0112

"How long have you known Sol?" asked Mary, as Sol's car pulled away from the house.

"Only slightly longer than I have known you," answered Sabastian.

"Do you trust him?"

"He has never knowingly lied to me. More important, however, was Susan's desire for him to join us. How long have you known him?"

"A few years."

"Do you trust him?"

"I don't know. We didn't know each other like that. He was an Enforcer. He was to be feared. Though I can't recall a time when he proved that fearing him was necessary. In fact, his position as second in command of the Enforcers always seemed odd to me. To everyone.

"Of course the interactions I've had with him wouldn't be something he'd remember. Mostly it was me watching him in Tribunal meetings. He is striking."

"Is he? I had not noticed."

"Yes, he is quite handsome. It seems that Elizabeth has good taste."

"Do you think so?" Sabastian asked, feeling somewhat flattered.

"Yes, but that's another topic. You spoke with Elizabeth as we were leaving my clan's house. How do you know her?" asked Mary.

"She is my sire."

Mary said nothing for a moment, but Sabastian could sense her surprise. "Ask what you want, I will answer as best I can."

"How can that be? You’re an ancient."

"No, I am not an ancient."

"Then how are you so powerful?"

"You have seen that with your own eyes."

"You drink the blood of our own."

"Yes."

"Why don't more of our kind do this if it brings such power?"

"The rules are one reason, but I suspect that most would fall pray to the bloodlust if they did not go insane from the experience. Of course either would quickly lead to an untimely death."

"What is it like?"

"What do you experience when you drink the blood of a human?" asked Sabastian.

"A rush of power and dreams. I see them and their lives. The slower I drink the more I experience."

"When you take one of our kind, you experience not only the life of your immediate victim, but also the lives of all of his victims. Moreover, they do not slip into your subconscious. They swim about in your mind for years, surfacing every so often to let you know they are still with you."

"That sounds horrible."

"It can be."

[Copyright Reuben Gregg Brewer, 2005. All rights reserved.]
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