France – Verdun – Chateau de Coucy

Antonius Germanicus Longinus, with his titles, distinctions, and accomplishments too numerous to name, scurried down the stone hall. Though he would never have phrased it so, Marguerite had the advantage of already knowing what the archon was on his way to face, and she could not fault him for scurrying. His report had been placed on her desk nine minutes ago, but her mistress was a creature of habit, habit and tradition. Lucinde preferred her information directly from her archons' lips. Marguerite was glad that she did not need to be present. Lucinde's wrath would be unpredictable and indiscriminate.

Red and gold tapestries covered the blackened and broken stone walls of the small room and a thick coarsely woven rug concealed an uneven stone floor. Torch brackets, those that still clung to the walls, held bare electric light bulbs. The room, Marguerite's study, was silent for a moment, save for the quick sound of the archon's feet against the hallway floor outside.

Marguerite's thin fingers danced lightly across the keys of the typewriter, not pressing hard enough to move a key. Her lips pursed for a moment as she considered, glancing down at the report before her. Antonius's quick script read, at the top of the page, “New York City – Crisis.” A fair and accurate way to begin. Her fingers tensed and began to work the keys.

New York City – Analysis of Ramifications - Guil betrayed L? More likely: G also betrayed by Celeste. G's debt is no longer paid. Open negotiations for alternate payment. - Area princes must be informed. Catherine Mills will be upset. Send archon. - Inform London. Send someone expendable. - Mobea is dead. Condolences to Xavier under Lucinde's signature. - Blackwell's backer: Pascek? Tremere? Other forces? - Julia's mental condition deteriorating. Can she still be used? - Establish information gathering source. Arrange information trade with London, assuming his connections are still valid. - Tremere have made significant local gains. - This will strengthen Pascek's position on Seattle. - Find Faida and Witteveen.

Marguerite paused, took a pen from her desk and underlined the last two lines.

Antonius reported that Witteveen had escaped with Faida's help, but there had been no report of either of them since. It was still early; reports were still being collected and written. Perhaps they had escaped but not yet made contact. Perhaps Witteveen did not wish to be found. Perhaps Faida had betrayed him to Blackwell. An interesting thought, that. If this Oliver could be proven responsible for the murder of a Prince, it would seriously undermine his position, or at least antagonize some of his ostensible allies. Marguerite jotted a reminder to have them brought quietly if they could be found. Lucinde – quite wisely – preferred to have her options open, and the fewer who saw Witteveen before Lucinde did, the better.

And then there was the matter of Pascek. Naturally anything that weakened her Lucinde strengthened Pascek, and all of the other Justicars. She shivered slightly. Marguerite knew she could not fail her mistress. But personal power aside, New York and Seattle were, in many ways, central to larger conflicts. Those who supported Lucinde would be hard pressed to call for a similar intervention in Seattle given this apparent failure in New York.

Her finger hovered above the keys. She must not fail her mistress. If there were anything else to infer from these events it was up to her to find it. She removed the paper from the type writer, replacing it with a blank sheet. There were reports to write. Reports, analysis, letters. Letters that would go out with Lucinde's signature of course, but a Justicar did not have time to focus on the events of one small city. The responsibility drove Marguerite's fingers across the keys.

Her small study was contained within the remains of a blackened granite tower, destroyed by weapons it was never meant to withstand. Lucinde had dwelt here ever since the Renaissance had rendered the castle obsolete and, more importantly, unfashionable. Its demolition by the Kaiser's armies had ignited a series of feints and counter feints that still continued. But the destruction had dislodged neither Lucinde nor her staff.

Two rooms flanked Marguerite's, one on either side. Other fingers flew across typewriters. Beside them still more rooms, pens in hands, dashing across paper. Beside them more rooms still, the passages under the ruined castle held hundreds of them. Typewriters clacked; pens scratched; computers whirred. The business of the Camarilla continued.