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Across Giresci’s waistcoat he wore a chain of gold Now he took from the left-hand waistcoat pocket a silver fob watch co with the antique chain, and fro the jewellery up for Dragosani’s inspection Dragosani caught his breath and held it, ignored the watch and chain but took hold of the medallion and stared at it On one face of the disc he saw a highly stylised heraldic cross which could only be that of the Knights of St John of Jerusaleain with sohly defaced; and on the other side -

Soosani had expected it In harsh, almost crude bas-relief, a triple device: that of the devil, the bat, and the dragon He knew the motif only too well, and the question it prompted came out in a rush of breath which surprised him more than Giresci:

’Have you tracked this down?’

’The device, its heraldic significance? I have tried It has a significance, obviously, but I’ve so far failed to discover the origin of this specific coat or chapter I can tell you soon and the bat; but as for the devil motif, that is rather obscure Oh, I knohat /and purely conjectural, with little or nothing to sub-’

’No,’ Dragosani i I know the ave you the medallion?

Were you able to trace his history?’ He stared at the other, eager for the ansithout quite knohat had pro it had been an al fro there for soer

Giresci nodded, took back the medallion, watch and chain ’It’s curious, I know,’ he said, ’but after an experience like mine you’d think I’d steer clear of all such stuff, wouldn’t you? You certainly wouldn’t think it would startyears of private search and research But that’s what it did; and where better to start, as you seem to have worked out for yourself, than with the name and faht? First his name: it was Faethor Ferenczy’

’Ferenczy?’ Dragosani repeated, alertips white where they pressed down on the table between the to him, he felt sure But what? ’And his family?’

’What?’ Giresci see ’You don’t find the narant you - it’s chiefly Hungarian But Faethor?’

’What of it?’

Giresci shrugged ’I only ever came across it on one other occasion: a ninth-century White Khorvaty prince ling His surna’

Ferenczy, Ferrenzig, thought Dragosani One and the same And then he checked himself Why on earth should he jump to a conclusion like that? And yet at the same time he knew that he had not merely ’jumped to a conclusion’ but that he had known the duality of the Wamphyri identity for a fact Dual identity? But surely that too was a conclusion drawn in haste He had meant that the names were the same, not the men, or man, who had borne the names Or had he in fact meant more than that? If so it was an insane conclusion - that those two Faethors, one a ninth-century Khorvatian prince and the other a modern Romanian landowner, should be one and the saosani knew froround that the concept of vaevity was far from insane

’What else did you learn of him?1 he finally broke the silence ’What about his fa members, I mean And his history, other than this tenuous Khorvaty link?’

Giresci frowned and scratched his head ’Talking to you’ he growled, ’is an unrewarding, even frustrating ga that you already know most of the answers That perhaps you know even more than I do It’s as if you merely use me to confirm your oell-established beliefs’ He paused for a osani offered no reply, continued: ’Anyway, as far as I’m aware Faethor Ferenczy was the last of his line None survive hiosani snapped He at once bit his lip and lowered his voice ’I mean you can’t be sure of that’

Giresci was taken aback ’Again you know better than osani’s whisky steadily but see: ’Let me tell you just exactly what I found out about this Ferenczy, yes?

The as over by the ti: I couldn’t coht here, and was "co This plus a set by Nothing luxurious, but I wouldn’t starve or go in need of a roof over my head My wife - well, she had been another victim of the war We had no family and I never rerossed with the va else to do Or nothing else that I wanted to do But this drew ht, I won’t bore you; I explain all of this siations started with Faethor Ferenczy I went back to where it had happened, talked to people who hbourhood had been reduced to rubble but a few houses still stood The actual Ferenczy house was just a shell, blackened inside and out, with nothing at all to shoho or what had lived there

’Anyway, I had his name froistry, ister, etc But other than this handful of responsible authorities, no one seemed to know hi in the district, a Widow Luorni Some fifteen years before the war she’d worked for Ferenczy, had been his cleaner lady She went in teekly and kept his place in good order She’d done that for ten years or rown disenchanted with the work She wouldn’t say why specifically, but it was obvious toabout hirown on her until she couldn’t take any more of it At any rate, she never onceherself Yes, but still she s about him I’ll try to cut it short for you:

’There were no mirrors in his house I know I don’t have to explain the significance of that

’The Widow Luorni never saw her eht; she never saw him outdoors at all except on two occasions, both tiarden

’She never once prepared aNot ever He had a kitchen, yes, but to the old lady’s knowledge never used it; or if he did, then he cleared up after himself

’He had no wife, no family, no friends He received very little mail, was often away from home for weeks on end He did not have a job and did not appear to do any work in the privacy of his home, but he always had money Plenty of it When I checked, I was unable to discover anything by way of a bank account in his nae, very secretive, very reclusive man

’But that’s not all, far fro when she went to clean, the old girl found the local police there Three brothers, a well-known gang of burglars working out of Moreni - a brutish lot that the police had been after for years - had been apprehended at the house Apparently they’d broken into the place in the wee sht the house was e to stateing one of the the other two to the cellar when his attention was arrested by the arrival of horsemen outside the house Remember, in those days the local police still used horses in the ht; they had been alerted by reports of prowlers in the area, the brothers, of course And never were three criiven over into the hands of the law!

Thugs they were, by all means, but they’d been no ht ar, and their intended victiosani! The police were too grateful to hio into the matter too deeply, Widow Luorni said - and after all, he had only been protecting his life and property - but she was there when the brothers were carted away a few hours later, and it was plain to her that her ehts out of them

’Anyway, I’ve said that Ferenczy was in the act of taking his captives to the cellar For what purpose? A place to detain them until help arrived? Possibly

’Or a place to keep them, like a cool pantry, until they were required, eh?’ said Dragosani

Giresci nodded ’Exactly! Anyway, shortly after that the Widow stopped working there’

’Ho IYou said yourself that she was "disenchanted", that a feeling of unease had grown in her until she could take no more Wouldn’t he worry that she’d talk about him?’

’Ah!’ Giresci answered ’But you’ve forgotten soosani What about the way he controlled , the night he died?’

’Hypnotisrimly, nodded ’It is an art of the va as he lived she would reet all about hi sinister in hiosani

’And so strong was his power,’ the other continued, ’that she actually did forget - until I questioned her about him all those years later For, of course, by then Ferenczy was dead’

Giresci’s osani The ness - his obviously high opinion of his own detective skills ’But of course this is all conjecture,’ the necromancer finally said ’You don’t know any of it for a certainty’

’Oh, but I do,’ answered the other at once ’I know it fro: I’ that she siood gossip session or anything like that Far from it No, for I had to really sit doith her and ask her about hi it all out He was dead and his power gone, certainly, but still soered over, do you see?’

Dragosani grew thoughtful His eyes narrowed a little Suddenly, surprisingly, he felt threatened by this osani resented him - and at once wondered why He found it hard to understand his own feelings, the sudden surge of emotion within It was too enclosed in here, claustrophobic That hter, tried to concentrate ’Of course, the Widow is long dead now’

’Oh, yes-years ago’

’So you and I, we’re the only ones who know anything at all about Faethor Ferenczy?’

Giresci peered at the younger osani’s voice had sunk so low that it was littlewrong with hiave hi his eyes

That’s right,’ Giresci answered, frowning ’I’ve told no one else in - oh, longer than I can re anyone else, for who’d believe? But are you all right,you?’

’Me?’ Dragosani found hi forward, as if draards Giresci He deliberately forced hiht in his chair ’No, of course not I’ood food you’ve servedway in the last few days Yes, that’s it: I’m tired’

’You’re sure?’

’Yes, quite sure But go on, Giresci, don’t stop now Please tell s The Wa else you know or suspect Tell ? It could take a week, longer!’

’I have a week,’ Dragosani answered

’Damn, I believe you’re serious!’

’I aosani, doubtless you’re a nice enough young fellow, and it’s good to talk to so about one’s subject - but what makes you think I’d care to spend a whole week like that? At e time’s ievity Ferenczy had, eh?’

Dragosani s, you can talk to me here or in Moscow, he checked hiht let Borowitz in on his big secret: how he came to be a necromancer in the first place ’Then how about the next hour or two?’ he coested it, we can start with Ferenczy’s longevity’

Giresci chuckled ’Fair enough Anyway, there’s whisky left yet!’ He poured himself another shot, ht:

’Ferenczy’s longevity The near-i else the Widow Luorni

said She said that when she was a s in the sae about that, though - son follows father, right? There were plenty of old Boyar families round here whose names went back to tie is this: to the Widow’s knowledge there had never been any female Ferenczys And how does a man pass on his name if he never takes a wife, eh?’

’And of course you looked into it,’ said Dragosani

’I did Records were scarce, however, for the war had destroyed a great deal But certainly the house had been the seat of the Ferenczys as far back as I could trace it, and never a wo ’e his outrage, Dragosani suddenly felt that he himself had been insulted Or perhaps it was only his natural intelligence which felt slighted ’Celibate?’ he said stiffly ’I think not’

Giresci nodded In fact he ell aware of the Wamphyri’s rapacious nature ’No, of course not,’ he confirosani’s denial ’What? A vampire celibate? Ridiculous? Lust is the very force that drives him Universal lust - for power, flesh, blood! But listen to this:

’In 1840 one Bela Ferenczy set off across the Meridi-onali to visit a cousin or other relative in the arian borders Now this one to a deal of trouble to let people knoas going visiting He installed a man to look after the place while he ay - not a local ypsy stock - hired a coach and driver for the early stages of the journey, h passes, and completed all of the preparations necessary to travel in these parts in those days

And he put it about locally that this was to be a journey of valediction He had seerow very old very quickly in the last year or two, and so it was accepted that he went to say his last farewells to distant relatives

’Now remember, ere still very much Moldavia-Wallachia at that ti - everywhere but here! Insular as ever, ere so backward as to see the mountains, was still more than a decade away News travelled extremely slowly, and records were hard to keep I ht the fact that in this case there was good communication, and that a record did survive’

’Case?’ Dragosani queried ’What case are you talking about?’

’The case of Bela Ferenczy’s sudden death when his coach and horses were hurled into a precipice by an avalanche in one of the high passes! News of the "accident" got swiftly back here; the old any retainer took Ferenczy’s sealed will to the local registrar; the as posted without delay, showing that the Ferenczy house and grounds were to pass to a "cousin", one Giorg, who had, apparently, already been appraised of the situation and his inheritance’

Dragosani nodded ’And of course this Giorg Ferenczy later turned up and took possession He would be - or he would appear to be - younger far than Bela, but the family resemblance would be unquestionable’

’Good!’ Giresci barked ’You followlived here for fifty years, which would norh time he "died" and made way for the next in line’

’And after Giorg?’

’Faethor, of course,’ Giresci scratched his chin reflectively ’I’ve often wondered,’ he said, ’if I had not killed

hiht - what his next incarnation would have been? Would he have shown up after the war in souise, to rebuild the house and carry on as before? I think the answer is probably yes They are territorial, the Wamphyri’

’And so you’re convinced that Bela, Giorg, and Faethor were all one and the saht that was understood Didn’t he tell me as much himself, when he raved of the battles at Silistria and Constantinople? And before Bela there was Grigor, Karl, Peter and Stefan - oh, and the Lord knothe princeling and probably beyond! This was his territory, do you see? He held bloody dos or Boyars, s! That hy he joined the Fourth Crusade, to keep olden and future enemies off his lands His lands, you understand? No overnround to be his He fought to protect hiy pack of scuners out of the West! You’ve seen the defaced Crusader cross on the reverse of my medallion - hah! When they dishonoured him he scorned them, spat on them!’

’And have you actually traced his name that far back? To Constantinople, Iof his awe of the vaosani’s voice

Giresci cocked his head a little on one side; ’Dragosani, how’s your history?’

’Hardly brilliant Fair, I suppose’

’Hmm! Well, many names came down from the Fourth Crusade, but you’ll be hard put to find a Ferenczy or Ferrenzig ah, be sure of it! How do I know? Well, it’s possible that you’re talking to the world’s foremost authority on that particular bloodbath, and I’ve discovered things which I’m sure many other historians have overlooked Of course, I had the advantage of knohat I was looking for -down the varound Man, I could write a book on the Fourth Crusade - certainly fro of Constantinople: Lord, what a hell that ht there in the thick of it - wherever the fighting raged fiercest - there was this man and the brutish horde he commanded He was there too when the city fell, when he and his band of ed, utterly out of control Yes, and his excesses spread like a cancer; the entire ared anddays

Tope Innocent III had called the Crusade; now, aghast at what it had turned into, he was unable to regain control The Crusaders had vowed to take the Holy Land, but Innocent and his legate were obliged to absolve theood as washed his hands of the affair; but in secret communiqu��s he exercised what little control reross acts of excessive and unnatural cruelty" lory nor rich reward" for their barbarism but that "their names shall not be ard"

’Well, no need to look far for a scapegoat: a certain "bloodthirsty Wallach recruited in Zara" would fit the bill nicely Nor was he blameless At first the Crusaders had honoured and elevated him - perhaps, secretly, they’d even envied or feared hiraced, and his name was stricken from all records In return he scorned then -the cross on his medallion - he took his band and went home, proud and fierce under the banner of the devil, the bat and the dragon’

Dragosani chewed on his lip for a : ’Let’s assume that to all intents and purposes all of this is true, or at least based on the truth to the best of your knowledge Still there are several i to be answered’

’Such as?’

’Ferenczy was a vaer is on him he’ll kill as ruthlessly as a fox kills chickens, and just as thoughtlessly Yet it seeh all those centuries without once arousing suspicion? Remember, Ladislau Giresci, the blood is the life! Were there no cases of vampirism?’

’Around Ploiesti? None - not one - not as long as they’ve kept records, so far as I can discover’ Giresci sriosani, would you take victiht on your own doorstep?’

’No, I don’t suppose I would,’ Dragosani frowned ’Where, then?’

’North, my friend, in the Meridionali itself! Where else but the Transylvanian Alps, where all vampire stories seem to have their roots? Slanic and Sinaia in the foothills, Brasov and Sacele beyond the pass And none of them more than fifty miles distant from Ferenczy’s house, and all shunned for their evil reputations’