Page 3 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species
Constantine himself had been more than sceptical when he had first heard of Diana’s cure. “Do you remember when immortals could regenerate instantly? When blood loss or infection didn’t threaten us, and cancer was a mortal’s problem?”
The Righteous squinted. “Cancer? In an immortal? You’re serious?”
“I thought your gossip-spies tell you everything. We found colon cancer in an immortal individual. A vampire. Looks like aside from ageing, infections and blood loss, we’re also threatened by malignant diseases.”
Now Constantine knew he had the man’s attention. His eyes had practically flared with interest at the mention of a cure forregeneration – a cure that would mean his hands would revert to their normal size, and fast.
Nikolay waved his hand. “I heard something of the sort, butI thought it was just rumours.”
“Regeneration hasn’t just slowed since 1744 – it’s deteriorating. Some species might be on the brink of complete extinction.” Constantine gave Nikolay some time to ponder the bomb he’d just dropped. It wouldn’t take him long to get it – they needed to be on the same side if they wanted the same results.
The Righteous sighed, rubbing his temples as if the weight of Constantine’s words had settled there. “All right,” he finally muttered. “Let’s say, hypothetically, I believe you. Who are these men in my bar?”
“They have a means for unlocking the secondary form in New Generation creatures.”
“Ah, the New Generation – those poor souls, born too late to unlock their immortal form because their regeneration is too weak. It’s tragic, really. And the women… they’ve got this inferiority complex that makes them… quite accommodating. If you ask me, it’s better they don’t unlock their secondary form…”
“That substance could support an immortal body through any extreme condition, not just the first transformation.”
The Righteous laughed. “Sounds great, but there’s no such thing.”
“Apparently, there is.Theyhave it.”
The Righteous stared at Constantine with a glint in his eyes. “And who are ‘they’, exactly?”
“Reptilians. The eighth species.”
“What eighth species, necromancer?”
Constantine paused, letting the weight of his next words sink in. “An eighth type of immortal creature. Aside from the six you know, and humans.”
The Righteous’ eyes narrowed, a mix of scepticism and curiosityin his gaze. “Is that supposed to be a joke? Because if it is, you’ve got my attention.”
Constantine’s lips twisted into a crooked smile. “Take it as you wish. What I need from you is the security footage from November 11th. And keep an eye out for anything – or anyone – unusual, especially matching the description I’m about to give you.”
The Righteous took the champagne bottle out from the bucket and filled his cup. “As interesting as your tale sounds, why should I help you? Because of you, I lost my good hand and was forced to relocate my entire organ trade. As far as I’m aware, all I got in return was a promise that you will no longer interfere with my business.”
“That promise still stands. But as I already mentioned, these creatures are likely the ones causing the regeneration problems. If we capture them, we might find a cure to restoring our full healing abilities.” Constantine lowered his gaze to the Righteous’ hands. “And you, my friend, are in dire need of such a cure.”
Nikolay squirmed in his seat. “And what, exactly, does this eighth species look like?”
“Men. Suits. I hear they like their sunglasses, and wear them in the evenings and indoors.”
“Sunglasses are a dime a dozen here! Sure, suits are rarer, but still, not exactly a dead giveaway.” The Righteous nodded to the overcrowded dancefloor, rich with bobbing, tossing, turning, jumping and, on rare occasions, dancing creatures.
In the sea of writhing bodies, Constantine’s eyes landed on the leather-clad brunette from earlier. As if sensing his gaze, she stared up at him, sending an unexpected jolt of heat through his groin. He glanced away. “I will provide more details as I get them. In the meantime, ask your trusted staff to be on the lookout for strange offers. You know what I mean – anything beyond the regular shit that’s being offered around here.”
The Righteous narrowed his eyes. After a moment of silence, he spoke. “I have one condition.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Tell me more about this thing you claim speeds up regeneration.”
Constantine couldn’t count on Babyhand to keep his mouth shut, but desperate times required desperate measures. And anyway, the Righteous wasn’t exactly a trusted source of the Tribunal either, so even if he went blabbing to them, his word was as good as non-existent. “We’ve only seen a small sample of it, but it’s a liquid. Potent enough to act almost instantly,” the necromancer explained, remembering Diana’s transformation. “It gives a boost to any New Gen creature, allowing their body to survive that first transformation and access their secondary form. The regeneration effects aren’t permanent after – our research shows they revert, and the creature can get injured and not regenerate as fast – but the unlocking of the secondary form is permanent.”
“All right, then. My condition is this: if you do find a way to speed up regeneration – be it with a cure or whatever else you find with this eight species – I want to be among the first to try it.”
“Deal.” Constantine nodded.
