Uncovered Project: False Prophets: Part One

False Prophets was my attempt back in the day to create my own version of Fullmetal Alchemist, which I'm sure you'll pick up on right away. The story is told from the perspective of three siblings, Roz, Jules, and Gerard, who are trying to find a away to return their lives to normal.

The goal of all Alcherists is to have a Dream. 

Dreams are the manifestation of their soul and power. The Dream takes shape to protect the Alcherist during battle. For some Alcherists it may take them years and for others a Dream may never come. Once a Dream is had the Alcherist may be so overcome that they are ripped apart by their own power. But for those lucky few who are able to have their Dreams and handle the raw emotional power and force, they become Masters in the art of Alcheringa and the highest of all authority in all of magic.

Roz

May 5th, 1897

General Leopold was gracious, after we returned to Quinto he gave us a week of R&R that we could spend as we saw fit. Fit for us was at home where we would sleep for the first day, then enjoy the company of Colonel Arthur Logan and his wife Sara who had legally adopted us when our father died. They took care of us while we prepared to take our licensing exam and became of age to enter the military. Gerard and I became the youngest licensed alcherists at Her Majesty’s Royal Order of Magicians. Hard to believe that was only five years ago.

Our first day back all we did was sleep, which was common for us. All the travel and the fighting with our alchera drained us and sleep was the best medicine. But when we woke up Sara had prepared for us a huge breakfast feast featuring all out favorite foods. She must have been working on it for hours. It had to be massive in order to house Gerard’s ravenous appetite. 

None of us had known what it was like to have a mother. Our Aunt Imogene, back home at Kalton Grove, was close, but she was more friend and teacher that parent. But Sara took to the role so well. From the moment she knew she and her husband would be taking us in she had been nothing short of a miracle for us. Gerard and Jules’ mother had abandoned them and their father when they were quite young so Gerard was almost against Sara. Now he loves her and adores her. I never knew my mother aside from the stories at Ludlow. Apparently, she was just as crazy as Greenway, my father. For all I knew though she was dead. 

Sara watched as we ate, the smile on her face soft and warm, the look in her eyes flooding with love. She then raised her hands and aimed them at Gerard and she began signing.

“Jules and I were going to go to the library.” Gerard answered, motioning to the pile of books Clara had given us. “We were going to go register them there to be put in Her Majesty’s library and then study them for a while. And Roz has a lecture at the college.” Gerard said while also signing. 

Sara smiled then turned to me and signed with her hands. “I guess Jean-Paul didn’t want Gerard again.”

I laughed and signed back. “We can’t afford Gerard to fly off the handle again. It’ll give us a bad reputation.”

Sara cupped her hand over her mouth, her sign for laughing. Gerard was scowling at us, but he wouldn’t dare raise his voice around Sara, even if she couldn’t hear him. Sara could sense it though and the look in her eyes would hurt Gerard more than anything. He was the closest to Sara because of his Sign Language alchera and he could understand Sara better than any of us.

Arthur came into the kitchen, patting Jules and Gerard on the back then dipping down and kissing me on the forehead. “Sorry I over slept. Jon kept me late last night.” I saw cuts and a bite mark on his hands. They had been questioning Albert last night. He bent over and kissed Sara then who jumped up to make his coffee.

Arthur grunted as he sat down. “You gonna need a ride to the lecture hall Roz?” He asked.

I nodded. “I’d appreciate it.” I adored Arthur. He could never replace the father that Gerard and Jules father had been to me but he was pretty close. He was a big guy. Tall, thick and sturdy like a tree. He had to wear huge coke bottle glasses most of the time and he kept his face neat-scruffy. His red hair was cut short and then slicked back with gel. Despite his slick red hair his eyebrows were dark and curly.

“We’re the ones with a heavy load of books.” Gerard scoffed, his mouth full of pan fried potatoes. “You could offer us a ride too.”

“Only if you ask me nicely.” Arthur looked over at Jules and winked. 

Gerard huffed. “Fine then, please may you give us a ride?”

Arthur leaned back. “I dunno, it is out of my way.”

Sara slapped him gently on the shoulder as she handed him his coffee. She then looked up at Gerard and signed. “He will give you boys a ride too. Don’t let him pick on you like that. Better yet, don’t let him fluster you.”

Gerard smiled then went back to his food.

I wiped my mouth and stood. “I better go and get ready then.”

Afterwards, Arthur took the boys base and to the library and then he dropped me off at the college lecture hall. Gerard was the better teacher but only if it were for small groups of very dedicated future alcherists. Most of the students that were in the auditorium were there to fill in quotas, finish term papers, or sleep. I admit I was a little peeved myself but I went through the motions.

“War Paints were of the first sectors in Alchera that the creators perfected. They thought the paints not only made them look like gods but that the natural ingredients in the paints attached them to the gods and allowed them to feed from their power.” I studied the faces. By this point I was able to tell who were the truly devote, the genuinely interested, and the ones with their thumbs up their ass. I also saw in the crowd some of General Leopold’s men. Since Leopold was an alcherist himself, he often had his men sit in on special lectures in all the magic fields. Today I saw Major Carter Lady, who was a wizard, and beside him Captain Benjamin Bradley. 

Both were best friends of Leopold, in fact they were a apart of Leopold’s 12 Chosen Ones. Major Lady was a terrific wizard, but he was also a powerful fighter. He was gifted at hand to hand combat and was the captain of the Quinto base wrestling team. But I didn’t care much for Major Lady, he was a boozer and a womanizer. Captain Bradley was one of the best shots in the military, second only to Captain Alisa Honeycutt. Arthur had set Bradley and me up on a date once and we had talked on and off along with several coffee dates. I had liked him ever since we first set foot on base. His wheat colored hair hung shaggy on his head laying slightly flat from his hat, sitting on the desk top, and glancing across his thick eyelashes and dark green eyes. His chin was smooth, which was normally scruffy with a constant five o’clock shadow. He was chewing on a pencil when he’d rather be smoking.

“Uh…” I turned around and coughed and quickly erased the board. “So,” I swiftly turned back around, “any questions?”

A student raised their hand, “is it possible for you to do a demonstration?”

I pursed my lips and nodded. “I suppose I could.” I moved over to my case full of all my war paints and pulled out the one made of cinnamon, spring water, nutmeg, and crushed honeysuckle. The paste was the consistency of regular glue and smelled exotic. With it I painted my face to where I looked near exotic myself and then dotted the back of my hands.

I did a few signs with my fingers and then from my hands sprang honeysuckle vines that danced and moved like a puppet on strings. The crowd seemed interested. And after a few more demonstrations with other paints, some various questions and snide comments the seminar was over.

I cleaned myself up then started packing up my paints when Bradley and Lady came walking down from the bleachers. Bradley smelled like cigarette smoke and cologne. 

“Want some help?” He asked.

I smiled up at him, “uh, sure.”

“You never cease to amaze,” Major Lady said, he reached out towards my face and wiped at my forehead with his thumb. “You missed a spot.”

I hate that he’s here too. I can always feel him making eyes at me whenever we’re in the same room. His dark eyes seemed to squint when he smiled at me and he seemed almost smug that he had touched me. I’ll admit, I would have been able to put up with Major Lady had it not been for an event where he had taken out the boys and Jules came home with alcohol poisoning and Gerard a busted face and broken knuckles. On top of that I couldn’t help but notice that Major Lady had bruised knuckles.

“Thanks,” I try to say as politely as I can. 

Major Lady picked up one of my cases. “I don’t think those kids realized who was talking to them.”

“They should.” Bradley scoffed, picking up the other. “But kids these days. They’d rather go around in their cars than read a book.” He was lighting a cigarette as we walked outside. “So, how long are you back for?”

“A week,” I answered. “But that was on Monday.” 

“And where does Jon have you knocking about after that?” Carter asked, my case hefted upon his shoulder.

I wished he could sense he wasn’t wanted and go away. “I’m not sure yet.” I replied shaking my head. “You know how Leopold is, he always has the three of us going off somewhere.” I then noticed some bruises around Major Lady’s knuckles and I thought about the scratches on Arthur’s hands this morning. “Any leeway on Albert?” I asked.

Major Lady smirked. “Aw hell, the best thing we’ve gotten outta him so far are a few teeth.”

Bradley gave him a scowl. “Now surely, the lady doesn’t want to hear such grotesque things like that.”

“Are you kidding?” I laughed. “Hearing that is just the thing I needed.” I looked ahead, trying to suppress my smug smile. “He knows about Greenway,” I mutter gravely. “Let him rot in his cell for all I care.”

“Ouch.” Major Lady laughed, pleased. “I had never believed Gerard’s horror stories about you.”

I smirked. “Gerard isn’t a liar.” We came upon Bradley’s jeep and they hefted my cases inside. Major Lady then took me by the hand and kissed my knuckles.

“I’m afraid this is where our company must end, Saint Lady Roz.” He kissed my knuckles again then helped me into the jeep. He saluted as we pulled away and I was finally relieved.

I held my hair back against the wind as we drove, unfortunately in silence. It wasn’t until Bradley dropped me off at the house that he said anything to me at all.

“Since you don‘t have to leave till Sunday, how about we have dinner before then.” He said just as we got to Arthur’s.

“Yeah,” I gasped. “That sounds great.”

He set my cases down on the front steps and winked. “I’ll see you then.” He took my hand and kissed it. Our fingers lingered for a moment before he left.

I was nearly breathless when I got inside. I noticed high stacks of books by the door and I could hear Jules and Gerard arguing in the kitchen. I sat my cases by the door and went to join them and was overcome by a horrible smell and a cloud of smoke.

Gerard was roaring, “you said-”

“Da-don’t blame this on me,” Jules snapped, his old stutter resurfacing faintly. “It was your idea fa-from the get go.”

“What are you two doing?” I blurted as I joined into the argument. I saw that they had the backdoor open. Jules was waving it open and closed to suck out the pungent smoke and Gerard was standing over the smoldering oven and a giant mess.

My jaw dropped and I shrieked, “Sara is going to kill you!”

“We‘re going to clean it up. Don‘t yell at us!” Gerard sneered as he slammed the oven shut.

I walked deeper into the belly of the beast and looked over the war zone on the counter top. “What were you two trying to do?”

“Bake,” Jules answered.

I laughed, “come on guys, really?”

“Seriously!” Gerard barked. “It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday and we wanted to leave something for Sara.”

I was shocked. “Then why didn’t you ask me?”

The boys looked at each other and shrugged. “Because we were going to have you do the icing for the cake so that way it was like we all made it.” Gerard opened the oven back up, “but I guess no one is going to be having this cake.” He said looking at the extremely large piece of char in the pan.

We hadn’t ever celebrated Mother’s Day before. Honestly, the boys never had to because their mother abandoned them and I never did because I had no clue if my mother was alive or dead. Other times we were away on assignments and could never really do anything about it.

I started wishing Aunt Imogene had taught the boys to cook along with me but it’d be this same old mess and she would of given up.

“Lets just clean up for now and we can start fresh tomorrow.” I started by picking up a bowl and swiping off the contents of the counter into it.

We were very nearly done cleaning the entire kitchen when the phone rang. Jules answered, “hello? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Is tha-tha-that possible? I’ll let them know, sa-sir.” It was obviously Leopold, Jules added sir to the end of everything when he talked to Leopold. He so greatly respected the man because a lot of people said they looked alike. It’s a silly conclusion to draw but that was Jules.

Jules hung up the phone and turned to us, “Ah-ah-Albert escaped.”

Gerard and I froze and we all dropped what we were doing to go change into our uniforms and leave. I hurriedly left a message for Sara and then we shot out the door. By the time we got to Leopold’s office everyone was there and in such a tizzy. Leopold always had his office so tidy but now it looked as if a storm has passed through it.

Leopold eyes‘ flicked up onto us, dark slate. He had taken off his uniform jacket and tie. His white shirt stark against his smooth, dark skin. We rarely ever saw him out of uniform, so this was a sign. We knew it wasn‘t good but now we knew it was much worse. “Where the hell have you three been?” Leopold roared at us as we ran into the room.

“Sorry,” Gerard barked, “we came all the way here from Arthur’s house. It took us some time but we are here now.”

I put my hand on Gerard‘s elbow. “Is it true, sir?” I asked to avoid a bigger argument between the two. “Did he really escape? But it has only been three days!”

Leopold’s anger started ebbing. “Yes,” he seethed and then he swiped his hand across the desk, knocking off papers and his lamp. “Three days! Three fucking days!” He slammed his fist down onto his desk, startling his right-hand-woman Captain Alisa Honeycutt. “We’re keeping constant watch over the chimeras.” He added suddenly.

“Ya-you kept them alive?” Jules gasped horrified.

Leopold snapped him a look but continued, “we have reason to believe he’ll be back to claim them. We also fear he’s out there creating more.”

“But how?” Gerard stood aghast. “How the hell did he escape?”

Leopold’s brow creased harshly. “He killed two prison guards and five of his cellblock mates. Not to mention the five men he injured on his way out the front door!” He slammed his fists onto the top of his desk again, this time making Major Julia Wordsworth jump. Honeycutt and Wordsworth exchanged looks then went on with their work.

“Who were the guards?” I asked hesitantly. 

“I can’t remember the names of the guards he killed at the moment.” Leopold groaned as he rubbed his head. “Of the five men he injured…Arthur was one along with Ben, Carter, and two Privates.”

My heart sank. “Are they okay?”

“They’re in the hospital. Arthur has a broken arm, I believe. And Captain Bradley was stabbed clean through.” I felt like crying. I had only just been with both Bradley and Major Lady. How could this have happened all so fast? “Major Lady got the worst of it, but he’s awake and shouting at nurses.” I cupped the back of my hand, the hand both men had kissed. Leopold pulled out the flat gold case to  remove a cigarette. He lit it with the tip of his finger. “Dammit.” He cursed as he inhaled.

“What do you need us to do?” Gerard asked.

Major Wordsworth came forward then. “Just before his escape we were able to get some information about Dr. Kirk Greenway from him.” My heart stopped just then. I stopped breathing and Gerard grabbed a tight hold of me. “Albert revealed to us that Greenway is specifically after you three, using various methods to break you and bring you in so that he may use you in his continuing experiments. Albert just happens to be his main means.”

“So you’re going to use us as bait?” Gerard replied, disgusted. I looked to him, wide eyed. How had he drawn that conclusion?

Leopold smashed his cigarette flat with his palm. “For once in your life shut the hell up, Baptiste! As you commanding officer I order you to shut the hell up and do as you are told! Is that understood?”

I clutched onto Gerard’s elbow and pulled him back. “There’s obviously something you’re not telling us.” I said, looking back at Leopold.

Leopold retracted his hand and examined the burn from the cigarette. “You three do as you’re told and go with Major Wordsworth.” He sounded tired. His voice was cracking and I, for a brief moment,  saw lines on his face. But suddenly he sprang back up. “Now all of you get the hell out of my office!” He ordered. “Honeycutt!”

“Can you believe him?” Gerard snarled as we followed Major Wordsworth out into the hallway.

“It’s no big deal,” Major Wordsworth said. “We can’t say for sure when or where he’ll strike but we think it’s a safe bet you stay here at base.”

“What about Sara?” I inquired. “What if he goes straight to their house? Sara’s completely alone now that Arthur is in the hospital.”

“She’s being taken care of, I assure you.” Major Wordsworth pushed her curly brown hair back over her shoulder. “Leopold insisted she come stay with him until the coast was clear.” She nodded, “Alright? Now c’mon. We have your room set up.”

“Singular?” Gerard scoffed. “We only get one room?”

She cut him a killing look like she had Leopold. “Leopold’s right,” she hissed coldly. “You don’t shut up.”

If it weren’t for the fact Gerard had a crush on Major Wordsworth he probably would’ve acted like a kicked puppy. Instead he put on a brave face and acted like she hadn’t cut him to the quick. Major Wordsworth though was the kind of woman Gerard went after, dark coloring, leggy, and voluptuous. Gerard hated skinny, stick women. Women built like Alisa Honeycutt, who happened to be Jules’ type. Boys. I don’t think I’ll ever understand.

The room they had placed us in for the night was one of the dorms for the newly enlisted Privates during their training and boot camp. We had all stayed in such a room before, but before we had had separate quarters. Now the three of us were slammed into a 12X12 concrete room furnished with only a bunk bed, two desks, and a window that was sealed shut.

“This is bullshit,” Gerard growled as he fell down onto the bottom bunk.

The room smelled like boys. Like dirty socks fermenting in the corner and sweaty shirts and summer. It smelled like how Gerard and Jules’ room used to smell back home. Only here it was severely more concentrated.

“It is partially our fault if you look at it.” Jules murmured.

Gerard scoffed. “Don’t say that.”

I stood, turning and facing them with a determined but gentle smile. “Does anyone want to go to the hospital?” I asked to change the subject. “To check up on Arthur and the others.”

“Nope,” Gerard snubbed indigently. “I can’t unless Leopold orders me too.”

Lord knows I wanted to slap the hell out of the boy. “You’re acting like you’re five, Gerard! Of course he was pissed. He’s worried. And whether you want to believe me or not he’s worried about you too.” I turned to the door and put my hand on the handle, I turned and looked up at Jules on the top bunk. “Do you want to come with me?”

Jules jumped down. “Please,” he replied. I knew he didn’t want to be left alone in a  room with a fuming Gerard. Gerard had a way of deflecting all his anger and faults onto even the most innocent of people, so we left him alone to blame the bedpost. By the time we got back Gerard would hopefully be calmed down.

“I hate it when he gets like that.” Jules stuffed his hands into his pockets. “You can’t say anything to him.” 

“He’s annoying but I can handle him.” I had my arms folded tightly across my chest. “It’s when you get angry I have to leave.”

Jules looked up at me in disbelief. “You’re kidding.”

I smile at him. “You hardly get angry but when you do it scares me. I can’t explain it.” I said shrugging. “It’s always the quiet ones.” We both broke into huge grins and we continued our walk in silence for a moment longer. 

Jules spoke then, “you scare Gerard when you get mad.”

I smiled and linked my arm with Jules’. “I know.” I laughed, “I'm glad of it.”

The nurse who saw us first at the hospital recognized us instantly and directed us to Arthur. Sara was there and was peeling him an orange.

Arthur smiled up at us as we came inside, “I was wondering when I’d be seeing you three.” Sara turned and her beautiful smile brightened our mood. 

“Three?” Jules asked.

When I saw Gerard standing behind us I felt relieved. I took his elbow into the cup of my hand and pulled him forward. “Sorry we’re a little late.” Gerard sighed and patted the back of my head. “We got yelled at by Leopold and shoved into a cell of our own.”

Sara signed with her hands and asked with them, “dorm?”

“Yes, dorm,” Gerard laughed and took the seat beside her. 

I sat down next to Arthur on the bed and he put his arm around my shoulders and grinned up at me. “Bradley is in the next room if you want to see him.”

I blushed. “I suppose I should say hello.”

Sara put her hand over her mouth, her form of giggling then signed, “whenever are you two going to get married? I so want to plan a wedding.”

Gerard tapped her on the top of her head. “I told you no one is good enough for her.” He scolded.

“I heard Major Lady got the worst of it.” I said. “Have you heard anything?”

“He had a good deal of surgery.” Arthur said. “But I think he’s fine now.”

Gerard nodded. “I’ll go visit him.”

“I would like to too.” I chimed in quickly. “I mean uh…I only just saw him this morning. And Albert is our problem, I owe it to him.” I stood up then and smoothed out the front of my blouse. “I suppose I should go visit with Captain Bradley before we go then.” I left the four of them laughing and I went to Bradley’s room next door. 

The door was open and I could see him from the hallway laying in bed with his head turned and staring out the window. I knocked on the doorframe. “May I come in?”

He turned his head suddenly and he smiled. “Hey.” He forced himself up onto his elbows. “Here visiting Arthur?”

Even with the scent of disinfectant and hospital overpowering most everything I could still smell him, his cologne and the smell of his cigarettes. “Yeah. I thought I should pay you a visit.” I sat down by his bed and put my hands on the sheets. “How are you feeling? Leopold said you were stabbed clean through.”

He pulled back the sheets and his gown to reveal his waist wrapped over and over with gauze, but blood had seeped through where the hole was. “Gruesome, eh?” He dropped the sheets and braced his back against the head board. “I suppose this cancels out our date.”

I shrugged, my heart sunk. “I guess.”

“But I guess with the hole in my gut and the fact Albert is literally out for your blood we might have to take a long rain check.”

I took his hand in mine and squeezed it reassuringly. “Occupational hazard I guess.” I added a smile.

Bradley lowered his eyes took a deep breath then looked back up at me with determination replacing the disappointment. “I was planning on doing something that night. Mind if I go ahead with it now before I loose nerve?”

I nodded. “Sure. Go-” His lips planted firmly on mine. I braced my hand on his shoulder. I had been wanting this for such a long time but something felt so incomplete.

He pulled back and rubbed his thumb across my bottom lip. “Normally I wouldn’t wait so long with a girl. But I think I have a chance with you.”

I laughed. “A chance at what I might ask?”

Bradley just smiled. “I think you know what.”

We talked for a little while after that about frivolous things and then Gerard and Jules got me so we could pay a visit to Major Lady and the privates that Albert had also injured. When we arrived at Major’s Lady’s room he was shouting at a nurse. He then quieted down when he saw us and laughed out loud, the nurse ran out.

“Can you believe the doctor actually gave me explicit instructions not to have sex?” Major Lady complained to us shortly after we came in.

“I guess your reputation runs deep,” Gerard grinned. He was sitting by the bed while Jules leaned against the wall beside him. Major Lady had insisted I sit on the bed beside him.

Major Lady looked up at me and said, “no offense.” He reached out and took my hand in his. His rubbed his thumb across my knuckles. “I don’t mean to offend a real lady.” He was a gentleman when he wanted to be. And don’t get me wrong, I do hold a fondness for Major Lady, he’s a good man, when he wanted to be.

I laughed. “Oh? And here I was thinking there were two ladies in the room.”

Major Lady laughed loudly, which he always did anyways. “That’s right! I forgot myself.”

Jules sighed. “I can’t see how you’re so loud. You look like one of those photos in the textbooks.”

Major Lady scoffed and rolled his eyes. “It’s going to take more than a psychopath to stop me. So what if I have two broken ribs, a broken pelvis, an aneurysm, and a possibly useless left eye?” His free hand covered the gauze taped to his left eye. “As long as I can still drink, have women, work in the military, and have women I’ll always come back for more.”

Gerard grinned and pumped his fist for Major Lady. “Isn’t that all any of us can hope for.”

Major Lady grinned like a tough bastard but there was a solemnity to him. “What I’m hoping for is that you guys finish that Albert bastard off. One of those guards was one of my best drinking buddies. Arnold Harold. Great guy. Mention him when you get Albert in the corner.”

Jules nodded, “we will. Any requests for you?”

Major Lady tried to shrug but failed, wincing in pain and covering just in time so he wouldn’t think we noticed. “Ah well, I am a little sore about my eye.”

I went against my better judgment and lifted up his hand, kissing his knuckles like he had mine that morning. “I think I can handle that.”

Major Lady laughed. “I never thought the Lady Saint Roz would bestow a blessing on little whore me.”

The nurse came in and shooed us off. Major Lady had an emergency surgery to get to. Apparently there was more wrong with him than he was letting on.

Gerard sighed at me. “You shouldn’t of done that.”

“I felt bad for him.” I looked at Gerard and half smiled. “When he held my hand I could feel him shaking.”

Gerard furrowed his brow some. “He did look pretty pale. I wonder what he didn’t tell us.”

“We better hurry to see the two privates,” Jules insisted. “Arthur said their names were Wilbert and Lancôme.”

When we got to the private’s shared room the one called Lancôme was gone. But Wilbert was up and when he saw us he started gushing. Apparently he had joined the military in hopes of seeing us. Not only that but he was practicing Alchera.

“My grandmother was an alcherist. My father had no interest in it but she hoped I would. I promised her I’d practice it when she died. I’m a man of my word!” He said everything in one breath. Now that was art.

“I’ve never heard of any Wilbert bloodlines,” Jules said. “Did she learn for herself?”

“We’re technically a family of Alchemists but my grandmother was a genius. She wanted to take the hardest paths possible. She believed it got her closer to God.”

Gerard smiled, he could always tell who were devote alcherists. “Well, in retribution for tonight I promise that I can help you out anyway I can once you’re well.”

Wilbert’s eyes lit up. “You will? That’s such an honor.”

“What of your friend, Lancôme?” I was peeling an apple for him. “Will he be back soon?”

Wilbert shrugged. “He’s been acting weird since it all happened. After he got back from surgery he…well…he got all creepy.”

“Probably shock.” Jules said this from experience.

“We should probably be getting back to our cell.” Gerard replied standing. He turned and smiled to Wilbert. “Whenever you’re ready to take on a Master let me know, Wilbert.”

“Sure,” Wilbert was breathless. “But call me Davis.”

We left Davis and on our way down the hall I caught the eye of a young man in a wheelchair. I wondered if he was Lancôme, because like Davis said he was creepy. His eyes made me shudder and all the way down the hall I could feel them on me.

May 6th, 1897

Early the next morning we were woken by a knock on our dorm door. It was a young cadet with a message for us. Gerard took it and he grimaced. “Leopold wants to see us.” He said, rubbing sleep from his eye. He slipped on his army jacket over his pajamas.

“I wonder what’s up?” Jules said as we watched Gerard pocket the note. “I hope its news on Albert.”

I agreed. “Me too. I want this whole mess over with.”

Gerard snickered. “Oh I’m sure. So you and Captain Bradley can get busy.”

I frowned at him. “Were you listening to us?” I lashed out and gripped onto his elbow. 

Gerard winced. “Not me!” He looked over at Jules.

“I happened by…” Jules muttered weakly.

I released Gerard and eyed Jules warningly. I stormed ahead of them the entire way to Leopold’s office. It had been cleaned, polished, and placed in order since our last visit. The only ones in his office now were Honeycutt and Wordsworth. Leopold looked up at us, laid his pen aside and folded his hands atop of his desk. His face was solemn and dark. He looked haggard and sleep deprived. 

“Sir?” Jules asked first.

Leopold huffed, set aside his cup of coffee and rubbed at the bridge of his nose hard. “Albert’s body was found just outside base.”

“What?” All three of us echoed one another.

Leopold dropped his head and ran his fingers through his white-gold hair. “The bastard was dead. They found his body in the bushes just behind the college.”

“Are you sure?” I gasped. “It could be some sort of trick.”

Leopold’s eye darkened. “No. We are positive it is Patrick Albert.” He glowered down at his pen then looked up at us. “You can remove yourselves from the dormitory and go back home. No point anymore.”

He sighed, the type of frustrated sigh that came before someone smashed a lamp. 

“What else is there, sir?” I asked.

Leopold looked up to his, his eyes finally focusing on me. “He mentioned Greenway.”

My insides churned and turned cold. Of course his name would come up. Kirk Greenway. The scourge of my existence and the main reason I was in the army at all. No wonder Leopold was frustrated, had he not died, Albert I could of led us to Greenway and I could finally do what I was supposed to do years ago. It sickened me to remember that this man was my father.

“And now nothing.” Gerard snarled.

“Nothing.” Leopold repeated.

Wordsworth lifted her ear from the receiver of a phone and cupped her hand over the mouthpiece. “Sir, it’s the hospital. They’re having complications with Major Lady’s surgery.”

Gerard looked Leopold dead in the eye. “But he only just had surgery yesterday.” He then looked at me. We had guessed he wasn‘t telling us the full truth. “Carter was fine then what-” 

Leopold gave Gerard the eye as he took the phone. “This is General Leopold.”

I was suddenly filled with dread. I remembered the young patient in the hospital who looked at me with familiar eyes and made my insides freeze. I tried to picture the scene at the prison. Albert using the blood of his cellmates at the guards. Rushing through the jail taking down Bradley and Arthur. Maiming Major Lady and the two young privates to gather more blood. He was headed out the front door of the prison which was an underground facility with only two ways of getting in and out. The door the main staff used was considered the front and it’s location was a cellar type door underneath the auditorium that both the military and the college used. 

Leopold laid down the phone calmly. “I’m going to the hospital.”

“Don’t!” I blurted breathlessly.

Leopold and the boys stared at me in shock. “Don’t?” Leopold inquired. “I have to check up on my man.”

“No,” I shook my head defiantly. “Sir, think about it. Where the front door to the jail is located. Where they found Albert’s body.” I watched his face for any sign of realization. “And this all may not make sense but Private Wilbert said his friend had been acting strangely ever since the event. Albert was knowledgeable in Human Alchera. Greenway was his master. Think! What if he new the alcheringa to trade bodies?” I whispered.

“Roz-” Gerard’s voice chocked off in his throat as my epiphany became his. “If that’s true then that means-”

“Albert is in the hospital,” Leopold whispered. A wicked grin came across his face. “The dirty bastard.” 

Jules jumped. “But we can’t act on anything. If we do then Albert won’t hesitate to attack the hospital.”

“But we aren’t sure of it yet.” Gerard argued. “What if that Lancôme kid does just have shell shock? What if Albert is really dead?”

Leopold shook his head. “But we can’t just ignore Roz’s theory. Body switching has been practiced in all forms of magic. Hell, Major Lady has done it several times on the battlefield. I even did it once back in school.” His eyes flashed then. “He was trying to trade bodies with Carter then wasn’t he?” He turned towards us. “That was his real target, not that boy.” He nodded, eyes widening, breath picking up. “He was trying to infiltrate us. Break in. But Carter wouldn’t heel.”

“If he did body switch,” Gerard quickly added. “What if he did die? What if we wrongly persecute this poor Lancôme kid?”

Leopold glanced over at Honeycutt. “Alisa, go down to the hospital for me and check up on Major Lady. Julia,” he snapped to Wordsworth, “I want you to check up on Arthur and Bradley and then go pay a visit to the two privates.”

The two ladies dropped everything they were doing. “Yes sir,” Alisa said with her cold as steel voice.

Julia placed her book of records on top of a filing cabinet. “I’ll alert you at you’re regular place if anything suspicious arises, Sir.” She replied.

“Alisa, you know what to do.” Leopold inquired.

Alisa stopped at the door, turned and pulled up the hem of her pants to reveal the pistol strapped to her ankle. “Sir, of course.” I liked Alisa, but there was always this professional chill to her. Alisa was the perfect soldier.

“You three and I will go the café just before the hospital and have coffee.” Leopold said, picking up his coat and rummaging through the pockets.

“Coffee?” Gerard was stunned.

Leopold produced his wallet and smiled smugly. “My treat of course.”

It was weird. We had been with Leopold in civilian life before but never outside a war zone or his office. We had never assumed the great General Jean-Claude Leopold had an outside life. But apparently while we were out he was living it up.

Leopold flirted with the waitress and sipped at his black coffee with just a little sweet almond. “Have you three heard from your cousin?”

He was talking about Haydee, the Queen of the country of Albion. We had been shocked to discover she was not only our cousin by blood, but that we were her heirs to the throne. It had been so long since we had last paid Haydee a visit. Leopold kept us on missions too much for us to even think about it.

“She worries about you,” Leopold continued. We had no evidence, but we suspected the Queen and Leopold had been having a secret affair for years. “I suggest after this whole mess clears up you schedule a lunch with her.”

Gerard grunted, ignoring his cake. “This is all way too weird.”

Leopold chuckled into his coffee. “Believe it or not but I am human. Same as you.”

Gerard rolled his eyes and remained silent as he picked up his cake and ate it. 

“It just seems so weird to be like this when something horrible could be going on,” Jules replied, cupping his iced tea. “The waiting is what kills me.”

“Back during the War of Athelney we young boys learned to hide our fear by changing the subject. Instead of bombs we talked of girls. Instead of gunfire our family. But I suppose those things are depressing for all of us.”

“What was wrong with Major Lady?” I asked, my heart pounding.

Leopold nodded. “The hospital needs blood so I’m going to give Carter my blood.” He looked up at me and chuckled again. “Has Carter ever told you how he has a huge crush on you?”

That’s when we heard the gunshot.

“Alisa,” Leopold jumped just as suddenly, throwing his arm out at us. “If it is Albert, you do not kill him!” He commanded. “We need him alive. Understand?” 

We nodded to him and he dropped his arm.

The hospital was already in horrible disarray and panic. There were more gunshots and shouting. We pushed on through the throng and came upon Alisa on the floor aiming her gun with one arm. The other was bleeding from the shoulder.

“Captain!” Leopold slid down onto the floor beside her, I took the other side, inspecting the wound on her arm.

“It was my own fault.” She explained and then fired another shot. “It got personal for me though.”

I glanced behind her at the children peering through blocking arms and brave nurses at us. Alisa always had a soft spot of kids despite her near robotic exterior.

I looked back at her and smiled. “I would of done the same, Captain. It was unavoidable at any cost.” I looked back at her wound and I saw it wasn’t a gunshot. It looked like she had been scratched by something with claws, like the wound that had blinded Major Lady‘s eye. I quickly covered it, using the torn end of her sleeve.

Alisa rolled her eyes at me then looked ahead. “He’s got hostages.”

“Who does?” Leopold and I asked at the same time.

“Private Lancôme.” Alisa leaned against Leopold as we stood. She put her gun against the wound on her shoulder. “One of the hostages is Major Lady.” Alisa looked at me with those steely cold eyes. “Are you going to do something or stand here and girl talk me to death?” She motioned me in the right direction. 

I answered her, “something.”

“Be careful, Lieutenant!” Leopold barked after me.

I came up behind Jules in the hallway leading to the surgery room. He was hunched down with his shoulder to the wall and his hand on his panpipe. I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed down. 

“Captain Honeycutt said it was Private Lancôme,” I whispered. 

He turned his head slightly and furrowed his brow. “I know everything is going to hell but what’s wrong?”

I arched my brow back. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“I can tell, something’s up with you.” Damn Jules and his ability to read emotions like a picture book. 

“Major Lady,” I held my breath. “That’s who he’s holding hostage.”

Jules opened his mouth to speak but a horrible scream pierced the chaos, shattering it to silence.

I covered my mouth in horror. “Oh god…what’s he doing to him?”

Jules swallowed. “We ha-have to be careful.” He stood his full height and towered above me still hunkered down against the wall. “Give me your hand,” he instructed.

I did so and together we started swinging out hands in the air. We were keeping time and rhythm that way we could both sing to ourselves in our heads without having to alert Albert of our presence. It was a trick Jules had discovered himself. He could still use his music alchera but it was weaker so he taught Gerard and I how to do it as well and then we came up with the system of swinging out clasped hands to keep the same rhythm. 

We slowly started disappearing. Invisibility was always difficult, no matter what source of magic you practice. Only with alchera you could stay invisible for as long as you needed. In the others the effect always wears off. Even so, I could start to feel myself tiring.

Together we walked to the door and peered in through the thick sheets of glass at the surgery room. A nurse was coward down in a corner with the surgeon slumped over on the floor with his arm turned up at a weird angle against his back. The young private was pacing back and forth wildly across the room swinging the scalpel in his hand. I looked at his eyes, recognizing them as the same whiskey color as Albert’s. 

Jules then gripped hard on my hand and directed my attention to the operating table. I gasped in horror. Major Lady was still laid there breathing and screaming in intervals.

“Is he s-s-still open?” Jules whispered horrified.

I squeezed on his hand praying for Major Lady’s sake that he wasn’t. Jules then started pushing slowly on the door. The private had his back turned and was screaming at the nurse on the ground. He screamed and then the nurse screamed in sync with Major Lady.

Jules slipped inside and then the private turned and stared at the door and directly at Jules then turned his back again and kneeled down to roll over the surgeon. Jules ushered me in through the door and then we separated. I went over to Major Lady and looked to make sure he was closed. Unfortunately he wasn’t. There was a huge gash on his leg and he had a scalpel sticking out of his shoulder. Not to mention the beginnings of the surgeons incision just below the breast plate. It wasn’t as horrible as I had imagined but for Major Lady it must have been.

I leaned down, laying my hand against his cheek and whispered. “It’s okay.” I stroked his head trying to comfort him. “It’s Roz.”

Major Lady didn’t move a muscle but he continued to breathe and groan in agony. I saw his fingers twitch and I reached out and took his hand. “Hold on just a moment more. Alright?” He squeezed my hand as tightly as he could muster. “I’m here.” I kissed his knuckles.

“Little baby Greenway,” a voice sneered behind me.

I looked up and then Albert struck me across the face. The invisibility blinked off and I lay on the cold operating room floor.

Albert stepped on my shoulder. “You aren‘t going to sneak up on me that easy this time.” Albert said with a proud laugh. He grabbed my arm, pulling it up and around, pressing it hard against my back. I cried out in pain. Before me I saw the nurse look up at something. Was it possible Albert hadn’t yet noticed Jules? I could only pray so. 

“You can’t escape from here, Albert.” I strained. “The hospital is surrounded.”

“Oh, I know.” He laughed haughtily. “But I also know that no one is going to be killing me. So if I am captured I’ll just break out again. And I will do that again and again and again if I have too. Which is fine! More blood, more sacrifices, more power, more life.” He gave a sharp tug to my arm and I yelped again.

“You’re disgusting.” I felt nauseated from the pain. “What lies about immortality has Greenway told you?”

His heel dug deeper into my shoulder and I thought for sure I’d vomit then. “Oh, just that the sweetest blood on the world is yours.” Oh God, please no! “He told me all about the Blood Grail and how it is real and it was made flesh.” He is nearly laying on top of me, breathing into my ear. “It is you.”

The light was fading fast but as I looked up for one last sign of hope I saw Major Lady’s hand motion at me. He was making the numbers 1, 0, and 3. 10-3 was the radio signal for “stop transmitting’. I laid flat against the cold floor and waited, stopping everything.

“He’s been looking for you,” Albert said using poor Private Lancôme’s smile as his own. “You and your equally blessed cousins.”

“I know that.” I growled lowly. “I’ve been looking for him.”

Albert was grinning wickedly down at me, quite smug. “Ah, but there’s something you don’t know.” His lips brushed against my ear and his hot breath, stinking with the stain of blood, billowed into my ear. “So has your mother.”

I felt everything inside me stop working. “My mo-” I felt weak and lightheaded. I dry heaved, arching my back and causing my locked arm and shoulder to spasm in pain.

Suddenly Albert roared and was pulled off my back, which brought me back to consciousness. Major Lady had pulled himself from the operating table and had taken the scalpel from his shoulder to stab Albert in the back.

I reared up. “Don’t!” 

Albert knocked Major Lady’s off him. He turned, kicking Major Lady in the chest. Jumped up, putting my full weight into Albert and digging the scalpel in deeper and bringing it down. Albert screamed and bashed me against the wall. When I didn’t release he slammed me back again.

“Roz, down!” Gerard screamed.

I released Albert and fell onto the floor as a deafening gunshot echoed. I rolled underneath the operating table and grabbed up Major Lady in my arms. I gently touched his shoulder then swiped his blood across my forehead. I raised a hand and started signing then I smoothed my other hand down his wounds to seal them shut. His hand cupped my cheek and nodded at me. I shook my head, trying to smile.

Gerard slid in next to me. “Are you okay?” He looked at my forehead then at Major Lady.

I looked up at him and for some reason I couldn’t lie. “No,” I gasped. 

Gerard looked at me funny, wiping his sleeve across my forehead to clean off Major Lady’s blood. He looked over his shoulder then threw himself over me and I covered Major Lady. The operating room filled with fire and smoke and I heard Leopold curse at the top of his lungs.

There was a gunshot and I heard Julia shout. “Honeycutt, hold your mother fucking fire for five seconds!” I heard her heels clicking from down the hallway. “You too Leopold! I can’t see a damn thing!”

A cool breeze swept in and cleared the smoke. Leopold was the only one standing in the room. I saw Jules on the other side of the room covering the nurse. He had the scalpel in his hand.

Julia and Alisa rushed in with their guns out and aimed. “Stand down.” Leopold ordered. “Where the hell is he?” He roared angrily.

“How did he escape?” I whispered, shaking and shivering. “Oh god, Gerard…” I look up at him with a wide stare. “How could he escape?”

Gerard gripped onto my hand. “It’s ok.” He squeezed, shaking me gently. “He won’t get far, the whole hospital is surrounded.”

Leopold was ducking under the table, looking at Major Lady in my arms. “Is he alright, Lieutenant?”

“It’s bad!” I whimpered.

Leopold frowned grimly then stooped over and took Major Lady from me and eased him back onto the operating table. “I see.”

Gerard’s hand on my arm squeezed. “Roz?”

I shook my head, biting down hard enough on my lip to cause bleeding. I didn’t have the strength to also bring up my mother. Gerard quickly wiped the blood away and shook his head at me, forcing me to release my lip from between my teeth,

“Sir, what do we do about Private Lancôme?” Wordsworth asked.

“He isn’t alive anymore, Wordsworth.” Leopold sneered. “Inform his family. I don’t have the strength for anymore tonight.” He pulled me out and lifted me up. He smoothed his hand across my forehead and sighed.

I reached over and brushed the hair from Leopold’s eyes without thinking. And when he looked back at me I felt suddenly angry at him. He knew. He knew all along about my parents.

May 7th, 1897

I had volunteered to stand guard outside the doors while Major Lady went through his finale surgery. Leopold stood on the other side of the door with me. 

“You can go now.” Leopold rubbed at his eyes.

I stood motionless. “I don’t want to go.”

“Just because I mentioned Carter has a crush on you?” Leopold chuckled. 

I bit my tongue back as long as I could. But I just felt so betrayed by a man I greatly respected and I followed loyally. All these years he had been leading me around with a carrot dangled in front of my face.

“You never mentioned anything about my mother,” I whispered. I felt like Gerard. I was angry and annoyed at Leopold. All these years he had been hiding this information from me.

“I didn’t think you’d want to hear it.” Leopold sighed exasperatedly. “The three of you have enough bullshit in your lives. Especially you.”

I slammed my fist into the wall behind me. “I am not a child! I can handle these things.”

Leopold snapped, “apparently you can’t!”

“You treat me like I am!” I shiver. “You hide things from me, you keep me protected, hiding the shadows and only showing me the sunny side. I’m your subordinate, your soldier.” I slip my hand from the wall, watching his eyes widen. “I’m not your child.” I whisper in reply. “You were hiding information from me that was rightly mine to know. No matter how awful, or how painful it is, it is mine to know.”

He looks down, silence thick and uncomfortable. He looks back up, still set with steely resolve. “It was my decision.”

I stormed off. I didn’t want to hear it anymore. I didn’t want to get any madder and fly off the handle. I’d come back when I was calm enough to deal with Leopold and truly confront about my not-so-dead mother. I went into Arthur’s room and for the first time in a long time I cried good and hard. 

“You must be angry.” Arthur said and he stroked my hair. Of course Arthur knew. He had been Leopold’s commanding officer when he  found me at Ludlow all those years ago when I was five. It was common knowledge amongst the base that if Leopold knew something, then Arthur knew it too. 

I lifted myself up, rubbing angrily at my eyes. “How come no one said anything?” I hissed, soggy. 

Arthur was petting my hair. “You forget how young you really are Roz.” He said with a gentle but stern voice. “After all the things you have accomplished, all the places you’ve seen, all the great things you’ve done in service to her Majesty, all the responsibility,” he wipes the tears from my cheeks. “You forget you are still a small child. You’re just barely twenty.”

“But I am a soldier first. No matter what my age.” 

Arthur sighed, shoulders slouching. “That is true as well.”

I wipe my eyes. “So why am I not mad at you like I was with Leopold?” 

“Because Leopold is there for you to be mad at.” Arthur replied. “He is your leader, your commander. What he does is for the best of everyone and everything, even if he does make a few people sore along the way.” He held my hand gently then. “But, I must admit, he does coddle you three. Especially you.”

I furrowed my brow slightly. “What? Why me?”

“Because of the incident at Ludlow.” I part my lips as if to say something but he continues. “Have I never told you that story?”  I shake my head.

Arthur took a deep breath and sighed deeply. “Back then Jon was my subordinate.” He paused for a moment. “Ludlow was his first big mission as an Alcherist in Her Majesty’s army. Now understand, kids always affect soldiers, look at Honeycutt.” He put his hand atop my head again. “You were the one who got to Jon. He was only seventeen back then so I know it’s had to of stuck with him all these years. But Jon was the one who found you, Roz. He was the one who carried you out of the rubble, out of all the horror. And in all these years I don’t think he has ever really let go of that skinny little girl.”

I take a shaky breath. “I always thought it was you.” I replied, I squeezed down tightly on his hand. “I knew Leopold had always favored me over the boys…but I just thought that was because I was a girl.”

Arthur shook his head. “As you can see from Honeycutt and Wordsworth it takes a lot for even a woman to earn Leopold’s favor. He has believed in equality.” Arthur swallowed. “I believe that he didn’t tell you these things because he thought he could do away with them before you needed to know.”

“So why did he feel the need to sweep my mother under the rug?” I asked. “Tell me, Arthur. Tell me everything.”

Arthur sighed and his face sagged. “That woman had problems.”

“You talk as though you know her.” He looked away from me, his brow arched and he tried to hide it. “Arthur, tell me. I know you love me and are trying to protect me but I deserve to know! I know my mother was as twisted as they come, just look at everything she and Greenway did.” I push up my sleeve, revealing the long scars along my arm.

“Honey, honey calm,” Arthur‘s large hand encircled my arm, squeezing softly. His palm was rough, but warm and gently. “Your mother used to be in the military with me.” He replied. “We went through boot camp and training together. Even back then Lilith,” my mother, “was strange in the head. During the War on Tipperary she killed without a thought, like it was eating breakfast.” He looked in my eyes as if seeing her there. “Then she was found using the dead bodies. Her and Greenway.” He squeezed my hand. “They ran, of course. It was only until the Ludlow Incident that I even knew they were still alive. I always thought they had died in Firez.”

Ludlow was where they had been hiding out, where I was born, where I had been raised for five years. No one knew anything until an important diplomat had gotten lost in the woods near there and vanished. That’s about as much as I knew.

“But now,” I insisted. “What about her now?”

“You have probably figured out after all these years they were using your blood for their experiments. I figure they’ve been trying to find you and your cousins for just such a thing again.”

“But that doesn’t explain Albert.”

“Does it?” Arthur rubbed his eyes and sighed, “Jon told me and a few of the Chosen Ones but I figured not you three since you’re all so tied up close to this.”

“What?” I was nearly screaming.

“Albert,” he hesitated and corrected himself. “Or at least Albert’s body, after it was examined and given an autopsy and all that bullshit,” he took a breath. “Well, it was discovered his original flesh wasn’t his to begin with.”

I felt like jumping out of my skin then. “A risen soul?” I whispered. “Are you saying that Patrick Albert was a deamonhart?”

Arthur flinched, “bingo.”

I jumped up and quickly kissed Arthur on the cheek. “I’ve gotta tell the boys!” I gasped as I raced from his room. I stopped quickly to make sure Leopold was still outside the operating room and when I saw he was I ran up to him. 

“What now?” He grunted. “I’m not in a good mood so if you’ve come to yell at me you better be a good fifty paces ahead of me.”

I took a deep breath. “I know what you were doing was to protect me and Jules and Gerard. But you can’t protect us like that when its so damn important. And if Albert is a deamonhart then you should tell us that too. Next time I expect the whole truth. Our blood is literally on the line.”

Leopold folded his arms across his chest. “And?”

I swallowed hard on the lump in my throat, “Thank you.” I sniffled. “Arthur explained a lot of things to me and…and what you did for me back then.” I rushed upon him, throwing my arms around him.

Leopold laughed and he put his hand on the back of my head. “Women are such silly creatures. One moment they are angry at you and the next they are hugging your neck.” This made me chuckle. “Now go home,” he said, pushing me away, “that’s an order, Lieutenant.”

I bobbed my head. “Yes, sir.” I saluted then turned on my heel and walked briskly back down the hall. Before I could even think of going home I had to find the boys and I found them in the library trying to force personal documents from the defiant Julia. But she wasn’t having any of it.