Fires both sacred and profane

Fires both sacred and profane - Chapter four


Art thou pale for weariness
Of climbing heaven and gazing on the earth,
Wandering companionless
Among the stars that have a different birth,
And ever changing, like a joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy?
(Percy Bysshe Shelley)

He drowns in his dreams
An exquisite extreme, I know
He is as damned as he seems
And more heaven than a heart could hold
And if I tried to save him
My whole world could cave in

He's magic and myth
As strong as what I believe
A tragedy with
More damage than a soul should see
(Beautiful Disaster, Kelly Clarkson)

Schloss Ritter was as quiet as ever when Grace returned. Still fuming she parked the car in front of the castle, got out and slammed the door shut. She didn't bother to lock it, if someone did her the favour of stealing it she wanted it to be as easy as possible. It wouldn't be easy to fool Gerde, so she wanted it all out of her system before meeting her again. She closed the heavy door with a sigh and got out of her cape. But she wasn't tired. Anger was a welcome energy and she knew just how to use it this time. When Gerde gave her a gentle hug Grace felt more at ease, there was someone who cared after all.

"Grace, Liebes, where have you been? I've been sick with worry! Did you find Gabriel?"

"Yeah, I found him alright! He's with von Glower, can you believe it? After all our efforts to save him! Not that I care anyway but he could've made his choice sooner and spared us all the trouble we went through!"

"Oh Grace, I'm so sorry!" Gerde was aghast but she tried very hard not to let it show. Grace's bitter indifference she didn't believe for a minute.

"Save your pity for those who actually deserve it!" Grace snapped, her eyes ablaze. "I'm sorry, Gerde. It's been a long day. Lemme go upstairs to clean up the Schattenjäger library. If the Smiths should ask about me, I'm taking a nap!" She smiled a crooked smile and went up the stairs, her chin held up high.

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It wasn't a long way to the lodge but Gabriel felt restless throughout the whole drive. He had not had a chance to talk things out with Friedrich as yet and having read the Baron's letter at long last had not made things easier at all. Why was he so tounge-tied all of a sudden? And why wouldn't Friedrich take that load off his shoulders by starting a conversation already? As if prompted by Gabriel's frantic thoughts the Baron began to speak of all kinds of things. The weather, sports, books he had read and so forth. Clearly he didn't intend to make things any easier and he seemed to enjoy it too.

"Friedrich, I've been thinkin'......." Gabriel began with a lump in his throat. "I mean.....ah, Gawd, I feel like a kid on his first date!" He ran one of his hands through his hair and smiled a strained little smile and looked away, but the landscape didn't hold much interest, not enough to keep him captivated anyhow.

"Do you, mein Liebling? Am I scaring you that much?" The Baron smiled impishly, brushing Gabriel's arm with his hand.

"Ya know that's not it. I mean.......... Gawd, watch out!" It was the easy way out and Gabriel jumped at the opportunity like a drowning man would hold on to a life-guard. "I don't wanna die 'cause you don't pay attention........"

"You little cheater!" The Baron chuckled with delight as he began to focus on the street again.

"Could ya stop at that gas-station? I need some coffee and a smoke!"

Gabriel had not smoked since having quit for Grandma Knight's sake but now he needed the relief of a Malboro Light.

"Mein Schatz, we're almost at the lodge. We have loads of coffee there but....I'm afraid that I'd prefer it if you didn't smoke. It leaves a horrible aftertaste.........in the air." The Baron drank in every bit of Gabriel's confused expression and finally relieved the tension by adding three innocent sounding words. Each and every one of Gabriel's reactions to his implied endearments amused and delighted him, but this one warmed his heart. Poor innocent, he thought, there are endless pleasures ahead, if you have the courage to grasp your fortune!

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Gerde had followed Grace into the library, determined to help. Grace's tense movements enlarged the chaos rather than getting rid of it and it pained Gerde to watch. Grace was stuffing Gabriel's abandoned ,manuscript pages into the already overflowing dustbin and the pages seemed to have a life of their own. They just would not remain in the bin.

"Damn you, get in there!" Grace gave the bin a kick which had the opposite effect. It sent all the pages flying on the floor.

"I'll do it! You take care of the books on the desk!" Gerde intervened. The whole stack of papers was taken care of within a few seconds. Gerde watched Grace who was putting the books back in the shelves. Her movements were tense and fierce and the books thanked her with refusing to fit in correctly.

"Let me do it........." Gerde proposed gently.

"Who cares anyway?" Grace dropped one of the books angrily. "There, do it."

"Gracie, just stop! Stop!" Gerde put her hands on Grace's tense shoulders.

"No, I have to type some letters for......." Gracie's eyes were filled with tears as the tension began to rise higher and higher.

"No, dear. I want you to stop. Don't fix anything, just look at me, Gracie!"

"There, looked at you! Can I get this done now?"

"What do you really want, Gracie? You can tell me, you know that!" Gerde pulled Grace into a warm, supportive hug. She knew exactly what Grace was going through and she intended to help her in any way possible. She felt Grace's shoulders slump and her slender body began to tremble in her embrace.

"I'll never have what I really want......." The muffled cry came from her left shoulder where Grace's head was resting. "Gerde, don't you see? He will never come home. He will never.......come back."

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"Geez, Friedrich, when you said we'd have a great dinner I had the crazy idea that we might end up at some fancy restaurant!" Gabriel smirked in mock horror. Both men stood in the lodge's big kitchen, all ready to start cooking.

"A very understandable error, mein Alles. I won't have you do much, don't worry. Use this knife to chop the onions for the roasted duck." The Baron handed Gabriel a sharp knife with a handful of small onions.

"Aw, those are tiny!"

"And tasty! Now get to work! I bet you'll start to cry with the first onion!" The Baron's eyes were twinkling mischievously.

"I take that bet! What does the loser get?"

"Tempting question.....how about a Truth or Dare option?"

"Deal!" They shook hands to confirm the bet. "And I just know what I'm gonna ask ya..."

"Oh, and I know what I'll have you do....... Well, back to work now!" Friedrich smiled....in a way that reminded Gabriel of a cat he had once seen. The cat which had just eaten his pet rat....

Gabriel began to chop but the onions were slippery little things. Their scent stung his eyes mercilessly and rubbing his eyes didn't help. He felt his eyes going moist but rather than wiping the tears away he cut the onion more ferociously. With the result that the knife sliced his index finger open with a nasty vengeance. The cut wasn't too deep but the blood gushing from it reminded Gabriel of the last blood he had seen....and it made him sick. His little moan as well as the smell of the blood alerted Friedrich immediately.

"Gabriel! Show me your hand!" The Baron demanded, his voice urgent.

"I'll just hold it under cold water...ah..." Gabriel couldn't finish his sentence because the Baron had yanked his hand from behind his back and inspected it with knowing eyes.

"Can't let that get infected........" The Baron's voice was brimming with emotion as he brought Gabriel's cut finger to his lips. He licked away the heavy red drops and began to suck gently to clean the cut.

"Gawd....no....don't........Friedrich.....no......." Gabriel protested weakly. Lord, how warm and gentle those lips were. He felt the tip of the Baron's tounge teasing him gently by darting back and forth like that of a snake. It felt so...marvelous. A hot wave flooded through Gabriel's veins, he felt his good hand reaching for the Baron's bent down head to press him closer..... Gawd, don't ya dare to stop now.....

The Baron's hot breath caused his skin to tingle and his knowing chuckle went through Gabriel's being like no sound ever before. The Baron's lips had long since left the still throbbing wound and his tounge wandered down the dried up trails of the blood. He had to use his tounge more because the blood was dried up....more paradise on earth.....he felt his skin screaming for more as the Baron released his hand with a mysterious smile.

"There, mein Schatz, that should do it........" The Baron rasped with barely suppressed lust.

Gabriel heard himself say "Nah, not by a long shot...mein...Liebster?" and strangely.......it felt so right at this moment.


TO BE CONTINUED

Translations:

Liebes= Dear