Alex Van Helsing The Triumph of Death - By Jason Henderson Page 0,39

as he headed up the steps and inside.

“Oh, look, he’s not dead yet,” said Paul when Alex opened the door to the study hall.

Alex grimaced, letting his go package slide off his arm and to the floor next to the door. He froze for a second, looking at Paul, Sid, and Minhi. They were all wearing jeans and sweatshirts, whatever they could throw on after he’d texted them in the middle of the night from the airplane. Paul was standing next to the window as if on guard while Sid fiddled with the old-fashioned fireplace, trying to get the wad of kindling started. Minhi was sitting at a heavy wooden cherry-red table with a stack of books opened and splayed out. She was picking up a large green thermos, but as he entered she put it down and rose, coming to hug him.

Sid stood up, brushing soot off his hands. “You are toast,” he said after shaking Alex’s hand. “I mean toast. Otranto is going to run you up a flagpole if you’re not back today.”

Alex raised his hands. “I’ve been gone a day and a half. Hang on, I’m just gonna shut the door.” Alex looked out into the hall, which was empty. The only people awake in the building were likely to be kitchen staff getting ready for the morning. He closed the door and then turned back to them. “Did he call my parents?”

“Of course not,” Paul said, leaning on the table. “Sid and I covered for you. We said you were sick in bed. But he’s suspicious; he said he’d better see you come down today.”

Minhi pointed at Paul and Sid as she scolded Alex. “You do realize that they’re lying for you without even knowing why. They could get in serious trouble.”

Alex nodded. Okay, that was true. “I totally did not ask anyone to do that,” he said, but he knew that was not the way to treat a friend.

Minhi shook her head. “Where have you been?” she demanded. “You completely disappeared; we might have thought you were dead.”

“Madrid,” Alex said.

“You were in Spain?” Sid sat down and threw his sneakered feet up on the table. “For a day?”

Paul snickered. “You get any paella?”

“Yeah, Vienna ordered some in.”

“You saw Vienna?” Minhi asked. Her mind seemed to trip through several options and suddenly she brought her hand to her throat and said, “Does she still have the…”

“Yeah, but she says it’s not holding her head on anymore.”

“You ask her to prove it or did you just take her word for it?” Paul asked.

“Totally learned my lesson on this.” Alex held up his hands.

“Wait, wait, back up,” Sid said, with a delirious sort of smile on his face. “Why were you in Spain eating paella with Vienna?”

“Right,” Alex said, suddenly trying to decide where to start.

“Why don’t you start with, ‘I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve called you all here,’” said Minhi.

“Seriously?” Alex squinted.

Sid nodded. “Yeah, actually that would be very cool.”

Alex smiled. “Okay, let me start with this: I’m really sorry, guys. I shouldn’t have disappeared. There’s something terrible going on. We’re not really sure how to stop it. And I seem to be in a life now where the Polidorium snaps its fingers and I cross continents for them.”

“So, what is it, Alex?” Minhi asked, her tone softening slightly. She had leaned back on the table next to Paul.

“Actually it is what you said: the Triumph of Death. Apparently the painting is an illustration of what the world will be like after Queen Claire sets off a curse. She will plunge the world into darkness, and the vampires will be free to run wild.”

Paul exhaled. “So…how long do you have?”

“Till Monday, it looks like.”

“Are you mad?” Paul said. “The world goes dark in less than a week?”

“Should we call home?” Minhi asked. “My mother could warn the government in Mumbai.”

“My dad might get home,” Sid said, his eyes darting. “He’s off consulting on something in Italy, I think. But he could get back to Canada. Everyone would need to get home.”

Paul seemed to be thinking and then he deferred to Alex. “But you don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Alex shrugged. “What would you say? ‘Hi, Mom, my friend the vampire-hunting spy wants you to know that there might be a global catastrophe next week?’ Without proof?”

“Right.” Paul nodded. “So that’s not the plan. But what is the plan?”

“We have to solve it.” Sid rose and went to a whiteboard, and the other two instantly seemed