are stronger and heal quicker. A small cut with a knife, I can heal in seconds. If I fell off a multi-storey building I’d most likely land on my feet.”
“Like a cat?”
There was a moment’s pause and I realised that maybe Holt didn’t take kindly to being compared to a cat. Definitely time to start sugar-coating.
“Yes,” he finally answered.
“I think I’m somewhere in the middle with that one,” I told him. “When I get a cut or a bruise, it does heal faster than other people but it still takes a couple of days.” I paused in thought before going back to my list. “You said that there are vampire laws, what are they?”
“Most of them are the standard ones against theft, rape, murder – all the usual things – but our punishments are a lot harsher. The punishment for unlawful murder is death.”
“What do you mean, ‘unlawful murder’?” I asked, catching the look of discomfort that passed over Holt’s face.
“Vampires are a very territorial breed which means we have very strict rules when it comes to land, possessions and mates. If a vampire caused any serious harm to another vampire’s mate then it would be considered fair for the first vampire to kill the second.”
“What do you mean, mate? Like... a lover?” I asked.
“No. A vampire’s mate is considered their soul mate. It’s a very rare thing to find and, if it is found, it’s a far stronger thing than human love, it’s a life-long bond and, for a vampire, there is no saying how long that will be for.”
“How old are you, then?” I blurted before I realised how rude it might seem.
“Just over eight hundred years old. Twenty-seven of them as a human, the rest as a vampire.”
All I could do for a while was blink. Eight hundred years old? That was incredible. That meant that he’d witnessed first-hand most of the events I’d studied in history.
“Are all vampires that...” I trailed off, wondering if vampires were as sensitive as humans about being called old. “I mean, have most vampires been around for that long?”
“There are a few that are older but the majority are younger than me.”
I was amazed. The world was filled with historians who studied artefacts to try and discover secrets from the past and yet there were a whole race of people who could tell us what it was really like in medieval times. It was truly mind-boggling to think that during Holt’s lifetime he’d have seen the invention of almost everything that I took for granted every day. TVs, computers, electricity, running water, cars, aeroplanes, supermarkets, flushing toilets and tarmac had all, at one time, been a new-fangled invention to Holt. It gave me a whole new impression of Rillith. There would be vampires there who’d seen both world wars, been around when the Titanic sank and seen every king and queen that had sat on the throne.
“What’s Rillith like?” I asked Holt. “Because when I try and picture the home of almost a thousand vampires in Scotland, all I can imagine is a very large, very creepy haunted house on a hill, an Adams family type of place. But when I look at you, I get more of a James Bond, life of luxury impression.”
I didn’t miss the pleased look that crossed Holt’s face as I compared him to James Bond.
“I can assure you that there’s nothing at all creepy about Rillith. In fact it’s quite the opposite. I’m glad you’ve brought it up, though, as there’s something more I must tell you before I can expect you to decide if you’ll come back with me or not.”
“I’m going to be honest,” I said. “That sounds a little ominous.”
“I was debating whether to tell you yesterday but I thought that might be throwing too much at you at one go.”
“Well, I guess now is as good a time as ever. Hit me with it,” I said, hoping that I wouldn’t regret it.
Chapter 7
Holt shifted position, making himself more comfortable before beginning his revelation.
“Vampires are ruled by a governing
“Like a cat?”
There was a moment’s pause and I realised that maybe Holt didn’t take kindly to being compared to a cat. Definitely time to start sugar-coating.
“Yes,” he finally answered.
“I think I’m somewhere in the middle with that one,” I told him. “When I get a cut or a bruise, it does heal faster than other people but it still takes a couple of days.” I paused in thought before going back to my list. “You said that there are vampire laws, what are they?”
“Most of them are the standard ones against theft, rape, murder – all the usual things – but our punishments are a lot harsher. The punishment for unlawful murder is death.”
“What do you mean, ‘unlawful murder’?” I asked, catching the look of discomfort that passed over Holt’s face.
“Vampires are a very territorial breed which means we have very strict rules when it comes to land, possessions and mates. If a vampire caused any serious harm to another vampire’s mate then it would be considered fair for the first vampire to kill the second.”
“What do you mean, mate? Like... a lover?” I asked.
“No. A vampire’s mate is considered their soul mate. It’s a very rare thing to find and, if it is found, it’s a far stronger thing than human love, it’s a life-long bond and, for a vampire, there is no saying how long that will be for.”
“How old are you, then?” I blurted before I realised how rude it might seem.
“Just over eight hundred years old. Twenty-seven of them as a human, the rest as a vampire.”
All I could do for a while was blink. Eight hundred years old? That was incredible. That meant that he’d witnessed first-hand most of the events I’d studied in history.
“Are all vampires that...” I trailed off, wondering if vampires were as sensitive as humans about being called old. “I mean, have most vampires been around for that long?”
“There are a few that are older but the majority are younger than me.”
I was amazed. The world was filled with historians who studied artefacts to try and discover secrets from the past and yet there were a whole race of people who could tell us what it was really like in medieval times. It was truly mind-boggling to think that during Holt’s lifetime he’d have seen the invention of almost everything that I took for granted every day. TVs, computers, electricity, running water, cars, aeroplanes, supermarkets, flushing toilets and tarmac had all, at one time, been a new-fangled invention to Holt. It gave me a whole new impression of Rillith. There would be vampires there who’d seen both world wars, been around when the Titanic sank and seen every king and queen that had sat on the throne.
“What’s Rillith like?” I asked Holt. “Because when I try and picture the home of almost a thousand vampires in Scotland, all I can imagine is a very large, very creepy haunted house on a hill, an Adams family type of place. But when I look at you, I get more of a James Bond, life of luxury impression.”
I didn’t miss the pleased look that crossed Holt’s face as I compared him to James Bond.
“I can assure you that there’s nothing at all creepy about Rillith. In fact it’s quite the opposite. I’m glad you’ve brought it up, though, as there’s something more I must tell you before I can expect you to decide if you’ll come back with me or not.”
“I’m going to be honest,” I said. “That sounds a little ominous.”
“I was debating whether to tell you yesterday but I thought that might be throwing too much at you at one go.”
“Well, I guess now is as good a time as ever. Hit me with it,” I said, hoping that I wouldn’t regret it.
Chapter 7
Holt shifted position, making himself more comfortable before beginning his revelation.
“Vampires are ruled by a governing
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