As soon as they got the message that Mrs Thatcher was awake, Ravin and Jules hurried to the infirmary.

"We need to be careful while questioning her," the hunter stopped by the door. "She must still be scared and confused. We'll ask only the most urgent questions and leave her to rest."

"If you say so," Jules' face was tight with worry.

Once they walked into the infirmary, they saw two priests sitting by Mrs Thatcher's bed. The woman half-lay, half-sat, resting against a pile of pillows, her eyes half-closed, as the three of them muttered quiet prayers. Her little daughter slept with her head on her chest.

"You're not welcome here, hunters," Father Dillion straightened in his chair. "I must request you to leave."

"No, it's you who must leave," Ravin held the priest's gaze without blinking. "I need to talk to this woman in private."

As if at the sound of his voice, Mrs Thatcher opened her eyes and grasped the priest's hand.

"This is the boy I told you about, Father!" she pointed her finger at Jules, her eyes ablaze with mixed terror and hatred. "It all happened after my husband agreed to let him into the village!"

"Do not fear, I won't let the impure child near you," Father Dillion stood up and stepped in between the bed and the hunters. He repeated the circular gesture he'd made earlier. Ravin pushed Jules back.

"That's enough. I'm acting on the Lord's command," the hunter said harshly. "Don't pull wool over this woman's eyes."

The door of the workroom opened and Evionel stepped into the infirmary, hesitant and red-faced.

"Excuse me, but I must ask you not to discomfort my aunt's patients," she spoke quietly, twisting the hem of her dress. "Mrs Thatcher needs rest. Father Dillion, Master Blake, please don't argue in here."

"Does your aunt know these men are here, Evionel?" the hunter turned to the girl. She shook her head and looked at her shoes.

"She's with Lady Guinevere, and since priests are always allowed to serve the ill and wounded, I couldn't really refuse them to enter the infirmary..." she explained, playing with the hem of the dress. "They're here on the Lady's invitation, so..."

"You did the right thing," Ravin said in a calming tone. "I'll let your aunt know you have guests here."

"Thank you, Master Blake," the girl nodded with relief. A fiery blush covered her whole face. She looked over at Jules and gave him a weak smile, then backed out to the workroom.

As they left the infirmary, Ravin stopped by the door and brought a finger to his lips. They stood, listening. At first, they heard nothing but Mrs Thatcher' quiet sobs.

"I'll never be able to forget it, Father Dillion," the woman's voice was muffled. "The thing I saw when I went out of the cellar that morning. They were bodies all over the yard and she... that demon..."

"Tell me about this demon, my dear," the priest encouraged quietly.

"It was a woman with dead eyes and tangled hair, and long claws instead of fingers... There were black, featherless wings growing out of her back, and she had antlers, just like our leshy had, but all covered in blood. As I saw her, she was kneeling by my sister's body, biting at her arm and chewing... And then, when the sun rays touched her, she hissed and flew away..."

Jules stood by the door, pursing his lips until they became a white line on his face. Black, featherless wings... It brought back memories: the strigas flying at him, their huge, bat-like wings blurred in the darkness.

"Ravin, you said wraiths change their form as they feed," he said as they were walking down the corridor, leaving the infirmary behind. "Does it mean Melissa killed and ate the strigas?"

"I fear she did," the hunter nodded with a grave expression. "What worries me more, she must have killed the leshy too. It was why he hadn't come back to the village after the storm."

"Leshies are powerful beings, aren't they?" Jules gave him a hesitant glance. "Killing him surely made Melissa stronger..."

"It won't affect the Circle of Annihilation," Ravin's face twitched with worry. He halted and put a hand on his apprentice's shoulder. "Jules, if that man, Dillion, ever comes when you're alone, lock the door and don't let him into the room. I don't want you to be alone with him, are we clear?"

"Crystal clear," Jules looked over his shoulder as if he expected to find the priests concealed there. The white-clothed men awoken in him the long-forgotten fears. "I don't get it, anyway. Priests hate us, but some of them are mages themselves."

"Don't give it too much thought. They lost most of their privileges over the past few decades," Ravin pushed him lightly and they continued their walk. "You see, they believe their magic is not something they are born with, but a divine gift, while we owe our Sixth Sense to demonic blood. It's good they are not after us anymore. "

"They were killing hunters?" Jules' eyes widened with disbelief. Yes, the priests had their incantations and prayers, but hunters were warriors! "But how?"

"Their target was mostly children born with the Sixth Sense," Ravin admitted. "Especially children like you. It was long ago, in the days when Peter the Godly was Limras' king. They grew strong under his rules, and still seek the old power and glory"

"But my parents always said that priests would kill me," Jules reminded. The Order of Ziva was the reason why he kept his blue eyes hidden until the day he decided to become Ravin's apprentice."

"Many of them would, but they can't do it officially now," Ravin admitted. "It's why I want Dillion nowhere near you. He's a sneaky man and he has been nursing resentment towards my old master and me for years."

"If he believes he's so powerful, why won't he fight the wraith?" Jules grimaced at the memory of the old priests looking down on Ravin. "I bet he'll leave all the dirty job to us!"

"I hope he will. He doesn't stand a chance against a wraith," the hunter slowed down to adjust to Jules' pace. "Anyway, I don't want to see you wandering around. Dillion is going to fuel people's fears, and we have enough problems as it is.

The boy's face fell as he realised what Ravin had in mind. Mrs Thatcher blamed him on the wraith's attack and her fellow villagers' death. Father Dillion had already confirmed her in that opinion. The castle servants were biased toward Jules from the very beginning, and now they had the old priest to fuel their animosity. Would he talk them into hating him?

They went out of the castle to shorten their way through an inner yard. Once Jules stepped outside, something black fell from the sky and hit the ground at his feet.

It was a raven. It moved his wings frantically, then became motionless.

"We don't believe in signs, do we?" Jules' voice shook as he stared at the dead bird.

"No, we don't," Ravin took his arm and pulled him toward the door across the yard.