I didn’t answer. I wanted to say, But what if it can be done! What if I can know again what it means to be alive.

“And then what about your body,” he said, pleading with me, holding his anger and outrage in check so skillfully. “Surely you can’t place all your powers at the disposal of this creature, this sorcerer or whatever he is. The others have told me that they cannot even calculate the limits of your power. Ah, no. It’s an appalling idea. Tell me, how does he know how to find you! That’s the most significant part.”

“That’s the least significant part,” I replied. “But clearly, if this man can switch bodies, then he can leave his body. He can navigate as a spirit for long enough to track me and find me. I must be very visible to him when he’s in this state, given what I am. This is no miracle in itself, you understand.”

“I know,” he said. “Or so I read and so I hear. I think you’ve found a truly dangerous being. This is worse than what we are.”

“How so worse?”

“It implies another desperate attempt at immortality, switching bodies! Do you think this mortal, whoever he is, plans to grow old in this or any other body, and allow himself to die!”

I had to confess I followed his meaning. Then I told him about the man’s voice, the sharp British accent, the cultured sound of it, and how it didn’t seem the voice of a young man.

He shuddered. “He probably comes from the Talamasca,” he said. “That’s probably where he found out about you.”

“All he had to do was buy a paperback novel to find out about me.”

“Ah, but not to believe, Lestat, not to believe it was true.”

I told him that I had spoken to David. David would know if this man was from his own order, but as for myself I didn’t believe it. Those scholars would never have done such a thing. And there was something sinister about this mortal. The members of the Talamasca were almost tiresome in their wholesomeness. Besides, it didn’t matter. I would talk to this man and discover everything for myself.

He grew reflective again and very sad. It almost hurt me to look at him. I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him, but that would only have made him furious.

“I love you,” he said softly.

I was amazed.

“You’re always looking for a way to triumph,” he continued. “You never give in. But there is no way to triumph. This is purgatory we’re in, you and I. All we can be is thankful that it isn’t actually hell.”

“No, I don’t believe it,” I said. “Look, it doesn’t matter what you say or what David said. I’m going to talk to Raglan James. I want to know what this is about! Nothing’s going to prevent that.”

“Ah, so David Talbot has also warned you against him.”