I lay in the darkness, sorting through everything I knew, saw, heard, and experienced so far. Somewhere in that mess might be the hidden key, a clue about what to do next, how to identify our enemies, how to fight them.

Suddenly, I had it! Then I woke up shivering, realizing it was just a dream. But I was genuinely trembling, and I couldn't stop, not even under the covers. Probably a reaction to the wounds I had suffered.

In the morning, I couldn't think properly, let alone get out of bed. Agnieszka stayed with me, claiming she was taking care of me. I would have preferred to be alone. Evelyn, after a few sarcastic remarks, went outside to, in her words, assess the situation.

I didn't care. In the moments when fever alternated with chills, my ability to think was returning, and like a broken record, I kept considering our options.

"Could that bastard have had poisonous claws?" I asked Agnieszka in one of my clearer moments.

"Various clans have different abilities, but I don't think some of them are poisonous like snakes," she replied with a soft smile.

She wasn't wearing makeup, just slightly accentuating her lips, and suddenly, she looked unexpectedly young.

"And your clan?"

"My former clan," she corrected me. "I belonged to the youngest one, and I don't know what abilities the higher-ups had – have. Anyway, they were and are very adept at politics."

I waited to see if she would continue, but I didn't ask because suddenly my teeth started chattering again.

Compared to yesterday, my condition hadn't improved, rather the opposite. But after a heavy beating, the second day is always the worst.

"I've seen documents confirming that they contributed to the founding of the Wroclaw bishopric. But I don't know if the current grandmaster was involved. That was around the year one thousand. And throughout, they've been part of the country's leadership. They're rich; no one knows what all they own, who owes them... That's their main art, in my opinion."

"But they don't have poisonous claws, so why the hell do I feel so awful?" I croaked and collapsed back into the pillows.

"Because if you were human, we would have been digging a grave for you by now. Drink this, eat that, then I'll give you an injection."

I didn't know where Agnieszka had restocked the first aid kit, but I didn't have the strength to protest.

"We've known each other for a few days, and I'm completely knocked out for the second time," I groaned a moment later.

It wasn't a moment; it was getting dark outside, and Evelyn was in the room as well. She poured herself a shot and looked nervous.

"This is the second time you've encountered a strong vampire, and this one belonged to the older ones," she shrugged. "It's a miracle you're alive."

Again, I had a dream that night where everything made sense again. But before I could break down and analyze the salvific idea, Evelyn came into my room. She was wearing a translucent robe, a black lace bra, black lace panties, garters, and patterned stockings adorned with skull motifs.

"You're going to die," she said. "I'll make love to you one last time."

In reality, I wouldn't have been able to, but in the dream, I wanted her. However, I said no and tried once again to dredge up the idea from my subconscious that was supposed to save us.

She left.

Then Agnieszka came in. In shorts and a short nightgown, under which her small breasts with prominent nipples were outlined.

"You're going to die," she said. "Let's make love, at least once."

In reality, I wouldn't have been able to, but in the dream, I wanted her. I knew I should find a way to save us, but I let it go and answered yes.

Then the dream turned into a confusing nightmare, leaving only demons and fear in its memory.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

* * *

I felt much better in the morning, just as I expected – the third day is a turning point for the better. It was a bit surprising when Evelyn revealed to me that it wasn't the third day but the fifth, and that I had been fighting fevers all this time. I let it be. I had overcome it, and there was no point in dwelling on it further. The important thing was that I was getting back into shape and knew which direction to take. It wasn't groundbreaking, but anything was better than nothing.

I jumped out of bed, shed my sweaty clothes in the bathroom, washed, combed, shaved, got dressed, and sat at the table with anticipation. I was hungry as usual, perhaps even more so.

The table was set, they were counting on it.

I loaded up on meat, eggs, ham, while Agnieszka and Evelyn silently and observantly watched. Maybe a bit nervously, but I didn't pay much attention.

"Do you remember when you found out the pack was missing?" I asked with a full mouth.

She nodded.

"You said it was at the end of March, but it was snowing. It stayed on the asphalt, and when a car passed, it left behind black traces. You saw black tracks from a car at the Volks, and... who did you visit last?"

"The Medveds," she replied quietly.

That memory was still gnawing at her; I could see it.

"And you said that at their place, the tracks were already covered by fresh snow," I reminded her.

She nodded, looking uncertain about where I was heading.

"That means that cars arrived at the Rises, Medveds, Kolonovs, Volks, and Dikars all at the same moment. Otherwise, you couldn't see diluted tracks and then originally diluted tracks covered by fresh snow," I explained.

"Probably yes," she agreed hesitantly.

It didn't look like either of them wanted the last slice of smoked meat, so I ate it.

"And what does that mean?" Agnieszka wanted to know.

"It means we're looking for someone who owns five or more small trucks or a lot of large vans. And according to what you said about our opponent, they have their headquarters in Frenstat or its immediate vicinity."

"Interesting," Evelyn commented, but she didn't look convinced by my reasoning.

"We can also trace that off-road delivery van that brought three vampires we took down. I've been thinking about it. It was a professional modification, there won't be many like it," I said.

"They're after us," Evelyn interrupted.

So that's what the nervousness was about, I realized.

"While you were lying in bed, I was on guard. Two guys, shoulders like wardrobes, silent, asking about a tall dude accompanied by a sexy brunette. That's supposed to be you," she looked at Agnieszka disdainfully.

"They're glyhens," Agnieszka said without hesitation.

"Did they find out anything?" I asked.

"No. They acted too arrogantly, and the locals here are peculiar, proud, and don't like strangers from the valleys. But I think they'll be back. Something didn't seem right to them; something aroused their suspicion."

If they had stopped by at the pub and bought a few shots, someone would surely remember the big off-road jeep parked here and a few other details that would lead them to us.

Instinctively, I looked at the revolvers. I didn't feel like playing games with someone. Lately, I had suffered too many blows during such games, and if it continued, I would start to think that I couldn't fight.

"So, they're looking for us," I stated.

After what I – what we did to them, I didn't believe they would leave the investigation to a team of two glyhens. They had already lost such a duo, and besides, we killed three vampires for them, and according to Agnieszka, someone who definitely wasn't an ordinary foot soldier. But it hurt, damn it, it hurt. Just remembering it made me break out in a cold sweat again. I'd rather get back to what was important, the present.

Those two would be the point of the spear, and a much larger firepower would cover them from behind, figuratively speaking. And actually, too.

"You two find all the companies that own five or more delivery vans or small trucks. Make a list, then we'll figure out how to check them," I began.

I expected Evelyn to protest my command, but she just nodded.

"I'll try to find out more about that off-road delivery van. What it is, where, or how to get such a machine, and who bought it. For now, we'll work from a distance, over the internet, through phones."

"Shouldn't we move?" Agnieszka suggested. "Somewhere else, to Bohemia, perhaps."

I also thought of that, and I considered it again. But we might learn something tomorrow that we would want to verify in person. I wanted to be close. What if we find something that could save the pack, and then we miss the chance just because we have to travel several hundred kilometers first?

"No, not now. Some time will pass before they come back here," I decided.

Suddenly, I realized that somewhere in the subconscious, in the deepest part of myself, there was another reason we stayed – I wanted them to come after us again, to attack us again, and I wanted to find out what they were truly capable of. And then, I wanted to know how to destroy them. A foolish thought, but I couldn't help it.

We got to work.