Rose and Viktor were standing nearby in the alcove before the stairway. They were radiant and regarding me with wonder, and I thought them the most marvelous beings in the whole world. Seth stood behind them.

“Did anyone suffer—?” I could not quite get the words out.

Fareed shook his head. “Everyone felt the shock of it. But within the space of five minutes, I was myself. Seth was himself. For Rose and Viktor it was longer, perhaps ten minutes, and then they were completely restored. Marius came down moments after that. The ballroom was filled with young and old who had felt the shock and recovered.”

Only Kapetria looked distressed, wildly distressed. Kapetria was staring at me in alarm.

“Tell her I’m still here,” said Amel.

“Oh, yes, of course,” I said. “I’m so sorry, Kapetria. Amel says to tell you that he’s still here.” I didn’t try to explain about the vivid dream, the sense of absolutely being somewhere else with Amel, the assurance that Amel had never left.

Kapetria closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she looked up and took a deep breath. Her eyes were moist and then they became glassy. She appeared to shiver all over, but then to collect herself and sink back into her thoughts.

A wave of nausea passed over me.

Left to my own choice, I wouldn’t have moved so fast. I would have sat there for a longer period of time, but they wanted us to go upstairs.

“It didn’t work, did it?” I said to Fareed. He didn’t answer. “They are all fine, all of you are fine, and it just didn’t work.”

Each step jolted my entire frame and the nausea came again more than once, but I kept walking, doing what they wanted, until we reached the ballroom where it seemed the entire world of the Undead was gathered, even threaded all through the orchestra chairs, and out onto the open terrace, and out through the doors to the adjacent salons.

We made a space for ourselves in the middle, and I made up my mind I was going to appear absolutely strong for everyone here, no matter what I felt. I let go of Louis’s hand and I let go of Fareed’s hand. Cyril had his hand on my back and Thorne still held my right arm.

“It’s all right,” I said to them. Reluctantly, they allowed me to stand on my own.

All around, I saw pale hands raised with glittering little glass cell phones aloft, as if they were lights beamed down towards me.

Seth held a narrow silver candelabrum with all three candles burning. There was a feverish and low murmuring around us, rolling like a wave through the meandering assembly, with occasional gasps, and then silence again except for the faintest whispering like dry leaves crackling in a wind.