01_-_The_Alchemyst

huge. “There are many types of vampires, many clans, just as there are many
Were clans. Some of my race are blood drinkers, it is true.”
“But not you,” Sophie said hastily, before her brother could ask any
further awkward questions.
“No, not my clan. Those of my clan…well, we feed in…other ways,”
Scatty said with a wry smile. “And we rarely need to feed,” she added. She
spun away. “Everything you have been taught, all the myths and legends of
your world, have a kernel of truth in them. You’ve seen wonders today. You
will see more in the days to come.”
“What do you mean, in the days to come?” Josh interrupted, voice rising
in alarm. “We’re going home, aren’t we?” But even as he was asking the
question, he knew the answer.
“Eventually,” the Warrior Maid said, “but not today, and definitely not
tomorrow.”
Sophie laid her hand on her brother’s arm, silencing the question he was
about to ask. “What were you saying about myths and legends?” she asked.
Somewhere deep in the house a bell chimed, the sound high and pure. It
lingered in the still air.
Scathach ignored it. “I want you to remember that everything you know
—or think you know—about myth and legend is not necessarily false, nor is
it entirely true. At the heart of every legend there is a grain of truth. I suspect
that much of your knowledge comes from movies and TV. Xena and Dracula
have a lot to answer for. All minotaurs are not evil, the Gorgon Medusa did
not turn every man to stone, not all vampires are blood drinkers, the Were
clans are a proud and ancient race.”
Josh attempted a laugh; he was still shaken by the revelation that
Scathach was a vampire. “You’ll be telling us next that ghosts exist.”
Scathach’s expression remained serious. “Josh, you have entered the
Shadowrealm, the world of ghosts. I want you both to trust your instincts
from now on: forget what you know—or think you know—about the creatures
and races you will encounter. Follow your hearts. Trust no one. Except each
other,” she added.