Codex Vampiric: Volume 1

21. Revenge

Robin walked to the front door to lock up the library. Miss. Windstock was busy and had left him in charge of closing. She always relied on him as he had worked at the library the longest.

"This painting isn't a very good copy."

Robin jumped and dropped the keys. He whirled around to see Isadora leaning forward with a pensive gaze as she looked at the painting on the wall.

He put a hand to his chest and breathed a sigh. "You scared the life out of me. What are you still doing here?"

"It's almost time for your training so I was going to walk out with you. Also, it's best if you don't walk around by yourself." She replied then turned back to the painting. "This copy couldn't be more subpar."

"Well, a copy always pales in comparison to the original work. Especially when it is a work by someone as talented as Van Gogh." He picked up the keys.

She smiled and clasped her hands behind her back. "Quite so. He remains my favorite painter to this day. He saw the extraordinary in everything that people took for granted."

He gestured to the painting. "So, is The Church At Auvers your favorite?"

She nodded. "It is."

He spun the key ring around his finger once. "My favorite is Skull Of A Skeleton With Burning Cigarette. It's really haunting."

She turned to him and grinned. "That one is great."

He smiled then looked down at the keys in his hand and remembered how he trembled and faltered in that moment in the underground chamber.

"To be honest... I have been on edge since yesterday... I feel eyes on me at every corner."

She walked over to him. "You're wary that you might be attacked at any time. You should be. You attacked Riktor and then Therius head-on. As brave as that was, you drew attention to yourself. They are both vehemently vicious. They thirst for revenge more than they thirst for blood. They will never stop until they kill you. Learning fast and efficiently is your best chance."

"You don't pull any punches do you?"

She shook her head. "I can't sugarcoat this for you. You are in real danger."

"Even though I've studied mythology my entire life and prepared my mind for the day I would see that monster again, I still wasn't ready."

Isadora put her hand on his shoulder. "You met him before, didn't you? In the chamber when you were shouting at him and even now hearing you speak... it's clear that this was not your first encounter with him. You ran into him in the past."

He looked into her eyes and nodded once. "Yeah, I ran into him..." The images of his twisted blood stained face shot through his mind. He shut his eyes tightly and took a step back.

Isadora let her arm fall back at her side. "So, that's why you wanted to keep that shadow attached to you. That's why you were so desperate to become a slayer. I should have known from the look in your eyes. You want revenge."

He turned around and looked at his reflection in the glass, his eyes burned with a seething hatred and... fear. He clenched his jaw.

"My reasons are my own. I don't care what you think you know..."

She folded her arms and walked toward him. "You're right, it's none of my business but I have to let you know that once you set on a path toward revenge it will mark your soul. It feels good at first but it will fester into something twisted and dark. But I am not one to talk since I have been driven by selfish motives of revenge my entire life. But know that these words come from experience."