Chapter Twenty-Four: The Cossack

 When dinner came, Vanderau was not present. It was just the three of them, Vincent, Katherine, and Sauvageon. They ate in the small parlor nearest Sauvageon's suite. Afterward, everyone retired to their rooms and Katherine continued to practice with the orb. 

 She was about to stop to give her head a bit of rest when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She put the orb in its box, got up from her chair, and went to the window. Katherine did not see anything of interest, but a reflection in the windowpane gave her pause and she spun around. Standing in her room was an apparition! 

 He put his hands on his hips and chuckled. The sound was hollow and distant, "I am no ghost!"

 "Who are you?" Katherine demanded.

 "No fear? That is promising, very promising indeed!" the ghost declared. "Pierre is training you is he?"

 "You're the Cossack!" she hissed at him. "What do you want?"

 His smirking grin faded, and he moved closer to her. "I want what we all want, girl! I am curious. But I am no longer curious I am convinced now that I've seen you, you will belong to me!"

 "Never!" she growled.

 He chuckled and began to move closer and then he took a step back. Slowly the apparition began to move back away from her. From the shadows, the coils of dark smoke began to solidify. Katherine felt an icy chill in the room. The Drake! The smoky coils of the Drake began to uncurl and move to rear up between her and the Cossack. The apparition of the Cossack began to break apart and it dissolved away. Rather than be terrified she stood still as the Drake turned toward her and reared up to look her in the eyes. The pale icy blue eyes of Sauvageon stared unblinking at her - then dissolved into mist and was gone.

 Katherine woke and sat up in the chair, the orb was swirling with dark smoke that slowly vanished. She frowned had it been a dream? A visitation? She put the orb back in its box and closed it. No one had been alerted, and there were no strange electrical surges, everything appeared normal. She scrubbed her face and got up and went into the bathroom to shower. By the time she was nestling down in bed, the dream had begun to fade. 

 Another two days passed. During that time, she had been exposed to a lot of training with Sauvageon. The books she was given to read, were ancient historical writings of the first Dominus, Alister of Madron, and his gladio, Raine. She had been an elemental – a powerful being that could harness the elements to do her will. Both the Chamberlain and Sauvageon were convinced she was, like Raine, an elemental and the old Gladio began to train her as such. She was exhausted every night and tonight was no exception. She crawled into bed and was reading when she heard her phone buzz on the charging pad. She picked it up and swiped her finger on the screen.

Hello Katherine.

 Hello Nicklaus! Where are you?

 Finishing up some business in Geneva. I will be on the way home later in the evening. You will be fast asleep by the time I get home.

 Is everything okay?

 Yes. I am anxious to be home, mon coeur. Is everything going well?

 It is. 

But?

I feel anxious about everything. 

 The phone began to chime. It was Nicklaus calling her. 

 "Hello?" 

 "What is making you feel anxious, mon coeur?" His voice was warm as he spoke.

 She sighed, "In a few days, the testing – I hope I will be ready."

 "So, tell me all you have learned."

 "It's been a lot of training, learning to defend myself." She replied.

 "No more Drake?" he wanted to know. "I told him not to push you."

 "Oh, no – nothing like that," Katherine told him. "But he's changed his training techniques. He trains me now as what he calls an elemental. 

 "Yes, I thought he might, given your unique abilities."

 "Then you think I am this elemental, too?"

 "I do not know for certain, mon coeur," Vanderau whispered. "The testing would be the same whether you were a potential or an elemental."

 "We've been going over the families and their particular brand of abilities. What to look out for. It's like a game of chess only much more at risk than losing your game pieces."

 "If only I could spare you those details," Nicklaus said wearily. "But Sauvageon is right, you do need to know what to expect from each member of the Sept."

 "I know," Katherine murmured. "If only it was over with."

 "It can be."

 "I don't mean pack up and leave, Nicklaus," Katherine said. "I mean I wish it was over with and I was yours—your blade."

 He was silent for several heartbeats then he spoke. "Katherine, when it comes time for the testing -- You will experience many levels of power. Not just mine, the members of the Sept are all different, one may sing to you, and you will yield up to that Sept member. I can only hope that you choose me." 

 "Is there a way that I can go first?" Katherine asked.

 He chuckled. "I am afraid not," he said. "Names are drawn by the Chamberlain."

 "Oh," Katherine muttered. "And I suppose he is beyond reproach?"

 "A very straight arrow," Nicklaus said with a laugh. "Don't worry about that, Katherine. Just focus on getting through the testing."

 "You're right," she said with a tired sigh. "I'm just nervous."

 "When you wake up in the morning, we'll talk all right?"

 "Okay, be careful coming home, Nicklaus."

 "I will, mon coeur, goodnight." 

 "Goodnight Nicklaus." She ended the call and went back to her reading. She closed the book, lay back against the pillows, and closed her eyes. Within a few minutes, she drifted off and slept soundly until Collette came in with her morning coffee.