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I’m under the carriage house in the vampire’s laboratory. I don’t think the door I used is the best one. Look around back forsomething.
Are you indanger?
Not at the moment. Will you check on Dimitri? We got separated, and I don’t know his phone number.Nor did I know if I had reception down here. Was Zoltan’s computer setup using a cell signal for internet access? Or had he somehow gotten cables run underground out here? Obviously, he hadelectricity.
I’ll check on him. I think those people I led around are elves—or dark elves—and I think they realized I was deliberately leading them away from their prey. I expect them to return to thisproperty.
Am I theirprey?
Probably. I think you were the target at your colonel’sapartment.
Then I’m glad their aim has beenlousy.
Has it? That room you were in burned down, with the roof collapsing on it. If you’d been a little slower to getout…
I take your point. Keep me updated,please.
“Here, you can see this sigil.” Zoltan laid the book on the counter, open to a backpage.
Though my instincts warned me about getting too close, I came over, keeping Fezzik between him and me. Zoltan beamed an admiring smile at my neck. I must have caught him on a hungrynight.
The familiar symbol was one of four drawn on the page in faded brown ink—or was that blood? The smaller text written around each symbol was in blackink.
“What’s it say about it?” I couldn’t read anything, but the flowing script was in the same stylistic vein as the symbol. “And what language is this bookin?”
“The particular alchemical language of the dark elves. They have four different tongues, one for alchemy, one for religious purposes, one for teaching, and one for everyday use. Even in their heyday here on Earth, few people knew the alchemicallanguage.”
“Are you one of thosepeople?”
“You called me a people. I’m honored.” There was that smile again and a slightbow.
“Weren’t you oneonce?”
“Indeed, indeed. Not so long ago that I can’t remember it. But these days, I merely stay in my dark hole and research and teach, and occasionally contemplate summoning my followers to this place so that I might feast on their blood while turning them into young vampires. I could raise up an army to do mybidding.”
“Followers?”
“Yes. To my channels.” He extended his hand toward the computer setup. “There aremillions.” His dead black eyes managed togleam.
“Oh, the teenagegirls.”
“And some boys. Also, my demographics studies have shown that housewives between the ages of thirty-four and fifty-three find me quite the tiger’smeow.”
I squinted at him, suspecting that was to let me know that he knew Sindari was prowling around up there. “Tigers don’tmeow.”
“No?”
“What would you do with anarmy?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it? Perhaps I could find a way to rule this nation—your political system seems fraught with strife, so it’s clear that a superior option is needed—but my difficulties with sunlight would pose a challenge. And I’m certain your government would field someone like you to come slay me. Which would betedious.”
“Nodoubt.”
“And besides, my followers are terribly valuable where they are. My sponsors value them a great deal. Their funds pay for me to have my alchemical supplies delivered. The world has become a fascinatingplace.”
“Yes. Can you read that?” I tapped thepage.
A light warning zap ran up myfinger.
