The house of Simon had burnt down. We all knew what had happened. The hunters had found his haven because of him being tainted. We talked it over and agreed we must do an investigation of the site to see if the arsonists had left any traces. But cautious as we are we knew this place where sure guarded by watchful eyes.

Our plan was now to find traces but most to lure them out. I took the part of being bait. But I also knew I was good as investigator.

I walked in among the smouldering remnants of Simons house. First it felt like a small tingling but it soon started to pinch as by acid. The ground was made hallow and I stood amidst it all. Suddenly the ground gave away under me and I fell. A trap. And a grating locked over my head.

Now I started to feel a lot. I felt shame and mostly guilt. The feeling was so intense I started crying. My body shivered and I just wished to disappear. Probably the most horrible time ever. I tried to escape by attacking th grating but it was to high up and to heavy to move. It was all well planed.

Suddenly I heard footsteps closing in on me. A face looked down on me: -“I´m James, he said!” So the one we tried hunting had captured me. My devouring feelings couldn´t hinder me feel hope even as the guilt felt as strongest. A trap within a trap. We had calculated this. Now we got James.

Now it was up to my companions up there. William showed himself a true master bowman. James must have had a lot of protection from above. Still William scored a perfect hit. James went down on his knees. One more shot didn´t do much extra thou.

A group of soldiers had followed James. Bael took one of them down with a flight attack with his silver spear. He´s pretty good with that. Wonder where he got his practise?

William continued attacking by conjure lightnings over our enemies. Only one of the soldiers seemed alive.

Now Simon entered the scene. First he opened the hatch, jumped down, grabbed me and threw me out of the hallowed area. Then he jumped up again and charged James head on with his sword. During this Bael took down the last of the soldiers. An ugly sight. But relieving.

James still looked calm and he made some gestures and said some prayers over the arrow William had shot him with. As if shot by a bow it flew back at William and hit him. William answered by loading a new arrow and strain the bow, only to feel the string snap. The bow was useless. It was now all up to Simon.

Simon struck at james with a mighty blow by his great sword. He hammered james to the ground. William tried another lightning at james but it seemed he now had some sort of shield against that. I tried to make James sleepy, but the holiness of James made me backfire and I got in a torpor. But James never did get a new chance. Simon where on top of him and made another forceful hit. Just as his life left him James voice said powerful: -“I forgive you all!”. As his soul left his body the others were struck by intense feelings of guilt and force attacked them from above. Simon was shaken but did manage. Bael have since started to behave more and more brutal and without conscience. William have got a new derangement. I made it as I was already in torpor. For a month it would seem if no one could take me out of it.

James was dead. But it came with a high cost.

Next night William tried to wake me up. Elder blood is said to make that happen. As we don´t have any William tried another potent blood. That from the werewolf they encountered two nights ago. He administered a heavy dose. It didn´t work.

William then tried to contact me in his astral form. As I also have that power we could start communicating. He offered me the one solution. I had to drink his blood to get out of this. I didn´t like it but I recognise a good gesture and I didn´t realy have any other option but to stay in torpor. So I drank the blood.

Later that night, after everyone have had a chance to feed, we got the message from a Lasombra: -“An armada is coming this way! The fourth crusade has changed it way and is now heading towards Constantinople. It´s a plan made up by us the Lasombras. We can´t find any other way to wake up Mikael but make havoc in the town. This will stir up his dream enough!”

Now we have to do the best of the situation. There will be bloodshed, the town will maybe burn and lots of knowledge, culture and history getting lost in kaos. We started planning on how to deal with this.

First of all the library of William and the huge library we once entered in must be saved. Then we must weaken the armada enough to make it just strong enough to take the town, but weak enough to not break it down. A force made up by people loyal to the armada should try to open up the gates and meet the attackers. We must take over the position of the emperor by replacing him with someone of us. Then try give the throne away to the second in command of the armada to divide them. When they´ve got installed the army must be weakened once more. Enough to give it problem keeping the town. Once more nesting us into the house of the new emperor and take over the town. All other parts weakened and hopefully Mikael awakened.

Isn´t that a plan!