The Vampire of Tinkerfall (Elysium #3)

Chapter One

Trinket stood nearby as Booker sat beside the old man on the settee, carefully examining the two small holes in his neck. There were trickles of blood dripping down to his shoulder, staining his already filthy coat. He winced as Booker lightly prodded at the swollen skin around the punctures.

"So you say it was a vampire that did this to you?" Booker asked, turning the old man's neck towards the light of the crackling fire.

"Yes, sir. Was minding my own business when all of a sudden this crazed creature came running at me. First I was too surprised to do much, but when she grabbed hold of my neck and sunk her monstrous teeth into me, well, I done near lost it. Screamed and yelled and beat her off of me 'til she finally ran away and disappeared into the night. Most horrifying thing's ever happened to me."

Booker sat back and furrowed his brow. "'She'? It was a woman?"

"Well, she looked like a woman. I don't know that godless creatures like vampires are the same as us humans."

"What exactly did she look like?"

"Couldn't tell you for sure. It's all such a blur now. But I recollect she was young. Some might think her pretty. Not me, though. To me, she was a monster of untold horror. Real beast, she was. Attacking an innocent man who was just making his way home."

Considering both the late hour and the man's unbuckled belt, Trinket highly doubted he had been innocently walking home or minding his own business.

A raised eyebrow was Booker's only response to the man's dramatic retelling of his tale. "I see. Well, there doesn't seem to be much damage. I can clean the wound and bandage it up to stave off infection."

He reached for his medical bag, which was sitting on the table from when Trinket had removed the bullet from his upper arm earlier. But the old man caught his wrist, stopping him. His eyes darted about the room nervously before settling back on Booker.

"Doc, I ain't worried about no infection. I'm more worried about what's to become of me."

"You mean will you die?" Booker asked.

The old man's grip tightened and his eyes went wide as he nearly whispered, "No. Will I become one of the undead?"

Booker's eye twitched, and Trinket's shoulders tensed as she readied herself for a rude, sarcastic retort to pass his lips. "Based on my humble medical opinion, I don't think you have anything to fear, my good sir," he said as he patted the man's shoulder and gave a tight smile.

Though still slightly shaken, the old man nodded slowly and released Booker's arm.

After cleaning the wounds out with some alcohol and applying a bandage to his neck, Booker saw the old man off with a polite smile and wave. Once the door was closed, he heaved a sigh and threw his hands up in the air.

"Sometimes I wonder if there's something in the water here," he said as he headed back into the parlour and collapsed onto the settee.

"What do you mean?" Trinket asked, sitting beside him and helping him put away his tools.

"Vampires? Really? How could anyone believe that's even a possibility?"

"You don't think he was attacked?"

"Oh, no. He was clearly attacked. It just wasn't by some supernatural creature."

"So vampires are ridiculous, but wolves with metal teeth and corpses with animal parts sewn onto them are perfectly acceptable?"

Booker paused, a hand hovering over the forceps still stained with his blood. He glanced her way, and the corner of his mouth tugged into a lopsided grin. "Point taken. However, the difference between this 'vampire' and Benedict's creations is—"