FicWad

I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Rufus Wainwright

The hotel room was quiet, dark and cool. Tru identified with the dark shadows in the corners. He knew how to use that to his advantage. He would have to use that in his bid to remove Iterations from his threat. He put his phone on charge and opened the drawer to find the bible. Many older hotels still held the practise though it might be a little outdated. To some it could be seen as an insult to their own beliefs but Tru just saw it as a hard to remove habit.

He settled in a chair and put his hand to his forehead, splaying his fingers and resting as his eyes dropped closed. He had a lot to consider and he had many things to plan. It weighed heavily on his mind. Intentionally removing Iterations could be an impossible task. He would cover his hands in blood, damn himself further. Confession rarely removed the deeply inset fear that even if he had walked from the church he could not be entirely sure he was wrong.

Charlie was out of threat from whoever was chasing him but if he had made a mistake he would never be able to forgive himself. He sighed and opened his eyes before shifting in his chair and finally after some time he stood up to remove the large coat and his hat.

He didn't remember falling asleep but he woke up to a feeling that he was not alone. He sat up in the bed and looked around but could not see anything. Tru learnt long ago however that feeling something was just as plausible in his world. He did not have to see it to know it was out there.

"Don't upset me any more than I am." He warned the intruder.

He felt a small whoosh of air and there was a young lady in front of him. Tru sought something to cover his tail but she walked forward and stopped him. She ran her hands over it, seemingly checking if it was real, before sitting in the chair and taking a deep breath. His first reaction was to stop her but she seemed harmless with her movements and he didn't generally like to strike out without feeling it was the right moment to do it.

"I am one of those protected by Guardians." She said softly. Tru took a good look at her. She had long light-brown hair, medium build and her face matched her soft voice. She looked peaceful and rested. She looked at him when she spotted him watching her. "Hellion, I am a child of the Vatican too. Though you were there when I was leaving. None of us stay there for good as curiosity about the world takes over."

"I understand that." He nodded and found a slight smile coming to his lips.

"I saw you at the Wartburg last night. I hide there often." She seemed to understand the need to connect with something of his past. "Thomas is searching the archives and I was interested in why. I can travel to any point I have visited before in seconds. It is a part of my blessing and my curse. I asked him why he searched. He explained Iterations. I have never heard of them but you seem pained by it."

"There is a problem that needs to be solved yes." He said his voice reverberating around the room. "I don't want anyone else to get involved however. Thomas' information and another contact should be all that is needed. No one else needs to bloody their hands."

"Do you wish to do something whilst you wait?" She smiled softly and stood up. She gathered his hat and coat and passed them to him. "I would like to show you."

"What?" He asked.

"A place that we have been in our pasts but cannot always remember." She took his hand and he accepted it. Her hand was warm he noticed. His hands were warm but unlike her soft skin they were calloused and rough. "Close your eyes Hellion. Do not fear."

He did as she asked and felt a connection. They were not human and though he fought against that believe she seemed to make it feel okay to be different. She had accepted what he could not.

"Open them." She commanded softly. Her voice was like a gentle whisper in his ear.

He opened his eyes and was looking around a large old castle that he recognised but could not say why. She seemed to be expecting this and took his hand and led him upwards through another tower.

"Where are we?" He asked feeling like a teenager trespassing for a dare all of a sudden.

"The origins." She told him as they headed further up. "The Guardians use this as a hiding place. You will not remember it as your parents would have spoken to a priest and begged for help. Children who needed hiding would be left behind here and once a night a priest would come. Now it is arranged by telephone and they come at an appointed time. There have been nine of us historically."

"There are ten." He said suddenly. "They did interfere, before the meeting in Wartburg. That makes sense." He mused. "Shanemah I wonder if he was intercepted and that's why he ended up elsewhere."

"Shanemah..." She rolled the name over her tongue. He wondered how soft her tongue was for a moment but that was not something he should be thinking about really. "Yes I think he was supposed to come here and then never did. He was listed as a potential. It was thought his parents had decided otherwise."

"I think someone else decided this for him." Tru admitted. "Perhaps he has found this out and that's why he is offering to help. How old are Iterations. It sounds like a very modern name."

"When they were in England I think they might have called something like Alchemists or Free Masons."

"You know why was I expecting you to say something like that?"