The Garden of Shadows

When my apprenticeship duties ended that day, I went straight to the fourth floor to check on Salamander’s condition. I was beginning to wonder if he’d spend the rest of the school trip sleeping or if he'd even wake up at all. Upon reaching the end of the stairway, I was surprised to see Elliot exiting Mr. Crowe’s office. He gave me his usual shy smile as a greeting.

“Elliot? What are you doing here on the fourth floor?” I asked.

He seemed rather cheerful. “I went to see Mr. Crowe. What happened to Aidan? I haven’t seen him since he left with you for the party.” Apparently, the news hadn’t reached him despite the incident being all over the newspaper headlines.

“He’s currently recovering from a major injury.”

He became worried. “What happened?”

“There was an assassination attempt during the party. He protected his sister.”

“Is he going to be alright?” He sounded seriously concerned.

“I hope so. He’s still unconscious at the moment.”

“I’ll admit. I thought he was cold at first, but he’s actually a good person inside. I hope he recovers quickly.”

“I noticed you two have been getting along lately.”

He smiled. “Yeah. We have a lot more things in common than I originally thought.”

Now, I did not expect that. “Like what?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Elliot seemed eager to answer my question. “Did you know he also plays the piano and likes classical music?”

Salamander playing the piano? That made me curious.

I leaned on the railings. “He never mentioned that to me. What else do you talk about?”

“Sometimes about school. Sometimes about you.”

“I’m guessing he’s complaining about me again?”

“It sounded more like he was worried that you’d get yourself into trouble or hurt yourself. He seems to care a lot about you. It came in the form of an angry rant though.”

“Yeah. That sounds just like him.” No surprise there.

“I still have to cram some assignments. Thanks for telling me what happened. See you later, Remina!” Elliot waved and went down the stairs.

I continued forward and entered Salamander’s room where Mr. Crowe and his eldest son, Henry Crowe, were checking their patient’s condition. Salamander was still unconscious on the bed, no different from the last time I entered his room. I stood silently at a corner to avoid disturbing them.

“He may need another vial,” said Mr. Crowe.

“Father, we can’t just increase the dose,” Henry objected.

A short argument followed that was eventually interrupted by the sound of Salamander’s groan. Could it be?

“He’s waking up!” Henry exclaimed.

We gathered beside Salamander’s bed as he slowly raised his hand to touch his head. His eyes opened, at first fixated on the ceiling before focusing on our faces. It took a few minutes for him to recover from the initial disorientation.

“Where am I?” he asked.

Mr. Crowe replied calmly, “Hotel Crowe. You were badly injured.”

He suddenly recalled the events of that night. “Cornelia! Is she… alive?”

“Cornelia is safe. She visited me at the antique store to inquire about your condition,” I answered.

He drew a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness for that. But… how did I survive? My wounds should have been fatal.”

Mr. Crowe gave me a nod. It seemed that I was chosen to be the bearer of bad news.

I spoke softly and slowly, “Salamander, don’t freak out, ok? You’re…” I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth.

“Freak out? Why would I freak out?” He sat up slowly.

“You’re a…” I was starting to get frustrated with myself. Why was it so hard to just say it?

He couldn’t take the unnecessary suspense. “Say it.”

I sighed. “A vampire.”

“WHAT?” he exclaimed so loudly that the crows perched outside all flew away.

Mr. Crowe patiently took the time to explain to him the details, nothing beyond what was already revealed to me. Salamander listened patiently and was just waiting for someone to say that everything was a joke, but he could tell that it was serious.

He sighed deeply and pressed his palms on his forehead. “There is a cure, right? I mean, this isn’t traditional vampirism.”

“Luckily for you, there is still time before the transition is complete,” Mr. Crowe replied.

He looked up. “How long?”

“Two weeks.”

“And where is this cure?”

“This is where our goals align. The cure you need is inside the Garden of Shadows. There is a blue flower that grows there that is said to cleanse the body from any impure substances, including the one currently changing you. We, on the other hand, seek a certain fruit from the garden.”

“The Garden of Shadows?” Salamander was unfamiliar with it.

“The Garden of Shadows is a domain created through the serpent’s gift, accessible only through the book that contains it. According to legend, one of the early Blackthorns had the ability to create small domains through written works. The Garden of Shadows was their masterwork, loosely based on the garden of Eden where all these marvellous plants with alchemical properties grow. Unfortunately, only those with the mark of the serpent can enter it. That means only you can enter it.”

“You want me to enter the garden and fetch you the fruit along with the flower I need?”

Mr. Crowe smiled. “It’s as simple as that.”

“How do you know it even exists?” He looked as if he doubted this information. After all, it was based on a legend even he hadn't heard about.

The hotel owner simply reached into his bag and pulled out a classified document from the Museum of Magical History. It was a list of exhibits, among them the book titled ‘The Garden of Shadows’ donated by the Blackthorn family.

Salamander couldn't believe it. “You’re involved in the planned heist…”

“I was, but now I work alone. Keeping the book for myself isn't necessary. I only want a single item. The book can remain in the museum. I must have that fruit, and the flower is your only key to returning back to normal. Give it some thought and come see me when you’ve decided whether you'd be interested in cooperating or not.”

Salamander was silent. I somewhat understood his dilemma. Going with Mr. Crowe’s plan would mean going against the very department he was working for, but he had no other options nor any information that could produce other leads.

Mr. Crowe continued, “For the moment while your body is still adjusting to its new state, you must drink blood that is most similar to yours to maintain stability. This is only for your case because of your family’s blood curse. Any other blood source will do nothing for you.”

“So I can only drink the blood of a Blackthorn?”

“For two weeks, yes. Once stabilised, any blood source will do.”

“Looks like you’ll have to talk to your sister.” I was looking forward to witnessing the scene.

Mr. Crowe eyed me suspiciously. “Peculiar. This young lady has the blood curse too?”

I was surprised. “How can you tell?”

“Tainted blood has a particular smell.”

“So her blood counts too, right?” Salamander asked.

Mr. Crowe paused to think. “I suppose it should. She’s no Blackthorn, but her blood should contain the same defilement as yours.”

“No! No… Absolutely not.” I was adamant about not becoming Salamander’s walking juice box. I could already feel the pain on my neck as I imagined him sinking his teeth in.

Salamander did a little pout. I wanted to slap him.

“Wipe that pout off your face. It doesn’t suit you.” I gave him a disgusted look.

He frowned. “You expect me to just walk up to my sister and tell her I’ve become a vampire?”

“Um… yes?”

“She’ll skewer me and drive a stake through my heart!” he raised his voice.

“Man, Salamander, you really do have a bad relationship with your family, huh?” I said sarcastically. “So terrible that your sister even sent you a box of your favourite caramel candy.” I took a piece from the box and popped it into my mouth. “These are actually pretty good.”

He snatched the box from me, fearing I’d consume the rest. “They tolerated me running away and attending the academy, but this? They’re not going to tolerate it. Trust me.”

“Why not?” I folded my arms.

Mr. Crowe interjected, “Allow me to explain. The vampires of Revival City have a bad reputation for being involved in underground crime. The Blackthorns are often involved in administrative and peacekeeping positions. Naturally, we’ve clashed with each other and come to regard each other as enemies.”

“Is that why Cornelia never stops by the hotel?”

“I assume it is.”

Salamander looked at me. “See, Remina? They’ll think I’ve betrayed them.”

I met his gaze. “I’m surprised they didn’t think that when you ran away.”

“Look, I won’t survive without your help. You need to give me your blood if you want me to live. Otherwise, all your efforts in saving me will become undone.”

I threatened him, “Stay away from my neck or being starved of blood will be the least of your worries. We’ll come up with another way.”

“We’ll leave you two to negotiate.” Mr. Crowe and his son quietly left us alone in the room. They probably had better things to do than to listen to us argue. The door closed behind them and silence ensued momentarily.

Salamander placed his fingers on his temples while looking down in gloom. “This is a lot to take in.” I felt a little sorry for him. It must have felt terrible to wake up as a vampire and be given an important life-changing choice.

“What are you planning to do?” I asked while refilling a glass of water on the table.

“I have to find the cure. I don’t want to be a vampire forever. Immortality is a curse in itself and having to constantly consume blood is inconvenient. Not to mention being associated with criminal behaviour.” He sighed. “What would you do, Remina?”

“If I were in your place… I honestly don’t know. Immortality is tempting, but I wouldn’t really know what to do with all that time on my hands. And I’ll admit, having to outlive everyone would be difficult to bear.”

Salamander nodded silently as he listened to me talk. “I have to cure myself no matter what.”

“Then you’d better hurry up and make a full recovery first.” I drank the water, then reached into my bag. I pulled out a pile of notes I took for him and offered it as a gift.

He examined the notes without taking them. “What’s this?”

“The assignments you missed while you were asleep. I figured you’d need them to catch up with schoolwork.”

He stared at me with suspicion, wondering whether there was something I wanted in return. It was probably the first time someone ever took down class notes for him.

“No strings attached. Just take them.” I dropped them on his lap and turned to leave.

“Thanks,” he still sounded uncertain.