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In theradiance which had returned to hi A faint yellow tinge to his cheeks, a trace of pink to his lips But neveron the rock-dead and light and crisp save for the constant pu of this blood This vile blood And his brain, ah, his brain, what did it look like now? Translucent as a thing h its tiny compartments? And therein the power lived, did it not, with its invisible tongue?

Going out again, he tried this newfound force upon ani-evil things, those creatures-and upon rats, which all men disdain Not the saue flick of energy, but they didn't catch fire Rather the brains and hearts suffered some sort of fatal rupture, but the natural blood in them, it was not combustible And so they did not burn

This fascinated hi fashion "What a subject I a suddenly with unwelcome tears Capes, white ties, vampire movies, as this to hi the road froreat lurid poster of the Va hiue flick of energy shattered the glass

Ah, lovely, lovely Give ht, ascending soundlessly above the darkened land Down into the rass he went to here the oracle had once sat, in this the ruin of the god's house

But he would not leave Athens He must find the two blood drinkers, and tell theainst them They must talk to him! They must be with him-! Yes

The next night upon awakening, he listened for theraves A house in the Plaka was their lair, with one of those noisy, smoky taverns open to the street In its cellars they slept by day, he realized, and ca and dance Lamia, the old Greek word for vampire, was the nauitars played the priwith all the seductiveness of wo pictures froosi as Dracula, the pale Gloria Holden as his daughter- and posters of the blond and blue-eyed Vampire Lestat

So they too had a sense of hurief and fear, sat together, staring at the open door as he peered in How helpless they looked!

They did noton the threshold with his back to the white glare of the street What did they think when they saw his long cloak? Athem destruction when so little else on earth could?

I coer me I come inlove

The pair appeared transfixed Then suddenly one of theave a spontaneous and horrid cry Fire blinded him as it blinded the mortals who pushed past him in their sudden sta, caught in a hideous dance with twisted arlass bottles exploding, orange sparks shooting up to the lowering sky

Had he done this! Was he death to the others, whether he willed such a thing or not?

Blood tears flowed down his white face onto his stiff shirt front He lifted his aresture of respect for the horror happening before hi within

No, couldn't have done it, couldn't He let the mortals push him and shove him out of the way Sirens hurt his ears He blinked as he tried to see, despite the flashing lights

And then in ahe knew that he had not done it Because he saw the being who had! There covered in a cloak of gray wool, and half hidden in a dark alleyway, stood the one, silently watching him

And as their eyes met, she softly whispered his name: