Chapter Seventy-Three
I had never seen anything like this. Jamilla and I were quiet and wide-eyed as we entered an even larger chamber in the basement. The room was lit by wall sconces, most of them electric. The brutal fangs gleamed everywhere. The white tiger had begun to growl, and I recalled the bites into human flesh. If you hunt for the vampires. What was happening in this eerie cellar? What was the purpose of tonight's gathering? Who were these ghouls - hundreds of them? Daniel and Charles stood beside two tall, handsome, dark-haired men in satiny black robes with capes. They looked to be in their early twenties, maybe even younger. They looked like young gods. Everyone crowded forward to see what would happen next. T am here to anoint two new vampires princes,'Daniel announced with grave authority. The persona was the same one he used onstage.'Bow before them!' A woman at the front shrieked. 'Our princes! Dark princes! I worship you!' 'Silence!' Charles shouted. 'Take that stupid cow out of here. Banish her.' The lights suddenly blinked once, then went out completely. The few burning torches were doused. I reached for Jamilla, and we slid back toward the nearest wall. I couldn't see anything. I felt a cold spot at the center of my chest. 'What the hell is happening, Alex?' 'I don't know. Let's keep together.'
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VIOLETS ARE BLUE
It got crazy very fast in the darkness. People screamed. A whip cracked nearby. It was madness. Chaos. Sheer terror. Jamilla and I had our guns out. But there wasn't anything we could do in the dark. A minute or so passed. Everything was inky blackness. It seemed like a very long time. Too long. I was afraid of being stabbed. Or bitten. A generator kicked in somewhere in the house. The lights in the cellar flickered, then went on again. Then off. Then on. I saw afterimages, rings of color. And then-- The magicians had disappeared. Someone shouted, 'Our princes are dead.'
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