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.Thus it was that he was walking on two human feet when he moved stealthily into the aircraft shed.In the shed there was much more light than his eyes now needed, an electric glare streaked with shadow, spilling from a battery lantern that someone had dropped and left on the dirt floor.The Cessna was almost at the opened doors.It looked wrecked, with its cargo compartment door standing open and one blade of its wooden propeller broken to half its length.But Seabright gave that little attention.Directly in front of the plane, the figure of a lean man dressed in black, turned in profile to Seabright, was down on one knee.The man, head bent, was giving his full attention to something on the earthen floor.Seabright could not see his face at first, only his white and bony hands, sifting the dry dust.Even though Seabright continued to advance into the shed, one step and then -another, the kneeling man did not look up.Surely anyone of even moderate alertness would have by now sensed his presence… then with a quiet shock the realization came that the kneeling man knew Seabright had entered the shed, but simply did not care.Seabright advanced yet another step.He now had, or thought he had, an understanding now of what his dark-garbed visitor was, if not of who.For some file:///G|/rah/Fred%20Saberhagen/Saberhagen,.d%20-%20Dracula%2004%20-%20Thorn%20[v1].html (255 of 263) [2/5/2004 12:19:42 AM]Saberhagen, Fred - Dracula 04 - Thorn (v1.0) (html) time now Seabright had known it was practically inevitable that sooner or later he must encounter one or more of the Old Ones—that was how he had thought of them, when in private thought he had made his plans.It had taken him years of research into the ancient and the arcane to convince himself of the reality of vampires, and to be able to recognize, however belatedly, that the girl called Annie was what some of the old books called nosferatu.He was not at all sure what the others, when and if he met them, would be like.Surely they were not all mad, as the girl had been.In his heart Seabright expected that they would prove to be not all that essentially different from breathing people—manageable, for the most part, by someone like himself, once he had grasped what really made them tick.He would not submit to being ignored, and now he moved forward yet another step.First he would make sure that his own credentials were established, and then…The kneeling figure in dark clothing at last raised its face.And Seabright, who in recent weeks had imagined himself become totally immune to fear, found himself stepping involuntarily backward.The face was pale and thin, and on the surface it held nothing terrible, though it was marked with wooden splinters from what must have been the propeller's terrible impact against another body that was now nowhere to be seen.From one splinter in the forehead a trickle of dark blood ran down into one eye and out of it again like tears.Yet Seabright retreated another step, and yet another, until the adobe wall came against his back.One of the Old Ones.But he had never dreamed it could be so hard simply to confront one of them.The figure straightened slowly until it stood erect.It was actually not as tall as Seabright, but from several yards away he got the impression that it was towering over him."I was a second too late," the man in dark clothing said softly, in precise and only faintly accented English."A second too late, and she is dead.Already nothing but dust.That is how we old ones go."With a great effort Seabright made himself push away from the wall, and speak out boldly."Who's dead? Who do you mean?"file:///G|/rah/Fred%20Saberhagen/Saberhagen,.d%20-%20Dracula%2004%20-%20Thorn%20[v1].html (256 of 263) [2/5/2004 12:19:42 AM]Saberhagen, Fred - Dracula 04 - Thorn (v1.0) (html)"You are Delaunay Seabright," the man said."And you used her.""You're Thorn," said Seabright, suddenly understanding a little more."No wonder you… I heard about that bombing.No wonder you were able to escape alive." Trying hard, he made himself look closely at the other's face, and was astounded.Were tears mixed with the blood on those almost emaciated cheeks?"She is dead," said Thorn."Look, I'm really sorry about that.Very sorry.She and I were lovers, you know.But she was more, than a little bit crazy, and it's not my fault she—"An invisible giant's fist closed down on Sea-bright.He was picked from his feet and spun through the air back against the earthen wall, with a violence that tore his clothing and his skin.Imposed force choked his outcries in his throat.Desperately he tried to change his shape, to melt his flesh to mist or nothingness for escape.But his own powers, that he had thought almost perfected, were infantile against the potency that held him now.Delaunay Seabright sought to strike back at the dark man.But he could no longer even see where his opponent was.The vise-grip blinded his eyes, even as it crushed his ribs
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