Book 3: “Death On Mt. Undenkhark!” Page 51
HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE THAT OF A VAMPIRE SCORNED
or
ONE LAST ATTEMPT AT TURNING BACK THE INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
Welcome again, most honored reader to the ongoing saga of the Terrific Trio!
Oh, my! What has Darya done? Is she out of her mind? In the vampires’ eyes (and in the minds of many ordinary folk of the Wyrld, by the way), she has committed not only an act of supreme stupidity, but a major faux pas as well.
Does she realize that by making one last desperate attempt at destroying one of the vampires, Gelmut or Anasha, she has not only doomed herself but her beloved Lucretius as well? Or, as Gelmut so ineloquently screamed, “Now you both become Nosferatu!” How will she defend herself now against not only the two vampires, but hordes of other monsters up in the stands? At least if she had her blade still, she could have taken her own and Lucretius’ lives so as to truly spare them both existence as vampires (after all, the Nosferatu don’t want damaged goods; their super-regeneration powers only kick in after the subject’s transformation into vampires, and they really don’t want headless vampires in their ranks).
Believe it or not, good reader, many mortals on the Wyrld at this time would have loved to be in Darya’s position—the chance to become a vampire—and thus immortal! One such group, the Cult of the Nosferatu, went around dressed in black leather and clothes (much like their heroes, the Nosferatu themselves) with white face-paint and black-dyed hair. Sound familiar?
But the First Peoples were much wiser than these foolish cult members. One and a half thousand centuries of civilization had taught them otherwise: the vampires’ Ultimate Gift was a poisoned gift, a Trojan Horse, a bait-and-switch, and the ultimate Faustian bargain—give us your body and we will give you immortality—at the cost of your immortal soul!
Understanding that, how will Darya resist—without even a sword? Please drop in next week with me, most honored reader, to find out! Until then—
With Cognescentii blessings,