An hour later, I was tossing and turning in bed with worry. Was Nikolai in danger? How did the man know where I lived and warn me against Nikolai? He had addressed Nikolai as ‘my lord’ and this made me wonder how much power Nikolai had. 

I decided to bite the bullet and call Nikolai. He answered the call after the fifth ring.

“Hello,” he responded over the line. “Why are you still awake? It's ...