Blood War (Book 1, the Halfblood Chronicles)

2.2 | Diary of a Dead Man

"The journal of Konstantin the Keeper. Someone smashed the glass case and took it right off the display stand."

The report alleviated some of Nika's anxiety. He must have believed she was telling the truth, for whatever reason. But after considering the information, she could only frown.

Konstantin the Keeper was a notable figure from Daemonstri history. The Nefili warrior lived in fifteenth-century Romania, where he and his colleagues founded the Vigil, and nowadays, he was regarded as the original defender of the Serafi race.

"Why would someone steal a dead man's diary?" she wondered aloud.

Kovachev shifted uncomfortably, and his chair creaked. "That question is usually answered after we find a suspect."

Nika watched the headmaster. His knee bounced, a dribble of sweat gathered in his hairline, and he kept glancing at his computer screen.

"Isn't it obvious?" she said.

For all the world, she was a bored teenager trapped in the principal's office. And she certainly wasn't questioning Kovachev's increasing nervousness.

"Dante Azzara," Nika continued, "—or whatever his real name is—showed up out of nowhere, claiming to be a student. He was dumb enough to ask directions to the library, which is always closed by midnight. There are security cameras in that building, but they're broken and the school can't afford to replace them." Kovachev blinked. She restrained a cocky smirk. "The staff gossip. It wouldn't have been hard for Dante to acquire that information. He's your strongest suspect."

"If he even exists."

Nika ignored the underlying accusation and tapped her fingers against the wooden arm of her chair, thinking.

Konstantin's journal was coveted by only two entities in Daemonstri society: the Vigil and the Ministry—an aristocratic group of Serafi that governed western Daemonstri populations. The Ministers' exact function was difficult to explain, but essentially, they did whatever they wanted to, and the public followed their laws.

For as long as Nika could remember, they'd been trying to obtain control over the Vigil's operations. But the High Keeper of North America refused to relinquish his authority, claiming the Vigil should be led by a Nefili.

It was an endless topic of debate. Should the community's protection be overseen by lawmakers or warriors? Konstantin's journal held the answer to that question, which was the reason for the Ministry and Vigil's coveting.

There was just one problem—the journal was a historical artifact in the school's possession. It was untouchable and unable to be used in the debates, which had left the conflict at a stalemate.

Until now.

Because the journal of Konstantin the Keeper had been stolen, and Dante Azzara was likely the perpetrator. And only one question remained: Why did he do it?

"Nika."

Her eyes focused on the headmaster again. He looked at her expectantly.

"Sorry," she said. "What did you say?"

"If you claim not to be the thief, then you wouldn't mind if I had your dorm searched."

Nika shrugged, praising the ancestors that she'd removed her handgun from its secret compartment. "Be my guest."

Please don't pat me down, she thought as the metal weapon dug into her back.

Kovachev called forth two keepers. He ordered one to search Nika's dorm room. To the other, he said, "Go to the abandoned cabins on the edge of campus. Search inside the buildings and around them. Look for signs of a squatter."