“We were waiting for you, Miss Zotova.” the man said, inviting her to come in.

The interior of the house was welcoming and the stove, turned on at full power, heated the room by devouring the logs of wood that were sticking out of the metal drawer. The room was spacious, although smaller than the normal rooms of the Zotova villa, and had several sumptuous and colorfully embroidered furnishings. They must have been worth a lot, Aria thought, because those were only present in noble houses.

“Wait here, please.” the gentleman, who must have been a butler for all intents and purposes, disappeared behind a door and left the girl alone.

She took the opportunity to sit on the leather sofa, fiddling with her heels, tapping them lightly in rhythm on the wooden floor. Her back adapted perfectly to the backrest and any problems that might have developed following the fight with the vampire vanished in a matter of seconds.

She didn’t know what to expect. She didn’t even know what kind of hunters they were or how many there had been. The information she had was limited and, at this point, she even doubted that Liza had been a real hunter. Her? So young and in that strange leather dress? The soldiers of the region wore heavy jackets and trained hard from childhood to reach adulthood and join the army. In addition, every two years they had to take a physical and mental test and, if you didn’t pass, you found yourself on the first train home. It was true, she had seen Liza kill a vampire with her own eyes, but it still seemed strange to her that a girl her age could already be so… determined and strong.

Or maybe, it was she who was weak. She herself was thin and ate little, which is why a new fear now formed in her mind: the fear of not being taken as a huntress.

The waiter returned.

“Please, follow me.”

She was led into one of the other rooms, along a corridor that could also lead to the upper floors. She found herself in the living room, luxurious like few others. The floor was covered with a red carpet with the coat of arms of the Nosovs, a minor noble family that Aria only knew from the ledger. The center of the room had been decorated with armchairs, sofas and chairs and a small table with some tasty sweets invited people to spend some time in the company of friends.

“Aria!” exclaimed a female voice.

“Liza!”

The huntress was lying on one of the sofas with a book in her hand. Her sword was resting to the side.

“I followed your advice…” Aria said.

“You made the best choice. I saw how you behaved yesterday and I think you could be an excellent student.” the huntress signaled the butler to leave them alone, “Tell me, did you make sure no one was following you?”

“Yes.” she nodded, “I checked several times and I didn’t say anything to anyone.” It immediately occurred to her that Madame Doroteya actually knew everything, but she left that detail out so as not to compromise her desire.

“I don’t want to live in fear anymore,” she continued, “that’s why I want to become a huntress.”

Liza smiled, leaning back against the chair and taking a glass of wine, “I understand, it’s a noble reason. Many of us have had experiences like yours. Here, you will learn to use sword techniques, recognize vampires and defend yourself from them.”

“So, are there other vampires in the city?”

Liza thought for a few seconds before answering, “Not in the city, no. Outside, it’s full. They live in caves or abandoned houses where no soldier sets foot. Unsuspecting traders are sometimes killed and their blood sucked by vampires.”

Aria swallowed.

“But don’t worry, you’re safe here.”

“There’s one thing I don’t understand… why was our house attacked? Did they want to kill the prince?”

“We don’t know.” the huntress shrugged, “It could be, or it could be not. Vampires aren’t organized. There’s no “Vampire Organization” or leader. Everyone looks after themselves. Sometimes, but it’s rare, they form groups, but most of the time they end up with internal conflicts or rebellions. And yet…”

Aria made a natural movement with her body, moving her torso closer to hear better.

“And yet I followed that bastard all the way from the outskirts, he seemed to know exactly where to go, which road to take, who to avoid… and when he leapt over the wall of your villa, he immediately attacked you.”

“He knew… he knew where to go?”

“Exactly.” another sip of wine, “That’s very strange but I’ve already talked to Sonia about it.”

“Sonia?”

“I still have to introduce you to the others and I think that will be the first thing I do.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The huntress stood up, followed by the girl.

The two left the living room to head upstairs. From the windows you could see the internal garden, the one that didn’t face the street. There were two boys there who were training with the sword. It had just started snowing, so they were wearing heavy jackets. Aria didn’t understand how, in the snow, they managed to move so quickly, but she stopped her amazement when she remembered that those two must have been hunters.

Liza signaled to follow her.

They entered a dining room with a long table in the center. Chairs had been placed on the sides and at the head of the table was a woman, tall and blonde, while on the sides a hooded man and on the other side what must have been a… a small man half a sword tall?

“Sorry to interrupt, let me introduce you to Aria, the new arrival.”

“What is that?” the Duchess asked in Liza’s ear.

“That…what?” the little man shouted.

Small wings came out of his back and the man began to fly across the room until he reached the girl. His ears were pointed and Aria found them very funny. His skin was leathery and his voice was high-pitched.

“That one’s called Anton. I’m a pixie.”

“A- pixie?”

“Exactly, miss.” Anton returned to his seat and crossed his arms.

“I advise you not to bother Anton, he’s quite touchy.” said the woman who this time approached, introducing herself, “Sonia Kazeev, I’m the director of the academy, as well as the first huntress.”

“Pleased to meet you.” when Aria held out her hand to the woman, she grabbed her arm, immobilizing it. It was a strong grip and the girl felt pain in her wrist.

“A noble.” said the older one, looking at her hand. Her stern gaze shifted to Liza, “You seriously brought a noblewoman here?”

“I know, Sonia, but she’s different.”

Aria didn’t understand, but somehow she felt guilty. She didn’t even know how she’d figured out that she was a noblewoman. But given Sonia’s reaction, Liza must not have said anything.

The director let go of her arm, then took two steps toward the window. She put a cigar to her mouth and lit it with a silver lighter.

“You better get a move on, or you’ll be disbarred.” she puffed smoke that smeared the windows.

“What’s wrong with nobles?” Aria asked curiously, “How did you know I was one of them?”

Sonia laughed with the cigar still in her mouth. She took it between her index and middle fingers and carried it away, then puffed smoke at the two girls.

“Look at your hands.”

And Aria did. She didn’t understand.

“What do you see?”

“I see… my hands?”

“Do you see imperfections?”

“Of course not! I get my nails done three times a day, Madame Doroteya is very careful, and on top of that…”

“There,” the woman interrupted, “that’s exactly what I was referring to. You see, you’re not one of the people. You’re superior to the common citizens of Korostk. You nobles only care about power and receptions, balls and clothes.”

She moved away slightly, perhaps to contain his anger.

“When it comes to dealing with real problems, though, you don’t lift a finger.”

“That’s not true.”

“You’re too young to understand, girl, you still have your whole life ahead of you. Tell me, how old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

The question shocked her. Aria? What if she hurt a fly? Even killing…

“N-no.”

Sonia Kazeev snorted.

“Train and do your best, that’s what’s important now.” she turned to Liza, “Take her to the other two.”

The two girls nodded. Before leaving the room, Aria glanced back at the funny little pixie who, until that moment, hadn’t even known they could exist. She wasn’t as surprised as one might have imagined, because after escaping death at the hands of a vampire, everything could be real for her. Her gaze slowly slid over the mysterious man, who hadn’t said a word until that moment. She looked at him carefully, but she couldn’t see anything behind the hood.

So, they left the room to go, this time, to the inner garden.

“First I find out that my father hates hunters… now I find out that Sonia hates nobles. What the hell!”

Liza shrugged.

“That’s life, Aria. Hunters and nobles are in two different factions.”

“Then why invite me?” she stopped in the middle of the stairs, she didn’t want to take another step until she had found an answer to her question.

“Because you’re different, I told you. You managed not to get bitten, and that’s already a boast that not many can say they have. Plus, you didn’t faint like others. Few nobles can call themselves friends of hunters.”

Liza held out her hand to Aria, who accepted. Once they reached the garden, the two boys who were facing each other were still there. One of the two swung a blow at the other, who managed to dodge and hit back with the hilt.

“Sev, Yevgeny, stop training, I have to introduce you to the new arrival!” Liza shouted.

The two pretended not to hear, or their involvement in the fight must have been serious. They continued to slash until one of them was hit by a snowball. So, realizing that they had been called, the two boys approached.

“She is-“

“What an immense paradise my eyes see!” the younger of the two, clean-shaven and with long hair, bowed, kissing Aria’s hand, “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Sevastian, but to friends I am simply Sev.”

“Aria…” the girl withdrew her hand.

“Sev, I have told you many times not to bother newcomers.”

“And how can I listen to you? Beauty cannot be commanded.”

“Instead he is-“

“Yevgeny.” the older, as well as taller and more robust, “We are wasting time with these absurd banalities. We should start fighting again, Sev.”

“What is fighting if not a means to impress a girl? Words, Yev, words are the heart of the-“

He was interrupted when a fist landed between his eyes.

“That’s enough!” Liza exclaimed, “Get back to your training.”

The huntress led Aria to one of the many benches along the walls. They were protected by canopies, so they didn’t have to worry about falling snow.

“With the two of them,” Liza spoke, “you’ve met the people of the academy. Anton will be your teacher.”

Aria gave a faint smile; it was clear that she hadn’t found a companion worthy of her. The nobles of the palace were so different in manner and appearance that, ever since she had set foot in the academy, she felt like she was in another city.

“Who was the hooded gentleman?” she asked.

“He is Igor, an expert hunter and keeper of the secrets of the artifacts. He doesn’t like to talk and mostly keeps to himself, so it’s best if you don’t talk to him.”

“I see…” she thought further before asking the next question, “Are there other hunters around?”

Korotsk was very populated and it seemed strange to her that only the five of them could protect it from the attacks of the vampires.

“Yes, but they don’t attend the academy. Some have chosen to live in the mountains to be able to do their work, others hang around the city to shop and get supplies, but generally they don’t stay more than one night.”

A flap of wings became louder. It was Anton who was flying with a few-inch staff in his hand. At his side the butler who held a sword almost larger than him.

The pixie approached.

“Girl, take the sword, your first lesson begins immediately.”