CHAPTER 34

Caleb led me.

This staircase was narrow and steep, and led into real blackness. After winding and winding, deeper and deeper, I finally saw a light in the distance, and started to hear movement. As we turned the corner, we entered another room.

This room was huge and brightly lit, torches everywhere. It mirrored the upstairs rooms identically, with soaring, stone, medieval ceilings, arched, covered in intricate detail. There were large tapestries on the walls, and the huge space was filled with medieval furniture.

It was also filled with people. Vampires. They were all dressed in black, and they moved casually about the room. Many of them sat in various seats, some talking to each other. In the other coven, under City Hall, I had felt evil, darkness, had felt in constant danger. Here, I felt strangely relaxed.

Caleb led me across the long room, right down the center. As we walked, the movement subsided, and a hush descended. I could feel all the eyes on us.

As we reached the end