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Danse Macabre :: Гамильтон Лорел
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«On what grounds?» Merlin asked. «What laws have we broken? We are allowed mass hypnosis for theatrical purposes.»
I hated to admit it, but he was right. I shrugged. «If I think on it, I'm sure I can come up with something.»
«Would you, as you Americans say, frame us?»
I sighed, and let my hand fall away from the gun. «No, I guess I wouldn't.»
«Then I say again, why are we here? What have we done to anger Jean-Claude?»
«You know exactly what you did,» I said, «and why we're pissed at you.»
«No, truly, Miss Blake, I do not.»
«It's Ms. Blake, or Marshal Blake, to you.»
He made a small gesture. «Ms. Blake, then.»
«What would you have done if you had succeeded in rolling the minds of six Masters of the City?» Asher asked. His hair hid half his face, a golden distraction.
«I will not answer your question for you are not master here, nor powerful enough to be témoin .»
«Fine, what he said.»
Merlin looked at me. «What is that, Ms. Blake?»
«Don't make me repeat the question, Merlin, just answer it.»
«I don't understand what you hope to gain by this little discussion, Ms. Blake. Truly, I do not.»
«You tried to mind-fuck six Masters of the City, plus a half-dozen or more rulers of the local lycanthropes. Hell, we've got animals to call of several masters, plus human servants. You tried to bite off a great, big, bloody chunk, and you weren't master enough to swallow it.»
«Merlin could have taken you all.» This from Elisabetta.
I shook my head without looking at her. «No, he couldn't, or he'd have done it.»
«What do you want from us, Ms. Blake?» Merlin asked.
«I want to know why you did it. Don't give me shit about wanting all your audience to enjoy the show. If you have truly been mind-fucking all the masters at all the performances, then you wanted to know if you could take them all here tonight. I want to know, why?»
«Why what, Ms. Blake?»
«Why try to roll everyone? Why run the risk of insulting all of them? Why throw this big a gauntlet down? You're a master vampire. You're so damn old you make my bones ache just sitting there. Vamps like you don't make mistakes, Merlin. Vamps like you always have a reason for everything they do.»
«Perhaps I do not believe that a human who has barely seen three decades of mortal life would be able to understand my motives.»
«Try me. Better yet , try Jean-Claude. You said it yourself; when you speak to me, you speak to him.
«On what grounds?» Merlin asked. «What laws have we broken? We are allowed mass hypnosis for theatrical purposes.»
I hated to admit it, but he was right. I shrugged. «If I think on it, I'm sure I can come up with something.»
«Would you, as you Americans say, frame us?»
I sighed, and let my hand fall away from the gun. «No, I guess I wouldn't.»
«Then I say again, why are we here? What have we done to anger Jean-Claude?»
«You know exactly what you did,» I said, «and why we're pissed at you.»
«No, truly, Miss Blake, I do not.»
«It's Ms. Blake, or Marshal Blake, to you.»
He made a small gesture. «Ms. Blake, then.»
«What would you have done if you had succeeded in rolling the minds of six Masters of the City?» Asher asked. His hair hid half his face, a golden distraction.
«I will not answer your question for you are not master here, nor powerful enough to be témoin .»
«Fine, what he said.»
Merlin looked at me. «What is that, Ms. Blake?»
«Don't make me repeat the question, Merlin, just answer it.»
«I don't understand what you hope to gain by this little discussion, Ms. Blake. Truly, I do not.»
«You tried to mind-fuck six Masters of the City, plus a half-dozen or more rulers of the local lycanthropes. Hell, we've got animals to call of several masters, plus human servants. You tried to bite off a great, big, bloody chunk, and you weren't master enough to swallow it.»
«Merlin could have taken you all.» This from Elisabetta.
I shook my head without looking at her. «No, he couldn't, or he'd have done it.»
«What do you want from us, Ms. Blake?» Merlin asked.
«I want to know why you did it. Don't give me shit about wanting all your audience to enjoy the show. If you have truly been mind-fucking all the masters at all the performances, then you wanted to know if you could take them all here tonight. I want to know, why?»
«Why what, Ms. Blake?»
«Why try to roll everyone? Why run the risk of insulting all of them? Why throw this big a gauntlet down? You're a master vampire. You're so damn old you make my bones ache just sitting there. Vamps like you don't make mistakes, Merlin. Vamps like you always have a reason for everything they do.»
«Perhaps I do not believe that a human who has barely seen three decades of mortal life would be able to understand my motives.»
«Try me. Better yet , try Jean-Claude. You said it yourself; when you speak to me, you speak to him.