Godfrey's pale blue eyes flickered. He didn't know.
He'd gotten the tattoos while he was alive, and they were very strange, symbols whose meaning had been lost centuries ago, I was willing to bet. Probably some scholar would give his eyeteeth to have a look at those tattoos. Lucky me, I was getting to see them for nothing.
"Please let me out," I said with as much dignity as I could muster. "They'll kill me."
"But you consort with vampires," he said.
My eyes darted from one side to another, as I tried to figure this one out.
"Ah," I said hesitantly. "You're a vampire, aren't you?"
"Tomorrow I atone for my sin publicly," Godfrey said. "Tomorrow I greet the dawn. For the first time in a thousand years, I will see the sun. Then I will see the face of God."
Okay. "You chose," I said.
"Yes."
"But I didn't. I don't want to die." I spared a glance for Gabe's face, which was quite blue. In his agitation, Godfrey was squeezing Gabe much tighter than he ought to. I wondered if I should say something.
"You do consort with vampires," Godfrey accused, and I switched my gaze back to his face. I knew I'd better not let my concentration wander again.
"I'm in love," I said.
"With a vampire."
"Yes. Bill Compton."
"All vampires are damned, and should all meet the sun. We're a taint, a blot on the face of the earth."
"And these people" - I pointed upward to indicate I meant the Fellowship - "these people are better, Godfrey?"
The vampire looked uneasy and unhappy. He was starving, I noticed; his cheeks were almost concave, and they were as white as paper. His blond hair almost floated around his head, it was so electric, and his eyes looked like blue marbles against his pallor. "They, at least, are human, part of God's plan," he said quietly. "Vampires are an abomination."
"Yet you've been nicer to me than this human." Who was dead, I realized, as I glanced down at his face. I tried not to flinch, and refocused on Godfrey, who was much more important to my future.
"But we take the blood of the innocents." Godfrey's pale blue eyes fixed on mine.
"Who is innocent?" I asked rhetorically, hoping I didn't sound too much like Pontius Pilate asking, What is truth? when he knew damn well.
"Well, children," Godfrey said.
"Oh, you... fed on children?" I put my hand over my mouth.
"I killed children."
I couldn't think of a thing to say for a long time. Godfrey stood there, looking at me sadly, holding Gabe's body in his arms, forgotten.
"What stopped you?" I asked.
"Nothing will stop me. Nothing but my death."
"I'm so sorry," I said inadequately. He was suffering, and I was truly sorry for that. But if he'd been human, I'd have said he deserved the electric chair without thinking twice.
"How soon is it until dark?" I asked, not knowing what else to say.
Godfrey had no watch, of course. I assumed he was up only because he was underground and he was very old. Godfrey said, "An hour."
"Please let me go. If you help me, I can get out of here."
"But you will tell the vampires. They will attack. I will be prevented from meeting the dawn."
"Why wait till the morning?" I asked, suddenly irritated. "Walk outside. Do it now."
He was astounded. He dropped Gabe, who landed with a thud. Godfrey didn't even spare him a glance. "The ceremony is planned for dawn, with many believers there to witness it," he explained. "Farrell will also be brought up to face the sun."
"What part would I have played in this?"
He shrugged. "Sarah wanted to see if the vampires would exchange one of their own for you. Steve had other plans. His idea was to lash you to Farrell, so that when he burned, so would you."
I was stunned. Not that Steve Newlin had had the idea, but that he thought it would appeal to his congregation, for that was what they were. Newlin was further over the top than even I had guessed. "And you think lots of people would enjoy seeing that, a young woman executed without any kind of trial? That they would think it was a valid religious ceremony? You think the people who planned this terrible death for me are truly religious?"
For the first time, he seemed a shade doubtful. "Even for humans, that seems a little extreme," he agreed. "But Steve thought it would be a powerful statement."
"Well, sure it would be a powerful statement. It would say, 'I'm nuts.' I know this world has plenty of bad people and bad vampires, but I don't believe the majority of the people in this country, or for that matter just here in Texas, would be edified by the sight of a screaming woman burning to death."
Godfrey looked doubtful. I could see I was voicing thoughts that had occurred to him, thoughts he had denied to himself he was entertaining. "They have called the media," he said. It was like the protest of a bride slated to marry a groom she suddenly doubted. But the invitations have been sent out, Mother.
"I'm sure they have. But it'll be the end of their organization, I can tell you that flat out. I repeat, if you really want to make a statement that way, a big 'I'm sorry,' then you walk out of this church right now and stand on the lawn. God'll be watching, I promise you. That's who you should care about."
He struggled with it; I'll give him that.
"They have a special white robe for me to wear," he said. (But I've already bought the dress and reserved the church.)
"Big damn deal. If we're arguing clothes, you don't really want to do it. I bet you'll chicken out."
I had definitely lost sight of my goal. When the words came out of my mouth, I regretted them.
"You will see," he said firmly.
"I don't want to see, if I'm tied to Farrell at the time. I am not evil, and I don't want to die."
"When was the last time you were in church?" He was issuing me a challenge.
"About a week ago. And I took Communion, too." I was never happier to be a churchgoer, because I couldn't have lied about that.
"Oh." Godfrey looked dumbfounded.
"See?" I felt I was robbing him of all his wounded majesty by this argument, but dammit, I didn't want to die by burning. I wanted Bill, wanted him with a longing so intense I hoped it would pop his coffin open. If only I could tell him what was going on... . "Come on," said Godfrey, holding out his hand.
I didn't want to give him a chance to rethink his position, not after this long do-si-do, so I took his hand and stepped over Gabe's prone form out into the hall. There was an ominous lack of conversation from Farrell and Hugo, and to tell the truth, I was too scared to call out to find out what was going on with them. I figured if I could get out, I could rescue them both, anyway.