The friend fell silent, trying to portray violent mental activity on his face.

Gora also squatted down, and for some time sat nearby, resting his chin on his fist, in the pose of Rodin's Thinker. Suddenly, he seemed to have a flash of insight. Jumping up abruptly, he walked around the table, pondering what came to mind. Every minute his face brightened. Sitting down in a chair, he took out his phone and began to look through his notebook with concentration.

Realizing that some idea had occurred to a friend, Kholodov began to fuss:

- Can you hide for a while? - asked ingratiatingly.

Do you want everyone to think I'm a coward? he snapped.

No, no one will know about it. For everyone, you just leave, - the deputy spread his hands.

- Where? - a short chuckle in response.

- Yes, even where, even to America! Let's say that your father is ill and you are taking care of him.

"Stupid," Gora grimaced.

- Why? Edik continued to exhort, peering into his face and evaluating the effect of his words on his friend. - Moretti honors family ties. You sit there for a couple of weeks, and it will cool down for now.

- Well, what will change? You said that Moretti is coming to me, so no matter where I go, he will find me, ”More said thoughtfully.

- Well, yes, I did not think about it.

- Something more radical is needed here ... - and Georgy resolutely dialed a few numbers on the phone.

Edik quickly walked around the table and sat on the edge, trying to examine the dialed number and looking Grief in the eyes:

- So what? Whom do you call?

Tumanov shook his head.

- There is one idea. But I'll find out first! When will Moretti arrive?

- Tonight.

- Paragraph! There is very little time ... Hello, Good afternoon! - immediately changed the tone to gentle and affectionate. - This is Georgy Tumanov. Need to meet. Yes, - after a short pause, apparently having received instructions, the Mountain turned off the phone, got up and headed for the exit.

- Ed, cover me here, I'm in a meeting, - he threw on the go.

- Where are you going? - Kholodov jumped up as if scalded and rushed after a friend, in an attempt to catch up and stop. - And if Danilov asks? He is waiting for you like a miracle - he has been asking all morning. Besides, you promised to approve the advertising slogan for the new order.

- I go back and forth! Ed, this paragraph, how important! - Hora shouted from the corridor and quickly left. - And you strain Valik, let him be creative, then refine it anyway, - he added, entering the elevator.

- Okay, let's go, - Edward replied with annoyance, watching the doors close behind Tumanov. Tapping his fingers on the jamb, he looked around the office, shouted into space:

- We work! - and slowly, circling the workers with a formidable glance of the boss, he returned to his office.

***

Nothing has changed: the same nondescript house, even more nondescript entrance... and he was here only once, half a century ago... Then life hung in the balance, he was wounded by a "hunter". The bullet, which contained a paralyzing substance for vampires, hit in the shoulder. He began to fall into a coma, there was no hope of salvation - Gora remembered well how, with the last of his strength, he crawled into the shelter, how already there the body refused to obey him, and his brain was still working, although his reserve was at the limit. He understood that this was all, the end of his eternity, there was no hope for salvation and there was nowhere to wait for help ... Suddenly, out of nowhere, a woman appeared, who then saved his life. Claudia, that was the name of his savior, turned out to be a hereditary sorceress, who, moreover, knew a lot about vampires ... Now he thought that only she could help him. - In the future, he several times in critical situations turned to her for help. Claudia always responded without asking unnecessary questions, which was important. True, her help was never gratuitous, but this was not a problem for the Mountain. And now, it seems, it's time to ask for a favor from your old friend again...

Looking around, the Mountain opened the door and entered the house.

The door of the apartment was opened for him by Claudia herself, who also had not changed a bit since they met - the same suspicious look, the same wrinkles and, in contrast to them, lively and unnaturally young eyes ...

“Come in,” the lady said, looking over the man’s shoulder, and let him into the apartment and immediately, without preamble, clarified: “What do you need this time?”

“I need your help,” Hora began at once, without being distracted by trifles.

Claudia silently listened to his story, without a single emotion on her face, what she was thinking at that moment was impossible to guess, since her face was absolutely emotionless, like a mask.

- Do you want to hide from the Council? - she asked at the end of the story and suddenly laughed, looking into the face of the grim man, then, just as suddenly as she had started, she stopped laughing and said: - Good! Only you will cost fifty thousand this time!

- No problem! '' said the Mountain and stepped towards the witch.

She snorted.

- Euro.

Tumanov froze for a second, as if weighing something in his mind, and then said:

- I need your bank account number.

Claudia smiled rather.

“Sit down,” she pointed to Gora on the sofa, and she took out a box from the closet and perched on the other side.

The sorceress lit candles, placing them in a circle, scattered some kind of powder in the center, ordered Horus to leave handprints on this powder and began to mutter something in an incomprehensible language.

The smell of paraffin and some kind of fragrance, the darkness, the flickering flame of candles, a hoarse female voice repeating gibberish over and over again... From all this, George began to feel dizzy, and the air around him became so heavy that his lungs began to hurt when inhaled.. But the sorceress did not stop her incomprehensible ritual, which turned into torture.

"Probably a couple of hours have already passed, no less," Tumanov thought and wanted to look at his watch, as a sharp unbearable pain pierced him from the inside. Gritting his teeth to keep from screaming, he clung to the couch, breathing heavily. The air became not only heavy, but also thick, and inside everything twisted, and made it impossible to breathe well. There was nausea. The man tried to remember the last time he felt sick, but he couldn't. Yes, and pain was already unknown to him for a long time. And now, it seems that the brain also hurts, you just have to think about something.

When the forces were already running out, and it darkened in the eyes, the pain became even stronger and pierced the body through and through. With a soft groan, Gora slid off the couch and fell to his knees.

The woman's voice died away, and then a bright light came on, so unexpectedly that Tumanov closed his eyes.

The chest ceased to squeeze, and the air became not so thick, it even seemed fresh. In all his one hundred and fifty years of being a vampire, he had never needed fresh air so much! Georgy sighed greedily several times, as if he would never have such an opportunity again, and opened his eyes. Claudia looked at him with a satisfied smirk.

"And for that she asked for fifty euros?" thought Tumanov. - "Yes, it would be better to get to the court of the Elders."

The nausea gradually subsided, as did the dizziness. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Passing his hand over it, the Mountain looked at his palm - it seemed to have become smaller ...

“I don’t understand,” he burst out, but in some strange voice.

Taking a closer look at his hands, he rubbed his eyes to remove the delusion, and looking again froze. Something was wrong... and it wasn't just the hands. George slowly ran his hands over his face, nose, lips... It's not his face! What happened?

- W-what have you done, old witch? - Breaking into a cry, squeezed out of himself Horus.

- What you wanted - I hid you from the Council of Elders, - Claudia calmly said calmly and began to collect the powder in a box.

- I wanted to hide? Yes, I wanted to hide! But I thought you'd give me some kind of amulet or something like that...

- What amulet? Garlic and a cross? - the sorceress asked skeptically. - I named the price, you agreed without asking too many questions.

- Abzaa-aats! - drawled Hora, with difficulty rising from his knees, clinging to the edge of the table. - What exactly did you do?

"Changed your appearance - now no one will find you," she giggled nervously.

Curiosity forced Tumanov to approach the mirror, but his mind did not remind him that he was unlikely to see something in it. But from there, with a completely amazed look, a pale, black-haired girl dressed in HIS costume was looking at him! Which, moreover, was very large for her ...

- Aaaaaa, - Tumanov yelled, and was about to faint, but changed his mind. Belonging to the stronger sex did not allow me to turn off and relax. Therefore, he remained standing, although he really wanted to fall through the ground and, at least for a while, forget himself.