Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 9

Annoyingly enough, the regular gateway leads to a sort of in-between place in which we can see an individual standing in front of a strange-looking entrance.

When I say strange, I mean the entrance the creepy figure is standing in front of is in the shape of a gaping vampire mouth. I know that it is a vampire mouth because two fang-like structures are protruding from the upper part of the entrance.

The figure that seems to be shrouded in absolute darkness lifts one bony finger with withered skin, pointing towards the inscription etched on the fangs.

"No blood. No fangs. No claws." it reads.

"Rules to respect you must or you will become dust." the ominous voice says.

I am unsure if the voice is coming from the figure standing in front of us or from somewhere beyond, and that creeps me out. It feels as if the figure is just a puppet whose strings are being pulled by someone from the great beyond.

Although I am a vampire, it doesn't make the situation any less eerie because it makes me painfully aware of the fact that although I, as a vampire, am the most dangerous predator, there is something above me, and that knowledge is quite unsettling.

The ancient vampires are so much more than we are, but I try not to think about it. Now that I am faced with their ancient power buzzing in the air, I am ready to follow any rules, do anything that, to ensure that we get out of here as soon as possible.

"We understand, Guardian, and we shall follow the rules," Seymour says.

I am guessing that this part of the journey has stayed the same since Seymour seems much more comfortable than either Alarcos or I. We are both shuffling awkwardly, letting Seymour take the lead.

"You may go in." the Guardian says as he moves aside.

Seymour is the first one to enter the strange passage, and Alarcos and I are quick to follow. It's so much better than staying in the figurative hallway with the odd fellow who is and isn't there. Honestly, I am not even sure it's a person.

Once through the doorway, we start descending a long spiral staircase which, even for my vampire perception, seems to have no end. We just keep on going, and nothing seems to change all I know is going down through the pitch-black darkness.

Well, we can see fairly okay with our senses, but I still don't like the heaviness that lies in the darkness that is all around us. It's oppressing even though we can navigate through it.

The dampness of the place doesn't physically bother me, but I still don't find it very appealing. I might be a vampire, but I still have my standards.

As we finally start approaching the brightly lighted hallway, I breathe out a sigh of relief. We might be creatures of the night, but it sure feels nice to see clearly after everything that we have been through.

When we open the heavy wooden door at the end of the hallway, I am stunned by what I see. There are so many books, old and new that I can't even see everything with my vampire senses sharpened to their greatest capability. I guess that is what centuries of knowledge look like.

As soon as we enter the room, I can feel the mood between the three of us shifting. It's like there is an unspoken truth that is standing between us, barring the kinship we have created from following us through the door.

"We need to look at the books that are older than us, maybe the ones that are a couple thousand years old or more, I think," I tell Seymour.

"Are you sure?" He asks, surprised.

"No, but we can start there and then see where to go from there," I say with the conviction I don't truly have.

I just think that the stories of Healers have to be much older than me, for me to never have heard of them. Vampire society isn't really friendly, but we do know almost everything that goes around in the world, so I don't think we would have missed something like that.

"Guys, I need to look something up in more recent history. Can we meet up in a few hours to check on each other's progress?" Alarcos asks.

"Yes, of course, if you need any aid, we are here to help," I say.

He just nods his head and walks away. I find it odd that ever since we have finally reached our goal, he seems more nervous than he was during the perilous journey here.

Still, it's none of my business, I just met the guy. Besides, he is Seymour's ex, which makes everything even weirder. So, instead of prying into his business, I choose to focus on the reason I came all this way as I follow Seymour to the furthest section of the enormous library.

It's so odd that his large library is so empty. I am curious to know where the other vampires are, doesn't anyone read anymore?

Seymour selects one table for us to sit at, and as I settle down, he goes to the nearest bookshelf and brings with him a huge pile of very old books that look as if they were barely holding on for dear life.

"Wow, that's a lot of books!" I say.

"This is just anything that has in it the words healer in any context, but they might have gone another a different name in the past. Still, it sounds like a good place to start." Seymour says.

"How do you know these books have the word healer in them?" I ask surprised.

"Well, since this is such a huge library using only alphabetical order is useless, so they use a lot of other ways besides it such as keywords and many others. Now stop procrastinating and let us begin our research." Seymour says.

It seems to me as if he is more dedicated to our quest than I am, which annoys me. It was, after all, my idea to come here. We are researching my friends' heritage, not his.

That's when it hits me that whether I like it or not, they are his friends now as well. They've been for quite some time I just refused to see it because I had this image in my mind of Seymour as a heartless guy, which was wrong.

"Okay, only one more question, and we can start reading," I say.

"Very well." He says with a small smile.

"Where are all the other vampires?" I ask.

"Oh, they are using the library's privacy settings. If someone chooses to use them, the other vampires cannot see them. It works rather well in avoiding conflict. Do you want me to turn it on?" He asks.

"That's very useful, but no, I think it's better to stay visible in case Alarcos comes back," I say.

"You like him don't you?" Seymour surprises me by asking.

"Yes, I do. He is a decent guy. I don't like that you could find my replacement so easily, but I don't have anything against him." I say.

"Helen, you do know that hundreds of years have passed before I even thought about entering a new relationship? I tried to find you, but then Alarcos and I just found each other and I fell in love. Is that so bad?" He asks.

"No, I guess, not. I guess I am just irritable. Let's focus on the books, shall we?" I ask.

I can feel that I might start yelling, giving him a lecture or something worse, so I just decide to change the subject.

"Yes, of course." He says as he settles down in the nearby chair.

And that is how our new and arduous adventure, research, begins.