0237: The Vampire's Daughter, Book Three

Around another bend, they came upon an elegant hallway, complete with chandeliers, chairs and plants. The light from the hallway allowed Sol to see just how dank and dungeon like the stairwell had been. There were just three doors in the short hall, one on either side and one at the end.

"The room at the end is mine," Gan said. "If you value your lives, you will stay out of it. The room on the left is yours." He walked over and opened the door, but remained in the hall.

"Who sleeps in the other room?" Sol asked.

"No one," he answered, but Sol could tell he wasn't being completely truthful.

Walking past Gan, he said, "Thank you." Jamie followed him into the room.

It was a stunningly appointed room, with a separate sitting area, bathroom, and bedroom. The furniture was modern, but obviously expensive.

"This is quite nice," Sol said.

"I don't like him and I don't trust him," Jamie said, flopping down on the couch.

"I'm not sure what to think yet," Sol said, sitting next to his friend. "I could tell that he was lying to us about the third room, which suggests that he's been honest up until then."

"Do you know that for certain?" Jamie asked.

"No, but I'm fairly confident of it," Sol answered. "Besides, how often am I wrong?"

"How often does my life hinge on you being correct?" Jamie shot back.

Sol chuckled, then leaned over and kissed Jamie's cheek. "There's little point in getting upset. This die is cast. Besides, if he wanted to kill us, he could have done so ten times over by now."

"I guess, but one thing irks me. What did you do for him that he owes you this favor?" Jamie asked.

"I let him live."

"What do you mean?"

"He was sent to the New World to kill Thomas. I found out and stopped him. I had three times as many men as he did and in the end it came down to a battle between he and I. I beat him, but let him live on the condition that he leave the New World immediately and that he owed me," Sol answered.

"You beat a true ancient?" Jamie asked.

"It had more to do with knowing the battlefield than being the stronger combatant," Sol answered. "I simply used my knowledge of New York City to wear him down. He was already tired from battling my troops. Honestly, though, it could have gone either way."

"And you trust him because of this?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, I think I do."



[The Vampire's Daughter: An ongoing vampire story. Copyright Reuben Gregg Brewer, 2005, 2006. All rights reserved.]