Ball. Why, I recall back in 1703 when a kinsman of my first wife introduced his half-human daughter, Grozda, at the Grand Ball in Kiev—”
“Be that as it may,” Count de Laval growled, cutting off Count Orlock in mid-anecdote, “we all know what happened the last time the Shadow Hand was made manifest! I say it’s better to get rid of her now than run the risk of her going rogue!”
Victor Todd stood to make his point. “Despite what you believe, Count de Laval, Cally is not Pieter Van Helsing. She has not suffered the same cruelty Pieter did at the hands of his father’s people. She doesn’t hate us—at least not yet. With her we have an opportunity that we squandered with Pieter—a second chance to take the Shadow Hand’s power and make it work for us instead of against us. Then we would never have to live in fear of human attack ever again!”
“I’ll admit some of what you say intrigues me, Victor,” Count de Laval said grudgingly. “But I still say the risk is too great to allow the child to live. What is your opinion, Boris?”
“My family has learned the folly of valuing the purity of our bloodright above all things,” Count Orlock said solemnly. “Baron Metzger is right: there is no returning to the old days. To continue to fold inward does nothing but diminish us.” He rose from his chair and lifted his eyes to the vaulted ceiling. “Come forward, Klaus. It’s all right, son—you can show yourself now.”
Cally followed the Count’s gaze and saw what looked like a storybook demon roosting on the shoulder of one of the idols, staring down at her with black eyes the size of saucers. She instinctively gasped as the creature unfurled the pinioned, batlike wings on its back and swooped down from its perch.
The eldest son of Count Orlock was close to seven feet tall and covered in smooth, close-cropped gray fur, with knees that hinged backward. Unlike the winged form taken by normal vampires, Klaus had a pair of wings growing out of his back, set above a pair of perfectly normal, fully functional human arms.
“By the Darkest Powers! You brought that monstrosity here ?” Count de Laval hissed indignantly.
“You can’t have it both ways, Julian,” Count Orlock told his brother-in-law. “You can’t condemn the ‘dilution’ of the vampire race while at the same time reviling the result of inbreeding.” He held out his hand to Klaus, who scurried to his father’s side. Count Orlock smiled fondly as he scratched his eldest child behind the ears. “When he was born, I was told I should destroy him, just as he destroyed my beloved wife. They called him a freak, a throwback—everything but what he is: my son.
“I know what it is like to be proud of a child others revile, to desire the best for him, even when you know it is impossible,” Count Orlock said, smiling at Baron Metzger. “Because of that, I cannot find it in my heart to condemn you for what you have done. In fact, if your daughter had not been at the Grand Ball the other night, I daresay the outcome would have been far worse than it was. I, too, believe that we have been given a unique opportunity here, one that we dare not squander out of fear. As ranking Synodist for the City of New York, I propose that Cally Monture be released to the custody of her father, Baron Karl Metzger, and that she be subject to regular monitoring and inspection by Synod officials to determine whether or not she is a genuine threat to the vampire race.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency,” Baron Metzger said, bowing his head in gratitude.
“This is outrageous !” Count de Laval sputtered. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing! I’m going to appeal this decision to the Lord Chamberlain himself!”
“Just go ahead and do that,” Count Orlock replied icily.
Count de Laval gathered himself up and marched out of the Naos. As Anton Mauvais turned to follow his liege, he fixed the Baron with an angry glare.
“I wouldn’t get too attached
“Be that as it may,” Count de Laval growled, cutting off Count Orlock in mid-anecdote, “we all know what happened the last time the Shadow Hand was made manifest! I say it’s better to get rid of her now than run the risk of her going rogue!”
Victor Todd stood to make his point. “Despite what you believe, Count de Laval, Cally is not Pieter Van Helsing. She has not suffered the same cruelty Pieter did at the hands of his father’s people. She doesn’t hate us—at least not yet. With her we have an opportunity that we squandered with Pieter—a second chance to take the Shadow Hand’s power and make it work for us instead of against us. Then we would never have to live in fear of human attack ever again!”
“I’ll admit some of what you say intrigues me, Victor,” Count de Laval said grudgingly. “But I still say the risk is too great to allow the child to live. What is your opinion, Boris?”
“My family has learned the folly of valuing the purity of our bloodright above all things,” Count Orlock said solemnly. “Baron Metzger is right: there is no returning to the old days. To continue to fold inward does nothing but diminish us.” He rose from his chair and lifted his eyes to the vaulted ceiling. “Come forward, Klaus. It’s all right, son—you can show yourself now.”
Cally followed the Count’s gaze and saw what looked like a storybook demon roosting on the shoulder of one of the idols, staring down at her with black eyes the size of saucers. She instinctively gasped as the creature unfurled the pinioned, batlike wings on its back and swooped down from its perch.
The eldest son of Count Orlock was close to seven feet tall and covered in smooth, close-cropped gray fur, with knees that hinged backward. Unlike the winged form taken by normal vampires, Klaus had a pair of wings growing out of his back, set above a pair of perfectly normal, fully functional human arms.
“By the Darkest Powers! You brought that monstrosity here ?” Count de Laval hissed indignantly.
“You can’t have it both ways, Julian,” Count Orlock told his brother-in-law. “You can’t condemn the ‘dilution’ of the vampire race while at the same time reviling the result of inbreeding.” He held out his hand to Klaus, who scurried to his father’s side. Count Orlock smiled fondly as he scratched his eldest child behind the ears. “When he was born, I was told I should destroy him, just as he destroyed my beloved wife. They called him a freak, a throwback—everything but what he is: my son.
“I know what it is like to be proud of a child others revile, to desire the best for him, even when you know it is impossible,” Count Orlock said, smiling at Baron Metzger. “Because of that, I cannot find it in my heart to condemn you for what you have done. In fact, if your daughter had not been at the Grand Ball the other night, I daresay the outcome would have been far worse than it was. I, too, believe that we have been given a unique opportunity here, one that we dare not squander out of fear. As ranking Synodist for the City of New York, I propose that Cally Monture be released to the custody of her father, Baron Karl Metzger, and that she be subject to regular monitoring and inspection by Synod officials to determine whether or not she is a genuine threat to the vampire race.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency,” Baron Metzger said, bowing his head in gratitude.
“This is outrageous !” Count de Laval sputtered. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing! I’m going to appeal this decision to the Lord Chamberlain himself!”
“Just go ahead and do that,” Count Orlock replied icily.
Count de Laval gathered himself up and marched out of the Naos. As Anton Mauvais turned to follow his liege, he fixed the Baron with an angry glare.
“I wouldn’t get too attached
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