Ravenheart got up to take it from her hands and unpacked it in front of the others. Inside the wrap was a small golden amulet.

“You said that Jonathan gave this to you, Sarah, is that correct?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Jonathan. Where did you get this from?”

He gulped down his fear that rose in his throat. “From the vampire lord, my honor.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I obtained it after a fight with him”, he lied.

“Impressive, indeed”, Flamel said, “But this does not explain why you’re no longer human.”

Jonathan felt caught but now he started lying so there was no way out for him. “I do not have a logical answer for this, my honor. I was mortally wounded before the fight, so he gave me human blood, judging by the metallic scent it had. After that we fought. It was as he didn’t feel confident in fighting someone who was almost dead.”

“Let’s assume that we believe your story that you’re supposedly only half vampire. Let us test this then, shall we?”, Antigonus said.

Jonathan could see Sadie freeze in her position, eyes widened in fear.

A servant emerged from the curtains behind the Council with a silver platter and placed it onto the Council’s table.

“Jonathan, can you tell us what’s in this dish?”, Belladonna asked.

He gulped in horror because he could. “It’s blood, ma’am.”

“Correct. Now, servants!”

A couple other servants emerged from the dark and tied Jonathans hands down to the floor with magic, so that he was still forced into an upright position on his knees.

Belladonna grabbed the bowl and approached him. With the reducing distance, the smell only got stronger, almost nauseating.

Belladonna dunked two fingers into the liquid and drew a line onto Jonathans lips, then she placed the bowl down right before him and returned to her seat.

“Now, this is a test of self-restraint”, Antigonus said, “Whether or not you’re half vampire we can’t tell but if you have enough self-control to stay here.”

He could taste the blood on his lips slightly getting into his mouth. He could not, under any circumstance show any response to this. But he was disappointed in himself, as he felt his heartbeat getting faster, relieved that he still had one, and he felt himself gradually getting dizzier.

“He is reacting to the blood like a vampire, no doubt”, Belladonna said. “His breathing is getting faster and his pupils are dilating.”

“But if he really were a newborn one, he would’ve tried to devour the contents of the bowls right after you left it for him or tried to bite you”, Ravenheart added.

“This is not finished yet”, Antigonus said, “But you two may leave for now.”

The servants loosened the magic cuffs around Jonathans wrists and Sadie got up from her bow.

What they didn’t see was that Jonathan eagerly licked the dried blood off his lips as they left the room.