Alessandro followed the loup-garou deeper into his home, doing his best to breathe shallowly. Despite his usefulness, Goldenteeth still smelled of the wild. One of the kine would not notice the odor, but any vampire or other supernatural predator would be overpowered by the odor. The scent made Alessandro want to run through the woods, communing with the packs, hunting down wild prey.

He suppressed the desire, and simply folded his hands behind his back, and was lead deeper into the home until they came to the servants' quarters. There, they found a frail looking nun lying in a bed. Her face was a mass of bruises, her breathing labored. Without a lot of rest and care she would die sooner rather than later.

Not waiting for permission, Alessandro laid his hands upon the woman's forehead.

*****

Maria Luisa had served in La Iglesia de Nuestra Madre de Barcelona for most of her life. She faithfully followed the instructions of the fathers, and the mother superior, and was the picture of a good nun. When the church called for information on heretics, she worked to help bring repentant souls to the light of the love of the lord.

A few days before, she had been praying quietly in an alcove, seeking guidance from the Lord, when she heard voices. It was late in the evening, the sun having set more than an hour before. She recognized one of the voices as Father Teodor de Jimenez y Cortez, a disagreeable old man who frequently took liberties with the younger nuns... and the girls frequently disappeared.

He was speaking with a woman, calling her mistress, and explaining that he had relayed the orders to the Inquisitors, and they had acted more than a week before that date.

At that point, she had yawned, and the voices stopped. She walked quickly to the door of the church, looking back to see the Father looking at her with death in his eyes.
******

Alessandro sighed, untangling his mind from the nun's. He now had an inkling of where to start. He would begin looking into the Duke Cortez's home and coven. Father Teodor was obviously a minor member of the family, and apparently had been made a thrall.

"My thanks, Martin. How may I pay you for this opportunity to gather information?"