Episode 18--The Night Lords IV: The Palace of Jade

Ion is sitting in the cemetery, thinking over his last conversation with Esther and what Radu revealed to him; he doesn’t know what to think. Suddenly he remembers the danger to the Empress and races down the hill. Watching from a vantage point, he sees Radu walking in the Imperial procession; their eyes meet in a glare, and Ion leaps down into the street with drawn sword. Radu draws in a flash while Ion's in midair, his sword easily cutting the point off Ion's as the boy reaches the street. Ion grabs the flying point and tries to use it as a dagger, but Radu twists his wrist aside and lands a gut punch that drops him. As he falls, Radu tells him that he's become a traitor; they'll plant the blame for the Empress' death on him, and "I'll swallow my tears as I'm forced to kill my former friend. How sad."

How dare you, cries Ion. Radu drives his sword down toward the kid, Ion freezes waiting for the blow--which doesn't strike. He looks up. Radu is shaking. "Ion," he gasps,"get out of here. Stop the Empress--this is a trap, and the--"(he's trembling head to foot, as if resisting a powerful grip with all his strength, his face wide-eyed, appalled)"--the--the Order"--- A voice in his head says the talking stops there, Flamberg. [Guess who.] And the evil, narrow-eyed grin returns to his face, he levels his sword at Ion, apologizing for keeping the Count of Memphis waiting.

Esther calls to him from the end of the street--the races toward him but is dropped in her tracks by Suleiman. Radu stops Ion. This is no time to worry about others, he says.

The Empress speaks up: there is something I must ask them, she says: take them to the palace and detain them there. Suleiman and Radu kneel: But, your Majesty-- Do you object, Baron of Luxor? she asks coolly. --No, we will do as you wish. Radu cries out to the Empress that someone intends to take her life.

Hidden by the roadside, Abel tries to rush to Esther's rescue but is pulled back by Asta. Do you mean to abandon them? he demands, but she says that if they're just being held for interrogation they’re safe for right now. Calm down, she says, and think what we should be doing. He grits his teeth in suppressed rage as Suleiman and Radu beat Ion and knock him out; they run toward the mausoleum.

We see the Imperial procession reach the mausoleum and draw inside. Suleiman walks out of the building just as it explodes behind him, and the two vampires arrive just in time to see the cloud of flame and smoke. Asta nearly falls to her knees. Her Majesty, she gasps--no--

In the Imperial Palace, everyone is in shock, believing the Empress has been slain. What will become of the Empire? Suleiman prepares to assume command. Radu tells Suleiman that the palace is on maximum alert; no one knows the Duchess of Kiev's whereabouts but he doubts she'll pose a threat, and the Count of Memphis and the human girl are in the dungeon awaiting interrogation. It'll cause us problems if they say anything unfortunate, says Suleiman, and Radu smiles thinly and replies that the dead tell no tales. Suleiman says deaths within the palace would arouse suspicion, but Radu assures him he'll handle it. Please take the throne, your Majesty, he says...

In the dungeon, Esther is testing the bars while Ion sits despondent. It's all my fault, he says, I couldn't save the Empress and I've gotten you involved… She assures him she's on his side no matter what happens, and he asks why she's so kind to him; didn't a Methuselah kill her family? She says that once she did hate Methuselah, and believed that they in turn hated all Terrans; but now she likes him, and Asta, and thinks she would have liked his grandmother had they ever met...she smiles at him. He gets her point and says he feels the same. But someone is walking toward their cell; it's Radu.

Asta and Abel pole through the underground water passage in a flatboat, agreeing that there's no way such a simple explosion could have taken the Empress' life. Suddenly Abel calls a warning and Asta lights her green lance. We’re surrounded, she says. A huge form boils up out of the water; Asta readies her lance. Get on to the palace, she tells Abel; only you can save those two. But, Asta-san-- Go, she orders him, and charges into battle.

Ion shouts at Radu, asking how dare he show his face and asking if he realizes what he's done. Just helped the overly peace-loving Empress move on, he says airily. A world in which human and vampire can live together, what rubbish. Radu, why go to such extremes?--Ion asks, and suddenly the figure's eyes change shape and expression as they did before. Ion, haven't you noticed, he asks; I'm not Radu. Of course, says Esther, Imperial nobles never refer to themselves as vampires. [It is just TOO wrong that she notices this and Ion does not.] She glares at the figure: who are you?! You’re always so beautiful, he replies silkily, I'm really very fond of you, Esther...she recognizes this tone and phrasing and gasps: Dietrich?!

What happened to Radu? demands Ion. You’re not very observant, says Dietrich, and actually becomes visible. I'm Dietrich von Lohengrin, Puppeteer of the Rosenkreuz Orden. Your friend is already dead; I'm just using his corpse. But Ion remembers Radu's dramatic lapse in the procession that was so quickly cut off. Then what was that, he cries, and charges the bars, cursing Dietrich, who lets him have a pistol blast point-blank. Esther screams as Ion falls in a spray of blood. My infamous dehydration bullet, smirks Dietrich-Radu. It affects the bacillus in vampiric blood; to recover the blood lost, their bloodthirsty instincts take over and turn them into monsters. Ion is breathing in quick, painful gasps. Kill me now, Esther, he pleads--while I'm still myself. He claws at the floor; his eyes widen and turn blood red, his fangs sharpen, and he stares at her. Tears stream down her face.

I'll give you a chance to survive, Esther, says Dietrich-Radu, tossing a dagger into the cell--a silver blade can kill vampires, he says, so you two will kill each other. I'd like to watch but I have more to take care of...

He's gone. And again Ion begs her to kill him. She refuses. He huddles on the floor. Please, he says, do it for me…

...go on to Episode Nineteen.

...return to Trinity Blood Episode Guide.