Every train station exists in a constant state of change. Thousands of people are passing by every day, all carrying not only their packages but stories, too. A place where life-changing journeys start or comes to an end.

The station where Cornelius Blake and Sarah boarded their train was impressive but it needed a serious renovation. Pigeons had their nests up in the intersections of the gigantic metal pillars that supported the dirty glass ceiling. The Sun was still up but the air started to cool down somewhat. It promised to be a nice evening.

Their cabin looked old, but it was far from vintage. It was narrow, with the easily cleanable plastic floor, the glass push-door at one end and the window at the other. Both had grey drapes neatly tied to their frames. Two long seats along the longer sides, covered with faded blue fabric took up most of the place. Between them, under the window, was a small, weirdly shaped plastic table seemingly glued to the wall, a rubbish bin way too small to be useful and a heater on the floor.

Blake put up his suitcase on the shelf above his head then grabbed Sarah's and did the same with it. Not like the woman needed help, but he liked to be a gentleman.

From her handbag, Sarah took out a slick tablet and a bottle of transparent liquid. She even had two small travelling shot-glasses, made out of metal. This was one of their traditions: wherever they met, they got a bottle of the locals favourite drink. Hungary's was called pálinka. They made it out of different types of fruits, and the one Sarah brought was plum. She poured for both of them. Blake sniffed his glass. Sarah could feel any kind of taste much better than a human being, so they only ever drank the highest quality.

'Cheers,' Blake said and drank the pálinka up. He shivered and made a weird face as if he bit a lemon. 'That is way too strong…'

Sarah only put the tip of her tongue into the beverage, very carefully, like a cat.

'It is. But I like it. Fruity,' she took a tiny sip and smiled. Then she picked up the tablet from the seat she put it before and gave it to Blake. 'Take a look.'

He took his time, read everything carefully, examined all of the photos thoroughly even though they were taken on the scene of an especially brutal murder. Then he looked up.

'What do I suppose to see?' he asked.

'What do you see?' asked back the woman.

Blake peered at the screen of the tablet, then back at Sarah.

'Rage,' he said. 'Hatred. Whoever did this, he enjoyed it. He was full of anger.'

'Why do you think that?' asked the woman.

The floor started to vibrate as the engines came to life with a deep, bone-reaching humming. Rings circled on the surface of the pálinka in the bottle.

'This is extremely savage. The killer didn't stop until his victim's body was completely destroyed and there are no signs of any weapon or magic. He wanted to cause real pain and he wanted to do it by his own hands. It was personal. He needed to let his anger roar. I'd say it was revenge.'

Sarah took another tiny sip of her drink and sighed with pleasure.

'What else?' she asked.

'The victim was a vampire,' he said slowly, deeply in thought. 'The only thing that can do this to a vampire is more vampires, at least three, but more likely four. That's the ME's official opinion, too.'

'But you disagree,' it wasn't really a question. The train jerked once, then again. Sarah's drink poured all over her hand. 'Blimey,' she said, perfectly mimicking a posh British accent. It reminded Blake of someone he used to know.

'Here,' the man said, offering a tissue to the woman. The train slowly made its way out of the station giving them the illusion that the little shops crouching under the arcades of the wall decided to run away.

'Thanks,' Sarah took the tissue and wiped her hand. 'So why do you think the ME was wrong?'

'He made a logical conclusion, strictly from a medical point of view,' Blake said, putting away the tablet. 'But if you are literally so angry that you are about to tear someone apart with your bare hands, you won't ask for help or company. Revenge is intimate. It's between two people. Plus there is no way that not one of the vampires got hungry enough to drink from the victim during this bloodbath. And yet, no significant amount of blood was missing.'

'The blood of a vampire is not nearly as sustaining for another vampire as even the blood of a pig, let alone a human but I see your point,' Sarah nodded. 'So if we accept your theory, that means our murderer is possessing strength beyond vampires. What is stronger than a vampire?'

The train rolled between tall walls that were designed to protect the city around from the noise. They were full of graffiti. Most of them were barely even a doodling but there were a few good ones, too.

'Werewolves?' guessed Blake. He grabbed the bottle and refilled their glasses.

'I don't think so,' answered the woman, taking her glass from the weird little table. 'They are strong, that much is true, but they are also very slow. A fight wouldn't be this one-sided. Not to mention that they are probably extinct. Nobody had seen werewolves for almost fifty years now. What about those things that are living in the woods in your country? The ones in the North?'

'Wendigos?' asked Blake. 'No, they are weak, at least compared to vampires. Do you think a halfling could have a spectacular power like this?'

Halfling was the name of those very rare people who possessed some magic but still couldn't use the magical Runes for some reason. Instead of that, their magic became a specific ability or power, mostly just interesting rather than useful, but there were exceptions.

'I doubt it. Maybe some kind of fae?' suggested Sarah.

'Sure, a giant probably could do that but I think someone would have noticed a six metres tall guy with a huge club wandering around Prague.'

Sarah laughed.

'We are running out of mythological creatures,' she pointed out.

Blake tossed off his drink. He made the grimace again but didn't shiver this time.

'If you know what to expect, it is actually quite nice,' he nodded. 'Another question: why are we going there? This happened two months ago. The case is ice cold and we cannot do anything the local police hasn't done already.'

Sarah shrugged and smiled.

'They gave me a choice,' she answered. 'I could go and look into some kind of shapeshifter appearance deep in the Amazonas with an especially annoying newbie or go to the nice and cosy Prague with an old friend. Honestly, I didn't ask why those were the choices, I was just happy I even got one. You know how I hate hot places.'

'Hard to argue with that logic,' agreed Blake. 'Well at least we got to try Czech beers, they are supposed to be very good.'