Cleo stomped one wedge-sandalled foot, fuming. "Daddy! This is not fair! My people need a leader. You have forced me to abandon them right when they need me the most!"

Nefera scoffed, rolling her eyes as she picked another grape from the vine in her hand. "I hardly think they miss your 'guidance', Cleo. Let's face it, you never were that good at commanding a presence."

"Shut it, Nefera!"

"Girls," said their father, and both of them snapped to attention, eyes on the golden throne where his bandaged body reposed in shadow. "No more of this pointless bickering. Nefera, this conversation does not involve you. Leave us."

"But Daddy -"

"Leave us," he said again, and she scowled at Cleo, storming out of the sanctum in a huff. His sparkling blue eyes found Cleo, narrowing at her. "I commend your sense of responsibility to your chosen people, daughter, but I question where your true loyalty lies. Would it be wrong of me to assume you miss the social aspect, or is it something more? Perhaps one particular 'friend'?"

Cleo sighed, looking away, and seated herself on a chaise not far from her father. "If you mean Deuce, Daddy, then yes, I do miss him. But this is bigger. Those normies are a threat, and I know the students are scared. The Headmistress must be overwhelmed. They are looking for a leader."

He steepled his fingers, leaning forward. "In your absence, who will take up that role?"

"Well, worst case scenario, it'd be Toralei Stripe and her gang. They're brutal, conniving, clever, and selfish. They know how to exploit an advantage."

He made a sound deep in his throat, a rumble of pleasure, and she caught the flash of a toothy smile as he sat back. "A suitable opponent for my most clever daughter."

"Thank you, Daddy, but I'm not sure Toralei is organized enough to take charge of the whole school. She might seize parts of it - the seedy underbelly parts, most likely - but I don't think the werewolves or the vampires would follow her lead. She's reckless, and her selfishness is a weakness."

"Good. Who else is there to compete with you?"

Cleo paused, thinking. "Rochelle, but she's afraid to let monsters think for themselves. She's too much a protector. It would be too big a job for her. Ghoulia, but she has, shall we say, communication problems? There's Clawd, but the vampires despise him, even if they do admire his athleticism - "

"Think bigger, my girl. Who has led them in the past? Who will lead them now?"

"School president," she said, gasping to herself. "Abbey Bominable or.. or Slo Mo. Ugh! Daddy, I simply have to go back! They're going to be destroyed!"

"Calm yourself. This Abbey, she has managed the affairs of the school in the past, has she not?"

Cleo nodded. "But Daddy, she did a terrible job. She doesn't understand them. She wants to make them bend to her will, not.. well.." She blushed, catching herself, and said, "She doesn't know how to persuade, only how to use brute force. There's no elegance, no subtlety."

"And Slo Mo?"

"Oh, please. He's a zombie."

He grunted, nodding. "A common leader for a common people. I understand your position, daughter, and I respect your devotion. But you are my daughter and I will not see you hurt in this conflict."

"What?" Cleo rose from the couch, approaching the throne. "But Daddy -"

"It is between the common monsters and the common people of New Salem. Let them have their fight. Let them settle it. Then, you can return, triumphant, and declare your people victorious."

She paused, tempted by the thought, then rejected it with a toss of her head. "Forgive me, but that seems a cowardly way to handle this whole affair. Why not go back and help them directly?"

"Because I forbid it," he said, and she knew from his tone that there would be no more discussion.
One bandaged hand stretched from the darkness. "Give me your cell phone."

"What? Daddy, I -"

"Give it."

She sighed, slumping onto the chaise once more, and dug through her handbag. "Oh, all right. When can I have it back?"

He accepted the tiny golden iCoffin, enveloping it in his hand, and drew it back into the shadows. "When the dust has settled from this pitiful battle. Then I will know it is safe to allow my most precious jewel back into the world."

She touched the jewel in her cheek, staring at him. His voice was honeyed and smooth, but she heard the threat and the reminder beneath it, and she felt the old fear stirring up again - darkness eternal, silence unending.

"Do not speak of this again in my presence," he said, and she nodded, not meeting his gaze. "Now.. go. I have business matters which require my attention."

"Yes, Daddy." Cleo rose, trudging out of her father's sanctum, and stood for a while in the hall, torn between despair and fury.