Daniil felt his heart leap into his chest when he saw the end of the path. No more than a few meters and the trees would give way to a small clearing where a nice surprise awaited the fools who followed him. He made an effort not to smile and forced himself to maintain a steady pace. There were still a good fifty yards to go when his jacket collar went around his throat. Brutally pulled back, the vampire hunter instinctively put his hands around his neck in an attempt to free himself. Behind him, Ecclesio tightened the garment further before forcing him to kneel. Kaliov reluctantly complied and, once on the ground, coughed several times, his throat on fire. The Italian looked around for a moment, then motioned for a soldier to go ahead.
“Don’t you dare try anything,” threatened Ecclesio,
