Van Helsing and Elena made their way into the secret observation room the pope had told them about in his letter, so they could watch all the day's activities.
All the most powerful members of the church were in attendance, and on the surface, they were genial enough.
It did not take long for their baser nature to surface, however: many of these men were deeply disturbed by what they had heard befalling the pope. They were certain Tomatoist scum had infiltrated their ranks, and soon all pretense for electing a new leader had fallen by the wayside. This was now a witch hunt, pure and simple.
Soon, all the clergy's ire was focused on two individuals: Archbishop Malediction Valeria and the now-deceased Pope's nephew, Crushita Telcontar. Both men were ambitious, and both displayed a startling lack of concern over the pope's death. This was enough for most of them.
The two affected were not, at first, aware of the murderous intentions that had gripped their fellow clergymen.
It took them by surprise completely when they were suddenly grabbed from behind, bound and gagged, and placed on the pedestal for everyone to see.
Malediction knew what was coming, but doubted that Crushita did. He looked over to his co-accused, and his resolve firmed. He was not going to go down quietly.
One of the church members came forward and slowly pulled the gags from their mouths. He stood a few feet away from them, Malediction realised, and he could smell fresh sweat from the man. Malediction was amused that he was making this priest to nervous.
"Malediction Valeria and Crushita Telcontar, you both stand accused of murder, heresy and black magic. How do you plead?", the voice of one of the other archbishops rang out.
Telcontar simply hung his head and didn't say anything.
Malediction was not going down quietly. "What proof have you of this, you moron?" At this, there were quite a few murmurings of uncertainty. There was also a disapproving clicking of tongues from one of the men assembled. This amused Malediction as well.
"Proof?! Why, your countenance is proof enough! You have acted most inhumanely ever since we heard of the Padre's death! You have not shed a single tear, or betrayed an ounce of sympathy! The devil's influence is plain for all to see, I daresay."
Malediction laughed. "Superstitious nonsense. I never liked the pope, true, and I don't much care what befell him one way or another, but I know for a fact that I was not the only one. I am the only one with the spine to admit it, you besotted weaklings."
"Is it wise to antagonise us in this manner?" one of the younger priests called out from the back of the room.
"Oh, please, you've already made up your minds, you fools. You're being manipulated by the very heretics responsible for El Papa's death. Go ahead and get this farce over with, and may our Lord have mercy on your souls when you do." He gave the clergy a long, scathing look, and began praying to himself as the men began piling wood and kindling all around him. He made a covenant with his God, the blessed Potatoe, that he would see this through and be welcomed home in the Golden Fields. He also prayed that a sign would be sent to all assembled whenever they accused the wrong person, and cursed the Tomatoists to reveal their true nature whenever they faced the mob's fire.
As the fire sprang up around him, he felt no pain, no hunger and no fear. He was going home. A blinding white light appeared out of nowhere, for the briefest of moments, and when it disappeared, Malediction was gone. The sign was indisputable: he had been innocent.
A few of the clergymen despaired, and at the same time, four of them had to struggle to hide their smiles. They had done it. They had made their second sacrifice, and were that much closer to bringing their god, the Tomato, into the mortal fold.
From their spy hole, Elena and Van Helsing witnessed all, and Elena began shuddering. For Van Helsing, this was nothing new, even if it did bring back the memories of Mina Harker burning in the town square, all those years ago.
He slowly turned to Elena, and whispered: "Now is our time. We need to find out what Dracula's connection is to everything, and we need to do it soon. The Tomatoists have just gotten rid of one of the most powerful members of the church. Their influence is far stronger than I anticipated."
She was still in shock and trying to process everything she had just witnessed, so all she could do was nod solemnly. "Be safe, father. If I should run into the count, what do I do? Please remind me."
Van Helsing had trained her to kill normal vampires, of course, but to be honest, even after all these years, he still did not know how to kill the demon. He hoped the Lord would reveal all when the time finally came. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small totem, and whispered a blessing upon it. He then put it in Elena's lap. "Do not try to be brave. Jonathan Harker was one of the bravest people I have ever met, and had the full protection of the Lord, yet Dracula killed him as easily as we might kill an ant. If you should see him tonight, simply squeeze that coin between both your hands, as if in prayer, and it will allow me to find you no matter where you are in the world." He hoped she would not notice the fear in his voice. He hoped, beyond hope, that Dracula would recognise her as the child he spared years ago, and do her no harm.
It was a relief when she began smiling to him again: "Thank you, father. I will see you at sunrise." And with that, she turned on her heels and disappeared into the shadows. Van Helsing hoped he was doing the right thing as he, too, went to face his destiny.
