- what then? A vampire in our midst, and. one who knows our every thought and secret? But the difference between a Necroscope and a necromancer ... 15 vast.Andmonstrous! said yet another, whose voice shuddered. We can't risk giving such a gift to anyone who would misuse it.But he already has the gift! said the voice, or its owner, who spoke in Jake's defence. And given to him by Harry himself, if we can believe what she has said.Ah, but she's not long cold. Naive in the ways of the long night, what can she know?She knew Harry,And what good did that do herp Like so many others before her, and like Harry himself, she too became a victim. No, she's no guarantee. And as for Harry: don't speak of him. The teeming dead know all about him.But Harry never harmed us! He was our friend and champion, right to ... to the end. But here the defending voice grew very quiet and uncertain.And what an end, said another small voice, when the Necroscope must Jlee his own world in order to keep faith!She was the last of the living who Harry spoke to, the one who was unafraid came back. She says he made promises - and he kept them.
True, said another, more doleful voice. But Harry isolated himself for the sake of the living, not for the dead.
I say we should trust the woman, the other insisted.No, said the doleful one. For in the end she brought down a DOOM upon herself. Why, she was fortunate that she only died! And now - if we trust this one on her word - perhaps she will bring a DOOM on all of us.At which point:'Zek?' Jake tried again to cut in. 'Is it Zek you're talking about? Zek Foener?'And again a long, cold silence. Until out of nowhere:I presented your case, Jake, and now we must let them talk it through. (Zek's voice, which he recognized at once.)'Talk what through? I'm not with you.'
If the Great Majority, the teeming dead, decide that they don't want you to have or to use deadspeak, Zek explained, then you can talk all you like and they won't listen. They'll simply ignore you. Oh, they're drawn to you - we're all drawn to your warmth, Jake - but at the same time they're afraid of you. They were afraid of Nathan, too, once upon a time, but Nathan proved himself, showed them they were mistaken. If he was here now... well, he could far better plead your case than I can.
'And what about Harry?' Jake said. 'Where is he? Couldn't the Necroscope, er, "plead my case" - whatever that's supposed to mean - even better?'Nof any longer, Zek answered.'He did something to upset them?'Something ... happened to him, she answered carefully.'So/ Jake tried to reason it out, 'Harry is dead, but the Great Majority won't have any truck with him. Yet you get along okay with him, and that thing in the sump was positively clinging to him. All very weird.'IfE-Branch, or Harry himself, had wanted you to know certain things, then I'm sure they would have told you, said Zek.But Jake was still puzzling it out. 'Trask, lan Goodly and Lardis - yes, and Liz, too - they've all had a go at hinting at something without being specific. They seem concerned that once I know the whole thing, or when I can see the big picture, then I'll run from it. But surely it would have to be something terrible to scare the Great Majority, who have absolutely nothing to lose! Yet even the dead won't spit it out up front. They speak in whispers, as if afraid to even talk about it. Not only that but Harry Keogh, a once-powerful metaphysical mind, is now an outcast among his own kind. So what in hell did he do ... ?'Jake sensed that he must be close now. But so did Zek, who was anxious to divert him. And:Jake, she cut in, you'll have an explanation. All of this will be explained eventually - or you'll work it out for yourself - but for now let it go, and let the teeming dead deliberate. The wisdom of the ages is down in the earth, Jake. I can't see that they'll make a mistake on your account, /know they'll let you