Keys to the Repository (Blue Bloods 4.50)
Page 25
List of Human Familiars: None
Physical Characteristics:
Hair: Dark brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 6’1”
One of the Conclave’s most trusted and skillful Venators, Kingsley Martin has a complicated past. He is a reformed Silver Blood—one who has been Corrupted by the Dark but continues to serve the Light. He was turned Croatan by Lucifer himself during Lucifer’s reign as Caligula in ancient Rome. Kingsley was Tiberius Gemellus, the true heir of Caesar Tiberius, but Caligula, his adopted cousin, was favored and became emperor. Still, Gemellus loved Caligula like a brother, and the emperor returned his love by dooming him to eternal damnation.
Gemellus came back into the Blue Blood fold, repenting his actions and learning to control the Abomination inside of him.
He was forgiven by Michael, and it is the Repository’s belief that he was made the guardian of the Gate of Time. He has been a Venator at the service of the Regis ever since.
Throughout history, Kingsley has given much in service to the Coven. He is a key to understanding the Silver Blood methodology and physiology. (See Silver Bloods, in Appendix C, for more information.)
Assigned to investigate the murder of Aggie Carondolet, Kingsley enrolled as a student at Duchesne. With his cocky confidence, smoldering air of mystery, and devastating good looks {NOTE FROM RENFIELD: SCRIBES, ARE YOU VENATOR MARTIN HASN’T HACKED INTO THIS FILE?}, Kingsley was a legend only a week after arriving at Duchesne. {NOTE TO RENFIELD FROM K.M. HI, RENNY!}
During the initial investigation he raised the first alarm that the Llewellyn family was not all it seemed, but the report was suppressed by Senator Llewellyn in the security committee and has only recently been declassified by Warden Barlow.
As noted in records, he set up Mimi to call up the Silver Blood, but following the orders of the Regis (Charles Force) did it himself when she could not, proving without a doubt that the Croatan had found a way back into the world.
His latest assignment was to search for Jordan Llewellyn in Rio, and Mimi Force was assigned to his Venator team along with Sam and Ted Lennox. A dalliance between the Venator and {REDACTED/RENFIELD: WAS THERE SOMETHING HERE? THIS FILE IS INCOMPLETE}. The team was successful in recovering the physical remains of the Watcher, and from his reports, we can safely assume that the Pistis Sophia is still alive.
Venator Martin was sent to Paris to hunt Leviathan but was instead spotted at the Force bonding at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in New York City. During the Silver Blood ambush he disappeared into the glom. He never returned, and the church showed traces of the subvertio spell. All traces of the Gate of Time and the path have been obliterated, and Venator Martin has not been seen since.
Current Status: Missing after Silver Blood attack. Believed to be trapped in the underworld.
Author’s Note: This is a companion story to The Van Alen Legacy. It is the continuation of the conversation between Mimi and Kingsley in chapter 47.
THE VENATOR’S TALE
Kingsley’s Story
Kingsley Martin took a long, slow sip from his glass of whiskey. Firewater, indeed. Not even close. But it would suffice for now. The waitress had mistaken his raised hand as a sign for another round. A mistake he didn’t bother to correct since it appeared they would not be vacating their table anytime soon.
“Tell me everything,” Mimi said, with a
hint of desperation this time.
It was a while before he spoke, and when he did he directed his words toward the top of her head rather than looking her in the eyes. It was a trick he’d adopted in order to refrain from appearing nervous or insecure in her presence, making it seem as if he were distant and disinterested, when neither was the case. It was imperative that Mimi continue to have no idea how much she affected him.
“You want to know why Charles asked me to call the Silver Blood,” he said finally.
“I assume it wasn’t because he wanted to order a pizza,” she cracked.
He let a smile play on his lips. Her brashness amused him. Azrael had always been blunt almost to the point of being rude, but there was a forthrightness to her that came through in every incarnation of her spirit. There was never a middle ground with her—she either loved you or loathed you; she was your best friend or your worst enemy.
“Oh forget it, you’re not going to tell me anything,” Mimi said. She stood up from the table and began to put on her coat, glaring down at him.
Always a game with this one, Kingsley thought. But he decided to call her bluff. She wanted to know, so why not tell her? She deserved to know. They all did. Not just Mimi but the entire Coven. She would hate him for what he did, or else find him pathetic and weak. But he was tired of keeping secrets. What was the point anymore, when everything was falling apart.
Kingsley put a hand on her wrist. “Sit down. I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” he said quietly.
Mimi slunk back down on to the banquette, looking like a spoiled child. “Begin at the beginning, when you first came to Duchesne. When you set me up.”
He shook his head. “Understand, you were just another suspect who happened to be at the club the night Aggie Carondolet died. No one special. You were given the same treatment as the others. A Silver Blood sympathizer would be amenable to learning more about the Dark Matter. You were the only one who took the bait. I tried with Schuyler, but never got anywhere with her. Then with Bliss.” He remembered what he had said to the Southern girl: “I am the same as you.” If Bliss had been Croatan, she would have recognized the hidden meaning behind his words, that he was revealing his true nature, Silver Blood to Silver Blood. But Bliss had not responded to his confession.