Interlude #3: Bookworms

Well, well, well, if it’s isn’t my favorite reader! Welcome back. By now Faces of Malice has been out for a couple of months, but if you happened to read Hecatomb of the Vampire and haven’t read Faces yet, here’s another short interlude to whet your appetite! Enjoy!

*

Enzo woke up to the sound of fingers snapping in his face. As he opened his eyes a small, slender fingered hand poked and prodded him, breaking through the darkness of his coffin with a shaft of light from the outside. 

“Psst. Pssssst. Are you awake?” said a female voice as bright and pleasant as the glow it was partnered with.

Enzo swung the lid of the coffin open, causing Moriko to leap back with a yelp. They stared at each other for a second in silence, Enzo waiting expectantly, and Mori breathing heavily. 

“Ciao,” he said with a polite smile. Mori flinched. Ah yes, I always forget about the fangs. “Are you alright?”

“Never better.”

“Nothing to be afraid of,” he said. Her pulse had risen, judging by the dull thud in her chest cavity. That thud rattled around in the back of his head.

“I’m not scared, even though I probably look like lunch to you.”

“No, no, I’m not even hungry. I am safe, cross my heart.”

Mori raised her eyebrows, “can you even do that?”

“Boh,” he said with a shrug.

“Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to help me. I’m looking for books on Japanese mysticism and Jahari said I could dig through his library and see what I find. You’re not busy right?”

Enzo blinked slowly.

She danced to the bookcase and waved him over. “Great, come on. What better way to apologize for hurting me a month ago?”

Enzo folded his arms and turned his head away, offended at her assertions but guilty as charged. “I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s OK you big idiot, I know you didn’t mean it. Come help. Please? Look, I asked nicely.”

The two of them sat on the floor and sifted through the messy stacks of books piled in front of the bookcase. They’d only searched for about 5 minutes before Mori sprang to her feet. “Want a snack?” she asked brightly, already in the kitchen and digging in the cabinets in the blink of an eye.

“I am a vampire,” Enzo said impassively.

“Do you ever miss food?” Mori said through a mouthful of yogurt covered pretzels, returning to her spot in between the towers of books with a bowl. 

“I liked chocolate, as a treat. A friend of mine used to bring me them from all over Europe. Unfortunately I can’t remember what anything but blood tastes like anymore,” he said with a sigh. He stood up and stretched his legs. Getting the blood flowing after sleeping was always a task. Enzo glanced over her shoulder and briefly saw a photo of a bird faced creature wearing robes like a monk.

“Have you looked through the library? When we were trying to catch you, Jahari had a bunch of books on vampires; you might learn something about your condition. I skimmed this one, it was pretty informative.” Mori plucked an unassuming leather bound book from the stack and handed it to him without turning her head.  The title read “Vampirism: Ancient Enemies In A Modern Age by Akila Kamal” in gold lettering.

The book clattered on the floor, pages scattering like autumn leaves. Mori whipped her head around sharply. “Is everything OK? Sorry I should’ve looked before I handed it to you.”

“The author…I never knew her last name.”

“What, have you heard of her before?”

Enzo gave Mori a melancholy smile, “She was a friend.”