Free Legacy in Blood (Book 1 of The Begotten of Old Series) by Masha Dark Page A

was satisfied. The photo, of course, was pasted on clumsily, but the ID should be just enough for a week. The rest was unimportant.
    Dalana stood before the mirror and investigated her back, from which fifty-four metal bars had been extracted. Perhaps they were a worthy alternative to stakes – with respect to transmogs, definitely. As for Dalana, all her wounds had already healed so well that there were no longer any scars.
    Dalana recalled the events of last night. She really never should have agreed to go to a nightclub to relax – look at the result! She now knew that CRUSS wasn’t just created in the image and likeness of that American TV show, X-Files . It turned out that the local agents weren’t bad at organizing large-scale operations. They obviously maintained connections with their overseas colleagues, exchanging information. And they conducted cleansings. How many transmogs did they pick off last night? About a hundred? Or maybe even more? At any rate, no less.
    Beyond the window the evening of an exhausting day was falling. Nothing special had happened on this day – nothing very special in comparison to the day before – but it had still been exhausting. Having received her new papers, Dalana took out some money and settled the issue of her wardrobe. She now had a fresh collection of wigs that were especially delightful to the eye. She had also dealt with her accommodation: fortunately it was easy to rent suitable places for practically any length of time. Just as she had planned, Dalana rented an apartment in the very center of the capitol and a country house in the South. Then she had said her goodbyes to Lucinda, Nicholaus and Filip. They were definitely bizarre, these transmogs, but all the same Dalana was sincerely grateful to them. The business with Vasilisa was more complicated. The girl didn’t want to leave her side.
    “What do you think?” she had asked, extracting a slug from Dalana’s back. “Who could have betrayed us?”
    “And how should I know?” wondered Dalana.
    “I was so sure,” continued the girl. “We were all so sure that none of the humans would ever catch wind of Wing .”
    “Your problem is that you underestimate humans, in particular these Special Forces. You put up an iron fence, release a couple of dogs into the courtyard and that’s it, you think you’re invulnerable. And now you’ve seen the result.”
    “All the same, I’m sure there’s a snitch among us. Simply put, the humans would never have been able to find that place on their own.”
    “It’s hardly likely that you’ll find out now. Though you could hire a private detective.”
    Dalana was not speaking seriously, even if there was a grain truth.
    And what if I hired you?
    Bingo! That’s the ticket! It seemed that after seven hundred years the girl had picked up something after all. But Dalana did not bat an eye.
    Why me?
    The last slug dropped into the iron basin with a thud. Dalana stretched her numb back. The wounds did not bleed; they already began to heal.
    But Vasilisa did not back down.
    I know that I look like a seventeen year old girl, but believe me, I’ve not been seventeen for a long time and I can pay you well. I am very rich. When our family was still human we possessed vast estates. Since then we have only added to them.
    I’m happy for you , Dalana replied laconically.
    I mean it . Vasilisa was offended.
    Then she added aloud, “I need to disinfect your wounds. I brought alcohol.”
    “That’s not necessary,” said Dalana, “They will soon heal.”
    “Yes, you’re right,” marveled Vasilisa. “Right before my eyes.”
    In transmogs the regeneration of flesh was relatively slow, and it was definitely nowhere near as fast as movies would have one believe. Even the flesh of the Begotten of Old did not regenerate that quickly.
    Vasilisa touched Dalana’s shoulder with the tips of her fingers.
    “And it no longer hurts?” she asked.
    “It never hurt. It was just