Hellebore

"More hot chocolate?" I asked, lifting a silvery teapot.

The young man lifted his face. His name was Hugo. He was a good Christian. And his stress could be felt miles from where I stood facing him. An excellent customer, as students oftentimes were. Polite and silent.

I heard a soft click as he placed his glasses on one of my wooden tables.

"Couldn't you just drop that ridiculous act, man? We all know you aren't really blind."

Well, he was polite most of the times.

"You seem to need this chocolate more than I expected, my dear friend", was all I said.

I poured some into his cup. I wasn't actually sure how the cup looked like. Was it a mug I had given him actually? And it most definitely wasn't the blindfold that forbade me from perceiving this information. Unlike Hugo thought, I truly was blind.

Yet a drop didn't touch the tabletop as I poured hot liquid into a cup that might have been a mug.

"Thank you, Hellebore", He said. The tone made it an apology of sorts.

I inclined my head, accepting the peace offer.

"No problem."

I left the poor boy to agonize over his laptop. I had given him some chocolate, it either made his day a bit better or it did not.

By my shoulder passed two more students on their way out. Clover was a lively witch, and Valentina a very earthbound no nonsense kind of a student I suspected of being more than able of kicking, punching or strangulating me unconscious in a thousand different ways. Which she would never do of course. But was still probably able to, with her substantial martial arts back ground.

I couldn't be really sure of how either of my regulars looked like. But clover I imagined as a small quick mouse, whereas Valentina gave the steady grounded aura of a brown bear. The two were best friends often completing a trio with a third student girl Lavender. Lavender however hadn't accompanied them of late due to persistent flue. Secretly I wondered if she ever would, but that was between the two of us. I suspected she was actively avoiding me and my tea room.

In a corner table by the window a professor was quite as stressed over the oncoming exams as Hugo at the other end of my little tea room. I couldn't hear the sound of digits hitting a keyboard. And the professors aura was far too placid compared to how it had felt just minutes ago.

My extended hand found the fabric of a soft cardigan covering a gently rising and falling shoulder. I placed a rosemary spiced tea on the table, silently as a feather descending. Gently I covered Scale Tongue's sleeping shoulders with a quilt I had brought.

I didn't linger.

I had all evening felt a funny, restless energy building inside myself. I was almost sure it was Mo's doing, somehow... It was a good bet. She had given me more head aches over the centuries than I cared count.

Yet...

I made my way to the kitchens, out of the reach of any in-wandering customers. I stood facing a fridge, deep in thoughts. I usually had help in the Fair Marquise. But today... I had felt like holding the place up on my own.

I had sent Catnip away, said I wanted to be by myself. I hadn't given her any indications as to why I wished to be left alone just today. But the feeling was getting stronger by the second.

Marquise came to rest her immense head against my thigh. I petted the golden retriever absently.

"I don't understand it", I confessed the dog. "I've dealt with so many vampires... And I am sure they are a vampire, this little silvery spider I keep seeing in my visions... But I can't understand what it is they want."

This bothered me. I had a sound intuition. But this evening, I couldn't tell what my visitor, who was yet to come, would like.

"What do they want?"

With the lack of anything better to do, I poured myself a cup of tea. I liked white tea. It had an almost sweet taste compared to black or green, a delicate taste.

As I lifted the cup to my lips I heard the door.

I couldn't hear anything else. No footsteps. No clear presence either. Though there was a transparent clarity to his being. And a very characteristic silence creeping onward and filling the room.

I froze. I didn't breath as I listened. But the humming of the fridges was the loudest sound in my kitchen. I hadn't run the dish washer as the hour was getting late and only a handful of customers with their cups remained this evening.

I could feel them here with me, the silent presence flooding the space like ink mixed in water.

Suddenly they draw in breath almost by my ear.

"Are you the Alchemist?" A young voice. Male. I still couldn't hear anything else, no sound came from his cloths. I felt a very still presence. No smell invaded my nose.

"My name is Hellebore", I made the introduction. Then I added, as he didn't say anything: "I don't know what I can offer you, though. Do you take tea? Or blood? I can serve you either..."

"I... I heard... There are some... I heard Mo say something... I don't want blood, not anymore. I need a miracle."

His voice was tight. The calmness in him broke down in a wave of emotion.

I furrowed my brow.

"Are you crying?" I asked, searching my way with an extended hand. It found a shoulder. It was soaked through. I did know it had been raining outside, but only a vampire would let himself get rinsed like that. "You are making a pool", I said, disapprovingly.

"I am sorry." He seemed earnest.

My frown deepened.

"It's ok, son. What is it you are here for?"

"I want... I don't want to do it anymore. I want to be human." His breathing picked pace.

"Can you... Can you make me human again?" He was crying.

I was surprised, to my core. I wanted to ask who had said I might possess the power of making him human. He must have known it was impossible. He didn't seem even desperate, just bone deeply sad.

I felt him sinking onto the floor.

After a short shocked silence, I knelt with him. I found in me the decency to fetch a handkerchief in a pocket. I handed it to him.

"Listen, have you... Have you talked to Mo about this? Does the queen know?"

I didn't see or hear his head shake, but water droplets splashed against my face as if Marquise had just shook herself dry after a bath.

I wore a velvet blindfold. I unfastened it and put it down onto a table. It could dry there.

I took my hand up his shoulder, brushing wet hair on my way up a delicate neck. I lay a hand to cover his mouth and nose. They too were cold and wet against my touch.

"Don't breathe. You are working yourself toward hyperventilation. It's going to make you feel worse. Don't breathe. You don't need to breathe, little one." I talked to him calmingly, inviting him to only listen to my voice.

"I don't know if I can cure you. It depends on many factors. And it has been... maybe a hundred years since I last tried", I said, carefully. "You are one of Mo's aren't you?"

I felt him nod against my hand.

I smiled encouragingly.

"Now, then, that is good. If you really want a cure, I can make one. But it might kill you. Quite as, well, quite as turning killed you."

He shook his head away from my hand. "I've been like this for two years. I don't think... I..."

He wouldn't have a body left. The vampire's curse, at least Mo's variety, ate away all of the original body.

"It's fine. It is fine, little one", I said. "We can build you a body. The important fact is that you are one of Mo's, a direct descendant. That is what matters most. A body is just a fleshy vessel. We can fashion a new one."

He was calming in my grip.

"You don't have pupils" he remarked after a long silence.

I let out a small laugh. "Yes, well, and I have no doubt yours are surrounded by red irises. I would call us even."

"So you... You can make me human?" He asked.

I sighed. "If you are absolutely sure you want it... Yes, well. You wouldn't be the first vampire I have reversed. But I have killed many times the ones I have made human. And no one has come in a hundred years to ask it of me. Plus, it takes time. And some traits are beyond my means. After my handling, you won't be the same person you were, as a vampire or as a human. You will be something else, but sure, in a human body."

A shocked silence followed.

I continued: "It isn't pleasant. I will have you emptied and refilled of blood. Completely. We are going to need a witch for that. And I can pay the witch. But you are going to be indebted to me for quite the time after this. Are you still sure you want this?"

I had left my hand on his shoulder and could feel him nodding against the hand.

"When... When can we start?"

"The cure is simple enough. The process long and tedious. Give me five hours to close The Marquise, hunt down a willing sorcerer and make some preparations. You should get dry clothes. We'll get this started before the sun is up. Don't worry about the sun. I'll fix that too."

I patted him on the shoulder, took the damp blindfold off the counter and headed toward the shop. If he were here still when I came back, we would get this over with. I wanted this over with. If he died, I wanted to bury him before any whispers reached Mo's ears.

Not that he would leave a body to bury.

I ushered Hugo, the christian student, out easily, claiming he needed to sleep. He agreed with my logic, polite as he was.

Gently I shook the shoulder of a still sleeping professor Scale Tongue. She felt confused, and yawned.

"Oh my! I am so sorry, Hellebore. I didn't mean to fall asleep. How embarrassing."

I smiled at her compassionately.

"You seemed to be in need of some rest. I wouldn't bother, but an inconvenience appeared. I am afraid I need to close now and take maybe a day off."

"So you do holidays!" The drowsy woman exclaimed. "I thought you never took time off."

I snorted and came to the door with her. I gave her one of the shop's spare umbrellas. And then, I closed down for the night.

And called master Aconite. He owed me one huge debt.