“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.