Soon after the king arrived, Leonardo left to attend to him, leaving Esme alone in the tower.
Getting to work, Esme uncorked the first vial and poured a small amount of blood into a shallow dish. The deep red liquid glistened under the light, almost as if it pulsed with life, and it made Esme frown. She reached for the slender, silver needle she had set aside.
She dipped it into the blood, then carefully transferred it to a vial containing a clear reagent. After observing it for five minutes and seeing no desired effect, that didn't deter her. This only confirmed that the sample came from a guardian injured by a simple weapon. She had collected three types of samples; normal blood, and two from those that were ferociously bitten or clawed.
