Hargraves. “We need to get to the airport. I believe Clarkson will be arriving with our prize sooner than poor Southern expected.”
Chapter 18
The private jet that was waiting for Sylvie and Terrill at the airport in Redmond, Oregon, was luxurious. It featured good-sized beds, but they were both too upset and anxious to try to sleep. Sylvie was a little calmer than Terrill, but that was only because she didn’t know the stakes.
Terrill laughed grimly to himself. He knew the stakes well––they were sharp and deadly.
Once they were in the air, Clarkson sat down across from them.
“Now we can talk,” she said, looking even more serious than usual. “I left the enforcers behind because I couldn’t be sure whose side they were on.”
“I don’t understand,” Terrill said. “What do you need me for?”
Clarkson cocked her head at him as if bemused. “You really don’t know, do you? You’re a legend, Terrill. When you disappeared from sight, you did something that no vampire has ever done, except for Michael, and you must know how he is regarded. You’ve nearly reached his level in the mythology of our kind.”
Terrill shook his head ruefully. “By trying not to be vampire, I’ve become famous?”
“Most vampires can’t imagine not feeding on humans––not even those of us who might like to try that. But you are also the author of the Rules of Vampire, which in your absence have become paramount.”
“Still, I don’t understand. Are you saying some vampires are for the Rules and some are against them?”
“No,” Clarkson said. “Most vampires are for the Rules; only a small element wants to eliminate them completely.”
“So what’s the problem?”
Clarkson hesitated. “This is where it gets complicated. Some well-meaning vampires thought that if the Rules worked so well when they were voluntary, making them mandatory would be even better. The problem comes in the enforcement. How do you interpret the Rules? How strong do you make the punishments?
“Slowly but surely, the punishments have become more severe. At the same time, the interpretations of the Rules have become stricter, so that just about any vampire can be charged with violating one or the other of them. It has become political. It has become about power.”
Terrill still couldn’t understand what she was driving at. “So you want to loosen the Rules, make the punishments less draconian?”
“Personally, I think they should be made voluntary again,” Clarkson said. “After all, those who break the Rules usually reap their own karma. But yes, most of the vampire community would like the Rules to be interpreted less strictly and the punishments to be less dire. However, the hardcore strict interpreters have been gaining more power by eliminating their opponents.”
“Then why do they want Terrill?” Sylvie broke in. “They must know that he won’t agree with them.”
“That’s true,” Clarkson conceded, “and would be a problem for them if Terrill were able to say what he thinks. But they have you, Sylvie, so they think that Terrill will become their mouthpiece, their figurehead. They can broadcast to other vampires that the founder of the Rules of Vampire is in favor of strict enforcement.”
Sylvie turned to Terrill. “You mustn’t let this happen, Terrill. Not even for my sake. I won’t have the deaths of so many on my conscience.”
“These are vampires we’re talking about, Sylvie. Why do you care?”
“You were a vampire, Terrill, and I loved you. Surely not all vampires deserve to die. But even more importantly, these are the bad vampires who are winning, Terrill. I don’t want that on my head.”
Terrill almost smiled. Bad vampires. Good vampires. She was sometimes so naive about the way of things. And yet… was she wrong? If it had only been the two of them, Terrill wasn’t sure what he would have chosen to do. But Michael had advised him to play along until he completely
Chapter 18
The private jet that was waiting for Sylvie and Terrill at the airport in Redmond, Oregon, was luxurious. It featured good-sized beds, but they were both too upset and anxious to try to sleep. Sylvie was a little calmer than Terrill, but that was only because she didn’t know the stakes.
Terrill laughed grimly to himself. He knew the stakes well––they were sharp and deadly.
Once they were in the air, Clarkson sat down across from them.
“Now we can talk,” she said, looking even more serious than usual. “I left the enforcers behind because I couldn’t be sure whose side they were on.”
“I don’t understand,” Terrill said. “What do you need me for?”
Clarkson cocked her head at him as if bemused. “You really don’t know, do you? You’re a legend, Terrill. When you disappeared from sight, you did something that no vampire has ever done, except for Michael, and you must know how he is regarded. You’ve nearly reached his level in the mythology of our kind.”
Terrill shook his head ruefully. “By trying not to be vampire, I’ve become famous?”
“Most vampires can’t imagine not feeding on humans––not even those of us who might like to try that. But you are also the author of the Rules of Vampire, which in your absence have become paramount.”
“Still, I don’t understand. Are you saying some vampires are for the Rules and some are against them?”
“No,” Clarkson said. “Most vampires are for the Rules; only a small element wants to eliminate them completely.”
“So what’s the problem?”
Clarkson hesitated. “This is where it gets complicated. Some well-meaning vampires thought that if the Rules worked so well when they were voluntary, making them mandatory would be even better. The problem comes in the enforcement. How do you interpret the Rules? How strong do you make the punishments?
“Slowly but surely, the punishments have become more severe. At the same time, the interpretations of the Rules have become stricter, so that just about any vampire can be charged with violating one or the other of them. It has become political. It has become about power.”
Terrill still couldn’t understand what she was driving at. “So you want to loosen the Rules, make the punishments less draconian?”
“Personally, I think they should be made voluntary again,” Clarkson said. “After all, those who break the Rules usually reap their own karma. But yes, most of the vampire community would like the Rules to be interpreted less strictly and the punishments to be less dire. However, the hardcore strict interpreters have been gaining more power by eliminating their opponents.”
“Then why do they want Terrill?” Sylvie broke in. “They must know that he won’t agree with them.”
“That’s true,” Clarkson conceded, “and would be a problem for them if Terrill were able to say what he thinks. But they have you, Sylvie, so they think that Terrill will become their mouthpiece, their figurehead. They can broadcast to other vampires that the founder of the Rules of Vampire is in favor of strict enforcement.”
Sylvie turned to Terrill. “You mustn’t let this happen, Terrill. Not even for my sake. I won’t have the deaths of so many on my conscience.”
“These are vampires we’re talking about, Sylvie. Why do you care?”
“You were a vampire, Terrill, and I loved you. Surely not all vampires deserve to die. But even more importantly, these are the bad vampires who are winning, Terrill. I don’t want that on my head.”
Terrill almost smiled. Bad vampires. Good vampires. She was sometimes so naive about the way of things. And yet… was she wrong? If it had only been the two of them, Terrill wasn’t sure what he would have chosen to do. But Michael had advised him to play along until he completely
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