Sands of Time (Hellsing•AU)

Meeting on the Stone (28)

The next morning, the meeting was held at 10 am.

Sir Penwood, Integra, Walter and Lilly met in her office. Alucard should have been asleep but was also given orders not to interrupt. He sulked and wished to speak with his long lost love.

Where had she gone?

What had she seen since they seperated?

Where was his Úlfhéðnar when Hellsing defeated him?

Probably having the time of her life far away from him...

Integra knew he was in a particular mood, after the fight and finding a vampire on the property. Apparently the 'Freak' dry spell was over now. There was the start of reports of weak vampires and a couple of werewolves and that was usual. It seemed something or someone had popped up on the supernatural radar.

"Morning Miss Lilly, here is the stone tablet dug from a part of Mesopotamia near the Tigris river," said Penwood.

"Hmm, so let me see the exact location on this map," replied Lilly as they looked on her laptop.

She let a hmm out and closed her eyes for a moment. "Not good, a piece was found earlier, around 1903. Professor Stark found it and then went mad. He killed all of his archaeological team, then was committed. The tablet piece went missing."

Lilly turned to Penwood,"I need to look at the tablet and take photos, so I can translate the writing. It's not safe even here."

"Nonsense, Alucard is here," said Penwood.

Lilly frowned,"Well, he's in a bit of a mood but also if this is a portal piece, Alucard needs to be a lot older."

"Like how old?" Penwood asked.

"Five thousand or more"....

"Oh I say, point taken..." replied Penwood.

After about an hour Lilly had taken all the photos she needed. She was unaware of the stone's abilities, so decided not to touch the stone bare handed. The woman wore gloves and moved it around, with a handkerchief, to take a photo. She didn't have a good feeling about this at all. This had something to do with the 'Old Ones'.

The scary creatures that go bump in the night and no one lives to see.

Finally, Lilly went to find Walter for her ride back to David's. Tomorrow was the funeral. There were still things that needed to be finished, before morning. She finally found him coming up from the dark bowels of the manor. "Walter can you drive me back, David's funeral is tomorrow and I still have things to do?"

"Of course Miss Lillia, it will but take a moment," and Walter headed to get the car.

Alucard phased behind Lilly and touched her shoulder. She recoiled then said, "The answer is no, not again.  Immortals have too many strings attached. Humans have strings too but their lives are short, less time to be deceitful. Immortals are only true to themselves and are ultimately selfish."

"How old are you?" Vampire King inquired with a soft voice.

"Too old perhaps... I tire of this world but I do not know how to leave it," Lilly let her voice trail off to silence.

She grabbed her computer bag then left the No Life King pondering the partial riddle.  Alucard phased back to his room and sat upon his throne. He slowly drifted to sleep as the sun rose across the sky. Meanwhile Lilly watched the road go by without much thought. Now she had to figure out how to tell the Count, she was leaving for Egypt, by the beginning of next week.

She was even tired of humans now and wanted to be alone.  Completely and utterly alone.

" I shall go into the desert and bury myself, a long sleep is what I need, " she whispered sadly. "I'm so tired..."

"True knowledge comes from the upward path which leads to the eternal Fire; error, defeat and death result from following the lower path of worldly attachment."

~Muata Ashby,
Ancient Egyptian Proverbs