Cover art by Vince Natale.
Matthew Maule has seen many horrific things in his five hundred years
as one of the most powerful vampires in the world. But even his
formidable talents cannot predict the unthinkable acts about to occur
within his own home.
When the vampire Dickon and his human partner appear in the middle
of the night frightened for their lives, Matthew offers them
protection. they carry with them a small Egyptian statue of great
value and many secrets. By morning, Matthew has woken from a
mysterious trance to discover that Dickon's human friend has been
brutally murdered, the vampire has gone missing, and their statue has
been smashed to pieces. Matthew has also made a dangerous new enemy,
one who possesses strength even Matthew may be no match for.
For the statue is no ordinary artifact, but one of six replicas.
However, only one contains a gem in the center, a stone of
unimaginable magical power that could spell the end of humanity if it
ever fell into the wrong hands.
Matthew sets out on a heart-pounding journey to track down the
remaining statues before his ancient foe finds them. Racing across
the country, the vampire teams up with both the living and the
undead, though not all are the allies they pretend to be. Using his
wits, he must unearth the answers to a millennia-old mystery in order
to prepare himself for a final showdown against the evil stalking him
at every turn.
Acclaimed fantasy and science fiction author Fred Saberhagen takes
readers along for a trek of unbelievable suspense, action, and pure
page-turning entertainment.
