The Salamander Stone by Heidi Nickerson

Author:Heidi Nickerson [Heidi Nickerson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Published: 2022-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Two hearts, two souls, and two rows of teeth, hungry, ready, and able.

It takes a full minute for Lord Vance to respond. I can tell he’s searching for the best way to share what he knows without overwhelming me with the truth.

Finally, he says one word: “Strigoi.”

“Gesundheit,” Cyndi replies. I hit her on the shoulder.

Lord Vance smiles faintly. “It’s an umbrella term from Romanian mythology that describes the undead, or those that are not alive, that often feed on living things for their life force. Vampires are included in this classification, but there are other types too, like the strigoaica—one who sells their soul in exchange for dark powers. But the term strigoi is sometimes used in connection with the strzyga, which originates from Slavic folklore.”

“Strzyga,” I repeat, listening.

“In English, I believe it’s just pronounced, ‘striga.’ Your mother’s song mentions ‘two hearts, two souls, and two rows of teeth.’ This is a common phrase specifically used to refer to strzyga. It means that a person is born with two souls, and after one dies, the other one brings the body back to life and begins hunting animals or people for nourishment.”

“So then, I’d be a . . . striga?” I say, testing it out. I’m willing to go along with the idea until I realize a very important detail.

“But, Lord Vance, sir.” I look up at him. “I’m not dead.”

The vampire lord reaches up to tug on his mustache, thoughtful.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

“Um,” I glance at Cyndi, who shrugs in response, and say, “I’m pretty sure.”

“Harumph.” He twirls his mustache. “Well, sometimes with curses, death can be more symbolic, such as a metaphorical death of a former self, or a major life transition, IE: ‘The old me is dead,’ or something of the like.”

Lord Vance tilts his head to one side, as if to blow dust from the stacks of information that clutter the rooms of his mind.

He returns my gaze after a minute. “You could be something else, like a werewolf. Their transformation is usually temporary, and they dance on the line between human and nonhuman. Was it a full moon when you transformed?”

Cyndi shakes her head before I can answer. “Nope. I always spend the full moon hunting with . . . ” she pauses, remembering that Lord Vance is unaware of her true identity as a fox, and says, “some locals. Anyway, the last full moon was nearly two weeks ago.”

“Ah.” He nods, understanding. “Occasionally the full moon in mythology refers to a period of magical amplification, so being near a magical hot spot or some powerful totem could be enough to trigger your shapeshifting. In the case of a werewolf, however, the full moon is a standard part of the deal, so that’s probably not it.”

The vampire lord sighs in defeat. “I’d like to answer this question for you, but unfortunately, I’ve never come across something like . . . ” he points to Cyndi’s phone, “what you are. I do apologize.”

I look down at my shoes, frustrated.

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