《Veins of Darkness [Urban Fantasy]》 Chapter 1: Aria Zotova She took two deep breaths. It was helpful to concentrate the flow of air from the outside to the inside, making it flow along the body. It had never been easy for Aria and she hated being in that situation. The first few times she had even fainted, but by now she had become so used to it that she only lived it with contempt. She held out her arms to help the success, this time maintaining a more delicate breathing so as not to succumb to anxiety. There was a tear. The corset was perfectly fastened. ¡°Up until last year, you would have screamed.¡± the older woman exclaimed with a smile. ¡°I know, Madame Doroteya, but I¡¯m not a child anymore. I¡¯m sixteen!¡± a small snort from the younger one, almost annoyed by those words addressed to her. This time, the girl folded her arms. If it had been up to her, she would have banned any form of makeup. She didn¡¯t understand what it was that men found so attractive, not to mention all the hours that were wasted getting ready. She then stood with her arms outstretched to help the woman finish her work. ¡°Now the dress.¡± Aria nodded. She raised her arms to slide the bright white dress, with gold and silver embroidery, down her body to her feet. The buttons were snapped and the strings attached to the skirt. A final tug made her waist feel tight as a toothpick. ¡°I can¡¯t breathe,¡± she complained. ¡°Come on, my dear, a dress won¡¯t kill you¡­¡± the governess then took Aria¡¯s arm to drag her in front of the mirror. There, the two women could see a beautiful girl, lightly made up and dressed in elegant clothes. The last two accessories were a white wig to hide her golden hair and black gloves that she had specially chosen. ¡°I hate balls!¡± she exclaimed, putting them on. ¡°This is not just a ball.¡± Madame Doroteya scolded her, taking a brush to brush her wig, ¡°The most important nobles of the city will attend this banquet and even the prince will be there.¡± the governess pirouetted, ¡°I wonder what a handsome boy he must be¡­ how jealous I am.¡± ¡°Not me. I have never seen the prince and I couldn¡¯t care less about him.¡± The governess hit Aria¡¯s cheek with her open hand, making her blush. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare insult the prince. Oh, if only your father had heard you¡­ what do I have to do¡­ you¡¯re always the same.¡± Taking some makeup, she tried to cover the mark she had left on her as best she could. ¡°The fact is, I don¡¯t want to attend. I¡¯m bored, and you know it. Dancing isn¡¯t my thing and I¡¯m not even good at it. All those people make me anxious and fake smiles aren¡¯t my thing.¡± she complained again. ¡°Come on, so much controversy. Go over there and have fun.¡± The housekeeper began to use a can of perfume, which she continued to press until it was finished. The bedroom filled with a delicious orange smell, Aria''s favorite, which however made the two women start to cough, so much so that the eldest had to open the window. "I''m done. You''re perfect, my dear, now you can go down to meet your father." taking her arm, this time she dragged her forcefully toward the door. "Thank you, if you weren''t here I wouldn''t know what to do." "That''s what I get paid for." Aria then left the room. The corridor ran along the east side of the building, with closed doors to other rooms on the left and windows to the right, where you could get lost in the panoramic view of the city. It was night, so you could see little or nothing but, glancing at the garden, she could see a couple of policemen with lanterns in their hands who were doing patrols. Usually, only one policeman remained in front of the entrance gate to act as a guard, it happened like this in all the noble palaces. The municipality sent them directly in exchange for a small fee to cover food and general maintenance costs. That evening, however, the palace was full of police and, if on one hand Aria felt protected, on the other she felt a sense of oppression that made her anxiety rise. Nothing, however, that she didn¡¯t solve with two deep breaths, while she went down the stairs where she found her father¡¯s stern gaze waiting for her. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± she asked naively, ¡°Madame Doroteya is usually on time.¡± ¡°Next time I won¡¯t tolerate such behavior, Aria.¡± The girl said nothing, simply lowering her gaze and bowing out of respect. She noticed that her father¡¯s clothes were perfect, splendid and clean, and he had most likely bought them especially for the occasion. His shoes were shiny and, when she looked up, she noticed fleetingly that his mustache had been trimmed to show off his beard. He was holding a cane in his right hand that helped him walk. ¡°The first guests will arrive any minute,¡± he began to explain as they moved toward the atrium, ¡°please, you must smile and shake hands. Remember to bow and always look the person you are talking to in the eye. Don¡¯t say a word more than necessary, don¡¯t move away and only speak when spoken to.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± The man stopped. He turned and placed the tip of his cane against the girl¡¯s chest. ¡°This is the first time our family has hosted, and on top of that, the prince will be here today, so I want everything to be perfect.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± ¡°Remember, you are my only daughter, so everyone will expect you to participate. Don¡¯t be your usual self by just standing in the corner.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± The two of them took up positions in front of the front door, held open by Sergey, the palace butler who took care of the kitchen and the porterage duties. The entrance hall would be the life of the party. The room was so large that it could easily fit over a hundred people. The carpet covered the wood and blocked the clatter of heels. Paintings of nobles and heroes from the past had been placed on the walls to decorate them. A mirror covered one of the four walls, which was useful for Aria to check her makeup. Given the harsh climate of the region, the entire palace was heated by a system of new-generation stoves, purchased at a high price from a factory on the outskirts.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The first nobleman entered followed by his wife. Sergey withdrew the invitation and let him pass. ¡°Welcome.¡± Aria smiled. They kissed her hand. She bowed. A new guest arrived. ¡°Welcome.¡± Aria said to the second. They kissed her hand. Half bow. The third guest arrived. ¡°Welcome.¡± Aria said after they kissed her hand. In the following minutes the room filled with people, the most illustrious in the city. The girl managed to recognize some of them because of the many receptions she had attended in those years, but the one who knew the most about these things was certainly her father. Because she hated court life. ¡°Woe to you if you eat.¡± Her father told her when they finished greeting the last guest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father, I will entertain the guests and smile without eating anything.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because the food is for them and not for me.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She had lost count of how many people had come through the door. Fifty? A hundred? Probably more. The main hall had been filled, and some nobles had even gone upstairs, along the corridors. The men began to eat and drink wine, while the wives formed small groups aside to talk among themselves. Aria remained there near her father and Sergey, because the most important guest had yet to arrive. The wait made Aria nervous and she almost fainted from the heat waves that her body was giving off. It had not been a good choice to wear a tight dress, and, accustomed to low temperatures, those heaters made her sweat and took her breath away. Then, the prince arrived. His carriage was the most beautiful of all, but more than the carriage, what impressed Aria were the two white horses, tall and prodigious, that carried it. A boy, probably her age or a little older, dressed in a military uniform, got out of the carriage. He was escorted by two guards and the coat of arms indicated the house of Yahontov. ¡°Prince Leonid III Yahontov, governor of the city of Korotsk, son of King Mikail Yahontov, makes his entrance.¡± the spokesman announced. The prince advanced and entered through the main door. All the nobles bowed to him and so did Aria. Then, the prince approached Aria¡¯s father, exchanged several words with him, and then stopped in front of her, kissing her hand. ¡°Welcome, my prince.¡± a bow from her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her father following the scene like a judge in court. ¡°Thank you.¡± the prince replied, ¡°Whose hand did I have the pleasure of kissing?¡± ¡°Aria Zotova, Duchess of the Court and daughter of Ungern Zotova, Baron of Korotsk.¡± ¡°Aria, it was a pleasure to meet you.¡± the prince smiled and took his leave to go introduce himself to the other nobles. ¡°And he was the last one,¡± her father told her. He gestured to Sergey and he closed the door. ¡°Now go and entertain the guests.¡± ¡±Yes, father.¡± Thus began the descent into nightmare. She hated conversations, especially those about politics. Plus, most of the people there were men, and the few women were twice or even three times her age. ¡°Is it really necessary?¡± she asked, her heart in her throat. ¡°Yes, it is necessary. In fact, go fill their glasses with wine.¡± ¡°But father, Sergey takes care of these things, or at most Madame Doroteya!¡± her exclamation was muffled; she didn¡¯t want the others to hear her arguing. ¡°We can¡¯t show the nobility a woman like¡­ Doroteya, here. She¡¯s a simple housekeeper, not a noble. Sergey, on the other hand, as you should know, will take care of the cooking and preparing the dishes with the cooks that I had to pay handsomely, so you will be our waitress.¡± Without replying, because she would have lost the argument anyway, Aria made her way to the main table, grabbing a jug of red wine. Her gaze slid over all those sweets that were just waiting to be eaten, but with great willpower, she turned to go and serve the nobles. She quickly filled the glasses of a small group of nobles, then went back to get a new jug to fill the glasses of the next group. Given the large amount of people, when she reached the third group to give them a drink, those in the first group already had empty glasses. The problem was that there were a dozen groups. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ can¡¯t they just do it themselves? All they have to do is reaching out and pour themselves a drink, is this so difficult?¡± she thought, ¡°I¡¯ll never be able to do it like this¡­ I hate being a waitress!¡± ¡°Duchess Aria.¡± Someone called her. ¡°Just Aria.¡± she said impulsively, turning to find the prince half a sword¡¯s length away from her. Her cheeks turned as red as a tomato and her gaze crawled towards the carpet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to be disrespectful.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to serve wine.¡± ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t want to either¡­¡± her bluntness would have infuriated her father, ¡°Are you thirsty?¡± ¡°Aria, would you like to dance with me?¡± the prince asked her. ¡°Me?¡± The prince nodded. ¡°Look around you¡­ the women are all married and the youngest of the unmarried is twice my age. And then there¡¯s you.¡± Aria coughed. She filled a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp. Her cheeks turned as red as a tomato. ¡°But my thoughts are just thoughts,¡± the prince continued, ¡°the request, on the contrary, is reality.¡± A thousand thoughts flew through her head too. Her, dancing with the prince? She hated dancing and she had already told her father this. She had also told him that she would refuse any dance and her father barely agreed in order to keep her quiet. ¡°No, but there won¡¯t be anyone who will ask you to dance¡­¡± she repeated in her mind the words that had been spoken to her. Besides, he was a prince and she was a simple duchess. And what would happen if her father saw her dancing with him? ¡°I¡¯m not allowed.¡± she made up an excuse. ¡°I didn¡¯t know about this rule.¡± ¡°My father is stopping me. He clearly told me that I can¡¯t dance with anyone.¡± ¡°Then why not go dancing outside? That way your father won¡¯t see us.¡± ¡°Wha-¡° The prince offered his hand to Aria and she, used to all those handshakes from before, instinctively reciprocated. The two of them made their way through the nobles, the laughter and the shouts to go out into the garden, a place of peace and tranquility where they could be in contact with nature. A lantern illuminated two marble benches, near a well. All around, instead, there were hedges, flowers and trees. The prince put one hand behind Aria¡¯s back and with the other he wrapped his fingers around hers. ¡°What if they see us?¡± she asked. ¡°We¡¯re outside.¡± ¡°There are windows on the first floor.¡± The prince stopped to think for a few seconds, then he detached himself from the girl and led her toward the inside of the garden. That area was even wilder than the entrance. You had to be careful not to get your clothes dirty with all those plants and roots that were sticking out of the ground. Once a week the gardeners came to clean and cut the plants, but Ungern, to save money, decided not to fix the inside of the garden because no one ever went there anyway. While they were walking, however, Aria tripped on something and fell. ¡°Aria! Did you hurt yourself?¡± asked the prince, going to help her. ¡°No¡­¡± When she discovered what she had tripped on, she almost screamed, but was stopped by the boy¡¯s hand. One of the policemen who was guarding the garden was lying on the ground, probably dead. The terror did not end, because immediately afterward they heard a growl. ¡°What was that?¡± A black figure attacked the prince, knocking him to the ground. Aria, her heart like a drum, dragged herself back trying to locate the source of the attack. Everything was silent and the prince seemed to have fainted. But she was afraid, so she moved even further back until she reached the door they had come out of. Nature seemed to have stopped. Not even a leaf was detaching from the trees and the hedges did not dare to follow the wind. A growl behind her made her jump. Turning around, she noticed a tall, slender man with purple skin and long claws. He had little hair, gray, that fell down his back. His clothes, worn, gave a glimpse of most of his body. Instead of teeth, however, real fangs stuck out like knives. His eyes, red as fire, were pointed towards the next prey. Aria. Of all the thoughts and actions that passed through her mind, the girl chose one in particular: screaming. Chapter 2: Vampires are real! There were few who could say they recognized a vampire when one presented itself in front of them. And of those few, even fewer returned to their families to tell a story. Many years had passed since a vampire had set foot in the city and Aria did not know much about them, only what her father had told her when she was little. The stories and legends about vampires, told by the parents of all the children of Korotsk, were now always the same and the memory was gradually fading. Some, the most imaginative, filled the stories with unhealthy improvisations and disrespectful anecdotes, while others omitted macabre details almost to make those creatures that were anything but good docile. To Aria, the stories seemed so absurd and out of touch with reality that she had never believed in their existence. It seemed strange to her that such unreal figures could exist and that they even fed on human blood. Until that moment, she had taken them for what they were: stories and legends. At school, there had never been any mention, at least officially, of the presence of these monsters. There had never been any articles in the newspapers that talked about them and even in the daily newspaper there were never any conversations that mentioned them. Sure, every now and then you could read the headlines of the news that told of disappearances or sudden deaths, but it didn¡¯t go beyond that. Apart from that, Aria had never understood why the government discouraged venturing out of the city, having guards who controlled who entered and exited. The streets, both the internal ones and those in the various neighborhoods, were quite safe and a girl like her, for example, could walk down the street without anyone having florid her hair. There were entire squads of police on the road and even a drunk knew not to raise his hands on strangers. If you wanted to leave the city, and if you had a little money saved up, you could pay guards for an escort. That''s how Aria and her father would go to their country house every now and then to spend a weekend away from the buildings and the smoke of the factories. All her life she had felt protected and safe. Her heart, however, accelerated at the sight of the vampire and for the first time she realized she was afraid. The vampire approached step by step. He had a slow pace and emitted a guttural sound from his mouth, always present and constant. Aria, after screaming, looked for a way to escape him. On her right was the wall that would have taken her to the street, but it was too high to climb over and, even if she had succeeded, the vampire would certainly have caught her first. On her left, however, the garden continued into the thick of the hedges. Behind her, finally, in contact with her back, was the door they had come from. She tried to open this one but, despite her attempts to force it, the door did not open. "Stupid!" he exclaimed, referring to the prince. The door had a defect and Sergey hadn¡¯t had time to fix it yet. When it closed, in fact, the hinges remained stuck in the wall, triggering a complex system of combinations that ensured the door was hermetically closed. After so many years of use, however, the hinges had ruined the basis of that system and it was necessary to use the second lock to open the door, a lock that was only on the inside. It was one of those secondary doors that her father had never given importance to and that no one cared about, except Aria at that precise moment, because it would help her escape certain death. ¡°Damn!¡± she banged her fists against the thick wood; a tear ran down her cheek. Then she threw herself into the hedges of the garden, getting grass on her dress and running to find other guards. The vampire followed her, slowly, perhaps to savor the fear of his prey. He continued to run his tongue through his teeth already soaked in blood that was dripping onto the ground. Then, he lunged and attacked the girl with his long claws, but Aria knew how to quickly throw herself to the side. The wig fell to the ground and so did she. Searching among the branches of a hedge, near a tree, she managed to find a wooden stick that she used to block a second attack. The vampire''s claws remained stuck in the stick and the creature let out a moan. But not of pain, but of melancholy because his prey was still alive. One thing was certain to Aria: the next blow would be fatal. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate and starting to cry like a child. Could her life ever end like that? She was only sixteen and she knew she still had her whole life to have fun and do the activities she loved most. She thought back in those moments to her bookshelf and how she hadn''t yet started the novel her father had given her for last Christmas. Or how she had promised Sergey that one day she would help him cook something. All thoughts vanished when she opened her eyes again. The vampire was getting closer and now his face had a sinister smile, twisted and not very symmetrical. His eyes became volcanic and his breathing labored. This was how it had to go. Killed by a vampire. But instead¡­ there was a rustling. A girl was running toward them holding a sword in her hand. With a leap she reached the vampire, impaling him in the rib making him step back a few steps. Now that Aria was able to catch her breath, she could see that the girl must have been the same age as her. She was wearing strange leather clothes as if they were real armor. No helmet, but to protect her head she had a kind of tiara with small shields on top. Her boots, soaked in mud and water, were yellowed in color and must have had several bowshots behind them.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Who are you?¡± Aria asked almost instinctively. She tried to stand up behind her, but had to crawl on her side when she realized her ankle was starting to hurt. Still, the girl stood between her and the vampire to protect her. ¡°My name is Liza.¡± Holding her sword tightly in both hands and holding it in front of her, Aria could see Liza¡¯s warrior stance, worthy of the best soldiers in Korotsk. She often saw them training on the training grounds, and when she compared them to the girl, she could see a look and skill second to none. There was a sense of challenge in her eyes, and the entire time, she never took her eyes off her enemy. It was time for the vampire to attack again, lunging at Liza. The latter, after dodging with great agility, struck a clean blow with the sword to the creature''s back, which fell to its knees screaming in pain and putting its hands on its back to keep from bleeding too much. The two wounds that the vampire had suffered emitted a sound that resembled the burning of the flames of a fireplace. A red cloud came out accompanying the blood and the wounds worsened as the seconds passed. With a final blow of the sword, Liza severed the vampire''s head making it spin in the air to end up in the tall grass. The body fell with a thud to the ground. The seconds that followed seemed to last an eternity. Liza crouched down to inspect the corpse, examining the skin for something. Aria, on the other hand, remained still trying to calm her childish impulse. The tears had stopped falling due to the adrenaline given by the fear, but the sobs still bothered her breathing. "You saved my life..." she said holding her arms. She was cold, maybe she had a headache and all she wanted at that moment was to stay warm between the covers of her bed. ¡°It¡¯s strange,¡± Liza detached one of the vampire¡¯s canines with a sharp blow, ¡°it¡¯s been over forty years since vampires have been seen in the city.¡± she carefully examined the canine still stained with blood, ¡°This one didn¡¯t even know how to fight, and yet he managed to kill two¡­ no, three guards.¡± she licked the blood from the canine, ¡°Yes, definitely three different flavors.¡± The girl, then, approached Aria to help her up. ¡°Luckily for you, I followed this bastard¡¯s tracks, that¡¯s why you¡¯re alive.¡± ¡°What was he doing here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ve been following his movements these past few nights and we noticed that he was getting closer to the city. It was obvious that he was plotting an attack. And now, in fact, he decided to act today. In addition to the dead guards¡­¡± and he pointed to the corpses that sprouted like mushrooms from the ground, ¡°I also counted two dead civilians, but he didn¡¯t drink their blood.¡± The Duchess caught her breath, turned to the prince and tried to wake him up with two pats on the face, but her hand stopped abruptly when she remembered that it was strictly forbidden to touch him without his consent, under penalty of death. Even in a situation like that, she didn¡¯t want to risk breaking the law, especially when her life was at stake. So, she strained her right ear near his mouth and could hear his breathing. ¡°The prince fainted.¡± she said to Liza. ¡°He¡¯ll wake up soon.¡± the girl said. She lifted the prince bodily by the collar of his uniform and placed him against a tree. Aria¡¯s gaze, with open and trembling eyes, took in the scene. Then, she realized she hadn¡¯t asked the question she should have asked before. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°A huntress.¡± Liza answered, adjusting her belt strap and then putting her sword in its scabbard, ¡°We are tasked with protecting civilians from vampires and our ultimate goal is to exterminate these creatures.¡± ¡°A huntress¡­¡± Aria¡¯s father had never told her about the existence of hunters in his stories. He always said that the police intervened to save Korotsk and that we should be proud of the government¡¯s work in containing the threat. Plus, he had told her that the King was so strong that he possessed magical powers, but she had never believed those stories. ¡°Is it silver?¡± she pointed to the sword. ¡°Yes. It is the only material capable of causing pain to the vampire and killing them by cutting off their head. If you use wood, as many believe, the body is regenerated the following night. Also, forget about garlic, running water and wooden crosses, no vampire has ever been hurt with those things.¡± The huntress, after making sure that the prince would wake up soon and that medical attention was not necessary, approached the duchess, looking her up and down, making her remember her father¡¯s stern look. ¡°You, you did well with the staff. Few people survive an attack¡­ and when I say few, I mean I¡¯ve only counted two, so far. Now we¡¯re at three.¡± ¡°Well¡­ if it weren¡¯t for you¡­ by now¡­ I...¡± her voice was shaking. A slap landed on Aria¡¯s cheek. ¡°Rule number one, never underestimate yourself.¡± she touched her arm and pressed hard on the skin. Then, her hand moved up to her face, pressing on her cheeks. It finally slid down to her hair, making Aria feel safe. But all good things ended when Liza pulled her hair, making her let out a groan of pain. Her head went back and she could see the stars in the sky. Without thinking twice, she tried to slap Liza, who blocked it without much difficulty. ¡°Fighting spirit, I like it. We can work on that.¡± she released her hair and, as if nothing had happened, turned to walk toward the perimeter wall. ¡°You know, you could make a career as a huntress.¡± ¡°Me?¡± the shock on her face was so great. She barely knew the difference between a sword and a foil and she certainly didn¡¯t have what it takes to kill vampires. Especially if that meant cutting off their heads. With that image in mind, she almost threw up, but she held back. Plus, unlike the other male nobles, she had never even used a sword in practice and her father was quite against her participating in tournaments and court games. Maybe she knew how to use a knife, maybe a staff, but Liza¡¯s offer certainly seemed hasty. ¡°Yes, you. You seem to have all the right stuff. Remember we all started from the bottom, but you by touch seem like a good candidate and there''s always time to learn.¡± ¡°By touch? You were tearing my hair out!¡± Aria didn¡¯t know if a hunter could hurt a civilian like soldiers or if they also had to follow the rules, so she didn¡¯t yell at her and just sat there, silent, waiting for something to happen. She didn¡¯t want to answer her. Her head knew she would refuse, but her heart¡­ ¡°Stone square, fourth house on the left from the well. Our academy is there.¡± At that moment, Liza turned to look back, but not to look at Aria, but rather her gaze slid to the wooden door. Heavy footsteps were getting closer and closer. ¡°I have to go now. Don¡¯t tell anyone about this meeting.¡± Liza leapt up and touched the cover of the wall, where she looked left and right to observe the street. She turned one last time to Aria. ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± Liza jumped, then disappeared from Aria''s view. The duchess remained alone for a few moments. The night was silent and all the animals that populated the garden had already fled and were now dozens of catapults away. It was a strange feeling she felt, because she was afraid of being alone, especially in the dark, as the light coming from the street lamps was dim. But after seeing a vampire being killed with her own eyes and knowing that a huntress was still nearby, fear did not come alive and, in fact, she did not feel as protected as in that moment. "Aria!" a familiar voice exclaimed; it was her father. In a few seconds she found herself surrounded by the police and the nobles of the court. Chapter 3: Memories ¡°What happened?¡± her father asked. Ungern¡¯s face was shaken and his movements became clumsy. The other nobles, the most curious among them, approached the vampire¡¯s body to examine it. Some started screaming, others had the tenacity to touch it with the heel of their boot. ¡°We were attacked by¡­¡± Aria reached out to indicate the dead creature. ¡°My God¡­¡± Ungern gasped, and he approached his daughter to hug her. ¡°It was terrible, Father.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯m here to protect you now.¡± Ungern¡¯s height, compared to Aria¡¯s, was colossal. Even in the crowd, his size stood out among all the nobles. The hard expression on his face identified him as the leader of the situation: he had to do something to reassure the nobles and secure the mansion. He pulled away from Aria and, with a quick wave of his hand, gave directions to the policemen who began to inspect the surroundings of the garden for other possible threats. He also asked the head guard if he could double the night patrol in the streets adjacent to his villa. In the next moment of pause, his gaze slid towards the vampire. He remained staring at him for several seconds, muttering indistinguishable words. ¡°How did you kill him?¡± he asked his daughter. He touched the vampire¡¯s hard muscles with a stick and took a good look at the sword wound on his chest. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡± Aria replied. Seeing her father¡¯s expression as he tried to put the pieces together, he continued: ¡°It was a huntress.¡± Ungern continued to poke the vampire¡¯s body with the stick and continued to mutter something. ¡°Damn hunters.¡± the man stood up and kicked the vampire¡¯s head, sending it spinning against the wall. There was a dull thud as his head hit the ground. ¡°They think they can do whatever they want, but they¡¯re wrong.¡± the stern gaze slid to the girl this time, ¡°But,¡± and there was a snort, ¡°she still saved your life, yours and the prince¡¯s, that¡¯s what matters. So she¡¯s forgiven, this¡­¡± ¡°Liza.¡± ¡°Liza.¡± he repeated her name to memorize it. Speaking of the prince, Aria noticed that he was recovering from the impact. His bodyguards were offering him water and special salts to revive him, and Sergey helped them make some sort of concoction to drink. At first, the prince kept one eye closed and the other open, scratching his head between sips and wiggling his fingers to fight the numbness. His suit was ruined, and the fall had also torn his cloak. ¡°It¡¯s time to go, prince, it¡¯s not safe to stay here.¡± one of the two guards said, taking the prince on his shoulders to carry him towards the carriage. The prince said nothing, simply walking under the watchful eye of all the nobles. Ungern apologized several times for what had happened, walking with them to the carriage and thanking them for their presence. He also promised himself to stop by the King¡¯s palace the next day to greet and check on the prince. The latter, still with his head bowed and his gaze sleepy, said several inconsistent words between them, and then looked up in search of something. ¡°Aria!¡± he exclaimed, but he was now too far away for the girl to hear. ¡°The party is over!¡± Ungern exclaimed this time, ¡°I thank you for coming in such large numbers and I hope you had fun.¡± The head of the family¡¯s smile was one of those forced ones, the fake ones that were required on those occasions. And Aria knew well that her father, at that moment, was feeling such anger that he could no longer contain himself. This reception was all for him, having to make a good impression on the prince and the other nobles. At court, reception battles were fought to gain more fame and prestige. Because of a vampire, all of this had been compromised. The greatest harm was the wounding of the prince who, most likely, would never set foot in that villa again. So he went around in circles several times, holding his hands behind his back and waiting for the nobles to leave. His boots filled with mud but his legs did not give out. Then, when even the last nobleman had gone home, he approached Aria and Sergey. ¡°Go inside the house, barricade the doors and windows. Get help from Madame Doroteya, if necessary. We don¡¯t know if there are other vampires, so don¡¯t stick your nose outside the walls. Aria, you stay still. Quiet. Don¡¯t move. Hidden.¡± ¡°Father¡­ do you really think another vampire could attack us?¡± Ungern didn¡¯t answer, just snapped his fingers to summon the housekeeper. ¡°Come, my dear,¡± Madame Doroteya said, eavesdropping on the conversation from upstairs, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to our rooms. Are you thirsty? Would you like some hot tea?¡± ¡°Tea.¡± The two women left the hall. Aria turned one last time before going up the stairs, seeing her father dictating something to Sergey and the latter still nodding. In the meantime, more policemen had arrived who would be guarding the mansion that night. When they reached the rooms, Aria dove into bed, but Madame Doroteya quickly pulled her up. ¡°Drink this, it will do you good.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Aria took a sip of the strange orange liquid. She spat it out immediately. ¡°What did you put in that!?¡± ¡°Tea.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Rum.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m sixteen!¡± ¡°Shut up and drink! It¡¯ll do you good.¡± The housekeeper spared her all those stories about rum forging the spirit and being able to revive even a bear. In Korotsk, they used every type of alcohol the city could create. Soldiers drank it extensively to stay awake during their often stressful and tiring guard shifts, merchants loved to drink because they thought it brought good luck to their business, and workers, on the other hand, would down entire bottles during their lunch break to avoid feeling the exhausting pain of their bodies. Aria drank it all in one gulp, holding her nose so as not to pass out. She coughed twice, but then immediately felt better. Or rather, she felt a strong heat in her stomach and her head began to spin. ¡°Your father must be very angry.¡± Madame Doroteya told her, looking out the window. ¡°I know, and I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m afraid that he might be removed from the title of duke.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want that to happen.¡± the governess said, ¡°I¡¯ve served this family for many years now, I¡¯ve seen you born and grow up and I¡¯ve always taken care of you. There¡¯s not a day that I don¡¯t feel happy living here. But knowing that all this could end because of a¡­ a vampire¡­¡± she made a sort of broken scream, the anger was so great for her too. And she, like Aria, was afraid. ¡°Who would have ever thought that a vampire would attack this house! Why, I say.¡± ¡°Liza told me that vampires hadn¡¯t attacked the city in years. Is that true?¡± Aria asked as she crawled back under the covers and rested her head on the pillow. The heater was blowing hot air and the numb feeling soon disappeared, making it almost pleasant to have gone to bed early that night. ¡°Yes. Forty years.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for her, I would be dead by now. And yet, my father seems to hate her for some reason. He should be happy that she was hunting a vampire¡­ but he¡¯s not.¡± She waited for an answer from the other, but the governess didn¡¯t say anything, just watching her as she sat down in the armchair. ¡°Madame Doroteya, at least talk to me.¡± ¡°My dear, what can I say¡­ I swore not to.¡± ¡°Swore?¡± ¡°Swore.¡± The governess folded her arms, huffing and watching Aria. She continued to stare at her while the other girl stared back, and whenever they made eye contact, the older girl would look away towards the bookcase. Then, after tapping her foot several times on the floor and running out of air from her huffs and puffs, the woman stood up and headed towards the door that led to the hallway. She opened it just enough to look through, checking that neither Ungern nor Sergey were within earshot. She closed the door and walked back to Aria, sitting next to her. ¡°You see, there¡¯s a reason your father hates hunters so much.¡± her face was tormented by memories, ¡°During the last attack, Mr. Ungern was at the university with his brother. They were in the same class, they were so happy together.¡± ¡°Did you know them before?¡± ¡°I was a janitor for a few years and I was only a little older than them. At the time, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d work for your father, but then he remembered me and offered me the contract. Anyway, that day the university was one of the vampires¡¯ targets. I remember years ago it was normal for the city to be attacked and in those years there were a lot of hunters and police patrolling the streets.¡± She took a sip of tea to clear her mind. ¡°I felt comfortable walking around alone because no one I knew had ever been attacked. Mostly, the vampires only attacked the outskirts because the hunters managed to stop them before they advanced towards the center.¡± Another sip. ¡°That day¡­ something must have happened and one of the vampires broke into the university, during recess. Your father and his brother were in the garden with a few other kids. The vampire decided to attack them.¡± ¡°Madame Doroteya¡­¡± Aria interrupted, her eyes darting from side to side, ¡°Now that I think about it, my father never told me he had a brother!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. And do you know why he never told you? Because the vampire, during that attack, bit his brother.¡± The governess approached, keeping her voice low and covering the side of her mouth with a hand. ¡°Do you know what this means?¡± Aria nodded. Although they didn¡¯t teach anything about vampires at school, one of her classmates had managed to get a lot of information about them. His father, in fact, worked for the government and had access to secret files. He was one of those people who told stories about vampires and, coincidentally, they turned out to be true. So, Aria tried to answer the question with the knowledge she had. ¡°The vampire bite turn a human into a¡­ vampire?¡± ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s what would have happened to Mr. Ungern¡¯s brother.¡± ¡°Would that have happened?¡± the girl was surprised, ¡°Why¡­ what happened? Did he manage not to transform and remain human? Or maybe they found a way to keep him from becoming a vampire? Maybe by killing the vampire they managed to¡­¡± ¡°No, Aria. None of that.¡± the housekeeper sighed, finishing her drink and running a hand through her hair. ¡°There was a hunter nearby who helped the university kill the vampire.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°And then, even though Mr. Ungern begged for mercy, the hunter said that it was too late for his brother to become human again¡­ once you were bitten, you could never go back. Do you understand what I mean?¡± Aria looked at her with wide eyes and a mouth in disbelief at the words she was hearing. Madame Doroteya sounded so serious that she almost didn¡¯t recognize her as her housekeeper. ¡°The hunter had to kill him.¡± Even though she had never met him, a tear ran down Aria¡¯s face. After all, he was a member of her family and the story was sadder than expected. Aria was also a sensitive person and this sensitivity was also her weakness. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say¡­¡± she sniffed and Madame Doroteya handed her a handkerchief. ¡°Now you know why your father hates hunters so much. The other nobles hate them too and in general they are not well regarded by the population. Me? I don¡¯t know what to think. They¡¯ve protected us in the past, and I think a little extra help is good.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t have to have a good reputation.¡± ¡°Not at all. They¡¯re known for using questionable methods. It¡¯s better to have nothing to do with them and live your life, but that¡¯s not why I¡¯ve been able to live all these years.¡± Madame Doroteya stood up and turned off the light, ¡°It¡¯s time to sleep, it¡¯s been a tough day.¡± Aria watched her walk around the room and tidy up the closet a bit. She put the dirty clothes in a basket that she lifted with both hands and carried out into the hallway. Then, she went back into the room and made sure the windows were closed one last time. ¡°But she saved me!¡± Aria exclaimed, screaming. ¡°I mean, how can I not trust someone who saves my life?¡± she asked the housekeeper genuinely, who approached Aria one last time. ¡°Today, my dear, today she saved you. Tomorrow? Only the good Lord will know. Oh, woe betide you if you tell your father that I told you the story of his brother. I could be killed for it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Doroteya, I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± ¡°Good.¡± it was one of the few times that the woman got seriously angry, making her voice take on an authoritative tone. Ungern, being part of the King¡¯s council, could afford to bypass some basic laws such as that of assuming the right to incriminate someone. And for such a betrayal as an oath, the least intrusive penalty would be life imprisonment. ¡°Then I¡¯m off, good night.¡± ¡°Good night, Madame Doroteya.¡± This time, the housekeeper left Aria alone in her room, completely dark. She remained under the covers for almost a minute, being kissed by the moonlight. She had purposely chosen thinner shutters to allow its rays to pass through without too much effort, but after thinking back to the threat she had suffered a few hours earlier, the first thing she did was to turn the light back on. Chapter 4: Follow the instinct She wasn¡¯t sleepy. Not after what had happened to her. She reached for one of the books she still had to read, starting to flip through the pages to reach the first chapter. She closed it briefly, placing the index finger of her left hand as a bookmark between the pages, looking at the cover and reading the author¡¯s name. Then she turned it over to look at the back cover and read the synopsis. Once she opened it again, she began to read the first sentences. She didn¡¯t feel like reading, but the mere act of holding the paper in her hands put her in a good mood. She loved reading and she loved that typical smell of paper that she kept smelling while sniffing. Her personal library in her room was made up of various novels, romance and adventure, but there were also historical readings that her father gave her as birthday gifts, often accompanied by letters and patriotic dedications. She also had a small section of horror novels that were very fashionable in those years; It was mostly the other nobles who gave them to her, because she didn¡¯t like them and hadn¡¯t read one yet. ¡°And I still won¡¯t.¡± she said to herself, distracting herself from reading. So she put the book to one side, lying down under the covers and resting her head on the pillow. The ceiling, white, had wooden beams and a large chandelier full of light bulbs had been placed in the center of it. She turned it on a few times; she was afraid that the flow of electricity might make it fall. So she began to think. She imagined leaving her life behind and taking a carriage to the west, far away from here. From the stories she read and the stories she was told, the west was a very different place from the Korotsk region. Snow was rare there and there was talk of heat that could kill people during the hottest hours. In fact, a court advisor, a friend of her father, who traveled for work and had therefore been to the West several times, often said that nights did not exist, but only long, endless days... and hot. The inhabitants of Kortosk and therefore Aria would not have been able to resist such a climate, accustomed to low temperatures. The cold of winter forged tough people who were not afraid of anything. Furthermore, diseases were rare in the city and the average age was quite high, thanks to the plants that grew under the snow and their healing properties. Aria''s eyelids closed on impulse and the book fell to the floor. She settled her back better and, without even realizing it, she fell asleep under the warm embrace of the blankets. The light had remained on, but that would not have been a problem, not after having accumulated all that fear. She dreamed of finding herself in the palace garden, it was night and the full moon was high in the sky. Everything was beautiful, from the newly sprouted flowers to the singing of the birds that made the leaves dance. She too began to dance, dancing and walking among the thick hedges. Wherever she passed, flowers grew, and wherever she danced, those same flowers began to dance. They had little faces, with two eyes and a mouth, and to the rhythm of the music, they sang a sweet melody that Aria used to keep time. She started laughing, it had been a long time since she had done that. In the palace, now that she noticed, there was no reason to do so. Her father had always been hard on her and very few times, very few, had she shown signs of altruism. Madame Doroteya was the most joyful and happy, but sometimes, in Aria''s eyes, she seemed to be just playing a part to get her salary at the end of the month. Sergey was like a mummy, that is, he was a person dedicated to work, even too much. He spent most of the time in the kitchen and when he wasn''t there, he was out of the house running errands for Ungern. She was alone, she had no friends and the only fun she hoped to experience were the funny chapters in the books she read. Her heart became light and her mind free of all thoughts. She was dancing and had already made new friends, not to mention the tree that also started dancing and singing. He had a hoarse voice and for this she was teased by the flowers, but then the hedges intervened to scold them. It was a perfect situation and she hoped to stay there a little longer but, like all perfect things, sooner or later it had to end. Around her there were sounds. Not pleasant, not rhythmic and not coming from the plants. The flowers, the tree and the hedges stopped singing. Aria did too, looking around to try to understand the cause of the interruption. A tall, slim and dark figure appeared from behind a hedge. It was the vampire who had attacked her a few hours before. ¡°You¡­ you should be dead¡­¡± At first, Aria froze, her heart had dropped to her throat and she could barely hold back the tears. A part of her mind thought it was a prank by the flowers, but then she realized that it shouldn¡¯t be like that. Her breathing¡­ she wasn¡¯t breathing. She remembered, however, that she wouldn¡¯t be left alone, because Liza would arrive at any moment to save her. It was only a matter of time. So she used those few seconds to better observe the vampire who in the meantime was approaching her: his face was covered in wrinkles and his cheeks were hollowed out so deep that you could see the bones of his skull. He was wearing rags and he wasn¡¯t wearing shoes. The visible parts of his skin were moldy and the stench that the creature gave off was not even comparable to that present in the port of Korostk. The vampire continued to advance and Aria looked around for Liza. Instinctively she took a step back, then another, because the hunter didn¡¯t seem to be coming. ¡°Where are you, Liza!¡± she screamed, but her voice came out pinched, as if she had two hands around her neck that were squeezing her. In fact, there was one hand around her neck, it was the vampire who had lifted her up and showed her his sharp canines full of blood.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. She then tried to wriggle free, but the vampire''s grip was too strong. Her body was breaking and the vampire''s canines were getting closer and closer to bite her. She closed her eyes, she didn''t want to attend her funeral. She woke up with a start. Her heart was beating like a running horse and her throat hurt because of the lack of saliva. She grabbed the covers with so much force that a nail broke. She was alone, her face illuminated by the first light of dawn. The pillow was keeping the book company and a lock of hair was caught on one of the feet of the bed. She was scared. She began to tremble and remained curled up under the covers for as long as possible, making herself very small so as not to face the demons outside. In the street you could already hear the first noises of the city. The workers, in Korostk, got up at dawn to go to work and, for those who owned a horse, a cart or a wagon, you could not help but hear hooves, wheels or dragging along the tiles that made up the sidewalks. The girl remained like that for about half an hour. She did not know what to do or what to think. Her father had already gone to work and Madame Doroteya, like every morning, was already on her way to the market to buy something to eat. Most likely, at that moment only Aria and Sergey were at home, so she decided to stay in bed for as long as possible to avoid anything unpleasant happening to her. Sergey was old and, if a vampire had shown up at the door, he would not have been able to help her. And Liza, instead? Could she really count on her? Was she watching over her house right now or was she out on a vampire hunt? If yesterday¡¯s vampire had managed to get downtown so easily, someone else would have been able to do the same. So, Aria had an inspiration and finally got up from her bed to go get changed. ¡°Damn what my father thinks¡± she said to herself, and at that moment the door opened. Aria spun around, already planning to grab the poker for emergencies, but then she saw Madame Doroteya in front of her eyes. ¡°Good morning Aria,¡± and the housekeeper pirouetted, ¡°How are you today?¡± ¡°Good morning Doroteya, everything is fine, thank you.¡± she tried not to look nervous, loosening her grip on the clothes in her hand and forgetting about the poker. Reaching the mirror, she changed her clothes with the help of Doroteya and held her hair in place using a hair clip. Compared to last night, she had decided to wear slightly more bourgeois clothes, suitable for going out and walking in cold temperatures. ¡°I decided to go out, walking in the fresh air will do me good.¡± Aria said when she put on her gloves. ¡°Of course, dear, I¡¯ll let Sergey know right away.¡± ¡°No!¡± Aria exclaimed impulsively. Her denial echoed several times through the walls. ¡°I¡¯d like to go out alone.¡± ¡°But my dear, that¡¯s not possible, you know what your father is like.¡± Madame Doroteya said as she began to choose a hat, ¡°Would you prefer pink or blue?¡± ¡°Pink.¡± Aria took her makeup bag to put on her foundation, she had chosen a light color to match her dress, ¡°I need to be alone after what happened, to think¡­ do you understand?¡± ¡°If your father finds out that I let you go out alone, he¡¯ll put me in prison.¡± The housekeeper put the hat on Aria¡¯s head and Aria stopped her arm when she was about to pull it away. ¡°You have to do it for me.¡± The housekeeper said nothing more, helping the girl put on her makeup and finish the preparations. She went to the door to leave her alone, but stopped a moment before. ¡°If anything were to happen to you, I wouldn¡¯t know anything about it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Madame Doroteya.¡± The door was slammed and Aria stood there for five minutes looking at herself in the mirror. Everything was so perfect and in order and, although objectively there were duchesses more beautiful than her, she said she was satisfied with her appearance. Once she was out of her room, she hurried to the front door and past the kitchens so that Sergey wouldn¡¯t see her. It wasn¡¯t easy to sneak out in a dress like that, but her steps were so light that the sound of the pots and pans and the fire didn¡¯t arouse the butler¡¯s suspicions. She knew that going out alone would put Madame Doroteya in a bad position, but on the other hand she couldn¡¯t tell anyone what she was about to do. The house rules were clear: Aria had no right to go out alone and had to be accompanied by someone at all times, and that someone was Sergey. When he was not there or was sick, the housekeeper accompanied her, and if she was not available either, Aria could not allow herself to go out. Only once, many years ago, had she gone out alone, but she had not had time to change sidewalks before Sergey caught her and took her back home. But today was different, she was no longer a child and she knew what she was getting into. Mostly, after what had happened last night, in Ungern''s eyes there would have been no excuse that mattered. And yet, it was precisely the events of the previous night that had lit the flame in Aria. So she opened the door, walked around the garden and left the villa behind her. Korotsk was characterized by long white houses and narrow streets. Carriages drove along the main streets and the police patrolled the streets on horseback. It was full of citizens and, especially in the morning, most of them went to work while the elderly went to buy flour to make bread. Merchants from all regions could nest in the shops ready to exchange their goods and sometimes carriages were rented just for the transport of goods. Clearly, these were services that few could afford, but then again, the neighborhood where Aria lived was one of the richest. Taking a good look around and taking one last look at the Zotova Palace, Aria began to walk down the sidewalk, soon arriving at the central square that was a few minutes away from her house. A fountain stood in the center and, above it, a statue depicting the King on horseback. The city''s coat of arms was posted on all the houses, but only one of them also had flags, and that was the Yahontov Palace, a huge three-story mansion that housed the royal family. The wall was guarded by both policemen and private guards spaced every three swords. The garden alone was as big as the entire Zotova estate and, according to what her father told her, having been there twice, the furniture inside the rooms was made by melting down entire gold bars. Aria continued her journey and walked down a side street, where the attitude of the people, if not the people themselves, began to change. No more nobles dressed in high fashion and with bright necklaces, earrings and rings, but middle class workers often without clothes to protect themselves from the rush. No more carriages pulled by thoroughbred horses, but carts to transport wood, bricks and iron. Some of these workers even dared to look badly at Aria, but luckily for her the police were alert to any possible threat and so Aria managed to reach her destination undisturbed. It was a palace of modest beauty. The wall was narrow and high, presenting more than five floors making it one of the tallest buildings in the whole of Korotsk. A small garden full of flowers invited people to come in and so Aria did, giving a push to the gate smaller than her that opened to leave her passage free. A wooden door appeared in front of her and she decided to knock twice waiting for an answer. Despite the biting cold that morning, she still tried to concentrate because the moment would require it. She was sure of the choice she had made, the one she made when she woke up from that bad dream. Because reality could not be ignored, and given the fear, she knew that in the event of another attack by a vampire, she could not hope to get help from a huntress. She would have to become one herself. The door opened. A tall, balding man, older than her father, dressed in designer clothes, looked her up and down. A plate with glasses rested in his left hand, and in his right he held a cloth that hung from his wrist. ¡°What would you like?¡± he asked; his voice strong and firm. ¡°My name is Aria Zotova and I was invited by Liza.¡± Chapter 5: Meeting with the hunters ¡°We were waiting for you, Miss Zotova.¡± the man said, inviting her to come in. The interior of the house was welcoming and the stove, turned on at full power, heated the room by devouring the logs of wood that were sticking out of the metal drawer. The room was spacious, although smaller than the normal rooms of the Zotova villa, and had several sumptuous and colorfully embroidered furnishings. They must have been worth a lot, Aria thought, because those were only present in noble houses. ¡°Wait here, please.¡± the gentleman, who must have been a butler for all intents and purposes, disappeared behind a door and left the girl alone. She took the opportunity to sit on the leather sofa, fiddling with her heels, tapping them lightly in rhythm on the wooden floor. Her back adapted perfectly to the backrest and any problems that might have developed following the fight with the vampire vanished in a matter of seconds. She didn¡¯t know what to expect. She didn¡¯t even know what kind of hunters they were or how many there had been. The information she had was limited and, at this point, she even doubted that Liza had been a real hunter. Her? So young and in that strange leather dress? The soldiers of the region wore heavy jackets and trained hard from childhood to reach adulthood and join the army. In addition, every two years they had to take a physical and mental test and, if you didn¡¯t pass, you found yourself on the first train home. It was true, she had seen Liza kill a vampire with her own eyes, but it still seemed strange to her that a girl her age could already be so¡­ determined and strong. Or maybe, it was she who was weak. She herself was thin and ate little, which is why a new fear now formed in her mind: the fear of not being taken as a huntress. The waiter returned. ¡°Please, follow me.¡± She was led into one of the other rooms, along a corridor that could also lead to the upper floors. She found herself in the living room, luxurious like few others. The floor was covered with a red carpet with the coat of arms of the Nosovs, a minor noble family that Aria only knew from the ledger. The center of the room had been decorated with armchairs, sofas and chairs and a small table with some tasty sweets invited people to spend some time in the company of friends. ¡°Aria!¡± exclaimed a female voice. ¡°Liza!¡± The huntress was lying on one of the sofas with a book in her hand. Her sword was resting to the side. ¡°I followed your advice¡­¡± Aria said. ¡°You made the best choice. I saw how you behaved yesterday and I think you could be an excellent student.¡± the huntress signaled the butler to leave them alone, ¡°Tell me, did you make sure no one was following you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± she nodded, ¡°I checked several times and I didn¡¯t say anything to anyone.¡± It immediately occurred to her that Madame Doroteya actually knew everything, but she left that detail out so as not to compromise her desire. ¡°I don¡¯t want to live in fear anymore,¡± she continued, ¡°that¡¯s why I want to become a huntress.¡± Liza smiled, leaning back against the chair and taking a glass of wine, ¡°I understand, it¡¯s a noble reason. Many of us have had experiences like yours. Here, you will learn to use sword techniques, recognize vampires and defend yourself from them.¡± ¡°So, are there other vampires in the city?¡± Liza thought for a few seconds before answering, ¡°Not in the city, no. Outside, it¡¯s full. They live in caves or abandoned houses where no soldier sets foot. Unsuspecting traders are sometimes killed and their blood sucked by vampires.¡± Aria swallowed. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re safe here.¡± ¡°There¡¯s one thing I don¡¯t understand¡­ why was our house attacked? Did they want to kill the prince?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± the huntress shrugged, ¡°It could be, or it could be not. Vampires aren¡¯t organized. There¡¯s no ¡°Vampire Organization¡± or leader. Everyone looks after themselves. Sometimes, but it¡¯s rare, they form groups, but most of the time they end up with internal conflicts or rebellions. And yet¡­¡± Aria made a natural movement with her body, moving her torso closer to hear better. ¡°And yet I followed that bastard all the way from the outskirts, he seemed to know exactly where to go, which road to take, who to avoid¡­ and when he leapt over the wall of your villa, he immediately attacked you.¡± ¡°He knew¡­ he knew where to go?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± another sip of wine, ¡°That¡¯s very strange but I¡¯ve already talked to Sonia about it.¡± ¡°Sonia?¡± ¡°I still have to introduce you to the others and I think that will be the first thing I do.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The huntress stood up, followed by the girl. The two left the living room to head upstairs. From the windows you could see the internal garden, the one that didn¡¯t face the street. There were two boys there who were training with the sword. It had just started snowing, so they were wearing heavy jackets. Aria didn¡¯t understand how, in the snow, they managed to move so quickly, but she stopped her amazement when she remembered that those two must have been hunters. Liza signaled to follow her. They entered a dining room with a long table in the center. Chairs had been placed on the sides and at the head of the table was a woman, tall and blonde, while on the sides a hooded man and on the other side what must have been a¡­ a small man half a sword tall? ¡°Sorry to interrupt, let me introduce you to Aria, the new arrival.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± the Duchess asked in Liza¡¯s ear. ¡°That¡­what?¡± the little man shouted. Small wings came out of his back and the man began to fly across the room until he reached the girl. His ears were pointed and Aria found them very funny. His skin was leathery and his voice was high-pitched. ¡°That one¡¯s called Anton. I¡¯m a pixie.¡± ¡°A- pixie?¡± ¡°Exactly, miss.¡± Anton returned to his seat and crossed his arms. ¡°I advise you not to bother Anton, he¡¯s quite touchy.¡± said the woman who this time approached, introducing herself, ¡°Sonia Kazeev, I¡¯m the director of the academy, as well as the first huntress.¡± ¡°Pleased to meet you.¡± when Aria held out her hand to the woman, she grabbed her arm, immobilizing it. It was a strong grip and the girl felt pain in her wrist. ¡°A noble.¡± said the older one, looking at her hand. Her stern gaze shifted to Liza, ¡°You seriously brought a noblewoman here?¡± ¡°I know, Sonia, but she¡¯s different.¡± Aria didn¡¯t understand, but somehow she felt guilty. She didn¡¯t even know how she¡¯d figured out that she was a noblewoman. But given Sonia¡¯s reaction, Liza must not have said anything. The director let go of her arm, then took two steps toward the window. She put a cigar to her mouth and lit it with a silver lighter. ¡°You better get a move on, or you¡¯ll be disbarred.¡± she puffed smoke that smeared the windows. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with nobles?¡± Aria asked curiously, ¡°How did you know I was one of them?¡± Sonia laughed with the cigar still in her mouth. She took it between her index and middle fingers and carried it away, then puffed smoke at the two girls. ¡°Look at your hands.¡± And Aria did. She didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What do you see?¡± ¡°I see¡­ my hands?¡± ¡°Do you see imperfections?¡± ¡°Of course not! I get my nails done three times a day, Madame Doroteya is very careful, and on top of that¡­¡± ¡°There,¡± the woman interrupted, ¡°that¡¯s exactly what I was referring to. You see, you¡¯re not one of the people. You¡¯re superior to the common citizens of Korostk. You nobles only care about power and receptions, balls and clothes.¡± She moved away slightly, perhaps to contain his anger. ¡°When it comes to dealing with real problems, though, you don¡¯t lift a finger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too young to understand, girl, you still have your whole life ahead of you. Tell me, how old are you?¡± ¡°Sixteen.¡± ¡°Have you ever killed anyone?¡± The question shocked her. Aria? What if she hurt a fly? Even killing¡­ ¡°N-no.¡± Sonia Kazeev snorted. ¡°Train and do your best, that¡¯s what¡¯s important now.¡± she turned to Liza, ¡°Take her to the other two.¡± The two girls nodded. Before leaving the room, Aria glanced back at the funny little pixie who, until that moment, hadn¡¯t even known they could exist. She wasn¡¯t as surprised as one might have imagined, because after escaping death at the hands of a vampire, everything could be real for her. Her gaze slowly slid over the mysterious man, who hadn¡¯t said a word until that moment. She looked at him carefully, but she couldn¡¯t see anything behind the hood. So, they left the room to go, this time, to the inner garden. ¡°First I find out that my father hates hunters¡­ now I find out that Sonia hates nobles. What the hell!¡± Liza shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s life, Aria. Hunters and nobles are in two different factions.¡± ¡°Then why invite me?¡± she stopped in the middle of the stairs, she didn¡¯t want to take another step until she had found an answer to her question. ¡°Because you¡¯re different, I told you. You managed not to get bitten, and that¡¯s already a boast that not many can say they have. Plus, you didn¡¯t faint like others. Few nobles can call themselves friends of hunters.¡± Liza held out her hand to Aria, who accepted. Once they reached the garden, the two boys who were facing each other were still there. One of the two swung a blow at the other, who managed to dodge and hit back with the hilt. ¡°Sev, Yevgeny, stop training, I have to introduce you to the new arrival!¡± Liza shouted. The two pretended not to hear, or their involvement in the fight must have been serious. They continued to slash until one of them was hit by a snowball. So, realizing that they had been called, the two boys approached. ¡°She is-¡° ¡°What an immense paradise my eyes see!¡± the younger of the two, clean-shaven and with long hair, bowed, kissing Aria¡¯s hand, ¡°Allow me to introduce myself, I am Sevastian, but to friends I am simply Sev.¡± ¡°Aria¡­¡± the girl withdrew her hand. ¡°Sev, I have told you many times not to bother newcomers.¡± ¡°And how can I listen to you? Beauty cannot be commanded.¡± ¡°Instead he is-¡° ¡°Yevgeny.¡± the older, as well as taller and more robust, ¡°We are wasting time with these absurd banalities. We should start fighting again, Sev.¡± ¡°What is fighting if not a means to impress a girl? Words, Yev, words are the heart of the-¡° He was interrupted when a fist landed between his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Liza exclaimed, ¡°Get back to your training.¡± The huntress led Aria to one of the many benches along the walls. They were protected by canopies, so they didn¡¯t have to worry about falling snow. ¡°With the two of them,¡± Liza spoke, ¡°you¡¯ve met the people of the academy. Anton will be your teacher.¡± Aria gave a faint smile; it was clear that she hadn¡¯t found a companion worthy of her. The nobles of the palace were so different in manner and appearance that, ever since she had set foot in the academy, she felt like she was in another city. ¡°Who was the hooded gentleman?¡± she asked. ¡°He is Igor, an expert hunter and keeper of the secrets of the artifacts. He doesn¡¯t like to talk and mostly keeps to himself, so it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t talk to him.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± she thought further before asking the next question, ¡°Are there other hunters around?¡± Korotsk was very populated and it seemed strange to her that only the five of them could protect it from the attacks of the vampires. ¡°Yes, but they don¡¯t attend the academy. Some have chosen to live in the mountains to be able to do their work, others hang around the city to shop and get supplies, but generally they don¡¯t stay more than one night.¡± A flap of wings became louder. It was Anton who was flying with a few-inch staff in his hand. At his side the butler who held a sword almost larger than him. The pixie approached. ¡°Girl, take the sword, your first lesson begins immediately.¡± Chapter 6: First lesson A shiver ran down Aria¡¯s spine. She had only imagined talking to Liza that day and maybe learning more about the world of hunters, but she never would have thought that she would use a sword right away. She wasn¡¯t ready. She didn¡¯t feel like it. She didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Why all the rush?¡± Liza asked, seeing the concern on the girl¡¯s face. ¡°Times fly and we have to keep up.¡± Anton replied with his croaking voice, ¡°Plus, if you recommended her, she has to prove her worth.¡± The two approached Aria and the butler put down the sword. ¡°Take it.¡± Aria stood up from the bench determinedly. She wasn¡¯t afraid, perhaps because of the cold that had made her blood run cold inside her. She just wanted this moment to end and, if that meant demonstrating her skill with the sword, she would be fine with it. They approached the center of the garden, while Sevastian and Yegveny moved to the side to follow the training. Liza also got up from the bench to join the two boys, perhaps because she was nervous or perhaps because she could see better from that position. Aria could feel their gazes, their eyes and their thoughts turned on her. What if she made a bad impression? She had never even used a knife except to cut cakes, what could she possibly know about a sword? ¡°First of all, let¡¯s look at the hilt.¡± Anton began, ¡°Both hands must be firm on the hilt or the weapon will slip off.¡± Aria gripped the sword tightly. It was heavy and she was so small that she couldn¡¯t hold it for more than a few seconds. She gently placed the tip of the blade on the ground, to rest her arms, but with an intimidating look from Anton, she raised it again. The blade moved voraciously from right to left and then from left to right and her hands began to shake. ¡°Remember that the sword is your best friend, if you lose it or it breaks you are dead.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Aria said with an uncertain tone. ¡°To avoid this from happening, you must hit the opponent with the sharp part of the blade and not with the flat. Also, avoid hitting near the tip, it is the weakest part.¡± Aria nodded, trying to keep all that information in mind. ¡°Now, try to hit me.¡± The girl hesitated for a moment. Even if it would be difficult, if she hit him the iron blade would hurt him a lot. And he was just a pixie and such a small creature. She tried to follow his request anyway and tried to swing at Anton imitating the movements of Sev and Yegveny that she had seen before. The swing was so slow and imprecise that the pixie didn¡¯t even have to move. The blade stuck in the snow and, after a lot of effort, Aria managed to pull it out. The sword became even heavier with the snow that created a sort of white coating. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize, you have to hit me.¡± the master said as he began to circle her. He hit her in the left ear with his staff. ¡°Ouch!¡± Instinctively, the girl turned and struck blindly. A first slash, then a second. But doing so only caused the sword to slip from her hands and stick into the ground once more.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Sorry again!¡± Aria exclaimed mortified. She ran to pick up the sword, but felt a sharp pain in her back that made her drop it. ¡°You need to be more careful, and didn¡¯t I tell you before that you should always have your sword with you? If I were a vampire, what would have happened to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± She gathered all her strength to stand up and straighten her dress, then pick up the sword and get back into a fighting stance. The two hands were now firmly on the hilt and Aria concentrated on the goal: hitting the enemy. He was very fast, much faster than her. And she was slow, damn slow. She felt the weight of the pressure on her shoulders and she met Liza¡¯s eyes several times that encouraged her to continue and prove her worth. She gripped the hilt so furiously that her palms almost bled. It didn¡¯t matter, because if it hadn¡¯t been it that hurt her, it would have been Anton. Or the cold. It wasn¡¯t advisable to be out of the house for so long at that time of year, especially when it was snowing. A simple dress could not repel the elements, and looking down at her hands, she noticed that her fingers had turned purple. ¡°Ah!¡± she shouted as she charged a slash. Anton moved and the sword hit the air. ¡°Ah!¡± she shouted a second time, but still the blow did not land. More than an hour passed from that moment. Aria did not manage to hit the pixie even once. She was tired, sweaty and her legs hurt a lot. As did her back, hands and head. Plus, she was hungry and thirsty and felt cold, so cold. She wanted so much to ask for a break, to stop to rest and then resume training, but Anton seemed determined to continue and, every time he noticed a sign of weakness, he poked her with the stick to get her back in line. She tried one last slash, but her speed had dropped dramatically; her hands were calloused and her breathing, labored, froze her blood. ¡°Ah!¡± was a half scream, before the blow stopped in mid-air. The blade fell and the girl¡¯s vision became blurred. She remained with her eyes open for a few seconds, long enough to understand that she was no longer breathing. Then, her eyes closed on their own and Aria fell like a leaf falling from a tree. Time passed, how much was not given to know. She opened her eyes again, lying on a bed inside a room of the academy. The sword had been placed on a nearby chair and, next to her, was Liza. ¡°Welcome awake.¡± said the huntress. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°You fainted. Your body couldn¡¯t handle the training.¡± Aria¡¯s head was about to explode, she wanted so much to be home right now, lying on her bed, much more comfortable, with a book in her hand to isolate herself from the world. She also wanted that damned vampire to never attack her and that the meeting with Liza had never happened, as well as her humiliation in front of all those hunters. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Liza interrupted her thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s normal to feel down. But you¡¯ll become a formidable huntress, I promise.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even manage to hit him once!¡± Aria exclaimed, agitated. She realized she had to lower her voice immediately after. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s humiliating, I felt humiliated!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this, it¡¯s normal. No one has ever succeeded the first time, except Adelphe, but he¡¯s another story.¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°A hunter, the best in the field and even better than Sonia, but let''s keep this between us, okay? But he hasn''t lived here for a long time. I know he lives in the mountains now, but I haven''t seen him in a while.¡± The huntress took the Duchess''s cold hand to offer her some tea. ¡°No matter what happens, you mustn''t let yourself get down. Anton''s training may be difficult for you, but you must continue to put in the effort and dedication. If you want to be a huntress, then you will.¡± ¡°Thank you, Liza.¡± It was strange. The girl was her age or a little younger and was already capable of certain types of speeches. She felt relieved, however, because those words put her in a good mood. Her stomach growled. ¡°Sorry, I''m really hungry.¡± ¡°It''s almost dinner time, I can get you something.¡± ¡°Dinner time- What!?¡± The girl looked out the window and only then noticed how the sun was already setting. ¡°Fuck! I have to get back to the palace!¡± she pushed the covers to the side to get out of bed, but her body buckled forward. ¡°You¡¯re not strong enough.¡± ¡°But I have to! Don¡¯t you understand?¡± she shouted, ¡°My governess will be worried about me and if my father finds out that I¡¯m here¡­¡± she grabbed the covers of the bed, pulling herself up as much as she could. She then began to walk towards the door, hoping not to fall again. ¡°One step at a time.¡± she thought. Her whole body ached and the hunger only amplified the pain. ¡°Aria.¡± the huntress called, ¡°There¡¯s another lesson tomorrow. Don¡¯t miss it.¡± Chapter 7: Revelations Aria closed the door behind her, slowly, so as not to make the slightest noise. It was the last thing she wanted at that moment and, looking around, she didn¡¯t move a step. The sounds of pots and pans and cutlery were coming from her right, from the kitchen, and if she exposed her head too much, Sergey would see her. She had crouched behind the door while the butler was washing the dinner dishes, incredibly fewer than usual. All she had to do was go through the kitchens to take a secondary staircase that led upstairs, where she would head to her room and pretend to have been asleep the whole time. Madame Doroteya, at that moment, was probably washing the floor of some room and so it wouldn¡¯t have been a problem. Of course, it was the housekeeper who called her, punctual as clockwork, just before dinner. But Aria knew that, once no one answered her call, she would respect her privacy by not entering the room. ¡°It¡¯s such a perfect plan that it seems strange that it could work.¡± she said to herself, ¡°But it¡¯s my only option.¡± A shadow passed by her. It was Sergey, who was carrying a tray full of glasses to an adjacent room. That was the opportunity that Aria took to cross the corridor and take the second staircase. She soon found herself in that wing of the house; she had been there a few times and had found it scary since she was a child. It was where most of the spiders and cobwebs nested and the tall iron statues only fueled her fears. She remembered when, as a child, she was playing with a friend of hers and she got lost in that very corridor, starting to cry and get agitated because she didn¡¯t know how to find her way back. She simply walked from one room to another in the hope of meeting someone, but all she saw were statues and large swords ready to stab her. It was one of those bad memories that sometimes came back to you as a nightmare during the night. She then quickened her pace, not wanting to stay a second longer than necessary. With the help of two deep breaths to calm her beating heart, she slipped towards her room. One last look behind her and then closed the door. She had made it. She was safe. She also used the key to place an additional barrier between her and the outside world and, if anyone wanted to enter, they would have to break down the door. Her legs hurt and her feet were tired from all that walking. Facing the freezing wind with all those wounds was certainly not a walk in the park and, as a noblewoman, she could not let the people of Korotsk see her in that state. Maybe her dress was also stained with blood, but that was not a problem that crossed her mind. Somehow, however, she managed to walk to her house and now she was in front of her bed. All she had to do now was lie down and sleep. But when she turned around, she saw Madame Doroteya staring at her from across the room. She was sitting in an armchair with a pipe in her mouth; she had never seen her smoke. The smoke rings reached the ceiling and next to her was a glass and a carafe of water, all accompanied by two books. ¡°Aria!¡± the eldest exclaimed without moving from her chair. ¡°I-I lost track of time and I was a little late¡­¡± she improvised. The world fell on her in one bite and her seemingly foolproof plan collapsed like a sand castle. Her voice was shaking like never before. ¡°Now I¡¯m tired and I want to go to sleep.¡± ¡°You know, right, that it¡¯s dangerous for you to be out all this time? Luckily your father is working and hasn¡¯t had dinner, but I should tell him about what you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°No!¡± the youngest shrieked, hanging her coat on the coat rack and lying down on top of the blankets. ¡°Don¡¯t tell my father, please.¡± ¡°Give me just one reason.¡± Aria started to answer but couldn¡¯t find the right words at the time. It was her governess who had taught her this when she was younger, that when you didn¡¯t have a ready answer, it was best not to complicate the situation by making up words. ¡°I just want to sleep now.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Not so fast.¡± Madame Doroteya rose from her chair and moved toward the girl. ¡°You look pale, Aria.¡± she said, picking her up and lifting her up, then looking at the girl in a judgmental tone. She stopped at her hands. ¡°And these?¡± A slap went off. ¡°Will you tell me what these are?¡± The girl looked at her hands and noticed that the calluses hadn¡¯t disappeared. The backs of her hands were a deeper purple than they had been the last time she had seen them, and her nails were blackened. Certainly not a proud appearance for a duchess. ¡°It¡¯s the cold, Doroteya, the streets were icy today.¡± ¡°No, my dear, the cold doesn¡¯t give you those kinds of calluses. And you can¡¯t fool me about these things, and you know it.¡± she was about to slap her again, but stopped at the last moment. ¡°Undress.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Undress, I said.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± ¡°I. Said. Undress.¡± Aria did as she was told, and after her sweater, she dropped her underwear. Her back, clearly visible in the mirror, was covered in marks, the same ones Anton had made with his cane. Most of them were scratches that she didn¡¯t even know how she got them, probably from the night before. ¡°Oh my God!¡± the housekeeper almost burst into tears, ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± Another slap in the face, this time harder. ¡°Tell me what happened to you or I¡¯ll tell your father.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t, you promised not to.¡± ¡°I promised not to tell him that you wanted to be a huntress, not that someone could abuse your body.¡± Aria swallowed. Her father finding out even the smallest detail was the last thing she wanted. She couldn¡¯t even imagine what could happen to her if he found out that his daughter had become a huntress, or that she was in contact with them. Would he disinherit her? Would he be able to go that far? She knew some nobles, some boys in particular, who had been disinherited by their family for their behavior in the war, and then their path had come to a sudden halt. She didn¡¯t want to end up like that, she wouldn¡¯t have survived a single day in Korotsk. Plus, no one would have accepted a disinherited noble to work and all she could do to survive would have been to sell her body. ¡°Madame Doroteya, please, don¡¯t tell him anything.¡± The housekeeper sighed twice, ¡°I won¡¯t, but you¡¯ll have to tell me everything. Everything.¡± Aria got dressed and warmed herself with a cup of tea the housekeeper had brought her. ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t tell Sergey either.¡± There was no answer. ¡°Promise me, not my father or Sergey¡­ not anyone else.¡± Madame Doroteya was sometimes a little rough, but she really cared about the family and Aria knew it. She would never let anything bad happen to the girl or Ungern. ¡°I promise.¡± The hot tea was taking effect on her body. She didn¡¯t feel cold anymore and her mind was starting to work properly. ¡°Ever since the vampire attacked me, I¡¯ve been thinking about how to defend myself¡­¡± she began, ¡°and I came to the conclusion that the only way to do that was to join the hunters, to become one of them.¡± Madame Doroteya, arms folded, gasped when she heard those words. ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± she said, ¡°you¡¯re crazy,¡± she repeated. ¡°I know.¡± All Aria wanted to do at that moment was to disappear and not face the consequences of her actions. She was more afraid of Doroteya¡¯s judgment than of the vampires themselves. ¡°I know.¡± she said once more to reinforce her thought, ¡°Noble families don¡¯t look kindly on hunters, and my father¡­ well¡­ has his own thoughts. But I¡¯m learning to defend myself!¡± she exclaimed proudly. ¡°Learning to defend yourself? Look at you, Aria! Does this look like defense to you? This is violence, pure violence.¡± Aria wriggled. She got out of bed and took a few steps away to put enough air between her and the governess. ¡°I have to do this! My life is at stake!¡± she shouted, but was too nervous to notice, ¡°I don¡¯t want a vampire to kill me! I don¡¯t want to die! And if my father isn¡¯t okay with it, then to hell with him!¡± There was silence. A long silence. The girl caught her breath and a river of tears began to flow down her face, while Madame Doroteya began to pace aimlessly around the room. A good five minutes passed before a single word escaped her lips. ¡°All right.¡± a puff of smoke came from the housekeeper¡¯s cigar, ¡°I promised I wouldn¡¯t tell your father, and I won¡¯t. But if I ever find you with any more marks on your body, I¡¯ll never forgive you.¡± Aria¡¯s heart lightened and she smiled just enough to show her gratitude. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madame Doroteya, I can take care of myself.¡± The housekeeper gathered her things and tucked them under her armpit, then went to the door, unlocking it with her master key. Finally alone, Aria went back to the door and locked it again. Not that it did much good, but it somehow put her in a state of tranquility. Plus, if someone came in, it would make noise and alert her. The most important thing, at that moment, was knowing that she had won. Not only she had managed to get into the hunter academy, ready to learn sword techniques to be able to face vampires, but she had also managed to get Madame Doroteya on her side, a woman who was certainly not easy to get support from. Of course, her word wasn''t worth much, given her precedent in those years, but somehow she wasn''t too worried about it. If she had to show up at the academy again tomorrow, and so on for the following days, her father would start to suspect something. Aria, a lonely girl who was always locked up at home, suddenly wandering around all day without saying anything? She would have to make up an excuse, but she had been raised incredibly well by Doroteya in that regard. She decided that she would think about it in due time, also helped by the housekeeper. Now she couldn¡¯t wait to get back under the covers and wait for Morpheus¡¯ embrace. It had been a day full of emotions and she hoped that the next ones would calm down at least a little. Because, between a vampire one day and Anton¡¯s beatings the other, they had been two pretty chaotic days. Seeing Liza again, however, put her in a good mood; her mind had associated her with protection. Knowing that she could count on the hunters on her side made her sleep soundly. Chapter 8: A night in the Theater Several days passed immersed in training and sword slashes. Aria was making progress quickly but with no small difficulty. Anton no longer struck with the stick, but his bitter words towards her made her feel so melancholy that, when she returned home to rest, she wondered what was wrong. She was studying, practicing and had found, according to her, a certain balance. Yet, the master demanded more, more and more. When she learned to defend herself using the hilt, her expectations increased and Anton this time demanded the perfect slash. And when she also mastered the perfect slash, she had to learn another type of strike. And another. And another. Always with the stern look of the pixie putting pressure on her. She was a capable student, surprisingly by expectations, and she was learning rather quickly. She told her father that she had enrolled in a private school and that the lessons were held in the morning. With the help of Madame Doroteya, the owner of the house did not suspect anything and, given the work that kept him busy all day, there was no way he could create situations that would have allowed her cover to be blown. Then one evening of an ordinary day arrived. That morning Aria had given her best and had spent the afternoon reading about heroes of the city who faced all kinds of creatures. Dragons that breathed fire, goblins that attacked caravans and the most common nymphs that flattered men. Since she had started training, however, she had looked for something else from those stories. Creatures of the night that could feed on blood. She thought that they were popular, that perhaps they could be found in the most sought-after books and, if she did not find them there, then she would look for them on the highest shelves, where people usually did not look. And if even that was not enough, she would order the entire library just for her purpose. But no way. There was not even a trace of vampires. Not in history books, not in legends, not in folk tales. It was as if no one had ever written about them, as if vampires had never even existed in the human imagination. At dinner they talked about this and that. Her father asked her few questions, and the one who spoke the most was Aria herself. Perhaps more out of fear than will. She explained how she was learning acting at school to become a theater actress. Obviously, everything she told him wasn¡¯t true, but in order not to arouse suspicion in those days she had constructed a story that she would use when needed, just like in the embarrassing pauses that arose between one sip of wine and the next. ¡°If you like theater, I have to take you.¡± ¡°But father, you know that I like modern theater. The ones you took me to when I was little were so¡­ old-fashioned.¡± she brought a ravioli to her mouth, ¡°And then the actors are all old.¡± Her father let out a spontaneous laugh. ¡°Maybe because young people aren¡¯t capable?¡± ¡°Young people can be very capable, Father, they are just not given the opportunity.¡± Ungern brought not one, not two, but three ravioli to his mouth. Then, after wiping his mouth with a napkin, he drowned himself in a good glass of red wine. ¡°I¡¯ve decided. Tonight we¡¯re going to the theater, you and I. Getting tickets won¡¯t be hard, and I promise you that the actors will all be young.¡± Aria¡¯s interest began to get serious. She really liked the theater and went to see shows every now and then. That was also why she chose that as an excuse. ¡°A colleague at work told me that this new company has just formed, ¡®the wonders¡¯ or something like that. They¡¯re all young¡­¡± he lingered on that word a little longer, ¡°beautiful and offering more¡­ modern shows, or whatever you call them.¡± ¡°And you¡¯d do that for me?¡± ¡°For whom else? It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve been to the theater together, and now that you¡¯re learning about it, I think you¡¯d really like to see something live.¡± Aria couldn¡¯t help but accept that offer. Not because she didn''t like it, on the contrary, she was genuinely interested in seeing a work with all those characteristics that her father was presenting to her, but that man was still her father, a stern man even if you couldn''t tell from his manners. Refusing would have meant having him against us and not being able to leave the house for at least a week. ¡°Of course, father, I''d be happy. I''m going to get ready.¡± ¡°Finish dinner, before.¡± ¡°I don''t want to be late, father. I have to be presentable¡­¡± she moved a lock of hair, ¡°you know how we women are.¡± Aria returned to her room where Madame Doroteya was waiting for her, having already chosen a dress. ¡°Oh! I''m so excited! Aren''t you too, my dear?¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°No.¡± ¡°But you should! Today you''re going to the theater! L''embl¨¨me de l''amour, as they say where I live.¡± Aria put on the dress, then sat in front of the mirror and huffed the whole time. ¡°What a drag. More than anything, it¡¯s going with my father that annoys me.¡± With her arms folded, she let the housekeeper apply a little makeup, then bowed her head to have her wig fixed. ¡°Come on, girl, what¡¯s this? Do this¡­ while you¡¯re there watching the show¡­ think about something else. Anything, at least distract yourself.¡± Aria let out another snort. ¡°If only it were easy¡­¡± When the preparations were complete, Aria joined her father at the family carriage. The trusted coachman was driving and both Aria and her father made themselves comfortable inside. The leather of the seats kept their clothes warm and the lantern in the center that moved frenetically during the curves had the role of warming and keeping the guests warm. Not a word was said during the journey. Every now and then you could hear Ungern muttering about the streets and the ugly faces you could meet at that hour, but otherwise it was a quiet ride to the Modern Theater, one of the last buildings commissioned by the King. It was the second largest theater in Korotsk, after the national one, and could count up to six hundred seats. It was the first time Aria had set foot in it and she was immediately enchanted. The walls were full of frescoes and brass statues, as were the seats that had been covered in a shiny material unknown to her. The whole thing was so sumptuous and worthy of a noble building. She noticed how all the attendees, that night, were nobles or undersecretaries on behalf of the various houses. After all, the ticket cost as much as a month''s salary of a common citizen. They decided to sit in the third row, obtaining two of the last seats before the show began. The composition was quickly made: on her left was her father, stiff with the torso and attentive to every single movement on the stage. To her right was a young man, of the Velikorsky family, dressed in white and with two military medals on his chest. In front of her, however, were two gentlemen so tall that she had to crane her neck to see at all. She leaned on the right armrest to find a better opening and, when she did, she noticed that the boy next to her moved to give her space. He smiled at her. She ignored him. Behind her, two old ladies who couldn¡¯t stop talking about their family affairs. One of them had two beautiful grandchildren who were going to join the army, while the other, a widow, talked about how her husband had fought in the war and was killed after a horse fell. Aria snorted. The theater was a fascinating place, but sometimes it was the people who made it unbearable. When the show started, however, there was silence. That¡¯s when Aria started to apply Madame Doroteya¡¯s advice. She had wanted to watch the show so much, but her father¡¯s watchful eyes and, above all, his presence, had killed the mood right from the start. She then slightly closed her eyes and focused on the back of one of the two guys in front. She imagined herself somewhere else entirely, maybe in a forest, maybe on the seashore. Her thoughts soon deviated until she found herself at the academy, sword in hand, training with Anton. Who knows, she thought, what she would learn tomorrow. Maybe another slash? Dodging an attack? Or the much-hated but necessary endurance tests. They were running in circles until your legs hurt so much that your score was determined by the number of laps you made. The first actors took the stage and there was a general round of applause. What was the show about, Aria wondered. A love story? Maybe a family comedy? A story about soldiers? The latter were particularly popular, so she was sure she would see something like that. But instead¡­ Her attention increased when she heard one word in particular. Hunter. Had she imagined it? Maybe they meant a boar hunter, or a deer hunter. ¡°Oh yeah¡­ that must be it.¡± Another word. Vampire. It was then that her eyes widened and she almost leapt forward, held back only by the comfortable chair. The first actor was dressed in a military uniform and was unsheathing his sword to strike his opponent. The second actor, who had just entered the scene, was wearing a black suit with a long red cape that he liked to let flutter every now and then. His skin was white as snow and blood was dripping from his teeth. The two began to fight and it was obvious to Aria that it was a fight between a hunter and a vampire. The two actors made funny moves, the hunter the most. The audience started to laugh and so did her father. ¡°A damn comedy show about a subject like that!?¡± thought Aria, who was the only one who didn¡¯t laugh. In fact, seeing a show like that was starting to upset her stomach. The portrayal of the hunter was as wrong as one could imagine. His movements were clumsy and he showed no pride in fighting an evil creature like a vampire. Every fall was followed by a joke. ¡°The vampire knocked me down! Who does he think he is?¡± and he turned to the audience, ¡°Does he really think he can beat me?¡± he got up only to fall again, stepping on a banana peel. The audience laughed. ¡°If I don¡¯t get beaten by the vampire, I¡¯ll definitely get beaten by the food! My mom always told me to not to eat too much!¡± The audience laughed again. Aria started to feel dizzy. She didn¡¯t like the fact that hunters were portrayed like that. Plus, the sight of a vampire, even a fake one, brought back those bad memories. She had to leave. As soon as possible. She could feel the people breathing on her and the noise coming out of her mouth. The heat in the theater grew more intense and she was suffocated by it. ¡°I have to go to the bathroom,¡± she said to her father, but he was too amused to give her an answer. So she did. She stood up and struggled through the crowd until she reached the hallway. She quickly turned to look for the bathroom, and after finding it and going in, she immediately ran to the stall. She threw up. Not once, but twice. Aria felt sick. ¡°Fuck!¡± She punched the wall, breaking a tile. What was that show? Why had no one ever said anything about vampires and now, all of a sudden, they''re making a theatrical story out of it? "Of course... now everything is clearer..." she said to herself, "that my father organized it?" She was more than convinced that that evening had been planned by her father. In his heart, Ungern was afraid that Aria, after meeting Liza, had allowed herself to be dragged into the world of hunters and that a show like that could scare her from going. "You were wrong." Her face had a smile that went from cheek to cheek, while the pain in her stomach was giving way to a sense of beneficial energy. "Too late." she laughed. The girl waited for the show to end before returning to her father. He was waiting for her once again at the carriage, and when they got in, Aria apologized for being absent and missing the end of the show. ¡°No excuses, it was a mediocre show.¡± ¡°You laughed the whole time, Father.¡± ¡°Yes, but more at the embarrassment of that hunter than at the show itself. I was right, you know, young actors can¡¯t act.¡± No more words between the two of them, but a continuous muttering from Ungern as they took the road back. ¡°Damn hunters¡­¡± Chapter 9: A cold talk The next day, Aria was in the academy garden for her usual training. Anton was not there that day, nor was Liza. Always present, however, were Sev and Yegveny who were training together, or rather, trying to train. While the younger one was constantly talking about this and that, the other seemed too sure of himself when Aria suggested training with him. ¡°Me? Training with a novice like you? That¡¯s what we have Sev for.¡± So, since Sevastian was too busy talking about his day, the girl spent most of the time sitting next to him as they watched the older one train and argue with a dummy. ¡°I¡¯ll rip your head off!¡± he exclaimed. The weapon shot out at great speed, but the blade stuck in the hard wood. ¡°How long have you been trying?¡± Sev asked, ¡°You¡¯re not strong enough.¡± ¡°Shut up, little lion, and let me focus. Your words are more annoying than a mosquito.¡± Little Lion was the funny nickname the older one used to call the younger one. The family Sevastian came from, in fact, had a golden-maned lion on their crest and, more than insulting the boy, Yegveny liked to insult the entire family tree. ¡°Did I ever tell you about that time we went fishing at the lake?¡± Sevastian asked Aria. ¡°Still with this story, little lion?¡± ¡°We were half frozen and cold, but we didn¡¯t give up and we managed to stay until late at night to catch something¡­ we had to or we would have starved to death.¡± his voice became more serious, ¡°Then¡­ when our hopes were so low that we doubted we would be able to see the sun rise¡­ I felt the line being pulled.¡± ¡°Did you manage to catch something?¡± the girl asked. ¡°Not just a something, but the thing. A monster with two heads and green fins.¡± Aria shivered. ¡°Who are you kidding?¡± Yegveny laughed, ¡°I¡¯ll show you a story that you can tell¡­ watch and learn.¡± Taking a run-up, the boy threw himself against the dummy and, with a lightning-fast swing, managed to detach the wooden head that flew against a window. ¡°Good job, you did it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m the best, no contest.¡± he pounded his chest with two fists. ¡°The fact remains that it took you twenty-seven tries.¡± ¡°Did you even count them, little lion?¡± Yegveny, tired from the victory, sat down next to them on the bench. It had started snowing again and, as often happened in those days, it was better to stay indoors so as not to get cold needlessly. They also lit a campfire where they heated up some supplies, mainly canned meat and fish. ¡°All we have to do is wait for Anton.¡± ¡°By the way, do you know where he ended up?¡± Aria asked, ¡°It¡¯s not like him¡­ and Liza is also missing.¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably on a mission.¡± ¡°By the way¡­¡± Yegveny¡¯s voice became serious, too serious, ¡°Aria, do you already know when your exam is?¡± ¡°Exam?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± the boy rolled his eyes and bit into a piece of meat. ¡°They didn¡¯t tell you anything, so¡­¡± ¡°I guess not.¡± So, Yegveny began to tell between bites: ¡°To become a hunter you have to get the headmistress¡¯s permission, but she will only give it if you are truly worthy, in her opinion. In the past, it was enough to hang out with a group of hunters and learn sword techniques from them to get it, but now the headmistress demands proof.¡± A bite of meat. ¡°For example, she made me fight a lion with my bare hands. Sev, who is worse, she made him stay alone in the woods for three days.¡± ¡°I have great stories to tell about that.¡± the boy was excited. ¡°All false, little lion, the last time you said the one about the encounter with the vampire was different from the others time.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. He returned his eyes to stare at the girl. ¡°However, expect that you will have to face some kind of test too. It is likely that it has to do with survival, so I advise you to spend the weekends in the middle of the forest and come back alive.¡± This, Aria, did not like. She had done so much to impress Anton and in some ways she had even succeeded. The imp had even complimented her once and he thought that was enough. Sure, there had never been an official ceremony, but on the first day the headmistress had accepted her entrance to the academy and, for Aria, that was more than enough. ¡°What happens if I fail the exam?¡± ¡°If you are lucky, you die. If you are unlucky, you are out¡­ you will never be able to become a huntress again.¡± Aria swallowed. If everything went wrong, if she failed the exam, would she still be able to defend herself from vampires? Because that was her goal, not so much to be part of a group of hunters and train, but to be a real hunter. No longer afraid of vampires, but to be feared. ¡°I could train alone¡­¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t last a day, Aria, trust me. You¡¯d die before you could even draw your sword.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ I didn¡¯t know anything about this exam, but whatever the headmistress proposes, I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the right spirit!¡± Yegveny patted Aria¡¯s shoulder and she almost didn¡¯t fall, ¡°It reminds me¡­¡± The boy turned around to look for Sev. ¡°The tournament?¡± Sev asked. ¡°Is possible.¡± ¡°T-tournament?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Yes. The tournament is held every ten years and hunters from the various academies of each region participate. You have to face several tests and whoever wins gets a special sword that is created for the occasion. It is a sword made of pure silver with iron alloys, forged by hunter blacksmiths. It is said that a single blow of that blade can kill a vampire without him even realizing it.¡± ¡°Is the sword really that powerful?¡± Aria was surprised. ¡°You should ask Adelphe, but I have never met him. He was the only hunter from our region to win the tournament in over a century.¡± ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Sev intervened, getting up from the bench, ¡°he disappeared a few years ago. So nothing, we will never know how he won or what kind of powers the sword has.¡± The boy put out the fire with his boot and threw the leftovers in a nearby bin. ¡°Come on, we better go back now, theory awaits us. But if there is no one¡­ we can go home.¡± The theory lessons, always taught by Anton, consisted of learning about the history of vampires, their culture, their ways and even their secret language. For example, Aria had learned that vampires could live both during the night and during the day, but that they were weaker in the sunlight and for this reason they stayed inside their caves. The secret language had not yet been deciphered, except for a few words that both Anton and the Headmistress knew. In fact, most vampires did not speak the language of the region and, for the most part, many of them did not even possess reason, making them act like killing machines looking for blood. ¡°You must not have mercy on them.¡± Anton said during one of his lessons, ¡°And you must not take prisoners, because they would not tell you anything. You must finish them with the sword and you must not hesitate, or the ones who reach the afterlife will be you.¡± The theory lessons also explained the Rite, or the transformation from human to vampire. All it took was a simple bite and, in about one day, the infected blood would take effect and the human would transform into the creatures of the night that he had always fought. There was no known cure, if there ever was one. Once back, the three headed to the classroom where the Theory lessons were held and, even though they were on time, Anton had not yet shown up. ¡°Something must have happened.¡± They split up to look for the others and Aria had been assigned to report to the Headmistress. She would explain that she had been training and that the Theory lesson could not be held. Once she reached the office door, however, she heard voices. ¡°Aria, come in.¡± the Headmistress said from the other side of the door. The girl entered and saw the Headmistress next to her. Sitting around the table were Anton, Liza and the strange hooded gentleman. ¡°Your footsteps are making too much noise, Aria, fix this soon.¡± the woman said, waving her hand to take a seat. ¡°We were discussing recent events,¡± the older one continued, ¡°there was an attack last night, at the temple.¡± ¡°Vampires?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Word is flying around Korostk, and we¡¯ve been informed that a vampire killed the priests inside, then left without anyone seeing him. The government is trying to keep this information a secret, but some of the ladies are already complaining that they can¡¯t go and pray.¡± ¡°Why does the government want to keep the population in the dark?¡± Aria asked with a hint of curiosity. ¡°For the same reason you thought vampires were just legends. Have you ever wondered? Have you ever wondered why the government lied to you?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. They want vampires to not exist in the eyes of the population, and if vampires don¡¯t exist, we hunters don¡¯t exist either. We¡¯ll end up in oblivion.¡± ¡°But-¡° Aria looked at her sword, ¡°If the population were warned¡­ they could defend themselves¡­¡± ¡°No, Aria. Because it would create panic and the government wouldn¡¯t like it. And besides, the civilians wouldn¡¯t have the strength to defend themselves.¡± ¡°The question to ask,¡± Anton intervened, buzzing, ¡°is why the temple. Why kill the priests?¡± The one who spoke this time was the hooded man, who had never spoken up until that moment. In fact, since Aria had entered the academy, she had never heard him speak. ¡°We don¡¯t know. The cathedral is in the center of the city and it¡¯s not easy even for a vampire to get there without being seen. If he was hungry, he could feed on the outskirts or in any village around Korostk. No. There¡¯s much more.¡± His voice was low and dark, enough to give goosebumps to Aria. ¡°Do you suspect something, Igor?¡± ¡°The only sure thing would be to ask the priests directly, but they¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the headmistress tightened her hand around the heart pendant she wore around her neck, ¡°Like I said before, Liza will be in charge of investigating the event.¡± The huntress nodded, sheathing her sword, ¡°I¡¯d like Aria to come with me.¡± Aria¡¯s face went red as a tomato. While the idea of ??finding out more about the story fascinated her, she didn¡¯t think it was wise to set foot in a religious place desecrated by a vampire. ¡°What if the vampire is still inside the temple?¡± she asked. ¡°Unlikely, the guards have already arrived and say they found no traces.¡± ¡°Good, then.¡± the principal said contentedly without even giving Aria time to accept Liza¡¯s request, ¡°Go to the temple and report what you discovered. It is essential that you act discreetly, I say this especially for Aria.¡± ¡°We will do.¡± The two girls said in unison. Liza was the first to stand up, followed by Aria. They left their swords at the armory and then got a last hot tea before leaving the academy. This would be Aria¡¯s first official mission and she had no intention of disappointing Sonia. She thought about the exam she had to take and the possibility of participating in the tournament, but her thoughts melted when Liza tugged at her shirt. ¡°We can go.¡± Chapter 10: A look at the temple The Temple was the most important place of worship in Korotsk and was located in the central square, near the Yahontov Castle. With its marble bricks, the white building had four spires on the facade and, until midday, the sun in the square was obscured by its majestic height. Even the non-cult could not help but recognize the importance that the Temple represented for the city, becoming over the years a symbol on a par with the royal house. Aria and Liza were watching it grow bigger and bigger as they walked along the main street. The streets were crowded and the police seemed to have doubled in number from the day before. The mounted policemen patrolled the streets and stopped the occasional thief with their speed, while the ones on foot, instead, patrolled neighborhoods and also had the function of collecting taxes in the shops and asking for documents from passersby for a routine check. ¡°What do we do when we get there?¡± Aria asked, ¡°I mean, if the temple is full of police, they¡¯ll never let two girls like us in to investigate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we have Lieutenant Golubev,¡± Liza replied firmly, ¡°he¡¯s been working with the hunters for years and he lets us stick our noses in when things like this happen. And before you ask, don¡¯t worry, the lieutenant is the one who handles our cases and this is one of them.¡± ¡°I imagine the hunters rely on these people a lot.¡± ¡°Yes, we call them infiltrators.¡± Liza stopped for a few seconds to look around and choose which side of the sidewalk to continue her journey on, ¡°They¡¯re our only source of information. We have the lieutenant in the local police, but we also rely on the shopkeepers and merchants, the latter in particular are great eyes and ears in exchange for protection.¡± This time it was Aria who stopped when she noticed that a little further ahead was one of the nobles who had attended the reception on the day of the attack. So they changed sides again. ¡°What about politics?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the most important field¡­ but we don¡¯t have any infiltrators.¡± Liza said, ¡°But now that you¡¯re here, maybe the cards could be in our favor.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ it¡¯s likely that Sonia will come to talk to you to ask if you can get information from your father. We know that he sometimes interfaces with the King, and this could be a great thing for us.¡± Aria thought about it for a while. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t talk to my father much and he doesn¡¯t talk much about his work¡­ though less about the King. He¡¯s an architect, nothing more. He¡¯s on the council but sometimes he doesn¡¯t even attend meetings.¡± ¡°But it would be perfect for us, Aria, you know? Even the most banal information can hide great mysteries.¡± Aria was reluctant but managed to keep her face neutral. While she understood the hunters¡¯ motivations, she didn¡¯t want to do any real wrong to her father. Acting as a spy for him didn¡¯t seem like the best idea. ¡°I have to think about it.¡± she told her in a thin voice that was lost in the freezing cold of winter. ¡°You have plenty of time, besides, we have to take care of the temple now. Look, we¡¯re arrived.¡± They stopped in front of the spires. The square was full of citizens protesting to be able to enter. The police were trying to maintain public order and repelled every attempt to get through the cordon. Aria and Lizza walked several swords before arriving at a wooden door that was guarded by two policemen. From there, given the internal layout of the temple, one would have entered directly into the private rooms of the priests. A gentleman came out shortly after, a little bent over and with a cigar in his mouth. Clean, civilian clothes, a stern look and hair that was now white. As soon as his gaze met that of the huntress, the man moved towards the girl, keeping his hands in his pockets and puffing smoke from his mouth. ¡°Not a bad sight.¡± he began with a hoarse and particularly nasal voice. ¡°I brought a friend with me today.¡± the huntress said, turning to Aria. ¡°Aria Zotova, nice to meet you.¡± The man looked down at her and puffed smoke upwards again. ¡°Girl, there are two important things in life,¡± and he held up his index and middle fingers, keeping them together, ¡°the first is that you should never say your name, the second¡­ well, I forgot the second one.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°I¡¯ll remember.¡± a half bow from Aria, only to be met with a stern look from both of them. ¡°We need to examine the scene.¡± Liza said, remaining focused on the mission. ¡°Oh, sure, sure, the scene. Well, I hope you¡¯re not faint-hearted, last time my assistant started throwing up. But I say, how is it possible that you start throwing up at a crime scene?¡± Lieutenant Golubev opened the door for the two girls, who entered, having to duck their heads so as not to hit them on the door. The interior was spacious and there were several beds and a few odds and ends scattered around. Near the wall that divided the bedrooms from the rest of the temple, the priests had created a kitchen area complete with pots, an electric stove and lanterns. What fascinated Aria the most were the frescoes and paintings, they depicted the guardian spirits and one of them glorified the King with his crown in his hand. But the good things ended there, because when the lieutenant brought them to the nave the sight was anything but decorous. Blood was splashed everywhere, on the paintings as well as on the benches. On the floor were the corpses of the priests where the white of their clothes was now just a memory. The stench was frightening, so much so that Aria felt dizzy and had to sit down and drink a drop of water. ¡°Is this the first time you¡¯ve seen a dead person?¡± the lieutenant asked her, offering her a glass. ¡°No, the vampire was the first.¡± ¡°But he didn¡¯t have that effect on you,¡± Liza pointed out. Aria wanted to nod, but if she had, she would have thrown up the entire dinner from the day before. She stood aside for a few more minutes to regain her strength, while the other two went around the room to count the bodies. The lieutenant, still with the cigar in his mouth, unlit, took a notebook out of his left pocket and a pencil out of his right. He began to write something down, muttering sentences. ¡°We have thirteen priests who have been killed, but murdered would be more correct. The murderer is definitely a vampire.¡± ¡°Only one?¡± Liza asked. ¡°I already checked the claw marks and they were killed in the same way. Plus, the depths match on all the bodies.¡± He raised his index finger and smiled, ¡°On all but one. Follow me.¡± The lieutenant led them into an adjacent room where they followed a trail of blood that was growing thicker and thicker. What they saw would shock even the best soldier forged by the freezing cold of winter. A priest had been impaled on the wall and his albino skin suggested that all the blood had been drained from his body. Next to him, painted on the tiles, was a strange symbol. It was a tree, drawn in blood, surrounded by a circle and a star just above it. ¡°And this¡­ does this mean anything to you?¡± Aria asked the huntress. ¡°No, I¡¯ve never seen it.¡± They took a few seconds to think. Even the lieutenant seemed shocked at the sight of such horror. ¡°In my entire career I¡¯ve never seen anything like this. Vampires kill and suck blood. They certainly don¡¯t put on shows with corpses¡­ I¡¯m going to smoke a cigar outside¡­ now it¡¯s your turn.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Liza asked once they were alone. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what to think¡­ it¡¯s all so weird¡­ I mean, the lieutenant is right, vampires don¡¯t draw symbols, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. But I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re dealing with a vampire who¡¯s different from the others. And then¡­ this symbol, maybe a message?¡± ¡°Could it be a secret code? Maybe for other vampires?¡± Liza shook her head. ¡°No¡­ it wouldn¡¯t make sense now that I think about it. The police would have come right away, as it was, so no one else could have read it.¡± She shook her head again, then took a sip of water and examined the blood on the wall. ¡°No,¡± she repeated, ¡°it can¡¯t be a message.¡± ¡°What if the vampire drew it for us instead? I mean, a message for us hunters.¡± she felt proud of her question, which made her sound like a detective. ¡°It could. It could not.¡± ¡°But what if it really was? If it was a message for us¡­ we¡¯d have to decipher it.¡± ¡°In that case I know who to ask.¡± A sudden noise came from the confessional. Liza immediately lunged at it and, putting her arm inside, grabbed what was hidden. A priest appeared from behind the curtain and was thrown to the ground. ¡°NO! Don¡¯t hurt me, please!¡± his voice was shaking, as was his body. ¡°We won¡¯t hurt you, but you have to tell us what you know or what you saw of the attack.¡± ¡°I saw¡ªI-I saw¡­ a monster!¡± ¡°What did it look like?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t remember¡­ yes, he was pale, very pale, he grabbed Father Jonas and killed him¡­ then¡­ then¡­¡± ¡°Did he say anything as he killed him?¡± ¡°NO!¡± the priest shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t hurt me! Please!¡± ¡°Liza,¡± Aria said, ¡°he¡¯s pretty nervous, I think it¡¯s best to leave him to the police.¡± ¡°He has to answer to us!¡± the huntress exclaimed. It was the first time she had raised her voice to Aria. ¡°He stole- he stole the chalice.¡± the priest spoke again. ¡°What chalice?¡± ¡°The blessed chalice. We kept it in the case.¡± Time stopped. Liza began to pace to gather her thoughts and Aria went to help the priest. She gave him a towel to protect him from the cold and sat him down to give him some water, just like the lieutenant had done with her a few minutes before. ¡°You¡¯re safe now, we¡¯re here.¡± she smiled at him to give him comfort. She was absolutely no good at this. She thought back to the blessed chalice that had been stolen. She had never heard of anything like it and asking the priest didn¡¯t seem like a valid option at that moment. Liza continued to walk those few swords that were wearing out her boots. ¡°A blessed chalice¡­¡± Aria thought, ¡°Why? What use would the vampire have for it?¡± Blurred by her thoughts, she didn¡¯t notice that Liza had just changed route. ¡°Come on Aria, we have to go.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call the lieutenant who will help you.¡± Aria said getting up from the bench. With one last glance she checked which way the huntress had gone. ¡°There¡¯s water over there, then I also brought a piece of bread from the kitchen, it¡¯s the only thing I found. I hope you¡¯re not cold, maybe we needed a blanket. The lieutenant will be here shortly.¡± she bowed to the priest, then took her leave. She was so nervous that she didn¡¯t notice that she had stepped on the still fresh pools of blood. She had never felt such a sensation, that of being able to help another person just like Liza had done with her during the attack. ¡°I hope we¡¯ll meet again on better occasions!¡± she said goodbye one last time and then left definitively, not knowing if the priest had appreciated her gestures or not. She, however, was happy. Chapter 11: Looking for answers... They didn¡¯t take many steps before they reached their destination; in fact, the municipal library was located in one of the main squares of Korotsk, the ¡°Historical Square¡±, as well as the first to have ever been built. The entire neighborhood showed the weight of the years through wooden buildings and poorly paved streets. Other buildings, however, were nothing more than a pile of rubble never rebuilt, left at the mercy of the elements. The library was a majestic place, full of rooms and knowledge and not even ten lifetimes would have been enough to read all the books in it. Aria regularly set foot there at least once a week to collect and buy new books. She didn¡¯t really like reading inside the library, she found the place too dark and dusty for her tastes, so she had never had the chance to talk to the staff inside. ¡°Why here?¡± she asked as they took a small sandy road that dirtied her boots. ¡°The librarian was a hunter in the past and can give us a hand.¡± ¡°Do you think we can find the symbol in one of the books?¡± ¡°I hope so. If the vampire was trying to send us a message, it wouldn¡¯t make sense that we couldn¡¯t decipher it.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to warn Sonia and the others first?¡± ¡°No.¡± she said bluntly, ¡°What would it look like if we told them we found the symbol but we don¡¯t know what it is? Our job is to provide Sonia with answers and that¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do.¡± Aria was more puzzled than convinced and Liza¡¯s words made her doubt even more about going into the library. She wasn¡¯t sure if that symbol was a message or not and it certainly wouldn¡¯t be in the books. How could she know? Because from what they¡¯d told her, when Korotsk won the battle fourty years ago, the government burned every book that mentioned vampires, vampirism, or any other form of occultism present. Of course, a symbol drawn by a vampire had a high chance of having been cited by one of the books in question, books that were now just ashes. ¡°You look doubtful,¡± Liza told her, ¡°but trust me, we hunters are not clueless.¡± she smiled. Once inside, but not before climbing the twenty wooden steps that led to the front door, the girls were able to warm themselves with a small stove on which was hanging a sign that said ¡°do not touch.¡± From there they had two choices, the right corridor or the left corridor. The library, in fact, extended lengthwise and the two arms offered collections of different types of books. Aria had always liked the right arm better because it contained children''s books and school books, but to her disappointment Liza decided to go left. Silence was the master. He didn¡¯t say a word, and anyone who dared to speak would be called directly by the librarian, an elderly, slightly bent gentleman who was standing at his desk in the center of the room, from where he could see the entire section thanks to his raised position. There were only a few groups of students, while most were occasional visitors looking for books to borrow. The two girls then approached the librarian, who was reading a tome. ¡°Tom¨¢?.¡± the huntress called to him. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡± he said, his voice grave and his words softly. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°All is well, now that I see you, my dear Liza. Life goes on as usual here.¡± They kept their voices low so as not to disturb. Aria had to get very close to hear, placing both hands on the desk. She noticed that it was full of dust and that just the movement of her fingers could bring a bright color back to the dull wood. ¡°And who are you?¡± ¡°A newcomer.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Aria.¡± she bowed slightly. ¡°A noble?¡± the librarian asked, looking at Liza. ¡°H- how did you know?¡± lately, for Aria, it seemed as if everyone knew about her social position. It was starting to bother her. ¡°Bowling is only for you nobles.¡± Tom¨¢? chuckled, then coughed. Given his age, making too much effort was not advisable.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Do you need a book? The new collections on ancient knights just arrived. I¡¯m reading one right now and it looks really interesting.¡± ¡°No, Tomas, even though it fascinates me, we need to access the Section.¡± When Liza said that word, the librarian¡¯s gaze became more serious. He narrowed his eyes and paused for thought, then unlocked the bottom drawer of the desk with the master keys to take out another key, bigger and rustier than all the others. ¡°Follow me.¡± The librarian led them to a small wooden door that led to the back. Entrance was forbidden to non-authorized persons and the old gentleman began to unlock a complex system of locks to continue their journey. They climbed up to the second floor thanks to a narrow and damp spiral staircase. Some wooden planks had given way and others were broken. If Aria didn¡¯t hate dust, that place must have been her definition of hell. Plus, it was dark and to see a little they had to resort to a makeshift lamp that was inside a closet. They found themselves in a closet, narrow and dark. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling into the air and the only window there was fogged up. A draft of air made an eerie sound and wherever you stepped, you could be startled by the creaking of wood. Aria sneezed twice. ¡°It must be the dust.¡± she said. ¡°No one has been in here for years. There hasn¡¯t been any need. But, you know, even though I¡¯m old, these ears still hear well. Voices travel, much more than you can imagine.¡± ¡°There was an attack last night.¡± Liza explained. ¡°That¡¯s what they said.¡± ¡°We¡¯re looking for a symbol the vampire left. It¡¯s a tree wrapped in a circle with a star above it, does that ring a bell?¡± The librarian thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately not, but I hope you find the answers. Now I¡¯ll leave you alone, if you need me you know where to find me.¡± Inside the room there were several shelves containing books that, given the wear, must have been many years old. Full of curiosity she began to read the titles of those strange books kept hidden from the public. And there was a reason. ¡°Liza¡­ it¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°Did you really think that all the books were destroyed?¡± asked the huntress as she blocked the door with a tile to prevent anyone from entering unheard, ¡°Over the years, Tom¨¢? has managed to save many books and now he is their custodian. Hunters can come here to consult the archives and it¡¯s a perfect place to do research, like the one we have to do.¡± ¡°Does this mean we have to read all these books?¡± Liza shrugged, ¡°Just browsing through them is enough.¡± ¡°But it will take us a week!¡± exclaimed Aria, looking at the shelves again. There must have been enough books to fill her room. ¡°Then we¡¯d better start right away.¡± They divided up the shelves. Aria got the ones near the window while Liza got the damp ones that over time had become home to spiders and other insects. The hours passed quickly and, while Liza leafed through a book and put it back in its place, then took another book, Aria had found a manual on supernatural creatures, complete with descriptions and drawings. The section on ghouls was the most detailed and after all, the doctor who wrote the manual claimed to have had one at home who acted as a butler. There was also a lot of information on vampires and much of it Aria already knew thanks to Anton. In the books, however, there was a chapter that talked about vampire families. The manual mentioned a few names but the girl had never heard of them. The families had a creator that is the first member of the nucleus to have contracted vampirism. Then, the vampire would vampirize all the other members to create a lineage. Anyone who was bitten by these vampires would rightfully enter the family and so over the centuries powerful families were born who ruled over the others. The description stopped right during the war years, where it was written that most of the families had been destroyed and the few survivors had left the region. In addition to vampires, there were also pixies, fairies, gnomes, shadows and even werewolves, but little or nothing was known about all these creatures and many parts were missing. The book itself warned readers that some of these creatures could be nothing more than legends. ¡°Have you ever met a werewolf?¡± Aria asked Liza. ¡°No. And no one else that I know of. It¡¯s probably just a legend.¡± ¡°It says here that werewolves are the natural enemies of vampires and that the latter fear them.¡± ¡°It could be.¡± ¡°If werewolves really existed¡­ we could use them against vampires.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯d find ourselves fighting them too!¡± Liza¡¯s words were as cold as the night. Aria lowered her gaze, putting the book back in its place, ¡°It could have been a possibility¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, Aria, don¡¯t worry. We hunters hate everything that isn¡¯t natural, remember that. There are no good guys, only bad guys.¡± the girl¡¯s gaze turned to the window, ¡°It¡¯s better to continue tomorrow, it¡¯s already dark outside.¡± Aria nodded and, together, they headed towards the library exit. ¡°Tomorrow we¡¯ll continue our research, same time. Remember, since I saw you were slow in reading all the descriptions¡­ those aren¡¯t important now, the most important thing is to look for that symbol, otherwise it would really take us a week¡­ actually, two.¡± Aria nodded and went back to her house where, once she opened the door and stepped inside, welcomed by the warmth of the stove, she noticed that she was not alone. In the hall there were two gentlemen who were talking to Madame Doroteya. They were dressed in blue coats with shiny black buttons. A hat of the same color and freshly polished boots. Their bearing and their size could match that of her father. Who were they? What did they want? Had they perhaps discovered that she had become a huntress? ¡°Aria, you have arrived, I will be with you right away.¡± the governess came closer to hug her under the stern gaze of the two gentlemen. Once the hug was completed, she whispered something in her ear. ¡°These gentlemen have come to talk to your father, but they have not said who they are.¡± Chapter 12: The strange visit Booted footsteps could be heard, slow but steady. They were walking up the stairs, and Ungern emerged from the end of the wall, saluting the people present and exchanging a few words with the two gentlemen. ¡°It won¡¯t take long.¡± those were the only words Aria could hear from that distance, spoken by the older of the two. The two gentlemen began to follow the host, who led them to his office, where, closing the door behind them, they could talk business without being disturbed. Aria was starting to feel afraid. The two gentlemen looked like policemen and might reveal to her father what she had done in the last few days. She had always been careful not to be followed, to take different routes and to make sure she wasn¡¯t seen when she entered the academy, but the Korotsk police were certainly not something to be taken lightly. The fact that she had become a huntress, or at least that she was training at the academy to become one, absolutely had to remain a secret, no matter what the cost. So, she looked around. Madame Doroteya had gone upstairs to clean and Sergey, instead, had retired to his private rooms to complete his hour of break. So, Aria decided to walk down the stairs and wait for silence in the corridor. She had positioned herself behind a load-bearing column so as not to be seen in case someone emerged from one of the doors. Her breathing became labored and her forehead began to sweat. So she decided to take the plunge and walk towards the door of her father''s study. She placed her right ear in contact with the bare wood, trying to eavesdrop, but the door was more resistant and the muffled voices did not allow her to understand a single word. She lowered herself, bending with her legs and this time placing her ear above the keyhole. She could make out a few sentences that were nothing more than pleasantries and greetings. When the conversation became more serious and they started talking about work, all three of them lowered their voices and Aria could no longer make out a single word. ¡°Damn!¡± she thought, ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just being paranoid, but I have to make sure I¡¯m safe.¡± She began to think quickly. She had no time to waste as every second that passed meant part of the conversation was lost. She then placed her eye in front of the lock to be able to see inside the office. The two gentlemen were sitting on the armchairs with their backs to her, while her father was facing her, illuminated by the light from the skylight. A shiver ran down her spine when she felt someone touch her wrist. It was Madame Doroteya who, stealthily, had approached her from behind miming the gesture of not speaking. She motioned for her to follow her, and together they headed to the bathroom next door, the one usually used by guests. Aria was ready to be yelled at and became defensive. She would tell her that curiosity was killing her and that the hunters needed to have the situation under control. The housekeeper would understand and leave her alone. Instead, to her surprise, Madame Doroteya opened the doors of a closet and removed the cleaning products, placing them momentarily on the floor. She bent down to reach a grate inside the closet, which she removed, revealing a hole in the wall.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Madame Doroteya¡¯s head poked inside and waved her hand at the girl to join her. Soon, both of them found themselves with half their bodies inside the hole in the wall, thus being able to hear the three men¡¯s speeches better. ¡°The King has called an extraordinary council for Friday.¡± the eldest of the two began to speak, ¡°It concerns the situation that has occurred in the city in the last week.¡± He paused his speech to blow some smoke out of his lungs. ¡°All nobles and the council are invited, no exceptions.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ungern said, his face dark, ¡°What happened to my daughter is a very serious act, we cannot let vampires infest the city.¡± ¡°I understand your concerns, Baron Zotova, that is precisely why it is important that you also attend this meeting. We are all waiting for instructions from the government.¡± ¡°Waiting?!¡± Ungern raised his voice almost banging his fist on the table, ¡°Waiting for more innocents to die? Last night it happened to the priests, tomorrow to whom?¡± ¡°Remember who you are talking to.¡± the old man¡¯s tone was calm, but his voice was slimy like a snake. ¡°We are trying to contain the threat, but the vampires always seem to be one step ahead of us. I can, however, assure you that your family is not in any danger¡­ what happened to your daughter was a mere accident.¡± ¡°A- accident?¡± Ungern shook his head, ¡°You had to do one thing, one thing!¡± ¡°That means, Baron Zotova, that the situation is getting out of hand even for the King.¡± he sipped half a glass of red wine, ¡°Drastic but effective decisions will be made at the council. The vampires must be exterminated.¡± So, after saying those words, the older gentleman stood up, followed by the younger. So did Ungern. The man who had intimidated Aria took off the black glove from his right hand with his left and reached out for the host to shake it. ¡°There¡¯s also something else¡­¡± he nodded to the other gentleman, who handed over a letter, ¡°from you know who.¡± Ungern took the letter and, without reading it, put it inside the top drawer of the desk, then locked it. ¡°It was a pleasure.¡± the two gentlemen said, taking their leave of the office. Madame Doroteya quickly came out of hiding, then went to greet the two guests and escort them to the door. Ungern, on the other hand, remained still on the chair for a couple of minutes doing nothing, except enjoying the last sips of wine that the bottle could offer him. After, he read the letter several times, then put it back in the drawer. It was also time for Aria to leave and return to her rooms, being careful not to be seen in the hallway. She climbed onto the bed, curling up around the pillow to think about what she had seen. The two gentlemen seemed to be part of some sort of police or guards and, from the exchanges of words, it seemed that their task was to protect the family from the vampires. ¡°Were they protecting us even before the attack?¡± she wondered, thinking back to his father¡¯s words. There was also the matter of the letter and this strange character ¡°you know who.¡± For the first time in her life, Aria understood that she could no longer trust her father. ¡°It¡¯s true, he¡¯s part of the council, but he should talk more openly with me¡­ especially if my safety is at stake.¡± As a huntress, it was her job to gather as much information as possible on all activities involving vampires, and now she knew what her next step would be: discover the contents of the letter and understand who the two gentlemen really were and what their relationship with her father was. Not right away, though, because her father would be home these days and entering his office was like jumping into the pit of hell. Chapter 13: The answers come sooner or later Aria''s head was bent over a book while her fingers slowly turned the pages. The ones she had already read, unlike Liza, she didn''t put back on the shelves but stacked them one on top of the other in a trunk, so as to differentiate them from the ones still to be read. There were many missing; too many. During breaks, when she got tired of reading, she would get up to reach the window and look out until she got tired of standing. The windows were old and dirty and it was hard to even see a single inhabitant on the streets. Plus, it was raining that day, and the waterspout coming down from the clouds made it difficult to see a hand''s breadth away. She returned her gaze to the pile of books, then sat down next to Liza to leaf through the first one she could get her hands on. After all those hours, her mind was tired, and she didn''t even make an effort to read the descriptions anymore. Instead, she turned the pages quickly and without much attention. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Liza asked, closing the book in front of her and putting it back in its place. ¡°Nothing.¡± Aria replied, turning another page. ¡°You know, right, that when we women say nothing, there¡¯s always something?¡± Aria nodded. She also slammed the book shut, dusting it out. ¡°It¡¯s because of my father. I didn¡¯t think he could have so many secrets¡­ I mean, I knew he was a member of the council and that he couldn¡¯t tell me some political things, but yesterday something happened that scared me.¡± Liza raised her head to get a better look at the girl. ¡°Like?¡± ¡°Two men showed up. They were dressed like policemen, but not like the ones you might meet on the street. They were scary¡­ there was something in their gaze¡­¡± ¡°They could be part of the secret police.¡± Liza said, starting to play with her hair; she ran it through her fingers, jamming it into the ring on her index finger. ¡°Secret police?¡± ¡°Yes. They are the police who work directly for the King.¡± The huntress stood up to stretch her legs a bit and also went to the window to look outside. ¡°There will be a meeting of the nobles,¡± Aria continued, ¡°They said the council is meeting on Friday.¡± Liza sighed. ¡°It was to be expected. These attacks are just the tip of the iceberg, I fear there will be more¡­ something is moving, Aria, and it is not pleasant.¡± ¡°But there must be something we hunters can do! We cannot leave the city at the mercy of the vampires.¡± ¡°There is always something that can be done, but for now it is better to wait. Korotsk is entering a new phase and these are only the first moves.¡± Liza sounded cryptic to Aria¡¯s ears, but she understood that for now it was best to ask no more questions, continuing to focus her attention on the book in front of her. She omitted the details of the letter, believing it to be a more personal matter. She came to read another book about vampires and from there she discovered that they loved to hide among the human society doing common tasks and feeding on the homeless during the night. The luckiest, or most powerful, as the book mentioned, were those who worked in hospitals or cemeteries as gravediggers. The former could have a large quantity of blood bags, while the latter, as macabre as it might seem, could feed themselves on still fresh corpses from which to draw those few drops of blood left in their bodies. ¡°Do you know, Aria, that in the past we hunters and the secret police collaborated?¡± Liza asked, interrupting her reading, ¡°When the city and its government still trusted us¡­ and we trusted them. The police investigated the possible places where vampires lived, back then they had much more staff than today, while we intervened to go and kill them.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The huntress returned to her seat, sitting down and taking out her sword to polish it with a cloth. ¡°Everything has changed in the last few years and now we are the ones who have to hide from the police. Luckily, Sonia is quite influential in the city, so she can keep things under control.¡± ¡°But¡­ if we don¡¯t act¡­ if we are hunted by the humans too¡­ how will the city defend itself?¡± Liza lowered her voice; her tone became more serious than ever. ¡°Lately, there¡¯s been a rumor going around about a new special unit that recruits high-ranking police officers or those who can take a fairly demanding physical and mental test. They arm them with silver bullets and swords that can hurt vampires.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know anything about that.¡± Aria began to fidget. The more power the police had, the harder it would be for her to hide from them and her father. ¡°They¡¯re literally cutting us off from the game, Aria, they don¡¯t need us anymore, not even with a looming threat.¡± ¡°This is terrible¡­¡± The Duchess felt a sharp pang in her stomach. She, who had been saved by a huntress, who trusted them and who was on the path to becoming one, could not understand how they were treated by their own people. ¡°My father¡­ lost his brother, my uncle, to a hunter. I have heard, because Sevastian and Yegveny have the habit of talking when they get drunk, other stories about similar events¡­ but in my heart¡­¡± She put both hands on her chest and smiled. ¡°In my heart I know that hunters are right. I owe you my life, Liza, and if it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t be here now.¡± ¡°I know, Aria, I know.¡± she lowered her head so as not to maintain eye contact. ¡°Hunters have done things¡­ unsavory in the past, I don¡¯t deny it. But we hunters are still essential. The police, no matter how much they want to train them, will never be able to match us. Plus, there¡¯s a reason the city has had such a long period of peace.¡± He was referring to the many hunters who lived outside, in the villages or in the mountains, and who put their lives in danger every day by killing vampires and saving human lives. One might mistakenly think that the Korotsk Academy had no real use, but that was where all or almost all the hunters in the region came from. Liza went back to sifting through the books and Aria did the same. By now there were many volumes to check and their hopes began to run low. The symbol was nowhere to be found and the light of the torch alone did not help to check the images. It was dark outside, it was raining and snowing and the creaking of the wooden walls emitted an ominous sound. Winter would soon begin. Aria was already imagining herself in her evening dress dancing with the other nobles. She had had a similar experience last year, when she danced with a count who was slightly older than her. He had just eaten garlic and this annoyed her quite a bit, so she tried to leave as quickly as possible. Luckily, she wasn¡¯t the only girl dancing that evening and she managed to spend the rest of the time alone, limiting herself to smiling and avoiding the glances of the suitors. As the memories of the past moments became more vivid and she almost fell asleep on the spot, she turned some pages until she came to a very specific one. Her attention was captured immediately after and the memory of the dance disappeared from her mind. Her eyes widened because she didn¡¯t grow from what she was seeing. ¡°I found it!¡± she shouted, ¡°I found the symbol!¡± She invited Liza to look. ¡°It says here that it is a coat of arms of the Volkov family, one of the oldest in Korotsk. There are some names.¡± she began to read the family tree of the members of the lineage who had lived more than three hundred years before. The last heir, however, a young boy in his early twenties, died in an epidemic and, having no children or siblings, was the last member of the house. ¡°This means that¡­¡± ¡°That the vampire at the cathedral was trying to bring us to the attention of this family¡­ or that he was attracting their attention. Or,¡± Liza reasoned, ¡°that he himself was a member of the house.¡± The huntress sat back down to begin to think. She had assumed a funny position in Aria¡¯s eyes. ¡°Volkov¡­ volkov¡­¡± she continued to repeat the name several times, almost as if it had become an obsession, ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything to me, unfortunately. Maybe Sonia knows something.¡± ¡°Three hundred years is a long time, does that mean that vampire could be all these years old?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know, yet. The fact is that this family could be involved in the attack.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± Aria asked. She was so happy to have found the symbol that she didn¡¯t realize that now came the hardest part. Investigating. ¡°I think it¡¯s best to gather more information about these Volkovs. See if there are still heirs not mentioned in the book, maybe bastard children or someone hidden from the community. We don¡¯t know where they lived, so this is already a first search we can do.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°The town hall has a register of all the residents currently in possession of a house, so they could be Volkovs.¡± ¡°Okay. But if we go to the town hall to see the documents¡­ will they give them to us?¡± ¡°Yes, if you have a collaborator inside.¡± she winked Liza stood up to hug Aria. It was an unusual gesture, given her coldness. ¡°But tonight is the party! You found the symbol, so I suggest some Zimnik.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never tasted it.¡± ¡°Then the time has come. It¡¯s a bit strong, so be prepared.¡± Everything happened so quickly. They found themselves celebrating in a deserted bar, where the innkeeper stood with one eye open and one closed between naps. It was a strange feeling for Aria, because in a few minutes she understood that in those years she had always been missing one thing: a friend. Chapter 14: The letter ¡°Volkov¡­¡± Thoughts filled the room. Headmistress Sonia was at the head of the table, sitting in the leather chair, smoking a pipe and thinking about that name. Around her were all the members of the academy, no exceptions. ¡°The last heir has been dead for centuries,¡± Liza intervened to break the silence, ¡°that¡¯s what got us confused.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°There could still be someone alive, but they could all have been killed, for all we know.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point, then, of drawing the symbol?¡± Sonia didn¡¯t want to see her face, because she was good at hiding her emotions, but everyone present could see a gloomy expression and a dull look. ¡°Why steal a chalice.¡± Igor, the man hidden by the hood, intervened, ¡°What do they do with a chalice?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know yet.¡± Sonia replied, ¡°It¡¯s important to get to the bottom of it, or we risk losing ourselves.¡± A few more minutes of thinking. The tension was so intense that Aria stood aside and listened intently. She didn¡¯t know what to say or think, and given her experience, she had decided to let the more experienced ones speak. What was she if not a duchess who barely knew how to use a sword? ¡°Okay.¡± Sonia decided, ¡°The information you brought us is important, especially the reception that will be held on Friday. Thank you, Aria, for telling Liza.¡± A smile from the girl. ¡°We are working on that issue, while I will have to talk to some contacts I have outside the city about the Volkovs.¡± she turned to Igor, ¡°You know who to ask.¡± ¡°Was the priest questioned?¡± Liza asked. ¡°Yes, I went to him yesterday and he told me that the chalice belonged to the first priest of Korotsk, who lived a long time ago. For them it is a sacred object because it puts them in communion with him.¡± ¡°So he has no real powers?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What do you mean real powers?¡± Aria asked, ¡°Are there any¡­ magical objects?¡± ¡°Yes, they are called artifacts. Objects that are imbued with magic, but they are very rare. A chalice with that history has all the credentials of an artifact.¡± At that moment the butler entered with some wine glasses on a tray. He placed them in front of Sonia and said goodbye with a greeting. ¡°Good,¡± said the headmistress, ¡°we have finished. Resume your lessons, we will update in the next few days.¡± Aria left the room and so did Liza, Anton and the two boys. They headed to the garden to practice and that day she learned a cutting attack. She also managed, much to her surprise, to cut a bamboo cane into three equal parts, a feat that few could do on the first try. She was improving with the sword, it was clear, and her awareness was growing every day. Sure, she still had a lot to do, and Sevastian could easily beat her in a duel, but for a noblewoman who had lived in the palace all her life, she wasn¡¯t doing too bad. Late that afternoon, when she returned home, Sergey greeted her and helped her take off her coat.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Madame Doroteya had some errands to run today,¡± he told her. ¡°And my father? Is he at work?¡± ¡°Yes, miss, he said he¡¯d be home a little later today.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sergey.¡± As she climbed the stairs, she noticed how incredibly quiet the house was. Between the cleaning, her way of speaking, and the glasses that occasionally fell, Madame Doroteya could be very noisy. Aria began to enjoy those moments of peace after a day of training and an alcoholic evening. ¡°She didn¡¯t tell me that Zimnik was alcoholic,¡± she thought, ¡°I¡¯ve had a headache all day.¡± She passed in front of her father¡¯s office on her way to her room, and only later did she notice a detail. Going back a few steps, in fact, she saw how the door hadn¡¯t been closed completely. So she looked around to see if Sergey was in the area and decided to open the door slowly. With her thumb she flicked the switch on the right and the chandelier came on. The office was small but not bare. The desk was near the window and all around there were many shelves full of projects and documents of various types. Even on the desk was a slightly unbalanced stack of paper that could have pissed off even the calmest of monks with a gust of wind. Aria moved slowly so as not to trip over some book that was resting on the floor. On the desk were many architectural plans and handwritten notes, but she didn¡¯t care. The reason for her visit was the letter. She wanted to read it so much that she tried to open the third drawer without remembering that she had locked it. In her haste she almost didn¡¯t remove the knob, but then she composed herself and began to think. ¡°Locked! It should be somewhere, it must be!¡± She began to look for it in the hope that her father didn¡¯t have it in his pocket. She checked under the papers, in the ashtray and in the many pockets of the coats hanging on the wall. Then she checked among the books on the shelf and even in the cupboard near the window. Inside the shoes and between the cracks in the walls. ¡°Where¡­ where!¡± To help herself see better, she turned on the lamp above the desk, noting that only one of the two bulbs was working. ¡°Wait¡­¡± she turned off the lamp and pulled out the cover. Now the two bulbs were exposed and, looking more closely inside the one that didn¡¯t light up, she noticed that the key had been hidden right there. She then unscrewed the bulb and the key came out by itself. ¡°Yes!¡± she exclaimed, ¡°And now let¡¯s see what secrets you¡¯re hiding from me, father.¡± Aria tried the key in the third drawer and it opened. Inside, she found various junk and cigarette butts, and then found the letter whose yellowed paper suggested its venerable age. ¡°It has no address or letterhead¡­ nothing.¡± she opened the letter and pulled out the paper. Then, she began to read it. ¡°I expect you to give me what I asked for. Our deal is well defined, but its terms are not being respected here. You know well what awaits you if you don¡¯t do your duty.¡± The letter contained these few sentences that made Aria''s blood run cold. ¡°What the- a deal?¡± she looked down at the signature. B.K. ¡°My father made a deal with this B.K.¡± she put two fingers on her chin to massage it to think better, ¡°Who is he? Another noble?¡± Her thoughts wandered. She noticed that the letter had been written in a precise and fine handwriting, a clear sign of a cultured person. The only ones who were cultured in Korotsk were the nobles. ¡°Plus, I don¡¯t see any smudges and the ink is quality.¡± Her thoughts were interrupted by a noise, the sound of footsteps going up the stairs. So, Aria put the letter back inside the drawer and locked it. However, she didn¡¯t have time to put it back inside the light bulb before the door opened again. ¡°Father.¡± she said, turning pale. ¡°Aria, what are you doing here?¡± her father put his hat back on the coat rack, ¡°Did I leave the door open?¡± ¡°Exactly, father, I was cleaning the room since it¡¯s always locked and Madame Doroteya doesn¡¯t-¡° ¡°No one asked you to do that. Plus, you mustn¡¯t touch my work things.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon, father.¡± Ungern went to the mirror after grabbing his file and bottle of aftershave. He began shaving and muttered something about today¡¯s work. From that position, Aria couldn¡¯t be seen, not by his peripheral vision or the reflection in the mirror. So, she put the key back into the light bulb and replaced the cover over it. ¡°Is there anything I can do for you, father?¡± ¡°No, and I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still here. I have work to finish.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving right now.¡± ¡°Hurry!¡± Ungern turned to see the girl who almost ran for the exit, stopped in front of the door and bowed. If she were discovered, the consequences would not be pleasant. But now she knew that his father was in cahoots with this B.K., or at least doing business with him, so the next step would be to investigate him or her. The girl skipped a beat at the thought of what had happened: her father had gotten involved in dangerous business and Aria began to fear for her life. Chapter 15: A day with Madame Doroteya Sunday arrived. Like every Sunday morning, Aria was not supposed to train because it was the day of rest and the city, for that day, stopped working, leaving the shops, stores and markets in silence. The rooms filled with families who left the house to go for a walk, play with their children and do all those activities that were too long or tiring to do on other days. The person who most respected this day was Madame Doroteya, faithful to her beliefs and who went every Sunday to pray at the nearest temple. Since they had closed the main one to carry out the investigations, she had to go to a smaller temple, a little further from Villa Zotova, and that would be the first time she would go there. So, after getting up an hour earlier than usual and preparing breakfast for Mr. Ungern, having finished dusting the house a bit and done other household chores, she got ready by changing her clothes and throwing on a little perfume. She liked to wear the nicest coat she had, which she kept in a closet so it wouldn¡¯t get mixed up with her other clothes. For her hat, she used one of Aria¡¯s many, and she had made the scarf herself with a needle and string. While she was humming a holiday song, she didn¡¯t realize that two eyes were watching her from the top of the stairs. Aria was sitting there watching her with an apple in her hand that she took a bite out of after every sigh. When the apple was finished and only the core remained, she got up to go down the stairs, leaping up the steps and filling her basket. She stood between the governess and the exit door. ¡°Where are you going?¡± she asked Madame Doroteya. ¡°Aria! You gave me a shock¡­ it¡¯s not like you to get up so early.¡± ¡°I want to come with you.¡± The governess made a strange face, then started laughing and stopped immediately after when she realized that the girl¡¯s request was serious. ¡°You? To the temple?¡± she couldn¡¯t hold back another laugh, ¡°And since when did you become faithful? You haven¡¯t set foot in a temple since you were four and you promised me you wouldn¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but today I want to go and you¡¯re going, so I want to accompany you.¡± Keeping that incredulous but also a little cryptic look, Madame Doroteya agreed to let them follow her. They stopped, however, just before reaching the gate and greeting the guard to change direction. ¡°Let¡¯s get some flowers first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The girl continued to follow the governess, walking along the marble tile path that surrounded the villa. The two bent down every few steps to pick some flowers and put them in a basket. They were white muqetti of rare beauty and Aria¡¯s gaze continued to linger on them after picking them and before putting them in their place. ¡°We¡¯re done, we can go.¡± said the governess. They continued on their way to the temple. It wasn''t as far as it looked, but they had to travel a bit of the long road and then cut through a western neighborhood. Once they arrived, Aria felt a palpitation. The images of the priests¡¯ corpses were still strong in her mind and the fact of having to set foot in a temple was something that made her a little afraid. Many things could have gone wrong, but that day she wanted to get rid of those thoughts. With the bouquet in her hand, she followed Madame Doroteya inside the temple, where they sat on one of the benches. There weren¡¯t many people inside and the average age was quite high. The youngest must have been two unarmed soldiers who were in their early twenties. Then, a man on the right, alone and with a rose in his hand, two old ladies on the left and a woman a little further ahead, probably a widow. Madame Doroteya clasped her hands in a single gesture and began to profess some words that didn¡¯t manage to reach Aria¡¯s ear. So, the girl tried to do the same, but she couldn¡¯t concentrate enough and immediately got distracted. ¡°What is it?¡± Madame Doroteya asked.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m worried.¡± ¡°Worried about what?¡± Aria looked around again. The woman had just gotten up and was leaving the temple, while the other people were still where she had last seen them. A priest had arrived, however, and was standing in the front row praying as well. ¡°It¡¯s because of my father. I¡¯m afraid, Madame Doroteya, afraid that he might have mixed up in some business¡­¡± she didn¡¯t know how to say it without sounding strange to her, ¡°shady?¡± ¡°Shady?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°If it¡¯s because of those two men, I think they were just private guards.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not just that¡­ I mean¡­ that too, but there¡¯s more.¡± ¡°Tell me, my dear.¡± Aria looked back at the others, then lowered her head a little and spoke into the eldest¡¯s ear. ¡°I¡¯m afraid for our safety¡­ for my father¡¯s and for mine¡­ and for yours, of course.¡± ¡°We have guards, my dear, nothing bad will happen like last time.¡± Madame Doroteya tried to comfort the girl, but Aria had noticed that her words were reluctant to come out of her mouth and that her gaze was not the most serene. ¡°You must not underestimate vampires, they are-¡° ¡°No Aria!¡± the governess interrupted her, ¡°Do not bring evil into a temple! Do not say that word in this place¡­ those two gentlemen are one thing¡­ another are the¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She didn¡¯t understand why she was so angry. Was Madame Doroteya perhaps afraid of vampires? Or did she really think that even saying the word ¡®vampires¡¯ in a place like that could somehow bring bad luck? ¡°Come, my dear, I¡¯ll take you to confess.¡± ¡°Wh- Why?¡± ¡°Because when we get home I don¡¯t want to fear for my life!¡± the woman exclaimed, grabbing her arm and dragging her into the confessional. ¡°I don¡¯t want to confess!¡± she whimpered, but then she found herself inside the wooden confessional, sitting on the bench and obscured by the curtain. It was cold in there and dark as night, but then a priest appeared from the other side of the partition. She couldn¡¯t get a good look at his face because of the thick retina, but she could swear she had seen those features before. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± the priest asked. ¡°Aria.¡± ¡°Aria?¡± the priest asked with a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°You are the girl who saved me!¡± ¡°You are the priest of the temple¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, and I owe my life to you and your friend. Tell me, Aria, what brings you here today?¡± Aria remained silent for those seconds that seemed like an eternity. She didn¡¯t know what to say to him and she didn¡¯t know if she should say it. She didn¡¯t want to remain silent because it didn¡¯t seem right, but on the other hand she didn¡¯t know if she could trust him to reveal certain details. She just tried to follow her heart. ¡°I¡¯m scared. Scared of vampires and scared that the people I love might get hurt.¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal to be scared, Aria, it¡¯s part of human instinct. I was scared myself when I saw my companions die¡­¡± ¡°Yes, but now I can protect myself, so the fear is slowly passing.¡± ¡°So what is tormenting you?¡± The girl began to sigh. She looked down at her hands and checked the calluses one by one that her sword training had left. She was unwatchable, her nails no longer worthy of a duchess and she hadn¡¯t even added a bit of polish that day. ¡°Am I selfish if I just want to protect myself?¡± she asked, but didn¡¯t want an answer, ¡°Am I selfish if I decide to train with the sword in case a vampire wants to harm me? Am I selfish if I ask to have some peace in my life?¡± She continued before the priest could utter a word. ¡°That¡¯s all I want¡­ but no one seems to understand.¡± ¡°Aria, it¡¯s normal to ask all these questions, I guess you¡¯re a new huntress, right?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°I thank you for what you do, but you should know that there are many who do not appreciate your work, I did not even to be honest... I am locked up here all day praying and trying to do good for other people, but when you felt love towards me, I did not hesitate to change my mind towards yours.¡± ¡°I-I do not know what to say¡­¡± ¡°Know,¡± continued the priest, ¡°that there are also people who appreciate what you do, and if you can protect them, then you will have additional support from you.¡± ¡°And what if those you protect do not want me to be a huntress?¡± ¡°You must protect them anyway, because that is what a huntress does. You may be hated for what you do, but if it is what you truly want, no one can stop you from doing it.¡± The priest placed his right hand on a lever and pulled it. The partition opened slightly and, on the other side, Aria could see that the priest''s hand had reached her side. A pendant was dangling from his fingers. ¡°I want to give you this gift, Aria, in recognition of your help. Take it.¡± The girl did so and placed it around her neck. The pendant depicted a sun. ¡°This pendant is imbued with magic, true magic, and it will protect you in your darkest moments. Always wear it around your neck and never take it off.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± she almost became emotional, but resisted because her father had always taught her that crying in front of strangers was bad manners. ¡°I will.¡± The girl rose from the bench and started to pull the curtain away, before casting a final glance at the priest. ¡°I will continue on my path as a huntress. That¡¯s what I want to do right now.¡± She nodded her head and then walked over to Madame Doroteya, who had just placed the bouquet of muqetti in front of a candle. ¡°Your father wasn¡¯t the only one who lost someone dear to him, Aria, during the war.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I go to the temple every Sunday to pray.¡± ¡°Can I¡­ can I know who?¡± Madame Doroteya shed a tear, then wiped it away with a handkerchief. They had never discussed that topic and the girl didn¡¯t even know that Madame Doroteya had had someone who was considered ¡®dear¡¯ in her eyes. She had always been a strong and independent woman, tenacious and a warrior. She had never seen her in that state and even crying a tear was something she could never have imagined being able to talk about. ¡°My son.¡± Chapter 16: Disguised as a waitress ¡°Good work, Father.¡± Aria said, waving. ¡°I¡¯ll be back late at night, so don¡¯t wait up for me.¡± Ungern put his hat on his head and had Madame Doroteya help him put on his coat. ¡°Can you at least tell me where you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°No, Aria.¡± He approached her while taking the cane that was hanging on the wall, ¡°Tell me, since when do you care about what I do?¡± His gaze penetrated the girl¡¯s soul as she confidently sat on the chair to tie her boots. ¡°It¡¯s work, girl, and I prefer you stay out of it. These are private matters.¡± ¡°Okay, Father, I apologize.¡± ¡°Ah, to hell with your apologies.¡± Aria gave a long bow as she watched her father leave the house to walk to the royal carriage. It was a carriage sent directly by the King for all the guests at one of his receptions. It had two purebred white horses and a large space inside to accommodate an entire family. It was raining that night, so Ungern had to choose between getting wet or making it to the carriage without falling over himself; he decided to rely on his cane to walk as fast as possible. Aria, meanwhile, returned to her room, where she looked out the window to make sure her father hadn¡¯t fallen. Then she looked a little to the left, down the next street, where she could see a carriage parked outside the streetlights. It was the academy carriage, come to pick her up and take her to the reception. ¡°Today is the day,¡± she said, throwing herself into bed. It was going to be a difficult and terribly long evening. She knew how long receptions could last, and she had been to so many in her life that she was sick of them. But until now she had never attended a reception as a huntress and, as in this case, as a spy. She was afraid, of course, but she had to do it for her companions. With her right hand she searched for something on the other side of the bed; she touched some plastic and could see some clothes inside the bag. Sonia had delivered them and until then she had kept them inside the closet. The maid''s clothes would serve as a disguise to pretend to work as a maid inside the palace and, in the meantime, keep her eyes and ears open on the nobles and on this Boris, whoever he was. Plus, the King would have something to say about recent events that could be interesting for the hunters. ¡°Let''s hope everything goes well.¡± she said to herself as she stood up and changed her clothes. She also had a mask at her side, as the waiters at the Yahontov palace had to wear one because they were not worthy of being compared to the nobles. The waiters had to remain neutral, without personality and without a name; precisely for this reason dressing up as a maid had been the academy''s choice. ¡°And as a precaution¡­¡± she put some pillows under the sheets and turned off the light. If her father had returned before her, she would not have suspected anything. Madame Doroteya would also have fallen for the deception, because at night, usually, she was left alone and no one would have noticed anything. It was a perfect plan. Until she came out of her room, dressed as a maid and with a mask in her hand to find the housekeeper in front of her, cleaning the stairs. ¡°What the hell are you doing dressed like this?¡± Madame Doroteya asked. ¡°Doroteya¡­ aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡± ¡°It looks like I¡¯m sleeping? I¡¯m cleaning and- what the hell are you doing dressed like this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­ I have to do something.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of your friends, right?¡± Aria made a sign not to speak or at least to lower her voice. The last thing she wanted that evening was for Sergey to find out that she had become a huntress. ¡°I¡¯m going somewhere¡­ and yes, I¡¯m going with my ¡®friends¡¯.¡± The girl started to go down the stairs but found herself in front of Madame Doroteya who, with her size, blocked her path. ¡°Stop! You¡¯ll tell me where you¡¯re going or I won¡¯t let you pass.¡± ¡°Come on, Doroteya¡­ I can¡¯t, do you understand?¡± The housekeeper quickly turned into the pushy aunt who kept bombarding you with questions during the Christmas dinner. ¡°When are you coming back? Why are you dressed as a maid? Do you promise me you¡¯ll be safe?¡± The questions continued until they finally became one: ¡°Don¡¯t be late.¡± ¡°Okay, Doroteya, I promise.¡± ¡°Good.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for them to leave the mansion behind and reach the carriage. Inside, they found Anton and Liza, and Sevastian was the coachman. He hadn¡¯t brought an umbrella with him, so his clothes got wet. ¡°Did you bring your mask?¡± Liza asked first as Aria sat down next to her. ¡°It¡¯s here with me.¡± ¡°Light of my eyes, tell me where you want to go and I¡¯ll take you. The ride is free,¡± the coachman began. ¡°Shut up, Sev, we¡¯re talking.¡± Liza scolded him. They started to make a wide circle around the block so as not to arouse suspicion and parked inside a park where the nightlife was led only by drug dealers and shady guys. But they were hunters and that would be the lesser evil of the evening. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go over the plan. We¡¯ll arrive with the carriage in front of the secondary entrance and you, Aria, will have to get off to join the other waiters. Remember: you will have to wait tables and do as the head waiter tells you. You are a new hire from a good family, so don¡¯t worry about the accent and your hands.¡± ¡°Thanks for reminding me.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t bow!¡± the huntress exclaimed, ¡°You don¡¯t have to bow. You are not a noble, you are a waitress.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Keep your mask on at all times and, for no reason in the world, do not let yourself be discovered.¡± ¡°I understand.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The girl swallowed, every second that passed she was afraid that the plan would fall apart. ¡°We¡¯ll stay here in case anything happens. As soon as we hear screams or see guards moving, we¡¯ll intervene.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aria, I¡¯ll protect you.¡± Sevastian said, nudging the horses to get them moving. ¡°Try to stay close to your father,¡± Liza added, ¡°because he¡¯ll most likely contact B.K.¡± ¡°Of course i will do.¡± ¡°And watch the King¡¯s speech, we need to figure out how he wants to proceed. The more we know in advance, the better we¡¯ll be able to prepare.¡± ¡°It will be done.¡± ¡°So, good luck.¡± Anton said. ¡°Good luck, Aria, do a good job.¡± The girl stepped out of the carriage once they reached the back gate of the mansion. She stepped into a puddle, and to make matters worse, the rain had carried debris and rocks into a muddy slush that soaked her boots. ¡°My dress is dirty!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a maid, Aria, you don¡¯t care about clothes.¡± a female voice said from inside the carriage as it sped off. ¡°Okay, I can do this.¡± Two guards reached her position, holding muskets in their hands. ¡°Hey, you! Hurry up, the others are already in!¡± one of them shouted, grabbing her and pushing her into the gate. Aria had never been treated like this, not by a stranger. Her father would have him arrested and killed, and that¡¯s why she had never had a boyfriend and hadn¡¯t even had her first kiss. ¡°I¡¯m a maid. I¡¯m a maid.¡± she repeated to herself to calm herself; she hated being a maid. She entered through a small wooden door that led directly to the kitchens. The space was large and three rows of tables had been set up in the center. The cooks were dressed in gray tunics and had strange hats on their heads, like the ones Sergey used but even bigger and taller. The waiters, on the other hand, dressed like her, wore light clothes and, especially the women, that showed the flesh of their legs. There must have been about twenty people in total and, among them, also the head waiter. ¡°Hey, you!¡± he exclaimed. He was a giant man and, unlike all the others, he was dressed in red-brown clothes. A yellow pin had been placed at the height of his heart. ¡°You know you¡¯re late, right? At least you¡¯ve already changed. Now get the mud off your boots and go help the others. Prepare the dishes. The guests are hungry.¡± Aria did as she was told and went to the corner to get the mud off and throw it on the floor. She had noticed how the floor near the entrance was full of mud and water, so that gesture was not seen badly by the others. Then, she went near one of the tables and took a plate and then arranged some food on it. She watched her colleagues make sudden movements and tried to imitate them. The food had to be arranged according to good cooking logic, which the expert waiters knew but which were obscure to Aria''s mind. Since she was born, Sergey had been the one to take care of the cooking and refresh the members of the Zotova household. Every now and then Madame Doroteya also loved preparing desserts and there were days when, returning from shopping, she filled the pantries with spices, food and more that were then used for her bizarre creations. As for Aria, the butler had never even let her touch a knife; Sergey was strict and jealous with his little corner of the world and hated it when someone interfered with his work. Sometimes he was caught by his father sleeping on the benches beside the pantry, but he didn¡¯t say anything because real workers slept at the workplace. So, Aria never had the opportunity to learn and saw cooking as something for old people - may Sergey forgive her if he heard it - or boring. ¡°First time?¡± asked the girl next to her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I mean, first time working as a waitress?¡± her smile seemed sincere and all her teeth were visible to the Duchess. ¡°How did you know that?¡± The girl took a plate and began to compose a sandwich by adding the ingredients. ¡°Everyone knows that, to compose the Korotsk sandwich, you have to put the bread first, then the ham and only last the salami, do you know why?¡± Aria simply shook her head. ¡°Because not everyone likes salami and there are those who might be allergic. Many times the plate is taken back and then the head waiter scolds us. To avoid this, we put the salami last, so it is at the beginning of the sandwich, and a nobleman who does not want to eat it can remove it himself¡­ or we can remove it without disturbing the ham. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± continued the girl who went back to composing the plates, ¡°do as I do and it will be fine. By the way, my name is Katerina.¡± ¡°Aria.¡± She saw that the girl didn¡¯t bow or reach out, so she didn¡¯t do anything either, remembering Liza¡¯s words. It took another ten minutes or so to finish, and by the time the last slice of bread was placed, there were hundreds of plates on the tables. ¡°Come on!¡± the head waiter shouted, ¡°Now go serve! You, you, and the new girl too! Move or there will be trouble!¡± Aria found herself holding a plate that Katerina handed her, and after Katerina nodded, she followed the other two waiters. Making the sandwiches wasn¡¯t too difficult, considering she was wearing a mask and her vision was limited. Walking and being careful not to bump into any valuable furniture or the nobles, that was a difficult task. She stood as close as she could to the waiter in front of her and, once they reached the hall, she could see about fifty round tables that were livening up the evening. All the nobles of the Korotsk council were in that hall and, turning her gaze to the left, she could see a long rectangular table, a little apart from the others, where the King and his son were sitting, plus other nobles and trusted advisors. The nobles were impatient; some of them were banging their cutlery against the table and others were whistling at the waitresses as they passed by. Aria stopped at one of the tables and placed her plate in front of some nobles. ¡°Hey, doll,¡± said the nobleman, grabbing her leg. The girl almost fell and had to hold on to the chair, doing a funny pirouette. ¡°Do you want to play with me?¡± asked the nobleman, keeping his hand firmly on her leg and spearing the meat with his fork. Without saying a word, Aria tried to compose herself and attempted to slip out of the nobleman''s grip, kicking and scratching if necessary. ¡°The little doll is pawing the ground.¡± the noble laughed, then let her go. Aria returned to the room holding back tears, never in her life had she been humiliated so much, not even with the vampire or with Anton¡¯s harsh teachings. The mission, however, was too important to be ruined. And her greatest fear was to be discovered, because she would not be able to find excuses in front of her father. She then placed herself next to Katerina, who sensed that something had gone wrong but did not say a word, simply handing her two more plates. She returned to the room, this time taking a few seconds to think about where to go. She then headed to a table near the window where she had recognized her father who was dining with two other nobles. She handed them the plates and strained her ears to listen to their conversations. But neither her father nor the other nobles said a word, simply thanking them and eating their rations. ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t talk if I stand too close¡­¡± she said to herself, and while she was thinking, Katerina came closer. ¡°Come on, we have to deliver the next dishes: pea soup and minestrone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t envy them.¡± After all, she had been too used to it, because Sergey, despite being harsh with her in the culinary field, was also an exceptional cook. Time flew by quickly and the guests got to the second course. Aria lost count of how many dishes she delivered and had to be careful several times not to let anyone put their hands on her, especially avoiding the nobleman from before who seemed to be having a great time with her. A ten-minute break was then declared before dessert. The nobles began to get up and, between those who went to greet the King and exchange a few words and those who went outside to smoke, the room soon emptied. The waiters and cooks also went outside to smoke and the last time Katerina was seen by Aria was on the stairs leading to the second floor accompanied by one of the King''s advisors. ¡°What to do?¡± The turning point came when she noticed that her father was going towards the garden of the East wing, where no one had set foot before. ¡°What is he going there for? Maybe he''s meeting with this B.K.?¡± She didn''t think twice and, using the excuse of going to the bathroom, actually sneaked through the corridors of the palace until she reached a living room that gave directly onto the small garden. It was small, with a few flowers and a larch in the middle, whose branches touched the walls of the palace. However, crouching behind the windows of the living room was certainly not a good idea. Anyone who entered would have seen her and, even if she managed to escape, the mask would have deceived her. Then, she noticed that one of the small rooms next to her was nothing more than a closet with buckets, brooms and rakes; the perfect place to hide. Her father was in the garden, alone, smoking a cigar. He was sitting on a bench and watching the moon while humming a tune. He remained like that for several minutes until he got up and, looking to the left, approached something. Aria couldn''t see well and had to open the window to at least hear a sound. She was lucky, though, because immediately after that her father reappeared from the darkness and stood near the bench, without sitting down. From the shadows came out a nobleman she had never seen before, dressed in upper-class clothes and whose eyes were red as blood. "You''re late," her father began. Chapter 17: Is him my father? What Aria saw would remain etched in her memory for the rest of her life. Her father, Ungern Zotova, Baron of Korotsk and a man of honor, who grabbed the other nobleman by the neck, slamming him against the wall and holding him down with his cane. ¡°You were supposed to protect her!¡± Ungern exclaimed. The nobleman, despite the strong impact, did not let out a cry of pain; he simply let him hold his hands on him without protesting. ¡°Are you afraid, Ungern?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not afraid. You can¡¯t kill me.¡± the baron let go, then took two steps back and threw the cigar to the ground, which he put out with the sole of his boot. From his inside jacket pocket he took out a new cigar, which he brought to his mouth and lit with a portable steel. ¡°Last time I didn¡¯t get as much as I wanted¡­¡± the nobleman spoke, adjusting his collar, ¡°and you know what happens when you don¡¯t keep your word, right? You had a demonstration, but next time we won¡¯t fail.¡± He began playing with his fingers, putting them in his mouth and chuckling at the end of each sentence. He also hunched over a little and his eyes continued to glow red in the moonlight. ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to get to her. Why would I pass my mistakes on to someone else?¡± Ungern asked, ¡°I made a mistake, I know, but it¡¯s not easy to get close to the king.¡± a cloud of smoke rose into the sky, ¡°I need more time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time!¡± the nobleman exclaimed, almost shouting and keeping his voice higher. ¡°We. Don¡¯t. Have. Time!¡± Aria, meanwhile, was listening from behind the window and, the more she listened, the more horrified she was by what was revealed before her. Who was that strange gentleman? Was it B.K.? And then those eyes¡­ ¡°A vampire?¡± she wondered, ¡°But my father wouldn¡¯t have the strength to slam him against the wall, much less grab him by the neck¡­¡± She had read in the books in the library that vampires possessed extremely superhuman strength, capable of breaking a wooden door with just one punch. A human would never have been able to win a fight against them, much less if the human in question was sixty years old and had an injured leg. ¡°We need a meeting. One. Away from everyone. And then¡­ when we get close¡­¡± even though Aria was far away and the noble was obscured by the shadow of the tree, she could clearly see his nails lengthening into claws, ¡°we¡¯ll catch him! We¡¯ll eat him! Mouse? Mouse where are you?¡± The noble got down on all fours, crawling around the garden in search of something, ¡°Mouse?¡± and finally managed to catch what was a long-tailed mouse, which he gobbled up in one bite. ¡°My God!¡± Aria said, covering her mouth. ¡°You will have your meeting, but not before you tell me what you know.¡± Ungern didn¡¯t seem to be as shaken as his daughter, continuing with business and smoking his cigar. In fact, he seemed even more relaxed now than before. ¡°What did they tell us?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We know something, yes. He has the chalice, no more. He lacks blood, no less. We. Need. Blood.¡± The four-legged friend burped and licked his lips several times. Animal blood dripped from his mouth and a smile formed on his face. ¡°You will have your blood, but not right away.¡± Ungern said, pacing back and forth with his hands in his pockets. Smoke was coming out of his mouth between words. ¡°The king has guards everywhere and it¡¯s not easy to approach him. Plus, he¡¯s a smart guy and won¡¯t be fooled that easily. No¡­ not by you stupid vampires.¡± Aria¡¯s blood ran cold. The man her father was talking to was a vampire for all intents and purposes. What was she supposed to do in that case? Try to attack him and cut off his head? But she didn¡¯t even have her sword with her and, as Anton had told her, a hunter without a sword was nothing but food for those creatures. Maybe she could get in touch with Liza, but she wasn¡¯t sure how. She couldn¡¯t scream or the vampire would kill her before she could finish screaming. Maybe it was better to stay hidden and see how the conversation went. ¡°Stupid? We control, we plunder, we kill.¡± A squeak was heard in the middle of a hedge and immediately after that, claws sinking into flesh. The nobleman returned to Ungern to stand on his two-legged feet and straighten his blood-stained jacket. In his hand he held a lifeless mouse. ¡°We can be lethal, Ungern, remember that.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I know, Boris. You don¡¯t have to tell me every time.¡± ¡°Good¡­ good.¡± The vampire turned and scratched his nails against the wall. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Yes. The night of the attack, your friend was killed by a huntress named Liza. Do you know anything about her?¡± ¡°Liza¡­¡± he paused for a few seconds to remember if he had heard that name before; to help his memory, he decided to watch the moon moving quickly through the black clouds. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t mean anything to me. She¡¯s not one of the mountain hunters, so she must live here in Korotsk.¡± Ungern leaned closer to the vampire¡¯s ear, but Aria could still hear his next words because her father didn¡¯t lower his voice. ¡°The huntress must die.¡± The girl skipped a beat. Her father wanted to have Liza killed? It¡¯s fine to hate hunters, but going that far seemed like an exaggeration. ¡°He collaborates with vampires and now he wants to kill a huntress? Is he really my father?¡± she wondered, a tear rolling down her left eye and onto the floor. ¡°Kill! I like it! It will be done! If this Liza killed Kremel to save your daughter, maybe your daughter knows how to find her.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it obvious? Do you really think your daughter hasn¡¯t tried to get in touch with her?¡± ¡°Aria?¡± asked Ungern, ¡°Her? And why? She wouldn¡¯t even know how to hurt a fly, let alone play at being a huntress. She wouldn¡¯t have the chops, but I won¡¯t deny that she might know where this Liza is¡­ lately it seems¡­¡± he stopped with his words, lowering his gaze and throwing the cigar in an undefined direction. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her.¡± said the vampire, ¡°Good morning, I¡¯m Boris and I want to kill your little friend. How does that sound?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid.¡± ¡°Or maybe, good morning, your father sent me and wants to know if you¡¯ve been looking for a certain Liza¡­ oh, by the way, I feel like feasting on her blood.¡± ¡°Just kill her, I don¡¯t care how.¡± The vampire bowed for an eternity. ¡°It will be done.¡± Boris walked away with a cheerful laugh, disappearing into the shadows and leaving Ungern alone. Aria, on the other hand, didn¡¯t know what to do. Her father had been in business with vampires and everything she had known about him up until that moment was being called into question. This man was no longer her father, he was something else. Making an attempt on the King¡¯s life was crazy and doing business with vampires was even more so. What would the other hunters think about this story? How would Sonia react? How would Liza react? Would she be expelled from the academy? Or maybe they would kill her father for being a vampire collaborator? The more questions she asked herself, the more she understood what a mess she was getting herself into. What she had seen couldn¡¯t be real¡­ it was all so wrong. Then she saw her father walking away to go back to the banquet and, after taking two deep breaths to contain her anxiety, she turned to go back to the kitchen, but she didn¡¯t notice that a boy had just entered the closet and was a few swords away from her. ¡°Where can I find some wine?¡± asked the one who turned out to be the prince, a little unsteady and starting to rummage through the nearby crates. Aria remained still. The mask on her face was the only thing that didn¡¯t make her scream in fear. She was afraid of being discovered and that the prince would tell her father. Plus, even though he wasn¡¯t looking in her direction, the closet was so narrow that she couldn¡¯t even try to escape. ¡°Can you help me?¡± the prince asked, pointing to the boxes. Aria bent down and opened the closest box. Inside, she found folded cloth, mugs, and cutlery. ¡°Did you find anything?¡± he asked again, waiting for an answer. Aria couldn¡¯t say a word or the prince would recognize her. True, they had only met once and it had been several weeks, but the girl was so scared that she remained still and clumsy in her movements. ¡°Why don¡¯t you talk?¡± Aria shook her head. She thought about the fact that the prince must have so many women and that he met so many people during the ceremonies that he might have forgotten about her. Besides, it was Aria who had forgotten about the prince and his existence, until that moment. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed.¡± she said in a small voice. The prince narrowed his eyes at first, then came closer in a second. ¡°Aria?¡± The girl stepped back and touched the window with her back. The prince moved forward and almost touched Aria, who took off her mask to reveal her face. ¡°Aria, what are you doing here?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m watching over my father. I¡¯m afraid for his safety.¡± She admitted the truth; now she had nothing left to lose. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to be afraid for him. There are guards everywhere and the accident that happened to us¡­ well, it was just an accident.¡± ¡°I know¡­ but something tells me you can¡¯t be careful these days.¡± ¡°And you dress up as a maid for that reason?¡± he laughed heartily, then closed the chest and sat down on it, ¡°And I was hoping to find wine¡­ and instead I find you.¡± There was a few seconds of silence, rather awkward according to the girl. ¡°So¡­ I guess you want to leave now? I mean, you have my word that nothing will happen to your father. There is no safer place in Korotsk than this palace.¡± Even if she wanted to, Aria couldn¡¯t leave. The King would give his speech after dessert and her job was to attend and report everything to Liza and Anton. ¡°I guess to avoid suspicion I have to continue this cover-up.¡± ¡°It makes sense¡­ but I¡¯ll still have to tell my father that you snuck in here, I think he¡¯ll get the two guys fired at the-¡° ¡°No!¡± Aria exclaimed, ¡°Please, don¡¯t tell your father!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because if my father finds out, I¡¯ll be in trouble!¡± ¡°It makes sense¡­¡± The prince stood up and searched the shelves this time. ¡°I wonder if there is any wine somewhere.¡± ¡°So, you won¡¯t tell your father?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t not do this. I¡¯m sorry, Aria, but he needs to know that the guards didn¡¯t do their job, my safety is at stake. Even if I told him that someone came in without telling him your name, he¡¯d still want proof. My word isn¡¯t strong enough.¡± ¡°A dance.¡± The prince looked in her direction curiously. ¡°I promise you a dance. But you mustn¡¯t tell your father.¡± After those words, the prince stopped searching through the shelves and approached Aria again. ¡°A dance, you say? Yes, I can accept that.¡± The two remained for a few seconds staring into each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°Good, so can I go?¡± ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Aria stepped over the prince and put her mask back on. ¡°Next time we meet, we¡¯ll dance together.¡± she told her before walking through the door. ¡°Then I can¡¯t wait for the the sun rising.¡± Chapter 18: The Kings Speech ¡°Where have you been?¡± Katerina asked with her hands in the dough. ¡°In the bathroom.¡± Aria replied. The noblewoman immediately got to work taking the molds and beating the eggs and adding the sugar. What they were creating were actual cakes and accompanying sweets. ¡°Good thing the head waiter didn¡¯t ask questions, or you would have been fired on the spot.¡± ¡°Is he that strict?¡± ¡°Yes, a girl was fired last week because her cake didn¡¯t weigh exactly the plumbs listed in the instructions¡­ by the way, read this.¡± Katerina handed her a piece of paper and Aria read it, squinting. On it were listed the ingredients to use to prepare the cakes and also the quantities of them. So far, nothing to object to, except that the cake should weigh four hundred and eighty plumbs, not one less or one more. To help themselves, the waitresses each had a scale, and there they could adjust the doses. ¡°For many waitresses, this is where the real test comes in.¡± said Katerina. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful, then.¡± Aria smiled, but then remembered that she was wearing a mask. All she could see of Katerina was her short brown hair and nothing else. Who knows what she looked like, what her eyes were like, her face. It was awful to talk to a mask, but she had gotten used to it quickly. After all, it was the mask that allowed her to remain anonymous. So, after mixing all the ingredients, she put the cake in the oven and waited about twenty hourglasses. In the meantime, she devoted herself to making the sweets, much simpler to make but just as good in taste. Aria especially liked the chocolate ones, but they created different types, including strawberry, cherry, and apricot. The fruits were rare in Korotsk, so they had to be imported from other regions, and for this reason, only the richest could afford to eat them. The oven jingled and the girl took out the cake. She weighed it and it weighed four hundred and eighty-two plumbs, a good two more than the recipe said. She then decided to take a teaspoon and fillet a layer on one side to make it weigh less. Four hundred and seventy-five plumbs. ¡°That¡¯s no good.¡± she said to herself, and then she took part of the layer and tried to fit it inside the cake somehow. The aesthetics weren¡¯t perfect, but what was important was that the weight was. ¡°Four hundred and eighty plumbs,¡± she said to Katerina, ¡°just like in the recipe.¡± ¡°You did very well! Now take the cake to the head waiter for inspection, and then you can take it to one of the tables.¡± Aria did as she was told, and after a quick scan by the head waiter, she was sent over to deliver the cake to one of the tables. Since the waitress had to stay near the table for the entire dessert, Aria decided to deliver it to the table where her father was, so she could hear the King¡¯s speech. ¡°Well, I have an announcement to make.¡± the king began to speak when all the nobles had their portions on their plates, ¡°You all know, because it was discussed in the council the day before yesterday and, despite my efforts to keep quiet, the information has spread among the citizens. The attack on the temple had a big impact, but I won¡¯t dwell on it any further.¡± He paused to rinse his mouth. ¡°The attacks are intensifying, in the last three nights alone we¡¯ve had five civilians killed and a guard injured in a clash. Several vampires also tried to cross the border into the village of Ledenor, but luckily for us the regiment repelled them with their new silver bayonets. The total number of dead in that battle was seven guards and two vampires.¡± ¡°Damned!¡± came from the back of the room. ¡°As I was saying,¡± continued the King, ¡°the above events have led me to reflect and make a decision. I do not yet know when it will be implemented because there are still some points to be resolved, but by next week I hope to have concluded them. The solution is to close Korotsk, that no citizen, nobles included, can travel from the inside to the outside and vice versa. No one will go out. No one will come in.¡± There was silence in the room. Then, a group of nobles stood up to speak. ¡°And what will we do, since our trade is based on wood and we trade with the neighboring cities?¡± ¡°It is true!¡± said another noble from another table, ¡°My wagons go back and forth four times a day to supply the villages, Ledenor first of all, do you think they must starve?¡± ¡°Calm down, calm down.¡± the King put his hands up, ¡°I know it may be an inconvenience for many of you, but it is the right price to pay. Do you prefer money to your life?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. After those words, a row broke out in the room. A small group of nobles began to argue with the one next to them, throwing food and cutlery. ¡°You trade furs, we trade wine. Wine is better than those stupid furs.¡± ¡°Damned ingrate, how dare you? The inhabitants can drink water, but they will freeze to death if we don¡¯t give them furs!¡± Other nobles, the most daring or perhaps the highest-ranking, went to protest directly under the King¡¯s table, trying to make him see reason and not continue with this kind of isolation policy. Aria remained still. She didn¡¯t know exactly how to react and the head waiter hadn¡¯t given her any other orders. She tried to look where Katerina had sat and saw her at a table far away from her, who was also still. Her gaze then slid to the King, where most of the action was concentrated, lingering on his gestures and words to explain her decision to those next to her. She saw the prince who continued to look at her and she nodded in return. The prince didn¡¯t seem to be paying attention to those speeches and, despite his position, it seemed like he didn¡¯t care that much about politics. What about her father, Ungern Zotova? He had put a napkin on his legs and one on his neck so as not to get dirty and, after a first taste, he finished the cake in two large bites and immediately asked for another slice. ¡°You, cut me another.¡± the order was directed at Aria and she cut a slice and put it on his plate. ¡°Now, please, go get me some wine. It¡¯s in that jug over there.¡± Somehow, her father was much more friendly than the other nobles and that pleased her. She then started walking towards the central tables, the ones in front of the table where the King was sitting. The problem was that those tables were surrounded by the crowd of nobles who were rushing to protest or to receive more information. ¡°The rule should not apply to my caravans!¡± one exclaimed. ¡°Do you want everything for yourself, Zimovkov?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anything for myself, or rather, of course I want for myself, but if you can¡¯t have it, then I can¡¯t have it either. I meant, if I don¡¯t have it, you don¡¯t have it, right? So if you have it, I can have it. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Speak as you eat, peasant, you bought the title of count but you can¡¯t even form a meaningful sentence.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be so unhealthy. The caravans can¡¯t leave, nor can Korotsk receive them, it¡¯s a matter of public defense.¡± the King explained, ¡°What if there¡¯s a vampire inside them? What if ghouls pretend to be ordinary peasants? Do we want a peasant to be the cause of a disaster?¡± Aria, meanwhile, made her way through the nobles and managed to reach the table, where she took the jug and poured a drink into a glass. ¡°Or perhaps you would rather succumb to the vampires, eh? Tell me, because if that is what you want, I will not trust you with protection.¡± ¡°And what is that protection?¡± asked a nobleman who was a sword away from Aria. He had a cigar in his mouth and his face was marked by years of battle. ¡°All of you and your family members will be forbidden from leaving your home unless accompanied by a guard. There will be no exceptions. If the vampires break in, we cannot-¡° ¡°This is unacceptable!¡± the nobleman with the cigar interrupted the King¡¯s speech, ¡°This is unheard of, do you agree with me, colleagues? Do you think the King can decide without first calling a council, especially on such important issues? This is crazy.¡± Silence fell in the room. Aria was finishing pouring the drink and for the next few seconds all that could be heard was the wine falling into the glass. Then, all sound ceased. The King took a few steps closer and had one of the guards light a cigar. ¡°Crazy? You say I am?¡± Then, with great speed, the King drew his sword and, with a violent but precise blow, cut off the nobleman¡¯s head, who fell backwards, staining Aria¡¯s dress. The girl almost screamed, but she managed to contain her voice even though her hands began to shake. A little wine mixed with the blood on the ground. The King continued: ¡°Perhaps, yes, I am. But let no one dare question my words!¡± he shouted, ¡°And let no one think of leaving the city, or betraying me, or doing anything in their power to sabotage the operation¡­ or you will end up like Gromarev.¡± Silence continued to reign inside the palace. The nobles who were standing returned to their places, while those who stopped eating finished their plates. Aria also returned to her place, but not before handing the carafe to her father. Many hourglasses passed and the girl¡¯s legs began to hurt. She was not used to standing for so long, especially if it meant standing still and doing nothing. By now the nobles were talking about their private business and the waiters had only been entrusted with the task of clearing the table. Then, the dinner ended. The first nobles began to leave and the King left Gromarev¡¯s body exactly where it was. ¡°Let it serve as a warning for the future.¡± he repeated several times. ¡°The time has come, colleagues.¡± Aria¡¯s father also stood up and had a nearby countess put his coat on him. ¡°I enjoyed the dinner, I hope we¡¯ll see each other again soon.¡± ¡°I hope so too.¡± the countess said. ¡°See you, Ungern,¡± said the countess¡¯s husband, ¡°As soon as we can, we¡¯ll go hunting together, it¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve done it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait, Albert, I should still have that gun somewhere.¡± So, the countess and her husband also packed up and Aria took the opportunity to take the plates and silverware to the kitchen. Her father immediately stopped her. ¡°Didn¡¯t they teach you that you have to wait until the table is completely empty?¡± Ungern scolded her. Aria said nothing and didn¡¯t move, leaving the plates balanced on her arms. ¡°Baron Ungern, we haven¡¯t had a chance to talk.¡± the prince came to support Aria, ¡°As for this maid¡­ she¡¯s new, it will take her some time to get used to it, but don¡¯t worry, we know how to take care of them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad, Prince Leonid.¡± The two of them started talking about this and that and Aria took that time to go back to the kitchen and deliver the dishes to the dishwashers. Once the last piece of cutlery was removed from the noble table, Aria was about to leave through the wooden door, but was stopped by a hand that bit her arm. ¡°See you tomorrow, Aria, it was a pleasure meeting you.¡± Katerina said with her mask still on. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Aria replied, even though she knew she would never set foot in that place again. So she returned to the carriage, taking off her mask and climbing in a hurry. It had stopped raining, but tears began to roll down Aria¡¯s face, who looked at the huntress and hugged her. ¡°Liza, they want to kill you.¡± Chapter 19: The new law has passed She was sitting with her knees touching her chest. Her gaze was turned out of the window and the drafts of air were slipping through the frames. Winter was approaching, but the heat of the inhabitants was so strong that the demonstrations continued. Some with signs in their hands, some gathered in groups and some others took chairs to throw them against the shop windows. A week had passed and in Korotsk the law had just passed that no one could leave or enter the city. The people had risen up but the King''s guards knew how to do their job well. It was not uncommon, in fact, to see scenes like the one Aria was witnessing at that moment. There was a small group of boys who were bothering the people on the street and one of them decided to create a bonfire using branches and wooden planks. Soon, a nearby shop started to catch fire and the boys had fun dancing around the bonfire, intoxicated by the smoke and also by some strange substance. The police soon arrived and put out the fire. The boys were taken prisoner and taken to prison; many of them would not come out alive. By now they were getting used to it, but Aria was worried about the fate of the city and, first of all, her chances of attending the academy. She could not set foot outside the door anymore without a guard waiting to follow her, ask questions and protect her. Even sneaking out the window did not seem like a good idea, as her face was known among the guards and in the last few days their activity had intensified. ¡°Being a noble sucks.¡± she said, ¡°Couldn¡¯t I have been born poor? A peasant, perhaps? Or the daughter of a craftsman, yes, that would have been better. I would have had my own shop, customers, I would have bought and sold goods and I would have been able to travel freely, at least within the city.¡± But nothing. She hadn¡¯t set foot outside the house for a week and Madame Doroteya had told her that being without sunlight could lead to serious illnesses. Her father also seemed worried about her, so much so that he suggested that they go for a walk together in the park, but she had always refused each time with different excuses. She wanted to be alone, in fact, she wanted to go to the academy to train. She got up to lie down on the bed. In those last few days she had consumed an avalanche of books and her library was constantly restocked to allow her to read something new every time. She snorted. ¡°They haven¡¯t shown up¡­¡± She was referring to Liza, rather than Sonia or any member of the academy. It was as if they had never existed. ¡°I haven¡¯t trained for seven days¡­ what if I lose my ability to fight? And besides, my sword is in Liza¡¯s room, so I¡¯m currently useless.¡± She wondered several times why Liza hadn¡¯t contacted her to continue her lessons, and as the days passed, she became more worried that something might have happened. Maybe the King had them killed? No¡­ she couldn¡¯t think of such drastic things. She was sure that they had problems to solve, but that at some point they would show up. Aria would wait a few more days and, if that didn¡¯t happen, she would be the one to go to the academy, making up something with the guard. The door to her room opened and from the perfume that wafted through the air, the girl immediately understood who had opened it. ¡°Good morning, Madame Doroteya.¡± ¡°Good morning, my dear. It¡¯s a beautiful day today, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s stopped raining, so I suggest we go out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it.¡± ¡°But you have to go out, your health is at stake. I promise we won¡¯t go anywhere.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You should help me pick flowers in the garden, I¡¯d like to make a nice bouquet to hang in the entrance.¡± Aria snorted. ¡°All right. You know I like flowers too¡­ damn.¡± ¡°Very good, my dear, I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs.¡± Aria liked picking flowers, it was one of her secondary hobbies. She loved her garden and in the past she had even helped the gardeners plant trees or trim hedges. So, the girl got ready to go out and walked up the stairs to the garden. The day was sunny and the breeze was enough to let her lungs breathe good air. The factories in Korotsk, in fact, released tall black clouds that, especially in the suburbs, created artificial clouds that caused respiratory problems worse than smoke. She still didn¡¯t know whether to say she was against factories or not, but all the politicians said they were happy to have a fast and efficient industrial machine.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°We only take the old or sick ones,¡± the housekeeper told her, ¡°we¡¯ll leave the others here a little longer until it rains or the cold kills them.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Aria bent down to start picking some beautiful pink flowers. It was Doroteya who told her which ones she could pick and which ones she couldn¡¯t, and then threw them into a basket that would be used for her bouquet. During this, the guard assigned by the king had done nothing but follow them and keep an eye on them from a safe distance. Whether it was a dozen swords, or fifty when they entered the thick of the garden, his presence made both Aria and Madame Doroteya nervous, who exchanged glances several times to make sure neither was comfortable with this situation. It was the eldest who started a sort of discussion, keeping her voice low so as not to be heard. ¡°I hate being followed, but what followed, stalked!¡± ¡°I know, Doroteya, but what can we do? The King wanted it this way and my father didn¡¯t oppose it.¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± she said as she picked a flower, ¡°bad things would happen if he opposed it. Have you heard of the Vikhrov family?¡± ¡°Vikhrov?¡± ¡°Yes, they say they were exterminated two days ago. Ah, my dear, news travels, runs, and doesn¡¯t stop. Yes, the Vikhrov family was killed by policemen and do you know why?¡± Aria shook her head. She had stopped in her path of picking flowers. ¡°I suspect an epidemic.¡± ¡°Epidemic?¡± ¡°Yes, you know when you get those black blisters on your skin and-¡° ¡°No, Doroteya, luckily I don¡¯t know¡­ or we wouldn¡¯t be here talking about it.¡± ¡°Right, right, my dear.¡± It was clear that the epidemic had nothing to do with this and Aria knew it. Suspected epidemic? Maybe the police suspected that the Vikhrov family had contact with vampires and that''s why they intervened. ¡°Damn¡­¡± she then thought, because her father was indeed doing business with a vampire and, if the King found out, who knows what would happen. She was afraid and did nothing to hide it. ¡°Now let''s think about the lotus flowers.¡± Of all the flowers in the garden, lotus flowers were Aria''s favorite. It was no coincidence that, lost in her thoughts, she blindly followed Madame Doroteya back to real life. Zotova Manor had a small pond where swans used to live years ago, then died of old age. Now it had become an incubator for lotus flowers and the gardeners did a great job of keeping it clean and safe from mosquitoes, frogs and mice. ¡°I saw a snake once.¡± Madame Doroteya said, ¡°But how I screamed, it ran away.¡± ¡°How disgusting.¡± ¡°You can say it loudly.¡± The two of them wet their feet to enter the pond whose depth was not a problem. The lotus flowers, the older or the sickest ones, had a more purple color tending towards black and, removing them from the pond, allowed the healthy ones to live better. ¡°Today we are purifiers.¡± Madame Doroteya said, ¡°We remove the old to make room for the young.¡± she thought about it after those words could have been used against her. ¡°Miss Zotova.¡± the guard called Aria, who turned to check what he wanted. The guard had a letter in his hand and, as he approached to deliver it, Aria could see the postman behind him, retracing his steps along the road. ¡°This is for you, Miss Zotova, just delivered.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Aria took the letter and, to her surprise, it was neither signed nor sealed. ¡°How can you say it is for me? There is nothing written on it.¡± ¡°The postman told me and said to give it to you. That¡¯s all. Do you want me to open it for you?¡± ¡°No.¡± the girl said impulsively, ¡°Thank you, but now go back to your service.¡± And with this sentence, Aria meant to leave a few swords between her and him. ¡°Suiters?¡± Madame Doroteya asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Admirers?¡± ¡°Don-t¡° ¡°Come on, my dear, you¡¯ve received a letter! How long has it been since you last received one?¡± She began to think about it, it was indeed the first time anyone had written to her. ¡°Some handsome nobleman?¡± the housekeeper continued, ¡°Or perhaps a knight?¡± ¡°We are not in the Middle Ages anymore.¡± ¡°Then a rich landowner, yes, it must be like that.¡± ¡°Excuse me, Madame Doroteya, but when did I ever know a landowner? Only nobility are allowed at the receptions, so I imagine a young duke or perhaps a count has come forward.¡± ¡°A count? Don¡¯t be silly, my dear, a count would never propose to a duchess.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ so a baron?¡± ¡°Those over fifty?¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯ll never know until I read the letter, so if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ll go back to my rooms now.¡± ¡°Okay, my dear, I¡¯ll continue picking flowers.¡± Aria returned to her room and checked the envelope through the reflections of the sun. Inside was a letter with a few words inside, illegible. So, she gently opened the envelope with the help of a knife and began to read it: ¡°Aria, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t contact you sooner, but you must understand that one must proceed with caution. The police are blazing in the streets and now it has become difficult even to arrange meetings. It is necessary that you continue your training, but you will agree with me that coming here to the academy is not feasible, and I thank you for not trying.¡± She stopped reading. ¡°A couple more days and I would have done it.¡± she swallowed. Then she went back to reading. ¡°For this, I managed to get in touch with a hunter who is visiting Korotsk these days. He will help you with private lessons and will come directly to your house in the next few days, so you will not have to worry about leaving the house. I hope that we can meet soon and that this situation ends.¡± ¡°Signed Sonia.¡± Aria remained with the letter in her hand for a few seconds, then folded it in half and went down the stairs to reach the fireplace. ¡°I guess no one should know the contents of this letter.¡± she said and then threw it into the flames. A hunter would come to instruct her and this could only rekindle the flame that burned in her chest. She couldn¡¯t wait and hoped that the letter had been written in the past few days so that the moment had already arrived. Then there was a knock at the door. ¡°Talk about perfect timing.¡± Aria smiled and went to open it. As the door opened, Aria¡¯s memories came alive and her mental drawers opened one after the other. Sooner or later it was supposed to happen, but the boredom and reading of those days had made her completely forget about that possibility. ¡°You are Aria, I guess.¡± said the man in front of her, ¡°My name is Boris. I am a colleague of your father.¡± Chapter 20: Face to face with the vampire ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Aria.¡± The first thing she thought of was killing the vampire, only to remember that she was just a lamb in a pack of wolves. Alerting the guard would have attracted too much attention, especially since Boris had seemed to her, during the meeting with her father, to be an unbalanced vampire. ¡°He could kill me, if he wanted to.¡± she said to herself. Indeed, it was true. A vampire was not a creature to be underestimated, and a nobleman like Boris who had managed to climb the hierarchical ranks was certainly not someone to be taken lightly. ¡°Can I come in?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes.¡± The vampire entered the house and took his first steps towards the center of the room. Compared to how she had seen him the first time, he did not seem at all like a doggy and unchivalrous creature. Instead, he was dressed in a black tuxedo that showed off his height. His hair was neatly trimmed, and he had a gold earring in his left ear. Even his hands were clean, and the nails didn¡¯t look like claws in the slightest. ¡°So, I¡¯m here before you today because I need to talk to you, Aria, because I could use your services.¡± ¡°Services?¡± ¡°I need information.¡± ¡°Information has a price.¡± She knew exactly what he was going to ask her. Boris wanted to know where he could find Liza so he could kill her. She would never tell him, but she didn¡¯t know what to say, so she tried to stall and play along. She began to wonder if they had silver knives in the house, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that only Madame Doroteya had always taken care of such things. ¡°Can we go to a private room? Even the walls have ears.¡± The girl held her breath. She looked down at the vampire and then looked outside: Madame Doroteya was still in the pond picking lotuses, while the guard¡­ was nowhere to be found. ¡°Okay.¡± She took him upstairs, to a small room that was used for unofficial meetings. It was very spartan, containing a couple of armchairs with green upholstery, a carpet of the same color and a low wooden table. Some furniture such as sideboards and bedside tables and nothing else. There was some fruit, however, served on a silver plate. ¡°I could break the plate and make a weapon out of it,¡± thought the huntress. ¡°Well, first I would like to explain the matter to you, then we will think about your payment.¡± Boris said, throwing himself into an armchair and taking a grape, which he brought to his mouth and gulped down in one bite. ¡°Good.¡± Aria also sat down with her arms folded and her legs crossed. Her gaze was kept fixed on the vampire and her senses were alerted to any possible aggressive movement he might make. She felt trapped, though, because even though she was in her own home, Boris was the one holding the knife at the handle. In fact, she had never had the chance to confront a vampire. Her first and last time was that night when she was attacked, but in addition to dodging a couple of blows, Liza took care of the situation. Here, instead, she was even having a conversation with one of them. She was breathing hard, but luckily for her, she noticed this, so she tried to calm down and deal with the situation in the most professional way possible. She wasn¡¯t afraid, strangely enough, or at least not that fear that wouldn¡¯t let her move a muscle. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll keep it short. I¡¯m heartbroken by what happened to you that night¡­ you know, when a¡­ a vampire showed up and attacked you. Hard to say, right? Vampires¡­ we haven¡¯t seen one in many, many years.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± her words held no emotion; they were neutral, gray words, which only served to support Boris''s speech. ¡°I can''t even imagine the fear you must have felt. Oh, what a pure soul, so innocent¡­ to be attacked by¡­ but still, I''m glad a huntress intervened.¡± ¡°How do you know? You weren''t at the reception, if I''m not mistaken.¡± ¡°Of course not, that evening I was traveling on business. But you know, your father and I are old friends and I even helped him with one of his projects. We talked for a long time about what happened to you, in fact, it was he who insisted that I come here today to talk to you.¡± The girl was about to answer, then changed and thought. ¡°Why is he telling me this? I shouldn''t know that my father sent him¡­ because then I would know that he would want to kill Liza¡­¡± there were many thoughts that passed on the highway of her mind. ¡°Him?¡± she simply asked. ¡°Yes, he said that you needed support because he saw that you were a bit down these days.¡± The vampire took another grape.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Tell me, are you feeling down?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need someone to tell me that. Instead, Boris, tell me why you¡¯re actually here¡­ and don¡¯t tell me you want to cheer me up.¡± Boris finished eating a third grape, then leaned closer to Aria and rested his elbows on his legs to support his head with the hands crossed. ¡°Liza. But you already know that. You know, vampires can smell people around them even if they¡¯re across the street. I knew you were there and that you were eavesdropping on us at the reception, it was so obvious¡­ your scent is unmistakable. But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s more charming to let people think they have a chance?¡± ¡°If you want to know where she is, I¡¯ll never tell you.¡± ¡°Oh, but I know. That¡¯s why you need my help.¡± ¡°Help?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll tell me where she is, of your own free will.¡± Aria raised an eyebrow. ¡°If you try one of your tricks, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. Tell me, have they told you that a hunter without a sword is worth less than a jug without a handle?¡± Boris stood up to go to the window, starting to observe the morning life of Korotsk. ¡°Plus, I¡¯m old, Aria, very old. Vampirism is a panacea for the skin, you should try it.¡± ¡°Never!¡± she shouted, tearing her open. ¡°I could kill you right here and now, or I could turn you into a vampire¡­ just for fun. But then I wouldn¡¯t know who to play with¡­¡± Aria took the silver plate, dodging the grapes and breaking it in two when she crashed it against the coffee table. She made a sort of serrated tip that could be used as a knife. ¡°That won¡¯t do you much good either. You wouldn¡¯t have the strength to penetrate my skin. Anyway, we were talking about business, weren¡¯t we? You see, Aria, I¡¯ll be honest with you: the hunters are using you, to them you¡¯re nothing more than an object.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± ¡°Yes, instead, aren¡¯t you curious to know that up until now you¡¯ve been nothing more than a pawn? Have you ever wondered why the vampire attacked you and not others? How many inhabitants does Korotsk have? Six hundred, seven hundred thousand? Hell, I really don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I think it was just a coincidence.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± Boris laughed in amusement. ¡°Ah! How nice it is when I¡¯m right! You see, Aria, Liza only saved you because you were a bridge between her and your father.¡± The girl¡¯s right hand was gripping the blade so hard that blood began to drip from her palm onto the floor. ¡°What does my father have to do with it?¡± ¡°Do I really have to tell you everything? Your father is a nobleman and mostly on the King¡¯s council. Hunters can¡¯t access the council¡¯s information but, hey, you¡¯re the daughter of one and mostly a huntress. Do you understand now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. And even if I did, what harm would that do? The more information we hunters have, the better.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Boris approached the girl and Aria could smell his wet leaf scent. The vampire bent down to run his index finger over the fallen blood and lead it to a grape, which he picked up and ate. ¡°¡­but, you see, I wouldn¡¯t feel comfortable if I found out I was just a chess piece and that if I were no longer needed, I could be discarded right away.¡± Boris sat back down, composed and with his back nice and straight. His bearing was regal and, if it weren¡¯t for his nature, he could certainly be mistaken for a member of the royal family. ¡°I can¡¯t kill you, that wasn¡¯t the contract, but I need to know where Liza is. And to convince you, I can show you with your own eyes what happened.¡± Boris reached out to Aria, his hand open. He wanted to touch her forehead, but the girl was still half a sword¡¯s length away from his fingers. ¡°Forget it.¡± ¡°Come on, be a good girl.¡± Reluctant but curious, the girl sat back down and let him touch her forehead. If he wanted to kill her, he would have done it already. She had to close her eyes for a moment against her will, as if there were muscle spasms that moved her eyelids by themselves. Then, she opened them again. She found herself in the academy, in the meeting room to be exact, standing in a corner where both Sonia and Liza were sitting at the table. At her side was Boris, sitting on the other side of the table from the huntresses and with the bunch of grapes in his hand. ¡°We¡¯re reliving memories, so see for yourself what happened.¡± he told her. Sonia and Liza began to talk. ¡°You are to keep an eye on a vampire named Kremer, who lives in the caves to the north and never comes out of there, but we know he has been ordered to attack in the city.¡± Sonia said. ¡°Do we know where?¡± asked Liza. ¡°Yes, apparently at Zotova Manor. The owner must have pissed someone off.¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± The director pulled several sheets of paper from a drawer. They were nothing more than technical sheets to classify the members of the King¡¯s council. ¡°Baron Ungern Zotova. He is on the council, so he has direct relations with the king. He has a daughter named Aria Zotova, a housekeeper named Doroteya Beaulieu and a butler named Sergey Lazarev. A guard is posted outside the gate, day and night.¡± ¡°Do you think this could be the opportunity?¡± the youngest asked, starting to analyze the sheet; her finger had stopped over Aria¡¯s name. ¡°Yes, it could be. Defend them from the vampire, and although this Ungern is against hunters, I bet his daughter can become an easy target.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s like the girls these days, she¡¯ll be easily manipulated.¡± ¡°Liza, you¡¯re her age.¡± Sonia laughed. ¡°But I was trained by the best hunters, I¡¯m the daughter of a warrior and I¡¯m not afraid of death. Can this Aria say the same? Anyway, what do you suggest I do?¡± ¡°Killing the vampire will make her feel protected, so you¡¯ll have to invite her to the academy. If she doesn¡¯t show up, you¡¯ll do it a few days later to make sure she¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°And from there¡­¡± ¡°From there you¡¯ll try to become her friend. If, instead, she agrees to become a huntress, we can get closer to her father.¡± The speech became blurred and Aria could no longer understand a word. The memory faded. The girl found herself in the same armchair in her house with Boris in front of her, who let his fingers slip from her forehead to go back to eating the last bunches of grapes. ¡°Yes, your father may be a source of information, but is it worth the price? Do you really think that Liza, your friend, gives a damn about you?¡± ¡°You manipulated memories!¡± Aria accused him. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I can only access fragments of you and the people who have been around you lately. That¡¯s how it works.¡± he winked at her, ¡°Well, then, I think we¡¯re done.¡± The vampire stood up, then left the room to go to the front door of the mansion. Aria followed him again with the piece of plate in her hand, trying to keep up with him and being careful not to fall down the stairs because of the severe headache she had just gotten. ¡°In case you change your mind, I¡¯ll give you my card.¡± He handed her a business card with his name and home address written on it. ¡°Like I said, you¡¯ll be the one to find me. It¡¯s just a matter of time.¡± Boris walked out of the villa and Aria kept her eyes on him until he disappeared from her sight. He hadn¡¯t said a word yet and she stood there for several minutes watching Madame Doroteya pick the flowers. She didn¡¯t know if what she had seen was true or not, but the meeting with Boris certainly went very differently than she had ever imagined. Why would she tell him where Liza was? She knew he would kill her if she did and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. So, she turned and walked back into the hall with her head bowed and all those questions that couldn¡¯t be answered. The wind closed the door. Chapter 21: A strange teacher ¡°Aria, has that person already left?¡± ¡°Yes, Madame Doroteya¡­¡± the girl paused for a few seconds to think clearly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have accompanied the man to the gates like you usually do with guests?¡± asked Aria, she just wanted to make sure that Boris had actually left. ¡°Should I have?¡± asked the eldest, placing the basket full of lotus flowers on a table, ¡°I was busy picking these cute, puffy, perfect white flowers¡­ ah, aren¡¯t they a beauty?¡± ¡°Yes, they are but-¡° At that point, Aria truly believed that Boris had used some power of his to drown the governess¡¯s mind. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she gave up, ¡°someone should be here now, it will be my teacher, the school sent him to me.¡± The girl approached the governess to check her heartbeat and eye color. The woman simply went for a check-up while she was with her head in the clouds thinking about her flowers. Everything was fine, even the color of the veins was normal. ¡°Bastard Boris.¡± she exclaimed in her mind; the vampire had used one of his manipulation powers, one of those low-level ones that only lasted a few minutes. She had studied it in class and the person affected was as if stunned without leaving any visual effects. Just then, the doorbell rang. Aria was about to go towards the entrance, but Madame Doroteya immediately preceded her and opened the door first. In front of them stood a tall, slim figure with a briefcase in his hand. But those were not the most important details, but his clothes: a long tuna of multicolored wool, all bright and easily recognizable. A pointed blood-colored hat that ended with a star and two mud-colored boots kept as good as new. ¡°Good morning to you, my name is Adelphe and I am Aria¡¯s new teacher.¡± a long bow followed. ¡°A clown?¡± the girl laughed, but only after the housekeeper''s glare did she realize it was best to keep her mouth shut. ¡°Come in,¡± Madame Doroteya said, ¡°I''m so happy the school sent a teacher here, now to go out you have to look behind you for the guards. Oh, I say, where has the privacy gone? What a world we''re living in¡­¡± ¡°How sad and melancholic,¡± said Adelphe, who entered and took the housekeeper''s hand to kiss it, ¡°How is it possible that such an event could happen to such an elegant woman?¡± ¡°Oh, come on.¡± the woman blushed. ¡°Doroteya.¡± Aria said firmly. ¡°Yes, my dear, I''m going, I understand, I''ll leave you to your studies.¡± the housekeeper took her leave, but not before winking at Adelphe. Aria didn''t approach unless she kept a distance of at least three paces. She noticed that she was still holding the tip of the plate, in case Adelphe turned out not to be who he said he was. Ironic, she thought, how the second to last person who had crossed the threshold was a very powerful and dangerous vampire, while now she found herself in front of a hunter. ¡°So, Sonia sent you?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Not exactly, I was contacted by Liza who explained the situation to me. It¡¯s an emergency, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It is¡­ I can¡¯t go to school anymore because of this latest law.¡± ¡°And you have to continue your studies, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been told, Aria, but I¡¯m here, don¡¯t worry. Can we start?¡± ¡°Not here!¡± she exclaimed, ¡°Follow me.¡± Aria took him to her rooms, the safest place to train in case his father returned early. For now it was best to follow Adelphe¡¯s lesson without telling him anything about Boris¡¯s meeting; she still had to think about what had happened. ¡°They told me about you.¡± the girl began, ¡°And how you won the tournament.¡± ¡°Oh! So they still remember me?¡± the teacher placed the briefcase on a small table, while Aria sat on the bed to watch her every move, ¡°Yes, it was several years ago. Do you want to know anything in particular?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± she said, but she couldn¡¯t think of any questions. ¡°Do you have to face the tournament too?¡± Adelphe asked to help her find the words. ¡°It¡¯s likely.¡± ¡°Well¡­ what can I say, there would be a lot to say. The tournament consists of three tests and the last one is a real fight against vampires.¡± ¡°Vampires?!¡± ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t worry, everything is under control. There were no dangers with me, but I know of colleagues who were about to be overwhelmed by vampires and who were rescued by the jury. Since I was the only one who didn''t need help, they rewarded me with the sword.¡± ¡°So it''s true what they say¡­ is it that powerful?¡± ¡°I don''t know¡­¡± Adelphe replied, his cheeks turning red, probably from embarrassment.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Y-you don''t know?¡± ¡°I broke it before I could even test it.¡± he laughed, ¡°But don''t tell Sonia, okay? From his bag, the teacher took out a modular wooden sword, composed of three pieces. Then, he took out another identical sword and this time gave it to Aria. ¡°These special weapons were used centuries ago by aspiring students to train, but now they have become obsolete as they train with real swords. But, since I was unable to carry them with me, here they come in handy again.¡± Adelphe smiled. The girl tried to swing the sword with two slashes in the air. It was light, a hell of a lot lighter than the silver sword she had grown accustomed to using. She would get used to it soon, though, because the feeling of being able to defend herself again made her smile. ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± she said. ¡°Then we can start.¡± Adelphe took the sword with both hands and got into an attack position. ¡°I¡¯ll have to test your preparation first. I don¡¯t know you and I don¡¯t remember Anton¡¯s teachings, so you just focus on defending yourself from my attacks and not counterattacking.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Adelphe moved slowly and slashed at Aria, who managed to parry with not too much difficulty. Then, the teacher slashed again, this time to the side, but that too was parried without much effort. ¡°Ten percent.¡± the girl said to herself. That was the percentage of speed Adelphe was going compared to Anton. The third slash was faster, almost unexpected, but it hit a bedside table which knocked over a vase, breaking it into a thousand pieces. ¡°Sorry!¡± the teacher exclaimed. ¡°Damn!¡± Aria exclaimed, rushing to the door to check that no one had heard that noise. Then, she went to collect the remains of the vase, pebble by pebble, helped by Adelphe. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this room is too small and it¡¯s not suitable for your training.¡± Adelphe went near the window and knocked a vase off the cupboard, ¡°See? The way I move, I risk breaking something.¡± ¡°Adelphe! It looks like you¡¯re doing it on purpose!¡± ¡°Me?¡± he laughed, ¡°It was just demonstrative.¡± ¡°Demonstrative are the pebbles I have to pick up!¡± Aria raised her voice, then tried to calm down because it was her teacher after all. Once she had finished collecting all the pieces, the hunter decided to put them under the bed for the time being so that Madame Doroteya would not notice anything, at least until she had finished her lesson. ¡°Follow me.¡± Aria took the teacher to the cellar, where they could find several barrels of wine hanging on the wall and others inside special shelves. Mold and humidity reigned here. The smell was a mixture of wine and bad air that was hard to breathe. Contrary to what one might expect, however, they did not find a single mouse or any animal with too many legs. ¡°Here we can train undisturbed.¡± Aria said, ¡°But be careful with the wine.¡± ¡°Okay, today we can practice a typical light thrust.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Adelphe got into an attack position, holding his sword rigid in front of him. ¡°When a hunter strikes, speed is the most important thing, even more than precision, as it is better to hit the opponent badly than to miss well. Therefore, the lighter your body, the faster the blow will be.¡± The teacher took out his briefcase and pulled out a strange instrument. This was a kind of lever that could be closed with a cap, and the cap was connected to a string. Adelphe placed the lever in front of him and tied the string to the hilt of his sword. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what I mean.¡± She moved away from the lever just enough to keep the cap taut and to see the lever. Several seconds passed before she struck a blow, which was fast enough that she was able to touch the lever before the cap closed, as it was no longer taut because the sword was closer. ¡°If you¡¯re too slow, the cap will close before you can hit the lever. Today¡¯s lesson will focus on just that: hitting the lever with your sword just like I did.¡± ¡°Okay, Adelphe, I¡¯ll try.¡± The string was tied, this time, to the hilt of Aria¡¯s sword. After concentrating, she tried a slash, but it was so slow that the cap closed half a second before she could touch the lever. ¡°You have to focus on your breathing, your muscles, and your soul. You have to be lighter and faster.¡± There was another slash, then another. And so it went for over two hours. Aria didn¡¯t give up for a second, her happiness at being back training outweighed all the sweat that was pouring out of her forehead. There was one last slash. The decisive one. Now she had concentrated properly and remained breathing delicately almost as if she couldn¡¯t feel her breath anymore, keeping her muscles free and lightening her soul by removing every thought from her head. Her only thought was the lever, there in front of her a few swords away. So, she leapt forward and the cap began to close. Aria could see every movement, as if her vision had become slow motion. The sword reached the lever before the cap closed and the whole thing ended with a simple clicking sound. ¡°Yes!¡± Aria exclaimed, jumping with excitement, ¡°Have you seen, Adelphe?¡± she whirled around, but Adelphe was gone. The girl moved until she found him in another section of the cellar, crouched with his back against the wall drinking wine. ¡°There are so many barrels in here I thought it was rude not to take a carafe.¡± he shrugged. ¡°I did it!¡± Aria exclaimed. ¡°I know, I could hear you all the way here.¡± ¡°What do I do now?¡± the girl asked, the fire still burning inside her. ¡°Class is over for today, I just want to drink wine and do nothing else.¡± ¡°But I want to practice.¡± ¡°Come here, Aria.¡± The girl walked over to sit next to him. She put the sword back in front of her. ¡°Do you drink wine?¡± ¡°A little.¡± Adelphe gave her his carafe, then took another and began to drain it. ¡°You know, I used to be a student at the academy, too, until I was kicked out.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Do you believe in magic, girl?¡± The girl was left breathless for a moment. Magic? A few weeks ago she didn¡¯t even think vampires existed and now she was fighting them, but magic? It was too much even for her. ¡°I-i think no.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re wrong, because magic exists. But not the kind you read about in fairy tales, no old men with white beards throwing fireballs, but a sort of power that allows you to positively influence the battlefield to turn the tide. I learned it when I had the opportunity, but because of its nature, the academy did not approve of me practicing it like that. So, I had a choice: to continue attending the academy or to be able to protect myself more effectively by accessing a power that few can boast of having.¡± ¡°And so you left.¡± the girl asserted. ¡°Exactly. But in these lessons you will not learn to use this power, also because you would not be capable of it. I promised Liza that I would show you the techniques of the sword and so I will.¡± He took a sip from the carafe. ¡°You know, surely they have already explained to you that the nobles fifty years ago issued an edict to kill any hunter who ventured into the city, even though they were the ones who saved the city from the last war. Now that edict has been repealed for a few years, but hunters are not well regarded by society and prefer to hide.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Aria said, thinking back to her difficult situation. ¡°Ten years ago I would have pierced your heart with my sword,¡± Adelphe said as coldly as if he were reading a fairy tale to a child, ¡°but times have changed. So many things have changed.¡± he smiled, then stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow for a new lesson.¡± Chapter 22: A strange lesson She was looking at the newspaper to read the latest news. She wanted to make sure everything was going as usual and that there was no news about vampires or hunters. Aria was starting to fear for her life and that of her companions, so she had to pay even more attention to every possible detail. No news about it, at least not on the front page. Instead, there was talk of the plague and how it was affecting the nearby villages. ¡°All nonsense.¡± she said to herself, ¡°The government is making it all up¡­ but that¡¯s better than having the attention turned to vampires.¡± The other news was local. It was said that trade was booming and that the city had never been so rich before. The reality, and this the girl knew well, was different. People were literally dying of hunger on the streets and the fact of not being able to trade with the nearby villages had already caused some merchants to close. ¡°I¡¯ll take this.¡± she said to the newsagent. ¡°It¡¯s eight denarii.¡± Madame Doroteya wasn¡¯t there that day and Aria knew she was sick when she woke up alone and not with a voice yelling at her. So, in those rare cases, she was the one who had to take care of all those boring and not very noble chores, like getting the newspaper or going shopping. She had brought some money to fill her purse. She honestly didn¡¯t know how much the newspaper or the groceries at the market cost, but she knew she had enough money not to have to worry about it at all. ¡°It¡¯s nice to be rich¡­¡± She looked at the other shoppers; those who looked at the price tag and those who had to decide between one product or another. ¡°¡­ a little less noble¡­¡± she finally said when the guard reached her with a shopping bag in his hand. ¡°I bought everything you needed, Miss Zotova.¡± Aria found his presence annoying and almost intimidating, she couldn¡¯t even have a conversation with a shopkeeper without the guard immediately reminding her that they were running late on schedule. ¡°It¡¯s all fake!¡± a boy who was running shouted, ¡°The vampires are back! The vampires are back!¡± he shouted again. The boy was running right at her and, in order to escape from two policemen who were chasing him, he bumped into Aria who almost fell and disappeared into a narrow street. ¡°We should go back to the villa.¡± the guard said to her, ¡°Are you hurt, Miss Zotova?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not hurt¡­ and yes, it¡¯s probably best to go back.¡± During the trip back she wondered several times how the boy could know about the vampire presence in the city. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s a survivor too? Or maybe he was the victim of some ambush?¡± In the last few days the attacks on caravans and buildings in the suburbs had intensified. The police kept finding people dead during the night, their faces pale and their veins white with no blood. It was clearly the work of vampires, and Aria was starting to wonder what she could do to stop them. ¡°Nothing at the moment.¡± a male voice said in front of her house. It was Adelphe, who was waiting near the gate to be able to enter and begin his lesson. He had his hands in his pockets and his hat just above his eyebrows to protect himself from the sun¡¯s rays. His briefcase in his right hand and a glass of red wine in his left. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± he said. ¡°I know, Adelphe, but I had to buy the newspaper and go shopping.¡± the girl said, huffing and puffing and going into the house, followed by the teacher. ¡°Anyway,¡± the man said, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like coaching today, so if you want to continue with your lessons, you¡¯ll have to follow me.¡± ¡°Okay, Adelphe, where should we go?¡± Aria asked. ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± After getting ready, the girl and the teacher left the house to get to the gates, when the guard stood in front of the two. ¡°Stop right where you are. I¡¯ll have to follow Miss Zotova wherever she goes.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s okay with you¡­¡± Adelphe asked the girl. ¡°I have no other choice.¡± The teacher winked at the guard as he stepped aside to let them pass. Together, they walked down the main street until they left the center, then took a carriage to take them to the outskirts, specifically to the factory district.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. This neighborhood was the last to be built, as well as the most modern. Factories had arrived in Korotsk a few years earlier and, according to expert economists, they were the engine that would fuel the economy in the coming years. Here, workers could no longer work with their own physical strength, but were helped by complex machinery that worked for them. Work seemed to thrive and the unemployment rate dropped dramatically, but on the other hand, and Aria could see it with her own eyes, was that the streets in that neighborhood filled with dust and coal, not to mention the black clouds in the sky, which completely took away the sun''s rays. "It''s the first time I''ve been here." she said, "I''ve never seen a factory, I''ve always been told about them. They also say that this smoke is bad for the throat... or was it for the head, I don''t remember." she shrugged. "We shouldn''t be here." the guard sentenced. "And why?" asked Adelphe. ¡°Because, my dear teacher, this place is not suitable for Miss Zotova¡­¡± ¡°It is not?¡± the girl asked curiously. ¡°No.¡± the teacher answered this time, ¡°This place is full of the worst scum Korotsk has ever seen, not to mention thefts and cutthroats¡­ and what you don¡¯t read about in the newspapers.¡± he smiled with all his teeth and Aria could see how they were perfectly white and without any kind of imperfection, ¡°It is perfect for us, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Miss Zotova, I propose that we go bac-¡° the guard didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence as Adelphe got out of the still moving carriage. ¡°He is a madman!¡± he exclaimed, ¡°Please, Miss Zotova, let¡¯s leave him here and go bac-¡° he didn¡¯t even get to finish this sentence as Aria also got out of the still moving carriage, and so did he. As the carriage continued its rounds, and both Aria and the guard reached Adelphe, they found themselves in front of a factory that, unlike the others, had no smoke coming out of the chimney. ¡°Is it abandoned?¡± the girl asked. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be here!¡± the guard exclaimed. ¡°Do you want to contradict a teacher?¡± Adelphe asked, taking Aria¡¯s hand and leading her inside the factory, ¡°I like this pretend role.¡± he winked at her. Aria, throughout all this, had done nothing but follow the teacher but she still hadn¡¯t understood why. Couldn¡¯t they just train in the cellar like they had yesterday? And if there was the guard in the middle, and he had brought the swords with him, how could they train? ¡°I have more than one question.¡± she began, ¡°For example, why did we come here¡­ Adelphe!¡± The sight made her blood run cold as they entered the factory. Two people were tied to a chair with a black hood over their heads. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± the guard shouted, pulling out his gun. He didn¡¯t have time to use it, however, because Adelphe kicked it away and immobilized him by putting a hood over his head. He dragged him with great force to a third chair to make him sit down and tie him up with ropes. ¡°Adelphe! I demand an explanation!¡± Aria exclaimed, taking a few steps back and looking for a sharp object to possibly use as a defense. ¡°Your class starts now, Aria. But first, let¡¯s introduce our guests.¡± the teacher chuckled. She removed the first hood and the guard appeared from it. ¡°Who do we have here? Of course, our friend the guard, always attentive and caring for Aria, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Damned, you are-¡° a tape was applied to his mouth to prevent him from speaking. ¡°And now for the second guest, oh¡­ it¡¯s our trusted boy, the one who wants to save Korotsk from the vampires by getting beaten up by the cops.¡± ¡°Him?¡± Aria asked. The girl¡¯s heartbeat accelerated dramatically and her breath seemed to fail her several times. She managed to find a stick; better than nothing. ¡°And now for our third guest¡­¡± Adelphe also revealed the third face and from behind it came out a middle-aged woman that none of the people present seemed to recognize. ¡°And who are you? Oh, never mind.¡± Adelphe stepped back to stand behind the chairs so he could look the girl in the face. ¡°Aria, you should know that there is a vampire inside this factory and I¡¯ll give you ten minutes to figure out who it is and kill it. If you refuse, or kill the wrong person, I¡¯ll kill all three of them, so as to avoid unnecessary mistakes.¡± he smiled, ¡°Never avoid mistakes, that¡¯s rule number one.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Aria exclaimed impulsively. The teacher took the briefcase and, to the girl¡¯s surprise, the swords were real. ¡°Here.¡± and he threw the sword to Aria, ¡°Now we¡¯re not playing anymore, that¡¯s pure silver. Remember, one sharp blow to the neck and the vampire will end up living¡­ or not-living¡­ do you get it?¡± He laughed at her own joke. ¡°Fuck!¡± the girl exclaimed again. She tried to calm down, but she had forgotten what calm was at that moment. The sword was steady in her hand, shaking, she didn¡¯t know what to do. If one of those three was a vampire, she would have to figure out who it was and kill it. ¡°To be sure, I have to be absolutely certain.¡± She tried to remember what a vampire was weak to¡­ sunlight was one of them but she had no way of moving the chairs, as Adelphe had just hinted with a look when she tried to act. Blood was another weakness. So, she made a small cut on the palm of her hand and held it in front of the three. None of them seemed to care, but instead the victims became even more agitated by the complicated situation. ¡°Five more minutes.¡± ¡°Damn it, Adelphe! Why don¡¯t you just tell me who the vampire is among these and we¡¯ll be done with it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lesson, no charity.¡± Aria didn¡¯t want an innocent person dead. She decided to reason: the guard could hardly be a vampire since he had been chosen by the government elite and, even if he was, he would have already tried to kill her. The boy was a possible candidate, but it seemed so absurd to her that someone at his age could already be a vampire. Mostly, a vampire would never start shouting in the square about the presence of one of his race. So the only person missing was the woman. She didn¡¯t know anything about her, not her name or profession. She could have been anyone, but at that moment she was no one. ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t think like that.¡± She threw away all her thoughts and tried to relax, breathing the way Adelphe had taught her. ¡°One minute.¡± said the latter. ¡°You¡¯re not helping me!¡± she shrieked, ¡°That¡¯s not how a huntress behaves! A huntress wants to help the citizens and kill vampires, not play guessing games!¡± So, taking her sword and taking two more deep breaths, she pointed the blade at Adelphe. ¡°I would rather die than have the lives of innocents on my conscience!¡± The teacher remained silent for a few seconds, then applauded and approached the girl. He laughed, revealing his sharp canines; his eyes had become red as hell. ¡°How can you consider yourself a huntress if you can¡¯t even figure out who you¡¯re fighting? Chapter 23: Adelphe ¡°You! Bastard!¡± Aria¡¯s hands began to shake like an earthquake as the sword nearly slipped from her fingers. It took all her willpower not to let her emotions overwhelm her; this was not how a huntress would act. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± she exclaimed again as Adelphe, after getting close, moved the tip of the blade with his index finger. This time she struck instinctively. The blade hit the vampire¡¯s right shoulder, causing a thud on his clothes, but it didn¡¯t seem to faze him in the slightest. There was a second strike, this time towards the direction of his neck. Adelphe blocked the blade with his hand and blood dripped from his palm to drip onto the ground. The sword, however, broke. ¡°You¡¯re still a beginner, Aria, it¡¯s best if you listen to me and don¡¯t let your emotions control your movements.¡± Adelphe spoke. Aria, however, didn''t want to listen to him and took two steps back. Half the blade had ended up further away, but the huntress still had the one still attached to the hilt. It looked more like a knife than a sword now, but it was more than enough for her. All it needed was a well-placed blow to the neck and the vampire would be dead. "You don''t want to hurt me with those, do you? You still have a long way to go and-" The girl started to attack the vampire, but he managed to block the blade without too much difficulty. Then, Aria tried to throw a kick that hit the vampire''s side, but this time too it didn''t seem to faze him in the slightest. "I can''t do him any harm!" the girl said to herself, and she stepped back, thinking about her next actions. "I don''t want to hurt you, Aria, I''m your teacher." Adelphe said, but before he could even make her think about it, the girl lunged at him once again. This time Aria threw the knife in his direction, which was blocked with extreme ease. Immediately after, when the huntress jumped, a kick was about to land against the vampire''s neck, but the latter decided to end it. Grabbing Aria''s ankle, the vampire immobilized the girl and took her arms to bring them behind her back. "As I told you before, I promised Liza that I would help you, and so I am. The first rule is that you must learn to recognize a vampire when you are in front of one, and we spent not one but two days together without you noticing." "Don''t talk to me!" exclaimed the girl, "Kill me if you want, I don''t care, I will not stand here and listen to a traitor!" "Traitor? Me?" "First you want to help me and then you reveal yourself for the being that you are! I disgust you!"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Aria didn''t notice but her moans could be heard far beyond the walls of the factory. She had been betrayed, in her opinion, and for that Adelphe deserved to die. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Aria, I really want to help you. And who better than a vampire to practice against us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! You vampires are just bringers of death and I¡¯m sure you also enjoy killing poor people¡­ why don¡¯t you kill me and we¡¯ll be done with it?¡± At this point, the vampire let go of the girl and headed towards the exit of the factory where he began to catch the last rays of the sun that were still coming in through the door. ¡°Because I¡¯m not like the others. I don¡¯t go killing random people just for the fun of it¡­ I¡¯d get my clothes dirty!¡± Adelphe exclaimed, ¡°You know, I like the sun¡­ not the night. It¡¯s been so many years since I became a vampire that I don¡¯t remember what it¡¯s like to feel the heat of the rays on my skin¡­ we vampires only feel the cold.¡± Aria didn¡¯t know what to think. She had gotten along well with him until now and was so happy to finally be able to train that she had given her full trust to the teacher. Now, however, that she had discovered his true nature, her hatred towards him was so strong that the only thing she wanted was to put him in a coffin forever. ¡°You must be wondering if Liza knows or not.¡± ¡°That would be unheard of!¡± Aria shouted, ¡°You vampires must die every last one and I won¡¯t let you leave this shed without your head attached to your body.¡± ¡°No.¡± Adelphe answered his own question, ignoring the girl¡¯s complaints, ¡°No one knows, only you.¡± he smiled, his fangs gone, ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful sunset today, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Why are you a hunter? Damn, that might even be true!¡± ¡°I am, Aria, I¡¯m a hunter just like you or Liza or Sonia. I hunt my own kind, isn¡¯t that funny?¡± he laughed heartily, then went back to the three sitting on the chair, ¡°You know, I used to be a human like you¡­ I only remember being bitten by a gang member here on the outskirts, back when there were no factories in Korotsk¡­ we were the most respected and powerful vampires in the entire region, even before the war.¡± While Adelphe was in the mood for stories, Aria tried to get closer to a table to pick up an iron bar. It wasn¡¯t a real weapon, being blunt, but with the right power it could prove useful for defense. ¡°I was the boss, well not the boss, but I was a guy who knew how to do things. We had parties every night and the blood flowed like rivers! Ah, the good times!¡± the vampire put a hand to his face to caress his forehead and try to remember all the details, ¡°But then¡­ everything changed with that war. My companions started to make fun of me because of my human side and the clothes I wore¡­ I like these clothes, do you think there¡¯s something wrong with them?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s your being a vampire that¡¯s wrong!¡± Aria exclaimed. ¡°Oh, again with this story? Are you still not used to it? Should I put a spell on you?¡± The girl skipped a beat. The last thing she wanted was to be manipulated by a vampire. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m joking!¡± and Adelphe laughed, ¡°So, to sum it up briefly and not stay here all night, I also began to hate those who laughed at me and in the end I swore that I would kill them with my own hands¡­ and so I enlisted as a hunter.¡± Adelphe moved closer to the three in the chair and, with a wave of his hand near their heads, purple dust flew from his fingers to enter the ears of the three unfortunates. ¡°I erased their memory, they won¡¯t remember anything we said¡­ or even the fact that they were here.¡± After doing this, Adelphe went to collect the remaining pieces of Aria¡¯s sword to put them back in the suitcase, then closed it and went to the exit, this time to leave that place forever. ¡°I¡¯ll stop by tomorrow for our next lesson. It¡¯s up to you to decide if you want to continue or not, but I highly recommend it. Anton is a good teacher, but he¡¯s too methodical and too theoretical. You have good potential, Aria, so don¡¯t waste it.¡± The vampire took a step, then said one last sentence: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them,¡± and he pointed to the three people, who were now unconscious, ¡°I already called a carriage to take them home.¡± Chapter 24: In the Volkovs home A week had passed since that clash with Adelphe. Aria continued to train with him every morning and her sword skills were improving considerably, much more than with Anton. The imp had a rough way of doing things, he absolutely did not allow her to make mistakes and the exercises had to be done with extreme precision. This made her jump, putting pressure on her and inducing her to make mistakes, leading her to have to do the same exercises again and again. With Adelphe it was different. She had accepted his nature, even though on the first day they did not exchange a single word and the girl kept her eyes on him the whole time. The vampire, however, had a kind soul and entrusted her with only one exercise at a time, without putting pressure on her to finish it within a set time. He would go to the cellar to drink and come back when he heard Aria scream with happiness, to then give her a glass of wine and celebrate the results together. ¡°Now you know how to defend yourself from the attack of the claws.¡± the vampire said, ¡°The dummy was a brilliant idea.¡± In fact, since Adelphe didn¡¯t want to be the one to attack the girl, he devised a sort of dummy that moved left and right, equipped with knives that had to be dodged or blocked with the sword. The goal of this exercise was to not get hit even once and, if this happened, Aria would learn to be more careful next time. So the seventh day arrived. Aria waited for the vampire sitting on the stairs with her head bowed on her arms. She was tired and didn¡¯t feel like training much; she hadn¡¯t stopped a day and, unlike the training with Anton, the vampire had come to visit her even on Saturdays and Sundays, considered days of rest. Sometimes she would train for more than six hours straight and, despite her goal being firm in her mind, she was starting to understand that training every day wasn¡¯t good for her body. That night she had slept badly, spending all hours awake with a headache. A hot tea from the governess managed to calm her down, but it wasn¡¯t enough to calm her worries, first of all having interacted with two vampires in the last period and not having killed a single one. ¡°What am I becoming¡­¡± She waited until late morning but the teacher didn¡¯t show up. It was clear that Adelphe wouldn¡¯t be coming for class that day. ¡°I wonder why¡­ maybe he had a setback.¡± She was relieved, though, because now she could rest at least for that day. When she got up to go back to her rooms, there was a knock on the door. The girl went down the stairs and went to open it, only to find her personal guard in front of her. ¡°Miss Zotova, there¡¯s a letter for you.¡± The guard handed over the letter and then went back to patrol the gate. Aria looked at the letter and noticed that it had neither been signed nor had a seal been placed on it. Returning to her rooms and opening the letter, she began to read. ¡°We need to meet this night. There has been progress on the Volkov case and we need your help. Let¡¯s meet in the ¡®Cellar¡¯ when the sun goes down. Liza.¡± Unlike last time, she didn¡¯t throw the letter into the fireplace, but instead kept it in one of the drawers of the cabinet. It was the first time Liza had sent her a letter and this filled Aria with joy. So much had happened that she didn¡¯t even know where to begin to tell the story. She knew this ¡®Cellar¡¯, as it was a pub a few steps from her house. So she decided to wait for the sunset and get ready. For the occasion she had chosen a simple upper-middle-class dress, with a hat to cover her hair and a scarf to put in front of her mouth. No one would recognize her and, because of the problem with the guard, since Adelphe had used his powers on it, it no longer bothered to follow her wherever she went. She wasn¡¯t proud of this choice, mind manipulation seemed like something evil to her, but on an occasion like this it was certainly nice to be able to leave undisturbed. Getting to the pub wasn¡¯t difficult and, once she set foot inside, she looked around to see if she had seen Liza, but she didn¡¯t see her anywhere. The place was mostly empty, like the other places in the city. Since Korotsk had closed itself off to the outside world, the little money that the citizens still managed to have in their pockets was used to buy food at the market and pay taxes. Aria decided to buy the first drink that came across on the menu, then go down the stairs and find herself on the floor below, the basement. It was a dark place and the long corridor foreshadowed the appearance of some drunkard at any moment. ¡°Aria!¡± exclaimed a voice to her left. ¡°Liza?¡± the girl asked instinctively. The two girls hadn¡¯t seen each other for several days and, at first, Aria thought about hugging her, only to remember the cold look from the huntress.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Follow me.¡± The huntress took her to a small room where she found Sonia waiting for them. The director was smoking a cigar and playing with rings to pass the time. A bottle of wine was empty in front of them and a second was about to suffer the same fate. ¡°Here we are reunited.¡± she began, ¡°As we anticipated in the letter, I managed to track down a member of the Volkovs who still lives in the city. For some reason he was not listed in the municipal land registers or in the land registers of noble families. Thanks to some friends, old hunters, I managed to get them to tell me a story about when one of them, during the war, came across a vampire who called himself Volkov¡­¡± The director noticed that she hadn¡¯t had any wine in more than an hourglass, so she drained a glass and continued the conversation, ¡°It seems his villa isn¡¯t far from where we are now.¡± ¡°So, I guess, we¡¯re going to pay him a visit now?¡± Aria asked. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ we don¡¯t know if he still lives there or not, so it¡¯s best to always be alert.¡± ¡°And how are we supposed to fight? We don¡¯t have swords with us.¡± ¡°Not the ones you use in combat, but Adelphe should have already shown you the modular swords, right? I hope she doesn¡¯t make you use the wooden ones¡­¡± The girl hesitated in giving an answer and, even before she could provide one, the director continued. ¡°Ah, I should have guessed. All right, anyway, we have a sword for you too.¡± It was Liza who was in charge of delivering the modular sword to Aria, it was a sword divided into two parts, extremely easy to assemble and easily hidden under clothes, so as to pass undisturbed by the gaze of the guards and curious citizens. ¡°Can we go?¡± asked Sonia, getting up from her chair. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± the two girls answered in unison. The three women left the room to go and pay the bill, then went back to the street and advanced in the darkness of the night towards a very specific direction. After a half-hour walk, they arrived at a villa where the street lighting was dim, the windows were broken, and the garden was left unkempt. In general, it was a rather poorly maintained historic residence, and everything seemed to suggest that it had been abandoned for some time. The streets in Korotsk in those days were full of rot, excrement and carcasses of animals eaten by starving citizens, blood stains from recent battles and wooden crates broken to erect fences. ¡°The villa doesn¡¯t seem so bad considering the latest events.¡± Sonia joked, ¡°But let¡¯s not take the situation lightly, we are still talking about a vampire.¡± The gate was closed but it didn¡¯t take long to break it. The director was quite good at this and in her handbag she had the strangest objects that a huntress should carry with her. Before entering the house, however, she walked around the perimeter twice to make sure that, at least on the ground floor, there was no one. No lights were on, and there didn¡¯t seem to be a soul inside. Everything was quiet and not a fly was breathing that night. The chatter of the city was far away and the three women could even hear each other breathing. Going back to the entrance floor, Sonia managed to break the main door and so they managed to get in. ¡°Let¡¯s be quiet now. I¡¯ll check the ground floor, Liza the first floor and Aria take a look at the basement.¡± she commanded. ¡°Okay.¡± So, Aria made her way past the living room and to the space under the stairs. She first took out the two sword parts and assembled it, having a weapon to defend herself in case the vampire appeared. It was the first time she would seriously face one of them, because if you think about it, Kremer, the vampire who attacked her at the reception, was easily killed by Liza, while Boris and Adelphe had not posed a real threat. The fear of having to face a vampire was fueled by the basement, a place full of dust and cobwebs on the ceiling. Here the furniture had a finger of dust and the decanters, as well as the moldy food, seemed not to have been touched for several years. ¡°How disgusting.¡± she said to herself, ¡°Zotova Palace is definitely better.¡± she snorted, then began to advance, taking a torch from the wall, which she lit with a makeshift steel found nearby. Walking through the basement, she could see wine barrels scattered around and some cabinets with old utensils inside. The pantry could be recognized by the smell of mold and Aria promised herself she would never set foot in such a rotten place again. Continuing, she came to a wooden door. She first tried to open it normally, only to discover that it was supposed to be locked. So, not having the tools that Sonia had used, she thought about how to proceed. ¡°Breaking it down doesn¡¯t seem like a wise idea.¡± she thought, ¡°But it could be useful in case I don¡¯t find any alternatives.¡± She thought for a few seconds, holding the sword firmly in her right hand. If the vampire was behind the door, she should be ready to face him. What if he was sleeping? What if he wasn¡¯t home? There were so many questions and her anxiety began to grow. She opted to use her hair pin as a tool to try to break down the door. She had seen Sonia do it a few minutes earlier, albeit with a different type of similar tool, so she tried using the pin, stopping a few seconds later. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start¡­ and what the hell, I¡¯m a noble, not a thief!¡± A hand touched her shoulder and the girl jumped. Whirling around, brandishing her sword, she was pushed aside by Sonia, who began to break down the door. ¡°We didn¡¯t find anything in the house, so we had to search downstairs¡­ but I see you¡¯re having trouble with this door.¡± The director tried to break it and, when she realized that it had to have a special lock, she decided to kick the hinges off and hurl the wooden planks into the next room. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to waste, if Volkov is here, we¡¯ll face him.¡± Inside the room, which looked more like a real cave, they found a closed coffin in the center; nothing else. ¡°Is he sleeping?¡± Aria asked. ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± Sonia approached the coffin and kicked the door, knocking it to the side. There was no one inside. ¡°That he doesn¡¯t live here anymore?¡± the director wondered to get a concrete answer, ¡°Or maybe he¡¯s out of the house for the moment¡­ or maybe he knew we were coming?¡± she shook her head, ¡°That the hunter didn¡¯t tell me the truth? No¡­ it¡¯s not possible¡­¡± The three of them began to reason, but were stopped when a rustling made them jump. Liza had time to avoid an attack, which otherwise would have scratched her face, throwing herself to the side and unsheathing her sword. In front of them, a tall, slender figure with sharp claws and long hair materialized from a cloud, staggering left and right, holding a bottle of red wine in his hand. ¡°That¡¯s blood, not wine!¡± Aria exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯ve entered my property. It¡¯s time for you to die.¡± said the vampire. Chapter 25: Arias first fight The vampire attacked again and, this time, the target was Sonia, who however managed to dodge and counterattack from behind, wounding the vampire with a sword slash. Volkov had to retreat a few steps, returning to the door threshold licking his blood-soaked hands. This time it was Liza who attacked, throwing herself against the vampire and attacking with a sword attack, but the vampire managed to protect himself by blocking the attack with his claws and, hitting her, made her hurl herself against the wall. Aria watched the fight from a corner. The room wasn''t too big and, if she had intervened, she could have endangered the other two girls. "But I don''t want to sit around doing nothing..." she thought, so she began to look for solutions on her usefulness. "Now that I think about it, this is my first real fight against a vampire." she was so excited that her hands began to shake without being able to stop. The sword swung and she watched helplessly as the director attacked the vampire and the vampire defended himself from her attacks. Aria felt so weak even with a weapon. She stepped back of her own accord, placing the coffin between her and the vampire. She wanted to just stand there and watch and hoped that the vampire would die with the next attack. She was so mentally weak that she didn¡¯t even recognize herself at that moment. The huntress in her was gone. In its place, fear. Fear that erupted into a scream when she felt a hand grab her right shoulder. The hand was the color of coal and the nails were chipped and green from the dirt. The creature, whatever it had been, was literally coming out of the wall. ¡°Ghoul!¡± Sonia shouted, launching more attacks at the vampire. Even Liza had to dodge a hand that tried to grab her. In total, two ghouls came out of the walls and now the fight had become three against three. The ghoul closest to Aria finished coming out of the wall. He was shorter than her and had no facial features, except eyes and a mouth from which teeth as sharp as knives protruded. His arms were powerful and muscular, as was the rest of his body. The girl, without hesitation, perhaps out of a spirit of survival, launched an attack and hit the ghoul on the arm, cutting it in two to his great amazement. Before she could even rejoice in this attack, the ghoul began to laugh in amusement, taking the rest of the arm on the ground to use as a weapon. The huntress took a step back and the sword began to swing again. ¡°Focus, Aria!¡± Sonia said, ¡°I''ll take care of Volkov, you two keep the ghouls busy!¡± The girl looked around and could see how Sonia was attacking and receiving attacks from the vampire. They were all very fast attacks and it was hard to tell who was getting the better of them. The metallic sound of claws screeching on the blade dictated the rhythm of the fight. Liza, on the other hand, dealing with the other ghoul, seemed determined and her face showed no fear whatsoever. She had already managed to stick her blade into the ghoul¡¯s chest, but he disappeared, walking back down the basement corridor. ¡°Arrrrgh!¡± the ghoul shouted in front of Aria, and the girl¡¯s attention returned to him. The ghoul advanced trying to capture her, but Aria quickly dodged and the adrenaline made her throw a slash that tore the ghoul¡¯s back.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The monster, however, was able to stop the sword just in time for the blade to cut its body, stopping it with its hand and holding it hostage. Aria, therefore, did the first thing that came to mind, without thinking too much. She kicked the ghoul, but it didn''t hurt itself, simply grabbing her leg and stopping it. The ghoul remained half a second to observe her, and then threw the girl against the wall. Aria hit her head and her vision began to play tricks on her. From one ghoul, they became two, and then back to one. The creature advanced towards her again and Aria stood up with difficulty, taking the sword and starting to breathe to gain breath. Adelphe had taught her that breathing was essential to concentrate, especially when she lost focus in combat. She had spent the last few days hitting that dummy and breathing before striking a blow, that now the only thing she had to do was replicate those movements. It was important for Adelphe to always and constantly stay focused. There was no need for many attacks, just one that hit the opponent, because the important thing was to hit. So Aria did. She began to breathe as the ghoul advanced towards her. The sound of Sonia''s sword and the vampire''s claws stopped, as did the dull thud of the ghoul''s footsteps. At that moment there was only her, her sword and her target, her first victim. When the creature was only a few swords away, Aria struck and, with a precise cut and a scream, she severed the head of her enemy, who spun across the room until it hit the wall. The body fell. ¡°Yes!¡± she exclaimed, but then she had to recover from that triumph immediately when Volkov approached her to attack her. She tried to parry, but the vampire was so fast that she almost looked death in the face. Before the vampire could hurt her, Aria could see a sword coming out of his chest. Sonia had managed to stab him and make him fall to her knees. The vampire started to scream, but the huntress kicked him so hard that he forgot all the pain. ¡°Speak, vampire. Tell us who you are.¡± Sonia began. The vampire simply gnashed his teeth and roared. At that moment he looked like nothing more than a rabid dog deprived of its meal. The director then put a hand on his head and spoke several words in a language unknown to Aria. The vampire screamed at first, but then calmed down and no longer put up any obstruction. ¡°Vladimir¡­ Volkov¡­¡± he said in a small voice. ¡°Were you the one who attacked the priests and stole the chalice?¡± the huntress asked. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you s-¡° the vampire shouted when Sonia pressed her fingers on his head, ¡°Yes¡­ it was me¡­¡± Sonia used all her power to make the vampire speak. She was visibly tired and her arm was slowly turning purple. Aria didn¡¯t know what kind of power she was using, but something reminded her of Adelphe¡¯s words and the use of magic. ¡°We have to¡­ resurrect¡­ HE¡­¡± the vampire continued, ¡°Ritual¡­ chalice¡­ complete¡­¡± Aria approached the director to comfort her and, after touching her arm, she also felt a feeling of tiredness, as if Sonia was trying to take her life forces. ¡°Who is this HE?¡± the director asked. ¡°HE¡­ HE¡­¡± ¡°Why did you leave your family crest on the wall?¡± ¡°Boris¡­ ordered¡­ so¡­ you¡­ could¡­ reach¡­ me¡­¡± Sonia pulled her hand away. Aria could see how the director was pale in the face and could barely stand. With a final scream, the director cut off the vampire¡¯s head with a clean slash of the sword. After sitting her down and checking her arm, as much as she knew about medicine, Aria searched the director¡¯s bag for some medicine. ¡°It was Boris who ordered the murder of the priests¡­¡± the girl said, ¡°and who stole the chalice¡­ do you know who this ¡®HE¡¯ is?¡± she asked. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know who is it.¡± Sonia replied. The director was fighting the pain in her arm and Aria, finding some sort of ointment, applied it to the hunter¡¯s skin. ¡°Will it heal?¡± the youngest asked. ¡°Yes¡­ I used magic, even though I never should have¡­ it¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°But now we know what Boris wants to do.¡± ¡°Aria¡­ a ritual on this level is not something to be taken lightly. Bringing someone back to life is not something that happens every day, and if it¡¯s done by vampires, it could be a catastrophe.¡± ¡°I understand¡­¡± Aria had never heard of rituals until now, and would have laughed if someone had told her that someone could be brought back to life. ¡°It¡¯s more serious than expected.¡± she said. The two women were interrupted when Liza returned from the corridor with the ghoul¡¯s head held by the hair. ¡°Liza!¡± Sonia exclaimed, ¡°We have important news to tell you and-¡° she stopped speaking when she saw that the huntress was covered in blood and was holding a hand on her shoulder. When Liza removed her hand, a bite could be seen, and the girl fainted.