Alchemy of Blood. Olga Shakirovna Isyanova

tried not to show that she was worried, but it didn’t seem to be working.

      Sol asked her, “What is it? Did the kitten run away to another owner?”

      Selene understood why he called her “kitten”. The coat of arms of her former clan, Victor’s clan, was a panther.

      She took the rest of her cigarette out of the holder and tossed it at wolf’s feet.

      Stubbing out her cigarette with a black patent leather shoe, she said coldly before leaving, “Thank you for the interview, tesem8.”

      Chapter 6

      Selene’s mind was a mess as she rushed to tell the Prince the information she had received. She doubted Sol’s sincerity, but the sense of impending disaster grew stronger with each step. When she reached the heavy oak doors of the throne room, Selene found that there were no guards. This fact alarmed her. Taking a deep breath, she walked in, trying her best to keep her face expressionless.

      In the hall, seated on a dais, was Prince Adrian. Next to him were Greg, Thomas, and Maria. All three of them, except Maria, looked crestfallen, the way those who are ready to report an unpleasant event usually look. Maria was biting her lip nervously. Obeying Adrian’s gesture, the two guards, whose absence Selene had noticed earlier, closed the doors behind her, cutting off her escape route.

      She didn’t need to be a seer to tell that something was going wrong.

      Keeping an outward calm, Selene asked, “Has something happened, my lord?”

      Prince Adrian slowly raised his eyes to Selene, his gaze reflecting a serious and distant expression. He rested one hand on the carved arm of the throne and rubbed his chin thoughtfully with long white fingers.

      “Tell me, what did you learn from our guest?” the Prince asked instead of answering.

      Selene summarized everything she’d learned from Sol. Adrian didn’t seem surprised, even when Selene informed him that the werewolf suspected him of missing the alchemist. The Prince only nodded his head slightly, as if he already knew everything.

      “Wolf thinks Victor is helping Lucan,” Selene said, trying to keep her voice steady.

      Adrian looked at her carefully as she said that. Of the entire clan, he was the only one who knew of her true connection to Victor. For a few weary seconds, their eyes met, and Selene felt the weight of a difficult decision under Adrian’s gaze that he didn’t dare voice.

      Finally, the Prince spoke, “It’s not in my nature to break my word, but I’m afraid circumstances force me to do so. Victor is demanding your extradition, and I can’t refuse him.”

      That’s all. It’s done. The verdict was passed. It took a huge effort for Selene to keep her face calm. She was afraid that any movement or word could destroy her. So she just continued to stare at the Prince in silence.

      “Believe me, this decision was very difficult for me,” he said. “Many years ago, you asked for my protection, and in return, you served the clan faithfully. You’ve always been loyal to me. But right now, I can’t change anything. I’m sorry, Selene. I hope you understand.”

      Selene understood. Victor had been searching for centuries for a way to influence Adrian, and it seemed that he had finally found it. Whatever it was, Selene believed that if the Prince had had the chance to keep his word, he would have done it.

      Adrian looked at her dejectedly, waiting for her to say something. But Selene only found the strength to bow her head respectfully, indicating that she accepted his decision. Greg and Thomas looked down at the floor, and Maria was grinning with glee.

      There was an eerie silence in the room, broken only by the ominous clink of Greg’s handcuffs. He slid his hands behind Selene’s back, closing the heavy gold bracelets with the image of the falcon of Horus around her wrists. A chill ran through her body, and her muscles loosened. Thomas came over and joined Greg in taking Selene by the elbows as they headed out of the hall. Neither of them dared to meet her eyes. Maria trotted ahead impatiently.

      When the guards opened the doors for them, Selene turned to the Prince over her shoulder and asked, “What will happen to the prisoner?”

      He seemed to be prepared for any words, but this question clearly caught him off guard.

      “Lucan declared him a traitor, and traitors are known to be executed.”

      Selene said nothing and turned away. They led her out of the hall, and the doors slammed shut behind them.

      ***

      Selene spent the entire time trying to collect her thoughts as they descended into the dungeon. Uneasy premonitions gripped her heart, and the magic of the handcuffs resisted fiercely, refusing to yield to her efforts. But the girl did not give up, knowing that there was no time to think. Outwardly, she was unperturbed, but inside, a quiet storm was brewing.

      Their procession stopped in front of the cell door. On its metal surface was a winged sun disk – an ancient symbol of the sun god, designed to protect against evil. So the legend that vampires couldn’t enter a house uninvited was partly true. Selene felt that if she crossed the threshold, she would lose her freedom forever. If the Prince was willing to sacrifice her, Selene wasn’t.

      The moment Maria opened the door, Selene mustered the last of her strength, forcing the magic of the handcuffs to retreat in front of her. The golden bracelets opened with a loud clang and fell to the stone floor. She felt a surge of strength and a slight tingling sensation all over her body.

      Greg and Thomas were distracted by an unexpected sound. Selene ducked and summoned her daggers with a sharp flick of her wrists. In an instant, she severed the tendons under men’s knees, and their bodies collapsed to the floor at the same time. Taking advantage of the guardians’ weakness, Selene pushed them into the cell and locked the door. This would buy her a little time before someone showed up and freed them.

      Meanwhile, Maria was already rushing to the exit, realizing that she could not compete with Selene, since she always trusted her gift more than her physical strength.

      Selene decided not to waste time chasing Maria and not to try to stop her from raising the alarm. She knew that the security cameras had already recorded everything that had happened. Instead, she hurried to Sol’s cell.

      As she flitted her slender fingers across the panel and punched in the access code, Selene prayed that security wouldn’t change it. To her relief, a beep sounded and the green light turned on. Abruptly, she flung open the door, burst into the cramped, dank cell, and without another word began to free Sol from his shackles.

      “What’s all that noise? What are you doing?” he asked, frowning up at her.

      “Saving us,” Selene said, using her silver dagger to cut through the wolf’s shackles, sending out a shower of sparks. “Help me out, and I’ll explain the rest when we’re safe. In the meantime, sit tight.”

      She crouched down in front of Sol and placed her hands on the silver hoop that encircled his broad neck. Sol didn’t resist, watching her movements carefully, his golden eyes searching her face. Selene summoned her gift and channeled it into the power contained in the collar, just as she had done with the handcuffs before. This time the task was much easier: the restraining magic yielded almost effortlessly, and Tyr’s bindruna flashed with a dazzling silver light, then faded away, opening the collar. Sol breathed a sigh of relief and rose to his full height, stretching his arms and neck. It was much taller than Selene had expected, and she was struck by its power. She felt especially small next to him.

      “That’s better, thank you, fagr,” the werewolf boomed, crunching his neck in satisfaction.

      Selene smiled wryly, “Come on, we need to hurry.”

      They hurried out of the dungeon, passing sliding doors that weren’t locked.

8

Dog, hunting dog (Ancient Egyptian).