Before I could join the party and enjoy what hopefully will be a lighthearted discussion with a side of fresh chocolate and blueberry cake, I had to talk to someone. I headed down to the basement, to visit the most peculiar resident of this house: Donovan.
He was an old vampire, falsely accused with the murder of a Hunter about a century ago. From what I've heard, the previous Pillars refused to pass judgement on him, because of the clearly falsified evidence, but they couldn't just let a Hunter's death go unanswered, so they put him in 'jail'. Which meant - since we had no legal vampire prisons at the time - that they just made a moderately nice living space in our cellar.
Donnie had access to all of our facilities, and modern technology, so he was as updated on current events as any social media outlet, plus a little extra from his talks with me and Cleo, my best friend.
I had visited him a lot when I was younger, and he told me the most fascinating tales of outlandish creatures and long dead kings. When I later asked why he'd bothered to talk to me, he admitted that even undead felt lonely sometimes. After that Cleo and I took turns on visiting him. Today wasn't my turn, but I needed some advice before jumping into uncharted territory.
The basement was divided into two areas. One for our training equipment and a common shower and the other for Donnie. He was locked behind silver bars and an old looking padlock, but that was mostly for show. He vowed not to escape, and even if he tried, he would've had to get through our home filled with Hunters.
He had a large living room with modern style furniture, a library, a bathroom and a bedroom with a baldachin bed. He, like other vampires, preferred to sleep in an enclosed space, which would normally mean a coffin, but modernized vamps preferred the bed. When I asked him about it, he simply replied, 'It's cozier and less creepy." and I had to agree.
He heard me enter, so he stopped whatever shenanigans he was doing on the computer. He was fascinated with the ease of information sharing, and often made rather shocking posts on social media. For a while the Hunters tried to censor him, but they stopped, since he hasn't shared any vital data about us, and outraging citizens wasn't a criminal offence.
Also, most of the Hunters found his posts too funny to remove.
"Hey, Donnie, how are doing?" I asked cheerfully as I lay down on his couch, putting my feet on the armrest.
"Good as ever, dove." He sat down in the armchair in front of me. If I wouldn't have known better, I would've mistaken him for an average mid-twenties human. His light auburn hair fell in lazy curls around his heart-shaped face, softening the edge of his jaw. His smile didn't reach his hazel eyes, meaning he had other things in mind, but was still happy to see me. I've learned to read his face and body language quite well. For the untrained eye, he would've seemed relaxed, his slander body nearly unmoving in the chair, but I picked up the smallest movements of his muscles.
"Something's bothering you?"
"No, not at all," he said. I raised an eyebrow. "I was quite certain that today is our dearest Cleora's day, so I was a little surprised to see you here."
"I'm sure she'll come after the party. I just wanted to ask for some advice."
"Party?" he asked. He looked a bit uncertain, so I grinned knowingly. "I'm still not sure what you mean by that," he added with an innocent face.
I nearly started ranting about how could've he forgotten today's party, my biggest event, but something seemed off. Donnie was the walking Tome of Knowledge, and I'm pretty sure I'd mentioned this quite often in the last few weeks. Realization hit me.
"You're teasing me," I said. It was now his turn to grin, his fangs fully showing.
"Oh, but only a little."
I couldn't help but smile at him.
"So, the newest Huntress has been born, "he said theatrically, then changed to a more hushed tone. "I know it's a sort of a taboo, but may I see your Badge of the Hunt?"
I took it out if my pocket, and handed it to him. I really didn't want to show it in public, but just seeing Donnie's face go from happy to slightly terrified was worth it.
"It's beautiful. And astonishing. Just like you, Ava." He lightly ran his fingers down the tiger's face, mesmerized. He looked at it for a couple more seconds, then gave it back. It was the end of the show.
"Thank you." I answered plainly. He would often give us small compliments, I think it was just a part of his manners, not anything real.
"So, what kind of advice can this foolish old vampire give to you?" he asked in a warm voice.
I tried my best to make up a question without giving too much away about my mission.
"How should I behave around vampires?" I asked.
"It depends on your intentions." His answer was too quick and meaningless. I can't get him to talk if I don't give him a good reason. He was a friend of the Hunters, but still a vampire at heart.
"I'm on a mission Donnie, so I can't tell you much, but I need the basic dos and don'ts of Blackbloodian lifestyle." He gave me a small but sinister smile. The Blackbloods were the ones sentencing him and he still kept a bit of resentment against them. It wasn't full-on hatred, but it was enough that I knew he wouldn't keep back information out of camaraderie.
"I'd love to know how they have wronged the Hunters, but I know you won't tell me much. So, I'll assume espionage as your mission." I couldn't answer, but my silence answered for me.
"Marvelous." His mischievous smile still danced on his lips, making him look livelier, which was a big deal for a vampire.
"First, you have to know that Gaediel Blackblood is one of the easiest vampires to understand, and I'd expect his sons to be the same. He is a soldier, a warlord. He wields great power and he isn't afraid to use it. He respects those who are not afraid to use theirs, be it big or small. My advice is that you use whatever powers you wish to reveal to him from the start. Then he'll think you're reliable and trustworthy. He hates the half-truths of politics."
Donnie took a quick look at me, as if asking if I'm still following. I nodded.
"His wife, Elessa is the one handling that. She's a trained spy and one of the most terrifying women I've ever met. Don't take her lightly, or she'll discover your lies. Show the same manners to her as to Gaediel, but admit to weakness. If you're lucky she'll decide to train you. She has a soft spot for girls who show potential. She'll act like a mother hen for them, and that's probably what you'd want if you're looking for info."
He stopped and I nodded again.
As for don'ts, don't be overly self-confident. It will be a hard balance to find, but my advice is to push to see how far you can go with Gaediel, then take two steps back for Elessa. But you'll have to figure out the particulars yourself."
Donnie finished speaking just in time, because as if on cue, I heard my sisters voice from outside the 'cell'.
"Ava, mom's getting restless," she shouted.
It was time for me to go and enjoy my party before jumping head first into a pool of vampiric complications. I quickly thanked Donnie, and made a mental note about getting some quality blood for him for the help.
Mary-Anne was at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for me.
"Anything good?" she asked, while we climbed the steps. I nodded.
"Hopefully some sound advice."
"I made arrangements for moving you into the dorm…" she started, but I cut her off.
"Could we talk over some cake?" I asked her with the best sad puppy eyes I could manage. She frowned, then gave in.
"Sure, let's grab something to eat. We can talk later, the night's still young."
And that's exactly what we did.