Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 12

I am surprised that for someone who has already been to this vast world of knowledge Seymour's knowledge is very limited. All he can do is point me in the general direction of different genres.

Having become an avid reader over the centuries, I can't understand how he can be so careless in nurturing his brain, even though it is dead, it still requires some stimulation.

Still, this little excursion of ours reminds me that Seymour has never been interested in any passive activities. He has always loved action. It was his reason for being. Perhaps that is one of the main reasons he had become so sadistic in his feeding rituals. It was yet another activity to keep him stimulated.

Looking at him now, trying to provide me with the knowledge he does not possess, I can't help but wonder what was it about Seymour that made both Alarcos and me fall so hard for him. Although he is beautiful, I don't think that is the reason.

After all, becoming a vampire makes everyone look nearly perfect, so that can't account for both of us falling in love with the same handsome vampire. It was a puzzle that has been at the back of my mind since the moment we met Alarcos.

The only thing I've managed to come up with so far was that we were both enchanted by the contradiction that Seymour presented. Generally speaking, sadistic vampires were sadistic to everyone and everything, but not Seymour.

He was a gentle and caring partner towards his mates but the cruelest killer when it came to humans. It was such an odd combination, it felt to me as if he was angry with all the humans and enjoyed their suffering. But the very fact that there were so many facets to who he was, drew me to him, he was irresistible.

Perhaps Alarcos shares the same experience, but it's not like I can ask him about it. That sure would be one awkward conversation.

Anyway, I stop following Seymour's explanations, which offer barely any help in navigating the wealth of knowledge before us and start exploring on my own, which proves much more productive. I find more than a few interesting books that I decide to ask Seymour if we are allowed to borrow.

His explanation is long and complicated, but all I gather from it is 'yes'. So as I am signing some papers to get the books I want, we both turn towards the nearby row of books sensing Alarcos approach.

"There you are! I had to follow your scents all through the library. It was like going through a maze. I didn't think you would get this far." Alarcos says.

"Sorry, it's my fault. I wanted to take up the opportunity to get some of the rarer books, while we are here. Then, I wanted to know what kind of books could be found, and I guess I got carried away." I say.

"That's okay. I am just really excited, and I wanted to find you as soon as possible." He says.

"You found something?" Seymour asks.

"Of course, I found something, don't you have faith in me?" Alarcos says with a huge smile.

"You know I do, but I thought it might take you a bit longer. That's all." Seymour says, smiling back at him.

"Well, after...hm, after you left...let's just say I had a lot of time on my hands and spent it in the world of puzzles and mysteries. Besides, once I figured out what kind of code they were using, the rest of it was pretty easy. It was just a matter of going through all the books carefully. Anyway, let's go back, and I'll show you what I found." Alarcos says.

We hurry back to the books eager to finally understand the mystery behind the Healers or at least a part of it since I am sure that their whole story could only be learned from them. Still, I crave for any knowledge that I can get my hands on because I need to know what it all means, how different they truly are.

As we get back to our table, Alarcos shuffles a bit through the papers thinking where to start, and I try my best to wait patiently. Having in mind that patience is not my virtue, I am relieved when Seymour breaks the silence, probably remembering my impatience.

"So, what did you find?" Seymour asks.

"Honestly, there is a lot of information about them and yet not nearly enough, at the same time," Alarcos says.

"What does that even mean?" I ask, annoyed.

"Well, I can tell you a lot of general things about them but not what makes them tick as a species. The way blood and the thrill of the hunt keeps us going, or the way the fear of death keeps humans going, I can't tell what the Healers' driving force is." Alarcos says.

"Okay, tell us what you do know," I say.

"The Healers have existed as long as the vampires have, perhaps even longer. However, the more comprehensive accounts that I could find of them, date back to the fourth century BCE when they were known as druids." Alarcos says, staring at his notes.

"At the time, they were so much more than just medical healers, they were leaders, lore-keepers, and so much more. Even then, not much was known about them because although they were known as a druid, not all druids were Healers. That is to say, not all of them had what we have referred to as 'Healer blood'. I would venture to guess that they were hiding in plain sight." He adds.

"But why? Why did they feel the need to hide even then?" I can't help but ask.

"I was getting to that, albeit slowly. Alright, then I'll skip all the intriguing revelations and summarize everything for you." He says.

"Yes, please," I say with the most innocent smile I can muster.

"They were hiding for many reasons, some of which are still not completely clear to me. However, one of the reasons were the humans. They had started demanding of Healers to help them, so much so that a few Healers had been severely ill from exhaustion. Yet, that didn't deter the humans from always asking for more. Thus, they decided to help as much as they could, from the fringes of society." Alarcos says.

"Why help at all?" Seymour asks.

"As far as I can understand, it's in the very nature of every Healer to have a deep-seated need to help any living being. Thus we come to the second reason for their hiding, the non-living beings, us." Alarcos says.

"Why would they have to hide from vampires?" Seymour asks.

"Helen was right in her speculation. It was discovered, at some point in history, I am not sure when that their blood was especially appealing to vampires. More so when they could smell it clearly, through an open wound. Thus, they started being even more cautious. Especially after a Healer village, small Inuit village right off of Lake Angikuni was decimated." Alarcos says.

"Wait a minute. I heard about that, but there were no traces of blood or any struggle. Are you sure the books are right, that it was done by vampires?" I ask in shock.

I mean I know that vampires have decimated the human population many times in history, the Black Death, World Wars, and so on but they always managed to offer a believable explanation to the remaining humans. Plus, I was sure that the story I've heard about that Inuit village was a riddle, something beyond us.

"Absolutely. There was one survivor humans were unaware of. A small Healer child who hid in the freshly dug up grave until the vampires were gone. They were gathering food for the royals, so they were not allowed to feed. They surrounded the village and carried away all of its inhabitants in a matter of minutes. The child heard them lamenting on not being able to have a bite on the 'delicious smelling snacks' but fear of being torn apart and burned, kept them in line." Alarcos says.

"Wow, that's a lot to process. Give me a minute before you go on." I say.

He nods his head in agreement and goes on to add a few things to his notes as well as rearrange a few pieces of paper, while I try to fit all the new knowledge into what I already know about the Healers.

This will be one long night, and I am happy that Alarcos has shown such patience towards me. I am not sure why, but this whole journey has my brain in a jumble. I don't know what to think about anything, about Seymour, Alarcos, Tobias, and Cecilia, even myself. But I guess the show must go on.