Chapter 17 Chapter 16 New Orleans, August 1857

Returning to the St. Louis Hotel that night Saul Billy Tipton was a little apprehensive.Julian would not like the news he brought back from the Pfeiffer Dream.Julian can be very dangerous and elusive when he is unhappy. In the living room of the dark and luxurious hotel suite, lit only by a tiny candle, Julian's eyes reflected the candlelight, sitting in a deep velvet chair, sipping a Sazerac cocktail.There was a dead silence in the room.Saul Billy could feel the weight of the gaze upon him.The door closed behind him, and the lock clicked, a faint, lifeless sound. "How, Billy?" Damon Julian asked softly.

"They won't come, Mr. Julian." Saul Billy gasped.In the dim candlelight, he couldn't see Julian's reaction. "He wants you to find him." "He wants me to?" said Julian. "Who is he, Billy?" "He is," Saul Billy said, "that is... the other Lord of Blood, calling himself Josh York. The man Raymond mentioned in his letter. The other Captain Marsh, the one with the pimple-faced, full-faced Fat guy with a big beard, he won't come, and he's so fucking rude. I waited until dark. When the blood masters came up, they took me to him." To this day, Saul Billy still feels that I feel cold.He remembered how powerless he was when he faced York's extremely dark eyes, and the contempt contained in those eyes was so sharp that Saul Billy had to look away immediately.

"Tell us, Billy," said Damon Julian, "what he's like—this Josh York, this King of Blood." "He—" Billy struggled to find the words, "he was—pale, I mean, his skin was pale, his hair was colorless. He was wearing a white suit, like a ghost. He acted—like those God damned Creole, Mr. Julian, with a haughty look. He's like—he's like you, Mr. Julian. His eyes—" "Pale, strong," murmured Cynthia from the far corner of the room, "and a wine that can conquer scarlet hunger. Is that the man, Damon? It must be. It must be true. Valerie Believe those stories all the time and I make fun of her. But it must be true. He will bring us together and bring us back to the lost city, the dark city, our own kingdom. It's true, yes No? He is the blood lord among the blood lords, the king we have been waiting for." She looked at Damon Julian, waiting for Pu's answer =

Damon Julian sips a Sazerac and smiles faintly. "A king," he mused. "What did the king say to you, Billy? Tell us." "He wants you all to get on that boat. To-morrow, after dark, to supper. He and Marsh won't come, not alone, as you hope. Marsh says if they come, they'll be with Come along with the others." "The king is surprisingly timid," Julian commented. "Kill him!" burst out Saul Billy suddenly. "Go to that damn ship and kill him. Kill them all. There's something wrong with this man, Mr. Julian. The way he looked at me Like those damned Clios, like I'm a worm and a dump. But I'm going on your behalf. He thinks he's better than you. There's others, that pimple-faced captain, that wear Fancy clerk. Let me cut him and let the blood soak his fine clothes. You must kill him, you must!"

After Saul Billy erupted, there was silence in the room. Julian stared out the window, into the night.The windows were open, the curtains fluttering lazily to the night wind and the noise from the street below.Julian's dark eyes were sunk in shadow, fixed on the distant light. Finally, when he turned his head, his pupils caught the candlelight, and the candlelight burned in his pupils, bright red.He looked like a hungry beast: "Billy, that wine..." he asked. "He made them all drink that," said Saul Billy.He leaned against the door and drew his knife.He felt more at ease with the knife in his hand.As he spoke, he was picking between his nails. "Kara says it's not just blood, it's something else. It quenches hunger and thirst. That's what they all say. I've been all over the ship, I've talked to Raymond, Jean, George, and two others, and they all That's what I was told. Jean said it was a great relief, to praise that wine."

"Jean," said Julian contemptuously. "That's true?" said Cynthia. "He conquered hunger and thirst." "And that's not all," Saul Billy added, "Ramon said York and Valerie were very close." There was a sudden tension in the silence of the living room.The beautiful Valerie was once Julian's favorite.Julian seemed to be thinking about something. "Valerie?" he said. "I see." He tapped the armrest of his chair with his long, pale fingers. "How do we do it, Damon?" Coot asked. "Should we go?"

"How? That's a question," said Julian. "It's hard to refuse a king's invitation. Don't you want to taste his wine?" He glanced at each one in turn, but no one dared to speak. "He made everybody drink that," said Saul Billy, "whether they liked it or not." "Is that a big boat, Billy?" Julian asked. "Bigger than any steamboat I've ever seen," replied Billy, "very luxurious. Silver, mirrors, marble, a whole lot of stained glass and rugs. You'll like her, Mr. Julian." "A steamboat," mused Damon Julian, "how come I never thought of this river?"

"So we're going?" Coot asked. "Yes," said Julian, "oh, yes. Why, the Lord of Blood is calling us. The King." He threw back his head and laughed. "Your Majesty!" he cried amid wild fits of laughter. The rest of the people also laughed. Julian stood up suddenly, as quickly as a jackknife unsheathed, and his face sank.The laughter suddenly stopped, just as abruptly as when it erupted. He stared into the darkness outside the hotel. "We've got to take a present," he said. "We can't see the king without a present." He looked back at Saul Billy. "You go down Morrow Street tomorrow, Billy. .I want you to bring us something back. A small present for our 'King'."