The boat floated leisurely towards the river bank. Hypnos looked like a large upright bat, leaning against the stern with arms wrapped around himself. Repeated failure had made him bitter and distraught.

He always located potential seraph vessels through a blood spell. In his last attempt at the ritual, the duo had abducted a patrician girl from Modo. She was a healthy colleen with a robust constitution. Hypnos had been very optimistic about the results. Amidst an elaborate ritual, ...