A bright sparkle of polished steel glittered against his black silhouette. The Dalmatian Serpent cut the box in half with terrifying precision, landing on his feet and brushing a dark strand of hair away from his long face. Leudora wondered if she was the only one to notice how casual and polished his performance was. Had he prepared everything in advance?

He did not even look at her. It was someone in the crowd who had captured his frightening stare. Tracing its trajectory, Leudora came across Korina Lovren's stupefied face and saw two figures in red and black approaching her from behind. Kosar and Blažetin seized Korina by the hands, much to her displeasure. She shouted something, but Leudora did not hear her. She only watched the Serpent's eyebrow twitch slightly at the sight of his aunt being taken away. He did not interfere.

"Get out of here!" Ferenc proffered her a hand, switching to Hungarian.

"I hadn't sensed her intention to kill me," Leudora rose to her feet, staring at him in confusion, "She's not a complete idiot."

"It doesn't matter!" Szemere shook his head. "She wanted you dead."

She knew Szemere would not listen. If he had not taken the farce for what it was, there was no point in Leudora's explanations.

When she stepped forward, she almost bumped into the lanky figure of the Serpent himself. Once again, Leudora cursed his ability to materialize out of thin air.

"A curious device, I must admit. A reprogrammed Crafter created by the Ancestors," Drašković's deep voice chilled the air in the room. "Sloppy work."

"How fortunate," Leudora gritted her teeth and turned to the audience, leaning over the balustrade. "The negotiations should continue. Please, ladies and gentlemen!" She bowed theatrically, then swayed to the side and slowly descended the stairs. Dragomir Drašković flanked her, looming over her slender frame as if he were an extension of her robes.

"The right decision, my lady." His words came out as a hiss.

She left the Sanctuary half an hour later, barely holding herself together and trembling with mental strain. The purple-wearers dispersed quickly, leaving Leudora on the stairs of the Sanctuary, staring at the fence of the Cișmigiu park. She barely managed to close her eyes and take a breath, when a familiar scent of sandal and mint reached her nostrils. The Serpent could be silent, but his smell carried an unmistakable appeal to most of her kin: it clung to him wherever he appeared, and it was impossible to ignore. Drašković did not walk, he glided as if pacing on air.

"A word in private, my lady?" The same perfectly measured tone, the same icy glance of endless green – Leudora could recognize him anywhere. She nodded shortly. He proffered her a hand with strained courtesy. Leudora's suspicious withdrawal did not escape his attentive eyes.

"I am no Psychic, my lady," he elaborated as if she had required an explanation. It was a challenge, and Leudora accepted it with a flicker of an eyebrow. He clasped her arm tightly, and she immediately felt the pain return to her sore shoulder. He squeezed it, sending waves of heat through her body. Leudora pressed her lips tightly together: how could he exert such power without trying? She forced herself to calm down, knowing Szemere was watching her from the terrace. He was there, only twenty steps away, ready to spring to her help. Did he think it was Drašković who staged that attempt on her life? Unlike Leudora, he had no reason to dismiss it.

"You need to leave, Lady Galbur." The Serpent's measured voice interrupted her thoughts. "Preferably soon. Not everyone is content with your presence."

"I have suspected that much," she said as she tried to weaken his iron grip without success, "Is that all, or is there something else you can tell me?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you have certain connections in Slovenia. I suppose you have not visited the Gothars for a long time." He led her into the park. "They value their neutrality and seem to have great respect for your deceased brother Leften."

"I haven't yet convinced all my people to sign the treaty. Bulgaria is a more likely destination in my case," Leudora pointed out coldly.

"You may not reach Bulgaria."

She stopped, turning to face him. As always, Drašković did not look away. Had he been a Byzantine Blood, he could have incapacitated his opponents with his stares alone. Her thin lips barely moved, and his perfect mask of detachment remained in place.

"You intend to eliminate me if I fail, Guardian Drašković, don't you? Why bother? If you know who is behind this whole charade, why would you spare my inexistent feelings to conceal this knowledge? I will find out, sooner or later." She finally managed to free her hand from his grip. His glassy eyes narrowed.

"You may find the answer disturbing. The Grand Magister knows it from the Spy Guild."

"...and you know it because you are not stupid. And because it was a fine opportunity to remove your hot-blooded aunt from here," Leudora concluded. He nodded, lifting an eyebrow and clasping his hands behind his back.

For a long moment he stared at her intently, watching her closely, biding his time. She waited for the silence to settle between them: unintentionally, he had confirmed Leudora's worst fears. A guess turned into hard truth, acquiring shape and volume. She could no longer ignore it. He nodded again and prepared to leave, but Leudora's voice stopped him.

"It must be my mother, Lord Serpent. She's the only pure blood who is absent. She would never miss an opportunity to get rid of me and blame the gravity-switchers for my death."

The stare he gave her could freeze a bird mid-flight. Leudora's dark grey eyes smoldered, but her face remained as dispassionate as his.

"It's more convenient for everyone to think it was my aunt and her associates." His bloodless lips barely moved.

"We both agree on the matter."

Leudora watched his cloak flutter behind as he walked away. And she thought about her stubborn kin and her own strategy. First, Leudora had to recruit Sava. Most considered him an inborn diplomat, and not without reason. Szemere would certainly agree to help with the Hungarians. Then... there was not much left to do for her. She could accomplish everything with Veselina Gurova, Ferenc Szemere and Sava Galbur by her side. She did not even need to trust them, only to convince them.