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.

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  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.