Page 143 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

“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…”

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