Blood Line

Emeritus

The head of the Vatican, Emeritus, was strolling in the gardens enjoying the perfume of his prized roses. He held a wicker basket and a pair of clippers. Taking his time, he carefully selected only the most fragrant and perfect buds for his private room's bouquet.

Hearing footsteps approach him on the path, he looked up and smiled.

"It's been a long time, my friend."

Vlad looked at the long robed, papal head and frowned.

"I responded to your call to meet with you Emeritus, but I don't believe in addressing the culprit who helped to dethrone me as a friend."

Emeritus sighed. "Vladimir, we were in political upheaval. I had no choice." His flowing, crimson robes concealed a surprisingly powerful, lithe, toned body.

Vladimir's face remained expressionless, but his piercing gaze locked with the other man's like a male wolf addressing a pack's alpha. He decided the time for pleasantries was over.

"Why have you called me here, Emeritus? If you're worried I'll have an axe to grind against the Vatican, you can relax and continue enjoying your Ikebana hobby. I want a serene existence in this world. I'm here to enjoy myself, not reopen old wounds."

"What about your daughter, Bella?"

"Ahhhh." Vladimir let the hint of a smile play across his lips. That's a different story. She has my blood." He shrugged elegantly, "She wants her revenge."

Emetrius, bent over to to clip a firm, peach colored bud that was just opening. Bringing it to his nose, he leisurely inhaled it's delicate scent.

"There's been a breakout of plagues, domestic terrors, and wholesale slaughter across the countryside."

Vladimir was nonplussed by the news.
"Emeritus, you did lock her up for a hundred years. She'll get it out of her system."

"If she's like her mother, I doubt that."

Vladimir did not argue the point, choosing a different tact. "From what I've learned since my brief return, your churches are dying, you're losing followers en mass, and your mythology is as tattered as mine. If anything, the campaign of terror will send patrons back to your ranks in droves. You should be thanking Una Bella, not criticizing her."

Emeritus received the information with equanimity. He was after all, a vampire.

Pointing his clippers at Vlad, he issued a warning. "If you want to traipse around the countryside like a trollop, that is not my affair. But be forewarned, if you don't reign in Una Bella, darker forces will be summoned to deal with her."

Vlad was still nonplussed, "Emeritus, I will speak with her. Now, show me more of this modern Italy. I've been away a long time."

Smiling like a child on Christmas morning, the ancient vampire pointed to the Vatican's garages. "Come, we'll take the Ferrari."