“I know,” I repeated quietly.

“I’m sorry,” he said and I wasn’t sure exactly what for.

He left.

I sat on the bed and thought. Everyone had a weakness. It was the law of nature that for each being there was a predator, or a disease, or a vulnerability built into their very core. The upir had to have a weakness. It wouldn’t be in any book. If that was the case, the crusader would have found it by now.

I thought about everything that had happened since Greg’s death, carefully going over events, trying to recall every detail. I thought about Bono, the places he visited, the people he might have met, the things he did.

The rain pounded harder. The sweat-drenched clothes grew cold on my back.

My room had no phone. I got up and went down the hall, trying different rooms, until I found one that did. I closed the door and dialed the number.

“Hello,” said a male voice with the smoothness of someone for whom courtesy was a part of the job description. “You have reached the People’s inner office. How may I help you?”

“I need to speak to Ghastek.”

“Mr. Ghastek is busy at the moment . . .”

“Put him on. Now.”

He didn’t like what he heard in my voice. The phone clicked and Ghastek came on the line against the background noises.

“Hello?”

I heard quiet voices discussing something. He wasn’t alone.

“You had to know,” I said. “He was your journeyman for two years.”

“I fail to understand . . .”

“Don’t,” I snarled.

There was so much fury in my voice that he fell silent.

“Tell me, Ghastek. Tell me what you know.”

“No,” he said.

I closed my eyes and tried to think clearly. I could go down there and slaughter everything in my way. I had a lot of frustration to vent. By the time they pulled me down, the People’s stable would be awash in blood. I could do that. I wanted to do it very much, but then it wouldn’t solve my bigger problem.

“He will come back for you,” I told him. “He loathes you. He’s committed now and after he kills everyone he hates, he’ll find you and you’ll be raising vampires for him and his brood. You’ll be his short-order cook.”

“Do you think I haven’t thought of that?” Ghastek whispered fiercely.

“Then tell me what you know. Tell me!”

Silence answered me. A moment passed, then another.

“I have nothing to tell you,” Ghastek said and the line went dead. I fought the urge to hurl the phone against the wall.

“Asking the People for information is both futile and stupid,” said Nick behind me. “They wouldn’t sell you a spare umbrella in a shit storm.”