"Terence West - Darkness" - читать интересную книгу автора (West Terence)

"Be off," Krath instructed. "Make haste, Sang."

The courier wasted no time in turning and running out of the throne room. As he exited, he passed a
multitude of vampires heading in.

Krath stood in front of his throne and addressed his assembled clan. Holding the letter aloft, he smiled,
bearing his fangs. "Stephanov sends word."
A murmur ran over the crowd. This was unheard of.

"Some say our two clans have been warring since man first learned to walk upright, yet no longer can we
afford this bloodshed. Our once proud covens have been utterly decimated by this feud. Stephanov has
seen the error of his ways. He has offered to meet so we can negotiate peace. Europe will be ours
again!" Krath's voice boomed.

The clan erupted into a wild chorus of cheers and applause.

"We must begin preparations for this meeting immediately," Krath continued. "My friends, my family, we
are witnessing a historic event. Let no one convince you otherwise."

***
She awoke in a cold sweat. Sitting up straight, she pushed off the blanket carefully laid over her. Still
dressed in her blood-splattered white ceremonial robe, Saint swung her legs over the edge of her bed
and placed her head in her hands. Trying to push away the fog that had settled on her brain, she rubbed
her eyes with the heels of her palms. She took a deep breath as she glanced around her room. Dusk had
settled, casting yellow and orange rays in through her windows. Through the rays of light, she could see
the dust motes wafting slowly through the air.

Standing up, she felt a twinge of pain in her neck. As she steadied herself against the frame of her bed,
she placed her hand on her throat. She could feel the remains of the cut from the ceremony earlier in the
day. The wound had already healed considerably and would be nearly gone by the next sunrise. She
suddenly became aware that she wasn't quite herself anymore-not different, yet not the same. Lifting off
her robe, she exposed her nude body to the golden light. Walking slowly across the floor, she stared at
herself in the mirror attached to the back of her door. It was one of the few luxuries the council had
granted her in her time at the academy.

She glanced over her toned, athletic twenty-three year old body. It didn't look any different to her, not
externally anyway, yet it was. She stared for a moment at the blood caked on her forehead and in her
hair. Rubbing her fingertips over it, she flaked off a bit, but she needed a shower to remove the rest.
Leaning forward, she placed her palms flat on the mirror and rested her forehead on the cool glass. She
noticed for the first time how her irises had changed. Formerly colored a deep brown, they were now a
faded blue, bordering on gray.

"I look spooky," she laughed uncomfortably.

It was then she noticed her other cosmetic difference. Straightening up in front of the mirror, she lifted her
upper lip to reveal two small fangs in place of her upper canines. Cocking her head to the right, she ran
her thumb over the tip of one of her fangs, but quickly pulled it away with a yelp. Looking down, she saw
a bead of blood welling up. Licking it off quickly, she returned her attention to the new fangs. They
extended almost a quarter of an inch past her incisors, but fit neatly over her bottom teeth when she bit