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Blood I woke up with a start Hours had passed The rooh the open s

Froht that filled the roo, and the victi The victims would be full of luscious blood Males ould have died anyway Young males all mine to take

"Yes But coot up She wrapped a long cloak over arment, but warm and soft to touch She stroked my hair with her two hands

"Masculine-feminine Is that all there ever was to it?" I whispered My body wanted to sleep some more But the blood

She reached up and touched ain?

We went out of the roo, fro once, into an im a luxurious gloom

At the very center, the women were asseup at us, their hands clasped as if in prayer

Even in their silence, they seemed barbaric, ailt edges, and the old fireplace with its ht of her words suddenly: "history doesn't matter; art doesn't hteenth-century paintings, full of gleaels, and skies of luminescent blue

The wo past this wealth which had never touched the up at the vision on the landing, which now dissolved, and in a rush of whispered noise and colored light, materialized suddenly at the foot of the stairs

Sighs rose, hands were raised to shield bowed heads as if froht Then all eyes were fixed upon the Queen of Heaven and her consort, who stood on the red carpet, only a few feet above the asse his lip a little and trying to see this thing clearly, this awful thing that was happening, this awfulof worship and blood sacrifice, as the victiht forth

Such fine specimens Dark-haired, dark-skinned, Mediterraneanwomen Men of that stocky build and exquisite musculature that has inspired artists for thousands of years Ink black eyes and darkly shaved faces; and deep cunning; and deep anger as they looked upon these hostile supernatural creatures who had decreed the death of their brothers far and wide

With leather straps they'd been bound-probably their own belts, and the belts of dozens of others; but the women had done it well Their ankles were tethered even, so that they could walk but not kick or run Naked to the waist they were, and only one was trean to struggle The other two turned, stared at hile as well

But thetheht of it, at the sight of leather belts cutting into the dark naked flesh of the men's ar the hands that could be so soft otherwise They couldn't fight so h the one who had started the struggle looked up, accusingly, at me

Des from hell, that is what his s to his world? Oh, this is the beginning of darkness, terrible darkness!

But the desire was so strong You are going to die and I a to do it! And he seee hatred of the woes of rape and retribution that made me smile, and yet I understood Rather completely I understood So easy to feel that conteed that they had dared to becoe-old battle, they, the woined retribution, it was unspeakable darkness, too