"What did you do to Ralphe?" I whisper aloud. "Why did you do it? Why did you refuse to talk to me when we were in jail?"
But his ghost has questions of its own.
Why were you so quick to kill Ralphe?
"I had to," I tell the night.
Why did you betray me, Sita?
"I had to," I say again. "You were out of control."
But I never accused you, Sita. And you were the real witch.
I sigh. "I know, Arturo. And I was not a good witch."
I have come far from where I started. A steep hill stands before me and I climb to the top of it. Twenty miles off to my left is Las Vegas, glowing with extravagance and decadence. The almost full moon is high and to my right. The hike has left me hot and sweaty. After shedding my clothes, I once more bow to the lunar goddess. This time I feel the rays enter my body, a tingling coolness that is strangely comforting. My breathing becomes deep and expanded. I feel as if my lungs can draw in the whole atmosphere, as if my skin can soak up the entire night sky. My heart pounds in my chest, now circulating a milky white substance instead of sticky red blood. Without using my eyes, I know I am becoming transparent.
I feel extraordinarily light.
As if I could fly.
The thought comes from an unknown place. It is like a hissed whisper spoken to me from the eternal abyss. Perhaps Yaksha's soul returns to grant me one final lesson.
The soles of my feet leave the top of the hill.
But I have not jumped. No.
I am floatinga few inches above the cool sand.
10
When I return to my room, I call Seymour Dorsten, my friend and personal biographer, the young man I cured of AIDS with a few drops of my blood. Seymour is my psychic twinhe often writes about what I am experiencing, without my having to tell him what it is. Lately, I've been broadcasting him great material. I wake him up, but as soon as he hears my voice he is instantly alert.
"I knew you'd be calling me soon," he says. "Was that you down in Los Angeles?"
"Joel and I."
He takes a moment to absorb what I am saying. "Joel is a vampire now?"
"Yes. Eddie roughed him up bad. He was dying. I had no choice."
"You've broken your vow."
"Do you need to remind me?"
"Sorry." He pauses. "Can I become a vampire?"
"You don't want the headache. Let me tell you what's been happening."
For the next ninety minutes Seymour listens while I detail everything that has occurred since just before I rescued Yaksha and battled with Eddie. I mention Tex, sleeping in his shallow grave in the desert, and my levitating in the moonlight. Seymour ponders my words for a long time.
"Well?" I ask finally. "Have you been writing about all of this already?"
He hesitates. "I was writing a story about you. In it you were an angel."
"Did I have wings?"
"You were glowing white and flying high above a ruined landscape."
"Sounds like the end of the world," I remark.
Seymour is serious. "It will be the end of the world if you don't get Joel away from these people. You think they really have another vampire in addition to Joel?"
"Yes. Andy has constructed a model of vampire DNA. He wouldn't have had time to do it after Joel was brought to him."
"How do you know what vampire DNA looks like?"
I haven't told Seymour about Arturo. The story is too painful, and besides, I don't think it applies to the situation.
"Trust me, I have experience in the matter," I reply. "Andy's model is accurate. Anyway, whether I have to rescue one or two, my dilemma is the same. I have to get in there and then I have to get three of us out"
"It sounds like your best bet is Andy. Can't you stare him in the eye and make him do what you want?"
"That can backfire. If I push too hard, I'll scramble his brain, and the others will know there's something wrong with him. But if I'm careful I can plant a few suggestions deep in his mind."
"Money is a smart angle. Offer him millions. The fact that he hates his boss doesn't hurt either."
"I agree. But, Seymour, you're supposed to tell me what I'm missing."
"Do you feel you're missing something?" he asks.
"Yes. I can't explain, but I know it's there. It's just not evident to me."
Seymour considers. "I'll tell you a couple things you won't want to hear. When you get inside the compound, you can't go straight for Joel."
"Why not?"
"You have to get to the general. You have to be ableto control him."
"He might be harder to get to than Joel."
"I doubt it. Joel will be locked in a cage even you wouldn't be able to escape from. Obviously they know how strong a vampire is."
"Joel is powerful, no doubt. But he is still a child next to me. They don't know that."
"They know more than you think, Sita. "You're really not looking at the whole picture. They're probably still searching Lake Mead for your body. The factthat they haven't found it tells the general that you're still alive. And for you to have survived what they put you through means that you have to be handled with extreme care." Seymour pauses. "The general must have figured you'll come for Joel." "You sound so certain," I say. "I'm not." "Look at it logically. You had several chances to leave Joel during your fight with the LAPDbut you didn't. In fact, you showed tremendous loyalty to him. Believe me, they have constructed a psychological profile on you. They know you're coming for him. They'll be waiting for you. That's one of the reasons you have to go after the general first. Control him and his mind and you control the compound."
"His associates will know something is up."
"You need only control him for a short time. Also, you have no choice. You need the general for something other than rescue and escape." "What?" I ask, knowing what he'll say. "Samples of vampire blood will be spread all over the compound. I bet they have several labs there, and you won't be able to walk around and find all the samples. On top of that, they'll have the research that they've conducted in their computers. For these reasons the compound has to be completely destroyed. It's the only way. You're going to have to force the general to detonate a nuclear warhead."