Inquisition. If there had been no Sita and no magical blood to poison his dreams. Perhaps his name would have been uttered in the same breath as that of Leonardo da Vinci, of Einstein. It tortures me to think of the lost possibilities: Arturo the alchemist--the founder of a secret science.
"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 extrava?gance 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 floating--a few inches above the cool sand.
Chapter 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 twin--he 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.