The Devil's Shadow | The Empty World Sequence

Sixteen

The Necropolis, beneath New York City, 1992 AD.

Louis knew when it happened, he tossed in his half-sleep, turned onto his stomach and clawed at his mattress. He knew that his Father had given the blood to Blade. And there was just one single thought in response: NO!

And Robert knew that the others knew. He lay beside Blade, asleep, but in his dreams he saw Faye, her eyes snapping open suddenly, he saw Louis scratch holes in his sheets, and Troy just around the corner locked in the vault: waking.

And somewhere deeper than that he saw another face turn toward him, saw a pair of violet eyes focus in on him, and the sharp flash of a smile. And then all Robert could think was: NO!

They stood as if at the center of the tower of Babel as it fell down around them. And in this dream tower Louis gazed across the crumbling room, looking as Robert had never seen him: truly sad.

"Disaster, my father?"

And dream-joke not lost on him Robert just cried.

The Fall of the Nephillim; she could very well be their ruin. And the worst pain of all was knowing that love had brought this about. Robert had let it happen, allowed it in a self-destructive, Human way. And then there in Babel Robert looked up and saw Eros sitting upon a ruined wall. "I am the beast," he said, "what thing is more cruel than love?" And he looked down at his father, smiled.

And Ariella stood there, beside her son, yet she was changed, this was not the woman whom he had watched die, she stood haughty and proud, a shiny dragon at her side, a hand on its long dragon snout, she wore cyan. "We say you let Paris keep her, we are not bothered by her."

And then there was Death.

"Satisfied?" It looked more male than usual, the hair slightly shorter, but the eyes remained cold and black, lightless, while the skin glowed more brightly than any of the other's. "You should have sent her to me, Honey."

All eyes turned to Blade. She held her hands to her ears as she screamed: NO!

She staggered back, seeming wounded. "No! I will not go along. Fight, I'll fight you. I'd rather die than give you control!"

Louis stared at her, fell to his knees.

b b b

The real world. Robert was awake. He lay in his bed watching over Blade carefully. He knew that the others had gathered in the very next room, he knew also they would not dare to come any closer. He could hear them talking, Min's tired whines: Faye had dragged her from bed, forced blood into her and driven all the way from New Orleans in the old Porsche, stopping only for petrol, oil, and tires. The sun had exhausted Min. Faye was speaking rapidly, asking what this woman was like, how she could have bewitched Robert. Louis was explaining that Robert thought Blade was like Ariella.

And then Blade woke up. She looked terribly frightened. "I can hear them," she said.

She tried to sit, but when she did she folded double over the side of the bed.

"It's OK, just whatever you last ate wanting to come up, it'll pass."

She glared at him.

b b b

They had a confrontation before the old green sofa. Just woken Robert still wore only a pair of black jeans, Louis and Faye stood at each other's side looking dressed for a funeral while Min stood thinner and more pale than ever holding Troy by his collar as if knowing as they all must that given his freedom Troy would take Robert's side in any case. And Niki, she stood back behind Louis, arms crossed at her chest, dressed this time as out of date as ever in what appeared to be a man's suit of the 1940's. Psyche wandered about in the kitchen.