Confidants and Confessions: Assist

[R Quartermain]

He watched the group of them go, looking between Kingsley and Baker. "Doctor. Ms. Kingsley," he said as he nodded to them.

"Could either of you perhaps offer some... elaboration?"

[Albert Baker]

Albert sighed, as it seemed that the hounds had found the trail. It had taken them a long time, yet they had found Sam and Ruby and both had broken the agreement for reasons unknown.

"I can offer some explanation, though not much, as I don't have the full picture as well yet... Though I fear I might have to tell you an old story that might have caught up with us..."

He paused for a moment to compose himself and let the words sink in before continuing.

"I will have have to go back quite some time to make things more understandable..."

Again a pause and a moment taken to remember how everything had begun... once.

"Once upon a time in the days when Sam and I were still alive and young there was a man named William Hamleigh and he was petty, cruel, self-righteous and vindictive. In short he was a right unpleasant person and enjoyed making the lives of everyone difficult and the day came when the town got together and ruined his day. We collected evidence of his infractions and sent him to a long vacation in striped clothes as guest of the Crown. From that day on, he wanted to see us dead..."

Again he paused, drawing words and memories from the depths of his mind and arranging them so that the two could understand what had been and what would be.

"Some time passed and I happened to be... changed into what I am now and spending my nights in Victoria, that is in British Columbia by the way. The domain was divided into two factions at war: Invictus, Lancea and most of the Unbound on one side, the Ordo, some Unbound and the Circle on the other. As long as people stayed in the parts where their covenant had regency, not much happened and it was mostly a cold war with hot phases... Then at some time in the nineties, I think, the war escalated, as Prince and Bishop received visitors willing to help tipping the scales and forced Sam, his Childe and me to leave the domain and split. They found me in Portland some time ago and now it seems somewhere in Florida wasn't quite as safe as we thought... as the trouble has found us again."

"That trouble is not Bill Hamleigh himself though, he is long gone. He managed however to have children, a lot of them and somehow three of his daughters were at one point brought into the night and seek to kill us, not without a lot of suffering before, of course. The only open question is at this point whether the harpies are hounding us themselves or sending henchmen after us..."

He took an old photo out of his briefcase and gave it to Quartermain. It showed three women about thirty at a gathering in an Elysium, dressed in nun habits and prominently wearing the symbols of the Lancea. Though they weren't eyesores when falling into the preference of homely women they displayed a smile that might remind the observer of the grin of a shark and their eyes burned with the fire of zealotry.

"There they are: Brangaine, Dindrane and Igraine Hamleigh... The root of the problem yet hopefully not the problem to face here. I'm in a bind here, as I can't afford the luxury of not involving myself and I ask you to help me, as there might be abilities necessary I don't possess. I would be most thankful for your help, though we might want to have a chat with the messengers and with Sam himself before you decide whether to help or not..."

[Helen Kingsley]

Well, shit, isn't life more fun the more complicated it gets ? Helen scratches her head while she tries to realign what she's heard so far and make a usable picture out of it.

"So this Tressilian guy, your friend, and his kid are involved with some investigation in town that has havens dug up and burnt ? And he has those three girls after him... ? You know, I wouldn't have fingered you as a guy who attracts that sort of fun. I'm actually impressed."

Still one thing is sort of annoying her too.

"And who the hell is Rebecca McIntyre ?"

Still means there might be pretty bad trouble, especially if it turns out Doc Baker here is on the wrong side of the whole thing. He pretty well might be, but then, she doesn't know enough about that to be able to decide about it.

[Seryna]

The time for the arranged meeting approached, and the Kindred departed to make the meeting on time.