Treaties or not, it just wasn’t a good idea to have two Drake vampire brothers hanging around the scene of a vampire attack, even if it was a Hel-Blar attack. And since I was listed as a Person of Interest in their stupid Helios-Ra hunter handbook, I wasn’t too keen on hanging around either.
“Sorry, Van, I gotta go.” I squeezed her hand and she smiled tremulously. There was no flash of light and I didn’t feel particularly sleepy or drained though Nicholas tensed beside me. “It really will be okay. Hunter will help you, and I’ll see you at school.”
Nicholas, Quinn, and I sprinted toward the parking lot, stopping behind an innocuous-looking beige minivan.
“How can we be sure she won’t do it again?” Nicholas wondered.
I snorted. “Are you kidding? I’m siccing Isabeau on her ass.”
Quinn climbed onto his motorcycle. “See you at home, Nic. Bye, Luce.” We watched him peel out of the lot.
“Stealthy.” Nicholas snorted.
“So much for our first date.” I sighed.
He handed me a motorcycle helmet. “Not quite.”
I took it curiously. “What do you mean?”
“Just get on,” he said, straddling the bike.
I climbed on behind him. “Where are we going?” But he didn’t answer, just revved the engine.
Hunter
“Will she be okay?” I asked Spencer, my cell phone tucked between my ear and my shoulder. Most of the agents would be combing the forest around the fairground and the beach. I had a few minutes before I had to debrief. Vanessa trailed after me, looking lost as I slipped into Madame Juliet’s tent.
“She should be fine,” Spencer said. “I can’t believe I missed actual magic. It was my major. You’d better get her number. I have a hundred questions.”
“Yeah, yeah. First things first.”
The inside of the tent was as garish as the outside. There were lots of heart-shaped lights and perfumes promising to attract perfect lovers. There were red candles and a crystal ball on a velvet-draped table, and a cloud of incense. There was also a large basket filled with silk roses and heart-shaped bottles filled with red glitter and silver confetti.
“That’s what she sold me,” Vanessa confirmed.
“Did you know her? Did she know about your powers?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.” She shrugged. “She had a fake accent and hoop earrings and the whole deal. I told you, it’s just a carnival joke.”
I held up all the bottles. “I think these are just full of tap water and glitter,” I told Spencer. “Tacky, but not fatal. So it really was just bad luck.”
“I have charms for that,” Spencer replied.
“Is there one I can give Vanessa?”
“Find a citrine.”
“Sure.” I made a face at the phone. “What the hell’s a citrine?”
He chuckled. “It’s a crystal, yellowish or lime green. There’s probably a bunch in that tent; all the carnivals hawk crystals in this town, don’t they?”
There weren’t any in the tent, but Vanessa and I found a booth selling crystals and incense. They were even labeled, so I knew I was making Vanessa buy the right kind.
“It’s ugly,” she said dubiously, slipping the pale yellow-green crystal over her head.
“It’s citrine,” I explained. “If you wear it, it’ll block you from taking too much energy from other people. And from, you know, stopping time accidentally.”
Spencer swore again. “Man, I miss all the fun.”
“Oh yeah,” I said drily. “It was loads of fun. Can you explain it, by the way?”
“Side effect from the vampire blood in the magic.” I could imagine him shrugging through the phone.
“Is that why the broken carousel Lucy and Nicholas were on did the opposite and sped up?”
“Probably a reaction to Nicholas. And if he and Lucy were kissing like you said, it sparked off the kiss Vanessa gave Brent. And made a big mess.”
“Will the citrine work?”
“Of course it’ll work,” Spencer said. “I got straight As before I died, remember?”
I glanced at Vanessa. “Are you going to be okay now?” She nodded, looking sad but relatively calm. “Good. We’ll be watching you.” I felt stupid saying it, but she had to know she couldn’t just go around draining people.
“Ooh, very Bellwood,” Spencer said with a laugh in my ear, referring to our school’s scary headmistress before hanging up.
By the time I debriefed to the main agent in charge, it was past midnight and she insisted on driving me back to school. Chloe was awake, typing away on her laptop as usual. Her eyes were wide.
“Dude. I just talked to Spencer.”
I dropped my bag wearily. “Yeah, some night.” I kicked off my sneakers, shrugged out of my jacket, and turned toward my bed. Chloe swiveled in her chair to watch my reaction, smirking.
My bed was covered in flowers. Not roses—they were too common for Quinn. Instead, there were lilies and daisies and black-eyed Susans scattered over my blanket, under my pillow, and on the floor all around the bed. I smiled a goofy smile I was pretty sure I’d never smiled before.
“He came in through the window. Luckily, he called me first so I didn’t stake him.” Chloe shook her head, grinning. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Where can I get a Drake brother of my very own?”
Lucy
The cool wind and the feel of Nicholas’s back supporting me chased away the last of the jittery adrenaline. He took me back to the Drake farm, but bypassed the main drive to the house, keeping to the fields instead. He stopped the bike at the edge of the woods. It was quiet, with just the wind and the frogs singing from a distant pond. His hand was cool in mine as he led me to a huge gnarled maple tree. The leaves were already starting to change color, like little pieces of sunshine even in the middle of the night.
“The tree fort,” I whispered. “I’d forgotten all about it.”
It was a series of platforms with slanted roofs and little railings. Solange and I spent an entire winter launching snowball wars on the boys from the highest platform. We still hung out in one of the oak trees on the other side of the farm since it was closest to the road and my house, but I hadn’t been back to the tree fort in years.
“I’m calling a do-over on tonight,” Nicholas said softly, leading me up the ladder into the tree branches. The leaves rustled gently. There were candles in lanterns that he lit, and cushions scattered around. “I still come here a lot,” he admitted. “When things get complicated.”
And lately things were always complicated. Except for right now. I sat next to him, our legs dangling over the edge. He put his arm around my shoulder until I was tucked against his side. The warm candlelight gleamed in his pale eyes.
We didn’t bicker or banter, we just sat there, swinging our feet and smiling as the last of summer faded away. He glanced down at me, smiling wickedly.
“So, about prom …”
Every new recruit to the vampire hunting society, Helios-Ra, is issued the guidebook
A Field Guide to Vampires, containing secrets to the inner workings of the vampires they are hunting. But when new recruit Lucy Hamilton gets her hands on a copy, she can’t help but add a few notes of her own …
A Field Guide to Vampires
For the Students of the Helios-Ra Academy
Violet Hill edition
With Additional Notes by Lucy Hamilton
Table of Contents
1. Official Welcome
2. Helios-Ra, An Overview
3. School Essentials
4. Victims
5. Approved Weapons List
6. Vampire Hunters of Note
7. Traditional Vampire Lore (Mostly Debunked)
8. Basic Vampire Statistics
9. Vampire History
10. The Host
11. The Hel-Blar
12. The Hounds
13. The Drake Family (Local Clan)
14. Supernatural Miscellany
1.
Official Welcome
Welcome to the Academy.
Welcome to the noble and ancient ranks of the Helios-Ra. Ours is a sacred duty and a privilege passed down from generation to generation. To be a hunter is not merely to hunt; it is to protect.
We serve the human race that it may live and grow and advance, unburdened by those creatures that dwell in the darkness. It is no accident that society at large believes vampires to be myth or literary device. We have worked long and hard to keep it so. Nothing would be served by mass panic or vigilantes. The governments of the world and the Helios-Ra both agree on this point and work together to keep it thus.
The vampires are no less eager to have their presence known. And so long as they keep to the shadows, so too must we.
But we will be revealed to those who know such things by the symbol of the sun; Helios of the Greeks and Ra of the Egyptians.
We serve the sun.
I knew they had government connections. Hart totally has that James Bond thing going for him.
2.
Helios-Ra, An Overview
Oath of Fealty
In the name of Helios and Ra and of my brethren, be it known to all, present and future, that I have voluntarily sworn an oath of fealty to the order of Helios-Ra. I swear to be true and faithful, and love all which the order loves and shun all which the order shuns, according to the laws and traditions of the order.
I hereby swear to cultivate the virtues of honor and courage, to defend the weak and the unknowing against all manner of creatures, to fight the vampire and never be seduced by them.
I stand tall to be counted among the valiant and I shall be known to my brethren by the symbol of the sun, which I wear willingly and with all due humility.
Yeah, I’m so not swearing that oath. Nicholas can seduce me if he wants to.
A Short History
Helios-Ra was officially formed in 99 C.E., brought across Europe and Egypt by the conquering armies of Rome. Before this time, hunters worked alone or in small tribal groups who rarely crossed territory lines. Their methods were effective but varied greatly, and were vulnerable to the political ruling powers of the time as well as intertribal warfare.
In 892, a hunter of some reputation, Alric Skallagrim, called a council of hunters. He summoned them from as far as the Russian steppes to the southernmost tip of India with the intent to unite them under one banner and one purpose. He called the group Helios-Ra after the mythical sun gods, and designed the sun emblem we use to this day. In 899, our history was officially set down in the Helios-Ra Codex by an Irish monk of the order Brother Phinean, at Alric’s request.
Our traditions were also considerably solidified in the early Middle Ages when several more wars made it necessary to further strengthen our allegiances. Our traditional oath-taking and initiation ceremony, though somewhat altered, dates to this time period.
Helios-Ra came to the New World in 1671 through Marie-Adelle Chevalier, a Fille du Roi (one of the “Daughters of the King”: orphaned French girls who traveled to the New World to marry). Her sons continued her work and were instrumental in making sure Helios-Ra gained strong roots in New France, and later, America. Helios-Ra also had a strong presence in Salem, Massachusetts, during the 1692 witch trials.
Scholars have always been welcome among the ranks of hunters, and in 1967, paranormal scholars were also invited to serve in our ranks that we might broaden the scope of our research and defense. Other supernatural creatures, such as werewolves, witches, and ghosts, have since been studied and their actions controlled when necessary.
Over the years we have either successfully infiltrated or been officially welcomed to most world governments as well as underground rebel groups. Our one aim is to eradicate vampires and make the world safe for humanity, by any means possible. A warning must be issued to all new recruits to avoid the temptations of political power. This is not our goal and can only serve as a distraction.
Traditional Helios-Ra burials used to involve burying the body with rose thorns, salt, and a mouthful of garlic. A whitethorn stake was also driven through the heart. Modern hunters often choose to be cremated instead.
Head of the League, North American (1900–present)
Avril Chevalier (1953–1971)
Kendall McMullan (1971–72)
Luis Mendez (1972–2001)
Roarke Black (2001–2009) (died in office, 2009)
Mom said she met Kieran’s dad once in the 80s with Helena. And she said Helena had teased hair. Solange and I are still searching for photographic proof.
Hart Black and Hope Jones (2009–?)
Hope was a traitor. She killed Kieran’s dad. She was also annoyingly perky.
The Secret Handshake
There is no secret handshake.
Oh, come on. There is so a secret handshake, you’re just not sharing!
Treaties
In recent decades, treaties have become another weapon in the kit of the modern vampire hunter. Some vampire clans, such as the Drake family of Violet Hill, have agreed to terms with the League. Solitary vampires are also sometimes inclined to such treaties, having a smaller defense system to rely on.
Though controversial, these treaties are to our benefit. Not only do they protect the human populace at large, but they free up finite resources to fight more immediate threats such as the Hel-Blar and Lady Natasha (see section 9).
She was like an evil prom queen. Also, kinda dead now.
Treaties generally include clauses for both parties. Families such as the Drakes agree not to feed on human victims without prior consent and never to the point of endangering said human. As long as this main clause is not broken, the League agrees not to hunt the “treaty vampire.”
3.
School Essentials
1. Students are not allowed off campus unchaperoned after sunset until they reach the age of sixteen. At sixteen, they’re allowed only with permission. No exceptions.
2. The academy and the League are secret institutions and are required to be safeguarded as such.
3. No fraternizing of any kind with vampires. Treaty vampires require prior League and academy approval.
School Crest: Rising sun over horizon line
School Motto: Diligence, Duty, and Daring
Departments of Study: Hunting, Science and Technology, Paranormal Studies New student kits include the following: handbook, map of Violet Hill, night-vision goggles, wooden stake, pepper eggs, holy water.
Demerit System: Five allowed per school year. A sixth leads to expulsion. Detention and kitchen duty assigned for most infractions. Bathroom duty assigned for violent altercations.
Miscellaneous
a) Random testing in the form of speed and stealth drills. Be prepared.
This is the reason Kieran is such a boy scout! I wonder if there’s such a thing as vampire hunting badges.
b) The Student Memorial Garden is behind the pond. Please be quiet and respectful when visiting.
c) In the event of an emergency lockdown on campus, high-UV lightbulbs will automatically switch on, and bars may block windows.
d) Visitor passes are given out to preapproved guests only.
Do vampire boyfriends count? I’m so going to get kicked out of this school, aren’t I?
4.
Victims
Victim recognition
Victims who do not expire immediately can be recognized as newly turned vampires by the following indicators: paleness, weakness, anemia, scars on the neck or wrists; also, the use of scarves or long sleeves (even during summer) or wide bracelets to hide such marks.
Another sort of victim, less easily dealt with than the others, is the victim who believes he or she is a vampire. This sort of delusional individual is best left to undergo psychological evaluation. Do not engage in the field.
Seriously, who writes this crap?
Victims tend to be found in crowded areas, such as bars and sp
orting events, or in secluded wooded areas with a reliable measure of privacy. City parks are a particular favorite. Victims do not always sport the obvious bite marks on their necks; bites can be given anywhere on the body. Preferred locations are the neck, the inside crook of the elbow, and the wrist.
Victims of Hel-Blar attacks (see section 11) are especially likely to have their throats torn out. Pay judicious attention to news stories involving wild-dog attacks or gang-related activity not involving gunplay.
In the rare event of interrupting a Hel-Blar attack, the optimal distraction is to shine your flashlight directly into the eyes of the vampire. They are even more sensitive to light than other vampires; this is thought to be a direct result of their time spent in dark caves without electric lighting of any kind. This technique will not stop the Hel-Blar from feeding, of course, but it may distract them long enough to attempt a rescue of the victim. Do not attempt if you are a new student or graduate. This is an old-fashioned strategy, included for posterity and only to be used in case your other weapons are unavailable.
Bloodslaves
Bloodslaves are brainwashed humans who willingly allow themselves to be bitten and have their blood drunk to sustain their master. Look for scars at throat and elbow.
Oh, bite me.
Hunting, Tracking
Tracking vampires requires skill, a keen eye, and a little bit of luck. They move with preternatural speed, sometimes so quickly that they float a few inches above the ground. For this reason, finding tracks can be exceedingly difficult. Look for broken twigs above ground level, animals abruptly clearing the area, or the effects of a windstorm when none has occurred. In a cityscape, look for confused individuals or paper litter moving when there is no wind.
Or in the case of the Drake brothers, especially Quinn, look for drooling girls. Seriously.
5.
Approved Weapons List
Vampire Bites: A Taste of the Drake Chronicles Page 6
