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"Master, stop Please It was not their fault"

Biffy sat up slightly on the couch, eyes fixed in horror at the sight before hio of Professor Lyal and dashed over to kneel by the young uilt "I should not have al owed myself to be captured I was careless I did not suspect the potentate of such extreht et to you"

"Ah,blind This is not your fault"

"Do you real y findnow?" Biffy’s voice was very smal

Driven beyond his instincts, the vaainst hi another, as unnatural as a snake atte to comfort a house cat

Biffy rested his dark head on Lord Akeldaether and looked up at the ceiling, blinked, and then looked away

Through the fal of the valimpse of his face

Ah, oh dear, he really did love hih he ht stopper up the tears in theirs Curses

Love, of al eccentricities a and the least talked about or expected But Lord Akeldaenuine loss into a kind of carved ony

Professor Lyal was an immortal; he knehat it was to lose a loved one He could not leave the room, not with so many important BUR documents scattered about, but he did turn away and put on a show of busily organizing stacks of paperwork, atte to provide the two men somedown upon the couch next to his forusting--although, we must real y have a serious discussion about this beard of yours That was only a little turn of phrase, perhaps a bit of an exaggeration You see, I did so look forward to the possibility of having you by -and-swil club and al that"

A sniff fro, this is my fault I should have kept a better watch I should not have fal en for his tricks or sent you in against him I should not have al owed your disappearance to cause ns of a gaainst me and mine But ould have believed my own kind--another vampire, another rove--would steal from me? Me! My sweet citron, I did not see the pattern I did not see how desperate he was I forgot that sometimes the information I carry in my own head is more valuable than the daily wonders you lovely boys unearth for s couldn’t possibly get any worse, a bang ca

"What--?"

It was Professor Lyal ’s turn to look up at the ceiling in an excess of emotion

"Her most Royal Majesty, Queen Victoria, to see Lord Maccon"

Queen Victoria h the door and spoke to Professor Lyal without breaking stride "He is not here, is he? Wretched man"

"Your Majesty!" Professor Lyal hurried from behind his desk and perforland, a deceptively squat and brown personage, swept the rooh Lord Maccon, sizable specie to hide in a corner so What her eye rested upon was the tableau of a tear-stained Biffy, clearly naked under his blanket, caught up in the arms of a peer of the realm

"What is this? Sentiment! Who is that there? Lord Akeldama? Real y, this wil not do at alCompose yourself this instant"

Lord Akeldaainst Biffy’s, and narrowed his eyes at the queen He gently let his forht and not one jot et up without exposing some part of himself, and he could not perform the appropriate obedience from a supine position He looked with desperate eyes at the queen

Professor Lyal caive, uh," he floundered, for he had never learned Biffy’s real naht"

"So we have been given to understand Is this, then, the drone in question?" The queen raised a quizzing glass and exah it "The dewan has said you were kidnapped, young es, indeed Are they true?"

Biffy, ed only a rin in equal led that" She turned her sharp eye on Lord Akeldama

The vampire, with a studied, casual air, fixed the cuffs of his shirtsleeves so they lay perfectly underneath his jacket He did not aze

"Would you say, Lord Akeldama, that death was an appropriate punishment for the theft of another vampire’s drone?" she inquired casual y

"I would say it is a bit extreiven to understand, accidents wil happen It was not intentional"

Professor Lyal couldn’t believe his ears Was Lord Akeldaes wil be brought against the earl"

Lord Akeldama started "I did not say… that is, he also metamorphosed Biffy"

"Yes, yes Excel ent, another olf is alelcome" The queen bestowed a beneficent smile on the stil -bemused Biffy

"But he is mine!"

The queen frowned at the vampire’s tone "We hardly see the need for such fuss, Lord Akeldama You have plenty more just like him, do you not?"

Lord Akeldah for the queen to continue on with her conversation, entirely ignoring his beone in pursuit of his wife?" A nod fro her asunder the potentate’s advice e dis his own hidden agenda For centuries, Walsinghaly What could have driven such a ths?"

Al around her, silence descended

"That, gentlemen, was not a rhetorical question"

Professor Lyal cleared his throat "I believe itchild"

"Yes?"

Professor Lyal turned and looked pointedly at Lord Akeldaland did the sa, but under such direct scrutiny, he did appear slightly flustered