I watched him slouch off down the street and into the darkness. It seemed to be quite a coincidence that an itinerant blood drinker would just happen into town right when the vampire slayer was identified. And then, just by chance, out of all the haunts in Savannah, to get caught loitering around her apartment. I vowed to keep my eye on Freddy. Like he said, you just couldn't be too careful.

Another fear nagged me, though. Something was on the tip of my brain and I hadn't connected the dots yet. If Freddy knew about Connie, then how? From Tobey? Had William told Tobey and the others? Would he?

A wave of nausea hit me. Of course he would tell them, all of them. And he would do it tomorrow night. They needed to know about the threat to their lives and to their clans. And then it would be open season on Connie. Any one of them could and would try to kill her before she started killing us. How had I ever imagined that the only one I had to protect her from was William?

I looked up at Connie's apartment, which was dark now. I couldn't guard her twenty-four/seven, although the thought of sticking around until the sun came up and fried me to a piece of charcoal was not without its appeal.

Nine.

William Tobey and Iban were at my home as promised shortly after sundown. Jack, looking uncharacteristically grim, arrived a few moments later with Werm in tow.

Iban Cruz, a director of noir movies, had the courtly manners of the Spanish aristocrat he was. He bowed low and kissed Melaphia's hand when we greeted our guests in the foyer. "Thank you again for my life," he said in his lovely accent.

Melaphia curtsied and thanked him for the many gifts of imported delicacies, clothing, flowers, jewelry, and spirits he had sent.

"They were not necessary, but very appreciated," she said.

A short time ago, Iban had been stricken with a rotting plague, and only the pure voodoo blood from Melaphia's veins could save him. The process was not pretty, and it had been a heroic effort on her part, one for which Iban would be eternally grateful.

"The gifts are mere trifles," he a.s.sured her. "Always know that if you ever need me, I'll be here as soon as the sun and air travel will allow. I am forever your servant."

"I can't get over his recovery," Tobey remarked. Indeed, Iban looked remarkable when one recalled how the rotted flesh had been falling from his bones not so long ago. Now he appeared completely normal. That was, if you called his striking dark looks normal. Melaphia told me once that Iban's looks put her in mind of an actor of some note named Antonio Banderas.

"I can't get over the change either," Jack remarked.

"I don't mind telling you, buddy, you looked like a guy whose face caught fire and somebody tried to put it out with a hatchet."

Iban laughed. "That was most vivid, Jack. But thank you. I think."

"Tobey, were you able to contact Travis?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, but no. I notified some key people in the western clans to keep an eye out for him and ask him to get in touch with you as soon as he can. Maybe we'll hear from him soon."

I was disappointed that we would be without Travis's counsel, but evidently not as disappointed as Jack, who seemed most disturbed by the news that our Native American friend would not be joining us.

"Are Gerard and Lucius coming?" Iban asked.

"We're going to teleconference them in, as well as Olivia, of course."

Iban and Tobey represented the vampire clans of the West and Pacific Northwest, and Gerard Bouchard the plains and the Midwest. Lucius Dru, an art dealer headquartered in Manhattan, covered the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. Jack and I were the heads of the few blood drinkers in the South and as far west as Texas. Travis covered the southwest and Central and South America.

The vampires of the Americas were an ethnically eclectic mixture of the descendants of ancient indigenous blood drinkers and those whom I had imported by ship from the old world. These last were what Jack referred to as the "Draculas" or the "Count Dracs" because of their often old-fashioned European ways and manners.

One thing all these vampires had in common, however, was a peaceful philosophy. Except for a handful of rogues we'd had to dispose of over the years, the vampires of the New World had adopted a code of nonviolence toward the human population.

Feeding on humans was allowed as long as no permanent injury was done and the mortal involved was either a willing swan or someone whose short-term memory could be altered to ensure the act was immediately forgotten. However, our policy of benevolence did not preclude the occasional act of vigilante justice when it was warranted.

Until recently, there was only a loose alliance among the vampires of the New World, dubbed "Bonaventures" by Olivia, who was the leader of the peaceful blood drinkers of Europe. But since we collectively saw Reedrek's recent arrival in Savannah as a sign of the old lords' resurgence, all of us had been communicating more often and formulating plans for mutual defense. The old lords had formed a council with the goal of world domination. Their aim was to use us to eventually turn all humans into blood drinkers, over whom they would rule with an iron fist.

Jack, who had been unusually silent so far, asked Tobey about the racing business and Tobey launched into a discussion of his latest exploits on the West Coast night stock-car racing circuit.

Jack still looked a little pained whenever Tobey's career was mentioned, even though he was the one who usually brought it up.

Jack's most treasured dream was to be an automobile racer, and he'd turned several shades of green when he discovered I'd helped Tobey achieve his goals. I think on some level Jack still resented me for that.

I settled us all in the formal parlor, where Deylaud had built a pleasantly crackling blaze in the fireplace. Renee came downstairs briefly to greet our guests. Iban received a particularly warm welcome because of the myriad gifts he'd showered on her recently.

"I love you, Uncle Iban," she cooed, kissing his cheek. We all had a gentle laugh at her transparency.

"She'll have you buying her diamonds and pearls before long," I a.s.sured Iban. "That's quite all right with me," he said.

"Me too!" Renee agreed, to another round of laughter.

"Why don't you go with Deylaud and have him help you with your literature a.s.signment. You've got some work to do to catch up on your studies."

With good-bye hugs for all of us, she followed Deylaud and Reyha upstairs to my library, which had somehow evolved into her schoolroom.

"I was so relieved to hear that you got her back safely," Tobey remarked.

"And I as well," Iban said. "William, Tobey told me about the matter with Eleanor. Please accept my condolences. I'm so sorry that...eliminating her became necessary."

"Thank you," I said quietly. "You're very kind." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack fidgeting. Werm, for his part, looked both shocked and puzzled but said nothing, evidently sensing the tension in the air. I'd told him that Eleanor was dead, but he had had no idea that I'd killed her myself until now. That reminded me of the reason for the meeting.

Melaphia nodded when she had finished testing the telephone links to Olivia, Gerard, and Lucius.

"I called this meeting," I began, "because information has come to light that we all need to know. We are all aware of bits and pieces, but it's time to make sure that each of us is armed with the complete facts. After all, knowledge is power."

I started by reviewing what had taken place in London. Gerard and Lucius expressed shock and remorse over what happened with Eleanor. They all peppered me with questions, particularly about the gathering of the vampire council of old lords.

"Olivia," I said, addressing the speakerphone, "have Alger's scrolls and tablets turned up additional information on the Council and what they may be about?"

"No. When our coven house burned down, it was a tremendous setback. We had to reorganize all the material and check it against the inventory we had made."

"How much was lost?" I asked.

"We were able to save almost all of it, but the parchments suffered smoke and water damage and they will take some time to restore."

"I know that several of your vampires risked their lives to save the doc.u.ments, so you must be confident that they will yield valuable information," I said.

"Yes, once we get them translated. So I don't have anything new to report from the texts, but I do have some news from our spies," Olivia said. I thought that her voice sounded uncharacteristically small. Olivia was a strong woman, never afraid to express herself. I chalked up her tentative speech to the long-distance connection.

"Good," I said. "We'll hear your report presently." I went on to describe what we learned from Otis and what Seth sensed with his animalistic instincts.

"Are you sure you're not putting too much store in anecdotal evidence?" Gerard, ever the scientist, asked.

"The shape shifters in New York are nervous as well," Lucius said, and I could hear the controlled alarm in his voice. "And they don't know why."

Jack rubbed the back of his head as if the preponderance of bad news was giving him a headache. "Jerry and Rufus feel it, too,"

he said.After a few minutes of discussion, I said, "Before we call on Olivia for her report, I want to return to one of the biggest issues we face. It's something I learned from Ulrich and Diana when I was in the United Kingdom."

My gaze came to rest on Jack. He knew what I was about to reveal and that I had no choice. I had expected defiance, but his eyes held only misery. My bleak narrative was about to get even bleaker.

"The vampire slayer prophesied by the lore and legend of many cultures is in our midst. But rest a.s.sured that Jack and I have things under control where the Slayer is concerned."

There was a hubbub of voices, originating both in the room and over the speakerphone, as this dire news sank in.

"Just as you had your son, Will, under control?" Iban asked, only the fire in his dark eyes betraying emotion.

Despite our friendship, I knew he still harbored resentment over the fact that my human son, Will, had murdered Iban's best friend, Sullivan. An evil vampire named Hugo had made Will and my wife, Diana, blood drinkers without my knowledge and kept Will under his thumb for centuries. Will grew up half-feral under Hugo's tutelage, only recently redeeming himself in my eyes by helping me rescue Renee. I'd left him behind in London where Olivia was keeping an eye on him and, I hoped, setting an example of civility. For his part, Iban had sworn to kill Will and I had no doubt that he would one day try.

"We'll discuss Will later," I told Iban.

"What do we know about the Slayer?" Tobey asked. "I thought the vampire slayer was only a legend."

"As did I," Iban said.

Gerard said, "As a boy I remember hearing the Gypsies speak of the dhampir as vampire slayers, although I never met a blood drinker who'd ever seen one."

"I remember this legend as well," Lucius said.

"The dhampir was said to be half-vampire and half-human and the sworn enemy of the blood drinker."

"Wait a minute," Jack said. "How can there be a half-vampire/half-human? Female vampires can't get pregnant and males can't knock up human females."

"Evidently, once in a great while a male blood drinker is made who is...gifted in that particular regard," William said.

"What else do these prophecies say about the Slayer?" Lucius asked.

Melaphia said, "It is written that she-"

"She?" Lucius asked skeptically.

Melaphia continued, "She will be sworn to destroy every blood drinker on earth, and she'll have special powers to do so, although we don't know what those powers are. I'm still researching the ancient texts." Melaphia went on to describe the birthmark, the Mayan G.o.ddess connection, and other signs that led to her being able to identify the Slayer. No one tried to refute the case she made.

"To make matters even more complicated and regrettable," I said with a glance toward Jack, "the Slayer is someone known to most of us." I paused, loath to continue because of the pain it would cause Jack, but surely, I thought, he understood that I had no choice. He sat stone-faced, opening and closing his fists.

"Don't keep us in suspense, mon ami," Gerard said. "Who is the Slayer?" "The Slayer is Connie Jones."

Jack My first urge was to lash out. I felt my muscles coil, ready to propel me to my feet, but then I felt Iban's cool hand on my arm.

"Jack, I'm so sorry," he said. "I'm in shock. I adore Connie. So did Sullivan."

The others expressed their condolences as if Connie were already dead.

"Death by exsanguination is not the worst way to go, you know," Lucius pointed out helpfully.

"Lucius, please," Iban said. "Perhaps a little sensitivity is in order."

I ignored them. "She doesn't know she's the Slayer. Maybe she won't find out," I said, hearing the desperation in my own voice.

"She will," said a deep voice from the doorway. Distracted by the revelation about Connie, we hadn't noticed that Travis Rubio had opened the door. Or maybe it was because he moved with the silent, graceful tread the Native Americans are known for. I was both grateful and fearful to see him. Grateful because he alone of us all had some experience with slayers past and might offer some alternative that could spare Connie's life. Fearful because that same understanding might prove the old adage that no situation is so bad it can't get worse. Given his opening statement, I didn't feel lucky.

"It's only a matter of time," Travis said. With his angular nose, black eyes, and leathery skin the color of antique bronze, Travis looked like Sitting Bull in that famous photograph of the Lakota chief. "The destiny of the Slayer cannot be denied. She will discover her mission."

That was almost exactly what Sullivan had said. Not good. Not good at all.

The other vampires greeted Travis in subdued tones, given the gravity of our subject. William shook his hand in welcome as I tried to figure out what to say or do next. My plan to talk to Travis in private if he showed up had been blown all to kingdom come. I'd better think of a plan B in a h.e.l.luva hurry.

Travis nodded toward William. "I got word of the meeting shortly after Tobey left a message with a mutual friend about it. Sorry I'm late."

William invited Travis to tell us what he knew of the Slayer, so the ancient Maya related the story of how blood drinkers came to be established in the land now known as Belize.

"About five hundred years after the birth of Christ, I was a young priest of the Maya's polytheistic religion as my forefathers had been. The Mayan n.o.bility had sunk into dissolution under the influence of peyote, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and coca leaves, all of which it was legal only for them to partake.

"Their rituals rivaled those of the old lords for bloodshed. One of my tasks was to cut the beating hearts from sacrificial victims and anoint the king and queen with their blood. It was thought that the blood of a sacrificed human being could open the portal to the underworld."

I shivered. I knew a little bit about opening the portal to the underworld myself.

"I've read about the Maya," Tobey said. "It was as if even the humans were vampire wannabes. They even filed their teeth into sharp points."

"It's true that some historians and anthropologists believe that they sharpened their own teeth," Travis replied.

"Wait until you hear the rest of the story," I said. Travis continued, "Human sacrifices were most often made from prisoners of war. The higher the rank of the prisoner, the more prized was his blood. As one might imagine, the rarest and most valuable vintage was that of a king. As fate would have it, the day eventually came when our warriors were able to capture the king of another city. They kept him alive for months, letting his blood in increments, savoring it, until he grew weak and delirious.

"Finally, our king decided to make the enemy ruler into the ultimate sacrifice, so amidst a great festival I raised the ceremonial obsidian knife and struck him in the heart-but not before he put a curse on our ruler. The doomed king called out to Itzamna, the lord of the heavens, to curse our leader so he could never again see the sun and, since he was such a lover of blood, require that it be the only food that could ever sustain him.

"Our king laughed at the curse and drank the blood of his enemy, but he immediately became ill and fell upon the ground writhing in agony. I sat with him until after sundown on the second day when he awakened and bade me lie on his bed and rest, for I had not slept in many hours.

"No sooner than I had lain down, the king was on me, holding me down with inhuman strength. His mouth opened, showing what looked to me like the awful fangs of an animal. I was helpless as he bit into my throat and drank my blood until I heard my heartbeat dying away. Then he ripped the flesh of his wrist and forced me to drink of his blood in return, thus making me a vampire like himself."

"My G.o.d, they were vampires," Melaphia said.

"He set about making the rest of the n.o.bility into blood drinkers as well, and they all preyed upon the common people," Travis continued, "who were forced to flee the great city to live in the lush jungles and forests. But when the aristocracy's bloodl.u.s.t reached its zenith, the slayers came. They slaughtered all the blood drinkers save me. I managed to get away and hide in a cave until they were gone. Thus ended one of the greatest civilizations in history."

"Do you have any idea why you were spared?" Melaphia asked.

"I've been asking myself that question for hundreds of years, but I have yet to come up with an answer," Travis said. "But you were correct when you said they have special powers. They descended on us from the sky like Valkyries and slew the blood drinkers with swords. The ancient Maya were a fierce people, but I never saw blood such as I witnessed the night the slayers came. Blood ran in rivulets down the pyramids and into the streets." The old Maya closed his eyes as if to banish the memories.

"What should we do?" William asked.

"I understand that many of you call her friend, so I don't say this lightly. But my advice is to kill the Slayer as quickly as you can."