BLOODBOUND II

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The next day, Amy, Adrian and Jax prepare to go down to the vampire crypts in order to retrieve the Book of Blood.

Amy: So, why exactly are there crypts under crypts? Is it like crypt-ception?

Serafine: Believe it or not, from the 1500s to the 1600s Paris was the destination for European vampires. There was a whole society of us. We used the crypts beneath the catacombs as not just our hideout, but our home.

Amy: But why a crypt?

Serafine: Perhaps that is the wrong word, it was more like a large, underground complex. Almost like a hidden city, under the city.

Amy: Ring a bell, Jax?

Jax: It should, the Shadow Den was loosely modeled after the Paris crypts after all.

Serafine: It was tres beau, in its own way. But then the Order found us, there was a massive battle. They had bricked off the main entrances, trapping us like mice.

Amy: Oh god.

Serafine: So many of us perished that night... and after that, nothing was the same. Our community never recovered.

She dabs at the corner of her eyes with a napkin and takes a moment to compose herself.

Serafine: The crypts are a momentum to what we've lost. A reminder of the tragedy we've had to face because of the Order.

Amy: Serafine, I'm so sorry. That's so horrible.

Serafine: Merci, Amy. I wish things had gone differently.

Amy: Have you ever gone back down there?

Serafine: I've wanted to, but it wouldn't be safe to go on my own, and I wouldn't want to endanger anyone else.

Jax: But you're totally fine with us going?

Serafine: You have a sword on your back.

Jax: Touche.

Amy: What else can you tell us about the crypts? How did the crypts come to be in the first place?

Serafine: The Parisian vampires were trying to find a place not only to hide, but to thrive. It needed to be someplace where the common folk wouldn't go. So, we thought, why not the catacombs?

Amy: Wouldn't have been my first thought, but then again, I'm not a vampire.

Serafine: Thankfully, an expedition located underground caverns that we could convert into our own space.

She smiles softly, her gaze meeting Amy's.

Serafine: And what a space it was.

She gazes off, lost in the memory as Amy laces up her boots while Jax double checks his weapons and Adrian shoulders a pack full of tools.

Adrian: Thanks for bringing these, Serafine. We have no idea what we'll find down there.

Serafine: Of course. The crypts haven't been explored in centuries. I figured you should be prepared for anything.

Amy: Are you not coming with us?

Serafine: I wasn't planning on it, but I'll admit I am curious about what may have been left down there.

Jax: Not to mention you'll know the area well.

Adrian: And you've always said you wanted to go back one last time.

They stand in hushed silence, until Amy breaks it.

Amy: Why don't you come with us? It used to be your home, right? You should absolutely come with us.