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Silently, Belasco stepped back from the doorway and coughed. Loudly. From the radio room, he heard a startled gasp and a muttered profanity. He stepped back into the doorway. Edie sat at her desk, looking a little pale. Joseph stood behind her, his hands resting lightly on the warmblooded woman’s shoulders.
“Belasco,” murmured Joseph, reluctantly removing his hands. Green said nothing, merely nodded in recognition, two spots of color appearing high in her pale cheeks.
“The Vinneker child has died,” announced Belasco. “Miss Green, please send word to the other council members. Ask them to meet me in the chamber at 2200 hours.”
Green nodded and rose to see to it, leaving the two men alone.
“You should pick a better time and place to satisfy your thirst, Joseph,” cautioned Belasco.
The younger vampire ran his tongue over his lips and shrugged. “It was a spur of the moment decision. On both of our parts.”
Belasco said nothing, but radiated disapproval. Joseph chose to ignore the elder’s mood and address the current situation.
“The Vinneker girl was the last baby in the settlement.”
“Yes.”
“What happens now?”
“The settlement council will discuss it in private,” said Belasco. “But our numbers are too few to maintain this settlement effectively.”
“Will we get more people from back East?” asked Joseph.
“Unlikely,” said Belasco. “They know about Adam’s Lament. Would you risk relocating to a plague town, Joseph?”
“Not if I was still human,” admitted the younger man. “So, what? We’ll be shut down?”
“Most likely.”
Joseph frowned and crossed his arms. “I have no desire to move back east.”
“That may not happen.”
“They won’t support a failing town, Belasco,” said Joseph. “You know that as well as I do.”
“True. But there are other settlements along the frontier that might be amenable to our joining them.”
Joseph said nothing, but he did not look reassured.
“Belasco,” murmured Joseph, reluctantly removing his hands. Green said nothing, merely nodded in recognition, two spots of color appearing high in her pale cheeks.
“The Vinneker child has died,” announced Belasco. “Miss Green, please send word to the other council members. Ask them to meet me in the chamber at 2200 hours.”
Green nodded and rose to see to it, leaving the two men alone.
“You should pick a better time and place to satisfy your thirst, Joseph,” cautioned Belasco.
The younger vampire ran his tongue over his lips and shrugged. “It was a spur of the moment decision. On both of our parts.”
Belasco said nothing, but radiated disapproval. Joseph chose to ignore the elder’s mood and address the current situation.
“The Vinneker girl was the last baby in the settlement.”
“Yes.”
“What happens now?”
“The settlement council will discuss it in private,” said Belasco. “But our numbers are too few to maintain this settlement effectively.”
“Will we get more people from back East?” asked Joseph.
“Unlikely,” said Belasco. “They know about Adam’s Lament. Would you risk relocating to a plague town, Joseph?”
“Not if I was still human,” admitted the younger man. “So, what? We’ll be shut down?”
“Most likely.”
Joseph frowned and crossed his arms. “I have no desire to move back east.”
“That may not happen.”
“They won’t support a failing town, Belasco,” said Joseph. “You know that as well as I do.”
“True. But there are other settlements along the frontier that might be amenable to our joining them.”
Joseph said nothing, but he did not look reassured.
