I should move on

I should move on
As soon as the barkeep disappeared, the smile on her face was gone. Her eyes stared down Emile, as her hand rested on her right pocket, feeling the hard outline of her pocket knife. She wasn’t worried about him. He was a yellow belly. He betrayed his own clan just to save his own ass. Mina had no respect, nor fear, when it came to people like that. She knew what to expect of them and that was a basic human need for survival. Emile would squeal any time he was pressed hard enough. He’d do anything, if that meant his own skin would be saved. Not the best of human traits but it ensures survival.

It wasn’t him she was worried about. Those bikers were still looking their way, whispering occasionally to each other, never taking their eyes off of her. She didn’t even need to turn to them, to know that their gazes were burning an imprint into the back of her head. They might be trouble. She might have to get ready but not before she squeezed

Emile for every little ounce of info he had on Kellam’s disappearance. If anyone knew anything, it was him.

“I won’t repeat myself,” she told him. “Just tell me what you know and you’re free to

go.”

Emile moved to the side and she knew that he was eyeing the guys behind her. He then, looked at her again. There was fear in his eyes but it wasn’t because of her.

“I swear I don’t know anything,” Emile whimpered.

Without another word, Mina leaned over to him, while underneath the table, invisible to the rest of those around them, her blade jumped at him and was pressing onto his thigh. She could almost feel his heartbeat there, hitting the steel blade rhythmically. One carefully inflicted slit and he’d bleed to death in minutes. They both knew it.

“Maybe it’s high time you joined the rest of your clan,” she whispered, “seeing as I have no use for you anymore…”

The cold steel was pressing against the thin fabric of his pants. She could feel him shuddering.

“No, wait, wait…” his voice was shaking, it was about to crack. “I heard that Dante was planning something big, like real big…”

“Dante?” she repeated the name she hadn’t heard in ages.

She’d never met Dante in person and neither had Kellam. The name was always

spoken with a hush among vampire slayers, as the name above all other vampire names. Dante rarely left his hideout and always sent others to do his dirty work for him, that way, he was always safe and, yet, his reign of evil was far reaching.

Mina had always hoped to meet Dante one time, to see if all the rumors were true. Was he really that powerful? Was he really as old as they say? His name was enshrouded in mystery and awe, and she was eager to find out if it was all true or just hearsay.

“Yes…” Emile was quick to nod, “he um, wants to kill all the slayers, and I know Vasilisa and Rune are already dead.”
“What?”

Mina bit her lip, in an effort not to shout at him. Vasilisa and Rune were a brother and sister vampire slayer duo from Russia. They were the most well known slayer duo in Europe. The four of them had crossed paths a few times already, always on the same side. Mina liked them both. They shared the same core beliefs, because they belonged to the same world. It was always difficult to find such good people. The thought of the two of them dead made her sad, even sadder than she was before. If this was really true, then this thing was far bigger than she could have imagined.

“Yes, they’re dead,” Emile nodded again, his voice down to a whisper now, “I don’t know if Dante has Kellam or not but the plan is to kill you all.”

“How?” Mina asked.

“I don’t know... Please, if he finds out, he’s gonna kill me…”

“If you don’t tell me right now, I’m gonna kill you. So, take your pick.”

“They say…” he turned around, to make sure no one was listening in, even though the bikers were still throwing occasional glances their way, “he found the prequel to Malleus Maleficarum.”

“Prequel?”

“Apparently, it has two parts and, combined together, they can create magic beyond anything we could have imagined.”

Now, it was all starting to make sense. She had never heard of this prequel, everyone always thought there was just one book, and that book alone was already powerful enough. Who knew what another book, combined with this one, could unleash upon them? And, where was the book then? Did Dante already get his hands on it? If Dante had the book, that meant that he was responsible for Kellam’s disappearance. He’d know what happened.

“How do I get to Dante?” she suddenly asked.

Emile looked at her, then burst out laughing so loudly, that everyone present glanced their way.

“Shut up!” she hissed at him, “and tell me.”

“You’re crazier than your brother! Seriously, if Dante got him, he’s as good as dead.”

“I’ll be the judge of that, you lowlife. Now, tell me.”

He sighed, as if he was getting bored by the whole thing and didn’t have that blade still pressing against his thigh. His life was worth nothing to her. She could kill him and no one would mourn his death.

“The only way to get to Dante is to get into the Academy.”

“The Academy is still open?” she was shocked. “I thought it burned down.”

She knew exactly what he was referring to. Zeadore Academy, a place high society vampires sent their snobbish kids to prepare. Mina wasn’t sure what exactly this preparation consisted of, but she assumed those who graduated from that academy would be her major future enemies.

“Shows how much you know,” he snorted. “It’s in Romania now. In the Carpathians.”

“Is it still an elite shithole for preppy vampires?” she asked.

“I’d say so,” he nodded.

“How do I get in?”

Emile laughed again, but more quietly this time. There was disbelief in his eyes.

“A slayer wants to get into the top secret vampire academy?” he asked, as if he hadn’t heard her right the first time.

“I need to get to Dante, any way I can.”

“You need a whole new life to get in there,” he explained. “New identity, new background, references, everything,” he was telling her what she wanted to hear, but it was obvious from the tone of his voice that he doubted she could pull it off.

He doubted anyone in her position could pull it off.

“I can get everything apart from the references.”

“You can’t get in unless an old vampire clan suggests to Dante that you are worthy of being schooled there.”

“Shit,” she snorted. “How do I do that?”

He scratched his head, then took a gulp of his beer, placing it down on the table. She was raking her brain but no ideas were coming to her. How the hell would she get those freakin’ references? Which vampire would be crazy enough to give a vampire slayer references for Zeadore Academy? It sounded crazy even in theory, let alone in practice.

“My wife is the daughter of a clan leader. Carpe Noctem,” he started, as if he was just thinking out loud about her problem.

“Your wife is Zetta?” Mina was shocked.

Zetta was the beautiful daughter of Adam Cline, the still living leader of the Carpe Noctem clan. Mina and Kellam had fought only one member of that clan, and that was only because he went against their main orders and was banned, so he had to fend for

himself. Carpe Noctem was a close knit clan and they usually weren’t harmful to anyone: humans or animals. They tried to live in unity with Nature and that meant that they live and let live. Mina could respect that.