A freezing cold seeped from his hand to hers and it was so strange to hold hands with a walking corpse, but she proposed this because it would have been too much to walk into the government without practicing first. She would have been cringing and making faces the whole time and no one would have believed the story for a second.

Cædmon was named for the earliest named English poet, though he, himself, was not that old. Very old, yes, and this was shocking to Donner because his notions of vampires were shattered beyond recognition and that sort of thing didn’t happen often and it was highly upsetting and jarring and concerning.

Cædmon was at least a thousand years in age.

“Those of us who’ve made it through the trial do not enter any society lightly.” He was not averse to explaining anything and truthfully, Luna thought she could have a crush on him if he wasn’t dead. He was a very accommodating person and handsome. Like someone on television.

To see him from afar you wouldn’t think he was the walking dead, but up close were the signs. He was far too pale and something about him seemed to be missing.

Life, she knew, which was strange as she stood right beside him and held his hand like she was some super distant relation.

If she really was life, maybe she could give him life?

But, somehow, she didn’t think so and he wouldn’t want it. He was perfectly content with his vampirism.

He made her think about life and being Life and he seemed to know who she was to some extent, which she didn’t understand, even when he explained something about it.

A rising moon, sets the sun.

Takes the place of rivers run.

The brightest shine of blackest night,

Will take its place in the death of light.

A prophecy. She’d never heard one before and he thought this one was about her. Insisted, in fact.

“It is how I knew to meet you,” he told her that night when they sat on the roof outside her bedroom at Ant’s farmhouse. “The wizards have kept it as well, yet they do not know the heart of it.”

Apparently, the vampires believed it meant she would allow them to overthrow Society and take charge of the government as it stood, reversing the narrow loss of centuries past.

“Right…” She wasn’t sure about that. “But I’m like,” she paused and asked Donner, “How old am I again?”

“Six, Luna, you are still six.”

“Like kindergarten age. Six. Not even seven yet,” she continued aloud. “I’m not trying to overthrow anyone or anything. All I want is to get to school someday.”

“If that is your goal now then it will be ours as well,” Cædmon pledged. “A prophecy is not dependent on those it was made for or about, it is simply a record of the future in the same way a journal may be a record of the past.”

“Yeah, see, that’s a problem,” she told him. “Because a journal tells one side of the story. How do you know you’re right about what this prophecy means?”

“There have been signs for ages,” he was not disturbed by her unbelief. “And to have met you at the appointed time is another, the most significant to date. There are more pieces that we’ve collected than those four short verses, Luna,” he took pride in speaking her name. Lifeless eyes almost lit. But not quite. “You may see them if you wish.”

“Yeah, not right now. I need to go to sleep,” she said. “And you can go wherever you go at night. But don’t eat my Ant. Or Georgia. Or the mailman. Ant likes him, I’m pretty sure.”

He left without ceremony, transforming into a crow and flying away into the night.

“Hold up,” she said, standing on the blue shingle roofing. “A crow? He turned into a crow?! Was he the one back at the old house!? You didn’t say anything about vampires turning into birds, Donner!”

Because he didn’t know that was something that could happen and in her dreams an urgent meeting was called, so urgent that the landscape was wholly inappropriate for the task and they didn’t even notice. School desks were placed so the sitters faced one another, set against flat-topped Mt Fuji as lava slowly pooled and overflowed.

“What do we actually know about vampires?” she asked. “Because it looks like what you studied wasn’t right.”

“No, what I studied didn’t go this far,” he stood from his seat and paced. “Cædmon implied that he overcame the natural tendency of the undead to devolve. How it happened I do not know. If you ask I think he would tell you, but that feels the wrong path.”

“You want it to be complicated,” she accused. “I’m going to get to the bottom of it as quick as I can. I don’t want to hang out with vampires if I don’t know anything about them when they seem to know a hell of a lot about me!"

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“At least they think they do,” he sat heavily. “I have heard that prophecy before, in fact, but it had no connection to anyone in particular.”

“You weren’t in with the vampires, so why would they tell you? Unless they thought you were involved. Should I mention you to him?”

“No. Don't tell him a soul or spirit or whatever I am now is residing in your mind.”

“He’s going to notice something,” she was sure of it. “He’s been around who knows how long. He’s got to know a thing or two about humans by now. I don’t know if I can lie to him for long.” It was a strange power. Made her want to tell the truth.

“Vampires were once mere witches and wizards,” Donner reminded her. “They had power and it enabled the change in the first place. I now surmise that those with the most power may be capable of triumphing over the natural decline.”

“So he was a powerful wizard? What’s that make him as a vampire?”

“I don’t know and because I don’t know you must be careful. While he was enamored with you, that may not be to your benefit in the long run. Especially if he believes you necessary to the elevation of the vampire race.”

“Enamored?” She didn’t get that vibe.

“You are terrible at reading people,” he said. “Be wary of him. Be careful in his presence. I would not be surprised if he attempted to run off with you.”

“That’s creepy.”

“Perhaps not to a thousand-year-old vampire and that is what you’re dealing with.”

Morals were definitely different a thousand years ago, but it still wasn’t okay to take a random kid and run, right?

“Who has ever cared if actions were right or wrong?” Donner scoffed. “Predators engage in that behavior now. Have you not asked the question yourself, wondering if there is truly a distinction between the two, beyond social acceptance?”

“Yes,” she admitted immediately. “But if anything is wrong, hurting a kid is wrong.”

“He may be grooming you,” Donner said. He would not disagree, though a quick death was not out of his realm of possibility if they may be used to bargain. He would not prolong suffering. They, themselves, held no power that interested him. Others believed differently and it was a means of population control, on both fronts, that he did not intend to interfere with.

“If you take over the world,” she said, glaring, “you’d better kill people who hurt kids or else I’ll hurt you. Got it? I’ll kill you for real.”

“That is hardly something to be concerned about now.” Deflected. “What you need to be worried about is this vampire named Cædmon possibly grooming you to accept a role you know nothing about.”

“How will I know if that’s what he’s doing?”

“He’s already showing signs of it and if you were a child without an adult for guidance you would doubtless fall for it. He’s been abnormally kind to you and seemingly open. He knows your name and follows you without protest. He’s done everything you asked of him thus far. In the future, he will ask things of you and expect you to reciprocate. What he is doing currently is targeting you and what you need from him is, in fact, a step in the process. You require him to fill a role. That is something he would attempt to do himself if you weren’t presenting the opportunity.”

“Okay, well, what do I do about that?”

“Nothing. It is enough that you are aware of his plans and he is ignorant of yours. He does not know your true identity and can’t help but underestimate you.”

“Listen, I don’t even know what my plans are. I’ve got a shit ton of money and I have to go to school. That’s my whole life’s plan. I’m not exactly a world changer or anything. Why the hell is he interested in me?”

“Whatever interpretation of the prophecy the vampires have has led them to believe that you will be instrumental somehow. His meeting you could indicate that or it could be a fluke. There is no way to know at this point. He will believe it is fated and a destined meeting is a romantic notion that concerns me.”

She took a minute to think about it and then said, “Destiny could be real, you know. If I’m Life, then there might be other gods, too, and you've said so yourself. There has to be. Father Time is one of them. Who's to say all this wasn’t planned out by someone else? The red string of fate kind of thing.”

“That is a possibility and one of the reasons I want you in Arcane as soon as possible. It is the school with the most material on the subject, having bought out nearly the entirety of the section from Nyx and Aether. You’d think the secondary school named after actual gods of antiquity, primordial if I’m remembering correctly, would care more about their namesakes.” He was very frustrated by this disconnect.

“What does primordial mean?”

“Beyond ancient. Some of the first. There is little surviving information on either Nyx or Aether which is why those few remnants were not purged from the school like all the rest. The idea of gods has fallen out of favor within Society. Those in power view it as more of a threat than anything else. Hence, the selling of the collection. The school board is made up of fools. They prefer to bury history, hide it from view. Now those with a vested interest will learn of it and the rest are ignorant.”

“That works in our favor, I guess,” she said. “But all we can do for now is wait to get into the Annex, right? And watch for crows.”

Because she was being stalked by a vampire who could transform into a bird and may have a dangerous obsession with her.

So that was normal and fine.

Except it wasn’t at all and it was strange and she wasn’t okay with it.

“Are we sure I need to use a vampire for this?” she asked. “Isn’t there another way?”

“I told you there is, but it would take years and would involve exposing yourself to the authorities as a danger first, then building their trust in your compliance. That is not an easy route and it is too late now. I do not see Cædmon giving you up.”

“Can’t I kill him?”

“Yes,” Donner answered immediately. “Again, I told you about this already. With a wooden stake through the heart. However, though he may believe he requires you, I do not believe he trusts you. You will not get close enough to do it.”

“I could find his trail…” But she wondered if that would work. He wasn’t alive. Then again, neither was a school building.

“Maybe. It’s something to attempt, but for now, we operate under the assumption that you have to continue contact. If not him, then it would be another. I would like to keep your acquaintances limited to as few as necessary.”

She wanted that too.

People were nothing but trouble and it looked like vampires were worse.