The Coming from the Shadows Series
Coming From the Shadows: Lydia
Previous Instalments:
- The Shadows of Lombardy – Shadows of Lombardy: Cults and Power Dynamics
- In the Shadows of Lombardy – Shadows of Lombardy: Mysteries and Cult Dynamics
- Desperation in Lombardy – The Minotaur Strikes: Desperation in Lombardy
- T.I.C: Pain and Temptation – The Imperium Chronicles: Passion and Temptations
The Following Story Contains Depiction of Manipulation and Coercion; and to raise awareness of such insidious tactics within relationships.
The Chronicles of the Imperium: Insidious Manipulations
Introduction:
At the start of the day of the 1st of February 1909; Cathryn and her Twin Daughters; Elizabeth, the Eldest Twin and Lydia, the Youngest Twin, along with her adopted daughter; Norina Fiorito – had been travelling from the Fiorito Vineyard – they had agreed to Norina’s request to travel to what had once been her home, but destroyed by Italian Cultists in 1906 that led to Cathryn and Lydia rescuing and adopting her, after learning from Erin about the American Cultists objective to track down and uncover secrets from an Ancient Temple near Verona – they however were ambushed, forcibly separated from one another and sent into flight.
Erin, the American Cultist with an obsessive fascination for Lydia and Norina had managed to convince her two older brothers to help Cathryn and her daughters; breaking up into team they had accompanied the ambush, but, broke off just before it had begun – within the forest along the Ticino River, they each made their move – Erin, she came to Norina’s rescue – leading her to safety as they began their search for Lydia.
Jakob would find himself intervening to save Elizabeth – though, they found themselves in an uneasy alliance due to Elizabeth’s distrust of him.
As for Morgan; he came to Cathryn’s rescue – upon coming face-to-face though; there had been a shift, from stoicism to vulnerability, he had become enamoured by her beauty; despite their age difference, he decided to try pursuing her once they had reached the safety of an agreed upon meet-up spot; an Abandoned building – The roles would soon switch; as Cathryn found herself feeling temptation to his advances – as grew more confident and Cathryn less; it became a catalyst – she found herself succumbing to his advances as he wore her down with his declarations and promises leading to a intimate encounter, breaking down Cathryn’s walls completely, leaving her in a state of unusual vulnerability and confusion.
Along the Ticino River; Lydia had found herself in a dire situation against Albert; a man intent on capturing her and forcing her into marriage as agreed upon by her father with Albert – while Lydia lost their initial duel in sword fighting; his attempt to physically dominate and violate her led to a primal reaction that broke her usually stoic exterior – responding she managed to get herself free, using a knife to frantically stab him in the ribs – Erin’s timely arrival pulling her back to realty and leading her and Norina to safety.
By the later evening; Jakob and Elizabeth were reunited with Erin and both Lydia and Norina – now, they only needed to reach the rendezvous and reunite with Morgan and Cathryn – Meanwhile, Albert was discovered and taken back to the Italian Bureau to help him recover from his injuries.
While new emotions are explored; Plans are put into motion as things begin to grow more complicated and dynamic’s begin to shift paving the way for change.
Chapter 1:
1st of February, 1909 A.D.
Lombardy, Italy
South of Motta Visconti
The afterglow hung heavy – the air thick with musk and sweat; it was here, in this moment Cathryn had been left in a state of confusion and vulnerability; she was at present still sat on the table; as close to the edge as possible – Morgan still close – still pushed within her as she clung desperately against him, her head, lolling over his shoulder.
She was tired, exhausted – Her thoughts normally were sharp, decisive – now though, they were clouded, like a swirling smoke in an enclosed room, she couldn’t process anything; her mind was blank “We’ll wait for now” Morgan said, his voice was surprisingly soft.., gentle – she slowly nodded, she felt his breath against her neck, his lips tracing lightly as he kissed along her neck, she hadn’t realised it, but she had crossed into a position she had not been in for a very long time.
“It…, might be better for the time being” she agreed, her voice was little more than a gentle whisper, lacking any of her usual strength “I will need to approach this with my daughters…, carefully” She really couldn’t parse the emotions swirling – shame, perhaps? Mixed with a strange and unfamiliar longing – a longing for what though…, for Morgan?
Morgan; he had not yet moved, made no attempt; she clearly had no intention; why would he – but, within his eyes, a strange look had overcome them – he had just realised the situation, unlike Cathryn in her vulnerable state and confusion, he had clicked with just what he had been able to do – in their love-making, he had displayed dominance both physically and mentally, he’d broken her mental and emotional walls down, physically took her – she had willingly submitted to his advances, his kept his arms around her, holding her close “Are you alright Cathryn?” his voice shifted, it became a low rumble a hint of possessiveness that, within her current state did not trigger her usual defences
“I…, I don’t know” Cathryn confessed; her words tumbled out with an unexpected ease “I feel…, strange”
He moved his left hand upwards; he began to stroke his hands through her hair – his touch was light, almost reverent “It’s the aftermath” he murmured “It’s just a little disorientating; normally you would be in control, guarded”
His gaze was fixed forwards; she still had made no attempts to move, her head still resting on his shoulder “We can’t pretend this didn’t happen; we can’t go back…” he told her
A knot tightened within her stomach – Back to what?, her thoughts continued to swim – she hadn’t experienced such intimacy in a long time, it had been so long she couldn’t remember what her estranged husband had done that had led to her domestic-enslavement to him; and here, she didn’t know how Morgan had managed to even get this far – she had surrendered without even a fight, she never tried to stop him in his initial advance or his declarations “I don’t want too” she admitted, the words were barely audible
A subtle shift occurred within Morgan’s eyes; a flicker akin to triumph – he masked it with concern, slowly; he moved his arms, gently tugging at Cathryn’s – releasing them from around his neck, she still did not resist; as he intertwined their fingers, he leaned, sensing the movement – Cathryn simply followed along with it; he laid her back on the table, gently he made a gentle thrust forwards – she felt it; the movement within her body as he came down atop of her; she locked her eyes with his.
Her dark hair was no longer tied neatly, It was loose, spread behind her as her silvery-grey eyes – normally filled with determination and ferocity; now though, they held a submissive look, she clearly wasn’t thinking.
He gently held her hands down as he was directly above her – she didn’t even register their positioning or just how far the power had completely shifted “I know” he said softly “We need to be careful; what we’ve done…, comes with many…, risks…, dangerous ones”
Morgan paused; he let his words sink in “We need to protect it Cathryn; to nurture it…, we may need to make some compromises”
‘Compromises’ that word hung heavily, it had so many implications – Cathryn frowned, trying to focus, to regain some kind of mental footing, but the sensual haze of the encounter; his subtle thrust – she just could not concentrate, her judgement was greatly blurred “What…, kind of compromises?” she asked, her voice still low, she was becoming increasingly hesitant
Leaning down; he could feel her warmth, smell her scent – but…, so could she; while subtle, he gently released her hands, tracing his left hand along her arm, she did not move them from the position he had just left them; his fingers soon reached her face, his fingers continued to trace gently along the line of her jaw; his right hand, he lightly gripped her wrist “Nothing drastic…, just, trusting me; let me shoulder some of the burden” he said “I will abandon the Imperium; my entire life to be with you, I meant it when I told you that; but, let me carry the burdens you carry” he had framed it as an act of care.., of partnership – but, underneath, the implication was clear; Submission – he was wanting her to yield, to relinquish her control
“I…” She started, but she immediately faltered; before this encounter – Cathryn would have fiercely refused, she wouldn’t have allowed such a suggestion to even be made – but now, she was reeling from the raw, primal connection that had just been formed from their physical act; she was less certain, she had no strength
“It’s alright….” Morgan said; his voice became soothing, hypnotic “Don’t decide right now; just…, think about it, trust me Cathryn; I only want what is best for us” leaning down, he had moved his left hand back up; and like he had done with his right against Cathryn’s left wrist, his left hand gently gripped around her right wrist, while he was physically restraining her; the way he had done it, she could easily get free if she had wanted – but she made no efforts to even move.
Leaning close; he kissed her; a slow, deliberate kiss that melted away the last vestiges of her resistance; she closed her eyes, she had already surrendered during their most intimate moment, she had fallen for the intoxicating illusion of safety.., of security
Within the dim light; Morgan’s eyes seemed to gleam with predatory satisfaction – the seed had been planted, he simply needed to wait.
Chapter 2:
Lombardy, Italy
Along the Road to Motta Visconti
As the evening continued to progress; the chill wind whipped Elizabeth’s blonde hair causing her to constantly need to bring her hand to her face to try getting her hair to stop getting into her icy-blue eyes – beside her was her younger twin, though she was Elizabeth’s polar opposite.
Lydia, her long raven-dark hair and silvery-grey eyes made her a miniature-version of her mother; she had begun regaining her detached stoic exterior; the events of what had happened along the Ticino Riverbank had served to reinforce her hardened shell; she felt more rage now than ever before – eve being remotely near the possibility that her body could have been violated – though despite this, her attention at present wasn’t on the thoughts of what had happened, instead, she was presently focused on observing the interaction just ahead of her.
Directly ahead of the twin 18-Year old Sisters was Erin, a 19-Year old American Cultist and Norina – a 17 Year old Girl adopted by Cathryn after Italian Cultists had murdered her family and burned down her family vineyard – Norina was the more innocent of the family; she also had a twin-like appearance to Lydia, often leading people to mistaking Norina and Lydia as twins or even allowing for people to simply mistake Norina as Lydia – for someone like Erin though; it was easy for her to tell them apart – she had, since 1905 developed an obsessive fascination with Lydia and that had initially extended to Norina based purely on the similarities.
Now though, Erin had developed a unique fascination for Norina equal to her fascination with Lydia – Lydia who was like a puzzle, a very complex puzzle – Norina was like an open book to her, her much more innocent and vulnerable ways sparked a protectiveness for Erin – while she saw Lydia as the ‘Daughter of Shadow’ she had begun seeing Norina as her own ‘Little Dove’ – what had begun as a meeting of intimidation despite her sultry and flirtatious nature – Erin had managed to earn trust with Norina, who was no longer afraid of her.
Lydia was watching carefully; Erin was being playful, teasing.
“Are you cold my Little Dove; you look like you are shivering” she said; her tone a silken purr “Perhaps I should keep you warm”, hm?” her voice dripped with suggestive innocence as she gently pulled Norina close, wrapping her arms around her.
Lydia’s eyes narrowed; her gaze was fixed on Erin’s every move, looking for possible indications she might become a threat to her adopted sister, but what she was observing alleviated her concerns – Elizabeth was preoccupied with her own thoughts as she gently nudged her sister “I don’t trust them” she muttered, her voice barely a whisper
Lydia; without breaking her watching gaze replied “Erin is no threat; she is…, softening”
“Perhaps” Elizabeth conceded “But they are still part of the Imperium; they are American Cultists; they are a whole different breed of fanaticism”
“Experience?” Lydia quarried, a subtle poke at Elizabeth’s past loyalties to their father; it wasn’t missed by Elizabeth who narrowed her eyes “My point Elizabeth; sooner or later, by action or realisation; perhaps even intervention of something expected or even unexpected; views and actions can be changed” she slowly shifted her gaze towards her older twin “Simply watch them; you’ll notice it, you can see it” her expression remained unchanged
Elizabeth thought for a moment, but she let out a sigh “Alright…, I understand what your getting at, I still feel like we’re walking into a trap”
Lydia shook her head “No” she said simply “I feel Erin can be trusted; the brother there…, I am uncertain of, and as for the eldest brother; well…, we have yet to encounter him”
Lombardy, Italy
The Cultist Bureau
A stench of stale wine and unwashed bodies – sweat wafted through the dank air, and it hung heavily – all day the Cultists had been searching; the ambush had failed, Cathryn, Elizabeth, Lydia and Norina had escaped them – Albert the British Cultist that had led their plan had been badly beaten; various stab wounds laced his left side, he’d been stabbed multiple times by Lydia’s small throwing knife during her desperate self-defence when he had try to violate her after their fight – his left eye, permanently damaged to the finely grinded glass she had managed to throw into his eyes, the right eye had barely escaped the same fate.
In the back; the Italian Cultists; Cult of the Wolf had gathered together around the table – Adamo, Frederico and Angelo spoke with concerned tones, they didn’t know what their next move needed to be – the American Cultists seemed to have disappeared, though they simply put it down to a possibility they just went on to continue their original goal – The Imperium had initially sent Morgan, Jakob and Erin to begin a search for an Ancient Temple near Verona, so it wasn’t all that strange they could be absent, they could be simply resuming their search – so, their absence was just overlooked.
For now, while they were waiting on what to do, Adamo suggested sending word to France – suggesting getting support from the French Cultists; ‘The Roosters’ to send some help, so far – the American ‘Brothers and Sisters of Liberty’ had been present through Morgan, Jakob and Erin – but the possibility of them following their original mission meant they were no longer present to help, then there was the ‘Cult of the Minotaur’ through Albert’s involvement – the British Cultists usually brought a degree of risk, and Albert’s single-minded goal had cost them the advantage – the French Cultists though ‘The Roosters’ had a tendency to work very well with the Cult of the Wolf – it made sense to send word of needing help to them – an agreement was reached, Adamo left to go and send the telegram.
Chapter 3
2nd of February, 1909 A.D.
Bandar Ganaveh, Qajar Persia
Away from the conflict developing in the Italian Kingdom; another conflict was brewing – Damir, was leaning against a table as he looked over various documents and maps of the region – since his arrival to the Sublime State of Iran; he had been rebuilding a fractured Anti-Cultist movement, using tactics he had learned from his time with the Serbian Army, and from his time travelling with Cathryn Langdon – he had so far mostly built up in Bandar Ganaveh.
He had hear word recently of his ally; Xian and his success in dealing with a Cultist outpost along the Chinese-Korean border, but, the content of the telegram warned of a potential problem coming his way in the form of an Indian Imperium Councilman named; Aarti – Xian’s only information present regarding Aarti simply stated he had been rooting out Anti-Cultists movements that threatened the Imperium’s search of ancient temples across the Subcontinent and Indochina.
A young Iranian came up towards Damir; Abbas – he looked at Damir carefully, using the carefully learned Serbian to communicate, he had moments that he struggled with the right word, but he did manage to get his question across ~”No…, do not worry; the Cultists serving the Imperium as are human as me and you Abbas”~ Damir chuckled with a subtle amusement as he answered in Persian rather than his native Serbian language
Gesturing towards some of the documents on the table ~”The only…, ‘Magic’ you’ll ever need to fear is within those Ancient Temple’s; they were not made by people; they seem to come from a more advanced species…, perhaps something far beyond what we can grasp”~ he told Abbas, his eyes returning to him
2nd of February, 1909 A.D. – The Early Hours
Lombardy, Italy
South of Motta Visconti
Jakob saw it first in the dim glow of the moonlight – they had been travelling through the night – they had avoided searches from the Cultists pursuing the group; and now, finally, they had reached the rendezvous – Erin, still keeping her focus on Norina had become much more aware of the younger girls increasing tiredness, while Lydia had never once let her attention drift, ensuring Norina remained safe with Erin; while Elizabeth – she had been deep in thought most of their journey.
With the chill air; their breath misted as Jakob led them inside of the building, it was strangely quiet…, no signs of life at all, while there had been signs of recent disturbance, so far, nothing stood out “I thought you said they’d be here” Elizabeth’s suspicion came racing to the surface, her eyes fixed on Jakob
“They should be here” Jakob responded “Morgan!” he shouted
In the back room; Morgan heard a shout that caused him to stir from his partial semi-conscious state; due to how long they had been waiting, they had decided to rest on a makeshift bed; Cathryn was laid close against him; his arms around her waist – he lifted his head, hearing the shout “Hmm…, finally” he commented quietly, his eyes drifting to Cathryn’s sleeping form
He adjusted his position, gently shaking Cathryn until she awoke “They’re here” he whispered “We need to get up before we’re seen if we intend to keep this secret for now”
Cathryn let out a low groan, her eyes fluttering; she still felt tired, her mind still clouded – slowly, she began to move, getting up to her feet as Morgan also got up.
“Go pretend to be going through documents and paperwork; I will go meet the others” he told her; a subtle authoritativeness laced his tone that Cathryn barely even registered – she nodded, moving in the direction of the table that had previously been the site of the intimate love-making, she shifted her attention lazily before picking up some stacks of paperwork and getting them messily over the table, making it seem as though she was lost in whatever was scattered about.
Morgan watched a moment – a flicker of something unreadable within his expression, he then left the room quickly smoothing down his hair and adjusting his clothing.
As he emerged from the backroom he wore a disarming smile “About time” he stated, his eyes first landing on his younger brother Jakob, then towards Erin – he noticed the way she was embracing Norina in front of her, he caused a moment of confusion “Hmm..” he then turned his eyes towards Elizabeth and Lydia – then it registered, his eyes flicked back to Norina in Erin’s arms then back to Lydia – they looked like twins, he knew Erin had an obsessive fascination with Lydia, so, as his eyes returned to Norina, he believed that, that was who she was – that it was Lydia, Erin had in her embrace – but as he glanced to the woman beside Elizabeth, she was the one with the dangerous aura about her – the bag strapped across from her shoulder; dangling along her hip with a Jian-Sword strapped to it – he began wondering who was who.
“What too you so long?” Jakob raised his eyebrow as he finally got a chance to make some distance from Elizabeth who had been a great test of his patience since he helped her in the forest against the Italian Cultists – her distrust of him had made working with her very difficult
“We was going over documents in the back” Morgan lied; his eyes landing on his brother
“Ah…, well…, we’re here now” Jakob walked past his brother; making his way to the back
Erin, who had previously been playfully teasing Norina and keeping her in a warm embrace to support her the more tired she had grown – Erin’s attention now shifted – her eyes narrowed, something didn’t make sense, her eyes drifted to the direction her brother had come from – ‘Why had Cathryn remained back instead of coming straight to her daughters?’ – Morgan noticed Erin’s expression “Erin; lets reunite the family together, shall we?”
Lydia; her expression betrayed nothing – but she too had noticed the same thing – her silvery-eyes were fixed on Morgan, when Erin moved, so did she; Elizabeth soon followed as well; they moved into the back room, she saw her mother leaning against the table, she didn’t have the same authoritative presence – something seemed off.
When Cathryn realised her daughters had finally been brought to safety it finally clicked in place, she was a little more aware, her eyes, landing on her girls pushed her next action – she moved without hesitation as she quickly went to them, hugging Norina first, then Lydia and then Elizabeth – Cathryn didn’t even register Lydia’s observation – didn’t recognise how Lydia was subtly analysing the entire scene “I was just letting them know we was going over our plans” Morgan said “Wasn’t we?”
Cathryn looked towards him, nodding as she looked back towards the table; she didn’t even know what was on the table; nothing really registered “Yeah…” she said quickly, agreeing with Morgan
Lydia’s eyes shifted; she looked towards Erin – Erin could see the look in her eyes, a waning trust that she had so delicately been trying to forge – it was being threatened, Lydia had noticed the same thing she had noticed – that something had clearly happened during the isolation between Morgan and Cathryn – Morgan kept taking the lead, Lydia’s eyes were narrowed.
Erin shifted her attention towards her brother “I suggest we get some rest, after all we need to ensure you reach safety and away from the Italian Cultists; we’ll be getting you to France” Morgan said
For now; Lydia decided to observe – to see exactly what Morgan was intending before she would intervene, the group would disperse around to find places to get rest; Morgan was oblivious to Lydia and Erin’s observation – how they already worked out what he and Cathryn had been dong during their isolation – Erin had recognised the subtle tactics of their Cultist upbringing – Lydia – she had noticed the similarities her mother displayed when she still lived at the Smythe Estate – he adherence to George’s lead.
Elizabeth and Norina had noticed something strange with Cathryn – but had put it down to tiredness, things had been difficult, so much had happened in the space of Twenty-Four Hours.
Lombardy, Italy
The Cultist Bureau
Awakening, Albert let out a pained groan, slowly pushing himself up – his vision swam into focus, he felt the tug along his ribs where he had been repeatedly stabbed, Angelo, noticing Albert waking up approaches him “Did you capture them?” Albert question, his voice strained
“No Signore” Angelo answered “We don’t know where they have disappeared too; they seem to have vanished”
Albert slowly positioned himself; getting back to his feet, gritting his teeth as he felt a surge of pain through his body ”Vanished?!” he snapped “How can they have ‘vanished’ there is only four of them, and they were separated!”
“Yet…, they vanished” he said slowly “We don’t even know where to begin our search, and not only that; we have suffered casualties…, a lot of them, they fought with surprising ferocity in that forest”
“They were separated, alone facing off with multiple threats; and yet…, they fought back that they could escape?” Albert’s eyes narrowed “Something is not right” his thought a moment, his gaze swept across the room “Where are the Americans?” he questioned, his voice laced with suspicion “The Mason siblings; where are the?”
Angelo shrugs “We are not sure; we suspect they have resumed the search for the Ancient Temple near Verona”
“Or…, perhaps they have betrayed us…, betrayed the Imperium” Albert placed his hand against his chin “Find them; now!”
Chapter 4
South of Motta Visconti
Cathryn found herself laying on the makeshift bed once again; she could feel the exhaustion cling to her like a shroud – her daughters were finally there, finally safe – but there was something that stood out to her, Lydia’s eyes – she noticed how she watched Morgan ‘Did she know?’ she thought – she was trying to work out if Lydia knew what she and Morgan had done – then she felt the shift.
It was a gentle movement as Morgan joined her on the makeshift bed; he eased beside her, his emerald green eyes holding a new warmth that seemed genuine to her; she shifted instinctively; welcoming him, her body responding to his presence, even as her mind was trying to catch up – he murmured something, soft words of concern asking about her rest “Tired…” she managed, her voice thick with sleep
He stroked her hair; his touch was light “You deserve the rest Cathryn” he paused for a moment, but his voice took on an imperceptible edge “I’ll be here no to help relieve those burdens; you can rely on me, I promise to protect you”
His words were like a warm blanket – it soothed her unease as she felt a pull to his rapidly growing influence, she wasn’t even questioning it, and it was noticeable – as Morgan continued to water the seed that had been planted; he kept working on those doubts, each word was a subtle shift, a gentle redirection to steer her towards passive dependence.
But it was working; Cathryn wasn’t offering any resistance – she didn’t even notice any of it, it had been so quick, she still hadn’t caught up with what had happened since his advance; since their physical interaction – she just found comfort in him.
Unseen from the shadows; Lydia was observing – her eyes had narrowed, she held a predatory stillness; she saw the subtle shifts in her mother – her hand rested against the hilt of her Jian sword – she observed how her mother’s body seemed to relax too easily, the vacant expression present in her face – she knew something was wrong.
The only thing keeping her from striking was her mother herself – did her mother have genuine feelings or was it all a result of manipulation, she needed to understand what she was dealing with before she could act – why did her mother, someone as formidable as her – succumb so easily to such an insidious influence.
In the room adjacent; Erin was also awake she had chosen to sleep in the same room as Lydia and Norina; it was to prove something – she made no effort to stop Lydia when she had left the room – she understood what was going through Lydia’s head.
Erin’s eyes drifted to Norina’s sleeping form as she thought – her Older Brother could risk everything she had been building with Lydia – and now, Norina, she didn’t want to be part of whatever it was her brother was up too; she decided to find out in the morning, to avoid him ruining everything she had been trying to build – she felt that there was too much risk to not do something.
When the sun had finally risen; Erin discovered Morgan with Jakob – they were clearly in a heated discussion as she approached them “Have you heard this Erin” Jakob scoffed – normally, Jakob was the more reserved, the balancing element of their dynamic – now, he certainly wasn’t – something had happened before she had found them
“Heard what?” she queried; her hands resting behind her back, her voice devoid of emotion
“He has no interest in returning to the Brothers and Sisters of Liberty; he claims he wants to abandon the Imperium” Jakob looked to his younger sister “A traitor” his eyes returned to Morgan, Erin was surprised at this news, she looked towards her elder brother carefully
“What has brought this decision about?” Erin asked carefully
“The Anti-Cultist” Jakob shot, his eyes returning to his sister “See what has happened with those seeds you have planted dear sister; you have begun a break up of our family unit; he’s decided that, ‘that thing’ he saved is more important than our family, our loyalties to the Imperium” he hissed at her; Erin barely acknowledge him beyond a raised eyebrow
“Watch your tongue little brother” Morgan said slowly; his voice a low rumble, his hand rested against the revolver in its holster
“I refuse to go along with this; I understood the reason behind saving them, because, yes; I do agree a young woman was at risk of being forced into something she didn’t want; but I am drawing the line at joining them and abandoning our loyalties!” Jakob snapped, his eyes fiery as he looked at Morgan
“What reason could you have to abandon your long-held loyalties all of a sudden, what has happened between you to bring this change” Erin questions; she kept her voice devoid of any emotion; she knew he and Cathryn had done something while alone, but now, she needed to dig a little deeper, perhaps even get Lydia the answer she is searching for – after all, Lydia wasn’t far, Erin knew she would be near and listening
“Love” Morgan simply stated, his eyes landing on Erin, he had a strange look to his eyes, he was speaking truth, but, as she observed, he was trying to force her into submission
“I’m out; good luck; Erin, come on” he began moving, but noticed Erin never moved to join him – he looked towards her with a raised eyebrow, then something clicked “Oh…, not you as well”
Erin simply shrugged; Morgan watched as Jakob stormed off, his eyes falling to his sister – Erin shifted her gaze towards him “I do strongly advise you don’t become a threat; or it may bring the wrath of her daughters upon you” Morgan raised his eyebrow, he hadn’t yet worked out she knew what he was doing
“Erin; just don’t say anything for now; I know that Cathryn’s daughters won’t be…, accepting, and this has only just started, I am not wanting to risk it breaking down by revealing we’re…, involved.., not yet anyway, I want to be certain that we both agree on our direction before she brings it up to them” Morgan told her
Erin simply nodded; she wasn’t going to reveal anything to her brother – but she knew, she was certain of it; that Lydia had been near, that she was gathering information, judging on a course of action
Lombardy, Italy
The Lombard Countryside
At a crumbling farmyard; a group of men huddled around one holding a map; they had so far been searching a large area with difficulty – they had found no signs of Cathryn and her daughters or the American Cultists; they were at a loss on where to continue their search, that was, until one of the American Cultists finally made an appearance – Jakob had returned.
Escorted to the Cultist bureau; Jakob revealed to Albert about what had been happening; revealing his older brother’s intention to abandon the Imperium under, claiming he’d fallen in love – Albert scoffed at this “Tell me then…, where was you hiding?” Albert questioned, leaning against the table to try easing some of his physical pain
“There is an abandoned building just south of Motta Visconti; that is where they are currently staying, they are planning on what their next move is” Jakob revealed
“Then…, we have our destination” Albert declared; a grin present on his face
Written By: Westley H.
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