“If you wish, or the bench up there at the boardwalk. This is a quiet night on the boardwalk. And the sea is like molten silver to my eyes. The breeze is fragrant and comforting. Let’s go there.”

They climbed the sands together, Daniel hanging slightly behind as if it were the respectful thing to do.

And when Marius and Teskhamen sat down together, Daniel chose another bench nearby. They were all three facing the distant waves, facing that writhing pearly surf. Beyond the mist the stars climbed forever. Great far-off mountains and rocks were purely dark.

Marius looked at Daniel anxiously. He didn’t want a divide from Daniel of even a few feet.

“Don’t be concerned for him now,” said Teskhamen. “We are more than adequate to protect him, and what stalks the young blood drinkers tonight is on the move in other cities. The young of this place have already been exterminated. It turned them against each other. It played on their distrust of one another and their escalating fear. It was not content merely with the burning of the house; it hunted them down one by one.”

“So that is how it is being done.”

“That is one way. There are others. It becomes more clever with every passing night.”

“I saw it,” said Marius. And indeed he had in images, those battles, images he would like very much to forget. “But please, tell who you are and what you want with me.” He had said this politely, but he was a little ashamed of himself. After all, obviously this old one was friendly and knowledgeable as to what was happening. This old one wanted to help.

“There must be a gathering,” said Teskhamen, “and the place will be New York.” He gave a little laugh. “I think Benji Mahmoud has marked the spot there with his enterprising broadcasts, but then two of the authors of the Vampire Chronicles are there already, and they are known to the entire world of the Undead.”

“I have nothing against any particular gathering place,” said Marius. “And Benji is no stranger to me.” Marius had made Benji a vampire, brought him and his companion Sybelle over, and given them to his fledgling Armand, but he saw no reason to confide this to a stranger, a stranger who likely knew it anyway, especially one whose thoughts he couldn’t hear. Not even the faintest shimmer came to him.

But he caught suddenly a very strong emanation from Daniel. He is the one who made you.

Marius was visibly startled, glancing first at Daniel, who sat staring at him, sideways on the bench with one leg up and his arms casually wrapped around his knee. Daniel was plainly fascinated.

Marius looked back to Teskhamen, this smaller blood drinker who gazed at him with steady black eyes.