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"I think the Elders thought in their venerable minds, and God knows, I don't really know their venerablecertain of our members back to us who had been inducted into your ranks "

"Oh, that's lovely " Lestat laughed "Why are youwords like this? Is it on account of the boy?"

"Yes, perhaps Ianswered, "but honestly, we e such as this "

"Well, for your records and your files," Lestat said, "we don't have ranks In fact, I'd say that as a species we are given to rigidly individual personalities and obdurate differences, and peculiarof ether in sain We know little lasting peace with each other We have no ranks "

This was intriguing andcame back in his careful polite voice

"I understand that," he said "But to return to the question at hand, as to why the Elders ma

de this warlike declaration, I think they honestly believed that those vaht coht benefit thereby in ht carry our knowledge of you to a higher realm "

"It was all scholastic is what you're saying," said Lestat

"Yes And surely you must realize what it has meant for us to lose three members to your collective pohatever the cause of it, and no matter hoas accomplished We were stunned by each defection, and ht have preceded what happened We wanted to learn, you see We wantedto know "

"Well, it didn't work, did it?" said Lestat, his caled "And you weren't content with the Chronicles alone, were you? They told you all about the dialogue But you and the Elders wanted this eye-to-eye view "

"No, it didn't work," said Stirling, and he seeth His gray eyes were clear "On the contrary, we provoked fro the nareat family by the name of Mayfair lives in this city and its environs to this day You had no care when you did that "

I felt a sharp stab in my heart My own beloved Mayfair flashed before ain

"Audacity!" said Lestat, his s "You accusenow entirely because I want it "

"No doubt of it, but you are audacious," insisted Stirling

I was about to faint