dining area a small shudder ran thru him at the sight of the ‘private’ booths which were hidden behind red drapes. He didn’t want to think about what really went on behind those curtains.

 Unsuspecting tourists came in for meal, not knowing that they actually were the meal. At the bar a small graying old man clad in the last centuries attire, was wiping down glasses behind the counter. Dimitri leaned over it and motioned for the old bartender.

"I have a meeting with Angelo," he whispered. The man put down a heavy glass mug with a thud and looked up at him shrewdly,

"Lots of people come here saying they have meetings with other people, but usually they come to find themselves mistaken. Maybe whoever you were meeting here has lied to you, or maybe you are the one lying." He said, clearly agitated. Dimitri suspected it had something to do with age.

"Just who are you…exactly?" the old man asked, still scrutinizing Dimitri.

Instead of replying with formal introductions, Dimitri simply pulled up a copper chain with a diamond star pendant, from under his shirt. He casually twined it around his long fingers. It was a counterfeit insignia of the Alliance.

 Dimitri had stolen Borris’s and made a replica for himself. The bartender scowled at him in disgust, and muttered something in Italian that Dimitri couldn’t catch. But nevertheless a moment later he led the boys over to a small side door behind the bar, and ushered them thru. Then he slammed the door shut, its lock clicking in place, leaving Dimitri and Nick in utter darkness.

Once Dimitri’s eyes adjusted he realized that they were in a narrow stairwell, and slowly he and Nick began to feel their way down, until they found themselves in a small round cellar room. The lighting wasn’t much better down there, with only a few torches mounted to the stone walls, but it was enough to see around the room.

It was like having a flash back to the renaissance age, what with the torches and old Italian flags hanging from the walls, and the worn down flagstone floors with deep red rugs thrown around. There was a few sitting areas on the side with small mahogany tables and throne chairs draped in red velvet, but to the far end of the room sat one grand table with another dozen thrones chairs around it and even more red velvets.

There sat five vampires, with two more standing guard behind them. They had a noble princely appearance, dressed in formal attire, even the Monarchy had been abolished a century ago. The vampires were in the middle of what seemed to be paperwork, only it instead of pen and paper, it was parchment rolls and inkpots scattered across the table.

The vampires all tensed at Dimitri and Nick’s unexpected approach, ready for any threat. All except for one, the one seated in the grandest chair in the middle, sat there like a young prince without a care or thought in the world. Angelo Vicelli. He continued to study the scroll in his slender hands as if there had been no interruption.

Dimitri took in the sight before him and stepped in front of Nick. No one had spoken a word, until finally Angelo placed finished reading and placed the scroll on the table.

 The seemingly young vampire had sharp blue eyes, even though he was regarding Dimitri with a lazy waiting gaze. Angelo’s careless posture and patient expression did nothing to soften his chiseled face. He had high cheekbones, a perfect jaw line, and black hair that fell in glossy waves across his piercing eyes.