There’s Nothing More Powerful Than Human Fear—not

Matthew Kept Hinting That His Desire - For Blood, Chiefly- Was So Strong That It Put Everything Else At Risk. But Vampires Weren’t The Only Creatures Who Had To Manage Such Strong Impulses. Much Of What Qualified As Magic Was Simply Desire In Action. Witchcraft Was Different- That Took Spells And Rituals. But Magic? A Wish, A Need, A Hunger Too Strong To Be Denied- These Could Turn Into Deeds When They Cross A Witch’s Mind.

That Evening, Rowing On The Quiet River As Sunset Turned To Dusk, I Saw An Occasional Smoky Smudge On The Towpath, Always Slightly Ahead Of Me, Like A Dark Star Guiding Me Home.

Memories Were Short And History Unkind. It Was The Way Of The World.

The First Requirement Of War: Allies Must Not Kill Each Other.

It Was A Brutal Picture, A Tug-of-war Between Two Equal But Opposing Impulses. It Had The Ring Of Truth, However.