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He would start announcing the message immediately. An important half hour of meditation is declared for tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. All the Undead must be in a safe sheltered place at this time, and participate in this experiment by remaining entirely still for the full half hour, and keeping their eyes closed. He would mention "time of meditation" every hour until dawn sign-off, and then he'd set the tape to looping immediately before he retired for the day. We were thankful he didn't ask for an explanation. But then Benji was powerfully intuitive. Benji had Marius's blood in him and he knew and heard and understood things others could not. Probably many of the others knew what was happening. No doubt Gregory knew, and Marius as well.

Fareed began to laugh, a bit madly, like someone laughing from exhaustion or unbearable strain. "This is too funny," he said. He gestured to the desk, the book-lined walls, the laboratory. "And this, this old talk of the silver cord brings us to this experiment. If this works, I swear I will give up science altogether, and I'll begin reading all the poetry, literature, and psychic books I've always ignored. I'll become a New Age monk, a contemplative, a priest!"

27

Lestat

WHEN WE RETURNED to the Chateau I went out for a walk in the snow. I was not having regrets, but I had lost my remarkably clear understanding of how or why this should work.

I walked way up the old mountain that was my mountain, and I would cheerfully have killed a pack of wolves had they attacked. But there were few wolves if any in these woods now. And any and all surviving European wolves were a cherished part of life in this time, and not to be thoughtlessly or carelessly killed, just because I didn't know what might happen tomorrow night.

I'd been wandering for about an hour when the iPhone in my pocket rang. I was surprised as I was so far from the Chateau. But it was Kapetria coming through loud and clear.

"Fareed won't tell me what you're doing," she said.

Ah, so she'd heard Benji's call for all the blood drinkers of the world to be safe and still tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m.

"Do you blame him?" I asked. "You left us. You went off on your own when you might have helped us. You told us what to do, didn't you, find some way to prevent the whole tribe from dying when you made your move. But you didn't stay to help us figure out how."

"I'll help you tomorrow night."

"Oh, no, you won't. We're not telling you where this is to take place and you're not to come near us. If we see you or any of the People of the Purpose, the experiment won't take place. Besides we don't need your help."

"Please let me help."

"No."

"You don't know what Amel wrote for me. The message, I mean. The one you gave me."

"He told me," I said. "Later that night as a matter of fact. And in so doing, he let me know it was just a matter of time till you made your assault. I know about your phone conversations. He said you were a parent prepared to rescue a child, no matter what the child wanted."

"Do you think I would ever go against Amel's wishes?"

"Yes," I said. "Because I probably would, if I were you."

"I want to help you. I'll come alone."

"There isn't time."

"Yes, there is."

"Oh,

giving away your location, are you? This means you're still in Europe, doesn't it?"

"Will you please let me come."

"No, Kapetria. I'm resigned to what happens whenever you make your move, but right now I want to be certain that whatever you do, you do it only to me."

I ended the call. I turned off the phone. Amel was with me but he wasn't saying a word.

It was now half past three in the morning. I headed down the mountain slowly, singing to myself. I was remembering the giant old yew trees growing around Gremt's old monastery home and I thought I would like to have yew trees planted here too. I hadn't given enough thought to the old forest.

I was thinking of anything except what lay ahead. Finally as I drew near the Chateau, I heard a commotion in the ballroom, so I took to the air and came down on the terrace and went in through the open doors.

The ballroom was empty except for three people.

And one of them was Kapetria. She was all bundled up in a gray wool coat and red scarf, and her hair was pulled back into a rather stylish black cloche hat. She had an accidentally glamorous look to her, and her dark face was all the more striking for the severity of the hair pulled back into the hat. She was sitting on the couch nearest the empty orchestra chairs and she was in a fierce argument with Thorne and Cyril. She had a large valise at her feet.