"I don't know."

"Roughly."

"Five thousand. Maybe more."

"Are many Telar over ten thousand years old?"

"No."

"How old are you, Numbria?"

"Eight hundred years."

"Where were you born?"

"In Italy. In the Dark Ages."

"You were alive when the plague spread over Europe?"

"Yes."

"Did any of the Telar catch the plague?"

"Many did. Many died."

"Did any members of the Source catch it?"

"They saw it coming. They hid away. They survived."

"Did the Source instruct you to hide?"

"Yes. But when I heard, it was too late. Azol was sick."

"Who is Azol?"

"My brother. He died from the plague."

"Was he Telar?"

"He was my brother."

"Did the original Telar form a civilization?"

"Yes."

"What was it called?"

"The Egyptians."

"But modern archaeologists say the ancient Egyptian society only goes back five thousand years. How could the Telar be older?"

"Modern archaeologists know nothing."

I don't argue the point. I fled India for Egypt five thousand years ago, and it was a thriving civilization. That's when I met Suzama. It was largely wrecked by a group called the Setians, before I left, although I heard it quickly rebuilt itself.

"Do the Telar have records of a group called the Setians?"

"Yes."

"How do the Telar describe them?"

"As a race of demons."

Fair enough, I think.

"Do the Telar have records of a priestess named Suzama?"

"Yes."

"How do they describe her?"

"As a divine oracle."

"Was Suzama Telar?"

"Suzama was mortal. The Telar are immortal."

"Was Suzama aware of the Telar?"

"The Source cannot be sure what Suzama knew."

"Do the Telar have any record of me in ancient Egypt?"

"Not that I am aware of."

"When did the Telar become aware of vampires?"

"I don't know."

"Was there one vampire in particular who made the Telar aware of them?"

"Yes."

"What was this vampire's name?"

"Yaksha."

My heart skips in my chest. Simply to hear his name spoken by this stranger disturbs me. "Did Yaksha know about the Telar?" I ask.

"Yes."

"How can you be sure?"

"He married a Telar."

I almost swoon. My maker, Yaksha, not only knew of this race of immortals-a race he never told me about-but he was close to them. Hell, he married one of them. I don't know why, but I suddenly feel betrayed.

"What was his wife's name?" I ask.

"We do not speak of her."

"Why not?"

"She betrayed the Telar by being with the vampire."

"Did she become an outcast? Yaksha's wife?"

"Yes."

"Was she killed?"

"Yes."

"By whom?"

"The Source. The high priest of the Source."

"You mean the boss?"

"Yes."

"Did this boss try to kill Yaksha?"

"Yes."

"But he failed."

"Yes."

"Why did he fail?"

"Yaksha . . . Clever. Powerful. Impossible to kill."

"Yaksha must have been angry the Source killed his wife."

"We do not speak of it."

"Did he take revenge? Did he wipe out your Source?"

Numbria takes a long time to answer.

"The Source is eternal. It cannot be destroyed."

"What is the goal of the Telar?"

"To survive. To control."

"Are there members of the Telar in high positions in society?"

"Yes."

"In politics?"

"Yes."

"In business?"

"Yes."

"In science?"

"No."

"The Telar avoid scientific positions because they wish to avoid sharing their scientific knowledge with the rest of mankind. True?"

"Yes."

"Do the Telar wish to help mankind?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Human beings have spread across this planet like a plague. They poison it. They must be stopped."

"How do you plan on stopping them?"

"There are ways."

"Tell me of some of these ways."

"The Source has not revealed what it will do next."

"But you're convinced the Telar want to exterminate mankind?"

"Not exterminate."

"You will allow some humans to survive?"