"You must think I am very forward, but I assure you, it is most important that I speak to you."

"As a matter of fact, I was looking for you, too."

"You were?" she interrupted, taking the glass of wine the waiter offered. She took a small sip of it. "But you do not know why I sought you?"

"Oh, I think I do," I said, smiling as I held up a copy of the Regency paperback. "Dancing people."

She sagged in relief, reaching for it. "You did find it. I thought that you must have when I asked the book man and he said that an English lady with curly blond hair had just bought it."

"You have no idea of the evening I've had because of that thing," I said, dropping it into her hand. "I don't think you know just quite what you're getting into, though. I assume you're the Zorya?"

Her eyes widened. "You are of the light?"

"No." I shook my head. "But I had an introduction to the folks around here who subscribe to that religion, and I feel it only right to warn you about them."

"Warn me?" She surprised me by laughing. "Warn me about the Brotherhood of the Blessed Light?"

"They're the Ilargi, aren't they?"

Her smile faded. "No. Not anymore. It has been a millennium since that name was applied to us. We prefer the name Brotherhood."

"Then who, exactly, are the Ilargi? Every time I mention the name people start looking wary or scared."

She toyed with the stem of her glass for a few moments, her gaze avoiding mine. "The Ilargi were once brothers to my people. They were not of the light, but they served a purpose nonetheless. But they were corrupted and driven out, and now there are only a handful left. They have become tainted, you understand. They eat souls."

"That sounds pretty nasty," I said, the hairs on my arms standing on end. "No wonder everyone gets a bit weird when the're mentioned."

"My people are trying to track down those Ilargi who remain, but it is not easy. They are cunning, you know? And they hide in the mundane world. But the Brotherhood is strong, so they pose us no threat."

"Well, I don't know about that," I said slowly, picking my words with care so as to avoid insulting her. "I just know that the people I met tonight seemed to be under the impression that I was you, and that I was going to marry an Icelander named Mattias."

"The sacristan?" Her smile was back, albeit with a wry cast. "I have not met him, but yes, we are to marry. It was supposed to be tonight, but"—she glanced at her watch—"it is too late now. The ceremony will have to take place tomorrow instead. Oh, but here I am talking and talking and I have not even introduced myself. I am Anniki. You are… ?"

"Pia Thomason. And can I just say how glad I am that you found me? If I had to explain to any more people tonight that I'm not the Zorya, I think I'd probably need locking up in a padded room. The ghosts will be thrilled to see you, too, although one of them is apparently wandering around looking for rum. I understand they need help going somewhere."

"Spirits? You have seen some? Ah, but that is to be expected." She set down her glass of wine, her smile fading. "It is one of the jobs of a Zorya, you understand. We shine the light that illuminates the path of the dead."

"So I gathered. Better you than me, although I have to say that Karl and Marta seem like nice enough people. Er… ghosts. But still, I'm sure they'll be delighted to know you can help them."

"It is the job of the Brotherhood. I will be the light the lost ones seek," she said simply.

I sipped my wine. "This is probably out of line for me to ask, but don't you find those Brotherhood people a little too… well, intense, for lack of a better word."

She frowned a little frown. "Intense? What do you know of the Brotherhood?"

I shook my head. "Not much really, nothing other than some connection to northern lights and the moon."

"The light has its power in the moon," she said in all seriousness. "But I see it is not that which disturbs you most. You were afraid of the Brotherhood?"

"Not afraid, just a little uncomfortable," I hedged, not mentioning how Kristoff had threatened me.

She was silent for a moment, sipping her wine before she leaned forward. "You are mundane."

I was a bit taken aback by the comment. Did she just insult me?

"You are not of our world, but you have kind eyes, and you have seen much tonight that most people will never know exists. I will tell you about the Brotherhood so that you will understand why they are intense. There is darkness in the world. You have felt it, have you not?"

"You mean like terrorists and such?" I asked, confused.

"No, that is part of the mundane world. I speak of true darkness—Dark Ones, they are called, although they are better known as vampires."

"Vampires!" My urge to laugh died with a glance at her serious expression. Clearly she believed what she was saying… that or she was a very good actress going to a whole lot of trouble to pull my leg.

"Yes. They do not like that term because people fear vampires, and they wish for the world to view them as victims, rather than as the evil murderers they are, but you must not let yourself be fooled. They are born of darkness, and carry it within them, spreading their evil like a disease. You know that they have no souls?"

I blinked a couple of times and shook my head.

"It is so. They are born without them, damned just as demons are damned, only they do not bear the stench of Abaddon on them so noticeably."

"Abaddon being… hell?" I guessed.

"More or less, yes. The vampires have existed since the beginning of man's time, hoping to dominate them, to infect them with their darkness until all the light is gone from the world. The Brotherhood seeks to destroy them, to wipe out their evil, to cleanse the world of the poison that they would use upon innocent people."

"Good god," I said, seeing the truth shining in her eyes. "How can this have been going on and no one in the—what did you call it? mundane world—knew it existed?"

"The Dark Ones are very clever," she said, sitting back. "They hide themselves with mortalkind, blending in so that their evil is not discovered until it is too late. But the children of the light have existed through the ages to find them, to cleanse them of their darkness."

"Wow," I said. "I'm just… I guess I'm flabbergasted that this has been going on around me and I had no idea. Vampires! We're talking about the same thing, right? Wait—are we talking about the sexy Frank Langella type of vampires who seduce women, or the Gary Oldman-scary bun-head guys who kill people?"

Anniki frowned. "I do not know of this scary bun-head people you speak of, but I assure you, there is nothing romantic about the Dark Ones. They are heartless, soulless fiends who want only their own domination over the mortal world. And they are nearly impossible to kill."

"Really? So the old stake through the heart is just a fallacy?" I asked, fascinated despite the horrible subject matter.

"It would slow one down considerably, yes, but not necessarily kill him unless it was done using the power of the light."

"Sunlight?" I asked, thinking back to the stash of Buffy and Angel DVDs that sat next to my TV.

"They burn much easier than mortals, but it would take a long time exposed to sunlight to do more than cause them discomfort. They do not burn up in a flash as seen in movies."

"Huh. What do you know about that. Holy water?"

She shook her head. "The Brotherhood has over the centuries worked out the best ways to destroy their evil. But we are not callous, heartless killers as they are—we call upon the light to cleanse the Dark Ones, to purify them in a ritual that allows them redemption rather than damnation."

"Holy Jehoshaphat," I said, shivering a little. I rubbed my goose-bumpy arms. "I had no idea. No wonder the Brotherhood folk were so grimly determined. Where exactly do you fit in with all of this?"