I sat, cross-legged, reading from the Book of Renfields.
A small pink candle flickered gently, the flame occasionally dancing nervously as the air shifted. At least, I told myself it was the air.
Hi Master,
I don't really know what to say here. Everyone else is better with words than I am. I thought about it all night, but I couldn't think of anything.
Tomorrow, I might die. I have no family, and all my friends are here with me. I'm trying to tell myself that it's okay if I die, because we'll all be together.
I don't know if you'll ever read this, but if you do, my name is Lina.
And I'm scared. I'm so scared.
I hope everything will be okay tomorrow.
"Thank you, Lina," I said, feeling the warmth of the candle as its glow lit my face. "I hope you aren't afraid anymore, and that your friends are with you. I am sorry I was not there for you when you needed me most."
The words hurt as they left my lips.
Each night was making me feel worse as the weight of these girls' lives pressed down on me. I sat there for as long as it took the candle to burn, thinking of her.
Molly had told me she was a quiet girl, with short dark hair. She wore glasses.
Unfortunately, she couldn't remember anything else about her.
Just before dawn, the flame twitched suddenly and died. It left behind a glowing ember on the tip of the wilting wick. A ghostly coil of smoke gasped upward to fill the room with the acrid smell or hot wax.
I watched as it smoked, feeling connected to the girl who'd given her life to recover my ashes.
And I wanted to see her face.
Behind me, Molly stood patiently. Sometimes, I'd even forgotten she was there.
When the ember's light faded and the smoke evaporated, I let out a heavy sigh and patted the mat beside me. "Sit."
The little Renfield knelt, tucking her legs under her. Her body was trembling from holding in all her questions. While I'd been recovering from turning Vela into a ghoul, I'd asked Hina to explain it to her.
Not just the advantages, such as greater strength and agility, but also the disadvantage of needing to drink my blood once every cycle of the moon.
Exhausted, I'd dropped in front of my little shrine and let my body recover while my heart and mind paid tribute to my lost Renfield, Lina.
"I know you have questions," I said. "But wait. I need a few moments."
"Yes, Master."
I put my hand on my chest and pushed my awareness inside to see what had happened to my heart. And, as I did, I couldn't hold back the shocked gasp.
When I had first transformed my body into that of a vampire, everything had changed. Organs had been consumed. The heart had mutated into a simpler thing and seemed to be made only to push blood into my Meridians.
Since discovering there was a second chamber, I had tentatively considered this to be my Bloodline. The vein feeding my Bloodline was now as thick as the one feeding my Meridians. And the twin chambers were equal size. My heart had grown to accommodate them both.
As I watched it beat, it was like watching a giant organic forge where the bellows were in constant rhythm. Each beat felt thunderous and carried a weight I'd never felt before. And, while the blood being shunted into my Meridians was ultimately going nowhere, the rest of it was feeding into my Bloodline and its effects seemed extraordinary.
No longer were the veins branching out through my body like little hairs. Now they were thick and strong. The blood no longer moved sluggish through them, but with the power of my new heart was rushing through my body like a river system.
I could see the effects as the surrounding tissue looked healthier.
My muscles were thicker.
It wasn't too big a change externally, but I could see in some places the changes were beginning to happen. My hands, for example, looked like the blood beneath was reducing the wrinkles on them.
If I kept feeding, I had no doubt I would soon regain my youthful appearance. I wouldn't look like a gaunt old monster.
It was unbelievable that I could achieve that with my Meridians torn as they were. If I had told my old self I could heal like this without reforming my Crucibles, I would have thought I'd gone mad.
I'd taken risks by prioritising my Corporeal Body over my True Body, but that risk seemed to have paid off. When I started to work on my True Body, I felt the gains would be unbelievable. Without needing to feed blood back to my Corporeal Body, it would be able to progress faster.
I felt a thrill of excitement as hints of potential began to leak from my memories into my head.
Pulling my awareness out, I sighed. There was still so much to do before I could concentrate on my True Body. I needed to dig deeper into my library to find more useful grimoires.
Although, now Molly was going to Scholomance, I wondered if I could convince Kalista to let me return to visit the library at my old school.
I had a feeling my request would be refused.
Kalista would want something in exchange, and I wasn't sure I had anything to give right now.
Except for my student…
"Have you heard of Scholomance, Molly?"
"Umm, only what's in books, Master."
"Real books, or those in the little library?"
She flushed. "The little library."
"Ah." So, nothing at all. "Hopefully, you know it as the Devil's School?"
"I've heard it called that, yes. I've read some books which are set in it."
"Like your Harry Potter?"
She nodded. "I'm sure they're nothing like the real place, though."
"Most likely not." I closed my eyes, sifting through the few fragments I could pull out of my memory. "It isn't a school as you might think of it. No desks or inkpots."
"That's a relief."
I patted her head. "An average day will see you sitting with a tutor. Most of the time it will be Kalista. She will teach you the Mysteries. You will have seven years to learn with her. I suggest you waste not a single moment."
"Seven years?"
"It sounds like a long time, but it isn't. You will leave on a Friday at midnight and return on Sunday at midnight. A Gate will be opened for you."
She let out a sigh of relief. "I was worried I'd have to catch public transport again, Master."
"Then that should please you." I didn't know why that scared her so much, but I nodded along with her. "There is good reason for you to study hard, Molly. While the time you have is seven years, you will not have any structure like you might think. There are no tests. No examinations. Instead, you will be limited only by how much you can learn. For example, Kalista will introduce you to a subject and not move on until you have mastered it. It's in your own interest to work hard and master things quickly. The faster you learn, the more knowledge you will gain and the more powerful you'll become."
"No pressure," she muttered.
"None at all," I chuckled, giving her a pat on the head again. "You will do well, I think. My advice to you is simply to try not to overthink things. Concentrate on what you are learning. Don't try to think ahead. Consider magic to be a staircase and take it one step at a time without looking up."
"I'll try."
"Good." I closed the Book of Renfields. "Your success is in your hands."
"Master, will you turn me into a ghoul, too?" Her words rushed out of her mouth, and I could sense the fear of rejection in her voice.
"Of course I will, Molly," I told her. "In truth, I would have turned you all a little while ago, but I've been recovering. It took a lot out of me to change Hina. I only did that because she was dying, and an alley is no place for a pretty girl to die, is it?"
Her gaze flicked to the Book of Renfields and she shook her head firmly. "No, Master. It's not."
"Vela was also wounded," I said. "But I won't wait for you to be hurt. Tomorrow, we'll change you. Tonight, I'm too exhausted. I need rest. And blood."
"I'll have something special for you tomorrow, Master," she said firmly, her breasts heaving as she let out a mischievous giggle. "I caught an Instagrammer. You'll like her. She's also got an interesting blood Type."
"An Instagrammer?" I couldn't remember what they were.
"Yes, Master," she said with a fierce tight-lipped grin. "They're like the French. They're a scourge."
I chuckled at the venom in her voice.
"Then I look forward to depopulating them."
"So do I, Master," she said with a happy shiver. "So do I."
"Master?"
I turned to see Hina standing in the doorway, hands behind her back. Her expression looked troubled.
"Hmm?"
"There's a man who wants to see you. He says it's urgent he see you immediately."
"Really?"
She licked her lips nervously. "He says he's from the Tax Department."