[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
destroy another vampire, except that the coven master has the power
of life and death over all of his flock. And it is, further, his obligation
to lead the old ones and the mad ones into the fire when they can no
longer serve Satan as they should. It is his obligation to destroy all
vampires who are not properly made. It is his obligation to destroy
those who are so badly wounded that they cannot survive on their
own. And it is his obligation finally to seek the destruction of all
outcasts and all who have broken the laws. Five-that no vampire shall
ever reveal his true nature to a mortal and allow that mortal to live.
No vampire must ever reveal the history of the vampires to a mortal
and let the mortal live. No vampire must commit to writing the
history of the vampires or any true knowledge of vampires lest such a
history be found by mortals and believed. And a vampire's name must
never be known to mortals, save from his tombstone, and never must
any vampire reveal to mortals the location of his or any other
227
vampire's lair. These then were the great commandments, which all
vampires must obey. And this was the condition of existence among
all the Undead. Yet Armand should know that there had always been
stories of ancient ones, heretic vampires of frightening power who
submitted to no authority, not even that of the devil- vampires who
had survived for thousands of years. Children of the Millennia, they
were sometimes called. In the north of Europe there were tales of
Mael, who dwelt in the forests of England and Scotland; and in Asia
Minor the legend of Pandora. And in Egypt, the ancient tale of the
vampire Ramses, seen again in this very time. In all parts of the world
one found such tales. And one could easily dismiss them as fanciful
save for one thing. The ancient heretic Marius had been found in
Venice, and there punished by the Children of Darkness. The legend
of Marius had been true. But Marius was no more. Armand said
nothing to this last judgment. He did not tell Santino of the dreams he
had had. In truth the dreams had dimmed inside Armand as had the
colors of Marius's paintings. They were no longer held in Armand's
mind or heart to be discovered by others who might try to see. When
Santino spoke of Those Who Must Be Kept, Armand again confessed
that he did not know the meaning of it. Neither did Santino, nor any
vampire that Santino had ever known. Dead was the secret. Dead was
Marius. And so consign to silence the old and useless mystery. Satan
is our Lord and Master. In Satan, all is understood and all is known.
Armand pleased Santino. He memorized the laws, perfected his
performance of the ceremonial incantations, the rituals, and the
prayers. He saw the greatest Sabbats he was ever to witness. And he
learned from the most powerful and skillful and beautiful vampires he
was ever to know. He learned so well that he became a missionary sent
out to gather the vagrant Children of Darkness into covens, and guide
others in the performance of the Sabbat, and the working of the Dark
Trick when the world and the flesh and the devil called for it to be
done. In Spain and in Germany and in France, he had taught the Dark
Blessings and Dark Rituals, and he had known savage and tenacious
Children of Darkness, and dim flames had flared in him in their
company and in those moments when the coven surrounded him,
comforted by him, deriving its unity from his strength. He had
perfected the act of killing beyond the abilities of all the Children of
Darkness that he knew. He had learned to summon those who truly
wished to die. He had but to stand near the dwellings of mortals and
call silently to see his victim appear. Old, young, wretched, diseased,
the ugly or the beautiful, it did not matter because he did not choose.
Dazzling visions he gave, if they should want to receive, but he did not
228
move towards them nor even close his arms around them. Drawn
inexorably towards him, it was they who embraced him. And when
their warm living flesh touched him, when he opened his lips and felt
the blood spill, he knew the only surcease from misery that he could
know. It seemed to him in the best of these moments that his way was
profoundly spiritual, uncontaminated by the appetites and confusions
that made up the world, despite the carnal rapture of the kill. In that
act the spiritual and the carnal came together, and it was the spiritual,
he was convinced, that survived. Holy Communion it seemed to him, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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destroy another vampire, except that the coven master has the power
of life and death over all of his flock. And it is, further, his obligation
to lead the old ones and the mad ones into the fire when they can no
longer serve Satan as they should. It is his obligation to destroy all
vampires who are not properly made. It is his obligation to destroy
those who are so badly wounded that they cannot survive on their
own. And it is his obligation finally to seek the destruction of all
outcasts and all who have broken the laws. Five-that no vampire shall
ever reveal his true nature to a mortal and allow that mortal to live.
No vampire must ever reveal the history of the vampires to a mortal
and let the mortal live. No vampire must commit to writing the
history of the vampires or any true knowledge of vampires lest such a
history be found by mortals and believed. And a vampire's name must
never be known to mortals, save from his tombstone, and never must
any vampire reveal to mortals the location of his or any other
227
vampire's lair. These then were the great commandments, which all
vampires must obey. And this was the condition of existence among
all the Undead. Yet Armand should know that there had always been
stories of ancient ones, heretic vampires of frightening power who
submitted to no authority, not even that of the devil- vampires who
had survived for thousands of years. Children of the Millennia, they
were sometimes called. In the north of Europe there were tales of
Mael, who dwelt in the forests of England and Scotland; and in Asia
Minor the legend of Pandora. And in Egypt, the ancient tale of the
vampire Ramses, seen again in this very time. In all parts of the world
one found such tales. And one could easily dismiss them as fanciful
save for one thing. The ancient heretic Marius had been found in
Venice, and there punished by the Children of Darkness. The legend
of Marius had been true. But Marius was no more. Armand said
nothing to this last judgment. He did not tell Santino of the dreams he
had had. In truth the dreams had dimmed inside Armand as had the
colors of Marius's paintings. They were no longer held in Armand's
mind or heart to be discovered by others who might try to see. When
Santino spoke of Those Who Must Be Kept, Armand again confessed
that he did not know the meaning of it. Neither did Santino, nor any
vampire that Santino had ever known. Dead was the secret. Dead was
Marius. And so consign to silence the old and useless mystery. Satan
is our Lord and Master. In Satan, all is understood and all is known.
Armand pleased Santino. He memorized the laws, perfected his
performance of the ceremonial incantations, the rituals, and the
prayers. He saw the greatest Sabbats he was ever to witness. And he
learned from the most powerful and skillful and beautiful vampires he
was ever to know. He learned so well that he became a missionary sent
out to gather the vagrant Children of Darkness into covens, and guide
others in the performance of the Sabbat, and the working of the Dark
Trick when the world and the flesh and the devil called for it to be
done. In Spain and in Germany and in France, he had taught the Dark
Blessings and Dark Rituals, and he had known savage and tenacious
Children of Darkness, and dim flames had flared in him in their
company and in those moments when the coven surrounded him,
comforted by him, deriving its unity from his strength. He had
perfected the act of killing beyond the abilities of all the Children of
Darkness that he knew. He had learned to summon those who truly
wished to die. He had but to stand near the dwellings of mortals and
call silently to see his victim appear. Old, young, wretched, diseased,
the ugly or the beautiful, it did not matter because he did not choose.
Dazzling visions he gave, if they should want to receive, but he did not
228
move towards them nor even close his arms around them. Drawn
inexorably towards him, it was they who embraced him. And when
their warm living flesh touched him, when he opened his lips and felt
the blood spill, he knew the only surcease from misery that he could
know. It seemed to him in the best of these moments that his way was
profoundly spiritual, uncontaminated by the appetites and confusions
that made up the world, despite the carnal rapture of the kill. In that
act the spiritual and the carnal came together, and it was the spiritual,
he was convinced, that survived. Holy Communion it seemed to him, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]