seymoure

27.

She was alone in the cell.

But, she did have hope. Some kind of news came to Shastan just at the height of his maniacal revelry, that shook him visibly. Whatever the news was it did not allow for her to be out and free.

Someone on Maria’s side of the equation had dealt some kind of blow to the demonic scheme.

Now she would have to become part of the resistance to this devil. If she was not an enemy, she knew he would lose an image of her as valuable. In that case, she feared, she would become
expendable.

Once again there was rustling in the hallway. Something was shambling up and down that corridor on a rather regular basis.

She looked back on the scene to derive whatever clues she might from what had happened.

The ghastly visage was still convulsed with laughter when the original vampire with whom she had seen him rushed to his side. The beast whispered in his ear, prompting the Immorti to snap to attention. He made hand gestures to the vampire while looking at her. His eyes were ablaze.

She swallowed hard. It was personal. Whatever happened, it had been about her, or at least someone connected to her. Was it something Mickey had done? Or perhaps Benjy had undercut the offensive launched by the arch antagonist. She knew the truth not just from the look in his eyes, but from the sliver of time that elapsed between his looking at her and his ability to do anything else.

He had wanted to kill her at that moment.

During that tiny second he had decided that she still might serve as a bargaining chip of some type.

Then the vampire returned with a pair of guards who herded her back to this cell and stood on either side of the door as she sat thinking of this.

There was more shuffling without, followed by some whispered discussion.

The door fairly exploded off its hinges.

Standing in the door was Vivad Shastan, breathing heavily, with a grimace of pure anger on his visage. He looked at her in a way that would have made a warrior pull back.

She didn’t move an inch.

“Now is the moment,” He spat, “Now we will decide if you live or die.”