“The transformation freezes their blood, halting the decay of their mortal shell and granting them the semblance of eternal youth. They absorb energy by ingesting the warm blood of living humans. In the absence of such nourishment, they may persist for untold ages, lapsing into a deathless slumber.
“Yet not all vampires are equal. Amongst their number, one hallowed bloodline doth possess the power to confer their condition upon mankind. The Stokers.”
William pauses, and I venture to ask, “Did you meet any Stokers in your travels?”
He shakes his head, and I don’t know if I’m disappointed or relieved.
“Despite the great strength of these immortal beings,” William reads on, “mankind’s multitude far outweigheth them. As the world has grown more civil, the hearts of mortals have waxed cold toward the immortals. This disdain has found form in the Legion of Fire. The assemblage was first conceived to shield humans from wayward vampires, yet the Legion has grown zealously unbridled in its cause, turning its ire upon all immortals, even those who have dwelt peaceably amongst men and posed no threat.
“Such provocations roused the indignation of the vampires, until whispers of war darkened the air. Yet before such a calamity could unfold, the Legion undertook an act most grievous and fateful, an offense that would alter the course of history.”
William goes silent, but there’s still one last sentence. When he doesn’t read it, I do it for him: “They set out to extinguish the mortal line of Stokers.”
I can hardly process the words.
In order to cut off the vampire population, we murdered our own kind. For no other reason than the blood in their veins.
I turn the page, but there’s nothing written there.
“We need more of your blood,” I say, but he just shakes his head. “It’s the only way we’re going to know—”
“I already know,” he says. “The vampire population was facing total annihilation. So Grandsire cast a spell.”
“A spell?”I echo.
“By harnessing the time-property of Stoker blood, he somehow displaced the species from the current timeline and deposited them in the future. The plan was for vampires to return when humans would have forgotten them, sothe mortals would be unprotected and with their guard down. Only no one could be sure that the spell would work, since it had never been performed. So, as a fail-safe, a small subset of vampires was left behind in a state of death-sleep, well-hidden and scattered throughout the planet.”
“You,” I whisper. “And Nate and Cisco. How many others?”
“Fifty-four total. That is all that is left of our kind.”
It’s a small number in the scope of things. Still, fifty-four vampires isn’tnothing. “What about the ones displaced by the spell?”
“I believe it to be a fairy tale,” says William, shaking his head. “A story the surviving vampires tell themselves to retain their sanity and hope. I am afraid we are all that is left. No one is coming to rescue us.”
“How did you learn all this?” I ask.
He shakes his head like he’s not going to tell me. “Everything I say will only feed the target on your back.”
“I doubt holding out on me now will make that target disappear.” I shut the book and set it aside. Without it, the space between us feels smaller. “I deleted the recording I made of you off my phone and the cloud,” I say, neglecting to mention that I kept a backup.
There’s a look of open awe on his face, like he can’t believe I’ve given up what little power I had. Maybe this proof of my trust will convince him to reciprocate.
“You were gone for like a month,” I say. “Tell mesomething.”
His jaw tautens as if he were wrestling with himself.
“Please,” I beg without breaking eye contact.
“The modern vampire drinks his blood from a wineglass,” he says, and I feel my chin drop open.
“You’re joking.”
He looks pleased by my reaction and goes on. “Instead of drinking from the vein, the proper protocol is to steal donated blood from hospitals.”
“That’s… good,” I say, glad to know this. “What happened when you left with Nate and Cisco?”
“They took me to Boston, where I met a vampire who forges documents. He set me up with a birth certificate, passport, and driver’s license. I also met another vampire who works in finance who set me up with a bank account. I make a hundred thousand dollars every month.”
