Two weeks after the Skyefall hunt, Gabriel returned to San Michon conflicted yet proud: he had endangered others through impatience, killed a man, and captured a highblood fledgling. Claude de Blanchet and Vivienne La Cour were bound in silver on Greyhand’s horse, Claude still injured from Gabriel’s mysterious burning touch. Greyhand treated Gabriel with grudging respect for subduing Claude, but Aaron de Coste seethed over his own injury and being upstaged.

At the stables, Gabriel unexpectedly found Sister Aoife alone with Kaveh, the mute groom, which he noted as unusual. Aoife escorted the party directly to the Armoury, where Seraph Talon greeted them coolly and led them past the forges and Baptiste Sa-Ismael, the affable young smith who had forged Gabriel’s sword. Talon opened a secured chamber revealing the Scarlet Foundry, an apparatus designed to drain vampire blood to make sanctus, with several bound wretches and a highblood already tapped by silver tubes.

Following orders, Gabriel and Aaron secured Vivienne and Claude to the stone slabs. Greyhand confirmed they were of the Blood Voss; Aoife called Claude a poor soul, while Talon promised a thorough examination before execution. Greyhand assigned Gabriel dawn stable duty as punishment for disobedience, prompting Aaron’s gloating. Outside, Aaron used a subtle paleblood command to make Gabriel close his eyes, then punched him and threatened ongoing retaliation, violating Ordo rules.

Suspecting Talon’s interest in Claude’s unhealed burn, Gabriel snuck back to eavesdrop. Inside, Talon and Greyhand discussed Claude’s recent Becoming and the strength of his blood, then focused on the lingering, “boiling” wound caused by Gabriel’s bare hand. Greyhand named the phenomenon “sanguimancy,” which Talon declared impossible, claiming the line had been extinguished centuries ago. Greyhand insisted the signs were real and admitted Gabriel had failed ordinary blood trials because he was never tested for this.

Talon argued that, if true, Gabriel should be taken immediately to Heaven’s Bridge and executed; Greyhand countered that they must first consult Abbot Khalid, vouching that Gabriel was an exceptional swordsman who had felled a highblood alone even while drugged. They agreed to speak to Khalid after duskmass and accept his judgment, including potential execution. Gabriel fled the scene shaken, realizing Greyhand had concealed his suspicion and that Talon might kill him over a suspected fifth kith bloodline.

Back in the framing conversation, Jean-François asked why Gabriel did not simply ask Abbot Khalid. Gabriel replied that he had overheard everything, that Talon was ready to end him, and that he prefers to solve his own problems. He resolved to uncover the truth about sanguimancy and the rumored fifth bloodline himself.