نفس خون آشام فصل 12

Vampire Breath - Chapter 12

The old vampire poked a finger around in his mouth, shaking his head sadly the whole while. Finally, he sighed and dropped his hands to his sides.

“Doomed,” he whispered. “Doomed. Unless…”

“Sorry we can’t help you,” I said. “Now, will you open the door and let me back in my house?” Count Nightwing rubbed his chin. He shut his eyes, thinking hard.

“Yes. Let us out!” Cara insisted. “We can’t help you. So—”

The old vampire’s eyes shot open. “But you can help me!” he declared. “You will help me!” I took a deep breath. “No. We won’t,” I told him. “Let us go—now.” He floated up over us. He moved his gaze from Cara to me. His silvery eyes suddenly appeared cold, icy. “You will help me,” he said softly. “Both of you. If you ever hope to return to your homes again.” I shivered. The tunnel suddenly felt so cold, as if a freezing wind was blowing through it.

I glanced at the door. So close, I thought. We’re so close to being safe and sound in my house.

On the other side of the door we would be out of danger. But we can’t get there. We can’t. We could be a thousand miles away.

I turned back to the icy stare of the old vampire.

He’s evil, I realized. Even without his fangs, he is evil.

“Wh-what do we have to do?” Cara stammered.

“Yes. What can we do?” I repeated.

He lowered himself to the floor. His expression softened.

“The bottle of Vampire Breath,” he said. “Did you see it?”

“Yes,” I replied. “We found it. In your coffin.”

“Do you have it?” he demanded eagerly. He reached out a hand. “Do you have it? Give it to me.” “No,” Cara and I answered together.

“We didn’t take it,” I told him. “I think I left it on the floor.”

“We—we dropped it,” Cara stammered.

The old vampire gasped. “You what? Did you break it? Did you spill the Vampire Breath?” “It—it poured out,” I replied. “The room filled with smoke. We put the cap back on. But—” “We must find it!” Count Nightwing declared. “I must have that bottle. If there is a little bit of Vampire Breath left in the bottle, it will take me back to my time.” “Your time?” I asked.

He squinted at me. “Your clothing. Your hair. You two are not of my time,” he said. “What year is this?” I told him.

His mouth dropped open. A startled squeak escaped his throat. “I have been asleep for over a hundred years!” he exclaimed. “I must find the Vampire Breath. It will take me back in time. Back to when I had my fangs.” I stared hard at him, trying to understand what he was telling us. “Does that mean you will go away?” I asked. “If there is Vampire Breath left in the bottle, you will go back a hundred years?” The old vampire nodded. “Yessss,” he hissed. “I will go back to my time.” But then his eyes turned cold again, “If there is any of the precious Vampire Breath left,” he said bitterly. “If you didn’t spill it all.” “There’s got to be some left!” I cried.

Cara and I followed Count Nightwing back through the tunnel. He floated silently ahead of us, his cape fluttering behind him. “So thirsty…” he kept muttering. “So terribly thirsty.” “I can’t believe we’re going back into that room,” I whispered to Cara as we jogged over the smooth stone floor. “I can’t believe we’re going to help a vampire!” “We have no choice,” she replied. “We want to get rid of him—don’t we?” My shoes splashed through a puddle on the floor. I felt cold water on my ankles. The tunnel curved, and we followed it. Into the small, square room.

Count Nightwing stepped up to his coffin, then turned back to us. “Where is the bottle?” he demanded.

I picked up my flashlight from the floor. I clicked it. Once. Twice. No light. It must have broken when I dropped it. I set it back down on the floor.

“The bottle,” the old vampire repeated. “I must have it.”

“I think Freddy dropped it into the coffin,” Cara told him. She stepped to the center of the room and flashed her light up and down the purple velvet of the coffin.

“No. It is not there,” Count Nightwing said impatiently. “Where is it? You must find it. You have no idea how thirsty I am. It’s been at least one hundred years!” He’s a good sleeper! I thought.

“It must be somewhere on the floor,” Cara told him.

“Well, find it! Find it!” the vampire shrieked.

Cara and I began to search the floor. I walked beside her since she had the only light.

She swept the flashlight up and down the bare floors. No sign of the blue bottle.

“Where is it?” I whispered. “Where?”

“It shouldn’t be so hard to find in an empty room!” Cara declared.

“Do you think maybe it rolled out into the tunnel?” I suggested.

Cara bit her bottom lip. “I don’t think so.” She raised her eyes from the floor and gazed at me. “We didn’t break it—did we?” “No. When I put the cap back on it, I set it down somewhere,” I replied.

I glanced up to see the vampire glaring at us angrily. “I’m losing my patience,” he warned. He licked his dry lips. His icy eyes moved from me to Cara.

“There it is!” Cara cried. Her beam of light froze at the base of the coffin. The blue bottle lay there on its side.

I charged across the room, bent quickly, and picked up the Vampire Breath.

Count Nightwing’s eyes flashed in excitement. A pale smile spread over his face. “Open it—now!” he ordered. “Open it, and I will be gone. Back to my time. Back to my beautiful castle. Good-bye, children. Good-bye. Open it! Quickly!” My hands trembled. I gripped the blue bottle tightly in my left hand. I lowered my right hand to the glass stopper on top of the bottle.

I grabbed the stopper—and pulled it off the bottle.

And waited.

And waited.

Nothing happened.