The chant of "Blood God" slowly faded, not because their faith weakened, but because something far more immediate gripped their minds.
A tall vampire near the front row raised his hand, his voice trembling yet loud enough to carry. "Ancestor Ghurn… what you are saying… is it true?"
Another followed quickly, unable to hold back. "Is Lady Cornelia's bloodline… at Duke level?"
The word Duke rippled through the hall like a thrown stone breaking the surface of still water.
"Duke?"
"Did he mean Duke?"
"That is the level just beneath the Royal line."
"Are you saying she has reached Duke?"
Voices overlapped, collided, and rose higher and higher as the crowd tried to grasp the possibility. Duke bloodline meant authority that rivaled entire clans. Duke bloodline meant that Moonshade would no longer merely survive in the shadows of greater houses, but stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
"Ancestor, answer us!"
"Is it Duke?"
"Tell us plainly!"
