Call Of The Dark

The moment Magnus said it, Lazarus wanted to roar her name as fury surged through him. He traced to the tent just in time to see that Yul was going closer to Emma. Enraged, he bumped his shoulder into his and Yul spun. Confused as hell, Yul turned back to orient himself but by then he had taken Emma to the side and claimed her lips. How dare she came to the kissing tent? As he kissed her, his nerves smoothed. He kissed her so hard that he sucked air out of her, feeling this urgent need to merge with her.

In the meanwhile, Yul again stumbled against someone and the two fell down. This time he had bumped against Magnus.

Magnus saw him going towards Olya. He was very near her and so he quickly came in between them and they collided, falling over the ground. When Yul managed to get up, Magnus had caught Olya and took her to the side while Yul found himself out of the tent.

---

Maeve was supposed to meet Lazarus at Zeph. She wanted to go to Upper North Jupan first in order to keep an eye on Emma and Lazarus, but Lazarus was adamant that she come to Zeph first. The oracle lived in a small cottage on the peak of a hill just outside Zeph. Surrounded by frozen lakes on three sides, the cottage was accessible by a steep winding road only through one side. Magic crawled all around the hill making it impossible for people to go there easily.

Lazarus waited for Maeve at the foothill in his carriage. She was an hour late and one look at her, he knew that she had spent hours in front of the mirror.

Maeve was waiting for this opportunity to talk lovey-dovey with him. She knew that Lazarus was emotionally challenged. He was starved of love and it was because his mother had died so early. She knew how to wrap this man around her little finger. "I wanted to be at Jupan," she complained.

Lazarus ignored her and looked out of the window, his thoughts filled with Emma and how she had curled up on one side, watching the snowfall for a long time. Though he had pretended to sleep, he was watching her all the time. She looked so fresh and ethereal that when he couldn't help it, he simply shifted to her side and pulled her in his lap. She had slept like a baby on him.

When he didn't reply to her, she snapped, "It seems you are thinking about the mortal again."

He scoffed, "How do you know?"

"It is written all over your face!" she said with irritation. "Why are you getting so swayed by that foolish girl? What will you achieve with her? Have you ever thought of it? The villagers are rebelling against you. There have been more victims. It seems that someone in your kingdom is sucking them dry. He or she is using them as blood bags without giving a thought that it would only lead to more trouble."

Lazarus sucked in a sharp breath as tension knotted in his stomach. This was bad for him. The blood vassals were going to rebel all the more. He was doing everything to contain the rebellion but someone was doing his or her best to catapult it. He was sure that it was Anton.

Maeve continued, "The blood vassals are gearing up a battle against the vampires. And the only way to stop them would be to have me on the throne. So stop getting entranced by the mortal. She can't do a thing. Only I will be able to control them all with my magic!"

"Why do you want to control them with your magic? I want to have a peaceful solution with them."

"There can't be any peaceful solution. The only way to control these mortals is by magic and harsh magic. Once I am in Emma's body, I am going to be so much more powerful and then I will rule them all!" she said, her eyes glinting like a maniac.

Lazarus didn't like the idea. So he closed his eyes and rested his back against the carriage. His thoughts once again went to his favorite toy these days, Emma. For the entire journey, he didn't speak to Maeve while she continued to blabber about God-knows-what.

They reached the cottage soon. The oracle already knew that he was coming and so they didn't encounter any magic. Lazarus heaved opened the heavy oak door which had a brass rose handle. When they entered inside, there was complete darkness. Maeve wanted to use her magic, but restrained. Her body was going so weak after the last magic she used in anger because of Emma.

All at once, soft light fell upon them from the ceiling. As they walked, Maeve noticed light yellow orbs pulsating with soft light. The ceiling of the room had roots and leaves twined around the orbs. They crossed the room to enter a small chamber and as soon as they got it, the oracle said to Maeve, "Oh, it's you."

Maeve gritted her teeth. "What do you mean it is I even before I spoke to you?"

The oracle sighed and circled the table where she was working. Unlike what Maeve had thought she was a beautiful woman with golden eyes and bright red lips that looked like if someone pinched them, they would instantly bleed. She looked so young even though Lazarus had mentioned that she was thousands of years old and no one knew from where she came.

"Because of the look on Lazarus's face and because of all the makeup you are wearing. Layers and layers of it."

Maeve narrowed her eyes and very coldly said, "You have made sure that you will die. As soon as your usefulness is over, I am going to sever your head and decorate my bedchamber with it."

The oracle's golden eyes turned fiery with rage. "This could be your future, not mine!"