45

“I’d always hoped to never come here.”

Constantine gave a neutral grunt at Diana’s words. The vampire was nestled in the passenger seat of his SUV as they neared the Hospital.

“In reality, it’s much more impressive,” she admitted, craning her neck to better take in the two enormous wings and arches. She’d shared with Constantine that she’d heard tales of the grand fa?ade rising to the sky.

The tall windows and massive columns were engulfed in a mist thick enough to hide the top few floors. The expansive courtyard was white with snow, the winds swirling and scattering it around the bare trees. A protective jagged fence surrounded the Hospital.

Constantine drove down the cleared-up alleyway at a lazy speed, while the wipers of his SUV barely managed to fight off the snowflakes attacking the windshield. He threw a side glance at Diana. The vampire wore a black coat reaching down to her ankles, heeding his advice to lose the not-so-appropriate tight leather suit and giant sword attire. Not the best choice for this place, especially when there were no signs of an imminent battle and it would only attract the attention of the Tribunal agent Mikhail had warned him about.

Her fingers tensed around her brother’s last letter and a vial with some questionable yellow-greenish contents. A vial for which it seemed her brother Luka had traded his life.

“It’s going to be okay,” Constantine said.

Her eyes met his. “If someone tries to take this away from me, I’ll kill them.”

Constantine couldn’t help but smile, knowing all too well that she didn’t mean the threat figuratively. “I promise nobody will try to.” He wasn’t the nicest guy, but he’d given her his word that he’d protect her and the vial, and he intended to keep it.

She glanced at herself in the mirror before exiting the car. Her face was radiant, with no make-up, and her hair was a straight brownish silk that fell freely down to her shoulders.

Viktor was waiting for them at the entrance dressed in pale blue jeans, a shirt with the word Werewolf printed across the chest and white sneakers. His dark hair stuck out in all directions as if he’d just got out of bed – a quite different image from the diligent conservative style they were used to seeing on him.

“Welcome back, brother.” He shook Constantine’s hand with a hearty smile.

“Hello, my friend. Remember Diana?”

Viktor’s gaze roamed up and down her body with undisguised interest. “How could I forget?”

Constantine stepped forward, partially hiding her with his own body. He’d promised her alliance and protection, not suitors. “She has valuable intel for us. I’ve been trying to reach Mikhail for a while now, but he’s not answering any of his phones.”

Viktor’s attention snapped back to Constantine. “There’s been a lot going on lately. I imagine he’s been busy, especially after the Oracle’s death. There were some… disagreements amongst the Council members.”

“So, it’s true. The Oracle is dead?” Diana asked as they stepped into one of the lifts.

“Alas, it is. I didn’t believe it myself until I saw her body.”

“I thought the Oracle was a constant. Something like the sun and moon. The sky. You know, eternal,” Diana said.

“The Oracle is something eternal.” Constantine made sure he positioned himself between the other two. “Tell me about the attack on the boy.”

Viktor grimaced. “You heard about that, too?”

“Our community’s not that big…”

They exited the lift and headed for the main hall. Once inside, Constantine and Viktor found their usual places around the table, while Diana hung her coat on the hanger by the door, flashing the little Glock placed around her waist, and sat next to Constantine. The Glock was his present to her. A trade of sorts, in exchange for no longer carrying her sword.

“Not much to tell, I’m afraid,” Viktor said. “Someone attacked him, but the goal is unclear. The boy can’t say who did it and has no clue as to why.”

From what Constantine had heard, no one doubted the aim of the attack. “I was left with the impression that the attempt was murder.”

The lycanthrope raked his hair with fingers. “Are those the rumours going around, then?”

“You know the Hospital’s reputation. It’s renowned for its safety, but now it turns out that isn’t the case at all.”

“I don’t think it’s impacted our patient care…”

The door opened with a bang and Mikhail rushed in with a death-dealing expression. Without sparing them a glance, he settled into a seat with a weary thud. “You have five minutes to explain to me why she’s here before her head flies off.”

“Calm down, brother. I tried to warn you that I’d be bringing her. This is Diana, remember?” Constantine’s voice was quiet and controlled.

Mikhail’s lips formed a straight line. “I know very well who she is. I asked why she’s here. As far as I remember, her brother is dead. She knows nothing of consequence about the creatures he worked for.”

Another thing Constantine had assured Diana of? That she would receive nothing less than support from the leader of the Council. “Brother, has something bad happened?”

Mikhail’s stare shifted from Diana to Constantine. “Not yet.”

“Constantine, this was a mistake. I want to leave.” Diana put the yellow-greenish vial back in her purse.

Constantine tried again. “Mikhail, I assured Diana that she’d be under my protection while she’s here. This means that if you try something against her, I’ll be forced to respond.” He was aware of the weight of his words, but couldn’t figure another way to calm the manticore down. Something else had obviously upset Mikhail, and he needed to come to his senses and hear what Diana had to say. It could change everything – for the Hospital, for immortals.

Mikhail considered it for a moment until the necromancer’s words seemed to penetrate. “All right. If that’s how it is, the vampire will be under my protection, too.”

“I’m still not sure it’s such a good idea.” Diana shook her head, as if ready to leave.

Constantine leaned towards her and whispered in her ear, “You can only avenge your brother if we work together.”

His words were like a trigger for her. Diana ran her palm across her forehead and sighed. She knew, as Constantine did, that too much was at stake and the creatures around them were probably the only ones they could trust. She said, “In Italy, I told you that Luka made a deal with those creatures to get something in return. That ‘something’ is a means of unlocking the secondary form.”

Mikhail’s beastly eyes assessed her. “You’re a New Generation?”

“Yes. As I mentioned, my brother opened the portal here and delivered the package. I begged him not to do it, but he didn’t listen. Now, he’s dead.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Viktor chimed in.

“Why are you here?” Mikhail snapped, as if only then noticing the lycanthrope’s presence.

Viktor shrugged. “Well, Constantine called.”

“You’ve been removed from the Council.”

Another shrug. “There’s no official meeting now.”

Constantine couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. “Friends, what the hell is going on here? Since when do you two fight? It’s like I’ve been gone for years, not weeks…”

The manticore sighed. “I’m not in the mood to explain. Go on!” He waved his hand at Diana.

She sent Constantine a questioning look. He nodded and, despite her despondency, she continued. “There’s something I didn’t mention the first time. The reason I went after Luka was not only because he disappeared. When I searched for him at his home, the place was turned inside out but I guess they didn’t find the safe. Because inside, I found this”— she pulled out the vial—“and a short letter.”

Mikhail placed his palms on the table. “What’s in the letter?”

“ Drink it. It’s short-lasting. Turn. I don’t trust them .” Diana recited the words she’d read at least a hundred times during their travel. “Alas, when we found him, he wasn’t in a state to give any explanations.”

“I thought he was dead?” Mikhail grimaced.

Constantine intervened. “Let me explain something. When we killed that witch in Alberobello and I devoured her soul, I gained access to – how shall I put it – her full list of clients and everything related to it. And not just that. As we already know, a witch stays connected to every one of her clients forever. That’s how I learnt where Luka was.”

In contrast to her earlier shiftiness, Diana now sat next to him, listening calmly.

“Together, we headed for Mersin, Turkey. We found Luka in an abandoned construction site. Let’s just say his deal with Mada had already taken what was owed. But that wasn’t his only problem.” The image of the poor creature appeared in front of Constantine. It was something he’d for sure remember for a long time. “Luka was very badly physically hurt.” He didn’t want to dive into details and describe the necrosis delving into the spinal cord of the vampire. “He died the night we found him. I believe that whoever hired him to open the portal finished him off.”

“Probably trying to get this back.” Diana shook the vial between her fingers. “But he was smart enough to leave it behind and hide it well, so only I could discover it.”

“Why would they give it to him and then try to retrieve it?” Viktor crossed his arms over the Werewolf print on his shirt, and Mikhail threw him a disapproving glance.

“Luka was smart,” Diana said. “Knowing him, he surely found a way to outsmart them. I can only guess, but they probably never wanted him to use the contents of the vial and planned to take it back the moment he completed his task. He managed to hide it in time or God knows what… I don’t know.”

“Let’s recap.” Mikhail appeared more bored than angry. “Your brother makes a very bad deal with someone. He has to bring me Kaliope’s head and he needs to do it in a special way – the portal. In return, he’s supposed to receive something that will help him unlock his secondary vampire form. In other words, something we know doesn’t exist. And so, they give him something . A shiny little vial. But then they decide to screw him over and take it back. So… who are ‘they’?” Mikhail’s eyes fixed on Diana.

“As I said the first time, I never pushed Luka for details. The mere thought of him opening a portal bothered me. And honestly, I didn’t think he’d fall for it. I only remember he described them as sinister and slimy . Truth be told, I was much more worried about his safety than I was about them.”

“ Slimy ?”

Diana shared a glance with Constantine, who nodded in encouragement. Mikhail deserved to know everything they did – even if part of it were the ramblings of a dying man.

“At that construction site, just before he died, Luka told me they were always well dressed, in elegant suits and dark sunglasses, even at nighttime. He also said something about their skin. So clear, so perfect. Like porcelain. I wouldn’t count too much on that last bit. He wasn’t in his right mind by the end. He was hallucinating and talking to creatures that weren’t there.”

“Did he say how many they were?”

“Two, I believe,” Diana said.

“Immortal?”

“For sure. Before you ask what kind, I need to remind you we’re vampires. We don’t have your strong olfactory senses.”

“You don’t know. All right. Where did he meet them?”

“Some bar here in Sofia… The Seven Horses , I think it was.”

Mikhail’s bewildered gaze moved from Diana to Constantine. “ Babyhand’s brothel?”

Constantine inclined his head, having already gathered as much. “That fucking den is turning out to be a huge thorn in our side.”

“How many times did they meet?”

“No clue,” the vampire said.

“We have to pay the Righteous another visit.”

Constantine sighed. “I’ve been picturing it the whole way here. The last time, we didn’t part on good terms. Who knows, maybe we’ll fix that.”

Viktor cleared his throat, drawing their attention. “Do you mind if I analyse the substance?” His eyes lingered on the vial Diana held.

Constantine grinned because he had been willing to bet the lycanthrope would jump at the opportunity. “That’s one of the reasons we’re here. But you should know, I’ve promised Diana that she’ll drink the vial’s contents.”

Viktor furrowed his brow. “It could be dangerous.”

“Non-negotiable.” Constantine wasn’t a huge fan of Diana’s idea either, but it had been the only way to convince her to come here. At least she would be under constant medical supervision and they would get an insight into the properties of the regeneration vial.

“My brother died for this thing!” Diana fired up. “I’m drinking it, all right!”

Viktor held up his palm. “Let’s think this over. What if you drink it and you’re poisoned?”

“I don’t believe they would have tried to get it back so badly if it was just mere poison.”

“All right, you might have a point… But what if ingesting it drives you mad?”

“Why on earth would it drive me mad?”

Constantine decided it was time to interrupt again. “Viktor, hear me out. Diana will drink the vial, and you’ll be next to her the whole time, supervising. That’s her wish.”

Throughout their bickering, Mikhail sat calmly in his chair, listening. When Viktor gave up trying to change Diana’s mind, Mikhail asked her, “Why are you so insistent on drinking that thing?”

“I have my reasons. I need to unlock my secondary form.” The sharpness in her voice would have deterred any other creature from probing further.

Mikhail, however, only narrowed his eyes on Diana. “I thought it was your brother who wanted to unlock his secondary form. Now you’re saying it was you who wished to do this, all along?”

“Yes.” Diana lifted her chin in the air, defiant. “My brother died for this vial. His desperation to try his secondary form caused his end. The least I could do is not let his sacrifice be in vain and see what it is he died for, and whether it works or not.”

She’d shared the whole story with Constantine, but another condition of hers was that she wouldn’t divulge any information outside the necessary with anyone else.

Mikhail stared at her for a long while, with an expression Constantine knew meant he was debating whether to continue pestering her. He must have given up in the end, because he said, “You do know that what you’re talking about is in practice impossible, right? For years, we’ve been trying to enhance the New Generation bodies to endure the first transformation. We never succeeded.”

“I know. I also believe there has to be something special about this vial. Otherwise, whoever gave it to my brother wouldn’t go through all this hassle to take it back.”

“I agree. But I consider it a very bad idea to drink it.”

Constantine shifted in his seat. Did he have to argue with Mikhail, too? “We discussed this. Diana drinks it.”

“As you wish. Just keep me posted.” Mikhail rose and left the room without another word.

Viktor whistled at the painted ceiling. “And he says I’ve been acting weird lately…”