The Garden of Shadows

I pulled the dagger out of my bag as Salamander watched. At the moment, it was just the two of us in the hotel room. Emma and Leslie were still downstairs at the café eating dinner, which meant we had a short window of opportunity to quickly do our bloodsucking business.

I decided I was ready to sacrifice my neck. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

“What’s the dagger for?” asked Salamander.

“If you drink more than you need, I’ll stab you with this dagger.” I made sure to let him see how well-maintained and sharp it was. When you’re in a hotel run by vampires, that just gives you more reasons to keep your blades sharp.

He obviously thought I was being ridiculous. “Is it really necessary? I won’t drink more than I need.”

“Then you won’t have anything to worry about.”

He gave up. “Fine. If that makes you more comfortable.”

I sat down on my bed and unbuttoned my collar to expose my neck. “Let’s just get this over with.” I was definitely not looking forward to the pain. He already took one for the team back when he allowed me to stab him during our confrontation with Lucien Blackthorn, so I suppose it was my turn to suffer this time.

He took a deep breath and sat down beside me, looking slightly nervous. “Alright. I’ll do my best not to hurt you too much, but this is my first time drinking someone’s blood straight from the neck, so I might be a bit clumsy.”

His words only made me anticipate the pain even more. “I hope I don’t regret this.”

He leaned in and sank his teeth into my neck slowly. It hurt like hell, especially when he sucked in my blood. I nearly dropped the dagger, but I did my best to hold on to it as I closed my eyes and endured the pain while slowly sinking backwards onto the pillow.

He was hungry. Really hungry. I could feel it through each large sip.

How much blood should I give him? How much can I give without suffering any detrimental effects? It was hard to think.

My other hand clutched onto the clothing on his back, pulling every time it hurt a lot. In the middle of it, Emma opened the door and walked inside, witnessing us. She was confused by the whole scene. On one hand, it looked like he was giving me a passionate kiss on the neck. On the other hand, the dagger I was holding made it look like a murder attempt.

“Sorry for disturbing you!” Embarrassed, Emma immediately left the room.

Salamander pulled back and wiped the drops of blood off his mouth. He then mended the wound he made on my neck using healing magic. “Ah. How unfortunate. Someone caught us. I would have wanted to drink some more.”

I straightened myself up. “I think you’ve had enough blood for today. Now, what are we supposed to tell Emma?”

He seemed awfully calm. “Whatever staves off questions. Maybe that we’ve agreed to temporarily date?”

“That won’t explain the dagger.”

“Oh please. Daggers are present in many classic works about romance.”

“Don’t you mean tragedies?”

“If you have any better excuses, then by all means share them. In what other circumstances would you find a guy with his mouth on a girl’s neck?”

I paused to think of an answer. “Sucking poison out of a snake bite?”

“Only my snake isn’t venomous.”

“She doesn’t know that, so let’s pretend that it is.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “It’s not going to work. If she read any textbook on creating enchanted objects associated with living creatures, she’d know that the whole thing is a lie.”

“It doesn’t have to be your snake specifically. It could be some venomous creature common in the city, like a spider for instance.”

“Hmm… I suppose that would work.”

“It’s worth a try. Come on.”

I went downstairs to find Emma. It didn’t take long for me to bump into her on my way down the stairs. There was a short awkward pause between us before any of us managed to say anything.

“Emma…” I attempted to begin explaining.

She immediately cut me off. “It’s ok, Remina. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m totally fine with you and Aidan. You don’t have to hold back because of me.”

“But…” I tried once more.

Again, she didn’t let me finish. “I mean it. Really. You two make a cute couple. I’m happy for you.” She forced a smile.

“Emma, I…”

She sighed and admitted, “I’m not really alright. I’ve never seen anyone else who can make him smile and laugh like you do. I wish I could do the same.” She finally started to cry and ran away.

I wasn’t sure whether I should chase her or not. I probably wasn’t the best person to comfort her.

“Well? Did she believe you?” Salamander popped out of nowhere, eager to find out. He had been observing us from afar.

“I didn’t even get to say anything! She already thinks we’re dating.” I was clearly frustrated.

He shrugged. “Let her think that for now. We can always tell her we broke up or something once this vampire business is over.”

The Revival City Fair was an annual event at the city square that had a flea market for antiques, showcases of architectural scale models, stalls selling local cuisine, live musical performances, and small workshops for the creative arts. It was one of the more leisurely parts of our whole school trip. Our only requirement was to attend at least one workshop, which took only an hour. After that, we were free to roam and enjoy the rest of the afternoon at the fair.

I felt dizzy from blood loss as I read the signboard that listed the available workshops and their schedules. The cold wind blew against my skin, making me shiver. I realised I forgot to bring my scarf on a chilly day and summoned myself a little flame to stay warm.

“You’re going to accidentally commit arson if you keep carrying that flame around.” Salamander took off his green scarf and handed it to me. “Here.”

I looked at his scarf then back at him. “Don’t you need it?”

“I’m a winter mage. I don’t get cold that easily. Just take it.”

I received his scarf. “Thanks.”

I put out the flame and wrapped his scarf around my neck. It was still warm. I could also smell a little bit of his scent on it.

He smiled. “Better?”

“Yeah. It feels warmer now. Thanks.”

“Elliot and I are planning to go for one of the art workshops. Have you decided on yours?”

I shook my head. “Not yet. I suppose I could attend the same workshop as you two. It could be fun.”

“It’s still in two hours, so we have time to have a look around.”

We went to browse the items displayed at the stalls, most of which were remnants of the old world: typewriters, cassette tapes, worn books, clothing from bygone eras, postcards, and other memorabilia. The vendors were pleasant people, eager to chat and show off their goods. Unfortunately, I was in no condition to hold a conversation, even just walking around took a lot of effort to stay balanced.

Salamander offered his arm, but I was hesitant. “You’re walking like you’re about to trip. We’re already pretending to date anyway, so no one will bat an eye if you cling to me for support.”

“Thank you. I didn’t expect you to be so… supportive.” Literally.

“I have to take responsibility for my actions, right?” He smirked.

Damn it, Salamander. I’ll admit. He does make a good fake boyfriend.

We walked around slowly to view the rest of the stalls before trying out samples of the cuisine. Finally, we found an empty bench to sit and rest on.

He looked around cautiously to make sure nobody was observing us. “Did you happen to bring the book?”

“What book?” I didn’t know what he was talking about.

“You know… that book.”

“Please be more specific.”

“For goodness’ sake, Remina. Do I have to spell it out for you?” He then lowered his voice. “I mean Love in Bloomfield Manor.”

“Salamander, if you are really that enthralled with the book, why don’t you just take my copy?” I offered the book to him.

“No way. How am I supposed to explain it to people if they stumble upon it among my belongings? This is much more convenient.” He was about to grab the book from my hand, but I pulled it away from his grasp. I wasn’t about to let him have his way.

“If I have to sacrifice my reputation for your sake, you might as well make it worth my while and say ‘please’.”

“Please?” He forced the words out of his mouth.

“With a smile,” I demanded.

“Please, Remina?” He had an annoyed smile.

“Why do I suddenly feel like slapping you?”

“I did exactly as you requested. Surely I am qualified to borrow your book now?”

“Fine.” I handed him the book.

He smiled as he received it. “Thank you.”

Whatever makes this boy happy, I suppose.

“Feel free to rest on my shoulder if your head starts spinning,” he said without taking his eyes off the page he was on.

It was tempting. I was still a bit dizzy, but I couldn’t get over my hesitation. It wasn’t only because we were in a public place, but I really wasn’t used to being this intimate with him.

“Don’t worry. My snake won’t mind,” he added. His necklace transformed into his silver snake, which slithered onto my shoulders and nudged me to stop making myself suffer.

He smiled. “See? He likes you.”

I finally gave in and gave my head a much needed rest. I closed my eyes as he continued to read quietly.

After some time passed, he closed the book and suddenly spoke, “I wonder how things would’ve gone if we didn’t get caught up in this mess with my sister and the Crowes.”

I kept my eyes closed. “The most of our worries would be the pile of essays we have to write, and you’d probably finish reading War and Peace before the end of the trip.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t be as interesting.”

“I just want to spend the rest of my school life without worrying about getting killed.”

“Understandable. I also hope for the same thing.”

I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was something that looked like a serpent crawling away. Nobody seemed to notice it. A gut feeling told me to follow it.

“Salamander, I’ll be right back,” I said as I stood up.

“Remina, where are you going? Are you sure you’ll be alright with your current condition?” He sounded genuinely worried.

I hurried to catch up with the serpent. I couldn’t waste any time. Otherwise, the opportunity would be lost.

“Remina!” he shouted.

When I finally caught up with it, I saw it enter a large painting. Words painted in red became visible on the painting. It was the last stanza of the poem on the seasons of magic, but with a new line added.

Season of shadows, of death and deceit,

The serpent’s gift born from human conceit:

The Unmending lords over bodily state.

The Unending masters time and fate.

The Unimagining paints from words they create.

Salamander soon caught up with me, grabbing my arm protectively in case I lost balance. He was also looking at the painting, at the exact spot where the lines were displayed.

“You can see it, can’t you?” I turned towards him.

His expression was unreadable. “Of course. My blood is also tainted after all.”