Berklund Street No. 160, the residence of Dawn Dantès.
Having «Teleported» back by a roundabout route, Klein did not tarry; he at once laid out the altar, conducted the rite, and prayed to the «God of Death»:
«You are the essence of death;
«You are the sovereign of the dead;
«You are the last home of every living thing.
«I beseech Your help — I beseech to be shown how to resolve the matter of the 'Crimson Angel' evil spirit. He has taken possession of a 'Doorkeeper's' body and, in league with Heitel, the High Priest of the
On this affair Klein truly had no recourse and could only seek the help of the «Goddess of the Night».
— Setting aside the question of whether, even by collaborating with
Yet if the «Crimson Angel» were left to His own devices, this evil spirit, who had originated from the «Conspirer» path, would in short order discern the anomalies surrounding Patrick Brain; given the knowledge and intelligence at His disposal, it would not be difficult for Him to guess the essence of the problem.
«Whatever response one chooses, it is an error. Truly worthy of an angel of the 'War' domain — even reduced to a three-in-one spirit body, He can leave one without a solution to the predicament He has created. This must have been the counsel He gave Heitel…
«Actually, there is an extreme line of thought: contrive that this 'Crimson Angel' evil spirit be slain over some other matter by another church, by an official power, or by some hidden organisation. In any case, none connected to the Goddess may step forward; the affair must be perfectly clear and above board…
«The difficulty of this approach lies in how to make a high-tier figure of the Conspiracy domain leap into the snare… One misstep and the fire will catch upon oneself…» When the prayer was over, Klein let his thoughts drift idly while patiently awaiting the «Goddess of the Night»'s response.
Several seconds passed; the embers of the herbs offered to please the deities were lifted by an unseen wind, flew up out of the great cauldron and fell upon the tabletop, forming a string of words:
«When He came to this place, the earth shall rise up in arms.»
What might this mean? Looking at this strangely familiar sentence, Klein knit his brows.
As a «Diviner» he set, by habit, to interpretation:
On account of the King's affair, Loen had fallen deep into the shadow of war; and so the «Crimson Angel», emblem of war, had come.
This signified that war could perhaps no longer be averted.
— By Sequence 1, one is, in oneself, already a manner of emblem.
While Klein's thoughts darted like lightning, the invisible wind ceased; the interior of the altar, isolated by the «Spirituality Wall», grew exceedingly still.
Are there no further revelations? Klein waited a while longer, and only when he had verified that this was truly all did he end the rite and pack up the altar.
He then went over to the sofa area of the room and sat down to see if anything else would occur.
But a full quarter of an hour passed, and he saw nothing of that hidden angel, abbess of the Convent of the Night and head of the thirteen Archbishops — Arianna.
No need to deal with the «Crimson Angel» evil spirit at all — just let it be? Or perhaps there is some other way, but I am not to be involved? Klein was, at heart, no devout believer of the Night, so since the Goddess said it need not be dealt with, he was naturally also disinclined to deal with it; in any case the affair was, for him, not only extremely troublesome but exceedingly dangerous.
Shaking his head, Klein drew paper and pen from his pocket and began «Dream Divination».
What had transpired tonight made him sense, by intuition, that not a moment could be wasted; the «Faceless» potion had to be digested as soon as possible.
……
Upon the Sea of Fog, inside a hybrid steam-and-sail merchantman that lay at very close range to a pirate vessel.
Men and elderly women alike, their hands bound behind them, were shoved to the deck's edge; then the pirates, by hand or by foot, sent them tumbling into the sea.
Splash after splash arose one after another; the pirates, untroubled, completed this bloodless slaughter with laughter on their lips.
Once the chosen captives had been disposed of, they gathered to the side of the ship with their firearms and their hurricane lanterns, ready to enjoy the thrashings of those wretches.
But beneath the lantern light the deep blue sea beside the ship heaved softly, and not a single human figure remained.
«They sank that quick?» one pirate blurted out, taken aback.
The captain of this pirate band frowned, looked for a good long while and said:
«Perhaps some sea monster was passing, and took those bold enough to resist as a gift of food from a god.
«Just as well — full from this, it will not attack us…»
Having said that, the captain waved his hand:
«Everyone, enjoy yourselves to the full!»
As a tolerably seasoned pirate, he knew that the sea harboured many strange things; when facing them it was best not to seek out the cause or attempt to discover the truth — since no harm had come to himself or his fellows, one ought to thank the «
Once the watch had been arranged, the pirates began to drink deep, to feast in great mouthfuls, to sing at the top of their voices, and to draw blades over the right to a young female captive.
Amid this clamorous, lively atmosphere, the captain led off into what had once been the ship-master's cabin a pretty passenger he had long had his eye on, eager to embark on the final pageant of this carnival night.
Around the small hours, the captain — sleeping in exhaustion — stretched out his right hand and touched something icy, devoid of any warmth.
The captain jolted awake; by the crimson moonlight pouring in through the window, he saw that what he was clasping in his arms was a length of wood, its surface rough.
Out of this wood grew branch after branch bearing fresh green leaves, embracing the pirate captain like human limbs.
Smack!
The captain's pupils contracted in haste; he shoved the wood away as he sprang from the bed, staggering backwards.
Have I just now been with such a thing? His head was filled with terrified thoughts; he had no time to dress, snatched up his firearm and sabre, and retreated straight from the cabin.
Outside the door stood one of the pirates on watch.
«Cap, why's it — » that pirate, seeing the captain emerge, hastened to ask.