ONE

" Lydia?"
But even before the shadows of the stairwell swallowed
the last echoes of his wife's name, James Asher new
somethin! was des"erately wron!#
$he house was silent, but it was not em"ty#
%e sto""ed dead in the darened front hall, listenin!#
No sound came down the shadowy curve of the stairs from
above# No "lum" Ellen hurried throu!h the bai&e'covered
door at the bac of the hall to tae her master's O(ford
uniform of dar academic robe and mortarboard, and, by
the see"in! chill of the autumn ni!ht that "ermeated the
"lace, he could tell that no )res burned anywhere# %e was
usually not conscious of the muted clatter of *rs# +rimes in
the itchen, but its absence was as loud to his ears as the
clan!in! of a bell#
,i( years a!o, Asher's res"onse would have been
absolutely unhesitatin!'two ste"s bac and out the door,
with a silent, deadly readiness that few of the other dons at
New -olle!e would have associated with their unassumin!
collea!ue# But Asher had for years been a secret "layer in
what was eu"hemistically termed the +reat +ame,
innocuously collectin! "hilolo!ical notes in British'occu"ied
.retoria or amon! the Boers on the veldt, in the /aiser's
court in Berlin or the snowbound streets of ,t# .etersbur!#
And thou!h he'd turned his bac on that +ame, he new
from e("erience that it would never com"letely turn its
bac on him#
,till, for a moment, he hesitated# 0or beyond a doubt,
Lydia was somewhere in that house#
$hen with barely a whis"er of his billowin! robe, Asher
!lided bac over the threshold and into the raw fo! that
shrouded even the front ste"# $here was dan!er in the
house, thou!h he did not consciously feel fear'only an ice'
burn of an!er that, whatever was !oin! on, Lydia and the
servants had been dra!!ed into it If they've hurt her...
%e didn't even now who they were, but a seventeen'
year term of secret servitude to 1ueen'now /in!'and
-ountry had left him with an a""allin! "lethora of
"ossibilities#
Noiseless as the 2sis mists that cloaed the town, he
faded bac across the cobbles of %olywell ,treet to the
shadowy brown bul of the -olle!e wall and waited,
listenin!# $hey'whoever "they" were in the house'would
have heard him# $hey would be waitin!, too,
Lydia had once ased him'for she'd !uessed, bac in
the days when she'd been a si(teen'year'old school!irl
"layin! cro3uet with her uncle's 4unior scholastic collea!ue
on her father's vast lawns'how he e"t from bein! dro""ed
u"on in forei!n "arts5 "2 mean, when the balloon !oes u"
and they )nd the ,ecret .lans are !one or whatever, there
you are#"
%e'd lau!hed and said, "6ell, for one thin!, no "lans
are ever gone- merely accurately co"ied# And as for the
rest, my best defense is always sim"ly bein! the sort of
"erson who wouldn't do that sort of thin!#"
"7ou do that here#" $hose enormous, "ansy'brown eyes
had studied him from behind her steel'rimmed s"ectacles#
%er thin, almost a!!ressive booishness was at that time
4ust be!innin! to melt into fra!ile sensuality# 6ith the
youn! men who were even then be!innin! to tae an
interest in her, she didn't wear the s"ectacles'she was an
e("ert at blind cro3uet and !uessin! what was on menus#
But with him, it seemed, it was di8erent# 2n her sensible
cotton shirtwaist and blue'and'red school tie, the
chan!eable wind tan!lin! her lon! red hair, she'd looed
lie a le!!y marsh'fey unsuccessfully tryin! to "ass itself
o8 as an En!lish school!irl# "2s it di9cult to !o from bein!
one to bein! the other?"
%e'd thou!ht about it for a moment, then shoo his
head# "2t's a bit lie wearin! your ,unday best," he'd said,
nowin! even then that she'd understand what he meant#
And she'd lau!hed, the sound bri!ht with deli!ht as the
A"ril sunli!ht# %e'd e"t that lau!h'as he'd e"t the dam"
lift of mornin! fo! from the -herwell meadows or the other'
world sweetness of *ay mornin! voices driftin! down from
*a!dalen $ower lie the far'o8 sin!in! of an!els'in the
corner of his heart where he stored "recious thin!s as if
they were a boy's shoe'bo( hoard, to be taen out and
looed at in -hina or the veldt when thin!s were bad# 2t
had been some years before he'd reali&ed that her lau!h
and the still sunli!ht shinin! lie carnelian on her hair were
"recious to him, not as symbols of the "eaceful life of study
and teachin!, where one "layed cro3uet with one's :ean's
innocent niece, but because he was des"erately in love
with this !irl# $he nowled!e had nearly broen his heart#
Now the years of scholarshi", of rest, and of ha""iness
fell o8 him lie a shed ;niversity !own, and he moved
down the narrow street, circlin! the row of its <at'fronted
bric houses toward the labyrinthine tan!le of the bac
lanes#
2f anythin! had ha""ened to her###
0rom the lane behind the houses he could see the !as
burnin! in the window of his study, thou!h between the
mists and the curtain lace he could distin!uish nothin!
within# A carria!e "assed alon! %olywell ,treet behind him,
the strie of hooves and 4in!le of harness brasses loud in
that narrow corridor of cobbles and bric# 0rom the
wee"in! !rayness of the !arden, Asher could see the whole
broad itchen, lit lie a sta!e set# Only the 4et over the
stove was burnin!'even after dus was well settled, the
wide windows let in a !ood deal of li!ht# $hat "ut it no later
than seven###
.ut what? 2n s"ite of his chill and businesslie
concentration, Asher !rinned a little at the mental ima!e of
himself stormin! his own home, lie =oberts relievin!
*afein!, to )nd a note sayin!, "0ather ill, !one to visit
him, have !iven servants ni!ht o8'Lydia#"
Only, of course, his wife'and it still startled him to thin
that after everythin!, he had in fact succeeded in winnin!
Lydia as his wife'had as !reat an abhorrence as he did of
confusion# ,he would never have let *rs# +rimes and the
two maids, not to s"ea of *ic in the stables, leave for the
ni!ht without main! some "rovision for his su""er# Nor
would she have done that or anythin! else without
dis"atchin! a note to his study at the -olle!e, informin!
him of chan!ed "lans#
But Asher needed none of this train of lo!ic, which
<icered throu!h his mind in fra!ments of a second,
to now all was not well# $he years had tau!ht him the
smell of "eril, and the house stan of it
/ee"in! to the tan!le of vine that over!rew the !arden
wall, con'scious of those darened windows overlooin!
him from above, he ed!ed toward the itchen door#
*ost of the youn! men whom Asher tutored in
"hilolo!y, etymolo!y, and com"arative follore at New
-olle!e'which had not, in fact, been new since the latter
half of the fourteenth century're!arded their men'tor with
the a8ectionate res"ect they would have accorded a
sli!htly eccentric uncle# Asher "layed to this ima!e sheerly
from force of habit 'it had stood him in !ood stead abroad#
%e was a reasonably unobtru'sive man, taller than he
seemed at )rst !lance and, as Lydia !enerally e("ressed it,
brown5 brown hair, brown eyes, brown mustache, brown
clothes, and brown mien# 6ithout his ;niversity !own, he
looed, in fact, lie a cler, e(ce"t for the shar"ness of his
eyes and the silence with which he moved# 2t would have
been coincidence, the under!radu'ates would have said,
that he found the dee"est shadow in the dar and dew'
soaed !arden in which to stow his !own and mortarboard
ca", the anti3ue uniform of O(ford scholarshi" which
covered his anonymous tweeds# -ertainly they would not
have said that he was the sort of man who could 4emmy
o"en a window with a nife, nor that he was the sort of
man who would carry such a wea"on concealed in his boot#
$he itchen was utterly deserted, chilly, and smellin! of
the old'fashioned stone <oor and of ashes lon! !rown cold#
No steam <oated above the hot'water reservoir of the
stove'a new American thin! of blac rococo iron which had
cost nearly twenty')ve dollars from a catalo!ue# $he bland
bri!htness of the !asli!ht, winin! on the stove's nicel'
"lated nobs, and the silver of toast racs, made the
stillness in the itchen seem all the more ominous, lie a
smilin! maniac with an a( behind his bac#
0ew of the dons at O(ford were familiar with the itchen
3uarters of their own homes'many of them had never
"enetrated "ast the swin!'in! doors that se"arated the
servants' "ortions of the house from those in which the
owners lived# Asher had made it his business to now not
only the "recise layout of the "lace'he could have "assed
throu!h it blindfolded without touchin! a sin!le "iece of
furniture, as he could indeed have "assed throu!h any
room in the house or in his -olle!e' but to now e(actly
where everythin! was e"t# /nowin! such thin!s was
hardly a conscious e8ort anymore, merely one of the thin!s
he had "iced u" over the years and had never 3uite dared
to "ut down# %e found the drawer in which *rs# +rimes
e"t her carvin! nives'the hideout he e"t in his boot was
a small one, for emer!encies'then moved on to the
archway 4ust "ast the stove which se"arated itchen from
"antry, all the while aware that someone, somewhere in
the house, listened for his sli!htest footfall#
*rs# +rimes, Ellen, and the !irl ,ylvie were all there#
$hey sat around the table, a slum"ed tableau lie
somethin! from the -hamber of %orrors at *me# $ussaud's,
somehow shocin! in the even, va!uely <icerin! li!ht
from the steel )shtail burner by the stove# All they needed
was a "oison bottle on the table between them, Asher
thou!ht with wry !rimness, and a "lacard5
$%E *A: .O2,ONE= ,$=2/E,#
Only there was no bottle, no used teacu"s, no evidence
in fact of anythin! eaten or drun# $he only thin! on the
table at all was a bowl of half'shelled "eas#
,tudyin! the coo's thin form, the "arlor maid's "lum"
one, and the huddled sha"e of the tweeny, Asher felt a!ain
that chill sensation of bein! listened for and nown# All
three women were alive, but he didn't lie the way they
sle"t, lie broen dolls, heedless of muscle cram" or
balance#
%e had been ri!ht, then#
$he only other li!ht on in the house was in his study,
and that was where he e"t his revolver, an American Navy
-olt stowed in the drawer of his des> if one were a lecturer
in "hilolo!y, of course, one couldn't ee" a revolver in
one's !reatcoat "ocet# $he other dons would certainly
tal#
%e made his way u" the bac stairs from the itchen#
0rom its unob'trusive door at the far end of the hall he
could see no one waitin! for him at the to" of the front
stairs, but that meant nothin!# $he door of the u"stairs
"arlor !a"ed lie a dar mouth# 0rom the study, a bar of
dimmed !old li!ht lay across the car"et lie a dro""ed
scarf#
-onscious of the wei!ht of his body on the <oor, he
moved a few ste"s forward, close to the wall# By an!lin!
his head, he could see a wed!e of the room beyond# $he
divan had been deliberately dra!!ed around to a "osition
in which it would be visible from the hall# Lydia lay on the
worn !reen cushions, her hair unraveled in a !reat "ottery'
red coil to the <oor# On her breast her lon!, ca"able hand
was curled "rotectively around her s"ectacles, as if she'd
taen them o8 to rest her eyes for a moment> without
them, her face looed thin and un"rotected in slee"# Only
the faint movement of her small breasts beneath the
smoy lace of a trailin! tea !own showed him she lived at
all#
$he room was set u" as a tra", he thou!ht with the
business "ortion of his mind# ,omeone waited inside for
him to !o rushin! in at )rst si!ht of her, as indeed his
every instinct cried out to him to do###
"-ome in, :r# Asher," a 3uiet voice said from within that
!lowin! amber chamber of boos# "2 am alone'there is in
fact no one else in the house# $he youn! man who loos
after your stables is aslee", as you have found your women
servants to be# 2 am seated at your des, which is in its
usual "lace, and 2 have no intention of doin! you harm to'
ni!ht#"
,"anish, the )eld a!ent in him noted'<awless and
unaccented, but ,"anish all the same'even as the
"hilolo!ist "riced his ears at some odd, almost
baccountry in<ection to the En!lish, a trace of
isolative a here and there, a barely as"irated e 4ust <icin!
at the ends of some words###
%e "ushed o"en the door and ste""ed inside# $he
youn! man sittin! at Asher's des looed u" from the
dismantled "ieces of the revolver and inclined his head in
!reetin!,
"+ood evenin!," he said "olitely# "0or reasons which
shall shortly become obvious, let us "ass the formality of
e("lanations and "roceed to introductions#"
2t was only barely audible'the roundin! of
the ou in obvious and the stress shift in explanations- but it
sent alarm bells of sheer scholarly curiosity clan!in! in
some half'closed lumber room of his m in d.Can't you stop
thinking like a philologist even at a time like this...?
$he youn! man went on, "*y name is :on ,imon ?avier
-hristian *orado de la -adena'7sidro, and 2 am what you
call a vam"ire#"
Asher said nothin!# An unformed thou!ht aborted itself,
leavin! white stillness behind# ":o you believe me?"
Asher reali&ed he was holdin! his intaen breath, and
let it out# %is !lance sheered to Lydia 's throat> his folloric
studies of vam"irism had included the cases of so'called
"real" vam"ires, lunatics who had sou!ht to "rolon! their
own twisted lives by drinin! or bathin! in the blood of
youn! !irls# $hrou!h the tea !own's o"en collar he could
see the white sin of her throat# No blood stained the
fra!ile ecru of the lace around it# $hen his eyes went bac
to 7sidro, in whose soft tones he had heard the absolute
conviction of a madman# 7et, looin! at that slender form
behind his des, he was conscious of a 3ueer
cree"in! sensation of the sin on the bac of his nec,
an uneasy sense of havin! thou!ht he was descendin! a
stair and, instead, ste""in! from the ed!e of a cli8###
$he name was ,"anish'the youn! man's bleached
fairness mi!ht well hail from the northern "rovinces where
the *oors had never !one callin!# Around the thin, hi!h'
nosed hidal!o face, his colorless hair hun! lie s"ider sil,
)ne as cobweb and lon!er than men wore it these days#
$he eyes were scarcely darer, a "ale, yellowish amber,
<eced here and there with "leats of faded brown or !ray'
eyes which should have seemed catlie, but didn't# $here
was an odd luminosity to them, an un"laceable !litterin!
3uality, even in the !asli!ht, that troubled Asher# $heir very
"aleness, contrastin! with the molesin'soft blac velvet of
the man's coat collar, "ointed u" the absolute "allor of the
delicate features far more lie a cor"se's than a livin!
man's, save for their mobile softness#
0rom his own e("eriences in +ermany and =ussia,
Asher new how easy such a "allor was to fae, "articularly
by !asli!ht# And it mi!ht sim"ly be madness or dru!s that
!littered at him from those !rave yellow eyes# 7et there
was an eerie 3uality to :on ,imon 7sidro, an immobility so
total it was as if he had been there behind the des for
hundreds of years, waitin!###
As Asher nelt beside Lydia to feel her "ulse, he e"t
his eyes on the ,"aniard, sensin! the dan!er in the man#
And even as his mind at last identi)ed the underlyin!
in<ections of s"eech, he reali&ed, with an odd, sinin! chill,
whence that dreadful sense of stillness stemmed#
$he tonal shift in a few of his word endin!s was
characteristic of those areas which had been lin!uistically
isolated since the end of the si(teenth century#
And e(ce"t when he s"oe, :on ,imon 7sidro did not
a""ear to be breathin!#
$he carvin! nife still in his left hand, Asher !ot to his
feet and said, "-ome here#"
7sidro did not move# %is slender hands remained
e(actly as they had been, dead white a!ainst the blued
steel of the dissected !un, but no more inert than the
s"ider who awaits the sli!htest vibration of the blunderin!
<y#
"7ou understand, it is not always easy to conceal what
we are, "artic'ularly if we have not fed," he e("lained in his
low, li!ht voice# %eavy lids !ave his eyes an almost slee"y
e("ression, not 3uite concealin! cynicism and mocery, not
3uite concealin! that odd !leam# ";" until ninety years
a!o, it was a sim"le matter, for no one loos 3uite normal
by candleli!ht# Now that they are li!htin! houses by
electricity, 2 now not what we shah" do#"
7sidro must have moved# $he terrifyin! thin! was that
Asher did not see the man do it, was not'for a s"an of what
must have been several seconds'conscious of anythin!, as
if he had literally sli""ed into a trance on his feet# One
second he was standin!, nife in hand, between Lydia's
slee"in! form and the des where the slim intruder sat> the
ne(t, it seemed, he came to himself with a start to )nd the
iciness of 7sidro's )n!ers still chillin! his hand, and the
nife !one#
,hoc and disorientation doused him lie cold water#
:on ,imon tossed the nife onto the des amon! the
scattered "ieces of the useless revolver and turned bac,
with an ironic smile, to o8er his bared wrist to Asher#
Asher shoo his head, his mouth dry# %e'd faed his own
death once, on a +erman archaeolo!ical e("edition to the
-on!o, by means of a tourni3uet, and he'd seen fairs in
2ndia who didn't even need that# %e baced away, absurdly
turnin! over in his mind the eerie similarities of hundreds
of le!ends he'd
uncovered in the !enuinely scholarly half of his career,
and waled to Lydia 's des#
2t stood on the o""osite side of the study from his own'
in actual fact a =e!ency secretaire Lydia 's mother had
once used for !ilt'ed!ed invitations and the delicately
nuanced 4u!!lin!s of seatin! arran!ements at dinners# 2t
was 4ammed now with Lydia 's a""allin!ly untidy collec'tion
of boos, notes, and research on !lands# ,ince she had
taen her de!ree and be!un research at the =adcly8e
2n)rmary, Asher had been "romisin! to !et her a "ro"er
des# 2n one slim com"artment her stethosco"e was coiled,
lie an obscene snae of rubber and steel###
%is hands were not 3uite steady as he re"laced the
stethosco"e in its "i!eonhole once more# %e was suddenly
e(tremely conscious of the beat of the blood in his veins#
%is voice remained level# "6hat do you want?"
"%el"," the vam"ire said,
"6hat?" Asher stared at the vam"ire, he reali&ed'seein!
the dar amusement in 7sidro's eyes'lie a fool# %is own
mind still felt twisted out of true by what he had heard'or
more "ro"erly by what he had absolutely not heard'
throu!h the stethosco"e, but the fact that the shadowy
"redator that lured in the le!ends of every culture he had
ever studied did e(ist was in a way easier to believe than
what that "redator had 4ust said#
$he "ale eyes held his# $here was no shift in them, no
e("ression> only a remote calm, centuries dee"# 7sidro was
silent for a few mo'ments as if considerin! how much of
what he should e("lain# $hen he moved, a ind of
wei!htless, leisurely driftin! that, lie Asher's habitual
stride, was as noiseless as the "assa!e of shadow# %e
"erched on a corner of the des, lon! white hands folded
on one well'tailored !ray nee, re!ardin! Asher for a
moment with his head a little on one side# $here was
somethin! almost hy"notic in that stillness, without
nervous !esture, almost com"letely without movement, as
if that had all been rinsed from him by the "assin! moons
of time#
$hen :on ,imon said, "7ou are :r# James -laudius
Asher, author ofLanguage and Concepts in astern and
Central urope! Lecturer in .hilolo!y at New -olle!e,
e("ert on lan!ua!es and their "ermutations in the follore
of countries from the Balans to .ort Arthur to .reto'ria###"
Asher did not for a moment believe it coincidence that
7sidro had named three of the trouble s"ots of which the
0orei!n O9ce had been most desirous of obtainin! ma"s#
",urely, in that conte(t, you must be familiar with the
vam"ire#"
"2 am#" Asher settled his wei!ht on one curved arm of
the divan where Lydia still lay, unmovin! in her unnatural
slee"# %e felt sli!htly unreal, but very calm now# 6hatever
was ha""enin! must be dealt with on its own bi&arre terms,
rather than "aniced over# "2 don't now why 2 should be
sur"rised," he went on after a moment# "2've run across
le!ends of vam"ires in every civili&ation from -hina to
*e(ico# $hey cro" u" a!ain and a!ain'blood'drinin!
!hosts that live as lon! as they "rey on the livin!# 7ou !et
them from ancient +reece, ancient =ome 'thou!h 2
remember the classical =oman ones were su""osed to bite
o8 their victims' noses rather than drin their blood# :id
they?"
"2 do not now," 7sidro re"lied !ravely, "havin! only
become vam'"ire myself in the 7ear of Our Lord @AAA# 2
came to En!land in the train of his *a4esty /in! .hili", you
understand, when he came to marry the En!lish 3ueen'2
did not !o home a!ain# But "ersonally, 2 cannot see why
anyone would trouble to do such a thin!#" $hou!h his
e("ression did not chan!e, Asher had the momentary
im"ression of
amusement !litterin! far bac in those cham"a!ne'
colored eyes#
"And as for the le!ends," the vam"ire went on, still
oddly immobile, as if over the centuries he had eventually
!rown weary of any e(trane'ous !esture, "one hears of
fairies everywhere also, yet neither you nor 2 e("ect to
encounter them at the bottom of the !arden#" ;nder the
lon!, "ale wis"s of 7sidro's hair, Asher could see the
earlobes had once been "ierced for earrin!s, and there was
a rin! of anti3ue !old on one of those lon!, white )n!ers#
6ith his narrow li"s closed, 7sidro's over'si&ed canines'
twice the len!th of his other teeth'were hidden, but they
!linted in the !asli!ht when he s"oe#
"2 want you to come with me toni!ht," he said after a
brief "ause durin! which Asher had the im"ression of some
)nal, inner debate which never touched the mily stillness
of his calm# "2t is now half "ast seven'there is a train which
!oes to London at ei!ht, and the station but the wal of
minutes# 2t is necessary that 2 s"ea with you, and it is
"robably safer that we do so in a movin! vehicle away from
the hos'ta!es that the livin! surrender to fortune#"
Asher looed down at Lydia, her hair scattered lie red
smoe over the creamy lace of her !own, her )n!ers,
where they rested over that li!ht frame of wire and !lass,
stained with smears of in# Even under the circumstances,
the incon!ruity of the tea !own's lan!uorous dra"er'ies and
the s"ectacles made him smile# $he combination was
somehow very lie Lydia, des"ite her occasionally stated
"reference for the more strenuous forms of martyrdom
over bein! seen wearin! s"ectacles in "ublic# ,he had
never 3uite for!otten the stin! of her u!ly'duclin! days#
,he was writin! a "a"er on !lands# %e new she'd "robably
s"ent most of the mornin! at the in)rmary's dissectin!
rooms and had been hurriedly scribblin! what she could
after she'd come home and chan!ed clothes while waitin!
for him to arrive# %e wondered what she'd mae of :on
,imon 7sidro and re<ected that she'd "robably "roduce a
den'tal mirror from somewhere about her "erson and
demand that he o"en his mouth'wide#
%e !lanced bac at 7sidro, oddly cheered by this mental
ima!e# ",afer for whom?"
"0or me," the vam"ire re"lied smoothly# "0or you# And
for your lady# :o not mistae, James> it is truly death that
you smell, clin!in! to my coat sleeves# But had 2 intended
to ill your lady or you, 2 would already have done so# 2
have illed so many men# $here is nothin! you could do
which could sto" me#"
%avin! once felt that disorientin! moment of "sychic
blindness, Asher was ready for him, but still only barely
saw him move# %is hand had not dro""ed the twenty
inches or so that se"arated his )n!ers from the hideout
nife in his boot when he was <un! bacward across the
head of the divan, in s"ite of his e8ort to roll aside#
,omehow both arms were wrenched behind him, the wrists
"inned in a sin!le !ri" of steel and ice# $he vam"ire's other
hand was in his hair, cold a!ainst his scal" as it dra!!ed
his head bac, archin! his s"ine down toward the <oor#
$hou!h he was conscious of very little wei!ht in the bony
limbs that forced his head bac and still further bac over
nothin!, he could !et no levera!e to stru!!le> and in any
case, he new it was far too late# ,ily li"s brushed his
throat above the line of the collar'there was no sensa'tion
of breath#
$hen the li"s touched his sin in a mocin! iss, and
the ne(t instant he was free#
%e was movin! even as he sensed the "ressure slac
from his s"ine, not even thinin! that 7sidro could ill him,
but only aware of Lydia's dan!er# But by the time he was on
his feet a!ain, his nife in his hand, 7sidro was bac behind
the des, unruBed and immobile, as if he had never
moved# Asher blined and shoo his head, aware there'd
been another of those moments of induced trance, but not
sure where it had been#
$he )ne strands of 7sidro's hair sna!!ed at his velvet
collar as he ti""ed his head a little to one side#
$here was no mocery in his to"a& eyes# "2 could have
had you both in the time it taes to "rove to you that 2
choose otherwise," he said in his soft voice# "2'we'need
your hel", and it is best that 2 e("lain it to you on the way
to London and away from this !irl for whom you would
undertae another )t of "oint'less chivalry# Believe me,
James, 2 am the least dan!erous thin! with which you'or
she'may have to contend# $he train de"arts at ei!ht, and it
is many years since "ublic trans"ortation has awaited the
conve'nience of "ersons of breedin!# 6ill you come?"
Two
2t was "erha"s ten minutes' wal alon! %olywell ,treet
to the train station# Alone in the clin!in! veils of the
,e"tember fo!, Asher was conscious of a wish that the
distance were three or four times as !reat# %e felt in need
of time to thin#
On his very doorste", 7sidro had vanished, fadin!
e8ortlessly away into the mists# Asher had fou!ht to ee"
his concentration on the vam'"ire durin! what he was
virtually certain was a momentary blanin! of his
consciousness, but hadn't succeeded# Little wonder le!end
attrib'uted to vam"ires the ability to dissolve into fo! and
moonbeams, to slither throu!h eyholes or under doors# 2n
a way, that would have been easier to understand#
2t was the ultimate tool of the hunter'or the s"y#
$he ni!ht was cold, the fo! wet and heavy in his lun!s'
not the blac, iller fo! of London, but the "eculiarly moist,
dri""in!, O(ford variety, which made the whole town seem
sli!htly sha!!y with moss and !reenness and a!e# $o his
left as he emer!ed into Broad ,treet, the scul"ted busts
around the ,heldonian $heater seemed to watch him "ass,
a dim assembla!e of !hosts> the dome of the theater itself
was lost in the fo! beyond# 6as 7sidro movin! amon!
those !hosts somewhere, he wondered, leavin! no
foot"rint on the wet !ranite of the "avernent?
Or was he somewhere behind Asher in the fo!, trailin!
silently, watchin! to see whether his unwillin! a!ent would
double bac and return home?
Asher new it would do him no !ood if he did# %is
conscious mind mi!ht still revolt at the notion that he had
s"ent the last half hour conversin! with a live vam"ire' an
oxymoron if ever I heard one! he re<ected wryly'but the
di8erence, if one e(isted, was at this "oint academic#
%e had been in deadly dan!er toni!ht# $hat he did not
doubt#
As for Lydia###
%e had absolutely no reason to believe :on ,imon's
claim to be alone# Asher had considered demandin! to
search the house before he left, but reali&ed it would be a
useless !esture# Even a mortal accom"lice could have
stood hidden in the fo! in the !arden, let alone one
ca"able of willin! mortal eyes to "ass him by# %e had
contented himself with li!htin! the )res laid in the study
)re"lace and the itchen stove, so that the servants would
not wae in cold'as wae they would, 7sidro had assured
him, within an hour of their de"arture#
And at all events, 7sidro new where Asher lived# 2f the
vam"ire were watchin! him, there was no chance of
returnin! to the house and !ettin! Lydia to safety before
they were interce"ted#
And' another academic "oint'what "recisely constituted
safety?
Asher shoved his !loved hands dee"er into the "ocets
of the ba!!y brown ulster he had donned and mentally
reviewed everythin! he had ever learned about vam"ires#
$hat they were the dead who in)nitely "rolon!ed their
lives by drin'in! the blood of the livin! seemed to be the
one "oint never in dis"ute, bitten'o8 noses in =ome
notwithstandin!# 0rom Odysseus' )rst inter'view with the
shades, there was so little diver!ence from that central
theme that Asher was'intellectually, at least'mildly
astounded at his own disbelief before he had "ressed the
stethosco"e to that thin, hard ribca!e under the dar sil of
the vest, and had heard### nothin!# %is researches in
follore had taen him from -hina to *e(ico to the
Australian bush, and there was virtually no ton!ue which
had not yielded some e3uivalent of that word!vampire.
Around that central truth, however, lay such a morass
of le!end about how to deal with vam"ires that he felt a
momentary s"asm of irritation at the scholars who had
never troubled to codify such nowl'ed!e# %e made a
mental note to do so, "rovided 7sidro hadn't sim"ly invited
him to London for dinner with a few friends# Naturally, he
re<ected wryly, there wasn't a !reen!rocer o"en at this
hour, and he would loo fairly foolish investi!atin! bac'
!arden ve!etable "atches for !arlic en route to the
station### totally aside from missin! his train# And !iven the
!eneral standard of British cooery, searchin! for !arlic
would be a futile tas at best#
%is ironic smile faded as he "aused on the %ythe
Brid!e, looin! down at the water, lie slate the color of
!lass and smud!ed with the li!hts of 0isher =ow, whose
wet !ray walls seemed to rise strai!ht out of the stream#
+arlic was said to be a "rotection a!ainst the ;ndead, as
were ash, whitethorn, wolfsbane, and a startlin! salad of
other herbs, few of which Asher would have reco!ni&ed had
he found them by the road# But the ;ndead were also said
to be unable to cross runnin! water, which 7sidro had
obviously done on his way from the station' orhad he come
u" from London to O(ford by train?
A cruci)( alle!edly "rotected its wearer from the
vam"ire's bite' some tales s"eci)ed a silver cruci)(, and
Asher's "ractical mind in3uired at once"#ow high a silver
content? But lie tales of the -atholic Limbo, that theory
left vast numbers of ancient and modern -hinese, A&tecs,
ancient +rees, Australian bushmen, and %awaiian
2slanders, to name only a few, at an unfair disadvanta!e#
Or did ancient +ree vam"ires fear other sacred thin!s?
And how, in that case, had unconverted "a!an vam"ires in
the )rst century a#d# reacted to -hristians frantically
wavin! the symbols of their faith at them to "rotect
themselves from havin! their blood drun or their noses
bitten o$?%ot much vincere in hoc si!no, he mused
ironically, turnin! his ste"s "ast the -rystal .alace
absurdity of the old London and Northwestern station and
alon! the Botley =oad to the more "rosaic soot'stained
bric of the +reat 6estern station a hundred yards beyond#
%e was now not alone in the fo!'shrouded roadbed
between the nameless bric "its and sheds that railway
stations seemed to litter s"ontaneously about themselves#
Other dar forms were hastenin! from the li!hts of the one
station to the li!hts of the other, stru!!lin! with heavy
valises or stridin! blithely alon! in front of brass'buttoned
"orters whose breath swirled away to min!le with the dar
va"ors around hem# 0rom the direction of the London and
Northwestern station, a train whistle !roaned dismally,
followed by the lu!ubrious hissin! of steam> Asher !lanced
bac toward the vast, arched !reenhouse of the station and
saw :on ,imon walin!, with oddly wei!htless stride, at his
elbow#
$he vam"ire held out a train ticet in his blac'!loved
hand# "2t is only ri!ht that 2 "rovide your e("enses," he said
in his soft voice, "if you are to be in my service#"
Asher "ushed aside the ends of his scarf'a woolly !ray
thin! nitted for him by the mother of one of his
wilder "u"ils'and tuced the little sli" of "asteboard into
his waistcoat "ocet# "2s that what it is?" $hey climbed the
shallow ram" to the "latform# 2n the harsh !lare of the
!asli!hts, 7sidro's face looed white and 3ueer, the
delicate swoo" of the eyebrows standin! out a!ainst "ale
hair and "aler sin, the eyes lie sulfur and honey# A
woman sittin! on a bench with two slee"y little !irls
!lanced u" curiously, as if she sensed somethin! amiss#
:on ,imon smiled into her eyes, and she 3uicly looed
away#
$he vam"ire's smile vanished as swiftly as it had been
"ut on> 2n any case, it had never reached his eyes# Lie
every other !esture or e("res'sion about him, his smile had
an odd, minimal air, almost lie a carica'turist's line,
thou!h Asher had from it a sudden im"ression of an an'
ti3ue sweetness, the faded'out sha"e of what it once had
been# 0or a moment more 7sidro studied the averted
"ro)le and the silvery'fair heads of the two children
"ressed a!ainst the woman's shabby ser!e shoulders# $hen
his !lance returned to Asher's#
"0rom the time 0rancis 6alsin!ham started runnin! his
a!ents in +eneva and Amsterdam to )nd out about /in!
.hili"'s invasion of En!land, your secret service has had its
lins with the scholars," he said 3uietly# $he anti3ue
in<ection to his s"eech, lie its faint -astilian lis", was
barely discernible# ",cholarshi", reli!ion, "hiloso"hy'they
were illin! matters in those days, and at that time 2 was
still close enou!h to my human habits of thou!ht to be
concerned about the outcome of the invasion# And too, it
was still res"ectable amon! scholars to be a war'rior, and
amon! warriors to be a scholar, which it is no lon!er, as 2'm
sure you now#"
Asher's old collea!ue, the 6arden of Brasenose, s"ran!
to mind, tuttin! disa""rovin!ly over some minor Balan
<are'u" in the course of which Asher had nearly lost his
life, while Asher, co&ily consumin! scones on the other side
of the hearth, had nodded a!reement
that no!h'rm! En!land had no business meddlin! in
Euro"ean "olitics, damned ungen tl emanly!hrmph!
mphf. %e su""ressed his smile, unwillin! to !ive this
slender youn! man anythin!, and e"t silent# %e leaned his
shoul'ders a!ainst the sooty bric of the station wall,
folded his arms, and waited#
After a moment 7sidro went on, "*y solicitor'a youn!
man, and a!reeable to meet with his clients at late hours if
they so desire'did mention that, when he wored in the
0orei!n O9ce, there was tal of at least one don at O(ford
and several at -ambrid!e who 'did !ood wor,' as the
eu"hemism !oes# $his was years a!o, but 2 remembered it,
out of habit, and of interest in thin!s secret# 6hen 2 had
need of an'a!ent'it was no !reat matter to trac you down
by the sim"le e("edient of com"arin! the areas about
which "a"ers were "ublished and their "rob'able research
dates with times and "laces of di"lomatic unease# 2t still
left the )eld rather wide, but the only 0ellow youn!er than
yourself who mi!ht "ossibly have )t the criteria of time and
"lace would have di9'culty "assin! himself o8 as anythin!
other than an obese and myo"ic rabbit###"
",in!letary of 1ueens," si!hed Asher# "7es, he was
researchin! in .retoria at the same time 2 was, tryin! to
"rove the de!eneracy of the African brain by com"arative
anatomy# $he silly bleater still doesn't now how close he
came to !ettin! us both illed#"
$hat sli!ht, ironic line <iced into e(istence at the
corner of 7sidro's thin mouth, then vanished at once# $he
train came "u9n! in, steam roilin! out to blend with the
fo!, while va!ue forms hurried onto the "latform to meet it#
A !irl with a face lie a "ound of dou!h s"ran! from a third'
class carria!e as it slowed, into the arms of a "od!y youn!
man in a sho" cler's worn old coat, and they embraced
with the de'li!hted fervor of a ni!ht welcomin! his
"rincess bride# A mob of un'der!raduates came boilin! out
of the waitin! room, noisily biddin! !ood'by to a furiously
embarrassed old don whom Asher reco!ni&ed as the
-lassics lecturer of ,t# John's# Linin! then5 arms, they
be!an to carol "$ill 6e *eet A!ain" in chorus, holdin! then'
boaters over their hearts# Asher did not lie the way his
com"anion turned his head, studyin! them with
e("ressionless yellow eyes as if memori&in! every
lineament of each rosy face# $oo
lie a coo, he thou!ht, watchin! lambs "lay at a s"rin!
fair#
"$he war was my last 4ob," Asher went on after a
moment, drawin! 7sidro's !lance once more to him as they
crossed the "latform# "2 became'unsuitably friendly with
some "eo"le in .retoria, includin! a boy 2 later had to ill#
$hey call it the +reat +ame, but it's neither# 2 came bac
here, !ot married, and incor"orated the results into a "a"er
on lin!uistic borrowin!s from abori!inal ton!ues#" %e
shru!!ed, his face now as e("ressionless as the vam"ire's#
"A lecturer's salary isn't a !reat deal, but at least 2 can
drin with my friends without wonderin! if what they're
tellin! me is the truth#"
"7ou are fortunate," the vam"ire said softly# %e "aused,
then contin'ued, "2 have taen a )rst'class com"artment
for us'at this time of ni!ht, we should have it to ourselves# 2
will 4oin you there after the train leaves the station#"
Oh, will you? Asher thou!ht, his ri!ht eyebrow 3uirin!
u" and his every instinct and curiosity comin! suddenly
alert as the vam"ire moved o8 down the "latform with a
lithe, dis3uietin! stride, his dar 2nverness cloa <arin!
behind him# $hou!htfully, Asher sou!ht out their
com"artment, divested himself of bowler and scarf, and
watched the comin!s and !oin!s on the "latform with
!reat interest until the train moved away#
$he cloudy halo of the "latform li!hts dro""ed behind
them> a scat'terin! of bric buildin!s and si!nal !antries
<i""ed "ast in the fo!!y dar# %e saw the !leam of li!hts,
lie an ironic omen, on the ancient marers of the old
!raveyard, then on the brown sheet'sil of the river as they
"assed over the brid!e# $he darness of the countryside
too them#
Asher settled bac a!ainst the worn red "lush as the
com"artment door slid o"en and 7sidro entered, slim and
stran!e as some E!y"tian cat'!od, his fair, cobweb')ne
hair all s"rinled with "oints of dam"ness in the 4oltin!
<icer of the !as 4et overhead# 6ith a !raceful movement,
he shru!!ed out of his slate'!ray 2nverness> but, in s"ite of
his <awless Bond ,treet tailorin!, Asher was comin! to
wonder how anyone ever mistoo him for anythin! human#
0oldin! his hands on his nee, Asher in3uired casually,
"Just whom are you afraid of?"
$he lon!, !loved hands fro&e momentarily in their
motion> the saf'fron eyes slid shar"ly to him, then away#
"2n this day and a!e 2'd be sur"rised to learn it's a mob
with a cruci)( and torches, but a man doesn't 4um" on a
train at the last moment unless he's main! damned sure
who !ets on ahead of him, and that no one's comin!
behind#"
7sidro's !a&e rested on him for a moment lon!er, calm
as ever, thou!h his whole body seemed "oised for
movement> then he seemed in)nitesimally to rela(# %e set
his coat aside and sat down# "No," he said "resently# "$hat
is our stren!th'that no one believes, and, not believin!, lets
us be# 2t is a su"erstition that is one of the many thin!s 'not
done' in this country# 6e learned lon! a!o that it is !ood
"olicy to cover our traces, to hide our ills or to mae them
loo lie somethin! else# +enerally it is only the !reedy,
the careless, the arro!ant, or those with "oor 4ud!ment
who are traced and illed, and even they not imme'diately#
At least so it has been#"
",o there are more of you#"
"Of course," the vam"ire said sim"ly# %e folded his
!loved hands, sittin! very strai!ht, as if, centuries after he
had ceased to wear the boned and "added doublets of the
,"anish court, the habit of their
armorin! "ersisted# Lon! used to 4ud!in! men by the
tiny details of their a""earance, Asher mared down the
medium'!ray suit he wore at )fty !uineas or better, the
shoes as made to order in the Burlin!ton Arcade, the
!loves of id )ne as sil# Even minimal investments, he
thou!ht dryly, must accrue an incredible amount of interest
in three hundred years###
"$here were some'two or three, a master vam"ire and
her <ed!'lin!s'at one time in Edinbur!h, but Edinbur!h is a
small town> late in the seventeenth century the witch'
hunters found the "laces where they hid their co9ns#
$here are some in Liver"ool now, and in that "aced, crass,
and stinin! cess"it of factories and slums that has s"read
lie cancer across the north#" %e shoo his head# "But it is a
youn! town, and does not o8er the hidin! "laces that
London does#"
"6ho's after you?" Asher ased#
$he cham"a!ne'colored eyes avoided his own# "6e
don't now#"
"2 should thin that with your "owers###"
",o should 2#" $he eyes returned to his, a!ain level and
cool as the soft voice# "But that does not seem to be the
case# ,omeone has been illin! the vam"ires of London#"
Asher raised one thic brow# "6hy does that sur"rise
you?"
"Because we do not now who it is#"
"$he "eo"le you ill don't now who you are," Asher
"ointed out#
"Not invariably," the vam"ire a!reed# "But when they
do, or when a friend, or a lover, or a member of their family
!uesses what has ha"'"ened to them, as occasionally
chances, we usually have warnin! of their sus"icions# 6e
see them "oin! about the "laces where their loved ones
were wont to meet their illers'for it is a fre3uent "ractice
of vam"ires to befriend their victims, sometimes for
months before the ill 'or the churchyards where they were
buried# *ost of us have !ood memories for faces, for
names, and for details'we have much leisure, you
understand, in which to study the human race# $hese
would'be vam"ire hunters in !eneral tae several wees to
brin! themselves to believe what has ha""ened, to harden
their resolve, and in that time we often see them#"
"And dis"ose of them," Asher ased caustically, "as you
dis"osed of their friends?"
":ios,no#" $hat <e(ible smile touched his face a!ain, for
one instant> this time Asher saw the <icer of !enuine
amusement in the "ale, ironic eyes# "7ou see, time is
always on our side# 6e have only to melt into the shadows,
to chan!e our haunts and the "laces where we slee" for
)ve years, or ten, or twenty# 2t is astoundin! how 3uicly
the livin! for!et# But this time###" %e shoo his head# "0our
of us have died# $heir co9ns were o"ened, the li!ht of the
sun "ermitted to stream in and reduce their <esh to ashes#
$he murders were done by dayli!ht'there was nothin! any
vam"ire could have done to "revent them, or to catch the
one who did them# 2t was this that decided me to hire
hel"#"
"$o hire hel"," Asher said slowly# "6hy should 2###" %e
sto""ed, rememberin! the still !asli!ht of the library
shinin! on Lydia 's unbound red hair#
".recisely," 7sidro said# "And don't "retend you did not
now that you were hired to ill by other illers in the days
when you too the 1ueen's -oin# 6herein lies the
di8erence between the Em"ire, which holds its immortality
in many men's consciousness, and the vam"ire, who holds
it in one?"
2t could have been a rhetorical 3uestion, but there was
not that in<ec'tion in the vam"ire's voice, and he waited
afterward for an answer#
".erha"s in the fact that the Em"ire never blacmailed
me into serv'in! it?"
":id it not?" $here was the faintest movement of one of
those curv'in! brows'lie the smile, the bleached echo of
what had once been a human mannerism# ":id you not
serve it out of that "eculiarly En!lish brand of
sentimentalism that cherishes sodden lawns and the
syline of O(ford and even the yammerin! dialects of your
"easants? :id you not ris your own life and tae those of
others, so that ' En!land would remain En!land ''as if,
without *a(im !uns and submarines, it would somehow
attach itself to the fabric of +ermany or ,"ain? And when
this ceased to be a consideration for you, did you not turn
your bac in dis!ust u"on what you had done lie a man
fallin! out of love?
"6e need a man who can move about in the dayli!ht as
well as in the hours of darness, who is ac3uainted with the
techni3ues of research and the nuances of le!end, as well
as with the sills of a iller and a s"y# 6e merely a!ree with
your late 1ueen as to the choice of the man#"
Asher studied him for a lon! moment under the 4um"y
!lare of the !as 4et in its "ierced metal sheath# $he face
was smooth and unwrinled and hard, the slender body
"oised and balanced lie a youn! man's in its well'tailored
!ray suit# But the 4eweled eyes held in them an e("res'sion
beyond dennin!, the nowled!e of one who has seen three
and a half centuries of human folly and human sin reel
!i!!lin!ly by> they were the eyes of one who was once
human, but is no lon!er#
"7ou're not tellin! me everythin!," he said#
":id your 0orei!n O9ce?" 7sidro in3uired# "And 2 am
tellin! you this, James# 6e will hire you, we will "ay you,
but if you betray us, in word or in deed, there will be no
"lace on this earth where you or your lady Lydia will be
safe from us, ever# 2 ho"e you believe that, for both your
saes#"
Asher folded his hands, settled his shoulders bac into
the worn "lush# "7ou ho"e 2 believe it for your own sae as
well# 2n the ni!ht you're "owerful, but by dayli!ht you seem
to be curiously easy to ill#"
",o," the vam"ire murmured# 0or an instant his delicate
mouth ti!htened> then the e("ression, if e("ression it was,
smoothed away, and the "ale eyes lost some of their focus,
as if that ancient soul san momentarily into its dreams#
$hou!h the whole car vibrated with the rush of the dar
rails beneath their feet, Asher had a sense of terrible
silence, lie a monster waitin! in absolute stillness for its
"rey#
$hen he heard a hesitant ste" in the corridor, a
woman's, thou!h tra9c u" and down the narrow "assa!e
had lon! ceased# $he com"art'ment door slid o"en without
a noc# 0ramed in the slot of brown oa and !asli!ht stood
the woman who had watched over her two slee"in!
children on the "latform, starin! before her lie a
slee"waler#
7sidro said nothin!> but, as if he had invited her in, the
woman closed the door behind her# ,te""in! carefully with
the swayin! of the train, she came to sit on the ed!e of the
seat at the vam"ire's side#
"2' 2'm here," she stammered in a tiny voice, her eyes
!lassy under strai!ht, thin lashes# "6ho'why###
?"
"2t is nothin! you need trouble about!bellisima& 7sidro
whis"ered, "uttin! out one slim hand in its blac !love to
touch her face# "Nothin! at all#"
"No," she whis"ered mechanically# "Nothin! at all#" %er
dress was of shabby red cloth, clean but very old, the fabric
several times turned> she wore a <at blac straw hat, and a
"ur"le scarf round her nec a!ainst the cold# ,he couldn't
have been more than twenty')ve' Lydia's a!e'and had
once been "retty, Asher thou!ht, before ceaseless worry
had !raven those "etty lines around her mouth and eyes#
$ersely he said, "All ri!ht, you've made your "oint###"
"%ave 2?" $he delicate blac )n!ers drew forth the
wooden "in that held the hat to the ti!ht screw of fair hair>
caressin!ly, lie a lover's, they be!an to wor loose the
"ins from the hair itself# "2n all the rather silly le!ends
about us, no one ever seems to have "in"ointed the true
nature of the vam"ire's "ower'a ind of mesmerism, as
they used to call it, an in<uence over the minds of humans
and, to some e(tent, beasts# $hou!h 2 am not sure into
which cate!ory this creature would fall###"
",end her away#" Asher found his own voice was thic,
his own mind seemin! clo!!ed, as if he, too, were half
dreamin!# %e made as if to rise, but it was lie
contem"latin! !ettin! out of bed too early on a fo!!y
mornin!'far easier to remain where he was# %e was aware
of 7sidro's !lance on him, sidelon! under lon!, strai!ht
eyelashes nearly white#
",he was only alon! in one of the third'class carria!es,
she and her dau!hters#" 6ith slow care the vam"ire
unwound the "ur"le scarf, lettin! it slither heedless to the
carria!e <oor> unfastened the chea" celluloid buttons of
the woman's collar# "2 could have summoned her from
anywhere on the train, or, had she not been on it, 2 could
have stood on the "latform at .addin!ton and called her>
and believe me, James, she would have !otten the money
somehow and come# :o you believe that?"
Lie dar s"iders, his )n!ers "arted her collar, down to
the sad little ruBe of her mended muslin chemise> the
mily throat rose lie a col'umn from the white slo"e of her
breast# ":o you remember your wife and her servants,
aslee" because 2 willed that they should slee"? 6e can do
that, 2 and my'friends# 2 now your "eo"le now# At my
callin!, believe me, they would come'that bi! mare of a
chambermaid, your sinny little *rs# +rimes, your stu"id
scullion, or the lout who loos after your !ardens and
stables'do you believe that? And all without nowin! any
more about it than this woman here#" %is blac leather
<n!ers stroed the untouched sin# $he woman's o"en
eyes never moved# As if he were dee" in the slee" of
e(haustion, Asher's mind e"t screamin! at him, 'et up(
'et up( But he only re!arded himself with a ind of
bemusement, as if se"arated from his body by an
incredible distance# $he noises of the train seemed dulled,
its shain! almost lull'in!, and it seemed as if this scene,
this woman who was about to die, and indeed everythin!
that had ha""ened since that afternoon, which he'd s"ent
e("lainin! the ,ansrit roots of =omany to an under!radu'
ate named .ettifer, were all a dream# 2n a way it made
more sense when viewed so#
"A "oor s"ecimen, but then we feed u"on the "oor,
mostly'they're far less liely to be aven!ed than the rich#"
A fan! !leamed in the tremblin! !asli!ht# ":o you believe 2
can do this to whomever 2 will? $o you or to anyone whose
eyes 2 meet?"
No, thou!ht Asher dully, stru!!lin! toward the surface
of what seemed to be an endless de"th of dar waters# %o.
"No#" %e forced himself to his feet, sta!!erin! a little, as
if he had truly been aslee"# 0or a moment he felt the
vam"ire's naed mind on his, lie a steel hand, and 3uite
deliberately he walled his mind a!ainst it'2n his years of
worin! for the 0orei!n O9ce there were thin!s he had
willed himself not to now, the conse3uences of actions he
had taen# $he ni!ht he had shot "oor Jan van der .lat& in
.retoria he had forced himself to feel nothin!, as he did
now# $he fact that he had succeeded in it then was what
had turned him, )nally, from the +reat +ame#
As deliberately as he had "ressed the tri!!er then, he
waled over to the woman and "ulled her to her feet#
7sidro's "ale eyes followed him, but he did not meet them>
he "ushed the woman out of the com"artment ahead of
him and into the corridor# ,he moved easily, still slee"'
walin!# On the little "latform between the cars the wind
was raw and icy> with the cold air, his mind seemed to
clear# %e leaned in the door'frame, feelin! oddly shaen,
lettin! the cold smite his face#
Beside him the woman shuddered# %er hands'un!loved,
red, cha""ed, and callused, in contrast to that white throat'
fumbled at her o"en collar as her eyes <ared with alarm
and she stared, shaen and disoriented, u" into his face#
"6hat'who'?" ,he "ushed away from him, to the very rail
of the narrow s"ace, as if she would bac o8 it entirely into
the <yin! ni!ht#
Asher dro""ed at once into his most harmless, donnish
stance and manner, an e(a!!eration of the most !entle
facet of his own "ersonality that he !enerally used when
abroad# "2 saw you 4ust standin! in the corridor, madam,"
he said# ".lease for!ive my liberty, but my wife slee"wals
lie that, and somethin! about the way you looed made
me thin that mi!ht be the case# 2 did s"ea to you and,
when you didn't answer, 2 was sure of it#"
"2###" ,he clutched at her unbuttoned collar, confusion,
sus"icion, terror in her rabbity eyes# %e wondered how
much she recalled as a dream, and became at once even
more consciously the O(ford don, the 0ellow of New
-olle!e, the "hilolo!ist who had never evenheard of
machine !uns, let alone wadded u" "lans of them into
hollowed'out boos to shi" out of Berlin#
"0resh air will wae her u"'my wife, 2 mean# %er sister
slee"wals, too# *ay 2 escort you bac to your
com"artment?"
,he shoo her head 3uicly and mumbled, "No'than
you, sir'2' you're very ind###" %er accent Asher
automatically identi)ed as ori!inatin! in -ornwall# $hen
she hurried over the small !a" between the cars and into
the one beyond, huddled with cold and embarrass'ment#
Asher remained where he was for some minutes, the
cold wind lash'in! at his hair#
6hen he returned to the com"artment, 7sidro was
!one# $he only thin! that remained to tell him that all
which had "assed was not, in fact, a dream was the
woman's "ur"le scarf, colla"sed lie a discarded !rave
band on the <oor between the two seats# Asher felt the
an!er sur!e in him, !uessin! where the vam"ire was and
what he would be doin!, but nowin! there was nothin! he
could do# %e could, he su"'"osed, run u" and down the
train shoutin! to beware of vam"ires# But he had seen
7sidro move and new there was very little chance of even
!lim"sin! him before he found another victim# 2n a crowded
third'class carria!e or an isolated slee"in! car, a dead man
or woman would "ass unnoticed until the end of the
4ourney, always "rovided the body were not sim"ly ti""ed
out# *an!led under the train wheels, there would be no
3uestions about the cause of death or the amount of blood
in the veins#
But of course, if he issued a warnin!, nothin! at all
would ha""en save that he would be loced u" as a
bedlamite#
0illed with im"otent ra!e, Asher <un! himself bac in
the red cush'ioned seat to await :on ,imon 7sidro's
rea""earance, nowin! that he would do as the vam"ire
ased#
Three
%er name was Lotta#" :on ,imon's soft voice echoed
3ueerly in the dam" vaults of the tomb# ",he was one of###"
%e hesi'tated fractionally, then amended, "A hatmaer,
when she was alive#" Asher wondered what 7sidro's ori!inal
descri"tion of her would have been, "2n life she was a
rather "oor s"ecimen of a human'cocy, disres"ectful of
her bettersC a thief, and a whore#" %e "aused, and a!ain
Asher had the im"ression that the ,"aniard was "icin!
throu!h a 4ewel bo( of facts for the few carats' worth of
information with which he was willin! to "art# "But she
made a !ood vam"ire#"
Asher's left eyebrow 3uired u"ward, and he <ashed the
beam of 7sidro's dar lantern around the low stone vaults
above their heads# ,hadowed niches held co9ns> here and
there, on a eystone arch, a blurred coat of arms had been
incised, thou!h why, if :eath had not been im"ressed by
the owner's station, the family e("ected =esurrection to be,
he was at a loss to decide# %i!h!ate was not a "articularly
old cemetery, but it was intensely fashionable'vaults in this
"art started at well over a hundred !uineas'and the tomb,
with its narrow stair lead'in! down from a tree'lined
avenue of similar "seudo'E!y"tian mausole'ums, was
!uarded by its well'"aid'for isolation and was, at the same
time, far easier to enter than the cry"t of some -ity church
would have been#
"And what maes a !ood vam"ire?"
0or a moment he thou!ht 7sidro would evade the
3uestion# $he ,"aniard stood for a moment, nearly invisible
in the shadows of a dar niche, his a3uiline face inscrutable
in its lon! frame of colorless hair# $hen he said slowly, "An
attitude of mind, 2 su""ose# 7ou must under'stand, James,
that the core of a vam"ire's bein! is the hun!er to live, to
devour life'the will not to die# $hose who have not that
hun!er, that will, that burnin! inside them, would not
survive the'"rocess'by which the livin! become ;ndead
and, even if they did, would not lon! continue this ;nlife
we lead# But it can be done well or "oorly# $o be a !ood
vam"ire is to be careful, to be alert, to use all the "sychic
as well as the "hysical faculties of the vam"ire, and to
have that <ame that feeds u"on the 4oy of livin!#
"Lotta, for all her vul!arity'and she was ama&in!ly
vul!ar'was a truly attractive woman, and that <ame of life
in her was "art of the attraction# Even 2 felt it# ,he truly
reveled in bein! a vam"ire#"
$he yellow lance of the lantern beam "assed over the
short <i!ht of !ranite ste"s leadin! down from the level of
the avenue outside'the avenue that, even in dayli!ht,
would have been dim with suba3ueous !reen shade'and
!leamed faintly on the metal that sheathed the vault
doors# Even enterin! the "lace, Asher could see that the
dust and occa'sional blown leaves lay far less thicly on
those ste"s and on the sort of trodden "ath that led to this
niche to the ri!ht of the vault# 2t mared Lotta's ni!htly
comin!s and !oin!s and obviated any s"eci)c trac of the
one who had found her slee"in! here#
"2 tae it you new her when she was alive?"
"No#" $he vam"ire folded his arms, a !esture which
barely stirred the blac folds of his 2nverness#
2n the !larin! !asli!hts of .addin!ton ,tation Asher had
seen that 7sidro had lost some of his terrible "allor, looin!
almost human, e('ce"t for his eyes'"resumably, Asher
thou!ht with a sort of dar hu'mor, he had dined on the
train# 2t was more than could be said for himself# 6hile
7sidro summoned a cab from the ran of horse'drawn
hansoms before the station, he'd bou!ht a meat "asty from
an old man sellin! them from a cart, and the taste of it
lin!erin! in his mouth was as bi&arre an incon!ruity in this
macabre !loom as had been the act of eatin! it in the cab
with the vam"ire sittin! ramrod'strai!ht at his side# 7sidro
had o8ered to "ay the half"enny it had cost'Asher had
sim"ly told him to "ut it on account#
"$hen you didn't mae her a vam"ire?"
Either he was !rowin! more used to the minimal <icers
that "assed for the vam"ire's e("ressions or 7sidro had
held the woman in es"ecial contem"t# "No#"
"6ho did, then?"
"One of the other vam"ires in London#"
"7ou're !oin! to have to !ive me some information
sometime, you now," Asher remared, comin! bac to
:on ,imon's side#
"2 see no reason for you to now who we are and where
to )nd us# $he less you now, the less dan!er there will be
for all of us, yourself included#"
Asher studied that cool, a!eless face by the amber
erosene !low and thou!ht, )hey plan to kill me when this
is over. 2t was only lo!ical if, as 7sidro had said, the )rst
defense of the ;ndead was the disbelief of the livin!# %e
wondered if they thou!ht he was a fool or merely believed
him to be controllable in s"ite of this nowled!e# An!er
stirred in him, lie a snae shiftin! its coils#
And more than an!er, he was aware of the obscure
sense that he had "iced u" in his years of worin! for the
:e"artment, an im"ression of looin! at two "ieces of a
"u&&le whose ed!es did not 3uite match#
%e waled bac to the niche, with its thic stench of
fresh ashes, and raised the lantern hi!h#
$he co9n that lay on the hi"'hi!h stone shelf was
reasonably new, but had lost its vir!in !loss# 2ts lid had
been "ulled forward and lay "ro""ed lon!ways a!ainst the
wall beneath the niche itself> there were multi"le scratches
on the stonewor, where the co9n had been "ulled forward
and bac, of various de!rees of freshness, di9cult to
determine in the tin lantern's shadows#
%e held the li!ht low, illuminatin! the interior, the hot
metal throw'in! warmth a!ainst his wrist between shirt cu8
and !love, the smell of burnin! erosene acrid in his
nostrils# %is )rst thou!ht was how intense the heat must
have been> it had eaten at the bones themselves, save for
the sull and the "elvis# $he lon! bones of arms and le!s
were attenu'ated to bulb'ended rods, the vertebrae little
more than "ebbles, the ribs charred to crumblin! stics#
*etal !linted, mi(ed with the ash'corset stays, buttons, a
cut'steel comb, the 4eweled !litter of rin!s#
",o this is what ha""ens to vam"ires when the sun
stries them?"
"7es#" 7sidro's noncommittal features could have been
carved of alabaster for all the e("ression they showed, but
Asher sensed the thou!hts behind them, racin! lie a
ri"tide#
%e moved the lantern, <ashin! its beam around the
cry"t close to the co9n's base'mold, dirt, dam"ness# "7et
she made no e8ort to !et out of the co9n#"
"2 am not sure that burnin! would have waed her#" $he
vam"ire drifted over to stand at his side, looin! down over
his shoulder into the caset# "E(haustion comes u"on us at
dawn> once we slee", there is no wain! us until darness
once more covers the land#"
0rom the mess in the co9n, Asher "iced the stum" of
a half'decom'"osed bone, blew shar"ly on it to clear away
the ashes, and held it close to the li!ht# "Not even if you
burst into <ames?"
"2t is not 'burstin! into <ames,' " 7sidro corrected in his
soft, abso'lutely level voice, "2t is a burnin!, a corrosion, a
searin! away of the <esh###"
Asher dro""ed bac the )rst bone he had found, )shed
about for another# +iven the number of murders Lotta had
committed over the years, he thou!ht, her remains didn't
rate much in the way of res"ect# "%ow lon! does it tae,
)rst to last?"
"2 have no idea, havin! never, you understand, been
able to witness the "rocess# But 2 now from my own
e("erience that its onset is instan'taneous u"on contact
with the sun's li!ht#"
+lancin! u" swiftly, for an instant Asher found himself
looin! into the crystalline labyrinth that stretched into
endless distance behind the colorless eyes,
7sidro went on, without chan!e in the timbre of his
voice, "2 was, as you see, able to reach shelter within a
second or so'2 do not now how lon! it would have taen
me to die# *y hands and face were blistered for months,
and the scars lasted for years#" After a moment he added,
"$he "ain was lie nothin! 2 had ever e("erienced as a
livin! man#"
Asher studied the vam"ire for a moment, that slender
youn! man who had danced with %enry D222's remarable
dau!hters# "6hen was this?"
$he heavy eyelids lowered in)nitesimally# "A lon! time
a!o#"
$here was a silence, broen only by the faint hiss of the
hot metal lantern slide, and by Asher's solitary breath#
$hen Asher turned bac, to "ic a!ain throu!h the charred
ruin of bones# ",o merely the o"enin! of her co9n wouldn't
have waened her, in s"ite of a vam"ire's "owers# 2'm still
a bit sur"rised> by the way the co9n linin! is undama!ed
all around the to", she didn't even try to sit u", didn't even
move###"
7sidro's thin, blac'!loved hand rested on the ed!e of
the co9n near Asher's down'turned face# "$he vam"ire
slee" is not human slee"," he said softly# "A friend of mine
says she thins it is because the mental "owers that waen
with the transition to the vam"ire state weary the mind# 2
myself sometimes wonder whether it is not because we,
even more so than the livin!, e(ist day to day by the sheer
e8ort of our own wills# .erha"s it amounts to the same
thin!#"
"Or "erha"s," Asher said, liftin! another small stum" of
bone from the charred mess, "it was because Lotta was
already dead when her <esh i!nited#"
$he vam"ire smiled ironically# "6hen her <esh i!nited,"
he re'mared, "Lotta had already been dead for
a""ro(imately a hundred and si(ty years#"
Asher held the fra!ment of bone u" in the beam of the
lam"# "$here's not much left, but the bone's scratched# $his
is one of the cervical vertebrae'her head was severed# %er
mouth may have been stu8ed with !arlic###"
"$hat is customary in such cases#"
"Not in @EFG, it isn't#" %e set the lantern on the corner
of the co9n and "ulled a handerchief from his "ocet to
wra" the charred scra"s of bone# "2t indicates, amon! other
thin!s, that the iller entered the tomb, closed the door,
o"ened the co9n, severed the head, and only then
reo"ened the door to allow dayli!ht to destroy the <esh# ,o
he new what to e("ect# 2 tae it Lotta was not the )rst
victim?"
"No," 7sidro said, looin! e("ressionlessly down over
Asher's shoul'der as he be!an once more to sift the ash,
!ems, and decom"osin! bones# $he sa8ron li!ht "iced
s"linters of bri!htness from the facets of 4ewels and the
ed!es of charred metal#
Asher's "robin! )n!ers du!, searched, and tossed
aside, seein! for what he new had to be there# "6ere the
other victims beheaded also? Or staed throu!h the
heart?"
"2 have no idea# $he bodies, you understand, were
nearly as badly decom"osed as hers# 2s it im"ortant?"
"2t would tell us'"articularly the condition of the )rst
body you found'whether the iller new initially that he
was !oin! after vam'"ires# =eal vam"ires, "hysiolo!ical
vam"ires, and not 4ust lunatics who en4oy slee"in! in
co9ns#"
"2 see#"
Asher wondered what it was hedid see, veiled behind
those lowered eyelids# -ertainly somethin!# "6hat are your
theories on this?"
"2'm "ayin! you for yours#"
Asher's mouth 3uired with irritation# "$here are thin!s
you aren't tellin! me#"
"*any of them," the vam"ire a!reed evenly, and Asher
si!hed and abandoned that tac#
":id she "lay with her victims?"
"7es#" :isdain !linted alon! the ed!e of his tone# A
vul!ar -ocney, Asher thou!ht, amused> scarcely to the
taste of this fastidious hidal!o from the court of .hili" 22#
",he lied rich youn! men# ,he would "lay them alon! for
wees, sometimes, meetin! them "laces, lettin! them tae
her to su""er'since one seldom actually watches one's
dinner "artner eat, it is a sim"le enou!h illusion to
maintain'or to the theater or the o"era, not that she had
the sli!htest interest in music, you under'stand# ,he could
not mae of them a steady diet'lie the rest of us, she
subsisted chie<y u"on the city's "oor# But she en4oyed the
nowled!e that these silly youths were entertainin! their
own iller, fallin! in love with her# 2t "leased her to mae
them do so# ,he savored the terror in their eyes when they
)nally saw the fan!s# *any vam"ires do#"
":o you?"
:on ,imon turned away, a <icer of tired distaste in his
eyes# "$here was a time when 2 did# Are we )nished here?"
"0or now#" Asher strai!htened u"# "2 may come bac in
the dayli!ht, when there's more chance of seein!
somethin!# 6here were her rooms?" 6hen 7sidro
hesitated, he insisted, ",he can't have strun! her suitors
alon! for centuries wearin! 4ust the one dress#" %e held u"
the latchey he had taen from the ashes#
"No#" $he vam"ire drifted ahead of him across the
narrow vault and mounted the ste"s while Asher thrust
closed the iron'sheeted vault door behind them# $he
areaway around it was thic with leaves, thou!h they had
been swe"t away time and a!ain by the o"enin! of the
door5 it had been thirty years
since the Branhame family had died out, leavin! their
tomb to those who sle"t and the one who, u" until the
ni!ht before last, had not# $he air outside was fo!!y and
still# $he vam"ire's ca"ed !reat'coat hun! about his
slender form in folds, lie the scul"ted cloa of a statue# %is
head was bare> his eyes were hooded "its of !leamin!
shadow# "No, and Lotta was one of those women who saw
immortality in terms of an unlimited wardrobe#
"2 went there last ni!ht, after 2 discovered### this#" %e
!estured behind them, as Asher slid shut the lantern slide
and trod cautiously alon! the utter darness of the wet,
fo!'drowned slot of the avenue of tombs# After a moment
the li!ht, steel'stron! touch of the vam"ire's hand closed
on Asher's arm, !uidin! him alon! in the total darness#
2ntellectually he understood that he was "erfectly safe, so
lon! as 7sidro needed his hel", but still, he made a mental
note to be careful how often he found himself in this
"articular situation#
"%ow did you ha""en to discover it?" he in3uired as
they emer!ed from the end of the avenue under a massive
!ateway carved by the cemetery's develo"ers to resemble
some re!al necro"olis of the .ha'raohs# "2f, as you say, you
never !ot alon! with Lotta, what would you be doin!
visitin! her tomb?"
"2 wondered how lon! it would tae me to fall under
sus"icion#" Asher cau!ht the !lint of !enuine humor in
,imon's ironic !lance# "2 "lead innocence, my lords of the
4ury'2 had, as they say in the novels, retired to my room
and was sound aslee" at the time#"
2n s"ite of himself Asher !rinned# "-an you brin! a
witness?"
"Alas, no# 2n truth," he went on, "2 had been'un3uiet'for
some wees before any evidence of trouble arose# $here
was a vam"ire named Dalentin -alvaire, a 0renchman, who
had not been seen for two, three wees# 2 was be!innin! to
sus"ect ill had befallen him'he was only recently come to
London, by our standards, and mi!ht have been unfa'miliar
yet with the hidin! "laces and the "atterns of this city's
life# 2t is easy in those circumstances for a vam"ire to come
to !rief, which is one of the reasons we do not often
travel#"
Asher had the momentary im"ression that 7sidro had
more to say on the sub4ect of Dalentin -alvaire> but, after
the briefest of inner debates, he seemed to thin better of
it and sim"ly went on, "2 thin now that he was the )rst
victim, thou!h no body, no burned co9n, was ever found#
But then, none of us new all of his slee"in! "laces#
"But ei!hteen days a!o some'a friend of mine'came to
me sayin! that one of the other vam"ires, a friend to us
both, had been illed on the "revious day, his co9n left
o"en to the sun# ,he was distrau!ht, thou!h it is the ind
of thin! which can ha""en accidentally'for in'stance, many
of our secret hidin! "laces, the ancient cellars where we
had hidden our co9ns for years, were broen o"en and
destroyed when they cut for the ;nder!round# $his
vam"ire'his name was :anny /in!'had indeed sle"t in such
a cellar# $he window shutters were wide o"en, as was the
co9n's lid#"
Enou!h thin moonli!ht )ltered throu!h the fo! so that
Asher could see his com"anion's face, calm and detached,
lie the faces of the cold stone children they had "assed in
the rustlin! mur of the cemetery around them# $he
curvin! wall of tombs that surrounded them lie a canyon
o"ened out into a stair, overhun! with trees that shadowed
a!ain the vam"ire's white face, and Asher was left with
that disem'bodied voice lie "ale amber, and the steely
stren!th of the lon! )n!ers on his arm#
".erha"s ten days after that, Lotta and a friend of hers
came to me sayin! they had !one u" to the rooms of
another vam"ire, an Edward %ammersmith, who lived in an
old mansion in %alf *oon ,treet that his father had owned
when he was a man# $hey had found all the shutters "ried
o8 the windows and the
co9n o"en, )lled with bones and ash# And then 2 new#"
"And neither /in! nor %ammersmith a""eared to have
awaened or tried to !et out of their co9ns?"
"No," 7sidro said# "But with -alvaire's death the iller
would have nown what it was that he hunted#"
"$he 3uestion is," Asher said, "whether he new it
before#"
"6e ased that of ourselves# 6hether anyone had been
seen do!!in! our ste"s, lin!erin! about, as humans do
when they are worin! u" their resolve even to believe that
one they loved was indeed the victim of a vam"ire# 2n *r#
,toer's interestin! novel, it is only the coincidence that
the heroine's dear friend and also her husband were
victims of the same vam"ire and that the husband had
seen other vam"ires at their hunt that leads her and her
friends to "ut all the rest of the details to!ether and come
u" with the correct answer# *ost "eo"le never reach that
sta!e# Even when the vam"ire is careless, and the
evidence stares them in the face, they are always far more
ea!er to believe a 'lo!ical e("lanation#' "
"2 )nd it ty"ical," he added, as they "assed throu!h the
softly echo'in! !loom of an enclosed terrace, a catacomb
of bric vaults and marble "la3ues that mared the modest
tombs of its slee"ers, "that vam"irism is "ortrayed as
an evilonly *ust enterin! En!land'from the outside,
naturally, as if no true'born En!lishman would stoo" to
become a vam'"ire# 2t had obviously never occurred to *r#
,toer that vam"ires mi!ht have dwelt in London all
alon!#"
$hey left the cemetery as they had entered it, over the
wall near ,t# *ichael's -hurch, 7sidro boostin! Asher with
unnervin! stren!th, then scramblin! li!htly u" after him#
$he fo! seemed less thic here as they strolled beside the
cemetery wall and down %i!h!ate %ill# $he woolly yellow
blur of the lantern, now that it would no lon!er brin! the
watchmen down on them, "iced "earled strands of weed
and web from the darness of the roadside ditch, as it had
"iced the 4ewels from the co9n ash# Asher's breath drifted
away as steam to min!le with the cloudy brume all around
them, and he was interested to see that, even when he
s"oe, :on ,imon's did not#
"%ow longhave there been vam"ires in London?" he
ased, and the shadowed eyes <iced sidelon! to him
a!ain#
"0or a lon! time#" $he shuttin! once a!ain of that
invisible door was almost audible, and the rest of the wal
was made in silence# Behind them in the fo!, Asher heard
the cloc on ,t# *ichael's chime the three'3uarters'while
"assin! throu!h the cemetery itself he had heard it s"ea
eleven# %i!h!ate %ill and the suburban streets below it
were utterly deserted, the sho"s and houses little more
than dar buls in the driftin! fo! throu!h which the
!asli!hts made wea yellow blobs#
"$hou!ht you to8s was never comin' bac," their cabby
be!an indi!'nantly, stru!!lin! u" out of the tan!le of his
la" robes in the cab, and 7sidro inclined his head !raciously
and held out a ten'shillin! note#
"*y a"olo!ies, 2 ho"e it caused you no inconvenience?"
$he man looed at the money, touched his hat brim
3uicly, and said, "Not at all, !uv''not at all," %is breath
was redolent of !in, as was the inside of the cab# 2t was,
Asher re<ected "hiloso"hically as he climbed in, a cold
ni!ht#
" Albemarle -rescent, /ensin!ton," 7sidro said throu!h
the tra", and the cab 4olted away, "2nsolent villain," he
added softly# "7et 2 have found it seldom "ays to en!a!e in
3uarrels with menials# =e!rettably, the days are "ast when
2 could have ordered him thrashed#" And he turned his cool
"ro)le to !a&e'not 3uite tran3uilly, Asher thou!ht' into the
ni!ht#
Albemarle -rescent was a line of houses that had seen
better days, thou!h a ind of faded ele!ance clun! to them
still, lie a duchess' !own bou!ht third'hand at a ra! fair# At
that hour, the nei!hborhood was deathly silent# ,tandin!
on the <a!way, wra""ed in a fo! that was thicer now,
here closer to the river, Asher could hear no sound of
"assers'by# 2n O(ford at this hour, the dons would still be
u", wran!lin! meta"hysics or te(tual criticism,
under!raduates carousin! or scurryin! throu!h the streets,
!owns billowin! behind them, in the course of some ra! or
other> in other "arts of London, the very rich, lie the very
"oor, would be drinin! by lam"li!ht# %ere the
stocbroers' clers, the 4u'nior "artners of sho"ee"ers,
the "im"roved" worin! class, e"t them'selves to
themselves, wored hard, retired early, and did not
3uestion overmuch the comin!s and !oin!s of those
around them#
7sidro, who had stood for some moments !a&in! into
the fo! at the barely visible bul of the terraced row,
murmured, "Now we can enter# 2 have dee"ened their slee"
a!ainst the sound of my own footfalls, but 2 have never
before had call so to mas a livin! man's# $read soft#"
Lotta's rooms were on the second <oor> the !round <oor
smelted of !reasy cooin!, the )rst of stale smoe and
beer# $hey left the lantern unobtrusively cached in the
entryway# No li!hts were on anywhere, save over the entry,
but 7sidro !uided him unerrin!ly as he had before# $he old'
fashioned, lon!'barreled ey Asher had found with the
latchey "roved, as he'd sus"ected, to o"en Lotta's door,
and it was only when they had closed it a!ain and loced it
behind them that he too a lucifer from his "ocet and lit
the !as#
-olor smote his eyes, ma!ni)ed and made luminous by
the soft shim'mer of the !asli!ht> the room was an
incredible 4umble of clothes, shoes, "ei!noirs, trinets,
shawls, laces, o"era "ro!rams, invitations, and cards, all
hea"ed at random over the chea" boardin! house
furniture, lie an actress' dressin! room between scenes#
$here were evenin! !owns, scarlet, olive, and a shade of
!old which only a certain shade of blonde could wear with
e8ect, id o"era !loves s"otted with old blood, and fans of
"ainted sil or swan's'down# A set of sa""hires'neclace,
earrin!s, double bracelets, and combs'had been carelessly
dum"ed on a tan!le of blac satin on the maho!any of the
table, !lintin! with a feral s"arle as Asher's shadow
"assed across them#
$he clutter in the bedroom was worse# $hree !iant
armoires loomed over a bed that had obviously never been
used for slee"> their doors sa!!ed o"en under the "ress of
!owns# Other dresses were hea"ed on the bed, a shinin!
tan!le of ruBes in which "earls !leamed lie ma!!ots in
meat'yards of <ounced or!andy three !enerations out of
date and narrow, hi!h'waisted sils, older still and fallin!
a"art under the wei!ht of their own beadin! as he !ently
lifted them from the shadowy disar'ray# -osmetics and
wi!s, mostly of a "articular shade of blonde, clut'tered the
dressin! table, whose mirror frame bul!ed with cards,
notes, bibelots, and bills> 4ewels trailed amon! the mess in
"rodi!al clusters, lie swollen and !litterin! fruit# Near the
foot of the bed, Asher saw an old shoe, broad'toed, s3uare'
heeled, with "aste !ems !leamin! on its hu!e bucle and
ribbons faded to !rayish !hosts of some former indi!o
beauty# +old soverei!ns strewed a corner of the dressin!
table under a layer of dust and "owder# .icin! one u",
Asher saw that they bore the head of the unfortunate
0armer +eor!e#
":id her beau( !ive her money?" he ased 3uietly# "Or
was she in the habit of robbin! them after they were
dead?"
"Both, 2 e("ect," 7sidro re"lied# ",he never saved much#
%ence her need to live in rooms'or in any case to rent them
to store her thin!s# But, of course, she could not ris
slee"in! here, with the "ossibility of her landlady enterin!
to as 3uestions# And more 3uestions would be ased, of
course, if she shuttered the windows ti!htly enou!h to cut
out all sunli!ht#"
"%ence %i!h!ate," Asher murmured, removin! a
dressmaer's bill from the table and turnin! it over in his
hands#
"$he "ro"ensity of the vam"ires for slee"in! amon! the
dead," 7sidro said, standin!, arms folded, 4ust within the
connectin! door, "stems not so much from our fondness for
cor"ses'thou!h 2 have been told many vam"ires in the so'
called +othic a!es considered it no more than "ro"er'but
from the fact that the tombs would be undisturbed by day#
And by ni!ht, of course, interference would not matter#"
"On the contrary, in fact," Asher remared# "*ust have
"layed hob with the =esurrection trade#" %e was
systematically removin! all the cards, all the notes, and all
the invitations that he could )nd from the mirror frame and
dressin! table, shovin! them into an old'fashioned beaded
reticule for e(amination later at leisure# "And 2
"resume your money comes from investments?"
"$hat is not somethin! which concerns you#"
%e <i""ed o"en a drawer# $he ree of old "owder and
decayin! "a"er rose to his nostrils lie the choe of dust#
$he drawer was crammed with a chowchow of bills, most of
them yellow and cracin! with a!e, letters still shoved into
embossed envelo"es which bore ille!i'ble handwritten
frans instead of "osta!e mars or stam"s, and little wads
of notes issued by bans lon! colla"sed# "2t concerns me
how 2'll !et money to "ursue my investi!ations#"
7sidro re!arded him for a moment from beneath
lowered eyelids, as if !uessin! that reimbursement was, in
fact, the least of Asher's con'cerns# $hen he turned away
and be!an "icin! u" and discardin! the do&ens of
reticules of various a!es, styles, and states of
decom"osition that lay amon! the anarchy of the bed or
droo"ed from drawers of erchiefs and underclothes# %e
o"ened them, "lucin! forth small wads of ban notes or
em"tyin! !litterin! streams of !old or silver onto the
dressin! table carelessly, as if the very touch of the money
dis!usted him#
A true hidal!o of the =econ3uista, Asher thou!ht,
amused a!ain and interested to see that three and a half
centuries amon! a nation of sho"ee"ers hadn't chan!ed
him#
"6ill that su9ce?"
Asher sorted throu!h the money, discardin! anythin!
more than twenty years old, e(ce"t for one +eor!e 222 !old
"iece he "oceted as a souvenir# "0or now," he said# ",ince
Lotta was the fourth victim, it isn't tremendously liely the
iller started his investi!ations with her, but there mi!ht be
somethin! in all this "a"er'the name of a recent victim, an
address, somethin!# 2'll want to see the rooms of the
others' -alvaire, /in!, and %ammersmith'and 2'll want to
tal to these 'friends' of /in!'s you s"oe of###"
"No#"
"As you wish," Asher said tartly, strai!htenin! u" and
<i""in! shut the drawer# "$hen don't e("ect me to )nd
your iller#"
"7ou will )nd the iller#" 7sidro retorted, his voice now
deadly soft, "and you will )nd him 3uicly, ere he ills
a!ain# Else it will be the worse for you and for your lady#
6hat you see to now has nothin! to do with your
investi!ation#"
"Neither you nor 2 has any idea what has to do with my
investi!ation until we see it," An!er stirred in Asher a!ain,
not, as before, an!er with the vam"ires, but the frustration
he had nown when dealin! with those bland and faceless
su"eriors in the 0orei!n O9ce who could not and would not
understand )eld conditions, but demanded results
neverthe'less# 0or a moment he wanted to tae 7sidro by
his sinny
nec and shae him, not solely from his fear of what
mi!ht ha""en to Lydia, but from sheer annoyance at bein!
ordered to mae brics without straw# "2f 2'm !oin! to do as
you as, you're !oin! to have to !ive me some'thin!###"
"2 will !ive you what 2 choose#" $he vam"ire did not
move, but Asher sensed in him a readiness to strie and
new the blow, when it came, would be irresistible as
li!htnin! and "otentially as fatal# Nothin! altered in the
voice, cold and inert as "oison# "2 warn you a!ain'you are
"layin! with death here# 6hat bounds 2 set are as much for
your own "rotection as for mine# $ae care you do not cross
them#
";nderstand me, James, for 2 understand you# 2
understand that you intend to wor for me only so lon! as
it will tae you to )nd a way to destroy me and those lie
me with im"unity# ,o# 2 could have found a man who is
venal and unintelli!ent, who would not even have been
told who and what 2 am, to whom 2 would sim"ly have said5
0ind me this> )nd me that> meet me with the results
toni!ht# $here are men who are too unima!inative even to
as# But it would not have answered# One does not select
cottonwood to fashion a wea"on to "reserve, "erha"s,
one's life> one selects the hardest of tea# But with that
hardness comes other thin!s#"
$hey faced each other in silence, in the silen chaos of
that cluttered chamber with its stins of ancient "erfume#
"2 won't have you comin! to O(ford a!ain#"
"No," 7sidro a!reed# "2, too, understand# 6hoever is
behind these murders, 2 will not lead him to your lady# $ae
rooms here in this city '2 will )nd you# 0or those of us who
hunt the ni!hts, that will be no !reat tas# 7ou mi!ht
remember that, also, should it cross your mind to ally
yourself with our murderer#"
"2'll remember," Asher "romised 3uietly# "But you
remember this5 if you and your fellow'vam"ires ill me,
you'll still have a "roblem# And if you "lay me false, or try
to tae hosta!es, or so much as gonear my wife a!ain,
you'll have an even bi!!er "roblem# Because then you'll
have to ill me and you'll still need to )nd someone else to
do your day wor for you# 2'll "lay strai!ht with you, but, in
a sense, you've "ut yourself in my hands, as 2 am in yours#
2 believe in your e(istence now###"
"And whom would you tell who would believe you?
"2t's enou!h that 2 believe," said Asher# "And 2 thin you
now that#"

Four
%ow does one !o about investi!atin! the "ersonal life
of a woman who's done murder on a re!ular basis for the
last hun'dred and )fty years?"
Lydia Asher "aused, the handerchief'wra""ed
fra!ments of bone in hand, and tilted her head
considerin!ly at her husband's 3uestion# 6ith her lon! red
hair han!in! down over ni!ht!owned shoulders and her
s"ectacles !lintin! faintly in the misty !ray of the window
li!ht, she looed more lie a fra!ile and !awy school!irl
than a doctor# Asher stretched out his lon! le!s to rest
sli""ered feet on the end of the bed# ",he must have
hundreds of "otential enemies#"
"$housands, 2 should say," Lydia !uessed, after a
moment's mental calculation# "Over )fty thousand,
countin! one "er ni!ht times three hundred and si(ty')ve
times a hundred and )fty###"
"$ain! o8 a few here and there when she went on a
reducin! diet?" Asher's mustache 3uired in his
<eet !rin> only his eyes, Lydia thou!ht, were not the
same as they had been# Below them in the house, Ellen's
footste"s ta""ed a half'heard "ulse as she went from room
to room, layin! )res> further o8, on the ed!e of awareness,
Lydia could detect the re!ular clatter and tread of breafast
bein! "re"ared#
Ellen had insisted on remainin! awae lon! enou!h to
)( a scratch dinner, after they had all waened
mysteriously in the chilled de"ths of the ni!ht# Lydia had
sent them all to bed as soon as "ossible# $he last thin!
she'd needed was the "arlor maid's unbridled ima!ination,
the coo's self'dramati&ation, and the tweeny's morbid
credulity to add to what she herself had found a dee"ly
disturbin! e("erience# $hat James had been home she'd
deduced from the fact that the )res were built u", thou!h
why he should have taen a"art his revolver and left the
nife he didn't thin she new he carried in his boot amon!
the "ieces on his des had left her somewhat at a loss#
-haracteristically, she had s"ent the remainder of the ni!ht
searchin! throu!h her medical 4ournals' which she e"t in
bo(es under the bed, as they'd over<owed the library 'for
references to similar occurrences, alternately outlinin! an
article on the "atholo!ical basis for the le!end of ,lee"in!
Beauty and do&in! in the tan!le of lace'trimmed
counter"ane and issues of theLancet. But her dreams had
been disturbin!, and she had e"t wain!, e("ectin! to
)nd some slender stran!er standin! silently in the room#
"2 don't thin so," she said now, shain! bac the clouds
of her sleeve'lace and "ushin! u" her s"ecs# &Could a
vam"ire !o on a reduc'in! diet? $here isn't any fat in
blood#"
%er mind scouted the thou!ht while Asher hid his !rin
behind a cu" of co8ee, CCC
,he unwra""ed the two vertebrae from James'
handerchief, and held them to the slowly bri!htenin! li!ht
of the window# $hird and fourth cervical, badly charred and
oddly decom"osed, but, as James had described, the
scratch on the bone was clearly visible# "$here must be
tissue re"air of some ind, you now," she went on, wettin!
her )n!er to rub some of the soot away, "if :on ,imon's
burns 'too years to heal#' 2 wonder what causes the
combustion? $hou!h there are sto'ries of s"ontaneous
human combustion ha""enin! in very rare instances to
3uite ordinary "eo"le'iftheywere ordinary, of course# :id
you !et a loo at the co9n linin!? 6as it burned away,
too?"
Asher's thic brows "ulled to!ether as he narrowed his
eyes, tryin! to call bac the details of that silent charnel
house# %e hadn't had medical trainin!, but, Lydia had
found, he had the best eye for detail she had ever
encountered in a world that i!nored so much# %e would be
that way, she thou!ht, even if his life hadn't de"ended on it
for so many years#
"Not burned away, no," he said after a moment# "$he
linin! at the bottom was corroded and stained, almost
down to the wood> charred and stained to a few inches
above where the body would come on the sides# $he
clothes, <esh, and hair had been entirely destroyed#"
"-olor of the stains?"
%e shoo his head# "2 couldn't see by lantern li!ht#"
"%mm#" ,he "aused in thou!ht, then be!an "attin! and
shain! the "illows, comforter, and beribboned froth of
shams around her, looin! for her ma!nifyin! !lass'she
was sure she'd been usin! it to "eruse some dissectin!'
room drawin!s the other ni!ht in bed#
"Ni!ht stand?" Asher su!!ested hel"fully# ,he )shed it
out to loo more closely at the third cervical#
"$his was done with one stroe#" ,he held it out'he
leaned across to tae it and the !lass and studied it in his
turn# ",omethin! very shar", with a drawin! stroe5 a
cleaver or a sur!ical nife# ,omethin! made
for cuttin! bone# 6hoever used it new what he was
doin!#"
"And wasn't about to lose his nerve over severin! a
woman's head," Asher added thou!htfully, settin! aside
the bone# "%e'd already illed three other vam"ires, of
course# .resumably whatever started him on his hunt for
vam"ires was enou!h to overcome his revulsion, if he felt
any, the )rst time'and after that, he'd have "roof that they
do in fact e(ist and must be destroyed#" As he s"oe, he
tu!!ed !ently on the faded sil ribbons of the old reticule,
coa(in! it o"en in a dry whis"er of cracin! sil#
",urely the mere circumstances of their loved one's
death would have "roved that#" 6hen James didn't answer,
she looed u" from e(amin'in! the oddly dissolved'looin!
bone# 6hat she saw in his face'in his eyes, lie a burned'on
re<ection of thin!s he had seen'caused the same odd little
li!htenin! within her that she'd felt when she was four and
had awaened in the ni!ht to reali&e there was a hu!e rat
in her room and that it was between her and the door#
,lowly he said, "2f that's the reason behind the illin!s,
yes# But 2 thin there's more to it than that'and 2 don't
now what# 2f 7sidro's tellin! the truth, vam"ires can
!enerally see ordinary mortals comin!," if he was tellin!
the truth# 2t mi!ht have been a lie to mae you ee" your
distance, you now#" ,he shoo one lon!, delicate )n!er at
him and mimiced, " ':on't you try nuthin' wi' me, buco,
'cos we'll see you comin',' "
"7ou haven't seen him in action#" $he somberness <ed
from his eyes as he !rinned at himself# "$hat's the whole
"oint, 2 su""ose5 nobody sees them in action# But no# 2
believe him# %is senses are "reternaturally shar"'he can
count the "eo"le in a train coach by the sound of their
breathin!, see in the dar### 7et the whole time 2 was with
him, 2 could feel him listenin! to the wind# 2've seen men do
that when they thin they're bein! followed, but can't be
sure# %e hides it well, but he's afraid#"
"6ell, it does serve him ri!ht," Lydia observed# ,he
hesitated, turn'in! the vertebra over and over in her
)n!ers, not looin! at it now any more than she looed at
the !rass stems she "luced when she was nervous# ,he
swallowed hard, tryin! to sound casual and not suc'
ceedin!# "%ow much dan!er am 2 in?"
"1uite a lot, 2 thin#" %e !ot u" and came around to sit
on the "illows beside her> his arm in its white shirt sleeve
was sinewy and stron! around her shoulders# %er mother's
an(ious coddlin!'not to mention the overwhelmin! chivalry
of a number of youn! men who seemed to believe that,
because they found her "retty, she would auto'matically
thin them fascinatin!'had !iven Lydia a horror of
clin!iness# But it was !ood to lean into James' stren!th, to
feel the warmth of his <esh throu!h the shirt sleeve, the
muscle and rib beneath that non'descri"t tweed waistcoat,
and to smell in and boo dust and *acassar oil# $hou!h
she new ob4ectively that he was no more able to defend
either of them a!ainst this su"ernatural dan!er than she
was, she cher'ished the momentary illusion that he would
not let her come to harm# %is li"s brushed her hair# "2'm
!oin! to have to !o down to London a!ain," he said after a
few minutes, "to search for the murderer and to "ursue
investi!ations as to the whereabouts of the other vam"ires
in London# 2f 2 can locate where they slee", where they
store their thin!s, where they hunt, it should !ive me a
wea"on to use a!ainst them# 2t's "robably best that you
leave O(ford as well###"
"6ell, of courseH" ,he turned abru"tly in the circle of his
arm, the fra!ile sus"ension of disbelief dissolvin! lie a
ci!arette !enie with the o"enin! of a door# "2'll come down
to London with you# Not to stay with you," she added
hastily, as his mouth o"ened in a "rotest he was
momentarily too shoced to voice# "2 now that would "ut
me in dan'!er, if they saw us to!ether# But to tae rooms
near yours, to be close enou!h to hel" you, if you need
it###"
" Lydia###H"
$heir eyes met# ,he fou!ht to ee" hers
from say in g+on't leave me! fou!ht even to ee" herself
from thinin! it or from admittin! to a fear that would only
mae thin!s harder for him# ,he s3uared her "ointed little
chin# "And you will need it," she said reasonably# "2f you're
!oin! to be investi!atin! the vam"ire murders, you won't
have time to !o huntin! throu!h the "ublic records for
evidence of where the vam"ires themselves mi!ht be
livin!, not if :on ,imon wants to see results 3uicly# And
we could meet in the daytime, when' whenthey can't see
us# 2f what you say about them is true, 2'd be in no more
dan!er in London than 2 would be in O(ford 'or anywhere
else, really# And in London you would be closer, in case
of###" ,he shied away from sayin! it# "Just in case#"
%e looed away from her, sayin! nothin! for a time, 4ust
runnin! the dry ribbons of the vam"ire's reticule throu!h
the )n!ers of his free hand# "*aybe," he said after a time#
"And it's true 2'll need a re'searcher who
believes#,# ,oudo believe they're really vam"ires, don't
you?" %is eyes came bac to hers# ,he thou!ht about it,
turnin! that odd, anomalous chun of bone over and over
in her la"# James was one of the few men to whom she
new she could say anythin! without fear of either shoc,
uncertain lau!hter, or'worse'that blanly incom"rehendin!
stare that youn! men !ave her when she made some
strai!ht'faced 4oe#
".robably as much as you do," she said at last# "$hat is,
there's a lot of me that says, "$his is silly, there's no such
thin!#' But u" until a year or so a!o, nobody believed there
was such a thin! as viruses, you now# 6e still don't now
what they are, but we do now now they e(ist, and more
and more are bein! discovered### A hundred years a!o,
they would have said it was silly to believe that diseases
were caused by little animals too small to see, instead of
either evil s"irits or an imbalance of bodily humors'which
really are more lo!ical e("lanations, when you thin of it#
And there's somethin! de)nitely odd about this bone#"
,he too a dee" breath and rela(ed as her worst fear'
the fear of bein! left alone while her fate was decided
elsewhere and by others' receded into darness# James,
evidently resi!ned to his fate, too his arm from around her
shoulders and be!an "icin! out the reticule's contents,
layin! them on the lace of the counter"ane'yellowin! bills,
old theater "ro!rammes folded small, a""ointment cards,
invitations' in his neat, scholarly way#
"Are you !oin! to !et in touch with the iller?"
"2 certainly intend to try#" %e held u" an e(tremely
faded callin! card to the li!ht# "But 2'll have to !o very
carefully# $he vam"ires will now it's a lo!ical alliance to
mae### 6hat is it?"
A!ainst his side, throu!h the bed, he had felt her start#
Lydia dro""ed the card she had been looin! at, her
hand shain! a little with an odd sort of shoc, as if she'd
seen someone she new### 6hich, she re<ected, was in a
way e(actly what had ha""ened# ,he didn't now what to
say, how to de)ne that sense of hel"less hurt, as if she'd
4ust seen a very brainless cat wal strai!ht into the
sava!in! 4aws of a do!#
%e had already "iced u" the card and was readin! the
assi!nation on the bac# $hen he <i""ed it over to see the
front, where the name of the %onorable Albert
6estmoreland was "rinted in meticulous co""er'"late#
"2 new him," Lydia e("lained, a little shaily# "Not well'
he was one of ;ncle Ambrose's students when 2 was still in
school# %is father was a friend of .a"a's in the -ity#"
"One of your suitors?" $he teasin! note he sometimes
had when s"eain! of her suitors was absent# ,he
had had <ocs of them, due in "an to the 6illou!hby
fortune, which had "aid for this house and everythin! in it,
and in "art to her wai<ie charm# After bein! told for years
that she was u!ly, she en4oyed their attentions and
en4oyed <irtin! with them'thou!h not as much as she
en4oyed a !ood, solid analysis of nervous lesions'and
charmin! "eo"le had become second nature to her# A 4ust
!irl, she didn't hold it a!ainst those earnest youn! men
that they'd fre3uently bored her to death, but the
distinction was somethin! her father had never been able
to !ras"# 6ith Ba"tista'lie faith in man's ability to chan!e
a woman's "ersonality, he had encoura!ed them all, never,
until the last, losin! his touchin! ho"e that he'd see his
wayward dau!hter marry her way into the "eera!e,
,he smiled a little, mostly at the recollection of her
father's face when she'd announced her intention to marry
a middle'a!ed Lecturer in .hi'lolo!y without an
"%onorable" to his name, and shoo her head# "%e was
already en!a!ed to Lord -arrin!ford's dau!hter# But he was
in their set# ,o 2 saw him a !ood deal# 2 new'well, nobody
s"oe of it before me, of course, and Nanna would have
illed them if they had, but 2 !uessed that when they went
larin! about in town it wasn't with !irls lie me# 2
remember :ennis Blaydon comin! round and tellin! me
Bertie had died#"
,he shivered, and he drew her close a!ain, his hand
warm and stron! on her shoulder# Oddly enou!h, the news
hadn't u"set her much at the time, thou!h she'd felt
shoced and sad, for Bertie had been the )rst
contem"orary, the )rst of her set, who had died# Even
then, she had been familiar with death'old %orace Blaydon,
chief Lecturer in .a'tholo!y at =adcly8e, had said it was
"ositively indecent to watch her carve u" cadavers'but it
was di8erent, it seemed, when it was someone you new#
:ennis, she recalled, had done his best to comfort her, with
disa""ointin! results, ":id he say how?"
,he shoo her head# "But it was very sudden# 2
remember thinin! 2'd seen him only a few wees before,
when all their set went down to watch :ennis "lay in the
ru!!er match a!ainst /in!s# .oor Bertie#" $he memory
made her smile a!ain wanly# "$he %onorable Bertie'he
made strai!ht for the shadiest seat and s"ent the whole
time bein! terri)ed the bench would leave s"ots on his
trousers, lemonade would dri" onto his sleeve, or his
buttonhole would wilt# %is brother, the E3ually %onorable
Evelyn, was on the +loucester side and nearly died of
embarrassment#"
6hat a thin! to be remembered for, she thou!ht# ,he
wondered if he had cried out, if he had nown what was
ha""enin! to him, or if this vam"ire woman had taen him
in his slee", as 7sidro could so easily have done to them
all# %er hand closed ti!hter around James'# After a very lon!
silence, she ased, "-an we meet in the daytime?" "2 don't
now," he said 3uietly# "Not safely, 2 don't thin# $he iller
can be about by day, even if the vam"ires can't# ;ntil 2 can
contact him 'tal to him'see how and why he's doin! this'2
don't want anyone nowin! where to !et at you#" %is arm
ti!htened a little around her, his )n!ers feelin! hers,
!ently, as if treasurin! even the bones within her thin <esh#
,he felt the tension in his body and turned to loo u" into
his face#
"And it isn't only that," he said# "$here's somethin!
7sidro isn't tellin! me, Lydia, somethin! critical# 6hatever
he says, he'd be a fool to hire a human> and whatever else
he is, :on ,imon 7sidro isn't a fool# %e had a reason
beyond what he's tellin! me# And whatever that reason is'
whatever it is that he nows'it's the )rst thin! 2'm !oin! to
have to )nd out if either of us is !oin! to mae it to +uy
0awes' :ay alive#"
Before noon Asher was on his way bac to London# Over
breafast he had informed Ellen and *rs# +rimes that the
ni!ht's events had left Lydia in such a state of nervous
"rostration that he thou!ht it better to arran!e for her to
see a s"ecialist in London, a story which dis!usted the
"hle!matic Lydia and "u&&led Ellen# ",he was )ne, *r#
Asher, sir, indeed she was, when she woe u" me and
-oo# And she's never been one to tae on#"
"6ell, 0ve 4ust s"ent the mornin! with her, and, believe
me, she needs to see a s"ecialist," Asher said )rmly#
$wenty'four hours without slee" on to" of the events and
e(ertions of the ni!ht had left him in no mood for invention#
Ellen had re!arded his "allor and his dar'circled eyes
with dee" disa""roval# "2t isn't my "lace to say so, sir, but
if anyone needs a nerve doctor###"
"No, it isn't your "lace to say so," Asher retorted,
drainin! his co8ee# ",o 4ust assist *rs# Asher to "ac her
thin!s, and 2'll be bac to fetch her this evenin!#" 2t would
"robably tae that lon!, he re<ected bemusedly, for Lydia
to assemble everythin! she considered essential for a few
wees in London#
$he mere thou!ht of another train tri" before ni!htfall
made his bones ache, but no husband as worried about the
state of his wife's health as he currently "ur"orted to be
would entrust her on the 4ourney with no other escort than
her maid# Besides, once in London it would be di9cult to
!et rid of Ellen, who, in addition to bein! more intelli!ent
than she sometimes seemed, was incurably in3uisitive#
6hy was it, Asher wondered, crossin! the *a!dalen
Brid!e on his way out of O(ford a short time later, that
3ualities deemed laudable in anyone else were nothin! but
a damned nuisance in servants? .ast the brid!e's !ray
stone balustrade, he had a <yin! !lim"se of the to"s of the
willows and a distant fra!ment of brown'!reen waters> he
recalled 7sidro's words about tea and cottonwood and
smiled in s"ite of him'self -omin! o8 the brid!e, he veered
onto ,t# -lement's ,treet, which led throu!h wooded
byways toward the !reen rise of the downs#
2n "reference to another two hours on the +reat
6estern, he had elected to tae his motorcycle down to
London, a )ve horse"ower American D'twin 2ndian that had
always been a bone of contention between himself and the
other dons# $here were Lecturers of All ,ouls and 0ellows of
-hrist -hurch who mi!ht "ossess motorcars, but, it was
im"lied, such thin!s were thou!ht to be far more ty"ical of
-ambrid!e men# $o own a motorcycle, much less ride it
throu!h the countryside, was !enerally looed u"on as
scarcely above the level of an under!radu'ate# Out of
deference for his collea!ues' sensibilities, as well as for his
own re"utation of mild harmlessness'to say nothin! of
what such behavior would do to his academic !own'Asher
did not !enerally ride within the $own itself#
At the moment, however, time was of the essence#
$here were thin!s which needed to be arran!ed while the
sun was yet in the sy and 7sidro and the other vam"ires
safely aslee" in their co9ns, and the 3uicest way to
London was over the downs and throu!h %i!h 6ycombe#
$he road was e(ecrable, "otholed and un"aved in "laces
and awash in yellowish mud which liberally s"lattered his
boots, leather 4acet, !o!!les, and hair# But their silence
enfolded him# 0or the )rst time he was alone, in that vast
stillness of rollin! chal hills and hair')ne, dull'olive turf, to
thin and to "lan, and the stillness see"ed im"er'ce"tibly
into thou!ht and muscle and soul, lie salve on a burn#
On the hi!h bacbone of the downs, he sto""ed and
turned to loo bac on the !reen valley, the far'o8 !litter
where half a do&en streams met amid a lin!erin!
su!!estion of dam" mists and dar clouds of trees# %e
could "ic out the towers of the colle!es, not as the crystal
com"any of dreamin! s"ires that dawn or sunset made
them, but !ray, lichen'stained, familiar'the o!ee cu"ola of
$om, *a!dalen seemin! to <oat above its trees, *erton's
s"ires and the s3uare "ro"ortions of his own New -olle!e
$ower, lie the faces of friends lined u" on a railway
"latform to see him o8'the "lace that had been his home,
on and o8, for the better "art of twenty'seven years#
Abroad, he remembered, he had lived in constant
dan!er, to the "oint where he could almost for!et about it>
there had been times when he could have been illed as
easily as a candle bein! snu8ed out# But throu!h it he had
always had this "lace, the memory of this !entle haven, at
his bac# %e had always
thou!ht5 If I can make it back to -xford... And latterly
had been the nowled!e that O(ford had included Lydia#
%alf the women he new, he thou!ht with an inward
!rin, would have swooned at the story he'd told her this
mornin! or else !one into feverish s"eculation on how
Asher had been hoa(ed# Beneath her occa'sional and
wholly illusory facade of scatter'witted loveliness, Lydia had
a doctor's cool "racticality and a willin!ness to deal with
facts'how'ever bi&arre'as they stood# %e was reminded of
himself, with his own life and hers at stae, concernin!
himself with the archaic "ronuncia'tion of the vam"ire's
s"eech#
.erha"s that was one reason why, out of all the men'
mostly youn!er than he, and all a !ood deal wealthier than
he'who had been ca"tivated by her wai<ie charm, it was
he who lived with her now, and would, he ho"ed, for the
ne(t forty years#
7sidro would be sorry, he thou!ht !rimly, that he had
dra!!ed Lydia into this#
%e s3uee&ed the throttle lever, startlin! a do&en lars
into swift, slantin! <i!ht> turnin! the 'bie, he be!an to
mae his way down the lon! slo"es toward Beacons)eld
and 6ycombe and, eventually, toward the distant smear of
!ray'yellow smoe that was London#
%is 4ourneys throu!h the bac blocs of Euro"e in 3uest
of Latin roots or stran!er thin!s had !iven Asher a !ood
deal of "ractice in )ndin! lod!in!s 3uicly# %e settled on
two lod!in! houses in Bloomsbury, not far from the
*useum, facin! onto di8erent streets, but bacin! on the
same alley> the rear window of the small suite of rooms he
en!a!ed for Lydia at @FE Bruton .lace could be seen from
his own solitary chamber at I .rince of 6ales -olonnade#
$hey weren't as close as he would have lied, and there
would be a !ood deal of shinnin! u" and down drain "i"es
and climbin! fences in the event of a real emer!ency, but
it was as !ood as he could !et in the time# Even so, it was
!ettin! "erilously close to dar when he stumbled once
more onto the O(ford train#
%e sle"t all the way u"# As he had feared, his dreams
were troubled by the ima!e of the co9n full of ashes in
%i!h!ate -emetery and by the dim sense of dread that, if
he went there and listened, those ashes mi!ht whis"er to
him in a voice that he could understand,
Lydia was waitin! for him, sim"ly but beautifully
dressed and care'fully veiled to hide the fact that she was
far less wan and "ale than he# On the train down, forti)ed
by yet more of the blac co8ee that had latterly e"t his
body and soul to!ether, Asher e("lained the messa!e'dro"
system he'd wored out at the cloaroom of the *useum's
readin! room, and the si!nals between Bruton .lace and
.rince of 6ales -olon'nade5 one curtain o"en, one shut, if a
meetin! was necessary, and a tele!ram to follow> a lam" in
the window in case of an emer!ency#
"2'd su!!est you start at ,omerset %ouse," he said as
the leaden dus <ashed by the windows# -omin! over the
hills that afternoon had been "leasant> but, as the cold of
the ni!ht closed in, he admitted there was a !reat deal to
be said for the co&y stu9ness of a train after all# "7ou can
match information from the 6ills O9ce and =e!istry with
the old .ro"erty =olls in the .ublic =ecords O9ce'it's my
!uess that at least some of the vam"ires own "ro"erty# 2
can't see 7sidro entrustin! his Bond ,treet suits, let alone
his co9n, to the care of a ten'bob'a'month landlady# +et
me records of "laces where the leasehold hasn't chan!ed
ownershi" for'oh, seventy years or lon!er# =eader's .asses
are easy enou!h to !et# All the records of the ori!inal
estate !round'landlords should be available# 7ou mi!ht also
see what you can !et me on death certi)cates for which
there was no body# 6e're eventually !oin! to have to chec
bac issues of news"a"ers as well for deaths which could
be attributed to vam"ires, but, from the sound of it, those
may be con'cealed# +od nows how many cases of
malnutrition or ty"hus were really 7sidro and his friends# 2
sus"ect that, durin! e"idemics of 4ail fever at New!ate and
0leet, a vam"ire could feed for
wees without anyone bein! the wiser or carin!# .oor
devils," he added and studied in silence that clear'cut white
"ro)le a!ainst the com"artment's se"ia !loom#
*ore 3uietly, he ased, "6ill you mind learnin! what
you can about Albert 6estmoreland's death? 2'll loo into
that, if you'd rather not#"
,he shoo her head, a tiny !esture, understandin! that
she was af'fected, not because she had "articularly cared
about the man, but sim'"ly because it brou!ht the reality
of her own dan!er closer# 6ithout her s"ectacles, her
brown eyes seemed softer, more dreamy# "No# 7ou're !oin!
to need your time to follow the main trail# Besides, 2 new
him and his friends# 2 don't su""ose 2 could loo u" :ennis
Blaydon a!ain without him "outin! and frettin! because 2
married you instead of him, but 2 could tal to 0ran Ellis'
Discount %averford he is now'or to the E3ually %onorable
Evelyn'Bertie's brother# %e was a freshman, 2 thin, the
year Bertie### died#"
"2 don't lie it," Asher said slowly# "%avin! you do
research in London is one thin!> when 2 send a letter to my
leftover 0orei!n O9ce connections on the+aily .ail! it
won't introduce you under your own name# 7sidro s"oe of
vam"ires nowin! when a human'a friend or relative of a
recent victim'is on their trail> they !o about interviewin!
"eo"le or loiterin! in churchyards, and the vam"ires
eventually see them at it# 2 don't want them to see you,
Lydia# $hat would surely be the death of us both,"
%er bac sti8ened'"2 don't see how,##"
"Nor do 2," he cut her o8# "But for the moment, 2'm
!oin! to have to assume that it's true'$hey have "owers
we do not> until we now more about them, 2'm not
dis"osed to tae chances#"
"*aybe," she said# "But they also have weanesses,
and the more we learn about them'the more we can tal to
"eo"le who have actually dealt with a vam"ire'the more
we may be able to "ut to!ether a means of dealin! with
them if,## if worse comes to worst# As lon! a!o as Bertie's
death was, it isn't liely there's a connection, but at least
we'll have another view of them#"
"2 still don't lie it," he said a!ain, nowin! she was
"robably ri!ht# "2'd rather you didn't, but if you
do, please be careful# $ae every "recaution, no matter
how foolish it seems# As for what you may learn#,# %ave you
ever tried to "iece to!ether an account of an accident from
witnesses, even ten minutes after it ha""ened? And
Bertie's death was### when?"
"Nineteen hundred#" %er mouth twitched in an ironic
smile# "$urn of the new century#"
"$hat was seven years a!o#" %e'd been in Africa then,
ridin! across tawny velvet distances by the li!ht of the
swollen and honey'colored moon# %e sometimes found it
di9cult to believe it was any lon!er a!o than seven wees#
%e leaned across and issed her, her hat veils ticlin! the
brid!e of his nose> it was odd to remind himself once a!ain
that she was, in fact, his wife# %e went on, "Even had Lotta
been the )rst victim instead of the fourth, that's a lon!
time between# But we need any bac!round, any leads we
can !et# -an you loo u" all that?"
"-ertainly, .rofessor Asher#" ,he folded her !loved
hands "rimly in her rose twill la" and widened her eyes at
him sweetly# "And what would you lie me to loo u" in the
afternoon?"
%e lau!hed ruefully# "+as com"any records for "rivate
residences that show abnormally hi!h consum"tion? 2'd lie
to !et at banin! records, but that means "ullin! 0#1# or
7ard credentials, and that mi!ht !et bac to 7sidro# Leave
whatever notes you mae in the mes'sa!e'dro" at the
*useum'2'll ee" them in a locer at Euston rather than at
my rooms overni!ht# At the moment, 2'd rather 7sidro and
his friends have no idea the way my research is
tendin!# And, Lydia 'let me now if you run across any
evidence that someone else is followin! the same trails#"
"$he iller, you mean#" By her voice she'd already
thou!ht of it> he nodded#
"6ill you ill them, then?"
,omethin! in her tone brou!ht his eyes bac to her
face> its loo of re!ret sur"rised nun# ,he shoo her head,
dismissin! her reservations# "2t's 4ust that 2'd lie the
chance to e(amine one of them medically#"
$he concern was so ty"ical of Lydia that Asher nearly
lau!hed# "7es," he said, and then the li!htness faded from
his face and his soul# "2'll have to for a number of reasons,
not the least of which is that if 2 don't catch the iller,
sooner or later they're !oin! to sus"ect me of illin! them
anyway, and usin! the ori!inal murders to mas whatever 2
may do# $hey have to be destroyed, Lydia," he went on
3uietly# "But if'and when'it comes to that, 2'd better !et
them all, because +od hel" both of us if even one
survives#"
Asher !ot o8 the train at =eadin!, tain! a slow local to
Balin! and then the ;nder!round the lon! way round,
throu!h Dictoria and the -ity, and thence bac to Euston
,tation, to avoid bein! anywhere near .addin!ton when
Lydia debared# 2t was now fully dar# ,tarin! throu!h the
rattlin! windows at the hi!h bric walls and the occasional
<icerin! re<ection of !asli!ht where the ;nder!round ran
throu!h cuts rather than tunnels, he wondered whether the
vam"ires ever too the ;nder!round, ever hunted its third'
class carria!es# -ould they use its "assa!es as boltholes,
emer!ency hidin! "laces safe from the sun? %ow much
sun was fatal to that white, fra!ile <esh?
Not a !reat deal, he thou!ht, crossin! the "latform and
ascendin! the ste"s that led u"ward to the o"en s3uare of
ni!ht outside# Even with its door o"en, the cry"t in
%i!h!ate wouldn't be bri!htly li!hted, looin! as it did into
the !loom of the narrow avenue of tombs#

As he reached the <a!way, he felt a "an! of uneasiness
for Lydia, disembarin! by herself at .addin!ton# Not that
she wasn't "erfectly ca"able of looin! out for herself in
the crowd of a railway station, where she would
undoubtedly have si( or seven handsome youn! men
)!htin! to carry her lu!!a!e, but his brush with 7sidro had
fri!htened him#
%ow much were the vam"ires ca"able of nowin! or
!uessin! about those who be!an to "iece to!ether their
trails? .erha"s Lydia was ri!ht '"erha"s the warnin! was
only intended to ee" him away# $here must be very few
relatives and friends of victims who looed "ast the
comfort of the "lo!ical e("lanation," "articularly, as 7sidro
had "ointed out, if there was no second set of sus"icious
circumstances to lin it with# And yet###
%e reminded himself )rmly, as he 4oined the crowdin!
thron! on Euston =oad, that 7sidro would have no way of
nowin! that he had !one u" to O(ford and returned twice
that day, instead of once# #e might have guessed.. #
Asher shoo his head )rmly# %e was e(hausted "ast the
"oint, he was be!innin! to sus"ect, of rational thou!ht#
%e'd been without unbroen slee" for over thirty'si( hours>
he was startin! at shadows# $hat 3ueer "riclin! on the
bac of his nec was nerves, he told himself, not the
instincts of years of the secret life whis"erin! to him# %is
uneasiness was sim"ly the result of nowin! he mi!ht be
watched, rather than a certainty that he was#
%e slowed his ste"s# -asually, he scanned the hurryin!
line of tra9c, the crowds 4ostlin! alon! in the
!lare of the !asli!hts'clers and sho"'!irls bustlin!
toward the ;nder!round to catch the ne(t train to what'
ever dreary suburb they called home, laborers ea!er for a
chea" dinner of bubble and s3uea and a few beers at the
local "ub# $he !asli!ht was dece"tive, main! all faces
3ueer, but he could see no si!n of any whiter and more still
than the rest#
6hy, then, he wondered, did he have the !rowin!
conviction of miss'in! somethin!, the sensation of a blind
s"ot somewhere in his mind?
At the corner, he crossed +ower ,treet, walin! down
its western side, casually scannin! the stream of tra9c
"assin! before the lon! line of +eor!ian sho"s# $here were
a number of motorbuses and lorries, an omnibus and
motori&ed cabs, and horse trams with !audy advertisin!
"osters on their sides, but for the most "art it was a
crowdin! melee of horses and hi!h wheels'delivery vans
drawn by hairy'footed na!s, o"en Dictoria carria!es, the
closed brou!hams favored by doctors, and hi!h'to""ed
hansom cabs# %e was very tired and his vision blurred> the
!lare of streetli!ht and shadow made it all the worse, but it
would have to be rised# $he tra9c was thic and therefore
not movin! fast, e(ce"t where an occasional cabby lashed
his horse into a dash for a momentary hole# 6ell, there was
always that chance###
6ithout warnin!, as he came o""osite the turnin! of
Little *useum ,treet that led to .rince of 6ales -olonnade,
Asher ste""ed sideways o8 the curb and "lun!ed into the
thic of the melee# 6ith a shrill nei!h, a cab horse "ulled
sideways nearly on to" of him# %ooters and curses in e(otic
dialect' /hat was a ,orkshireman doing driving a cab in
Lon-don?he wondered'"ursued him across the road# $he
macadam was wet and sli""ery with horse dun!> he
duced and wove between shiftin! masses of <esh, wood,
and iron, and on the o""osite side turned sud'denly,
looin! bac at the way he had come#
A costermon!er's horse in the midst of the road <un!
u" its head and swerved> a motorcab's braes screeched#
Asher wasn't sure, but he thou!ht he saw a shadow <it
throu!h the !lare of the electric head'lam"s#
+ood, he thou!ht, and turned down Little *useum
,treet, still "ant'in! from his exertions.0it your immortality
against that one! my haemophagic friend.
At .rince of 6ales -olonnade he turned u" the !as,
leavin! the window curtains o"en# %e shed coat, bowler,
scarf, and cravat and o"ened the valise he'd brou!ht down
from O(ford stra""ed to the nar'row carrier of the
motorcycle, now safely bestowed in a shed in the yard 'half
a do&en clean shirts, a chan!e of clothin!, clean collars,
shavin! tacle, and boos# 6hatever else he would need of
the arcane "ara"her'nalia of vam"ire'hunters, he
su""osed, could be "urchased in London, and his ill'
re!ulated ima!ination momentarily con4ured a small sho"
in some dar street s"eciali&in! in silver bullets, hawthorn
staes, and !arlic# %e !rinned# 6ithharer and van helsin!
"ainted above the door, "resumably# /ee"in! himself in the
line of si!ht of the window, he turned toward the dresser,
frowned, and looed around as if some'thin! he had meant
to brin! were missin! from its chi""ed marble to", then
strode im"atiently from the room#
%e descended two <i!hts of curvin! stairs at a silent
run, and another to the basement# %is landlady looed u",
startled, as he "assed the itchen door, but he was already
out in the tiny, sunen well of the areaway, standin! on the
narrow twist of moss'<eced stone ste"s to raise his eye
level 4ust above that of the "avement of the alley behind
the house#
Evidently taen in by his fei!ned e(it, the dar sha"e in
the alley was still watchin! his li!hted window# 2t stood
motionless, nearly invisible in the dense !loom between
the tall rows of houses> even so, he could mae out the
almost luminous whiteness of an unhuman face raised
toward the li!ht above# 0or a moment he e"t his eyes on
that dar form, scarcely darin! to breathe, rememberin!
the 3uicness of vam"ire
hearin!# $hen, as if he had blined, the )!ure was !one#
$hirty minutes later he had un"aced and "ut away the
last of his thin!s, chan!ed clothes, and shaved# $hou!h
this refreshed him sli!htly, he still ached for slee", feelin!
half'tem"ted to leave 7sidro to wait in his dam" alley, if
that was what he wanted to do, while he went to bed# But
in that case, he was certain, the vam"ire would sim"ly
brea in, :on ,imon havin! a""arently never heard that
vam"ires could not enter any new "lace save at the
biddin! of one of its inhabitants#
On the other hand, Asher thou!ht as he ste""ed from
the li!hted doorway of Number ,i( and strolled slowly u"
the "avement throu!h the fo!!y darness, what "lace in
London could be called new? ,i( .rince of 6ales -olonnade
had obviously been standin! since the latter days of
+eor!e 2D's rei!n> his own house in O(ford since Anne's,
:on ,imon 7sidro had been 3uietly illin! in the streets of
London since lon! before either "lace was built#
2t crossed his mind to wonder about that ancient
London'a thic !a!!le of half'timbered houses, tiny
churches, old stone monasteries near the river, and a
do&en con<ictin! le!al 4urisdictions whose o9cers could
not cross the street to a""rehend criminals'a London
whose 4ammed houses s"illed across the brid!e onto
,outhwar, with its chea" theaters where ,haes"eare was
learnin! his trade as an actor and cobbler'u" of "lays, and
taverns where men who sailed with 0rancis :rae could be
found drinin! to the health of the red'haired 3ueen###
"6e cannot continue to meet this way," "urred a soft,
familiar voice beside him# ".eo"le will be!in to tal#"
Asher swun! 3uicly around, cursin! his momentary
abstraction of mind# %e was tired, true, but ordinarily he
was more aware of someone that close to him#
7sidro had fed> his face, thou!h still "ale, had lost the
cold !leam that had cau!ht Asher's attention in the !loom
of the alley# %is blac cloa half concealed sable evenin!
dress> his sti8 white shirt front was of sil, and several
shades "aler, now, than the sin tailored so deli'cately over
his cheebones# As always, he was bare'headed, the hi!h
horns of his forehead !leamin! faintly as they "assed
beneath the lam"s of the houses round the s3uare# .earl'
!ray !loves clas"ed the crystal head of a slender ebony
stic#
"2 had a !ood mind to let you wait in that alley," Asher
retorted# "7ou should now for yourself 2'll have nothin! to
re"ort e(ce"t that, as you've seen, 2've taen rooms here#"
%e nodded bac toward Num'ber ,i(, indistin!uishable
from the other houses of the terrace, its !low'in! windows
castin! soft s"an!les of li!ht on the trees of the narrow
s3uare across the street, "Now that we've s"oen, 2 have
every inten'tion of !oin! bac to them and !ettin! some
slee"#"
"Alley?" $he vam"ire tilted his head a little, a !esture
somehow reminiscent of a mantis#
"7ou didn't follow me as soon as it !rew dar? 6atch me
from the alley while 2 was un"acin!?"
7sidro hesitated for a lon! moment, siftin! throu!h
"ossible re"lies, "icin! and choosin! what it was best to
admit# E(as"erated, Asher sto""ed u"on the "avement and
turned to face him# "Loo# 7ou don't trust me, 2 now, and
2'd certainly be a fool to trust you# But it's you who's in
dan!er, not me, and unless you !ive me more information'
unless you sto" this endless !ame of 'Animal, De!etable,
*ineral' with anythin! 2 want to now'2 won't be able to
hel" you#"
"2s hel"in! us your ob4ect?" $he vam"ire ti""ed his
head to one side, looin! u" the hands"an of di8erence in
their hei!hts# $here was no hint of sarcasm in his tone'he
ased as if truly interested in the
an' swer#
"No," said Asher bluntly# "But neither is illin! you'not
at the moment# 7ou've made the stae "retty hi!h for me#
,o be it# 2've taen what "recautions 2 can to ee" Lydia
safe, as you've "robably !uessed, and, believe me, it
wasn't easy to come u" with answers to her 3uestions
about why she had to leave O(ford# But 2 can't do anythin!
until you're willin! to answer some 3uestions so 2'll have
somethin! to wor on#" "Dery well#" $he vam"ire studied
him for the count of several breaths, leisurely as if this
3uiet Bloomsbury s3uare were a "rivate room and entirely
at his convenience# "2 will meet you here tomorrow at this
time, and we shall visit, as you say, the scene of the crime#
As for what you saw in the alley###" %is small silence lay in
the conversa'tion lie a <oatin! s"ot of li!ht u"on water,
too deliberate to be called a hesitation> nothin! in his face
chan!ed to indicate the <ow of his thou!hts# "$hat was not
me#"
Five
"Oh, Lord, yes," said the woman whom the sho" si!n
identi)ed as *inette as clearly as her accent indicated that
the name had "robably ori!inally been *innie# "$hat hairH
A truer blonde could never have worn that vivid a !old'turn
her yellow as cheese, it would# But it 4ust "iced u" the
!reen in her eyes# *y !ran used to tell me fol with that
dar rim 'round the iris had the second si!ht#"
,he re!arded Asher with eyes that were enormous, the
most delicate shade of clear crystal blue and, thou!h
without any evidence of second si!ht whatsoever, clearly
shar" with business acumen# $hou!h he had shut the sho"
door behind him, Asher could still hear the din of tra9c in
+reat *arlborou!h ,treet'the clatter of hooves, the rattle
of iron tires on !ranite "avin! blocs, and the yellin! of a
costermon!er on the corner'strivin! a!ainst the rhythmic
clatter of sewin! machines from u"stairs#
%e tu!!ed down the very sli!htly tinted s"ectacles he
wore balanced on the end of his nose's"ectacles whose
!lass was virtually "lain but which he e"t as a "ro" to
indicate harmless ine8ectuality'and looed at her over
their to"s# "And did she tell you she was an actress?"
*inette, "erched on a stool behind the white'"ainted
counter, coced her head a little, blac curls fallin! in a
tem"tin! bunch, lie !ra"es, on the ruBed ecru of her
collar lace# "6asn't she, then?" $here was no sur"rise in
her voice'rather, the curiosity of one whose sus"icions are
about to be con)rmed#
Asher made his mouth smaller under his thic brown
mustache and si!hed audibly# But he held o8 committin!
himself until the dressmaer added, "7ou now, 2 thou!ht
there was somethin! a bit rum about it# 2 now actresses at
the Em"ire don't !et u" and about 'til evenin! and are on
'til all hours, but they do !et days o8, you now# 2 always
)!ured she s"ent them with one of her fancy men, and that
was why she always insisted on comin! in the evenin!s'
between houses, she said# 2 will say for her she always did
mae it worth my while, which comes in handy in the o8
season when all the nobs are out of town#"
"0ancy men," Asher reiterated, with another small si!h,
and "ro'duced a noteboo in which he made a brief entry#
$he blue eyes fol'lowed the movement, then niced bac
to his face# "7ou a 'tec?"
"-ertainly not," he re"lied "rimly# "2 am, in fact, a
solicitor for a *r# +obey, whose son was'or is'a'er'friend of
*iss %arshaw's'or *iss Branhame's, as she called herself
to you# :id *r# +obey'*r# $homas +obey'at any time buy
*iss Lotta %arshaw anythin! here? Or "ay her bills for
her?"
$homas +obey's had been amon! the freshest'looin!
of the cards of invitation found in Lotta's reticule> it was
better than even odds that, even if he were dead by now,
the dressmaer hadn't heard of it# As it trans"ired, +obey
had, two years a!o, "aid seventy')ve "ounds to *inette La
$our for a !own of russet sil mull with a fur'trimmed 4acet
to match, ordered and )tted, lie everythin! else Lotta had
"ur'chased there, in the evenin!#
:iscreetly "eerin! down over *de# *inette's shoulder
as she turned the led!er "a!es, Asher noted the names of
other men who had "aid Lotta's bills, on those fre3uent
occasions on which she did not "ay them herself# *ost
were familiar, names found on cards and stationery in her
rooms> "oor Bertie 6estmoreland had disbursed, at a 3uic
estimate, several hundred "ounds to buy his murderess
frocs and hats and an o"era cloa of amber cut velvet
beaded with 4et#
,i( months a!o, he was interested to note, Lotta had
"urchased an Alice'blue "sailor hat"'Lydia had one, and it
was nothin! Asher had ever seen any sailor wear in his life'
with ostrich "lumes, which had been "aid for by Dalentin
-alvaire, at an address in the Bayswater =oad#
%e shut his noteboo with a sna"# "$he "roblem, my
dear *ademoi'selle La $our, is this# 7oun! *r# +obey has
been missin! since the be!innin! of the wee# ;"on
main! in3uiries, his family learned that *iss %arshaw'who
is not, in fact, an actress'has also disa""eared# At the
moment we are sim"ly main! routine in3uiries to !et in
touch with them'searchin! out "ossible friends or "eo"le
who mi!ht now where they have !one# :id *iss %arshaw
ever come here with female friends?"
"Oh, Lor' bless you, sir, they all do, don't they? 2t's half
the fun of )ttin!s# ,he came in once or twice with *rs#
6ren'the lady who introduced her to us, and a customer of
lon! standin!, "oor woman# 2n fact it was
because Iam willin! to obli!e and do )ttin!s at ni!ht by
!asli!ht'for a bit e(tra, which she was always willin! to "ay
u", lie the true lady she is###"
":o you have an address for *rs# 6ren?" Asher
in3uired, <i""in! o"en his noteboo a!ain#
$he dressmaer shoo her head, her blac curls
bouncin!# ,he was a youn! woman'4ust under thirty, Asher
!uessed'and still buildin! her clientele# $he sho", thou!h
narrow and in a not 3uite fashionable street, was bri!htly
"ainted in white and "rimrose, which went a lon! way
toward relievin! the din!iness of its solitary window# 2t too
a wealthy and established modiste indeed to live
comfortably and "ay seam'stresses and beaders durin! the
o8 season when fashionable society de'serted the 6est
End for Bri!hton or the country'by Au!ust, *inette would
"robably have a!reed to do )ttin!s at midni!ht 4ust to stay
wor'in!#
"Now, that 2 don't, for she'll "ay u" in cash# 2n any case,
2 doubt they're really friends# +oodness nows how they
met in the )rst "lace, for a blind man could see *rs# 6ren
wasn't her sort of woman at all' not that it's *rs# 6ren's
real name, 2'll wa!er, either# ,he has a drun'ard of a
husband, who won't let her out of the house'she has to sli"
out when he's !one to his club to buy herself so much as a
new "etti'coat# 2 su!!est you loo u" her other friend, *iss
-elestine du Bois, thou!h if you was to as me###" ,he !ave
him a saucy win# "### *iss du Bois is about as 0rench as 2
am#"
$hou!h thorou!hly ticled and amused, Asher mana!ed
to loo frostily disa""rovin! of the whole sordid business as
he staled out of *ile# La $our's#
$he address !iven by -elestine du Bois on those
occasions when bills were sent to her and not to !entlemen
admirers'one of whom, Asher had been interested to note,
was also Dalentin -alvaire'was an accom'modation
address, a tobacconist's near Dictoria ,tation and
reachable from any corner of London by ;nder!round#
-alvaire's address in the Bayswater =oad was also an
accommodation
address, a "ub'both vam"ires had "iced u" their
letters "ersonally#
":oes *iss du Bois "ic u" letters here for anyone
else?" Asher in3uired, casually slidin! a half'crown "iece
across the "olished maho!'any of the counter# $he youn!
cler cast a nervous !lance toward the bac of the sho",
where his master was mi(in! "acets of +entlemen's
,"ecial ,ort#
"0or a *iss -hloe 6atermeade, and a *iss -hloe
6interdon," the youn! man re"lied in a hushed voice and
wi"ed his "ointy nose# ",he comes in'oh, once, twice a
wee sometimes, usually 4ust before we "uts the shutters
u"#"
".retty?" Asher ha&arded#
"=i!ht stunner# ,hort little thin!'your "ocet Denus#
Blond as a ,wede, brown eyes 2 thin'always dressed to the
nines# Not a loafer'll s"ea to her, thou!h, with the bi! to8
what comes in with her half the time' -or, there's a hard
boy for you, and never mind the boiled shirtH"
"Name?" Asher slid another half crown across the
counter#
$he boy threw another 3uic loo at the bac sho" as
the owner's buly form darened the door> he whis"ered,
"Never heard it," and shoved the half crown bac#
"/ee" it," Asher whis"ered, "iced u" the "acet of
=ussian ci!a'rettes which had been his ostensible errand,
and ste""ed bac into the street to the accom"animent of
the tinlin! sho" bell#
0urther investi!ation of Lotta's !rave in %i!h!ate
yielded little# 2t was a discoura!in!ly easy matter to enter
the cemetery by dayli!ht' the narrow avenue of tombs
behind the E!y"tian !ate and the dar !roves and
buildin!s around it were absolutely deserted, silent in the
dri""in! !loom# Anyone could have entered and com"letely
dismem'bered every cor"se in the "lace uninterru"ted, not
4ust "lanted a stae throu!h the heart and cut o8 the head#
6ith the door left wide, a thin !reenish li!ht su8used
the cry"t, but Asher still had to have recourse to the
uncertain li!ht of a dry'cell electric torch, whose buly
len!th he'd smu!!led in under his ulster, as he e(amined
every inch of the co9n and its niche# %e found what mi!ht
have been remains of a stae amon! the charred bones,
thou!h it was di9cult to distin!uish it from the fra!ments
of rib or tell whether it was wood or bone'he wra""ed it in
tissue and "oceted it for later investi'!ation# 2t told him
nothin! he did not already now# 2n a far corner of the
tomb, he found a nasty huddle of bones, hair, and corset
stays rolled in a rottin! "ur"le dress5 the former occu"ant,
he !uessed, of the co9n Lotta had commandeered#
6hat remained of the afternoon he s"ent in a bac
o9ce at the+aily .ail! studyin! obituaries, "olice re"orts,
and the ,ociety "a!e, match'in! names with those on the
list he'd assembled from the debris in Lotta's rooms and
from *ile# La $our's dayboos# .oor $homas +obey, he saw,
had in fact succumbed to a "wastin! sicness" only months
after the "urchase of the russet sil dress# Asher noted the
address'the Albany, which told him everythin! he needed
to now about that unfortunate youn! man'and the names
of survivin! broth'ers, sister, "arents, )ancee#
2t had been disconcertin! to reco!ni&e names on those
cards of invita'tion which dated from a certain "eriod seven
or ei!ht years a!o# .oor Bertie 6estmoreland had not been
the only member of that !ay circle of friends who had sent
her invitations or bou!ht her trinets, thou!h he was
evidently the only one who had "aid the ultimate "rice,
$he others were lucy, he thou!ht# $hou!h Albert
6estmoreland had died in @EFF, the %onorable
0ran Ellis'another of Lydia 's suit'ors, thou!h Asher had
never met the boy'had bou!ht the vam"ire a loden'!reen
cre"e tea !own as late as @EFJ# 6ho new how many oth'
ers had also e"t u" the connection?
%e shivered, thinin! how close Lydia had "assed to
that unseen "la!ue then, and thaned all the strait'
corseted deities of ,ociety for the strict lines drawn
between youn! !irls of !ood family and the ty"e of women
with whom youn! men of !ood family amused themselves
be'tween bouts of "doin! the "retty,"
Lydia had been very youn! then# Ei!hteen, still livin! in
her father's O(ford house and attendin! lectures with the
tiny clum" of ,omerville under!raduates interested in
medicine# $he other !irls had dealt as best they could with
the comments, 4oes, and sni!!ers of male under!radu'
ates and deans alie'a"olo!etic, frustrated, or de)ant# 0or
the most "art Lydia had been blithely oblivious# ,he had
been !enuinely "u&&led over her father's blusterin! ra!e
when she'd chosen studyin! for =es"onsions over a season
on the London matrimonial mart> had she had brothers or
sisters, he mi!ht well have threatened to disinherit her
from the considerable family estates# Even her uncle, the
:ean of New -ol'le!e, thou!h her su""orter, had been
scandali&ed by the direction of her studies# Education for
women was all very well, but he had been thin'in! in
terms of literature and the -lassics, not the slicin! u" of
cadavers and learnin! how the human re"roductive or!ans
o"erated#
Asher smiled a little, rememberin! how even the most
anti'woman of the dons, old %orace Blaydon, had come
around to her su""ort in the end, thou!h he'd never have
admitted it# "Even a damn freshman can follow what 2'm
doin!H" he'd bellowed at a !rou" of embarrassed male
students durin! his lectures on blood "atholo!y### he'd
called Lydia a damned school!irl everywhere but in the
classes# And the old man would have acted the same,
Asher thou!ht, even had his son not been head over heels
in love with her# ,tarin! at the obituaries s"read out on the
!rimy and in'stained table to" before him, Asher !lanced
at his list of Lotta's admirers since the early 'KFs and
thou!ht about :ennis Blaydon#
Lydia was "robably the last "erson anyone would have
e("ected to ca"ture :ennis Blaydon's fancy, let alone his
"assionate and "ossessive love# Blu8, !olden, and "erfect,
:ennis had been used to the idea that any woman he
chose to honor with his re!ard would automatically acce"t
his "ro"osal> the fact that Lydia did not had only added to
her fascination# ,ince the )rst time he'd seen her without
her s"ectacles and decided that she was "ossessed of a
fra!ile "rettiness as well as !reat wealth, he had wanted
her and had "ut forth all his multitude of charm and !race
into winnin! her, to Asher's silent des"air# Everyone in O('
ford, from the :eans of the ,chools to the lowliest cler at
Blacweli's, had acce"ted his eventual trium"h in the
6illou!hby matrimonial lists as a matter of course# %er
father, who considered one intellectual more than enou!h
in the family, had been all in favor of it# $o %orace
Blaydon's 3uery as to what his son would want with a
woman who s"ent half her time in the "atholo!y
laboratories, :ennis had re"lied, with his customary
shinin! earnestness, "Oh, she isn't really lie that, 0ather#"
.resumably he new better than she did whatLydiawas lie,
Asher had thou!ht bitterly at the time# .ushed into the
bac!round, a middle'a!ed, brown, nondescri"t collea!ue
of her uncle, he could only watch them to!ether and
wonder how soon it would be that all ho"e of main! her a
"art of his life would disa""ear forever#
Later he'd mentioned to Lydia how astonished he'd
been that she hadn't married such a da&&lin! suitor# ,he'd
been dee"ly insulted and demanded indi!nantly why he
thou!ht she'd have been taen in by a struttin! oaf in a
Life +uards uniform#
%e !rinned to himself and "ushed the memories away#
%owever it had trans"ired, :ennis and his other friends'
0ran Ellis, the mourn'ful Ni!el $averstoc, the %onorable
Bertie's E3ually %onorable brother Evelyn'had had a close
esca"e# Lotta had nown them all# $hey were all the ty"e
of youn! men she
lied' rich, !ood'looin!, and susce"tible# %ow lon!
would it have been before she had chosen an'other of
them as her ne(t victim, when enou!h years had "assed
for them to for!et "oor Bertie's death?
6hat old score was Lotta "ayin! o8, he wondered,
foldin! u" his 4otted lists, in the "ersons of those wealthy
youn! men? %e donned his scarf and bowler and slowly
descended the narrow stairway "ast the "ur"oseful riot of
the day rooms, sto""in! brie<y to than his re"orter friend
with a discreet reference to "/in! and -ountry#"
%ad it been some ancient ra"e or heartbrea, he
wondered as he descended the lon! hill of 0leet ,treet, its
crush of cabs and trams and horse'drawn buses dwarfed
by the loomin! shadow of ,t# .aul 's dome a!ainst the
chilly sy# Or merely the furious resentment of a cocy and
stron!'willed !irl who hated the "overty in which she had
!rown u" and hated still more the satin'coated youn! men
whose servants had "ushed her from the <a!ways and
whose carria!e wheels had thrown mud on her as they
"assed?
Jud!in! by *ile# La $our's boos, -elestine'or -hloe'
seemed to be far more a"t to "ay for her own dresses than
Lotta was, and the men who did buy her thin!s were not
the men of Lotta's circle# $heir names were always
di8erent> evidently few men lived lon! enou!h to su""ly
her with two hats# ,he was either more businesslie about
her ills than Lotta, or sim"ly less "atient,
6as she, he wondered, also a "!ood vam"ire"? Lie
Lotta, did she savor those isses <avored with blood and
innocence? :id she mae love to her victims?
6ere vam"ires ca"able of the "hysical act of love?
$he women would be, of course, he !uessed'ca"able of
fain! it, anyway# As he descended to the ;nder!round at
the $em"le a woman s"oe to him in the shadows where
the stair !ave onto the "latform, her red dress lie dry
blood in the !loom and her !lottal vowels
scrawlin! /hitechapel almost visibly across her "ainted
mouth# Asher ti""ed his hat, shoo his head "olitely, and
continued down the ste"s, thinin!5 )hey would have to
feed somewhere else before undressing! to warm the
death-chill from their 1esh.
Bac at .rince of 6ales -olonnade he returned to the
now'neat cata'lo!ue of Lotta's )nances# ,eated tailor'
fashion on the bed in his shirt sleeves, he sorted throu!h
the bills, letters, and cards, arran!ed by "rob'able date#
*ile# La $our had only served her vam"ire clientele for a
few years, of course'the earliest entry for *rs# Anthea 6ren
was in @KEE# Lotta's "ile of yellowin! bills dated bac
throu!h the nineteenth cen'tury and into the ei!hteenth,
"aid by men lon! dead to modistes whose sho"s were
closed, sold, or incor"orated with others''a woman cannot
ee" the same dressmaer for seventy')ve years if she
herself doesn't a!e#
$here were only four names on the recent invitations
not accounted for either in the obituaries or last wee's
,ociety "a!es#
$here was a Ludwi! von Essel who had bou!ht Lotta
thin!s between A"ril and :ecember of @EFA and was then
heard of no more# $here was Dalentin -alvaire, who had
)rst bou!ht Lotta a yoed waist ofpeau de
soie! embroidered and )nished with sil nailheads,
whatever those were, in *arch of this year> and a -hretien
,an!lot, who had sent her a card of invitation to meet him
at the ballet and who not only "iced u" his mail at the
same "ub as -alvaire did but, to Asher's semitrained eye,
at least, wrote in the same e(ecrable 0rench hand# And
lastly, there was someone whose name a""eared on bills
datin! from the Na"oleonic 6ars and on notes of Baton's
)nest creamy "ressed "a"er, less than two years old5
someone who si!ned himself 'rippen in blac, 4a!!ed
writin! of a style not seen since the rei!n of James
2#
%e made an abstracted su""er of bread and cold
ton!ue while writin! u" a "recis of his )ndin!s, li!htin! the
!as somewhere in the midst of his wor without really
bein! aware of it# %e doubted that the families of any of
Lotta's victims were res"onsible for the illin!s, but if Lotta
and -alvaire had hunted to!ether, her victims' friends
mi!ht be able to o8er leads# Lydia would undoubtedly now
where he could reach the %onorable Evelyn and
6estmoreland's )ancee, whatever her name was, but
a!ain, he'd have to be careful'careful of the vam"ires, who
must, he new, be sus"ectin! his every move, careful, too,
of the iller, and careful of whatever it was that 7sidro
wasn't tellin! him,
%is 0orei!n O9ce habits "rom"ted him to add a shorter
list, 4ust for the sae of o8'chances5 Anthea 6ren>
-hloeL-elestine 6atermeadeL 6interdonLdu Bois> Dalentin
-alvaireL-hretien ,an!lot> +ri""en# And looin! u", he
discovered to his utter sur"rise that it was 3uite dar
outside,
%e hadn't strolled for very lon! alon! the crowded
<a!ways of +ower ,treet when he was suddenly aware of
7sidro beside him# $he vam"ire's arrival was not sudden'
indeed, once Asher !lanced to his left and saw the slender
form in its blac o"era ca"e at his elbow, he new he had
been there for some time# %e had concentrated on
watchin! for his a""earance, but it seemed to him that
somethin! had distracted him' he could no lon!er
remember what#
Annoyed, he sna""ed, "6ould you sto" doin! that and
4ust come u" to me lie a human bein!?"
7sidro thou!ht about it for a moment, then countered
3uietly, "6ould you sto" identifyin! all the e(its from a
house before you !o into it? 2 have a cab waitin!#"
$he houses in %alf *oon ,treet were +eor!ian, red bric
mellowed by time and somewhat blacened by the veilin!
soot of the city's atmo's"here, but retainin! the
!raciousness of moderate wealth# *ost of them showed
li!hts in their windows> in the !asli!ht, Asher could mae
out the minuscule front !ardens'little more than a few
shrubs clus'tered around the hi!h "orches'!roomed lie
carria!e horses# An inde')nable air of ne!lect clun! to
Number $en, three'3uarters of the way down the
"avement# Asher identi)ed it as the result of a 4obbin! !ar'
dener who had not been e"t u" to his wor, and front
ste"s that went wees or months without bein! scrubbed'
fatal, in London#

"%ouseee"in! "resents its own "roblems for the
;ndead, doesn't it?" he remared 3uietly as they ascended
the tall ste"s to the front door# "Either you ee" servants or
scrub your doorste" yourself'the windows here haven't
been washed, either# Every doorste" on the street is
bricbatted daily but this one#"
"$here are ways of !ettin! around that#" 7sidro's face,
in "ro)le a!ainst the re<ection of the street lam"s as he
turned the ey, retained its calmly neutral e("ression#
"2'm sure there are# But even the stu"idest servant is
!oin! to notice somethin! amiss when nobody orders any
food or uses the chamber "ots#"
$he vam"ire "aused, the tarnished brass door handle in
his !loved hand# %e re!arded Asher eni!matically, but in
the bac of his brim'stone'colored eyes, for an instant,
Asher half thou!ht he !lim"sed the <icer of amused
a""reciation# $hen the blac cloa whis"ered a!ainst the
doorframe, and 7sidro led the way into the house#
"Edward %ammersmith was the youn!est son of a
nabob of the 2ndia trade, almost e(actly one hundred years
a!o," he said, his li!ht, unin<ected voice echoin! softly in
the darness# "$he house was one of
three owned by the family> %ammersmith ased for and
!ot it from his father after he became vam"ire, thereafter
!ainin! a re"utation as the family's reclusive eccentric# %e
was in his way a reclusive eccentric even as a vam"ire'he
seldom went out, save to hunt#"
$here was a faint scratch, the whi8 of sul"hur
overridin! for a mo'ment the !eneral foetor of must and
dam"ness that )lled what, by the sound of the echoes,
must be a lar!e and lofty front hall# $he shar" sliver of
matchli!ht con)rmed this an instant later, racin! in threads
alon! tarnished !ilt "anel moldin!s and the !raceful
medallions of a hi!h Adam ceilin!, almost invisible
overhead in the !loom# 0or that )rst moment, 7sidro's face,
etched in those hard'cut shadows, seemed, too, somethin!
wrou!ht of unbelievably delicate "laster# $hen he touched
the <ame to the wic of an oil lam" that stood with several
others on a ,heraton sideboard# $he li!ht lea"ed and
slithered over the s3uare mirror set in the sideboard, the
web'shrouded lusters of the chandelier, the rounded !lass
of the smutted chimney which !ray'!loved )n!ers,
seemin! so disembodied in the warm !low, )tted over the
<ame,
":id he hunt with Lotta?"
";"on occasion#" ,"rawlin! shadows followed them u"
the stairs, <owin! over carved wall "anels war"ed with
dam"# "$hey were both###" A!ain that "ause, that sense of
veerin!, lie a small boat before !usty wind, into
"otentially less dan!erous seas# "Edward lied a chan!e
now and then# ;sually he hunted alone#"
"6as he a '!ood vam"ire'?"
"Not very'" At the to" of the )rst <i!ht of stairs, 7sidro
turned ri!ht and "ushed o"en the double doors to what
had once been the lar!e drawin! room# %e held his lam"
aloft as he did so, and the li!ht scat'tered across boos'
literally thousands of boos, crammed into mae'shift
shelves which not only lined every inch of wall nearly to the
curve of the ceilin!, but staced the <oor hi"'dee" in
"laces# Little "aths threaded between the stacs, lie the
beaten hoof lines or dassie tunnels that stitched unseen
throu!h the dee" !rass of the veldt# $owers of boos
ascended drunenly from the two sideboards that loomed
u" out of the !loomy ma&e, and more were visible throu!h
the sideboards' half'o"ened caned doors> they "iled the
seats of every chair but one in untidy hea"s# Bundles of
"a"ers were scattered over them or lay loose lie leaves
blown in an autumn wind# Bendin! down, Asher "iced u"
one that lay nearest the door'brown and brittle as Lotta's
oldest "et'ticoats, it was sheet music of some obscure aria
by ,alieri#
Lie a little island, there was an o"en "lace in the
middle of the room, where !rimy !ray "atches of lichenous
car"et could be seen> it contained a chair, a small table
su""ortin! an oil lam", a maho!any "iano, and a
har"sichord whose faded "aint had nearly all <aed away#
,heet music hea"ed the <oor under both instruments#
Beside him, 7sidro's calm voice continued, "$here is a
re!rettable tendency amon! vam"ires to become lie the
little desert mice, which hoard shinin! thin!s in holes#"
"2f "assion for life is the core of your nature," Asher
remared, "that isn't sur"risin!, but it must mae for
awward domestic arran!ements# :o all vam"ires do it?"
%e looed away from the !loomy cavern, with its smells
of mildew and dam", and found the vam"ire's stran!e eyes
on him, a <icer of inscrutable interest in their de"ths#
7sidro looed away# "No#" %e turned from the door and
moved toward the stairs at the far end of the hall, Asher
followin! in his wae# "But 2 )nd the ones who do not rather
borin!#"
2t was on the ti" of Asher's ton!ue to as 7sidro what
his hobby was, what "assion )lled the dar hours of his
waefulness when he was not actively huntin! his "rey, but
he decided to tae advanta!e of the ,"an'iard's relatively
communicative mood with matters less frivolous# ":id
-alvaire hunt with Lotta?"
"7es# $hey became 3uite !ood friends#"
"6ere they lovers?"
7sidro "aused at the to" of the second <i!ht of stairs,
the lam" held low in his hand, its li!ht streamin! u" onto
the narrow, fra!ile'boned face and haloin! the webby
strin!iness of his hair, castin! a blot of shadow on the low
ceilin! above# -arefully, he re"lied, "As suchvam-
pires understand the conce"t, yes# But it has nothin! to do
with either love or se(ual union# Dam"ires have no se('the
or!ans are "resent, but nonfunctional# And neither Lotta
nor -alvaire would even have consid'ered the ha""iness of
the other, which is what 2 understand to be one of the
tenets of mortal love#"
"$hen what was between them?"
"A shared ecstasy in the ill#" %e turned to o"en the
small door to the left of the stairs, then "aused and turned
bac# "$here is, you under'stand, an ecstasy, a sur!e of'2
don't now what# A 'ic,' 2 thin they call such thin!s now'
in the drinin! of the life as it "ours from the veins of
another# 2t is not only in the taste of the blood, which 2 am
told not all of us )nd "leasant, thou!h 2 do# 6e are as much
creatures of the "sychic as the "hysical# 6e "erceive
thin!s di8erently from human "er'ce"tions# 6e can taste'
feel'the te(ture of the minds of others, and at no time
more intensely than when the human mind is cryin! out in
death# $hat is what we drin, as well as the blood'the
"sychic force, which answers to and feeds our own "sychic
abilities to control the minds of others#"
%e leaned in the doorway, cocin! his head a little, so
that the strands of his "ale hair fell in attenuated crescents
on his shoulders# $he lam" in his hands touched face and
hair, wannin! them, alie colorless, into the illusion of
!oldenness, lie honey'stained ivory# Asher was con'scious,
suddenly, of the em"ty darness of the house all around#
%is voice continued, li!ht and disinterested and
absolutely without in<ection, committin! nothin! of the
eni!ma of his eyes# "As a vam"ire, 2 am conscious at all
times of the aura, the scent, of the human "syches near
me, as much as 2 am conscious of the smell of live blood#
,ome vam"ires )nd this almost unbearably e(citin!, which
is why they "lay with their victims# $here is never a time'2
am told'when they are not thinin!, 2hall it be now or
later? 2t is that which feeds us, more than the "hysical
blood'it is that which we hunt# And that "sychic hun!er,
that lust for the drainin! of the soul, is as far beyond the
nife'ed!e instant before the crestin! of se(ual or!asm as
that instant is beyond'oh'after you have had two "ieces of
mar&i"an, and you are wonderin! whether you mi!ht lie a
third one, or a bit of honey cae instead#"
After a lon! while Asher said 3uietly, "2 see#"
"7ou don't," 7sidro re"lied, his voice whis"erin! away in
soft echoes a!ainst the darness of the em"ty house, "and
you can't# But you would do well to remember it, if ever
you )nd yourself in the com"any of other vam"ires than 2#"
$here were candles in all the wall sconces of the room
where Edward %ammersmith had e"t his co9n# 7sidro
thrust one of them down into the lam" chimney to touch
the <ame, then went around the room, li!htin! the others,
until the whole "lace bla&ed with a 3uiverin! roseate !low
unlie the soft steadiness of !asli!ht# Asher noted bo(es of
candles staced carelessly in every corner and "uddles of
wa(, raised to
lum"y stala!mites four and )ve inches hi!h, on the
$urey car"ets beneath each wa('clotted sconce# 2n the
center of the room, the "rint of the co9n lay clear and dar
u"on the dusty ru!, thou!h the co9n itself was !one#
$here were no traces of ash or burnin! around the ed!e of
that shar", dust'free oblon!'only a scu8ed "ath leadin!
there from the door, worn by %ammersmith's feet, and a
few smud!y tracs in the dust, leadin! beyond it to the
room's two tall windows# $he heavy shutters that had
covered these had been stri""ed of the three or four layers
of blac fabric that curtained them and ri""ed from their
nails#
,irtin! the tracs, Asher waled to the windows,
holdin! the lam" to the wooden frames, then to the
shutters themselves#
"*y hei!ht or better," he remared# ",tron! as an o('
loo at the de"ths of these crowbar !ou!es#" +oin! bac,
he )shed his measurin! ta"e from his "ocet'a miniature
one of Lydia's in an ivory case'and noted the len!th and
width of the trac, and the len!th of the stride#
"$he co9n was )tted with interior latches," 7sidro said,
remainin! where he had been in the restive halo of the
candelabrum's li!ht# "$hey were crude, of course':anny
/in! installed them for Neddy'and the lid had been sim"ly
levered o8, tearin! the screws from the wood#"
"6here is it now?" Asher held the lam" hi!h, to
e(amine the "laster of the low ceilin! above#
"6e buried it# 2n the cry"t of ,t# Albert .iccadilly to be
"recise' there bein! no dan!er of infection or smell#"
"6ho is 'we'?"
7sidro re"lied blandly, "*y friends and 2#" %e half shut
his eyes, and one by one the candles around the room
be!an to !o out#
%e had s"oen of a vam"ire's "sychic "owers'Asher had
seen both 6estern mediums and 2ndian fairs who could do
much the same thin!# ,till, he "iced u" his lam" hastily
and 4oined 7sidro by the door before the last of those )re<y
li!hts snu8ed to e(tinction, leavin! only darness and the
lin!erin! fra!rance of beeswa( and smoe#
"$ell me about :anny /in!," he said, as they descended
the stairs to the drawin! room once a!ain# "%e was
obviously a friend of Neddy's, if he )(ed u" his co9n for
him# 6as he a friend of Lotta and -alvaire's as well?"
"%e was a friend to most of us," 7sidro said# "%e had an
unusually easy!oin! and amiable tem"erament for a
vam"ire# %e was an unedu'cated man'he had been a
carria!e !room, a 'ti!er' they were called, to### durin!
+eor!e 2D's =e!ency for his father#"
Asher found candles, and be!an li!htin! lam"s and wall
sconces in the vast drawin! room as they had done
u"stairs# 6ith the increased illumination, the clutter only
a""eared worse, mounds of music, of boos, and of
bundled 4ournals scattered everywhere# ,trewn amon!
them were small bits of "ersonal 4ewelry, stic"ins and
rin!s such as a man mi!ht wear, and literally scores of
snu8bo(es, most of them cov'ered with dust and )lled with
snu8 dried to brown "owder, whose smell stun! Asher's
nose#
"6here did he ee" his thin!s?" %e turned bac to the
tambour des in one corner, its to", lie everythin! else in
the room, a foot and a half thic in boos, in this case the
collected wors of Bulwer'Lytton'by its a""earance, well'
thumbed, too# Asher shuddered# $he solitary vam'"ire's
evenin!s must have hun! heavy indeed#
"%e did not have many#"
"%e couldn't have carried them round London in a
car"etba!#" Asher o"ened a drawer#
2t was em"ty#
%e brou!ht the lam" down, ran his hand alon! the
drawer's u""er rim# $here was dust on the )rst few inches,
as if the drawer had been left a4ar for years, but there was
no dust in the bottom# %e hunered down to o"en the
drawer below#
$hat, too, was em"ty# All the other drawers in the des
were#
"%ad this been done when you and your friends found
%ammer'smith's body?"
7sidro drifted over to the des, contem"lated the em"ty
drawers for a moment, then let his disinterested !a&e <oat
bac over the clutter of music "ieces, boos, and 4ournals
that bul!ed from every other available rece"tacle in the
room# %e reached into a corner of a bottom drawer, drew
out a fra!ment of what had clearly been a bill for a
servants' a!ency, "aid in full in @KMG# "2 don't now#"
Asher remained where he was for a moment, then
stood, "iced u" the lam", and threaded his way between
stacs of boos to the )re"lace# 2t was clear that it had
once contained boos, too'they were now hea"ed at
random all around it# %e nelt and ran his )n!ers over their
covers# $he dust that lay thinly over everythin! else was
absent# $he )re"lace was hea"ed with ashes'fresh#
%e !lanced u" at the vam"ire, who, thou!h Asher had
not seen him do so, had 4oined him by the cold hearth#
"Burned," he said 3uietly, looin! u" into that narrow,
hau!hty face# "Not taen away and sorted throu!h to trace
other vam"ires or "ossible contacts# Burned#" %e !ot to his
feet, feelin! a!ain the stir of frustrated an!er in him, the
annoyance with 7sidro and his invisible cronies# 0or a
moment he had thou!ht he'd seen "u&&lement on that
thin'boned face and in the "ucer of the slantin! brows,
but if he had it was !one now# "6as this done at /in!'s
"lace also?"
"No#"
"%ow do you now?"
"Because /in! did not ee" such thin!s," 7sidro re"lied
smoothly# Asher started to retort, )hen who kept them for
him? and sto""ed himself# $he dar eyes were )(ed on his
face now, watchin!, and he tried to ee" the sudden
cascade of inferences out of his e("ression#
*ore calmly he said, "2t all comes bac to -alvaire# 2t
started with him, and he seems to have been a linch"in of
some ind in this> 2'm !oin! to have to see his rooms,"
"No#" As Asher o"ened his mouth to "rotest, 7sidro
added, "$hat is as much for your "rotection as for ours,
James# And in any case, he was not found in his rooms'in
fact his body was not found at all#"
"$hat doesn't mean he couldn't have been followed to
them, taen away in his slee", and illed#"
7sidro's eyes !linted an!rily, but his voice remained
absolutely level# "No one follows a vam"ire#"
"$hen why do you ee" looin! over your shoulder?"
:is!usted, Asher "iced u" the lam" and strode throu!h
the ma&es of boos to'ward the door, the stairs, and the
outer, saner world of the cold London ni!ht#
Six
A the British *useum Asher had his cab set him down
and stood before the shut iron "alin!s, listenin! to the
rattle of wheels retreat away down +reat =ussell ,treet in
the darness# %e new this area of Bloomsbury the way a
4ac hare new its burrows' alleys, mews, 3uiet s3uares,
and "ubs that had incons"icuous doors into bac lanes and
owners who didn't much mind who used them# 2t was one
reason he'd chosen it#
$he streets were relatively deserted, save for an
occasional cab clat'terin! its way to Euston or bac from
the theaters on ,haftesbury Ave 'nue# %e made his way
swiftly down small turnin!s, across a mews behind Bedford
.lace and throu!h a dee"'shadowed lane between hi!h
homes whose sunen areaways formed an unbroen line of
"its, lie a "rotective moat, between "avement and rose'
bric walls# %e crossed Bruton .lace and found the blac
slot of the alley that baced both it and .rince of 6ales
-olonnade# $here in the moist and "otholed dar'ness he
halted, the stenches of a hundred !arba!e bins <oatin! in
the wet ni!ht air about him, and looed down the alley,
lettin! his eyes !row accustomed to the dar#
$he vam"ire was watchin! his window#
2t too some moments for Asher to distin!uish the dar
an!ular sha"e a!ainst the blacness of the alley wall'had it
"ossessed 7sidro's weird 3uality of stillness, he doubted
he'd have ever been able to# But the vam"ire must have
moved sli!htly, resolvin! what at )rst seemed to be "aler
"atches on the brics into an an!ular white face and bi!
white hands, hands that "iced uncomfortably at the ill'
settin! collar of a blac coat# 0or a moment, 7sidro's words
<oated into Asher's mind5 I am conscious of the smell
of live blood..! ,ou would do well to re-member it! if ever
you 3nd yourself in the company of other vampires than I...
$o hell with it,he thou!ht irritably, an!ry that they'd be
followin! him, watchin! him# /ith ,sidro as my only source
of information! I'm certainly never going to get anywhere.
If I'm working for them! they *olly well can't kill me.
7et,his mind added, as he be!an to wal down the alley#
$he vam"ire swun! around at his footste"# 0or a heart'
shain! sec'ond, the creature's eyes cau!ht the dim li!ht,
re<ective as a cat's> Asher saw the !leam of the lon! teeth#
A s"lit instant before it would have char!ed to tae him, he
said, "-ome here," in the tone that had always !otten the
best results from .russian farm hands, and it wored# $he
vam"ire checed, baBed, and then seemed to reali&e who
he was#
%e came shamblin!ly, without 7sidro's invisibility and
without 7sidro's deadly !race, and Asher breathed a!ain#
"And you are###?"
$he vam"ire sto""ed a few feet from him, starin! at
him with !lint'in! eyes under a narrow, cra!!y brow# "Bully
Joe :avies is me name," he said, in an accent which Asher
"laced within half a mile of New Lambeth -ut# %e liced his
li"s, showin! his fan!s dis3uietin!ly, a nervous !esture
which, after 7sidro's "oise, made him seem incredibly
!auche# $ruculently he added, "7ou cry out or mae a noise
and 2'll suc you dry afore the cat can lic her ear#"
Asher studied him for a moment with deliberate
contem"t# %e was a man in his twenties, lon!'armed, raw'
boned, and awward'looin! in a blac suit that did not )t
well'that hard little nut of a face would have looed more
at home above the corduroy wor "ants and frie&e 4acet of
a mill hand or docer# Blac hair was sliced bac under a
)ve'shillin! derby> there was blood under the uncut nails#
"2f you didn't have some reason to s"ea to me, 2
assume you would have done that already," Asher retorted#
":ays a!o, in fact### 6hy have you been followin! me?"
:avies too a ste" closer# $he smell of old blood in his
clothes was re"ulsive# 6hen he s"oe his whis"er was ran
as a enamel house# "$hat to8 7sidro'he !one?"
Asher's every sense of dan!er came alert# "2 haven't the
faintest idea," he said coldly# "%e could have followed me
bac here# 6e "arted rather abru"tly# 2 haven't seen or
heard him, but then, one doesn't#"
Bully Joe threw a swift !lance around him, and Asher
saw fear !leam in his bloodshot blue eyes# %e ed!ed closer
still, his lon!'nailed )n!ers "icin! at Asher's sleeve, his
voice lowered to a hoarse breath# "%as he s"oe of me?" he
whis"ered# ":oes he now of me?"
6ith an e8ort Asher e"t the sur!e of overwhelmin!
curiosity out of his voice# ",houldn't he?"
$he hand closed around his arm, remindin! Asher of
that other tenet of vam"ire lore'that they had the stren!th
of ten men# 7sidro cer'tainly had# "2f you s"ea of me, if
you say au!ht of me, 2'll ill you," :avies breathed# "$hey'd
ill me, they would'+ri""en, and that chilly .a"ist bastard
7sidro'if they new about me, new -alvaire had made me#
0irst, 2 thou!ht it was +ri""en and the others what done for
-alvaire# $hen 2 heard them others had been illed'Neddy
%am'mersmith and Lottie# -hrist, they was +ri""en's own
!etH ,oddin! bas'tard'd never ill his ownH And now 2'm
bein! followed, bein! watched###"
"By whom?" Asher demanded shar"ly# "%ow do you
now?"
":ammit, you thin 2'd be asin' a mortal man if 2
nowed that?" Bully Joe swun! around, twistin! his hands,
his hard face contortin! with ra!e rooted in fear, and Asher
fou!ht not to ste" away from him, not to show his own fear#
",ummat's after me, 2 tell youH And 2 hear the others
talin!' -oo, ain't that a ticler? 2 can stand acrost the
street in the shadows and hear every word they saysH And
they say there's some bloe illin' us wi' a stae in the
heart, 4ust lie in them old boos, and lettin' the sun inH 7ou
!otta "rotect me, same as you're hel"in' the others###"
%is hands closed around Asher's sleeve a!ain, and
Asher thou!ht fast# "2 will "rotect you," he said, "if you'll
hel" me, answer my 3ues'tions# 6ho are you? 6hy do the
others want to ill you?"
$he calm authority in his voice seemed to 3uieten
:avies, but the vam"ire's re"ly was still suly and
im"atient# "2 told you, 2'm -alvaire's !et, +ri""en's the
*aster of London# None of the Others'@@ dare !et a
<ed!lin! wi'out his say'so# +ri""en don't want none in Lon'
don but his own !et, his own slaves##
#"
"But -alvaire wasn't +ri""en's !et#"
:avies shoo his head, !oaded, weary, confused# "Narh#
%e come in from .aris, he said, thou!h he taled En!lish
lie a re!ular man# %e made me, said 2'd live forever, have
all the !elt 2 wanted, never dieH %e never said it'd be lie
thisH" :es"eration cre"t into his tone# "0or a month now 2
been livin' from "illar to "ost, never slee"in' the same
"lace twicetH %idin' from +ri""en, hidin' from 7sidro###
-alvaire said he'd tae care of me, show me what 2 !ot to
nowH But it's all !one wron! nowf Everythin!'s all dinnin'
and burnin' in my ears, smellin' the blood of every livin'
soul###"
%e broe o8, licin! his li"s, his burnin! eyes )(in! on
Asher's throat, lie a drunard for!ettin! his thou!ht in
midsentence# ,lowly, thicly, he whis"ered, "2 illed a !irl
last ni!ht'-hin !irl, down by the Limehouse'and 2 don't
dare hunt another for a cou"le o' days at least# But my
brain's burain' for itH 2 dunno how the others do it, ill and
not !et the <atties down on 'em###"
Asher felt the hand ti!hten a!ain around his arm, be!in
to draw him ine(orably closer to that twisted, fan!ed face#
6ith deliberate calm, he ased, "And now you're bein!
followed?"
:avies <inched, as if he'd been shaen from slee"> he
loosed his !ri" and ste""ed bac, wi"in! his li"s with a
hand that shoo# "2 dunno," he whis"ered# ",ometimes it's
lie 2 can feel summat in the ni!ht, watchin' me, and 2'll
turn around and there's nuthin'H Other times### 2 dunno#" %e
shoo his head, his li" liftin! bac from stained yellow
fan!s#
"2 don't want to dieH 2 died once already# 2 went throu!h
it with -alvaireH 2 wouldn't of let him do this to me, 'ce"t
that 2 didn't want to dieH -hrist Jesus, 2 didn't now it'd be
lie thisH"
$here was a noise at the end of the alley# :avies swun!
around, his hand ti!htenin! with bone'crushin! force on
Asher's elbow# $hrou!h the "ain, Asher was still interested
to note that no sweat stood out on the vam"ire's white
face# A man and a teen'a!e boy stood momentarily framed
in the li!hter slot of the alley's mouth, the boy looin!
coyly away as the man bent his head down# $hen, as if
they heard Asher's involuntary !as" of "ain, they "aused,
"eerin! si!htlessly into the dar'ness# After an uneasy
moment they moved away#
:avies let !o of his arm, wi"ed his li"s a!ain# "2 !ot to
!o," he said, his voice thic#
2t was Asher's turn to catch at his sleeve# "-an you tae
me to -alvaire's lod!in!s?"
"Not toni!ht#" $he vam"ire !lanced nervously around
and <e(ed his bi! hands# "2 ain't illed yet toni!ht and 2
need it bad# Just bein' this close to you turns my brain wi'
the wantin' of it# Lie me dad, when he !ets the cravin' for
the !in#" %e shot a 3uic, sullen !lance at Asher, darin!
him to disa""rove or to show fear#
Asher had dealt with enou!h drunards and addicts to
now that, if he did either, Bully Joe mi!ht very well ill him
from sheer "i3ue# %e was uncomfortably aware, too, of
7sidro's warnin!, and of how lon! the interview had lasted
already# 6hat e8ect would that "sychic "un!ence have on
a mind not oriented, not tau!ht how to handle the in<u( of
new sensation?
"$omorrow ni!ht, then?"
"Late," :avies said, his eyes turnin! once a!ain to the
alley mouth# "2'll come here and wait for you, after 2 been
and illed# ,eems lie, until 2 do, 2 can't "ro"erly thin# 2'll
ee" away from the co""ers somehow# 2t ee"s hurtin' at
me and hurtin' at me# -hrist, 2 saw my sister last ni!ht'
*ad!e, the
youn!est, si(teen she is# ,he'll still come and see me,
loo for me'she don't now what ha""ened to me, nor why
2 left me old lod!in!s, nor nuthin'# 2 hadn't illed yet, and by
+od it was all 2 could do to ee" from sinin' my fan!s into
herH
"7ou seen the others," he went on, with a !esture of
hel"less ra!e which seemed to abort itself midswee" into a
ind of futile wave# "7ou taled to other vam"s, now, you
must have# Are they all lie this? /illin' the ones they love,
4ust because they're handy'lie? -alvaire said he'd teach
me, tell me, hel" me to !et on, but he's dead now# And the
one that done for him is comin' after me###"
%e swun! wildly around at another sound, but it was
only a !irl, si(teen or so and "lain as an old boot, ste""in!,
candle in hand, out into an areaway from the tradesmen's
door of one of the houses that baced onto the alley# Asher
heard the <a" of a shaen ra! and the s"atterin! of crumbs
on the cement and, beside him, the soft hiss of the
vam"ire's murmured, "Ahhh###" 2n the faint re<ection of the
li!ht, Asher saw the youn! man's eyes, blue and shallow in
life, bla&e with the stran!e inner )re of the ;ndead#
Bully Joe muttered thicly a!ain, "2 !ot to !o#"
Asher's hand clinched down on the vam"ire's arm,
holdin! him bac# $he vam"ire whirled, enra!ed, his other
hand lifted to strie, and Asher met the hun!ry devil'eyes
coldly, darin! him to !o throu!h with it# After a moment
Bully Joe's arm came down slowly# Beyond his cra!!y
silhouette, Asher saw the smud!e of candle <ame
disa""ear into the house from which it had come#
An evil an!er twisted at the fan!ed mouth# ",o it's
bar!ainin' now?" Bully Joe whis"ered# "7ou now, and
because of it 2 !ot to do what you say# 7eah, -alvaire
"layed that !ame, too# 2'll tell you this and 2'll tell you that,
if you do as you're bid### fau!hH" %is arm twisted free as if
Asher's hand had been the wea !ri" of a child# $hey faced
each other in silence, but Asher felt nothin! of the terrible
dreamy coercion of the vam"ire mind'only a ind of
inchoate bu&&in! in his head, as if Bully Joe were !ro"in! to
do that which he had no notion of how to accom'"lish#
$hen this, too, faded, and Bully Joe "assed his hand across
his mouth a!ain in a !esture of frustration and defeat#
"7ou hadn't any choice with -alvaire," Asher said
3uietly, "and you haven't any now, if 2'm to )nd this iller
before he'or she')nds you# Be here tomorrow ni!ht after
midni!ht# 2'll let you now anythin! 2've found#"
"=i!ht," :avies muttered, bacin! a few "aces away, a
dar bul a!ainst the "aler darness of the alley mouth#
"2'll be here# But 2 tell you this ri!ht now, .rofessor5 7ou tell
7sidro or any of them others about me or about where
you're !oin', and 2'll brea your bac#"
2t was meant to be his e(it line, so Asher s"oiled it by
sayin! coolly, "7ou're a vam"ire, Bully Joe# :o you thin 2,
as a mortal man, can ee" 7sidro from followin! me if he
wants to? :on't be ridiculous#"
$he vam"ire snarled, his lon! fan!s !lintin! in the dar,
tryin!, Asher !uessed, to collect a )ttin! re4oinder#
%e wasn't u" to it, however# After a lon! "ause, he
turned and strode o8 u" the alley toward the !asli!hts of
Bruton .lace# Asher felt, as clearly as if the vam"ire had
"ointed and said!Look over there! the momentary ur!e to
turn his head, to chec for dan!er in the dar "it of the
areaway closest to him# %e forced his eyes to remain on
Bully Joe and so saw him silhouetted brie<y a!ainst the
street lam"s at the alley's narrow mouth# $hen he was
!one#
Asher threw a 3uic !lance down the areaway to
reassure himself that the ur!e of dan!er had been, in
fact, only a clumsy e8ort at the "sychic !lamour which
7sidro wielded so ade"tly# $hen he "ulled his brown ulster
more closely about him and waled u" the alley and
around the corner, to the dim li!hts and freer air of .rince
of 6ales -olonnade#
0rom the doorway of Number @FE, Lydia watched the
vam"ire emer!e into Bruton .lace# ,he'd seen Asher
crossin! that street )fteen minutes earlier when she'd
come to the front "arlor to buy a stam" from her landlady'
she was wearin! her s"ecs, as she did when worin!'but
had meticulously taen no notice# 6hen she'd seen the tall,
brown, rather melancholy'looin! )!ure turn into the alley
which she new led throu!h to his own lod!in!s, she'd
merely assumed he was "layin! at s"ies, somethin! he
sometimes did in O(ford sheerly out of habit# Nev'
ertheless, a !lim"se of him was a !lim"se of
him# 2choolgirlish! she thou!ht, swiftly climbin! the narrow
oval of stairs and hurryin! down the hall to her little
bedroom at the bac of the house, but there you have
it. After livin! with him for si( years, she was sur"rised at
the de"th of her need to see him, if only for a second#
And then she had seen the vam"ire#
$he only li!ht in the alley was what leaed down from
the windows of the houses on both sides, but with no li!ht
on in her own room'that was another thin! she'd learned
from James' Lydia could see fairly well# $hey were talin!
when she came to the window, movin! the lace curtain
only barely> James' bac was to her, and in the !loom she
could see the cold, inhuman white of the other man's face,
and reali&ed with a shiver that he must have been waitin!
down there,
A vam"ire# $he ;ndead#
$hey were real#
,he had not doubted James' story'not consciously, she
re<ected, at any rate# But the 3uicenin! of her heart, the
coldness of her hands, told her now that there had been a
"art of her that had not really believed# Not really.
;ntil now#
Even at this distance, her trained eye "iced out the
colorin! of a cor"se, the di8erent way he held himself and
moved# $his man did not )t the descri"tion of :on ,imon
7sidro'another vam"ire, then# After the )rst shoc her
whole soul swelled into one vast itch to !et a closer loo at
the ton!ue and mucous membranes of the eyes, at the hair
follicles and nails which !row after death, and at the teeth#
,he'd s"ent the last thirty'si( hours, more or less, in
readin!, and between the drier tomes of leasehold and
3uitclaim at the .ublic =ecords O9ce, she'd come home to
"eruse the trunful of medical 4ournals she'd brou!ht
alon!'articles on "or"hyria, "ernicious anemia, and the
various ner'vous disorders which constituted the "lo!ical
e("lanations" so dear to the heart of modern man# ,he
reali&ed that she, too, had wanted them to be true#
Now###
/ee"in! an eye on the window, she "ulled her medical
ba! to her from its "lace near the bed# By touch in the
dar, she found her two lar!est am"utation nives and
sli""ed their cased len!ths into her coat "ocet as she "ut
the !arment on# $hey were "olished steel, not the
su"ernaturally recommended silver> she cast her mind
about for "os'sibilities for a moment, then du! in the ba!
a!ain for her little bottle of silver nitrate and sli""ed that in
her "ocet as well# 2f worse came to worst, she could
always throw it and ho"e the le!ends were ri!ht#
$here was no time for anythin! more# Already James
and the vam'"ire were "artin!, the vam"ire "ullin! free of
James' !ri" and ste""in! bac> Lydia fancied she saw the
!lint of eyes in the shadows# 0or a moment, des"ite the
fact that she new the vam"ires had hired him and would
not harm him under the circumstances, she felt afraid for
him, for there was murder latent in every line of that half'
crouchin! dar form# $hen, with an an!ry !esture, the
vam"ire moved away#
6ith swift silence, Lydia was down three <i!hts of stairs,
coilin! u" her hair and "innin! on a hat on the run> "eo"le
who new her to tae three hours assemblin! herself for a
"arty would not have credited her s"eed in an emer!ency#
,he was waitin! in the dar of the entryway when the
shamblin!, raw'boned sha"e of the youn! man emer!ed
from the alley# ,he had no intention of !ettin! anywhere
near him, nor of comin! close enou!h to let herself be
seen> even from half a bloc's distance, it would be
"ossible to observe how he moved, how those closer to
him would be a8ected by the aura'if there was one'that
James had described# 2t was the best she could do for now#
$hey were close to ,haftesbury Avenue# Lydia followed
the vam"ire southeast, her hi!h heels ta""in! lie a deer's
tiny hooves on the "ave'ment# $here were still "lenty of
"eo"le about, crowdin! the sidewals under the !lare of
the !asli!hts in thron!s that had not the "ur"oseful hurry
of the day# 6omen in bri!ht clothes strolled on the arms of
!entlemen, lau!hin! and leanin! their shinin! curls close
to dar shoul'ders> 4ehus, bundled in coats and scarves
a!ainst the bite of the October ni!ht, read news"a"ers on
the hi!h bo(es of their cabs in the street'side rans, their
horses breathin! steam lie dra!ons# +rou"s of youn!
swells, of im"ecunious medical students, and of home'
!oin! sho" clers 4ostled alon! the "avement# Lydia found
it hard to ee" the vam"ire in si!ht#
And yet, she saw, the vam"ire was havin! his own
"roblems# .art of this was because "eo"le sim"ly did not
loo at him, or a""arently did not see him when they did,
with the result that they did not move aside, as "eo"le did
for her# $he irony of that entertained her a !ood deal as
she moved alon!, hands in "ocets'she'd mislaid her
!loves and had no tune to hunt for them'in his wae# ,he
herself had no trouble followin! him when the ever'!rowin!
crowds "ermitted, but, then, she new what to loo for# %e
was tall# $he chea" blac bowler <oated over the !eneral
crowd lie a roach in a cess"ool#
%e turned one corner and another# $he crowds thinned
out, and Lydia had to fall bac a!ain, !lad that her coat
was of a nondescri"t color'unusual for her, and in this case
deliberate'and wishin! her hair were, too, where it showed
beneath the brim of her hat# $he vam'"ire was movin!
slower now, and Lydia observed that "eo"le now moved
aside from him, and treated him as if he were there#
,o it was somethin! that came and went, she thou!ht#
And there was somethin! else#
$hey were near -ovent +arden, a tan!le of little streets
and alleys, the cram"ed, chea" lod!in!s of servants and
seamstresses, costermon!ers hawin! at half "rice from
carts what they couldn't !et rid of earlier in the day, and
the smell of rottin! ve!etables "iled with the dun! in the
!utters# A cou"le of loun!ers outside a "ub whistled admir'
in!ly and called out to her# ,he i!nored them and ho"ed
the vam"ire did, too# $hou!h she vastly "referred the
3uieter life of O(ford for her wor, at her father's insistence
she'd s"ent a certain amount of time in London, but the
!raceful houses of *ayfair, the !reen s"aciousness of %yde
.ar and ,t# James, and the 3uiet o"ulence of the ,avoy
and ,im"son's mi!ht have been in another city# $his tan!le
of wet cobble'stones, loud voices, and harsh li!hts was
alien to her e("erience> thou!h she wasn't "articularly
fri!htened'after all, she new she had only to summon a
cab and return to Bruton .lace 'she new she would have
to !o carefully#
,he saw the vam"ire turn into a little court whose
broen cobbles leaed blac water into the wider
street> she duced her head and "assed its entrance
swiftly, not darin! even to loo# 2n this "art of London,
circlin! a bloc was always a chancy business, but she too
the ne(t turnin! and hurried her ste"s down the
insalubrious and deserted court until she found a dirty alley
that seemed to lead throu!h#
,he hesitated for a lon! time'nearly a minute, which,
!iven her 3uarry and the dan!er she new she would be in,
was lon!# $he alley, what she could see of it, was dar and
crooed# $hou!h the houses of the little court at her bac
!ave evidence of life in the form of li!hts burnin! in the
windows and shadows crossin! bac and forth over the
chea" curtains or baldly uncurtained !lass, all the !round'
<oor sho"s had been loced u", and the wet, narrow
"avement lay deserted under the chill drift of evenin! mist#
,he shivered and huddled dee"er into her coat, for the )rst
time conscious of why so many "eo"le dislied bein! alone#
$he vam"ire was in the ne(t court# ,he had a stron!
sus"icion that he had !one there to see his "rey#
%er hand closed ti!hter on the sheath of the
am"utation nife in her "ocet# A si('inch blade seemed
lie a broadsword in the dissectin! room> she wondered if,
"ut to it, she could brin! herself to use it a!ainst livin!
<esh#
Or even, she added with involuntary humor, 4ndead.
-ne way of getting a blood sample! but risky. 2f the other
vam"ires didn't now of her connection with James, they
would have no reason for s"arin! her life#
And James would be furious#
Lie the whis"er of a breath, of a footfall, or of the half
consciousness of the smell of blood, she new there was
someone behind her#
,he swun! around, her heart hammerin!, !alvani&ed
into terror such as she had never felt before, the nife
whi""in! out of her "ocet, naed in her slim hand# 0or a
moment she stood, <attened to the bric of the corner of
the alley wall, the scal"el held before her, facin!### noth'
in!# $he court behind her was deserted#
But, she thou!ht, only 4ust#
%er !lance dro""ed instantly to the wet "avement
behind her# No foot"rint but her own little smud!es marred
its moist shine# %er hand was shain!'it, her mouth, and
her feet all felt lie ice as all the blood in her body
retreated from her e(tremities in reaction to the shoc# ,he
noted the e8ect with a clinical detachment, at the same
time conscious of the heat of her breath, and how it
smoed as it min!led with the mists that had be!un to drift
throu!h this dar and tan!led "art of the city# #ad it been
this misty before?
$here had been somethin! there# ,he new it#
A smell, she thou!ht, her mind tain! refu!e in analysis
while her eyes swe"t here and there, to the shadows which
suddenly clotted blacer, more twisted, beneath the
doorways and shutters of the loced and em"ty sho"s'a
smell of blood, of rot, of somethin! she had never smelled
before and never wanted to smell a!ain### A smell of some'
thin! wron!#
And close to her# ,o terrifyin!ly close#
2t was "erha"s forty seconds before she !ained the
coura!e to move from the "rotection of the wall at her
bac#
,he e"t as close to the wall as she could, main! her
way bac swiftly to the "o"ulated noises of *onmouth
,treet> she felt every door'way and every "ro4ection of the
sho" fronts concealin! invisible threats# As she "assed the
entrance to the ne(t court movement cau!ht her eye# ,he
turned her head to see a !irl, fourteen or )fteen and
dressed in secondhand )nery from the slo" sho"s of the
East ,ide, an e(uberantly trimmed oran!e and blue froc
standin! out in the darness# ,he heard the nasal voice
say, "6ell, *ister, wot yer doin' 'ere, all by yourself?" 2t was
youn! and coa(in! and already with a "rofessional's ed!e#
,he stood for a lon! moment, sicened, the nife still in
her lowered hand, wonderin! if she should call out# Beyond
the !irl's form, in the blac darness of the court, she could
see nothin!, but half felt the !leam of eyes#
,he 3uicened her ste"s, cold and shain!, and hailed
the )rst cab she saw to tae her bac to Bloomsbury#
6hat little slee" she achieved that ni!ht was with the
lam" burnin! beside her bed#
$he mornin! "ost brou!ht Asher an envelo"e without
return address, containin! a blan sheet of "a"er in which
was folded a cloaroom ticet from the British *useum# %e
"aced u" the "recis of yesterday's )ndin!s, the list of
relatives of Lotta %arshaw's victims, and the mea'
surements of tracs and foot"rints taen at %alf *oon
,treet and "ut them in a brown satchel, which he too with
him to the *useum and checed in to the cloaroom# After
half an hour's 3uiet "erusal of court records of the brief
rei!n of 1ueen *ary 2 in the vast hush of that immense
rotunda, he sli""ed an envelo"e from his "ocet,
addressed it to *iss .riscilla *erridew, sealed his own
cloaroom ticet in it, af')(ed a "enny stam", and left,
"resentin! the ticet he'd received by "ost and receivin!
another brown satchel whose contents, o"ened in his own
rooms after "ostin! his missive to Lydia, "roved to be
several folded sheets covered with his wife's s"rawlin!
handwritin!#
Even a "reliminary list of houses in London which had
not chan!ed hands, either by sale or by testamentary
de"osition, in the last hundred years was dauntin!ly lon!#
+iven the va!aries of the .ublic =ecords O9ce, there were,
of course, do&ens of reasons why a "iece of "ro"erty would
have no records attached to it'everythin! from be3uests by
"ersons livin! outside Britain to "urchase by cor"orations'
but Asher was !rati)ed to note that @F %alf *oon ,treet
was on the list# And it was a start, he thou!ht, a
"reliminary list a!ainst which to chec###
A name cau!ht his eye#
Ernchester %ouse#
0or a moment he wondered why it was familiar, then he
remembered# One of the names Lotta had used on old
dressmaer's bills was -arlotta Ernchester#
Lydia was not at the .ublic =ecords O9ce in -hancery
Lane when Asher !ot there, a circumstance which he
thou!ht 4ust as well# $hou!h by dayli!ht he new he had
nothin! to fear from the vam"ires of Lon'don, he was
uneasily conscious that the man he was stalin! was not of
the ;ndead and, lie himself, was able to o"erate both in
the daytime and the ni!httime worlds#
%e established himself at a des in the most
incons"icuous corner of the readin! room and sent in his
re3uests with the cler, aware that the iller could, in fact,
be any of the nondescri"t men at the various dess and
counters around the lon! room, turnin! over leaves of
laborious co""er"late in the old record
boos, searchin! the )les of cor"oration and "arish
records for houses which had never been sold, or bodies
which had never been buried# $he cha" at the far side of
the room with the !rayin! side whisers looed both tall
enou!h and stron! enou!h to have wrenched loose the
shutters from Edward %ammersmith's win'dow# Asher
leaned idly around the ed!e of his des and studied the
man's s3uare'toed boots with their military !loss# 0ar too
broad for the sin!le clear trac he'd been able to measure#
A tall man and a stron! one, he thou!ht, starin!
abstractedly throu!h the lon! windows down at the
courtyard and at the frilly +othic fanta'sies of the roof line
beyond# A man ca"able of tracin! a vam"ire? Even an
ine("erienced <ed!lin! lie Bully Joe :avies? Or was Bully
Joe, disoriented and maddened by the <ood of new
sensations and now fur'ther confused by his master
-alvaire's death, merely "rey to a chronic case of what
Asher himself had occasionally e("erienced abroad'the
conviction of "er"etual "ursuit# +od nows, Asher thou!ht,
if even 7sidro had "iced u" the tric of !lancin!
continually over his shoul'der, what sha"e would :avies be
in after'a month, had he said, since -alvaire's death?
And he made a mental note of the fact that Bully Joe
seemed in no doubt that -alvaire had, in fact, been "done
for," and had not merely disa""eared, as 7sidro had once
hy"othesi&ed#
2t was lielier that the iller, lie himself, was a man of
education, able to trac by "a"er what he could not trac
in the <esh#
Ar!uably, he was a man of "atience, Asher thou!ht,
runnin! his )n!ers alon! the dusty leaves of the ,t# Bride's
"arish roll boo> a man willin! to !o throu!h the
maddenin! "rocess of siftin! records, names, deeds, and
wills, checin! them a!ainst whatever clues he mi!ht have
found in the vam"ires' rooms before he'or someone else'
burned it all#
-ertainly a man of resolution and stren!th, to slice o8
the head of the blonde woman in %i!h!ate -emetery with
a sin!le blow#
And' "erha"s most odd'a man who had su9ciently
believed in vam"ires in the )rst "lace to mae his initial
stalin!, his initial ill, which would conclusively "rove to
him that his "rey, in fact, e(isted at all#
$hat in itself Asher found 3uite curious#
0or that matter, he thou!ht uneasily, turnin! bac to his
wor, it mi!ht be 7sidro or the mysterious +ri""en whom
Bully Joe sensed on his heels# 2f that were the case, Asher
new he stood in double dan!er, for if Bully Joe reali&ed it
was 7sidro on his trail, he would never believe Asher had
not betrayed him#
After a tedious e(amination of ward records and "arish
rolls, he ascertained that Ernchester %ouse had been sold
in the early @GFFs by the Earls of Ernchester, whose town
house it had once been, to a =obert 6antho"e# $he house
itself stood in ,avoy 6al, a name only va!uely familiar to
Asher as one of the innumerable tiny courts and "assa!e'
ways that laced the oldest "art of London in the vicinity of
the $em"le# Oddly enou!h, there was no record of any
=obert 6antho"e havin! ever "urchased any other
"ro"erty in London, in ,t# Bride's "arish or any other#
$en minutes' wal to ,omerset %ouse and a certain
amount of search in the 6ills O9ce su9ced to tell Asher
that *r# 6antho"e had never made a will'an unusual
circumstance in a man who had su9cient funds to buy a
town house# A brief visit to the =e!istry in another win! of
the vast buildin! informed him, not much to his sur"rise,
that no record e(isted of 6antho"e's death or, for that
matter, his birth#
2n the words of .rofessor :od!son, Asher
thou!ht, curiouser and curiouser. Almost certainly an alias#
Ernchester %ouse had not surfaced in any record
whatsoever since#
2t was nearly )ve when he left ,omerset %ouse# $he raw
wind was blowin! tatters of cloud in over the $hames as he
crossed the wide, cobbled court, emer!in! on the ,trand
o""osite the new +aiety $he'atre# 0or a few minutes he
considered seein! out ,avoy 6al, but reasoned that
there would be no one stirrin! in Ernchester %ouse until
dar'and in any case there was somethin! he very much
wanted to buy )rst#
,o he turned his ste"s westward, dod!in! across the
tan!les of tra9c in .iccadilly and Leicester ,3uare# Li!hts
were be!innin! to !o u", soft and "rimrose around the
wrou!ht'iron "alisade of the "ublic lavatories in .iccadilly
-ircus, bri!hter and more !arish from the doors of the
Em"ire and Alhambra# %e 3uicened his "ace, huddlin! in
the volumi'nous folds of his ulster and scarf as the day
faded# %e had no idea how soon after sunset the vam"ires
be!an to move, and above all, he did not want 7sidro to
s"ot him now#
$he fashionable sho"s were still o"en in Bond ,treet# At
Lambert's he "urchased a silver chain, thic lins of the
"urest metal available> he sto""ed in a doorway in Di!o
,treet to "ut it on# $he metal was cold a!ainst his throat as
it slid down under his collar# As he wra""ed his scarf bac
over it, he was torn between a va!ue sensation of
embarrass'ment and wonderin! whether he shouldn't have
invested in a cruci)( as well#
But silver was s"oen of a!ain and a!ain as a !uard
a!ainst the ;ndead, who far transcended the !eo!ra"hical
and chronolo!ical limits of -hristianity# .erha"s the cruci)(
was merely a way of "lacin! a !reater concentration of the
metal near the bi! vessels of the throat# %e only ho"ed the
follore was ri!ht#
2f it wasn't, he thou!ht, he mi!ht very well be dead
before mornin!#
Or, at least accordin! to some follore, worse#
Now that was curious, he mused, 4ostlin! his way bac
throu!h the thicenin! "ress of youn! swells and !aily
dressed -y"rians around the Em"ire's wide, carved doors#
$he follore all a!reed that the victims of vam"ires often
became vam"ires themselves, but at no time had 7sidro
s"oen of his own victims, or those of the other mysterious
hunters of the dar streets, as 4oinin! the rans of their
illers# Bully Joe :avies had s"oen of a vam"ire "!ettin!"
<ed!lin!s, as -alvaire had "!otten" him'evidently a!ainst
the commands of the master vam"ire +ri""en#
,o it wasn't automatic'not that Asher had ever believed
that it was, of course# Even without Lydia's "ro4ection of the
number of victims a sin!le vam"ire mi!ht ill in the course
of a century and a half, lo!ic forbade that sim"le
!eometrical "rinci"le> the vam"ires e"t on illin!, but the
world was not innundated with <ed!lin! vam"ires#
$here was somethin! else involved, some deliberate
"rocess### a "rocess 4ealously !uarded by the *aster of
London#
+ri""en#
"A bi! to8", the tobacconist's cler had said# A hard
boy, and never mind the boiled shirt#
+ri""en's !et, Bully Joe :avies had said# +ri""en's
slaves#
6as 7sidro? 2t was hard to "icture that "oised, "ale
head bendin! to anyone#
7et there was so much that was bein! hidden5 an
iceber! beneath dar waters> wheels within invisible
wheels> and the "ower stru!!les amon! the ;ndead,
%e left the streamin! tra9c of :rury Lane, the 4umbled
bri!htness of -ovent +arden behind him# -rossin! the
,trand a!ain, he !ot a !lim"se of the vast broodin! dome
of ,t# .aul's a!ainst the darenin! bruise of the sy# $he
lanes were narrow here, lacin! o8 in all directions, canyons
of hi!h brown buildin!s with "ubs <arin! lie s"illed 4ewel
bo(es at their corners# ,omewhere he heard the insouciant
clatter of busers, and a woman's throaty lau!h#
%e "assed ,avoy 6al twice before identifyin! it'a
cobbled "assa!e, lie so many in the $em"le district,
between two rows of buildin!s, not 3uite the width of his
outstretched arms# 2t curved a do&en feet alon!, cuttin! out
the li!hts from ,alisbury .lace# %is own footste"s "ierced
the !loom in a moist whis"er, for fo! was risin! from the
nearby river#
$he tiny "assa!e widened to a little court, where the
si!ns of small sho"s 4utted out over the wet, bum"y stones'
a "awnbroer's, a sec'ond'hand boosho", a manufacturer
of !lass eyes# All were em"ty and dar, crouchin! beneath
the tall !ambreled silhouette of the house at the rear of the
court, a 4ewel of interlaced bricwor and leaded !lass,
nearly blac with soot# $he li!hts of the "o"ulous districts
to the north and east cau!ht in the driftin! fo! to form a
me"hitic, dimly luminous bacdro" behind a baro3ue
4un!le of slantin! roofs and chimneys# $he house, too, was
dar> but as Asher waled toward it, a li!ht went u" in its
lon! windows#
$he ste"s were tall, soot'stained, and decorated with
decayin! lions in ochre stone# $here was lon! stillness after
the echoes of the door nocer died# Even listenin! closely,
Asher heard no tread u"on the <oor#
But one leaf of the carved double door o"ened
suddenly, framin! a!ainst the dar honey of oil li!ht the
sha"e of a tall woman in ivory faille, her reddish'dar hair
coiled thic above a face dry, smooth, and cold as white
sil# By the !low of the many'"aned lam"s behind her, he
could see the ;ndead !litter of her brown eyes#
"*rs# 0arren?" he said, usin! the family name of the
Earls of Ernchester, and it sur"rised her into re"lyin!#
"7es#" $hen somethin! chan!ed in her eyes#
"Lady Ernchester?"
,he didn't answer# %e felt the touch of that slee"iness,
that mental la&iness of not "ayin! attention, and forced it
away> he saw in those !litterin! eyes that she felt that, too#
"*y name is :r# James Asher# 2'd lie to tal to you
about :anny /in!#" ,even
"-ome in#"
,he ste""ed bac from the door, !estured him to a
salon whose "ilastered archway o"ened to the ri!ht of the
hall# %er voice was low and very sweet, without
seductiveness or arti)ce of any ind# As he followed her,
Asher was acutely conscious of the thud'din! of his own
heart# %e wondered if she was, too#
$he salon was lar!e, "erfectly orderly, but had a chilled
air of lon! ne!lect# One dim oil lam" on the corner of a
curlicued Baro3ue mantel'"iece "iced out the ed!es of the
furnishin!s nearest it'!raceful %e""lewhite chairs, the
curve of a bow'front cabinet, and the claret'red !leam of
carved maho!any in a thic archaic style# Asher wondered
who would dust the "lace and bricbat that din!y front
ste", now that :anny /in! was dead#
*rs# 0arren said, "2've heard of you, :r# Asher#" As in
7sidro's, there was neither commitment nor emotion in her
voice# ,tandin! be'fore her in the small "ool of lam"li!ht,
he could see the !leam of her "rotrudin! fan!s, and the
fact that, e(ce"t when she s"oe, the creamy thicness of
her breasts did not rise or fall#
"*y a"olo!ies for intrudin!," he said, with a sli!ht bow#
"2f you've heard of me you now 2'm seein! information'
and if you now :on ,imon 7sidro, you "robably now 2'm
not !ettin! much# 6as :aniel /in! your servant?"
"7es#" ,he nodded once# ;nlie 7sidro, thou!h her voice
was abso'lutely neutral, there was a world of bri!htness, of
watchfulness, of feel'in! in her lar!e, !olden'brown eyes#
"%e was my husband's," she added after a moment, and
inwardly Asher si!hed with relief'he'd been afraid for a
moment that all vam"ires were as utterly
uncommunicative as :on ,imon# "%is carria!e'!room'a
ti!er, they used to call them# $hat was durin! our last###"
,he hunted for the word for a moment, dar brows
<inchin! sli!htly to!ether, and suddenly seemed in)nitely
more human# "Our last "eriod of bein! of the world, 2
su""ose you could say# 6e had a number of servants# 2n
those days such e(trava!ant eccentricities as barrin! a
whole win! of the house and leadin! an ut'terly nocturnal
e(istence were more acce"ted by servants than they are
now# But :anny !uessed#"
,he stood with her bac to the mantel"iece, her hands
clas"ed li!htly before her slender waist, in an attitude re!al
and sli!htly archaic, lie a stiBy "ainted =estoration
"ortrait# 2n life, Asher !uessed, she had been a little "lum",
but that was all smoothed away now, lie any trace of
archaism in her s"eech# %er !own with its <ared tuli" sirt
was mod'ern, but the baro3ue "earls she wore in her ears
could only have been so e(trava!antly set in the days of
the last of the ,tuart in!s#
6hen she moved, it had the same une("ectedness
7sidro's move'ments did, that momentary inattention, and
then )ndin! her at his side# But she only said, "2 su""ose
now that he's !one, it's 2 who must tae your coat###"
":id you mae him a vam"ire?"
"No#" ,he hesitated a moment in the act of layin!
ulster, hat, and scarf on a nearby sideboard, her eyes
movin! from his, then bac# "+ri""en did that, at our
re3uest'and :anny's# :anny was very de'voted to -harles'
my husband#"
"-ould you have?"
"2s that 3uestion "ertinent?" she in3uired levelly# "Or
4ust curiosity?"
"$he answer is that we would not have," a voice s"oe
from the shadows, and Asher turned swiftly, havin! heard
no crea from the <oorboards that had murmured beneath
his own wei!ht# $he man who stood there, face white as
chal in the !loom, seemed more lie a !host than a
human bein!'thinnish, medium hei!ht, and with an
inde)nable air about him of shabbiness, of a!e, as if one
would e("ect to see cob'webs cau!ht in his short'cro""ed
li!ht'brown hair# "Not without Lio'nel's "ermission#"
"Lionel?"
"+ri""en#" $he vam"ire shoo his head, as if the name
tasted <at and old u"on his ton!ue# $here was a weariness
to his movements, a slowness, lie a!e that had not yet
reached his face# +lancin! swiftly bac at *rs# 0arren,
Asher saw her eyes on this newcomer )lled with concern#
"%e never would have stood for it," the vam"ire
e("lained# "%e would have driven "oor :anny out of every
hole and corner within a year# %e's very 4ealous that way#"
%e held out one thin hand, said, "2'm Ernchester," in a voice
that echoed the resonance of that vanished title#
Asher, who had !ained a certain amount of familiarity
with the Earls of Ernchester from his afternoon's
researches, !uessed5 "Lord -harles 0arren, third Earl of
Ernchester?"
A faint smile brushed that white, s3uare'4awed face,
and for a mo'ment there was a <icer of animation in the
dead eyes# %e inclined his head# "2 fear 2 don't loo much
lie the "ortrait," he said# Any number of "ortraits of
ancient !entlemen lured on the !loomy salon walls, too
obscured with time and shadow to be even remotely
reco!ni&able# But Asher reasoned that, since the third Earl
of Ernchester had died in @IKN, and any "ortrait would
have been two'thirds devoted to an elabo'rate "eriwi!, it
scarcely mattered# And, in fact, the third Earl of Ernchester
had not died# Asher frowned, tryin! to recall the name of
the -ountess, and with the curious "ers"icacity of
vam"ires *rs# 0arren said, "Anthea#" ,he ste""ed over
beside her husband and !uided him to a chair near the
cold hearth> in her brown eyes was still that wariness, that
concern when she looed at him and that watchful enmity
when she re!arded Asher# Asher saw the way Ernchester
moved when he too his seat' with the same economy of
movement he had seen in 7sidro, and indeed in Lady
Anthea, but without life#
":id :anny slee" here?" he ased, and it was Anthea
who re"lied, "Only very occasionally#" ,he strai!htened u"
and waled bac to the hearth> it was a relief to Asher not
to have to )!ht to see them move, as he did with 7sidro#
"And 2 tae it it wasn't here that you found his body?"
0rom the comer of his eye Asher was conscious of
Ernchester loo'in! away, restin! his brow on his hand in a
!esture that hid his face# 2t came as a shoc to him that the
Earl felt !rief, and he saw an!er for that, too'a "rotective
an!er'in Anthea Barren's brown eyes#
"2f it had been," she re"lied coolly, "you may be sure
that the iller would have dis"atched the both of us as
well#"
%e bit his li"# $hen, answerin! her an!er and not her
words, "2'm sorry#"
,ome of the tension seemed to slac in her stron!
frame, and the an!er left her eyes# ,he, too, answered not
his words# "2t was foolish of you to come here," she said#
"7sidro can be maddenin!, but, believe me, if he has e"t
thin!s from you, it is because there is !round that it is
"erilous for a livin! man to tread#"
"$hat may be," Asher said# "But as lon! as he has a
"istol to my head'as lon! as someone 2 love will su8er for it
if 2 don't )nd this iller'he's not !oin! to be able to have it
both ways# 2 want to be shut of
this business 3uicly'before he )nds where 2've hidden
away the woman whose life is in hosta!e to him, before the
iller reali&es he has a day hunter on his trail, learns who 2
am, and tracs down this woman also'before 2 !et any
dee"er entan!led into the side of this a8air that isn't my
business# But 2 can't do that unless 2 have more information
than 7sidro's willin! to !ive#"
,he considered him for a lon! moment, her head a little
tilted, as if with the !lossy wei!ht of her dar hair# "%e is'a
very old vam"ire," she said after a time# "%e is cautious,
lie an old snae in a hole> he errs on the side of caution,
maybe# *aybe it's because he doesn't really care much
about anythin!#"
2t was odd to hear her s"ea of 7sidro as "old," for the
,"aniard had the 3ueerly !raceful air of a youn! man,
almost a boy# 2t was Ernchester, thou!ht Asher, with his
oddly dead motions and his weary eyes, who seemed old#
Asher !lanced bac at the chair where the Earl had sat, but
the vam"ire was no lon!er there# Asher could not recall 4ust
when he had vanished# 2t was early evenin!, he
remembered, and neither of his hosts had fed# But
somehow, s"eain! to this 3uiet and beautiful woman who
had been dead lon! before he was born, he could not fear
her#
%e wondered if that were because she meant him no
harm, or be'cause she was usin! some subtle variation of
the mental !lamour of the vam"ire on him, as 7sidro had
tried to do on the train# 7sidro's words about "other
vam"ires than 2" lin!ered unnervin!ly in his thou!hts#
After a lon! "ause, Anthea went on, "2'm not sure
whether he or +ri""en is the elder'they were both made
about the same time, by the same master# =hys the 6hite,
that was# A minstrel, who was master vam"ire of London'
oh, years, years#
"7ou understand that it was never usual for a
commoner to survive as a vam"ire until cities be!an to !et
lar!e enou!h for deaths to be invisible," she added after a
moment# "Only the landed had money and a "lace to be
secure durin! the days when we slee"# ,imon tells me that
even in his time, London was lie a small maret town#"
,he smiled a little, her teeth white a!ainst a li" full but "ale
as wa(# "And 2 su""ose you'd thin the London 2 !rew u" in
"altry'we used to "ic catins in the marshes where
Liver"ool ,tation now stands#
"2t was the nobles who could sustain their security, who
could hunt far enou!h a)eld'who could live on the blood of
cattle and deer, if need be, to "revent sus"icion from
fallin! on themselves# But one can'not live for too lon! on
the blood of animals# One cannot !o too lon! without the
ill# One !rows'dull# ,tu"id# 6eary# All thin!s be!in to seem
very "ointless# And out of that dullness, it is very easy to
be tra""ed and illed#"
,he raised her eyes to his, foldin! her hands'soft and
lar!e and stron! enou!h, he new, to brea his nec'over
one another, her rin!s !leamin! coldly# "$hat sounds vile,
doesn't it? But that bluntin! of mind'that la(in! of the
concentration'is death to a vam"ire, whom the risin! sun
will reduce to ashes# :o you thin us vile?"
"2 thin that what you are is vile," Asher said evenly#
":oes that matter to you?"
%er eyes left his a!ain, to consider the "earls and
moonstones of her rin!# "2f it mattered all that !reatly 2
su""ose 2 would have died years a!o#" Another woman
mi!ht have shru!!ed'he only sensed her settin! the
thou!ht aside with some attenuated shift of musculature
he did not 3uite see, before her eyes returned to his# "Of
course =hys was !one by the time -harles and 2 became
what we are# %e lived in the cry"ts below the old -hurch of
,t# +iles, hauntin! the waterfronts for sailors at ni!ht# %e
made his money "layin! in taverns, in Eastchea" and the
,teelyard'the +erman %ansa merchants loved him# ,imon
tells me his touch u"on the lute could brin! tears to your
eyes# $hat's where ,imon met him, a thin, little,
white' haired man, ,imon says, so fra!ile to loo at, lie
a little s"ider in stran!e !arb two centuries out of date#
$here was a !reat fren&y of witch'illin! in the days of old
/in! James, and those in London who survived it "erished
in the 0ire, all save +ri""en and ,imon# +od nows where
they found to slee", in the days the )re burned#"
"But you weren't made until after the )re?" 2t was
ancient history to him, lie the 0all of =ome> the woodcuts
of that monster con<a!ration that had devoured London in
@III#
"7ears after," she said# "2 remember, as a little !irl,
standin! on %arrow %ill in the dar, looin! down on the
city lie a car"et of <ame, and feelin! the heat blowin! o8
it onto my face on the wind# 2t had been windy all that
wee, hot and dry### 2 remember the cracle of the air in my
hair, and bein! afraid the )re would cover all the earth#"
,he shoo her head, as if wonderin! at that child's naivete#
"$hey said there were buildin!s whose stones e("loded lie
bombs in the heat, and little streams of molten lead from
the church roofs were seen runnin! lie water down the
!utters# Even after 2 became'what 2 am'it was years before
2 saw 7sidro> after the turn of the new century# %is face was
still covered with scars from the 0ire, his hands lie the
scabby'bared branches of a tree#"
"And +ri""en?"
%er mouth ti!htened a little# "Lionel !ot a lot of
<ed!lin!s in the years after the 0ire," she said# "-harles
was far from the )rst# %e needed money, needed
"rotection###"
".rotection?"
%er voice was deliberately colorless# "$here are always
feuds# All his <ed!lin!s had "erished in the 0ire# 0or years 2
thou!ht -harles was dead#" ,he !ave a little shae of her
head, as if "uttin! aside some old letter she had been
readin!, and !lanced u" at him a!ain, the oil li!ht !lowin!
amber in her eyes# "But that isn't what you came here to
hear#"
"2 came here to hear about vam"ires," Asher said
3uietly# "About who you are and what you are> what you do
and what you want# 7ou're a hunter, Lady 0arren# 7ou now
that you must see the "attern )rst, before you can see
where it breas#"
"2t's dan!erous," she be!an, and a thread of an!er
see"ed into Asher's voice#
"7sidro didn't !ive me any choice#"
%e was still standin! in front of her, in the small "ool of
li!ht that surrounded the vast marble edi)ce of the carved
mantel, close enou!h now that he could have reached out
and touched her face# %er face did not chan!e its
e("ression, but he saw her eyes alter their focus, <ic "ast
his shoulder to the dar cavern of the room behind him>
her hand shot out, dra!!in! at his arm even as he whirled
to see the massive shadow loomin! only feet behind him
and the terrible !lint of red eyes#
Anthea cried, "+ri""en, no###H" at the same instant
Asher swun! with his forearm to strie away the hu!e hand
that clutched at his throat# 2t was lie striin! a tree, but he
mana!ed to twist aside# %airy and "owerful, the vam"ire
+ri""en's hand shut around the shoulder of his coat
instead of his nec#
Asher twisted, slitherin! out of the !arment# +ri""en
was massive, as tall as Asher and broad as a door, with
!reasy blac hair fallin! in his eyes, his face "oced with
old scars and ruddy with in!ested blood# 0or all his si&e, he
was blindin!ly fast# %is massive arm loced around Asher's
chest, tra""in! him with his own arms tan!led still in his
half'discarded coat> he felt the vam"ire's mind smotherin!
his, cloudy and
stron! as steel, and fou!ht it as he had fou!ht 7sidro's
in the train# $he arm around his chest crushed ti!hter, and
he twisted with both his hands at the )n!ers buried in his
coat'he mi!ht 4ust as well have tried to brea the )n!ers of
a statue#
Anthea, too, was tearin! at +ri""en's wrists, tryin! to
force them loose# %e heard her cry, ":on't###H" as he felt the
man's hu!e, s3uare hand tear his shirt collar free, and
thou!ht, with bi&arre abstrac'tion, 5nd now for a little
experiment in applied folklore...
"+od's deathH" +ri""en's hand 4ered bac from the
silver chain, the ree of blood on his breath nauseatin!#
Asher dro""ed his wei!ht a!ainst the slacened hold,
sli""in! free for an instant before the en'ra!ed vam"ire
struc him a blow on the side of the head that noced him
s"innin! into the o""osite wall# %e hit it lie a ra! doll'the
strie had been blindin!ly fast, comin! out of nowhere with
an im"act lie that of a s"eedin! motorcar# As he san,
stunned, to the <oor the "hilolo!ist in him "iced out the
si(teenth'century rounded vowels' far more "ronounced
than 7sidro's'as the vam"ire bellowed, ".o(y whoreson, 2'll
!ive you silverH"
%is vision !rayin! out, he saw two sha"es melt and
whirl to!ether, blac and ivory in the lam"li!ht# Anthea had
hold of both of +ri""en's wrists, tryin! to dra! him bac,
her storm'colored hair fallin! loose from its "ins around her
shoulders# $hou!h his mind was swimmin!, Asher
sta!!ered to his feet and stumbled the len!th of the room
to the "illared archway# An in!lorious enou!h e(it, he
thou!ht di&&ily# .ro"'erly s"eain!, a !entleman should
remain and not let a lady tae the brunt of a fracas, but the
fact was that she was far more 3uali)ed than he for the
tas# 2t was also very unliely +ri""en could or would ill
her, and virtually certain that, if Asher remained, he was a
dead man#
,avoy 6al was silent, em"ty, wreathed thicly now in
fo!# 2f he could mae it to the end of the street, u"
,alisbury -ourt to the li!hts of 0leet ,treet, he'd be safe###
%e stumbled down the tall stone ste"s, scarcely feelin!
the raw cold of the river mist that lanced throu!h his shirt
sleeves and fro&e his throat throu!h his
torn co lla r.+angerous ground for a mortal to
tread indeed! he thou!ht, as his feet s"lashed in the
shallow "uddles of the uneven cobbles# %eedless of
a""earances, he be!an to run#
%e made it no farther than the blac slot where the
court narrowed into the crevice of the lane#
2n that shadowy o"enin! a form materiali&ed, seemin!
to tae sha"e, as they were said to, out of the mist itself'a
diminutive !irl, a "ocet Denus, "rimrose curls hea"ed hi!h
on her head and dar eyes !leamin! feral in the di8use
!low from the li!hts of the house# %e turned, seein! some
other esca"e, and saw behind him in the fo! the "ale face
of a world'weary !host that belon!ed to the third Earl of
Ernchester#
$heir hands were lie ice as they closed around his
arms#
"2'm sorry," Ernchester said softly, "but you have to
come with us#"
Eight
,even years is a lon! time," $he %onorable Evelyn
6estmoreland stirred at his co8ee with a tiny s"oon,
looin! down into its midni!ht de"ths# Across the table
from him, Lydia ho"ed that seven years was lon! enou!h#
"2 now," she said softly and rested her hand on the
table, close enou!h to his to let him now that, had she not
been married, he could have covered it with his# $he
"lumes on her hat, lie "in'tin!ed sunset clouds, moved
as she leaned forward> from the lace of her cu8s, her id'
!loved hands emer!ed lie the slim stamens of a rose# %er
brown eyes were wide and !entle'she could see him as a
soft'ed!ed "attern of dar and li!ht, but had decided that
in this case it was better to loo well than to see well#
Besides, she had learned how to inter"ret the most subtle
of si!ns# "Believe me, 2 wish 2 could let the matter rest#"
"7ou should#" $here was an ed!e of bitter distaste in his
voice# "2t's not the sort of thin! you should be asin!
about### *rs# Asher#" $he soft li"s, <eshy as those of some
decadent =oman bust, "inched u"# .ast him, the red'and'
blac sha"e of one of +atti's well'trained waiters !lided by
and, thou!h it was well "ast the hour when teas ceased
bein! served, fetched a little more hot water, which he
soundlessly added to the tea"ot at Lydia's elbow, and
removed the ruins of the little cae'and'sandwich "late#
$he restaurant was be!innin! to smell of dinner now rather
than tea# $he 3uality of the voices of the few diners comin!
in was di8erent> the women's indistinct forms were colored
di8erently than for daytime and <ashed with 4ewels#
Beyond the s3uare leads of the window"anes, a misty dus
had fallen on the ,trand#
$hose seven years, Lydia re<ected "rivately, had not
been "articu'larly ind to the E3ually %onorable Evelyn# %e
was still as bi! and burly as he'd been in those halcyon
days of ru!!er matches a!ainst /in!s> but, even without
her s"ecs, she could tell that under his immaculate
tailorin! he'd "ut on <esh# 6hen he'd taen her arm to lead
her to their little table, Lydia had been close enou!h to see
that, thou!h not yet thirty, he bore the crum"led
"ouchiness of dissi"ation beneath his blue'!ray eyes, the
bitter weariness of one who does not 3uite now what has
!one wron!> his <esh smelled faintly of e("ensive "omade#
%e was not the youn! man who had so assiduously o8ered
her his arm at cro3uet matches and concerts of Oriental
music, no lon!er :ennis Blaydon's "u""ylie brother'in'
arms a!ainst all comers on the )eld# Even bac when she'd
been most im"ressed with his considerable !ood loos,
Lydia had found his conversation stilted and borin!, and it
was worse now# 2t had taen nearly an hour of "atient
chitchat over tea to rela( him to the "oint of, she ho"ed,
con)dences#
,he looed down at her teacu", )n!erin! the fra!ile
curlicues of its handle, aware that, with her eyes downcast,
he was studyin! her face# &#owdid he die, Evelyn?"
"2t was a carria!e accident#" $he voice turned cris",
defensive#
"Oh," she said softly# "2 thou!ht### 2'd heard###"
"6hatever you heard," Evelyn said, "and whomever you
heard it from, it was a carria!e accident# 2'd rather not###"
".lease###" ,he raised her eyes to his once more# "2 need
to tal to you, Evelyn# 2 didn't now who else 2 could as# 2
sent you that note asin! to meet me here because### 2've
heard there was a woman#"
An!er <iced at the ed!es of his tone# ",he had nothin!
to do with it# %e died in a###"
"2 thin a friend of mine has !otten involved with her#"
"6ho?" %e moved his head, his eyes narrowin!, the
wary in<ection remindin! her of her father when he was
!ettin! ready to say thin!s lie "station in life" and "not
done#"
"No one you now," Lydia stammered#
%e "aused a moment, thinin! about that, turnin!
thin!s over in his mind with the slow deliberation she had
remembered# $he %onorable Bertie, dimwitted thou!h he
had been, had always been the bri!hter brother# $hen he
said slowly, ":on't worry about it, Lydia### *rs# Asher#
$ruly," he added more !ently, seein! the "ucer of worry
be'tween her co""er'dar brows# "2### 7ou see, 2 heard
recently that### that someone 2 now had been seein! her#
Of course, you were barely out of school when Bertie was
found### when Bertie died, and there was a lot we couldn't
tell you# But she was a "ernicious woman, Lydia, truly evil#
And a wee or so a!o 2### er### 2 met her and warned her
o8### "aid her o8### !ave her money and told her to leave
the country# ,he's !one#" %e didn't loo at her as he s"oe#
Embarrassment?she wondered# -r something else?
$ruly?" ,he leaned forward a little, her eyes on his face,
tryin! to detect shifts of e("ression without bein! obvious
about it#
,he heard the weary distaste, the revulsion in his voice
as he said, "$ruly#"
,he let another lon! "ause rest on the scented air
between them, then ased, "6hat was she lie? 2 have a
reason for asin!," she added, as the E3ually %onorable
Evelyn "u8ed himself u" "re"aratory to e("os'tulation on
the sub4ect of curiosity unseemly for a woman of her class
and "osition# "7ou now 2've become a doctor#"
"2 do," he said, with a trace of indi!nation, as if he'd had
the ri!ht to forbid it, and she'd <outed his authority
anyway# "$hou!h 2 really can't see how .rofessor Asher, or
any husband, could let his wife###"
"6ell," she continued, cuttin! o8 a too'familiar tirade
with an artless a""earance of ea!erness, "in my studies
2've come across two or three cases of a ind of nervous
disorder that reminded me of thin!s 2'my friend'told me
about this'this woman -arlotta# 2 sus"ect that she may be
insane#"
$hat !ot his interest, as she'd found it !ot nine "eo"le's
out of ten, even those who considered her authority for the
accusation an a8ront to their manhood# %e leaned forward,
his watery eyes intent, and she reached across the small
table with its starched white cloth and too his chubby
hand in both of hers, "But 2 haven't met her, or seen her,
and you have### if you'd be willin! to tal about it# Evelyn,
"lease# 2 do need your hel"#"
2n the cab on her way bac to Bruton .lace she 4otted
down the main "oints of the subse3uent discussion'it
would have looed bad, she had decided, to be tain!
notes while Evelyn was talin!, and would have "ut him o8
his stride# $he waiters at +atti's, well'trained, had observed
the intentness of the discussion between the wealthy'
looin! !entleman and the delicate, red'haired !irl, and
had tactfully let them alone' somethin! they "robably
would not have done had she been scribblin! notes#
$he interview had been frustratin!, because Evelyn was
as much wra""ed u" in s"orts'and now in the stoc
maret'as his brother Bertie had been in clothes and
fashion and was !rossly inobservant of anythin! else, but
with "atient 3uestionin! she'd been able to "iece certain
thin!s to!ether#
0irst, Lotta had been seen as early as an hour after
sunset, when the sy was still fairly li!ht'Evelyn had
thou!ht that was in s"rin!, but wasn't sure#
,econd, sometimes she had been "aler, and sometimes
rosier' thou!h it was di9cult to tell by !asli!ht'indicatin!
that sometimes she had fed before 4oinin! the %onorable
Bertie and his friends# Evelyn did not remember whether
she had ever been rosy on those occasions u"on which she
had met them early, which would indicate that she had
ris en*ust after sunset to hunt#
$hird, she often wore heavy "erfume# James had said
nothin! about vam"ires smellin! di8erent from humans,
but "resumably, with a di8er'ent diet, they mi!ht have a
di8erent odor, thou!h a very faint one'she tried not to
thin about the smell of blood and stran!eness that had
touched her nostrils in the dar of the -ovent +arden
court#
Other than that, he'd thou!ht there was somethin! odd
about her )n!ernails, he couldn't say what# And her eyes,
but he couldn't say what either, so had fallen bac on "an
e("ression of evil," which was no hel" toward clinical
analysis#
About the circumstances of his brother's death he
would not s"ea at all, but Lydia !uessed, from thin!s
James had told her about the tech'ni3ues of s"yin!, that
when Lotta )nally illed her victim, she had arran!ed for
the body to be found in circumstances that were either
dis!raceful or com"romisin!, such as dressed in women's
clothin!, or in an alley behind an o"ium den, or somethin!
e3ually damnin!#
And lastly, Evelyn had told her that Bertie had once had
a charm made, a lover's not, out of Lotta's red'!old hair# 2t
was still amon! Bertie's thin!s# %e would send it to her by
the mornin! "ost, to the accommodation address where
she "iced u" her mail#
,he sat bac in the cab as it 4olted alon! the crowded
"avement of +ower ,treet, starin! abstractedly out at the
blurred yellow halos of the street lam"s where they shone
throu!h the mists a!ainst the mono'chrome cutouts of the
house fronts behind# $he risin! fo! seemed to dam"
noises, main! all thin!s sli!htly unreal> omnibuses lie
movin! towers loomed out of it, their nife'board
advertisements for .ond's Arthriticus or -lincher $ires',till
;ne3ualed for 1uality and :ura'bility'transformed into
stran!e "ortents by the surroundin! !loom#
6hen the cab reached Number @FE Bruton .lace, Lydia
"aid the driver o8 3uicly and hurried inside, dis"leased to
)nd her heart racin! with a swift, nervous fear# ,he found
she was becomin! uncomfortable at the thou!ht of bein!
outside, even for a few moments, after dar#
$he room to which the vam"ires too Asher was a
cellar, not of Ernchester %ouse but of a deserted sho"
whose narrow door o"ened into the blacness of the lane#
Ernchester "roduced the eys to its two "adlocs from a
waistcoat "ocet and led the way into a tiny bac room,
"iled hi!h with dusty bo(es and crates and boastin! an old
soa"'stone sin in one corner, whose rusty "um",
silhouetted a!ainst the dim yellowish re<ection of the
window, had the a""earance of some wry'neced monster
broodin! in the darness# An oil lam" stood on the side of
the sin> Ernchester li!hted it and led the way to another
door nearly hidden behind the crates, whose "adloc and
has" had been ri""ed o8 with a crowbar'recently, by the
loo of the !ou!es in the wood# $he smell of mildew and
dam"ness rose choin!ly to en!ulf them as they
descended the hair"in s"iral of stairs to a cellar, certainly
much wider, Asher !uessed, than the buildin! above>
"robably dee"er, he thou!ht, !lancin! at its far end, nearly
obscured in shadows, and beyond a doubt older# =ou!h'
hewn arched beams su""orted a ceilin! of smoe'stained
stone> 4ust below them, at the other end of the room, two
"airs of loced shutters indicated windows either at street
level or set into a li!ht well 4ust below it#
"$hey're barred behind those shutters," the Earl
remared, tain! an old'fashioned, lon!'barreled ey from
a nail beside the door# ",o even if you could !et the
"adlocs on them o"en, it wouldn't do you much !ood#
-hloe, my dear, would you be so !ood as to fetch :r#
Asher's coat? And mine as well?"
$he fair' haired vam"ire !irl shot him a loo that was
both sullen and annoyed, childish on that an!elic
face# '':on't trust me to stay with 'im while you !et 'em
yourself, ducs?" she moced in accents that "ut her
ori!ins within half a do&en streets of the -hurch of ,t#
*ary'Le'Bow# ,he threw a !lance bac at Asher in the
<icerin! li!ht of the oil lam" they'd collected when they'd
"assed throu!h the room above# "And don't !o !ivin'
yourself airs over that bit o' tin you !ot hun! round your
!ullet, .rofessor'we can drin from the veins in your wrists,
you now#"
,he raised Asher's wrist to her mouth, "ressed her cold
li"s to the thin sin there in a smilin! iss# $hen she turned
and with barely a rustle of her sil "etticoats was !one in
the darness#
Asher became aware that he was shiverin!# $hou!h the
cellar was dry, it was intensely cold# Beside him Ernchester,
lam" still in hand, was frownin! at the narrow blac slot of
the door throu!h which Asher new the !irl must have
!one, thou!h he had not seen her do so# ,he, lie 7sidro,
moved lar!ely unseen#
"An im"ertinent child#" Ernchester frowned, his s"arse
brows bris'tlin! 3ueerly in the shay li!ht# "2t isn't 4ust a
3uestion of breedin!' thou!h of course 2 understand that
thin!s do chan!e# 2t 4ust seems that no one nows how to
behave anymore#" %e set the lam" down on the <oor
beside him and held thin hands in the column of heat that
rose from its chimney#
"Anthea has !one to loo for 7sidro," he went on after a
moment# "Neither of us a""roved of :on ,imon's "lan for
huntin! the iller' for reasons which are obvious by your
mere "resence here# But now that he has hired you, 2 a!ree
with her that it would be most unfair sim"ly to ill you out
of hand, leavin! aside the fact that you are, in a sense, a
!uest beneath my roof#" $hose dulled, weary blue eyes
rested on him for a moment, as if seein! reasons other
than an old habit of noblesse oblige for s"arin! his life#
:ryly, Asher said, "2 tae it +ri""en voted a!ainst it,
also?"
"Oh, there was never a 3uestion of avote.& By his tone
the elderly vam"ire had entirely missed the sarcasm# ":on
,imon is and always has been a law unto himself# %e was
the only one of us to thin it necessary to hire a human#
But he has always been most hi!h in the inste" and will
carry his humors a!ainst all o""osition,"
Asher rubbed his shoulder, which ached where +ri""en
had <un! him into the wall# "%e mi!ht have mentioned
that#"
Beneath their feet, the stone <oor vibrated> the !lass of
the lam" chimney san! faintly in its metal socet, "$he
;nder!round =ailroad runs very close to this cellar,"
Ernchester e("lained, as the nimble died away# "2ndeed,
when they were cuttin! for it, we feared they mi!ht brea
throu!h, as in fact they did in another house we own a few
streets away# $hat cellar was dee"er than this one, without
windows'it had been the wine room of an old tavern, "aved
over and for!otten after the 0ire# $here are a !reat number
of such "laces in the old -ity, some of them datin! bac to
=oman times# 2t was des"erately dam" and uncom'
fortable, which was why no one was slee"in! there when
the wormen broe in#"
Asher stroed his mustache thou!htfully and wandered
across the uneven slab <oor to the co9n a!ainst the wall
O"enin! it, he saw the linin! burned entirely away at the
bottom, only clin!in! in charred shreds around the u""er
rim# Nothin! but a faint )lm of scra"ed'at ash lay over the
charred wood of the co9n's <oor#
%e wondered in what church's cry"t they had buried the
remains# ,t# Bride's, beyond a doubt# Odd, that after so
many years that should still be a concern to them### or
"erha"s not so odd#
%e re"laced the lid and turned bac# "6ere the
"adlocs on the windows o"en, then, when you found
:anny's body?"
Ernchester !lanced 3uicly at the barred shutters of the
windows, then bac at the em"ty co9n# 0or a moment he
seemed to be tryin! to )!ure out how much he should tell
a human> then, with a tired !esture, he !ave it u"# "7es#
$he ey was on the sill#"
Asher waled over to the window, stretched his lon!
arm u" to touch the ti"s of his )n!ers to the loc# %e
looed bac at the vam"ire# "But the bars were
undisturbed?"
"7es# %ad someone'a tram", or a va!abond'entered this
cellar and been looin! about, it would be natural for him
to o"en the shutters to obtain li!ht, you see#"
"6as there any si!n of a tram" elsewhere in the
buildin!? -u"boards o"en, drawers a4ar? Or in the rest of
the house? Any si!n that the "lace had been searched?"
"No," Ernchester admitted# "$hat is'2 don't thin so# 2
really don't now# Anthea would#" Another man'a livin!
man'mi!ht have si!hed and shaen his head, but, as with
Anthea and 7sidro, such !estures seemed to have been
drained from him by the "assin! weari'ness of centuries#
$here was only a sli!ht rela(in! of that strai!ht, stocy
body, a loosenin! of the tired lines of the face# "Anthea'
does such thin!s these days# 2 now it's the "ortion of the
man to mana!e a8airs, but### it seems as if all the world is
chan!in!# 2 used to ee" u" better than 2 do now# 2 dare say
it's only the e8ect of the factory soot in the air or the noise
in the streets### it usen't to be lie this, you now# 2
sometimes thin the livin! su8er from it as much as we#
0ol are di8erent now from what they were#"
/eyed and alert for the silent a""roach of some new
"eril, Asher saw the !irl -hloe enter the cellar a!ain, his
own 4acet and !reatcoat and Ernchester's seedy velvet
coat over her arm# ,he was dressed, he saw now, in an
e("ensive and beautiful !own of dar !reen velvet, beaded
thicly with 4et> her soft white hands and "ale face seemed
lie <owers a!ainst the o"ulent fabric# %ere was one, he
thou!ht, who would have no trouble winnin! isses from
stran!ers in alleyways# As he too the coat from her arm
he said, "$han you," and the brown eyes <iced u" to his,
startled at bein! thaned# ":id you hunt with Lotta
%arshaw?"
,he smiled a!ain, but this time the mocery did not
3uite hide the fri!htened <inch of her li"s# ",till the nosy'
"arer, then? 7ou saw what it'll buy you#" ,he reached u"
to touch his throat, then drew bac as the silver of his nec
chain cau!ht the lam"li!ht# "7ou now what they said
curiosity did to the cat#"
"$hen it's a !ood thin! cats have nine lives," he re"lied
3uietly# ":id you hunt with Lotta?" ,he shru!!ed, an
elaborately co3uettish !esture with her bare white
shoulders, and looed away#
"2 now you went for dress )ttin!s with her# .robably
other sho"'"in! as well# 2 ima!ine the "air of you looed
very fetchin! to!ether# .ersonally 2 )nd it a bore to have
dinner alone'do you?"
$he conversational tone of his voice brou!ht her eyes
bac to his, <irtatious and amused# ",ometimes# But y'see,
we don't ever have din'ner 3uite alone#" ,he smiled,
showin! the !lint of teeth a!ainst a li" lie ruby sil#
":id you lie Lotta?"
$he lon! lashes veiled her brown eyes once more# ",he
showed me the ro"es, lie," she said, after a lon! moment,
and he remembered Bully Joe :avies' frantic cry5 I dunno
how the others do it... $o achieve the vam"ire state, the
vam"ire "owers, was evidently far from enou!h# "And we'
birds, 2
mean' hunt di8erently from !ents# And that###" ,he
sto""ed her ne(t words on her li"s and threw a 3uic, wary
!lance at Ernchester, silent beside the lam"# After a lon!
"ause for rewordin!, she continued, "Lotta and me, we !ot
alon!# $here's some thin!s a lady needs from another lady,
see#"
And that### $hat what? %ow would this beautiful, over'
dressed "orcelain doll of a !irl see the 3uiet anti3ue lady
Anthea? 5s a sti$-necked and uncongenial bitch! Asher
thou!ht, beyond a doubt.*de# La $our had nown at a
!lance that Lotta and -hloe were two of a ind and that
Anthea'for undoubtedly it was she who went by the name
of *rs# 6ren'was far other than they#
":id you now her rich youn! men?" he ased# "Albert
6estmoreland? $om +obey? .aul 0arrin!ton?"
,he smiled a!ain, "layin! hard to !et# "Oh, 2 met most
of 'em," she said, toyin! with one of her thic blonde curls#
"Lambs, they were'even Bertie 6estmorland, so sti8 and
"ro"er, lie it illed him to admit he wanted her, but
followin! her wherever she went with his eyes# 6e'd !o to
theatre "anics to!ether'Bertie's brother, me and Lotta, and
some !irls Bertie's friends mi!ht have alon!### 2t was all 2
could do sometimes not to drin one of 'em ri!ht there in
the shadow of the bac of the bo(# Lie smellin! sausa!es
fryin! when you're hun'!ry### 2t would have been so easy###"
"2t's a tric you could only have done once," Asher
remared, and !ot a sullen !lance from under those lon!
lashes#
"$hat's what Lionel said# Not when others are around,
no matter how bad 2 want it'not where anyone will now#"
,he moved closer to him, her head no hi!her than the to"
button of his waistcoat> he could smell the "atchouli of her
"erfume, and the faint ree of blood on her words as she
s"oe# "But no others are around now'and no one will
now#"
%er ton!ue sli""ed out, to touch the "rotrudin! ti"s of
her teeth> her )n!ers slid around his hand, warm with the
evenin!'s earlier ill# %e could see her eyes on his throat
and on the heavy silver lins of the chain# $hou!h he dared
not loo away from her to chec, he had no im"ression of
Ernchester bein! in the room# .erha"s it was only that the
vam"ire Earl would not have cared whether she illed him
or not#
"7sidro will now," he reminded her#
,he dro""ed his hand and looed away# A shiver went
throu!h her, "-old da!o bu!!er#"
"Are you afraid of him?"
"Aren't you?" %er !lance slid bac to his, brown eyes
that should have been an!elic, but had never been so, he
thou!ht, even in life# %er red mouth twisted# "7ou thin
he'll "rotect you from Lionel? $hat'll last 4ust as lon! as he
needs you# 7ou'd better not be so 3uic about )ndin' the
answers to your 3uestions#"
"And 2 have already told him he had best not be slow,"
the soft, drawlin! voice of 7sidro murmured# $urnin!, Asher
saw the ,"anish vam"ire at his elbow, as +ri""en had
a""eared earlier that evenin!> his !lance cut 3uicly bac
in tune to see -hloe start# ,he hadn't seen him either#
",o "erha"s," :on ,imon continued, "we had best stic
sim"ly to thin!s as they are and not attem"t to mold them
to what we thin they ou!ht to be# 7ou should not have
come here, James#"
"On the contrary," Asher said, "2've learned a !reat
deal#"
"$hat is what 2 meant# But as the horses are well and
truly !one, "ermit me to o"en the barn door for
you# -alvaire's rooms are u"stairs'or one set of
-alvaire's rooms# 2 now of at least two others that he had#
$here may have been more#"
"%ence all the secrecy," Asher said, as he "receded the
vam"ire into the dar stair outside# "Any in Lambeth?"
"Lambeth? Not that 2 new of," %e was aware of those
cold yellow eyes "iercin! his bac#
$hey ascended the nec'breain! twist of ste"s to the
stu8y bac room a!ain> thou!h he listened closely, Asher
could hear no footfall behind him from either 7sidro or
-hloe and only the faintest of rustles from the !irl's
"etticoats# %e thou!ht Ernchester must have left at the
same time 7sidro had entered, for the Earl had been
nowhere in the cellar as they de"arted# And, in fact,
-harles and Anthea were both waitin! for them in the
"arlor of a small <at which had been )tted u" on the
second <oor, with its $i8any'!lass lam"s all li!hted, !ivin!
their stran!e, white faces the rosy illusion of humanity,
save for their !leam'in! eyes#
"2 trust you're not still slee"in! in the buildin!, -hloe?"
7sidro in'3uired, as they entered and the !irl set her lam"
on the table#
"No," she said sullenly# ,he retreated to a corner of the
room and "erched there on one of the "atterned chint&
chairs> the "lace was furbished u" in several styles, fat
overstu8ed chairs alternatin! with "ieces of ,heraton and
%e""lewhite, and here and there a lac3uered cabinet of
chinoiserie )lled with nicnacs and boos# $he "arlor
was tidily e"t, with none of the decades'dee" clutter of
other vam"ire rooms Asher had seen# $hrou!h an o"en
door beyond Lady Anthea's chair, he could see a neat
bedroom, its windows heavily shrouded and, no doubt,
shuttered beneath those layers of curtain# $here was no
co9n in si!ht'Asher !uessed it would be in the dressin!
room beyond#
"Lionel's !one," Lady Ernchester said softly# %er tea'
brown eyes went to Asher# ,he had "ut u" her hair a!ain
and bore no evidence of her stru!!le with +ri""en beyond
the fact that she had chan!ed her dress for a dar !own of
"ur"le'blac ta8eta# Asher wondered if *inette had made it
for her#
"7ou've made a dan!erous enemy> his hand's welted u"
where he touched the silver of your chain#"
Asher "rivately thou!ht it served the master vam"ire
ri!ht, but re'frained from sayin! so# %is whole body was
sti8 and achin! from the im"act with the wall# %e was still,
he reminded himself, 3uite "robably in des"erate and
immediate dan!er, but, nevertheless, +ri""en's ab'sence
comforted him# %e "rowled over to the small cabinet that
stood under the !as 4et and o"ened its drawers# $hey were
em"ty#
"Lionel did that," Anthea's voice came from behind him#
"%e tells me he did the same at Neddy's house#"
"%e'sthe one who seems to be locin! the barn door
after the horse has esca"ed#" Asher turned bac, rovin!
cautiously about the room, e(aminin! the 0rench boos in
the booshelves, the cushions on the camel'baced divan#
%e !lanced across at 7sidro, who had !one to stand ne(t to
Anthea's chair# "2f silver a8ects you that badly, how do you
"urchase what you need?"
"As any !entleman of fashion can tell you," Anthea said
with a faint smile, "one can !o for years'centuries, even'
without actually touchin! cash# 2n earlier years we used
!old# 0limsies'ban notes, and later treasury notes'were a
!odsend, but one must always ti"# 2've found that in
!eneral there is enou!h of a chill at ni!ht to warrant the
wearin! of !loves#"
"But they've !ot to be leather," -hloe "ut in
un!raciously# "And 2 mean !ood leather, none of your id>
it'll bum ri!ht throu!h sil#"
Anthea frowned# ":oes it? 2 never found it so#"
7sidro held u" one lon!, white hand# "2 sus"ect it
tou!hens a little with time# 2 now if you had touched silver
as +ri""en did, -hloe, your arm would have been swollen
to the shoulder for wees, and you would have been ill into
the bar!ain# ,o it was with me, u" almost to the time of the
0ire# 2t is curiously fra!ile stu8, this "seudo<esh of ours#"
"2 remember," Anthea said slowly# '$he )rst time 2
touched silver'it was bullion lace on the sleeve of one of
my old !owns, 2 thin'it not only hurt me at the time, but it
made me very ill# 2 remember bein! des"erately thirsty and
unable to hunt# -harles had to hunt for me'brin! me###" ,he
broe o8 suddenly and looed away, her beautiful face
im"assive# $hinin! about it, Asher reali&ed that the lo!ical
"rey to ca"ture and brin! bac alive to Ernchester %ouse
had to be some'thin! human'since it was the death of the
human "syche as much as the "hysical blood that the
vam"ires seemed to crave'but small enou!h to be easily
trans"ortable#
"/iddies?" -hloe lau!hed, cold and tin!lin!, lie shaen
silver bells# "+od, you could have had the lot of my
brothers and sisters'"uin! little vermin# :ear +od, and the
youn!est of 'em has brats of her own now###" ,he "aused
and turned her face away suddenly, her mouth "ressin!
ti!ht> a delicate, beautiful face that would never !row old#
,he too a dee" breath, a conscious !esture, to steady
herself, then went on evenly# "0unny'2 see !irls who was in
the O"era ballet with me bac then, years too old to dance
now'years too old to !et anythin' on the streets but maybe
a real nearsi!hted sailor# 2 could !o into the O"era ri!ht
now and !et my old 4ob bac in the ballet, you now? Old
%arry the sta!e man would even reco!ni&e me, from bein'
the "ro" boy then#"
,he fell silent a!ain, starin! before her with her !reat
dar eyes, as if seein! into that other time'lie Anthea,
Asher thou!ht, standin! on %arrow %ill and feelin! the
furnace heat of burnin! London washin! over her mortal
<esh# After a moment, -hloe said in a stran!e voice, "2t's
3ueer, that's all#" Asher felt the "ressure of her mind on
his, as she made her swift, sudden e(it from the room#
Anthea !lanced 3uicly at her husband> Ernchester,
much more 3ui'etly, almost invisibly, followed the !irl out#
"2t becomes easier," the -ountess said softly, turnin!
bac to Asher, "once those we new in life are all'!one#
One is not'reminded# One can'"retend#" %er dar brows
drew down a!ain, that small !esture main! her calm face
human a!ain# "Even when one is for all "ractical "ur"oses
immortal, a!e is unsettlin!#" And !ettin! to her feet, she
fol'lowed her husband in a whis"er of dar ta8eta from the
room#
0or a lon! time Asher stood where he had been by the
)re"lace, his arms folded, re!ardin! 7sidro by the "in and
amber !low of the shaded li!hts# $he vam"ire remained
standin! by the vacated chair, his !a&e still restin!
thou!htfully on the door, and Asher had the im"res'sion he
listened to the lady's retreatin! footfalls blendin! away into
the other sounds of London, the rattle of tra9c in ,alisbury
.lace and the nocturnal roar of 0leet ,treet beyond, the
dee" vibration of the ;nder'!round, the sou!h of the river
below the Embanment, and the voices of those who
crowded its <a!ways in the ni!ht#
At len!th 7sidro said, "2t is a dan!erous time in -hloe's
life#" $he eni!matic !a&e returned to him, still remote,
without !ivin! anythin! away# "2t ha""ens to vam"ires#
$here are sta!es'2 have seen them myself, "assed throu!h
them myself, some of them### 6hen a vam'"ire has e(isted
thirty, forty years, and sees all his friends dyin!, !row'in!
senile, or chan!in! unreco!ni&ably from what they were in
the sweetness of a shared youth# Or at a hundred or so,
when the whole world mutates into somethin! other
than what he !rew u" with> when all the small thin!s
that were so "recious to him are no lon!er even
remembered# 6hen there is no one left who recalls the
voices of the sin!ers which so ine(tricably formed the war"
and weft of his days, $hen it is easy to !row careless, and
the sun will always rise#"
%e !lanced over at Asher, and that odd !host of what
had once been a half'rueful, bittersweet smile <iced bac
onto the thin lines of his face# ",ometimes 2 thin -harles
and Anthea are becomin!'friable' that way# $hey chan!e
with the times, as we all must, but it becomes more and
more di9cult# 2 still become enra!ed when sho"ee"ers
are im"ertinent to me, when these !rubby hacney cabs
dart out in front of me in the street, or when 2 see the )lth
of factory soot foulin! the sy# 6e are, lie :r# ,wift's
,truldbru!!s, old "eo"le, and we tend to the unreasonable
conservatism of the old# Dery little is left of the world as it
was in /in! -harles' day, and nothin!, 2 fear, remains of the
world 2 new# E(ce"t +ri""en, of course#" $he smile turned
sardonic# "6hat a com"anion for one's immortality#"
%e strolled over to the )re"lace where Asher stood and
"rodded with one well'shod toe at the cold debris
within, amillefeuille of white "a"er ash, lie that which had
decorated Neddy %ammersmith's lon!'cold hearth# "$hat
is, "rovided, of course," he added ironically, "one sur'vives
the )rst few years, the terrible dan!ers of sim"ly learnin!
how to be a vam"ire#"
":id =hys the *instrel teach you?"
"7es#" 2t was the )rst softenin! Asher had seen in those
!leamin! eyes# "%e was a !ood master'a !ood teacher# 2t
was, you understand, more dan!erous in those days, for in
those days fol believed in us#"
2t was on the ti" of Asher's ton!ue to as about that,
but instead he ased, ":id you now -alvaire created a
<ed!lin!?"
$he cold eyes seemed to widen and harden, the lon!,
thin nostrils <ared# &#ewhat? "
"%e created a <ed!lin!," Asher said#
"%ow do you now this?"
"2've s"oen to him," Asher said, "A man named Bully
Joe :avies, from Lambeth or thereabouts'he said he'd
brea my nec if 2 told anyone of it, "articularly yourself#
7ou seem," he added dryly, "to en4oy a certain re"utation
amon! your "eers#"
":o you refer," the vam"ire ased coldly, "to that rabble
of steve'dores, sluts, and tradesmen as my "eers? $he
0arrenscome close, but, when all's said, his !randfather
was no more than a 4um"ed'u" baron###"
"7our fellows, then," Asher amended# "And in any case, 2
trust you'll "rotect me# %e says he's bein! followed'staled#
2'm su""osed to meet him later toni!ht, to !o to another of
-alvaire's safe houses#"
7sidro nodded> Asher could see the thou!ht movin! in
the "ale laby'rinth of his eyes#
%e waled over to the cabinet a!ain, ran a )n!er, idly
3uestin!, throu!h its em"tied "i!eonholes, every scra" of
evidence of contacts burned by the cautious +ri""en lest
any should do what Asher had done'trace a name, a sho",
an address, that would lead him to another cellar where a
vam"ire mi!ht slee"# %e !lanced bac at the vam"ire,
standin! 3uietly in the molten halo of the lam"li!ht#
"2 hadn't intended on tellin! you that," he went on after
a moment# "But 2've been )ndin! out some thin!s toni!ht
about -alvaire, a little, and about vam"ires# 2 understand
now why you've been lyin! to me all alon!# 2n a way,
+ri""en is ri!ht# 7ou'd be an absolute fool to hire a human
to trac down your iller, much less tell him who and what
you are'if your iller is human# But you don't thin he is,
"2n fact, you thin the iller is another vam"ire#"
Nine
2 don't see how that could be#" As she waled, Lydia
folded her arms across her chest a!ainst the chill that
dam"ened even the chan!e'able sunli!ht of the autumn
forenoon# Beside the dull "ur"le'brown of her coat, her red
hair, "inned under the only unobtrusive hat in her vast
collection, seemed bla&in!ly bri!ht> her s"ectacles wined
lie a he'lio!ra"h when she turned her head# 2n s"ite of
them, she looed ab'surdly youn!, with a delicate
"rettiness which would have seemed touchin!ly vulnerable
to anyone who had never seen her in the dissec'tion
rooms#
Asher, at her side, e"t a weather eye out across the
se"ia vistas of lawn and co"se to both sides of the wal,
but saw few other strollers# 2t had rained late in the ni!ht,
and %yde .ar bore a sli!htly dis"irited air> scuddin! clouds
were collectin! a!ain overhead# A few blac'clothed
nannies hustled then' char!es at double time throu!h a
ra"id constitutional before the rain should commence
a!ain> that was all#
"Neither does 7sidro," Asher said# "But he sus"ected all
alon! that the iller wasn't human# 2t's why he had to hire a
human and, more'over, )nd one who could or would
believe in vam"ires, who could o"erate to some de!ree
inde"endently'why he had to tell me what he was, in s"ite
of the o""osition from the other vam"ires# 2 thin the
others mi!ht have sus"ected they were dealin! with a
vam"ire, too# No human could stal a vam"ire unseen'a
human would be lucy to see one in the )rst "lace, let
alone either reco!ni&e it for what it is or ee" it in si!ht#"
"7ou did," she "ointed out#
Asher shoo his head# "A <ed!lin!, and an untrained
one, at that," %is !lance simmed the borders of the trees
that half hid the steely !leam of the ,er"entine, o8 to their
left# Lie Bully Joe :avies, he found himself wonderin! all
the time now about shadows, noises, bent blades of
!rass###
":id Bully Joe :avies ever turn u"?"
"No# 7sidro and 2 waited until almost dawn# %e 4ust
mi!ht have seen 7sidro and sheered o8, but 2 doubt it#
%owever, 2 thin we'll be able to locate -alvaire's rooms in
Lambeth'if he has them, and 2'm virtually certain he does'
by tracin! "ro"erty "urchases since 0ebruary, which was
when -alvaire came here from .aris# 2f -alvaire was
attem"tin! to establish a "ower base in London'which he
seems to have been doin!, since he made a <ed!lin!'he'd
have bou!ht "ro"erty# ,ince +ri""en didn't now about it,
either, we may )nd somethin! there#"
$hey waled in silence for a time, the wind tu!!in! now
and then at the ends of Asher's scarf and at Lydia's sirts
and coat#
Lydia nodded# "2'm wonderin! whether all vam"ires fall
aslee" at the same time'into the dee" slee"# 0or, of course,
4ust because the win'dows were o"ened to let in the
sunli!ht doesn't mean that it was done while the sun was
in the sy#"
"2 su""ose, if the iller were a vam"ire, he mi!ht have'
oh, a half'hour or so'to !et to safety," Asher said, "*ore
than enou!h, in Lon'don# And it would certainly solve the
3uestion of why he believed in vam"ires in the )rst "lace,
let alone new where to loo#"
"2n all the boos, the vam"ire hunter drives a stae
throu!h the vam"ire's heart," Lydia remared thou!htfully#
"2f this one did, every'thin!'s been too charred to tell, but
Lotta's head was certainly severed# 2f the sun weren't yet in
the sy, 2 wonder if that would wae a slee"in! vam"ire?'
for that matter, if the mere o"enin! of the co9n would do
so? Are you sure 2 can't "ut my hand in your "ocet?"
"1uite sure," Asher said, )!htin! his own inclination to
wal closer to her, to hold out his arm to hers, or to have
some ind of "hysical contact with this woman# "2n s"ite of
the evidence that the iller is a vam"ire, 2 still don't feel
safe meetin! you, even by dayli!ht###"
,he widened her brown eyes at him behind the
school!irl s"ecs# ".er'ha"s 2 could dis!uise myself as a
"ic"ocet? Or if 2 tri""ed and stum'bled, and you cau!ht
me? Or fainted?" ,he "ut a !loved hand dramati'cally to
her brow# "2 feel an attac of the va"ors coinin! on now###"
"No," Asher said )rmly, !rinnin!,
,he frowned and tuced her hands "rimly into her mu8#
"Dery well, but the ne(t time ;ncle Ambrose !oes on about
.lato and .latonic friendshi", 2'll have a few words to say to
him# No wonder :on ,imon didn't seem to worry too much
about your allyin! yourself with the iller, as you'd
ori!inally thou!ht you mi!ht# :o you still "lan to do that,
by the way?"
"2 don't now," Asher said# "2t isn't out of court entirely,
but 2'd have to now a !ood deal more than 2 do now# $he
fact that he's destroyin! them for reasons of his'or her'own
doesn't mean he wouldn't destroy me with 4ust as much
alacrity#" -r you! he added to himself, looin! at that slim
)!ure beside him, lie a heroine of le!end lyin! beside the
hero, se"arated by a drawn sword#
Lydia nodded, acce"tin! the chan!e in a situation u"on
which her life de"ended with her usual calm trust# $hey
waled alon! for a time, Lydia a""arently sun in her own
trains of thou!ht> Asher was content'almost'only to be with
her, the dun !ravel of the dam" "ath scrunchin! faintly
under their feet# O8 across the !ray lawns, a do! bared,
the sound carryin! fantastically in the cold air#
"%ave you any idea how much li!ht it taes to destroy
their <esh?"
Asher shoo his head# "2 ased 7sidro last ni!ht# 2've
been tryin! to wor that out, too'that half'hour or so of
leeway# $hat's what's "u&'&lin! me# 7sidro was cau!ht at
dawn on the second mornin! of the +reat 0ire of @III# %e
says the thinnest !ray li!ht before sunrise burned his face
and hands as if he'd stuc them into a furnace'more than
that, his arms, chest, and "arts of his le!s and bac
beneath his clothes were scarred and blistered as well#
Accordin! to Lady Ernchester, it was nearly )fty years
before the scars went away#"
"But they did !o away," Lydia murmured thou!htfully#
",o vam"ire < eshdoes re!enerate###" %er dar brows
"ulled even dee"er, an ed!e of thou!ht hardenin! her
brown eyes, as if she looed "ast the "iled whites and
!rays of the late'mornin! sy to some arcane laboratory of
the mind beyond#
".seudo<esh, he called it," Asher said#
"2nterestin!#" ,he reached u" to unsna! a lon! strand of
hair from the braided trim of her collar'Asher
had to ee" his hands )rmly in his "ocets to avoid
hel"in! her# "Because 2 !ot that lover's not from Evelyn
this mornin!# 2've had a loo at it and those vertebrae
under my microsco"e, and they loo'2'm not sure how to
"ut it and 2 wish it were ca"able of !reater ma!ni)cation#
$he bone was "retty dama!ed, but the hair### 2'd lie to be
able to e(amine it at a subcellular level'and their <esh and
blood, for that matter#"
Of course, Asher thou!ht# %e himself saw the vam"ires
lin!uistically and historically, when he wasn't sim"ly tryin!
to thin of ways to avoid havin! his throat cut by them>
Lydia would see vam"irism as a medical "u&&le#
":o you now how "etri)ed wood comes about?" she
ased, as they neared *arble Arch with its scattered trees
and loafers and turned bac the way they came, two
solitary and anonymous )!ures in the wide, cleared s"aces
of the .ar's brown lawns# "Or how )sh and ferns and
dinosaur bones are fossili&ed in the -ambrian sandstones?
2t's a "rocess of re"lacement, cell by cell, of the or!anic by
the inor!anic# $here's been a lot of research done lately on
viruses, !erms that are smaller than bacteria, so small we
can't see them with a microsco"e'yet# ,mall enou!h to
o"erate at a subcellular level# 2've been readin! %orace
Blaydon's articles on viruses in the blood> he did a lot of
wor on it while 2 was studyin! with him# 2'm wonderin!
whether a vam"ire's immortality comes from some ind of
cellular re"lacement or mutation 'whether vam"irism is in
fact a virus or an interlocin! syndrome of viruses that
alter the very fabric of the cells# $hat would account for the
e(treme "hotosensitivity, the severe aller!ic reactions to
thin!s lie sil'ver and !arlic and certain woods'why you'd
have to )ll the mouth with !arlic to deaden the brain and
stae the heart with one of those aller!ic woods to "araly&e
the cardiovascular system'why you'd have to se"arate the
central nervous system###"
"And transmitted by blood contact#" A!ain he wondered
tan!entially why, in the face of such an overwhelmin! body
of corres"ondin! evi'dence, there was such "aucity of
belief# "All the le!ends s"ea of vam'"ires' victims
becomin! vam"ires# $he vam"ires themselves s"ea of
'!ettin!' <ed!lin!s, but that's a""arently a matter of
choice# Ernchester said that +ri""en would not have stood
for anyone but himself main! a new vam"ire, but -alvaire
evidently had no trouble initiatin! Bully Joe :avies#"
"2nitiatin!, but not trainin!," Lydia said thou!htfully#
"Or' wasit 4ust a lac of trainin! that made him clumsy
enou!h for you to s"ot him? :o the "sychic abilities that
seem to be "art of this viral syndrome only develo" with
time? %ow old were the vam"ires who were mur'dered?"
"Another interestin! "oint," Asher said# "Lotta had been
a vam"ire since the mid'@GFFs> %ammersmith and /in!
were youn!er, almost e(actly one hundred years# 7sidro
saw all of them made# 2 don't now about -alvaire# One of
the many thin!s," he added dryly, "that we don't now
about -alvaire#"
"Dalentin -alvaire," 7sidro murmured, settlin! bac
a!ainst the worn leather s3uabs of the hansom cab and
tentin! his lon! )n!ers lie a stac of ivory s"indles,
remindin! Asher somehow of a marmalade tomcat so old
that its fur has !one nearly white# "-urious, how many
trails seem to lead bac to Dalentin -alvaire#"
"%e was the )rst victim'"resumably," Asher said# "At
least the )rst victim illed in London> the only
victim notfrom London> the only victim whose body we
have never found# 6hat do you now about him?"
"Less than 2 should lie," the vam"ire re"lied, his voice
soft beneath the rattlin! clamor of the theater'!oin!
crowds in :rury Lane all about them# "%e was, as 2 said,
one of the .aris vam"ires'he
came here to London ei!ht months a!o#"
"6hy?"
"$hat was a to"ic which he never "ermitted to arise#"
$he vam"ire's tone was absolutely neutral, but Asher's
mustache twitched as he detected the distaste in that
chilly statement# 7sidro, he surmised with a hidden !rin,
had "robably had very little use for *# -alvaire, CCC
"2 tae it he was not of the nobility#"
"6hat "asses for nobility in 0rance these days," 7sidro
stated, with soft viciousness, "would not have been
"ermitted to clear away the tables of those whose birth
and style of breedin! they so "itifully at'tem"t to emulate#
Anythin! resemblin! decent blood in that country was
<ushed down the !utters of the .lace Louis'1uin&e'e(cuse
me, the .lace de la -oncorde'a hundred and seventeen
years a!o# 6hat is left is the seed of those who <ed or
those who made themselves useful
to thatcondot3ere Na"oleon# ,carcely what one would call
honorable antecedents#"
After a moment's silence, he went on, "7es, -alvaire
claimed noble birth# 2t was "recisely the sort of thin! he
would do#"
"%ow lon! had he been a vam"ire?"
7sidro's dar eyes narrowed with thou!ht# "*y !uess
would be less than forty years,"
Asher raised his eyebrows in sur"rise# %e had, he
reali&ed, subcon'sciously e3uated a!e with "ower amon!
the vam"ires'it was to the two oldest vam"ires, 7sidro and
+ri""en, that the others bowed in fear# $he youn!er ones'
Bully Joe :avies and the O"era dancer -hloe'seemed
wea, almost "athetic#
"-onsider it," 7sidro ur!ed levelly# ".aris has been in a
state of intermittent chaos since the fall of the Bourbon
in!s# $hirty')ve years a!o it underwent sie!e by the
.russians, shellin!, riots, and !overnment 'if such it can be
termed'by a rabble of rioters who formed a -om'mune and
!ave short shrift to anyone whom they sus"ected of
treason'for which read, disa!reement with their ideals#
Dam"ires as a !rou" rely lar!ely u"on a tran3uil society to
"rotect them# 6olves do not hunt in a burnin! forest#"
Just as well, Asher thou!ht dourly# :urin! the riots in
the ,hantun! .rovince, he'd had enou!h to worry about
without a red'eyed uei cree"in! u" on him in the burned
ruins of the Lutheran mission where he'd been hidin!# After
a moment, he ased, "And how did +ri""en react to
-alvaire's comin! here?"
7sidro was silent for a time, while the cab 4olted its way
throu!h the increasin! crowds of tra9c toward the
6aterloo Brid!e# =ain made a faint, brittle whis"erin!
sound on the hardened leather roof of the cab# 2t had
be!un a!ain late in the afternoon, while Asher was in the
.ublic =ecords O9ce in 3uest of "ro"erty bou!ht in the last
ei!ht months in Lambeth by either Dalentin -alvaire,
-hretien ,an!lot, or, 4ust "ossibly, Jose"h :avies# Now the
whole city smelled of moisture, o&one, the e(haust of
motorcars, the dun! of horses, and the salt'and'sewa!e
"un!ency of the river#
"Not well," he said at len!th# "7ou understand, we'
vam"ires')nd travel unnervin! in the e(treme# 6e are
conservatives at heart> hence the myth that a vam"ire
must rest within his native soil# =ather, he must always
have a secure restin! "lace, and such thin!s are di9cult to
come by on the road# -alvaire had naturally heard of both
+ri""en and myself# 6hen he arrived he'"romenaded
himself, 2 su""ose you
would say'and did not drin of human blood until he
had been con'tacted by the master vam"ire of the city#"
"+ri""en," Asher said# "Not yourself#"
0or the )rst time, he saw the <ash of irritation, of an!er,
in the ,"aniard's yellow eyes# But 7sidro only said mildly,
"Even so#"
"6hy?" he "ressed,
7sidro merely turned his head a little, hau!htily
contem"latin! the thron!s on the crowded <a!ways from
beneath the lowered lids of his eyes#
"2've heard of +ri""en's cadre, +ri""en's !et," Asher
"ersisted# "Lord Ernchester, Anthea, Lotta, -hloe, Ned
%ammersmith### Even thou!h :anny /in! was the 0arrens'
servant, even thou!h it was to them that he owed loyalty,
it was +ri""en who made him, 'at -harles'
re3uest andhis own#' Accordin! to Anthea 0arren, you were
both made by the same master vam"ire at about the same
time# 6hy is he the *aster of London, and not yourself?"
$he memory of Anthea's face returned to him, framed
in the dar hair with its red streas lie henna# ,he had
warned him, had "ulled him out of +ri""en's hold> she had
held the enra!ed vam"ire bac from illin! him while he
esca"ed# 7et she and her husband were also +ri""en's !et'
as Bully Joe :avies had said, +ri""en's slaves# 6hy slaves?
0or a moment he thou!ht 7sidro would maintain that
disdainful alabaster silence# But without turnin! his head
bac, the vam"ire re'"lied, ".erha"s because 2 do not care
to trouble myself#" $he familiar su"ercilious note was
absent from his voice as he said it> he sounded, if anythin!,
a little weary# Asher had the momentary sense of dealin!,
not with a vam"ire, but with the man whose occasional,
oddly sweet smile <icered across those narrow features#
But lie the smile, that evanescent !limmer of
resi!nation, of a van'ished humanness, was !one'lie the
thin!s one thins one sees by starli!ht# 7sidro's voice
became a!ain as neutral as his colorin!, as if even the
holdin! of o"inions had become meanin!less to him over
the years# "And it would be a trouble, as well as a certain
amount of "eril, to challen!e +ri""en's authority# 2
"ersonally do not care to disru"t my e(istence by stoo"in!
to )!ht with apeon such as he# -alvaire was evidently not
so fastidious# %e swore alle!iance to +ri""en, but it is clear
that he never intended to submit himself to our medical
friend's authority###"
"*edical?" Asher's voice was shar", and 7sidro looed
at him once more with all his old chilly disinterest#
"Lionel +ri""en was a :octor of *edicine and
accounted very learned in his time, thou!h, considerin! the
"ractices of the day, this was not "raisin! him to the sies#
0or a few decades "ast his initiation to the vam"ire state,
he e"t u" with medical "ractice# Now he reads the
4ournals, curses, and hurls them across the room, enra!ed
that they no lon!er s"ea of anythin! with which he is
familiar# $hou!h 2 under'stand," he added, "that it has been
nearly two centuries since he has done even that#"
"%as he, indeed?" Asher stroed his mustache
thou!htfully# "7ou wouldn't now if he still has any of his old
it?"
"2 doubt the ori!inals still e(ist, thou!h he would now
where and how to obtain more#" $he vam"ire
re!arded him now with interest, his head ti""ed a little
to one side, his lon!, colorless hair blowin! a!ainst the
fra!ile cheebones with the movement of the ni!ht#
"2nterestin!," Asher said# "%ere, cabbyH .ull u"H" $he man
drew rein, cursin! as he ed!ed his horse out of the stream
of tra9c "ourin! o8 the 6aterloo Brid!e# 0oot tra9c was
heavy here as well# 7sidro sli""ed from the cab and
vanished at once into the 4ostlin! sha"es beneath the bla&e
of the brid!e's li!hts# At Asher's command, the cabby
started forward a!ain, !rumblin! at care'for'nothin! to8
fares, and "roceeded to the chaos of cabs, carts,
omnibuses, and "edes'trians surroundin! the half'
constructed s"rawl of 6aterloo ,tation, a :antes3ue vision
of bric, !asli!ht, sca8oldin!, and smoe# As the cab
4ostled throu!h the "orrid!e of vehicles, Asher "ulled o8 his
!loves and drew from his ulster "ocet a thic "aca!e#
lambert's, said the mod'est label, with a discreet crest#
6ith chilled )n!ers, he drew out two silver chains lie
the one he wore around his nec beneath his starched and
res"ectable collar# 2t was tricy fastenin! the small cli"s
around his wrists> but, for obvious reasons, it had been
im"ossible to solicit 7sidro's hel"# %e tu!!ed his shirt cu8s
down over them and "ulled his !loves bac on, for the
ni!ht was cold as well as wet> there was another sha"e in
the tissue wra"'"in!s, narrow, lie a child's arm bone# %e
freed it and held it to the rain'streamin! li!ht'a sterlin!
silver letter o"ener in the sha"e of an ornamental da!!er#
%avin! only bou!ht it that afternoon, he had had no time to
whet it and doubted in any case that the blade would hold
much of an ed!e, but the "oint was certainly shar" enou!h
to "ierce <esh# Lie a2cotsma n' sskean dhu it had no
!uard# 2t )t neatly into his boot#
%e "aid o8 the cab in front of the station# $he man
!runted, craced his whi" over his 4aded old screw of a
horse, and vanished as surely as the vam"ire had into the
teemin! mob#
0or a time, Asher stood in the o"en s"ace of li!ht and
noise before the station, hearin! the screeches of the
trains, the hiss of steam, and the voices of thousands of
travelers shoutin!, and feelin! the rumble of the en!ines
throu!h the !round under his feet# 6eariness made him
feel sli!htly disoriented, for he had waited for Bully Joe
:avies in the alley behind .rince of 6ales -olonnade for
hours after his return from Ernchester %ouse, and had risen
to meet Lydia at the .ar after only a few hours' slee"# %e
had meant to na" durin! the day> but, between -hancery
Lane and Lambert's in Bond ,treet, the rainy afternoon had
sli""ed too 3uicly away#
Now he felt chilled and weary, tryin! to recall when he
had last sle"t throu!h the ni!ht# A woman 4ostled "ast him,
unseein!> as he watched her too'bri!ht "laid dress retreat
across the s3uare to the "latform, he remembered the
blonde woman with the two children on the train from
O(ford and shivered#
2n the )eld'"abroad," as he and his collea!ues "olitely
termed those "laces where they were licensed to steal and
ill'the train station was +od's own !ift to a!ents,
"articularly one as vast as 6aterloo, even with half its
"latforms still under construction5 a thousand ways to bolt
and so absolutely im"ersonal that you mi!ht brush
shoulders with your own brother on the "latform and never
raise your eyes# Beyond 3uestion it was one of the huntin!
!rounds of the vam"ire#
.ullin! his bowler down over his eyes and hunchin! his
shoulders a!ainst the rain, he crossed the "uddled
darness of the "avement to'ward the bla&in! maw of the
Lambeth -ut#
As he traversed that s3ualid and tawdry boulevard, his
feelin! of o""ression !rew# $he crowds around the theatres
and !in "alaces there were scarcely less thic than those
around the station, and far noisier# *usic drifted from o"en
doors> men in evenin! clothes crowded the entryways with
women whose rain cloas fell o"en to show bri!htly colored
dresses beneath> 4ewels <ashed in the lam"li!ht, some
real, some as fae as the women's smiles# Now and then, a
woman alone would call to him or crowd throu!h the
"eo"le on the <a!way to stride a few ste"s with him, with a
few 4olly words in the characteristic slur
he'd reco!ni&ed in Bully Joe :avies' voice# As he smiled
"olitely, ti""ed his hat, and shoo his head, he wondered if
one of them was :avies' sister *ad!e#
$his, too, was an ideal huntin! !round#
2t de"ressed him, this consciousness of those silent
illers who dran human life, 7sidro had told him, one ni!ht
in "erha"s four or )ve# 2t was, he su""osed, lie the
consciousness he had develo"ed in all those years with the
:e"artment, the automatic identi)cation of e(its and the
habitual checin! of a man's shoes, sleeves, or hands#
%orace Blaydon's bellowin! voice echoed in his mind, in
the bi! carbolic'smellin! theatre at =adcly<e> "2'll tell you
one thin! that'll ha""en to you, if any of you mana!es to
stay the course and become a doctor, which, looin! at
your "asty little faces, 2 sincerely tae leave to doubt'you'll
be s"oiled forever for the beauty of life# 7ou'll never see a
!irl's rosy blush a!ain without wonderin! if it's "hthisis,
never hear your fat old uncle's 4olly lau!h without thinin'5
'$he old boy's ridin' for a stroe#' 7ou'll never read :icens
a!ain without "icin' it a"art for !enetic blood factors and
unhealthy drains#"
"A rather unfortunate choice of e(am"les," Lydia had
remared, when she'd 4oined Asher by the door where he'd
been waitin! to escort her to tea at her uncle's colle!e,
"since, with a com"le(ion lie his and that "rematurely
white hair, it's obvious the man's headin! for an a"o'"le(y
himself# 2 wonder if the !odlie :ennis will turn into that in
twenty years' time?"
And Asher, su8erin! under the stin! of bein! brown and
unobtrusive and sirtin! the shadowy borders of middle
a!e, had felt insensibly cheered#
But, he thou!ht, recallin! Lydia's clinical reaction to
bein! sur'rounded by vam"ires, old Blaydon had, of course,
been absolutely ri!ht# %e turned from the -ut to Lower
:itch ,treet, a din!y thorou!hfare whose few !asli!hts did
little to dis"el the rainy !loom# 2t was a nei!h'borhood of
crumblin! bric terraces and shuttered sho"s, !rimy,
cram"ed, and sordid# :own the street, yellowish li!ht
shone on the "avement outside a !in sho"> other than that,
the street was dar# Asher's own footfalls sounded loud, as
did the thin, steady "atter of the rain# %alfway down the
unbroen fronta!e was the door he sou!ht5 Number N@I#
2ts windows were dar> looin! u", he saw them all heav'ily
shuttered# $he door was barred with a "adloc and has"#
Asher stood for a lon! time before it, listenin!, as if, lie
the vam'"ires, he could scent "eril at a distance# 2n s"ite of
his weariness, the ache in his bones as if he had fallen
down a <i!ht of stairs, and the hurt of his <esh for slee", he
forced all his senses alert# Bully Joe :avies had said that he
was bein! staled# $he iller, a vam"ire who moved so
silently that he could, in fact, stal other vam"ires, mi!ht
be watchin! him from the shadows of those dar buildin!s,
waitin! for him to leave the li!hts of the street#
0or that matter, Asher thou!ht ironically as he crossed
bac to the mouth of the alley that ran behind Lower :itch
,treet, :avies himself mi!ht be waitin! for him# $he
<ed!lin! vam"ire had moved so clumsily he doubted
:avies' ability to detect 7sidro, either last ni!ht or now, if
7sidro was, in fact, watchin! over him# %owever, if he was
wron!### ;neasily, Asher scanned what little he could see of
the smelly cleft of the alley and the street behind him for
si!n of the vam"ire# $here was none, of course# %e was
reminded of the "icture an old 2ndian )!hter in Ari&ona had
once drawn for him'a white "a!e with a hori&on line
bisectin! it, two "ebbles, and a minuscule cactus# 2t was
titled "Ari&ona Landsca"e with A"aches#"
%e drew the silver nife from his boot, holdin! it
concealed a!ainst his arm, N@I Lower :itch ,treet had
been "urchased three months a!o by -hretien ,an!lot,
shortly after, Asher !uessed, Bully Joe :avies
had met the 0renchman#
-autiously, he advanced down the bac lane, rain
triclin! from his hat brim and into his collar# $here was a
shar" crash from the brim'min! dustbins, and tiny red eyes
!linted at him in irritation from the darness# $he alley was
)lthy beyond descri"tion, !arba!e and refuse of all inds
min!lin! into a ind of "rimordial slo" under the steady
"atter of the rain#
-ountin! the cram"ed little slots of yards, Asher found
Number N@I easily and sli""ed throu!h the broen boards
of its bac fence without trouble# $he !round oo&ed with
reddish mud> at the bac of the yard, barely visible in the
!loom, a broen'down outhouse simmered in a "ool of
nameless slime# "$he %ouses of .arliament," he recalled
abstractly, such buildin!s were christened in some areas of
London##
$he rain had eased to a whis"er# %e strained his ears as
he crossed the yard, tryin! to catch some sound, some
si!nal of dan!er#
2n the yard he mi!ht be safe, at least from Bully Joe# %e
doubted the <ed!lin! could come at him throu!h that
much water and mud without a sound# But once he was in
the house, if :avies had seen 7sidro waitin! for him, he
was a dead man#
$he wet wood of the bac ste"s creaed shar"ly
beneath his wei!ht# $he door was only a va!ue outline in
shadow, but he could see no "adloc# -autiously he turned
the nob# $he door creaed inward#
"-ome no further until 2 have li!hted the !as," 7sidro's
voice said softly from the darness, startlin! Asher nearly
out of his sin# "2 thin you should see this#"
Ten
A "in' burst e("losion of !old came in the darness,
bri!ht to Asher's strainin! eyes, and there was a stin! of
sul"hur# Al'ready his mind was tain! in the smell that )lled
his nostrils> the ashy, fetid choe of burned meat
over"owerin! the mustiness of mildew and dust#
,low and !old, the li!ht swelled around the steel )shtail
of the burner, widenin! out to )ll the whole of the s3uare
and din!y room#
A co9n lay )ve feet from where Asher stood in the
doorway, )lled with ash and bone# 0rom here, it looed lie
a lot of bone, the whole seleton intact and blac, but for
the moment he didn't !o to chec# %e looed instead at the
stone <oor around the co9n, then sideways, "ast where
7sidro stood near the stove, to the dri""in! "uddle beneath
the vam"ire's shed 2nverness, which lay over the war"ed
wooden counter to"# $here was no trace of dri""ed water
anywhere else in the room, save where 7sidro himself had
waled from the outer door to where he stood, 4ust beside
the stove#
",o much," he said 3uietly, "for a vam"ire who remains
awae a little lon!er than his brethren# $he rain didn't sto"
until nearly dawn# $he !round wouldn't have been even
s"on!y'dry until well into day'li!ht"
%e waled "ast the co9n to the cellar door, an o"en
blac throat on the other side of the room, tain! his
ma!nifyin! !lass from his "ocet# 0resh scratches and faint
shuBin! tracs mared the dusty linoleum of the <oor, and
here and there was a dim foot"rint, outlined in crusts of
dried mud# After a moment's study he "ut the !lass away
and re"laced it with the measurin! ta"e#
"$wo of them," he said, neelin! to mar the len!th of
one "ale smud!e# "One nearly my hei!ht, the other three
or four inches taller, by the len!th of the stride# $o!ether
they carried the co9n u" from the cellar to here, where
there was dayli!ht#" %e sat bac on his haunches, studyin!
the shuBed and overla""ed s"oor#
"7our friend *r# :avies," 7sidro murmured softly# Asher
new the vam"ire was !oin! to cross to the co9n then and
concentrated on watchin! him# $hrou!h a ha&e of what felt
lie almost unbearable slee"iness, he saw 7sidro tae two
lon!, 3uic strides> when it "assed he was standin! above
the blacened remains, a colorless s"ecter in his "ale !ray
suit and webby hair# "$he bones are intact,"
%e folded himself lie an ivory marionette down beside
the co9n and "iced with fastidious )n!ers at what was
inside# $here was no e("res'sion on his thin face# .ocetin!
the measurin! ta"e, Asher 4oined him in time to see him
slide from between the ribs somethin! that crumbled even
in the inhuman li!htness of 7sidro's touch'somethin! about
a foot and a half lon! that was too strai!ht to be a bone#
7sidro dro""ed it almost at once, "ulled a sil
handerchief from some inner "ocet, and wi"ed his
)n!ers, still without e("ression# "6hitethorn," he said#
"Burned nearly to ash, but still it stin!s#"
Asher cau!ht the lon!, narrow hand in his and turned it
"alm'u" to the li!ht# 0ault red welts could already be seen
on the white <esh# $he )n!ers felt utterly cold to his touch,
fra!ile as the stics of an anti3ue fan# After a moment,
7sidro drew his hand away#
"$hey were tain! no chances#"
"$hey new what to use, obviously#"
"Any clown with access to a lendin! library would," the
vam"ire returned#
Asher nodded and turned his attention to what was left
of the cor"se# $here were, as he'd ho"ed, a number of eys
in the vicinity of the blacened "elvis' trouser pocket! he
thou!ht absently,the carryall of a man who isn't used to
wearing a *acket when he works. :on ,imon had been ri!ht
about vam"ires' combustibility5 the bones were intact, not
seared to crumblin! and unreco!ni&able fra!ments as
Lotta's had been# $he "lace where the s"ine had been
severed to se"arate head and body was horribly clear#
"6hy is that?" he in3uired softly# &Is vam"irism a ty"e of
"etri)cation that slowly alters )rst the <esh, then the bone,
into somethin! other than mortal substance? 2s that why
the youn!er vam"ires !o u" lie <ash"a"er, while the older
ones burn more slowly, more com"letely?"
"2 don't thin it can be so sim"le as that," ,imon re"lied,
at the end of a lon! hesitation# "$here are'interlocin!
e8ects, "sychic as well as "hysical# But yes'2 have often
believed it to be as you say# +ri""en was burned once by
the sun, )fty, seventy years a!o# 2t was nowhere near as
bad as my own e("erience durin! the 0ire, and now the
scars are almost !one# 6e tou!hen a little, as 2 said, even
to dayli!ht# But not to this e(tent#"
$here was silence as they looed at each other, then,
across the co9n contents of ash and heat's"lit buttons,
brown mortal eyes looin! into immortal !old#
"%ow old," Asher ased at last, "is the oldest vam"ire in
Euro"e?"
"$hree hundred and )fty'two years," 7sidro res"onded
softly, "!ive or tae a few#"
"7ou?"
A sli!ht inclination of that stran!e, demon head# "$o the
best of my nowled!e#"
Asher !ot to his feet and hunted the cu"boards until he
found a brass lam", which he lit from the !as, mildly
cursin! the inconvenience in -iceronian Latin and wishin!
that electric torches were either small enou!h to carry
easily about his "erson or reliable enou!h to warrant the
nuisance of lu!!in! them# A brief e(amination showed him
no locs or has"s, thou!h )ve of the eys he'd "iced from
the ashes were of the chea" "adloc ty"e# .erha"s :avies,
lie -alvaire, had several di8erent safe houses# 7sidro
followed him without a word as he crossed to the cellar
ste"s# $he stin of mold and wet earth rose about them lie
choedam" as they descended#
"2 thou!ht the iller mi!ht be +ri""en, you now," he
said, and 7sidro nodded, absolutely unsur"rised by the
theory# "2 sus"ect you did, too#"
"$he thou!ht crossed my mind# 2t was why 2 sou!ht out
a mortal a!ent# $his was not sheerly because 2 consider
him a lout and a brute5 he had !ood reason to wish
-alvaire dead# -alvaire was a challen!e to his authority# 2t
was clear that -alvaire was tryin! to establish his own
"ower here in London, even when none of us new he was
"urchasin! "ro"erty, let alone creatin! a <ed!lin! who
would do his biddin!# And +ri""en is of the hei!ht to have
made the mars u"on Neddy %ammer'smith's windows#"
$hey "aused at the foot of the ste"s, Asher liftin! the
lam" nearly to the low ceilin! beams to illuminate the
cellar around them# 2ts !lare smud!ed the dusty boards of
a nearly em"ty coalbin in li!ht and cau!ht the frayin!
ed!es of translucent curtains of cobweb, thic with dust#
"6ould he have harmed his own <ed!lin!s? :avies
didn't thin he would#"
":avies did not now +ri""en#" 7sidro "aused for a lon!
moment, a faint line <e(in! brie<y between his ash'colored
brows# "7ou must understand that the bond between a
master vam"ire and the <ed!lin! he creates is an
incredibly stron! one# 2t is not merely that, without the
teachin! of the master, the <ed!lin! cannot ho"e to
survive in a world where the veriest touch of sunli!ht will
i!nite every cell in his body'cannot ho"e even to mae
sense of the new world dinnin! and cryin! and burnin! into
senses that suddenly !a"e lie an o"en wound#"
%e s"oe hesitantly now, not "icin! over what he
would and would not tell, but stru!!lin! with thin!s that in
MAF years he had not told anyone# "2n the main! of the
new vam"ire, their minds loc# $he dyin! man's or
woman's clin!s to that of one who has already "assed
throu!h the e("erience of "hysical death# 2n a sense," he
went on, not awwardly but very slowly, lie a demon
tryin! to e("lain to the livin! what it is lie to e(ist
surrounded by the damned, "the <ed!lin! must !ive his
soul to the master, to hold for him while he'crosses over# 2
cannot e("lain it more nearly than that#"
"A man must love his life very des"erately," Asher said,
after lon! silence, "to do that#"
"2t is easier to do than you thin," ,imon re"lied, "when
you are feelin! your own heart falter to a sto"#" $hen he
smiled, wry in the dim !low of the lam" but with that faint
echo of an old charm, lie a faded "ortrait of someone he
had once been# "A drownin! man seldom "ushes a "lan
away, no matter who holds the other end# But you
understand how absolute is the dominance established#"
1ueer and shar" to Asher's mind, lie the 2ma!e in a
dream, rose the vision of a slim, fair hidal!o in the
"earl' sewn blac velvets of the ,"anish court, his head
lyin! bac over the white hand of the thin little man who
nelt beside him# Lie a fra!ile s"ider, Anthea had said###
"2s that why you've never made a <ed!lin!?"
7sidro did not loo at him# &2i! "he whis"ered, la"sin!
for an instant into the anti3ue ,"anish of his "ast# %is eyes
<iced bac to Asher's, and the wry, sweet smile returned,
"$hat, and other reasons# *aster vam"ires distrust their
<ed!lin!s, of course, for the resentment en!en'dered by
that dominance, that iron intimacy, is enormous# $hey
distrust still more those who are not their <ed!lin!s, over
whom they have no control# 2n any event to be vam"ire is
to have an almost fanatic desire to command absolutely
one's environment and everyone about one# 0or we are, as
you have observed, oddly fra!ile creatures in our way,
besides bein! necessarily sel)sh and stron!'willed to be!in
with in order to survive the transition to the vam"ire state
at all#
",o yes," he added, se!uein! abru"tly bac to the
ori!inal to"ic of conversation, "2 believe +ri""en would ill
his own <ed!lin!s, did he thin they mi!ht be lea!uin! with
another vam"ire to dis"ute his mas'tery, either from
fondness for his rival, lie Lotta, or weaness, lie Neddy,
or resentment> thou!h :anny /in! mi!ht acce"t +ri""en's
dominance over himself, he hated +ri""en for holdin! it
over -harles and Anthea# *any thin!s "ointed to a vam"ire
illin! his own, and the lo!ical candidate was +ri""en# But
there are two of them, as you said, and +ri""en, lie us all,
is a creature of the ni!ht#"
%e "aused for a moment, considerin! Asher sidelon!
from cold, "ale eyes# $hen he continued, "2 believe this is
what you see?" %is cold )n!ers too the lam" from
Asher's hand, liftin! it hi!h as he ste""ed a short way into
the cellar#
6hat Asher had taen for a shadow denser than the
rest he now saw was a doorway, its lintel barely )ve feet in
hei!ht, its thic oa door han!in! o"en to reveal a throat of
blacness beyond# $he li!ht "iced out the sha"es of old
stonewor, a medieval ceilin! !roin and the to" of a worn
s"iral of stone ste"s#
"A merchant's house once stood on this !round," the
vam"ire said, crossin! the cellar with that odd, driftin!
wal, Asher at his heels# "Later it was an inn'the +oat and
-om"asses> ori!inally, of course, it was '+od
Encom"asseth ;s,' a "ious motto "ainted above the door
which did not save it from bein! burned by -romwell's
troo"s#" %e led the way carefully down the foot'hollowed
twist of ste"s to the cellar that lay below'small, bare, and
circular, containin! nothin! but the ruin of mildewed
sacin!, rats' nests, and four brics, set in a co9n'sha"ed
rectan!le in the middle of the <oor to ee" whatever had
once rested u"on them u" o8 the dam"#
"London is full of such "laces," 7sidro continued, his
voice the whis"er of a bleached !host in the muBin!
darness# ".laces where old "riories, inns, or houses were
burned, their foundations later built u"on by men who
new nothin! of the cellars beneath#"
Asher waled to the brics, studied their layout
thou!htfully, then returned to hold the lantern close to the
framin! of the stair's narrow arch# 6ithout a word, he
ascended a!ain, studyin! the walls carefully as he went#
$he door at the to", e(amined more thorou!hly, had once
been "adloced from the inside# $he "adloc remained
closed'it was the has" that had been ri""ed free of the
wood#
"6hy not a has" on the outside as well, for when he
was !one?"
"2f he was !one," 7sidro said, "what "ur"ose would it
serve beyond tellin! an intruder that there mi!ht be some
thin! of value hidden there? An em"ty co9n is not a thin!
one steals easily#"
Behind him in the stair, the vam"ire's soft'toned words
continued to echo weirdly a!ainst the old stonewor# "2
have no doubt that this is one of the "laces where -alvaire
sle"t, utterly beyond the reach of sunli!ht# :avies would
have nown of it and come here when he needed shelter,"
":idn't hel" him much#" Asher scratched a corner of his
mustache, )shed from his "ocet the "adloc eys he had
taen from Bully Joe's ashes, and tried them in the loc# "2t
4ust made more wor for his murderers, carryin! his co9n
u" to the itchen to i!nite the body in the sunli!ht#" $he
second ey s"ran! the loc o"en'Asher noted it, re'turned
it to his "ocet, and moved a "ace or two down the ste"s
to ree(amine the ancient stone wall at the turn of the
stairs# "-alvaire was his master> it's clear he used Bully
Joe's nowled!e of the nei!hborhood to "urchase the
!round lease on the buildin!, so, of course, Bully Joe would
have eys#" %e frowned'even with the ma!nifyin! lens he
too from his "ocet, he did not )nd the thin! he sou!ht#
"%e said -alvaire was dead'he seemed "retty sure of it#"
".erha"s he buried him, as Anthea and 2 buried :anny
and "oor Ned %ammersmith# $he "oor###" 7sidro "aused,
looin! about him at the narrow con)nes of the stair and
the hair"in turn of the enclosin! wall# A sli!ht frown tu!!ed
at his s"arse brows# "But if the co9n were carried u" from
the subcellar###"
"$hey'd have had to carry it u"ri!ht to !et it around the
corner, yes, 2'm not certain, but 2 don't thin a sin!le man
could have done so with a body in it'carried it so )rmly and
li!htly that it left no scratches on the walls or the
door4ambs# Even two men carryin! it at a stee" an!le
would have conceivably left some mar# $here's enou!h
li!ht in the cellar above to have be!un burnin! the body
there, so they couldn't have carried it se"arately# And then
there's the door itself#"
,imon followed him u" the stairs and re!arded the
twisted has" with its bent screws, the wood still clin!in! to
their threads# 2n the ochre !low of the lam", his eyes were
somber'he was be!innin! to under'stand#
"$here is no mar of a crow on the door4ambs," he said,
and Asher reco!ni&ed the Eli&abethan word for s"anner#
"No," Asher said# "Nor is there anythin! that could have
been used for a fulcrum to !et a lever under the door
handle# 2t was 4ered out with a strai!ht "ull# A!ain, it's
*ust within the realm of "ossibility that a human could have
done it, but it isn't very "robable#"
$here was lon! silence, in which, faintly, Asher could
hear the "atter of renewed rain from above# $hen 7sidro
said, "But it cannot have been a vam"ire# Even had he
worn a !love to "rotect his hand from the stae, the
dayli!ht would have destroyed him#"
"6ould it?" Asher led the way u" the cellar ste"s to the
!asli!hted itchen above# $he co9n !a"ed on the <oor
before them, lie some monstrous )sh "latter dis"layin!
a ho rr idchef d'oeuvreon the worn and u!ly linoleum# 2n a
indlin! drawer near the stove, Asher found a "iece of
candle, an!led it down the lam" chimney to !et a <ame,
and bore it throu!h the door that !ave into the front "art of
the house#
":id -alvaire ever s"ea of .aris? Of what caused him
to leave?"
"No#" 7sidro drifted beside him, a soundless !host in his
!ray suit# 6ith the !as turned u" full, it was obvious no one
had crossed the dust'choed "arlor or the hall from the
front door, "%e was not a man who dwelt u"on the "ast,
even so recent a "ast as that# .erha"s he had a reason, but
many of us are that way# 2t is better so#"
"7ou said when he came here that he '"romenaded
himself'waited to mae his ill until +ri""en had contacted
him, and swore fealty to +ri""en, in e(chan!e for +ri""en's
"ermission to hunt# But it's obvious that even an
ine("erienced <ed!lin!, if he's careful, can conceal himself
from the two oldest nown vam"ires in Euro"e, at least for
a time#"
A!ain 7sidro was silent, turnin! the im"lications of that
over in his mind#
"6as there ever any tal of vam"ires older than
yourself? *uch older, say, a hundred years older? $wo
hundred years?"
An odd e("ression <icered in the bac of :on ,imon's
"ale eyes# %e "aused on the stairs to the )rst <oor, his "ale
hair haloed in the "arlor !asli!ht behind him# "Of what are
you thinin!, James?"
"Of vam"irism," Asher said 3uietly# "Of the slow chan!e
of the body, cell by cell, into somethin! other than mortal
<esh and mortal bone'of the !rowth of the vam"ire's
"owers# *y wife's a "atholo!ist# 2 now that diseases
chan!e, lie sy"hilis, the .la!ue, or chicen "o(, even
sometimes "roducin! new sym"toms, if they continue lon!
enou!h without illin! the "atient#"
"And you thin the vam"ire state a disease?"
"2t's a blood'borne conta!ion, isn't it?"
"$hat is not all that it is#"
"Alcoholism alters the brain, drivin! its victims to
madness," Asher said# "%i!h fevers can destroy the mind or
"arts of the mind> the mind itself can brin! on "hysical
ailments'nervousness, declines, what women call 'va"ors,'
brain fever# Any family "ractitioner could have told you
that, even before 0reud started doin! his wor on nervous
hysteria# Emotional shoc can cause anythin! from a stroe
to a miscarria!e# 2f you've traveled in 2ndia, seen the thin!s
the fairs do, you'll now the mind can "erform stran!er
feats u"on the body than that#
"6hat 2'm !ettin! at is this5 :oes vam"irism have
sym"toms, devel'o"ments, which only manifest
themselves after a certain s"an of years? A lon! s"an,
lon!er than most vam"ires live or can remember? 6ould
one eventually, in the s"an of years, tou!hen even a!ainst
dayli!ht? And you didn't answer my ori!inal 3uestion#"
2nstead of re"lyin! at once, 7sidro resumed his climb to
the <oor above, Asher followin! at his heels, the burnin!
candle still in his hand# %e lit the !as in the u""er hall and
o"ened the two doors there# One room was a "arlor, the
other a bedroom, both obviously lon! out of use#
"2t is an odd thin!," 7sidro said slowly, "but there are
not many vam"ires in Euro"e'or in America, which has had
its own troubles' much over two hundred and )fty years
old# $hese days vam"irism is a "henomenon of the cities,
where the "oor are uncounted and deaths are relatively
invisible# But cities tend to tra" vam"ires in their own cata'
clysms#"
%e o"ened the door at the end of the hall, leadin! to
the attic stair# Asher "aused brie<y to study the two heavy
has"s screwed into the wood of its inner side# Neither had
been torn out> the "adlocs, neatly o"en, were hooed
throu!h the steel sta"les on the doorframe#
%e tried Bully's remainin! eys out of sheer routine'two
of them )tted# ;nlie the cellar, the attic door had a sin!le
has" on the outside, but it was clear from the locs that no
one had forced his way in or out#
$hey traded a !lance, and Asher shru!!ed# "6e mi!ht
as well see what's u" there anyway'there may be "a"ers#"
":r# +ri""en and 2 were the only two who survived the
0ire of London," 7sidro went on, as they ascended the stair#
"2 only lived by lucy chance# As far as 2 now, no *unich
vam"ire survived the trou'bles of the forties, and no
=ussian vam"ire Na"oleon's invasion, occu'"ation, and
incineration of *oscow# =ome has always been a "erilous
city for the ;ndead, certainly since the foundin! of the
2n3uisition#"
At the to" of the attic stairs, the door stood o"en# A
s3uare of !rimy yellowish li!ht indicated a window and a
street li!ht somewhere below#
"1ue va?" 7sidro whis"ered behind Asher in the dar#
":id he slee" here, the windows would be muBed###"
2t too Asher a moment, in the almost total darness
beyond the feeble circle of the candle's li!ht, to see what
lay on the <oor halfway between the door and the left'hand
wall#
"-alvaire?" he ased softly, as 7sidro brushed "ast him
and strode to that !risly hea" of bones, ash, and seared
metal oddments# Buttons, brace bucles, the lacin! ti"s of
shoes, and the charred metal barrel of a stylo!ra"hic "en
all !linted brie<y in the <utterin! yellow !low as he came
to stand behind the neelin! vam"ire# $hen he looed on
"ast them, to the farther wall# A hin!ed "anel !a"ed o"en,
showin! a co9n within a small closet which would have
been totally indistin!uishable from the wall itself when
shut# $hic dra"eries and shutters had been torn from the
attic's sin!le window# 2n the silence, the rain on the low roof
was lie the ominous tattoo of .russian drums#
"At least a man," he added, lowerin! his candle a!ain to
shed its wea radiance on the remains, "since there are no
corset stays#" %e was interested to note that, 4ud!in! by
the relative wholeness of the bones, 7sidro seemed to be
correct about the 0rench vam"ire's a!e#
$he vam"ire lifted a !old rin! clear of the mess and
blew the thin coatin! of ash and dust from it# A chance
draft made the candle <ame waver> the diamond of its
settin! wined lie a bri!ht and baleful eye# "-alvaire," he
a9rmed softly# ",o he must indeed have waened, with the
searin! of the li!ht, to sta!!er already dyin! from his
co9n##,"
"6hich is a curious thin!," Asher remared, "if our iller,
bein! a vam"ire himself, new from the )rst that the head
had to be cut o8 to "revent such a thin! from ha""enin!#
Almost as curious as the fact that the door downstairs
wasn't loced#" %e stoo"ed beside 7sidro to "ic a cou"le
of eys from the !hastly debris# %e matched the wards and
found them du"licates of Bully Joe's eys# "$here's no mar
of charrin! on the <oor between the co9n's "lace of
concealment and the body, either# 2f, as you say, the <esh
be!ins to burn at once###"
"%e could not have admitted the iller himself," 7sidro
said# "6hat'ever the ca"abilities of the iller, -alvaire at
least could not have !one anywhere near the door at the
bottom of the ste"s durin! the hours of dayli!ht,"
"And yet the iller entered that way#"
7sidro lifted an in3uirin! brow#
"%ad he not, he could sim"ly have left the way he
came, without unlocin! the door at the bottom of the ste"
at all# 6hat it loos lie is that -alvaire new his iller, and
admitted him himself, by ni!ht### 2s it usual for a vam"ire to
have two co9ns in the same buildin!?"
"2t is not unusual," 7sidro said calmly# "0led!lin!s
fre3uently tae refu!e with their masters# And then, there
are few houses which are safe for vam"ires, and those
which are, ofttimes become veritable rooeries of the
;ndead, as you yourself found in ,avoy 6al# $hat was one
of my reasons for ee"in! from you as many details as
"ossible# Not for their "rotection, you understand, but for
yours#"
"2'm touched by your concern," Asher said dryly# "-ould
the iller have illed or inca"acitated -alvaire in some
other way, leavin! the body to be destroyed when dayli!ht
came?"
$he vam"ire did not answer for a moment, sittin!
hunered beside the burned seleton, his arms e(tended
out over his nees# "2 do not now," he said at len!th# "But
if he had broen -alvaire's nec or bac 'and the sull
seems to be lyin! at a stran!e an!le, thou!h that, of
course, mi!ht sim"ly be the way it rolled when the muscles
were con'sumed'it would have inca"acitated him, so that
he lay here on the <oor, conscious but unable to move,
while the li!ht slowly bri!htened in the window# 2f our iller
is himself immune to dayli!ht," he added neutrally, "it is
"ossible that he remained to watch,"
"Another ar!ument," Asher said, "for the fact that
-alvaire new him, it bein! less entertainin! to watch the
su8erin!s of those to whom we are unnown and
indi8erent#"
"2nterestin!#" 7sidro turned the rin! he held this way
and that, the candleli!ht shatterin! throu!h its delicate
facets to salt that alabaster face with a thousand "oints of
colored )re# "$he odd thin! is that amon! vam"ires,
there is a le!end of an ancient vam"ire, so old and
"owerful that no one ever sees him anymore'so old that
even other vam"ires cannot sense his "assa!e# Even a
hundred and )fty years a!o, other vam"ires were avoidin!
his haunts# $o them he was semifabulous, lie a !host#
$raditions amon! them said that he had been a vam"ire
since before the days of the Blac :eath#"
"And what were his haunts?" Asher ased, nowin!
already what the ,"aniard would say#
$he e("ressionless eyes raised from the !litter of the
!em before them# "%e sle"t'or was said to slee"'in the
cry"ts below the charnels of the churchyard of the %oly
2nnocents, in .aris#"
Eleven
"2t is not the city that it was#" 2f there were nuances to
that soft, li!ht voice of bitterness, an!er, or re!ret, it would
have taen a vam"ire's hy"eracute "erce"tions to read
them'Asher himself heard none# Around him the closed cab
4os'tled and swayed# 6hen his elbow, raised where his
hand, lined throu!h the han!in! stra", came in contact
with the window, he felt throu!h his coat sleeve the chill of
the !lass# $he noises of the street came to him dimly5 the
clatter of wheels, on "avement of wood and as"halt,
reboundin! from the hi!h brown walls of theimmeubles ,
the occasional hoots of motorcars> the "un!ent cursin! of
the sidewal ven'dors> and the !ay, driftin! fren&y of violin
and accordion that s"oe of some caf cone' in "ro!ress#
Blindfolded, he could see nothin!, but the sounds of
.aris were dis'tinctive and as bri!ht a aleidosco"e as its
si!hts# No one, he thou!ht, who had ever been here ever
3uestioned how it was in this "lace that 2m"ressionism
came to be,
7sidro's voice went on, "2 have no sense of bein! at
home here'this sterile, inor!anic town where everythin! is
thrice washed before and after anyone touches it# 2t is the
same everywhere, of course, but in .aris it seems
"articularly ironic# $hey seem to have taen this man
.asteur very seriously#"
$he noises chan!ed> the crowd of vehicles around them
seemed more dense, but the echoes of buildin!s were
!one# Asher smelled the sewery stin of the river# A brid!e,
then'and 4ud!in! by the len!th and the din of a small
s3uare and buildin!s halfway alon!, it could only be the
.ont Neuf, a name which, lie that of New -olle!e, O(ford,
had not been accurate for a number of centuries# 2n a short
time, they turned ri!ht, and continued in that direction#
Asher calculated they were headed for the old *arais
district, the one'time aristocratic nei!hborhoods that had
not been badly dama!ed by either the .russians, the
-ommunards, or Baron %aussmann, but said nothin!# 2f
7sidro chose to believe that blindfoldin! him would ee"
him in absolute i!norance of the whereabouts of the .aris
vam"ires, he'and they'were welcome to do so#
%e was uncomfortably aware that the .aris vam"ires
had not even the threat of the day iller to reconcile them
to the "resence of a human in their midst#
"*y most vivid memories of .aris are of its mud, of
course," the vam"ire went on 3uietly# "Everyone's were,
who new it then# 2t was astoundin! stu8,L a boue de
0aris- blac and vile, lie a s"ecies of oil# 7ou could never
eradicate either its stain or its smell# 2t clun! to every'
thin!, and you could nose .aris si( miles away in o"en
country# 2n the days when every !entleman wore white sil
stocin!s, it was "ure hell#" $he faintest hint of self'
mocery cre"t into his voice, and Asher "ic'tured that still
and hau!hty face framed in the white of a court wi!#
"$he be!!ars all smelled of it, too," 7sidro added#
"%untin! in the "oor 3uarters was always a ni!htmare#
Now###" %e "aused, and there was a curious <e( in that
su""le voice,
"2t would tae me a lon! time to relearn .aris#
Everythin! has chan!ed# 2t is stran!e territory to me now# 2
do not now its boltholes or hidin! "laces> 2 no lon!er even
s"ea the lan!ua!e "ro"erly# Every time 2 say c z instead
of ce! *e ne 6aime point instead ofL e ne 6'aimepas! every
time 2 say *e fh7uel 7ue chose instead of*el'aifait! 2 mar
myself as a stran!er#"
"7ou only mar yourself as a forei!ner who has learned
0rench from a very old boo," Asher re"lied easily, "%ave
you ever taled to a Brahman in London for the )rst time?
Or heard an American south'erner s"ea of 'reddin! u" a
room'?" $he cab sto""ed> under the sil scarf bound over
his eyes, Asher could detect very little li!ht and new that
the street itself was 3uite dar, "articularly for a city as
bri!htly illuminated as .aris# $he "lace was 3uiet, too, save
for the far'o8 noises of tra9c in some nearby s3uare'the
.lace de la Bastille at a !uess' but the smell was the smell
of "overty, of too many families sharin! too few "rivies, of
chea" cooin!, and of dirt# $he *arais, Asher new, had
declined drastically from the days when Louis ?D had
courted Jeanne .oisson throu!h its candlelit salons#
$here was a sli!ht 4o!!in! as the vam"ire !ot out of the
cab and the muted e(chan!e of voices and, "resumably,
francs# $hen a li!ht, )rm hand touched his arm, !uidin!
him, and he heard the cab rattle away down the cobbles#
":o you s"ea ,"anish any more at all?"
$here was level "avement, then a ste" down, and a
sense of close walls and cold shade'the doorway vestibule
whose !ates would o"en into the central court of one of the
bi! oldhotels particuliers. Beside him, very 3uiet, came
7sidro's voice5 "2 doubt 2 could even mae my'self
understood in *adrid#"
"%ave you never !one bac there, then?"
2n the ensuin! moment of silence, Asher could almost
see 7sidro's eyes restin! on him with their calm,
noncommittal !a&e while the vam'"ire sifted throu!h all
"ossible res"onses for the one which would !ive the least#
"6hat would be the "oint?" he ased at last# "*y "eo"le
are, and have been since the =econ3uista, sus"icious and
intolerant#" Asher reali&ed with a small start that bymy
people he meant ,"aniards, not vam"ires# "6ith the
2n3uisition "robin! every cellar for heretics and Jews, what
chance would a vam"ire stand? 2t is "ossible in most cir'
cumstances to avoid the touch of silver, but such
avoidance is, in civi'li&ed countries, not mared# 6ere it
noticed in ,"ain in those days, it would have been fatal#"
Asher heard then a faint scratchin!, lie the furtive
scuBe of a mouse behind a wainscot, as the vam"ire
scra"ed at the "anels of the door with his nail, a sound
which only other vam"ires would hear#
But other vam"ires, of course, would have detected
their voices in the street#
%e heard nothin! within, but sensed feet <oatin!
wei!htlessly down the stair> his heart, it seemed, was
thum"in! uncomfortably fast# ":o they now about me?"
he ased#
$hey had taen the ni!ht mail by way of -alais# $he
"orters had !rumbled at the si&e and awwardness of the
hu!e leather'and'iron trun that was ticeted as "art of
Asher's lu!!a!e, but had been sur'"rised at its com"arative
li!htness# "6ot you !ot in there, mate, bleedin' feathers?"
"2 trust that all travel arran!ements will !o as we have
made them," 7sidro had commented, leanin! on the Lord
/arden's aft rail and watchin! the few twinlin! li!hts on
the Admiralty .ier fade into the thin sou" of iron'colored
mist# "But it never "ays to tae chances#"
%e !lanced beside him at Asher, whose mind had
already recorded the sli!ht <ush of color in the white
chees, the warmth in those cool )n!ers# ,tandin! beside
him, !loved hands on the rail and collar turned u" a!ainst
the raw cold of the ni!ht, Asher had been conscious of a
va!ue dis!ust and alarm, not at the vam"ire, but at
himself, for notin! these si!ns as a mere deductive detail
and not the certain evidence of some "oor wretch's murder
in a London slum# %e had felt an!ry at himself and
frustrated, as he had often been in his latter dealin!s with
the 0orei!n O9ce, burdened with a sense of "erformin!
what was only mar!inally the lesser of two colossal wron!s#
$he vam"ire's !a&e had turned, as if he could still
descry the dar sha"e of :over's cli8s, invisible now in the
west# "At the ris of sound'in! crude," he had !one on
carefully, "2 would lie to "oint out to you that at "resent 2
am the only one "rotectin! you from +ri""en and his
cadre# 6ere you to destroy me, you mi!ht "erha"s ensure
your lady's safety for a season, for 2 am the only one who
nows the terms of our a!reement###"
Asher had started, relief loosenin! a not of
a""rehension in his chest that had been with him, it
seemed, so lon! that he had almost for!otten its ori!in#
6ith the "ossibility of a dayli!ht'huntin! vam"ire
loomin! uneasily in his mind, he had not dared another
meetin! with Lydia, but it had been one of the hardest
thin!s he had ever done sim"ly to tae his leave of her by
anonymous tele!ram# 7sidro, he "resumed, would be able
to "rotect him in .aris'if "rotectin! him was in fact his
intention'but he turned cold with dread at the thou!ht of
Lydia stayin! in London alone# Only the nowled!e that she
was enormously sensible and would wait, as ordered, to
hear from him before undertain! anythin! re'motely
dan!erous'the nowled!e that she understood the
situation' made it bearable and, then, bearable only in
relative terms#
%e felt a sur!e of !ratitude toward the vam"ire of which
he was almost ashamed'!ratitude and sur"rise
that 7sidro would have told him this#
"But you would never be able to !o near her a!ain," the
vam"ire went on# "$he others would trac you and destroy
you, as one who nows too much# 2n so doin!, they would
undoubtedly )nd her as well#"
Asher !lanced sourly at his com"anion# "And how do 2
now that won't be the case in any event, when this a8air
is over?"
$he vam"ire's !a&e had been unfathomable in the dim
!low of the steamer's dec li!hts, but Asher thou!ht he
heard a trace of unhuman amusement in his voice# "0rom
that, too, 2 shall "rotect you# :o you not trust me, as 2
"erforce trust you?"
As usual, he could not tell whether 7sidro was bein!
ironic or not#
Lon! before the train had reached the +are du Nord,
7sidro had left their com"artment> Asher had not seen him
anywhere in the station durin! the nuisance of customs in
the ,alle des Ba!a!es, nor in the s3uare or the streets
outside# %e was becomin! used to this# $he sy was
already "alin!> he'd wired ahead to the -hambord, a small
hotel in the =ue de la %ar"e where he often stayed when in
.aris in his O(ford "ersona, and they had rooms waitin! for
him# Enterin! the tiny lobby, with its fusty smells of
cooin! and its molderin! Em"ire furnishin!s, it had
troubled him that in all the years that he had nown .aris,
the city had been the abode of vam"ires# $hat was true of
London as well, and he wondered if he would ever be able
to return to the way in which he had once looed on the
world#
Of course, early on in his career, he had lost the
innocence of looin! on the world as the bri!ht surface of a
beautiful "ond# %is tam"erin!s with the 0orei!n O9ce, with
the shadow life of information, and the mury dramas into
which the cursed :e"artment had "itchfored him had
taen care of that# But beneath his continual awareness of
secrets, boltholes, and dan!ers, there was a new
awareness, as if he had sud'denly become co!ni&ant, not
only of the )sh that swam beneath the surface of the "ond,
but of thin!s utterly unima!inable that moved throu!h the
blac mud at its bottom#
%e had sle"t until late in the day in his small room u"
under the hi!h bul!e of the roof slates, then bathed and
dressed in a thou!htful frame of mind# %e had written to
Lydia, assurin! her of his safe arrival, and mailed the letter
enclosed in another to one of his students who had a!reed
to forward anythin! for *iss *erridew# 2t would reach her a
day late, but better that, he reasoned, than ris the
vam"ires tracin! her# After a li!ht dinner in a cafe, he
sou!ht out the .lace des 2n'nocents, the s3uare near the
vast central marets of the city, where once the -hurch of
the %oly 2nnocents and its notorious cemetery had stood#
$here was nothin! there now'a tree'lined place with a
=enaissance fountain, hemmed in by the !ray bul of
the#olies on one side and hi!h, brown-
frontedimmeubles on three others# $he vam"ire of the %oly
2nnocents had sle"t in the cry"t, 7sidro had said'lie =hys
the *instrel, hauntin! the cry"ts of the old -hurch of ,t#
+iles near the river until the town !rew lar!e enou!h
around him so that its inhabit'ants became stran!ers to
one another and did not notice one more white'faced
stran!er walin! the ni!ht in their midst#
,tandin! now at 7sidro's side, strainin! his ears to catch
even the whis"er of descendin! feet crossin! the cobbled
court beyond the door, he wondered if that cry"t was still
there, buried beneath the soil lie the subcellar of
-alvaire's house in Lambeth, for!otten to all save those
who were interested in "laces "roof a!ainst the li!ht of day#
$he vam"ires mi!ht now# $hat and other thin!s# %e
had turned from the .lace des 2nnocents, followed the =ue
,t# :enis toward the !ray sheet of the river, shinin!
between the dove'colored buildin!s of its
bans# $o them, this startlin!ly clean city, with its
immaculate streets, its chestnut trees rusty with autumn,
was only a to"coat of varnish on a dar swam" of
memories, another city entirely#
%e had stood for some time on the ban above the
3uays of the ,eine, starin! at the !ray tan!le of brid!es
u"stream and down, the !othic forest of "innacles that
clustered on the lie de la -ite and the s3uare, dreamin!
towers of Notre :ame# And 4ust beneath them, on the em'
banment, he had !a&ed considerin!ly at the massive iron
!rillwors that barred "assers'by from the subterranean
ma&es of the .aris sewers#
"$he sewers?" Elysee de *ontadour wrinled her lon!
nose in a delib'erate !esture of distaste, her diamonds
winin! in the bla&e of the !as'li!ht# "6hat vam"ire in his
ri!ht mind would haunt them? %m?" ,he shivered
a8ectedly# All her !estures, Asher observed, were
theatrical, a conscious imitation of human mannerism
rather than a reminiscence of its actual s"ontaneity, as if
she had studied somethin! not native to her# %e found
himself "referrin! :on ,imon's uncanny stillness'the ,"an'
ish vam"ire stood, !ray'!loved hands restin! lie huntin!
cats on the curvin! Em"ire bac of the lady's divan,
seemin! by com"arison more than ever immobile'"etri)ed
lon! a!o, as Lydia had said, in ecto"lasmic ivory#
":o you ever hunt in them?" $hou!h none of the other
vam"ires in the lon!, !old'"a"ered salon came near them,
he was conscious of the li!ht run of their voices behind
him, as they "layed cards with s"ectral s"eed and deftness
or chatted with the half'murmurin! whis"er of the wind#
,eated in a s"indly Louis ?D2 chair o""osite Elysee, he
new they were watchin! him and listenin! as only
vam"ires could listen, lie so many suave and mocin!
shars lyin! 4ust beneath the surface of water, whose shore
he could never ho"e to reach in time# 2n one corner of the
salon, a tall !irl whose dar shoulders rose lie bron&e
above a !own of oyster'colored satin "layed the "iano'
$chaiovsy, but with a 3ueer, dar curl to it, a
sensuousness and synco"ation, lie music tric'lin! from
behind a mirror that looed into %ell#
"0ah, and sub4ect myself to the rheumatism?" Elysee
lau!hed, a cold and tinlin! sound without mirth, and made
a !reat "lay with her swan's'down fan#
"And for what!en3nt?& One of the !raceful youn! men
who made u" her coterie of <ed!lin!s loun!ed over to the
end of her divan# $his one was brown'haired, his blue eyes
bri!ht a!ainst rounded and beautiful features> Asher
wondered if Elysee had made them all vam"ires for their
loos# Lie all of the half do&en or so of Elysee's cadre, he
was dressed in the hei!ht of fashion, his 4et blac evenin!
clothes meticu'lously tailored, contrastin! shar"ly with the
white of his shirt and of the <esh above# "A sewer swee"er,
whom one must ill without conversa'tion and hide, lie a
do! buryin! carrion? 6here is the fun in that?" %is fan!s
!leamed as he !rinned down at Asher#
Elysee shru!!ed alabaster shoulders above a dar
!reen !own# "2n any case, their su"erintendents count the
swee"ers very carefully when they !o down, and when
they come u"# And theyarecanaille! as ,er!e says, and no
fun in the hunt#" ,he smiled brie<y, dreamy deli!ht in her
!reen eyes with their terrible vam"ire !litter, lie a !reedy
!irl savorin! the taste of forbidden li3ueur#&5lors! there are
ei!ht hundred miles of sewers down there# %e would wither
u" lie a "rune, this +reat, $erri'ble, Ancient Dam"ire of
.aris whom no one has ever seen###"
"6hat about the catacombs?" ,imon ased softly,
disre!ardin! the mocery in her voice# A curious silence
lifted into the room lie an indrawn breath# $he "iano
stilled#
"6e all been there, sure#" $he dar !irl rose from the
instrument's bench, moved across the room with a
deliberate, loun!in! slowness that somehow "artoo of the
same eerie wei!htlessness that com"rised the other
vam"ires' s"eed# 2nstinctively Asher forced himself to
concentrate on watchin! her, sensin! that if he did not, she
would be all but invisible in the movement of his eye# $hey
had been s"eain!
0rench' 7sidro's, as he had said, not only old'fashioned
but with an occasional 3ueer childish sin!son! 3uality to its
"ronunciation'but this !irl s"oe En'!lish, with a li3uid
American drawl# 2n s"ite of the almost unbearable
lentitudinousness of her movements, she was behind him
before he was ready for it, her tiny hand moldin! its way
idly across his shoulders, as if memori&in! the contours of
them throu!h the cloth of his coat# "$hey ee" count there,
too, of worers and visitors# 7ou hid there, didn't you,
Elysee, durin! the sie!e?"
$here was 4ust a touch of malice in her voice, lie the
artfully acci'dental stab of a "in, and Elysee's !reen eyes
<icered at the reminder of what must have been an
undi!ni)ed <i!ht from the riotin! -om'munards# "And who
would not have?" she demanded after a moment# "2 too
refu!e there durin! the $error as well, with %enriette du
-aens# $hey weren't ossuaries then, you now'4ust old
3uarries in the feet of *ontrou!e, stretchin! away into
darness#i?L e " stir! %enriette used to say she thou!ht
there mi!ht be'somethin! else'there# But 2 never saw nor
heard anythin!#" $here was a touch of de)ance in her
voice#
"But you were a <ed!lin! then," ,imon re"lied in his
soft voice, "were you not?"
"0led!lin! or not, 2 was not blind#" ,he ta""ed half'
irritably, half'"layfully at his nucles with her fan'when
the ivory stics came down ,imon's !loved )n!ers were no
lon!er beneath them, thou!h Asher did not see the hand
move# ,he turned bac to Asher, a hand'some woman if
not "retty, with the face and body of a woman in her "rime
and eyes that had lon! since ceased to be human# ,he
shru!!ed# &h .en! that was lon! a!o# And toward the end
%enriette feared everythin!# 0rancois and @ had to hunt for
her, amon! the mobs that roamed the city by ni!ht> we
brou!ht them to her there# Aye, and rised our lives, when
wearin! the wron! color of erchief could set them all
bayin! '8la lanterne' lie the "ac of scurvy hounds they
wereH 0ran'!ois de *ontadour was the ori!inal owner
of thishostel! you under'stand#" %er wave, wrist "ro"erly
leadin!, was airy and formal, lie a "aintin! by :avid> the
white "lumes nodded in her hair# $here were a do&en hu!e
candelabra burnin! as well as the !as 4ets alon! walls and
ceilin!'the li!ht cau!ht in the !litterin! festoons of crystal
lusters, in the lon! mirrors that ran!ed one wall, and in the
blac !lass of the twelve'foot windows alon! the other, all
thrown bac in an unholy halo around her#
"%e, %enriette, and 2 were the only ones to esca"e the
$error, and even 0ran!ois did not, in the end, esca"e# After
it was over###" ,he shru!!ed a!ain, a !esture desi!ned to
show o8 the whiteness of her shoulders# Behind him, Asher
could feel the dar American !irl move closer to his chair,
her body touchin! his bac, her hands restin! on his
shoulders, the cold of them seemin! to radiate a!ainst his
<esh#
"%enriette never recovered, thou!h she lived near a life
s"an after that.h .en! she was after all a lady of
Dersailles# ,he used to say, ni!hts when we had brou!ht
her some drunard whose blood )lled her with wine in turn,
that no one who had not e("erienced the sweetness of
those days could ever understand 4ust what it was which
had been lost# .erha"s she could not !et used to the fact
that it was !one#"
",he was an old lady," the dar !irl's voice said, syru"y
and lan!uor'ous from behind Asher's head# ",he didn't
need no drunard's blood to loosen her ton!ue about the
old days, about the in!s and about Der'sailles#" %er nails
idled at the ends of his hair, as if she toyed with a "et do!#
"Just an old lady whinin' for yesterday#"
"6hen one day you return to -harleston, %yacinthe,"
7sidro said 3uietly in the En!lish in which %yacinthe s"oe,
"and see where the American army shelled the streets
where you !rew u", when you )nd that men themselves
have chan!ed there, 2 ho"e you will remember#"
"*en never chan!e#" ,he shifted her body a!ain, her
hi" touchin! Asher's shoulder, a disturbin! shiver "assin!
into his body as if commu'nicated by electricity# "$hey only
die### and there are always more men#"
"Even so#"
Asher found himself sittin! very still, aware that ,imon,
behind Elysee's divan, was "oised on the ver!e of li!htnin!
s"eed> aware, too, of the touch of a 3uarter'inch of
%yacinthe's )n!erti" a!ainst the sin of his throat# At
7sidro's re3uest, he had left his silver chains behind at the
hotel# $hey would never have let him in, the vam"ire had
said, if they'd sus"ected, and such a show of bad faith
would have dama!ed 7sidro's own somewhat 3uestionable
standin! amon! them# $hou!h Asher could not see it, he
was aware of the 3uadroon !irl's !lance, teasin! and
de)ant, darin! ,imon to sto" her if she decided to ill this
human "rote!e of his, challen!in! him to try his s"eed
a!ainst hers#
7sidro went on softly, his eyes never leavin! hers, "As
for %enriette, she was a lady of Dersailles, s"eain! even
the lan!ua!e of 'this coun'try,' as they used to call it5 that
enchanted -ythera that <oated lie an almond blossom
balanced on a &e"hyr's breath above a cess"it# 2 under'
stand her com"arin! the world after Na"oleon marched
throu!h it to what it was before and )ndin! it wantin!# 2
thin she sim"ly !rew tired of watchin! for dan!er, tired of
stru!!lin!'tired of life# 2 saw her the last time 2 visited .aris,
before the .russians came, and 2 was not sur"rised to hear
that she did not survive the sie!e# :id she ever s"ea,
Elysee, of the Dam"ire of the 2nnocents?"
"No#" Elysee fanned herself, a nervous !esture, since
Asher had ob'served that the other vam"ires seemed to
feel neither heat nor cold# $he others were slowly !atherin!
around his chair in a semicircle behind %yacinthe, facin!
Elysee on the divan and ,imon at her bac# "7es# Only that
there was one#" ,he made a scornful !esture which did not
3uite dis!uise her discomfort at the to"ic#
"$he 2nnocents was a foul "lace, the !round mucy with
the bodies rottin! a few niches beneath the feet, sulls and
bones lyin! everywhere on the !round# 2t stan, too# 2n the
boosellers' and lin!erie vendors' stands that were built in
the arches, you could loo u" and see throu!h the chins in
the rafters the bones staced in the lofts above# $he +reat
0lesh'Eater of .aris, we called it# 0rancois and the others'
%enriette, Jean de Dalois, old Louis'-harles d'Auver!ne'
sometimes taled about the stories of a vam"ire who lived
there, a vam"ire no one ever saw#
After 2 became vam"ire 2 went there to loo for him, but
the "lace#,# 2 didn't lie it#" An old fear <icered brie<y in
those hard emerald eyes#
"Nobody blames you for that, honey, 2'm sure,"
%yacinthe "urred with malicious sym"athy# "2'm thinin! if
he ever bided there at all, he's !ot to have been cra&y as a
loon#"
":id -alvaire ever !o there?" Asher in3uired, turnin! his
head to loo u" into her face, and she smiled down at him,
beautiful as a lon!'contem"lated sin#
"2t was all !one 'fore -alvaire was even bit, honey#"
":id he !o to the catacombs, then? :id he ever s"ea
of this'this s"ectral vam"ire?"
"-alvaire," sni8ed one of the other vam"ires, a dar'
haired boy whom Asher had !uessed had barely be!un to
!row a beard when Elysee had claimed him# "$he +reat
Dam"ire of .aris# %e mi!ht 4ust#"
Asher !lanced over at him curiously in the shimmerin!
reful!ence of li!ht# "6hy?"
Behind him, %yacinthe re"lied with sily scorn,
"Because it was the ind of thin! the +reat Dam"ire of .aris
would do#"
"%e was very taen with bein!'one of us," e("lained
Elysee slowly#
$he brown'haired youn! man, ,er!e, seated himself
!racefully on the divan at Elysee's feet# "6e all have a little
fun, when we can," he e("lained with a !rin that would
have been disarmin!, but for the fan!s# "-alvaire was 4ust
a little !randiose about it#"
"2 don't understand#"
%yacinthe's )n!ers touched his hair# "7ou wouldn't,
under the cir'cumstances#"
"-alvaire was a bra!!art, a boaster," Elysee said,
closin! her swan's'down fan, stroin! the soft white <u8
between )n!ers as hard and as "ale as the ivory of the
stics# "Lie some others#" %er !lance touched %yacinthe
for a mali!nant instant# "$o sit with your victim in an o"era
bo(, a cafe, or a carria!e'to feel the blood with your li"s
throu!h the sin, s"innin! it out as lon! as you can,
waitin!### then to !o drin elsewhere, only to 3uench the
thirst, and !o bac the ne(t ni!ht to him a!ain, to that
"ersonal, innocent death###" ,he smiled dreamily once
more, and Asher was conscious of a sli!ht movement
amon! the vam'"ires behind him and of the swift <ic of
7sidro's eyes#
"But Dalentin carried it a ste" further, a dan!erous ste"#
.erha"s it was "artly that he wanted "ower, that he
wanted <ed!lin!s of his own, thou!h he dared not mae
them here in .aris, where 2 rule, where 2 dominated him
throu!h that which he !ave me in "assin! from life to###
everlife# But 2 thin he did it for the'the 'ic,' as you say in
En!lish'alone# %e would sometimes let his victim now,
es"ecially the victims who foundit pi7uant to now how
near they <irted with death#
"%e would lead them into it, seduce them### he had a
)ne !race and would "lay death lie an instrument,
drinin! it, in all its "erverse sweetness.9ien stir! he could
not be "ermitted to continue#,#"
"2t is a dan!erous thin!," the boy vam"ire to Asher's
ri!ht said, "to let anyone now 4ust who we are and what
we are, no matter what the reason#"
"%e was furious when 2 forbade it him," Elysee
remembered# "0uri'ous when 2 forbade him to mae
<ed!lin!s of his own, his own coterie### for that was the
reason he !ave# But 2 thin that it was 4ust that he en4oyed
it#"
"But then," %yacinthe murmured, "the ones he told
always e("ected to win#"
,omethin! in her voice made Asher loo u"> her hand
cau!ht him very li!htly under the 4aw, forcin! his head
bac so that his eyes met hers# ;nder her )n!ers, he could
feel the movement of his own "ulse> she was looin! down
into his eyes and smilin!# 0or a moment it did not seem to
him that he breathed, sensin! ,imon's readiness to s"rin!
and nowin! there was no way'even if Elysee's <ed!lin!s
did not try to sto" him'that he could cross the distance in
the time it would tae %yacinthe to strie#
Elysee's voice was soft, as if she feared to ti" some
fra!ile balance# "Let him alone#" %e saw %yacinthe's
mocin! smile widen and felt the sli!ht tensin! of her
)n!erti"s a!ainst his throat#
1uite deliberately, he "ut u" his hand and !ras"ed the
cold wrist# 0or an instant it was lie "ullin! at the limb of a
tree> then it yielded, mocin!ly <uid in his, and she
ste""ed bac as he stood u"# But she still
smiled into his eyes, la&ily amused, as if he'd failed
some test of nerve, and there was in the honey'dar eyes
the savorin! of what it was lie to seduce a victim who
new what was ha""enin!# %is eyes held hers> then, 4ust as
deliberately, he dismissed her and turned bac to Elysee#
",o you don't believe -alvaire sou!ht out this'this most
ancient vam"ire in .aris#"
$he fan sna""ed o"en a!ain, indi!nant# Elysee's eyes
were on %y'acinthe, not on him# "2 am the most ancient
vam"ire in 0aris!.onsieur le 0rofesseur!& she said
decidedly# "$here is no other, nor has there been for many
years# 5nden tout cas! you'and others'" %er !lance shot
s"itefully from %yacinthe to 7sidro, who had somehow
come around the divan to her side and within easy
!ras"in! ran!e of Asher# "'would do well to remember that
the sin!le law amon! vam"ires, the sin!le law that all must
obey! is that no vam"ire will ill another vam'"ire# And no
vam"ire## " %er eyes narrowed, moved to Asher, and then
bac to the slender, delicate ,"aniard standin! at her side#
"### will do that which endan!ers other vam"ires by !ivin!
away their haunts, their habits, or the very fact of their
e(istence, to human'ind#"
7sidro inclined his head, his "ale hair fallin! forward
over the !ray velvet of his collar, lie cobweb in the bon)re
of !asli!ht and crystal# "0ear nothin!, mistress# 2 do not
for!et#" %is !loved hand closed lie a manacle around
Asher's wrist, and he led him from the salon#
Twelve
",he's afraid," Asher said, later# "Not that she didn't
have "lenty of com"any," he added, rememberin! the cold
touch of %yacinthe's )n!ers on his throat# "Are all master
vam"ires that nervous of their own "ower?"
"Not all#" Behind them, the rattle of the cab horse's
retreatin! hooves faded alon! the wood and as"halt of the
street, dyin! away into the late'ni!ht hush# :own at the
corner, voices could still be heard in
a working m en'sestaminet! but for the most "art the
district of *ontrou!e was silent# 2t was as di8erent as
"ossible from the crumblin! ele!ance of lysee'shostel or
the rather !rubby slum in which it stood# %ere the street
was lined with the tall, sooty, dun stone buildin!s so
common to .aris, the shabby sho"s on the !round <oors
shuttered ti!ht, the windows of the <ats above liewise
closed, dar save for a chin of li!ht here and there in
attics where servants still labored# ,imon's feet made no
sound on the narrow as"halt footway# %is voice mi!ht have
been the ni!ht wind murmurin! to itself in a dream#
"2t varies from city to city, from "erson to "erson#
Elysee has the disadvanta!e of bein! not that much older
than her <ed!lin!s and of not havin! been vam"ire lon!
herself when she became, in e8ect, *as'ter of .aris# And
she has not always been wise in her choice of <ed!'lin!s#"
":o you thin -alvaire contacted the Dam"ire of the
2nnocents as "art of a "ower "lay a!ainst Elysee?"
"2 sus"ect that he tried#" ,imon sto""ed in the midst of
the row, before an anonymous door# $he main entrance to
the catacombs was on the .lace :enfert'=ochereau, which
would be uncomfortably full of tra9c even at this hour'the
rattle of carria!es and )acres on the boule'vards was
audible even on this silent street# $he moon was !one#
Above the cli8 of buildin!s and chimneys behind them, the
sy was the color of soot#
"Elysee is certainly convinced of it," the ,"aniard went
on# ",he was, you observed, most an(ious that her
<ed!lin!s'and "articularly %yacinthe, whom 2 !uess
to benot of her !ettin!'disabuse themselves of any notion
of doin! the same# :id he e(ist at all, this Dam"ire of the
2nnocents, he would be vastly
more "owerful than Elysee'vastly more "owerful than
any of us#"
"A day staler, in fact#"
,imon did not re"ly# 0or a lon! time the vam"ire stood
as if ab'stracted in thou!ht, and Asher wondered what the
ni!ht sounded lie to the vam"ire, whether those 3uic
ears could "ic u" the breath of slee"ers in the house
beside which they stood or that 3ueer, "reternatu'ral mind
could sense the movin! color of their dreams# At len!th the
vam"ire si!ned to him, and Asher, after a swift !lance u"
and down the deserted street, "roduced his "iclocs from
an inner "ocet and went to wor#
"$he watchman is in the o9ce at the other entrance,"
the vam"ire murmured, the sound more in Asher's mind
than his ears# ":oubtless aslee"'we should remain
undisturbed#"
$he door !ave under Asher's cautious testin!# %e
"oceted the "ic'locs and let 7sidro "recede him into the
cram"ed vestibule which was all there was above !round
at this end of the catacombs# %e heard the soft crea of a
hin!e, the muBed sounds of someone ri<in! a cu"board>
then the scratch of a match# 7sidro had found a !uard's
lantern# Asher ste""ed inside and shut the door behind
him#
6ith its boot'scarred des in front of the iron !rille that
closed o8 one end of the room, the "lace was barely lar!e
enou!h for the two of them to move about# $he lantern
stood on a corner of the des, shed'din! eerie illumination
across 7sidro's lon! hands as he sorted throu!h a rin! of
eys, seletal and yet 3ueerly beautiful in the isolation of
the li!ht# ",o e9cient, the 0rench," the vam"ire murmured#
"%ere is a ma" of the "assa!es, but 2 su!!est that you stay
close to me#"
"2'll be able to see the li!ht for some distance," Asher
"ointed out, tain! the thumbed and !rubby chart#
7sidro "aused in the act of unlocin! the !rille# "$hat
isn't what 2 mean#"
$hey descended the stair, narrow and s"iralin!
endlessly down into the darness#
":o you believe he is really here, then?" Asher ased
softly, his hands "ressed to the stone of wall and
center"ost to ee" his balance on the "erilous wed!es of
the ste"s# "$hat he is still here at all?"
"2t is the lo!ical "lace# As Elysee "ointed out, the
sewers are "er"etu'ally dam"# 6hereas we are not sub4ect
to the normal ills of the body, when a vam"ire be!ins to
!row old'to !ive u"'he does be!in to su8er from 4oint ache#
,ome of the very old vam"ires 2 new here in .aris, Louis
du Belliere'0onta!es and *arie'$herese de ,t# Arouac, did#
Louis had been a courtier of %enri the $hird, one of his
lace'trimmed ti!resses'2 new him for years# 2 don't thin
he ever !ot used to the way the ,un /in! tamed
the nobility.Les fruits de Limoges! he called them'china
fruit, !loss without 4uice# But the fact is that he was afraid,
"assin! himself o8 at Dersailles# %e was !rowin! old, old
and tired, when 2 saw him last> his 4oints hurt him, and
!oin! outside his ownhostel fri!htened him# %e was
huntin! less and less, livin! on beef blood and stolen
chicens and the odd Blac *ass baby# 2 was not sur"rised
when 2 heard he had been found and illed#"
"6hen was that?"
":urin! one of the witchcraft scandals of the ,un /in!'s
rei!n#" ,imon halted at the bottom of the stairs, listenin! to
the darness, turnin! his head this way and that#
"2f the iller we're looin! for e(ists," Asher murmured,
and the echoes "iced u" his voice as if all the dead
slee"in! in the dar whis'"ered bac at him, "he'll be in
London still#"
7sidro shoo his head, a !esture so sli!ht it was barely
"erce"tible# "2 thin you are ri!ht#" %is voice was lie the
touch of wind amon! the ancient tunnels# "2 feel no
"resence here," he breathed# "Nothin!' human, vam"ire,
!host# Only a muted resonance from the bones them'
selves#" %e held the lantern aloft, and the !old li!ht
!listened on dam" stone walls, wet "ebbles, and mud
underfoot, dyin! away in the inten'sity of the subterranean
!loom# "Nevertheless, follow close# $he !al'leries cross and
branch'it is easy to lose one's way#"
Lie s"ectres in a ni!htmare, they moved on into the
darness#
0or an endless time, they traversed the bare !alleries of
the ancient !y"sum mines beneath *ontrou!e, blac
tunnels hewn of livin! roc whose walls seemed to "ress
su8ocatin!ly u"on them, and whose ceil'in!, stained with
the soot of tourists' candles, brushed the to" of Asher's
head as he followed 7sidro's fra!ile silhouette into the
abyss#
Now and then they "assed "illars, shorin! u" the vast
wei!ht of the earth to "revent subsidence of the streets
above, and the si!ht of them caused Asher's too'3uic
ima!ination to <irt with what it would be lie, should the
ceilin! colla"se and tra" him here# 2n other "laces, the
lam"li!ht !lanced over the blac s3uares of branchin!
"assa!eways, dar as no darness above the !round could
be, or <ashed across the water of wells, mere inches
beneath the level of their feet#
And in all that realm of the dead, Asher thou!ht, he was
the only livin! man# $he man who waled beside him, who
listened so intently to that darness, had not been alive for
three and a half centuries> the man whose lair they sou!ht
had been dead for nearly si(#
2f indeed he had ever e(isted at all#
6ho was the !host that the dead believed in?
"A""arently there have been no illin!s of the .aris
vam"ires#" $he echoes traded the remar bac and forth
amon! themselves down the branchin! corridors> Asher
was uncomfortably reminded of the "ee"in! croa of the
chorus of fro!s said to !uard the way to %ell# "6hy would
he have !one after -alvaire?"
".erha"s -alvaire told him too much#" 7sidro "aused to
mae a chal arrow on the wall, then waled on# "-alvaire
wanted to become a master vam"ire# 2f he s"oe to the
Dam"ire of the 2nnocents at all, "erha"s he o8ended him or
roused in him a resolve to "revent -alvaire from !ainin!
the "ower he sou!ht> "erha"s -alvaire had some other
scheme afoot besides "ower alone# 6e do not now when
-alvaire s"oe to him# %e mi!ht have <ed .aris because of
him, rather than because he had been thwarted by Elysee#
And it may be somethin! entirely di8erent'the fact that
-alvaire was a .rotestant heretic, for instance# A hundred
years a!o, 2 would never have em"loyed you my'self, had 2
sus"ected you of adherence to that heresy, no matter how
well 3uali)ed you were#"
"$ry a""lyin! for a !overnment 4ob in 2reland," Asher
!runted# "2t still doesn't e("lain why he'd have illed
-alvaire's associates in Lon'don#"
"2f we )nd his lair," the vam"ire said softly, "such
matters may become more clear#"
Ahead of them, somethin! white !leamed in the
darness'"illars? $hey drew closer, and the "ale blurs
resolved themselves into oblon! "atches whitewashed
carefully onto the blac'"ainted "illars of a !ate#
,urrounded by utter darness, there was somethin!
terrifyin! about its star sim"licity')nal, silent,
twenty meters below street level, and carved of native
roc# Above the lintel, blac letters on a white !round
s"elled out the words5
,$O.H $%2, 2, $%E E*.2=E O0 $%E :EA:#
Beyond the !ate, the bones be!an#
$he catacombs were the ossuary of .aris# All the
ancient cemeteries within the con)nes of the city had been
em"tied into these roc'hewn !alleries, the bones neatly
ran!ed into horrible si('foot retainin! walls built of tibias
and sulls, with everythin! else dum"ed in a solid 4umble
behind, lie )rewood in a bo(# Brown and shiny, the bones
stretched out of si!ht into the darness of the branchin!
!alleries, the eye socets of the courses of sulls seemin!
to turn with the lantern's !lidin! li!ht, an occasional bony
4aw seemin! to smile# Nobles deca"itated in the $error,
street swee"ers, washerwomen, mons, *erovin!ian in!s'
they were all here somewhere, side by side in macabre
democracy#
$he Em"ire of the :ead indeed, Asher thou!ht# $hey
"assed an altar, lie the !ates, "ainted sim"le blac and
white, a dun sha"e that seemed to shine out of the
darness# Before the bones were occasional "lacards,
announcin! from which cemetery these tumbled remains
had been taen, or e(hortin! the viewer, in 0rench or in
Latin, to recall his own mortality and remember that all
thin!s were dust#
As an En!lishman, Asher was conscious of a desire to
"retend that this taste for the !ruesome was a
manifestation of some as"ect of the 0rench national
character, but he new full well that his own country'men
came here in droves# 0ollowin! ,imon as he wound farther
and farther bac throu!h the narrow tunnels of the
ossuary, "ausin! every now and then to mar the walls
with numbered arrows to !uide them bac, he was
conscious of the terrible fascination of the "lace, the mor'
bid ur!e to muse, lie %amlet, on those anonymous relics
of former a!es#
But then, he wondered, to how many of those brown,
weathered s ul lscould his com"anion have said, "2 new
him well###"?
$hat train of thou!ht led to others, and he ased, ":id
you ever have your "ortrait "ainted?" $he vam"ire's !lance
touched the rans of bones that hea"ed the walls in a
head'hi!h wainscot all around him, and he nodded,
unsur"rised#
"Only once," he said, "shortly before 2 left ,"ain# 2 never
sent for it because it was a sti8 and rather u!ly e8ort'the
=enaissance did not reach *adrid until many years later#
Afterward'it is a very di9cult thin!, you understand, to
"aint "ortraits by candleli!ht#"
$hey moved on'one dar turnin!, two#
$hen the lam"li!ht <iced down a side tunnel and Asher
sto""ed short# ,imon, a ste" ahead of him, was bac at his
side before he was even conscious that the vam"ire had
heard him> 7sidro was ee"in!, he reali&ed, close watch
u"on him, as he had in the %otel *ontadour#
,ilently, Asher too the lantern and "ointed its beam
away into the darness, not certain he had seen what he
thou!ht he'd seen# %e had#
,imon !lanced sidelon! at him, )ne'arched brows
swoo"in! down in disbelief# Asher shoo his head, as
baBed as he# After a moment's uneasy "ause, they moved
on to!ether into that narrow seam of roc and
bone#
Everywhere in the ossuary, the bones had been formed
into neat walls, with the remainder hea"ed behind# But
here those walls had been torn down# $he bones lay
scattered in a dee" drift, lie mounds of brittle indlin!> in
"laces alon! the walls the <oor was waist dee"# Asher
heard them crunch beneath his feet, and, listenin!,
beneath ,imon's as well'the )rst time he had ever been
aware of the vam"ire main! a sound when he waled#
$hen the <oor was clear once more, and Asher blined in
astonishment at what lay beyond# "A demented worman?"
,lowly ,imon shoo his head# "$here is no soot on the
ceilin!," he said, "2t is a "lace the tourists never come'the
!uards, either# 7ou see for yourself that ours were the )rst
feet to brea those bones#"
"2've seen somethin! of the ind in that -a"uchin
monastery in =ome, but###"
$he walls of the tunnel, from that "oint on, were lined
entirely with "elvic bones# Lam"li!ht and shadow !lided
over them as Asher and 7sidro moved on a!ain, thousands
of smooth, or!anic curves, lie some "erverted variety of
orchid# $hey staced the wall as hi!h as the bones
elsewhere, and over a yard dee" on either side, "elvises
and nothin! but "elvises# 2n time they !ave "lace to sulls,
a mournful audience of em"ty socets, vanishin! away into
the dawnless ni!ht# 2n side tunnels, Asher cau!ht !lim"ses
of sheaves of ribs, lie fro&en wheat in the wind, craced
and crumblin! nearly beyond reco!nition> sca"ulas lie <at
brown "lates> drifts of vertebrae> and, beyond them, lie
tide'se"arated sand and !ravel, )ner dunes of )n!er
bones, meticulously si&ed, smaller and smaller, bac into
the eternity of ni!ht# At the end of that tunnel was another
altar, the third Asher had seen since enterin! the ossuary,
small and starly "ainted, its white "atches !leamin! lie
sulls in the !loom#
Asher shoo his head, and turned to ,imon, baBed#
"6hy?" "2t is somethin! di9cult to e("lain," the vam"ire
re"lied softly, "to a man of your century'or indeed, to any
who lived after your so'called A!e of =eason#"
":o you understand?"
"2 did once#"
Asher bent down, and too a )n!er bone from the
nearest hea"> they drifted the walls of the tunnel 4ust here
lie "iles of !rain in a !ranary# %e turned it over in his
)n!ers, unconsciously imitatin! Lydia's e(ami'nation of
Lotta's severed vertebra'small, delicate, e9cient in its thin
shan and bulbous 4oints, stri""ed of the fra!ile miracle of
muscle and nerve that had made it res"onsive to a lover's
caress or the !ri" on the handle of a !un# %e was turnin! to
!o, the bone still in his hand, when from the darness he
heard a whis"er5 :estitute.
%e fro&e#
%e could see nothin!'only the shadows of the sheaved
ribs behind and around him# %e !lanced at ,imon, but the
vam"ire's eyes were dartin! from shadow to shadow, wide
and shoced and seein!, evi'dently able to see nothin!>
moreover, it was clear he could not even locate the
s"eaer with his mind#
=eturn it,the voice had whis"ered in Latin, and in the
same ton!ue Asher whis"ered, "6hy?"
%e had thou!ht ,imon's voice soft> he wasn't certain
whether he heard these words at all, only a murmur of
Latin half within his own sull#
",he will come looin! for it#"
"6ho will?"
",he whose it was# $hey will all come looin! for them'
sulls, ribs, toes, the little ear bones lie the 4ewels of rin!s#
$he $rum"et will blow 'they will all scramble to assemble
themselves, to )nd their own bones, wra" them u" in
cloas of ashes# And when they )nd them, they will climb
all those stairs, each with his own bones# All save we,"
,omethin! chan!ed in the darness> Asher felt the hair
of his na"e lift as he reali&ed that what he had taen for a
hea" of bones and shadow less than a yard away was the
sha"e of a man# %e felt ,imon <inch, too'even with his
"reternatural senses, the vam"ire had been unable to see#
$he Latin voice whis"ered a!ain, "All save we#"
%e wore what had "robably been a mon's robe once,
rotted and fallin! to "ieces over limbs scarcely less
emaciated than the bones that surrounded them on all
sides# %e seemed bent with a!e, huddled lie a fro&en
crone des"erate for warmth> in the sunen, wa(en <esh,
the stran!ely !litterin! vam"ire eyes seemed hu!e, !reen
as "olar ice# %is fan!s were lon! and shar" a!ainst the
delicate, hairless 4aw# $hrou!h the o"en throat of the robe,
Asher could see a cruci)(, blac with a!e and )lth#
Lie the claw of a bird, one shay hand "ointed at
,imon> the nails were lon! and broen# "6e will hear the
$rum"et far o8," the vam"ire whis"ered, "but we will not be
able to !o, you and 2# 6e will continue undead, un4ud!ed,
and alone, after all the others are !one'we will never now
what lies u"on the other side# $hey may s"ea for me'2
ho"e they will understand why 2 have done this and s"ea
for me###"
,imon looed "u&&led, but Asher said, "Before the
$hrone of +od?"
$he old vam"ire turned those luminous !reen eyes on
him, ea!er, "2 have done what 2 can#"
"6hat is your name?" ,imon ased, fallin! into the
heavily ,"anish'accented Latin of his own early education#
"Anthony," the vam"ire whis"ered# "Brother Anthony of
the Order of the 0riars *inor# 2 stole this###" %e touched his
blac habit'a chun of it fell o8 in his hand# ",tole from the
Benedictines in the =ue ,t# Jac3ues'stole and illed the
man who wore it# 2 had to do it# 2t is dam" here# $hin!s rot
3uicly# 2 could not !o abroad naed before the eyes of men
and +od# 2 had to ill him### 7ou understand that 2 had to do
it#"
$hen he was beside Asher, with no sense of time
ela"sed or of broen consciousness at all> the touch of his
)n!ers was lie the li!ht "ricin! of insect feet as he
removed the tiny bone from Asher's !ras"# Looin! down
into his face, Asher could see that Brother Anthony
a""eared no older than ,imon or any of the other vam"ires
did> it was only his "osture and the whiteness of the lon!
hair that stra!!led down over his bent shoulders that !ave
the 3ueer, white, a!eless face its loo of senil'ity#
"$o save your own life?" he ased#
Brother Anthony's )n!ers continued to rove li!htly over
the bac of his hand, as if feelin! the armature of bone
within <esh, or warmin! their coldness on the
subcutaneous heat of blood# 6ith his other hand he held
Asher's little )n!er in a frail !ri" that Asher new he could
no more brea than he could have "ulled his hand from
dried cement# "2 had not fed'not truly fed'in months," the
vam"ire whis"ered
an(' iously# "=ats'a horse'chicens# But 2 could feel my
mind startin! to !o, my senses turn slu!!ish# 2've tried'over
and over 2've tried# But each time 2 !row terri)ed# 2f 2 do not
feed "ro"erly, drin of the deaths of men, 2 will !row
stu"id, !row slow# 2 cannot do that# After all these years, all
these deaths, runnin! from the Jud!ment,## And each life 2
tae in runnin! is another to the tally that would fall u"on
me, did 2 die# ,o many'2 used to ee" count# But the hun!er
drove me to mad'ness# And 2 will never be for!iven#"
"2t is one of the tenets of faith," Asher said slowly, "that
there is no s in, nothing! that +od will not for!ive, if the
sinner is truly re"entant#"
"2 can't be truly re"entant," Brother Anthony whis"ered,
"can 2? 2 feed and !o on feedin!# 2 am stron!er than all
those who have sou!ht to ill me# $he hun!er drives me to
madness# $he terror of what awaits me beyond the wall of
death'2 cannot face it# *aybe if 2 hel" those who will !o
there, if 2 mae it easy for them to )nd their bones### 2f 2
hel" them they will s"ea for me# 2 have done what 2 can
for them# $hey must# $hey must###" %e drew Asher close to
him'his breath reeed of blood, and, close'to, Asher saw
that his robe was sti8 with !ore decades dried# %e nodded
toward ,imon# "6hen he ills you," he whis"ered, "will you
s"ea for me?"
"2f you answer me three 3uestions," Asher said,
conscious of the framewor of tales with which the ancient
vam"ire would be familiar and tryin! des"erately to frame
mentally what he wanted to as into three "arts and !ood
Latin# $han +od, he thou!ht, they were s"eain! -hurch
Latin, which was no more di9cult than ;rench.If this were
Classical! the whole conversation would come to a
standstill while I ar-ranged things in that damn inside-out
order that Cicero used.
$he 0ranciscan did not re"ly, but seemed only to be
waitin!, his thin )n!ers icy on Asher's hand# ,imon,
standin! silently by, watched them both# Asher felt that he
was eyed u"# ready to intervene between them, thou!h
he himself sensed no dan!er from the little mon#
After a moment he ased, "-an you hunt by dayli!ht?"
"2 would not so o8end the face of +od# $he ni!ht is
mine> here below, all ni!ht is mine# 2 would never tae the
day above the !round to myself#"
&%otwould you###" Asher be!an, e(as"erated, then
reali&ed that that mi!ht be counted as a second 3uestion
and fell silent for a moment# %undreds of 3uestions lea"ed
to mind and were discarded> he was aware that he had to
!o carefully, aware that the old vam"ire could vanish as
silently, as easily, as he had a""eared# %e felt as he did
when he watched Lydia feedin! the s"arrows in the New
-olle!e 3uadran!le, coa(in! them with in)nite "atience to
tae bread crumbs from her outstretched )n!ers# "6ho
were your contem"oraries amon! the vam'"ires?"
''Johannis *a!nus," the old vam"ire whis"ered, "the
Lady Eli&a'beth> Jehanne -roualt, the horse tamer> Anne La
0lamande, the 6elsh minstrel who san! in the cry"ts of
London> $ulloch the ,cot, who was buried in the %oly
2nnocents# $hey have destroyed the 2nnocents# $hey carted
the bones away# %is they burned# $he <esh shriveled o8
them in the noonday sun# $hat was in the days of the
$error, the days when men slew one another as we the
;ndead never dared to do#"
"7et there are those who swear they saw the ,cot )fty
years a!o in Amsterdam," 7sidro murmured in En!lish# %e
seemed to understand without comment why Asher had
chosen that 3uestion to as# "As for the others###"
Asher turned bac to the old vam"ire# "%ave you ever
illed another vam"ire?"
Brother Anthony shran bac from him, coverin! his
white face with seletal white hands# "2t is forbidden," he
whis"ered des"erately# "$hou shall not ill,' they say, and 2
have illed'illed over and over# 2 have tried to do !ood###"
"%ave you ever illed another vam"ire?" ,imon
re"eated softly, not movin!, but Asher could feel the
tension in him lie overstretched wire#
$he mon was bacin! away, his face still covered#
Asher too a ste" after him, reachin! out his hand to catch
the rottin! blac sleeve# %e understood then how the
le!ends came about, that vam"ires can com'mand the
mists and dissolve into them at will# $here was, as before,
not even a sense of his mind blanin!, and not one of the
brittle bones that hemmed them all around so much as
shifted# %e was sim"ly standin!, a shred of crumblin! blac
cloth in his hand, starin! at the shadowed tan!le of bones
and the shadowy altar beyond#
2n his mind he heard a whis"er, lie the breath of a
dream, ","ea for me# $ell +od 2 did what 2 could# ,"ea for
me, when he ills you###"
Thirteen
":o you "lan to ill me?" Asher closed the iron !rille
behind him, turned the heavy ey, and followed ,imon
bac into the de'serted vestibule, where 7sidro was
fastidiously "oin! amon! the "a'"ers of the des# $he
vam"ire "aused to re!ard him with dis"assionate eyes,
and, as so often with 7sidro, Asher found it im"ossible to
divine whether he was contem"latin! the mortal state or
sim"ly wonderin! whether he felt "ecish# 2n any case he
did not answer#
2nstead he ased, "6hat do you thin of our 0ranciscan
brother?"
"Other than that he's mad, you mean?" Asher removed
a cou"le of wa( tablets from his "ocet, of the sort that he
had habitually carried in his 0orei!n O9ce days, and
methodically too im"ressions of all the eys on the rin!# "2
don't believe he's our cul"rit#"
"Because he's here instead of in London? Never thin it#
%e is silent as the fall of dust, James> he could have
followed us bac to .aris, and 2 would never have been the
wiser> could have overheard any of our conversations and
"receded us###"
"2n Latin?"
"2n En!lish, if he was friend to =hys and to $ulloch the
,cot# *ost of us learn one another's lan!ua!es, even as we
ee" abreast of the chan!es in the ton!ues of the lands
where we dwell'cons"icuousness is our death# $he fact that
he lives hidden in the catacombs does not mean he has not
waled the streets of men unseen# %e understands at least
some of the chan!es that have taen "lace since the 0all of
the /in!s### And he claims, incidentally, to have seen
$ulloch the ,cot's <esh shriv'eled from his bones by the
li!ht of the noonday sun###"
"*eanin! he was u" and around by day?" Asher used
his )n!ernail to "ry the last ey !in!erly from the wa(,
thinin! to himself that, if that were the case, the
*inorite's assum"tion that 7sidro intended to murder him
mi!ht be far from a random !uess# "But you say yourself
that the ,cot was seen years later##
#"
"2 say that there are those who swear they saw him'as
unreliable a contention as our reli!ious friend's, if, lie
Anthony, $ulloch's abilities to "ass unseen !rew with time#
$here has been no reliable re"ort of his "resence since the
days of the $error'indeed, none for half a century before,
but that means nothin!#"
Asher wi"ed the last telltale fra!ments of wa( from the
wards and re"laced the ey on its hoo beside the !rilled
door# "And the others he named?"
"$wo at least 2 now to be dead'three, if La 0lamande is
the same woman 2 new durin! the wars over .icardy# 2've
never heard of -roualt###" %e waited until Asher had o"ened
the outer door, then turned down the lantern wic until its
<ame snu8ed into darness# Asher re<ected with an inner
!rin that 7sidro's candle snu9n! tric didn't seem to wor
too well with three'3uarters of an inch of woven wic and a
reservoir full of erosene#
",o we have three'"erha"s four, if you want to count
+ri""en and )!ure out some way he could have 4i!!ered
the dayli!ht "roblem#" %e ste""ed throu!h the outer door
into the dar =ue :areau#
"None of those he named has been seen or heard of for
centuries#" "$hat doesn't mean they haven't been hidin!
somewhere, as Brother Anthony has been hidin!," Asher
re"lied 3uietly# "2f one of them sur'vived, he'or she'would
be a day staler, lie Brother Anthony, tou!hened, as you
said, a!ainst !arlic and silver and other countermeasures#"
"2t also does not mean that Brother Anthony is not
himself the iller#"
":o you believe he is?"
7sidro's smile <icered brie<y into e(istence# "No# But
there are few other candidates for the role#" $heir footste"s
echoed hollowly a!ainst the din!y walls of dar bric as
they made their way north, throu!h the crisscrossin!s of
the em"ty bac streets that led toward the wider boule'
vards# $here was no way of tellin! how late it was, but
leaden darness now "ossessed even the most late'
carousin! of bistros, and the "rosti'tutes seemed to have
sou!ht their beds for !ood, " '2 have illed over and over,'
he said, and also, '2 have tried to do !ood#' $he illin! of
other vam"ires could be inter"reted as a ma4or e8ort in
that direction# 2s it not what you yourself "lan to do, if you
!et the chance?"
Asher !lanced shar"ly across at him, but met only
matter'of'fact in3uiry in those cool, stran!e eyes# 2nstead
of re"lyin!, he said, "2f he wanted to slay his own ind,
there are "lenty to be!in on here, without !oin! to London
for the "ur"ose# And if the iller is his contem"orary, with
the same alterations of "owers, Brother Anthony may be
our only ho"e of tracin! him#"
"2f he will#" $hey crossed a street# Asher had a
momentary sense of movement in the noisome blacness
of an alley to their ri!ht and the mutter of voices as the
local tou!hs wisely decided not to molest this "articular
"air of "assers'by# "And if, !iven that you can coa( him
from the earth to which he has !one, he consents to assist
us and not ally himself with the iller#"
Asher shivered, rememberin! how the little mon had
seemed to melt from the darness, the cold ticle of those
frail )n!ers on his hand, and their unbreaable stren!th#
%e new what his own reaction would be to a mortal man
who allied himself with vam"ires# .erha"s it was best after
all to let slee"in! do!s lie#
$hey "assed throu!h a darened s3uare whose fountain
sounded un'earthly loud in the stillness, turned into the
Boulevard ,t# *ichel# Even that !reat artery was virtually
em"ty# $he chestnut trees that lined it rustled overhead
lie a dim woods, their leaves lyin! in so!!y drifts alon!
the walls of the !reat hos"itals
which clustered in that nei!hbor'hood# $he electric
street lam"s threw too'bri!ht halos, main! the !loom
seem all the more dense# Now and then, a "assin! )acre
broe the eerie silence with the shar" ta" of hooves, but
that was all# $he ni!ht was still and cold> Asher "ulled his
scarf more closely around his throat and huddled dee" into
the folds of his ulster#
.resently he ased, "2f there is a stran!e vam"ire
o"eratin! in Lon'don'be it $ulloch the ,cot, even =hys
himself, or some other'mi!ht we not trace it throu!h
une("lained ills? 6ould a vam"ire that ancient have to ill
as often?"
"Any city on earth," :on ,imon re"lied austerely, "!ives
forth such s"ate of une("lained ills of its own, throu!h
disease, cold, )lth, and uncarin!, that it were di9cult to
trace a sin!le vam"ire's "oor e8orts, As for needin! blood
less fre3uently'or needin!, rather, the life, the death cry of
the mind to feed the "owers of the mind on which our very
survival de"ends'that 2 do not now,"
%e "aused for a moment on the "avement, A whis"er of
strayin! wind moved in his dar cloa and lifted the "ale
hair from his collar, 0or a moment, it seemed as if he
himself would drift onto it lie a vast !ray leaf# $hen he
waled on#
"2t is not merely that we are de"endent on the
nourishment of the blood, James, and the "sychic feed of
the "assin! of the soul# *any of us are addicted to them#
,ome su8er this to !reater or lesser de!ree, and some, in
fact, tae !reat "leasure in the addiction# Lotta used to
"rolon! her fasts from the ultimate ill as much as
"ossible, to sweeten them when they came, but it is a
dan!erous "ractice# 2n some, the cravin! rises almost to
madness# 2t can mae us hasty or careless, and in all thin!s
concernin! us, carelessness is death#"
$hey were nearin! the miniature ma&e of streets near
the river where the %otel -hambord stood> the cold smell
of the ,eine hun! in the air, and already, down the cobbled
side streets, the mil sellers were about# Asher studied
sidelon! the delicate "ro)le, the white, hooed nose and
loose thicness of colorless hair#
"7ou haven't rela(ed in three hundred and )fty years,"
he said softly, "have you?"
"No#"
":o you rela( when you slee"?"
$he vam"ire did not loo at him# "2 do not now# 6e all
learn too late that slee" is not the same as it was#"
":o you dream?"
7sidro "aused, and a!ain Asher had the im"ression he
was on the "oint of bein! lifted and whirled away by the
faint stirrin! of the wind# A faint <e( line of a bitter smile
touched the white sil of the sin, then smoothed away#
"7es," ,imon said e("ressionlessly# "2 dream# But they are
not lie human dreams#"
Asher wondered whether, when ,imon sou!ht whatever
lair he had made for himself in .aris, he would dream of
Brother Anthony, sortin! bones in the dar#
$hen suddenly he was alone# ,omewhere in the bac of
his mind he had the sensation of havin! once dreamed,
himself, about a slim, cloaed form walin! away toward
the whitish mists of the ,eine, but that was all#
,ADA+E *;=:E=, 2N LON:ON $%E =2..E= ,$AL/,
A+A2N?
A series of shocin! crimes roced London last ni!ht
when nine "eo"le'si( women and three men'were brutally
murdered in the 6hitecha"el and Limehouse districts of
London between the hours of midni!ht and four in the
mornin!# $he )rst of the bodies, that of variety actress
,ally ,hore, was found by dustmen in the alley behind the
Limehouse =oad# ,he had been much bruised and cut
about, so sava!ely that, when found, her body was almost
com'"letely drained of blood# $he ei!ht other victims,
found in various "laces in the nei!hborhood, were in a
similar condition# .olice remared u"on the fact that in no
instance were screams or cries for hel" heard and u"on the
fact that, thou!h the bodies were nearly drained of blood,
very little was found at the scenes, leadin! them to believe
that the murders too "lace elsewhere and the bodies were
trans"orted to the "laces where they were found###
Asher set down the news"a"er beside his midday
breafast of crois'sant and co8ee, feelin! cold to his
bones# %ine(
6hat had ,imon said? After a lon! fast, the time always
comes when the cravin! sets in and will not be denied'
Nine#
%e felt sic#
2t wasn't the London vam"ires# $hat much he new#
$hey had to live in London'+ri""en, the 0arrens, -hloe# But
a stran!e vam"ire, hidin! from them in London, mi!ht
indeed be traceable throu!h his ills, by those who new
what to loo for# %e had lain hidden as lon! as he could,
fastin! and silently murderin!#
%e !lanced at the date# 2t was this mornin!'s "a"er#
Last ni!ht, when he and ,imon had been stalin! Anthony
in the darness of the cata'combs, the murderer had struc
a!ain# $his time it was not vam"ires who were his victims,
but humans#
Admittedly, he thou!ht, !lancin! down the article, not
"articularly im"ortant humans'the women were all listed as
"variety actresses," seamstresses, or sim"ly, "youn!
women#" +iven the area in which they were found and
!iven the hour they were illed, there was no real doubt as
to their true "rofessions# But it made their murders no less
atrocious> and it made the lives of everyone else in London
no more secure#
$hey had not cried out# %orribly, the thin, dreamy face
of the woman on the train returned to him, the way her
hand had fumbled willin!ly at her collar buttons, the !la&ed
somnambulance of her eyes# %e remem'bered Lydia's red
hair, !leamin! in the dim radiance of the !as lam"s, and
his "alms !rew cold#
NoH he told himself )rmly# 2he knows the danger-she's
sensible enough to stay indoors! close to
people! at night...
$hat nowled!e did not hel"#
%e raised his head, starin! si!htlessly at the tra9c
4ostlin! "ast the cafe where he sat# $he thin mist of early
dawn had burned away into a cris", brittle sunli!ht, lie
crystal on the se"ia buildin!s across the street and the
2ndia'in traceries of the bare trees# $he boulevardiers
were out for a stroll, revelin! in the last )ne weather of
autumn'leisured !entlemen in well'tailored bla&ers, men of
letters, self'"roclaimed wits andartistes. O"en'to""ed
carria!es rolled "ast on their way to the Bois de Boulo!ne,
a8ordin! !lim"ses of the ele!ant matrons of
the 0a ri sgratin or of e("ensively dressed sin'the "ei!ht'
s"rin! lu(ury models" of the demimonde#
Asher saw none of it# %e wondered where ,imon mi!ht
be found# Elysee de *ontadour's hotel was, he was
virtually certain, somewhere in the *arais> he su""osed
that !iven a day in which to search throu!h the buildin!
records, he could locate the "lace# But there was no !uar'
antee that 7sidro was slee"in! there'somehow he doubted
that slim, eni!matic hidal!o would "ut himself anywhere
near the "ower of Elysee and her cicisbeos'and his visit to
Ernchester %ouse had tau!ht him the folly of enterin!
vam"ire nests alone# And in any case, what he wanted now
most to now was somethin! which could only be ascer'
tained while the sun was in the sy#
%e felt absently in his "ocet for the wa( tablets and
wondered what time the !uards at the catacombs had their
dinner#
One of the advanta!es of worin! for the 0orei!n O9ce,
Asher had found, had been a noddin! ac3uaintance with
the frin!es of the under'world in a do&en cities across
Euro"e# %is O(ford collea!ues would have been
considerably startled had they reali&ed how easily their
unas'sumin! Lecturer in .hilolo!y could have obtained any
number of stran!e services, from bur!lary to murder to
"nameless vices"'most of which had "erfectly !ood names,
in Latin, at least# 2n s"ite of the fact that En!land and
0rance were the closest of allies, he had in the "ast had
cause to need eys cut in a hurry in .aris with no 3uestions
ased and, on this occasion, he new "recisely where to
!o#
As it was neither the )rst nor the third ,aturday of the
month, he had little fear of meetin! "arties of tourists at
the catacombs or the lar!e numbers of !uards that the
O9ce of :irectory and $reasury considered necessary to
herd them throu!h# $he catacombs would be sta8ed by
one or at most two old "ensioners of the ,tate, and, thou!h
the dinner hour was lon! over by the time Asher reached
*ontrou!e, with the aid of luc and human nature, they
mi!ht be to!ether !ossi"in! instead of ee"in! watch at
both entrances#
And why should they watch? $he doors were loced,
and who in their ri!ht mind would wish to brea into the
Em"ire of the :ead?
Luc and human nature seemed to be in full o"eration
that afternoon when Asher reached the incons"icuous bac
door of the catacombs throu!h which they had entered last
ni!ht# 2t was loced# Althou!h a si!n instructed him to
a""ly for information in the .lace :enfert'=o'chereau
several streets away, still he thum"ed for several seconds
on the door#
Only silence !reeted him, which was as he had ho"ed#
$he eys Jac3ues la .uce had made for him that afternoon
wored "erfectly' even on this 3uiet street, "icin! the loc
would have been noticed by someone# %e sli""ed inside,
a""ro"riated another tin lantern, and made his way down
the stair, locin! the !rille a!ain behind him# 2t was 4ust
"ast three in the afternoon> these days darness was
com"lete by about si(# 2f nothin! else, he thou!ht, he
mi!ht ascertain whether vam"ires "ast a certain a!e were
free of
the leaden trance of the dayli!ht hours# Beyond that###
%e didn't now# As a mortal it was lau!hable to thin he
could locate Brother Anthony in the haunted ma&e# But it
was not beyond the bounds of "ossibility that his "resence
there, alone and un"rotected, mi!ht "i3ue the ancient
friar's curiosity and draw him out of hidin!, as it had done
last ni!ht#
After a lon! inner debate he had left his silver chains
bac at his hotel, since in all "robability they would a8ord
him no "rotection should Brother Anthony turn a!ainst him,
and mi!ht very well be con'strued as a !esture of bad
faith# 2n last ni!ht's case it had been merely manners'lie
carryin! a !un to a weddin! rece"tion, 7sidro had said>
Asher hadn't mentioned that he'd done that u"on occasion#
But he was uncertain how much Brother Anthony would
sense, and it was vital that he s"ea to the old man this
afternoon#
,i( hundred years, he thou!ht, as the )rst of 7sidro's
chaled arrows came into the wavery circle of the lantern's
li!ht# $he last of the -a"ets had been on the throne when
Anthony had )rst refused to die'when he had made the
decision to acce"t immortality u"on any terms# Asher
wondered whether the mon had been hidin! all that time,
or whether he had been driven !radually to it and to
madness, livin! amon! the cor"ses in the cry"ts of the
%oly 2nnocents#
%is breath "u8ed in faint smoe in the !low of the lam">
it was cold in the endless !alleries# $he only sounds were
the soft scrunchin! of wet "ebbles underfoot and the
occasional crea of the lantern's handle# 2t had been
unnervin! to come here last ni!ht, with 7sidro as
"rotection, even thou!h at that time they had e("ected to
encounter no one# 2t was terrifyin! now, absolutely alone
with the darness under the earth wait'in! 4ust beyond the
!low of the lam"# Oddly enou!h, Asher's fears turned less
u"on the vam"ire he sou!ht and more u"on the occasional,
illo!ical )ts of dread that the roof should cave in and bury
him alive in the darness#
%e saw the dar !ates with a ind of relief'for he had
feared, too, lest he miss one of 7sidro's chaled arrows#
$he raned walls of brown bones and starin! sulls seemed
less dreadful to him than those silent aisles of em"ty roc#
2t too him lon!er than he had counted u"on to )nd
Brother Antho'ny's "rivate haunts in the ossuary# %e
missed his way twice and wan'dered'he did not now how
lon!'amon! the brown walls of bones, searchin! for the
branchin! tunnel, the tiny altar# At last he thou!ht to trace
7sidro's slender boot"rints in the watery mud amon! the
"ebbles of the <oor, and after that found the arrow fairly
easily# 2t came to him then that the "sychic miasma that
the vam"ires were ca"able of throw'in! around themselves
had e(tended itself to Anthony's entire territory# ,im"ly, it
was easy to miss the "lace, easy to be thinin! of
somethin! else# No wonder none of the !uards came near
here# $hey were "roba'bly not even aware of avoidin! the
"lace at all# $hey merely did# 2t e("lained certain thin!s
about Ernchester %ouse as well#
%e "assed the chaos of the fallen bones, then the neat
rows of "el'vises, the decayin! sulls assembled a!ainst
the eventuality of )nal Jud!ment# 6ith a ind of medieval
morbidity, the ossuary had been established, lie the
ancient enamel houses, to turn the mind to man's
mortality> in s"ite of himself, Asher found his re<ections
drawn to the men he had illed, and, disturbin!ly, the men
who would undoubtedly die in any future war because of all
those charts and "lans and informa'tion he had smu!!led
out of Austria, -hina, and +ermany, taced away in his
socs or his notes on consonantal shift#
0rom what he new of some of them, he had the
uncomfortable sensation that in terms of ultimate
res"onsibility, his "ersonal death toll mi!ht well end u"
rivalin! "oor Anthony's, who only illed to "rolon! his !uilt'
riddled ;nlife#
Before the ste"s of the altar, scattered with drifts of
bone fra!ments, Asher sto""ed, listenin! to the terrible
silence all around him# Baned alon! the walls, decayin!
sulls watched nun with mournful eyes#
%is whis"er ran lie water alon! the bones, vanishin!
into the stony darness# &;rater 5ntonius #,#"
$he sibilance of it hissed bac at him,
"2n nomine .atris, Antonius###"
.erha"s he did not slee" near this "lace at all# Asher sat
!in!erly down on the bare stone of the ste", settin! the
lantern beside him# %e too out his watch and was both
sur"rised and ve(ed at how much time it had taen him to
reach this "lace'it would be di9cult to tell, now, whether a
su9ciently ancient vam"ire would be awae in the dayli!ht
hours# But it could not be hel"ed# %e "ulled his coat more
closely around him, rested his chin on his drawn'u" nees,
and settled down to wait#
$he lantern's metal hissed softly in the absolute
stillness# %e listened intently, hearin! nothin! but now and
then the far'o8 slither of a rat "icin! its way across the
bones# $he cold seemed to dee"en and inten'sify with his
inactivity'he rubbed his hands over the lantern's heat,
wishin! he had thou!ht to brin! !loves# Once the red eyes
of a rat !linted at him from the darness beyond that tiny
"ool of li!ht, then vanished# 7sidro had said vam"ires could
summon certain beasts, as they could humans'how lon!,
he wondered, had Brother Anthony de"ended u"on that
ability for his dinner?
$hat led to the unnervin! re<ection that he mi!ht be
doin! so now# #owdid the vam"ire !lamour wor, once the
vam"ire's eyes had met those of his chosen victim? 6as
that why it had seemed to him such a !ood idea to come
here, alone and in dayli!ht? I could have summoned her
from anywhere on the train... 7sidro had said, unwindin!
the "ur"le scarf from the "oor woman's throat, drawin! the
"ins !ently from her h air .+o you believe I can do this to
whomever I will?
$rue, he felt no slee"iness, none of the dreamy unreality
of that e"i'sode on the train, but that mi!ht only mean that
after centuries of "ractice, Brother Anthony was very, very
!ood#
$he cravin! becomes unbearable#,#
%e remembered the news"a"er headline and shivered#
,till Brother Anthony did not a""ear#
$he erosene in the lantern's reservoir was now almost
!one# %e reali&ed he'd have to leave if he were to )nd his
way bac out of the dar> the thou!ht that the li!ht mi!ht
fail him while he was yet in the tunnels was terrifyin! and
made him curse himself for not searchin! the vestibule for
the stubs of the tourists' candles while he was about it# %e
strai!htened his bac and looed around him in the
darness# "An'thony?" he whis"ered in Latin# 2'm here to
tal to you# 2 now you're there#"
$here was no res"onse# Only the sulls, starin! at him
with blan eyeholes, a hundred !enerations of .arisians,
their bones neatly sorted and awaitin! the )nal collation of
Jud!ment :ay#
0eelin! a little silly, Asher s"oe a!ain to the em"ty
dar# At least, if what 7sidro and Bully Joe :avies had said
was true, Anthony could hear him from a !reat distance
away# "*y name is James Asher> 2 am worin! with :on
,imon 7sidro to )nd a rene!ade vam"ire in London# 6e
thin he can hunt by day as well as by ni!ht# %e is a iller,
brutal and indiscriminate, of men and vam"ires, bound not
even by the laws that your ind mae amon! themselves#
6ill you hel" us?" $here was no movement in the darness,
only stillness, lie the slow fall of dust#
"Anthony, we need your hel", humans and vam"ires
alie# %e has to be one of your contem"oraries, or older
yet# Only you can trac him, can )nd him for us# 6ill you
hel" us?"
A rhyme sin!son!ed its way around in his head, turnin!
bac on itself lie a child's chant5
But the silence was unbroen,
And the stillness !ave no toen, And the only word
there s"oen
6as the whis"ered word, "Lenore#" $his 2 whis"ered,
and an echo
*urmured bac the word, "Lenore#" *erely this and
nothin! more,
.oe, he thou!ht, and totally a""ro"riate for this waitin!
hush, this darness that was not 3uite em"ty, and not 3uite
dead#
*erely this and nothin! more### merely this and nothin!
more#
On im"ulse, he too the news"a"er from his "ocet and
laid it on the ste"s of lie altar, folded o"en to the article
about the murders# %e lifted the almost'em"ty lantern, and
the movin! li!ht twisted over the dead faces lie a sudden
shrie of mocin! lau!hter, the lau!hter of those who have
learned the secret of what lies on the other side of the
invisi'ble wall of death#
"2 must !o," he said to the darness# 2'll be bac
tomorrow ni!ht, and the ni!ht after that, until you s"ea to
me# .lease hel" us, Anthony# Nine humans and four
vam"ires have died already, and now we now there will be
more# 6e need your hel"#"
Lie a curtain swin!in! to, the darness closed behind
him as he "assed alon! the corridors> and whether any
watched him out, he did not now#
Fourteen
%ow did one destroy a vam"ire who had "assed beyond
vulnera'bility to dayli!ht? he wondered# Or "resumably to
silver and !arlic and all the rest of it? %e wished he could
tal to Lydia, to hear her s"eculations on the "roblem, and
he tried to thin what they mi!ht be#
2f Anthony did not hel" him###
:id this mutation in the course of time o"en other
vulnerabilities'to cold, for instance? ,imon had mentioned
an e(treme sensitivity to cold in the very old vam"ires# But
short of lurin! the iller into a !iant refri!erator, he didn't
see how that nowled!e, even if it were true, would be of
any assistance# %e !rinned wryly at the thou!ht of himself
and 7sidro, Esimo'lie in furs, !rimly drivin! an icicle
throu!h the rene!ade's heart, cuttin! o8 his head, and
stu9n! the mouth with snowballs# And, of course, the
monthly bill for ice would be "rohibitive#
.erha"s, if Lydia was ri!ht and vam"irism was sim"ly a
"atholo!y of the blood, there mi!ht be a serum which
could be devised to combat it!.ore applied folklore! he
thou!ht wryly# *aybe a concentration of
whatever essence was in !arlic, in4ected strai!ht into
the blood'stream###
By whom? 7ou and ,e(ton Blae?
And in any case, vam"irism was not sim"ly a "hysical
"atholo!y# 2t had its "sychic element, too, and that, lie the
"hysical abilities, seemed to increase with time# -ould it
"erha"s be fou!ht on "sychic !rounds?
As he waled down the em"ty bac streets toward the
li!hts of the boulevards, he shivered at the thou!ht of
those slow'ri"enin! "owers, vam"ire "awns advancin!
"owerlessly across the chessboard of time, until they could
become 3ueens###
2n the deserted darness of the street ahead of him, a
)!ure faded from the mists# A dusy face stood out above
the white blur of a dress, framed in loose masses of thic,
blac hair# ,mall, soft hands reached toward him, and he
felt himself !o cold with dread# $here was another reason,
he remembered, for wantin! to leave the catacombs while
day'li!ht lin!ered in the sy#
$he white )!ure drifted toward him, with that same
almost unbear'able slowness he'd seen in Elysee's drawin!
room, as if "ro"elled only now and then by a va!rant
bree&e# But if he too his eyes from her, she would be on
him lie li!htnin!> that much he new# $he murmur of that
soothin!'syru" voice was so low it was im"ossible that he
should hear it at this distance as clearly as he did5 "6hy,
James, there's no need to run away# 2 4ust want to tal with
you###"
,he was already much closer than she should have
been, driftin! that slowly> he could see the smile in her
sinful eyes# 0eelin! naed, he be!an to bac slowly away,
never tain! his eyes from her###
+ranite hands sei&ed him from behind, "innin! his
arms, crushin! su8ocatin!ly over his mouth and twistin!
his head bac# $he foetor of old blood clo!!ed his nostrils
as other hands closed around him, dra!'!in! him into the
darness of an alley, cold and im"ossibly stron!# %is body
twisted and fou!ht lie a salmon on a line, but he new
already that he was doomed#
$hey "ressed closer around him, white faces swimmin!
in the !loom> he iced at them, but his feet met nothin!,
and their lau!hter was sweet and ri""lin! in his ears# A
hand tore his collar away> he tried to cry "NoH" but the
"alm over his mouth was smotherin! him, the brutal !ri"
that dra!!ed his head bac all but breain! his nec#
A!ainst the naed <esh of his throat, the ni!ht air was cold,
cold as the bodies "ressin! closer and closer###
,lashin! "ain, then the lon!, swimmin! dro" of
weaness# %e felt his nees !ive way, the massive !ri" on
his arms holdin! him u"# %e thou!ht he heard %yacinthe's
husy lau!h# ,mall hands, a woman's, stri""ed bac his
shirt cu8 and he felt her ri" o"en the vein and drin#
:arness seemed to <utter down over his mind, a dim
consciousness of chill, bri!ht candles seen far away,
s"innin! over a terrifyin! abyss> for a moment, he had the
im"ression that these "eo"le had been there with him
when he had shot Jan van der .lat& in .retoria and "layed
cro3uet with Lydia in her father's !arden#
A woman's arms were around his body# O"enin! his
eyes he saw Elysee's face near his, her auburn hair ticlin!
his 4aw as she bent to drin# Beyond her was +ri""en,
bloated and red, blood smud!in! his coarse, !rinnin! li"s#
Others crowded u"'-hloe, ,er!e, the dar'haired boy, and
others still'clamorin! in sweet, thin voices for their turn# %e
tried a!ain to whis"er, "No###" but his breath was !one# =ed
darness swallowed him and turned swiftly blac#
"2'm sorry, dear#" *rs# ,helton came out of the narrow
little dinin!'room door beneath the stairs, wi"in! her hands
on her a"ron'she must have been watchin!, Lydia thou!ht,
looin! 3uicly u" from the little "ile of the evenin!'s "ost
on the hall table# "Nothin! for you, 2'm afraid#"
2n the face of that indly sym"athy, Lydia could only
smile bac and, tucin! her boo ba! awwardly under her
arm, start u" the stairs, !ro"in! one'handed to un"in her
hat from her hair# *rs# ,helton fol'lowed her u" a few ste"s
and laid an an(ious hand on her arm# "2t's hard, dear," the
landlady said !ently# "7our youn! man?"
Lydia nodded# :isen!a!in! herself, she went on u" the
stairs, thin'in!# I'll strangle him. And then!#e's got to
come back soon.
=easons why he didn't'or couldn't'crowded
un"leasantly to her mind# ,he "ushed them away, lettin!
herself thin only, I've got to get in touch with him
somehow...
2've !ot to let him now###
$he note to the charwoman was still "inned to the door
with a blue'headed drawin! "in5 research in "ro!ress#
"lease do not clean# ,he had half e("ected to have to )!ht
for unviolated s"ace, as she had always had to )!ht with
every woman with whom she'd lived from her nanny down
to Ellen, but evidently :olly, the woman who did the
cleanin! for *rs, ,helton, valued her own leisure far above
"what was "ro"er#" Lydia was con)dent the woman hadn't
so much as crossed the threshold#
,he dum"ed her boo ba! on the <oor beside the
stacs of 4ournals already there, removed her hat, and
turned u" the lam"# $hou!h she new James would have
communicated to her in some fashion if he had come bac
to London at all, she waled throu!h to the bedroom and
looed out, down the !rimy slit of the alley, to the window
of I .rince of 6ales -olonnade#
Both curtains were closed# No lam" burned behind
them#
:rat you, Jamie, she thou!ht, turnin! bac to the sittin!
room with a 3ueer, terrible ti!htness clenchin!
inside her!+rat you! drat you! drat you! /:I) to me( Come
back! I have to tell you this.
,he leaned in the doorway between the two rooms,
scarcely aware of the headache she'd had since two or
three in the afternoon'scarcely aware, in fact, that she'd
eaten nothin! since breafast'!a&in! at her des with its
hea"s of 4ournals, its notes, and its boos5
.eterin's -ri ' gins of 0sychic 5bilities! 0reibor!'s 9rain
Chemistry and the 2eventh 2ense! *ason' s0athological
.utation! On to" of it lay the hastily writ'ten note from
James, tellin! her he was dreadfully sorry, but he and
7sidro were leavin! for .aris> beside it was the letter he
had written from .aris itself, tellin! her he had arrived
safely and was !oin! to visit the .aris vam"ires that ni!ht#
%er heart seemed to be 4arrin! uncomfortably beneath
her stays# ,he understood, with the "ossibility of a day'
stalin! vam"ire, that he could not have met her to say
farewell> it was her safety he was tryin! to "rotect, and she
had !uessed that he felt the vam"ires' nets closer than
ever about him# An!er at him was irrational, she told
herself calmly> an!er at the situation was irrational,
because it was how it was and there were far worse thin!s
to ha""en to one> an!er at him for not writin! was
irrational, because +od only new where he was, and he
would write when he could# ,creamin! and icin! the
walls would not hel" either him, her, or *rs# ,helton's
charlady#
But 2 now the answer,she thou!ht, and the steel's"rin!
coil of nowled!e, fear, and dread twisted itself
a notch ti!hter within her# I know how we can 3nd
them. 8amie! come back and tell me I'm doing this right.
Jamie, come bac, "lease#
*echanically she shed her coat and her hat and "ulled
the "ins from her hair, which uncoiled in a dry silen
whis"er down her bac# 0or a time, she stood over the
mounds of "a"ers, the articles on "or"hyria, that hideous
and deformin! malady of anemia and "hotosensitivity, on
"la!ue, on vam"ires'there were even two of James''and on
tele"athy# ,he'd been worin! at ,omerset %ouse, at the
news"a"er o9ces, at -hancery Lane all day for days, then
comin! bac to the lendin! librar'ies to !et medical and
folloric 4ournals, and returnin! every ni!ht to this#
0rom amon! the "a"ers, she lifted somethin! small and
!olden, lie a <attened <ower, soft and dry in her hands'
the lover's not, braided by a sho" which s"eciali&ed in
such thin!s, from Lotta's no'lon!er'human hair# As the tiny
bud of nowled!e had o"ened before her eyes lie a rose,
she had thou!ht, I have to check this with 8ames. 2t made
"erfect sense to her, but she didn't now whether it was, in
fact, "racticable, and now there was literally no one to
whom she could !o#
But it's the answerH she thou!ht# I know it is(
,he had "romised James#
0ran Ellis' fancy motorcar came to mind> to im"ress
her he'd run the throttle out full but wouldn't en!a!e the
en!ine> she, too, was )!ht'in! to !o and nowin! there was
nothin! to do but remain in this room and wait#
6ait for how lon!? ,he had to tal to him, had to tell
him#
,he waled to the window and drew the curtain'lately
she had become uneasy about that, too# 0or the last two
ni!hts she had dreamed of lyin! half'aslee" in bed,
listenin! to a dee", mutterin! voice callin! her name'
callin! her name from somewhere 3uite nearby# But some'
thin! about that voice had terri)ed her, and she had buried
herself in the covers, tryin! to hide, wantin! to call for
James and nowin! she dare not mae a sound###
And she had waened, tryin! to !et out of bed#
,he had taen to buyin! e(tra erosene and leavin! a
small lam" burnin! low all ni!ht# $his childishness troubled
her, but not, she had decided, as much as wain! in the
darness did#
%e had to come bac#
,he too her seat at the des, "iced u" the to" 4ournal
of the stac she had mared to scan, and o"ened it, thou!h
she new it would do nothin! but con)rm what she already
sus"ected# All she could do for the moment was wor, until
James came bac from .aris#
6ith a si!h, she settled into her study, carefully
avoidin!, for one more ni!ht, the 3uestion of what she
would do if he did not#
Asher woe u" dyin! of thirst# ,omeone !ave him
somethin! to drin'oran!e 4uice, of all thin!s'and
he sle"t a!ain#
$his ha""ened three or four times# %e never had the
stren!th to o"en his eyes# %e could smell water, the cold
stin of )lth, and the moldery ree of under!round> it was
utterly silent# $hen he sle"t a!ain#
6hen he )nally could o"en his eyes, the li!ht of the
sin!le candle, burnin! in an ornate !ilt holder near the
o""osite wall, seemed unbear'ably bri!ht# 2t too all the
stren!th he had to turn his head, to see that he lay on a
narrow bed in a small cell which still contained half a do&en
staced crates of wine bottles caed with "laster and dust#
One o"en archway looed into a lar!er room beyond> the
archway was barred all across, the narrow !rilled door
"adloced# On the other side of the bars stood +ri""en,
Elysee, -hloe, and %yacinthe#
-hloe said, "2 thou!ht you said you could touch silver,"
in a voice of ittenish re"roach#
"A man can have the stren!th to bend a "oer in half
and still not be able to do so with a red'hot one," +ri""en
retorted# ":on't be stu"ider than you are#"
$he "adloc must be silver, Asher thou!ht, dimly
inferrin! that the discussion was about enterin! his cell and
)nishin! what they had be'!un# $he "hilolo!ist in him
noticed +ri""en's accent, far more archaic than 7sidro's
and a little lie that which he'd heard amon! the A""ala'
chian mountaineers of America, %e could feel banda!es on
his throat and both wrists and the scratchiness of
considerable stubble on his 4aw#
"-an you mae him come and do it?" %yacinthe
in3uired, re!ardin! Asher with narrowed dar eyes#
,omethin! chan!ed in her voice, and she murmured, as if
for his ears alone, "6ill you come and let me in, honey?"
0or a moment the notion seemed entirely lo!ical to
Asher's e('hausted mind> he only wondered where ,imon
mi!ht have "ut the ey, $hen he reali&ed what he was
thinin! and shoo his head#
%er hu!e dar eyes !lowed into his, for that moment all
that he saw or new# ".lease? 2 won't harm you'won't let
them harm you# 7ou can loc the door a!ain after me#"
0or a few seconds he truly believed her, in s"ite of the
fact that it had been she who had diverted his attention in
the alley, in s"ite of nowin! down to the marrow of his
bones that she lied# $hat was, he su""osed, what ,imon
had meant of Lotta when he had said that she was a "!ood
vam"ire#"
"Bah," +ri""en said# "2 misdoubt he could stand an he
would#"
%yacinthe lau!hed#
"Are you havin! fun, children?"
Even as the words were s"oen, +ri""en was already
turnin! his head, as if startled by them the moment before
they sounded> the three women swun! around, white faces
hard in the sin!le !old li!ht of the candle as it curtsied in
the <icer of wind# An instant later, 7sidro ste""ed out of
the darness, !raceful and withdrawn'looin!, but Asher
noticed he did not come too near to the others#
"2 ou!ht to have !uessed you'd have a bolthole in the
sewers, lie the ,"anish rat you are," +ri""en !rowled#
"2f the 0rench !overnment will di! them, it were a
shame not to "ut them to use# :id you ever now
$ulloch the ,cot? Or Johannis *a!nus?"
"$he ,cot's !ot to be dead, and this curst "en"usher's
!ot you in the way of asin! 3uestions lie a curst Jesuit#
$hose concerns have ceased to be ours'ceased from the
moment the breath went out of our lun!s and the last
waste of mortality from out of our bodies, and we woe
with the taste of blood on our mouths and the hun!er for
more of it in our hearts# $he dead don't tra9c with the
livin!, ,"aniard#"
"$here are thin!s which the livin! can do which the
dead cannot#"
"Aye' die and feed the dead# And if your "recious doctor
e'er sets foot in London, that's aye what he'll do#"
";nless you "lan to ee" him "risoner forever," Elysee
crooned mocin!ly# "Are you that fond of him, ,imon? 2
never !uessed it of you#"
-hloe let out a silvery titter of lau!hter#
"$he dead can still die," ,imon said 3uietly# "As Lotta
would tell you, if she could> or -alvaire, or Neddy
###"
"Lotta was a fool and -alvaire a bi!!er one," +ri""en
sna""ed# "-alvaire was a boaster who boasted once too
often to the wron! "er'son of who and what he was#
$hin'ee that tellin! yet another mortal who and what we
are is !oin! to ee" us safe? 2 always thou!ht ,"an'iards
had dun! for brains and 2'm sure on it now#"
"$he com"osition of my brains," said ,imon, "maes
neither Lotta, Neddy, -alvaire, nor :anny less dead, nor
does it alter the fact that none of us has seen or heard a
sin!le breath of the one who has staled and illed them#
Only another vam"ire could have followed them, and only
a vam"ire very ancient, very silled, could have followed
them unseen# *ore ancient than you, or 2###"
"$hat's coc#"
"$here are no older vam"ires," Elysee added# "7ou
border on#,#" ,he !lanced 3uicly at +ri""en, as if
rememberin! he and ,imon were the same a!e, and visibly
bit bac the wordsenility.
"%e's a day hunter, Lionel," ,imon said# "And one day
you may waen to )nd the sun in your eyes#"
"And one day you'll waen with your "recious "rofessor
hammerin! an ashwood ma" "ointer into your heart, and
!ood shuttance to you," +ri""en returned an!rily# "6e deal
with our own# 7ou tell your little wordsmith that# An he
conies bac to London, you'd best stic close by his side#"
And sei&in! -hloe rou!hly by the wrist, he strode from
the cellar, the !irl followin! him in a <utter of "ale hair and
ribbons, their monster shadows swoo"in! after them in the
<icerin! !loom#
"7ou're a fool, ,imon," Elysee said mildly and trailed
alon! after them, vanishin!, as vam"ires did, in a
momentary swirl of s"ider'!au&e shawl#
%yacinthe remained, blinin! la&ily at the ,"anish
vam"ire with her "ansy'brown eyes# ":id you )nd him?"
she ased in her !olden syru" voice# "$hat ha'nt of the
boneyards, the *ost Ancient Dam"ire in the 6orld?" Lie a
<irt, she reached out and touched his shirt collar, )n!er'in!
it as she )n!ered everythin!, as if contem"latin!
seduction#
"6hen 2 "ulled you and +ri""en and the others o8
James here," ,imon re"lied softly, "did you see who carried
him away?"
%yacinthe drew bac, non"lussed, as mortals must be,
Asher thou!ht, when confronted with the elusiveness of
vam"ires# 6ithout smilin!, ,imon continued# "Nor did 2#"
-onfused, %yacinthe, too, left, seemin! to <ic out of si!ht
lie a candle "u8ed by wind# But 7sidro, by the tilt of his
head and the direction of his cold eyes, obviously saw her
!o#
0or a lon! moment, he stood there outside the bars,
looin! around him at the dar cellar# 2t had clearly been
disused for years, "erha"s centuries> "ast him, as his eyes
!rew more used to the li!ht, Asher could see the o"en
!rillwor in the <oor which communicated with the sew'ers,
thou!h the other vam"ires had left in another direction,
"resum'ably u"stairs to some buildin! above# One of
the oldhostels particuliers in the *arais or the 0aubour! ,t#
+ermain, he wondered, which had survived the attentions
of the .russians? Or sim"ly one of those ubi3ui'tous
buildin!s "urchased in the course of centuries by some
vam"ire or other, as a bolthole in case of need?
$hen 7sidro s"oe, so softly that it was only because he
was used to the whis"erin! voices of vam"ires that Asher
heard him at all# "An'thony?"
0rom the dusty, curtainin! shadows came no re"ly# After
a moment the vam"ire too a ey from his "ocet, and,
muf'<in! his )n!ers in several thicnesses of the corner of
his 2nverness, steadied the loc to insert and turn it# $hen
he "iced u" a small satchel from a corner where,
"resumably, he had laid it down before addressin! the
others, and came into the cell# "%ow do you feel?"
"=ather lie a lobster in the tan at *a(im's#" A <eet
!rin touched the vam"ire's mouth, then vanished# "*y
a"olo'!ies," he said# "2 could not be assured of reachin!
here before they did#" %e !lanced down at somethin!
beside Asher's cot# 6hen he lifted it, Asher saw that it was
a "itcher, soft "orcelain and once very "retty, now old and
chi""ed, but with a little water in it# "6as he here?"
"Anthony?" Asher shoo his head# %is hoarse voice was
so wea none but a vam"ire would have heard# "2 don't
now# ,omeone was#" A dream'a hallucination?'of seleton
)n!ers caressin! the silver "ad'loc <oated somewhere in
his consciousness> but, lie li!ht on water, it eluded his
!ras"#
"2 left this on the other side of the cell#" 0rom the
satchel the vam"ire too a wide'mouthed <as and a
carton which smelled faintly of bread "uddin!#
As 7sidro "oured a thic sou" out of the <as, Asher
remared, "6hat, not blood?"
7sidro smiled a!ain# "2 su""ose it is customary in
novels'it was in *r# ,toer's, anyway'for the victims of a
vam"ire to receive transfu'sions from all their friends, but
somehow 2 could not see myself solicit'in! such favors from
"assers'by#"
" 'Just come down this cellar with me, 2'd lie a little of
your blood?" 2 e("ect %yacinthe could do it, too# But it
wouldn't wor, or so Lydia tells me# A""arently human
blood isn't all of one ty"e#"
"Of course, such matters have been considered amon!
vam"ires ever since *r# %arvey's interestin! articles )rst
a""eared#" 7sidro handed him the sou" and hel"ed him sit
u" to eat it# "6e have lon! been familiar with the whole
a""aratus of transfusions and hollow needles# 2n fact 2'm
told some of the Dienna vam"ires used to in4ect their
victims with cocaine before they dran# 6hen :ewar
containers were devel'o"ed last year, :anny made some
e("eriments in storin! blood, but it seems to lose both its
taste
and its e9cacy literally within moments after it leaves
the livin! body# 2n any case it is not the blood alone that
chie<y sustains us# 2f it were," he added, without chan!e in
the soft in<ections of his voice, "do you thin that any of us
would be the way we are?"
Asher set down the bowl on his nees, his hands
shain! too much with sheer weaness to hold it# 7sidro's
steadyin! !ri" was chill as the hand of a cor"se# $heir eyes
met# ":on't be naive#"
$he vam"ire's "ale eyebrow tilted# "7ou may be ri!ht, at
that#" 6hether he s"oe of Lotta, %yacinthe, or himself was
im"ossible to tell# %e too the em"ty bowl and turned
away, every movement s"are and economical as a sonnet#
"2 doubt you'll need concern yourself with +ri""en at the
moment# %e and -hloe are bound bac to Lon'don###"
",imon###"
%e looed bac, the !ilt candleli!ht seemin! almost to
shine throu!h him, as it shone throu!h the ed!es of )n!ers
held near to the <ame' demon and iller a thousand times
over, and the man who had saved Asher's life#
"$han you#"
"7ou are in my service," the vam"ire re"lied, the
unstressed a(iom of a nobleman who 3uestions neither his
ri!hts nor his duties# "And we have not yet scotched this
iller#
"2 am still not entirely convinced," he continued, neatly
returnin! bowl, <as, and s"oon to his satchel, "that the
iller is not +ri""en himself# 2 have !iven thou!ht to your
assertion that our state is a medi'cal "atholo!y# 2f there is
some alteration of state which taes "lace close to the
three hundred and )ftieth year###"
"$hen wouldn't you be e("eriencin! it, too?"
"Not necessarily#" %e turned bac and held u" his white,
lon!')n'!ered hands shoulder'hi!h, showin! the colorless
<esh ne(t to his strin!y, ash'"ale hair# "$hou!h 2 was still
3uite fair'haired as a livin! man, 2 had more color than this,
and my eyes were 3uite dar# $his' bleachin!'is not
common, but not unnown amon! our ind# .erha"s it is
what they call a mutation of the virus, if virus it be# $he
oldest vam"ire 2 new, my own master =hys, was also
'bleached,' thou!h other vam"ires he created were not#
$herefore as a condition it mi!ht a8ect other chan!es that
tae "lace when a vam"ire a!es# And since it seems that
-alvaire left .aris for "recisely those reasons which turned
+ri""en a!ainst him in London###"
"No#" Asher san bac to his "illow, e(hausted with the
mere e8ort of sittin! u" and eatin!, wantin! nothin! more,
now, than to slee" a!ain# ":idn't you read the news"a"er?
2t was in my "ocet###" %e hesitated# "No it wasn't, 2 left it in
the catacombs# A section of the London )imes. 2t can't
have taen +ri""en less than a ni!ht to come here, and the
ni!ht before 2 was attaced, nine "eo"le were illed by a
vam"ire in London# Oh, the "olice were "u&&led by the lac
of blood in the bodies, but it was###"
"NineH"
2t was the )rst time he had ever seen ,imon truly
shoced# Or "er'ha"s, he thou!ht, he was sim"ly able to
read the vam"ire better now#
"2 didn't thin it sounded lie any of the London
vam"ires# +ri""en may be a brute, but he hasn't
survived three hundred and )fty years by indul!in! in
stu"id ram"a!es lie that# And now 2 now it couldn't have
been either +ri""en or -hloe, and it certainly doesn't
sound lie the 0arrens# 6hat it sounded lie was a vam"ire
who'd been lyin! low#"
"And who too the )rst moment when +ri""en was
!one," ,imon murmured softly, "to satisfy a cravin! that
must by that time have been monstrous# 9utnine.. ,"
"2n any case," Asher said, "it means that we are
de)nitely dealin! with another vam"ire#"
7sidro nodded# "7es," he said# "And by the sound of it, in
all "roba'bility, a mad one#"
Asher si!hed# "*y old nanny used to say, 'Every day in
every way thin!s are !ettin! better and better#' 2t comforts
me to now she was ri!ht#" And he dro""ed his head to the
thin straw of the "illow and fell instantly to slee"#
Fifteen
E2+%$ .E=2,% 2N 6A=E%O;,E 02=E 0O;L .LA7
,;,.E-$E: O0rom the*anchester %erald P
0ire rava!ed the cotton warehouse of *oyle -o# in
Liver"ool ,treet last ni!ht, claimin! the lives of ei!ht
va!rants who are be'lieved to have taen shelter in the
warehouse from the cold# %ow'ever, "olice re"ort the
discovery of a small 3uantity of blood on the "avement of
the alley behind the warehouse, indicatin! that some sort
of foul "lay may have taen "lace, thou!h all the bodies
were too badly burned to "rovide de)nite clues# All ei!ht
bodies were found clum"ed close to!ether in the rear "art
of the warehouse, near where the )res started> there is no
evidence that any of these unnown va!rants attem"ted to
e(tin!uish the bla&e in its early sta!es, and, in fact, "olice
believe that all ei!ht may have been dead of some other
cause before the )re started# $he )re was bla&in! stron!ly
when )rst seen by watchman Lawrence Bevin!ton, who
claims that he saw no indication of smoe or other trouble
when he "assed the warehouse earlier###
No, Lydia thou!ht calmly, he wouldn't. If I were trying to
hide my kills by incinerating the bodies! I'd make certain
the watchman was sleeping at the appropriate moment.
%er hand was shain! as she set down the news"a"er#
*anchester# Anonymous masses of factory worers,
stevedores, and coal heavers, unmissed save by those who
new them and maybe not even then#
,he looed at the list she'd made, lyin! on to" of
the8ournal of Comparative ;olklore! and wondered how
lon! she dared wait now,
,he had "romised James not to do anythin! until she
had checed with him, not to "ut herself in dan!er# ,he
new she was a child in a bo! here, unable to tell the
di8erence between a tuft that would bear her
wei!ht and one that was only a little !reenery <oatin!
on the to" of 3uicsand> she new that the vam"ires would
be waitin!# $he fear that she had lived with for wees rose
a!ain in her, the fear of that !uttural voice callin! in her
dreams, the fear of the !atherin! darness, the fear she
had felt in the cold fo! of the court the ni!ht she had !one
out to see a vam"ire# Everythin! she had been readin!
had only tau!ht her to fear more#
But how lon! was she !oin! to wait? $he last thin!
she'd heard from James was that he was !oin! to see the
.aris vam"ires, under the "rob'lematical "rotection of :on
,imon 7sidro# ,he shut her heart, tryin! to free&e it into
submission, tryin! not to connect that letter with this lon!
silence# But her heart whis"ered to her that they had no
reason to ee" him alive# And there was a !ood chance
that, as -alvaire's friends, they mi!ht have somethin! to
hide, not only from humans, but from vam"ire in#
2'll wait one more day, she "romised herself, tryin! to
rela( the steely hand that seemed to clutch at her throat
from the inside.#is letters have to go long-ways-about
through -xford... it could have gotten delayed...
,he looed bac at her list, which she had com"iled last
ni!ht, and at the news"a"er lyin! beside it# $he vam"ire's
ram"a!es had illed seven'teen "eo"le in the last three
days#
%er )n!ers still unsteady, she too o8 her s"ectacles
and set them aside, then lowered her head to her crossed
arms and we"t#
Asher woe feelin! stron!er, but still wei!hted, not only
with e(haus'tion, but with an uncarin! lassitude of the
s"irit with which he was familiar from his more rou!h'and'
tumble "hilolo!ical research tri"s# %is dreams had been
"la!ued by the sensation that there was somethin! he was
for!ettin!, some detail he was missin!# %e was bac in the
van der .lat& house in .retoria, huntin! for somethin!# %e
had to move swiftly because the family was due bac, the
family which considered him such a "leasant and
trustworthy !uest, a Bavarian "rofessor only there to study
lin!uistic absor"tion#
But he had for!otten what it was that he hunted# %e
only new it was vital, not only to the war between En!land
and its recalcitrant colonials, but to his own life, to the lives
of everyone dear to him# Notes, he thou!ht, or a list'that
was it, the list of the articles he'd "ublished> they mustn't
)nd it, mustn't trace him throu!h them### ,o he hunted,
increasin!ly fri!htened, "artly because he new the van
der .lat&es, thou!h Boers, were the in!"ins of +erman
intelli!ence in .re'toria and would not hesitate to turn him
over to the commandos if they discovered he was not as he
seemed, "artly because he new that behind one of those
doors he o"ened and closed in such aimless haste he was
!oin! to )nd Jan, the si(teen'year'old son of the household
and his friend, with the to" of his head shot o8###
"2 illed him," he said as he o"ened his eyes#
-old, fra!ile )n!ers touched his# A!ainst the dimness of
the low ceilin!, he saw the thin white 0ace <oatin! in its
"ale cloud of tonsure, !reen eyes !leamin! stran!ely
a!ainst the sunen shadows of the sull'lie head# %e had
s"oen in En!lish, and in En!lish a voice whis"ered bac,
"/illed thou this boy in an!er, or for !ain?"
%e new Brother Anthony had read his dream, seen it
lie a cinemat'o!ra"h "icture, thou!h how he new this he
was not sure#
"2t would have been better if 2 had," Asher re"lied softly#
"%e mi!ht have understood that# But no#" %is
mouth twisted with the bitter taste of his own
awareness# "2 illed for "olicy, to "rotect the information 2
had learned, so 2 could !et bac to En!land with it, and
return to learn more# 2 did not want to be###" %e hesitated
on the wordblown! an idiom the old mon would not
understand, and then )nished the "hrase, "### revealed as a
s"y#"
6hat a eu"hemism, he thou!ht, re<ectin! how much
thou!ht was erased by that sim"le chan!e of wordin!# No,
he had not wanted to be revealed to these "eo"le who had
trusted him as a s"y, who was usin! their trust as he'd
have used a stolen bicycle, to be later abandoned to rust
by the side of the road#
"2t is no lon!er lawful for me to absolve thee of this#"
Lie broen wis"s of straw, the thin )n!ers stroed at his
hands> the !reen eyes looin! into his were mad and
haunted and )lled with "ain, but Asher had no fear of him,
no sense of a lust for blood# $he whis"erin! voice went on,
"2, who cried a!ainst simoniac "riests, venal "riests, and
"riests who too bribes to for!ive in advance the sins their
"atrons lon!ed to commit'how can 2 e("ect +od to hear the
words of a mur'derer'"riest, a vam"ire'"riest? 7et ,aint
Au!ustine says that it is lawful for soldiers to ill in battle,
and that those deaths will not be held a!ainst them before
the throne of +od#"
"2 was not a soldier," Asher said 3uietly# "2n battle, one
shoots at men who are shootin! at one# 2t is self'defense,
to "rotect one's own life#"
"$o "rotect one's own life," the vam"ire echoed tiredly#
$he sull'face did not chan!e, save that the sunen !reen
eyes blined# "%ow many have died to "rotect my life, my'
immortality? 2 ar!ue that 2 did not choose to become what 2
am, but 2 did# 2 chose it when the vam"ire that made me
dran of my blood, forced his bleedin! wrist a!ainst my
li"s, and bade me drin, bade me sei&e the mind that 2 saw
burn before me in darness lie a <ame, willin! me to live# 2
chose then to live and not to die# 2 chose then and 2 have
chosen every ni!ht since#"
E(haustion lay over Asher lie a leaded blanet'the
conversation had the air of bein! no more than another
"art of his dream# "6as there a reason?"
"No#" $he mon's cold little hand did not move on his#
A!ainst the low ceilin!, his shadow hun!, hu!e and
deformed, in the candleli!ht' the !lint of its re<ection
cau!ht on needle'lie fan!s as he s"oe# "Only that 2 loved
life# 2t was my sin from the be!innin!, my sin throu!hout
my days with the *inorites, the Little Brothers of ,t#
0rancis# 2 loved the body we were en4oined to des"ise,
reveled in those little lu(uries, those small comforts, which
our teachers warned us to deny ourselves# A warnin! well
!iven, "erha"s# $hey said that such deli!ht in the
e"hemera of matter would addict the soul# And so it has
done#
".erha"s it was that 2 did not want to confront +od with
the sin of lu(uriousness on my conscience# 2 no lon!er
remember# And now 2 am burthened down with more
murders than 2 can count# 2 have slain armies, one man at a
time> in the lae of boilin! blood which :ante the 2talian
saw in %ell, 2 will be submer!ed to the last hairs u"on my
scal"# $ruly a )t "ortion for one who has sou!ht hot blood
from the veins of the innocent to "rolon! his own
e(istence# And that is what 2 cannot face#"
,usurrant and unreal, that voice followed him down into
dreams a!ain, and this time he found himself walin! on
the stone bans of a crimson lae, boilin! and fumin! to a
bruised hori&on in a blac cavern that stretched farther
than si!ht# $he smell of the blood choed in his nostrils,
and its thic, !uttural bubblin! )lled his ears# Looin!
down, he could see in the tide "ools the yellowish serum
se"aratin! out of the blood, as it did in Lydia's
e("erimental dishes# 2n the lae itself he could see them
all5 +ri""en, %yacinthe, Elysee, Anthea 0arren with her
creamy breasts bare and s"lashed with !ore, screamin! in
"ain### On the ban of that hellish lae waled Lydia in the
trailin! dra"eries of her ecru tea !own, a !lass beaer in
her hand, her hair fallin! in a rusty coil down her bac and
s"ectacles faintly steamed with
heat, bendin! down to di" u" the blood from the
churnin! .hle!ethon# Asher tried to call to her, but she was
walin! away, holdin! the beaer u" to the li!ht and
e(aminin! the contents with her usual absorbed attention#
%e tried to run toward her, but found he could not move,
his feet seemin! rooted to the broen blac lava roc>
looin! bac, he saw the bubblin! red lae be!innin! to
rise, the blood triclin! toward him to en!ulf him, lie the
vam"ires, for his sins#
%e o"ened his eyes and saw 7sidro, sittin! near the
candle readin! the London )imes! and new that it was
ni!ht# "2nterestin!," the vam'"ire said softly, when Asher
told him of his conversation with the old "riest, "%e is
awae durin! the dayli!ht hours, then, whether or not he
can tolerate the touch of the sun itself, thou!h 2 sus"ect
that he can# And the silver loc on the door has been
forced and re"laced#"
"%e has to have come here somehow#"
7sidro folded the "a"er with a neat cracle, and set it
aside# "%e may have used the sewers# .erha"s he new,
from other years, that this was my house> "erha"s he only
followed me bac here from the catacombs that )rst ni!ht
and !uessed, when he saw me )!htin! to save you, that 2
would want you brou!ht here# 2 have, needless to say,
moved my resi'dence, now that +ri""en and Elysee now
of this "lace### :o you feel stron! enou!h to wal?"
Asher did, but even the minor e8ort of washin! and
shavin! in the basin of water ,imon had brou!ht left him
e(hausted, and he was !rate'ful to return to his cot# Later,
after he'd rested, he ased for and !ot envelo"es and
"a"er# 2n the course of the followin! day, he wrote two
letters to Lydia, one addressed to her under her own name
in O(ford, the other addressed to *iss .riscilla *erridew
and enclosed, as his former corres"ondence had been, in a
forwardin! note to one of his students# %e reassured her of
his com"arative safety, thou!h he felt a twin!e of irony at
the "hrase# $hin!s had to be truly serious, he re'<ected, for
him to consider hel"less im"risonment in a cellar in the
care of two vam"ires as !rounds for o"timism# 7sidro
a!reed to "ost them without demur'Asher could only ho"e
that the rather sim"le camou'<a!e would wor, or at worst
that he'd be able to !et Lydia to some other residence
before the ,"aniard was able to return to O(ford and trace
her down#
%e remained in the cellar another two days, slee"in!
mostly, readin! the boos and news"a"ers ,imon brou!ht
to him or listenin! in schol'arly satisfaction as the vam"ire
read ,haes"eare to him in its ori!inal "ronunciation, and
slowly feelin! his stren!th return# %e never saw Brother
Anthony, e(ce"t in 3ueer, involuted dreams, but now and
then the water "itcher in the cell would be re)lled when he
awoe# $he second afternoon, he woe to )nd two railway
ticets "ro""ed a!ainst the candlestic, and his lu!!a!e
staced neatly at the foot of his cot# 6ith the ticets was a
note, written on creamy new stationery in a si(teenth'
century hand5 Ca w you be ready to leave for London at
sun-down?
Beneath this was a folded co"y of the
L ondon)imes! with the head'line *A,,A-=E 2N
L2*E%O;,E#
,even more "eo"le, mostly -hinese from the docs,
had been illed#
6ea and shay, Asher crawled from his cot and
sta!!ered to the bars# $hey were massively stron!, for!ed
to defeat even a vam"ire's su"erhuman stren!th'the silver
"adloc, which did not seem to have e"t Brother Anthony
out, still held the door# %e leaned a!ainst the bars and said
softly into the darness, "Anthony? Brother Anthony, listen#
6e need you in London# 6e need your hel"# 6e can mae
the 4ourney in a sin!le ni!ht> we have "rovision for it if
dayli!ht overtaes us# 7ou must come with us'you're the
only one who can aid us, the only one who can trac this
iller, the only one who can aid human'ind# .lease hel"
us# .lease#"
But from the darness came no sound#
"2'm not sur"rised," ,imon remared later, when Asher
told him about it as the boat train steamed out of the +are
du Nord and into the thin mists of the evenin!# "2t is
di9cult to tell how much he nows or !uesses of what is
!oin! on'a !reat deal, if he followed us, as vam"ires often
do, listenin! to our conversation from a distance# 2t may be
that he considers the deaths of vam"ires only meet> and it
may also be that he nows more of the matter than we do
and will not s"ea the iller's name to us because he
nows it himself# Amon! vam"ires friendshi"s are rare, but
not unheard of#"
%e unfurled the news"a"er he had bou!ht over his
neat, bony nees and studied the headline with im"assive
eyes# "2 mislie this, James," he said softly, and Asher
leaned around to see# limehouse vam"ire, the headline
screamed# "olice baBed# '$here was another series of
illin!s two ni!hts before that, in *anchester'the London
"a"ers did not carry it until the massacre today# A vam"ire
could travel the dis'tance in a matter of hours'as indeed
could a man# After a blood feast of nine "eo"le, no normal
vam"ire would so much as loo at another human bein!,
even were it safe to do so, for a wee at least# 0ew of us
feed more than twice a ni!ht, and most not more than one
in four or )ve 'not u"on humans, anyway# $his###" $he
slender brows twitched to!ether# "$his troubles me#"
"%ave you run across it before?"
$he slim hands creased the "a"er a!ain and "ut it by,
"Not "erson'ally, no# But =hys s"oe of somethin! of the
sort ha""enin! durin! the .la!ue# &#e had been a vampire
since before the 9lack +eath...
"$o those who dran the blood of the .la!ue's victims?"
7sidro folded his hands u"on his nee, slim and
colorless in his !ray suit, and did not loo at Asher, "Oh, we
all did that," he said evenly# "=hys did durin! the +reat
.la!ue and too no ill> +ri""en and 2 both did, durin! the
last outbrea of the .la!ue in London in 'IA# One could not
tell, you understand, whom the .la!ue would choose
before dawn# One ni!ht, 2 dran of a woman's blood as she
lay in her bed beside her husband> as 2 laid her bac dead,
2 moved the sheets aside and saw him dead already, with
the blac boils 4ust be!innin! in his arm"its and !roin# 2 <ed
into the streets and there $ulloch the ,cot found me, vomit'
in! my heart out, and ased me why 2 troubled with it# '6e
are dead already,' he said# '0allen souls on whom :eath
has already had his will# 6hat are these vir!in fears?' "
$he vam"ire s"oe without emotion, !a&in! into the
distance with fathomless yellow eyes> but looin! at the
delicate, hoo'nosed "ro)le, Asher !lim"sed for the )rst
time the abysses of dar memory that lay beneath that
disdainful calm,
"Even in his later years, =hys was a traveler'an unusual
circum'stance for the ;ndead# %e would vanish for years,
sometimes decades, at a time'indeed it was only by
chance that 2 saw him in London the wee before the +reat
0ire# %e once told me of vam"ires in .aris and Bavaria
durin! the .la!ue who would !o into )ts of attacin!
humans, illin! a!ain and a!ain in a ni!ht, thou!h he did
not now whether this was somethin! in the .la!ue itself,
or sim"ly horror at that which was ha""enin! all around
them# But there were some, he said, thou!h by no means
all, who, without warnin!, years and often centuries later,
would be sei&ed with the need to ill in that fashion a!ain
and a!ain# 2 now Eli&abeth the 0air used to !o into the
"la!ue houses and ill the families who had not yet broen
out'she was illed after what always sounded to me lie a
very stu"id ram"a!e, a series of careless illin!s that was
not at all lie her# ,he had never showed that tendency
before and she had been a vam"ire for centuries#"
"But you have never done so?"
,till the vam"ire did not meet his eyes# "Not yet#"
$hey reached London in the blac fo! of an autumn
"redawn# 2n'stead of fadin! away as had always been his
wont before the train even "ulled u" to the "latform, 7sidro
rode with Asher in the cab bac to his lod!in!s and saw
him ensconced in bed before vanishin! into the "eril'ously
wanin! dar# $hou!h the vam"ire treated the matter as
sim"ly "art of his obli!ation to an em"loyee who must be
e"t serviceable, Asher was !rateful and rather touched
and heartily !lad of the hel"# %e had sle"t when he could
on the 4ourney> by the time they reached .rince of 6ales
-olonnade, he felt, as *rs# +rimes fre3uently "hrased it, as
if he'd been "ulled throu!h a man!le#
$he sun woe him hours later# %is landlady, who had
been horri)ed by his ha!!ard a""earance, brou!ht him
breafast on a tray and ased if there was anythin! she
could do to hel"# "2s there someone 2 can send for, sir?" she
demanded worriedly# "2f you've been ill, you'll need some'
one to loo after you, and dear nows, thou!h we're "ut
here to hel" our fellow creatures, what with four lod!ers
and the ee"in! u" of the "lace, 2 sim"ly haven't the time
it would tae#"
"No, of course not," Asher said soothin!ly# "And 2'm
dee"ly obli!ed for what you have been able to do# 2 have a
youn!er sister here in London> if you would be so !ood as
to send your boy to the tele!ra"h o9ce, 2'll be able to !o to
meet her, and she'll !et me whatever 2'll need#"
2t was an awward and time'consumin! arran!ement,
but he new that, if he sim"ly sent a note to Bruton .lace,
they'd wonder why she didn't 4ust wal bac over with the
bearer, and he was not !oin! to ris havin! Lydia
associated in any way with .rince of 6ales -olonnade, if he
could hel" it# %e'd closed one window curtain to alert Lydia
to the fact that a tele!ram would follow# 6ritin! the
messa!e with a hand that still wobbled unsteadily around
the "en, he decided, re!retfully, that it would be safer if
they did not meet at all'merely e(chan!ed "arcels of
information at the letter dro" in the *useum's cloaroom#
%is soul ached to see her, to touch her, to hear her voice,
and to now she was safe, but nowin! what little he new
now about the iller, he did not dare even ris a meetin! in
broad dayli!ht in the .ar#
Even the fact that he had done so once made his heart
contract with dread# $he iller could have been watchin!,
as 7sidro said, unseen and at a distance, listenin! to every
word they uttered'a day staler, mad and feverish with the
hun!er of the ancient .la!ue# Bully Joe :avies' face
returned to his mind, cra!!y and twisted behind his
stra!!lin!, dirty hair'the !lottal, des"erate cocney voice
whis"erin!, "*y brain's burnin' for itH### it ee"s hurtin' at
me and hurtin' at me###" and the frantic, naed hun!er in
his eyes#
Bitter self'loathin! )lled him'the !odlie :ennis
Blaydon, he thou!ht viciously, would never have "ut her in
dan!er lie this#
%e sent the tele!ram re"ly "aid and "ut in a do!!ed
two hours, writin! u" his adventures and )ndin!s in .aris#
Even that e(hausted him and de"ressed him, as well# %e
craved rest as he had craved water in the days down in
7sidro's cellar, after his blood had been drained> he wanted
to have Lydia out of this, himself out of this, and wanted
the silence and !reen "eace of O(ford, even for a little
while# %e yearned for rest, not to have to thin about even
the hy"othetical vam"ires of fol'lore, much less the real
ones who lured beneath the "avements of London and
.aris, listenin! to the "assin! of human feet on the
<a!ways overhead, watchin! from the shadows of alleys
with !reedy, s"eculative, unhuman eyes#
But that was not an o"tion any more# ,o he wi"ed the
sweat of e8ort from his face with a corner of the "illow
sham and continued drivin! his "en over the sheets of
foolsca" on his la", strainin! his ears for the sound of the
commissionnaire's returnin! noc on the door#
But no re"ly came#
6ith some e8ort, he dressed a!ain and sent for a cab,
"artly to !ive the im"ression that he meant to !o some
distance, "artly because there was every chance he would
have to trac Lydia in -hancery Lane or ,omerset %ouse'
and "artly because even the thou!ht of walin! two blocs
made his body ache#
"*iss *erridew, sir?" the landlady at Bruton .lace said,
with the *iddle En!lish by which he'd earlier
subconsciously identi)ed her as an immi!rant from eastern
Lancashire# "+od bless you, sir, you're the one we've been
ho"in! would call, for the !ood Lord nows the "oor lass
didn't seem to now a soul in London###"
"6hat?" Asher felt himself turn cold to the li"s# $he
landlady, seein! the color sin from his already white face,
hastily !uided him to an armchair in her cluttered "arlor#
"6e didn't now what to do, my man and 2# %e says
"eo"le stays here because they don't want fols nosy'
"arerin! into their a8airs, and, if you'll for!ive me!sir! he
says a "retty lass lie that is 4ust as lie not to come home
of an evenin'# But 2 now a wron! 'un when 2 sees her, sir,
and your *iss *erridew weren't that road###"
"6hat ha""ened?" %is voice was very 3uiet#
":ear +od, sir'*iss *erridew's been !one for two ni!hts
now, and if she didn't turn u" by tomorrow mornin!,
whatever my man says, 2 was !oin! to call in the "olice#"
Sixteen
Lydia's two lod!in!'house rooms were, lie every "lace
else where Lydia resided for more than a day or so, awash
with "a"ers, noteboos, and 4ournals'the tedious minutiae
of her search for the vam"ire's tracs5 !as com"any
records, all noted in her neat hand> electrical usa!e> and
news"a"er stories, thousands of them# Asher felt an
uneasy cree"in! at the bac of his nec when he saw, in
addition to transcribed details of old crimes, the two
accounts of the Limehouse *urders# Names and addresses
were noted also'Lydia had clearly !one throu!h the "arish
rolls with a sieve, correlatin! "ro"erty "urchases and wills
and comin! u" with the names of a small but indis"utable
number of "ersons over the years who had somehow ne'
!lected to die#
$raced out in those terms, he wondered why the Earls of
Ernchester hadn't come under sus"icion before# Anomalies
of "ro"erty e(chan!e and ownershi" s"lotched the family
records lie a blood trail# %ouses were bou!ht, leased, and
sold to "eo"le who never surfaced in the records a!ain'
houses which were never willed to anyone nor subse'
3uently sold# Other discre"ancies were noted')ctitious
"ersons who bou!ht "ro"erty, but never made wills, and
interlocin! wills s"annin! sus"iciously lon! "eriods of
time# $aced to the !reenish cabba!e'rose "a"er of one
wall was an Ordinance ,urvey ma" of London and its
suburbs, s"rinled with red', !reen', and blue'headed
drawin! "ins# Lists of addresses# Lists of names# %e found
Anthea 0arren's on two of them, Lotta %arshaw's, Edward
%ammersmith's, and Lionel +ri"'"en's, alon! with many
others# $here were cli""ed "hoto!ra"hs of Ber'tie
6estmorland, his brother the %onorable Evelyn, mammoth
and smilin! in football !ear of +loucester -olle!e colors,
arm in arm with a beamin! :ennis Blaydon, $homas
+obey, .aul 0arrin!don, and do&ens of others, and one
blurred and yellow tabloid cli" of a blonde'haired woman
who mi!ht have been Lotta herself#
Lie Lydia's des at home, the little writin! des was a
s"illin! chaos of notes, amon! which he found the letter
he'd written in 7sidro's cellar in .aris, forwarded from
O(ford, its seals intact# Beside it, liewise intact, was the
tele!ram he had sent earlier that day, and beneath them
both the London 2tandard! s"read out to the story of the
second massa'cre in the Limehouse#
$hat, it a""eared, was the last thin! she had read
before she left#
0ear clenched the "it of his stomach, the dreadful
sinin! sensation he'd had in .retoria, when he new he'd
been blown, and after it, cold and deadly an!er#
+ri""en#
6hen she hadn't heard from him, she'd !one vam"ire
huntin! on her own#
Lydia, no, he thou!ht, a!hast at the foolhardiness of it#
2t was hard to ima!ine Lydia bein! rash enou!h to
undertae such an e("edition alone, and yet#,#
,he had "romised him, yes'but that had been before he
himself had disa""eared# Before the "Limehouse Dam"ire"
had be!un its ram"a!es# 0or all she new, he could have
been dead in .aris'and he was, in fact, e(traordinarily lucy
not to be# ,he had obviously reali&ed that for once,
unwittin!ly, 0leet ,treet hy"erbole was tellin! nothin! but
the unvarnished facts> for all she new, whatever she had
learned or de'duced mi!ht have been the only hel" the
mortal "o"ulation of London was !oin! to !et#
Lie many researchers, Lydia was cold'blooded'as a rule
the softer'hearted altruists went into !eneral "ractice# But
at heart, it too a strea of self'sacri)ce to enter the
medical )eld at all# %e had never nown Lydia to brea a
"romise, but at that "oint she mi!ht very well have
believed that a dayli!ht investi!ation was "safe#"
6hat had 7sidro said? $hat vam"ires were !enerally
aware of vam'"ire hunters? All it would tae would be for
+ri""en to become aware of her, to now whom to loo for
in the masses of London#
%e made another swift survey of the room#
2n the des he found thin!s he new Lydia had not
formerly "os'sessed'a small silver nife, a revolver loaded'
he broe it o"en to see 'with silver'nosed bullets# 2n her
bedroom she had set u" a small chemical a""aratus, a
microsco"e, a Bunsen burner, and a 3uantity of !arlic, as
well as a bottle of somethin! which, uncored, was a
"un!ently obvious !arlic distillate#
0or all his !entleman'adventurer tam"erin!s with the
:e"artment, Asher was )rst and last a scholar and had
arran!ed to trac the vam'"ires with scholarshi"# Lydia, the
doctor, would use medical means for her defense#
*edical 4ournals staced every hori&ontal surface in the
room and "eeed from beneath the tumbled coverlets of
the bed'he had lon! !rown used to her habit of slee"in!
with boos# ,li"s of note "a"er mared them, and the
briefest "erusal showed him they all contained articles
dealin! with either s"eculations on blood "atholo!ies which
could have been the source of vam"ire le!ends, case
studies of "atho'lo!ically related increases in "sychic
abilities, or obscure blood disor'ders# On the ni!htstand he
found a hy"odermic syrin!e, and a brown velvet case
containin! ten am"oules of silver nitrate#
2t too him a few moments to reali&e what )ndin! all
this meant#
2t meant that she had none of it with her when she left'
or was taen#
1uietly, Asher returned to the sittin! room, where the
landlady was standin!, !a&in! around her in baBement at
the storm of "a"ers and notes and the warlie battle ma"
of London# ,he was a little brown woman with a neat
)!ure, a few years youn!er than Asher, she too one loo
at his face and said, "2'll fetch you some sherry, sir#"
"$han you#" Asher sat down 3uietly at Lydia's des# 2f
there was any residual weaness in him, he wasn't aware
of it now#
%e had "ut his life bac to!ether after .retoria, notted
u" the frayed strin!s of whatever seventeen years with the
:e"artment had left of his soul, and had !one on# Lon!
a!o, he had loved a !irl in Dienna, durin! the do&en or
more 4ourneys there to collect information, and, leavin!
her, had betrayed her in such a way that she would be
distracted from her !rowin! sus"icions of him# 2t had been
one of the most di9cult thin!s he had ever done# But he
had made his choice and had "atiently "ut his life to ri!hts
afterward, thou!h it had been years before he could sit
throu!h certain son!s#
2f Lydia was dead, he did not thin he would be able to
undertae that "atient "rocess a!ain#
$hen a bitter rictus of a smile "ulled at his mouth, as he
remembered 7sidro in Elysee's salon, sayin!, "0ear nothin!,
mistress# 2 do not for'!et," and the vam"ire's !ri" lie a
manacle on his wrist# $he vam"ires 4ust mi!ht mae the
whole 3uestion academic# And if they'd harmed Lydia, he
thou!ht, with chilly calm, they would have to#
;nhurriedly, he e(amined Lydia's lists a!ain#
*any addresses had one star beside them> only two
had two#
One was Ernchester %ouse#
$he other was an old townhouse near +reat .ortland
,treet, an area he dimly associated with din!y +eor!ian
terraces which had seen better days# $he house in 3uestion
had been bou!ht freehold in @GAJ by some relation of the
si(th Earl of Ernchester, and deeded in !ift to :r# Lionel
+ri""en#
$he sun hun! above %arrow %ill, a blurred oran!e dis
in the "all of factory soot, as his cab rattled west# 2t was
several de!rees yet above the roo<ine'"lenty of time,
Asher thou!ht# %e wondered if Lydia had other silver
wea"ons, if she'd !one out com"letely unarmed'or if, for
that matter, she'd !one out at all# +ri""en could 4ust as
easily have broen into the "lace some ni!ht and taen
her# %ow had he nown who she was and where to
)nd her? 2top this! he told himself, as the wals throu!h
%yde .ar returned to his mind lie an accusatory
bloodstain on a car"et# )here'll be time for this later. And,
4ust as )rmly, he refused to contem"late
what thatlater would constitute#
$he house at @G *onc -ircle, lie its nei!hbors, wore
the air of havin! come down in the world# $hey were tall
houses of brown stone, risin! <ush out of the "avement'
servants' entrances in the bac, Asher noted mentally as
he "aid o8 his cabby#
+ood, he thou!ht# %othing like a little privacy when
breaking and entering.
%e observed the ti!htly shuttered windows as he
strolled "ast it, looin! for the inevitable entrance to the
mews# 2t had once been !ated, but the !ates had lon!
since been taen down and only their rusted "osts
remained, bolted to the din!y brics# Just within the narrow
lane, a closed carria!e stood, a brou!ham
such as doctors drove# %e made a mental note of
caution a!ainst a "ossible witness or bar to a 3uic esca"e
and ed!ed "ast it, 4in!lin! his "iclocs in his "ocet# %e
won'dered whether +ri""en would be able to sense him in
his slee"#
2f, for that matter, +ri""en were here at all# -harles
0arren had mentioned ownin! the buildin! to which he'd
been taen after the )asco at Ernchester %ouse, "lus
another, a few streets away> Lydia's more intensive
research had turned u" several others owned by aliases for
the same "air# 0rom thin!s 7sidro had said, he !athered the
,"aniard chan!ed his slee"in! "lace fre3uently'a
somewhat uncomfortable mode of livin!, even for a year,
Asher new from his own e("eriences abroad# %e
wondered whether vam"ires did not sim"ly "erish of care'
lessness when the "ressure of "retendin! to be human
!rew unbearable#
E(ce"t for a few, he thou!ht# Brother Anthony the
*inorite had !one 3uietly mad instead#
And' who? $ulloch the ,cot, hauntin! the churchyards of
,t# +ermain? Eli&abeth the 0air, who had drun the tainted
blood of .la!ue victims? $he incalculable =hys, who had
not been seen since @III? Or some other, more ancient
vam"ire still, hidin! in London until his very le!end was
eradicated###
;ntil, "erha"s, -alvaire had turned him u"?
Asher soft'footed his way down the nearly deserted
mews, countin! cotta!es and coach houses# *any of these
were lon! em"ty of the horses and carria!es they'd
ori!inally housed, transformed into stora!e or let out for a
few shillin!s# $he one attached to Number ,eventeen was
crumblin! and dirty, the doors sa!!in! on rotted hin!es,
the windows broen# $he door into the yard stood a4ar#
Asher's hair "ricled on his head as he ste""ed closer#
%e could see the two stout "adlocs on the inside of the
!ate, and beyond it, across a tiny yard cluttered with old
bo(es and decayin! furniture, to the house# *oss !rew on
the "avin! blocs, on the ste"s of the sunen areaway, and
around the outhouse# No servants had used that itchen for
de'cades, at least# Above the itchen, two sets of lon!
0rench windows !a"ed mournful and blac'the rest of the
windows were shuttered#
$he rational man, the twentieth'century En!lishman,
stirred in a faint re<e( of "rotest at the obvious conclusion,
but in his heart Asher felt no doubt# $he "lace was the
obvious haunt of vam"ires#
And the !ate was o"en# %e !lanced bac at the
brou!ham, standin! unobtrusively in the lane, waitin!##
0or whom?
As if to reassure him, the bay hac between the
brou!ham's shafts shoo its mane and chewed thou!htfully
on its bit# $he last broen fra!ments of the settin! sunli!ht
!linted on the bridle brasses#
:id vam"ires !o drivin! in the afternoons?
%e could thin of one that mi!ht#
,omethin! seemed to ti!hten inside of him as he
sli""ed into the ruined and weedy yard# 2f he and Lydia
could )nd this "lace, someone else certainly could'unless,
of course, 7sidro was somehow ri!ht after all, and +ri""en
himself was able to !et about by day#
Either way, he was on the ver!e of this riddle's dar
heart, and, he re<ected, "robably in a !reat deal of
dan!er#
$here was a !ood chance that Lydia was in that house#
%e crossed the yard cautiously# 2f the day staler'be it
+ri""en or $ulloch the ,cot or some nameless ancient'were
there, the vam"ire could hear him whatever he did# $here
were two of them, he remem'bered'he'd have to watch his
bac, as much as one could a!ainst vam"ires# And one of
them, at least, was mad#
%e ste""ed u" onto the little terrace to the left of the
areaway and forced one of the lon! windows, !rittin! his
teeth at the shar" clic as the latch !ave bac# ,hielded
behind the corner of the embrasure, he waited for a lon!
time, listenin!# :istantly he heard somethin! fall,
somewhere in the house'then the "aniced <urry of
thuddin! footfalls#
%eadin! for the carria!e, he thou!ht, and then, %o
vampire's feet sound like that. 5 human accomplice? +iven
-alvaire's "enchant for con)din! in "ros"ective victims, it
was lo!ical# 6as +ri""en's body even now searin!,
crumbin! to ashes in some u""er room as the last dim rays
of the evenin! sun streamed throu!h the broen shut'
ters###?
Asher found himself ho"in! so for his own sae, even as
he traced those <eein! footfalls with his ears# $he stairs
would debouch into the front hall> from there, the iller
could leave by either the front or the bac# %e could sli"
throu!h the half'o"en window, interce"t him before he left
the house###
But he drew bac at the thou!ht of enterin! those
dense shadows beyond the window, and that "robably
saved his life# %e was in the act of turnin! away to try to
interce"t the fu!itive by the carria!e when a hand shot out
the window from the dimness of the house# 2t moved
im"ossibly fast, catchin! him by the arm in a !ri" that
crushed <esh and bone, dra!!in! him toward the interior
!loom with terrifyin! force# 2n the fadin! dayli!ht, he !ot a
confused im"ression of a le"rous white talon, bul!in!
sinews and missha"en nots of nucles, and nails lie
claws, while the creature inside the house was still only a
monstrous blur of white framed in the window's darness#
As a second hand reached out to sei&e him around the
bac of the nec, Asher <iced one of the silver nives into
his hand from his ulster "ocet and slashed at the corded
wrist#
Blood scorched him as if he'd been s"lattered with
steamin! water# $he shrie from the darness within was
nothin! human, a raw scream of animal ra!e and "ain# %e
twisted from the loosened !ri" before he could be <un!, as
+ri""en had once <un! him stunnin!ly a!ainst the wall,
and dra!!ed at his revolver, )rin! at the va!ue sha"e that
came burstin! from the dar beyond the 0rench doors#
2t <icered, chan!ed, movin! with unfollowable s"eed>
he felt some'thin! behind him and turned to slash a!ain
with the nife still in his left hand# $he vam"ire was behind
him, the slantin! )nal sunli!ht turnin! its sull'face
!hastly'a vam"ire beyond all doubt, but what it had been
before was hard to !uess# ;nder the "ulled'bac li"s the
fan!s were hu!e, broen tuss that had !ou!ed see"in!
furrows into the "ustuled sin of its chin# 2t screamed a!ain
and fell bac, clutchin! at the cut Asher had o"ened in its
"alm, !larin! at him with immense eyes, blue, starin!,
"u"ils swollen with inhuman hate#
$he "sychic im"act was <attenin!# Asher felt as if his
mind had been struc by a fallin! tree, di&&iness and
disorientation almost swam"in! his consciousness# %e tried
to <in! the dead darness o8 him, even as the thin! sei&ed
him a!ain and bore him bac a!ainst the house wall, its
!ri" wra""in! over his !un hand and crushin! the bones#
%e cried out as the revolver sli""ed from his )n!ers'the
thin! cau!ht his nife wrist, then <inched bac with
another scream###
,ilver,Asher thou!ht, the silver chain. 6ith his nife, he
slashed at the thin! a!ain#
6ith another shrie of a!oni&ed fury, it cau!ht his
sleeve, "ulled him forward, and slammed him bac a!ainst
the wall a!ain with such vio'lence that, in s"ite of his e8ort
to ee" his chin down, Asher's head craced a!ainst the
brics# %is concentration sli""ed, breain!, thou!h he
fou!ht to hold it, nowin!, if he let the vam"ire's mind !et
control of his, he was surely dead#
A voice shouted somethin!# $he vam"ire slammed him
a!ainst the wall once more, and his vision blurred, "ain
swam"in! his mind under a dreamin! tide of !ray# %e clun!
to the "ain that was already screamin! from his ri!ht arm,
forcin! himself to remain aware###
A name# $he voice was shoutin! a name#
%e tried to remember it, tried to clin! to the "ain of his
broen wrist, as he sli""ed to the !round# %e was dimly
aware of the dam"ness of the brics beneath his chee and
the mury sweetness of crushed leaves in his nostrils#
6histlin! shries cut the air, and footfalls thudded
closer# %e hurt all over, his bac and left wrist as well as his
ri!ht, but his left hand would answer, closin! around the
nife hilt, thou!h he new he was outnum'bered# $he
news"a"er descri"tion of the sava!ery of the multi"le
murders came bac to him, and the !larin! horror of the
vam"ire'thin!'s eyes#
"Nay, then, what's all this?"
"7ou all ri!ht, sir?"
%e mana!ed to raise himself to one elbow in time to
confront the two blue'clothed !iants that materiali&ed out
of the dus# London's )nest, he thou!ht !ro!!ily# $he sun
had sli""ed behind %arrow %ill, $he twili!ht was cold in his
bones#
"No," he re"lied, as one of the bobbies hel"ed him to sit
u"# "2 thin my wrist is broen#"
"+orblimey, sir, what the 'ell###"
"2 was comin! to visit friends of mine in this house# 2
thin 2 sur'"rised bur!lars in the act# One of them attaced
me but there were two 'they were drivin! a brou!ham###"
One bobby !lanced at the other'they were both bi!,
"in'faced men, one from 7orshire by his s"eech and the
other a shar"'featured Lon'doner# Asher couldn't hel"
"icturin! the loo of sardonic calculation 7sidro would !ive
them# '$hat one as "assed us, drivin! )t to ill, 2'll bet#"
"Bay !eldin!, white o8'fore stocin!," Asher re"orted
automatically# "%e dro""ed this, -harley," the London'born
o9cer said, "icin! u" Asher's revolver> the 7orshireman
!lanced at it, then at the bloodied nife still in Asher's
hand# "7ou allus !o callin! armed, sir?"
"Not invariably," Asher said with a shay !rin# "*y
friend':r# +ri""en'collects odd wea"ons# $his one was sold
to me as an anti3ue, and 2 wanted his o"inion on it#" %e
winced> his ri!ht hand was be!in'nin! to swell and throb
a!oni&in!ly, the stretched sin turnin! bluish blac> his left
was bruisin! badly#
"Best send for doctor, Bob," the 7orshireman said#
"-ome inside, sir," he added, as Bob hastened o8
down the "ath# "%a""en they heard no one was to
home#"
Asher !lanced about him at the silent drawin! room as
they entered# "2'm not so sure of that#"
%eavy seventeenth'century furniture loomed at them
throu!h the dense shadows of the drawin! room> here and
there, metal !leamed, or !lass# $he bobby -harley steered
Asher to a massive oa chair# "Best wait here, sir," he said,
"7ou do loo lie you been ri!ht throu!h the mill#" But there
wasn't wholehearted solicitude in his tone'Asher new the
man didn't 3uite believe his story# 2t scarcely mattered at
this "oint# 6hat mattered was that he had bacu" and a
!ood reason for searchin! the house for Lydia# 6ith luc,
the illers had destroyed +ri""en and hadn't discovered
her, if she were here### "6hat did you say your friend's
name was, sir?" "$he owner of the house is :r, +ri""en,"
Asher said# "*y name is .rofessor James Asher'2'm a
Lecturer at New -olle!e, O(ford#" %e held his swollen hand
"ro""ed a!ainst his chest> the throbbin! went down his
arm, and his head was be!innin! to ache# %e fumbled a
card from his "ocet# "2 was su""osed to meet him here
this afternoon#"
-harley studied the card, then secreted it in his tunic,
somewhat reassured by this "roof of !entility# "=i!ht, sir#
Just you rest yourself here# 2'll have a bit of a loo about#"
Asher leaned bac in the chair, )!htin! to remain
conscious as the "oliceman left the darenin! room# $he
shoc of the )!ht was comin! over him, cloudin! his mind,
and his whole body ached# $he face of the dayli!ht vam"ire
swam before his thou!hts, 3ueerly colorless as 7sidro's
was, but not smooth and dry'looin!'rather it was swollen,
"u8y, "ustulant# $hin ra!s of fair hair had clun! to the
scal"> he tried to recall eyebrows and could not'only those
hu!e teeth, !rotes3ue and outsi&e, and the starin! hatred
of the blue eyes#
0orcin! his mind bac to alertness, he )shed the
"iclocs from his coat "ocet'clumsily, for he had to reach
across his body to do so' and "laced them incons"icuously
on a blacwood sideboard near the 0rench doors# %e
!uessed he would be under enou!h sus"icion without
havin! those found on his "erson# ,ta!!erin! bac to the
chair, he mentally be!an ticin! o8 details5 brown 4acet,
corduroy or tweed, countri)ed and incon!ruous on that
massive sha"e> and lobeless ears, oddly ordinary !iven the
deformation of the rest of the face# %e !lanced at his left
arm# Blood was stainin! the claw ri"s in the coat sleeve#
:ear +od, was that what vam"ires became, if they lived
lon! enou!h? 6as that what the .la!ue, mi(in! with +od
only new what other or!anisms of the vam"ire syndrome,
could do? 6ould he, at the last, have to trac down and ill
7sidro, to "revent him from turnin! into that?
%e reali&ed he was sin!ularly lucy to be still alive#
$he name, he thou!ht# $he voice had shouted a name,
4ust as his head had craced a!ainst the wall# %is
recollection was blurry, drown'in! under shoc and "ain
and the wei!ht of the vam"ire's dar mind# $hen there was
the rattle of harness, the clatter of retreatin! wheels###
$he ima!es faded as his consciousness sli""ed toward
darness#
"7ouH"
A "owerful hand !rabbed him and thrust him bac
a!ainst the bac of the chair# %is mind cleared, and he saw
+ri""en loomin! in the shadows of the now'dar room#
,till holdin! his swollen ri!ht hand to his chest, Asher
said wearily, "Let me alone, Lionel# $he iller was
here# +ri""en###H" 0or the vam"ire had turned shar"ly
and, had Asher not sei&ed the corner of his cloa, would
have been already halfway to the stairs# +ri""en whirled
bac, his scarred face dar with im"atient fury# 1uietly,
Asher said, "$he red'haired !irl#"
"6hat red'haired !irl? Let !o, manH"
$he cloa was !one from his !ri"'even his unbroen left
hand hadn't much stren!th to it# Asher !ot to his feet,
)!htin! a sur!e of di&&iness as he strode after the vam"ire
u" the stairs#
%e found +ri""en in one of the u""er bedrooms, an
attic chamber that had at one time housed the maids# %e
had to li!ht one of the bedroom candles before ascendin!
the narrow stair, no easy feat with only one worable hand>
thou!h the va!uest twili!ht still lin!ered out'side, the
windows of all the attics had been boarded shut, and the
"lace was dar as "itch# %e could hear nothin! of the
bobby -harley movin! about the u""er re!ions of the
house# .resumably he was lyin! in one of the bedrooms in
a trance cast by the master vam"ire's mind# $hat unnatural
slumber "ressed on his own consciousness as he sta!!ered
u" the stairs# $he "ain in his broen wrist hel"ed#
2n the darness he heard +ri""en whis"er, "-hrist's
bowels," un'voiced as the wind# $he candle !leam cau!ht a
velvety sheen from his s"readin! cloa, and beyond it
somethin! !linted, "olished !old'the brass mountin!s of a
caset#
$here was a co9n in the attic#
Asher stumbled forward into the room# As he did so his
foot brushed somethin! on the <oor that scra"ed### a
crowbar# +ri""en was neelin! beside the co9n, starin! in
shoc at what lay within# Asher's !lance went to the
window> the boards were !ou!ed but intact# $he illers
must have been 4ust startin! that "art of the o"eration, he
thou!ht, when his own footfalls had drawn them from their
tas#
+ri""en whis"ered a!ain, ",weet Jesu#"
Asher came silently to his side#
-hloe 6interdon lay in the co9n, her head tilted to one
side amon! the "illowin! mounds of her !ilt hair, her
mouth o"en, fan!s bared in her colorless !ums, her eyes
starin! in fro&en horror# ,he was clearly dead, almost
withered'looin!, the white <esh sunen bac onto her
bones#
Only sli!htly bloodied, the "ounded end of a stae
"rotruded from between her breasts#
=a!!ed white "unctures mared her throat#
1uietly, +ri""en said, "%er blood has all been drained#"
,eventeen
At least, Asher re<ected with e(as"erated irony at some
"oint in the lon! hours between si('thirty and ten, when he
was )nally released from the -harin! -ross station house,
they couldn't char!e him with -hloe 6interdon's murder#
But this was only because +ri"'"en had !ently !athered
the blonde !irl's body into his arms and van'ished throu!h
some bolthole in the roof, leavin! Asher to the tedious
business of )ndin! some story to tell the "olice'which they
didn't believe'bein! held for 3uestionin!, and !ettin!
his broen hand s"linted by the "olice sur!eon# $hey
in4ected it with novocaine and warned him to tae it to a
re!ular doctor in the mornin!, but Asher refused all o8ers
of veronal or other sedatives# %e new already it would be
a lon! ni!ht#
$o 3uestionin!, he res"onded that he was a friend of :r#
+ri""en's, that he had !one there on the o8 chance that a
mutual ac3uaintance, *iss *erridew, had taen refu!e with
the doctor> she had been missin! some days# No, he hadn't
re"orted it before'he had 4ust returned from .aris to )nd
her !one# No, he didn't now where :r# +ri""en could be
reached# No, he had no idea why the bur!lars would have
silver'ti""ed bullets in their !un# $hey made no comments
about the bite mars on his throat and wrists, which was
4ust as well#
2t was rainin! when he ste""ed outside, a thin,
dis"iritin! rain# 6ea'riness made him cold to the bones as
he descended the station house ste"s, his brown ulster
<a""in! cloawise about him, his ri!ht arm in its slin!
folded u" underneath# Even with the novocaine, it hurt
damnably# Nearly half the ni!ht !one, he thou!ht, and no
nearer to )ndin! Lydia than he had been that afternoon#
$here was a cab stand at the end of the street# %e
started toward it, and a dar sha"e was suddenly at his
side, seemin! to materiali&e from the misty rain# A heavy
hand cau!ht his elbow# "7ou're comin! with me#"
2t was +ri""en#
"+ood," Asher said wearily# "2 want to tal to you#" After
the thin! that had attaced him, +ri""en no lon!er
im"ressed him much#
7sidro was waitin! for them in a four'wheeler a little
ways down the street# "7ou certainly too lon! enou!h," he
remared, and Asher )rmly resisted the ur!e to "unch him
as he slum"ed into the seat at his side#
"2 too a few hours out for dinner at the -afe =oyale
and a na"," he retorted instead# "2f you'd "ut in an
a""earance earlier you could have 4oined me for co8ee#
$hey have very handsome waiters#" $he cab 4olted into
movement, its wheels swishin! softly on the wet
"avement> Asher's arm throbbed shar"ly in its slin!#
"Lydia's !one# And 2've seen the iller#"
"Lydia?" +ri""en said, "u&&led#
"*y wife#" Asher's brown eyes narrowed as he looed
across at the bi! vam"ire in his rain'dewed evenin! cloa,
the blunt, s3uare head shadowed by the brim of his sil to"
hat# "$he red'haired !irl 2 ased you about, whose life is the
"rice 2'm alle!edly bein! "aid for this investi!ation#" -old
an!er still )lled him at 7sidro, at +ri""en, at all of them,
and at himself most of all for leadin! her into this#
"Ah," the master vam"ire said softly, and his hard, !ray
!lance <iced to 7sidro# "2 wondered on that#"
",he was in London all the time, hel"in! me with my
investi!ation," Asher said, and 7sidro's colorless eyebrows
3uired#
"2 new she had left O(ford, of course# 2 did not thin
you would brin! her here#"
"2t seemed a !ood idea at the time," Asher re"lied
harshly# ",he mana!ed to )nd most of your lairs and all of
your aliases before she disa""eared# And if you didn't tae
her," he added, looin! across a!ain at +ri""en, whose red
face had !one redder as ra!e added to whatever blood
he'd imbibed that evenin!,
"then 2 sus"ect she found the iller as well# Now tell me
the truth, because it's !oin! to have a bearin! on how 2
conduct this investi!ation# :id you tae her? And is she
dead?"
"7ou waste your breath," the *aster of London said
slowly# "No to both your 3uestions is the answer that'll ee"
you for us and not a!ainst us> 2 now that, and you now
that, and 2'm thinin! you'll not believe it an 2 say it, but it
is so# 2've seen no red'headed mo""et# 2 "li!ht my faith
on't#"
Asher drew a dee" breath# %e was shiverin! sli!htly all
over, in nervous waves, reaction settin! in on him to an!er,
e(haustion, and "ain# %e'd lost his hat at some "art in the
"roceedin!s, and his brown hair fell forward over his
forehead, the thin face beneath hard and far less clerish
than it usually seemed#
0rom the corner of the cab, 7sidro's li!ht, disinterested
voice said, "$ell us about the iller#"
Asher si!hed, and some of the tension ebbed from his
tall frame# "2t was'monstrous," he said slowly# "0oul#
:iseased'looin!# But beyond a doubt a vam"ire# 2t was
bleached, as you are, 7sidro, but its sin was le"rous and
"eelin!# 2t was taller than 2, taller than +ri""en by an inch
or so, and as broad or broader# 0air hair, but not much of it>
it was fallin! out, 2 thin# Blue eyes# 2t had a human
"artner'2 heard his footste"s runnin! down the stairs from
the attic, and later he called the thin! away from me> and
that's odd, when you reali&e the thin! !oes on illin!
ram"a!es, tain! seven or nine humans at a time# 2'd
certainly thin twice about ridin! anywhere in a closed
carria!e with it#"
" '2t,' " ,imon said softly#
"2t wasn't human#"
"Nor are we#"
$he cab "ulled to a halt at the to" of ,avoy 6al#
+ri""en "aid o8 the driver, and the two vam"ires, their
human "artner between them, waled down the lon!
tunnel of shadows to the towerin!, baro3ue blacness of
Ernchester %ouse at the end# Bands and slashes of *a'
deira'!old mared the curtained windows, and cau!ht the
thin rain in a shudderin! ha&e5 even as they mounted the
soot'streaed marble of the ste"s, one "anel of the carved
doors o"ened to reveal the 0arrens stand'in!, an arm'
lined silhouette, 4ust within#
"2 fear she is truly dead#" Anthea led the way u" the
lon! stair, to a small room at the bac of the house which
had once been used for sewin! or letter writin!# $he dar
red of her !own showed lie old blood a!ainst the creamy
whiteness of her bosom and face> its sti8 lines and low'cut
corsa!e whis"ered of some earlier era> nots and frin!es of
cut 4et beads !linted in the lam"li!ht lie ri"e blacberries#
%er thic hair was "iled in the modern style> a!ainst it, her
face looed strained, weary, and fri!htened, as if her s"irit
were now )!htin! a!ainst all the "ressures of those
accumulated years# Ernchester, trailin! close at her side,
looed in)nitely worse# ":ecom"osition isn't far advanced,
but it has be!un#"
"$hat's wron!," +ri""en !rowled# "Not cold as it is### ,he
should bare be sti8#"
"Are you s"eain! from your e("erience with human
cor"ses?" Asher in3uired, and the bi! man's blac
eyebrows "ulled down over his nose in a frown# "6ith a
vam"ire's, the "atholo!y would be com"letely di8erent#"
Anthea had laid one of her velvet cloas over the
delicate =e!ency sofa in the little "arlor# A!ainst the thic,
cherry'blac velvet, -hloe's hair seemed nearly white# 2t
lay in loo"s and coils, s"illin! down to brush the <oor>
Asher was reminded of how Lydia's had lain, unrav'elin! in
the study lam"li!ht# %er eyes
and mouth had been closed# But this did not chan!e the
horrible, sunen a""earance of her <esh or the !hastly
wa(iness of her sin# ,he had been, Asher remembered,
abso'lutely beautiful, lie a baro3ue "earl set in
=enaissance !old# .etri)ed, Lydia had said, every cell
individually re"laced with somethin! that was not human
<esh, and a mind re"laced by that which was not a human
mind#
A second cloa covered her> over the years, Anthea
must have col'lected hundreds of them as fashions
chan!ed# 2t, too, was blac, niched and beaded> beneath it,
-hloe's shell'"in dress shone lie the slash of a fadin!
sunset between bans of clouds# 6ith his left hand Asher
reached forward and drew the cloa aside to loo at the
hu!e "uncture wounds in the throat# $hen, thou!htfully, he
shru!!ed o8 the remainin! sleeve of his dam" ulster and
let the wei!ht of it dro" to the <oor around him# %e shoo
clear a few inches of wrist from the sleeve of his corduroy
4acet and held it out to Anthea# ";ndo the cu8, would you,
"lease?"
,he did, !in!erly avoidin! the silver chain which still
circled that wrist# Even the <eetin! !ri" the thin! had taen
on it had driven the lins into the <esh with su9cient
violence to leave a narrow wreath of bruises and the
reddenin! mars of )n!ers#
Just below the base of Asher's thumb were two or three
sets of "unc'tures, scabbed over lie the half do&en or so
on his throat# 5 souvenir! he thou!ht with wry !allows
humor, of 0aris. %e nelt beside -hloe's body and
com"ared the mars# $hey were less than a third the si&e
of the man!led white holes in the !irl's sin#
"2ts fan!s were hu!e," he said 3uietly# "+rotes3uely so,
lie an ama'teurish sta!e vam"ire's> it mi!ht have been
funny if it weren't so terri'fyin!# $hey !rew down over the
li", cuttin! the <esh###" %is )n!ers setched the "lace
beneath the thic brush of his mustache, and 7sidro's eyes
narrowed shar"ly# "2t hadn't callused, so it's somethin! that
came over it fairly recently#"
"Any clown had told you that," +ri""en !rumbled# "6e'd
ha' nown ere this, did any vam"ire wal that fed on other
vam"ires#"
"6hat ha""ens to a vam"ire," Asher ased, looin! u"
from -hloe's throat, his eyes travelin! around the circle of
white, unhuman faces in the amber sweetness of the
lam"li!ht, "that drins the blood of other vam"ires?"
+ri""en's voice was harsh# "Other vam"ires ill it#"
"6hy?"
"6hy do men stone those who eat the cor"ses of the
dead, force children, cut beasts u" alive to hear 'em
s3ueal, or "lay with their own dun!? Because it's
abominable#"
'$here are so few of us," Anthea added softly, her
stron! )n!ers stroin! the massive 4ewel of 4et and
hematite that !littered at her bo'som, "and our lives are
lived so "erilously on the shadowlands of death, no traitor
to our midst can be tolerated, for fear that all shall die#"
"And because," 7sidro's li!ht, disinterested voice
whis"ered, "to drain the death of a vam"ire, to drin of a
mind so rich, so dee", so )lled with the colors of livin!, and
so thic with the overtints of all the lives it has taen,
mi!ht be the !reatest tem"tation, the !reatest into(i'
cation, of all#"
$here was silence'shoced, furious, and, Asher re<ected
!rimly, not without reco!nition# $he silen "atterin! of the
rain "ierced it faintly, muBed by the molderin! brocades of
the window dra"es# $hen
+ri""en snarled, "Bu!!erin! ,"anish do!' you'd thin
so#"
,eated on a chair near the head of the couch, his anles
crossed ne!li!ently but with his usual erectness of "osture,
7sidro continued, un"erturbed, "But the 3uestion was not
of life and death, but merely of blood# 6e can !ain "hysical
nourishment from drinin! an animal's blood, or a
human's, thou!h we ill him not'as you yourself can attest,
James#" By that li!ht, cool tone, one would never have
!uessed that he had fou!ht to rescue Asher from that
death in .aris, nor "ro'tected him, at a certain amount of
"ersonal ris, afterward# '$o drin even a small 3uantity of
another vam"ire's blood is re"ellent, after our own <esh
has under!one the chan!e# 2 am told that it often causes
nausea#"
"$hen it's been tried#"
$he vam"ire leaned a little into the hi!h crimson win!
of his chair and folded slim hands around his nee, A sli!ht
smile touched his mouth, but left his sul"hur eyes hooded
in shadow# "Everythin! has been tried#"
$he others, still !rou"ed around the couch where
-hloe's body lay, re!arded him uneasily, save for
Ernchester, who sim"ly sat on a chair in the darness of a
corner, starin! down at his white, worless )n!ers, turnin!
them over and over, as if they were some 3ueer and
unnown !rowth he had suddenly found s"routin! at the
ends of his arms,
"$hen merely the drinin! of another vam"ire's blood,
whether he illed him or not, wouldn't cause that ind of
chan!e?"
"2t did not," 7sidro re"lied in the careful tone he had
used at the be!innin! of the investi!ation to reveal those
few fra!ments of informa'tion with which he was willin! to
"art, "in those that 2 have nown#" "And who were those?"
+ri""en demanded an!rily# "As they are dead now," the
,"anish vam"ire res"onded, "it scarce matters#"
"6hat about vam"ires who were older than Brother
Anthony is now, that you new or heard s"oen of?"
7sidro thou!ht, still immobile as an alabaster votive, his
"ale eyes half'shut# "=hys the *instrel was nearly )ve
hundred years old when he "erished'if he did "erish'in the
0ire# Lie Anthony, his sills had increased> lie Anthony he
had become at least in "art tolerant of silver and "erha"s
of dayli!ht, too, thou!h 2'm not sure# One saw him less and
less# 2 now that he fed re!ularly and did not show si!ns of
any abnor'mality# 2 never new how old Johannis *a!nus
was su""osed to be###"
Anthea s"oe u", restin! her hi" on the curved head of
the couch, "$ulloch the ,cot told me once of vam"ires in
-hina and in Asia, who have lived for thousands of years,
!oin! on as they always have, death'less#"
"And lifeless," her husband whis"ered behind her,
almost unheard#
$o Asher, still sittin! on his haunches beside -hloe's
motionless form, 7sidro remared, "As a rule it is not
somethin! which concerns us, and 2 sus"ect that most of
us do not wish to now of it#"
"6hat would be the "oint?" +ri""en demanded sullenly#
"$he "oint, my dearest doctor, is to now whether this
abnormal "atholo!y is somethin! to which we all must loo
forward#"
"$hat's a lot of .o"ish cocH"
"6hat's this?" Asher lifted -hloe's arm, lim" and soft in
his !ras" and without ri!or# %e wondered if the vam"ire
<esh went throu!h ri!or when they died# 2t was another of
the thin!s Lydia would want to now### %e swiftly "ushed
the thou!ht of Lydia from his mind# $he but'tons of -hloe's
sleeve had all been undone'there was a !ood hands"an of
them, reachin! nearly to her elbow'and
the whitepoint d'esprit fell bac from the icy <esh to show
a small mar on the inside of the elbow, lie the "uncture
of a needle# "6as her sleeve unfastened lie this when you
found her, Lionel?"
%e shoo his head heavily# "+od's body, 2 now notH As
if 2 hadn't au!ht else to loo for but###"
"7es, it was," Anthea re"lied# "6hy?"
"Because there's a wound here'loo#"
$hey !athered close, 7sidro risin! from his chair and
even Ernchester stumblin! out of his shoced lethar!y to
loo around his tall wife's shoulder#
"2t has to have been done as she died, or after," ,imon
said after a moment, his lon! )n!ers brushin! the "inched
<esh# ",omethin! that small would heal almost instantly on
one of us# ,ee?" 6ith uncon'cerned deftness he drew the
"earl'headed stic "in from his !ray sil cravat and
"lun!ed its "oint dee" into his own wrist# 6hen he
withdrew it, a bead of blood came u" lie a ruby, and he
wi"ed it away with a fastidious handerchief Asher had a
momentary !lim"se of a tiny hole, which closed u" a!ain,
literally before his eyes#
",he'd no such thin! when she were made," +ri""en
"ut in, leanin! close, his words wei!hted with the
nauseatin! ree of blood# Asher reali&ed the master
vam"ire must have fed while he and 7sidro were waitin!
for him to )nish with the "olice at -harin! -ross> it had be'
come, to him, a matter of almost academic note# "2 new
every inch of her body and 'twas <awless as ma""in!
linen#"
%e looed sidelon! at Asher, !rayish, !leamin! eyes full
of intelli!ent malice# "6e are as we were when we were
made, sithee# 2'd this###" %e held out a s3uare, hairy hand,
to show a faint scar cuttin! over the bac of it# "### from
carvin! an abscess out of a damned Lombard's thi!h, and
the clothhead )!htin! the scal"el every inch of the way,
damn him#"
"Lie :ante's damned," 7sidro murmured li!htly, "we
are eternally renewed from the cuts we receive in %ell#"
Ernchester covered his face and looed away#
"2nterestin!#" Asher turned his attention bac to the
white arm in its slender shroud of lace# "2t's as if her blood
were drawn with a needle, as well as drun#"
"A fru!al villain#"
"Not so fru!al, if he's in the habit of slau!hterin! nine
men in a ni!ht#" Anthea's dar brows "ulled to!ether in a
frown#
"%is human friend, then?"
"6hat use would a livin! man have for a vam"ire's
blood?"
+ri""en shru!!ed# "An he were an alchemist# 2'd have
sold much for it, in the days when my own veins
weren't burstin! with the stu8###"
"An alchemist," Asher said slowly, rememberin! Lydia
strollin! alon! the rocy brin of a lae of boilin! blood, a
beaer in her hand# =eachin! down to di" it full## .I wanted
to examine him medically! she had said### $he articles
about blood viruses in her rooms###
"Or a doctor#" %e looed u" a!ain at them !rou"ed
behind him' 7sidro, +ri""en, and the vam"ire -ountess of
Ernchester# "$ae me bac to Lydia's rooms# $here's
somethin! there 2 need to see#"
"A doctor would have the e3ui"ment for drawin! blood,
and for storin! it once it was drawn#" ,eated at Lydia's
des, Asher leafed unhandily throu!h the chaos of notes
and lists in his wife's s"rawlin! scri"t, "ic'in! u" and
discardin! them and searchin! under the hea"ed "a"ers
for more# %e was so tired his <esh ached, but he felt, as he
often had in the midst of his wor abroad or on a "romisin!
trac in some research library in Dienna or 6arsaw, an odd,
)ery li!htness that made such consideration academic#
"$his is somewhat embarrassin!," 7sidro remared,
studyin! the Ordnance ,urvey ma" on the wall with its
clusterin!s of colored "ins# "2 had no idea you hunted so
much to a "attern, Lionel#"
" '$isn't 2 as leaves my carrion where it may be fallen
over by !irls out a'mayin!," +ri""en retorted, turnin! the
news"a"er cli""in!s over rou!hly# " 'Bermondsey ,lasher,'
forsoothH"
"2 thin that was Lotta#" 7sidro waled over to where
Asher had turned his attention to the "ile of medical
4ournals on the bed, o"enin! them to the mared articles
and tain! mental note of the to"ics5 2ome 5spects of
9lood 0athology< 0sychic 0henomena! #eredity or #oax<
9reeding a 9etter 9riton. "6hat would a doctor want with a
vam"ire?"
",tudy," Asher re"lied "rom"tly# "7ou have to mae
allowance for the scienti)c mind'if Lydia met you, she'd be
"esterin! you for a sam"le of your blood within the )rst
)ve minutes#"
",ounds lie %yacinthe," 7sidro remared# "2t still does
not e("lain how such a "artnershi" commenced'why a
vam"ire would wor for a human, doctor thou!h he may
be###"
"No?" Asher looed u" from the sti8 "a!es of the
4ournals# "2 can thin of only one reason a vam"ire would
!o into "artnershi" with a doctor and would reveal to him
who and what he was'the same reason you went into
"artnershi" with me# Because he needed his services#"
"Balderdash," +ri""en snarled, ste""in! close to tower
over him# "6e're free of mortal ills###"
"6hat about immortal ones?" Asher cut him o8# "2f the
virus of vam"irism be!an to chan!e, be!an to mutate,
either as the result of lon!'a!o e("osure to the .la!ue or
from some other cause###"
"Dirus forsoothH 2lls have root in the humors of the
body#,#"
"$hen if the humors of the vam"ire <esh sli""ed out of
true," Asher continued smoothly, &what could a vampire
do? ,ay a vam"ire who had lived in secret, even from other
vam"ires'or any vam"ire, for that matter'if he found
himself suddenly, fren&iedly cravin! the blood of other
vam"ires or new himself in dan!er of !oin! on ram"a!es
for human blood, as you said was an occasional sym"tom
that develo"ed in a few of those who had been e("osed to
the .la!ue# 2f he found himself transformin!, day by day,
into the thin! 2 saw at your house, +ri""en 'if he new such
a course would inevitably lead to his destruction' wouldn't
it be lo!ical for him to see hel" wherever he could )nd it?"
+ri""en looed uncomfortable and an!ry, blac brow
lowerin! lie a !oaded bull's> beside him, 7sidro's face was
inscrutable as always#
"2t mi!ht account for the renewed sensitivity to silver,"
the ,"aniard remared# "-ertainly for the wounds caused
in his own <esh by the !rowth of his fan!s# And you thin
this vam"ire, whoever he was, chose his "hysician in the
same fashion in which 2 chose you'throu!h 4our'nal
articles?"
"%e must have," Asher said# ":e"endin! on who it is, he
may be forcin! the doctor to wor as you are forcin! me'
with a threat a!ainst the life of someone he cares for#
*aybe that isn't even necessary# ,ome doctors would
welcome the chance to do research on an unnown virus
and wouldn't care that they were worin! for a iller# Or
maybe," he added "ointedly, his !a&e suddenly locin!
with 7sidro's, "lie -alvaire's friends, he's under the
im"ression that he'll win, and that his "artner won't ill him
when it's over#"
7sidro's chilly eyes returned his !a&e blandly# "2 am sure
he is 3uite safe so lon! as there is a use for him#" %e
turned away and be!an sortin! throu!h the "a"ers
scattered across the bed# "And 2 tae it *istress Lydia
discovered the medical "artner in the same fashion?
$hrou!h the 4ournals?"
"2 thin so#" Asher returned to his own e(amination,
<i""in! the "a!es awwardly with his sin!le !ood hand#
",he may only have had a list of sus"ects and was visitin!
them one by one# 2t would account for her not tain! her
wea"ons'the silver nife, the revolver, or the silver
nitrate###"
",ilver nitrate?" 7sidro looed u" from a list he'd )shed
from the <oor# ".o(," he added mildly# "2 see we're all !oin!
to have to !o throu!h the tiresome business of chan!in!
residences a!ain# :o you really own a "lace on -aswell
-ourt under the name of Bow)nch, Lionel?"
"None o' your business an 2 doH"
"0ilthy nei!hborhood, anyway# +in sho"s everywhere'
you can't feed without !ettin! stinin! drun in the
"rocess# $his one doesn't loo familiar###"
"$was one of :anny's#"
"2'm sur"rised he didn't !et <eas# As for the one in
%o(ton, 2 wouldn't be buried there, much less slee" the
day# 6here would she !et silver nitrate?"
Asher nodded toward the little velvet bo(# 7sidro "iced
u" the hy"odermic !in!erly, but did not touch the
!leamin! crystal am"oules# "As a doctor, she'd have
access to it'it's used as an antise"tic, 2 thin# 2 do now
most doctors carry it in small 3uantities#"
"$his is scarce a small 3uantity," the vam"ire remared,
settin! the syrin!e bac in its case# "$hat much must have
cost a "retty "enny#"
"2 e("ect it did," Asher said# "But Lydia's an heiress and
she's al'ways had control of her own money'thou!h 2
sus"ect her father wouldn't have settled it that way if she'd
married someone more re's"ectable than a "enniless 4unior
don at her uncle's colle!e# 2 e("ect she thou!ht to in4ect
the silver nitrate intravenously# 2t would certainly ill a
human, let alone a vam"ire# 2t was naive of her," he added
3uietly# "A vam"ire's "sychic )eld alone would "revent her
from !ettin! that close, and she obviously had no idea of
how 3uicly a vam"ire can strie#"
"%ere's more of the curst thin!s#" +ri""en came over,
carryin! a "ile of 4ournals which had been staced
on the bureau#
Asher <i""ed o"en the do!'eared "a!es# 6iral .utation.
Interaction of 6iruses in a .edium. )he 0athology of
0sychic 0henomena. ugenics for %ational +efense.
0hysical -rigins of 2o-Called0sychic 0owers. Iso-lating a
6iral Complex in a 2erum .edium! %e "aused, and leafed
bac throu!h the articles a!ain# $hey were all by %orace
Blaydon#
,oftly, he said, ":ennis Blaydon was a friend of Bertie
6estmoreland's# %e'd have nown Lotta# And throu!h him,
-alvaire and anyone with whom -alvaire had associated
would have nown of Blaydon#"
Eighteen
2t was nearly three in the mornin!, and the windows of
%orace Blaydon's tall brown'bric house on 1ueen Anne
,treet were dar#
"-an you hear anythin!?" Asher whis"ered, from the
shelter of the comer of %arley ,treet# "Anyone within?"
7sidro bowed his head, colorless hair fallin! down over
his thin fea'tures in the !low of the street lam", his heavy'
lidded eyes shut# $he silence in this "art of the 6est End
was "rofound, sun dee" in the slee" of the well'to'do and
self'4usti)ed who new nothin! of vam"ires be'yond the
covers of yellow'baced "enny dreadfuls and !ave little
thou!ht to how their !overnment !ot its information about
the +er'mans# $he rain had ceased# 2n an alley, two cats
swore at one another' lovers or rivals in love'and there was
the smallest <icer of 7sidro's head as he moved to listen
and to identify#
At len!th he whis"ered, "2t's di9cult to tell at this
distance# -er'tainly there's no one in the u""er "art of the
house, thou!h servants sometimes have rooms in the
cellars#"
"2t has to be here," Asher breathed# "%is country "lace
has been closed u" for years and it's a !ood thirty miles as
the crow <ies# %e's a research "atholo!ist'he doesn't have
a consultin! "ractice to worry about# %is wife died some
years a!o and his son's in the Life +uards# 2t wouldn't be
di9cult to ee" him away on some "rete(t# %e's not very
bri!ht#"
"%e would have to be intensely stu"id," 7sidro
murmured, "not to notice, if his father were forced into
such an alliance as 2 forced you#"
Asher <attened to the corner of the house and scanned
the em"ty street# ",et your mind at rest#"
2t was di9cult to tell whether the soft sound in the
darness was a comment or a lau!h# "7ou now this
Blaydon," 7sidro then said softly#
"2s it liely we could win him to our side'turn him, as is
said in the "arlance of your 0orei!n O9ce?"
"2t de"ends on what his "artner's told him#" $he street
before them was still# $he lam"li!ht !leamed lie fractured
metal on the water of the !utters# 2f 7sidro, turnin! his
head sli!htly for what even the cob'web nets of his far'
<un! awareness failed to brin! him, could hear nothin!, it
stood to reason Asher wouldn't, either# But still, Asher's
every nerve strained to hear# "2 never new Blaydon well'2
went to fetch Lydia at some of his lectures and had been to
the .eas a few times# 2 thin he was "i3ued that 2'd
married the 6illou!hby fortune instead of lettin! his son do
it, but 2 don't thin he held it a!ainst me the way :ennis
did# %orace is a sti8'baced and self'ri!hteous old bi!ot,
but he's honest# %e was one of the few dons who stood u"
to Lydia's father when he wanted her taen out of
;niversity'thou!h, of course, at the time %orace had a
stae in wantin! her to stay#
"2n his "lace'the vam"ire's, 2 mean'2'd mae damn sure
he thou!ht the Limehouse ram"a!es were the wor of the
vam"ires we were tracin!#"
"7ou thin he'd believe that?"
"2 thin if :ennis were in dan!er'if the vam"ire were
threatenin! :ennis' life as you're threatenin! Lydia's to win
my com"liance'he'd want to# 6e did it in the :e"artment
all the time# $he old carrot'and'stic routine5 on the one
hand :ennis' life is in dan!er> on the other, Blaydon can do
viral research with what blood he can tae, and con'
!ratulate himself on illin! vam"ires at the same time# %e
may not even now Lydia's a "risoner or he may now
there is a "risoner, but not that it's Lydia# 2t's sur"risin!
how i!norant the ri!ht hand can be when it would really
rather not now what the left hand is doin!,"
$hey left the shelter of the corner and !lided bac lie
s"ecters throu!h the wet blacness of dee" ni!ht in
October London# "$he mews is 4ust "ast the ne(t street,"
7sidro murmured, barely audible even in the utter silence
of the em"ty street# ":o you "lan to s"ea to this Blaydon,
then?"
"2f 2 can," Asher re"lied, as they sli""ed into the
cobbled, horse'smellin! canyon of the mews# "After 2 !et
Lydia out of this, and see how the land lies, if "ossible# Lie
Lydia'lie a lot of "eo"le in the medical "rofession'%orace
has a little strea of saintman7ut in him, in his case one of
the sti8er'baced ,cots variety# 2t could be the vam'"ire is
"layin! on that as well#"
"2 would !ive a !ood deal to now who it is#" $he
vam"ire's touch was li!ht on his elbow, !uidin! him around
half'seen obstacles# 6hat little lam"li!ht )ltered in from
the street !listened on the "uddles in the center of the
lane, but left the sides in velvet shadow> the air was sweet
with the clean smell of hay and the "un!ency of well'
tended horses, "rosaic odors and comfortin!# "2 sus"ect
-alvaire came to London to see in him a "artner in "ower,
but 2 still )nd it stran!e that he would have heard of him at
all when 2 had not, much less been able to locate him#"
".erha"s Brother Anthony told him whom to loo for
and where to loo#"
"*aybe#" 7sidro's voice was absolutely neutral, but
Asher, who was !rowin! used to the tiniest nuances of his
s"eech, had the im"ression he was not satis)ed# "$here are
many thin!s here which 2 do not under'stand, and amon!
them is why -alvaire's a""earance on the scene should
have tri!!ered these murders'if it did tri!!er them, and all
these matters are not sim"ly a chance 4u(ta"osition in
time# 2t may be that your *istress Lydia can enli!hten us,
when we )nd her, or Blaydon# As 2 recall, $ulloch the ,cot
was bi!, thou!h not so bi! as you describe# 7our hei!ht, but
bulier###"
"No," Asher said# "2 looed u" at him'he came over the
to" of me lie a wave#"
$hey moved down the darness of the mews, scannin!
the tall, re!u'lar cli8 of houses visible beyond the stables
and cotta!es# All were dar> it was the ebb'tide hour of the
soul# %e went on softly, "But conceivably this virus, this
mutation, could tri!!er abnormal !rowth# 2t could###"
$he vam"ire beside him checed, and the slim hand
ti!htened on his arm> turnin! his head swiftly, Asher
cau!ht the !lint of the luminous eyes#
"6hat is it?"
$he vam"ire moved a )n!er, cautionin!# 0or a time, he
listened lie a hunted man for sounds which he thou!ht he
mi!ht have heard# $hen he shoo his head, thou!h his eyes
did not rela(#
"Nothin!#" $he word was more within Asher's head than
without# 2n a stable, a horse wicered and stam"ed slee"ily#
"2'all of us'have !rown used to the idea that as vam"ires
we are, barrin! acts of violence, immortal, and to the idea
that acts of violence are all we need fear# Lie Lemuel
+ulliver, we were stu"idly willin! to believe 'immortal'
means 'safe from chan!e#' 2t is disconcertin! to learn that
there may be terms to that bar!ain after all#"
Asher felt awwardly in the "ocets of his ulster for the
reassurin! wei!ht of Lydia's revolver, which, lie the one
the "olice had con)s'cated from him, was loaded with
silver bullets'it was astoundin! what one could "urchase at
hy"erfashionable 6est End !unsmiths# %e'd also brou!ht
both silver nives and even the little hy"odermic it with
its am"oules of silver nitrate# %e'd found bills from
Lambert's, for silver chains and at least one silver letter
o"ener, stu8ed into the medical 4ournals as boomars, so
she hadn't !one out com"letely unarmed# %is own silver
chains lay slim and cold over the half'healed bites on his
throat and left wrist'the ri!ht was muBed in slin! and
s"lints and "u8ed u" to twice its normal si&e'but even so,
he felt ho"elessly out'!unned#
$he briefest of investi!ations revealed a brou!ham and
a trim bay hac with one white foot in Blaydon's stables#
After a moment's silent listenin!, 7sidro murmured, "No
one in the 3uarters u"stairs, thou!h someone has lived
here recently'not more than a few months a!o#" "%e'd have
turned o8 the servants," Asher breathed in return# 0rom the
stable's rear door, they could see the tall bac of the
house, "ast the few bare trees and the naed shrubs of a
narrow town !arden# "7ou can't hear whether someone's in
the cellar?"
,imon's eyes never moved from the house, but Asher
could tell he was listenin! all around him and behind nun,
4ust the same# $he ni!ht seemed to breathe with unseen
"resence, Asher's hair "ricled with the certainty that
somewhere nearby they were bein! watched> that some'
thin! listened, as 7sidro was listenin!, for his sin!le breath
and the beat of his solitary heart# By mutual consent, they
both baced out of the small stable and into the lane a!ain,
where a sound, a commotion, was liely to brin! every
coachman and do! on the mews#
"2'm !oin! in#" Asher shru!!ed his arm clear of his
ulster> 7sidro cau!ht it and lowered it to the baled hay
"iled 4ust outside the stable door# 6ith his left hand, Asher
fumbled the revolver and a silver nife from the "ocet,
transferred the revolver to his corduroy 4acet> the nife'
since he was wearin! shoes rather than boots'slid
conveniently into his slin!# "-an you watch my bac?"
":on't be a fool#" ,imon sli""ed his blac 2nverness
from his shoul'ders, laid it in a soft whis"er of velvet'
handed wool on the hay, and reached into Asher's 4acet
"ocet for the revolver# %e "atted the cylin'der !in!erly a
few times with his other hand, lie a man testin! for heat
inside# ,atis)ed, he concealed it in his own 4acet# "2f you
had four hours' slee" on the boat from -alais last ni!ht, 2
should be sur"rised# No, stay here'you should be fairly
safe# A cry from you'a sound from you'will wae every
!room and do! in the mews, and this vam'"ire must
remain unsus"ected now for his very life#"
And he was !one, in a momentary blin of distracted
consciousness that made Asher curse his own la"se of
!uard#
%e was aware that the vam"ire was ri!ht, however# $he
strain of the ni!ht was tellin! on him# 2t would have done
so, even had his body not been stru!!lin! with the
aftere8ects of his attac by the .aris
vam"ires or with the shoc of the stru!!le at +ri""en's
and the "ain of his broen hand# $he novocaine was
be!innin! to wear o8, and his arm in its sun! throbbed
damnably at every ste" he too# $hat alone would be
enou!h to disru"t the concentration that was still his only
"ossible defense a!ainst the ancient vam"ire's soundless
a""roach#
%e was conscious, too, of what 7sidro was doin! for
him# $he vam'"ire, thou!h visibly ed!y'or as visibly ed!y
as 7sidro ever !ot' throu!hout the wal down the silent
streets from Bruton .lace to 1ueen Anne ,treet, had never
seemed to consider the o"tion of not accom"anyin! him#
.erha"s it was sim"ly because he new that Asher would
neither abandon his search for Lydia, nor have the stren!th
to defeat the iller alone, should he meet it# But Asher
sus"ected that, lie the oddly !entle charm of his faded
and cynical smile, the honor of an anti3ue nobleman
lin!ered in him still# %e mi!ht be arro!ant and hi!h'handed
and be, as Lydia had blithely calculated, a murderer
thousands of times over, but he would not abandon his
res"onsibilities to his lie!e man or his lie!e man's wife#
$his was more than could be said of +ri""en or the 0arrens,
who had informed him, with varyin! de!rees of tact, that
the location of new boltholes for themselves too absolute
"recedence over any "ossible fate of Lydia's#
And all of this, in s"ite of the ironic fact that ,imon
could not even touch the "roblematical "rotection of a
silver chain#
2f Lydia could root out all'or almost all'of the vam"ires'
hidin! "laces, Asher thou!ht, settlin! himself bac on the
hay bales and draw'in! his ulster clumsily u" over his
shoulders a!ain, there was a !ood chance Blaydon and
whatever vam"ire he was worin! with could do so, too,
"articularly if -alvaire had revealed any information to his
"ros"ective "artner in "ower as to their whereabouts# %e
wondered whether he himself could remain awae to
mount !uard over whatever blown refu!e 7sidro would be
forced to tae come dawn# 0ati!ue wei!hed down his mind,
and he fou!ht to ee" it clear# %e doubted his ability,
even if ,imon would admit him to the "lace###
A man's hacin!, tubercular cou!h sna""ed him out of
slee" with cold sweat on his face# 6hirlin!, clawin! at his
"ocet for the revolver he recalled a s"lit'second later
7sidro had taen, he saw it was 4ust a stableman, amblin!
bac from a "rivy at the end of the mews# A do! bared#
Li!hts were on in one or two of the coachmen's rooms
above the stables# $he smell of dawn was in the air#
%eart "oundin!, breath comin! fast with interru"ted
slee", Asher fumbled for his watch#
By the re<ected radiance of those few lanterns now
burnin! in coach house and cotta!e windows, he saw it
was nearly )ve# Beside him on the hay, ,imon's blac cloa
still lay lie a slee"in! animal# ,mall and cold, somethin!
ti!htened down inside of him# 2t was, of course, "ossible
that the vam"ire had sim"ly abandoned Asher and the
cloa and !one to !round somewhere when he sensed the
far'o8 a""roach of the day#
Asher did not for a moment believe this# :read san
throu!h him lie a swallow of "oison# :awn was !ettin!
close#
Over the years, Asher had "iced u" a )ne selection of
curses in twelve livin! and four dead lan!ua!es, includin!
Bas3ue and 0inno';!ric# %e re"eated them all as he slid
the ulster from his shoulders, left it dra"ed lie a cor"se
over the hay, and sli""ed throu!h the close, dar warmth
of the stable and into Blaydon's bac !arden#
E(haustion was )!htin! the screamin! of every nerve in
his body as he stood for a moment nee'dee" in sodden
weeds, looin! u" at that silent house# %e wondered if it
was ima!ination, or if there was the faintest !low of li!ht in
the dar sy and if the few outbuildin!s, the !lass'"aned
e(tension that com"rised
the itchen, and the dri""in!, naed tree seemed
clearer than they had? %e was strainin! with s"ent nerves
and clouded senses to catch si!ht of the invisible, to "ic
u" footfalls which even to vam"ires were inaudible, to be
aware of what'ever it was he sensed, driftin! lie the
"assa!e of a di8use shadow throu!h the darness of the
mews behind him#
%ow much dayli!ht could a vam"ire of ,imon's a!e
stand? %ow lon! before his <esh would i!nite lie a torch?
$he silver nife in his left hand, he sli""ed toward the
loomin! blac wall of the house#
$here was a street lam" nearby, and enou!h li!ht
)ltered down for him to mae out that the itchen was
deserted, as was the breafast room whose window looed
out onto the !arden# $he cellar had two windows, 4ust at
!round level> they were closed, but not barred or even
latched# $he hacles "ricled on his nec at the mere
thou!ht of !oin! into that house#
%e ste""ed bac into the yard, looin! u" at the )rst'
<oor windows above# Even from here, he thou!ht that the
one over the itchen was barred#
%e was shiverin! all over now, the "redawn darness
seemin! to "ress on him with whis"erin! threat# Lie
%yacinthe, he thou!ht, who could summon him to o"en his
barred retreat to her, thou!h the sane "art of his mind
new she would ill him when he did# But there was no
time, now, to do anythin! else#
Em"ty crates, dar with dam"ness and bearin! the
stenciled names of various "urveyors of scienti)c
e3ui"ment, had been staced near the itchen door#
-ursin! in the remoter ,lav ton!ues, Asher hooed his
!ood hand around a drain "i"e and used the crates to hel"
himself u" to the windows above#
$he nearer window, o"en a slit at to" and bottom,
showed him the dar sha"es of a worbench and the !lint
of !lass> from it drifted a fetid ree which re"ulsed him, a
whi8 of chemicals underlain by the stin of or!anic rot#
Beneath the barred window was only an ornamental led!e,
and he e(ercised a number of "lain An!lo',a(on
monosyllables as he disen!a!ed his broen hand from its
slin! and hooed the ti"s of his swollen )n!ers over the
!rimy bricwor to ed!e himself alon!# At least, he thou!ht
wryly, this was one "lace where heknew the ancient
vam"ire, the .la!ue vam"ire'if .la!ue it was'couldn't
snea u" on him from behind# 2t was small comfort#
$he room behind the bars was very small, an e(tension,
lie the itchen below it, added onto the house after its
ori!inal construction, and bare save for a sin!le co9n in its
center# $he !low from the mews nearby dimly showed the
co9n itself closed# Asher couldn't be sure in the dar'
moreover there was a "ane of !lass between his face and
the bars'but he thou!ht the bars themselves had a silvery
!leam in the faint twili!ht of comin! dawn#
2n twenty minutes it was !oin! to be too late to do
anythin!#
6orn out, Asher leaned his forehead a!ainst the wet
!lass# *ore than he had ever done, even in the darness of
the .aris alley with +ri""en's teeth in his throat, he wished
he was bac in O(ford, in bed with Lydia, with nothin! more
to loo forward to than buttered e!!s for breafast and
another day of dealin! with under!raduate inanities#
6hether %or'ace Blaydon was in the house or not'and he
mi!ht have been in the cellar, waitin!'there was no tellin!
where the vam"ire was#
But even as the thou!ht went throu!h Asher's mind, he
was easin! himself bac alon! the slimy led!e to the
laboratory window# %e, at least, could combat the thin!
with silver, somethin! 7sidro was ironi'cally hel"less to do#
But that, of course, was the reason the vam"ire had
em"loyed him in the )rst "lace#
%is heart beat 3uicer at the thou!ht of Lydia# )he
hostages thatmortals give to fortune! 7sidro had said of the
red'haired !irl then lyin! deathlie in their unnaturally
silent house#
$he laboratory window yielded silently to his !entle
touch# :id the ancient vam"ire re"ort home for the day?
6as that, in fact, its co9n, "rotected from the other
vam"ires by the silver bars on the window, as Asher had
been "rotected in .aris by the silver loc on the door? But
in that case, why avoid the dayli!ht?
2t crossed his mind, as he eased himself throu!h the
window into the dar laboratory, to wonder how much
:ennis new about what was !oin! on, and if he could
somehow turn that youn! man's ra!in! ener!y and love for
Lydia to !ood account# 2t was unliely that Blaydon's
"artner was holdin! him hosta!e somewhere'"hysically to
hold some'one "risoner re3uired a !reat deal of time, care,
and ener!y, as 7sidro undoubtedly new# Asher could
"robably )nd :ennis at his rooms at the +uards' -lub### $he
thou!ht lasted rather less time than a ri"'"le on a very
small "ond# $hou!h he doubted Blaydon had informed his
son of what was !oin! on, it was only because the
"atholo!ist was shrewd enou!h to reali&e that :ennis'
stu"id im"ulsiveness would mae him a useless ally for
either side#
$he smell in the laboratory was foul, with an under'ree
of rottin! blood# +rittin! his teeth, Asher lifted his ri!ht
hand bac into its dam" and )lth's"lotched slin! with his
left# %e felt his way around the wall, where the <oor would
be less liely to crea, his )n!ers !lidin! over the surfaces
of tables, chairs, and cabinets# $he door at the far side of
the room o"ened without a sound#
,o far, so !ood# 2f the vam"ire was here, watchin! him
in visibly from the darness, this was all useless, of course>
the "oundin! of his heart alone sounded loud enou!h for
even mortal ears to hear# But he did not now whether the
creature was here, and on his silence his life and 7sidro's
mi!ht de"end#
%ow much time? he wondered# %ow much li!ht?
$he door of that small room over the itchen was
reinforced with steel and massively bolted from the
outside# $he bolt made the faintest of whis"ered clics as
he eased it over# Beyond, in the wan !low of the street
lam" somewhere outside, the room lay bare and em"ty,
e(ce"t for the closed co9n#
Ari&ona Landsca"e with A"aches, he thou!ht,
rememberin! the old 2ndian')!hter's setch# %e too a
dee" breath and strode swiftly, si'lently, across to the
co9n's side#
$he sy beyond the barred window was distinctly li!hter
than it had been# $hey'd have to run for cover, he thou!ht'
after three hundred and )fty years, 7sidro would doubtless
now every bolthole in Lon'don
2f it were 7sidro, and not the day staler, who lay in that
co9n#
$he lid was heavy and )tted close# 2t was an e8ort to
raise it with one hand# As Asher lifted it clear, 7sidro turned
and <inched, tryin! to shield his face with his shirt'sleeved
arms, his lon!, !hostly hair tan'!lin! over the co9n's dar
linin! beneath his head# "No###"
Behind him, Asher heard the door close and the bolts
slide home# %e was too tired, too s"ent, even to curse> he
had thrown on the lon!est of lon! shots and lost#
"-lose it#" $he lon! )n!ers that covered the vam"ire's
eyes were shain!> beneath them Asher could see the
white'lashed eyes shut in "ain# $he li!ht voice was sun to
a whis"er, shiverin!, lie his hands, under
the strain of e(haustion and des"air, ".lease, close it#
$here is nothin! we can do#"
/nowin! he was ri!ht, Asher obeyed# 6hether he had
been brou!ht here forcibly, lured, or driven, once the doors
had been loced behind him, there was literally nothin!
:on ,imon could have done but tae the only refu!e
available a!ainst the comin! dayli!ht# %e slum"ed, bracin!
his bac a!ainst the caset, nowin! he should ee" watch
and nowin! there wasn't a ho"e in the nine circles of %ell
of his bein! able to remain awae to do so#
%e was aslee" before the )rst sunli!ht came into the
room#
Nineteen
Asher <oated !ro!!ily to the surface from the mury
de"ths of slee", throu!h a !ray awareness of hands "awin!
at him, "ullin! o"en his collar to unfasten the "rotective
silver chain from around his throat, stri""in! o8 his 4acet
to ri<e the "ocets# Oddly, his chief consciousness was of
the sound of the man's breath, the hoarse breath of the
elderly# $hen, lie s"readin! "oison, the a!ony of his
swollen arm be!an, shootin! out a root system of "ain to
every nerve of his body#
2n s"ite of himself, he !roaned and o"ened his eyes in
time to see %orace Blaydon bac away from him, fumblin!
with a revolver in one hand while he "oceted the silver
chains and nife with the other#
":on't call out," Blaydon said 3uicly# "$he "arty wall on
this side's sound"roofed'the house on the other side has
been em"ty for months,"
0or a lon! instant there was silence between the two
men# Asher lay tiredly bac a!ainst the co9n, blinin! in
the chilly dayli!ht that <ooded the room, his swollen arm in
its )lthy slin! cradled to his chest, clothes smutched with
!rime and rainwater, sweat'dam" hair han!in! down into
hard brown eyes that were not the eyes of an O(ford don#
Blaydon's hand on the !un wobbled for a moment# %e
brou!ht u" the other to steady it, and his wide'li""ed
mouth "inched#
"James, 2 really am sorry to see you here#" 2t was, as the
Americans said, a fair'to'middlin! imitation of his old
arro!ant bar, but only fair'to'middlin!# "2 must say 2'm
sur"rised at you'sur"rised and disa"'"ointed#"
"7ou'resur"rised atme?& Asher moved to sit u", but
Blaydon scram'bled bac a yard or so on his nees, !un
leveled, and Asher san down once more, !rittin! his teeth#
$he novocaine had well and truly worn o8# %is hand felt as
if it had been "ul"ed with a hammer, and his whole body
ached with the sti8enin! of every muscle that had been
twisted and bruised in the encounter with the vam"ire in
+ri""en's unem"t yard#
And yet, for all he must loo lie a bitten'u" tomcat, he
thou!ht Blaydon looed worse#
%orace Blaydon had always been a healthy man,
scornin! the ill'nesses he studied, blu8 and active des"ite
some si(ty years# %e was nearly as tall as his beefy son>
a!ainst his shoc of white hair, his face had been ruddy
with youth# $hat ruddiness was !one, and with it the
cris"ness of his hair and all his former air of s"rin!y
vitality> he seemed <accid and broen# 2t crossed Asher's
mind to wonder whether Blaydon's vam"ire "artner had in
some moment of des"eration bat'tened onto#is veins#
But no# 2t was more'or less'than that#
$he "atholo!ist wet his li"s, "At least 2've done what
2've done for a !ood cause#" %e shifted the !un in his
hands, as if they were dam" with the sweat that Asher
could see shinin! in the "ale dayli!ht on his !ray'ish face#
%ad Asher had two !ood hands and not been in the )nal
throes of fati!ue, he would have !one for it, but there was
somethin! in the haunted nervousness of the man that told
him he'd shoot without a second thou!ht# "2'2 had to do
what 2 did, what 2 am doin!# 2t's for the common !ood###"
"7our vam"ire "artner murdered twenty'four "eo"le for
the common !ood?" %e was sur"rised at the calm of his
own voice#
"$hey were worthless "eo"le'really worthless'the scum
of the streets, "rostitutes, -hinese# 2 told him, 2 instructed
him s"ecially, only to tae "eo"le who were no !ood to
anyone> bad "eo"le, wiced "eo'"le#"
"And' leavin! aside his 3uali)cations to 4ud!e such
thin!s'that maes it all ri!ht?"
"No, no, of course not#" Blaydon's brayin! tone
reminded him of :ennis, halfheartedly "rotestin! at the
+uards' -lub that of course oneoughtn't to burn Boer
farmsteads to cri""le the commandos' hold on the
countryside, but war was, after all, war### "But we had to do
somethin!# $he vam"ires were !oin! dee"er and dee"er
into hidin!, and the cravin! was !ettin! worse# 2t used to
be he could !o for wees'now within days he needs blood,
and it### it seems to be acceleratin! still more ra"idly# 2'd
followed u" every clue from the "a"ers 2'd been able to )nd
in -alvaire's rooms, and %ammersmith's###"
",o you !ave your blessin! to your "artner to !o
huntin! at lar!e in *anchester and London?"
"%e would have diedH" $here was !enuine "ain and
des"eration in his voice# "6hen he !ets these cravin!s, he
isn't res"onsible for what he doesH 2'2 didn't now about
*anchester 'til afterward### 0or a month, he's been livin! in
%ell, and now you've made him worse#"
"*e?"
"7ou wounded him#" Blaydon's voice was low, hoarse,
almost fran'tic> his hands were shain! on the !un# "7ou
stabbed him with a nife made of silver# $hat silver's
runnin! throu!h him lie an infection, lie !an!rene and
fever# 2 can't sto" it# 2t's e(acerbatin! his condition> he
needs more and more blood to )!ht it, to even hold it at
bay# Oh, 2 understand you were fri!htened by his
a""earance, but###"
"2 was )!htin! for my life," Asher said dryly, "in case
you weren't noticin!#"
"2'm sorry, James, 2 really am###"
Behind him, the door o"ened# 0ramed in it stood the
vam"ire#
Blaydon was ri!ht, thou!ht Asher# $hat aura of
le"rousness, of dis'ease, had !rown'but so, it seemed, had
the vam"ire's feverish, mon'strous "ower# ,tandin! in the
full sunli!ht, it seemed hardly human anymore# $he moist
white sin !linted with shiny "atches of decay> most of the
faded hair was !one from its "eelin! scal"# On the "im"le'
s"lattered 4aw, the weals of the over!rown teeth were still
see"in! a colorless "us mi(ed with blood, and the creature,
with incon!ruous daintiness, "ulled a white handerchief
from the "ocet of its tweed 4acet to "at at the !listenin!
runnels# %u!e, blue, and !larin!, its eyes )(ed on Asher
with bitter malice#
,till ee"in! his !un leveled on Asher, Blaydon ased
over his shoul'der, "Any si!n of others?"
$he thin! shoo its head# Another shred of hair fell from
its baldin! scal", driftin! lie milweed to the broad tweed
shoulder#
"Not in the daytime, surely," Asher remared#
"Not vam"ires, no," Blaydon said# "But they mi!ht well
have hired other humans than you, James# $hou!h how
decent men could brin! themselves to alliance with
murderers###"
"2 thin your own house has a bit too much !lass in its
construction for you to start chucin! stones about," Asher
re"lied thinly, and Blaydon's mouth ti!htened with a
sudden s"asm of ra!e#
"$hat's di8erentH" $here was the ed!e to his voice of a
man "ressed too far, almost to the ver!e of hysterics#
Asher was too weary to care# "2sn't it always?"
$he voice sli""ed u" into the ne(t re!ister# "7ou now
nothin! about itH" 6ith an e8ort, the "atholo!ist !ot a hold
on himself a!ain> the vam"ire, behind him, s"ared him not
a !lance, but Asher was uneasily aware of that !reedy,
vicious !a&e on his un"rotected throat# Blaydon's voice was
shay, but 3uieter, as he said, "2t isn't his fault# 2t was my
doin!, my e("eriment, you see#"
Asher shifted u" onto one elbow, his eyes
narrowin!# &,ourwhat? " $he vam"ire ste""ed forward to
stand at Blaydon's side# $he old man !ot to his feet> for all
his hei!ht, the thin! loomed over him still, only a few
inches taller, but monstrous in its breadth and bul, incon'
!ruous in tweed 4acet and <annel ba!s# 2ts arms hun!
!rotes3uely from the 4acet sleeves, and the clawed hands
Asher remembered were "ar'tially wra""ed in banda!es,
stained dar with the oo&in! infection be'neath#
":on't you reco!ni&e him, James?" Blaydon ased, his
voice thin and curiously soft# "2t's :ennis,"
":ear +od#" Even as he whis"ered the words, Asher was
conscious that, now that he new who it was, he could
reco!ni&e that short, strai!ht little nose# 2t was certainly all
that remained of a !odlie beauty'that and the lobeless
ears# $he vam"ire was several inches taller than :ennis
had been# $hat, too, must have hurt# Asher felt stunned, as
if he had been struc over the head, not nowin! what to
do or say'"ityin!, horri)ed, and aware of the baleful !litter
of hate in :ennis' eyes#
"7ou're !lad, aren't you?" $he deformation caused by
the !rowth of his fan!s caused :ennis to mumble almost
unintelli!ibly# 6ith his blot'ted handerchief he "atted at
his chin a!ain# "+lad to see me lie this# 7ou ho"e Lydia will
see me lie this, too, don't you? But she won't# ,he's not
!oin! to see me 'til 2'm better#"
"Of course she won't, :ennis," Blaydon said
reassurin!ly# "And you'll be better soon# 2'll )nd a serum to
mae you better###"
,lowly, the shoced stillness seemed to brea in Asher's
veins with the horrible throb of stirrin! blood# "6here is
she?"
"$hat won't matter to you," the vam"ire said# "7ou're
never !oin! to see her a!ain#"
Asher heaved himself u", his whole body screamin! in
"ain, and reached to catch Blaydon's la"el#
&/here is she?(&
%e was slammed bac a!ainst the <oor as if he'd been
hit by a swin!'in! anvil before he was even aware :ennis
had moved# :arness blurred in front of his eyes, and he
tasted blood in his mouth and nose# ,omewhere he heard
Blaydon say shar"ly, ":ennis, noH" lie a s"inster callin! o8
a sava!e do!, and felt the dar crush of :ennis' mind on
his, as he had at +ri""en's# ,hadow blotted the li!ht above
him> that dim, barin! voice went on, "%e's concerned
about her, of course he is###"
"2 want him#"
%e was )!htin! unconsciousness, the ree of decayin!
<esh )llin! his nostrils as the thin! bent over him#
"And you'll have him, of course you will#" 2t was stran!e
to hear the fear in Blaydon's voice'Blaydon who had always
been ready to s"it in ,atan's eye or +od's# "But 2 need him
now, :ennis# Let him be#"
"%e'll tell us where the others are," :ennis !rowled, and
a dro" of somethin!'drool or "us'fell on the bac of Asher's
nec# "7ou said we needed to tra" him so he'd tell###"
"7es, but we have a live vam"ire now, :ennis###"
"6hen can 2 have him?" Ea!erness su8used the slurrin!
voice# "2'm hurtin!, :ad, the thirst is illin! me# $hat !irl
last ni!ht wasn't near enou!h, and you !ot most of it# :ad,
2 can smell him throu!h the co9n wood, smell both their
blood###"
".lease, my boy# .lease be "atient#" Blaydon's voice
came closer, !ently drawin! his vam"ire son away# "2 have
another "lan, a better "lan, now, but your !ettin! well
de"ends on both of them bein! alive, at least until toni!ht#
2'2' :o what you need to do to'to mae yourself
comfortable'but "lease, don't touch either of them#"
$he voices faded and blurred as Asher slid toward
darness# %e heard Lydia's name, "### "erfectly safe, you
now 2'd never do anythin! to hurt her# Now fetch me some
brandy, "lease# 2'm sure James needs it#"
,inin! into unconsciousness, Asher was sure James
needed it, too#
$he taste of the brandy revived him, cou!hin!# %e'd
been "ro""ed u" a!ainst the co9n a!ain'Blaydon, !lass in
hand, was starin! at the red teeth mars still visible on his
throat throu!h the o"en collar of his shirt# :ennis stood by
the closed door, a cut'!lass decanter of brandy in his
notty )n!ers# Asher su""osed he should be <attered that
they con'sidered him still ca"able of rushin! Blaydon#
6ithout s"eain!, Blaydon lifted Asher's left wrist and
"ushed bac the torn shirt sleeve to study the wounds
there amon! the blacened )n!er mars of :ennis' !ri"#
"6hat did they do to you?"
Asher drew a dee" breath and disen!a!ed his hand to
wi"e at the blood triclin! from his nose into his mustache
and down the side of his face# "2t was a misunderstandin!#"
"6hat did they do to you?"Blaydon sei&ed his arm,
shain! him ur!ently# ":id they only drin your blood'or
was it somethin! more?"
%is dewla"s were 3uiverin! with the tremblin! of his
chin> Asher stared u" at nun, eyes narrowin!# "2f it was
anythin! more, 2'd be dead now#"
"6ould you?" %is voice lowered, but he could not ee"
from it that unholy ea!erness, that sudden ur!ency barely
restrained# "7our s"e'cialty was com"arative follore,
James# 7ou now about such thin!s# 2s it true that if your
blood is drun by a vam"ire'a true vam"ire'you become
one yourself when you die? 2s that how it's done?"
,omethin! about the !reedy !leam in his eye raised the
hacles on Asher's nec# "2 should thin :ennis could tell
you that," he said slowly# "6hat do you mean, 'a true
vam"ire'?" %is eyes went "ast him to :ennis, monstrous,
deformed# "6hy do you say it is your doin! that :ennis is
as he is?"
A <ush cre"t u" under Blaydon's "asty sin, and his
little blue eyes shifted 3uicly away#
2n a low voice Asher went on, "6hat is it you want with
a vam"ire's blood? 6hy draw it out with a needle as well as
lettin! :ennis drin of it? 6hy is :ennis as he is and not
lie the other vam"ires? :id -alvaire or whatever vam"ire
made :ennis have some infection that he "assed alon!?
Or###?"
"2t is in the blood, isn't it?" Blaydon said, still not looin!
at him# "$he or!anism or constellation of or!anisms, virus
or serum or chemi'cal, that causes vam"irism# 2sn't it?" %is
voice rose, ver!in! once more on a cry# &Isn 't it?&
"Lydia thins so#"
Blaydon's mouth ti!htened u" lie a tra" at the mention
of Lydia, and his eyes shifted nervously under Asher's silent
!a&e# ",he'she reco!ni&ed me, you see# At the+aily
.ail o9ces, when 2 was looin! for cli""in!s and clues# 2'd
run out of clues about the whereabouts of the other
vam"ires# 2 had to have more# ,he'd read my articles, too#
,he was already looin! for a doctor# ,he said it was
obvious 2'd be "re'"ared to believe in a vam"ire as a
medical "henomenon where others wouldn't# :ennis said
he saw her once in London, while he was follow'in! that
<ed!lin! of -alvaire's# %e couldn't follow her then, but
when she came snoo"in! about here### :ennis cau!ht
her###" %e lau!hed lie a crow cawin!# ",li" of a school!irl,
and she's cleverer than the lot of us# ,he !uessed at once
what 2'd done#"
"7ou created arti)cial vam"irism#"
Asher did not as it as a 3uestion, and Blaydon only
blew out his breath in a si!h, as if relieved that he did not
have to hide it any lon!er#
"2t didn't start out that way#" %is voice was weary,
almost "leadin!# "2 swear it didn't# 7ou now, James'of
course you now'that it's only a matter of time before war
comes with +ermany and her allies# $he /aiser's s"oilin!
for it# Oh, yes, 2've heard the rumors about you and about
where and how you s"end your Lon! Dacations# 7ou now
the ur!ency of the matter# ,o don't come all ri!hteous with
me over what you've only done yourself in a di8erent way# 2
dare say you've caused the deaths of well over twenty'four
men, and in 4ust as !ood a cause#"
Blaydon too a dee" breath, turnin! the half')lled
brandy !lass in his hands# "7ou now'or "erha"s you don't'
that, in addition to my wor with viruses, for a lon! time
my interest has been in "hysical causes of so'called
"sychic "henomena# 0or a time, 2 believed, alon! with
.eterin and 0reibor!, that such thin!s could be bred in#
+od nows how many mediums and table ta""ers 2 tested
over the yearsH And 2 came to the conclusion that it has to
be some alteration in the brain chemistry that !ives these
"eo"le their so'called "owers5 a hei!ht'enin! of the senses>
an e(trasensory awareness> and that
incredible, intan!ible !ras" on the minds of other men#
"Now, you can understand the need to be able to
du"licate such "owers at will# 7ou've wored in 2ntelli!ence,
James# $hin what a cor"s of such men, dedicated to the
!ood of En!land, could be in the war that we all now is
coinin!H 2 tried hard to isolate that factor, to little avail# And
then :ennis introduced me to Dalentin -alvaire# %e'd met
-alvaire throu!h a mutual friend###"
"6hom you later murdered#"
"Oh, really, JamesH" Blaydon cried im"atiently# "A
woman of her classH And 2'll tae oath Albert
6estmoreland's death could be traced bac to her, for all
his family bribed the doctor to certify it was the result of a
carria!e accident# Besides, by that rime we had run out of
other clues# 2 needed her blood for further e("erimentation,
and :ennis needed it 4ust to stay alive#"
"7ou new -alvaire was a vam"ire, then?"
"Oh, yes# %e made no secret of it'he seemed to revel in
astonishin! me, in main! nothin! of the most di9cult
tests 2 could set to him# %e !loated in the "owers that he
held# And :ennis was fascinated'not, 2 swear, with
-alvaire's evil, but with his "owers# -alvaire was fasci'
nated, too, thou!h for reasons of his own, 2 dare say# %e let
me tae sam"les, substantial sam"les, of his blood, to try
and isolate the factors which enhanced the worin!s of the
"sychic centers of the brain and to se"arate them from
those which caused the mutation of the cells them'selves
into that "hotoreactive "seudo<esh and the "hysiolo!ical
de"endence on the blood of others# And 2 would have
succeeded, "erha"s even been able to alter -alvaire's
condition# 2 now 2 would have###"
"7ou wouldn't have#" Asher !lanced across at the
hulin!, !lowerin! sha"e by the door, !uessin! already
what had ha""ened# .ity and dis'!ust min!led in him lie
the taste of the blood and brandy in his mouth# "Accordin!
to the vam"ires themselves, those "owers come from
"sychically drinin! the deaths of their human victims# 2t's
the "sychic absor"tion of death that !ives them "sychic
"owers, and without it, they lose them#"
"Nonsense," Blaydon said shar"ly# "$hat can't be true#
$here's no reason for it to be true# 6hat do the vam"ires
now of it, anyway? $hey aren't educated# -alvaire never
said anythin!###"
"2'm sure -alvaire never ceased illin! humans lon!
enou!h to now whether it was true or not#" $he only way
7sidro could have nown or the only way Anthea could
have nown, he thou!ht, was to have tried it themselves,
"-alvaire wanted "ower# %e wasn't !oin! to tell you any'
thin! more than he had to before he !ot it#"
"2'm sure that isn't the case#" Blaydon shoo his head
stubbornly, an!ry even at the su!!estion that what he had
done had been for noth'in! and that he had been, in fact,
-alvaire's du"e# "$here are "hysical causes for everythin!'
unnown or!anisms, chemical chan!es in the brain <uid
itself# 2n any case, 2 evolved a serum which showed !reat
"romise# 2'2 made the mistae of tellin! :ennis about it# %e
de'manded to test it, demanded to be the )rst of this cor"s
of'of "sychic heroes# 2 refused, naturally###"
"And naturally," Asher said dryly, ":ennis broe into
your labora'tory and too matters into his own hands#" 2t
was, he re<ected, e(actly the sort of thin! that :ennis
would do# %e was the "erfect storyboo hero, the "erfect
,e(ton Blae, who could e("erimentally drain beaers of
unnown "otions and come o8 with, at most, "ro"hetic
hallucina'tions that coincidentally advanced the "lot#
.oor :ennis# .oor, stu"id :ennis#
:ennis' eyes narrowed viciously, as if, lie Brother
Anthony, he could see Asher's thou!hts# "6hat would you
have done?" he mum'bled, his voice dee" and thic, as if
his very vocal cords were loosenin!# ",nu!!ed bac in your
nice comfy study and let another man tae the riss, as
you'll do when those damn sauerraut eaters )nally force
us to )!ht? 6hat did you tell her, Asher? 6hat did you tell
Lydia about me that made her choose a sly old man over
someone who would love and "rotect her as 2 will? But you
made her wor for you, made her "ut herself in dan!er# 2'd
never have let her come here to London#"
7ou'd have left her in i!norance of her dan!er at O(ford,
wouldn't you? Asher thou!ht, feelin! stran!ely calm# ,ou 'd
have told her it wasn 't her a$air. /nowin! Lydia, that
would have run her into dan!er three times 3uicer and
without the nowled!e of what she was dealin! with#
:ennis ste""ed forward, holdin! u" his hands# All
around the ed!es of the banda!es that covered the "alms,
Asher could see rims of !reen'blac <esh, lie a s"readin!
stain, "u8y, malodorous, foul a!ainst the ice'white sin# "2
was )ne until you did this," he said thicly# "2'll en4oy
drinin! you lie a suced oran!e#"
And he was !one#
=ather shaily, Blaydon said, "%e wasn't, you now#
0ine, 2 mean# %is'his condition was deterioratin!, althou!h
the infection caused by the silver seems to have !reatly
advanced the "rocess# 2 wasn't able to isolate that factor, it
seems'as 2 said, the serum was far from "erfect# And he
needs the blood of vam"ires, as ordinary vam"ires need
human blood# 2t seems to arrest the "ro!ression of the
sym"toms for a number of days# %e illed -alvaire the )rst
ni!ht this ha""ened'2 was 3uite an!ry at him, for -alvaire
would have been a !reat hel"# But :ennis had a'a cravin!#
And he was disoriented, maddened by the alteration in his
senses> he still is, to a de!ree# 2 didn't even now until it
was done###"
Asher wondered whether -alvaire had tried to control
:ennis, u" in his attic in Lambeth, as he'd controlled Bully
Joe :avies#
Blaydon wet his li"s a!ain and threw another nervous
!lance over his shoulder toward the shut door# "After that,
we searched -alvaire's room for notes to tell us where we
could )nd other vam"ires# :ennis new some of Lotta's
haunts and followed her to the %ammersmith mansion in
%alf *oon ,treet and to the haunts of another vam"ire she
new# 2 went with him'2 wanted des"erately to tae some of
their blood, not only to "erfect my serum, but to )nd a cure
for :ennis' condition# *ore than anythin! else, 2 wanted a
whole vam"ire, un'harmed, but it was im"ossible to !et
them away in the dayli!ht hours, of course# ,o 2'2 had to
destroy their bodies, lest the others tae fri!ht and hide# 2
had to be content with as much blood as 2 could tae###"
"And :ennis !ot the rest?" 6ith shain! )n!ers Asher
too the brandy !lass from Blaydon's hand and drained it#
$he !old heat of it reminded him that he hadn't eaten since
a sandwich at the -harin! -ross "recinct house last ni!ht'
he couldn't even recall what before that#
"%e needed it," Blaydon insisted# A little testily, he
added, "All those who were illed were murderers, those
who had illed a!ain and a!ain, for hundreds of years, 2
dare say###"
"$hose -hinese and 'youn! "ersons,' as the "a"er
called them, as well?"
"%e was )!htin! for his lifeH 7es, he shouldn't have
taen humans# 2t !ot in the news"a"ers> the hunt will
be on for us if it ha""ens a!ain# 2 told him that after
*anchester# And it doesn't really satisfy him, no matter
how many he ills# But it hel"s a little###"
"2 dare say#" Asher drew himself u" a little a!ainst the
co9n, now'in! he was a fool to an!er this man who was
demonstrably balanced on the ra!!ed ed!e of sanity and
yet too furious himself at such hy"ocrisy and
irres"onsibility to care# "And 2 e("ect he'll 'do what he
needs to' in order to 'mae himself comfortable,' as 2
believe you "hrased it###"
Blaydon lun!ed to his feet, his hands clenchin! into
)sts, thou!h they shoo as if with "alsy# -olor <ooded
unhealthily u" under the <accid sin# "2'm sorry you feel
that way about it," he said stiBy, as if he had lon! a!o
memori&ed the "hrase as the "ro"er end to any interview#
"2n any case it won't be necessary, not any lon!er# 2 can
ee" :ennis alive and have enou!h vam"ire blood, from a
true vam"ire, to e("eriment with until 2 can )nd an
antivenin###"
"And how are you !oin! to ee" :ennis from illin! him
the mo'ment your bac is turned?" Asher demanded
3uietly# "7ou're !oin! to have to slee" sometime, %orace> if
:ennis !ets another cravin!, you're !oin! to be bac to
s3uare one###"
"No," Blaydon said# "2 can control him# 2've always been
able to control him# And in any case, that will no lon!er be
a "roblem# 7ou see, now that 2 have this vam"ire, he can
mae others'a breedin! stoc, as it were, for :ennis to
feed u"on# And 2'm afraid, James, that you're !oin! to be
the )rst#"
Twenty
"6hat you want is not "ossible#" 2n the u"side'down
!low of the oil lam" Blaydon had set on the <oor, 7sidro's
face had the 3ueen star loo of a Beardsley drawin!,
framed in his lon!, color'less hair# %is rolled'u" shirt
sleeves showed the hard sinewiness of his arms> lie his
throat and chest, visible throu!h the unbuttoned collar,
they were white as the linen of the !arment# %e sat cross'
le!!ed, lie the idol of some decadent cult, on his own
co9n, with Asher lyin!, bound hand and foot, at his feet#
Blaydon and :ennis had come in and done that toward
sunset# Be'fore he'd fallen aslee" a!ain that mornin!,
which he'd done shortly after Blaydon had left him, Asher
had heard Blaydon !o out, with muBed admonitions to
:ennis to remain in the house, to !uard them, and on no
account to harm them# +on't eat the prisoners while
+addy's away! he had thou!ht caustically# ,trainin! his
ears, he'd heard Blaydon men'tion the .eas, that
s"rawlin! bric villa on the :owns near O(ford that had
belon!ed to Blaydon's wife, where she had lived, "layin!
the !racious hostess on weeends to her husband's O(ford
collea!ues or her son's friends from London or the +uards#
$hey must be ee"in! Lydia there, Asher thou!ht, the
ra!e in him oddly distant now, as if the emotions belon!ed
to someone else# No wonder Blaydon had the loo of a man
run ra!!ed# Even if he had e"t a sta8 there after his wife's
death three years a!o'and Asher new he'd sim"ly shut the
"lace u" when he'd moved his residence to London 'he still
wouldn't have been able to trust them# $he .eas mi!ht be
isolated> but, as the vam"ires had always nown, servants
have a way of )ndin! thin!s out# Once Blaydon had taen
Lydia "risoner, he had to ee" her some"lace and loo
after her# $hat meant an hour and a half by train to .rince's
=isborou!h and another forty minutes to an hour by !i!
over the downs to the isolated house in its little vale of
beechwoods, then bac a!ain, at least once, "erha"s twice
a day# And on to" of that, the vam"ires were dee"er in
hidin!, and :ennis was !ettin! "hysically worse and more
di9cult to control# No wonder Blaydon looed as if he had
not sle"t in a wee#
As he had said, he and :ennis both had been a month
in %ell#
2f it hadn't been Lydia who was in his "ower, Lydia who
was lyin! dru!!ed and hel"less in that em"ty house, Asher
would have felt a ind of s"iteful satisfaction at the
situation# As it was, he could only than +od that :ennis
still had su9cient twisted "assion for Lydia to ee" Blaydon
from harmin! her#
Althou!h, Asher thou!ht, as he fruitlessly searched the
barren room for anythin! which could conceivably be used
as a wea"on or to facili'tate esca"e, he wasn't sure
whether Blaydon would have illed a stran!er to "rotect
:ennis' secret# At least, he added with a shiver, he
wouldn't have four days a!o, when they'd cau!ht her
snoo"in! around# $hat had been before he'd learned what
a des"erately time'consumin! inconvenience ee"in! a
hosta!e was# And that had been while he and :ennis were
far more )rmly anchored in sanity#
Looin! at them now'Blaydon in his soiled collar and
rum"led suit, with his silver'dust stubble of whisers that
!littered lie the mad, )erce obsession in his eyes, and
:ennis, hulin!, restless, and )d!etin! hun'!rily in the
bac!round'Asher was uncomfortably aware that both
were stretched to the sna""in! "oint# %owever lon! father
and son mi!ht have been able to !o on undisturbed, Lydia's
im"risonment had thrown a strain on the situation, which
his own woundin! of :ennis had then made intolerable#
$hey had the loo of men who were fast losin! their last
vesti!es of rationality#
6ith forced mildness, Blaydon said, ":ennis is !oin! to
want to feed on some vam"ire toni!ht, my friend# Now it
can be you, or it can be James# 6hich way do you want it?"
%e still had the revolver with silver bullets in his hand,
which was steady now'he must have !otten a little slee" in
the train, Asher thou!ht abstractedly# And as a doctor, of
course, he'd have easy access to enou!h cocaine to ee"
him !oin! for a while, at least#
Behind him, :ennis smired#
Looin! "erfectly rela(ed, 7sidro set one foot on the
<oor, folded his lon! hands on his nee, and considered the
"air of them in the <icerin! lam"li!ht# "2t is clear to me
that you do not understand the "rocess by which one
becomes vam"ire# 2f, when 2 dran James' blood, 2 forced
him to###"
Blaydon raised his hand shar"ly# ":ennis?" he bared#
"%ave you made a "atrol? -heced for searchers?"
"$here's no one out there," :ennis said, his !luey bass
barely com'"rehensible now# "2've listened'don't you thin
2'd hear another vam'"ire, if any came looin! for these
two? :on't you thin 2'd smell their blood? $hey're hidin!,
:ad# 7ou've !ot to di! them out or let me###"
"-hec anyway," Blaydon ordered shar"ly, :ennis'
naed brow rid!es "ulled to!ether into a horrible frown#
":o itH"
"2'm hun!ry, :ad," the vam"ire whis"ered sullenly# As
he moved nearer, his monstrous shadow lurched over the
low "laster of the ceilin! and the claustro"hobic
narrowness of the walls# "%un!ry'starvin!' my hands are
burnin! me, and the cravin!'s on me lie fever###"
Blaydon swallowed nervously, but e"t his voice
commandin! with an e8ort# "2 understand, :ennis, and 2'm
!oin! to !et you well# But you must do as 2 say#"
$here was a lon!, u!ly silence, Asher, lyin! at 7sidro's
feet, could see the stru!!le of wills re<ected in Blaydon's
ha!!ard face as he met his son's glare.#e's slipping and he
knows it! he thou!ht, watchin! the
sweat start on the old man's face.#ow long before
+ennis makes him a victim! as well as ,sidro and myself?
And Lydia,he added, with a chill of fear. 5nd Lydia.
$hen :ennis was !one# Asher reali&ed they must all
have had their consciousnesses momentarily blaned as
the vam"ire moved, but it was so 3uic, so subtle, that he
was not even aware of it, merely that :ennis vanished into
the crowdin! shadows# %e did not even hear the closin! of
the steel'sheathed door#
Blaydon wi"ed his mouth nervously with the hand that
wasn't hold'in! the !un# %e was still wearin! the rather
countri)ed tweed suit he'd had on that mornin!'that he'd
had on for days, by the smell of it# Not, Asher re<ected,
that he or 7sidro could have "assed for dandies either,
both in shirt sleeves, himself unshaven and s"lotched with
soot stains from climbin! the wall last ni!ht# At least they'd
sle"t, albeit uncom'fortably# Once, when he'd waened in
the afternoon, there had been a tray of food there,
undoubtedly brou!ht by :ennis'an unsettlin! thou!ht# %e'd
eaten it and searched the room a!ain, but it had yielded
nothin! but reinforced bric walls and door and ,he9eld
silver'"lated steel window bars#
Blaydon waved his "istol at 7sidro# ":on't !et any ideas,
my friend# 6hile you're in this room with me, you're safe#
:ennis would "ull you down before you !ot out of the
house, as easily as he brou!ht you here in the )rst "lace#"
$here was an annoyed !litter behind 7sidro's hooded
eyelids'a !randee, Asher thou!ht, who did not care to be
reminded that he'd been over"owered and manhandled by
the hoi "olloi# But he only re!arded Blaydon levelly for a
moment and ased, ":o you really believe that any of this
will do you any !ood?"
"2'll be the 4ud!e of that," the "atholo!ist said, rather
shar"ly# "+o on with what you were sayin!# 2f you forced
James###?"
"$o drin my blood," 7sidro said slowly, unwillin!ly, his
cham"a!ne !a&e )(ed u"on Blaydon's face# "$hat is how it
is done'the "hysical "art, at least# But the'"erha"s you
would say mental, but 2 thin s"iritual would be a better
term, thou!h these days it is an unfashion'able one'"
"Let us say "sychic," Blaydon "ut in# "$hat's what we're
really tal'in! about, aren't we?"
".erha"s#" $hat faint, wry <ic of a smile touched
7sidro's narrow'li""ed mouth# "2n any case, it is the !ivin!
of his s"irit, his self, his conscious, and what %err 0reud
"olitely terms his unconscious into the embrace of mine,
for me to show him the way over that abyss# 2t is the
yieldin! of all secrets, the !ivin! of all trust, the admission
of another into the most secret chambers of the heart#
*ost do not even 4oin so close with those they dee"ly love#
$o do this, you understand, re3uires an act of the most
des"erate will, the all'consumin! desire to continue in
consciousness at whatever the cost#" $he shadow <un! by
the lam" on the wall behind him, hu!e and dar, echoed
the sli!ht movement of his white hand# ";nder this set of
circumstances, 2 thin James would )nd no "oint in main!
so des"erate an e8ort at survival, thou!h 2 sus"ect that
under others he mi!ht#"
7ou will never now,Brother Anthony had whis"ered,
deathlessly sortin! bones in the cry"ts below .aris# Asher
shoo his head and said 3uietly, "No#"
7sidro turned his head to loo down at him, without any
e("ression in his eyes# "And they say that faith in +od is
dead," he commented# "2 should thin
that your conscience, more than another man's, mi!ht
mae of you a coward,#," %e turned bac to re!ard his
ca"tor# "6hether or not James has that will to live, how
many of those scum of the !utters whom you "ur"ose to
brin! for me to transform into others
lie me would be ca"able of it? 6hen a master vam"ire
creates a <ed!lin!, it is in "art the master's will and in "art
the <ed!lin!'s trust which act# 2 do not believe myself
ca"able of creatin! fodder, even did 2 consent to try# 2
certainly do not believe that one "erson in a hundred, or a
thousand, has that will to survive#"
"$hat's balderdash," Blaydon said uneasily# "All this tal
of the will and the s"irit###"
"And if you did !et lucy," Asher "ut in, tryin! to shift
his shoulders to tae some of the "ressure from his
throbbin! ri!ht arm, "what then? Are you really !oin! to
stay in a house with two, three, or four <ed!lin! vam"ires?
0led!lin!s whose wills are entirely subservient to their
mas'ter's? $he start of this whole a8air'-alvaire'was a
careless choice on the "art of the woman who made him#
Are you !oin! to be choosier? Es"ecially if you're !ivin!
:ennis s"eci)c orders to brin! in none but the un)t, the
socially useless, and the wiced?"
"7ou let me worry about that," Blaydon's voice had an
ed!e lie <int now, his eyes showin! their old stubborn
!lint# "2t's only a tem"orary measure###"
"Lie the income ta(?"
"2n any case Ihave no choice. :ennis' condition is
deterioratin!# 7ou've seen that# %e needs blood, the blood
of vam"ires, to arrest the sym"toms# 2f you, 7sidro, refuse
to hel" me###"
"2t is not sim"ly a matter of refusal,"
"Lyin! won't hel" you, you now###"
"No more than lyin! to yourself hel"s you, .rofessor#"
Behind that unemotional tone, Asher detected the faintest
echo of a human si!h# Blaydon baced a few ste"s away,
brandishin! his !un#
"But if that is your choice, 2 shall have to tae what
measures 2 can###'C
"*ore humans?" Asher in3uired# "*ore of those you
consider un')t?"
"2t's to save my sonH" $he old man's voice craced with
des"eration, and he fou!ht to brin! it to normal a!ain#
=ather shaily, he added, "And also for the !ood of the
country# Once we have the e("eriment under control###"
"+ood +od, man, you don't mean you're !oin! on with
itH" $ruly an!ry, Asher 4ered himself to a sittin! "osition,
his bac to the "laned maho!any of the co9n# "Because of
your failure, your own son is rot'tin! to "ieces under your
eyes and you "ro"ose togo on with it?&
Blaydon strode forward and struc Asher across the
face with the barrel of the !un, nocin! him s"rawlin!#
7sidro, im"assive, merely moved his foot aside so that
Asher wouldn't fall across it and watched the enra!ed
"atholo!ist with only the mildest of interest as he ste""ed
bac and "iced u" the lam"#
"2'm sorry you feel that way about it," Blaydon said
3uietly, the lam"li!ht 4erin! with the an!ry tremblin! of
his hands# "7ou, :on ,imon, because 2'm !oin! to have to
ee" you fed and healthy while 2 tae your blood for
e("eriments, until 2 can locate another vam"ire more
com"liant# 7ou, James, because 2 thin 2'm !oin! to have to
force either you or your wife to tell me where her rooms
were in the city'she refused to do so, and, of course,
:ennis wouldn't hear of me forcin! her 'so that 2 can )nd
her notes on
her researches###"
":on't be naive," 7sidro si!hed# "+ri""en "ut them all
on the )re before he left Lydia's rooms last ni!ht#"
"$hen 2 shall have to !et *rs# Asher to tell me herself,"
Blaydon said# "Now that 2 have James here, that shouldn't
be too di9cult# 2 thin :ennis will even rather en4oy it#"
/ee"in! his !un trained on 7sidro, he baced out the
door#
":on't tri" over your son on the way out," the vam"ire
remared derisively as the door closed u"on the amber
radiance of the lam"li!ht and the bolts slid home#
A west wind had been blowin! all day, and the ni!ht
outside was clear# Leay white moonli!ht added somewhat
to the faint !low of the !as lam"s visible beyond the
!arden wall# 6ith his usual lan!uid !race, 7sidro unfolded
his thin le!s and rose from the co9n lid, nelt beside
Asher, and stoo"ed to bite throu!h the ro"es that bound
his wrists# Asher felt the cold touch of bloodless li"s a!ainst
the veins of his left wrist and the scra"e of teeth# $hen the
ro"es were "ulled away# $he "ain in his ri!ht arm almost
made him sic as 7sidro brou!ht it !ently around and
installed it in its slin! a!ain#
"7ou thin he was listenin!?"
"Of course he was listenin!#" $he vam"ire twisted the
slac of the anle ro"es between his white hands, and the
strands "arted with a sna"# "%e was ri!ht outside the door>
he never even went into the !arden, thou!h a vam"ire of
his abilities certainly could have heard us from there, had
he chosen to listen, sound"roo)n! or no sound"roof'in!#"
6ith li!ht stren!th, he hel"ed Asher to sit on the co9n
lid, while he "rowled lie a faded tomcat to the room's
sin!le window, ee"in! a wary distance from the silver
bars# "$ri"le !la&ed," he remared brie<y# "6ired !lass, too#
6e mi!ht wrench the loc free, could we !et "ast the bars
to !et some ind of "urchase on it###"
":o you thin he followed us in the mews?"
"2 am sure of it# 2 felt'sensed'2 don't now# A "resence in
the ni!ht, once or twice### %e too me from behind, before 2
even new he was there#" %e tilted his head, an!lin! to see
if he could reach throu!h to the loc, his hooed "ro)le
white a!ainst the darness outside, lie a colorless orchid#
"But 2 had been listenin! for days for thin!s 2 am not
certain 2 ever truly heard# 0ear maes it very di9cult to
4ud!e#" Asher wondered how lon! it had been since 7sidro
had admit'ted to fear# Looin! at that slender, insubstantial
sha"e in its white shirt, !ray trousers, and vest, he had the
odd sense that he was dealin! now with the ori!inal :on
,imon 7sidro, rather than with the vam"ire the man had
become#
"*erde alors#" 7sidro ste""ed bac from the bars,
shain! a burned )n!er# "-urious that Blaydon did not wish
his son to learn how vam'"ires are made# 2t is a sensible
"recaution to ee" him under his control, but###" %e
"aused, ti""in! his head a little to listen# "%e's !one#"
%e had not needed to s"ea> for the last few moments,
Asher had heard Blaydon's hurryin! ste"s vibratin! the
<oors of the house, his 3uerulous voice callin! dimly,
":ennis? :ennis###"
-old <ooded over him as he suddenly understood#
"%e's !one to !et Lydia#"
$hen the cold was swe"t away by a heat of ra!e that
burned out all "ain, all e(haustion, and all des"air#
"$hat's why he listened# %e wanted to now how to
create a <ed!lin!#"
",an!re de :ios" 2n a sin!le <uid move 7sidro stri""ed
out of his !ray waistcoat, wra""in! it around his hand#
Asher, nowin! already what the vam"ire meant to do,
clumsily unslun! his arm and "ulled o8 his own# 2t was
!one from his !ras" before he was aware the vam"ire had
moved> 7sidro was bac at the window, usin! the fabric to
muBe his hands a!ainst the silver of the bars# 0or a
moment he strained, shadows 4um"in! on the ro"y white
muscle of his forearms, then he let !o of the bars and
baced away, rubbin! his hands as if in "ain#
"No !ood# *etallur!y has vastly im"roved since the
days when we had the stren!th of ten, and 2 cannot !ri"
them lon! enou!h# 2f we could di! into the masonry around
them and dislod!e them###" %is "ale !a&e <iced swiftly
around the "rison, touchin! Asher# "-urst be the man who
decreed !entlemen should wear braces and not belts with
lar!e, )erce metal bucles, as they did in my day###"
"%e'd have taen them#" Asher was neelin! beside the
co9n# "%e thou!ht of that# $he handles have been
removed# 2 noticed when 2 o"ened it that there were no
corner braces or other metal )ttin!s#"
7sidro cursed dis"assionately, archaically, and in
several lan!ua!es# Asher eased his arm !in!erly bac into
its slin!, and remembered the isolation of that bi! house on
the downs, miles from the nearest habita'tion# ":ennis
must now it's the only way he'll have her now#"
"2f it wors," the vam"ire said, not movin!, but his eyes
travelin! a!ain over the room# "2f, as you thin, the
vam"ire state is caused by or!anisms'which 2 myself do
not believe'it may still not be transmit'table in this arti)cial
form, even by a master who understands what he is doin!,
a descri"tion that scarcely )ts our friend#"
"$hat doesn't mean he won't ill her tryin!," An!er )lled
him at his own hel"lessness, at Blaydon, at :ennis, at
7sidro, and at the other vam"ires who were hidin! +od
new where# "*aybe 2 can reach the loc### if we could
force it, we could call for hel"###"
"7our )n!ers would not have the stren!th to "ull it from
the case'ment#"
Asher cursed, then said, "%ow soon can he !et there?
2t's forty miles or so to the .eas'he obviously can't tae
the train###"
"%e will run# A vam"ire can run throu!hout the ni!ht,
untirin!# 6erdammnis! is there no metal in this room lar!er
than the bucles on braces? 6ere we women, at least we
would have corset stays###"
"%ere#" Asher sat suddenly on the lid of the co9n and
"ulled o8 one of his shoes with his !ood hand# %e tossed it
to the startled vam"ire, who "luced it out of the air
without seemin! to move# "2s your stren!th of ten men u"
to ri""in! a"art the sole leather? Because there should be
a three'inch shan of tem"ered steel su""ortin! the inste"#
2t's how men's shoes are made#"
"$hus 2 am served," 7sidro muttered throu!h his teeth,
as his lon! white )n!ers ri""ed a"art the leather with
terrifyin! ease, "for scornin! the arts of mechanics# 6here
is this "lace? 2 was unaware there were "eas of any sort
on this island###"
"$here aren't# 2t's in the chal downs bac of O(ford,
shee" country# Blaydon's wife's father built the
"lace when he came into his money in the forties#
Blaydon stayed there 'til his wife died# %e had rooms at his
colle!e when he was teachin!###"
"7ou now the way, then?" 7sidro was worin! at the
window, his hands muBed in both waistcoats a!ainst
accidental contact with the bars# $he harsh scra"e of metal
on cement was lie the steady ras"in! of a saw#
"Of course# 2 was there a number of times, thou!h not in
the "ast seven years#"
$he vam"ire "aused, listenin!# A dim vibration throu!h
the <oor s"oe of a door closin!# ,oftly 7sidro said, "%e is
in the !arden now, callin!> he sounds afraid#" $heir eyes
met, Asher's hard with ra!e, 7sidro's inscrutable# Listen as
he would, Asher heard no sound of the house door closin!,
or of returnin! footfalls on <oor or stair# "%e's !one#"
2m"ossibly swift and stron!, 7sidro resumed his di!!in!,
while he "etitioned +od to visit Blaydon's arm"its with the
lice of a shi"ful of sailors, and his belly with worms, in the
archaic, lis"in! ,"anish of the con3uistadors# ,witchin! to
En!lish, he added, "6e can !et horses from the mews###"
"A motorcycle will be faster, and we won't need
remounts# *ine's in the shed at my lod!in!s> 2've tinered
with it enou!h that it's more reliable than most#" 6ith his
!ood hand and his teeth, Asher !in!erly ti!htened the
banda!es around his s"lints, sweat standin! out suddenly
on his forehead with the renewed shoc of the "ain# ":o
you need hel"?"
"6hat 2 need is an iron crow and a few slabs of
!uncotton, not the "roblematical assistance of a cri""led
old s"y# ;nless you have sud'denly ac3uired the ability to
bend steel bars, stay where you are and rest#"
Asher was only too !lad to do so# $he swellin! had
s"read u" his arm nearly to the elbow> he felt di&&y and a
little sic# %e could still <e( his )rst two )n!ers after a
fashion'enou!h, he ho"ed, to wor the throttle lever on the
2ndian, at any rate#
%ow fast could a vam"ire run? %e'd seen 7sidro and
+ri""en move with incredible swiftness# -ould that s"eed
be sustained, as 7sidro said, untirin! throu!h the ni!ht?
$he scra"in! of the metal continued### 2t seemed to be
tain! forever#
":iosH" ,imon ste""ed bac from the window, shain!
loose the cloth from around his hands and rubbin! his
wrists# %is teeth !rittin! a!ainst the "ain, he said, "$he bar
is loose but 2 cannot !ri" it# *y hands weaen already> that
much silver burns, even throu!h the cloth#"
"%ere#" Asher iced o8 his other shoe out of the
irrational human dislie of uneven foot!ear, and came to
the window# $he bar was very loose in the socet, now
chi""ed away from the cement> with his sin!le !ood hand,
he shifted it bac and forth, twistin! and "ullin! until it
came free# 7sidro wra""ed his arm a!ain, and !in!erly
an!led it throu!h to tear o8 the window's com"licated latch
and force the case'ment u"#
"-an you !et throu!h that?"
Asher !au!ed the resultant !a"# "2 thin so#"
2t was a di9cult wri!!le, with one arm barely usable
and nothin! on the other side but the narrow led!e# $he
vam"ire steadied and braced him throu!h as best he could,
but once his arm inadvertently brushed one of the
remainin! bars, and Asher felt the !ri" s"asm and slac#
"2t's all ri!ht, 2've !ot a footin!," he
said and received only a fault !as" in re"ly# %e sli""ed
as 3uicly as he dared alon! the led!e to the labora'tory
window, the cold air bitin! )ercely throu!h his shirt'sleeved
arms and stocin!ed feet, and throu!h the house as he had
before, to undo the bolts of the steel'sheathed door#
7sidro had resumed his creased waistcoat, but his lon!,
slim hands were weltin! u" in what looed lie massive
burns# $he )n!ers shoo as Asher notted both their
handerchiefs around the swellin!s, to ee" the air from
the raw, blisterin! <esh# As he wored, he said ra"idly,
"Blaydon will have money in the study# 6e'll !et a cab to
Bloomsbury 'there's a stand on %arley ,treet###"
"2t is "ast midni!ht already#" 7sidro <e(ed his hands
carefully and winced# "7ou will be tain! your lady away
with you on this motorcy'cle of yours# 2s there a "lace on
these downs where 2 can !o to !round, if the dayli!ht
overtaes us while we are there?"
Asher shoo his head# "2 don't now# $he nearest town's
ei!ht miles away and it's not very lar!e#"
7sidro was 3uiet for a moment, then shru!!ed with his
mobile, color'less brows# "$he villa!e church, "erha"s#
$here are always villa!e churches# James###"
%e turned, as Asher strode "ast him into the "rison
room a!ain and over to the window where the detached
window bar lay shinin! frostily in the s3uare of moonli!ht
on the <oor# 2t was two and a half feet lon!, steel
electro"lated with silver, and heavy as a lar!e s"anner'or
crow, as 7sidro called it'in his hand# Asher hefted it and
looed bac at the vam"ire who stood lie a disheveled
!host a!ainst the blacness of the doorway#
.icin! his words as if ti"toein! throu!h a swam",
7sidro said, ":id :ennis brin! you here, as he did me? Or
did you come of your own accord, looin! for me at
daybrea?"
"2 came looin! for you#"
"$hat was stu"id###" %e hesitated, for a moment
awward and oddly human in the face of sayin! somethin!
he had not said in many hundreds of years and "erha"s,
Asher thou!ht, never# "$han you#"
"2'm in your service," Asher reminded him, and waled
bac to the door, silver bar lie a !leamin! club in his hand#
"And," he added !rimly, "we haven't scotched this iller
yet#"
Twenty- one
"-ould he have beaten us here?" Asher iced the
2ndian's en!ine out of !ear as they came around the side of
the hill into full view of the .eas' wall and lod!e !ate> as
on most motorcycles, the brae wasn't very stron!# $he
moon had set> it was hard to ee" the tires out of ruts only
dimly seen# %e didn't bother to whis"er# 2f :ennis was there
already, he'd have "iced u" the sound of the en!ine miles
away#
"2'm not sure#" 7sidro's arms were lie whalebone and
thin cable around Asher's waist, his body a seletal
li!htness a!ainst the leather of the 4acet# Asher wasn't
sure whether a livin! man could have e"t his seat on the
narrow carrier as they'd come u" the windin! road from
6ycombe .arva, "As Bur!er'3uoted by the invaluable *r#
,toer' has observed, '+ie )odten reiten schnell'- the dead
travel fast#"
Asher braed !ently, easin! the machine to a sto" in
front of the iron s"ears of the loced !ates#
$hrou!h them he could see the house, a ramblin!
"seudo'+othic monstrosity of native bric and hewn stone
a""ro"riated from some ruined buildin! closer to O(ford,
dar a!ainst the dim sha"es of the naed beeches of the
"ar and the vast swell of the down behind# $he unem"t
lawn was thic with weeds, and the woods that lay to the
south and east of the house were already main! their )rst
encroachments of broom sed!e and elder sa"lin!s# $he
"lace had "robably housed no more than a caretaer since
Blaydon had closed it u" after his wife's death three years
a!o, and it was obvious that not even a caretaer dwelt
here now#
%e'd "robably been turned o8 when :ennis )rst be!an
to chan!e, Asher thou!ht, and an!er stirred him a!ain at
Blaydon's stu"id irre's"onsibility# %ad anythin! !one amiss,
from a !as lea to an omnibus accident in London, Lydia
would have been condemned to death here without anyone
bein! the wiser#
E(ce"t :ennis, of course#
",o in other words, he could be waitin! for us in the
house?" %e dismounted, and 7sidro s"ran! o8 li!htly#
Behind the lon!, wind'frayed curtain of hair, the vam"ire's
eyes were s"arlin!, and Asher had the im"ression that he
had found this mode of travel !reatly to his taste#
"Or hard u"on our heels#" 7sidro stoo"ed, bracin! his
banda!ed hands on bent nees# Asher "ushed u" his
!o!!les, leaned the bie a!ainst the wall, unlashed the
silvered steel bar from the handlebars, and hun! it around
his own nec# ;sin! 7sidro's bac as a ste", he could reach
the to" corners of the rustic stone !ateway, to scramble
over the si('foot "alin!s# %e had scarcely dro""ed to the
drive on the other side when 7sidro a""eared, "alely
silhouetted a!ainst the uneasy darness, and s"ran! down
without a sound to his side# At his lod!in!s, Asher had
"aused only lon! enou!h to don his boots, !o!!les, and
leather 4acet, for the ni!ht was free&in! cold> 7sidro in his
o"en shirt seemed to feel nothin!#
"$hus 2 do not su!!est we divide to search#"
"-an you hear anythin! from here?" Asher ased#
$he vam"ire shut his eyes, listenin! intently to the half'
heard mutter'in! of the wind in the autumn woods# "Not
clearly," he murmured at last# "7et the house is not em"ty'
that 2 now#"
Asher used his !ood hand to unslin! the bar from
around his nec# ,cuddin! overcast was be!innin! to cover
the sy# $hrou!h it, the house was a barely seen sha"e of
!ray, dotted with the blac of win'dows, disturbin!ly lie
some monster's missha"en sull# "2f he's behind us, he may
arrive on to" of us before we'd )nished reconnoiterin!," he
said !rimly, stridin! u" the !hostly stri"e of the drive# "And
if he's there already'would you or 2 be able to see or hear
him?"
Asher new the <oor "lan of the .eas, thou!h he'd
never been more than a casual ac3uaintance of Blaydon's#
But most of the dons had received invitations at one time
or another, and Asher had a )eld a!ent's memory for such
thin!s# Every atom of his <esh shran from enterin! the
dar tra" of those encirclin! walls without the usual "re'
liminary checs# But there was no time, and they would, in
any case, be useless#
$hey sirted the lawn and !arden to the itchen yard,
7sidro leadin! the way across the leaf'strewn "avement# At
this "oint, concealment was of no more use to them than
whis"erin!> they were either "erfectly safe or beyond hel"#
And if :ennis had not arrived before them'if they were, for
the moment, safe'outdoors there was a remote chance
that 7sidro's vam"ire senses could detect his comin!#
2n any case, the cellars were reached from the itchen#
$he wind was risin!, !roanin! faintly over the to"s of
the downs and stirrin! the dar hem of the woods a
hundred feet from the house in a way Asher did not lie#
$he stables stretched alon! one side of the yard, every
door shut and bolted> the itchen door was loced as well,
but Asher drove his elbow throu!h the window "ane ne(t to
it and reached throu!h to wrench over the latch# Beside
him, he was aware of 7sidro listenin!, turnin! his head this
way and that, the stray !usts <icin! at his lon! hair, tryin!
by some lea" of the senses to detect the undetectable and
to hear what was no more audible than the slow fallin! of
dust#
$he darness of the itchen stan of mildew and
s"oilin! table scra"s# As 7sidro found and lit a lam", there
was a <urryin! rustle of tiny feet, and the "rimrose erchief
of li!ht cau!ht the tails of mice as they whi""ed out of
si!ht# Asher cursed a!ain, softly# O"en tins and dirty dishes
lined the old'fashioned soa"stone counters, lie slee"in!
tram"s below the Embanment on a summer ni!ht#
Blaydon, of course 'in too !reat a hurry to "um" and heat
water to clean u"# $he vam"ire raised the lam" to shed a
!reater li!ht> in its !low, Asher could see his fastidious
nostrils <are#
"%e may be here, coverin! our minds from his
"resence, but 2 do not thin he has been and !one# $here is
a smell of decay about him which lin!ers in still air#"
"6e'll chec the cellars )rst," Asher said, crossin! the
worn stone <oor to the narrow door beside the stove#
";"stairs we can always bolt throu!h a window#" %e
"ushed the door o"en# $he smell of dust, coals, and mice
almost choed him# "7ou lead# 2f he's here, he's lielier to
be behind than before#"
%e e"t his bac <attened to the worn, slatted wainscot
of the stair'case, his left hand with the silver bar on the
u"stairs side, while 7sidro ed!ed swiftly down the ste"s
before him# $here was a wine cellar, stri""ed of everythin!
but the racs, and a coal hole, half')lled with coals and dirt#
"$here's another cellar o8 the butler's "antry," Asher
said as they swiftly ascended the stairs bac to the itchen,
their shadows reelin! drunenly in the lam"li!ht# "7ou'd
never now the door wasn't 4ust a cu"board# 2've never
been down there'it may be 4ust a boot hole, but it mi!ht be
lar!e enou!h to ee" someone in#"
$he butler's "antry was more lie a closet than a room,
)lled with shelves and family silver# $he door, tuced away
behind a cu"board, was bolted from the outside# ",he's
down there," ,imon murmured, even as Asher sli""ed the
bolts# "At least someone is, and the breathin! sounds lie
hers#"
"Lydia?" Asher called softly down the dar twist of the
stairs, but e"t his "ost at the to" until 7sidro had ed!ed
his way down them# $here was a door at the bottom, too>
between them, the bric'walled slot of the staircase
smelled lie a death tra"# $he door at the bottom was
bolted, as well# "Lydia, it's JamesH :on't be afraid###"
$he door burst o"en as 7sidro slid the bolts, the
violence of it tain! him almost totally by sur"rise# $he
swervin! lam"li!ht showed Asher the whiteness of Lydia's
face, under a carnelian whirlwind of unbound hair, %er
s"ectacles <ashed in the li!ht, and there was the thin sli"
of somethin! silver in one of her hands as she stabbed at
7sidro's eyes# $he vam"ire was out of her way before Asher
could see where he moved> Lydia whirled, confused, and
Asher called out, "Lydia, it's JamesH"
,he'd already be!un to "elt u" the stairs and now
sto""ed short at the si!ht of the dar form loomin! at their
to"> 7sidro, with considerable "resence of mind, raised the
lam" to shed its rays as far as the to" of the stairs#
"James###H" she sobbed, and then swun! bac, looin! at
the vam"ire who stood, lam" aloft lie Liberty's torch, 4ust
beside the door#
"Oh###" ,he looed momentarily non"lussed, the silver
hat"in with which she had attaced him still !lintin! shar"
and vicious in her hand, &Iam sorry# 7ou must be :on ,imon
7sidro###" ,he held out her other hand to him, and he too it
and issed it with anti3ue !race# "2t was my "leasure," the
vam"ire re"lied, and she lau!hed shaily at this "atently
mendacious "latitude as they hastened u" the stairs# "2 am
at your service, *adame#"
At the to", she cau!ht Asher violently around the waist,
buryin! her face in his leather'clad shoulder and hu!!in!
him hard enou!h to drive the breath from him# $hrou!h the
ferocity of the embrace, he felt her tremblin! with cold and
shoc and reaction to her attac on what she had thou!ht
were her ca"tors# %e wra""ed his !ood arm reassurin!ly
ti!ht around her shoulders, silver bar and all#
$y"ically, she broe from him almost at once, so as not
to tie u" a hand with a wea"on in it# 7sidro had somehow
moved "ast them'Asher never did )!ure out how, !iven the
narrowness of the door'and was leadin! the way swiftly
throu!h the close con)nes of the "antry> Asher was aware
of the clinical avidness with which Lydia watched his
slender bac#
"Are you all ri!ht?"
,he nodded, "ullin! ti!hter around her the sna!!ed
!ray cardi!an she wore over shirtwaist and sirt'Blaydon's,
he noted, and far too bi! for her# "$hat was the butler's
a"artments# %ave we time to "um" some water? 2 didn't
drin the last "itcher .rofessor Blaydon brou!ht me> 2 new
he must be "uttin! the dru!s in it###"
"No," 7sidro said brie<y# "2 don't lie the smell of the
ni!ht'2 don't lie the feel# $here's somethin! about###"
Asher started to "rotest, but Lydia said, "No, it's all
ri!ht, the "um" here always too forever# 6hat ha""ened
to your arm?"
":ennis#"
$hey halted 4ust within the itchen door# 2n the
uncertain starli!ht the yard and the woods beyond seemed
alive with the sinister move'ment of the wind# Asher hated
the loo of them and hated still more the dar house which
seemed to be closin! around them lie a )st#
",tay close to the house wall," he breathed# "6e won't
be able to see him in the o"en# At least, near a wall, he'll
have to come at us from one direction#"
$ain! a dee" breath, he ste""ed outside# Lydia
followed, holdin! the lam"# 7sidro brou!ht u" the rear#
,eein! them standin! to!ether for the )rst time, Asher
reali&ed with a start that the vam"ire stood no taller than
she#
,oftly, she whis"ered, "%ave you'seen him?"
$he wind moved his hair a!ainst the stra" of the
!o!!les still "ushed u" on his forehead'he nearly started
out of his sin# ":id you?"
,he shoo her head# "But 2 assume there's a reason why
he'he only s"oe to me throu!h the shut door#" ,he
!lanced bac at 7sidro and wet her li"s# "%is father's serum
must have done somethin! other than mae him### lie
you#"
"2ndeed," the vam"ire res"onded, never tain! his eyes
from the lawn and shrubbery around them# ":ennis is not
lie me#"
$hey reached the front of the house# ,eventy'"lus feet
of rutted !ravel drive stretched before them to the iron
bars of the !ates# $he wind drove a swirl of dead beech
leaves over it, lie the whirlin! souls of :ante's damned,
who could not for!o the "leasures of the livin!# $he
motorcycle was 4ust beyond the !ate, and Asher's whole
soul revolted at that nebulous vista of dar# %e !lanced
3uicly bac at 7sidro, who was turnin! his head, listenin!
with fear in his eyes to the ni!ht#
"-an you mae it bac to London afoot?"
"Not before dawn# But 2 have boltholes nearer than that'
"ro"erty "urchased too recently to show u" on your
"recious lists, my dear *istress Asher# +o bac to London#
,tay awae and stay always around "eo"le in some "ublic
"lace# %e cannot tae you there> he dare not let his
e(istence be sus"ected# 2 will come as soon as 2 can in the
ni!ht###"
$o!ether, the three of them ste""ed from the shelterin!
shadows of the house# $he wind swirled Lydia's dar sirts
and the tan!le of her hair and made all the weed stems
cau!ht in the "latter'si&ed blob of the 4i!!lin! lam"li!ht
4er and tremble erratically# 2ron !loom stretched in all
directions> Asher felt naed before it# Lydia whis"ered,
",hall we run?"
"2t wouldn't mae us any safer," he murmured bac,
"and runnin!, we'd be less liely to see a threat#"
2t would, however, have made him feel better, as they
moved slowly and cautiously throu!h what felt lie the
+reat American :esert of blowin! darness# $he wall
loomed before them'stone !ate"osts, shut and boarded
lod!e, and weeds shiverin! thic around the o"en iron'
wor of the !ate#
7sidro's hand touched his arm suddenly, stayin! him,
drawin! him bac toward the house# $here was a !ray
<utter of movement some'where beyond the !ate###
Asher saw :ennis come over the !ate, thou!h his mind
stalled on the detail, with a sense of*amais vu as in a
dream, as if he had momentarily for!otten the si!ni)cance
of that bulin! form dro""in! lie a cou!ar from the to" of
the stone !ate "illar, eyes !lintin! in the re<ected li!ht of
the lam"# $he ne(t second, it seemed, it was u"on them,
thou!h later Asher had clear memories of standin!, starin!
lie an idiot, and watch'in! it rush at them with horrible
s"eed# 7sidro must have already started to move, for
:ennis cau!ht him, not full'on, but by one arm in an
unbreaable !ri"#
Asher brou!ht the silver bar down with all his stren!th
on :ennis' wrist, even as the mutant <ed!lin! ri""ed at
7sidro's throat# 0rom the tail of his eye, Asher cau!ht the
blac !litter of blood# 2t streamed down from :ennis' fan!s
as he drew bac with a !lottal roar of "ain, and Asher
bachanded him with the bar across the face, hearin! as
well as feelin! the facial bones crunch# :ennis screamed#
Blood s"lattered Asher's face lie !outs of hot syru"# $hen
the vam"ire was !one, and Lydia and 7sidro, blood
streamin! from his torn shoulder, were dra!'!in! Asher,
stumblin!, across the o"en lawn toward the woods# Behind
them, the dro""ed lam" was !utterin! erratically in a "ool
of erosene'
"-ha"el ruinsH" Lydia !as"ed# ",helter without bein!
closed inH" Blood was s"lattered liberally over one side of
her white shirtwaist and the sweater, dro"lets of it beadin!
even on her s"ectacle lenses> it cov'ered the )rst four
inches of the silver hat"in still in her hand# ,he must have
stabbed :ennis from the other side# 7sidro's shoulder had
been o"ened to halfway down his bac, a dar stain
s"readin! with terrible s"eed over the torn ra!s of his shirt#
Lon! weeds tan!led at their nees as they cut throu!h
the over!rown !arden# $heir feet sidded on mud and wet
leaves# Behind them as they ran, Asher could hear :ennis
shriein! in "ain, as if the im"act of the silver still burned#
On his ri!ht, 7sidro's bony !ri" on his swollen arm was
e(cruciatin!, but he hardly cared# $hey had to reach
shelter of some ind, a wall or enclosure at their bacs, or
they were dead#
$he cha"el ruin stood in a little dell "erha"s a hundred
yards from the house, its ivy'dra"ed walls sheltered by a
si&able co"se of beeches# 2t o8ered, as Lydia had said, ideal
shelter without the "otential im"rison'ment of the house,
the roo<ess chancel "rovidin! cover on most of three sides
and !reatly narrowin! the "otential )eld of attac#
"6hat about the cry"t?" 7sidro leaned a!ainst the
stum" of a broen "illar, half doubled'over with "ain and
di&&iness, as Lydia wored a birch sa"lin! loose from
amon! the fallen stones# 6ith an e8ort, the vam"ire
strai!htened and cast a 3uic !lance to the moss'covered
altar behind them# "2f there's another
way in, he can###"
"$here isn't a cry"t#" Lydia hauled her sirt to untie one
of her several "etticoats# $he lowest <ounce was saturated
from the !rass but the one above it was dry# 6ith unsteady
)n!ers 7sidro ri""ed it free and bound it around the wood
as a maeshift torch# Never tain! his eyes from the rou!h
e("anse of hillside that lay between cha"el and lawn,
Asher tossed them the bo( of lucifer matches he always
e"t in his 4acet "ocet> there was the shar" hiss of
sul"hur, and the fabric liced into <ame# ":ennis'
!randfather had the whole ruin "ut u" at the same time as
the house was built'an architect from Birmin!ham
desi!ned it# 2t's des"erately "ictures3ue in the dayli!ht#
$his wall, those arches over there, and the tombstones on
the hillside are all of it there is#"
7sidro lau!hed, his fan!s <ashin! white in the !lare of
the <ame# Lydia came over to them, a second )rebrand in
one hand and her silver hat"in in the other# $he ruddy !low
illuminated the weed'curtained stone of the walls, the
s"urious +othic corbels, and the shadows of the altar#
Behind her s"ectacles, her face was scratched lie an
urchin's, smud!ed with dirt, and s"otted with :ennis'
blood# $o Asher's eyes she was utterly beautiful#
,he tuced the matches bac into his 4acet "ocet#
1uietly, she ased, "Are you more or less all ri!ht?"
:ennis' screams of "ain and fury had ceased> the wind
had fallen# $he naed beeches and the thic clum"s of
elder and hawthorn around the walls seemed, lie
themselves, to be waitin!# $he silence was worse now than
any sound#
"7ou mean, aside from a broen hand and assorted
bites, contusions, and abrasions, and a mutant vam"ire
)fty feet away who's !oin! to ill us all?"
%er li"s twitched# "Aside from that, yes#"
"7es#"
"2 was worried#" %er voice sounded very small> he new
she could see the half'healed red bites that traced his
4u!ular from ear to collar'bone# 2n the torchli!ht, her breath
blew as a tiny "u8 of !old#
"Not as worried as 2 was, believe me#"
$here was a moment's silence# $hen5 "6as that### that
thin! we saw### 6as that :ennis?"
,he'd told him once that :ennis had "ro"osed marria!e
to her for the )rst time here at the .eas# :ennis had never
!otten it throu!h his head that she could actually not want
to be his wife# 2t occurred to Asher that :ennis had
undoubtedly done so here in the ruins# 2n the slantin! li!ht
of a summer's evenin!, there would be no more romantic
s"ot in twenty s3uare miles# %e si!hed and said, "7es#"
7sidro moved closer to them, holdin! his torch aloft#
"-an you feel it?" $hrou!h the ri" in his shirt, Asher could
see the wound in his shoulder, still tracin! a slu!!ish
tricle of dar blood# A mortal man would have been in
shoc# $he vam"ire was only shiverin! as if with deadly
cold, his face strained and sunen'looin!# $he mar of
:ennis' !ri" was visible on his arm between the rolled'u"
shirt sleeve and the wra""in!s on his hands, blacenin!
bruises and )ve claw raes where the nails had ri""ed the
colorless <esh# "$here's movement out there, on the lawn# 2
can't see e(actly###"
0or a moment there was nothin!, the whole ni!ht
holdin! its breath#
$hen :ennis was there, a""earin! with terrible
suddenness 4ust be'yond ran!e of the torch's li!ht, as, lon!
a!o in the dar of the cata'combs, Brother Anthony had
seemed to fade into e(istence from the !rinnin! shadows
of the bones#
Beside him, Asher heard Lydia's breath hiss in "ity and
horror#
:ennis Blaydon had always been of heroic build and
"ro"ortion> a !olden %ercules in cricet whites# Now his
si&e seemed monstrous, the breadth of his shoulders and
chest, visible throu!h his ri""ed and o"en shirt, lie some
maddened bull's# Blood traced down his side and blot'ted
his shirt above his ribs'had it been anyone but a vam"ire,
the "uncture wound administered by Lydia's hat"in would
have been a serious matter'and where the bar had struc
his face the <esh had "u8ed u" lie rottin! meat# %e was
barely reco!ni&able> the strai!ht nose was <attened and
s"read now# :rool and blood dri""ed from the outsi&e
fan!s> the le"rous sin !leamed lie a snae's bac in the
moon'li!ht# $he !larin! blue eyes were no lon!er even
remotely human#
".rofessor Asher," he whis"ered, in a sticy decay of a
voice# "Lydia, !et away from him# 2 won't harm you, 2 swear
it# 7ou now 2'd never harm you, Lydia> 2 e"t :ad from
harmin! you###"
"Only because you wanted her for yourselfH" Asher
called into the <icerin! darness# "Because you wanted to
mae her lie yourself, infect her with that foul malady in
your veins, so she'd be yours for'ever#"
"$hat isn't trueH" :ennis' !larin! eyes widened with
hate# ":ad will )nd a cure':ad will mae me betterH And
why shouldn't 2 have her? ,he should have been mine# Now
she'll be mine forever# 2'll mae her love meH 2t's him 2
want'the vam"ire# 2 need him# I need him( "
",ince we're easy "rey without him," Asher said 3uietly,
"2'm afraid we need him, too#"
$hen he blined, tryin! to ee" the vam"ire in si!ht'
tryin! to focus his mind on where he had last been# But
:ennis was no lon!er'3uite' visible# Asher had the
im"ression he would still be able to see him if he new
where to loo, but he could not )nd him now# A breath of
move'ment stirred the ra!!ed clum"s of thorn and elder,
catchin! now here# now there'the whole ni!ht seemed to
3uiver, shiftin! as soon as he moved his eyes from any
!iven s"ot#
"%e's a iller, .rofessor Asher," a voice breathed out of
that dar'ness# "/illed women, illed sweet little children'
he'll ill Lydia if you'll let him# 7ou now he's illed###"
%e called into the darness, "And you haven't?"
"$hat's di8erent# $hat's for a !ood cause# 2 had to tae
the ris'this country needs men with my "ower, my
stren!th# And anyway, it wasn't me that illed all those
"eo"le# 2t was the vam"ires# -alvaire and Lotta###"
"-alvaire and Lotta were dead by that time and you
now it#"
"2t was still them," :ennis insisted, with the ind of lo!ic
Asher remembered from havin! the youn! man in his
classes# "$hey did it, not me, and, anyway, 2 did it for a
!ood cause# 2 need the blood# 2 NEE: 2$H"
,omethin! blaced Asher's mind, a blurrin! cloud of
faintness and e(haustion# %e thou!ht he saw movement, a
rustle in the lon! weeds that car"eted the fabricated
!ravestones far to his left, but the ne(t second 7sidro
swun! the torch as :ennis came sur!in! out of the
darness almost on to" of him, Asher lun!ed at them,
slashin! with the metal bar at the mutant vam"ire's broad
bac, but :ennis was !one a!ain, and 7sidro was on his
nees, clutchin! at the bi! muscle between nec and
shoulder, blood wellin! dar between his )n!ers# %is torch
lay !utterin! out on the dam" !round#
"/iller," :ennis' voice whis"ered out of the dar, as
Asher, never loosin! his !ri" on the bar, held his arm down
to hel" 7sidro to his feet# "Both of you, illers# ,"ies,
sneas, cowards, and illers of real men when their bacs
are turned," %oldin! on to his shoulder, 7sidro was
shudderin! all over, his hand lie ice, even throu!h the
leather of the 4acet, his thin body oddly wei!htless a!ainst
Asher's# $he )ne bones of his face stood out lie a sull's
with shoc and fati!ue'Asher won'dered if it were "ossible
for a vam"ire to faint#
"7ou never deserved Lydia# 7ou lied to her, cheated me
of what should have been mine# 7ou made her leave me
alone# ,he would have loved me if it hadn't been for you#
But 2 won't be alone# 6hen 2've illed you both, she'll be
mine# 2 now how to mae a vam"ire now###"
Asher swun! toward where he thou!ht the voice was
comin! from, but there was nothin!# 7sidro strai!htened u"
a little and sta!!ered, )!htin! to remain on his feet#
"6here is he?"
%e shoo his head# "2 don't now#" Oddly enou!h, his
voice sounded as cool and disinterested as ever# "2 thou!ht
he was over amon! the tombstones 4ust before he came at
me###"
"%ow lon! can the three of us hold him o8?"
"Lon! enou!h for the silver "oisonin! to tae e8ect on
him?" Lydia came u" beside them, the <icerin! brand in
her hand main! her s"ectacle lenses seem lie rounds of
)re#
"No#" $he vam"ire's li!ht hand ti!htened over Asher's
shoulder, "2t has only made him more frantic than ever for
my blood# %e has a !reat deal of stren!th still# 2t will be
days, maybe wees### 2f he taes me or another vam"ire or
su9cient human lives, he may "rolon! his life inde)nitely#
2n any case, it will be dawn soon#"
,he "ushed her s"ectacles more )rmly u" onto the
brid!e of her nose# "$he room where 2 was e"t had no
windows," she said# "2f we can mae it bac to the house
we can !uard you###"
"7ou'd never even see him strie#" $he vam"ire
strai!htened slowly away from Asher's !ri", removed his
hand from the wound in his nec> the thin )n!ers were
dar with !ore, and the handerchief that
bound the silver burns saturated and dri""in!# %is voice
was e("ressionless, "$he dawnli!ht will ill me'and then he
will have you###"
Lydia whirled shar"ly, raisin! her torch# "6hat's that?"
,omethin! white <icered and moved amon! the
tombstones#
$hreads of mily hair cau!ht the lift of the ni!ht wind#
$here was a <utterin! tan!le of blac over limbs colorless
as bone, lie dead ivy cloain! marble# $he unearthly,
unmistaable !leam of vam"ire eyes showed#
Asher breathed, "Anthony,##"
$iny, seletal'white hands lifted to the cloud'"atched
sy# Asher had a !lim"se of a white sull'face, the tonsure
framed in "ourin! streams of )lthy white mane> he seemed
to hear on the ni!ht wind the whis"ered cry5 &In %omine
0atris! et ;ilti! et 2pirtius 2ancti.. #"
7sidro shouted, &5ntonius! non(& as the dar sha"e of
:ennis rushed out of the ni!ht and fell lie storm cloud
u"on that lonely, fra!ile sha"e amon! the tombstones#
2f the little mon could have avoided his attacer or
fou!ht him, he did not'it did not even seem that he tried#
:ennis cau!ht him u" lie a snae sei&in! a bird, even as
Asher "lun!ed out of the safety of the cha"el ruin, "ain
4arrin! his broen hand with every ste" on the uneven
!round# %e heard Lydia call his name, 7sidro shout, "7ou
fool###H" A dee", sticy !roan of satiation broe from :ennis,
and somewhere he thou!ht he heard, "erha"s only in his
mind, a frail drift of voice5 &In manus tuas! +omini ###" as
the two vam"ires loced to!ether in the obscene "arody of
a iss#
$hen :ennis <un! the broen body aside and turned,
blood runnin! down his fan!s, swollen li"s, and rutted chin#
6ith a bestial snarl, he fell u"on Asher lie a char!in! bear#
Asher new it was blood fren&y beyond caution and
swun! the silver bar with all the stren!th he had# But
:ennis' wei!ht smashed into him with full force, throwin!
him bacward# %e had a confused !lim"se of the bloody
mouth !a"in! wider and wider, the blue eyes su8used, not
with hatred, but with astonishment and a!ony# 2n the s"lit
second as they collided, Asher reali&ed that :ennis died
even as he s"ran!#
$he im"act of the cor"se noced the breath out of him
as they hit the !round> the broen ed!e of an imitation
tombstone !ou!ed him in the bac# %e lay for a moment
stunned, under the stinin! and inert mass of infected <esh
that had been :ennis, and in that moment it came to him
what must have illed him#
.ainfully, he rolled out from under the body# $orchli!ht
s"lashed 4erily over him> he heard the swish of Lydia's
sirt in the lon! weeds and 7sidro's voice sayin!,
"James###?" 0or a moment, he stood swayin! over the
monster carcass, the silver bar dan!lin! uselessly from his
hand# $hen he dro""ed it and stumbled a few feet away to
the body of Brother Anthony, lie a broen marionette
amon! the frilled Dicto'rian !othic of the "inchbec tombs#
$he little *inorite lay crum"led to!ether, a shrunen
tan!le of old bones, rottin! robes, and white hair bound
to!ether with a )lthy rosary, clotted with his own blood and
that of si( centuries of ills# %is bare feet were scratched
and bloody# $he bi! veins of his throat had been ri""ed
o"en by the violence of :ennis' attac, not merely
"unctured' there was very little blood left# $hou!h sunen
and fallen in u"on the sull, his face wore a loo of stran!e
serenity and the faintest hint of a smile#
Behind him, Lydia and 7sidro were silent, Asher raised
the dead vam"ire's left arm and "ushed bac the decayed
shreds of the sleeve# $he torchli!ht showed clearly the line
of dar'stained "unctures that traced the bi! vein# =isin!
to his feet, he ste""ed around behind the tombstone to the
"lace where he had )rst thou!ht he'd seen movement#
%is own ulster lay there, its nubby brown tweed still
<eced with the hay from the bales in the 1ueen Anne
mews where he'd left it with 7sidro's cloa# On to" of it lay
the velvet bo( that had contained the hy"odermic needle
and its ten am"oules of silver nitrate#
$he am"oules were all em"ty#
Twenty- two
"%e was the only vam"ire who could have done it#"
.ausin! in the act of tryin! to do u" shirt buttons one'
handed'as he had "aused already half a do&en times that
afternoon'Asher looed a!ain at the brown velvet bo(
where it lay on a corner of the dressin! table, with its
em"ty am"oules and its bloodstained needle# "2 don't thin
a livin! man, much less a youn!er vam"ire, would have
survived to in4ect himself a second time#"
Lydia shoo her head# "%ow did he now?" 0rownin!
with concen'tration, she stood before Asher's shavin!
mirror to construct a runnin! 6indsor not in one of his ties
around her own nec# $he last of the evenin! sunli!ht,
fallin! throu!h the chea" lace curtains of Asher's rooms on
.rince of 6ales -olonnade, s"rinled the !hosts of shadow
<owers over her white shirtwaist and frecled her auburn
hair with !old#
"About the am"oules themselves? 2f he'd been followin!
us from .aris, he could easily have listened throu!h the
windows of your room when 7sidro and 2 s"oe of it# 7sidro
tells me vam"ires often listen for days to the conversations
of their "rey# And he wasn't unfamiliar with the activities
and technolo!y of modern men, you now'merely a"art
from them, as the other vam"ires, the so'called '!ood'
vam"ires, were not# 2f he was followin! me the day :ennis
attaced me at +ri""en's house, he would have seen
:ennis and !uessed that only somethin! as 'as heroic as
the measures he too'would have served#"
".oor :ennis#" Lydia loosened the tie, stood for a
moment, looin! into Asher's eyes in the mirror before
them# "%e used to say the most horrid thin!s about the
other !irls at ,omerville'about them wantin! to act lie
men because they couldn't get men'absolutely without
thinin!# And whenever 2'd "oint out it was what 2 was
doin!, he'd be so "atroni&in!, as if 2 were only at ;niversity
until 2 could )nd a husband and a home and have children#
'7ou're di8erent,' he'd say### %e could be so sweet to me, so
ind, and yet###"
,he shoo her head# =emovin! the tie from her own
nec, she turned to sli" it over Asher's head# "%e wanted so
much to be a hero, but the fact is that 2 never too him
seriously at all#"
%e too her wrist in the )n!ers of his !ood hand as she
ad4usted his collar# "7ou have to admit that, in my "lace, he
never would have let you endan!er yourself by comin! to
London#"
"2 now#" $he e("ression of sorrow that was more "ity
than !rief faded> she smiled ruefully u" into his eyes#
"$hat's why 2 never too him seriously# %e couldn't
conceive of anyone bein! able to save a situation but
himself#" ,he si!hed and )(ed her attention for a few
moments on the "lacin! of his stic"in and the minute
ad4ustments in the set of his tie# "$he awful thin! is that
2'm sure that's why he in4ected
himself with his father's serum'because he couldn't
stand the thou!ht of such "owers as -alvaire had !oin! to
anyone but him#"
$hey had burned Brother Anthony's body before the
comin! of dawn on a "yre hastily assembled from the
.eas' woodshed'Anthony's, and :ennis' with him# $he
<ames were searin!ly hot and blue, and Asher had been
wryly amused to see Lydia studyin! the aty"ical bla&e with
interest, clearly tain! notes in her head# But she hadn't,
he no'ticed, su!!ested "reservin! either of the vam"ires
for further e("erimen'tation# 6hatever alien "atholo!ies
lin!ered in their tainted blood, she had no desire to "ermit
them further e(istence, even in the alle!edly controlled
conditions of a laboratory#
7sidro had been !one lon! before the )re be!an to sin#
By the time the "olice arrived, drawn by a she"herd's
re"ort of the bla&e, it was sunu", and Asher and Lydia were
far down the road to .rince's =is'borou!h, looin! lie a
cou"le of tiners and walin! the motorcycle :ennis had
disabled between them, the !rimy brown ulster thrown
round both their shoulders for warmth# $he )re had been
re"orted in a minor article on a bac "a!e in that
afternoon' s+aily .ail! $here was no mention of human
remains in the bla&e#
"2n any case," Lydia went on after a moment, turnin!
bac from !a&in! rather abstractedly out at the sunset
ma&e of roofto"s and chim'neys, "if the "ositions had been
reversed, :ennis would have told me nothin! of what was
!oin! on'merely not to worry myself about such thin!s#
And it wouldn't have answered# Because the iller, the day
staler':ennis'new me, and wanted me# %e did see me
once, while he was stalin! Bully Joe :avies# And he'd
been'callin! me, tracin! me'in my dreams# %e wasn't as
!ood as the other vam"ires were at it, but### And then
a!ain, sooner or later, whether you or 2 or anyone did
anythin! about it or not, he would have learned somehow
about how to mae another vam"ire lie himself and he
would have come after me#" ,he wi"ed her eyes almost
surre"titiously and shoved her s"ectacles more )rmly u"
onto the brid!e of her nose# "*y !oin! to snoo" about
Blaydon's "lace in 1ueen Anne ,treet only s"eeded thin!s
u"#"
,he "iced u" his coat from the bed and came over to
hel" him on with it a!ain# By the time they'd waed u"
after their return from the .eas, the short autumn
afternoon had been far advanced, and a !oodly "ortion of
what remained had been s"ent at *iddlese( %os"ital,
!ettin! Asher's battered arm reset# %e could cheerfully
have !one bac to bed now and sle"t the cloc round, but
there remained one thin! yet to do#
"Are you sure you want to?" Lydia ased#
Asher !lanced "ast her at his own re<ection in the
mirror# ,haved and bathed, he no lon!er looed lie a
tram", but his face had a drawn, e(hausted loo he hadn't
seen there in years# %e new it, however, from his missions
abroad'the familiar, soul'dee" ache he associated with
climbin! tiredly onto the boat train for home#
"No," he said# "But with :ennis !one, 2 don't thin
there's any dan!er# And someone has to tell him# Just
"romise me you'll stay here 'stay indoors''til 2 come bac#
All ri!ht?"
,he nodded# Asher cast one last !lance at the sy,
visible throu!h the windows, satisfyin! himself that, before
full dar fell, he would be well away from these rooms#
+ri""en new about Lydia's rooms in Bruton .lace, but he
didn't'or at least Asher thou!ht he didn't'now about I
.rince of 6ales -olonnade,
;nless, of course, 7sidro had told him#
6hile the doctors at *iddlese( had beentushing and
fussin! over his arm, he'd sent Lydia out to Lambert's to
buy )ve more silver chains> he was conscious of the two
around his throat and left wrist as he de'scended the
lod!in!'house ste"s and be!an his unhurried wal toward
O(ford ,treet# $he !as lam"s were li!hted, soft and
"rimrose in the dus# %e had made sure Lydia was wearin!
hers, thou!h he "rivately sus"ected they wouldn't do
either of them much !ood, if the vam"ires were really
determined to let no one who new of their e(istence sur'
vive#
%is term of service to 7sidro was over#
And in the meantime, someone had to tell Blaydon###
And some'one had to mae sure that there weren't !oin!
to be any more e("eri'ments "for the !ood of the country#"
$he other thin! Lydia had bou!ht on her sho""in! tri"
had been a revolver, thou!h he hadn't told her who it was
for# %e sus"ected he wouldn't have needed to#
2n the dee" twili!ht, 1ueen Anne ,treet had a "lacid air,
the win'dows of its tall, narrow houses bri!ht with li!hts#
Occasionally Asher could see into one of them, throu!h the
shams of curtain lace5 two friends "layin! chess beside a
"arlor )re> a dar woman standin! dreamin! in a window,
her arm around the tall form of an andro!ynous youth#
6ere he a vam"ire, Asher thou!ht, he could have heard
their every word#
$here was a li!ht on in Blaydon's house, in the room he
!uessed was the study on the same <oor as the laboratory
and the little "rison# %e ra""ed shar"ly at the front door,
and it !ave bac beneath his nucles#
"Blaydon?"
%e didn't raise his voice much# $he shadows of the
stairwell swal'lowed the echoes of his words> for an instant,
he seemed to be bac in O(ford a!ain, listenin! to the
ominous stillness of a house he new was not em"ty#
$hen, lie a whis"er more within his sull than without,
he heard 7sidro say, ";" here#"
%e climbed the stairs, nowin! already what he would
)nd#
7sidro sat in the study at Blaydon's inlaid .ersian des,
sortin! "a'"ers'they s"illed down in drifts and covered the
car"et for a yard around# $he vam"ire himself was as Asher
had )rst seen him, a delicate thin! of alabaster and "eeled
ivory, cobweb hair fallin! to the shoulders of his !ray Bond
,treet suit'a dis"laced !randee, a nobleman in e(ile from
another a!e, who had once danced with the Dir!in 1ueen,
with every cell "etri)ed as it had been, and with his soul
tra""ed somewhere amon! them lie a mantis in amber#
Asher wondered with what study or "astime 7sidro had
be!uiled those "assin! centuries> he had never even found
that out#
.ale as brimstone or the clearest cham"a!ne, the calm
eyes lifted to meet Asher's#
"7ou will )nd him in his laboratory," he said 3uietly# "%is
nec is broen# %e was worin! on another batch of serum,
taen from the last of -hloe's blood#"
":id he now about :ennis?"
"$here was a tele!ram there from the Bucin!hamshire
"olice, say'in! that there had been a mysterious )re at the
.eas# $he metal but'tons of a man's trousers had been
found in the ashes, alon! with a few
craced !lass beads, a steel cruci)(, and some
unidenti)able bones#"
Asher was silent# 7sidro u"ended another folder of
notes over the !eneral mess# $hey slithered across the to"
of the "ile before him and swoo"ed lie awward birds to
the <oor#
"6ould you have done it?"
Asher si!hed# %e had done worse than ill Blaydon, and
for sli!hter cause# %e new if he'd been cau!ht he could
always have "leaded his 0orei!n O9ce connections, and
mi!ht even have been baced u" by friends in the
:e"artment# $he "istol wei!hed heavily in his ulster
"ocet# "7es#"
"2 thou!ht you would have#" ,imon smiled, wry and yet
oddly sweet, and Asher had the im"ression'as he had
<eetin!ly durin! the dar horrors of the "revious ni!ht'of
dealin! with the man 7sidro had once been, before he had
become a vam"ire# "2 wished to s"are you aw'wardness#"
"7ou wished to s"are me a discussion with the "olice on
the sub4ect of Blaydon's e("eriments#"
$hat faint, cynical smile widened and, for the )rst time,
warmed 7sidro's chilly eyes# "$hat, too#"
Asher came over and stood beside the des, looin!
down at the slender form of white and !ray# 2f the !ou!es
left in 7sidro's <esh by :ennis' fan!s still "ained him, as
Asher's broen arm throbbed dully beneath its shroud of
novocaine, he !ave no si!n# %is slender hands were neatly
banda!ed# Asher wondered if +ri""en had done that#
"7ou reali&e," Asher said slowly, "that not only was
Brother An'thony the only vam"ire who could have illed
:ennis'the only vam'"ire who "hysically could have
survived that much silver in his system for even the minute
or so it too for :ennis to drin his blood'but he was the
only one who would have# %e was the only vam"ire who
valued the redem"tion of his soul above the continuation of
his e(istence#"
A stray !ust of wind shoo the trees in the bac !arden,
nocin! bonily a!ainst the windows> distantly, a church
cloc chimed si(# 7sidro's lon! )n!ers lay unmovin! in the
4umbled leaves of notes before him, the "ale !old of his
rin! shinin! faintly in the !asli!ht# ":o you thin he
achieved it?" he ased at last#
"Are you familiar with the le!end of $annha'user?"
$he vam"ire smiled sli!htly# "$he sinner who came to
the .o"e of =ome and made confession of such fri!htful
deeds that the %oly 0ather drove him forth, sayin!, '$here
is more lielihood of my sta8 "uttin! forth <owers, than
there is of +od for!ivin! such wicedness as yours#'
$annha'user des"aired and de"arted from =ome, to return
to his life of sin, and three days later the .o"e found his
sta8 standin! in a corner where he had left it, covered in
livin! blossom# 7es#" $he !asli!ht ech'oed itself softly in a
thousand tiny <icers in the endless labyrinth of his eyes#
"But as Brother Anthony himself said, 2 will never now#"
A faint sound behind him caused Asher to turn# 2n the
doorway at his bac stood Anthea 0arren and Lionel
+ri""en, the woman weary and "inched'looin!, the doctor
a massive form of ine(haustible, ruddy'faced evil, his fan!s
bri!ht a!ainst the stolen redness of his li"s#
7sidro went on softly, "2 don't thin it would even have
occurred to any of us that such sacri)ce was conceivable#
-ertainly 2 don't thin it occurred to Brother Anthony until
he encountered you, a mortal man, in the catacombs, and
you s"oe of +od's eternal willin!ness to for!ive and that
there mi!ht be, for such as he, a way out#"
"2f that's what he chose to fool himself into thinin!,
that was his a8air," +ri""en !runted# "A man castin! about
for a "olite e(cuse to leave the table in the midst of a feast
he'd no stomach for, that is all#"
And Anthea ti""ed her head sli!htly to the side and
a!reed softly, "2t was a mortal thin! to do#"
"%uh," +ri""en said# "%e found it mortal enou!h#"
0or a moment Asher studied the woman's smooth white
face framed in the woody blac of her hair, !a&in! into
those immense brown eyes# "7es," he said# "2t was the act
of a man and not of a vam"ire#"
"And in any case, it has ful)lled the bar!ain between
us," 7sidro said, without risin! from the des# "And so you
are free to !o#"
"+o?" Asher !lanced bac at him, then to the two
vam"ires who stood behind him, +ri""en on his ri!ht, and
the -ountess of Ernchester on his left, cold and stron! and
old, the !asli!ht "layin! softly over those faces of white
nacre in which burned livin! eyes#
"+o," 7sidro's !entle, whis"erin! voice re"eated# "Oh, 2
dare say you could, if you would, turn vam"ire'hunter and
run the last of us to earth, or at least such of us as you
"ersonally dislie# Or all of us, since you are at least in "art
still a man of "rinci"le, albeit somewhat eroded "rinci"le#
"7et 2 thin that unliely# 6e now how you and *istress
Lydia traced us'we have been re"airin! omissions made,
)ndin! new lairs under 'cover,' as you call it, which will
better bear scrutiny in the modern world# 7ou could hunt us
down eventually, 2 dare say, were you willin! to "ut the
time into it, to !ive your soul to it, to become obsessed, as
all vam"ire'hunters must be obsessed with their "rey# But it
would still tae years# Are you willin! to !ive it years?"
Asher !a&ed at him, sayin! nothin!, while those "ale,
unhuman eyes looed without mocery into his# 2t was
ethically wron!, be new#
.oor, stu"id :ennis had illed twenty'four men and
women, blindly, feverishly, in the !ri" of a cravin! that
amounted to madness> 7sidro's coolly e(ecuted murders
totaled in the tens of thousands at least# Ethi'cally it was
his duty to hunt them down and to destroy them before
they could ill a!ain or create other illers lie themselves,
in a widenin! "ool of blood#
But in his heart he new 7sidro was ri!ht# 2t would tae
obsession to trac them now, and the obsession with
abstract "shoulds" had burned out of him si( years a!o,
when he'd blown out the brains of a boy who had been his
friend, sim"ly because his duty demanded that he ou!ht#
%e felt suddenly weary of this, bitterly weary of it all,
nowin! that he was sim"ly not u" to it anymore#
"6e will stay away from you and yours," the vam"ire
went on# "6hat more can you as? $his is not "ayment'it is
sim"ly "rudence on our "art# A man whose own o( has not
been !ored seldom maes a "ersistent hunter# $o hunt us
would be to hunt smoe, James, for we have what you do
not have# 6e have time# $he days and hours of your
ha""iness are "recious to you, and you now how few they
are# But we have all the time there is'or at least," he smiled
ironically, "all of it that we want#"
,omethin!'a sense of dan!er, the tu! of the vam"ire's
"sychic !lam'our at his mind'made Asher turn, sensin! a
tra", ready to defend himself### But +ri""en and Anthea
were !one,
%e turned bac to the des, and saw it em"ty#
%is footfalls echoed softly in the em"ty house as he left#
6hen he was halfway down the street, he saw the !old
lea" of <ame in the study window and the !ray curl of
smoe, but he e"t on walin!# .eo"le were runnin! "ast
him, shoutin! as they, too, saw the )re s"readin! in the
house# 6ith the "a"ers scattered everywhere, the whole
"lace would !o 3uicly#
At the corner of %arley ,treet, he hailed a cab to return
him to his lod!in!s in .rince of 6ales -olonnade, where
Lydia would be curled u" in bed, her red hair lyin! in
swathes over the lace of her shoulders, readin! a medical
4ournal and waitin! for his return#