“It’s a throwing stake,” she told me. “A vampire once tried to escape from me. He thought it would be safe, flying off in bat form. The fool. I hit him in the wing with one of these.” She held up the throwing stake, stroking its polished, red oak point. “The metal makes it heavy, so it flies better. The oak makes it lethal. The vampire was easy to trap once I took him down.” Without a flicker of hesitation, she took aim and threw the weapon straight into the heart of the bats’ roost. One of the bats dropped to the floor like dead fruit from a tree. The cave exploded with dark, flapping shapes. My heart skipped a beat as they screeched and squealed. “That’s how you kill a vampire,” Mum whispered triumphantly.”
―
Grayson Grave,
Etty Steele: Vampire Hunter
