"What has he done to make you think this?" Wlodek watched the girl carefully. Charles was already tapping quietly on his computer.
"He killed one of the two girls he had before he found me. He made me kill the other one. He forced me to drink her blood. He taunted me. 'You wanted to be a vampire,' he said. He laughed. 'Be a vampire,' he said. I drank some of her blood. It was hot and sticky."
"Have you killed anyone else?"
"I killed a vampire. Xenides gave me a stake and told me where to find him. I killed him. He turned to ash while I watched." The girl giggled again.
"Did you know the name of this vampire?"
"Aubrey Wallis," the girl replied. Gavin shifted a little in his seat.
"Where did you kill him? Do you know why Xenides asked for his death?"
"Aubrey was in Barcelona, at a villa outside the city. Xenides forced the gardener to give him a key to the house. I used that to get in."
"Why was he killed?"
"Because Xenides heard that someone named René is hunting him. Xenides said he was giving a warning to René."
"How long were you with Xenides?"
"Less than six months. It seems like an eternity."
"Did you commit other crimes?"
"I stole some things—money, some jewelry. I also robbed Aubrey's villa and killed his housekeeper. She was a nosy bitch and wanted the money back. I stabbed her with her own kitchen knife."
"What else did you take from there?"
"Gold. More jewelry. I tried to get into the safe but it was locked and I didn't have the combination. I had to leave it."
"Did Xenides ask you to rob Aubrey or kill the housekeeper?"
"No. I was attempting to get away from him, so I made those decisions myself. I didn't know he was preventing me from escaping. He laughed at me when I was compelled to return to his side."
"And how did you come to be separated from Xenides?" Wlodek flipped the gold pen in his hands.
"He wouldn't let me travel with him. He said my image would be displayed on a security camera outside the villa after I killed the housekeeper. He didn't want to be arrested with me if the police came looking. He told me to meet someone named Llewellyn at a bar. Llewellyn was to take me out of the country. I thought that man was Llewellyn." She pointed to Gavin.
"As you now know, he is not," Wlodek said. "Are there any other questions?" Wlodek turned to Susila and Flavio.
"I have nothing," Flavio said.
"Nor do I," Susila replied.
"Did Xenides ever speak about what he was doing, or if he was looking for someone in particular?" Merrill asked quietly. The girl turned to him; she could barely see him in the corner. The light was very dim inside the room.
"He wanted someone he called the little princess. He wanted her very much. He made me jealous sometimes; he talked about her so often."
"Did he say why he wanted her?" Merrill went on.
"He kept saying he would make them pay. That is what he said."
"Did he ever explain whom he meant?"
"No. He only said them."
"Did he ever mention the name Saxom? Or Meletius?"
"He said those words together. Saxom Meletius. Is that a first and last name?"
"Possibly," Wlodek nodded. "Do you remember what he said when you heard those words?"
"He said he would raise a monument with those words on it, when the others were dead. He said it was to honor his father."
"Did he talk about how he would kill the others?"
"He said he was going to kill humans first with tainted medicine, so the others' blood supply would be cut off. He laughed and said that the others depended on donors who were paid in some of the poorer countries. He was trying to kill the donors with the bad medicine, I think." Wlodek's fingers stilled, the pen held tightly in his grip. The tainted flu vaccine wasn't aimed at humans only. It was aimed ultimately at the vampire community.
"I have heard enough," Wlodek nodded. This time everyone agreed. "Gavin, will you take this and then inform your cousin, or do you wish for Radomir to do this?"
"I will do this," Gavin rose from his chair.
"Why will he inform his cousin?" The girl was curious. "What are you going to do? I will plead guilty to all charges. I know there is no death penalty in England."
"René is his cousin and Aubrey Wallis was René's child," Wlodek's face was set in a frown. "The death penalty or lack thereof, applies only to human laws. We are not humans here." Wlodek allowed his lengthy fangs to slip out. The girl screamed.
* * *
I wandered into the living room the following evening, finding Dragon asleep in the large easy chair. Karzac hadn't come in from work, yet. I went to put the kettle on quietly to make Dragon a cup of tea. He was awfully fond of the stuff. He drank tea from a darker blend, which was kept in a separate container from the leaves Karzac and I used. I drank tea to warm my body a little. It wasn't such a hardship to eliminate it later.
Dragon woke as I was pouring hot water into his cup. He thanked me when I handed it to him a few seconds later, waiting for it to steep the proper amount of time. "I was watching the news, little vampire. Most of the program was about the six children that arrived mysteriously at the hospital in Limrok, upriver. Not much about the fifty dead priests, though."
"What explanation are they giving for the cave-in the other night?" I asked, shrugging off fifty dead priests.
"They say that a water pipe that burst several years ago washed out the earth beneath the street and that it finally collapsed as a result."
"I suppose that works as an excuse," I sipped my own tea. I was still in my pajamas and hadn't bothered to dress yet. Karzac came in a few minutes later. "Honey, you look like you've been in a war," I said. His hair looked wild. He sat down wearily so I fixed him and Dragon something to eat.
"You cook?" Karzac stared up at me when I handed him a broiled steak—I knew he liked his medium.
"I cooked for a few years before I got attacked by a bloodsucker. Eat before it gets cold." I set the salt and pepper shakers down by his plate. He and Dragon ate everything on their plates, vegetables and all. I washed up afterward and then went to dress. I wanted to check on a few things myself.
Three Solar Red priests were standing as close to the collapsed street as they could get; the local authorities had roped off the area and were now bringing in truckloads of sand to fill it in after the water pipes had been replaced. I went to stand next to a group of normal humans about twenty feet away from the priests. I could still hear what they were saying even from that distance, although they were whispering so as not to be overheard.