circled and banked, sometimes flying in twos or threes, sometimes flying alone. They roosted in the nooks and niches and hung upside-down from perches jutting from the chasm walls.
The whole time, they made the most unearthly sounds, a combination of whispering, whistling, and whalesong that rippled and echoed in the chasm.
Beautiful.
I never imagined vampires could make such beautiful music.
"Well?" Stanza kept her voice low. "What do you think?"
Jonah peeked over the ledge and took a step back. "Could use a railing here." He sounded nervous.
Stanza waved at the winged figures swooping around the core of the chasm. "We don't need a railing if we're vampires, right?"
"Good point," said Jonah.
"This way." Stanza started around the ledge.
Jonah followed, looking nervous. He stuck close to the wall and kept glancing down into the darkness.
Mavis lingered at the mouth of the tunnel for a moment, watching a vampire glide gracefully around the chasm.
The scene was so strange, it hardly seemed real. Just hours ago, she hadn't known for a fact that vampiresâor anything else out of the ordinary, for that matterâeven existed.
Now, here I am. In the middle of fantasy land.
The gliding vampire turned as he coasted past her, and their eyes met. Mavis felt dizzy for an instant, as if it had been too long since she'd last had something to eat.
The vampire smiled and waved. Then, he rolled over, tucked his wings in tight, and plunged into the depths of the chasm.
Mavis watched him go, then realized she was too close to the edge and eased back. She frowned.
Do I know him?
Â
*****
Â
Chapter 13
Â
"I'm not here," said an old woman's voice from behind the beaded curtain. "Come back some other time."
Stanza smiled and parted the beads with one hand. "We're here to talk to you, Mother Nothing," she said. "May we come in?"
"Absolutely not," said the old woman.
"I guess we'll just go away, then." Stanza pushed through the beads and nodded for Jonah and Mavis to follow.
When Jonah stepped inside, he was surprised. If he hadn't known better, he might have thought he was in an old lady's parlor in a house instead of a cave in the wall of the secret vampire city of Bluegiller, New Mexico.
By the light of candles and gas lamps, Jonah saw that the room had three walls and a ceiling. The walls were covered with wallpaper of an antique style, a white floral pattern over a burgundy background.
An old-fashioned sofa with a striped oval back and seat occupied the middle of the room. The sofa's dark brown wooden arms and legs ended in elaborately carved claws.
A silver tea set gleamed on the low coffee table in front of the sofa. Tiffany lamps, knickknacks, and black-and-white photographs in intricate pewter frames were arranged on other small tables scattered around the room.
Mother Nothing herself, tiny and shriveled, sat on a high-backed wooden rocking chair in a corner. A black shawl was wrapped around her upper body, and a white blanket covered her legs.
Jonah thought she was blind, because her eyes were milky, and she stared straight ahead instead of at her guests. Her brown hair must have been dyed, because she looked like she was a hundred years old.
At least.
"You didn't leave like I told you, did you?" said Mother Nothing.
"Of course we did," said Stanza. "None of us are here."
"Good." Mother Nothing nodded firmly and pulled her shawl tighter. "Now tell me who isn't here, so I know what not to call them."
Stanza turned and gestured at Jonah. "The boy's name is Jonah Ivory." Next, she gestured at Mavis. "The girl is Mavis Kirkellan."
"Interesting." Mother Nothing scratched her chin with a bony index finger.
Jonah looked at Mavis, but she didn't seem to be paying attention. She was half turned away, staring at a point between the sofa and coffee table.
"As for me," said Stanza, "my name is Stanza Miracolo."
Mother Nothing nodded. "I remember you. You used to babysit me."
"That's right, Mother,"
The whole time, they made the most unearthly sounds, a combination of whispering, whistling, and whalesong that rippled and echoed in the chasm.
Beautiful.
I never imagined vampires could make such beautiful music.
"Well?" Stanza kept her voice low. "What do you think?"
Jonah peeked over the ledge and took a step back. "Could use a railing here." He sounded nervous.
Stanza waved at the winged figures swooping around the core of the chasm. "We don't need a railing if we're vampires, right?"
"Good point," said Jonah.
"This way." Stanza started around the ledge.
Jonah followed, looking nervous. He stuck close to the wall and kept glancing down into the darkness.
Mavis lingered at the mouth of the tunnel for a moment, watching a vampire glide gracefully around the chasm.
The scene was so strange, it hardly seemed real. Just hours ago, she hadn't known for a fact that vampiresâor anything else out of the ordinary, for that matterâeven existed.
Now, here I am. In the middle of fantasy land.
The gliding vampire turned as he coasted past her, and their eyes met. Mavis felt dizzy for an instant, as if it had been too long since she'd last had something to eat.
The vampire smiled and waved. Then, he rolled over, tucked his wings in tight, and plunged into the depths of the chasm.
Mavis watched him go, then realized she was too close to the edge and eased back. She frowned.
Do I know him?
Â
*****
Â
Chapter 13
Â
"I'm not here," said an old woman's voice from behind the beaded curtain. "Come back some other time."
Stanza smiled and parted the beads with one hand. "We're here to talk to you, Mother Nothing," she said. "May we come in?"
"Absolutely not," said the old woman.
"I guess we'll just go away, then." Stanza pushed through the beads and nodded for Jonah and Mavis to follow.
When Jonah stepped inside, he was surprised. If he hadn't known better, he might have thought he was in an old lady's parlor in a house instead of a cave in the wall of the secret vampire city of Bluegiller, New Mexico.
By the light of candles and gas lamps, Jonah saw that the room had three walls and a ceiling. The walls were covered with wallpaper of an antique style, a white floral pattern over a burgundy background.
An old-fashioned sofa with a striped oval back and seat occupied the middle of the room. The sofa's dark brown wooden arms and legs ended in elaborately carved claws.
A silver tea set gleamed on the low coffee table in front of the sofa. Tiffany lamps, knickknacks, and black-and-white photographs in intricate pewter frames were arranged on other small tables scattered around the room.
Mother Nothing herself, tiny and shriveled, sat on a high-backed wooden rocking chair in a corner. A black shawl was wrapped around her upper body, and a white blanket covered her legs.
Jonah thought she was blind, because her eyes were milky, and she stared straight ahead instead of at her guests. Her brown hair must have been dyed, because she looked like she was a hundred years old.
At least.
"You didn't leave like I told you, did you?" said Mother Nothing.
"Of course we did," said Stanza. "None of us are here."
"Good." Mother Nothing nodded firmly and pulled her shawl tighter. "Now tell me who isn't here, so I know what not to call them."
Stanza turned and gestured at Jonah. "The boy's name is Jonah Ivory." Next, she gestured at Mavis. "The girl is Mavis Kirkellan."
"Interesting." Mother Nothing scratched her chin with a bony index finger.
Jonah looked at Mavis, but she didn't seem to be paying attention. She was half turned away, staring at a point between the sofa and coffee table.
"As for me," said Stanza, "my name is Stanza Miracolo."
Mother Nothing nodded. "I remember you. You used to babysit me."
"That's right, Mother,"
Similar Books
