STORIES
215 - First Blood
Mez Cammeo
Friday night…
MEZ:
Hey.
CAMMEO:
Oh Mez …
MEZ:
Uh-oh, you're making tea. What's wrong?
CAMMEO:
What makes you think something's wrong?
MEZ:
You always make tea when you're upset.
CAMMEO:
I suppose I do. Well, I just found out the most dreadful news.
MEZ:
Yeah, I heard. They think Karanthir was poisoned.
It's so weird to think that could happen in our house.
CAMMEO:
I wasn't talking about that, although that's horrible too. This is worse.
They think my sister wants to be a vampire again.
MEZ:
What? That's crazy – even for Herita.
CAMMEO:
I suppose, but that's what Harmonia thinks.
MEZ:
Harmonia? Isn't she a little ... off herself?
CAMMEO:
I always thought so, but they all seem to believe her. She says she felt Herita's intentions - to return to her old vampire self.
MEZ:
Did you ask Herita about it?
CAMMEO:
I don’t want to do that. She'd be so upset with me if she thought
I believed such a thing. And if it were true, well, she'd only deny it then, wouldn’t she? No, I want some sort of proof first.
CAMMEO:
… And I’ve been thinking Mez, what if she poisoned Karanthir?
MEZ:
Why would she do that?
CAMMEO:
Do you remember that book Racolo lost?
MEZ:
Yeah …
CAMMEO:
What if Herita has it? It's filled with notes on vampires. Karanthir's
symptoms were similar to the First Blood. What if there's
a potion in that book that can synthesize that?
MEZ:
You're moving a little fast for me Cammeo. I’m not up
on all that vampire stuff. What’s First Blood?
CAMMEO:
Oh I’m sorry, I keep forgetting. When someone’s first bitten, they
must drink blood or perish. Once they get a taste, they can't stop,
the drive is too powerful – that's First Blood.
MEZ:
What does that have to do with Karanthir being poisoned?
CAMMEO:
Well, he's only half vampire and a bit of a one-off. Things effect him differently. He's also an elf. I know from experience that human vampires
and elf vampires aren't at all the same. Herita wouldn't know this,
she was never one to do her homework.
MEZ:
I still don't get it. Why would she want to poison him?
CAMMEO:
To control him. You know what a good cook she is. Cooking is similar to potion making. She could've created a potion of the First Blood, had Karanthir drink it - then he'd be forced to bite her and begin her turning.
MEZ:
Wow - but, if that were true, couldn't he have just killed her?
CAMMEO:
There's always the possibility of taking too much.
Perhaps there was more to her plan?
MEZ:
Wow - is she really that calculating?
CAMMEO:
When she really wants something, yes.
CAMMEO:
… Oh Mez, she was such an evil vampire the first time around.
I’m going to have to end her all over again. I can't bear it.
ME:
This is just a theory, a scary theory but still, just a theory.
CAMMEO:
But, what if it turns out to be true?
MEZ:
That would be very bad.
The tea kettle whistles …
CAMMEO:
Tea?
MEZ:
No thanks. Does Syrrah have a plan?
CAMMEO:
She asked me to watch Herita and let her know if she does anything odd.
MEZ:
Everything she does is odd. Uh - no offense.
CAMMEO:
None taken. You know, I’ve had my eye on her ever since she
came here. She’s been quite steady.
CAMMEO:
… I don't want to betray her. Maybe Harmonia’s wrong?
I wish I knew if Herita had that book.
MEZ:
That's an easy fix - let's find it, and when we do
– it could prove her innocence.
CAMMEO:
That would be lovely, but Racolo's been searching
for it for months with no success.
