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approached you and sent you to Sighesciu. It’s not generally known that Sighesciu is—was—Saloman’s resting place.”
    “Why not?” Elizabeth found herself asking.
    “Other vampires, his enemies, could kill him for good, scatter his remains so far apart that he’d never walk again. His friends didn’t want that. His enemies, who staked him in the first place, didn’t want anyone finding him and waking him.”
    “How can he be awakened if he’s been staked?” she asked, wondering wildly if she’d fallen into an old Hammer Horror script.
    “Saloman is an Ancient,” István said with careful emphasis. “He is therefore very hard to stop at all. Staking him alone does not dispel his spirit; it merely holds him.”
    “Then why didn’t his enemies scatter him at the time?”
    “We don’t really know that. There have been suggestions that they were too afraid of him, even staked. His power and his standing were awesome in those days, among both vampires and humans.”
    “How come?” Elizabeth demanded.
    István shrugged. “Sheer strength, acquired through age and study. Plus, according to the sources we have, a formidable intelligence and force of personality. Perhaps his enemies were still influenced by these traits. But there is also evidence of a major battle, so it’s possible they were disturbed or distracted before they could finish the job. On the other hand, if Saloman’s friends won the battle, they were still too late to release him. He couldn’t be freed without . . .” István broke off and glanced at Konrad.
    “Without human blood,” Konrad said. “I should tell you: I have been to Sighesciu myself and have never even seen his tomb. I was told it was hidden by magic from his friends and enemies alike, so I have no idea how you found it. Did Dmitriu attack you?”
    “Of course not! He wasn’t even there!” She frowned. She’d thought she’d seen him, afterward, even imagined she’d run him over.
    “Then if Dmitriu didn’t take your blood, how did it get on the tomb?”
    “My hand was pricked by a rose thorn. . . .” Oh hell, I’m talking as if I believe them. Lock me up quick. “Does it matter?”
    Konrad shrugged again. “Only as a curiosity. Perhaps it was drops of your blood that made the tomb visible to you. The point is, you wakened him, and you escaped before he could kill you. The blood of his Awakener is important to him. On top of that, word is out that you are responsible. Plenty of other vampires are pissed off at you for that, including Zoltán, the regional leader here. Seriously, you need to leave Romania and go as far from eastern Europe as you can get.”
    “I will,” Elizabeth soothed.
    “When?”
    “Soon. I have to be back in Scotland in September.”
    “That’s weeks away! You have to go now.”
    “I haven’t finished here yet.”
    “Miss Silk, your life, your soul, are more important than any thesis!”
    “Don’t make me say my life is my thesis,” she begged, although it was loweringly close to the truth.
    “Please, come with us now. We’ll look after you in Budapest until you can get on a flight home.”
    “Thank you. You’re very kind, but I’ll take my chances here for the next couple of weeks.” She stood up. “And now, I really need to eat before I start work. . . .”
    “Miss Silk, please reconsider.” Konrad stood up with her, as did the others. “At least let us teach you how to defend yourself. You really don’t know what you’re dealing with here. It’s not safe for you to be out alone after sundown. Every vampire in the region wants you dead, and you must understand that Saloman was the most powerful vampire who ever lived. He’s back, and he’ll want your blood.”
    “Actually, I want his,” Elizabeth said grimly. His and Dmitriu’s. It looked as if they’d been taking advantage of people a lot more gullible than she. Vampire legends had gotten out of hand recently. She blamed Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, and Buffy