Page 192 (1/2)

"But he doesn't really understand, does he?" I asked "He doesn't knohere he comes from or what his real name is?"

"No, he doesn't know," said Merrick

I could see the little wounds vanishing, leaving her again the alluring woeously reen eyes were bloodshot still, and she appeared over-all to still be shaken

"But he can be made to know," she continued, "and this is our host, unlike a pure spirit, is connected to his rehost is most connected He is connected to you by blood, and that is why, don't you see, he feels he has always had a right to what you have "

"Of course," I said, "oh, of course!" Only noas it hitting ether " I felt a deep rivet of pain in my heart

"Yes, and try to iine for a moment what death was like for this spirit First off, he was a twin, and we know of twins that they feel the loss of the other terribly Patsy speaks of your crying at his funeral Of Aunt Queen begging her to console you Aunt Queen knew that you were feeling Garwain's death Well, Garwain had felt this separation from you in the incubator as well, and at death, undoubtedly his spirit was confused and had not gone on into the Light as it should have gone "

"I see," I responded "And now for the first tiain I feelmercy "

"Feel mercy for yourself," said Merrick kindly Her entire racious In fact, she re Oliver "But when you were brought to that funeral for him," she went on, "when you were carried there on the day of his interment, his poortwin in you, Tarquin, and becaer than a er He becaht to your patrimony "

"Yes, and we began our long journey together," I said, "two genuine twins, two genuine brothers " I tried my damndest to remember that I had once loved him I wondered if she could see into my soul and sense the animosity I now felt for hi this long year since Petronia had so rudely made me And the loss of Aunt Queen -- the unspeakable loss of Aunt Queen

"And now that you've been given the Dark Blood," said Lestat in a cross voice, "he wants what he sees as his share of it "

"But that's not all that's happening," said Merrick, continuing in her subdued fashion She looked intently at oes on when he attacks you "

I considered for afroain

"It's like a fusion, a fusion I never felt when I was alive Oh, he was inside me at times Mona Mayfair told me that he was She said e made love that he was in me and she kneas there She could feel this Mona considers herself a witch on account of the way she feels spirits "

"You love Mona Mayfair?" Merrick asked gently

"Very ain She'd know me for what I am the minute she looked at me I avoided Rowan Mayfair desperately at the wake and the Mass Her husband, Michael, too They're both what the Talahost of Julien Mayfair at the wake Aunt Queen was his child I'm his descendant "