4

Viktor arrived last to the Council of the Twenty. With a carefree stroll, he waltzed past the wooden table, greeting some of the creatures that had already taken their places. An enormous window spanned the entirety of the room’s south wall, revealing a spectacular midnight view of the mountain. Bejewelled spiralling lights hung above the heads of those present, painting colourful shapes across the walls. Magnificent scenes from supernatural battles decorated the entire ceiling.

The members of the Council were representatives of all creatures. Some of them worked at the Hospital, others had more unusual functions, and some were in attendance because of the influence they had in certain areas. Being part of the Council in itself offered quite a good amount of power because, even though it wasn’t an officially recognised institution outside the Hospital, it held considerable power. Throughout the years, it had gained a reputation as a mighty gathering whose wisdom and advice the rest of the world conformed to.

Viktor seated himself at the far end of the table, inspecting the taciturn creatures around him. As one of the first members of the Council, and a co-founder of the Hospital, his place was to the right of their leader, Mikhail Korovin. To his left was the gorgeous nymph Platinum, pursing her lips in displeasure at the delayed start of the meeting.

“Hello, precious.” Viktor smiled at her and, despite being famous for her hard-as-platinum heart, not even Platinum could resist his warmth. She smiled back.

Viktor might be a foster parent, but he was also a charming man. Before he’d become a scientist, he’d been a warrior. Before he’d become a healer, he’d been a murderer. Traces of his past still hovered somewhere under his kind features and soft voice. Or so he liked to think.

His thoughts circled back to the twins. They were good kids, but his extensive solicitude didn’t seem to do them any favours. It was selfish to deprive them of something so primal as the right to see and understand the world beyond these walls, to taste foreign cultures and meet different creatures, have fun, hurt and be hurt, love and suffer from love, face danger and survive it. But what could he do? Life was complicated these days. People evolved – they created, learnt, sought. Human technologies developed every year, scientific knowledge increased, and the hunger for unveiling the secrets of the world grew day in and day out. The time would come when humanity would discover the existence of immortal creatures. And then… What would save them from turning into precious trophies to be studied and be experimented upon, if they could no longer recover as fast?

Mikhail’s voice snapped him from his thoughts. “Welcome, all. Let’s start with the Blood Bank issue. One of you informed me earlier this week that there was trouble.” Korovin leaned back in his chair.

“We do have a problem – with the fucking Blood Bank.” Vladislav Nyavolski, a vampire and the chief Hospital surgeon, was not one to contain his wrath. “‘Cause I discovered that some creatures are snatching blood supplies from the Bank and selling them in town!”

“Oh, no. That’s a problem for the Blood Bank to solve, not us,” the red-headed nymph Elisanda Grace chimed in as the chief of the Hospital’s two Intensive Care Units. “As I’ve said many times before, that department needs a much tougher hand to oversee it. Maybe then they wouldn’t be misplacing blood every month.”

Vladislav ran his fingers through his black hair, which had started to turn grey around his temples. “When I need blood and I can’t have it ‘cause it’s disappeared into thin air, it is my problem. Grace is right, though. It’s total chaos over there, nobody’s supervising…”

Mikhail was quiet for a moment, tapping his fingers on the table. “You’re saying that someone is stealing blood and selling it?”

“That’s what I heard. Explains why I’ve got so much trouble in the operating unit lately.”

Dimitri Kolentsov, another vampire working with Elisanda, said, “What about that dump, The Seven Horses? They say you can find anything there, from alcohol and drugs to sex and organs. If blood supplies are disappearing, my bet is that’s where they end up. Nikolay owns it – they call him ‘the Righteous’.”

The usually quiet lycanthrope Braba joined in at that. “That piece of shit is still alive?”

“Yup. According to some, the Righteous lent a witcher some money three years ago, then he blackmailed him into paying a higher interest rate. The witcher lost it and cut off the Righteous’ hand in retaliation. It grew back, of course, but we all know how regeneration works these days… So, nobody calls him the Righteous anymore, they call him Babyhand”—Dimitri wiggled his fingers in the air—“if you catch my drift…”

Some creatures around the table erupted in laughter, but Korovin’s expression darkened. “Do we have a suspect for the missing blood?”

Vladislav shook his head. “No. I tried chatting Mrs. Sibel up, but she refused to admit there was a problem.”

“The Blood Bank needs a new supervisor. That witch is insane,” Elisanda said.

Viktor agreed, although he wasn’t happy about it. Mrs. Sibel was an extravagant witch who didn’t have the capacity to run a busy department like the Blood Bank. Despite this well-known fact, he had a feeling Mikhail was probably keeping her there out of respect since she had been one of the first healers to join the Hospital’s staff.

“We need to investigate further,” Viktor suggested. “Send someone to check up on the Righteous, and find out where he’s getting his blood supplies from.”

Constantine di Angelo, the only necromancer on the Council, shifted in his seat. His six-foot-seven frame attracted everyone’s attention. “I’m going into the city tonight. I can do it.”

“All right. Dig out who his dealers are. If you discover organs in his possession, cut off his other hand, too. I’ve warned him that I don’t want any illegal business close to Hospital territory. Especially the type that can spark human interest.” Mikhail’s gaze swept over the remaining Council members. “Anything else?”

Kaliope Gazis, one of the witches, said, “Considering the thinning of our ranks, mainly because of the Changes and low birth rates, I find it necessary to protect every single immortal creature. Would you agree, Mikhail?”

“Undoubtedly. That is our main goal here, Kaliope.”

She tapped her black lips with her index finger. “And threatening the life of a creature is a crime?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’m officially informing the Council that I will soon eliminate a group of humans. It will look like an accident.” The witch scanned each member around the table with her dark eyes. “I want your support, in case the Tribunal presses charges against me after the fact.”

Lyla Lee, another witch, gave out a screech. “The Tribunal! Fuck those bastards! Our lives were so much sweeter without them and their endless lines of questioning. ‘Why did you do it? Was it really necessary? Did anyone see you?’ As if I have to explain myself to them!”

Kaliope nodded in approval. “Precisely. We must do what we need to protect our own, and that’s the type of situation I’m dealing with. A clan of young witches is being constantly terrorised by a group of local bandits. The humans don’t know what the girls are. They target them for other reasons, but it’s getting out of hand.”

“The little minxes are attracting lustful eyes with their naked dances in the moonlight, huh?” Platinum shot out one of her usual snarky comments.

“Can’t the witches just bewitch the humans targeting them?” someone asked.

“As I said, the witches are inexperienced and still mortal; their magic is weak, thus they’re practically defenceless.”

“There has to be another way.”

Kaliope shook her head. “These human pieces of garbage don’t deserve to live! They’ve been grooming vulnerable girls into prostitution for years! Only now, they want these girls. It doesn’t matter if they’re human or not. It isn’t right.”

“Which reminds me”—Jaguar waved his hand—“did you hear the news?”

“What news?” Vladislav straightened up.

“Two Bulgarians, a billionaire couple, are wanted for bribing politicians. They’re suspected of trafficking contraband, drugs…”

“So?”

“They’re vampires.”

The room lit up with angry indignation.

“No way!”

“They can’t be that stupid!”

“But they are…”

“Those idiots are playing with fire!”

“Has the story been picked up by the mainstream newspapers, or is it in the local news only?”

“Authorities say they ran abroad. Bulgarian police must have moved fast, because Interpol already issued a Red Notice. It means they are internationally wanted fugitives.”

“Now that is something that truly threatens the immortal world…”

“This is serious.” Mikhail clenched his jaw. “I’ll call Presiyan and offer our help to the Tribunal to find the two Bulgarians before the humans do. They may still be in our territory. But let’s go back to Kaliope’s request for a second. The bandits threatening the witches – how many are there?”

The witch raised four fingers in the air.

“I suggest you deal with them some other way,” the manticore said.

“How, Mikhail?”

“Charm them. Make them switch businesses, leave the country, have them think they’re butterflies, I don’t know. Even if the girls can’t do magic, you can. And if the Tribunal find out you bewitched mortals, which is highly unlikely, it’ll be easier to get you off than it would be for flat-out murdering them.”

Kaliope frowned. “If these guys go away, others will take their place. Something horrid needs to happen to them, to serve as an example.”

“The Council cannot support murder. Not unless all other options are exhausted. It will not be put to a vote.”

Platinum slammed her palm on the table. “I agree. This is human business. We shouldn’t intervene.”

Kaliope winced but said nothing else.

When it was clear the issue was resolved, Elisanda fixed her cornflower blue eyes on their leader. “Mikhail, have you visited the Oracle again?”

His face remained impassive. “I have. She sent me on a wild goose chase through town. I came back empty-handed.”

Platinum tossed her long hair over her shoulder. “I expected nothing less.”

“Pity,” Elisanda said. “I was hoping for a fresh development.”

Vladislav made a puffing sound. “What development? The Oracle lost her marbles ages ago. Don’t you remember what she was like when we cut her open? I’ve no idea how she’s still breathing. How long has it been? Sixty years?”

Lyla’s demented laugh echoed through the room. Her curly hair looked wilder than ever, a sharp contrast to her haute couture sleek apparel. “Have I ever told you how, once, I asked the Oracle for advice? I wanted a nobleman to marry. You know what she said? She told me to go to the forest at noon and save the farmer’s daughter from bandits. So, I did, and you know what happened? The idiot married her! And I got nothing. I went back to the Oracle to tell her what happened, and she said, ‘I thought you wanted him to marry?’ I said, ‘Yes! But to me!’ She said I should wait and it would happen. I waited until one day, he just died. Since then, I don’t fall for her tricks.”

Viktor wasn’t a huge fan of the clairvoyant, but he knew one thing for sure. “The Oracle doesn’t waste words.”

Vladislav clicked his tongue. “Maybe she didn’t in the past…”

Mikhail waved his hand in dismissal. “She must have a weak spot for humans. She sent me to rescue a woman from some douchebag. Then she didn’t know why I had to do it.”

Platinum gave out a loud sigh. “She definitely does. Once, she tasked me with a rescue mission to save some kids from a train incident. She said if I didn’t, my hair would turn white.”

Kaliope pointed a finger at the nymph. “Your hair is white, Platinum.”

“It’s platinum!”

A lightbulb went off in Viktor’s head. If the Oracle was forcing encounters between mortals and immortals, maybe she was trying to unite them? He considered it for a while, but by the end of the meeting, sometime past midnight, Viktor had already given up on the idea of such a union. Sure, the seventh species – humans – had long been present within the Hospital walls. Kidnapping doctors was a thing of the past, but there were still humans who lived and worked there, and it was considered normal. An elderly urologist worked hand-in-hand with Hospital surgeons. There was a female microbiologist. And Mr. L, an eighty-something-year-old internist, was still reluctant to accept that he could not become immortal. There were others, too. But while they all had ended up in the building for one reason or another and were living in harmony with the six immortal species, this was only possible because they followed a single rule – never leave the premises.

***

A phone call woke Mikhail from his somnolence. He grabbed his phone with one hand, while his other was already busy tugging on a pair of pants. Nobody ever called him just to chat.

“Mikhail, come quick to the Oracle’s room!” It was Sonya.

A minute later, he barged into the room, where Sonya, the healer, and a vampire in a chambermaid uniform whose name he couldn’t quite recall, hovered over the wheelchair. The Oracle’s petite figure rested in the chair, her eyes closed and her face pale. The blanket that was always tossed over her legs covered her entire body now, from neck to toe. Her lips looked blue under the moonlight.

Mikhail placed a finger on her wrist but couldn’t find a pulse, just the ice-cold sweat that was breaking through her skin. “Oracle!”

She didn’t react to his shout.

“The chambermaid found her like this when she came for her usual routine.” Sonya’s eyes were wide with fear. “I didn’t know what to do! Should I move her or…”

Mikhail scanned the room for something he could use but saw nothing, so he lifted the Oracle in his arms, covered her body in the blanket, and rushed down the corridor.

She was not dying on him!

He burst through the reception doors and placed her body on a free bed. “It’s the Oracle. She’s in shock.”

The two on-call nurses rushed to aid. At the other end of the room, the healer on shift was sewing a young child’s head, while another one was removing a bullet from a vampire’s shoulder.

Vladislav Nyavolski entered through the front doors. “I have a lycanthrope incoming with multiple stab wounds to the chest. Prepare him and send him up,” he ordered without addressing anyone in particular.

Nobody paid attention to him, because all four physicians had gathered around the Oracle.

Mikhail’s gaze met Vladislav’s. The vampire scanned the room, quickly took stock of the situation, and yelled, “Put on the oxygen mask! Tie her to the monitor! Give me your stethoscope, Rein! Didn’t you place the catheter in, Toyle? Damn it! Turn it on already! Fuck !”

Mikhail stepped back. The Oracle had been living in the building for sixty years. Once every decade, he would visit her with the same question, and every time, the answer was the same. ‘Come back in ten years.’ This time, the answer had been different. She had sent him on a mission to resolve a seemingly inane dispute.

And yet, someone had discerned a deeper meaning in the Oracle’s words.

He didn’t ponder long before he summoned Zacharia. The hybrid arrived a few minutes later. His cold blue eyes inspected the room and froze when they landed on the Oracle’s unconscious body, hooked to the machines.

‘Free will, manticore. That is something that must never be taken away from a creature.’

Mikhail made sure that nobody could overhear him when he turned to Zacharia. “I need a favour.”