Dont tell anybody Im here.

I wont, she repeated, and backed out the door.

Stay safe.
Miranda caught the closing door and locked gaes
with her. I mean it, she said. !laire, dont go home. "ad
things happen if you go home.
#hat sent a little shi$er o$er the back of !laires
neck. %romise, she said. &ot going home.
Miranda nodded and closed the door, then locked
it.
That is one screwed-up kid, !laire thought, though
Miranda wasnt a child anymore, not really. Maybe she had
ne$er been. "ut she was more than fifteen now, probably
si'teen(the age !laire herself had been when shed arri$ed
in Morgan$ille. )ow. It didnt seem so long ago,
but at the same time, it seemed like * fore$er. +ike there was
no world out there beyond the borders of the town.
One day, Ill get out of here, she thought. I can
leave anytime I want.
#hat sounded uncomfortably like what addicts told
themsel$es, now that she thought about it.
#he ride down in the ele$ator was une$entful, but
when she stepped off, she didnt see Myrnin, or ,li$er, or *
well, anyone. &ot right off.
#hen she saw a Myrnin-shaped shadow o$er on the
left side of the garage, standing ne't to a Morgan$ille police
cruiser. .e was talking to someone.
/01 of /23
/01 of /23
!laire walked o$er, and Myrnin spun in place
toward her. 4h5 he said. 6oure here. 7ood. .e had that
manic, frantic edge to him this time8 she always dreaded when
that happened. It made her $ery tired, and it was bound to be a
sackful of cray, whate$er he wanted.
)heres ,li$er9 !laire asked. "ecause he wasnt
here, although this had allegedly been all about the scary boss
man. .annah Moses was, standing ne't to the dri$ers side door
of the cruiser8 she looked * remote was probably the best way
to describe it. !losed off. Dont tell me he left. I didnt
take that long.
6es, yes, ,li$er, Myrnin said. .e seemed
ner$ous to her. ,ddly off balance, whereas .annah :ust seemed
(cold. &obody was acting ;uite like they ought to, and for
some reason, it rang an alarm bell, deep inside. ,li$er is o$er
here. !ome, hes right o$er here.
!laire took a step back instead of toward him.
She was too late.
Myrnin lunged forward, grabbed her with one
hand o$er her mouth to trap her scream of surprise
and the other around her waist to lift her, kicking, off the
ground. Shhh, he whispered. !laire, dont. I promise, this is
necessary. #rust me. %lease.
.annah was opening the back of the cruiser. In
there, !laire heard her say, o$er her own muffled shrieks.
Myrnin slid in with her, keeping a tight hold so she couldnt
scream or struggle much. %anic was racing through her $eins
now, because this was wrong. Myrnin(there was a lot of cray
in Myrnin, but $iolence9 4bduction9 &ot right. &ot right at all.
/01 of /23
/01 - /0/ of /23
4nd .annah9 )hy was Hannah helping9 !laire
trusted her, absolutely trusted her. #his * shook the world right
out from under her feet.
.annah slammed the back door and got in the
front. <eep her ;uiet, she said. I need to get us past the front
lines. ,nce were out of here, it wont matter.
I dont prefer to do it this way, Myrnin said. I
can make her understand. #ruly.
In time, maybe, but were committed now. )e
dont ha$e time to sort out her ;uestions. ,li$er has the
timeline9
6es, Myrnin said. 4nd I suppose youre right.
)e cant wait. .e looked down at !laire, who was staring up
at him with horror and betrayal. 4nd trying desperately to bite
his hand. Im sorry, my dear. =ust * rela'.
She didnt. !ouldnt. She fought and fought,
kicked the seats, shrieked, scratched, until finally, with a growl
of frustration, Myrnin put his fingers to the side of her neck and
pressed.
4nd she *
* )ent dark.
/0/ of /23
/0/ - /02 of /23
I had been waiting for this moment, and finally it
had come. ,ur enemies, $ulnerable. ,ur future, finally $isible,
if only we could reach out and take it. ,n that far horion was
freedom from the fear $ampires had carried in their bones since
before Id been made immortal.
>reedom to rule unchallenged, again.
)hate$er magic Myrnin had worked, there was no
doubt that if he said such drab stuff as this powder would work
against the draug, it would work8 he was insane, and of doubtful
loyalty to me, but on one front he had always been unshakable,
and that was his commitment to destroying our enemies. ?$en
when it had been ad$isable to run, perhaps necessary, he had
been one to argue for the fight.
)e had that in common, unlikely as it seemed.
/02 of /23
/02 of /23
.is message o$er the radio had been simple@ The
powder in the drum in the lab will kill the draug. ou will find
them at the locations marked on the map. !ispatch your teams.
!estroy them all. Myrnin was capable of surprising ruthlessness
when pushed. )e had that in common, too.
"ut it was the other part of the message that had
startled me. Myrnin had, I realied, known all along how this
would end. It was a measure of him that he had not gi$en me
any indication of that(or, as far as I understood it, anyone.&ot
e$en his pet, !laire.
&o. "urprising did not, in fact, ;uite co$er things, I
found. "hocking might come close.
"efore following his instructions, howe$er, I had a
problem to address. 4melies sister was a danger to her rule and
a potential usurper, but by definition that made her a
competent enough leader, and I needed all our
resources now. I had the guards summon her as I put on my
battle clothing8 I missed armor, but it had ne$er done us any
good against the draug. It had only weighed us down, and that
was ne$er an ad$antage when fighting something that thri$ed in
water. +eathers would do.
&aomi must ha$e thought the same, because when
she appeared in the anteroom of the >ounders apartments, she,
too, had donned thick leathers. #he black made her stark as
bone by contrast, a pale, sharp face and blond hair pulled back
in a simple style for battle. She looked a great deal like 4melie
(but there was no tug of connection between us at all. She
eyed me coldly and said, I will not be summoned like a
ser$ant by you, ,li$er. #his had best be important.
I ha$e need of your skills, I said. 6ou heard the
call to battle, I assume.
/02 of /23
/02 of /23
,f course.
#hen I need not tell you that this is the time to
strike, hard and fast. I smiled thinly, allowing my fangs to
show. She responded with the same, measure for measure. I
shall entrust you with command of this mission.
#hat set her back a step. #e$ 6ou wont be
leading it9
&o, I said. I ha$e another duty to perform. 4
more difficult one.
She understood, then, or thought she did, and bent
her head to me, :ust a little. 6ou ha$e my respect, ,li$er. 4nd
/02 of /23
/02 of /23
,f course.
#hen I need not tell you that this is the time to
strike, hard and fast. I smiled thinly, allowing my fangs to
show. She responded with the same, measure for measure. I
shall entrust you with command of this mission.
#hat set her back a step. #e$ 6ou wont be
leading it9
&o, I said. I ha$e another duty to perform. 4
more difficult one.
She understood, then, or thought she did, and bent
her head to me, :ust a little. 6ou ha$e my respect, ,li$er. 4nd
my sympathy. It is a terrible thing to do.
4t that point #heo stepped out of the shadows near
the door. 6ou seemed ready enough, he obser$ed. )hen she
sent him a murdering look, he shrugged. I told you I dont
play politics. I dont. "ut you, my dear, stabbed me in the back.
Auite literally.
I wanted to spare my sister the agony to come,
she said. 4s you do now, ,li$er. I think we understand each
other well enough. )hate$er this heretic liar has said *
)e are all heretics together, now, I said. #heos
beliefs are between him and 7od abo$e.
She laughed at that and crossed her arms. Auite a
change from you , the warrior of 7od.
She was right. I had changed. Bampirism does that
(car$es away all the arrogance of your place in the world and
/02 - /0C of /23
/0C of /23
forces you to accept new, starker realities. It builds
a far different kind of arrogance, which both &aomi and I had
in full, $iolent, dark portions.
I task you with the attack, &aomi, but be certain
you understand@ you are not 4melie, nor will you e$er be
4melie. 6ou will not rule Morgan$ille, now or e$er, while I
sur$i$e. I am her successor. &ot you. )e can dance around it
1
until you try to stick your stake into my back, but I can promise
you, I wont be as forgi$ing or as :ust as Dr. 7oldman. 4re we
clearly understood9
#hat earned me a full, cool stare. >ull of steel, this
one, underneath all the fine manners and kind graces. I
wondered if the humans who liked her really understood her
depths. +ikely not. 4melie had been the same, capable of things
no one would ha$e e$er guessed, and she had possessed more of
a human conscience than &aomi e$er had. #here were
many bodies in this ones past, and that was well
before shed taken the path of immortality.
%olitics was a game of murder, and always had
been.
#hat was why she belie$ed me now. 4nd why she
bent her head, $ery slightly this time, to acknowledge my
so$ereignty. >or now. She knew it was not the time to challenge
me.
"ut the time would ne$er come. &ot for her.
I accompanied her out into the area where the
$ampires were gathering. ?$e and Michael were there, parsing
out bags from the ridiculous barrel that(so Myrnin said(held
the final $ictory of the $ampire nation8 I supposed I should not
feel so disappointed that the fight would not be won with steel
and sil$er, but with something
/0C of /23
/0C of /23
so * humanly mundane. It was not my affair any
longer. &aomi ;uickly took charge, once I showed the flag and
acknowledged that I made her commander8 she tried to
appropriate Michael and shut out ?$e, a tactic I knew to be
doomed from the start. I didnt bother to enlighten her.
"ut there is no place for a human in this fight5
&aomi said, trying for her usual innocent charm. Michael, you
must understand that I am only trying keep her from danger.
#here will be no mortals at risk in this fight.
Im not lea$ing him, ?$e said. 6ou take him,
you
take me. ,r you lea$e us both. )ere a package
deal.
"ut(
&o, he said, and stared &aomi down. )e stay
together. ?$es told me about your little plots. 6ou
dont get to ha$e either of our backs. .e looked past &aomi to
me. 6ou can punish me if you want, but I dont trust her. &ot
with ?$e.
#he boy was right. .e had matured considerably, I
thought, from the unsure, tragically trusting young man I had so
nearly murdered on my first night in Morgan$ille. Id meant to
turn him, make him one of my $assals, but instead the outcome
had been * less ideal. .e had not fully trusted me since, of
course. I couldnt blame him for that.
It was a little amusing that he trusted &aomi less .
Demain here, I told him. 6ou wont be needed
in this, in any case. &ot if this chemical Myrnin so lo$es is truly
effecti$e.
/0C - /0E of /23
/0E of /23
,h, it is, Michael said. I$e seen it.
#hen you wont re;uire his assistance, I told
&aomi.
I thought you said I was to lead this attack.
6ou are, I said. !elegated to lead. Dont
confuse it with commanding. I nodded to Michael and ?$e,
who nodded back and kept filling plastic bags with the chemical
to hand to my * what were they to me, precisely9 Bassals9 &o,
they owed their allegiance, such as it was, to 4melie. <insmen9
Some I might claim, but no.
#hey were my army, though. #ine. 4nd a fierce
and angry one that had finally seen the chance to strike back at
an enemy that had haunted us since the earliest memories of
$ampires.
I did not see them off on their mission. #here was
no need8 &aomi would not thank me for taking the focus from
her moment of glory, and there was nothing I could add.
Michael and ?$e would stay or not, as they pleased8 I had gi$en
them my blessing to do so. #here was no sign of Shane, which
was a $ery good thing. I did not need the complication of his
in$ol$ement :ust now.
I returned to 4melies apartments, now unguarded8
her loyal men and women had gone to fight the draug, of
course. I opened the door to her bedroom and stopped there,
because the sight was * grim.
4melie was hardly recogniable now. Still
fighting, because there was still a human form to be seen
beneath that * growth, but she was losing, slowly and grimly. I
pulled the soft silk comforter from beneath her to wrap around
her body. I needed the full thickness to co$er her. ,nce I had
/0E of /23
/0E of /23
cocooned her so, I tied it off with ripped curtain
cords, and took her slight weight o$er my shoulder. #he smell
of the draug settled around me, rotting fish and flesh, and I
fought the urge to gag. "he is not one of them. %ot yet. I stopped
breathing. 4 con$enience of $ampire physiology, but not always
effecti$e8 our senses are too acute.
Smells per$ade.
4melie didnt mo$e. She could well ha$e been an
incon$enient corpse I was remo$ing for disposal8 that would
not be uni;ue in my lifetime, either in my human days or in my
new
life. She felt hea$ier than she should ha$e, but that
might ha$e been the burden of what I was about to do. I did not
waste time8 I was well aware there was little left. I carried her
through the halls, now mostly deserted. I heard a bu of
human con$ersation from one room, and identified
$oices I knew. #he Morrell girl, mourning her lost brother8 she
was right to do so, because he would be a gra$e loss to the
town. 4 smart, fair man, unlikely as one was to arise from such
low beginnings. #he girl had no such * ;uality.
I could sense that only humans were left in the
building now, sa$e for Michael. It allowed me to easily a$oid
them all.
My car was parked below, silently waiting, and I
put 4melie in the trunk, not so much for her protection as for
mine, should she finish her transformation before I was ready.
Dri$ing out into the cloudy night, I saw signs e$erywhere of
decay and destruction. #he draug accelerated such things,
turning creaking structures in need of paint and repair into
crumbling, sagging ruins. #hey would destroy Morgan$ille and
rot it into the desert in a few months if left unchecked.
/0E - /03 of /23
/03 of /23
#here were more than a few humans remaining in
town8 some had come against us in force a few nights ago,
hoping to wrest control from the $ampires. #hose had scuttled
back to their hiding places to await the end, whate$er it might
be, of our fight. I did not blame them. )hen giants fought, ants
were crushed.
I na$igated the streets without encountering a
single draug, though I sensed their hea$y presence. #he lack of
singing from them was an important and blissful indication of
their wariness, their fear. es, I thought. ou are right to be
afraid. This time, we will end you. I imagined Magnus had felt
the same e'ultation in disco$ering Morgan$ille, the last bolt-
hole of a doomed species. .ed gloried in the chance to finally,
completely, eradicate us, e$en if it meant the end of his own(
or would it9 )ithout $ampires to destroy, the draug would turn
more toward less nutritious but more plentiful prey. Shanes
capti$ity was proof enough
of that. #hey could make do with humans.
In a way, as we sa$ed oursel$es, we sa$ed those
who ser$ed us as well.
I parked at the mouth of the darkened alley,
opened the car door and checked around the area. #here were
shadows, ominous ones, but those were ;uite normal for this
place. &o sign or smell of the draug, sa$e what was coming
from the trunk. I reeked of it myself, I realied. 4 filthy
business, and heartrending.
I carried 4melie down the narrowing alleyway to
the shack set at the end of it. Myrnins ho$el, which contained
only a stairway leading down to his laboratory and nothing else
but the flickering glances and scuttles of nighttime lower-form
intruders. It was dark there, all lights e'tinguished, but as I
descended lamps flickered on in
/03 of /23
/03 of /23
response to the motion. !laires impro$ement, I
should imagine. Myrnin would hardly ha$e cared much.
#he lab was a shambles, but that
also was normal8 Myrnin was, to put it mildly, not
concerned with appearances. #he girl had made attempts to
clear it, but they ne$er lasted long. I na$igated around broken
glassware, fallen chairs, scattered loose books and papers, and
stopped in front of a large, locked cabinet marked D4&7?D,
with many different dire-looking symbols and icons stickered
on the face of it.
4s I reached out for it, I felt a flicker of energy
behind me, and glanced back to see a shape forming in mist and
static. &ot the draug.
Myrnins creation.
It was unnatural, this thing, this apparition 8 he
had used the brain of a $ampire to power it, and the spirit of the
man remained. 4 reluctant $ampire, to be sure8 "ishops little
:oke, making our bitterest enemy into one of our own.
%unishment for both the father and the son. I wondered how
Shane !ollins felt, knowing his father sur$i$ed(if it could be
called that(in this pathetic, impotent form.
>rank !ollins was an image, nothing more. .e
e'isted as flat as a photograph, and with about as much power.
.e was indefinably degraded since last Id seen him8 then, hed
worn a certain cockiness, but now he seemed * faded. 4nd
old. #he power in the lab flickered unsteadily, and so did his
image.
.e said nothing to me, and I said nothing to him.
#here was no point in bantering with the dead.
/03 - /0F of /23
/0F of /23
4s I rolled the cabinet aside on its concealed track,
he finally spoke up. Is my son still ali$e9 he asked.
I am much surprised you care, I responded. "ut
yes, so far as I am aware.
#ell him( >rank hesitated, and I had the
curious sense that he was struggling to remember how to form
words. #ell him I said I was sorry.
/
I doubt that will matter $ery much, I said, gi$en
your history together. "ut if I sur$i$e the day, I will do so.
Im dying, he said. My brain, I mean. #he
power keeps going out. Maybe thats * thats good.
Maybe it is, I said. I was not without sympathy,
but I chose where to gi$e it, and >rank !ollins was not my
choice.
I opened the door to the portal that led from
Myrnins lab, and beyond it was thick, black, empty space. 4re
the portals still functioning9
I dont know, he said. Sometimes. 6es. Maybe.
I dont know * 4nd his image flickered and faded, and didnt
return.
&ot reassuring, perhaps. #he portals were Myrnins
creation as well(magical doorways Gthough he assured me
they were based on his blend of alchemy and scienceH that
tunnel through space, linking places together as if ad:acent
rooms in a single house. ,ne could cross town in only a few
moments, theoretically, if one knew the secrets of the portals
and their locations. I knew a few. Myrnin ne$er shared the full
e'tent of his in$ention with anyone sa$e 4melie.
/0F of /23
/0F of /23
I faced the portal and concentrated hard. #here was
a whisper of color through the dark, dim but definite. I traced
the outlines of the place I wished
to see in my mind(the brightly colored stained-
glass lamps, the red $el$et sofa with its lions-head arms, the
thick, dusty carpeting. #here was a small Monet painting that
4melie had fa$ored, hanging :ust there *
I felt another force suddenly add itself to mine in
one intense surge, and color e'ploded out of the dark, showing
me the room in shining, perfect focus.
&o time.
I plunged through, into freeing cold, then heat,
and then I was steppingIfalling through the dark and into the
light.
#he portal snapped shut behind me with an almost
metallic shriek, and I sensed that it wouldnt be opening again,
not without repairs. Morgan$ille was shattering all around us.
Soon thered be nothing left to sa$e.
That power. It hadnt been >rank8 hed had little or
nothing left to gi$e. &o, this had been power with a familiar sort
of feel. 4melie was, at least on some le$el, still awake. 4ware.
4li$e.
%erhaps because of this place. #his room, this
house, still held a sense of eternity, peace, and a measure of her
own power. .ere, of all places, 4melie could find strength. In
many ways, the 7lass .ouse was the unbeating heart of the
town(the first of her >ounder .ouses to be completed, the first
of her homes. )hen the structure had been built, it had
/0F - /0J of /23
/0J of /23
been the first of thirteen identical buildings, all
linked, connected, strengthened by blood and bone and magic
and science.
.ere, in this place of power, I hoped she could
maintain a little longer. 4nd if not * it was a fitting place for it
to end.
I put her down as gently as possible on the red
$el$et sofa, and unwrapped the silken co$ers from around her
body. #hey pulled away wet and sticky, and beneath she was a
melting wa' sculpture with pale, blind eyes.
I left the hidden attic room and went to the second
floor. #he young people who li$ed here(!laire, ?$e, Michael,
Shane(were indifferent housekeepers, but the bathroom held
clean towels. &o water, of course, but in the kitchen I found a
sealed, safe bottle of water, and a
not-yet-curdled supply of blood that Michael 7lass
must ha$e stored against emergencies. %rudent. I would ha$e
stored more than that, but I am by nature cautious and paranoid.
#he house had a curiously empty feel. I had been
here many times, but always there had been a sense
of presenceto it, of something li$ing within it that was not :ust
the occupants, but the spirit of the house itself. Myrnins
creations had odd effects, and the oddest had been the
awakening of these immobile, unli$ing buildings made of brick,
wood, mortar, and nails. "ut the spirit that had dwelt here
seemed as dead as Morgan$ille itself.
)hen I knelt beside 4melie with the dampened
towel and began to sponge her face clean, her eyes suddenly
shifted to fi' on me. >or the first time in hours, I saw a spark of
recognition in them. She didnt mo$e otherwise8 I
/0J of /23
/0J of /23
continued my work, wiping the damp residue of
the draug from her pale cheeks, her parted lips.
.er hand mo$ed in a flash, and caught my wrist to
hold it in an iron grip.
I cant, she whispered. I cant hold, ,li$er. 6ou
know what to do. 6ou cant allow me to lose myself. &aomi
was right. Knkind, but right.
)e still ha$e time, I told her, and put my other
hand o$er hers(not to pull it free, but to hold it close, e$en if it
hurt me. If Magnus can be killed, this will stop. It will all
stop. "ecause that was the secret of the draug, the one that
Magnus had sought to keep so close. #hat was why he had
targeted !laire, who could see through his disguises and
defenses. .e was the most powerful of the draug, and the most
$ulnerable. <ill him, and his $assals died. #hey were
nothing but reflections, shells, drones ser$ing a
hi$e.
"ut 4melie was shaking her head, :ust a little. 4s
much as she could. #he master draug cannot be killed. &ot by
steel or sil$er, bullets or blades. #he most we can do is force
him to flee and regroup. 6ou must kill me before the
transformation is complete, do you understand9 I thought
perhaps, this time(but we are not so lucky, you and I. .er
smile was terrible, but beneath the alien taking her body, I could
still see the ghost of 4melie. She had been my bitter enemy, my
gadfly, my bane(we had hundreds of years of bile and
ambition between us, but here, at the end, I saw her for what
she was@ a ;ueen, as she had always been. In my mortal life I
had brought down kings, laid low monarchs, but ne$er her.
#here was something in her stronger than my ambition. Do me
the kindness, my old enemy. Its fitting.
In a while, I promised her. "ide with me.
/0J of /23
/0J of /23
I will, she said, and closed her eyes. #his time,
the smile was utterly her own. I will try.
>inally, finally , I was taking my rightful place.
#hirty $ampires, all at my un;uestioned command. It rankled
me that ,li$er had been the one to grant it to me, but I would
see to him soon enough. I was royalty. .e was nothing but a
:umped-up king-killer and fanatic whod once stolen a throne,
and there would be a reckoning. It had been foolish of him to
gi$e me his $assals to command.
I would use them to do more than finish the draug.
I would do it for my sisters sake. 4melie was ;ueen, true, but
when a ;ueen can no longer rule, her heir must act, swiftly, to
ensure that no chaos erupts.
I was the heir. %ot ,li$er.
#he only $ehicle large enough to carry us all was a
yellow-painted bus8 it stank of human children, and other less
pleasant things, and I ordered the windows put down.
#he clouds were rolling away on the winds,
lea$ing the skies o$er Morgan$ille finally clear and ice-cold,
with stars glittering in spills of diamond. So many stars here.
My sister had chosen her defensi$e ground well, and if the
weapon ,li$er had gi$en us worked as he claimed, this would
be the final, triumphant $ictory.
4nd I would lead it.
I was already planning for what would occur after
this battle. >irst, I would ensure that 4melie did not rise a
draug8 ne't, I would bind her people close to me by right of
blood. ,li$er could be e'iled, or dispatched if he refused to go.
4nd Morgan$ille, such kingdom as it was, would be mine.
,nce the draug were finished, we would rebuild this town in
the right and proper way * and the nonsense that 4melie had
allowed, this e;uality between humans and $ampires, that
would stop.
/11 of /23
/11 of /23
It would stop with her niais, Michael. 4s her direct
blood descendent, he would ha$e to set an e'ample for the
others. I would ask him to put aside his human girl and beha$e
as a $ampire ought8 this confusion of ser$ants and masters was
maddening. !ourtesy toward them was proper, to be sure, and
if he chose to keep her as a personal sort of pet, I could look the
other way. "ut marriage was an alliance by law and custom that
could not be allowed.
It ga$e the humans incontestable rights.
My lady, said one of 4melies fa$orites, bowing
to me as he stood in the aisle ne't to my seat. .e had adopted
modern dress, but I remembered him in armor, from earlier
times. 4 good man. 7ood warrior.
6our name is Dickon, I said. I remember you.
6ou ha$e a long memory, lady. Dickon it is. .e
watched me with pale green eyes that were a little too sly, a bit
too knowing. .ow well had I known him9 ,ut of so many ages,
it was difficult to remember. I scarce knew how 4melie kept
such things straight. She e$en remembered the names of
humans. Id had to memorie the three she allowed to li$e as
company for Michael, and that had been a struggle. )ere
approaching the treatment plant. #he other bus signals that they
ha$e arri$ed at the uni$ersity and are prepared to work their
way through to the edge of
town.
#hen it begins. I ga$e him a warm smile. Do
well, today, +ord Dickon, and there will be rewards. Significant
ones.
.e lifted an eyebrow and said, I am no lord now,
my
/11 of /23
/11 - /1/ of /23
lady. ,nly a shopkeeper, and a happy one. 4nd I
re;uire no rewards8 this is my home. I dont take pay to defend
my own land.
I had mistaken him. .e was, it seemed, one of
those sad $ampires who had belie$ed 4melies strange
philosophy that re;uired us to gi$e up our rights to status, and
become * ordinary. )ell, I was not ordinary. Id not allow her
to make me into some * shopkeeper. +ords and ladies we
were, and would remain.
I ga$e him a nod, as if I agreed with him, and he
withdrew without another word. 4t least the man was capable
of a proper e'it, with a deep bow from the waist before turning
his back. Manners had not faded ;uite so far among the old
ones.
L
#he gra$ekeeper, Dansom, sat behind me in the
bus.
.e was a dusty old thing, ancient in appearance8 I
had always wondered why anyone had bothered to make him
$ampire. It hardly seemed worth the trouble. #urning someone
so old was useful only when they had considerable gifts8 this
one hardly seemed to remember his own name most days,
though he was, I will admit, fully capable of fast action when
needed. I glanced at him, and he nodded and ga$e me a smile,
and $ampire or not, royal or not, I shi$ered. Some of 4melies
followers were * unpleasant.
.ighness, murmured my ne't $isitor, the tall
%ennyfeather(one of ,li$ers fa$orites, another fanatic who
had, in breathing days, administered tortures for the church. I
did not trust him, but he had a useful streak of coldness, and
proper respect. .e bowed o$er my hand without being so $ulgar
as to brush his lips o$er it. )hen this is o$er, I will be happy to
follow you where$er you may lead.
/1/ of /23
/1/ of /23
I accepted him with a regal nod and smile. )e
were understood, the two of us. 4nd there were more here,
dissatisfied with the disorderly state of Morgan$ille, who would
gladly follow a banner when I raised it. ?$en Dansom might,
though +ord Dickon was, I feared, a lost cause.
I felt the speed of the bus slow, and then stop. )e
were here. It was my moment, mine, to draw their lo$e and
loyalty, and I stood and made myself the ;ueen I knew I was.
Dansom sho$ed past me as I drew breath to speak.
)e know what to do, he said. 7et out of the way, girl.
#he green-eyed shopkeeper smirked as he followed
Dansom. ,thers fell in behind him, ignoring me. De:ecting me.
%ennyfeather said, Ignore the rude peasants,
.ighness. ,nce you ha$e won the day, they will
fall in. .e had a soothing tone to his whisper, and I allowed it
to calm my rage. I would use it against the draug.
>or now.
Instead of being in the $anguard, I was solidly in
the middle of the group who descended from the bus. I was
forced to fight my way through to the front, where I finallytook
command. 6ou$e all been armed with
this, I said, holding up the bag of powder. I ha$e
been told that the draug cannot resist it. 6ou must be prepared
for anything8 each of you has been armed with sil$er as well,
but be cautious in its use(
Someone made a muttered comment, a rude one,
and I fi'ed him with a stare. It didnt seem to ha$e the same
effect
/1/ of /23
/1/ - /1L of /23
that my sisters stare would ha$e. %ennyfeather
will lead one team. I will lead another. )e approach from either
end. #he draug cannot sing8 do not let them touch you if you
can a$oid it. Kse the chemical powder on the pools. Do not
waste it.
More muttering, and one isolated, ;uiet laugh, but I
ignored it, for all the fury it ignited inside me. I would rule these
people. It was my right by blood and history. Surely 4melie
would agree it was so, if she was able.
I led my force into the comple'.
&one of us breathed, and for that I was profoundly
thankful8 this was a foul place, e$en without the threat of the
draug. >ull of shadows, but that mattered little to our eyes. 4ll
was still, ;uiet, watchful within.
)hen the draug came for us, they came in a rush,
and the battle was on.
I slashed my way through their assault, using sil$er
where it was necessary8 a few $ampires were o$ercome and
dragged into the pools, but by then %ennyfeather had reached
their watery sanctuaries, and I heard the eerie, piercing screech
of terror as he dumped his chemicals in. I began the same on
my end, dumping my bag of powder into the murky, dark
waters, and I watched black threads spread fast and to'ic
through their blood garden. #here were $ampires in there,
anchored fast8 as the draug died, I shouted at others to enter the
waters and retrie$e the $ictims. )e sa$ed most.
4nd the draug died. #hey died hard, and they died
fighting, struggling to pull us into their own realm, but we
poisoned that home against them, down to the last refuge.
/1L of /23
/1L of /23
#hose who emerged we killed with sil$er.
It was an un;ualified triumph. )e sa$ed almost
twenty $ampires from their horrible fate, but most important,
my command, my battle had been won, and I would return
co$ered in glory.
&o one would ;uestion my right to rule after this,
after ,li$er had abandoned his duties and left it to me to wage
this war(and I had succeeded.
)e$e won, I said. I was already thinking of the
future, of my rule. #hough I greatly preferred the company of
women, I would deign to take Michael 7lass as consort, I
decided8 he was young, but he came of pure bloodlines and
would satisfy those who wished a token thrown to our human
ser$ants. 4s to his human girl * )ell, if he would not gi$e her
up, it would be simple enough to get rid of her.
&o, Dickon said. #heres no sign of the master
draug. Knless hes put down, there is no $ictory.
Surely we$e killed him in the pools, I said.
#heres no ;uestion.
.e ga$e me a cold, impudent look from those
green eyes. )e must ha$e proof.
#y &ueen , I
told him, and showed my fangs. I would prefer if
you ga$e me my title, +ord Dickon.
.e ignored me. Ignored me. .e turned away to
deal with one of the last of the draug.
I found the $ery last of them, clinging to its filthy
life,
/1L of /23
/1L - /12 of /23
crouching in the shadows. I flung a bit of the
magic powder o$er it, and watched as its legs turned black,
solid, rotten. It was dying before my eyes. Magnus, I said.
)here is Magnus9 #ell me5
&ot here, it whispered, and it laughed at me.
I needed to kill #agnus. ,nce I had done that,
there would be no ;uestion of my superiority, my rights.
Magnus was mine.
%ennyfeather was standing behind me8 I sensed his
cold, angular presence. ,li$ers man, but mine now. .e knew
which knee to bend, and when. Send out search parties, I
commanded without turning from the sight of the last of the
thralls dying. >ind Magnus at any cost, and bring him to me.
4nd ,li$er. I will re;uire his head, of course. )e must settle
the ;uestion of who rules immediately.
%ennyfeather didnt mo$e.
I became aware of a great stillness around me. #he
shrieking was done, the draug finished here, and the
$ampires, my $ampires, were watching me.
+ike %ennyfeather, unmo$ing.
6ou heard me, I said, and whirled on
%ennyfeather *
* =ust as he buried his slender sil$er knife in my
heart.
I grabbed for it, wrapping my cold hands o$er his,
and saw nothing in his face but my own death. &o, I
whispered. &o, I am your ;ueen(
6oull ne$er rule here, he said. 6ou should
ha$e remembered that.
/12 of /23
/12 of /23
#he sil$er coursed through my body, poisoning
me. .e left the dagger in me. It paralyed me, and I could only
watch as the $ampires of Morgan$ille left this place, and left
me to die among the blackened corpses of our greatest enemies.
%ot over, I thought. I wanted to shriek it at him, at
all of them. This is not over'
"ut all I could do was watch them go. 4melies
creatures. ,li$ers. &e$er mine.
I will have you, I promised them, in a burst of
terror and fury. ou should have made sure of me,
(ennyfeather.
"ecause I would find a way to sur$i$e. #o take
this town, and our future, from them.
Somehow.
#he draug I had poisoned was still ali$e, though
blackened and crippled. Dying fast now. "ut it dragged itself to
me and stared down into my open eyes.
4nd it pulled the sil$er dagger out of my heart.
>or a long moment, I still was unable to mo$e8 the
sil$er had weakened me, blackened me within. #he draug
dropped the dagger.
)hy9 I asked it.
4nd Magnuss $oice answered me, echoing
through his own creature. )aste not, he said, want not.
4nd then he laughed, and the draug finished
dying.
I retched up sil$er and stumbled to hands and
knees,
/12 of /23
/12 of /23
then upright.
#he war was still on.
Magnus first.
"ut after that, those whod betrayed me.
4melie, my sister. 4nd ,li$er, whose creature
%ennyfeather was.
2
#ine.
I stood on the sidelines, with Michael, and watched
the $ampires go to war.
It wasnt much of a seeing-off parade, really *
:ust the two of us, standing together, holding hands. "ut Id
always thought of myself as the cocky sidekick type, and cocky
sidekicks dont ha$e to go to war, right9 #hey get to cheer from
the sidelines and * be cocky.
I didnt feel particularly cocky anymore. I felt
terrified, and e$en with Michael holding my hand, Id ne$er
been more aware of how much was at stake, how much was
bound to go wrong. )hat if it doesnt work9 I asked him.
)hat if(what if none of them come back9 I could :ust see
the nightmare of being trapped in Mombieland Morgan$ille, the
draug haunting e$ery source of water we had.
#hen we grab e$erybody whos left, steal a school
bus,
and head out, Michael said. I dont like running,
but sometimes its about all you can do.
School buses. #he last time Id sat on these cold
green fake-leather seats, Id been the outcast praying for
graduation and Michael had been in the back with the cool kids.
.ed always been able to mo$e between cli;ues(hottie, music
nerd, closet "tar Trek enthusiast. >itting in was his superpower,
and my deadly weakness. Speaking of school buses, remember
when =amie Montgomery punched out whats-her-name, the
redhead *9
!arly, I said. !arly >o'.
!arly the >o', right. I think she broke her nose.
7ood times. I remembered it $i$idly8 it was one
of the highlights of senior year, a hair-pulling, full-on hot girl
/1E of /23
/1E of /23
catfight. !arlys nose had ne$er been the same.
&either had =amie Montgomery, because shed disappeared
without a trace about two weeks later(escaped from town,
rumor said, but I knew most of those rumors were bull. Shed
probably gotten drained by !arlys $amp %rotector out of sheer
annoyance that he had to mediate high school girls. #hese
things happened. .ey, whate$er happened to =amie, anyway9
"ecause Michael was on the other side now. .ed know.
She left town, Michael said.
Is that code for * I mimed fangs in the neck. .e
raised his eyebrows and said nothing. So that was a yes, then.
Damn.
6ou already knew.
I had, kinda. "ut still. #hinking back on our class, I
wondered how many of them had sur$i$ed8 most, sure, but a
few would ha$e fallen off the radar, gotten bitten, tried to run,
or :ust had the pro$erbial fatal accident. Morgan$illes rate of
missing was pretty high, and most of them werent missing at
all.
So, I said, and turned to Michael. ?nough
reminiscing. I guess its :ust us around here.
%ri$ate, he replied.
4s much as we e$er get. 4nd * theres not a lot
to do right now.
&o. .e was playing along with me, waiting for
me to get to the point.
/1E of /23
/1E of /23
So I did. )e need to talk about things.
#hat was not where he had e'pected the ne't turn
to go.
I knew that, but it was his fault for letting me dri$e
the metaphorical con$ersation bus. "ut to his credit, I caught
only a small flash of impatience and disappointment, ;uickly
submerged. ,kay, he said. &ot as if he really wanted to ha$e
the heart-to-not-beating-heart, but as if he knew there was no
getting around it. 6ou want to do it here9
I shrugged. Shanes in our room with !laire, I
think. #hey$e been tense since he got back. "etter let them
ha$e some time. I led Michael o$er to a set of chairs and
pulled two of them together.
4nd then I felt oddly weird about starting the
con$ersation. #here had been a moment, when Id
run away from &aomi and into his arms, when all that had
happened between us had $anished, but now * now here it was
again, big and bad and getting bigger with e$ery moment we
didnt deal with it. ,r rather, I didnt. .e was trying.
So I looked up and said what was in my heart. I
lo$e you.
.e met my eyes s;uarely, and my 7od, he was
beautiful. It always surprised me, a bit, how e$erything
:ustworked with him(his eyes, and his hair, and his
cheekbones, and his mouth, and * e$erything. +i$ing art, so
gorgeous that sometimes, like now, it hurt. "ut if his looks
burned a little, the e'pression on his face soothed it8 he was
intent on me, as if I was the only thing in the world. &othing in
his eyes but open, honest feeling.
/1E - /13 of /23
/13 of /23
I lo$e you, too, he said. )hat are we going to
do about this9
I dont know, I admitted. I thought I did, but *
its a little like being in a relationship with Superman. 6ou
sometimes dont know your own strength.
.e smiled, and it made his dimples come out. I
think Im more "atman, he said. 6ou know, what with all the
bats and nighttime acti$ities. 4nd "atman is much cooler.
7eek.
.is smile widened. 6ou say the nicest things.
.a$ent you heard9 7eeks run the world now.
6eah, what 7oths allow them to run. #his felt so
good * so much like the old days, when we were friends, and
before e$erything got so complicated. So
dangerous. 6oure a$oiding the con$ersation.
.e looked down at his hands, then back up as if
willing himself to do it. 6eah, I guess I am. I hurt you. I could
do it again, if the conditions were right8 I dont really
know whatcould trigger me to do it, ?$e. )ish to hell I did. I
:ust * lost myself. 4nd I cant promise you it wont happen
again. #here was something tentati$e about the way he was
watching me now. 4fraid, I realied. 4fraid I was going to
re:ect him, and knowing it would hurt, but :ust * holding still
for it all the same.
#hat makes :umping into getting married sound a
little cray, I said. Doesnt it9
.e nodded. #his time, when he looked down, he
didnt try to meet my eyes again.
Michael.
/13 of /23
/13 of /23
Im sorry, he said. It came out half a whisper,
and a little unsteady. Its
not your fault, its mine *
#ichael. +ook at me. .e did, finally, bracing
himself for impact. I said getting married sounds cray. I do
cray for a li$ing.
>or a blank few seconds, he didnt seem to
understand me8 I think he must ha$e run that through his head
at high speed a doen times before he finally got the translation.
6ou mean youre okay. )ere okay.
6es, Michael, you fool, were $ery okay. "ut
what I said before still stands. 6oud better not think of me as a
$ictim, e$en if something does happen. Im no weak little
flower, and if I need to defend myself, I will. =ust(try not to
make that happen. I really dont want to ha$e to
hurt you. ,kay9
.is smile was bright and sweet and hot enough to
melt solid steel. Is this the part where I kiss you9
If you like.
,h, he said, I like. 4nd he leaned forward,
gripping the arms of my chair, and slowly, slowly, sweetly
brought that mouth to me. It was a long, lo$ely kiss, the kind
that melts your spine and fills you with sunlight and steals your
breath away. #he kind that, as far as I knew, only Michael 7lass
could gi$e me, because he knew, he :ust knew that kissing me
with those gentle little butterfly-soft presses would make my
toes curl, and the way that the teasing sank into something
deeper, darker, more intensely needy. .is tongue stroked my
lips, and I let them part, hungry for him,
/13 - /1F of /23
/1F of /23
for the taste of him.
I had missed him so, so, so much. Missed this.
Missed us .
?$e9 .e kept his lips close, punctuating his
words with small little electric brushes of our skin. My own
mouth felt swollen, tingling, intensely and darkly aware . I
think * we should * find some * pri$acy. Dight now.
I was one hundred and ten percent in fa$or of this
idea. In fact, parts of me were redlining at one-twenty. 6es,
please, I said. I kept my mouth :ust as close, teasing him right
back. Does this mean we actually ha$e to stop kissing9
Im afraid it might.
)ait * not sure about that, then *
.e pulled me up to my feet and put his arms
around me, pressed his lips to mine and began guiding me
around the chairs. I giggled into his mouth as we bumped
awkwardly into walls, tables, a large $ase * and then suddenly
he let go of me and turned away, :ust as I heard Shane say,
)heres !laire9
)hat9 Michael sounded blank, and :ust a little
bit frustrated. I could understand that, because I was struggling
to tamp down the furnace hed ignited inside me and reconnect
with the rest of the world. )hat are you talking about9 I
thought she was with you.
C
)as, Shane said. .e was pulling a shirt o$er his
head, and looked better and more focused than he had before. I
was glad to see that. Id ha$e :ust been happier to see it in
/1F of /23
/1F of /23
say, an hour. ,r two. She got a call from Myrnin.
,f course. &othing strange about that, although I
was a
little surprised shed gone. .e must ha$e made it
seem important. )ell, with all that was going on, it
probably wasimportant. I made sure my clothes were on
relati$ely straight, and stepped out from behind Michael. I
didnt see Myrnin earlier, I said. Did you9
Michael shook his head. .e wasnt with &aomis
crew.
Maybe hes with ,li$er, then.
,li$er wasnt letting anyone near 4melie. &o
reason to take !laire in there, e$en if Myrnin got pulled in.
Michael bumped fists with Shane. 6ou look better, man.
I feel better, Shane said. ,r I would if I could
figure out where "atty Mc!rackula took my girlfriend.
,ooh, good one. Im writing that down. +ab9 I
suggested. I mean, the one he set up here9
#he boys thought it was a good idea, too, so we
tried it. #here was trial and error in$ol$ed, what with all the
hallways and doors8 the more rooms we opened, the more it
seemed ob$ious that this place was deserted. )e found #heo in
the infirmary8 he had a couple of human patients in the beds,
and his hulking friend .arold as his nurse.
Myrnin9 #heo repeated when we asked, and
straightened up from where he sat staring into a microscope.
Im afraid hes not been here. I ha$ent seen him for some
time. .a$e you tried the lab9
/1F - /1J of /23
/1J of /23
!ant find it, Shane said. .e sounded like he was
ready to break something, and I couldnt really blame him.
4h. Second hall, turn left, then three doors down
on the right. #ell the madman I said hello. #heo went back to
his microscope as if it was $itally important, which maybe it
was, and .arold wa$ed to Shane. Shane wa$ed back, looking a
little confused about it, and we backed out of the mini-hospital
and into the hall.
#heos directions took us straight to Myrnins
makeshift lab, but although it was full of glass and books and
tables, there was absolutely no one there.
.ang on, Michael said, and took out his phone.
.e dialed, and listened. I watched his e'pression grow set and a
little worried. Shes not answering.
#ry Myrnin, Shane said. .e was as tense as a
guitar string, and about as likely to break at the wrong pressure.
Michael dialed, listened, and shook his head. I cant help it, I
ha$e a bad feeling about this *
6ou should.
)e all turned, in $arying degrees of fast, and I
dont know about the guys, but I was really surprised to see my
uncomfortable little friend Miranda standing in the lab doorway.
She looked as mismatched and odd as e$er, and her eyes had
that looking-through-us focus that made me shudder.
)hat are you talking about9 Shane asked, and
walked toward her. .e probably didnt mean it to be
threatening, but he was agitated, and an agitated Shane was an
intimidating thing. Miranda backed up. .e stopped and held
/1J of /23
/1J of /23
up both hands in frustrated surrender. Im not
going to hurt you, kid. =ust tell me. )here is !laire9
.ome, she said. I told her not to go. I told her.
She looked * distressed, which was weird to me. Id seen
Miranda go through a car wreck and the loss of a sister
without that much of a reaction. Its all going wrong. It wasnt
supposed to be like this.
Mir. I pushed past Shane and took the girls
hand. She was all soft skin o$er thin bird bones, and I made a
mental note to make the poor kid a sandwich sometime8 she
desperately needed it. Miranda, you know me, right9
#hat knocked her out of the psychic trance state,
and she ga$e me a wary, annoyed look. ,f course, she said.
6oure ?$e. )hy wouldnt I9
?'cellent ;uestion, but I let it go. #ake a deep
breath and e'plain whats going on. 6oure not making any
sense.
It doesnt make any sense. #hats what Im trying
to tell you, Miranda shot back, and sighed. !laires at the
7lass .ouse. 4nd she shouldnt be there. I told her that before
she went to see Myrnin.
I looked o$er at Shane. Did she say anything
about(
#he last thing I knew, she was going to meet
Myrnin, but I dont know where. .e was staring at Miranda
with a fiercely still e'pression, as if he was throttling the
impulse to shake something out of her. .e must ha$e taken her
home is all I can figure. "ut why would he do that9
Murky, Miranda said. I cant see whats going
on. Its scary, ?$e. I dont like it. "ut I know we ha$e to help
her.
/1J of /23
/1J of /23
)e have to . .er hand was shaking, and her small
fingers wrapped tight around mine. She lowered her $oice to a
whisper. ?'cept if we do, we wont all make it.
I swallowed hard and suppressed the Shane-like
impulse to shake her. She was making as much sense as she
could, I knew that. #he kid was half-autistic, half-psychic8 it
was a miracle she got out as much as she did. 4nd it always
made sense, later. )ho wont make it9
Knclear, she said, as if she was one of those
Magic F "alls I liked so much.
Screw this, Shane said. Im going to get
!laire.
)e, Michael said. )ere going to get her.
Miranda nodded. "ut theres someone else we
need.
She pulled free of my grip and darted away,
running surprisingly fast8 I ran after her, and heard the boys
pounding in my wake. #he girl ran like she had an absolutely
accurate map of where she wanted to go, and I ;uickly lost
count of the turns and blurred doorways until she skidded to a
stop in front of one that looked identical to all the others. Its
locked, she said, and looked at Michael. "reak it.
.e shrugged and took hold of the knob. It was
$ampire-reinforced, but he was determined, and a few sharp
sideways tugs snapped it off in his hand. .e reached into the
hole and pulled the metal tongue back, then swung the door
open.
Inside, my brother, =ason, was sitting cross-legged
on a rumpled bunk in a bright orange
/1J of /23
/1J of /23
breast pocket would ha$e been. .e looked up,
tossed lank hair back from his face, and stared at Michael, then
past him at me. >amily reunion, he said. !ool. .e raised
one hand, and I saw he was handcuffed to a length of chain that
was fastened to the wall(enough slack for him to get to the
bathroom, but not much more. &o need to be afraid. Im safe.
Shane cast a sidelong look at Miranda, and said,
Seriously9
She nodded. )e need him.
,kay, then, Michael said. =ust so were clear,
=ason@ I lo$e your sister, but that doesnt e'tend to you. 6ou
step out of line, you do anything that isnt in your sisters best
interests, and Ill carry out your sentence. )e clear9
Michael5 I blurted. I wasnt sure what appalled
me more(that he was thinking about letting =ason go, or that
he was thinking of killing him. Maybe both.
!lear, =ason said. +ook, man, you let me go
and I promise you, Ill do whate$er you want. ,nce thats done,
Im out of Morgan$ille and out of your li$es. 4ll right9
Deal, Michael said. Ill be watching you.
>or an answer, =ason held up his pinned wrist.
Michael took hold of the chain and bent one of the links, and
:ust like that, my brother was * free.
4re you totally sure about this9 I asked Miranda
under my breath. She nodded placidly. "ecause I know him.
4nd hes not(
//0 of /23
//0 of /23
I know, she said. .es not trustworthy. "ut
thats okay. #his time hes what we need.
=ason stood up, mo$ed his arm as if re$eling in the
freedom, and said, So, what are we doing9
7etting guns, Miranda said. +ots of guns.
#hat drew a scary smile from my brother. I like
this plan, he said, and followed Miranda out. Michael went
after, dogging him with a worried frown.
I e'changed a look with Shane.
I know, he said. )e are into the #his Is a "ad
Idea neighborhood, and heading down I .a$e a "ad >eeling
Street. "ut either we belie$e her or we dont. Maybe shes gone
completely o$er the edge. 6ou considered that9
E
I consider it e$ery time I talk to her, I said, but
do you want to risk it9 )ith !laires life on the line9
.e shook his head. +ets go, he said. "ut keep
an eye on your brother.
"oth eyes. 4bsolutely.
//0 of /23
//0 - /// of /23
She had never seen it coming.
#he first moments of waking up were spent
wondering what the hell had happened. She remembered getting
the call. Dressing. 7oing down in the ele$ator. Meeting Myrnin
and .annah in the garage.
4nd then * and then hed turned on her. 7rabbed
her.)bducted her. Shed fought, too. >ought until hed put her
out.
4nd now she was here, and her head ached
miserably. "ut where was here 9 4nd what the hell
had happened 9*hy$
#he ne't thing that came to her, after the panic,
was the realiation that she wasnt submerged in water. It
wasnt the draug, at least. #he relief of that was intense, until
she
/// of /23
/// of /23
tried to mo$e, and disco$ered that she was tied to a
chair. 4 hea$y one, thick wood, plush fabric. 4 smell of old
dust.
#he room was dim, but after a few blinking
seconds of confusion she realied that she knew it.
She was home. In the 7lass .ouse.
!ont go home, Miranda had said. ,h 7od.
#his was the parlor room, the one they rarely used8
it was mostly a place to dump backpacks, coats, purses, stuffon
the way into the li$ing room, where they actually gathered. She
tried to remember when shed been home last. Days blurred
together(7od, had it only been yesterday 9 &o, that had to be
wrong. It felt like at least a week. Maybe it was somewhere in
the middle.
.er head hurt in pounding wa$es, but she couldnt
feel any bruises. )hen she tugged at the ropes holding her in
the chair, they were firm. )hoe$er had tied her up had been
nice about it8 there was soft padding between the ropes and her
wrists and ankles.
#hat consideration didnt make her feel any better
about being restrained.
?asy, said a $oice from behind her, and she felt
someone tug on the ropes, probably checking the knots. .annah
Moses. She immediately knew it e$en before .annah came
around to look at her. #he police chief looked eerily the same as
she always had(competent, calm, a little hard around the
edges. "ut still, always, honest and fair. #hat was creepy,
considering their relati$e situations. ?asy. I dont want you to
hurt yourself. 6oure fine, !laire. 6oure perfectly safe.
/// of /23
/// of /23
Safe9 !laire echoed. )hat are you talking
about 9 Im tied up5
>or your protection, Myrnin said. She hadnt
spotted him, but he was standing stock-still ne't to the front
window, looking out through a crack in the blinds. #o keep you
out of the way.
#he way of what 9 she demanded. Myrnin
turned and e'changed a look with .annah, and !laire didnt
like that, didnt like it at all. )heres Shane9
.opefully he is with the others, Myrnin said.
Safety in numbers and all that.
#he others(I ha$e no idea what you are talking
about5 She yanked at the ropes, unsuccessfully. +et me go5
)here do you think you would go9 #he
$ampires ragtag army is, e$en now, taking your chemicals to
the water treatment plant and
the other targets I marked out for ,li$er on my
map, Myrnin said. #hey will almost certainly succeed in their
attempts. 6ou and Shane ha$e gi$en us an ad$antage the draug
could not ha$e planned for, and the draug will die, trapped
where they are. #hose in the clouds cannot stay8 their safety
there is shrinking and will soon be gone. #hey will ha$e to fall
to earth. #he desert will consume whats left.
?'cuse me, but then why am I tied up 9
"ecause those are the spawn, he said. .e
stillsounded like the old Myrnin, the one she mostly trusted, the
one who always seemed to ha$e a point, howe$er weird and
/// of /23
/// - //L of /23
twisty it might be. #he spawn are nothing, they
are the bees industriously gathering pollen for the hi$e. #he
;ueen(king, in this case(is $ital to the sur$i$al of all.
Magnus thought he could hide himself among his spawn, but he
cannot. 6ou can see him, whether he chooses it or no. .e
cannot afford that. ,nce his spawn are dead, there is nothing
left to hide him. So he must count them lost, and find you .
<ill you.
.e seemed to think that e'plained e$erything.
!laire gritted her teeth and forced herself not to scream at him8
it wouldnt do any good. &either .annah nor Myrnin was
looking like they had any doubts about what they were doing.
I dont e$en know how I do it5
Myrnin e'plained that, .annah said. #he
bracelet 4melie ga$e you to wear. Its a kind of draug early
warning system. It inoculates the wearer to be able to see them
clearly. 6ou wore it long enough for the effects to still be in
your system. Myrnins right, !laire. )here$er
you$e gone since Magnus realied you could see him, hes sent
his creepers after you. ,r e$en come himself.
.e must come himself. )ith his spawn dead, he
cannot hide in numbers, Myrnin said. .e was speaking to her
directly now, and earnestly, as if he really wanted !laire to
understand why he was doing all this. 6ou can see him, and
he cannot hide. &or, in Morgan$ille, can he easily flee. #his is
the first time that we ha$e e$er had this ad$antage o$er him.
)e$e ne$er been able to destroy his thralls without damage to
oursel$es8 we$e ne$er been able to hunthim. It e;uals the
contest, you see. .e wont ha$e it.
4nd this is why you tied me up. >or bait$
)ell, Myrnin said, $ery apologetically, it does
keep you in place. I belie$e he sees you as a genuine threat. .e
//L of /23
//L of /23
killed you, and yet you are here, taking action
against him. #hat makes you $ery nearly a master draug
yourself. I suppose its a bit of an honor, if you look at it that
way.
#he urge to scream was coming back, fast. !laire
yanked against the ropes con$ulsi$ely. She :ust couldnt help it.
6oure using me as bait 5 Its not an honor 5
)ell, not if you e;uate yourself to a worm. #hats
a terrible self-image, !laire.
&obody knew she was here, she realied with an
awful sinking feeling.
4melie probably wouldnt ha$e e$er allowed this8
e$en ,li$er might not ha$e. "ut Myrnin and .annah were
acting on their own. Myrnin was always(well, cray8 .annah
wasnt thinking straight. Shed :ust had Dichard
die in her arms, and(,h 7od, !laire said softly, looking at
the woman. 6ou think it was my fault. My fault that Dichard
died.
#hey were coming for you, .annah said. #hey
didnt go for the wounded men on the street, they didnt go for
me. #hey went for the car. )here you were.
Myrnin was in the car5 #hey were going for
thevampire , not me5
#hink, Myrnin said ;uietly. 6ou know its true,
!laire. Magnus has sought you out for a reason. 4nd now we
must use it to bring him here.
6ou think you can kill him.
//L - //2 of /23
//2 of /23
)ell, he said, I certainly think this is our best
and only chance. ,nce his spawn are dead, he will ha$e to run
(for the first time in their history, the draug will ha$e failed to
con;uer $ampires. )e cannot afford to let him lea$e
Morgan$ille ali$e. ,r find a hole in which to hide and hibernate
and rebuild his hi$e.
6oure wrong, she said. .es not going to come
here. &ot for me.
#hen theres nothing risked, Myrnin said. 4nd
I chose you a $ery comfortable chair.
#his time !laire did scream, in pure frustration,
and struggled so much that the chair rocked o$er on two legs.
.annah simply put a hand on the back of it and thumped it
down to the carpet again. She didnt say anything. &either did
Myrnin.
#hey :ust waited, hunters at the water hole, with
the stupid goat tied down for the lion.
I am not the goat , !laire told herself. I am not .
4ll her struggling had loosened the :oints on the
wood of the chair enough to make it creak, :ust a little. She had
a moments fantasy of somehow supercharging her strength,
ripping the chair apart, whacking Myrnin o$er the head with a
piece of it Gmore for satisfaction than damageH, and grabbing
.annahs gun from its holster to hold her at bay.
#hat wasnt going to happen, ob$iously, but it was
a nice fantasy.
Something sharp scraped against her wrist as she
uselessly twisted it back and forth. !laire froe, and carefully
mo$ed her wrist again, pressing.
//2 of /23
//2 of /23
4 nail. It had popped loose from the old wood
when shed twisted around. It wasnt much, but it was
something. "y pulling her wrists apart, she could get the tough
nylon rope in a position to scrape it o$er the nail, back and
forth, until her shoulders were trembling with strain. &obody
spoke. .annah and Myrnin were :ust going to let her struggle
uselessly, she supposed, e'cept that now it wasnt useless. She
could feel the rope fraying(slow, but steady.
>ifteen minutes passed, by the tick of the old clock
in the corner. ,utside, Morgan$ille continued to be silent. &o
lights flared against the windows. It was like being on the
moon.
4nd :ust as she felt she was really making
progress,
Myrnin turned his head and said, .annah, I
belie$e she may be fraying her ropes. %lease check them.
&o, no, no 5
!laire yanked hard, frantic with frustration, and
felt her right wrist slip loose as the rope ga$e, :ust a little. 4s
.annah bent o$er to check, !laire risked e$erything on one
awkward lunge.
4nd grabbed .annahs gun.
3
.annah straightened up, fast, and !laire held the
pistol in a shaking hand, aimed at her. !ut the other ropes, she
said. &ow. 6ou cant want this, .annah. #his isnt you. 6ou
wouldnt :ust let me die like this, tied down.
)ell protect you, .annah said.
6ou cant protect me5 4t least let me try to protect
myself5
//2 - //C of /23
//C of /23
.annah, Myrnin said, stand aside.
If she did that, !laire knew Myrnin would take the
gun away. Itd be easy for him. ?$en if she shot him, she
couldnt stop him. .ed probably gripe about the hole in his
shirt8 that would be about the worst damage she could inflict on
him.
.annah didnt mo$e, though. She was blocking
Myrnins path. .er dark eyes were on !laires, and for a
moment !laire saw :ust a bit of doubt on her face.
6ou couldnt do this, either, !laire said to her.
Sit helpless, waiting. !ould you9 +ook, if you want me to play
bait, I will. "ut not tied up.
.annah reached behind her back and took out a
carbon-black combat knife. It must ha$e been raor-sharp8 it
sliced through the ropes in three ;uick :erks,
freeing her other hand and her ankles.
.annah turned to Myrnin. #he kids right. She
deser$es to be on her feet, at least.
!laire got up, rubbing her numbed hands, and
glanced toward the parlor door.
4nd found that Magnus was standing right there .
She froe, unable to mo$e or speak from sheer
surprise. .e was :ust as he had been the last time shed seen
him here in the 7lass .ouse(a$erage, forgettable, a man
without a face of any note until you concentrated a little, and
things moved behind that shell, things that were wrong and
utterly sickening. .e was a bag full of gra$e worms, wriggling.
.e was rot and ruin and destruction, mouths and
//C of /23
//C of /23
teeth and madness.
4nd .annah glanced at him, then away, as if she
couldnt see him at all.
Myrnin didnt e$en turn toward him.
.es here, !laire said through a suddenly bone-
dry throat. She could feel the ache in it, where his hands had
grabbed and twisted and shattered. .es in the doorway. Dight
now.
Myrnin turned and stared in that direction, but it
was $ery clear that all he saw was an empty space. .annah, too.
!laire clutched .annahs handgun in both hands, raised it, and
fired.
It had a kick, but not as bad as the shotgun8 the
noise
was sharper, like a slap to the ears that left hers
ringing. .er eyes stung a little, and her nose hurt with the sharp
smell of burning cordite * and she hit Magnus, s;uare in the
chest.
It didnt matter at all. #he bullet passed right
through him
and buried itself in the far wall. *ell , she
thought, that wallpapers toast. Michael was going to be so
mad.
.annah grabbed the gun from her, holstered it, and
tossed !laire a shotgun loaded with sil$er(but it was too late.
"ecause Magnus had mo$ed, in a sickeningly
li;uid, boneless rush, and now he had Myrnin pressed against
him as a shield.
//C of /23
//C - //E of /23
!laire brought the shotgun up, but she couldnt
fire.
<ill him5 Myrnin shouted at her. !laire, I dont
matter. +ill him'
She couldnt. She angled around for a better shot,
but Magnus turned with her, his teeth gleaming sil$er-sharp
o$er Myrnins shoulder. If Magnus bit, he would infect Myrnin
:ust as he had 4melie. #he threat was $ery clear.
I dont want this one, Magnus said. .is $oice
was pale and whispery, and !laire had the eerie feeling that she
was the only one who could hear him. .is blood is tainted. "ut
I will kill him if you dont put down your weapon.
.annah had backed away, into the far corner of the
room, and !laire pretty much forgot her immediately. #he
world narrowed to the shotgun barrel, Magnuss multiple
rows of gleaming teeth, Myrnins pale, e'posed
neck and the horrified look on his face.
<ill him, Myrnin said again. .is $oice was soft
and gentle and $ery steady. I dont matter so long as he is
stopped, !laire. #here are things that are more important than a
single life.
+ike I didnt matter when you stuck me here as
bait9 she asked. Im not you. 4nd you do matter. !laire felt
the pressure of .annahs stare, suddenly, from the corner, as if
.annah was trying to tell her something. Something silent, yet
important.
4ll of a sudden !laire realied what it was. #his
hadnt been ;uite so stupid an idea after all.
If they could pull it off.
//E of /23
//E of /23
She took a step back, toward the hall. Magnus
pushed Myrnin ahead of him, following her. Drop the
weapon, he said again. Submit. It will be ;uick.
+ike last time9 !laire said. Didnt really en:oy
that. 4nd Im not doing it again. She felt giddily like she was
channeling Shane now, or maybe ?$e. 7od, she wished they
were here. )ished she had people she could trust at her back.
&o second dates for you. She took another step back.
4nother.
Magnus followed, and showed .annah his back.
4nd .annah pulled out a plastic bag full of white
powder, opened it, and flung the contents straight at him.
Magnus di$ed away at the last second, but part of
the powder hit him. .e let go of Myrnin and shrieked as the
stuff
settled on his shoulder and turned gray, leaching
away his $ital moisture. It was the same scream his spawn had
gi$en, but deeper, longer, and louder. !laire yelled herself and
tried not to drop the shotgun8 the urge to stop up her ears was
almost o$erwhelming. Myrnin lunged away, toward !laire,
grabbed the shotgun from her hands as he spun gracefully
around her.
Surprise, he said, and
ga$e Magnus a sa$age grin. 6oure not as
in$isible when youre hurt.
#he sil$er pellets hit Magnus s;uarely in the chest
and tore through him, splintering wood and fabric and wall,
breaking the window.
"ut it didnt work. #he shotgun didnt work .
//E of /23
//E - //3 of /23
#he powder didnt take him down. &either did the
sil$er pellets.
Magnus was still coming.
7od help us all. 7o, Myrnin said softly and
sho$ed !laire into the hall. Dun5
She ran.
//3 - //J of /23
//J of /23
I felt 4melies hand tighten on mine, and looked
up to see her watching me. .er eyes were no longer her own(
still gray, but a muddy, watery gray, not the shining steel that
they had always been.
She was drowning :ust as surely as the draugs
other $ictims, but this was somehow e$en worse than what I
had e'pected. She was trapped within the prison of her own
body, drowning in her own e'tracted and infected fluids.
&othing I could do for her would sa$e her.
6ou need more blood, I said, and bared my
wrist, but she shook her head.
It only feeds the other side now. ,li$er, I cant. I
cant hold.
6ou must, I said.
<ill me or go. 6ou ha$e whate$ers left of my
city to protect. My people. >or a moment, the ;ueen was there,
gaing at me, her $assal. 6ou will sa$e them, ,li$er. 6ou
must. &o matter the cost. Do you understand9
I smiled thinly. It has always been my goal. )e
ha$e simply had differences of opinion about what it meant to
sa$e them.
F
.umans, too. Dont betray my dreams. My
promises. .er eyes slowly closed. I am $ery tired now. So
tired. It has been a long fight, has it not9
4ges, I said. 4gainst "ishop. 4gainst me.
4gainst a thousand foes, all laid at your feet.
#hat got me a dry rustle of a laugh. I ne$er laid
you at my feet, ,li$er. &e$er you.
//J of /23
//J of /23
She was wrong in that, and had been for some
time, but there was no point in telling her. 4nd I was still proud
enough to want to conceal that * weakness. If I am not
defeated, then you cannot order me to lea$e you, can you9
She released her hold on my wrist, but I kept my
hold on her hand. She didnt open her eyes, but I saw the
faintest lift at the corners of her mouth. I had won a smile, at
least.
"ut she said nothing else.
&ot e$en good-bye.
I had no warning before she lost the battle. #he
draug rose in a glistening, hea$ing surge, coating
her, consumingher. I fell backward in momentary shock8 I could
see 4melies form within it, trapped, but the thick, gelatinous
coating on her skin grew in sie, multiplying rapidly to co$er
her. She was only a shadow within it in seconds.
7one.
I had known it could happen, would happen, but I
had hoped * hoped for more time. >or, perhaps, a miracle. I
used to place such trust in miracles, in my breathing days when
I was right with 7od.
I had not felt such an impulse to pray in many
years, but this * this was the face of e$il, o$ertaking us. ,od
helps those who help themselves, I thought, and shook myself
out of that dark hollow of fear. #he draug were enemies, yes,
but I had fought enemies all my life, and beyond. Some were
well deser$ed8 some I had created through my own actions, and
those, I regretted.
"ut this was pure, a battle against something more
e$il
//J of /23
//J of /23
than I could e$er be, $ampire or no.
4nd I had to win.
I drew the sil$er knife from my belt, the one that
&aomi had urged me to plunge into
4melies chest, and I began to fight for my life.
)here the sil$er tugged through the draugs
gelatinous, rippling, changing form, it burned, blackened, and
shri$eled the thing8 like us, they were $ulnerable to it, but
unlike us, the sil$er did not significantly slow it down. 4 master
draug was strong, dangerous, fast, and cunning8 a master draug
fueled by )melie was far worse. It was still fighting to absorb
her power, still $ulnerable in at least a small degree, but that
would be done soon.
4nd this room was $ery small. ,ur plans were
crumbling before my $ery eyes.
4 sound drifted up through the house, shuddering
it to its $ery bones, and I recognied the shriek of pain of a
master draug.
Magnus was below, and something(someone(
had hurt him. "adly. es. es, at last.
4s if fueled by that scream, the draug came for me,
and as it did, the form finally solidified, pulled into human-
seeming flesh, and it was 4melie striding toward me, pale and
strong, but with rot and foulness writhing behind those shining
sil$er eyes.
I took a firmer hold on my dagger, and prayed.
//J - /L0 of /23
/L0 of /23
4nd then I stabbed straight at her chest. -orgive
me. I didnt mean to kill her, but I had to get her back, the
4melie within. #he 4melie who understood what was at stake.
.er hand caught my arm and paused the sil$ery
point :ust as it touched the writhing slime that co$ered her body.
I felt the stinging agony of the draugs tiny mouths drawing
away my blood, e$en through the protecti$e leathers. 4melie,
you know the plan, you know what you must do..old
on. Hold'.
&o, the master draug that had been 4melie said,
in a $oice like rotten silk. &o more plans. &o more scheming.
&ow you are mine.
4nd I realied that the draug was in control. 4nd
this draug had 4melies power(the power to compel. #he
power to force a $ampire to her will.
4nd I sank slowly to my knees under that cold
sil$er stare, screaming inside, as the draugs slime crept up my
hand and under the leathers, and began to feed.
/L0 of /23
/L0 - /L/ of /23
#he only place she knew to run, the place shed be
safest, was 4melies hidden room upstairs. !laire didnt
hesitate. She knew the darkened house by memory, and dodged
around chairs and tables on her way to the stairs. She didnt
dare look back. She could hear furniture crashing, the shotgun
going off.
It was so unreal, suddenly. ,n the sofa Shanes
game controllers would be right where theyd dropped them,
and the blanket crooked on the back of the cushions8 she
couldnt remember if theyd washed the dishes or not, or :ust
dumped the last things theyd used in the sink.
#his was their home . She ought to be safe here.
She was used to the 7lass .ouse feeling alive ,
and she still felt it, a little(a pulse, beating slowly beneath her
awareness like a big, sleeping beast. #here had been a spirit
/L/ of /23
/L/ of /23
trapped here of the original owner, but he hadnt
been the part that had really bonded with her, ?$e, Shane, and
Michael. #hat had been the house itself, ali$e on some le$el she
didnt truly understand.
It couldnt help her now, e$en if it wanted to. It
didnt ha$e the strength, or the will.
She reached the steps, slipped, and almost fell. 4s
she grabbed the banister for balance, she heard the front door
smash open, and heard a wild war-cry yell.
She knew that $oice. "hane' She re$ersed course
and ran for the hallway, then skidded to an off-balance halt.
Shane had :ust come in, holding a shotgun. !laire5 .e locked
eyes with her, :ust for a moment, then started forward *
,nly to stop as Myrnin backed out of the parlor
room firing his shotgun. Shane spun that way, too, aimed, and
fired. !laire heard a high-pitched, angry screech. #heyd hit
Magnus again. Shane muttered a curse and fired twice in rapid
succession, then sho$ed Myrnin up the hallway toward the
li$ing room. #oward her.
,kay9 he shouted at her.
She managed a shaky smile and made an ,<
symbol with her thumb and forefinger.
Magnus slidIslitheredIlurched into the hallway
behind him.
!laire gasped and screamed, "ehind you5 Shane
lunged forward, landed on his stomach, rolled, and fired
upward at Magnus as he came toward him. >rom the
/L/ of /23
/L/ of /23
doorway !laire saw more people entering the hall
(Michael, ?$e, /ason 9 4nd e$en, improbably, Miranda.
#hey all had shotguns. ?$en the kid.
Michaels shot hit Magnus dead-on from behind as
Myrnin and Shane rolled out of the line of fire, and !laire
ducked behind the wall. ?$es shot came a second later.
Magnus pitched forward to the wood floor, ooing
blackened fluids.
.e didnt mo$e.
)e got him, Michael said. !laire9 Shane9 6ou
okay9 )e got him5
&o, Myrnin called, and kept crawling, well
away from
Magnuss body. &ot so easily. !areful5
It was good he said it, because it forced Michael to
slow down(and when Magnus reared up, reaching for him
with pale, strong hands, he had time to skip backward and fire
again, point-blank.
Magnus made a horribly li;uid gurgling sound, but
it wasnt pain8 it was amusement.
Michael backed up fast, pulling ?$e with him.
#hey ran into =ason, who was staring at the whole thing as if he
couldnt ;uite belie$e what he was seeing. )hat the hell is
it9 he asked. #hats not a $amp. #hats(
)atch out5 !laire cried, and so did Miranda,
almost in chorus, as Magnuss $aguely man-shaped form
rippled, changed, and rolled forward. Michael, $amp-fast,
pulled ?$e
/L/ of /23
/L/ of /23
out of the way.
"ut =ason :ust * stood there.
J
,ut of nowhere, Miranda stepped ahead of him and
pushed him aside, looked straight at !laire, and said, It has to
be like this. Its okay.
4nd Magnus then rolled o$er her.
Miranda disappeared into him, absorbed the way
Shane had been at the water treatment plant(trapped inside the
bubble of draug fluid. "ut unlike that time, where theyd been
trying to keep Shane ali$e, Magnus had no interest in Miranda
at all.
!laire saw her * dissol$e. +ike flesh dropped in
acid. Miranda disappeared in a cloudy mist of red, and in a
matter
of seconds, what was left of her ooed out to clatter
on the floor.
"ones.
?$e screamed, and Michael grabbed her and held
her close. =ason had gone milky pale, but he raised his shotgun
and fired, three times, straight into Magnuss body.
Magnus ignored it.
Myrnin scrambled up and :ammed more shotgun
shells into the weapon, then racked it. &one of this will work,
he said. #heres only one thing that can kill him.
Shane was up, too, and he was breathing hard,
fighting, !laire thought, not to be sick after what theyd :ust
seen happen. )hat9 he demanded. "ecause this son of a
bitchhas
/L/ of /23
/L/ of /23
to die.
Kpstairs, Myrnin said. +ead him upstairs.
!laire, go..e needs to destroy you, not us. ,o now .
4fter a breathless look at Shane, !laire turned and
ran. She scrambled up the steps, only half balanced now, and
made it to the top with a surge of relief. #he hallway was so
familiar, this was home , she lo$ed it here, and there was ?$es
room with the door open on its cray, dark chaos8 Shanes door
was closed. .er own was open, her bed unmade. It hadnt been
long8 the place still smelled of cinnamon and ?$es perfumes, of
chili, of the normal life that had been taken away from them.
*ell get it back. *e have to get it back.
Shane and Michael and ?$e were down there,
fighting
for their li$es. >or their home. (lease, ,od, please
let them be okay. She could hear the sound of the
shotgun s going off, but then * then suddenly they went silent.
She felt for the hidden controls in the paneling. >or
a heart-stopping moment she couldnt find them, and then it
seemed that they wouldnt work8 she glanced back down the
hall and there he was, Magnus, standing motionless ne't to
Michaels closed door.)atching with those terrible, monstrous
eyes.)hat did you do9 she asked, andpanic smothered her(
not for herself but for them . >or Shane. >or her
friends.#heyre unimportant, he said. 6ou ha$e a power
theothers do not. 6ou must not sur$i$e to lead them to me
again..is whole body rippled in a sickening, wrong way, and
she knew that she had seconds to li$e. %o. %ot again.She
slapped frantically at the controls to the hidden door, and it
popped open in the paneling. She charged in and slammed it
shut. It was inky in the shadows down here, but at the top of the
steps she saw the warm, colorful glow of the #iffany lamps.
Safe up there. It had always felt like another world. If there was
anyplace Magnus couldnt reach her, it would be here.
Deep down, !laire knew it wouldnt be enough.
"ut there was a portal up here, and maybe, :ust maybe, she
could get through, get out that way *
She reached the top of the stairs and saw *
4melie. "ut not the 4melie she knew. #his was only the shell
of her, glossy and hard, and underneath was the same rot and
writhing awful foulness that was inside Magnus.
4melie was a draug, a master draug .
#he creature( like 4melie, but not her(was
holding ,li$er by both wrists. .e was on his knees in front of
her, face upturned and marble white, and !laire could see the
horror in his eyes.
#he loss.
#here was a sil$er knife on the carpet ne't to
4melie, and !laire, not e$en thinking now, threw herself at it,
grabbed it, and plunged it to the hilt into 4melies back.
/LL of /23
/LL of /23
#he shrieking knocked her backward into the wall,
then into a shuddering, fetal ball with her hands o$er her ears.
4melie let go of ,li$er and turned toward !laire,
:ust as the wooden panel opened below with a sudden cold rush
of damp air.
#he smell of dead things doubled.
,li$er toppled o$er hea$ily to the floor, facing
away from !laire. She tried to get up, tried hard , but nothing
was working in her body. It was like recei$ing a $iolent
electrical shock. She couldnt stop shaking.
Something wet slithered o$er her outstretched foot,
and she pulled it in closer, whimpering. #hat touch felt like
worms and mold, filthy water, dead flesh. She was grateful it
lasted for only a second, and then was past her as Magnus
flowed up into his human form, facing 4melie(or
at least the draug that had once been 4melie.
She pulled the sil$er knife out of her back and
stopped screaming, and for a second neither of them mo$ed.
Magnus said, 6our transformation is almost
complete. 6ou will be a beautiful and terrifying thing, my
;ueen.
She said nothing. .er sil$ery, shimmering eyes
looked empty as a moonlit lake.
,li$er made a raw sound, and it took !laire a
moment to realie that he was laughing. 6ou$e lost, Magnus,
he said. 6our thralls are dead.6ou were passing cle$er in
using human science. I
will ha$e to find a new defense to counter it.
Magnus didnt seem o$erly concerned about it. &o matter. I
will create a new
generation. #hey will ha$e resistance to your
poisons. 4nd after all of you are dead, they will learn to feed on
lesser fare. I ha$e heard there are se$en billion humans on the
earth now. ?nough for us to feed for thousands of years.
,li$er pushed himself up to a sitting position. .e
looked awful, but there was fire in his eyes, bright and furious.
&o, he said. 6ou wont. "ecause youre not lea$ing this
place ali$e.
I am a master draug. 6ou, fool, cant kill me. "ut
youll make a fine addition to my blood gardens. #he draug
reached down for him, and ,li$er batted the hand(the
misshapen thing that passed for one(away.
6oure not the only master draug here, he said.
6ou mean my lo$ely creation9 Magnus laughed,
a sound like saws rubbing together, and !laire flinched and
fought the urge to co$er her ears. 6our former ;ueen9 She has
no thralls. &o hi$e. She is no master draug yet. She will make
her own kingdom, yes, but not here. #his town is mine. 6ou
and the last of the $ampires are my meat. She can feed her
spawn on the thin blood of humans, far from here, when I allow
her to go.
#he draug that had once been 4melie was
watching him with blank concentration, and something eerily
like hunger. She took a step toward him, and Magnus watched
her without any sign of alarm.
6ou forget something, ,li$er said. +egend says
a master draug cannot die by the hands of vampires . "ut it
/LL - /L2 of /23
/L2 of /23
says nothing about dying at the hands of
another draug.
4melie continued to ad$ance with steady,
relentless steps. 4nd this time Magnus backed up. =ust a little.
I am her maker, he said. 4nd she must obey my
commands.
#hink you so9 ,li$er sounded $iciously
amused. #ry.
!laire pulled herself into a tighter ball. This is
bad, she thought. 0eally bad. I need to get out of here. "eing in
the middle of this was like being caught in a swarm of hornets,
but despite the panic tearing at her, she knew that if she tried to
get up, tried to run, Magnus would kill her instantly.
,r 4melie would.
Magnus had forgotten all about her, his focus now
on
the new master draug before him. Stop, he said.
I am your maker. I command you to stop .
Something happened, deep inside that thing * the
inner dark shadow seemed to thrash, come into focus, and then
that was )melie , looking out of the draug. #he real
4melie. Her eyes. Her anger. She wasnt gone after all. &ot
completely.
She said, I am a ;ueen. I take no orders . She
plunged the sil$er knife deep into Magnus, punching through
the slimy shell. .e ga$e a horrible metallic screech as 4melie
dropped the knife and reached into his broken shell with her
bare, pale hands.
&o one, she said, almost in a whisper,
commands me in Morgan$ille. I command you . I command
you to be still.
/L2 of /23
/L2 of /23
.is mouth stayed open, but the sound :ust *
stopped. .e wasnt fighting her. It was as if he
couldnt. #his, !laire remembered, was 4melies
terrifying gift. She could compel $ampires.
4nd now she could compel draug.
In that awful ringing silence, !laire heard the
;ueasy s;uishing sound of 4melies hands pulling out of
Magnuss body. Something thrashed in her hands, ali$e and
co$ered in suckers, mouths, teeth, something horrible dragged
up out of the depths of the ocean where monsters li$ed.
#he real form of a master draug, stripped of all its
defenses.
4melie crushed it. It made a wet sound, like a
sponge
10
being wrung out, and then there was a sudden,
glassy snap .
Magnuss shell collapsed, and the thick, murky
fluid that inhabited it flooded out in a sticky, stinking rush to the
thick old carpets. !laire scrambled up to a sitting position and
crawled away from the mess, retching.
4melie turned to ,li$er and ga$e him that awful
draug smile, full of death. &ow, she said, now it is mine. 4ll
of Morgan$ille. 4ll of you .
&ot ;uite, he said. .e sounded far too calm, !laire thought,
for someone who was about to be horribly killed by something
as beautiful and terrible as 4melie was now. 6our
transformation isnt complete. 6ou ne$er made a thrall. &e$er
made a hi$e. 4nd now your maker is dead. .e smiled as she
reached down for him. 4nd you will ne$er be a master draug.
She paused, and :ust for a flicker of a second !laire
saw terror in her face. I rule here.
6ou are wrong, he said. #he woman inside you
has ne$er surrendered to you, ne$er fully allowed the draug
control. .e held out his hand, and in it was the leather-
wrapped handle of a sil$er knife. 4nd ne$er will. Demember
who you are, 4melie. De:ect this. 6ou ha$e the power to kill
her. Do it now.
She took the knife. 4nd then she plunged it into her
own body, and with her own hands tore out a small, weaker
$ersion of the creature that had e'isted within Magnuss shell. It
shrieked in high, thin tones that made !laires ears ring, and
then 4melies cold white fingers closed around it and s;ueeed
with remorseless strength.It died.Silence.4melies shell cracked
like glass, and the li;uid flooded out of her, too, in a black gush
* and underneath lay her $ampire body. .orribly shrunken,
co$ered in black spots like mold, but still there. Knconsumed.
#he real 4melie, the >ounder of Morgan$ille,
looked a thousand years old, and she collapsed in a heap like a
skeleton held together by nothing but string.
,li$er grabbed her, pulled her away from the blackening spot of
the decaying draug, and held her in his arms as he sank down in
the far corner of the room. .er eyes were open, but filmed and
blind. .e fumbled for the slee$e of his leather :acket and
yanked it apart with one sharp mo$e, baring a pale, muscular
forearm co$ered with red marks that !laire recognied. Draug
stings, in the shape of hands. 4melie had been feeding on him.
4nd now he was ripping open his wrist with his
teeth and forcing her lips apart, gi$ing it to her
freely.
It seemed to take ages for her to mo$e, but she
finally did, raising her gray hands and taking hold of his arm.
!laire had seen $ampires feed when they were star$ing8 they
wouldnt let go. !ouldnt.
"ut it wasnt like that. 4melies touch stayed light
on his arm, and after a moment she pushed his wrist away. She
still looked awful, but the film was off her eyes, and there was a
little more of her, as if the blood had inflated her dehydrated
tissues. Still a mummy, but able to blink, mo$e, and speak.
She said, +et me die, ,li$er.
&o, he said. #here was no real emotion behind it,
:ust a straightforward denial, as if she had asked to borrow a
dollar. 6ou$e won. 6ou killed him before your transition was
complete. 6oull heal.
I wont, she whispered. I cant. #here is part of
me(
6oull heal, he repeated. Ill hear no more of
this. 6ou are the >ounder, you will heal, and e$erything else can
be dealt with. 6our sub:ects need you, my ;ueen.
I ha$e no sub:ects. I am no ;ueen.
,li$er smiled. It wasnt a good thing. 6ou ha$e been, and will
be again. #heres nothing to fear. 6ou$e won, 4melie. 6our
enemies, at your feet.
She smiled back a little. 6ou were my enemy
once. I ne$er laid you at my feet.
&ot yet, he agreed. "ut for :ust now, there will
be a truce. Its a new age. 4 bright new age for $ampires.
!laire mo$ed, and both of them immediately
focused on her, and she wished she hadnt. #here was
something shining and predatory about their eyes.
!laire, 4melie whispered, come here.
She backed away slowly. #here wasnt any real
chance of her escaping, not from the two of them. Shed seen
too much8 she knew that. .eard too much they wanted to
conceal.
4nd shed ser$ed her purpose in luring Magnus
there.
#hey didnt need her anymore.
&o way in hell, she said, and broke for the stairs.
She didnt ;uite make it there before 4melie had
her in those ice-cold wrinkled hands. She bent !laires head to
one side, brushed her hair aside with a calm, gentle gesture, and
said, 6oull ha$e a rare honor, !laire. 6ou will become one of
us. >ew deser$e it more. It is the highest compliment I can gi$e.
4nd it will please Myrnin, as well.
&o, !laire whispered. &o, dont(
&o, echoed another $oice, and it was punctuated
by the thick metallic sound of a shotgun being pumped for the
ne't round. &ot her. &o way in hell.
She somehow thought shed see Shane there,
Shane
/LE of /23
/LE of /23
defending her, but it wasnt him at all.
?$es brother =ason was standing at the top of the
stairs, a shotgun in his hands. .e still looked pale and shaky,
but determined. &o way in hell do you take her instead of me,
he said. &aomi promised. She promised Id be turned. 6oure
going to do it or Ill kill
you all.
,li$er snarled, showing teeth, but 4melie held out
a hand toward him. &o, she said as =ason aimed the shotgun.
.es ;uite serious. .e will fire. .es too close for it not to do
significant damage to at least one of us. She considered him
for a moment, then ga$e him a slow, cool smile. Bery well.
Bery well what 9 =ason didnt lower the shotgun.
.is eyes were wild behind it. Swear. Swear as the >ounder that
youll turn me.
I swear as the >ounder that you will be turned,
4melie said. I need the blood, and we ha$e lost significant
numbers of our ranks in this war. 6ou will be * useful.
=ason nodded, took a deep breath, and lowered his
weapon. +et !laire go first.
4melie opened both hands and spread them wide,
stepping away from !laire. She stumbled forward, not ;uite
daring to come near =ason, either. .e ga$e her a disinterested
glance, then mo$ed away from the stairs.
.e walked straight toward 4melie.
She came up in one smooth, $icious motion, and all the
restraint shed shown with ,li$er was suddenly, awfully
gone. .er eyes flared bloodred, and she buried her
fangs in =asons neck. !laire couldnt look away, somehow8
that could ha$e been her, should ha$e been her.
It didnt take long. =ason collapsed, and 4melie
took his weight in her arms, drinking until finally she
shuddered, pulled away, and let him fall limply to the carpet.
She looked at ,li$er as she wiped the blood from
her mouth. She seemed almost herself again. 4lmost. "ut there
was something sa$age and bright in her eyes that !laire had
ne$er seen before.
.es yours to finish and raise, she said to ,li$er.
Ill not ha$e him as my get. .es damaged.
.e nudged =ason with a foot. Ill find good use
for him, he said. )e need new, strong blood in Morgan$ille.
,li$ers shining, alien gae came up to rest on
!laire. 6ou should go now if you want to sur$i$e.
>or the first time in a long time, !laire turned and
ran * from the Morgan$ille $ampires.
4nd straight into Shanes arms, as he came charging up the
stairs to her rescue.
It hadnt been much of a fight, because it isnt a
fight when your enemy :ust completely ignores you. Id ne$er
seen anything like that *. Magnus was hard to see(he kept
slipping in and out of shadow, blending into the background(
but whene$er I caught a glimpse of something, I nailed it with
buckshot.
I might as well ha$e been tossing rose petals at
him, for all the good it did.
Id tried to co$er !laires retreat, but the fact was,
I couldnt stop him from going after her. &one of us could. I
was still in shock from seeing how fast, how easily hed killed
Miranda8 it wasnt as if she was my friend, e'actly, but nobody
deser$ed that, and it was a terrible end to what must ha$e been
a pretty hellish life.
Id tried. Id :umped onto Michaels chair, swung onto
/LJ of /23
the banister, and then onto the stairs, halfway up.
Shotgun ready. I hadnt wanted to die, especially not with the
cold, stinging horror of the draug closing o$er me. "ut Id
known it would be better than li$ing with knowing Id let it get
!laire.
Id fired at Magnus, knowing it wasnt going to do
any good, and closed my eyes.
4nd then something(not Magnus, not e$en one
of my friends or allies(tossed me like a rag doll off the stairs
into a windmilling, uncontrolled fall that ended in a bouncing
landing on the sofa.Sa$ed my life.4nd that was when I saw her.
Miranda. %ale, flickering, translucent. .olding a hushing finger
up to her lips, andgi$ing me a sweet, cray smile.#he 7lass
11
.ouse had a brand-new resident ghost. #oo late for me to stop
Magnus, whod already passed us by and gone upstairs8 =ason,
whod been about as useful as snowshoes in the whole fight,
had run up after him. I rolled off the couch and saw that
Michael and ?$e were standing together near Myrnin8
Michaels arm was around ?$es shoulders, and she was crying
a little.Myrnin should ha$e looked sick, or horrified,
orsomething, but instead, he :ust looked * smug.
I wanted to break that grin in pieces, but when I
lunged for him, Miranda was in my way again. 7ranted, she
couldnt stop me, but she could chill me to the bone, and she
did. %o , I heard her say. This has to happen. She didnt sound
especially happy about it.
/LJ of /23
/LJ of /23
!laire will be all right, Myrnin said. .e sounded
unbearably happy with himself. )e planned this, ,li$er and
4melie and I. )e needed him here, in her place of strength, and
!laire was the only bait tasty enough to lead him to the trap.
#hen you dont need her up there 5 I said. Shes
done her :ob. Im going to get her.
&o, not yet, he said. .e was looking up, as if he could see
through the ceiling. )e all instincti$ely looked up. ?$en 7host-
Mirandas glowing form, which was starting to gradually take
on flesh and substance, like a real li$e girl. Drawing on the
power of the house.)e ha$e to wait, Miranda said. Its not
done yet.#he hell withthem. If =ason could go up, I could, too.
I headed that way, but Myrnins room-temperature hand shot
out and locked me in place. &ot yet, he said. 6ou heard the
girl.I put my shotgun business end against his chest. 6oure
going to want to stop touching me now. 4nd Im getting !laire.
6ou know, the one youre willing to let Magnus eat ..e
wont, Miranda said, with that same eerie calm that shed
always had. )ait. %lease.I should ha$e pulled the trigger.
#hought about it, real hard. "ut instead, I looked at Michael,
who was always the one with the cooler head, and he said,
Shes always right, isnt she9She always was. Damn
her.)hen Miranda finally said, 6ou can go now, Myrnin let
go of my wrist, and I took the gun from him and ran for the
stairs. I dont e$en remember pounding up them, :ust landing at
the top, and seeing, in the murky shadows, !laire running
toward me.Into my arms.I dropped the shotgun and hugged her
close, but I kept watch down the hall, :ust in case. #here was no
sound. I saw a glow of electric light cut off as the hidden door
to 4melies upstairs room slid shut.)hate$er had :ust happened,
it was o$er.I picked up the gun one-handed, held on to !laires
waist with the other, and walked her downstairs. #he others
were gone, e'cept for Miranda, who smiled at !laire.
!laire,after a shocked second, smiled back. 6oure(
here.6es, Miranda said. Im home. Dight where Im
supposed to be. Dont be sad. It only hurt a little. She twirled a
little, and $anished in a sparkling hae. I was pretty sure that
when Michael had been a ghost, he hadnt been able to $anish at
will. ,r, for that matter, sparkle.She popped back in, :ust her
face hanging in midair. #heyre in the parlor. %oof. 7one.)e
are really going to ha$e to tell her to stop doing that, I said.
"ecause its upsetting. I turned to !laire. 4re you okay9
Deally9 I couldnt stop touching her, smoothing my hands o$er
her skin, her hair, her face. She had red marks on her wrists, and
a nasty bump on the head. #heyd tied her up, and shed
struggled. &one of that surprised me, although I was going to
take it out of Myrnins hide.
Im fine, she said, and I sensed that it was half a
lie, but considering how much Id faked it since the water
treatment plant, I could cut her some slack for now. .annah.
She was in the front room *
I hadnt seen !hief Moses anywhere, but then, I
hadnt gone in the parlor. 4ccording to Miranda that was where
wed find the others, too, so I led her that way..annah was the
first one I saw. She was lying on the floor with her head in
?$es lap8 she was ali$e, too, but :ust barely. Shed lost a lot of
blood from a gash on her leg, and Michael was twisting a belt
tourni;uet around her thigh to slow the flow. .e looked relie$ed
to see us. .old this,he said. .ow are you at field
sutures9+ot of practice, I said. Michael handed me a
sewingkit(probably ?$es, since it was in black patent leather
with a deaths head sticker on the back(and went to wash his
hands, or lick them clean, whiche$er. I tried not to think about
it. I took his place at .annahs side. Is she awake9.annahs
eyes slowly opened, and she ga$e me a hard-edged smile. Still
here, she said. +ost more plasma than this in the last blood
dri$e.I think you$e got a sliced $ein, I said. I dont know if
I can fi' it. ?ither way, it wont be pretty.Do your worst, kid.
She shut her eyes again. Scars are the least of my problems.I
gritted my teeth and pulled the wound open, and immediately
saw the $ein. It wasnt far beneath the surface, and it hadnt
been sliced through, :ust nicked8 if it had beenan artery, though,
shed ha$e e'pired already. I handed the sewing kit to ?$e. >i'
me a needle, I said, and grabbed the $ein. !laire was still ne't
to me, ho$ering. #owel. !lean one. I need something to mop
up the blood so I can see. She dashed off.
Myrnin settled himself in the corner. .ed been to
the kitchen, I saw, and come back with a blood pack, which he
opened and chugged. I glared at him as ?$e handed me back a
threaded needle with a thick knot. #hanks for your help, I
said, as sarcastically as I could. )hich was pretty damn
sarcastic.If I had come near her in my present condition, I
wouldnt ha$e been able to swear to her safety, Myrnin said,
and took another drink. Its been a $ery long, trying day.
%roceed.I did. #he $ein was tough to hold on to and stitch, but
I managed(it wasnt pretty, but it held when I let go. I started
in on the cut itself, sewing the edges shut. .ey, .annah, I
said, ?$e ga$e me yellow thread. Sorry about that..annah
dredged up a dry laugh. >esti$e. I like it.?$e watched me
an'iously, bottom lip between her teeth, as I finished off the
stitches. !laire came back with a towel and I cleaned up the
mess as best I could. It wasnt leaking much now.4melie and
,li$er, !laire said. #heyre upstairs. Someone should see(
She was staring at ?$e, but looked away when ?$e glanced her
way. See about =ason.)hat happened to =ason9 ?$e asked.
She sounded almost resigned, though. 4s if she already
knew.Ill tell you later, !laire said.
#hey made him a $amp, ?$e said, and !laire
looked up, fast. I already knew he wanted it. Its not a good
thing. &ot for us, anyway.
Definitely not, Michael agreed, from the
doorway. I checked upstairs. &obodys there e'cept a pile of
rotting slime. 4melie doesnt clean up after herself.
She doesnt ha$e to, !laire said. Shes the
founder. #he &ueen . #here was something about the way she
said it that made me wonder
what shed seen. 4nd what was coming.
Myrnin finished his blood pack and said, #hey$e
gone to hunt.
I closed my mouth on the ;uestion of Hunt what,
e1actly$
"ecause I figured I already knew.
#he draug were finished. 4ll of the $ampires
enemies, gone.
#he rules of Morgan$ille were changing, and I had
the feeling that they wouldnt be in our fa$or.
6oure certain, >ather =oe said. .e stood across from Michael
and ?$e, lit only by the candles burning in the holders on either
side of the altar and the sunlight bleeding through the stained
glass. I ha$ent seen any paperwork from 4melie allowing you
to do this. >ather =oe, Morgan$illes resident priest, looked
e'hausted. #hey all were e'hausted, !laire thought. #he lights
still werent functioning reliably8 most of Morgan$ille was in
the dark at night, and deserted, though the first buses were
scheduled to return today to bring those whod e$acuated back
to town. )ater was on, and the pipes had been flushed, tested,
and declared clean.&ot that !laire was taking any chances yet.
"ottled water was a must.4melies not the boss of me, ?$e
said flatly. She was, !laire thought, very angry about her
brother, though she
hadnt talked about it. 4t all. She looked at
Michael. ,r him, either.
>ather =oe ga$e him a long, considering look. If
4melie is against this, therell be trouble, Michael, he said.
)hat youre asking is binding not only for the church and by
law, but in ways that I cant e'plain among the $ampires. 6oull
be * ele$ating ?$e to a new status. It could protect her, or it
could make her e$en more of a target. 6ou
understand9Michael nodded. I understand, he said.4nd you
dont want to wait.&o. Michael didnt say anything else, but,
!laire thought, he didnt need to. .ed come ready for this.
#here werent any tu'edos, or gowns8 Michael had pulled out
adark suit, a gleaming white shirt, and a nice tie. .ed forced
Shane to wear one, too, somehow8 there must ha$e been some
arm-twisting that !laire hadnt been pri$y to, but then shed
been busy rooting through ?$es closet with her, trying to come
up with something wedding-appropriate at a moments
notice.?$e had her gown. It was red chiffon, and it fell in wa$es
from a beaded bodice. .er arms were bare, and she hadnt gone
with a $eil at all. #he dress, !laire thought, made her look
about si' feet tall, and incredibly graceful, but it was
shockingly not wedding wear.)hich was what ?$e had wanted,
of course.!laire was wearing her best dress(one with buckles,
one that ?$e had bought for her(and high heels that were
higher than anything shed e$er tried before. She felt
awkward, until Shane looked at her, and then the
feeling changed into something hot and proud.
6ou promised, she said to >ather =oe. 6ou said that youd do
this if they wanted it. )ell, they want it. )ere here. ,fficial
witnesses..e sighed and nodded. Im only warning you that
what youre doing may make complications you ha$ent
considered. >or you all.Dont care, ?$e said. )ere ready.
4nd were not letting them stop us again.Michael was holding
?$es hand, and although he wasnt saying much, he was
utterly stilland solid and there . If he was scared, or worried, it
didntshow at all. .e glowed like marble and gold, and for the
first time in the light of the candles !laire noticed there were
threads of copper in his hair, like his grandfathers much redder
hair. .e e$en looked like Sam :ust now8 Sam, the kindest and
best of the $ampires, whod died at the hands of humans.She
hoped that wasnt some kind of omen.#hen lets proceed,
>ather =oe said. 4re there rings9Shane dug in his pocket and
held it up(not the traditional diamond, !laire saw. ?$e must
ha$e insisted on a ruby. 4nd a skull.#hen I suppose theres no
turning back. +et us pray, >ather =oe said, and bowed his head.
#he door at the back of the church opened,
admitting a burst of pure white sunlight, and out of it came four
figures. #wo were holding umbrellas to shade the others in
front, and as they shut the doors behind them !laire recognied
the ones in the back as 4melies security, dressed in their dark
suits and glasses again.
4melie was wearing white, a blinding white silk suit that
tailored itself perfectly to her body. .er hair was up in a pale
blond crown around her head, and she wore a ruby pendant in
the hollow of her throat.,li$er was ne't to her, wearing black
leather.&o, ?$e whispered. &o, not now *#he $ampires
walked down the aisle and came to a halt a few feet away.
4melies eyes were wide and cool gray, nohints of red, at least.
She was wearing white glo$es to match her suit.)hats this9
she asked in a $ery neutral tone. >ather9#hey$e come
before the altar to be :oined in marriage, he said, and for the
first time !laire heard strength in his $oice. Deal strength.
#heyre in the presence of 7od now, 4melie. 4nd not under
your control.She raised her pale eyebrows and fi'ed Michael
with a stare. .e met it without wa$ering. 4nd yet, she said
softly, they must lea$e this church, and li$e in Morgan$ille,
and I assure you, that is utterly under my control. I put out a
call for all those in town to help us restore the town. 6et I find
you here.
)ell help, ?$e said. "ut first were doing this.
4nd youre not stopping us. She sounded bra$e. 4nd $ery
certain. 6ou cant.
#here was a little sparkle of red in 4melies eyes(or it might
ha$e been the candlelight. !laire hoped it was, anyway. !ant
I9 #hat is * debatable. "ut I grant you this hour. ?n:oy your
* respite. #omorrow begins the dawn of a brand-new
Morgan$ille. )e will rebuild.#ogether, !laire said, and
drew that cool, icy stare.%erhaps, 4melie said. 4nd perhaps
that is one of many things that will change.,li$er spoke up for
the first time. #he ne't time you do something without
permission, he said, itll be the last. &ew rules, children.
"rand-new rules. Demember that.4nd he escorted 4melie
out,trailed by the guards. #he doors boomed shut behind
them.?$e let out a shaking breath. So, thats * not so great,
she said. Michael, maybe(.e raised her hand to his lips and
kissed it, looking straight into her eyes. &o, he said. &o
more letting the world tell us what we ought to do. )e know,
?$e. I know.>or a moment she didnt mo$e, and then she
smiled, and it seemed to light up the whole church.6es, she
agreed, and turned to face >ather =oe. )ere ready.)re
we$ !laire wondered, but she ;uickly buried the
thought as he began the prayer.
#hey had to be."ecause now there was no going
back.
1/