Edmund sighed. "You"re old enough for that, too, I suppose?"

"I think you ought to tell me."

Edmund looked at the bra.s.s instrument and said: "It were better to keep things like this dark secret. Some human mechanician, I daresay, eager to please the vampire lords and ladies, showed off his cleverness as proud as a peac.o.c.k.

Thoughtless. Inevitable, though, now that all this play with lenses has become fashionable."

"You"ll be glad of eyegla.s.ses when your sight begins to fail," Noell told him. "In any case, I can"t see the danger in this new toy."

Edmund smiled. "New toys," he mused. "Clocks to tell the time, mills to grind the corn, lenses to aid human sight. Produced by human craftsmen for the delight of their masters. I think we"ve finally succeeded in proving to the vampires just how very clever we are-and how much more there is to know than we know already."

"You think the vampires are beginning to fear us?"

Edmund gulped wine from the flask and pa.s.sed it again to his son. "Their rule is founded in fear and superst.i.tion," he said quietly. "They"re long-lived, suffer only mild attacks of diseases that are fatal to us, and have marvelous powers of regeneration. But they"re not immortal, and they"re vastly outnumbered by humans.

Terror keeps them safe, but terror is based in ignorance, and behind their haughtiness and arrogance, there"s a gnawing fear of what might happen if humans ever lost their supernatural reverence for vampirekind. It"s very difficult for them to die, but they don"t fear death any the less for that."

"There"ve been rebellions against vampire rule. They"ve always failed."

Edmund nodded to concede the point. "There are three million people in Grand Normandy," he said, "and less than five thousand vampires. There are only forty thousand vampires in the entire imperium of Gaul, and about the same number in theimperium of Byzantium*no telling how many there may be in the khanate of Walachia and Cathay, but not so very many more. In Africa the vampires must be outnumbered three or four thousand to one. If people no longer saw them as demons and demi-G.o.ds, as unconquerable forces of evil, their empire would be fragile. The centuries through which they live give them wisdom, but longevity seems to be inimical to creative thought-they learn, but they don"t invent. Humans remain the true masters of art and science, which are forces of change. They"ve tried to control that-to turn it to their advantage-but it remains a thorn in their side."

"But they do have power," insisted Noell. "They are vampires."

Edmund shrugged. "Their longevity is real-their powers of regeneration, too.

But is it really their magic that makes them so? I don"t know for sure what merit there is in their incantations and rituals, and I don"t think even they know-they cling to their rites because they dare not abandon them, but where the power that makes humans into vampires really comes from, no one knows. From the devil? I think not.

I don"t believe in the devil*I think it"s something in the blood. I think vampirism may be a kind of disease-but a disease that makes men stronger instead of weaker, insulates them against death instead of killing them. If that is the case-do you see now why the Lady Carmilla asked whether I had looked at blood beneath the microscope?"

Noell stared at the instrument for twenty seconds or so, mulling over the idea.

Then he laughed.

"If we could all become vampires," he said lightly, "we"d have to suck one another"s blood."

Edmund couldn"t bring himself to look for such ironies. For him, the possibilities inherent in discovering the secrets of vampire nature were much more immediate, and utterly bleak.

"It"s not true that they need to suck the blood of humans," he told the boy. "It"s not nourishment. It gives them... a kind of pleasure that we can"t understand.

And it"s part of the mystique that makes them so terrible... and hence so powerful." He stopped, feeling embarra.s.sed. He did not know how much Noell knew about his sources of information. He and his wife never talked about the days of his affair with the Lady Carmilla, but there was no way to keep gossip and rumor from reaching the boy"s ears.

Noell took the flask again, and this time took a deeper draft from it. "I"ve heard,"

he said distantly, "that humans find pleasure, too... in their blood being drunk."

"No," replied Edmund calmly. "That"s untrue. Unless one counts the small pleasure of sacrifice. The pleasure that a human man takes from a vampire lady is the same pleasure that he takes from a human lover. It might be different for the girls who entertain vampire men, but I suspect it"s just the excitement of hoping that they may become vampires themselves."

Noell hesitated, and would probably have dropped the subject, but Edmund realized suddenly that he did not want the subject dropped. The boy had a right toknow, and perhaps might one day need to know.

"That"s not entirely true," Edmund corrected himself. "When the Lady Carmilla used to taste my blood, it did give me pleasure, in a way. It pleased me because it pleased her. There is an excitement in loving a vampire lady, which makes it different from loving an ordinary woman... even though the chance that a vampire lady"s lover may himself become a vampire is so remote as to be inconsiderable."

Noell blushed, not knowing how to react to this acceptance into his father"s confidence. Finally he decided that it was best to pretend a purely academic interest.

"Why are there so many more vampire women than men?" he asked.

"No one knows for sure," Edmund said. "No humans, at any rate. I can tell you what I believe, from hearsay and from reasoning, but you must understand that it is a dangerous thing to think about, let alone to speak about."

Noell nodded.

"The vampires keep their history secret," said Edmund, "and they try to control the writing of human history, but the following facts are probably true. Vampirism came to western Europe in the fifth century, with the vampire-led horde of Attila.

Attila must have known well enough how to make more vampires-he converted both Aetius, who became ruler of the imperium of Gaul, and Theodosius II, the emperor of the east who was later murdered. Of all the vampires that now exist, the vast majority must be converts. I have heard reports of vampire children born to vampire ladies, but it must be an extremely rare occurrence. Vampire men seem to be much less virile than human men-it is said that they couple very rarely.

Nevertheless, they frequently take human consorts, and these consorts often become vampires. Vampires usually claim that this is a gift, bestowed deliberately by magic, but I am not so sure they can control the process. I think the s.e.m.e.n of vampire men carries some kind of seed that communicates vampirism much as the s.e.m.e.n of humans makes women pregnant*and just as haphazardly. That"s why the male lovers of vampire ladies don"t become vampires."

Noell considered this, and then asked: "Then where do vampire lords come from?"

"They"re converted by other male vampires," Edmund said. "Just as Attila converted Aetius and Theodosius." He did not elaborate, but waited to see whether Noell understood the implication. An expression of disgust crossed the boy"s face and Edmund did not know whether to be glad or sorry that his son could follow the argument through.

"Because it doesn"t always happen," Edmund went on, "it"s easy for the vampires to pretend that they have some special magic. But some women never become pregnant, though they lie with their husbands for years. It is said, though, that a human may also become a vampire by drinking vampire"s blood-if he knows the appropriate magic spell. That"s a rumor the vampires don"t like, and they exact terrible penalties if anyone is caught trying the experiment. The ladies of our own court, of course, are for the most part onetime lovers of the archduke or his cousins.It would be indelicate to speculate about the conversion of the archduke, though he is certainly acquainted with Aetius."

Noell reached out a hand, palm downward, and made a few pa.s.ses above the candle flame, making it flicker from side to side. He stared at the microscope.

"Have you looked at blood?" he asked.

"I have," replied Edmund. "And s.e.m.e.n. Human blood, of course-and human s.e.m.e.n."

"And?"

Edmund shook his head. "They"re certainly not h.o.m.ogeneous fluids," he said, "but the instrument isn"t good enough for really detailed inspection. There are small corpuscles-the ones in s.e.m.e.n nave long, writhing tails*but there"s more... much more... to be seen, if I had the chance. By tomorrow this instrument will be gone*I don"t think I"ll be given the chance to build another."

"You"re surely not in danger! You"re an important man-and your loyalty has never been in question. People think of you as being almost a vampire yourself. A black magician. The kitchen girls are afraid of me because I"m your son-they cross themselves when they see me."

Edmund laughed, a little bitterly. "I"ve no doubt they suspect me of intercourse with demons, and avoid my gaze for fear of the spell of the evil eye. But none of that matters to the vampires. To them, I"m only a human, and for all that they value my skills, they"d kill me without a thought if they suspected that I might have dangerous knowledge."

Noell was clearly alarmed by this. "Wouldn"t..." He stopped, but saw Edmund waiting for him to ask, and carried on after only a brief pause. "The Lady Carmilla...

wouldn"t she... ?"

"Protect me?" Edmund shook his head. "Not even if I were her favorite still.

Vampire loyalty is to vampires."

"She was human once."

"It counts for nothing. She"s been a vampire for nearly six hundred years, but it wouldn"t be any different if she were no older than I."

"But... she did love you?"

"In her way," said Edmund sadly. "In her way." He stood up then, no longer feeling the urgent desire to help his son to understand. There were things the boy could find out only for himself and might never have to. He took up the candle tray and shielded the flame with his hand as he walked to the door. Noell followed him, leaving the empty flask behind.

Edmund left the citadel by the so-called Traitor"s Gate, and crossed the Thames by the Tower Bridge. The houses on the bridge were in darkness now, but there was still a trickle of traffic; even at two in the morning, the business of the great city didnot come to a standstill. The night had clouded over, and a light drizzle had begun to fall. Some of the oil lamps that were supposed to keep the thoroughfare lit at all times had gone out, and there was not a lamplighter in sight. Edmund did not mind the shadows, though.

He was aware before he reached the south bank that two men were d.o.g.g.i.ng his footsteps, and he dawdled in order to give them the impression that he would be easy to track. Once he entered the network of streets surrounding the Leathermarket, though, he gave them the slip. He knew the maze of filthy streets well enough*he had lived here as a child. It was while he was apprenticed to a local clockmaker that he had learned the cleverness with tools that had eventually brought him to the notice of his predecessor, and had sent him on the road to fortune and celebrity. He had a brother and a sister still living and working in the district, though he saw them very rarely. Neither one of them was proud to have a reputed magician for a brother, and they had not forgiven him his a.s.sociation with the Lady Carmilla.

He picked his way carefully through the garbage in the dark alleys, unperturbed by the sound of scavenging rats. He kept his hands on the pommel of the dagger that was clasped to his belt, but he had no need to draw it. Because the stars were hidden, the night was pitch-dark, and few of the windows were lit from within by candlelight, but he was able to keep track of his progress by reaching out to touch familiar walls every now and again.

He came eventually to a tiny door set three steps down from a side street, and rapped upon it quickly, three times and then twice. There was along pause before he felt the door yield beneath his fingers, and he stepped inside hurriedly. Until he relaxed when the door clicked shut again, he did not realize how tense he had been.

He waited for a candle to be lit.

The light, when it came, illuminated a thin face, crabbed and wrinkled, the eyes very pale and the wispy white hair gathered imperfectly behind a linen bonnet.

"The lord be with you," he whispered.

"And with you, Edmund Cordery," she croaked.

He frowned at the use of his name-it was a deliberate breach of etiquette, a feeble and meaningless gesture of independence. She did not like him, though he had never been less than kind to her. She did not fear him as so many others did, but she considered him tainted. They had been bound together in the business of the Fraternity for nearly twenty years, but she would never completely trust him.

She lead him into an inner room, and left him there to take care of his business.

A stranger stepped from the shadows. He was short, stout, and bald, perhaps sixty years old. He made the special sign of the cross, and Edmund responded.

"I"m Cordery," he said.

"Were you followed?" The older man"s tone was deferential and fearful.

"Not here. They followed me from the Tower, but it was easy to shake themloose."

"That"s bad."

"Perhaps-but it has to do with another matter, not with our business. There"s no danger to you. Do you have what I asked for?"

The stout man nodded uncertainly. "My masters are unhappy," he said. "I have been asked to tell you that they do not want you to take risks. You are too valuable to place yourself in peril."

"I am in peril already. Events are overtaking us. In any case, it is neither your concern nor that of your... masters. It is for me to decide."

The stout man shook his head, but it was a gesture of resignation rather than a denial. He pulled something from beneath the chair where he had waited in the shadows. It was a large box, clad in leather. A row of small holes was set in the longer side, and there was a sound of scratching from within that testified to the presence of living creatures.

"You did exactly as I instructed?" asked Edmund.

The small man nodded, then put his hand on the mechanician"s arm, fearfully.

"Don"t open it, sir, I beg you. Not here."

"There"s nothing to fear," Edmund a.s.sured him.

"You haven"t been in Africa, sir, as I have. Believe me, everyone is afraid-and not merely humans. They say that vampires are dying, too."

"Yes, I know," said Edmund distractedly. He shook off the older man"s restraining hand and undid the straps that sealed the box. He lifted the lid, but not far-just enough to let the light in, and to let him see what was inside.

The box contained two big gray rats. They cowered from the light.

Edmund shut the lid again and fastened the straps.

"It"s not my place, sir," said the little man hesitantly, "but I"m not sure that you really understand what you have there. I"ve seen the cities of West Africa-I"ve been in Corunna, too, and Ma.r.s.eilles. They remember other plagues in those cities, and all the horror stories are emerging again to haunt them. Sir, if any such thing ever came to London..."

Edmund tested the weight of the box to see whether he could carry it comfortably. "It"s not your concern," he said. "Forget everything that has happened.

I will communicate with your masters. It is in my hands now."

"Forgive me," said the other, "but I must say this: there is naught to be gained from destroying vampires, if we destroy ourselves, too. It would be a pity to wipe out half of Europe in the cause of attacking our oppressors."

Edmund stared at the stout man coldly. "You talk too much," he said. "Indeed, you talk a deal too much."

"I beg your pardon, sire."Edmund hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to rea.s.sure the messenger that his anxiety was understandable, but he had learned long ago that where the business of the Fraternity was concerned, it was best to say as little as possible.

There was no way of knowing when this man would speak again of this affair, or to whom, or with what consequence.

The mechanician took up the box, making sure that he could carry it comfortably.

The rats stirred inside, scrabbling with their small clawed feet. With his free hand, Edmund made the sign of the cross again.

"G.o.d go with you," said the messenger, with urgent sincerity.

"And with thy spirit," replied Edmund colorlessly.

Then he left, without pausing to exchange a ritual farewell with the crone. He had no difficulty in smuggling his burden back into the Tower, by means of a gate where the guard was long practiced in the art of turning a blind eye.

When Monday came, Edmund and Noell made their way to the Lady Carmilla"s chambers. Noell had never been in such an apartment before, and it was a source of wonder to him. Edmund watched the boy"s reactions to the carpets, the wall hangings, the mirrors and ornaments, and could not help but recall the first time he had entered these chambers. Nothing had changed here, and the rooms were full of provocations to stir and sharpen his faded memories.

Younger vampires tended to change their surroundings often, addicted to novelty, as if they feared the prospect of being changeless themselves. The Lady Carmilla had long since pa.s.sed beyond this phase of her career. She had grown used to changelessness, had transcended the kind of att.i.tude to the world that permitted boredom and ennui. She had adapted herself to a new aesthetic of existence, whereby Her personal s.p.a.ce became an extension of her own eternal sameness, and innovation was confined to tightly controlled areas of her life*including the irregular shifting of her erotic affections from one lover to another.

The sumptuousness of the lady"s table was a further source of astonishment to Noell. Silver plates and forks he had imagined, and crystal goblets, and carved decanters of wine. But the lavishness of provision for just three diners-the casual waste-was something that obviously set him aback. He had always known that he was himself a member of a privileged elite, and that by the standards of the greater world, Master Cordery and his family ate well; the revelation that there was a further order of magnitude to distinguish the private world of the real aristocracy clearly made its impact upon him.

Edmund had been very careful in preparing his dress, fetching from his closet finery that he had not put on for many years. On official occasions he was always concerned to play the part of mechanician, and dressed in order to sustain that appearance. He never appeared as a courtier, always as a functionary. Now, though, he was reverting to a kind of performance that Noell had never seen him play, and though the boy had no idea of the subtleties of his father"s performance, he clearlyunderstood something of what was going on; he had complained acidly about the dull and plain way in which his father had made him dress.

Edmund ate and drank sparingly, and was pleased to note that Noell did likewise, obeying his father"s instructions despite the obvious temptations of the lavish provision. For a while the lady was content to exchange routine courtesies, but she came quickly enough-by her standards-to the real business of the evening.

"My cousin Girard," she told Edmund, "is quite enraptured by your clever device.

He finds it most interesting."

"Then I am pleased to make him a gift of it," Edmund replied. "And I would be pleased to make another, as a gin of Your Ladyship."