Read Online Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine - Free Book Online Page A

with—’’
    â€˜â€˜No, nothing like that,’’ he broke in hastily. ‘‘Look, you were the one who had the red crystals, right? The ones that nearly killed the mayor’s daughter?’’
    Claire’s momentary relief burned away like flash paper. ‘‘I guess,’’ she said. ‘‘I gave them to the doctor.’’
    â€˜â€˜Well, here’s the thing: I’ve been looking at those crystals. Where’d you get them?’’
    â€˜â€˜I—found them.’’ Technically true.
    â€˜â€˜Where?’’
    â€˜â€˜In a lab.’’
    â€˜â€˜I need you to show me this lab, Claire.’’
    â€˜â€˜I don’t think I can do that, I’m sorry.’’
    â€˜â€˜Look, I understand that you’re probably protecting someone—someone important. But if it helps, I already have approval from the Council to work on these crystals, and I really need more information about them—who developed them, how, the ingredients. I think I can help.’’
    Amelie was on the Elders’ Council. But she hadn’t said anything about working with the doctor. ‘‘Let me find out what I can tell you,’’ Claire said. ‘‘I’m sorry. I’ll call you back.’’
    â€˜â€˜Soon,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve been told the goal is to increase the effectiveness of the drug by at least fifty percent within the next couple of months.’’
    Claire blinked, surprised. ‘‘Do you know what it does?’’
    Dr. Mills—who sounded pleasant and normal— laughed. ‘‘Do I really know? Probably not. This is Morganville—we invented the concept of the secret around here. But I have a pretty decent idea that whatever it is, it’s not designed for human consumption. ’’
    That was as much as Claire wanted to talk about on the phone, no matter how friendly he seemed. After a quick excuse, she hung up and called Amelie. She intended to leave a message, and that, she thought, would probably be the end of it.
    Amelie picked up the call. Claire stammered, took a deep breath, and told her about Dr. Mills and his request.
    â€˜â€˜I should have told you last evening. I have decided to concede to your request to have additional resources on this project,’’ Amelie said. ‘‘Dr. Mills is a trusted expert, a longtime resident of the town, and he won’t make the kind of value judgments others might. He’s also capable of keeping our secrets, and that is imperative. You understand why.’’
    Claire did, all too well. The crystals were a drug that helped vampires ward off the effects of a degenerative disease—a disease they all had, one that was robbing them of their ability to reproduce. Amelie was the strongest, but she was sick, too, and the worst cases were insane and locked away in cells beneath Morganville.
    And so far, few of the vampires knew about the illness. Once they did, there might be nothing to stop them from lashing out, blaming others. Innocent humans, probably.
    Just as bad would be the effect on the human population. Once they knew the vampires weren’t invincible, how many of them would really cooperate? Amelie had long ago figured that this could destroy Morganville, and Claire was pretty sure she was right.
    â€˜â€˜But—he wants to see Myrnin’s lab,’’ Claire said. Myrnin, her mentor and sometimes even her friend, had slipped off the edge of sanity, and he was in one of the cells. Lucid sometimes, and other times . . . dangerously not. ‘‘Should I take him there?’’
    â€˜â€˜No. Tell him that you’ll bring what he needs to the hospital. I don’t want any human other than yourself in that lab, Claire. There are secrets that must be kept, and I rely on you to see to it. Restrict his research only to refining and enhancing the