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"I’h, and yet, like sh the roo Victoria’s ears, and her consciousness It echoed there, and settled itself in place as if to confirhteen

Wherein Our Heroine Conducts an Unsuccessful Interrogation

Settled in her massive stone chair, Lilith seemed to feel far more companionable toward Victoria now Her odd eyes lit with unholy humor and anticipation, and she see the vampire queen in such a state unsettled Victoria Her veins were still hu and heartbeat had eased into a ht?

She drew in a deep breath, the scent of roses and wood ss, and caler at this moment, nor did Lilith seem inclined to release herso, at the very least, Victoria felt that the situation should be used to its advantage regardless of as to come

Boldly, she walked over to one of the heavy wooden chairs that lined the wall and sat Lilith’s chin lifted, but with a nod of acceptance rather than condemnation "Of coursedo make yourself comfortable"

"I will indeed Perhaps while ait--for whatever it is you await--you’ll assuage some of ht Clearly, the forard into your handsbut I’m mystified as to how that happened"

The queen slanted her an arrogant look "It was brought to irl She obtained it froard’s followers, who meant it as a token to her as the new leader of the Tutela Apparently you killed her father?"

"Is she drinking the elixir then? And what about you, Lilith? Don’t you wish to see the sunlight again?"

Now the creature laughed again, this time more contemptuously "I? Drink of that poison? Of course not"

"Poison?"

"My, how naive you are, Victoria Gardella I shall quite enjoy watching your innocent veneer crack and dull" Lilith sat upright in her chair, her bony wrist resting on the curved are portion of the forrows only once or twice per century It also happens to be poisonous to the undead"

"It doesn’t kill them"

"Not immediatelybut the benefits of the potion last for only a short time--no more than a few hours The daytime vampires, as you so quaintly call them, drink it as needed--whenever they wish to move about in the sun, or to remain undetected by you and your comrades But for every use of the elixir, those who consue one year, perhaps moreit is not an exact-- science, so to speak If one uses it enough, one ages, and eventually cannot stop the aging process, even if the elixir is stoppedand the undead dies quite rapidly and unexpectedly Without the unpleasantness of your stake or sword" She sently into her lower lip "Of course, I did not tell them of the hazardsfor, as you can see, I had use for undead that could move about in the day And the elixir is e?"

"The elixir would do Sara no good," Lilith admitted "She has not turned undead And as for the otherswell, I do not feel like being charitable If you do not know, then I don’t care to enlighten you"

"But why not? If I am soon to join your ranks"

Lilith lebut e no ure it out"

Victoria was not about to give up her chance to extricate more information from the vampire queen, even as the back of her et away, she would send for Wayren and tell her of Lilith’s awful prediction She’d find some way to stop it

"And so you have come to London for what purpose? Do you not recall how you fled the last time you were here and believed you had reat condescension in her voice

The creature’s face ray, but she responded evenly "Oh, do not think that it was only you, or Maximilian, who drew me to this cold city I was not even certain he was here until Sara discovered him at that masquerade party The two of you are only added little trinkets to this business" Her expression challenged Victoria to ask more