“What about demons?” Lilac asked.
Jareth hesitated before shrugging. “We were taught it was impossible, but there are legends. As with any legend, you must take it with a grain of salt. I don’t know if it’s possible.”
“Well, if it’s likeJurassic Park, it’s probably rare but does happen,” I offered. “Life will find a way and all that.”
Galen pursed his lips, fighting a smile.
“Who am I to argue withJurassic Park?” Jareth replied dryly.
I couldn’t see why anyone would argue withJurassic Park. It was a classic for a reason.
“One of the reasons so many dhampirs were born during that time in Romania is because witch lore was just as strong as strigoi lore,” he explained. “Everyone assumed vampires could mate with humans at will. That was not true. As I told you before, Hadley, it can only be witches.”
“I remember,” I said on a nod.
“The dhampirs were servants of sorts at first. Actually, they were children so they weren’t servants until they hit their teens. They were never meant to be children who were cuddled and loved. They were always meant to serve their masters.”
A sick realization flowed through me. “The vampires were breeding slaves.”
“I don’t particularly like that word, but you’re not wrong.” Jareth turned grim. “The dhampirs accepted their lot in life for years. Eventually, however, they started to push back. Like any creature in their position, they wanted to throw off their chains and be free.
“They were stronger than humans, and when they fed on human blood they grew even stronger,” he said. “The more human blood they ingested, the stronger they became.”
“They were ravaging the Romanian population,” Aurora surmised.
“Yes, and it was already weak.” Jareth pressed the heel of hishand to his forehead. “Two plagues decimated the country. The first was in 1738. Bubonic plague killed more than 50,000 people. The second was between 1813 and 1814, also bubonic plague. It ravaged Bucharest and led to severe quarantine measures.
“In the wake of the plagues, the population was down,” he supplied. “Vampires knew to be careful with killing. They didn’t want to kill off their favorite source of sustenance. It was recommended that they drink, but not to the death, and keep track of their victims.”
“Sounds all very orderly,” I said.
“It was supposed to be. The dhampir ranks, however, decided they didn’t want to follow the rules. There are times when what’s best for everyone is not willingly embraced because it’s human nature to care about yourself more than anything else. The Dhampirs needed the power associated with the blood to shake off their chains. They were not looking to the future but the present.”
“It’s weird,” Aurora mused. “Back in the day, they shut down entire cities — nobody in and out — to stop sickness. People won’t stand for that now. They’d rather the sickness run rampant through the population.”
“I’ve been in plenty of places where they still shut down cities and villages,” Brody said. “The insistence on putting personal needs ahead of the community only happens in more affluent countries.”
Jareth nodded in agreement. “The dhampirs refused to curtail their activities. They wanted freedom and they didn’t care how they got it. I understand why they wanted it and even agreed with their plight. Their methods, however, forced the vampires to take matters into their own hands.”
Jareth paused for what felt like a long time before continuing.
“It was called the purge,” he said in an even voice. “The vampire masters agreed they had to stop what was happening. They joined together to wipe out the dhampirs. They called it a failed experiment, but it was a blood bath.”
I could picture blood in the streets, terrified dhampirsrunning for their lives. It made me sad, and yet I understood why it had to happen. That made me feel worse.
“Ninety-five percent of the dhampir population was wiped out,” Jareth supplied. “Some escaped. Word of what had to be done spread through Europe and other countries started wiping out their dhampir populations.”
“The surviving dhampirs came here,” Booker guessed.
“It was easier to hide. We had more land than population. The dhampirs set up just outside of cities, acted like contributing members of the society, and then quietly killed to sustain themselves.”
He held up the book. “This codex belongs to one of them. His name was Bogdan. He was known as Bogdan the Beastly. He settled in New Orleans, which begs the question of how this book ended up here.”
“I’m guessing he didn’t do great things in New Orleans to get the beastly tag,” I said.
“He was a serial killer,” Jareth said. “The word can apply to vampires as well as humans. He slaughtered humans and other dhampirs alike. He wanted to prove his dominance.
“He talks in great detail about the people he killed,” he continued. “He goes on and on about the dhampirs he tortured. The cover of the book is skin from a dhampir victim. His evil was poured into the book and it took on a life of its own.”
