34

The wolf. Life, death and the sword.

—It's just a sword!—Maria Valdez said.— And what is it about him, Mom? —

Olga Karsten sniffed indignantly. Her concepts sometimes differed a little from her daughter's skepticism.

— And that's why we're going there?—the brunette asked again.

— This sword can kill anything...—Olga said.—There is not a single creature that can withstand this sword, its energy... Definitely, either higher powers created it, or it's the biggest deception in this world! —

Christoph Jansen was packing up with habitual humility. Finn has been looking a lot younger lately.

Maria came up and buried her cool nose in the broad back.

— My beloved...—she whispered softly.— And I dreamed about you in my dream... You are in a dream and in reality... How wonderful...—

— I hope that the dream is pleasant...—the gray—haired Finn said in his usual inhibited tone.—Liv, can I take a passport with my real name? Tired of being a Jansen!—

— Do you want to become a Pikarainen again?—Vegard came in.— I do not know if I have a surname at all, and therefore I am not averse to remaining a Frogner for this century.—

— You have been a Frogner for many years!—Jansen sighed.— Well, Jansen so Jansen! —

— And what is this medallion?—Vegard picked up a pendant with an image of an old castle.

— Yes, it's mine... An old trinket...— picking up the medallion, the vampire stared at the image so intently, as if it meant something to her...

***

A long time ago...

Maria herself does not really remember now exactly what year, day or month it was. But she remembered very well the beloved adopted son of Count Ravenhertz, Michael Gustavsson.

Maria didn't know how to ride a horse and wasn't going to learn-horses have been used to identify vampires since the world has been standing.

The snow crunches underfoot. I don't want to leave until there's a reason.

Slope. It's so slippery and it's like you can see the whole world from here.

Maria sits down on a rock and looks down.

So mesmerizing... Snow everywhere glistens in the night.

New boots cause some discomfort, but Maria feels a good mood lift from their novelty.

Barking... Damn it, it's a dog barking!

Maria breaks the crust with her fist and steps into the deep snow. Burrowing in there is the best way out.

The white canvas embraces her, it is soft, too soft. Too, just not to notice the failure ...

Maria quickly lost her balance and rolled down, breaking her temple.

Through a certain pool of unconsciousness, she heard a growl.

An animal can't growl like that.

A man cornered and scared out of his mind, such sounds can only be generated by a man.

— Half-wit, why do you need all this? You must be a sorcerer!—

It smells like fire.

A man is tied to a pole.

No wonder he can't talk anymore. He was beaten so badly that he could lose his senses from pain and feelings.

Through her long hair, which was even blacker than the night, her skin was as white as snow.

— Oh! Midnight girl!— someone from the company noticed Maria.— And who are you? Harlot?—

— Let him go or I promise: the last minutes of your life will be such that hell will seem like paradise to you!—

***

Our days.

Maria smiled, twirling the locket in her hands.

The vampire followed her family into the plane.

The evening gently embraced everything, the whole world around.

A cool wind walks around the airport and scrutinizes everything, as if it wants to change something in this picture, or exclude it altogether ...

This wind danced such a strange, unusual dance ...

— Christophe, I'm going to the toilet. If the flight attendants are serving drinks, ask for strong coffee for me.—Maria said to Christophe as the plane took off into the sky.

The feeling that she was a little unwell always tormented Maria in the air. That's how the fear came out.

Olga filled almost the entire space of the table with notebooks, a map with notes and individual notes.

When she wanted to eat, she asked for a steak with blood.

A photo of Wentworth caught her eye... And how did such an abomination still survive?

— What kind of drawing is this?—Vegard asks.

— We will look for this sword. This metal or the devil knows what handsome man can destroy absolutely everything. And I think this sword will help to cut the cursed crown to pieces.—Olga sighed loudly.— We can't leave it like this...—

—That's for sure,— Maria said.— and for some reason this sword seems very familiar to me...—

Clouds float by outside the window, like white pieces of fog hiding something important from prying eyes...

Bjorn got up and walked towards the toilet like a zombie.

Something is pulsing in his blood.

Everything hurts, even the hair.

— Bjorn!!—Maria turned, the vampire walked as if he couldn't bend his knees.

— Bjorn!!!—several people called him again, but the blond man seemed to have lost his hearing.

The drops of water collected by the hands actually hit the face. Bjorn's frightened eyes stared at his reflection.

The tips of his fingers burned as if an ancient vampire had dipped his fingers into silver.

Something flared up in the body and... the heart beat?

Bjorn came out of the bathroom, looking around in fright.

— Guys...— he whispered. The voice seemed to have switched off.— It seems... My decommissioned engine somehow came to life...—

His lips were dry, his face lit up with some kind of sick blush. Or crimson...

Another step and Bjorn falls. The airplane rubber carpet feels like a stone under his back.

For some reason, he forgets English and quietly whispers something in Swedish.

— What does he say?—Olga asks Maria.— He whispers so fast that I can't understand anything!—

— Him...— Maria bent down to his lips, listened.— He said he was breathing... And he has a pulse...—

— And what is this sign on his shoulder?—Christophe asked, pointing from afar with his finger.

Maria took a look, then slightly pushed the short sleeve of the T-shirt to the side:

— Oh...—

— What did that "oh" mean?—Maria's mother asked.

— The sign of the blood witch...-

***

Someone got attached to them at Stockholm airport.

The whole company felt the gaze on them very clearly.

Sometimes the guys even heard footsteps, but Olga tried to convince herself that it just seemed to them and there were no steps.

— It's cool in here...—Maria said softly.— And it's very good that there is no sun here...—

— Is it cool?? Ha! Yes, you have not seen the coolness, my hot!— Christophe refueled with beer and already stopped thinking a little, he was enveloped in a state of drunken drowsiness.— How tired I am of America! —

— Tired is not the right word yet... Running from huge helicopters shooting at you is worse than boring... Not just tired...—Olga said softly.— Operation Hunting was a real hell...—

— The weather will be much better in hell!—Vegard chuckled.— It's not often that nature takes offense at people there, although it hurts, yes...—

— Father, when have you been to hell?—Maria froze. The ice cubes in the coke glass clattered loudly like crystal glasses.

— Yes, where have I not been already, my dear!—Vegard says.

— I'm even afraid to think, let alone ask...— the vampire said, touching the glass again.

The branches of the nasty plastic fake bushes parted and eyes appeared among the foliage, blue as the sky. They persistently stalked, pursued with a slight hint of madness in their eyes.

His face was hidden by a hood and a scarf wound up to his eyes, and a sword hung on his back, over a thin black jacket.

He resembled a ninja, this spy...