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The awful hush that followedKurda’s proclamation seemed to last an eternity Finally, Seba Nile rose slowly, pointed a treer at Kurda, and spat, "You lie!"

Kurda shook his head stubbornly "I don’t"

"You have seen this Vampaneze Lord?" Seba asked

"No," Kurda said "I would have killed him if I had"

"Then how do you know he exists?"

Kurda shrugged in response

"Answer him!" Paris thundered

"The vampaneze have a unique coffin," Kurda said "They call it the Coffin of Fire Mr Tiny bestowed it upon theave us this uarded by a troop of vampaneze who call themselves the Carriers of Destiny

"The coffin is like any other - until someone lies down in it and the lid is put in place Then the coffin fills with a terrible fire If the person is destined to lead the vae unscathed Otherwise, he perishes in the flames

"Over the decades, many vampaneze have braved the Coffin of Fire - and died But six o a human lay down in it, faced the flames, and came out whole He is the Lord of the Vampaneze, and once he has been blooded, every member of the clan will obey and follow him - to the death, if required"

The Princes stared at Kurda uncertainly, fearfully, until Paris asked in a whisper, "Were you there when this human was tested?"

"No," Kurda replied "Only the Carriers of Destiny were present"

"Then this ht be only a rumor," Paris said hopefully "A tall tale"

"Vampaneze never lie," Kurda reed," Mika mused "The Stone of Blood would be worth a few lies They could have tricked you, Kurda"

Again Kurda shook his head "Many va of their Lord as we are They don’t seek a war They fear the losses such a struggle would incur That’s why thirty-eight agreed to accompany me on this mission They hoped to prevent total, all-out conflict, sparing their colleagues and friends"

"You keep talking about preventing a war and saving us," Paris noted "I do not see how you thought betraying our cause could be of any help"

"I intended to force a union," Kurda explained "When I heard that the Vampaneze Lord had been unearthed, I kneas too late to put in place a fair peace agree my options - which were few - I decided to chance a coup Had I succeeded, vampires everywhere would have been at the mercy of the vampaneze Those in the Hall of Princes could have communicated with their kin and, via the Stone of Blood, fed the varee to my terms"

"And ould they have been?" Paris asked contemptuously

"That we join the ranks of the vampaneze," Kurda answered "I’d hoped for an equal union, where vae of circumstances, that was impossible We’d have had to adopt the vampaneze ways and customs But that would have been preferable to annihilation"

"Not for rowled "I’d have rather died"

"I’reed "But I believe most would have seen sense Even if they hadn’t, and you all chose to fight to the death, at least I’d have tried"

"What was in it for you, Kurda?" Mika asked "Did the vampaneze proime?"

"The vampaneze made no offers," Kurda replied shortly "Many wish to avoid a war, so a few dozen volunteers - brave reed to risk their lives and assist me We had no ulterior motives We did it for your sakes, not our own"

"Very noble of you, Kurda," Mika sneered

"Nobler than you i his cool "Have you no brains? Don’t you see the sacrifice I made?"

"What sacrifice?" Mika asked, taken aback