Rules for Vampires by Alex Foulkes

Author:Alex Foulkes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2021-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

14 Sulfur and Smoke

There was a grinding crunch-whirr and a rumble so loud and fierce the whole room began to vibrate. From floor to ceiling the boxes were startled in their sockets, rattling madly, disturbed by the motion of the awakening mechanism behind them.

“What— Oh, not again!” Dad cried.

Ducking low, Leo slunk around to the other side of the desk, obscured from the rest of the room. In a beat Dad was back; he had a natural aroma of old books and powdery soap, and the scent was closer now than ever. Leo kept her head down—not that it really mattered, since Dad was in full Dad mode and highly preoccupied.…

She could hear him mumbling to himself, jiggling the offending lever, but it was stuck fast. Above them, the first box was snatched backward, disappearing into the mysterious chamber behind, and then the whole wall burst into a flurry of motion.

There was a landslide of boxes, juddering and jostling, sliding back and forth. One by one, they vanished back into the wall, and a nearly identical set emerged to replace them, though each now marked with a neat S. Leo cowered back, her black eyes bulging. She was certain that, at any moment, a compartment would jump free and clonk her on the head.

Fortunately, they stayed shackled to the wall, and after a long minute, the dust motes were floating down and the chaos was over.

Leo froze.

S for SULFUR was less than an arm’s length away.

There was a grating cough. Leo risked a peek over the top of the desk. Dad seemed wary of the wall, standing well clear. It was for good reason.

For a long moment, neither father nor daughter moved. Then, slowly, as if approaching a cornered beast, Dad drifted forward a step…

I’m sorry, Dad, Leo thought.

In the time it took Dad to blink, Leo struck out with her wooden leg, kicking the wall of specimens as hard as she could.…

SHER-CLUNK!

A compartment shot out, setting off a shuddering ripple effect in its neighbors, and booted Dad soundly in the face.

SHUNK!

Another whacked him square in the belly.

SHHHK!

A final one thumped him somewhere quite rude indeed.

Dad wheezed something quite rude to match, staggering backward. He rolled into an agonized ball, clutching between his legs.

This was her chance. Leo offered up another silent apology. She was shielded by the desk as she slithered forward, flat against the tiled floor, and yanked open the box she needed.

There, nestled carefully inside, was a bright yellow crystal.

It was a more modest sample than she had expected, with jagged protrusions that looked like an odd flower or fungus. The color reminded her of the daffodils in spring or Hollowhome in autumn—but it was STRANGER than any plant, she decided. She could tell it was powerful just by looking at it. This sulfur was, without a doubt, one of Minna’s ghost-killing ingredients.

Bracing herself, Leo reached in. She paused, her hand hovering just shy of her target.…

What if it was dangerous? Poisonous?

Watching through slitted eyes, Leo gingerly picked up the sulfur, first with only her clawtips.

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