Part 104:

“Long have we sought the means to realign ourselves to our human line’s mission, and thus be redeemed.  We perceive that through you we may do this.  Accept our clan, Master Angelus, into the Order of Aurelius.”

Angel stood dumbfounded, literally speechless by the unexpectedness, not to mention downright absurdity, of the request.

“Let me get this straight,” Spike said, stepping forward to stand beside his sire.  “You intend to – what? – defect from the Order of Merovia?”

“That is our wish, Master William,” Maria concurred.

“No mixing of the Orders has ever taken place,” Angel said, finally finding his voice.

“It has,” the Master of the Magdala disagreed.  “It took place when the previous Master of Aurelius allowed my grandchilde admittance.  It occurred again recently, when you, as the new Master of Aurelius, reasserted her status within your Order.”

The members of the House of William stood collectively stunned, with the exception of Illyria, who watched with her bird-like head-tilt.

“We can bring great power to your Order,” Maria continued persuasively.  “And allies will be particularly useful to you now.  The outcome of what you mean to attempt is by no means assured.  Surely having a powerful Clan like the Magdala at your side would be helpful.”

“How could I ever trust you, when you stand ready to betray your own Order even as we speak?” Angel asked in turn.

“We offer the blood oath, and of course it will be your soul guiding us once the ritual is enacted.”

A collective hiss arose from the members of William’s House at that statement.  Even though she had as good as told them that her Clan knew of the ensouling agenda, the spoken words were shocking to hear.

“We seek redemption,” Maria repeated.  “We wish to regain our souls.”

“You won’t regain your own souls,” Angel clarified.  “You said so yourself – it will be my soul you share.”

“Yes, but if we are able to redeem ourselves over the course of time – with your help – we hope to rejoin our own souls after our final death.  They were blameless prior to our turning, and we wish to share their fate, not that of our demon spirits’.  Please, Master Angelus,” she said, sinking down to join the other members of her Clan in obeisance once more.  “Accept us into the Order of Aurelius.”

“You understand the great danger doing such a thing represents to my Clan?” Angel asked.

Maria nodded from her place low on the floor.  “Yes, Master Angelus.  We know that what we ask is no small thing.  But we are willing to risk everything for it.  We will do whatever you ask if you will but consider our request.”

“I will consider it, but I need time.  Are you willing to be restrained during that time?”

She nodded again.  “Yes, Master, we are.”

“Come forward, Maria, Master of the Magdala Clan.”

Maria stood up and approached the dark vampire, eyes on the floor.  He backed up until he stood at the center of the star, and she followed.  Spike stayed close, but stepped outside the perimeter of the star.

“Patesco Aurelius,” Angel called, and the five points flared to life.

“Give me your blood oath that you will not circumvent our enclosure,” Angel demanded.

“With my blood, I swear, by House, Clan and Order, to obey you and your Lieutenant, and to attempt no escape or retribution for any actions you choose to take.  I hold all members of my Clan to this oath, on pain of their final death.”

The foot high flames flared up to five feet on all sides of the two vampires at their center.  Maria held out her wrist and flicked a sharp nail across it.  Blood oozed up in the cut, then slowly dripped to the floor below.  At the first drop, the five foot flames flared up to twice their height.  They stayed there for a minute, then fell back again to a single foot high.

“Done,” Angel said, curtly giving his acceptance of the oath.  “Spike, take them to the cage.”

Spike led the way, and first Maria, then the other members of her Clan followed.  Spike’s pets took up the rear.  Only Angel stayed behind.  He turned and ascended the Diaz, then sat down in the Master’s chair, a look in his eyes that was both reflective and greatly concerned.

*   *   *

Half an hour later, after enacting another spell in the star which would alert them should the Magdala’s oath be broken, the members of the House of William sat upstairs in the small den that doubled as their research library.

“I still don’t get the point of the spell,” Gunn said, shaking his head.  “They got by our wards before – why should this be any different?”

“Told you, Charlie-boy, this alarm won’t need to detect wrong-doing – it just needs to let us know that the outcome of the broken oath has taken place.  They may be able to cloak themselves from perimeter spells, but no way they’ll be able to get around the blood oath.  If they leave the cage, they’re dust.  The star will simply let us know if that occurs.  Now let’s get down to business.  What they’re asking, is it even possible, Angel?”

His sire shrugged.  “I wouldn’t have thought so, but Maria’s right – it’s happened before on a small scale, and if it can happen with one, why not twenty?  After all, isn’t that the logic we’re counting on for the ensouling of the full Order?”

“It is,” Wesley concurred.  “And she’s right about another thing, too, Angel – having willing participants among the Order for the ensouling will give you a great advantage in what could be a very dangerous situation.”

Angel nodded, but his frown didn’t lift.

“What about the potential backlash from the rest of the Order?” Gunn asked.  “Isn’t it possible that we’ll have a revolt on our hands, even before we attempt the ensouling ritual?  And what about the Merovia?  They’re not just going to let one of their Clans defect without a fight.”

Angel waved that last objection away.  “We already have a fight with the Merovia on our hands – this changes nothing where they’re concerned.  Now the Aurelians,” he said, referring to Gunn’s first concern.  “That’s potentially an issue.  I’m the Master, and I have power over the members of the Order that supersede their likes or dislikes.  Of course not all vampires are as susceptible to that power as most,” he added, glancing at his childe with a smirk.

Spike smirked back.  “A kid as a vampire – abomination.  A kid as the Master of my Order – unacceptable,” he said in response.

“Yes, well a newly turned vampire, child or otherwise, cannot possibly have the degree of power and control that one as old as Angel has,” Wesley pointed out.

Spike shrugged and his smirk deepened.  “Maybe,” he said, tongue tucked teasingly behind his teeth.  His gaze still held that of the dark vampire’s who rolled his eyes at the taunt.

“The Magdala will be introduced before the ensouling ritual takes place – I want them in the Hall as backup in case all hell breaks loose.  The Aurelians will accept my judgement,” he said firmly.  Gunn looked doubtful.  “If the ensouling works,” Angel said, holding up a head to forestall his objection, “then we control the Order, if it doesn’t…  Well, we’ll probably have a lot of intrigue and plots to deal with, if not an outright revolt,” he said with a shrug.  “Spike?” he said, asking for his Lieutenant’s input.  He gave him a stern look that plainly said now was the time for serious consideration.  His childe, as he usually did when the chips were down, came through.

“Wesley and Gunn are both right, but at least if the Order revolts, we’ll have the Magdala by our side.  Shoot, if need be, we’ll start a new Order that consists of just their Clan and ours.”  Wesley’s eyes widened, and it was Spike’s turn to reassure.  “I don’t think that will be necessary, though.  Angel’s right – the Order will follow his commands; they’ll have little choice.  And there’s another advantage to letting the Magdala in that may tip the scales; we can do the ritual on them tonight – a test.  If there are any holes in our strategy, we can hopefully uncover them now, and not when the Clan Masters of the Order are here.”

“That is the most compelling argument put forward,” Illyria interjected.  “I believe we should allow the Clan of the Magdala admittance to the Order of Aurelius.”

“A vampire clan’s not a democracy, pet,” Spike said with a smirk, teasing again now that he’d given his sire the serious feedback he’d requested.  “You don’t get a vote.  But I agree with Illyria,” he added, turning toward the dark vampire and flashing a grin in the frowning demi-God’s direction.  “I say we let ‘em in, and get this show on the road.”

Angel nodded.  “Agreed.”

The decision having been made, he was all action.  “Leathers, Spike.  Gunn, Wes, Illyria - battle dress and weapons.  Meet in the hall in ten minutes.  In seconds Spike was striding out the door, the pets a step behind him.

Ten minutes later they were in the court chamber, weapons of choice in hand.  Angel and Spike of course, carried none – they were weapons in and of themselves.  The dark vampire looked them over critically, nodded with satisfaction, then waved them toward the door.

“Bring them in,” he ordered.

When Spike strode through the door and into the court chamber a few minutes later, the Magdala at his heels and the pets taking up the rearguard, Angel sat on his chair at the center of the Diaz waiting.  He watched their approach.  The vampire wiccan stopped just short of the Star, but Spike continued onward, ascending the Diaz to stand behind his sire’s chair at his right shoulder.  He held his arms crossed at the back, military style, feet set firmly shoulder width apart.  The image he and the dark vampire portrayed was exactly that of them in the third of Angel’s paintings, minus Drusilla and Ms. Edith.

For the first time the faces of the rest of the Magdala were visible, their cowled hoods now down.  There was a great degree of commonality to their appearance – they could have all been sisters, and of a like age, since it appeared that most of them had been turned at approximately the same human age, in their late twenties.  The color of their hair varied from pale strawberry blond to dark auburn, but without exception there was at the very least a tinge of red to each.  Their eyes were all the exact same color; a warm, cinnamon brown.

“Maria, Master of the Clan of the Magdala,” Angel said, calling her forth.

She stepped forward, to the center of the star, and dropped low in obeisance.  “Master Angelus,” she murmured.  Angel stood up from his chair and left the Diaz, entering the star to stand before the kneeling vampire.  The tension in the room increased visibly as the other Magdala watched helplessly, uncertain if their Master would momentarily be dust.  Angel reached out and placed a hand upon the kneeling master’s head.

“I, Angelus, Master of Aurelius, do hereby acknowledge and affirm that Maria and the Clan of the Magdala, formerly of the Order of Merovia, are admitted to the Order of Aurelius.  All members of her House and Clan now owe their ultimate allegiance to me and their new Order.  All members of Aurelius shall honor and respect her as a master of our Order, and her Clan as full members, or suffer my wrath.”  His hand dropped and he indicated she should rise.

“Pledge yourself and your Clan to me, childe,” Angelus commanded sternly.

“I, Sarah, childe of Ruth, grandchilde of Lilith,” she began, for the first time giving a name besides the ubiquitous Maria, by which the Magdala were collectively known. “Pledge myself, my Clan and all its members to the protection, glory and advancement of the Order of Aurelius, now and to the end of time.”

“Do you agree to support and defend the Master of Aurelius and his Order against all threats, including those of the Merovingian’s, your former Order?  Do you agree to fight to your final death in the protection of the Master of Aurelius and his Order?” Angel demanded.  “Do you pledge the honor of your clan to this oath, and hold yourself and all others accountable to it, on pain of final death, yours and theirs, should the oath be broken?”

“I do so pledge my Clan, my honor, and my very existence to my oath,” Sarah replied, reaching out and slicing open the vein in one arm.  As drops of blood fell to the ground, the star flared up high, acknowledging her oath.  The flames grew to a blazing inferno, but after two minutes died down again.  The red-headed vampire held out her hands to Angel.  “Hail, Angelus, Master of Aurelius!” she cried out.  She sank down again in the abject pose of obeisance, and as she did, the members of her clan took up the cry, and followed suit, kneeling before their new Master.

“Hail Angelus, Master of Aurelius!”

Angel reached down, lightly touching a finger to the kneeling vampire’s shoulder.

“Rise Maria,” he commanded, using her formal name once more.  “Rise Magdala,” he called out to the others.  When Sarah stood before him, her head bowed low, he added loudly; “Hail Maria, Master of the Clan of the Magdala, Order of Aurelius.”

“Hail Maria, of the Order of Aurelius!” the shout went up around the Hall.