The Holy Death

Chapter 34

After landing at Benito Juarez International Airport early that morning, Elizabeth was happily surprised to find a chauffeur waiting for her. The limousine took her to La Condesa, a neighborhood in central Mexico City. She arrived at a large, older mansion that had obviously been restored recently, with a plain white plaster exterior and red tiled roof. After she got out of the limousine, she approached the main door of the old house.

"Bienvenidos ala Casa De La Cuidad de Mexico," a female voice said through an intercom. "Please, come in!"

Elizabeth entered the House of Mexico City, went through the vestibule, then entered an open-roof atrium, complete with a bubbling fountain with a statue of the Santa Muerte in the center. As Elizabeth looked about the atrium, the double doors on the far side opened. A tall woman, elegantly arrayed in a long black dress and veil, came into the atrium. She seemed pleasant and had a large smile.

"You must be Elizabeth," the lady said. "Welcome to the House of Mexico City. I am the Mother of the House of Mexico City. You must be exhausted from your trip. May I get you something? A warm glass of blood, perhaps?"

Elizabeth bowed her head. "That is kind of you, Mother. Yes, some blood would be nice."

Mother snapped her finger. "Sangre, ahora, por favor," She commanded to an unknown (and apparently invisible, to Elizabeth) servant. "Ah, I do prefer the Spanish language, as well as the other Romance languages, even though I am fluent in English. There is more artistry in the words. Let us take, for instance, the English word 'blood'. It sounds coarse, to my ears. 'Sangre' rolls off the tongue with more flair. It sounds less intense than your word 'blood'."

"Yeah, well, don't blame me, I'm not English."

"I will keep that in consideration."

A young-looking female servant came from the double doors at the end of the atrium carrying a silver platter with two skull-shaped glasses filled with steaming blood. She served them to Elizabeth and Mother, then retreated back beyond the double doors. Elizabeth took a sip.

"So," Elizabeth said, "Nice statue."

Mother looked at the statue in the center of the fountain. "Ah, yes, the Santa Muerte. Her cult is popular here. We vampires recognize her as our patron saint."

Oh great, religious freak vampires, Elizabeth thought. "Yeah, speaking of the Santa Muerte, there is a reason why I am here."

"So I understand. Please, speak with me."

"I am looking for a vampire who calls himself the Santa Muerte."

Mother turned up her nose. "Oh. Him. A pretender to the title. Did he not know that 'Santa Muerte' is a female spirit? And surely she knows that you never send a man to do a woman's job. Am I correct?"

"I like where you're headed. I was hoping you'd help me with him."

"Eh? Help? How so?"

"I have reason to believe that he is harboring fugitives from vampiric justice."

"And so?"

"And so I need your help contacting him, and hopefully influencing him."

Mother turned away from Elizabeth. "I wish it were so simple. This Santa Muerte is not under my jurisdiction. The authority of the House of Mexico City reaches no further north than Zacatecas. Also, we have an understanding with him. He controls the north of Mexico, we control the central and south. Unfortunately, we can be of no assistance in any matter that concerns the Santa Muerte."