I read them with great relish. A few times, actually.

At the end of my second day in captivity, the suite lights go on.

I have a visitor.

His name is Haru. He is Umara's brother. Indeed, he's the ruler of what the Telar call the Source. He's the one responsible for the death of Umara and her son, a boy Yaksha named Keshava. If Yaksha's tale is accurate, Haru had the two burned alive. It seems Haru didn't approve of Telar marrying outside their own kind.

Haru is an odd duck. He's squat and heavily muscled. His torso is 50 percent longer than his legs. He has black hair, which he wears short, and copper skin that smells of exotic oils. His skin is unlined, but his nose and mouth are big even for his large head. His dark eyes are small and beady, always staring, probing. He sits before me on a stool, four guards at his back. They carry rifles that look like lasers. Their aim never wavers from my head or heart.

Haru's voice . . . it does not sound entirely human. Deep and soft, it has a faint metallic timbre that makes it seem robotic. On the surface, to a mortal, it might feel soothing, but I sense nothing but manipulation.

He wears a black suit, a dark red shirt. His hands are small, his fingers blunt but strong. When he speaks, his mouth barely moves. He could be a ventriloquist who uses his own body as a puppet. Yet that is almost certainly an illusion. He's ugly, but that doesn't dampen the power he radiates. This is a man no one says no to.

"It's a pleasure to meet you after all this time," Haru begins. "I've heard so much about you. You've led quite the life."

"Yaksha didn't tell you about me. Who was your source on my life?"

"You must know we have spies all over the world. Not all of whom are Telar." Haru shrugs. "I've read Seymour's manuscript."

"You did so without his permission. Or mine."

"I doubt you would have given it."

"True. But you Telar, you seem to do whatever you want."

"That surprises you?"

"It annoys me."

"Doesn't our age count for something? Our experience? Our wisdom? If I'm not mistaken, you have done whatever you wanted to do all your life."

"I've lived a life that's pleased me, yes. But not at the expense of others."

Haru smiles thinly, his white teeth small and numerous. "So says the last vampire, who has fed off the veins of thousands, if not millions."

"Few people died taking care of my hunger, especially after I matured. The vast majority of those I've killed were of questionable moral character. Like the assassins you sent to kill me."

"They were sent to capture you, not kill you."

"You should have told that to Claudious and his Gatling gun."

"We sent Claudious to test you. If I'd wanted you dead that night, I would have sent a dozen like him."

"Why test? When you've heard so much about me?"

"To see if the stories were true. I saw everything that happened that night. You were most impressive."

"You watched from here? With remote equipment?"

"Naturally. I have not lived so long by taking unnecessary risks."

"What if I told you that you're in danger now?"

"How so?"

"You're sitting rather close. Do you have any idea how fast I am?"

"If you attack me, you die. I don't think you want to die."

"My life might be worth spending to kill a monster like you."

"Again, I'm surprised at your attitude. I would have thought you'd feel more kinship toward our group. We're roughly the same age. We've lived similar lives. Staying in the shadows, observing the evolution of mankind, only interfering when necessary."

"That's not what Yaksha said."

"You have me at a disadvantage. I've only had the book two days. I haven't had a chance to finish reading it."

This time I'm surprised. He appears to be telling the truth.

"You mean, with all the advanced technology you possess, you weren't able to break into a simple vault?"

"It only appeared simple on the surface. Yaksha designed it with my sister's aid. He blended the finest elements of his knowledge with ours. Of course, we could have broken the lock using force, but we feared damaging what was inside."

"The book means that much to you?"

"Let me finish the book and I'll let you know. I assume you enjoyed reading about your master's life. It's my hope, in the days to come, that we can discuss it at length. There's much we can learn from each other."

I have to laugh. "Gimme a break."

His voice hardens. "Excuse me?"

"Do I need to point out that I'm your prisoner? All this talk about what a pleasure it is to meet me and how much we can learn from each other is sort of silly, don't you think? I suggest you drop the bullshit and cut to the chase. What do you want from me?"

Haru stares at me a long time. His gaze is far more powerful than Brutran's, and I feel him attempting to probe my thoughts. Still, I'm able to block him by emptying my mind. The blankness, which comforts me, seems to annoy him, and I feel his psychic tentacles retract.

"Very well, Sita. You want blunt, I'll be blunt. I'm going to ask you a series of questions. I suggest you answer them. If you don't, I'll be forced to make you answer them."

"You'll torture me?"

"Only if you push me. We're not animals."

"Surely you must know I'm capable of resisting any form of pain."

"Not the type of pain I'm talking about. You mention our superior technology. It's true-we possess instruments mankind can only dream of. For example, we have a machine that taps directly into the pain and pleasure centers of the brain. We call it the Pulse." He pauses. "You have not known agony until you've experienced the Pulse."

"Bring it on. I love new toys."

"For your sake, I hope that won't be necessary. Whenever we've interrogated someone with the Pulse, they've always ended up . . . well, shall I say, not themselves."

"It causes brain damage?"

"Severe damage."

I quickly reconsider his offer.

"If I answer your questions, will you let me go?" I ask.

"If you answer all of them honestly, yes."

He's one smooth customer. His mind is much more disciplined than Numbria's. He has impenetrable psychic walls. I can't tell if he's lying or not.

"Ask your questions," I say.

Haru glances at his guards. They back off a few steps.

"The IIC employs a tool called the Array. It allows them to compete in the stock market in such a way that the majority of their investments make money. The Array can also be used as a psychic weapon. It can force people to do things they don't want to do."

"I've heard about it."

"Have they used it on you?"

"They've tried."

"How many times?"

"Once."

"Tell me what happened."

"I was in Ms. Brutran's living room. I assume you know who she is?"

"Yes. She invited you to her home?"

"I went in the back way, so to speak."

"Did she have security?"

"No. At first I found that odd."

"She uses the Array as security."

"Yes." I pause. "You have sent your own people after her."

"Of course."

"I assume none of them came back?"

His face darkens. "Tell me what happened to you."

"Brutran asked me to have a seat. She offered me a job. She didn't go into detail, but she assured me we could help each other."

"She must have given you incentives?"

"She gave me the impression I could help her rule the world. She also said she could protect me from you guys."

"Did she mention us by name?"

"Not exactly. But she seems to know all about you."

"Then what happened?"

"I told her I wasn't interested. Then I felt a strong pressure at the back of my head. My vision blurred, and I felt sick to my stomach. Then I felt this strange compulsion to take my gun and blow my brains out."

"Why do you call it strange?"

"It was like nothing I had ever felt before in my life."

"Continue."

"I was able to resist the compulsion. That seemed to surprise Brutran. I don't think she'd ever seen that before."

"Did you try to kill her at that point?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I figured it would be a waste of time. Another person in IIC's inner circle would just take her place."

"You showed remarkable restraint, especially considering how abusive she was. From our research, that's not a quality we would have expected of you."

"I guess you've been talking to the wrong folks about me."

"What happened the next time they used the Array on you?"

"Who said there was a next time?"

Haru studies me. "You're a superb liar. One of the most skilled I've ever met. But even Yaksha couldn't lie to me without my knowing." He pauses. "You were with Numbria the second time you were attacked. What happened?"

"Why ask? You seem to know what happened."

"Answer me or we'll attach your brain to the Pulse."

"After your people attacked me at the president's hotel, Numbria escaped, and I chased after her across the English Channel."

"Numbria was in contact with us at that point. She said you missed the ferry."

"I swam after it."