I hesitated, unsure of how to reply. The few times I’ve briefly spoken to vamps in the Three Willows generally involved the words “bugger off, fang face,” so I wasn’t sure what to say. Somehow, “Hello, please don’t eat me,” didn’t seem like a polite way to start a conversation. I settled on a weak smile instead, and the vampire nodded infinitesimally in reply.

“Come in.” Turning around, he walked away, and we followed him through the doorway toward the source of the buttery golden light. After proceeding down a short hallway we entered an enormous library.

“Wow.” The word slipped from me in a surprised whisper. I clamped my hand over my mouth before I could make any other brilliant comments and simply stared in awe at row after row of bookshelves. Not since college when I’d taken a tour of the stacks of the main library had I seen a room with so many books. Mac would’ve fainted if he saw this place, and then awoken crying tears of joy. It made me miss him terribly.

Simon made his way to an enormous, elaborately carved wooden desk in front of a large fireplace. Two more vampires stood in front of the desk, watching us with great interest as Lex and I approached. A man and a woman in conservative business attire-it was refreshing to see a female vampire without dark eye makeup, dressed in real, grown-up clothes, and with her natural hair color too. All three vampires appeared to be in their mid to late thirties, and I wondered just how old they actually were. Our host sat down in a chair that was decorated as intricately as the desk, enough that it was almost a throne really, and nodded toward the other two vampires.

“Duquesne, I believe you’ve met Mr. and Mrs. Black,” Simon commented. Black? Ugh, completely unoriginal vampire name. Do they require you to pick a new, cliché name when you sign up to be a fang-face?

“Nice to see you again,” Mr. Black politely greeted Lex. “Miss Morrow, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Michael Black, and this is my wife Emily.”

“Hi,” I said, smiling nervously. If it wasn’t for my magic-sniffing ability, I wouldn’t have taken him for a vamp just by sight-he looked too normal. Conservative haircut, average height and build, there was nothing remarkable about him that screamed “hello, undead!” like the other vampires I’d encountered.

“We’ve heard so much about you,” Emily added enthusiastically. That couldn’t be good. It was already disturbing enough that the vampires were being obviously rude by using my True Name, when I was sure they knew the one I go by. “Your story is really quite interesting. I’m a bit of a writer, and I was wondering if I might speak more with y-”

“We’ll leave you to your meeting,” Michael interrupted his wife. With a polite smile Michael took her arm to lead her away, and I noticed she didn’t look happy to be leaving.

“Perhaps I could email you?” she called over her shoulder. Before I could answer, the pair disappeared through a side door instead of leaving the way Lex and I had entered. I bet this place was a maze of rooms.

“Please have a seat.”

Lex and I took the chairs on the other side of the desk. Leaning back in his throne, the vampire steepled his fingers as he regarded us. Now that we were in better light I was able to get a closer look at him. Simon’s features were thin, similar to the starved scholar look Mac tended to get when he was too involved in studying a new text and forgot to eat. Waves of chestnut hair fell just past his shoulders, framing a thin face with a strong nose and calculating blue eyes. Simon was attractive in a bookish sort of way, if you didn’t mind the fact that he could probably drain you dry without batting an eyelash or giving your death an afterthought.

“I would very much like to know the spell you used on the vampires who attacked you, Miss Morrow.”

“What spell?” I frowned, momentarily at a loss. Technically I hadn’t cast a spell on the vamps outside the café, I’d cast one near them. “Oh. That spell,” I said, sounding as stupid as I felt. “I don’t remember the words to it. I was trying for a ball of light and it ended up…bigger.”

“You did not throw the fire?”

“No. Though in retrospect that would have been a smarter idea than letting it explode in my hand.”

Simon frowned, appearing disappointed. “You don’t remember any of the words at all?”

“Just something about Apollo, that’s about it.”

His brows rose at the mention of Apollo, but then he shrugged. “Pity. A reaction of that sort with the circumstances described has not been recorded in three hundred years. I would like to study the incident further, perhaps another time. I must congratulate you on your success with the first two tests. You’ve far outperformed your competition.”

“Do you know how he did on the second test?” I asked, curious.

The vampire nodded. “It is fairly common knowledge. I won’t even charge you for it. In true necromancer style, Dorian decided on death for the three criminals.” He turned to Lex. “I assume you came here for more interesting information though, Duquesne. I’m surprised you ran out of other options so quickly.”

“What do you know about the current situation?” Lex asked, ignoring the barb.

The vampire smiled thinly. “I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.”

“All right.” Lex sat up straighter in his chair and leaned forward. “Why is Laura making a play for the position of Faerie liaison?”

“Ah, much better. More costly as well, as I’m sure you know,” Simon replied.

“I’m willing to pay the price we agreed on.” There was a stoic determination in Lex’s voice, and it made me nervous. Just how much money did this guy charge? Lex was comfortable financially, all guardians are. I’m not sure where the money comes from, but I know it’s meant to prevent them from being tempted by bribes.

“Excellent. Now then, you assume that it’s Laura. Why?”

“Because Laura practically owns my father,” I grumbled, “and she’s on the Council.” Lovely Laura Barrenheart (I sincerely doubt that’s her real last name), the only female vamp on an American Council. She’s also the vamp who turned my father into a necromancer, and promised to turn him into a vampire-a promise, I might add, she obviously hasn’t delivered on yet.

“While that is certainly true, I don’t believe she is behind this. Laura is very ambitious, but simply not creative enough to concoct a radical plan of this sort, despite the fact that it is a play for power.” Simon shook his head. “This manner of move I would expect from a younger vampire, one who has not had the time to accept the way things are and become settled in the routines of the others. Also, it needs to be an individual who has enough influence to convince Laura to act. There are few who fit that description.”

“Who do you suspect?” Lex questioned.

The vampire paused, gazing first at Lex and then at me, as though carefully considering something. “Zachary Harrison.”

Lex swore under his breath, and I silently echoed the sentiment. Guess that explained why Harrison was in town. He wanted to personally oversee the outcome of the tests.

“You have a file on him?” Lex asked.

“I do.”

“Can I get a copy of that?”

Simon appeared almost surprised for a moment, but then nodded in agreement. “Of course.”

“This still doesn’t answer the question of why. Why do this?” I asked, confused. “Vamps can’t get into Faerie. Why jockey for a political position with a race that won’t talk to you, and to a place you’re not welcome in?”

“Perhaps they are seeking to change that,” Simon replied.

“How?”

“Among the realms magicians can travel to, Faerie is unique. It was created after the powers-that-be closed the doorways to vampires. The doors of Faerie are closed to vampires by choice, by the will of the Councils of Faerie. Change that will, and the doors will open.”