A Story About a Vampire

Epilogue: Beasts of the Night

I snuck out of the window in the dead of night, if everything went to plan then I should be back before anyone noticed (hopefully with enough time to spare for some sleep). I pulled the hood of my oversized sweater over my head; I'd rather avoid getting into any shit on my way out of town. I only passed by a few groups of people, even fewer that paid me any mind. A sharp glance from under my hood was enough to keep things from escalating in those cases. I'd gotten lucky. Buildings quickly thinned after the town's edge. That made my destination very obvious; even luckier, no chance of getting lost on my way to somewhere I'd never actually been. It was an old castle. Not a massive one, relatively speaking, but still a castle. Only one tower but it was at least ten stories. The moon was cresting just next to the peak of the tower, damn was I cutting this close. I couldn't remember the exact name of the type of moon, almost full was a good enough description for me. Maybe considering my situation I should've brushed up on my moon knowledge.It was only a fifteen minute brisk walk the rest of the way. Now that I was on the doorstep I realised I didn't really know what to expect, but at that point there was no going back. I raised the giant brass knocker and struck it against the door as confidently as I could muster. It was a big place, I figured I'd give it five minutes before I gave up, a couple more knocks in the meantime. It almost took the full five minutes before the massive double doors creaked open slowly. Standing in the doorway was a tall, dark-haired gentleman dressed in fine, very old school clothes. I was taken completely off guard by this guy, I heard an old mystic lived here not an eccentric goth dude in his early twenties. We both stood there in silence for a few seconds before he spoke. "Can I help you?" his voice sounded perplexed at my arrival, but still calm and regal. I was still a little shocked but I figured I may as well ask this guy anyway, old mystic or not, "Uh... yeah I was hoping so. I heard an old mystic lived here and I was hoping for some help with... well y'know... mystical shit." The stranger smiled in relief, tension I hadn't even realised was in his posture dissipated completely. "I might be able to help you," he replied softly "it really depends what it is you need, but I know a lot of... 'mystical shit' as you put it. Come in, we'll have some tea and talk things over." His soft tone and openness put me immediately at ease. I smiled faintly and nodded, following him inside.The heavy door slammed behind me. In that instant every instinct screamed danger towards me. I tensed as I followed. My instincts were rarely wrong, even less so recently. That's when I smelled it, something new that I couldn't possibly describe pouring off this man. It was the source of my anxiety for sure, but I had no idea what it meant. I wanted to bolt back out of the door as quickly as possible but I restrained myself. If this guy really was dangerous then acting rashly would be as big a death sentence as carelessness, so I decided to play along for now. He lead me to a room with plush furniture and a burning hearth. He smiled warmly towards me again, "Make yourself comfortable, I'll fetch some tea." I struggled to return the smile and took a seat near the hearth. I caught a scent from the chair as I sat; faint, from a couple of hours ago maybe. A combination of cheap perfume and something like a bookshop. There was another person in this chair not long ago. He strolled quietly out of the room.As soon as the door closed behind him I bolted up from my seat to the door, I placed my ear against it and waited until the sound of his footsteps vanished. I quickly and quietly slipped out of the room the instants the footsteps vanished and sniffed for the scent I'd caught from the chair. There was a trail, not leading out of the door. They were still here. Whoever they were they were in the same danger from this weird guy as I was. I followed my nose through the castle as quickly and quietly as I could, the scent lead me up the main tower. My rush up the spiral staircase felt like an eternity as I pondered the state of whoever was here, I was waiting to smell blood any second. But the smell never came. I reached the final door at the top of the tower and took a deep breath. I burst into the room.I expected either a locked door or a prison on the other side of it. That is not even close to what I found. I found what can only be described as a reading nook, stacked bookshelves and comfortable furniture pakced the room to the point that this rather large room was actually quite snug. Reclined on a futon with a book was the source of the smell I'd followed, a girl probably a couple of years younger than me. It seemed like her only source of discomfort was my sudden entrance, her eyes went wide and her book hit the floor. Her tone was clearly panicked as she spoke, "Uhh.. Hi?" As confused as I was by this, the disturbing smell was all over this room, so I was still very much in survival mode. I started striding towards her, "Sorry to interrupt but we need to go, right now." She looked puzzled, "What do you mean? You were the person at the door right? Where's Vallentin?" I was getting antsy at this point but didn't want to just grab the girl, "Yeah that was me, and if Vallentin is the creepy guy who lives here I don't know and that's why I'm in such a rush." Undertanding flashed over the girl's face, "Right, sorry but there's just been a big misunderstanding here. Sit down, let me explain.""A misunderstanding?", I contained how much I wanted to shout, "What I understand is that guy's bad news, I know you've just met this tall, dark and handsome guy but trust me this can only end badly.""I didn't just meet him, we've been friends for three years." she explained calmly.At that I faltered, "Wait, what?""I guess if you've come here there's something mystical with you, people like that always pick up bad vibes from him but I promise you he is actually as sweet as he presents himself."Before I could get my next words out the candles flickered and the disturbing smell appeared behind me in an instant. I spun around and swung a fist towards it. My hand was caught effortlessly by the man I'd been told was Vallentin. "There you are!" he exclaimed, somehow sounding relieved. He let go of my hand, "Sorry if I made you jump with that, I was just worried you'd gotten lost." At this point I was managing to keep my fight or flight in check, "Sorry for running off I suppose, it's just... you smell like danger so I thought the worst." I'd realised that if this guy really was evil his actions weren't really adding up, the obvious assumption of vampire was ridiculous considering that this girl had supposedly not been eaten in the last three years. Vallentin smiled warmly again, "Well let's sit, we can have our chat up here instead. But first: introductions. My name is Vallentin and it seems you've met my friend Sophia," she waved shyly from her futon. I sat in a nearby beanbag, "Right, well I'm Luca and i'm here because three weeks ago I was bitten by a werewolf I guess? I don't know if you keep an eye on the moon but it's only a couple of days from full and I want to know if it'll be safe for me to be around anyone."Vallentin nodded "I've dealt with a similar problem before. Put simply, no. On a full moon you will transform against your will and be in a bloodthirsty rage for the moon's duration."My spirit dropped immediately, I was hoping all this time that my worries were for nothing.Sofia piped up from across the room, "Well Vally, he could use the amulet.""Out of the question." he shot back quickly. Sophia rolled her eyes, " Come on, she was a practical lady she wouldn't want it collecting dust forever. And besides we've talked about this... extensively.""We have... I suppose you are right as usual."Vallentin snapped his fingers and a crescent moon amulet appeared in his previously empty hand. He gave it a long look before handing it to me and giving me the hardest look he had since I'd arrived, "This amulet will stop you from transforming or losing control. But if anything happens to it then you'll find out what that bad feeling you got was all about, are we clear." The smell he'd emmitted all along was joined by a physical pressure in the room as his crimson eyes stared deep into mine, it took a stunning amount of will not to flee there and then. "Y-yes sir! Clear!" The pressure disappeared in an instant and he reverted to his kind, reserved self, "Good, then I'm happy to help. Stay a while and we can chat, I have a few things I can teach you about your abilities if you like."I stayed with the unusual pair for an hour longer, I learned a lot about keeping the wolf in check over some tea. But I did need to get home soon, so I had to leave the duo to their reading sooner than I would've liked. Fortunately I was invited back by Sophia any time, I figured I'd make sure to stop by every now and then.