Her long black coat was still damp with morning dew, her hair slightly disheveled, yet her posture remained perfect.
A faint haze moved in the air around her, as if she had just stepped out of mist.
Gideon kept his pistol aimed directly at her chest, finger resting on the trigger. Bruno gripped the knife so tightly he looked ready to throw it.
Flash didn't lower his revolver. Ethan stood slightly behind the others, clutching the black stake tightly, watching her with a hard gaze.
Anna slowly raised her hands, palms open, showing she was unarmed.
"Calm down," she said quietly. Her voice was low, velvety, with a slight rasp.
"I have nothing against you. Not against any of you."
"I didn't come here to kill or to take Ethan. I'm on your side."
"At least… for now."
She paused, looking each of them in the eyes one by one.
"I took the mayor's office, yes, that's true. But not because I want you dead."
"Gérard… he's been controlling me for a long time. He keeps me on a short leash. If I start openly helping you, he'll know."
"And then I'll have to run myself. That's why I'm here at my own risk. This is the last time I can help you."
"I won't be able to do it again."
Flash didn't lower his weapon, but his finger eased slightly off the trigger.
"Why should we believe you?" he asked coldly.
"You're a Corvin. You've always been on their side."
Anna looked at him with something almost like sadness.
"Because I'm tired of being a puppet. Because what's happening to Ethan… it's already beyond their games."
"And because if I walk away now, you'll all die very quickly. Gérard already knows about Laurent. He's gathering his forces."
She turned her gaze to Ethan. Her eyes softened; a flicker of something like sympathy appeared in them.
"And you, Ethan… I can truly help you."
"You've never fought vampires or even humans properly. You weren't ready for battles against our kind. You've survived on pure stubbornness and luck."
Ethan gripped the black stake tighter. The black lines on his neck twitched faintly.
"And what are you offering?" he asked.
Anna took one small step forward. No one fired.
"I'm willing to give you lessons in combat. Not human techniques that work against ordinary people."
"I'll teach you to fight the way vampires fight."
"How to move, how to anticipate strikes, how to use the speed and strength already in your blood thanks to… well, you know." She glanced at the stake in Ethan's hand.
"I'll teach you not to fear fighting vampires, but to control the battlefield itself."
"Otherwise… you'll simply become the next victim."
Gideon let out a short, disbelieving chuckle.
"You're serious? You're offering us help? You've helped us twice before, and both times it led to the worst possible outcome."
Anna looked at him calmly.
"I'm not offering help to all of you. I'm offering it to him." She nodded at Ethan.
"Because if he breaks, your little group will break, then the whole city will break."
"That's exactly what Gérard is waiting for."
Flash finally lowered his revolver, though he didn't put it away.
"And what do you want in return?" he asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," Anna replied.
"Just… remember that I could have killed all of you right now. And I didn't."
She looked at Ethan one last time. In her eyes was a strange mix of exhaustion and almost motherly concern.
"Decide for yourself, Ethan. If you agree, I'll find you. If not… our next meeting may not be so peaceful."
Anna finished speaking and fell silent.
Flash stared at her for a long time, as if trying to read her true intentions behind that perfect posture and velvety voice.
Finally he exhaled heavily.
"Fine," he said.
"We accept your offer. But on our terms."
Anna tilted her head slightly, waiting.
Flash nodded toward Ethan.
"First we have to find the witch. The one who can help with the curse. After we finish this business and come back, I'll give you my basement for training."
"It's old and has thick walls. No one will hear what happens inside."
"And it's relatively safe."
He looked Anna straight in the eyes.
"You'll come alone. No helpers. And if I sense even the slightest threat to Ethan, it ends immediately."
Anna listened calmly, without interrupting. When Flash finished, she gave a barely perceptible nod.
"Agreed."
"I know where to find one witch. Her name is Zeydana Grave."
"So you know about her too?" Flash asked warily.
She paused, and for the first time a note of warning entered her voice.
"I don't think everyone knows. All the witches were wiped out long ago. Vampires considered them the most dangerous weakness in our kind."
"They could see through illusions, sense the true nature of blood, seal souls, and put vampires in their place."
"That's why the Corvins and the other vampire families almost completely exterminated their bloodline."
"Zeydana is one of the last. She's been hiding for many years."
"If you go to her and she senses you're with me, she might simply disappear."
"Or, worse, decide that you are the threat."
Anna shifted her gaze back to Ethan. Her eyes softened.
"But if anyone can help you contain the souls inside… it's her. She has knowledge even Gérard doesn't possess."