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"Who built all of this?"

The two vampires wound their way up, passing floors, doors, and landings, en route back to the main hall. Isabelle's question reflected the awe she felt every time she entered the Column.

Edgar wondered at the question. Had they told her nothing during her time here?

"No one knows. We found it here."

Isabelle stopped and looked around.

"You found this here?" Disbelief dripped from each word. "Just like this? All--" here she spread her arms in an attempt to capture the grandeur of the Column. "--of this?"

Edgar paused and turned to watch her.

Isabelle turned on the steps, looking wildly around. "There's no fucking way." She stopped turning and locked eyes with Edgar. "You're what, like hundred of years old? And this was here before you got here."

"I don't understand how myself." Edgar resigned his search to this moment. What rush was he in? He had slept through whatever crisis sent his coven packing. He could spare a few minutes to answer a few questions. "We arrived, Penelope, Roberto, and I, with a few others, and found this. All concrete and metal and incredible contraptions running without electricity. Of course, electricity didn't exist at the time, It was a marvel to us at the time."

"Penelope and Roberto ..." Isabelle trailed off, as if trying to recall something important. She shook her head and returned her attention to Edgar. "No one was here? Or you drove them out?"

Edgar laughed.

"Everyone shunned this place. There was fear all around it." Edgar looked around. "We were looking for a place to hide. No one was here and no one was coming here so we settled in."

Isabelle leaned well over the rail of the stair, looking straight down into the abyss.

"What's at the bottom?"

"I don't know."

Isabelle snapped her head to stare at Edgar in bewilderment.

"What do you mean you don't know?! How can you not know?"

Edgar turned around and continued the trek up the stair.

"There's a lift that only travels to the lowest sub-level of the Column, not to the base of it. From there it's sheer concrete and some rigging."

Isabelle straightened up and scurried to catch up.

"And you never climbed down there?"

"We tried. Ropes, pulleys; we rappelled as far as the ropes lasted, and a few tried floating down as far as they dared. No one ever reached the bottom."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it? Did you see anyone trying when you were brought here?"

Isabelle stopped on the landing they were crossing when Edgar dropped the question.

"I didn't even know this place existed, until Ceres brought me down here to put me to sleep."

Edgar turned to face her. Innumerable possibilities tumbled through his mind as he considered her words. If what she said was true, it was likely few traversed these walkways long before whatever incident caused the coven to flee.

"What?" Isabelle's question brought Edgar back to the present.

"It can wait." He turned and continued across the landing and up the next set of stairs.

Continued after the break

They arrived at the entry to the main hall. Edgar stepped across the threshold of the door to the stairwell and into the corridor just off the main hall, Isabelle following close behind. They paused to examine the chaos of broken furniture, clothing, and other random belongings of the former occupants, looking for a way up to the next floor. without a clear way forward, the two picked their way through the debris back to the main entrance.

The double doors remained thrown open. Light was streaming in as the sun crested one side of the manor, sending its rays cascading down the center and spilling into the building through broken glass doors and open hallways overlooking the courtyard. Sunlight was not a problem for the elder; it was, however, a problem for the youngling. Recognizing this, Edgar turned their attention to a door leading to another hall, and the two cut a path toward it, clambering over debris where possible, working together to remove the debris where it blocked their way. Movement was slow, but as the sun ducked behind the opposing wall of the manor, they managed to arrive at the door and throw it open.

The hall beyond these doors served as reception, where guests were lightly entertained before being shuttled off to meet with whomever or whatever they arrived for. The two vampires squeezed by the last bits of broken furniture and through the doors to find the reception hall completely clear of debris, in stark contrast to the disorder just outside of it. This, at first, felt out of place; Edgar allowed his confusion to rise before releasing it. Without knowing what happened, he had no reference to determine what was out of place and what wasn't. Isabelle cleared her throat. Edgar cast his gaze toward her.

"This was hallowed ground." Isabelle walked further into the hall, raising her hands and extending them out in front of her, as if feeling the air. She turned to face Edgar. "No one was allowed in here except the leaders--." She trailed off.

"The leaders? You mean the elders?"

Isabelle shook her head.

"No, not the elders. I don't remember the elders, but that seems important." She tilted her head as she said this, giving the impression she was on the precipice of a realization. She recalled something Edgar mentioned earlier. Her eyes lit up and she straightened her head. "Penelope Vega and Don Roberto de la Cruz. They were elders."

Edgar nodded, waited, expecting her to continue.

"I don't think I knew them. But I can't remember. I just remember leaders, and this is where they talked. The rest of us weren't allowed in here and--" she turned to face the doors to the rear of the hall, and said, "back there. I wasn't allowed in here."

Edgar walked further into the hall, joining Isabelle where she stood. He stared at Isabelle a moment, considering her words. This youngling was a member of the coven long enough to be handled and trained on a collar, to graduate from it, to have spent enough time with her handler to deepen their relationship beyond that of normal youngling-handler interactions. To develop beyond the collar alone often took several years. Whatever happened, it's seeds were sown and had taken root long before Isabelle arrived.

"What?"

Edgar shook his head.

"Things were already coming undone when you arrived." He began moving toward the doors to the rear. "This was community space. This is where we received our guests, and would often gather here to begin one celebration or another: someone's birthday or anniversary, or Halloween." He stopped at the doors and turned around, facing Isabelle as she moved to follow. "The idea this space was off limits to anyone is--" He trailed off.

He turned around and threw open the wide set of double doors. Isabelle gasped as the space beyond came into view.

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