His voice rang out, silencing the whispers in the cavern.
“The man you called ‘Draugodrottin’ is ash now. I killed him. He forfeited his position long ago. The missing ones among you he sold to humans in exchange for gold. He violated any trust you had in him.”
If Genevieve’s heart had been able to beat, it would have pounded.
“Isthatwhat happened to Otto?” Elspeth whispered. “Here one day and gone the next?”
Whispers circulated. Out of the crowd, a thin, wavering voice asked, “Who are you?”
“Some know me as Kendrick. I have watched the decline of leaders over the centuries, and I say to you no more. I lay claim to the throne of the Ossuary. Are there any here who would challenge me?”
Genevieve and Elspeth looked to Sparrow in confusion. In a whisper, Sparrow explained, “In order to become the next Master, he must defeat any challengers in single combat, or the title will not be truly his.”
That made sense. From what Genevieve had seen, vampire politics were brutal and bloody. Butcenturiesof leaders? “Could he really be as old as all that?” Genevieve murmured.
“None ofushave ever seen him before,” Sparrow said. All across the chamber, murmurs spread.
Kendrick gestured to himself. “Are there none among you who will challenge me?” He scanned the assembled vampires, then turned around to stare at the crude runes behind the dais that the Draugodrottin had set in stone to pontificate about his power and might in poor Anglo-Saxon grammar. Kendrick made a face.
He can read it, Genevieve realized with a start.
Out of the crowd, a figure flew forward, a knife outstretched.
Kendrick pivoted faster than the eye could follow. In one smooth motion, his sword thrust pierced the heart of the vampire who had tried to stab him in the back. The knife clattered to the floor.
The room fell silent.
Kendrick frowned. “In the back? Is this the sort of honor that the vampires of London possess?” He pulled the sword free. The body fell to the floor. He brought his sword down once more to part the head from the shoulders, and the body slowly crumbled to dust and bone.
“Who else covets the throne for their own or thinks me unfit to rule? Who will challenge me, face-to-face?” Kendrick demanded.
There was no answer.
“Do you then acknowledge me as ruler of the Ossuary?”
All around the chamber, vampires knelt in obeisance. Genevieve and her fellows did the same. “Master,” the London vampires whispered. “Master of the Ossuary.”
A grimace flashed across his face, there and gone so fast, Genevieve thought she might have imagined it.
“For too long,” he said, “the Ossuary has been ruled with fear, intimidation, and dishonor. I will make you a vow to be different. Keep your faith with me, and I will keep faith with you.”
Genevieve swayed under the nearly physical impact of his voice. It rolled over the crowd like a wave, and she could see the effect on the faces around her. His words flowed like hot butter, rich and thick, assuring them of his good intentions, swaying them into acceptance.
The people around her stared in awe, murmuring in amazement and disbelief.
Genevieve’s eyes narrowed. He sounded like a vampire accustomed to getting his own way. As if true transformation of a broken and corrupt system could be accomplished simply on his say-so. What did he know about what London’s vampire Ossuary needed? Whowashe?
“Now what?” she whispered to Sparrow.
“Now he’s the Master,” her friend said.
“That’s it?”
Sparrow stared at her, her brow furrowing. “What else is there?”
“An indication ofhowhis rule will be different?” Genevieve suggested.
Sparrow just blinked at her.
